Darkness, an unsettling feeling as if I am falling through a void—an abyss.

A beautiful woman stands before me.

Her dark eyes pierce through me—unblinking, unfathomable. Her black hair flows like midnight silk, graceful and commanding in equal measure. There's an undeniable presence about her, something beyond human comprehension. A symbol of both power and elegance.

"Hello, Reiji Itsuki."

The simple address is enough to unsteady me. My knees buckle, and I crumple to the floor. My hands tremble as I brace myself, lungs working overtime to calm the panic surging in my chest.

It's not confusion that roils within me—It's fear.

It's her.

Her presence is suffocating, a harbinger of doom. A weight pressing down on me, as though she controls life and death with a mere glance.

A weak sound escapes my lips, one that doesn't even feel like my own. "Wh-What are you?"

She tilts her head, her expression shifting into something like mock offense. It's hard to tell if it's genuine.

"My, what a rude question to ask." Her lips curl into a smile, but there's something sharp, unsettling about it. "If you must know, I am the goddess Erelyn."

A goddess. 

Why is there a goddess in front of me—what happened?!

"You were killed."

My stomach drops. How did she—?

"Mind reading," she replies before I can finish the thought, her voice unbothered, as if it's the most trivial thing in the world.

I open my mouth to ask where we are, but she cuts me off with a vague, almost dismissive answer.

"My domain."

Her gaze sharpens. I know better than to press further.

"Now that introductions are out of the way," she continues, her tone suddenly more businesslike, "I'll explain what's happening. Any objections?"

I don't speak, and she takes that as permission to continue.

"Good. You died, obviously. How? Why? When? I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so I'll answer them for you. "You died in your sleep," she says, her tone eerily casual. "But to be honest, that was entirely my doing."

Wait.

I stare at her, my thoughts stalling as she meets my gaze with an unsettling calmness. A slow, knowing smile tugs at her lips.

"I wanted to see what would happen," she continues. "So I reached out... just a little. Stopped your heart. No pain, no struggle—just silence." She tilts her head slightly, as if observing a fascinating experiment. "And now, here you are. Interesting, don't you think?"

A cold weight settles in my chest.

"You killed me," I murmur, the words foreign in my own mouth.

Erelyn merely shrugs. "I was bored."

A cold dread sinks into my bones.

She takes a slow, deliberate step toward me. I try to back away, but my body stops short—an invisible wall pressing against my spine.

Her doing.

"Now, Reiji, I'll give you two options."

I freeze.

"One, I reincarnate you into the world I control, and you retain your memories. Or two, I send you back to Earth as a newborn, with no memory of your past life. If you pick the first option, I might even grant you a reward."

Her gaze pins me in place, the weight of her words sinking in.

I force myself to meet her eyes, but I can only hold her stare for a moment before I have to look away.

"The first option."

She grins, slow and predatory. "So it shall be. And as for your reward, Reiji, you get one wish. Anything at all. Choose wisely."

Anything...

A single thought crosses my mind.

Erelyn's eyes light up with excitement. "What a wonderful choice! Immortality it is."

Before I can protest, a blinding light engulfs me.

—

I gasp for air.

Wind rushes against my skin.

Grass. Endless stretches of grass.

Great. Just great.

I push myself up from the ground, my nerves screaming in protest. My heart pounds as I take in the landscape—vast, empty plains stretching endlessly in every direction.

A strange chill runs down my spine, a hazy feeling as if I've seen something I shouldn't've. 

Where exactly am I?

I know this is that goddess'sworld, but there's nobody here. No roads, no settlements—just open land. These plains would be a perfect place to build, so why is it abandoned?

I don't plan on sticking around to find out.

I take my first step forward—then stop.

Something feels… off. It's not the same hazy feeling, but a distinguishable one.

I glance down.

Oh.

I'm naked.

Panic floods my chest. Instinctively, I try to cover myself—

My hands phase right through my body.

A strangled noise catches in my throat. My breath stutters. My mind blanks.

No way.

That damned goddess.

I look down at my pale skin; which faintly glows of transparency.

What being is immortal and has translucent skin? Ghosts.

I groan, dragging a hand down my face—only for my fingers to pass through it.

I freeze.

Then I sigh. Long. Exhausted.

As I start walking again, an odd sensation prickles at the edge of my awareness.

I step onto a fallen branch.

It doesn't phase through me.

What?

I test it again. Same result.

I try touching my foot, my hand phasing through and touching the ground. Solid.

So my body isn't completely ephemeral? This doesn't make sense.

What was that goddess's name…Erelyn, was it? Yes, Erelyn.

There has to be some reason I have some form of physical solidity.

I look over the outstretched plains, the sunrise illuminating the seemingly indefinite field of grass.

In my previous life, I didn't really keep up with manga or light novels like the other kids my age, but I had a rough understanding of the concepts.

This… this is what they'd call an—

Isekai.

Yeah. That was it.

Reincarnation into another world, memories intact. A fresh start.

Not that it feels like one.

