Chapter 1. Eternals

"Let's see... All my code seems fine, and it looks like there are no bugs," Zydan muttered to himself, his fingers flying over the keyboard. His black short hair fell slightly over his brow as his sharp black eyes scanned the screen, his expression intense but calm. His face, unmistakably Asian, held an air of determination—years of hard work, countless failures, and an unyielding drive had brought him to this moment.

"Let's test it. Eri, please check the electricity and all the components," he ordered, his voice low but filled with purpose.

Eri, the AI that had been with him for years, responded immediately. She wasn't just an assistant—she was his family, his friend, the only one who truly understood him. Created when Zydan was just sixteen, Eri had been his constant companion through every trial, every lonely night. She was, in many ways, the only warmth Zydan had ever known since he had lost his parents at a young age.

"Yes, Sir. Status check complete. No abnormalities found. You can proceed to the next step, Sir."

Zydan nodded and took a deep breath, fingers hovering over the machine's controls. Today was the culmination of everything he had worked for—countless sleepless nights, endless trial and error, the frustration of failure, and the hope that one day he would achieve the impossible. The Multidimensional Telescope, the machine he had built from scratch, could potentially give him a glimpse into the very structure of the universe. If it worked, it would be a breakthrough like no other.

"Alright, let's start," Zydan said with determination, pressing the start button.

{3}

{2}

{1}

The machine hummed to life, its metal frame vibrating with energy as the computer screen flickered to life, displaying rising energy levels. The whirring of motors and the faint crackle of static filled the room. Zydan watched, heart pounding in his chest.

"Success!" he shouted, his face breaking into a wide grin. "Hahaha, I'm the best! We did it, Eri!"

{Congratulations, Sir. If you publish this experiment, I'm certain you'll win an award.}

Zydan laughed, shaking his head as he wiped sweat from his brow. "Hahaha, I won't publish it under my name, you know that, Eri. I'll just sell it anonymously if they contact me. This experiment has cost me everything—money, time, energy..." He glanced at the machine, his smile fading slightly. "But it's worth it."

Before he could say more, a loud, jarring alarm suddenly blared, piercing through the excitement.

{Sir, there is an abnormality with the machine. Please evacuate immediately.}

Zydan froze, his eyes glued to the computer screen as the energy values shot up, surpassing the normal limits. 100%... 110%... 120%... The numbers kept climbing. His pulse quickened, but he didn't move. He just stared blankly at the screen.

"Sigh... failure again, huh?" he muttered, the weight of exhaustion settling in. "I'm tired, Eri. This is... it."

{Sir, please evacuate immediately.}

{Turn off the energy generator.}

Zydan didn't respond, still lost in his thoughts.

{Generator has been turned off.}

{Activation protocol: Firefighter mode.}

{Activation error. Lost control.}

A chill crept up his spine. The machine was spiraling out of control.

{Eri has lost control of the system. Offer a command to stabilize. Sir, please evacuate immediately!}

{Sir, please evacuate! We can try again. Don't give up now!}

But the energy readings continued to climb. 126% and still rising. The lights flickered as the machine began to glow brighter, its hum growing louder, more frantic. Zydan's fingers hovered over the console, but his body was frozen—caught between fear and resignation.

A strange point of distortion appeared before his eyes, a rift in space itself—an anomaly that shimmered, almost invisible, yet undeniably present. It pulsed with energy, swirling as if it were alive, bending the air around it.

"1,271," Zydan whispered to himself, his voice barely audible. "This is the failure we've been through, Eri. I'm sorry."

His hand shakily moved to the control panel. The data. If the machine was going to blow, at least he could save Eri. Uploading her data to the internet was the only way to ensure she wasn't lost forever. At least then, she wouldn't be buried with him. At least then, she could find a new master.

With one final, desperate push, he activated the upload.

The progress bar inched toward 99.99%.

The energy around him surged wildly, the lights flickering, casting shadows that danced across the room. Zydan's head throbbed, and for a moment, he felt the weight of the entire universe pressing down on him.

But it wasn't enough.

The upload was almost complete. The final fraction.

Then—

Boom.

The machine erupted in a violent burst of light and sound, sending a shockwave through the lab. The entire room was illuminated in an otherworldly flash, blinding in its intensity.

Zydan felt his body seize as the blast hit him, his vision going black for an instant, the sound of the explosion deafening in his ears.

A sharp, searing pain exploded in his skull. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his head as the agony intensified. Tears welled in his eyes as the pain spiraled out of control, his breaths coming in short, frantic gasps. His mind swirled with visions of cosmic chaos, the distortion bending everything around him, warping time and space itself. His body trembled, helpless against the force consuming him.

"Ah..." Zydan gasped, the words slipping from his mouth in a hoarse whisper.

The last thing he heard before everything went dark was Eri's voice—her familiar, soft tone, desperate and filled with concern.

{Sir, please... don't give up. Please...}

And then, there was nothing but silence.

...

Mesopotamia, 5000 B.C.

Nobu, or rather, Zydan, sat on the edge of a slope near the camp, watching the sun dip below the horizon. His skin, weathered from the harsh sun and the sweat of his labor, glowed with the soft afterglow of the setting sun. He had a simple life now, one dictated by the rhythms of nature — hunting, gathering, and the occasional sleep. It was a far cry from the world he had left behind, one filled with technology, connectivity, and endless entertainment. That world was gone, erased in a single flash of cosmic energy that had sent him hurtling back into time.

"Life in this era is so boring," Nobu thought with a sigh, resting his chin on his knees. "No television. No smartphones. No internet. No films. No memes, and No Eri. It's just… survive. Hunt. Gather. Find a partner and… sleep to wash away the day's tiredness. It's the same thing every day sigh..."

