The next stage... the Eternity Stage — it was right there, seemingly within my grasp, yet the meaning behind it still eluded me. What exactly was "eternity"? How could I achieve it?
From what I understood, reaching that stage didn't mean immortality — there had to be something deeper to it, something more significant than just defying death. Yet no matter how much I thought about it, the answer seemed to slip through my fingers like smoke.
Years drifted by while I buried myself in my work, but things started to change. The peace we once enjoyed was slowly crumbling. My beasts were being attacked whenever they ventured alone on scouting missions. Luckily, none of them had died — not yet — but it became clear that the culprits were humans from the surrounding area. They were gathering in large numbers, seemingly preparing for something bigger.
Well, that's alright, I thought with a shrug. If they want to keep getting in my way... free souls for me to test on.
