Gazing at the vast desert landscape, seeing the sand carried away by the wind and feeling the heat on his body in the midday sun, he remained standing staring out looking at the endless sea of sand and the occasional cry of beasts circling above.

''Even the beasts wait for my death''

Numerous beasts circled above his head, he could hear the occasional cry of more beats approaching the growing flock.

''My last chance at immortality will be the one to damn me and the gods will seek my soul''

He walked forward while conjuring a spell his hands were a blur as a black crack appeared in front of him walking through the void he felt his body become numb as he heard numerous whispers enticing him with knowledge if only he would head their call.

When he finally left the void, he was now standing in an extensive library surrounded by tomes and artefacts, looking at the extensive collection he felt only regret staring at the largest collection of magic and mundane knowledge.

Knowledge collected over his one thousand years now staying here left to catch dust, artefacts, and treasures known across the world left to gather dust when I die.

''A thousand years to build this collection, and it will gather dust, until my wards fail and the collection raided''

He raised his hands, gathering mana around his body as the tomes and artefacts levitated each tome and artefact levitated into the air as he cast a powerful spell on them, sealing them. Each tome now looked the same, and each artefact became invisible and scattered around the library.

''Soon my death will come, but no one will take what belongs to me''

Looking at the tome and missing artefacts, he cast his last spell on the library. The room shook as the library descended, leaving nothing but an empty room.

''Scarlet, come here''

Soon the room became hot as a tower of flame appeared, swirling around until it disappeared, leaving a large six-tailed fox. Her fur made of fire, constantly shifting around her body, the flames ended at the tips of her tales. On her forehead was a crest of a red scarab surrounded by two rings.

''This is my last order. After six hundred years, our contract will end, but as a parting gift I leave you forty-six tenth ranked fire stones if you ensure no one finds the tower.''

The temperature increased as a large pile of red rocks appeared in front of her, each of these were valuable and rare, looking at the large pile she would be able to form her last tails.

''You don't have to do this the other ways to extend your life'' the fox soon shrunk until she was chest height with me. The flames on her body replaced with ordinary fur.

''None will work on me. Magic is what I pursue. Other mages have failed and look at what they are damned to serve another the liches of the whispering isles, the countless blood mages of the vampire clans. This will work''.

“Why not shed this mortal form and ascended to astral plane”

“And be bound to the astral only to act within the mortal world when summoned by a mere mortal!”

She took a few steps back as his aura overwhelmed her evens as his final days approached his power was not something she could fight against.

“Scarlet the astral plane has already corrupted my spiritual body the moment I ascend I will shatter”

“The gods will not take kindly to anything that will break their balance, they will cast you down before you even try”

“I may be damned, but I will go out on my own terms, farewell Scarlet”

Before she could say anything else, I cast a spell on her, sending her back to the astral plane leaving me alone in the empty room, looking around at the empty room I removed a thirteen-ranked mana stone from my robes.

“A rare gem now wasted to keep an old man's collection”

The stone broke into fragments that floated into the air before turning into runes fusing into the walls of the tower. The walls cracked as stone golems formed holding various weapons, some could even cast various spells.

The last rune was a large red scarab contained within two rings around it which dissolved into light, entering each golem.

''Your only duty is to protect and fix the tower. Let none who enter survive, raise the defeated as undead and secure them to the tower's lower floors, make the air thick with poisons and plagues.''

All the golems moved out and marched to the other floors of the tower, some larger golems fused with the wall, ceiling, and floor.

Deep inside a cave, a crack leading to the void opened and Izhar walked out and continued walking to the centre of the room.

Various mana stones flew out of his robes with the lowest-ranked at seventh and highest ranked at the tenth, all cracked and disappeared into various runes fusing with the walls.

The runes finally connected in complicated patterns; the runes lit up the cave.

Izhar took off his robes showing his aged body covered with scars and tattoos made of mana he knelt facing the wall and finally produced the final piece of mana stone, unlike the rest which was dark grey this one was a combination of colours each colour shifted under the light.

“My last hope is divine mana not seen since the age of divines and after three hundred years of searching.”

He drew his dagger and cut open his chest, placing the stone in the centre of his chest. While his wounds closed, he felt the mana around him surge into his body his once dark wrinkled skin became smooth, various injuries on his body disappeared.

Soon he felt something was wrong. The various runes on his soul cracked and repaired until his mana fused with them in his soul, causing him pain he had never felt.

Cracks formed on his body. Blood and skin turned to stone. He could no longer contain his scream. The various runes around the caved cracked, losing their light. The winds of mana finally stopped, leaving Izhar's body as a stone statue.