Ling Tian slowly opened his eyes, like his consciousness surfacing from a heavy fog.

The first thing he noticed was silence.

The second was the space around him.

He was standing inside what appeared to be a translucent chamber— walls formed from crystalline light. Beyond the chamber, countless other cubes floated in an endless expanse, each one containing different colours and glitches.

He frowned slightly.

"Where am I?"

The memory of his last moments returned in fragments.

He had been tracking someone known as the "Man Hunter." The pursuit had taken him across dangerous sea. Then... suddenly he can’t remember what happened? He was staring at pink eyes of Manhunter then he couldn’t remember anything.

"How did I end up here?" he muttered under his breath. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

His instincts sharpened immediately. He lowered his hand to his waist and checked his belongings. His needle sword was still secured at his side, its familiar weight grounding his thoughts.

He exhaled softly in relief.

At least he was not disarmed nor robbed.

"Hello there."

A mechanical voice echoed through the chamber.

Ling Tian turned calmly.

Before him floated a metallic cube with a red square eye at its center. The eye adjusted focus like a lens analyzing him.

He was startled— but not panicked.

Years of immortal practicing had tempered his heart and also this world has lots of weird things and he is used to it.

"Hello," he replied cautiously. "Can you tell me where I am? And who you are?"

"You are inside the Orion Tesseract," the cube responded evenly. "I am Decateron, one of its administrators or one of it’s fragments that has Consciousness."

"Is this the Legendary Orion... Tesseract?" Ling Tian repeated.

Decateron began explaining in concise terms: the nature of the Tesseract, the existence of Trials, the opportunity presented to selected individuals, and the reward awaiting those who completed them.

When the explanation reached its conclusion, Ling Tian’s composure finally cracked.

"A chance to become Immortal?" His eyes widened.

The word alone carried unimaginable weight.

Immortality was the dream of countless cultivators. To transcend mortal limits, to step beyond the decay of flesh and time—such an opportunity was rarely even whispered of.

"Who granted me this chance?" he asked quickly. He heard of Orion Tesseract but doesn’t know Fully about it.

"The person responsible stated only one thing," Decateron replied. "’Someone from the White Pearl Ship.’"

Ling Tian froze.

White Pearl.

His mind immediately recalled a certain rich merchant crew. Among them, one figure surfaced most clearly.

The Vice Captain of White Pearl, Lily Gomes.

A faint blush crept across his face before he could suppress it.

"So... she recommended me?" he murmured inwardly, feeling a mixture of surprise and gratitude.

He straightened his posture.

"Do you wish to enter the Trial?" Decateron asked.

"Do I wish to enter the Trial?" he repeated Decateron’s implied question.

A chance at immortality.

A path beyond limits. His hesitation lasted less than a breath.

"Of course," Ling Tian said firmly. "Who would refuse such an opportunity?"

"Very well," Decateron responded instantly.

A smaller cube materialized around Ling Tian’s body without warning.

"Wait," Ling Tian said quickly, lifting his hand. "I still have many questions—"

"Too late," Decateron replied calmly.

The cube sealed shut.

Light engulfed Ling Tian as the chamber detached and shot into the endless sea of floating constructs, disappearing among them.

Silence returned.

A moment later, space shifted behind Decateron.

Tyler appeared.

His gaze remained steady as he watched the cube vanish into the distance.

"Now," Tyler said quietly, "send me to a new Trial."

The next cycle was about to begin.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Cold.

That was the first thing Tyler felt.

Not the gentle coolness of morning dew, but a deep, biting cold that clung to his bones and refused to let go. It wrapped around his limbs like invisible chains, dragging him downward into a suffocating stillness.

Then—

Pain.

A sudden, forceful pressure slammed into his chest.

His body jerked weakly in response, though he could not control it. Whoever was pressing him showed no hesitation. The force came again, firm and rhythmic, each compression driving deeper than the last.

Tyler’s lips parted slightly—

—and something soft met them.

Warm.

Softer like something he knows.

Air was forced into his lungs, filling the hollow emptiness inside him. It burned. His chest resisted, his body rejecting the foreign breath, yet it remained— warm, persistent, alive.

His mind stirred.

Again.

That same warmth pressed against his lips.

Soft lips.

