[ < FLASHBACK > 20st May 2082 (five years earlier) / Sector 13's Central Park / Mega Ark-City 01: Radiant City / Midnight ]
-
The boy reacted on instinct.
He leapt backward, boots scraping against damp leaves as he yanked the cheap folding knife from his pocket, snapping the blade open with trembling fingers. He held it out in front of him, both hands clenched tight, eyes locked on the floating woman as if she might lunge at any second.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
He barked, voice hoarse and uneven. His heart thundered against his ribs, every nerve screaming danger.
White dress. Floating. Halo. After tonight, that was more than enough to earn suspicion.
To him, she was no different from the Hollow in the sundress.
Another monster wearing a human shape.
The woman blinked once—then snorted.
She crossed her arms lazily in midair, peering down at the knife with open disdain, as though he'd just threatened her with a toothpick.
> "…You're pointing that at me?" she said dryly, lips curling into a crooked smirk. "Adorable."
Her eyes flicked from the trembling blade to Niero's rigid stance, then back again, unimpressed.
> "If I were a Hollow entity," she continued, tone light but edged with something dangerous, "you wouldn't have time to scream—let alone draw a knife."
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Niero swallowed hard, knuckles whitening around the handle. He didn't lower the weapon—but the confidence behind it cracked just enough for fear to leak through.
"Then what are you?"
The floating woman sighed—long and theatrical—before placing a hand over her chest and bowing slightly in midair, as if standing on an invisible stage.
> "Allow me to introduce myself properly" she said, voice ringing with polished arrogance, smugness, and a hint of superiority.
Her halo brightened, glyphs along its rim rotating with a soft digital chime.
> "I am Vuldyr of the Logoi—a divine-class Digital Construct, an autonomous intelligence forged beyond mortal paradigms. Your ever-present asistant, your all-knowing librarian, your all-seeing scout, and all-fixing mechanic, and all-powerful support system"
Her wings unfolded just a fraction wider, refracting moonlight into prismatic shards.
> "And more importantly…"
She smiled.
> "I am the Stargod's ultimate companion."
The words hung between them, heavy and incomprehensible.
Niero stared at her.
Once.
Twice.
"…The what?" he finally blurted.
Confusion crashed over him in waves. Stargod? Logoi? Ultimate companion? None of it matched anything he'd ever heard—no school lecture, no ArkNet forum, no whispered rumor in Sector 13, let alone the entire Radiant City.
Vuldyr's confident expression froze.
Slowly, she tilted her head, eyes narrowing as if reassessing a defective component.
> "…You don't know," she said flatly.
The smugness drained from her voice, replaced by disbelief—and something dangerously close to disappointment. "You possess a latent Stellarium Core, you just manifested the Astra Force output under extreme stress, and you have no conceptual framework for the Stargod… nor the Logoi?"
She let out a sharp click of her tongue.
> "Oh, this is worse than I thought."
Her gaze swept over him, no longer mocking but analytical.
Niero swallowed hard, the cold night air burning his lungs as adrenaline slowly ebbed. His knuckles whitened around the folding knife.
"THEN ANSWER ME!!!" he demanded, voice trembling despite his effort to sound brave. "Who or WHAT are you? What do you want from me? And what the hell is a Stargod?"
Vuldyr straightened at once, pride snapping back into place like a mantle. Her halo flared brighter, data-glyphs spinning faster.
> "Were ya deaf, little boy? I am Logoi Construct, divine-class assistant, bearer of—"
She stopped.
The words died in her throat.
Her lips parted again, but no sound followed.
For the first time, the smug certainty in her eyes faltered.
> "…Wait."
Vuldyr pressed two fingers to her temple. The glyphs around her halo stuttered, some flickering out entirely. Lines of data unraveled mid-scroll, collapsing into static.
> "I…" Her brow furrowed. "I was created—no. I was deployed—no, that's not right either."
Silence stretched.
Her expression shifted, confusion creeping in like a hairline fracture through glass. "Why can't I... remember?"
Niero felt a chill crawl up his spine.
She searched herself again, faster now, almost frantic.
> "There should be an origin point. A creator. A moment of initialization." Her wings twitched, geometric panels folding and unfolding erratically. "But there's nothing. It's as if…"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
> "…as if I was born just now."
