Lord of Eternity [Fantasy Thriller Adventure Novel]

Chuyang struggled to stand, his head throbbing with unbearable pain. His vision blurred, and the whole world seemed to spin around him.

At the moment of the accident, his mind went blank. It felt as if an invisible hammer had struck his skull, instantly severing all sensation. His body, like a tattered cloth, collapsed onto the cold ground, limbs stiff and unable to move.

Then, a sharp pain surged from his head, as if countless needles were piercing beneath his skin. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to resist the excruciating agony, but he couldn't escape it.

His mind was blank, thoughts shattered by the overwhelming pain.

Somewhere in the distance—or perhaps right beside him—he heard a strange voice calling his name, over and over: "Chuyang… Chuyang…"

He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead, refusing to lift.

Fragments of memory flashed through his mind—delivery orders, bustling streets, impatient crowds, the sound of traffic… Then, the sharp screech of brakes.

"What… happened?" A wave of inexplicable fear rose in his heart.

He tried to call out, but no sound came.

Suddenly, an overwhelming force swept over him, as if an unseen hand was pulling him away from reality, dragging him toward an unknown place.

His body felt as if it were being torn apart. Darkness swallowed his vision. His entire being was compressed into a tiny point, pain and confusion twisting together, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.

"Am I… dead?"

That was his final conscious thought.

Yet, what filled his heart was not fear, but an emptiness—a profound sense of helplessness.

Was this really the end of his life?

Then—nothing.

Time seemed to freeze.

No light, no sound, no sensation at all.

Chuyang had no idea how long it lasted. Maybe a few seconds. Maybe centuries.

But when he became aware of himself again, the world around him had changed beyond belief.

"Where… is this?"

His eyes snapped open.

He was no longer in that suffocating city, no longer the weary man crushed under the weight of life.

He lay on damp soil, his body free of pain, his headache completely gone.

The air carried the fresh scent of earth. Gone was the city's relentless noise—replaced by the melody of birdsong and the whisper of wind through leaves.

A nameless shock rippled through his heart as he took in his surroundings.

Before him stretched a lush forest, towering trees with dense foliage casting shifting patterns of sunlight onto the damp ground.

This place… didn't seem to belong to the modern world. It was primal, mysterious.

Chuyang's heartbeat quickened. His mind was a blur.

Just moments ago, he had been a delivery man, weaving through traffic on his battered electric scooter. And now…?

"Did I die?"

He shuddered, an unsettling fear creeping over him.

Yet if he were dead, why did he feel so clear-headed? His limbs were not stiff, and he could still sense the crisp freshness of the air.

His mind swirled in confusion as he scanned his surroundings, slowly realizing—this was not the world he knew.

"What the hell is going on…?" he murmured, forcing himself to stay calm.

He strained to recall every detail of what had happened.

He had been just another ordinary guy, delivering order after order, racing through the city.

Then—darkness.

And now—this.

At that moment, a soft voice shattered his thoughts.

"Awake?"

Chuyang whipped around.

A figure stood not far away.

A woman, draped in a flowing gown, poised with effortless grace.

Her features were flawless, sculpted like a work of art. But it was her eyes that truly captivated—deep, luminous, carrying a brilliance that made it impossible to meet her gaze for long.

The very air around her seemed to pause, time itself bending to her presence.

Sunlight trickled through the leaves, casting a golden glow upon her silhouette.

She looked otherworldly, divine.

An ethereal being, woven from myth and legend.

In that moment, Chuyang felt something indescribable—she was not mortal.

Her expression remained serene, her presence commanding, as though everything around her was beneath her notice.

She studied him in silence, exuding an innate authority that was neither arrogant nor condescending—it simply was.

Chuyang's thoughts raced. His body trembled slightly, his legs weighed down as if bound in chains.

His mind screamed with questions, yet none of them seemed to matter under her gaze.

He lifted his head and took in his surroundings.

The sky stretched endlessly above, clouds drifting lazily in the distance. Mountains loomed like jade sculptures against the horizon.

