Zaric was an assassin, a man who lived in the shadows and slipped through the cracks of the world, always invisible, always out of reach of those who sought him. Death was his domain, and he wielded it with cold, almost scientific precision. He left no traces, made no mistakes. Everything he touched vanished, and his name became a legend of fear and respect in the darkest circles.
But now, all of that was gone.
Zaric didn't know how or why, but one day, during what was supposed to be his final mission, something went wrong. A dagger, sharp and precise, sank into his heart, and he—the man who never let anyone touch him—felt the cold metal pierce his chest. In that final moment, as his life faded away, he felt no regret. Only a strange peace. The peace of a man who had already fulfilled his purpose and had nothing left to do.
Where am I?
At first, there was nothing. Only darkness, a bottomless abyss. No light, no shadow. Neither cold nor heat. There was no time, no space, no matter. There was only him—a speck of consciousness floating in an endless void, without shape or meaning. He thought that perhaps he was in hell, or limbo, or maybe some other dimension from which he would never return. But something within him told him he wasn't dead, not in the traditional sense. Something kept him aware, even though he couldn't see or understand it.
Time passed—days, weeks, maybe years. He had no form, no body. He was just his consciousness. However, something began to change. A light, faint at first, appeared in the distance. It was a warm glow, almost as if the light itself was alive. Without knowing why, Zaric felt drawn to it, like a moth to a flame. What is this? he thought as his consciousness moved toward the light. He couldn't do anything but follow the pull.
As he approached, the light grew brighter, and soon, the void around him began to take shape into something more concrete. A tunnel. Dark, but with the glow of the light at the end, guiding his way. He didn't know what awaited him, but something inside urged him to continue. And so he did.
Eventually, he arrived in a cave. He couldn't see the walls, the ceiling, or the floor. It was just a vast space filled with strange energy. As he began to explore, he realized the cave held nothing. Just rocks. Rock after rock. There was no sign of life—no animals, not even plants. He was alone.
That was when he realized: This is not a dream.
At first, he had thought all of this was some kind of illusion, a fantasy created by his mind unable to accept the reality of his death. But now he understood. He was in a place beyond comprehension. But where? he wondered. And what am I now?
The sensation of emptiness began to press on his mind. He had no body. No shape. He didn't know how to move or perceive anything. Then, something began to happen. A terrible pain. His head started to pound with an inhuman intensity, as if his entire being was about to explode. Every thought hurt, every breath hurt (though he couldn't breathe). The pressure built until he couldn't bear it anymore.
With a mental scream of agony, everything faded.
Zaric awoke again, but this time, the place was different. He was in a completely white room, with no walls or ceiling. There was no floor, no boundaries. Just infinite whiteness all around him. He felt his consciousness had returned, but something was off. It was as if he was trapped in a space between dream and reality. Without form, without body. Just a mind, floating in the void.
Is this a dream?
He asked himself, but soon realized he couldn't be sure. If he was still human, he might have felt the need to move, to stand. But he couldn't. He had no body, no feet, no hands. He was just his mind, suspended in the emptiness. And yet, something inside him told him this was not a dream.
The light around him seemed to come from nowhere, illuminating everything at once, as if the very space was made of light. Time seemed to stand still, and Zaric remained there, floating, not knowing what to do or where to go. Minutes, perhaps hours, passed before something interrupted his stillness.
A glow appeared before him, and a floating scroll began to descend slowly. It was covered in strange symbols. At first, Zaric didn't understand what he was seeing—it seemed like something out of a movie. But a strange feeling compelled him to approach, as if the scroll had something to offer him. Something he needed.
And then, when his mind touched the scroll, a surge of energy coursed through him. It wasn't painful, but it was intense. The scroll, with startling speed, began to disintegrate, and all the energy it contained poured into Zaric. A torrent of knowledge and power began to merge with him. It was as if all the knowledge of the universe was flowing into his mind, but at the same time, none of it made sense. The information was too vast, too chaotic to process fully.
When he awoke, Zaric found himself back in the cave, but this time, something was different. In his hands, in his body, he felt an energy he hadn't possessed before. The cave seemed more real, more tangible. As he ventured deeper, he encountered something unexpected.
An ant.
It wasn't an ordinary ant. Its size was astonishing, far larger than any ant he'd ever seen—something the size of a dog. Its color was strange, almost like a pure, immaculate white, rather than the usual black of ants. He watched the creature for a long time. After all, it was the first living being he had seen since his death.
The ant seemed lost, as if it had just been born. Zaric felt an odd sense of kinship with it. As if both of them were equally lost in a world they couldn't comprehend.
Still bewildered by his new existence, Zaric watched the ant with curiosity. It was a peculiar creature. Its size and strange white color made it stand out in the vast darkness of the cave. The ant didn't seem aggressive, just confused, as if it, too, was trying to find its place in this strange world.
He tried to approach slowly, moving like a floating light, barely able to affect his surroundings. Despite having no physical body, Zaric felt the desire to communicate with the creature. But the ant, upon sensing his presence, looked at him intently with its compound eyes. There was no hostility in its gaze, but neither was there any trust. After a moment, the ant simply resumed its journey, as if Zaric meant nothing to it.
He decided to try again. This time, he waited patiently. He watched the ant for hours, maybe days, studying its movements. Every time he tried to approach, the ant ignored him, but it never ran away. There was something in its behavior that suggested a small, flickering curiosity—a slight spark of interest that Zaric chose to take advantage of.
One day, the ant did something unexpected. It stopped in front of a rock and, using its powerful mandibles, began to break it into small pieces. Zaric watched in fascination as the creature worked diligently, but he also noticed that, despite its efforts, it seemed weak. The ant moved the rocks, but its pace was slow, and its movements were heavier than they should have been.
Zaric felt an odd empathy for the creature. Although he could neither speak nor touch it, he decided to stay near, ensuring it wouldn't be alone. Gradually, the ant began to tolerate his presence. As days passed, Zaric noticed that the ant looked at him with less suspicion and more curiosity. Eventually, there came a moment when the ant came close enough to brush against him with its antennae—a gesture that Zaric interpreted as a small step forward.
That was when something changed. Zaric began to feel a connection to the ant, as though an invisible bond was forming between them. Although he couldn't explain it, he knew this bond was significant, that it meant something more than he could comprehend in that moment.
However, just as he thought he was beginning to understand this new existence, a sharp pain pierced his mind. It was as though his consciousness was being torn away from the cave. Everything around him faded, and once again, he found himself in the white room.
The scroll appeared before him again, but this time, it radiated an even more intense glow. Zaric didn't know what to expect, but something within him urged him to approach once more. When his mind touched the scroll, it opened, and the knowledge inside was imprinted in his mind with overwhelming clarity.
He finally understood the technique. He could transform into any creature, object, or being, but there was a condition: he had to win their love. In the mind of every creature, there existed a "heart," a metaphorical representation of their feelings. If Zaric could fill that heart with affection, he could use the technique to assume their form.
When he woke once more in the cave, he looked at the ant with new determination. This small creature had begun to trust him. Though he didn't know how long it would take, Zaric decided he would do everything in his power to fill its "heart."
After all, this ant was his first ally in a world he still didn't understand.
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Hello! This is my first novel, and I really appreciate you reading it. If you have any recommendations or feedback, feel free to leave them—I'd love to hear your suggestions! Thanks for your support, and I hope you enjoy the story.