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Vuldyr lowered her hand slowly. Whatever she found—or failed to find—clearly unsettled her.
> "I only remember one thing with certainty," she said at last, eyes lifting to meet Niero's. "A pull. A surge. A will so intense it tore open dormant systems and dragged me into manifestation."
Her gaze sharpened, locking onto him.
> "You."
Niero took a step back. "Me…?"
> "Yes... I think..." Her voice steadied, gaining weight. "Your willpower—raw, unrefined, but absolute. It breached the threshold."
She inhaled, as if grounding herself.
> "And with it came my directive."
A soft hum resonated from her halo, deeper now, more solemn.
> Directive: Guide. Assist. Cultivate.
> Target: Chosen Stargod.
Vuldyr gestured toward him, no longer mocking, no longer amused—only certain.
> "That Stargod… is you, Niero."
The word settled into his chest like a falling star.
A thousand questions surged at once, but beneath them all was a terrifying realization:
Whatever had answered his rage in the shed…
Whatever power had burned through his hands…
It hadn't come from outside.
Had it come from... himself?
Before Niero could force another question past his shaking lips, the night shattered.
A thunderous boom ripped through the forest, followed by a cascade of sparks and burning debris raining down between the trees. One of the M.A.C.'s Anti-Hollow drones exploded midair, its remains spiraling into the underbrush. Another followed seconds later. Metal screamed. Trees cracked and tore free from the earth as if yanked by invisible hands.
Niero's breath hitched.
Then came the sound that made his blood turn to ice.
"My BBaAAAaAAAAAAAabyYYYyyy—!!!!!!!"
The scream tore through the forest, long and warped, a woman's voice stretched too far, cracked and distorted, like a recording played through broken speakers. It was grief twisted into something inhuman, a sound that scraped against his bones and clawed straight into his chest.
Niero flinched hard, instinct taking over. He stumbled backward and slammed himself against a thick tree trunk, ducking behind it as splinters rained down nearby. His heart pounded so violently he was sure it would give him away. He clamped a hand over his mouth, every muscle screaming at him to run—or hide, or vanish.
"BaBy… cOmE bAcK tO MaMMaaaa…"
The voice slithered closer, dragging through the trees, echoing from every direction at once.
Cold sweat soaked Niero's neck.
Beside him, Vuldyr was already moving.
Her eyes flashed as translucent glyphs burst into existence around her, lines of data unfolding in rapid succession. A cold, analytical calm replaced her earlier confusion as a holographic display projected itself between them.
-
> [GOLDEN EYE: TARGET ANALYSIS - COMPLETE]
> Designation: Hachishaku
> Threat Rank: E
> Classification: Hollow Entity, Humanoid-Type — Child Abductor
> Codex Source: Bloom Dominion Hollow Registry
-
Vuldyr's voice dropped, sharp and controlled.
> "It mirrors an ancient Japanese yokai myth—Hachishaku-sama," she continued. "A predatory Hollow entity that mimics human femininity to lure and steal children. It bonds obsessively with its victims, referring to them as its 'offspring.' What happened to the kidnapped children remais undetermined, seems to disappears without a trace."
Her gaze flicked toward the darkness where branches still groaned and snapped.
> "In other words," she said grimly, "it doesn't just sees you as prey, Kiddo."
The scream echoed again—closer this time.
"Baaabbbbbyyyyy… wHeeeReee ArrrrE yyyyyOUuuu…?"
Vuldyr turned to him, halo flaring brighter.
> "It thinks you belong to it."
The silence after what she told is deafening, despite the entity' thrashing.
Niero's heart hammered so loudly it drowned out the forest.
Each beat was heavy with anticipation—fear and resolve tangling together until he couldn't tell them apart. His fingers tightened around the handle of his knife, knuckles pale, breath shallow. Somewhere beyond the trees, it was still calling for him.
Yet this time… he didn't run.
Beside him, Vuldyr hovered in silence, her ethereal form flickering faintly, like a star struggling through clouds. When she spoke again, her voice had changed—no longer haughty, no longer uncertain.
> "Even though my memories are riddled with holes more than Swiss cheese," she said quietly, almost solemnly, "there is one truth I am absolutely certain of."
She turned toward him, eyes glowing with a vow older than reason.
