《Wandering Immortal》 Prologue: A New World Writer Eternal: Done with finals and started this story. Enjoy. Prologue: A New World [Wake up.] [Elijah, wake up.] [Wake up, Elijah. Wake up!] A seventeen year old boy with dark brown hair and blue eyes awoke as the voices in his head faded. He shivered as the wind chilled his skin and noticed he wore a red V-neck shirt and black camouflage pants. He had a white turtle necklace on a black string around his neck and silver-grey running shoes. As he got to his feet, he noticed a crate behind him, his name engraved on a plaque in large, bold letters. "Elijah. That is my name. I remember it, but why am I here? These clothes.... I wore them before I entered the virtual reality game. How am I wearing them now? Wait, why can''t I remember past that memory?" Elijah groaned as he held his head, pain flashing through his mind. "Argh. It hurts. Something went wrong. Where am I? What happened to me?" "Ow! My head, It hurts. Where am I?" a boy cried out as he awoke. "Who said that? Who called out to me?" a man asked as his vision cleared and saw the people around him after rubbing his eyes. One by one, the people in the white marble room awoke. Each of them had similar reactions. (Who am I? Was that really my name?) (The last thing I remember was entering a game. Why do I wear the same clothes?) (Who was calling to me? What is this crate? Who are you guys?) "So there are about nine of us in this white marble room wearing the same clothes we wore before entering the new virtual reality game. The problem is that this feels too real, there is no message box or log out button, and we have no memories prior to using the virtual reality system to enter the game. We also have a feeling that the voice called to us using our real names, but not our last names. That about right?" a woman asked. "My name is Serena. I do feel that it is my name." "There are also these crates. When I tried approaching someone else''s a strange barrier repulsed me. It should be sufficient to assume only the owner of the name can open the crates," a muscular man wearing a sleeveless shirt agreed. "I''m Marlin by the way." "We should open the crates. It might contain clues about why we''re here, or where ''here'' actually is. I don''t think there''ll be a trap as there are magic barriers protecting the crates. I do believe we can''t be on Earth as magic is real. We won''t go anyway by just asking questions," Elijah suggested, the other eight nodding as they turned towards their respective crates. Elijah''s hand gently lifted the cover of the crate and looked at the contents. Inside was a black ring with a jade insignia of three eyes, an old letter, and a black pearl one foot in diameter. Cautious, Elijah decided to read the letter before observing the ring and gigantic pearl. "Hello Elijah. Welcome to the planet albeit not your Earth. Inside the crate is a ring and a pearl. The ring is your unique item, everyone receiving the same pearl. The ring is a storage item containing a 20x20x20 meter space within. Considering that 1 meter is over 3 feet, it is quite a large cubic space. Now, we shall talk about the pearl," the letter began. "In order to talk about the pearl, we must talk about this world. You were taken from your home world to replace the you of this world. You and these eight other individuals will possess powers. Power to control elements. Normal people control only one element, controlling three signifying an incomparable talent and potential. You nine can control up to three, your enchanted items grant you the fourth element. Right now, you can create and manipulate earth and abyssal water. Your ring adds wind damage to your attack, but that is not the element it granted. The element granted is abyssal water, a variation superior to regular water. It is through the ring that you gained the spirit energy of an aquatic dragon and its innate ability to control abyssal water. Naturally, the fact that you control water means that you can control ice. After all, ice is but water in its solid state. Just know that your body cannot handle so much use of the aquatic dragon''s spirit energy in your current state. The wind damage granted by the ring is but an enhancement, one not requiring energy from you. It can only be controlled to an extent," the letter continued. