The Echoes of Eternity: The Other Wanderer


    Chapter 1 : Aron Carlford


    Amidst the chaos of war, a lone figure knelt, chains binding him to the cold ground. Sweat and blood dripped from his battered form. His black sword, stained red with both his enemies'' blood and his own, lay before him.


    Hovering above him, suspended in silent judgment, was a divine crystal—its true name unspoken. It shone brightly, piercing through the abyss with an ethereal glow.


    A voice resonated from within.


    "Kid… I hereby offer you a peaceful life in another universe, far from this war-torn realm. Take care. I wish you all the best."


    The man, barely able to speak, whispered hoarsely, "I…s-shall…t-tak-e it-t."


    And just like that, a wish was granted. A wish that would echo through eternity, reaching beyond the boundaries of this universe itself.


    Ten Centuries Later…


    Date: 23/10/20XX


    A different time. A different world. No gods. No war. No divine battles.


    Just a boy in a school uniform. His name: Aron Carlford.


    His life appeared mundane—routine, even. But behind the mask of an ordinary existence, an eternal destiny lay waiting to be reclaimed.


    Walking down familiar streets on his way to school, he couldn''t help but wonder:


    "I wonder what they''re doing in that world right now?"


    Sitting in his usual seat, he pulled out his phone, mindlessly swiping through the screen. No friends. No one approached him. Aron lived in his own world, detached from those around him.


    When the final bell rang, he packed his bag and left the classroom, walking straight past the bustling city and into the quiet solitude of a nearby forest.


    Upon reaching his usual spot, his eyes fell upon a wooden carving—an imitation of a crystal long lost to him.


    Aron knelt before it, his fingers tracing the runes he had painstakingly carved into its surface. The forest was silent, save for the rustling leaves and the distant hum of city life behind him.


    A sigh escaped his lips. "Eighteen years… and nothing."


    No crests. No gods. No war. No resets. Just… normal life. Exactly what he had wished for.


    And yet, day after day, he found himself returning here. Staring at this wooden carving. The only proof that what he had lived through was real.


    Pressing his forehead against it, he whispered, "Are you watching me, old man?"


    No answer. There never was.


    Aron exhaled. "Good. Stay silent. That means I’m finally free."


    Dusting off his jeans, he turned and walked away, leaving the wooden crystal behind. As he returned to the city, the setting sun casting long shadows in his wake, he remained blissfully unaware… that his peaceful life was about to shatter.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Date: 24/10/20XX


    Aron walked alone, indifferent to the world around him.


    A crowd had gathered in front of a shop, their hushed whispers drawing little interest from him—until he caught sight of the scene.


    A thief had taken a girl hostage inside the store. A familiar face. A classmate.


    The onlookers gasped, frozen in fear.


    Aron? He didn’t even flinch. No tension in his body, no flicker of emotion in his gaze.


    But inside…


    "Stay calm. This isn’t my fight. I’m here to live, not to play the hero. The police will handle it. It’s not my problem."


    With a quiet exhale, he turned away, walking past the chaos as if it didn’t exist.


    A cold-hearted man, some might say. But what had he endured to become this way?


    At school, the whispers followed him.


    "Did you hear?"


    "A girl from our school—she was taken hostage!"


    "What’s going to happen to her?"


    The weight of their words hung heavy in the air. But Aron? He remained still. Unmoved. Neither sadness nor guilt touched him.


    He was simply as he had chosen to be. Calm.


    The news eventually came: the situation had been handled. Relief spread among the students. Aron? Unchanged.


    "I knew it. I didn’t have to act. Just like the past eighteen years."


    Brilliant yet detached, Aron excelled in everything. But there was a problem—he never put in any effort.


    He could score perfect marks in exams but deliberately rewrote his correct answers to barely pass.


    In sports, he held back, never pushing himself beyond mediocrity.


    Why? Even he didn’t know.


    After Classes: Cleaning Duty


    Standing by the window, a broom in one hand and the other in his pocket, Aron idly stared outside as his classmates finished cleaning.


    The day was ending. Everything was routine.


    Until—


    The doors slammed shut.


    The windows snapped closed.


    A faint purple glow spread across the floor.


    The symbols… they were unmistakable.


    A summoning circle.


    Panic spread through his classmates. Aron froze.


    This power—he hadn’t seen it in eighteen years.


    A strange sensation filled his body. Mana.


    "Mana? What is going on? Don’t tell me… a summoning circle? But to where?"


    Before he could react, the spell activated.


    Light swallowed them whole.


    A Realm Between Worlds


    Darkness.


    Aron awoke, suspended in a void-like space. The air was thick, yet weightless. A realm of consciousness.


    His feet found solid ground. A familiar voice echoed.


    "What the hell in the heavens—?"


    Before him, materializing out of nothingness, was the Crystal. The very same he had left behind long ago.


    Aron’s eyes narrowed. "So it’s you, old man. You’re the one who brought me here."


    The crystal pulsed, its light resonating. "You are wrong. It was not I who summoned you."


    Aron tensed. "Then why am I here?"


    "First, let me welcome you back to your original world… Aet-."


    Aron’s breath hitched. He hadn''t heard that name in centuries.


    "my mistake. should I say… Aron? That is what they call you now, isn’t it?"


    His fists clenched. "Yeah. But I still didn’t get my answer."


    The crystal hummed. "Ever so impatient. Fine. I will get straight to the point. A new empire has risen since you left. They call themselves the Empire of Heaven. And an oracle is out there in the air."


    Aron’s brow furrowed. "An oracle? Go on. I’m listening."


    The next words shattered the air like thunder.


    "Shadow Man will return. His soul was never truly destroyed."


    Aron’s heart stopped.


    "What? That’s impossible. He died. I killed him with my own hands!"


    "Yes. His body perished. But his soul remains. And he seeks an Anchor—a new vessel. He will return."


    Silence.


    The weight of those words crushed him.


    "And so," the crystal continued, "the Empire of Heaven summoned heroes from another universe to defeat him. The spell targeted your world… and by chance, it locked onto you."


    Everything clicked.


    "So I was dragged back here."


    "Correct. However, I altered your coordinates and removed your Hero Title. You will wake somewhere in Archiea."


    Aron scoffed. "Archiea still stands? How long has it been?"


    Before he could receive an answer, the realm collapsed.


    -by Watcher.