The woman's expression remained tranquil, yet there was a quiet solitude in her presence, as though she stood above the world itself.

Then, with a voice as soft as the wind yet as commanding as thunder, she spoke:

"You are no longer an ordinary man. You no longer belong to that world. You… shall become a king."

Her words crashed into Chuyang like a tidal wave.

Each syllable resonated with unshakable certainty, as though fate itself had spoken.

Chuyang's thoughts spiraled.

"No longer belong? Become a king?"

He whispered the words to himself, heart pounding.

The woman did not offer him the luxury of answers.

Instead, she turned away, her figure drifting like mist into the shadows of the forest.

Chuyang stood frozen, watching her disappear.

A strange feeling coiled in his chest.

He glanced down at his hands—trembling, tingling, as though he had just brushed against something beyond mortal comprehension.

Suddenly, the world changed.

The air thickened. The sky, once deep blue, began to bleed with an eerie crimson hue, like ink seeping into clear water.

The wind stopped. A suffocating silence fell over the forest.

And then—whispers.

Low, ancient murmurs slithered through the stillness, curling around his ears like an unseen presence chanting an incantation.

Chuyang's pulse hammered in his chest.

The voices grew clearer, closer, as if speaking directly to him.

He spun in every direction, but the forest remained empty.

His breaths came ragged, struggling to stay calm.

Then—

A single word, spoken like a prophecy:

"King…"

Chuyang's eyes widened.

"King?"

This word inexplicably made Chuyang feel a slight resistance, yet at the same time, a strange tremor stirred within him.

He was nothing more than an ordinary person—someone who, in the real world, could barely make ends meet, exhausted from running between food delivery orders every day. Never had he thought he would have anything to do with the word "king."

Yet now, as he stood on this unfamiliar and mysterious land, it felt as if he had stepped into an entirely different world.

The surrounding scenery grew increasingly eerie. The trees in the forest seemed to tremble ever so slightly, and the thick vines bore dark golden runes that pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.

A faint, peculiar fragrance lingered in the air—carrying the damp scent of earth, yet mixed with something indescribably exotic, as if he had wandered into a dream.

Chuyang clenched his fists slightly, feeling the real sensation at his fingertips.

The soil beneath his feet was soft and damp, and with each step, he could hear the faint sound of water seeping from the mud, as if the very land beneath him was responding to his presence.

"Stay calm..." he murmured to himself, trying to make sense of the situation.

However, the whispers did not cease. Instead, they grew clearer—like countless ghostly murmurs, weaving around his ears with reverence, frenzy, and even a trace of anticipation.

By now, the woman's figure had long disappeared. She was like a celestial being drifting through mist, carrying an air of mystery and elegance, never to look back.

Chuyang remained where he was, his hands trembling, his heartbeat accelerating. The scene before him felt unreal, as if reality itself was unraveling.

Every detail clawed at his sanity, making it nearly unbearable.

Was this really happening?

"Where is this place? What should I do?"

He muttered under his breath, almost powerless, his heart still filled with shock and confusion.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to steady himself. But just then, he felt an invisible force quietly descend upon him.

This force had no visible form, yet he could clearly feel it enveloping him—like an unseen hand gently guiding his very soul.

It was both gentle and firm, silently urging him forward.

Chuyang's feet moved of their own accord. Though his mind was filled with questions, he could not resist the force leading him onward.

Looking around, he realized the forest had changed drastically from before.

The plants on the ground began to emit a strange glow. From within the grass, whispers echoed—faint, elusive, as if calling him deeper into the unknown.

The clouds in the sky shifted, gathering into a hazy band of light, forming a mysterious path that seemed to lead straight into the heart of the forest.

Chuyang's pulse quickened, as if he could hear the blood surging through his veins. A powerful intuition surged through his mind—

This force was guiding him toward something.

"What is this? Where am I being led?"

Questions filled his mind, yet his feet, still drawn by the unseen force, carried him forward.

With each step, the surroundings changed—the glowing plants grew denser, and the strange fragrance in the air deepened, making him instinctively take a slow, deliberate breath.