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Your rings also contain indestructible and ever sharp weapons restricted to you. Yours is a katana, a weapon suited for the wind enhancement. You nine have the ability to become more than humans. More than mortals. You are immortals. Your mission is to help humanity survive for as long as you live. From what? From who? I cannot tell you everything. Know that you can tame three magical beasts, two more than others who are not one of you nine. Good luck," the letter concluded and Elijah stared at the giant pearl in shock. "Did you guys finish reading your letters? That thing said we can control elements. These pearls can give us powers. We can be gods," a teen with glasses laughed. "Or demons. Power can be a corruption. It can consume you," a girl with black braids warned. "How do you suppose we leave this place? I don''t see a door anywhere." "Maybe after we gain our powers, we get transported somewhere," Elijah guessed. "How did you come up with that idea?" Marlin asked. "We all arrived here with the clothes we wore, and received letters that told us we got powers in crates surrounded by magical barriers. Sounds like a good hypothesis to me," Elijah shrugged and picked up the giant pearl. "We got nothing to lose. We don''t even remember what kind of people we used to be. Good luck everyone," Serena nodded as they all picked up their pearls and felt a mysterious energy siphon into their bodies. Elijah screamed as pain entered his fingertips and spread throughout his body. His ring and pearl shined, black flames covering his body. He wasn''t burned physically, but felt the pain in his soul. A strange radiation now leaked from his body imperceptible to mortals. This radiation signified an immortal. As he started to faint from pain, he heard a voice. "You nine have started the path to immortality. Congratulations," the voice said, sending chills down Elijah''s back as it didn''t sound like a human spoke. "Where did that voice come from?" Elijah asked as he awoke five minutes after the voice spoke in his mind as he fainted. "Th, there!" one of the girls stuttered and Elijah turned to his right to see a man smile back at the nine as the rest awoke. What truly startled them was that the man was made of the elements, not flesh and bone. Fire, water, thunder, wind, earth, wood, metal, light and darkness. His body was made out of them all. "Hello. I see you''ve all read my letters and taken your powers," the elemental smiled. "What are you? A god?" Marlin asked, stunned and then on edge. "God? No. I am a being beyond what you can understand. This might assist in your understanding: Mages are immortals. Magic spells are just concentrated spirit energy shaped into physical form in the mage''s corresponding element. This vessel is an example of such a spell. The nine of you will be sent to different empires. Know that you can only trust each other. The interests of your nations do not matter," the elemental replied. "What do you want us to do?" Serena asked as she was the first to recover from shock. The elemental spread out its hands and said, "See the world. Become truly strong. You will be taken to areas that will assist you in adapting to the new world. Learn while you can. War will come, to a few of you sooner than most. Make no mistake. Not having the elemental affinity does not mean you can''t use spells of other elements. Having no affinity means all spells will be half as powerful, and you will never be able to create or manipulate the element. I have helped you as much as I could. Good luck." As the elemental vanished, nine doors of light appeared where it vanished. Elijah and the rest of the nine stared at the doors in shock. One by one, they entered the doors, the doors entered vanishing behind them. Soon, only Marlin and Elijah were left. "Lets meet again in the future," Marlin said, patting Elijah''s shoulder before entering one of the two remaining doors. Elijah stared at the last door with mixed emotions. A part of him screamed to not enter. He knew he could never go back to where he came from. He just knew it. He looked around at the empty room. He felt alone. He had no memories of who he was, and the people in similar situations were also gone. Elijah''s heart raced as he walked toward the door of light. He had control over earth and water. Furthermore, he could convert water into ice. "Come what may. I will survive!" Elijah resolved and entered the door. Chapter 1: Star Fall Recap: Elijah and eight others awake in a strange place and informed of their current circumstances. Divided, Elijah ventures into the new world alone. Chapter 1: Winter''s Breath Elijah appeared on the hilltop out of thin air. Changes occurred that the elemental could not have predicted. A mysterious force saw the existence of the nine as a singularity and changed each of them as they appeared on the planet. Elijah''s katana had turned into a jian, Chinese double-edged straight sword, with a pommel in the shape of a dragon''s skull. Elijah gained access to his third element: fire. However, he could not control the new element if he used it nor could he identify the origin of its variant, evolved form of green fire. All Elijah did know was that the variant green fire would spiral out of control and would even attempt to burn him. Elijah appeared on the hilltop with steel armor and a black cloak with a gray bear fur collar and hood. Fake memories were created for Elijah and the other eight Earthlings. It was not them who gained the memories, but the people who would become their ''real'' family. It was as if another version of them was killed and replaced by Elijah and the other eight from Earth. It was by the intervention