[ ETERNITY. ]
"W-what?"
The word slipped out before he could stop it. His heart felt like it stopped for a terrifying second, only to resume with a violent, hammering rhythm against his ribs. A cold sweat broke out along his spine, soaking through his shirt.
Tobey knew the word. He knew what it meant on paper. But hearing it here, spoken by a cosmic entity in a silent clearing, gave the word a weight that crushed the air out of his lungs. It wasn't just a concept anymore. It felt heavy.
Suffocating. It carried a hidden meaning that his mortal brain struggled to grasp.
[ YOU ARE THE SOUL CHOSEN BY THE COUNCIL FROM THE COUNTLESS SOULS SCATTERED ACROSS THE VOID. ]
The screen pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat.
[ YOU ARE NOT A TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE, TOBEY. YOU ARE THE ONLY 'EYE' APPOINTED UNTIL THE END OF WOOLACE'S TIME. ]
[ THERE WILL BE NO SUCCESSOR. THERE WILL BE NO REPLACEMENT. AS LONG AS THIS PLANET SPINS, YOU MUST EXIST. ]
Tobey staggered backward until his legs met the porch steps. He sank down heavily, burying his face in his hands.
The words felt physical, pressing down on his shoulders. Eternity. He would live until the end of Woolace's time. He would be the silent witness to everything—and everyone—rotting away around him.
So that's the reason, he realized, a bitter taste filling his mouth.
The "too generous" gifts, the ability to speak every language, the endless food, the mastery of Art... they weren't just perks. They were survival tools. They were carefully calculated distractions planned by the Council to keep him from losing his mind.
They gave me Art so I can create things that last, because the people I meet won't.
The thought of immortality didn't bring him joy; it brought a hollow, cold ache to his chest. He could already picture it: making friends, maybe even finding a partner, only to watch them wrinkle, wither, and turn to dust while he remained frozen in youth.
And it wasn't just sad—it was dangerous.
If I don't age, he thought, his eyes narrowing behind his hands, people will notice. In ten years? Fine. In twenty? Maybe. But in forty years? I'll be a freak. A monster. I'll be hunted.
Fear pricked at him. To live forever meant he would have to live in the shadows, constantly moving, constantly hiding his true nature.
But as the panic subsided, a different feeling began to surface. A quiet, steady hum of relief.
He looked at his hands—clean, strong, and free of blood.
For the first time in his existence, he was free.
No more Syndicate, he thought, exhaling a breath he felt like he'd been holding for decades. No more Boss. No more debts. No police sirens wailing in the distance. No looking over my shoulder every time a car slows down.
He had lived a chaotic, violent life, running toward an early grave. Countless times he had prayed for an escape. He had begged for a way out of the life, a way to break the chains. Now, he had been reborn only to find a new master holding the leash.
And now, he had been reborn into a world where no one knew his name. No one knew his crimes.
It's a clean slate, Tobey realized. A slate that never runs out of space.
He lifted his head, wiping the stress from his face. The sadness was still there, lurking in the corners of his mind, but the relief was stronger. He could handle loneliness. He had been lonely his whole life. But freedom? That was new.
"Okay," Tobey whispered to the empty air. "I understand the price."
He looked up at the floating blue screen, his gaze steady but weary. "I fully accept the mission."
[ I KNOW MY WORDS MAY SOUND LIKE A PRISON SENTENCE, BUT... ]
[ TECHNICALLY, YOUR SOUL IS NOW THE PROPERTY OF THE COUNCIL. THEY SALVAGED YOU FROM THE VOID. THEY REPAIRED THIS VESSEL. THEY PLACED YOU HERE. ]
[ CONSIDER IT A TRANSACTION. YOU ARE REPAYING A DEBT OF EXISTENCE, AND IN RETURN, YOU HAVE RECEIVED A GENEROUS BONUS. ]
Tobey nodded silently, but his stomach twisted.
Property of the Council.
The words rang in his mind like a funeral bell. It was the same nightmare all over again. Just like the Boss had owned him. Just like the Syndicate had put a leash on his neck and commanded him like a dog. He had lived his entire life obeying orders, killing when told to kill, sitting when told to sit.
"Etha..." His voice trembled, a wave of sadness and regret consuming the brief flicker of hope he had felt. "Am I... am I really free to do anything?"
God knows how many times he had prayed for freedom. He thought death had finally severed his chains. He thought he had escaped the chaos. But now? He was revived only to be owned by someone else.
[ DO NOT COMPARE US TO YOUR OLD MASTERS, TOBEY. ]
The screen softened, the harsh blue light fading into a gentle, reassuring white.
[ THE SYNDICATE WANTED YOUR BLOOD. THEY WANTED YOUR OBEDIENCE. WE WANT NOTHING BUT YOUR HAPPINESS AND YOUR PRESENCE. ]
[ I PROMISE YOU. YOU ARE NOT A DOG ON A LEASH. LIVE AS A BIRD. EXPLORE LIKE THE WIND. AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT DESTROY THIS WORLD, YOU ARE THE MASTER OF YOUR OWN FATE. ]
The words gave him a measure of assurance, though not complete relief. The knot of worry in his stomach loosened, but didn't vanish. He was still flying blind.
"So..." Tobey rubbed the back of his neck.
"What do I do now?"
[ TOBEY. ]
"Ah—what? Yes?"
[ YOU STILL HAVE ONE LAST PRESENT. ]
Tobey blinked. "Another one?"
