The steady dripping of water echoed through the ancient underground chamber. The air was cold, thick with the scent of dust, iron, and time itself.
Aarav Verma breathed in slowly as the beam of his flashlight cut through the dark to reveal fallen pillars and strange, unreadable symbols carved into the stone walls. He had been searching for this place for years: a forgotten ruin that no one believed existed.
Aarav wasn't an adventurer, neither a soldier nor a treasure hunter. He was a historian-scholar, and he loved the forgotten stories. But the modern world had ceased to believe in the past, labeling people like him as dreamers. The world had replaced wonder with logic and faith with data.
But Aarav had always felt that something was missing.
Every ancient text he read spoke about energies — mana, qi, aura — powers that once filled the world and allowed people to move mountains or summon storms. Yet, in the present world, none of that energy was to be found. The scientists said it was fantasy. Aarav believed it was history that had simply been erased.
And now, he stood in front of the proof.
At the center of the chamber, resting upon a stone pedestal, was a black cube the size of his head. It didn't look metallic or even stone-like. The surface was smooth, but strange golden lines pulsed through it in living patterns that kept changing.
Aarav's heart began to race. He removed his gloves and laid a quivering hand on the cube.
The moment his skin touched it, everything changed.
The cube pulsed once, softly, and then the world around him went silent. His flashlight flickered and died, the air froze, and then…
A voice, mechanical yet calm, was echoing directly inside his mind.
[The Infinite Comprehension Core has been found.
[Scanning host… Compatibility: 97.8%.]
Initializing synchronization.
Aarav's eyes arced.
"What—what is happening?" he whispered, clutching his head as a wave of pain struck him.
He was suddenly flooded with thousands of images. He saw warriors tear the sky apart with their fists, glowing swords splitting oceans, and mages controlling stars with words. He saw worlds full of energy-mana, qi, and aura-flowing like rivers of light.
His mind screamed in confusion, but the voice continued:
[Synchronization completed.]
Host: Aarav Verma.
[System installed: The Infinite Comprehension System.]
[Speed of comprehension increased by 1000x.]
With a gasp, he fell to his knees. The cube's golden light grew brighter until the whole chamber was aglow.
He could feel it, energy, real and alive, moving inside his veins like liquid fire.
"I can feel mana…" he whispered, eyes shaking in utter disbelief. "It's real…"
Then another message appeared in his mind.
Warning: Energy density in the current world—critically low.
Mana Density: 0.00001%.
[Solution: Temporal Transfer recommended.]
"Temporal… what?" Aarav muttered. But before he could complete it, the cube began to violently vibrate.
Light burst from every crack in the stone floor. The relic had shattered, releasing a golden vortex that enveloped him. The winds roared like a living beast, and the world started to twist.
Aarav shouted, trying to run, but his feet no longer touched the ground. The air itself tore apart. The light swallowed him whole.
Everything went dark.
When he opened his eyes again, the silence was broken, replaced by the sound of wind, the singing of birds, and far off, a waterfall cascading down its bed of rocks.
Aarav blinked, and his vision began to clear. He was no longer underground.
He found himself standing on a cliff that led down to a vast, green world. The air smelled different, sweet and full of life. Across the sky, it wasn't plain blue but streaked with colors, as if painted with magic. He could see shining rivers, mountains touching the clouds, and creatures flying in the distance with their wings made of light.
He breathed deeply and felt something penetrate his lungs — energy, pure and warm.
"This is not the modern world…" he whispered. "This … this is the ancient era."
He wasn't wrong. His System Interface appeared in front of him like a faint golden screen.
[Temporal Transfer successful.]
[Current Timeline: Ancient Era — Age of Abundant Qi.]
Energy density: 98.7%
Aarav stared at the screen, his heart pounding. He wanted to laugh and cry all at once. He had done what no scientist or historian could ever fathom-he had traveled into the past.
But before he could explore, a sudden noise broke his thoughts.
Thud!
Something - or someone - fell nearby. Aarav turned and saw a man lying on the ground, covered in blood. The man's body was strong and muscular, but his breathing was weak. His clothes were torn and burnt, and his eyes glowed faintly with golden light.
Aarav rushed toward him, kneeling beside him. "Hey! Are you okay?"
The man coughed violently, blood dripping from his lips, but a faint smile appeared when his eyes met Aarav's.
"You… you bear the mark," this man whispered, his voice weak yet heavy with meaning. "The relic chose you."
Aarav froze. "You know about it?"
The man nodded slowly and reached inside his robe, pulling out a small, bloody scroll. A weird light emanated from the scroll-a mix of gold and black.
"Take this," he said. "It holds… the Heavenly Divine Demon Technique."
Aarav took the scroll carefully. The man's hand was trembling.
"It is… an art beyond heaven and hell," the man continued softly. "A technique made when the Heavenly Demon and the Divine Sword fought for seven days and seven nights. It controls every weapon and all forms — fist, sword, spear, foot — all.
His breathing began to slow. "Guard it well. This technique… has destroyed worlds before. Only two ever reached its sixth form… and they could tear space itself apart."
Aarav's throat squeezed shut. "Wait, don't—"
But before he could finish, the man's body glowed and slowly turned to dust, carried away by the wind.
Silence returned.
Aarav looked down at the scroll in his hands. His System Interface blinked.
[New Technique Detected: Heavenly Divine Demon Technique.]
[Compatibility: 100%.]
[Begin Comprehension?]
He hesitated for a moment. Then slowly, he smiled.
"I came here to learn the truth of mana," he said softly. "Let's start with this."
He sat cross-legged on the grass. The scroll unfolded of its own accord, the golden letters rising into the air. The symbols were not simply words - they were alive. Pulsating to an unheard rhythm, they twisted and spun about him.
As he closed his eyes, the Infinite Comprehension System turned on. The air quivered. The world slowed. Time itself seemed to hold its breath.
He saw the visions: the Heavenly Demon raising his fist and shattering a mountain; the Divine Sword slicing through the stars. And he felt their power merge in himself, surge through his veins.
He understood the meaning of balance: destruction and creation, chaos and order. His heartbeat went with the rhythm of the world.
[Comprehension Progress: 0.01% → 100%. [First Form of the Heavenly Divine Demon Technique mastered.]
Aarav's eyes opened. His body had shone with a faint, golden and black light. The wind around his figure stirred gently, as if to his command. He looked at his hands and smiled. "So this… is real power." For the first time in his life, he didn't feel small. He didn't feel lost. He felt alive. The sun rose above the mountains and painted the world in gold as Aarav Verma, the forgotten scholar of the modern age, took his first step on the path which one day would make him the ruler of all dimensions. And above it all, even the heavens seemed to shudder and whisper his name.