Throughout his life, Isaac had sought power—power born from his own hands, earned through his own will. He had never bowed to anyone, not to gods, not to demons, nor to the so-called supreme beings. Submission was never an option. Yet, the words of this enigmatic entity were… different. They carried no arrogance, no demand for servitude—only an overwhelming power wrapped in mutual respect.
Isaac smirked, his sharp eyes gleaming with cunning. "I am but a mere droplet in the boundless ocean that is your existence. So tell me…" He tilted his head slightly. "What interest does a being like you have in someone like me?"
The air around them grew thick.
The entity's aura swirled and pulsed, growing denser as if it were alive, coiling around him like a sentient force. In the heart of the abyssal void, the figure bathed in azure radiance stared deep into Isaac's soul—as though unraveling his very essence.
Then, the voice spoke—deep, resonant, seeping into his bones, his mind, his very soul:
"Let us become one."
The words were not a mere suggestion. They carried weight—a proclamation, an immutable truth being set into motion.
"One being… one body… one soul… one mind… one breath."
The blue light intensified, vibrating with something primal, something ancient.
"Life or death, we shall journey together into a world unlike any other… A realm of greater chaos, where each step is a battlefield, where every moment is drenched in the thrill of the unknown. A world where power takes on a form beyond imagination. I simply wish to witness your performance in it."
The entity paused, savoring its next words before releasing them into the void:
"Because watching you… is my greatest pleasure, O King of Mortals."
There was something in its tone—something Isaac never imagined he would find familiar. A raw, insatiable hunger. A thirst for something beyond mere conquest.
Then came the final declaration—one that shook even the void itself.
"Let us seize the world together… as one."
Isaac fell silent.
Something within him stirred—something he had not felt in years, or perhaps… had never truly felt before.
"You…"
He lifted his head, the sharpness in his gaze wavering, giving way to something else.
"You make me feel something I had long forgotten."
A grin spread across his lips—a grin of pure, unfiltered indulgence. His pupils dilated, an eerie hunger flashing within them, as if he had just been served the ultimate temptation.
He was not hesitant. He was not doubtful.
He simply asked, "But tell me, why do you need my permission? You could do this on your own."
The entity laughed—a chilling, otherworldly sound that rippled through the very fabric of space.
"No, King… You will resist to the last fragment of your soul. And that… I cannot do alone."
Isaac chuckled.
"Then state your name."
The entity's aura surged, the sky itself trembling beneath its might. Reality cracked at its edges, laws bending as though they were nothing more than fragile threads.
A voice like thunder echoed through the abyss:
"The Azure Sovereign greets the King of Men."
Isaac's laughter followed—not out of fear, not out of defiance, but out of sheer amusement.
"What a twist of fate… to meet my reflection in a world that is not my own. This should be interesting."
His smirk widened.
"Very well… I accept, Azure Sovereign."
The entity wasted no time, its words laced with a rare sense of mirth.
"Welcome, my friend."
But before Isaac could respond, the Sovereign continued:
"You will die here."
Isaac did not flinch.
Death was never a challenge for him.
"And I shall use my power to send your soul across the boundary… into a new life."
The aura surrounding them paused, as if stabilizing the fabric of reality before the entity added:
"But I cannot determine where you will be reborn… or into whose hands you will fall."
For the first time, a true complication arose.
Isaac was never one to leave things to chance.
"I will fuse with you," the Sovereign continued, "becoming a part of your very existence. My power will remain sealed… until you are worthy of wielding it."
"I will be bound to you. Your pain will be my pain. Your triumphs, my triumphs."
Isaac was quiet for a moment. Then, his lips curled into a fox-like grin—the grin of a man who had never known surrender.
"It seems the real fun is about to begin."
His head lifted, his eyes burning with a deadly thrill.
"Shall we begin this new life?"
But just as he was about to step forward, he halted.
"Wait."
He turned toward the Azure Sovereign, his expression unreadable.
"There is one last thing I must do."
Though he held no affection for this world, he was still its ruler. And a king… must see his duty through to the end.
The Sovereign did not object. It simply watched.
A Week Later…
Isaac stood at the base of a desolate mountain.
No armies. No servants. No throne.
Only him, his sword, and the whispering cold wind.
With bare hands, he dug.
The grave was easy to carve, but time stretched endlessly as he worked. A silent farewell. A ritual for a life left behind.
At last, he stood before the hollow ground, gazing at it with an unreadable expression before allowing a small smile to cross his lips.
"This chapter is over."
Without hesitation, he raised his sword.
And drove it straight through his heart.
Blood spilled, his throat dried, and pain—familiar, almost comforting—embraced him.
With every drop, he saw his past: the humiliation of being weaker, the endless battles, the pitying gazes cast upon him.
And as the final breath left his lungs, his gaze met the Azure Sovereign's once more.
It watched him—not as an observer, but as a witness to both his end and his beginning.
A grin tugged at Isaac's lips as he laughed in his final moment.
"Boredom is finally coming to an end."
And with that, he closed his eyes.
In an instant, a blinding force erupted from the Sovereign, consuming his body. The world itself trembled as light shattered the darkness.
A World Between Worlds…
Isaac awoke in an abyss devoid of light—an endless, shoreless sea of blackness.
He stared into the void and whispered, "This place… is exactly like the life I lived. An ocean of darkness, without a single ray of light."
Then, something stirred.
A colossal eye, glowing blue like a frozen sun, emerged from the shadows, its gaze piercing through him.
Isaac smirked.
"You… You were the light I had been waiting for all my life, weren't you, Azure Sovereign?"
A voice, deep as eternity, resonated in the abyss.
"My respect for you only grows, King. I never thought I would care for anything, yet here I am… watching over you."
The eye narrowed, glowing ever brighter.
"Are you prepared?"
Isaac chuckled.
"Pain is the foundation of progress."
The Sovereign's voice was final.
"Then let us bid farewell to the King who once was."
A beam of azure light struck Isaac's body, consuming him in an infernal blaze.
His soul ignited. His very existence was unmade.
Yet, even as he writhed in agony, his voice tore through the abyss.
"Darkness in the distance…