> "My purpose is to aid you, Stargod Niero Ripley—to aid you in your apotheosis."
The word struck him like a bell tolling in his chest.
"Apothe-"
That word stuck in his throat.
Before he could ask what that truly meant, Vuldyr raised a single finger and flicked it toward him.
The world surged.
A rush of energy flooded through Niero's veins—warm, electric, overwhelming. His exhaustion vanished in an instant, replaced by a strange clarity, as if his body had been rebooted from the inside. His vision blurred for a split second—
Then something appeared.
A translucent panel unfolded before his eyes, glowing faintly in the darkness, its sharp edges hovering impossibly in midair. Letters and symbols arranged themselves with mechanical precision, like a game interface torn straight from a screen and forced into reality.
-
━━ ✦ **[ STARGOD SYSTEM ] ** ✦ ━━
> Name: Niero Ripley
> Species: Human (???)
> Age: 10
>
>
>
>
>
> < Strength (STR) > ---> < 0.0 >
> < Agility (AGI) > ---> < 0.0 >
> < Endurance (END) > ---> < 0.0 >
> < Intelligence (INT) > ---> < 0.0 >
> < Perception (PER) > ---> < 0.0 >
> < Luck (LUK) > ---> < 0.0 >
> < Charm (CHA) > ---> < 0.0 >
> < Critical Rate (CRT) > ---> < 0.0 >
-
Niero stared, frozen.
"…This," he whispered, voice barely steady, "is real?"
Vuldyr smiled—soft, sharp, and unwavering.
> "This is your beginning."
From deep within the forest, branches cracked. Leaves trembled.
And the distorted voice rose once more, closer than ever.
"BaBy… MaMa's HeRe."
The system window pulsed faintly, as if responding to his racing heart.
For the first time since being dragged into this nightmare, Niero didn't feel like a helpless child.
The Hollow burst from the forest like a nightmare given flesh.
Trees exploded apart as if struck by an invisible god—trunks snapping, roots tearing free, bark and soil hurled through the air. From the ruin staggered the thing that had haunted Niero's screams.
The Hachishaku.
Its limbs dragged grotesquely across the ground, stretched far beyond anything human. The sundress it wore hung in tatters, soaked and clinging, its body twisting and bending at angles that defied bone and sense. Its head jerked unnaturally as it shrieked—
"Baaaaby—!"
The cry was no longer human. It was a broken, animal wail forced through a shattered voice, vibrating straight through Niero's skull and into his soul. The sound alone threatened to tear him apart.
His knees buckled.
Almost.
> "Easy there, kiddo."
Vuldyr's voice cut through the terror like starlight through a storm. She floated forward, utterly composed, silver hair drifting as though gravity itself had forgotten her. Her gaze never wavered from the Hollow.
> "As a Stargod," she said calmly, almost casually, "the Astra Force exists to lift you beyond mortal limits."
She raised a single finger.
> "And this—" her eyes gleamed, "—is your first step."
The air snapped again.
Something ancient and violent slammed into Niero's body.
It surged through his bones, his muscles, his blood—raw, overwhelming power that felt less like energy and more like truth forcing itself into him. His heart thundered, no longer from fear, but from pressure—like something inside him was straining to be born.
Lines of blue-cyan light flared across his skin, crawling like living constellations before sinking inward, carving themselves directly into his existence.
The system window before him shattered, fragments scattering like glass—
Then reassembled.
Rewritten.
---
> <<<[ TRAITS AWAKENED ]>>>
> [ Trait (Main): Astra Stargod ]
> Chosen by the [V.L.K.Y. Omnidroid], the bearer is granted access to the paracausal cosmic force known as [Astra Force]. This force enhances the Stargod's existing conditions, feats, and abilities to their cosmic potential—and beyond. It transcends Time and Space, allowing resistance—if not outright immunity—to reality-altering phenomena, anomalous manipulation, and distortions of causality. The chosen becomes, in essence, a living god.
> [ Trait (Major): Legacy of the Star Ravager (???) ]
> The inherited instincts and echoes of a warrior who once sundered stars and broke worlds. Power remembers— even when the mind does not.
> [ Trait (Origin): What Doesn't Kill You… ]
> "The body remembers. The soul endures."
