Chapter 0 : New Genese

Julius Eltram Faust was distinguished by exceptional magical talents from birth, inheriting a lineage of prestigious mages. His selfish nature aligned perfectly with the essence of the mage craft.

However, he found himself limited by the laws of the modern world, just like all contemporary mages. Humanity's progress had caused the destruction of much of the mystique that once permeated this world, significantly reducing the scope of magic and leading to powerful repercussions in its use. As humanity sought to explain the world, it slowly eroded the mysteries that composed it, making the manifestation of mystical phenomena increasingly difficult.

This was attributed to the Human Foundation gradually imposing itself on the world. This Foundation represented humanity's collective unconscious, crystallizing common beliefs and the faith of human beings. It increasingly restricted the world's possibilities to the laws of physics. As the majority of humans believed in science, it became reality, dispersing the darkness of mystery.

This consumption-based civilization was both destructive to mystery and to the planet itself, polluting and ravaging its surface. Regarded as a natural evil by the world, it behaved like an unamputatable cancer.

To solve this problem, the mages initiated a great purge with the sole aim of eliminating most of humanity, thus halting the degradation of mystery. A war erupted between modern armies and the mages, but unfortunately for humanity, the mages triumphed, causing one of the greatest genocides and reducing the population by over 90%. However, once the battle was over, it was already too late, the lost mystery would never return.

We come to the present, where, at only 29 years old, Julius devised a revolutionary method to reset the world, to start it anew. However, the other mage families disagreed with him, as this would equate to eliminating everyone.

He found himself hunted, condemned to execution.

In a secret workshop nestled in the heart of London, the capital of mages, the space, although vast at least 40 square meters in size, seemed strangely empty compared to other mage workshops. It resembled more of an improvised workshop, but at the center of the room, covering almost the entire floor, was inscribed an immense magic circle. It had been drawn with a multitude of materials of inestimable value, costing a fortune.

Julius worked tirelessly to finalize his ritual. He had devoted three entire years to setting up this unparalleled complex ritual, gathering a plethora of materials. Today, all the parameters were in place. By his side stood his faithful comrade, Fluger Fargo, a renowned mage from the Fargo family. Despite being an eminent astrologer, Fluger was afflicted with an inherited illness that greatly undermined his constitution, reducing his talent as a mage.

The ritual demanded advanced expertise in astrology, alchemy, and the unique Faust magic to ensure its proper execution. It could only be performed during a solar eclipse, symbolizing the perfect being in alchemy, already a rare event in itself. However, it also required a complete planetary alignment, a moment when the sky held an almost infinite amount of magical energy.

As Julius focused entirely on what was to follow, Fluger broke the heavy silence. "Are you certain you want to go through with this?"

"It's already too late; we've gone too far to turn back," Julius replied.

Checking his watch, Julius knew the time had come. "It's time to begin. Who knows when they'll discover this workshop."

He positioned himself at the center of the magic circle, holding in his hand an incredibly beautiful red crystal, and began reciting his aria.

Earth Sky World God Element

As he finished the pronunciation of the fifth line, the magic circle began to glow with a singular blue hue.

"You, who dominate the earth, You, who govern the skies,"

"You embody time, space, and the entire universe,"

"May the world's currents gather and condense within me,"

"You are the embodiment of the planet,"

"You are the element shaping the world."

"You are the gate that holds the truth."

In the London sky, the ritual began to become visible to all, without anyone knowing its source. An immense gate appeared in the sky, as vast as a continent, yet closed, inaccessible to any human being because the truth it held must never be observed. The energy from all the ley lines started converging towards a single point. London was recognized as the navel of the planet, from where all the ley lines spread across the world. It was also the place where access to the land of the fairies, Avalon, could be obtained.

It was then Fluger's turn to begin reciting his aria. He was in charge of the astrology part of the ritual, much shorter than Julius's alchemical portion.

"You possess the shape of the stars,"

"The form of space,"

"A senseless god,"

"You have given shape to every being,"

"You alter the movement of celestial bodies."

