1 Rebirth

"Where… where am I?" Kael opened his eyes and raised his head as he looked around. He was lying down on a flat, parched earth. He found it strange. His surroundings didn't look like the chaotic battlefield where he was just a moment ago.

Then, he slowly recollected his memories before realization hit him. He should've been dead! Kael was fighting and resisting the enemy's overwhelming forces in the cataclysmic event, the Defense of the Ancients. As he was the only surviving member of the Radiant Faction, he couldn't resist the joint forces of the Dire Faction. The enemy poured into the base of the Radiant Faction, took down the Ancient and subsequently the Fountain of Essence. His soul was tied to the Fountain and when it fell, his soul crumbled as well.

That was right. He should've been dead. So why was he alive? Kael tried remembering more, but that was as far as he could recollect.

"This feeling… there's no magic power in me! What's wrong?!"

Kael realized the absence of magic coursing through his body. He then frantically sized himself up. He wasn't wearing his Ancient Rank items that was soul-bound to his body either. Kael then looked closely at his bare arms and feet. They looked strangely unfamiliar.

It was only then that it dawned upon Kael that he was now in a different body. He felt his hair with his arms. The signature electrified yellow hair was gone. Replacing it was a tuft of messy black hair.

His magic power gone, his body changed, he was in an unfamiliar environment…

The only reasonable explanation surfaced in his mind: his consciousness must have transported to a different realm from the Defense of the Ancients into a different body. However only his consciousness managed to move; his soul and magic power was gone along with his original body.

Knowing that he transmigrated, Kael calmed himself down. He then looked at his surroundings more carefully this time. There were tombstones everywhere; it was a weird sense of serenity and peace. It was quiet here, but death permeated the air. Kael realized he was in a graveyard. This body must have been dead, which was probably why his consciousness could've entered in.

However, Kael cursed his bad luck. Even though for some reason he could transmigrate his consciousness, he ended up in a body that had no magic power at all! This was a most terrible thing that could happen to the strongest wizard in the Hundred Realms, also known as the Invoker!

Kael quickly sifted through his mind, searching for memories of what happened when he was still the Invoker. He realized that his memories were largely intact. His magic arts, methods of cultivation, friends and families, enemies etc were all in his memories.

"Phew. At least I retained the whole of my consciousness. In this way I can make a comeback in life, no matter how difficult it is. Dire Faction, just wait for me when I rise up to power again! I will definitely crush you the next time we meet!"

Determined, Kael stood up on his feet. He had some difficulties doing so. Apparently this body was so weak and malnourished that even basic movements had become a chore. Kael immediately knew that he had to do something to survive. There must be a reason why the previous owner of this body died. He wasn't going to let that happen to himself, now that he was given a second chance as a reborn person.

Kael quickly walked out of the graveyard and entered into a forest. The first thing he had to do was to search for food and water. His acute senses from his past life still with him, Kael searched for traces of water. He followed the tracks of spirituality in the air and determined the source of the spirituality, which was found in spiritual water. After 10 minutes, Kael cleared the forest and a water bank appeared in front of him.

With just a look, Kael confirmed that he was still in the Hundred Realms. Spiritual water was abundant and everywhere in all of the realms. Without spiritual water, even a normal person like Kael would be starved spiritually and would eventually perish. Spiritual water was the source of life for every single person in the Hundred Realms.

Kael quickly went to the river bank and he saw a clear reflection of his face. He was shocked to see his original face plastered on this foreign body that he now possessed. Could two people of the same face actually exist? Kael had heard rumours of that before, but it boded ill omen because if two people of the same faces meet each other, one of them would suffer divine judgment or calamity of sorts.

However, could that be the reason why Kael was able to enter this body and take possession of it? Kael's vast magical knowledge didn't extend to the area of life, death and reincarnation, thus he was only able to speculate yet not come to a definitive conclusion.

He scooped the spiritual water up and drank it. The spirituality of the water then nourished his body. Kael was able to feel a slight change in his body as he drank the water. The spirituality of the water was able to stimulate the magical senses in his body, allowing him to feel a bit more alive.

"Looks like this body is not even in the Commoner Rank. I can barely feel the magic properties of the spiritual water inside of me. Alas, the two bodies have the same look but different fates."

Kael felt better and more refreshed after he drank the spiritual water. He sat down by the river bank and pondered.

"I should get in touch with other people as soon as possible. I have to find out where in the Hundred Realms I am in right now. Next I have to look for cultivation resources to boost my cultivation. My first step is to break into the Commoner Rank!" There was a glint of resolution in Kael's eyes as he declared that to himself.