Darkness.
That was the first thing I noticed when the pain finally stopped—the endless, suffocating dark.
For centuries, my kind had been called the Last Elves. Not because of our wisdom or our magic, but because we were the last ones left. The world had devoured us piece by piece—kingdoms rose, empires burned, steel replaced sorcery. And somewhere in the endless march of centuries, the elves had simply… faded.
All except me.
Sylas Lorien. That was the name my mother had given me before the world turned to ash. It felt almost comical now, whispering it into the void as if anyone still lived to hear it.
I had outlasted my kin, outlasted my enemies, outlasted even time itself. But immortality had its price.
And tonight, I was paying it.
The steel blade pierced my chest before I could even draw breath to curse. A betrayal, sharp and cold, from the last person I had trusted.
"Why…?" My voice cracked as blood filled my throat.
The man above me—once my ally, my only companion in this rotting world—didn't answer. His eyes glowed with the hunger of someone who believed killing me would finally free him from my shadow.
The world blurred. The pain turned distant. My body crumpled into the dirt, lifeless for the first time in an eternity.
And in the silence that followed, only one thought remained.
So this is how the last elf dies.
But the darkness didn't take me.
A voice did.
[Initializing System Transfer…]
******
The first thing I felt was air.
Cool, sharp air filling my lungs, flooding me with a vitality I hadn't known in centuries. My chest heaved, not from pain this time, but from the shocking fact that I could breathe again.
My eyes snapped open, and the endless darkness was gone—replaced by blinding light filtering through towering trees.
I sat up abruptly, clutching my chest out of old habit. Smooth. Whole. No gaping wound. No blade lodged in my ribs. Just unbroken skin and the steady rhythm of a heartbeat.
I wasn't dead.
Or maybe… I wasn't me.
"What—?" My voice cracked, startling me. It wasn't the worn, rasping growl of a centuries-old survivor. It was lighter. Younger.
I staggered toward the sound of rushing water, legs shaking beneath me. A stream glimmered through the underbrush, and I stumbled onto its bank, bracing myself over the surface.
The reflection nearly stole the breath from my lungs.
Not the weary, scarred face of Sylas Lorien—the last elf of a dying world. Not the sunken eyes dulled by endless years of solitude.
A stranger stared back at me.
Silver hair, long and unblemished, glistened in the sunlight. His ears were longer, sharper, more refined than mine had ever been. His features—delicate yet regal—looked carved by a sculptor's hand. And his eyes… luminous, like molten gold, alive with untamed brilliance.
I touched my face in disbelief. Smooth skin. No scars. No hollow cheeks.
"Impossible…" I whispered.
The voice struck without warning.
[Reincarnation Complete.]
[New Identity Generated: Caelum Xian.]
I staggered back, nearly tumbling into the stream. The words weren't spoken aloud. They echoed inside my skull, sharp and mechanical, yet impossibly clear.
My breath caught. "System…?"
[Correct. User has been transferred into a new cycle of existence.]
[Race: Elf (Variant). Realm: Mortal Cultivation World.]
[Objective: Survive. Ascend. Conquer.]
My head spun. A cultivation world?
I had read the old human scrolls in my past life—tales of warriors harnessing qi, bending heaven and earth with their fists. Realms where mountains could be shattered with a glance, where rivers turned with the sweep of a sleeve.
And now… I was here?
My lips trembled into a laugh—half disbelief, half madness. The last elf dies in a forgotten world… and is reborn in one of legends.
"Why me?" I muttered.
The System didn't hesitate.
[User: Sylas Lorien. Status: Terminated.]
[New Host: Caelum Xian. Potential: Infinite.]
Infinite.
The word pulsed through my veins like lightning. I clenched my fists, staring at the reflection again. My heart was racing—not with fear, but with a spark I thought I had long lost.
Hope.
But the System wasn't done.
[Initializing Beginner Package.]
My eyes widened. "Beginner…?"
[Congratulations, User. You have awakened in a new world. As part of the Reincarnation Protocol, you are granted the following:]
A panel of shimmering text unfolded in my vision, each line glowing brighter than the last.
[Beginner Package Rewards:]
Cultivation Method: Primordial Elf Codex (Grade: Unknown)
Talent Awakening: Heavenly Root (Rare Variant)
System Function: Status, Inventory, Quests Unlocked
Bonus: New Identity Protection (Duration: 7 Days)]
I could only gape.
A cultivation method? A rare root? A literal system to track it all?
"Protection…" I murmured, my eyes narrowing. "From what?"
[Warning: User's current form is fragile. Mortal dangers include wild beasts, rogue cultivators, and sect recruitment conflicts. Protection ensures survival for the first seven days.]
Seven days.
After that, this world would swallow me whole unless I learned how to survive.
I exhaled slowly, forcing my pulse to steady. My mind was racing with memories of my old life—where elves had withered, where hope had died.
But here… here I wasn't Sylas Lorien, the last remnant of a broken race.
Here, I was Caelum Xian.
And I wasn't going to die forgotten this time.
"System," I whispered. "Show me my status."
The panel shifted instantly.
[Name: Caelum Xian | Former Identity: Sylas Lorien]
[Race: Elf (Variant)]
[Realm: Mortal — Qi Refining (Stage 0)]
[Root: Heavenly Root (Growth Potential: SSS)]
[Cultivation Method: Primordial Elf Codex (Sealed)]
[System Functions: Active]
My heart pounded louder with each line. Qi Refining Stage 0… even a mortal could slap me to death right now. But the Heavenly Root… SSS potential?
I'd lived long enough in my old world to know what talent meant. Humans fought wars for less.
A grin crept across my face, sharper this time. Infinite potential indeed.
The forest around me rustled suddenly, a reminder that I wasn't alone here. Birds scattered from the treetops, and the underbrush trembled with something heavy moving through it.
A growl split the air.
My pulse froze.
The creature that emerged was no mere wolf. Its fur shimmered with faint spiritual light, fangs glinting unnaturally sharp.
A spirit beast.
And it was looking directly at me.
The System chimed calmly, as though mocking my panic:
[First Quest Generated.]
[Quest: Survive.]
[Reward: Unlock Cultivation Codex — First Layer.]
I swallowed hard, backing up until my heel scraped the stream. My hands curled into fists, useless against the predator before me.
Seven days of protection, it had said. Did that mean—
The wolf lunged.
And a shimmering barrier erupted around me. The beast slammed into it with a thunderous crack, rebounding with a snarl.
My chest heaved. Sweat slicked my palms. The barrier flickered faintly, transparent but solid, pulsing with each strike.
The wolf prowled in a circle, growling low, its golden eyes locked on me like I was already a meal.
The System's voice remained maddeningly calm.
[Reminder: Protection ends in six days, twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes.]
I let out a shaky laugh. "Thanks for the pressure."
But as my heart steadied, as the wolf snarled and the barrier pulsed, I felt something I hadn't in centuries.
Not despair.
Not exhaustion.
Excitement.
This wasn't the end of the last elf.
This was the beginning of Caelum Xian.
And for the first time in my cursed existence—
I wasn't running from the future.
I was chasing it.