The first thing was the warmth. It wrapped around him like a cocoon, soft and unyielding, a perfect silence broken only by the steady rhythm of a heartbeat. It wasn't his, but hers—the one who carried him. Slow, deliberate, and constant, it was the drumbeat of life pulling him closer to the world beyond. A world he couldn't yet see or feel, but one that waited all the same.
He floated, weightless, in a place where time bent and folded on itself, where memories drifted like whispers in the dark. This wasn't the first time he'd been here, suspended in the quiet before life began. What lay ahead was a mystery—who he would be, where he would belong, or even what kind of life awaited him.
He only knew one thing for certain: he was human again.
The thought lingered, heavy with both relief and uncertainty. Once, he had been Charlie Green. That name felt distant, like the echo of a dream slipping away upon waking. It belonged to a boy who had lived in a world of simplicity, back when humanity trusted its machines and laws to keep the chaos at bay. He had grown up in a small town outside Minot, North Dakota—a quiet, predictable life filled with family, school, and the slow rhythm of small-town days.
But that world had ended.
The memory rose unbidden, sharp and vivid. He could still see the golden light spilling across the horizon, growing brighter and fiercer until it consumed the sky. The pulse followed—a wave of mana that swept across the Earth, enhancing everything it touched. Animals became spirit beasts, their strength and instincts sharpened to frightening levels. The natural world grew wilder, more alive, forests growing taller and deeper, mountains reaching higher, rivers carving new paths through the land.
Humanity, caught in the pulse, found itself changed too.
And as humanity struggled to adapt, others came.
They weren't invaders in the traditional sense, but opportunists. Elves, orcs, dwarves—beings of myth and legend emerged from somewhere else, drawn by the same mana that had shattered humanity's old world. They came to take what they could, seeing humanity as weak, fractured, and vulnerable. Some sought territory, others power, and some merely saw the Earth as ripe for exploitation. They didn't come with banners of war, but with ambition in their hearts, and they reshaped the fragile foothold humanity tried to rebuild.
Charlie had lived through it all. He had fought in that new world, clawing for survival, protecting those he loved. He had endured pain, loss, and sacrifice, carving out a place in a world that no longer resembled the one he'd been born into.
But survival wasn't enough.
He had risen to the apex—at least by Earth's standards—even with what everyone had considered a subpar soul binding. He could still feel the pang of longing for Rok, the loyal beast who had stood by him through so much. How he missed him.
But his rise to power had come at a cost. Jealousy festered in the hearts of those who once called themselves his allies, and betrayal followed.
He hadn't fought alone. She had been there—a woman of another race, someone who hadn't been an enemy but had still come with the assailants. Out of honor… or maybe love? He wasn't sure. What he did know was that she hadn't had to help him, but she had. In the midst of battle, when her life was in as much danger as his, she had stepped in.
Their vengeance had been swift, but there had been too many powerful cultivators. The woman he thought loved him betrayed him… all for benefits.
In the end, one of them had to die so the other could live. Their enemies had been too many, and there had been no other way.
He had been so blind.
But he hadn't walked away empty-handed. In the end, he had still comprehended the Dao.
And because of the ring he had always thought of as useless, he was given another chance. Thinking about the ring, he laughed to himself. He had pretty much died to get it and gained no benefit at the time, while others had profited greatly.
The heartbeat surrounding him was steady, soothing. His new mother's energy was faint but unmistakable. He could feel the stagnation in her cultivation, the damage that kept her dantian from progressing. A faint bond with a beast lingered within her energy, stretched thin like a thread on the verge of breaking.
Did the pain of her injury stop her from cultivating? Or was it because she was carrying him?
The thought flickered briefly before fading. For now, the warmth was enough.
His thoughts turned back, circling to the beginning.
The day mana poured into the Earth. The day the skies fractured. The day spirit beasts rose, opportunists arrived, and humanity faced a new world.
Infusion Day.