"You are the great celestial crown,"

"Become the key that unlocks the truth."

An immense magic circle appeared in the sky, focusing all magical energy towards the gate, compelling it to open. Behind this gate, all those present could see an eye observing them.

In the room where the ritual took place, a gigantic eye appeared at the center of the circle, above Julius. He immediately recognized the Eye of Truth and continued the ritual.

"You are the truth,"

"You are God,"

"You are us,"

"You are me,"

"You who holds absolute knowledge,"

"You who are claimed by none,"

"Manifest within me,"

"Open wide, gate of truth,"

"Akasha."

Fluger looked at his friend with a certain nostalgia as the ritual neared its end. Despite the pitiful state of his body caused by his illness, he had agreed to use his family's ultimate magic one last time, even if it meant his own death. The ultimate magic of the Fluger family allowed the forcing of a planetary alignment as long as at least three planets were aligned, but it had plunged him into this state.

"Do not forget what you promised me in this new world," he reminded his friend before uttering his last words and collapsing, dead.

With a faint smile, Julius responded into the void, "Worry not, I will keep my word."

It was time for the final step. A delimited field appeared around the circle, and Julius placed his hand on the eye. At that moment, his mind was overwhelmed by a flood of information, causing him to stagger. "This won't be a walk in the park."

Normally, this ritual would have taken a thousand years to absorb all the truth. However, thanks to the Faust magic, Julius had accelerated time by several billion times. This time had been stolen from humans during the purge, specifically stored for this ritual. There was no turning back now: if he didn't absorb the truth, he would inevitably die as soon as he stepped out of this delimited field due to the resulting backlash. He was already suffering inside, and once he left, there would only be one conclusion.

After a brief pause, he made contact with the Eye of Truth, the entity closest to being god in this universe, the source of all phenomena and every future, past, and present event. What seemed like a few minutes on the outside stretched into thousands of years inside, emphasizing the enormity and power of the experience Julius underwent. Touching the truth afforded him a unique window into knowledge and understanding far beyond normal human reach.

the image of a column of light destroying everything in its path truly marked the ascent of a being of incomparable power. Julius not only achieved the ultimate goal of mages by laying his hands on Akasha, the primordial source of all existence and truth, but also became a divine being, a god in the purest sense.

His acquisition of omnipotence and omniscience made him capable of manipulating and creating phenomena at will, transcending the limitations of humanity and positioning him at the pinnacle of universal understanding. This transformation into a higher-dimensional being underscored his exceptional position, far surpassing the capabilities and comprehension of mortals.

However, this was only temporary. Unlike most mages, he had never been interested in the pursuit of omnipotence. Being all-powerful deeply bored him. His desire was to savor life, to continually explore the world without ever reaching absolute truth. His goal was to face challenges, to have fun in every possible way, to risk his life and embrace danger because, for him, that was the true essence of living a fulfilled life.

How could he find happiness in life knowing everything and being capable of achieving anything? For him, that existence simply did not represent what he desired.

He did not want a world where magic reached its limits due to the laws of the Human Foundation or to reach the limits of magic by possessing Akasha. Neither of the two pleased him.

He was selfish but not arrogant. Becoming a god simply represented boredom to him.

With a simple gesture, he reset the world to its origin and let it evolve until the appearance of the first humans. He imposed a restriction on them, preventing them from destroying the mystery, and eradicated the Human Foundation at its inception, just as he had done in the beginning. From then on, the laws of the world changed drastically, forbidding humans from developing technology as they had before. They would now have to live in symbiosis with the mystery, freed from the collective illusion imposed by the laws of physics. Human order as it was known could no longer subsist. This new world would be plunged into an era of perpetual mystery.

He guided the fate of his friend Fluger's soul as requested to honor his promise, then decided it was time to relinquish everything he had gained to become a mere mortal again.

Thousands of years later, Julius Eltram Faust opened his eyes once again, being born anew, devoid of all the memories and knowledge he held as a supreme being. Although he still remembered his past life and his plan, the details of what he had accomplished when he gained his powers had completely vanished.