Surviving extreme hardship permanently alters your existence. Each time you recover from serious injury, defeat, or near-death strain, your body records the trauma and adapts—granting a 2% permanent growth to overall physical capability proportional to the ordeal endured.
> [ Trait (Origin): Trinity of Self-Supremacy (Body) ]
> A path of absolute self-mastery through the unified cultivation of body, mind, and spirit. Each aspect is refined independently, granting associated feats and abilites, then aligned into a single perfected whole on the road to ascension.
> Current Focus: Body
> — Vitality enhanced
> — Endurance reinforced
> — Recovery accelerated
> [ Trait (Origin): Animalistic Senses ]
> Your awareness sharpens beyond human thresholds. Touch. Sight. Sound. Taste. Smell. And something else— a sixth sense that screams when death draws near.
> [ Trait (Origin): Nova Energy ]
> A living star kindles within your body.
> You generate, store, and manipulate stellar-grade bio-energy, manifesting as radiant force, heat, and gravity-like pressure. Nova Energy can be shaped into blasts, barriers, propulsion, or raw physical augmentation, turning the body into both reactor and weapon. Unlike conventional mana or stamina, Nova Energy grows denser under stress—burning hotter the closer the body approaches its limits.
> [ Trait (Origin): Wrath of the Star Ravager ]
> When survival, fury, and resolve converge, the star inside you goes critical.
> In moments of sufficient energy cultivation, extreme rage, or ironclad willpower, Nova Energy enters an overdrive state, violently amplifying all physical and energetic output beyond natural limits depending on the energy level. Adrenaline is transmuted directly into power. Fear sharpens focus instead of breaking it. However depending on the cultivation of mind, body, and spirit, this state rapidly consumes the body and mind, risking cellular burnout, loss of control, or total collapse if sustained too long.
---
Niero staggered as the surge settled—
—but he did not fall.
He could feel everything now.
The weight of the earth beneath his feet.
The tremor of air displaced by the Hollow's movements.
The slow, hateful rhythm of the Hachishaku's existence, pulsing in his mind like a heartbeat.
He didn't understand what a Stargod truly was.
Or the Astra Force.
Or why he had been chosen.
But something fundamental had shifted.
The suffocating dread that once crushed his lungs loosened its grip, replaced by something heavier—steadier.
Control.
For the first time, the towering horror before him didn't feel like an unstoppable nightmare.
It felt like an enemy.
Niero raised his trembling hands. Blue-cyan light flickered around his fingers, unstable and brilliant—like the birth of a star struggling to ignite.
"…I don't know what I am," he whispered.
Then his eyes hardened.
"But I know I'm not running anymore."
And somewhere deep within him, something vast, ancient, and long-starved—
smiled.
The Hachishaku blasted through the trees and lunged at the boy.
Its elongated arms shot forward like living cables, fingers splaying wide to seize him—
to reclaim its "baby."
Niero didn't retreat.
Rage flared hot in his chest, drowning out fear as he stand on his ground agaist the entity, the image of being dragged through the streets burning behind his eyes. His teeth clenched.
"You don't get to touch me again."
> "Good," Vuldyr murmured, amused—and pleased.
A flick of her finger.
The cheap folding knife in Niero's hand sang.
Blue-cyan light spilled from its blade, Nova-Spark energy racing along the metal as a pinpoint of golden Astra Force ignited at its core. The knife elongated, unfolding into a humming arc of condensed energy—sharp, an energy sword that is radiant and utterly unreal.
> "Consider it," Vuldyr said lightly, "a little taste of what's waiting for you."
The Hachishaku's shadow swallowed him as its hands closed in—
Niero dropped low.
He skidded across the dirt, sliding beneath the grasping limbs, heat and wind tearing past his face. In the same motion, he twisted his body and swung.
Once.
The energy blade flashed.
A clean, brilliant arc of cyan and gold carved through the night—
—and both arms were severed in a single stroke.
The Hachishaku's wail shattered the air as its limbs hit the ground, dissolving into blackened mist. The creature reeled backward, staggering in disbelief and agony, its scream no longer triumphant—
but afraid.
Niero slid between the Hachishaku's legs and rolled clear, boots tearing furrows in the dirt as he forced himself upright.
He stopped behind it.
