1 Rebirth

A handsome middle-aged man stared out the window. He thought of finding some enjoyment from looking at the vast empire he's built but he felt nothing.

"Are you sure about this my love?"

A beautiful woman appeared behind him with a small flask in her hand. She was the most talented Alchemist throughout the entire empire. But more importantly, she was his wife.

"I have lived for far too long. You know you're not my first wife. I even have a granddaughter just as young as you."

"I know that you'll outlive me but I've already readied myself for that the day we were married."

"This for the best. With that potion, I will be able to age normally together with you."

His words warmed her heart. They were enough to persuade her to not destroy the potion she created. Just the small flask in her hand would end such powerful man's immortality.

She gave her husband her strongest hug. Not that it would even hurt him. It was even the husband that was controlling his strength so that he wouldn't tear her in half.

"I love you Alexander."

"I love you too Sandra.."

What Sandra couldn't see was that right in front of Alexander's eyes was a dark figure with the exact same figure as him looking at them in a mocking way.

"You hypocrite. You are a being numb to emotions. To how many wifes have you said that to now? You don't love her!"

Sandra didn't seem to hear any of the absurdities of Alexander's inner demon that kept on getting louder and louder.

In face of that, Alexander just closed his eyes and calmed his heart and mind. With that, it disappeared as if it wasn't even there.

Alexander left her embrace and took the potion from her soft hands.

'Will this still make me feel human again?' He wondered.

It wasn't easy to get where he was right now. He had done things that would make even the most degenerate frown not just for peace but also for absolute power. He achieved all his dreams, but at what cost? His emotion? His humanity? Himself? Now death is the only thing that links him to mortality. So he drank the potion.

Alexander could immediately feel its effects. He could feel the inner ki inside him slowly wither away. Something that would freak out any warriors. Unlike them, the emperor was not only happy but also proud. Sandra proved that she wad indeed the matchless Alchemist of the empire. A potion that evaporated one's ki was unheard of.

He could now age normally. He was already fed up of having the body of a middle-aged man despite being thousands of years old.

Years passed and Alexander's hair got whiter and whiter.

Years passed and Alexander's eyesight was getting more poor.

Years passed and Alexander got skinny and weak.

Years passed and Alexander's wife lost her life.

"What did you expect?" The demon still mocked Alexander even when he mourned at her grave.

"How many times have you relived this moment? You're so numb to it that you no longer shed tears."

Inner demons where merciless when it came to bitter words. Their sole goal was to take control of the original body in time of helplessness. However, they would only resort to that strategy when they couldn't beat the owner in a one on one fight.

Now that Alexander was old and weak, he wouldn't even want to lay its hands on it. He also couldn't kill him since they were bound by the soul. Alexander's death would lead to his. All he could do was torment the old man until they both died. Alexander knew what it was doing, and would never deny that it wasn't effective. The inner demons never told lies. Every words that came out of its mouth were painful truths. Sharp needles that would poke his heart until the day he'll die.

However, Alexander's death didn't come as soon as he thought it would be. He had to endure the pain of being old for two entire hundred years.

Now, he knew his time was near. He told goodbye to his people, to his family and to himself. He laid down in the golden coffin with his sword in hand. He ordered his subjects to make this tomb as he saw his condition deteriorating.

He thought of spending his last moments on earth but he knew that was impossible.

"Look at you. The legendary Sword God is nothing more than a bag of bones now. Death is too light for your retribution. You shouldn't have drunk that potion. You deserve an everlasting punishment "

This time, Alexander didn't calm his mind and soul. It's eyes widened in shock and surprise when he spoke directly to his inner demon face to face.

"You're...right..."

"You were always...right"

Alexander was indeed dying. Just the act of speaking was a hard task for him. But he still used the remaining breath he had to face his demon.

"These years of...suffering... I deserve them all."

"I thought...I would find mortality...in death. But I realised that it has been gone long long ago."

"I am...no longer human. I feel...nothing."

" You've proved...your point. So... shut the... fuck up!" Alexander slightly raised his voice from his last sentence.

He wanted to to die in silence. Surprisingly, the demon closed his mouth. It stared at the old skinny man as he closed his eyes. Together, the two pair waited for good old death to pick them up.

Alexander waited and waited...

'Isn't this taking too long?' He wondered.

He opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by a giant holding him by the foot while slapping him for no reason.

'What the...'