"Life is short. You never know how long you will live, so try your best to enjoy it as much as you can."
Amon recalled the words his mother had told him even as he lay on his bed, his expression twisted in agony as he struggled to bear the itching, agonizing pain spreading all over his body.
He knew it was inevitable.
His death.
But he was struggling, hoping… trying to cling to whatever life he had left.
It was slipping away slowly.
In the final moments of his life, all the happy moments passed through his mind: the goals he said he was going to achieve, the uncompleted dreams, the aspirations and heights he had hoped to reach in life. In the end, it was all for nothing.
The nurse, with teardrops threatening to fall from her eyes, whispered through clenched teeth.
"He—he truly fought for a chance to live. I've never seen anyone struggle so fiercely, even deciding not to ease his suffering as he passed on."
With tear-filled eyes, the nurse picked up her tab and recorded the relevant information.
{Name: Amon Carl.}
{Time of Death: November 6th, 2025.}
{Cause of Death: Cancer.}
After she finished recording the information, the nurse silently walked over to the bed and slid the sheet over his face, covering the eyes that were filled with reluctance, unwillingness, and hopeless dreams he had failed to achieve.
…
Amon felt all sensations leave his body. The unbearable pain, the agony, the sadness, the reluctance—every other emotion simply vanished.
For a long while, he couldn't feel anything. His mind just remained blank, unable to process coherent thoughts.
Then, finally, he felt a pull on his consciousness.
There was no hesitation as Amon clung to that chance of survival.
He didn't want to remain in a state of nothingness forever; he wanted to feel something, anything, even the faintest emotion.
Following the gentle tug on his soul, he hesitated for a moment. He didn't know where it led, but he couldn't bear to let go. Gradually, his thoughts became clearer.
It was as though a new world was opening itself to him.
Silently, he floated forward, his body maintaining a formless state as he finally arrived at his destination after what felt like eternity.
Amon felt his thoughts return to his body, and his clouded mind regained clarity.
He could now process the loss of his life back on Earth along with everything else, including his loved ones.
However, he didn't do that… or perhaps he simply couldn't. Because in front of him was a creature that seemed to stretch endlessly throughout his vision.
In his formless state, his vision was incredibly vivid, and he could see much farther than any human could back on Earth. Yet, even as he stared into the vast distance, he couldn't see the depths of the creature.
Lazily, the eye of the creature opened, and a golden slit locked onto Amon.
He felt small, so small that from the creature's mere gaze, he could be destroyed instantly.
However, he struggled to hold his ground, internally resisting the pressure as he stared back into those abyss-like eyes.
The golden slit looked as though it could see the past, present, and future. After a long moment of them being locked in a contest of stares, Amon finally heard a voice that sounded vast, ancient, and filled with the vicissitudes of life.
"Human, I summoned you here because I need your help."
Amon couldn't speak and could only watch helplessly as the ancient voice continued.
"I am one of the Twelve Primordial Dragons, but I have been betrayed by those I once called comrades, left to die in the abyssal hell called Time. I can sense your will to live, and I can tell you are one of the few with such a ruthless desire for survival, one who will stop their plan and kill them all, restoring balance to the world."
Amon felt many emotions: fear, shock, horror, disbelief. For a long time, he couldn't comprehend the creature's words, but he listened intently since he couldn't voice his thoughts.
"I don't have much time left. I will reincarnate you into the world where it all began… this is your second chance at life. Don't stop halfway like in your last."
With the last vestiges of its strength, the dragon cast a sacrificial spell upon itself, breaking the shackles of Time, Space, and even Chaos to forcefully conduct a time-space transfer on Amon.
Amon felt his vision twist violently as it gradually faded from the magnificent creature.
He saw fading wisps of light drift out from the endless dragon as it stared at him.
'So, even a creature that could span the entire world succumbed to death? Is eternal life truly unattainable?'
As those thoughts clawed at his consciousness, Amon felt another pull.
This time, a squishy sensation wrapped tightly around him, and he felt a warm liquid completely coat his form.
After the warmth came a faint chill, followed by a soft breeze, before he felt himself wiped clean and wrapped in what felt like a warm cloth.
His gaze darted around, noticing the warm smiles on everyone's faces.
'Wh—what happened? Wh—where am I? Is this… reincarnation?'
Amon's eyes were wide as he felt his vision sway once more and was handed to a middle-aged woman with a gentle expression on her face.
He could feel a deep connection to her, as though he were encountering a family member.
'My—my mother?' Amon found it hard to grasp what was happening around him.
Just then, he sensed something leaving his body, causing him to close his eyes sharply.
He couldn't see what it was, but he had a sickening realization that he was about to lose something extremely precious.
'I—I'm tired of losing things,' Amon muttered internally, struggling fiercely to cling to whatever strange energy was leaving him.
There was a brief struggle that felt as though it lasted an eternity before, finally, the pull eased, and the energy settled back into his body.
Instantly, a line of glowing words materialized before him.
[Congratulations on being the first human to condense Primordial Energy.]
[You have awakened the…]