His breath came in harsh, burning pulls. The blade in his hand still glowed—still trembled.
So did his fingers.
Not from fear.
From the crushing realization that he had just cut a nightmare apart—that something born to terrify had bled for him.
Behind him, Vuldyr's smile curved wider, her eyes lit with quiet, dangerous pride.
> "Not bad," she murmured. "For your first swing."
Then—
For a single heartbeat—
Silence.
The entity did not fall.
It simply stood there, head bowed, sundress swaying softly, as though the fight itself had been exhaled from its body. No scream. No recoil. No death.
Just stillness.
Too still.
Too quiet.
Vuldyr's eyes flickered as data streamed across her vision.
> "Don't relax," she said calmly. "Enemy integrity at 82.05%. It's very much alive."
As if offended by the words—
The Hachishaku screamed.
The sound tore through the forest, sharp and fractured, vibrating straight into Niero's bones. Its body convulsed violently, spasming as something tore free from beneath the ruined sundress.
One arm.
Then another.
Then many more.
Elongated limbs burst outward in a grotesque bloom, writhing and unfolding until the creature resembled a twisted, spider-like mockery of a woman—too many arms dragging against the ground, clawing, reaching.
"BaAAaAAAad… bAAAabYYYYy…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Its pitch-black face snapped upward. White sclera glared wildly from the void, pupils jittering and locking onto Niero with naked, murderous intent.
His breath hitched.
His grip tightened.
Fear crawled up his spine—but it didn't paralyze him this time.
> "Stance, Kiddo"Vuldyr ordered, sharp and clear.
Niero obeyed.
He planted his feet, lowering his center of gravity as the energy blade hummed in his hands, cyan light flaring brighter in response to his resolve. His arms trembled—not from doubt, but from the strain of holding power meant for something far greater than a ten-year-old boy.
He swallowed hard.
"…Come on."
The words barely left his lips.
The Hachishaku shrieked, its arms burrowing into the earth—
And Niero stood unmoving.
Not as prey.
But as a challenger.
He lunged.
The cyan blade flared—
Then flickered.
The light sputtered like a dying star, collapsing inward with a hollow hiss. In the blink of an eye, the radiant energy blade shrank, unraveling back into the cheap little folding knife Aunt Alura had given him.
Crack.
The blade fractured.
Then the handle.
Then the knife itself crumbled into dust, gray ash slipping through Niero's fingers and scattering into the night.
"…What?"
His breath caught. His hands were suddenly empty.
Even Vuldyr froze mid-air, eyes wide for a split second.
Then—
She stuck out her tongue in a sheepish way.
> "Whoopsies~" she said lightly. "Turns out a bargain-bin knife can't handle even a *tiny* blend of Nova-Spark and Astra Force. Structural integrity failure and all. Ehe."
Niero's head snapped toward her.
"DON'T YOU "EHE" ME! YOU COULDN'T HAVE TOLD ME THAT SOO—"
CRACK.
Pain exploded across his side.
One of the Hachishaku's elongated arms lashed out like a living whip, striking him mid-sentence. The force ripped the air from his lungs and hurled his small body through the forest.
Tree bark shattered.
Branches snapped.
Niero slammed into one trunk—then another—then another—before crashing hard into the dirt, rolling helplessly as the world spun.
His vision blurred. His chest burned. Every breath felt like it was tearing something inside him.
Somewhere behind the pain, the Hachishaku's warped cry echoed again—
"BaAaAaAAAbBBYYyyy…"
And this time, Niero had no weapon.
Niero dragged himself back onto his feet, legs trembling but unbroken.
> "I—" Vuldyr's voice faltered for the first time, stripped of its smugness. "I'm sorry. I should've warned you. I truly though it could last."
Her gaze hardened. "But right now… you don't have a weapon."
Niero didn't answer.
He clenched his hands.
Something answered him instead.
As if by instinct.
Something he could't explained to himself.
Heat surged into his fists—violent, instinctive, undeniable. Blue-cyan Nova-Spark flooded his knuckles, wrapping his hands in flickering stellar flame. He didn't know how he was doing it. He didn't think.
He felt.
A deeper switch flipped inside him.
> [Trait: Wrath of the Star Ravager]
Fire roared through his veins.