They lingered only for a moment before retreating, leaving behind a faint, unfamiliar sweetness. Before he could grasp the sensation, the pressure returned to his chest.

Push.

Push.

Push.

Water spilled from his mouth, dribbling onto the damp earth beneath him. His throat spasmed violently.

He coughed.

His body convulsed, dragging in a ragged breath that tore through his lungs like broken glass.

Air.

Real air.

Not borrowed.

His eyelids fluttered weakly.

Blurred light greeted him first, fractured by strands of dark hair that swayed gently above him. A face hovered there— close enough that he could feel her breath against his skin.

She leaned down again.

Her lips pressed against his.

Tyler’s eyes snapped open.

Wide.

Frozen.

So did hers.

For a single, suspended moment, neither of them moved.

He could feel everything now— the softness of her mouth against his, the warmth of her breath, the faint tremble in her body. Her hand was still on his chest, palm resting over his heart as if afraid it might stop again.

Her eyes.

They were clear and sharp, yet filled with panic... and something embarrassingly close to relief.

She realized.

He was awake.

Her entire body stiffened.

Then she recoiled instantly, stumbling back as if burned.

"I—I wasn’t—!"

She stopped, her voice catching in her throat.

Color flooded her face, spreading all the way to her ears.

Tyler stared at her, his mind still sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality.

She looks young enough to between Teen and Adult.

But he doesn’t know what kind of world is this, so judging Age by appearance is not a best choice.

Her clothes were simple, rough-spun and practical, clinging to her slender frame while still damp from the river. Her dark hair was messy, strands sticking to her flushed cheeks. Droplets of water traced down her neck, disappearing beneath the collar of her dress.

She looked strong.

Not delicate like a noble lady, but like someone who survived through her own effort.

Her hands trembled faintly.

"You weren’t breathing," she said quickly, avoiding his eyes. "I had to do it. Otherwise you would’ve died."

Her voice carried a defensive edge, as if she were the one being accused.

Tyler blinked slowly, this girl is little naive. She saved his life but was embarassed because their lips touched? She is so pure.

"Oh."

That was all he managed.

Her embarrassment deepened.

"I wasn’t kissing you," she added, far too quickly. "It was just breathing. To save you."

Tyler stared at her for another second. He decided to tease her a little.

"...You kissed me."

"I did not!"

"You did."

"I did not!"

"You did it again after I woke up."

She froze.

Completely.

Her brain caught up with that fact a moment too late.

Tyler watched as the realization hit her like a physical blow.

Her face turned crimson.

"...You should’ve stayed unconscious," she muttered, mortified.

Tyler almost laughed.

Almost.

Instead, he coughed again, his chest aching with every breath.

Her expression changed instantly.

The embarrassment vanished, replaced by concern. She moved closer again, kneeling beside him, though this time she kept a careful distance from his face.

"Don’t move too much," she said quietly. "Your lungs took in water."

Her hand hovered awkwardly near his shoulder, as if unsure whether she was allowed to touch him now.

Tyler glanced at her.

Up close, he could see the small details— the faint scar near her wrist, the calluses on her fingers, the strength hidden beneath her awkwardness.

She had pulled him out of the river.

Gave him CPR, though it is not a kiss, He could still feel it.

The lingering warmth refused to fade.

She saved him.

"...You saved me," he said.

She looked away immediately.

"...Anyone would’ve done it."

Tyler didn’t reply immediately.

"Where am I?" Tyler asked hoarsely.

Cold current pressed against his body. His limbs felt weak, unfamiliar. He had clearly been moments away from drowning before regaining consciousness.

As with the previous Trial, he possessed no memories of this body’s past. Only instinct and awareness remained.

A girl stood on the riverbank, staring at him with a pitiful expression. Her clothes were simple, worn, and her eyes carried both caution and sympathy.

"You... lost your memories?" she asked gently.

Tyler hesitated, then nodded.

Inside, he recalled his conversation with Decateron.

"Can you tell me how Serena became a cat in that world?" he had asked, the mystery lingering in his mind.

"That body belonged to a tribe’s cat that was about to die," Decateron had explained calmly. "Every transmigrator enters a vessel on the brink of death."

Now the meaning was clear.

He had taken over a dying body once again.

The girl extended a hand to help him up.

"You’re lucky to be alive," she said softly. "This is the Sector 11."