1 Volume 1.1 Death of the Archmage

The moon was at its peak. Everything should be quiet and serene resting for the day. However inside of the cave in the middle of some dense forest, sinister peals of laughter echoed.

Looking closer inside, one could see that there was an entire small room in the cave. It was lit by lanterns floating in the air.

Books were scattered everywhere. However in the shelves were different potions neatly organized and grouped together by their colors and sizes. A swift smell of medicinal herbs was lingering in the air as well.

In one corner, Ether, a woman with shabby dark brown hair and a witch's hat, was meticulously stirring a huge pot. And beside her was a small white dragon who was also laughing sinisterly with her.

No matter how anyone could see them, they were truly out of ordinary. Ether, the woman looked like some adult in her thirties at first, however, with her dense mana seeping out from her, it could send shivers to anyone who was near. Then the small dragon whose name was Yu could use high class magics and shapeshift to any live beings she has seen. And their sinister laughter kept vibrating in the cave, as if they were doing some wicked things. Both of them had nasty eyes, as they looked at the pot.

Looking closer at the pot, smoking purple liquid could be seen. Some bubbles were popping from time to time. And it was releasing an awful smell of rotten tomatoes.

"Kekeke! With this, I will be able to become the most powerful being that will surpass the heavens!"

"And I will finally have a decent rest, hahaha!"

Ether and the dragon looked at each other for a moment, then burst once again in their own eccentric laughter.

"Kekeke!!!"

"Hahaha!"

They continued like that for another hour, until Ether finally stopped mixing the pot.

She then pricked her thumb with a needle and squeezed the blood to the pot. As soon as the blood dropped on the pot, it glowed vibrantly in red and it exploded with more smoke. But the two seemed already used to this kind of thing, as they simply fan the smoke with their hand.

"The twenty years of my research. This is finally it! Kekeke!"

"And I don't need to do the trouble of collecting materials!"

Both Ether and her dragon's eyes sparkled with anticipation looking at the pot.

Ether continued to stir more until the pot finally became completely red. None of the purpleness of the liquid remained.

"Now it is done," a nasty smile escaped Ether's lips. She scooped a bowl of the strange liquid and prepared to drink it. However before it could reach her mouth, her purple eyes wrinkled.

"On second thought, do I really need to drink this foul smelling potion?"

The intensity of the smell of the rotten tomatoes increased.

"Yes! You need to drink it!" Yu insisted. "We spend an entire ten decades just completing this potion! Do you know how hard it is for me to collect all those materials just for that potion!" Her eyes were blazing in fury. "Just drink it and let me have a good rest!" She bumped her head lightly to Ether's right shoulder repeatedly.

"Ah geez, Alright. Alright." Ether closed her eyes as she held her nose, "this is to become stronger!" She drank the bowl of the strange liquid in one gulp.

"Blerghh," Her face showed great disgust.

However as soon as she did that, everything around her started rotating. "Yu, what is happening?" She called out to the dragon, however she couldn't hear anything at all. Everything was echoing.

She fell on the ground. Before she lost her consciousness, the last thing in her mind was.

"Let me at least die with a good breath."

***

Ether slowly opened her eyes.

Everything around her was surrounded by darkness and deafening silence. Only herself was faintly glowing.

"Did I finally die?" She smacked her head. "For the greatest archmage alive, to die by drinking that stinky potion. Ah what utter humiliation this is!" She said in exaggerated dramatization and kneeled down as she raised her hands in the air. Then she smacked both her hands in the ground of darkness. "Why oh why?"

Anyone could see her would surely cringed by this.

{Reincarnator, please stop. I can give you another chance to live. To be precise, I can give you a third life.}