Chapter 2: Chapter 2 : A Second Life
Darkness.
It was endless, there was no sound, no light, no sense of time. Ethan couldn’t tell whether a second had passed or a thousand years.
His thoughts were the only thing reminding him that he still existed.
"Am I still alive?"
No one answered. The silver ring had vanished, the cold voice was silent. Even the endless void seemed to have disappeared. Then, a sharp pain struck his head,It felt as though someone had torn his soul apart and forced it into a space that was far too small.
His vision blurred.
His chest tightened.
He tried to breathe.
Air rushed into his lungs.
He coughed violently.
"Cough! Cough!"
His eyes snapped open, a rough wooden ceiling greeted him. He lay motionless, breathing heavily. The air carried the smell of damp wood and smoke.For a long moment, he simply stared at the ceiling.
"..."
"So."
"I really survived."
He slowly raised his right hand.It wasn’t his hand.The skin was smoother.The fingers were thinner.Even the calluses were different.
He clenched his fist once, then released it.
No panic.
No shouting.
No excitement.
He had already accepted the possibility back in the void.Now, he only needed to understand his situation. As he tried to sit up
Pain exploded inside his head.
"...!"
Fragments of memories poured into his mind.A small village. Long days gathering firewood, cold winters, empty stomachs.
A lonely wooden hut, a boy working before sunrise, sleeping after midnight, no parents, no brothers. no sisters.
Only himself.
The pain faded as quickly as it had come. Ethan remained silent.
"So"
"Your name was Ethan too."
That surprised him. Perhaps it was coincidence, perhaps not.He had no way of knowing.
He looked around the room. It was barely large enough for one person. An old wooden bed, a table with one cracked bowl, a clay cup, a broken stool someone had repaired more than once.
Nothing else.
This wasn’t poverty, It was survival.He slowly stood.His legs trembled, this body was weak.Far weaker than his own had been.
He walked towards the small window. Morning sunlight spilled across the village.
Smoke rose from chimneys. Several children chased each other along the dirt road. A woman drew water from a well. An old farmer carried a basket across his shoulders.
Everything looked, ordinary. If not for what had happened last night, he would have believed this was just another quiet village somewhere in the countryside.
His eyes wandered farther. Beyond the village, Beyond the forests, towering mountains stretched into the clouds.Their peaks disappeared among white mist.Even from this distance, they gave off a feeling he couldn’t describe, he quietly memorised their location.
No matter what world this was, people built villages for a reason. Those mountains were probably dangerous.
A sudden knock interrupted his thoughts.
Bang.
Bang.
"Ethan!"
The voice belonged to an elderly woman.
"If you’re awake, come outside."
"I’ve left some porridge."
"It’ll get cold."
Her footsteps slowly faded, Ethan blinked.
According to the memories, she wasn’t related to him.She simply lived next door.
Sometimes, when she had extra food, she would leave him a bowl.Not because she was rich, But because she couldn’t bear watching a sixteen-year-old boy starve.
Ethan quietly opened the door. Outside stood a worn wooden stool, on it rested a clay bowl. Steam still rose from the thin porridge. There wasn’t much rice inside, mostly water. He picked it up. The bowl was warm.
For a moment, he looked towards the neighbouring house. The old woman had already gone back inside.
"Thank you."
His voice was soft.She couldn’t hear him. Still, he said it anyway.
He finished the porridge slowly.Every mouthful warmed his stomach, not because it tasted good, but because it reminded him that kindness existed in every world.
After washing the bowl, he placed it back where he’d found it. Then he returned inside.
The first thing he needed wasn’t cultivation. It wasn’t power, It was information. He searched the room carefully.
Nothing.
No cultivation manual,hidden inheritance nor any mysterious jade. Only ordinary tools ; a rope, an old axe and a worn blanket.
He smiled faintly.
"So much for meeting an old master on the first day."
He reached the bronze mirror hanging beside the wall. The face staring back wasn’t his. Around sixteen, black hair, dark eyes, thin from years of hard work.His features were clean enough, not handsome. Not ugly. Just, easy to overlook.
Ethan nodded once.
"I can work with this."
At least no one would remember his face. Sometimes, being ordinary was an advantage.
He suddenly remembered something.
"The Ring."
He lowered his gaze. There was no silver ring on either hand. Nothing around his neck. Nothing hidden inside his sleeves.
Had it disappeared?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a familiar voice echoed within his consciousness.
Binding complete!
Immortal Ring Resonating...
Ethan froze.
There it was.
Still cold.
Still emotionless.
He closed his eyes.
"Can you hear me?"
Silence.
He tried again.
"What are you?"
The answer came exactly as before.
Insufficient Authority.
"..."
He almost laughed. Some things truly never changed. He decided not to waste more time asking questions. If the Ring wanted him to know something, it would tell him. If not, asking a hundred times wouldn’t make a difference.
His attention shifted elsewhere, outside. Voices drifted through the village. People had already started working. The original Ethan earned his living by chopping wood and doing odd jobs. If he suddenly refused to work, people would notice.
That wasn’t what he wanted.
Not yet.
He picked up the old axe leaning against the wall.The wooden handle was rough. Years of use had worn it smooth in places. He rested it on his shoulder and stepped outside. Fresh air greeted him.
The village road was already busy. No one paid him much attention. Just another poor boy heading towards the forest. Exactly what he wanted. Ethan looked up one last time. The distant mountains remained hidden beneath drifting clouds.
He didn’t know what awaited him there.
Immortals.
Cultivators.
Power beyond imagination.
For now, those things were too far away.
Today, his goal was much simpler ; Survive, Learn, Watch. Only after understanding this world, would he take his first real step.
Without another word, Ethan walked towards the forest. His second life, had truly begun.
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