Chapter 3
"Ahhhh… finally. A full stomach."
Ethan sighed in contentment, lying in the grass beneath the open sky, the last droplets of rain trailing off leaves around him.
But not far off, every wolf in the clearing stared at him in horror.
Their bodies trembled. Their eyes widened.
Even the mother direwolf, the one who moments ago towered over him protectively, now looked traumatized.
They had just witnessed something they couldn't comprehend:
A human infant feeding from a direwolf's breast and surviving.
Only her eight cubs had ever been permitted to nurse. But this child... this thing… had done it.
"Alright, status check," Ethan thought, resting with his tiny hands folded behind his head.
"Let's see… I've been born into royalty—part of it, anyway. My 'father' tossed me out like garbage just because I didn't meet some power standard."
"I was named Ethan by the only person who showed me kindness...my mother."
"I'm alive. Still standing."
"And trapped in a forest crawling with monsters."
A breeze blew through the canopy. The scent of moss and blood filled the air.
"No different from the battlefield. Survive or die. Guess I'll start by learning more about this crazy world."
He closed his eyes and let his Qi flow freely through his mind, body, and soul seeking answers.
And they came.
He had been reborn into a world known as Valtherion.
A world not unlike Earth… but forever changed.
Centuries ago, wormholes began to split the skies open. From these rifts poured beasts, ancient weapons, and incomprehensible energy.
That energy would be named Aetherion...The soul-force of existence.
Humanity was on the verge of extinction until one nameless man ,once forgotten awakened to Aetherion and single-handedly pushed back the invading beasts.
The world shifted.
People evolved.
Some became Elves, gifted with long life and spiritual affinity.
Others became Dwarves, sturdy and strong.
Even new races were born.
"Pfft. What biased, romanticized nonsense," Ethan scoffed internally.
"Typical hero-worship. Sounds like a light novel."
"Still… Aetherion is real. I've used it. I need to master it."
He sat upright, the grass brushing against his legs.
Then, slowly, he floated into the air levitating effortlessly.
"Since I can't speak yet, maybe I can connect my mind to the wolves. Let's give this a shot."
Ethan focused his Qi outward. Golden threads of light began to swirl around him like silk strands drawn by invisible weavers.
They stretched across the clearing, weaving through the air and piercing the minds of the wolves.
♧ Linking Successful ♧
♧ Linking Energy +500 ♧
♧ Special Communication: Flamebone Direwolves ♧
A smirk curled on his infant lips.
"Let's try this."
"Greetings, beasts of the forest!" his voice echoed not from his mouth, but from their minds.
The direwolves recoiled, startled.
"I am Ethan."
"From this moment forward, I am your Alpha. I am your ruler."
They hesitated.
Then one by one, they bowed.
The earth trembled beneath the pressure of their loyalty.
Ethan's smirk widened into a baby-toothed grin.
"Now this is going to be fun."
8 Years Later
The wind howled across the mountains of the Forest of Nihilith, but inside a warm cave, laughter and growls echoed in play.
Ethan now an 8-year-old with wild black hair and blood-red eyes wrestled in the grass with a pack of direwolves.
They were larger now, faster, deadlier,trained by him.
These were the eight pups he had grown up with, siblings in spirit if not in blood. The others had been sent away by his command...forced to survive on their own until they returned stronger.
"Alright, time to wash up!" a commanding yet motherly voice called.
From the cave entrance stood the mother direwolf, her once-feral gaze softened after years of raising Ethan.
"Oh, yeah… forgot to mention," Ethan thought.
"Eight years of soul-linking changed them too. Now they can speak freely in human language."
As he rose, the wolves fell in line behind him, obedient as trained soldiers. His body, lean yet muscular, moved with ease. His bare feet barely touched the stone.
He had become something more than human. A being molded by primal force and boundless potential.
"If I were to measure my strength right now…"
♧Power: +999,999 ♧
♧ Energy: +999,999 ♧
♧ Abilities: +999,999 ♧
"Abilities like Intimidation, Soul-Link, Energy Vision, Aether Voice… and a few others even I don't fully understand yet."
"This forest was supposed to kill me. Instead, I conquered it."
Unknown to him, this was no ordinary forest.
Nihilith was ranked among the deadliest five regions in Valtherion.
Even high-level warriors avoided it.
To survive here was impossible.
To thrive...unthinkable.
But Ethan had defeated beasts ranked second and third in power.
He had grown into something the world hadn't seen before.
"So… do you really plan to go back to the human world?" asked one of the wolves, his tone uncertain.
Ethan turned to him, eyes glowing faintly.
"I'm afraid so," he replied.
"But we're beasts," said another. "How could we ever enter their lands to be with you?"
He grinned. It wasn't innocent but ambitious.Almost terrifying to look at it.
"I still have eight more years until I'm sixteen. And in that time…"
He looked at them one by one.
"I'll turn every last one of you into humans."
A pulse of energy radiated from his body, cracking the stone beneath his feet. His red eyes gleamed with godlike confidence.
To Be Continued…