His muscles screamed as power forced itself into every fiber of his body, bones groaning under the strain. Pain flared—sharp, consuming—then dulled beneath a tide of raw adrenaline, turning agony into fuel.
His heartbeat thundered like a war drum.
The Hachishaku shrieked and charged, its spider-like limbs tearing furrows through the earth as it barreled toward him, hunger and rage twisting its inhuman form.
Niero planted his foot into the ground.
The earth cracked beneath his heel.
He lowered his stance, fists blazing, teeth clenched as the fire inside him begged to be unleashed.
"You took me," he growled, voice shaking with fury. "big mistake, bitch."
The Hachishaku struck first.
Dozens of elongated hands exploded toward Niero in a pale, writhing blur—limbs snapping like living whips, claws reaching to seize and crush.
Niero met them head-on.
His punch landed with a detonation.
The powerful impact didn't just stagger the Hollow—it ripped through it. Several of the arms bursting from beneath the sundress tore free at the point of contact, severed by sheer force and incandescent Nova-Spark. Limbs spiraled through the air like broken branches, dissolving into ash before they hit the ground.
But by shock, its hands not only grew back from its body but it also grew out additional arms, like the heads of the mythical Hydra.
The entity shrieked, its voice splitting into something feral and hysterical.
"B-bad baby! BAAADDD BAAAAABBBBYYYYYYY—!"
Rage replaced whatever mockery of motherhood it had clung to.
It lunged again.
More arms erupted, lashing out in blind hostility, the forest shaking beneath their frenzy. But Niero didn't retreat. He advanced.
He became a storm of blazing fists, exchanging blows with a storm.
Each strike collided with a whip-like limb in rapid succession—crack, burst, tear—Nova-Spark flaring with every impact. Fire met flesh. Power met madness. It was less a fight now and more a collision between two catastrophes, each refusing to give ground.
Pain tore through Niero's arms with every blow, joints screaming, bones protesting—but he ignored it. Fear had no place left to stand.
His vision flickered—and then the system HUD burned itself into clarity.
-
[ Hachishaku (Rank E) — HP: 48.12% ]
[ 41.77% ]
[ 36.05% ]
[ 32.89% ]
-
The numbers fell.
The Hollow wailed, its cries warping between sobbing and shrieking, a broken lullaby of grief and insanity echoing through the trees.
But Niero didn't stop.
He gritted his teeth, fists still aflame, eyes locked on the writhing horror before him.
Niero drove his fist forward with everything he had left.
The blow landed squarely in the Hollow's abdomen—
And detonated.
A shockwave tore through the air as the Hachishaku was blasted backward, its twisted form sailing through shattered undergrowth before crashing hard against the trees beyond. The ground trembled as it skidded to a halt, limbs spasming, its wailing breaking into hoarse, fractured sobs.
Niero staggered, chest heaving, fists still glowing faintly as the fire in his veins roared.
His vision flickered.
His hands shaking, bleeding.
Then the system burned a verdict across his sight.
-
[ Hachishaku (Rank E) — HP: 18.56% ]
-
Before he could fully process it—
> "YEAH, KIDDO!"
Vuldyr suddenly zipped into view, twirling midair as holographic pompoms burst into existence in her hands. Neon glyphs flashed and sparkled around her as she bounced with absurd enthusiasm, grinning like a mascot from some long-forgotten sports broadcast.
> "Last legs! Last legs! You've got this—finish strong!"
Niero blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"…Why are you like this," he muttered, equal parts breathless and baffled.
Vuldyr pointed both pompoms at the staggering Hollow, her grin sharp despite the theatrics.
> "Because this is the part where you end it. Once. And. For. All!"
The cheer faded—not entirely, but enough.
Niero inhaled slowly, grounding himself despite the pain screaming through his body. He met Vuldyr's gaze for just a second—
Then nodded.
Small.
Firm.
No fear left in it.
He turned back toward the crippled Hachishaku, eyes hardening as the Nova-Spark flared once more around his fists.
The Hachishaku did not retreat.
It crawled.
Its body dragged across the ruined forest floor, sundress shredded beyond recognition as countless pale arms burst from beneath it, clawing and pulling like a grotesque spider desperate to close the distance. Each movement was wrong—too many joints, too many limbs, too much hunger packed into one crawling nightmare.