of the mysterious force that the order of the world was not changed. Elijah stared at the giant castle before him as small memories entered his mind. Before him was Star Fall, the castle and home of one of the ten major dukedoms of the empire. He was to replace the second son of a great duke, the son who went missing during a barbarian raid a few months ago. In Elijah''s spatial ring, were five items granted by the mysterious power. One was a magical book that created a storage space in Elijah''s own body. No one could detect it and the space would grow as his cultivation increased. The second and third item were spell books. The spells Elijah learned were Fireball and Rock Blade. As Elijah was the son of a great duke, he had to know at least two spells to avoid suspicion of the fake memories of his new family. For those aspiring to tread the Mage Immortal path, affinities only meant they could master the element faster. Still, he was a different kind of immortal as he had more than one elemental affinity while being a Rank 1 Acolyte. People with the same advantage as Elijah and the other eight Earthlings were those from a long line of immortals or whose talent or potential were beyond monstrous. The fourth item was a stone crest with several lined engravings that formed a gray grizzly bear in gold armor. The stone crests were called stamps and held vast importance. They could only be made by powerful immortals and used to augment their elemental powers. No stamp looked the same as an immortal usually put his signature on it. Having them given away meant the immortal was dying or lost hope in advancement. Elijah became a Rank 1 Acolyte before his elder brother and was given the crest to contain his ''cursed'' green flames. The gray bear was the sigil of House Ragar. The crest would have served as proof that he was Elijah Ragar. However, he had a medallion bearing the same sigil which was given to every child of House Ragar. The first three items could be said to have been given by the elemental as Elijah was supposed to receive similar gifts. The fourth and fifth item were solely due to the intervention of the mysterious power. The fourth authenticated Elijah''s new identity and the fifth item would be the weapon once used by the ''Elijah'' of born of House Argent: a grey talisman. This talisman could be repaired by spirit energy and created a sword around it by a grey spirit energy. It was a flying sword talisman, not as valuable and useful as an authentic flying sword, but its attack capacity is the same. "Elijah Ragar, is that who I am now?" Elijah murmured as he took out the stamp from his ring. He placed it on his chest and felt it enter his body. Something shivered inside him before the feeling vanished just as it had arrived. On his back, a black rune tattoo of the sigil appeared without notice. His hair turned black as a result, making his blue eyes stand out even more. "It is now. Believe me, I did not foresee this scenario nor the two gifts," a familiar voice commented. Elijah recognized that inhuman voice and saw the elemental. The elemental''s body was made of rock, sand, water, ice, and fire in perfect harmony. Occasionally, Elijah could green flames around the elemental. "You look different," Elijah noted. "I look like the elements you control. Well, most of the elements. You just can''t control the variant form of fire as you were given a third element before you were ready. Fire was not calculated for you. Certainly not a variant, evolved version. It has even become the element you have affinity with the most," the elemental shrugged, rocks forming eyes and a mouth on the elemental''s face. "It appears you and the other eight contain a flaw: hazardous use of your third element. Perhaps it is a balancing system of sorts. You are Elijah Ragar now, a son of one of the ten dukes whose power is second only to the emperor. This empire spans an entire continent, but is divided. You''ll have much fun here. Immortals are powerful but not uncommon. Best be careful." "What am I to do now?" Elijah asked. "Live your life. Things are already in motion. You just focus on being stronger and your duty as a son of House Ragar. The demons will come. It won''t be long until the true war starts," the elemental said and gestured to the castle. "Head to Star Fall. Have fun. This is a new start for you. Enjoy it." Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Elijah stared at the elemental as it made a mock bow and broke apart. Elijah turned towards the castle and took a long walk down the road to the castle gates. He didn''t know that he had broke through to Rank 2 Acolyte because of the stamp concentrating all his spirit energy in his body. Usually, black liquid impurities would seep out but the concentrated spirit energy destroyed it all. As he passed by the people waiting to be admitted into the castle, he noticed several people cry out in alarm and bow. "The Second Young Lord is alive," a woman muttered as he walked passed her. "Didn''t he die during the barbarian assault?" "Hush now. He only went missing. Look at him! He is clearly more powerful than before. Rumor has it he''s an immortal," a man hissed. "As if. If he were an immortal, he would be in one of those powerful sects or academies. Why mingle among mortals like us?" another chuckled. "Halt! State your name and purp---" a knight in steel armor began and gasped as he saw Elijah''s face. "Lord Ragar, you''ve returned! Quick, open the gates and inform the duke his second son has returned. "How do you know its him?" another knight asked. "You idiot! Don''t you see the medallion around his neck. Its enchanted so that only people of the main bloodline can wear it. Even mortal children of House Ragar can wear it," the other knight growled and saluted Elijah. "Welcome back Lord Ragar. Please hurry inside." Elijah nodded his head in thanks and walked through the gate. After a few minutes, he entered the castle and followed a knight to the throne room. As he entered, he could see people sitting on chairs along the red and gold carpet leading to the steps of the platform of the throne. Men and women were dressed in full armor, save their helmets, and had weapons by their sides. Usually, no one save the king and a select few knights and family were allowed to carry weapons in the throne room. "The audacity! Audacity! To see two dukes break off the kingdom and declare themselves kings. I hear even House Tang, wielding the mysterious power of black powder, are also in the midst of founding their own kingdom," an elderly man in a simple brown robe roared, slamming his fist on the armchair. "Have they no honor to keep their oaths?" "Well, the undead have started invading from the south. The two traitor dukedoms, along with all the marquis and barons below them, are in grave danger to the south west. They are the furthest to the capital. Should the southern most dukedom fall, their dukedoms would have the aid of the Imperial Army in time. We''re still recovering from the war in the northern dukedoms," an armored women with a gold braid said. Elijah''s new memories recalled this woman as Anna Ragar, his father''s younger sister. She was a Rank 3 Acolyte, but no immortal. She could not break the barrier to official Magus or Warrior. You didn''t need to be immortal to become a fighter, but you did to cast spells and become a mage. Only immortals could cultivate without external resources. House Ragar spent many resources solely on Anna''s great fighting talents. "My duke, the emperor wishes to know our thoughts in the matter," a man in dark red armor asked the muscular man with a trimmed beard sitting on the black throne. The man was Lord Victor Ragar, a Rank 3 Warrior and one of four dukes who was truly an immortal. Patriarchs of many small sects were Rank 2 Warriors or Magi most. The more powerful sects were even stronger, but sects had too many enemies. It was because of the might of the empire that the sects dare not break the ultimatum of the empire. The academies, while raising weaker immortals, were held in higher esteem because the academies were backed by their nations. Sects were secular, powerful, but alone with many enemies. "Imperial Envoy," Victor nodded to the red knight. "My House Ragar and dukedom have always been loyal to the emperor. It is through the emperor that my house prospered and gained the resources to have my children become immortals. We will do as the emperor decrees." "Very good. I''ll inform the emperor of the good news. When we kill the traitors to the last of their bloodline, you will awarded for your loyalty," the red knight bowed and left. As he passed Elijah, all eyes noticed the duke''s second son had returned. "Elijah?" Victor asked, stunned. The duke could sense that the magical radiation around his son had increased. His second son was a Rank 2 Acolyte. "Hello father. It seems much has occurred in my absence. I''m sorry," Elijah bowed, memories of the other ''Elijah'' affecting his emotions and personality. Many of the people in the room would have celebrated his return if not for the fact of the undead. If the undead were rising and moving, it was a sign that the other servants of the demons would rise. "It is a relief the young lord has returned, but what do we do?" one of the duke''s generals asked. "We prepare. I want more soldiers in my armies. Also, I need smugglers to make transactions with House Tang. We need their weaponry. Redouble efforts to train soldiers to become immortals. The empire can handle its traitors. House Ragar is loyal to the emperor, not the empire. My people need to be able to fight, or escape with their lives," Victor ordered. "Yes, Lord Duke," all save Elijah cried, bowing on one knee before leaving the throne room. "You assimilated the stamp and returned home. You even broke through to Rank 2 Acolyte. Good. Very good. I''m glad you''re safe," Victor smiled as it was only just him and his son in the throne room. "I won''t ask what happened, but you need to train. The undead walk and we must be strong."