He ran a hand through his messy, shoulder-length hair, its dark strands tangled from days of exposure to wind and dust. His attire was simple: a rough, animal-skin waistcloth, tied crudely at his waist. The simplicity of it all — the grinding, repetitive lifestyle — made him yearn for the conveniences of the future. But as far as his memory could stretch, it was the only life he knew now.

"I'm not dead," he whispered, trying to convince himself again. "I got reincarnated into this… ancient era. But I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

It had been 17 years since his death. In his past life, Zydan had been a brilliant scientist, an inventor on the brink of a world-changing discovery. Yet, now, in this body of Nobu, son of the tribe's elders, he felt both alien and confined in a world that had not yet discover how to farm, let alone the internet.

The village, nestled near the coast, relied heavily on fishing. Their tools were primitive; their homes were little more than tents or rudimentary huts made from animal skins and reeds. The only source of entertainment was the occasional storytelling around the fire or the exchange of flirtations in the dark of night. Nobu didn't fit in with the rest of the tribe. His mind, sharp and filled with knowledge of advanced technologies and futures he could barely remember, could find no purpose in this ancient world.

"Here comes the hunter," a girl's voice called, breaking his thoughts.

Nobu turned to see the adults returning from the day's hunt. As usual, they brought with them fresh fish, their only source of protein. The village, though small, was bustling with activity as the hunters carried their spoils back to the central camp.

His mother, Ensunuana, called from the tent, her dark eyes sparkling with concern. She was 33, a beautiful woman with black curly hair, a face that showed both the softness of a mother and the hardened resolve of someone who had raised her children through many trials.

"Nobu, help mom to clean the fish! and we need talk!" she began, walking over to where he sat, "Don't you want to find a partner? You're already 17. It's time."

Nobu rubbed his forehead and sighed. He didn't know how to respond to her. "No, mom. I'm busy," he walk to pick up the fish and cleaning it while muttered.

"You should find a partner, Nobu. We need more people in the tribe," she insisted gently. "You've been the tribe's logistician for years. But we also need warriors, hunters... more manpower."

Nobu's gaze turned inward for a moment. He had always been different from the other boys, who went hunting from a young age. At 11, when he was first supposed to accompany the adults on their hunts, he had refused. Instead, he had taken up weaving baskets and fishing nets, proving his worth in other ways. His parents were proud of him for it, but a part of him had always felt like an outsider, too intelligent for the tribe, yet too disconnected from the world he had come to know.

"I'm just trying to get salt," he said finally, standing up and stretching his legs. "You know how important it is to preserve food. We can't survive without it."

Ensunuana smiled softly but then grew serious. "You must find a partner, Nobu. It's not just about food. It's about survival. After eating, go to sleep. Don't go out again tonight. It's dangerous. You know the beasts are restless."

Nobu nodded, knowing she was right. Outside the village, the wilderness was fraught with dangers. The beasts that roamed the land were unlike anything found in the future — monstrous creatures with strange shapes, mutated by forces even the elders didn't understand. They were not simple animals; they were beast, twisted versions of creatures that had evolved in ways unknown.

"Yes, Mom," Nobu muttered again. He ate his meal in silence, a simple affair of fish and herbs, and then prepared for bed. His bedding was crude: dried grass wrapped in animal skin, but it was enough. His thoughts, though, were far from restful.

The next morning, Nobu decided to follow the hunting party out to the reef, a place near the coast where fish were plentiful. He had brought bundles of twigs, intending to make traps for the fish — something that the tribe had never tried before. He was certain it would work. He remembered it from his past life, a world filled with machines and technologies he could no longer access.

As he set up his traps on the rocks, one of the hunters, a burly man with a gruff voice, walked up to him.

"Hey, Nobu, what's with all the twigs? You making a campfire or something?"

"Nah, I'm going to make traps for the fish," Nobu explained with a grin. "It'll work. Trust me."

"Traps? For fish?" The hunter looked skeptical, shaking his head. "I don't know, man. This doesn't seem like it'll catch anything."

"Just wait," Nobu said, turning back to his task. "Trust me, this will work."

But then, the sound of cracking twigs interrupted his concentration. He turned quickly to see the hunter's expression change from doubt to shock. Nobu looked down at the trap, and his heart skipped a beat.

Standing there, emerging from the brush, was a creature — not a simple animal, but a beast. Its black carapace glistened under the sun, tentacles swaying unnaturally, and its massive jaw clicked in the air as it moved closer, its eyes locked on Nobu.

A cold chill ran through his spine. This wasn't just any beast.

The beast lunged at him, and instinctively, Nobu rolled to the side, grabbing the nearest spear. He thrust it forward, his heart pounding, but the stone spear shattered against the creature's tough hide.

"Ah... so this is the end," Nobu thought, his calmness unsettling to himself. I die again?

Just as the beast reared back for another strike, a blinding golden light flashed across the sky, and a pair of golden lasers shot down, striking the beast and knocking it off balance.

Before Nobu could even register what was happening, a figure in a blue alien suit appeared in the sky, soaring down with incredible speed. The man's golden hair shone in the sunlight as he chased the beast, using advanced energy blasts to incapacitate the creature.

Wait... Nobu's mind spun. I've seen this before... I know these people. These... these are the Eternals.

A rush of memories flooded back into his mind — of cosmic beings, ancient heroes, and worlds beyond this one. He seen them before. A part of him know what it's mean, even now his soul tramble in despair, in this new life.

As the battle unfolded before him, Nobu knew one thing for certain: his journey in this ancient world had only just begun.

PS: Before meet the Eternals Nobu didn't know he's in marvel.

I got 2267 words for this chapter.