I should've known that no goddess would hand out a free wish without some kind of catch. And now, here I am—neither alive nor dead, stuck in a world I know nothing about. The latter was my choice, but I never asked to be trapped in such a state as this. 

Being sullen over this misfortune isn't going to do any good for me.

If I explore these plains, there's a good chance I'll come face to face with the reason nobody else is here. Then again, if I just wait here, it's a free meal.

If anything plans to kill me, I'm not going down without a fight. I have a chance, and I'm not throwing it away.

I walk through the plains, imagining the feel of a nice breeze, but there is none.

Nothing to distract myself—to ease my worries.

God, I sound so pathetic. 

Look at the bright side, I'm alive-ish. 

That means I can get back at that goddess. Maybe not in a decade, maybe not in a century, maybe not even in a millennia, but I'll get back at her. 

Continuing to explore the plains, I walk along the fluffy grass that surrounds me.

It's kinda concerning that there's literally nothing but grass as far as the eye can see, the same feeling as being in the middle of an ocean.

I don't feel exhausted, even after that incredibly stressful encounter. Another side effect of my new heritage.

Run. A foreign voice echoes through my head.

I look up. A vast shadow slices through the sky, breaching the clouds. Then, with a powerful gust of wind, it descends. 

The reason these plains are so barren.

A dragon.

The sheer size of it is overwhelming—massive wings folding in as it lands, shaking the earth beneath its weight. Its scales gleam like polished obsidian, and its slitted golden eyes bore into me with an intelligence that sends a chill through my incorporeal form.

I should be running. Every part of me screams to move, to escape. But I don't.

Because I know it wouldn't make a difference.

If this thing wants to kill me, there's nowhere to run.

Yet… it doesn't attack.

It watches. Studying me, just as I study it. There's something almost calculating in its gaze, as if trying to make sense of what it's seeing.

Is it hesitating? No—that's not the right word. It's… uncertain.

A realization dawns on me. It can't attack me.

Just as my hands phase through my own body, the same rule likely applies to other creatures. If I'm untouchable, then this dragon's claws, fangs, or even fire can't harm me.

But that also means I can't harm it either.

A stalemate.

The dragon lets out a deep, rumbling growl—a sound that vibrates through my very being. Then, as if testing a theory, it raises its head and gathers mana. The air around us crackles with raw energy.

Then, it attacks.

A searing column of fire engulfs me. The world is swallowed in heat and light—yet I feel nothing. The flames dance through me like mist, dispersing as if I were never there.

The dragon doesn't stop. It unleashes attack after attack—lightning splitting the air, jagged spears of ice, torrents of wind sharp enough to carve stone. The sheer display of power is awe-inspiring, almost beautiful in its destruction.

None of it touches me.

And then, something strange happens.

One of its attacks—a bolt of raw energy—strikes me square in the chest. But instead of passing through, I absorb it.

The sensation is indescribable. Warmth floods my being, spreading through me like an extension of myself. The energy becomes part of me.

With a low growl, it circles me now—not as a predator to prey, but as something considering its next move.

Then, without warning, it lunges.

This time, I don't just stand there.

I react.

And the world around us erupts into chaos.

Its claws rake the ground where I stood a moment ago, shattering the earth like brittle glass. I twist, magic rushing through me, my instincts screaming louder than thought. A pulse of raw energy lashes out—an uncontrolled burst, not an attack but a reflex. The shockwave sends the dragon skidding back, talons digging trenches into the dirt.

The dragon halts, its eyes narrowing. It can sense it too.

Then, something unexpected happens.

It bows its head.

Not in submission. Not in defeat.

But as if acknowledging something inevitable.

Then it turns and leaves, vanishing into the horizon.

And I'm left with the chilling thought—what did it just recognize me as?

I stand there long after it's gone, the weight of its silent gesture pressing on me more than any battle could have.

What had it seen?

The thought unsettles me, and for the first time in years, I feel the ghost of something akin to fear. Not of the dragon, not of its strength, but of the answer I don't yet have.

 ❋

A light gust of wind rolls across the plains, bending the grass in waves as the sun dips toward the horizon.

I've been walking for days. Still nothing but endless plains.

I glance at my hand and snap my fingers. A spark flickers, then ignites into a small flame, hovering in my palm.

Magic is useful—dangerous, even. But not in the way most people would think. Magic can't hurt me when others attack with it. No, the real danger is when I overuse it myself.

The attack I used against the dragon… That wasn't a spell. It was instinct. A dam bursting, mana surging unchecked into a raw, destructive force. No control. No calculation. Just power.

That's the only way I can truly be wiped out.

I'm not a living body—I'm a soul wrapped in mana, using it to manifest a physical form. If I lose too much, I can't recover it. If I can't recover it, I can't manifest my body. And if that happens… I'll be stuck teetering on the edge of death, unable to move, unable to act.

I have to be careful. I have to learn control.

Right now, all I can manage are small bursts of flame—a trick I picked up from watching the dragon. It's useful as a light source at night, but I don't dare test anything stronger. One wrong move, and I might set these plains ablaze. And I definitely don't have enough spare mana to create water and put it out.