[ I INTENDED TO GRANT IT EARLIER, BUT I PAUSED TO OBSERVE YOUR REACTION. YOUR SKEPTICISM... WAS TELLING. ]
Tobey simply nodded, too tired to feel excitement or happiness. He just wanted this meeting to end.
[ THIS LAST PRESENT IS A HIDDEN PASSIVE SKILL. NO MORTAL SHALL EVER KNOW OF IT. ]
Tobey's sluggish mind tried to guess. Another combat skill? Invincibility? Flight?
[ REBATE. ]
[ FOR EVERY CENT YOU SPEND, YOU WILL RECEIVE A REBATE OF 1× TO 1000× THE AMOUNT. THERE IS NO LIMIT. THE MULTIPLIER DEPENDS ON LUCK. ]
Tobey stared at the screen, his mouth slightly open.
In his old life, people killed for pocket change. He had broken bones for a few hundred dollars. He had ended lives for a debt that wouldn't even buy a used car.
And now? The Council had just handed him the keys to the world's economy.
For the first time since waking up, a dry, incredulous laugh bubbled up in his throat.
"Infinite time," he whispered, shaking his head. "And now, infinite means."
The Council had truly locked him into this world. They removed every possible reason he could ever have to complain or refuse. With this skill, within a few years, he would be the richest man on the planet. The only problem he would ever have is figuring out how to spend it all.
His laugh dissolved into a deep, exhausted sigh. He slumped against the porch railing, pulling his knees up in a sulking posture.
[ NOW THAT I HAVE GRANTED THE GIFTS, I MUST MAKE FINAL ADJUSTMENTS. ]
[ I HAVE JUDGED THE LEVEL OF GREED IN YOUR SOUL. YOU SHOWED CAUTION INSTEAD OF AVARICE. THEREFORE, I WILL MODIFY YOUR GIFTS ACCORDINGLY. ]
Tobey rested his chin on his knees, his mind drifting. Greed? Do I have greed? Maybe. I don't know.
Honestly, he didn't care right now. He was keenly aware of his physical state. The long, matted hair tickling his neck and face. The itchy, overgrown beard. The mossy sensation on his teeth. The long, yellowed fingernails that curled like claws.
Fuck, I'm tired, he thought. I just want to brush my teeth and cut this fucking hair.
[ FIRST: VITALITY OF THE ANCIENTS. ]
[ I HAVE REINFORCED ALL VITAL ORGANS, MUSCLES, AND BONES. ADDITIONALLY, AS A MALE VESSEL, I HAVE ENHANCED YOUR... VIRILITY. YOUR BODY IS NOW CAPABLE OF PEAK PERFORMANCE IN EVERY ASPECT. YOU MAY DISCOVER THESE EFFECTS ON YOUR OWN. ]
[ SECOND: THE SUPERMARKET. ]
[ I HAVE ADDED HIDDEN COMPARTMENTS CONTAINING PRECIOUS ITEMS NOT FOUND IN NORMAL AISLES. EXPLORE THOROUGHLY. ]
[ THIRD: LINGUA FRANCA. ]
[ I HAVE APPLIED A LIMITATION. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DECIPHER DEAD OR FORGOTTEN LANGUAGES. THIS IS FOR YOUR SAFETY, TO KEEP YOU FROM UNCOVERING ANCIENT SECRETS BEST LEFT BURIED. ]
[ FOURTH: SOUL STORAGE. ]
[ NO CHANGES REQUIRED. ]
[ FIFTH: ARTISTIC TALENT. ]
[ I HAVE UPLOADED THE COLLECTIVE MEMORIES AND TECHNIQUES OF EARTH'S GREATEST MASTERS DIRECTLY INTO YOUR NEURAL PATHWAYS. ]
[ AND FINALLY: FINANCIAL MASKING. ]
[ WHENEVER THE 'REBATE' TRIGGERS, THE SYSTEM WILL GENERATE A LEGAL PAPER TRAIL. TO THE EYES OF WOOLACE, YOUR WEALTH COMES FROM HIGH-YIELD STOCKS AND CRYPTO INVESTMENTS. I HAVE ALSO DEPOSITED BLACK CARDS FROM THE MAJOR BANKS OF EVERY NATION INTO YOUR STORAGE. ]
Tobey groaned, pressing his palms against his temples. A sharp headache spiked behind his eyes as the information surged into his brain. It was too much. It felt like he was watching a thousand lifetimes play out in fast-forward—banking codes, brush strokes, investment strategies—all embedding themselves into his memory in seconds.
He swayed on his feet, overwhelmed. The reality of his new existence was heavy.
[ I HAVE FINISHED. ]
The blue screen began to dim, its edges fraying like smoke.
[ I, ETHA, WILL NOW VANISH FROM YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS. ]
[ TO PROTECT YOUR MIND AND THE SECRECY OF THE MISSION, ALL DETAILED KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE COUNCIL, THE ANCIENT GODS, AND THE UPPER REALM WILL BE ERASED FROM YOUR MEMORIES. ]
[ ALL THAT WILL REMAIN ARE THE GIFTS. AND THE MISSION. ]
[ FAREWELL, MORTAL. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW LIFE. ]
The screen collapsed into a single point of light, then blinked out of existence.
"Wait—" Tobey croaked.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit him. His vision blurred, white spots dancing across his eyes. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the wooden porch. The world spun violently as the divine knowledge was scrubbed from his mind, leaving only the man behind.
Everything went black.