Since my body is made of mana, I've figured out how to shape clothes over myself. Or at least, create the illusion of wearing them. Flight, though, is impossible. I have no real weight for the wind to carry.

I tried making a puppet body—an earth golem, something solid to inhabit—but it turns out that making functional joints and all the little details is far beyond me right now. Too much mana. Too little control.

So I walk.

And the dragon follows.

It's been circling above me this entire time. Watching. I don't know if it's bored or curious, but it hasn't attacked, so I've let it be.

I've tried talking to it, but either it doesn't understand me or it just doesn't care to answer. At night, I lose sight of it, but when the sun is up, its massive form sticks out against the sky.

It's studying me. That much is obvious. I doubt it's ever seen anything like me before. Can't blame it for being nosy.

I didn't even notice it at first—until it flew too low.

For a moment, everything around me plunged into shadow, as if night had fallen in an instant. That's an exaggeration, but it scared the hell out of me all the same.

After that little mistake, it stopped trying to be stealthy.

Seriously, of all the places that goddess could've dropped me, she chose here. I bet she's laughing in whatever domain she's watching from.

A scoff echoes in my mind. Not my own.

A chill runs down my spine.

Before I can dwell on it, something catches my eye—a city on the horizon.

Not a village. A full-blown kingdom.

Two hundred miles, give or take. A few days' walk.

Excitement stirs in my chest, but I push it down. First, I have to deal with my stalker.

I don't know how the people there will react to me, but I do know how they'll react to a dragon. Even if they don't try to kill me, they'll definitely try to kill him. That's a hassle I'd rather avoid.

"Hey, dragon guy!" I call out. "You probably shouldn't follow me to the kingdom."

The dragon descends, landing directly in front of me with a gust of wind that nearly knocks me over.

It tilts its head, amused. "I'll simply transform."

Before I can react, its massive form shrinks, twisting and folding until a man stands before me.

Damn it. He looks more human than I do. No fair.

"Does your point still stand?" he asks, smirking.

I cross my arms. "Why are you following me in the first place?"

The smirk doesn't waver. "No reason. I'm just bored."

The lie rolls off his tongue like truth.

I sigh. He has the patience of a creature that's lived far too long. No point pressing if he doesn't want to answer.

"Fine. Just don't draw attention to yourself."

His grin widens. "I think you need that advice more than I do."

I shoot him a deadpan look. "Oh, yeah? And how do you suggest I do that, oh wise one?"

His expression shifts—just for a second, something sharp and thoughtful replacing the teasing.

"I haven't got a clue," he admits. "Your predicament is… peculiar."

Oh?

Even he doesn't know what I am?

That must be why he's following me. If I were thousands of years old and saw something completely new, I'd be curious too.

I glance at him. "Then tell me this—what do I look like to you?"

His smirk returns. "To me? You look like an anomaly."

"Helpful." I roll my eyes. "Care to elaborate?"

The dragon—now a man—studies me, gaze flicking over my form like he's dissecting me in his head. His eyes, a striking gold even in human form, narrow slightly.

"You aren't flesh," he finally says. "You're something close… but not quite."

I tense. He figured that out just from looking at me?

His smirk deepens, as if he's caught my reaction. "I assume you already know this much, yes?"

I stay silent.

That only seems to amuse him further. He walks past me, leisurely strolling in the direction of the kingdom.

"You don't breathe," he continues casually. "You don't blink unless you remember to. And your scent… it's faint, barely there at all." He glances over his shoulder. "Oh, and you haven't eaten or drank anything in days. Humans don't survive that."

I exhale sharply, more out of habit than anything. "You've been watching way too closely."

"You intrigue me," he says simply, as if that explains everything.

I shake my head. "Alright, enough about me. What about you? What's a dragon doing just wandering around, tailing a random anomaly?"

His expression shifts slightly—just a flicker of something unreadable.

"Curiosity," he says, still smiling.

I don't believe him.

But I don't press.

Instead, I turn my gaze back to the kingdom. Closer now. The towering walls stand like silent sentinels, banners fluttering in the wind. Smoke drifts lazily from chimneys. At this distance, I can see the movement of people at the gates, carts rolling in and out. A far cry from the empty plains I've been walking.

A real city. Civilization. Information.

And danger.

"Have you been here before?" I ask.

"Many years ago," he answers. "Though I doubt they'd remember me. Humans are… forgetful."

Great. That means I'll be going in blind.

I glance at him. "You gonna cause any trouble?"

He grins. "Depends. Are you?"

I rub my temples. This is going to be a headache, isn't it?

As we walk closer, the weight of what I'm about to do settles in my chest. The dragon can blend in. I can't. I need a plan. A cover story. Something to explain what I am—or at least divert suspicion.

Because if they realize the truth?

This could go very, very badly.

The dragon hums beside me. "I hope you're good at lying."

I let out a slow breath. "Guess we're about to find out."