"Baaaby—"
Niero clenched his teeth.
The Nova-Spark surged harder, flooding into his right arm as he forced it there, compressing the energy until his fist trembled, glowing brighter with every heartbeat. Pain exploded through his bones—white-hot, screaming, unbearable.
The [Trait: Wrath of the Star Ravager] was tearing him apart from the inside.
His muscles burned.
His vision blurred.
His breath came sharp and ragged.
> "Niero!"
Vuldyr's voice cut through the chaos—no sarcasm this time, no teasing. Only urgency.
> "Stop charging. At Level 01, your body is not strong enough to handle it. This boon will kill you if you push any further!!"
He heard her.
He understood.
And he ignored it.
"If I don't end it," he growled, forcing air through his teeth, "it'll kill me anyway."
The Hollow lunged.
Its arms cracked through the air like whips, aiming to tear him apart in a single, merciless instant—
But Niero moved.
His body responded before thought, faster than it had any right to be. He ducked, twisted, stepped through the storm of pale limbs with sharp, desperate footwork—each dodge a gamble, each breath thinner than the last.
The forest blurred around him.
His legs screamed.
His lungs burned.
The energy in his fist howled, barely contained.
Seconds passed.
They felt like minutes.
He could feel it—his limit.
If he didn't strike now, his strength would fail.
If he hesitated, the Hollow would rip him apart.
Niero skidded to a stop.
The Hachishaku loomed within arm's reach, its many eyes locked onto him, hands raised for the killing blow.
His fist blazed.
His body shook.
He drew in one final breath.
This ends now.
The Hachishaku screamed—and one of its many limbs collapsed inward, coiling and twisting into a grotesque, overgrown arm, muscles knotting unnaturally as it launched forward with a killing intent so dense it felt like gravity itself had turned against him.
Death rushed toward Niero.
He moved anyway.
He skidded forward, boots carving lines into dirt and shattered leaves, the massive strike grazing his left cheek instead of crushing his skull. Pain exploded across his face as skin split and blood sprayed—but he didn't stop.
He grabbed it.
His left hand clamped onto the Hollow's arm, the texture wrong—cold, rubbery, twitching like a living corpse—but he held on with everything he had left.
"This… is for kidnapping me!!!"
He drove his right fist forward.
The charged Nova-Spark detonated.
The punch connected with the Hachishaku's elongated and distorted face—and the world erupted.
Blue-cyan light swallowed the forest in a blinding flash, laced with streaks of gold Astra Force. The Hollow entity didn't scream this time. Its body shattered, torn apart into swirling clouds of black particulate matter that disintegrated into nothingness, erased as if it had never existed.
The shockwave came next.
Niero was ripped from his feet and hurled across Sector 13's park like a broken doll—plowing through brush, tearing up earth, until his body finally skidded to a brutal halt.
Then—silence.
-
==========
-
Darkness claimed him.
His ears screamed.
His body followed.
Every nerve burned, then went mercifully numb.
When awareness returned, it crawled in on pain.
Niero woke in a shallow crater. The ground beneath him was scorched and split, nearby trees bowed and twisted as if something colossal had struck the earth—and failed. Fire coursed through his muscles, molten and merciless. His bones ached with a certainty that told him they should have shattered.
Yet—
He breathed.
He moved.
He was whole.
No broken limbs.
No torn flesh.
No lingering wounds.
The pain was real—but his body had already repaired itself, as if the damage had never existed at all.
Groggy, dizzy, Niero forced himself upright, swaying on unsteady legs. The forest was eerily quiet now. No sirens. No screams. No monsters.
Vuldyr was gone.
The floating woman, the halo, the impossible wings—nowhere to be seen.
For a moment, doubt crept in.
Maybe it was a dream?
Some sort of weird sleepwalking?
A sugar-fueled hallucination caused by too much MaxEdge?
An overactive imagination pushed too far by adrenaline, and fear?
But even if so, how he got here? Out in the cold and dirt?
Then he looked up.
Across the street—past the dark teeth of the park—stood a familiar signboard, its warm glow cutting through the night.
Maison Bella Café.
Home.
His breath caught.
"…No way," he whispered.
Gritting his teeth, Niero dragged himself out of the crater, boots scraping loose soil as pain flared through every muscle. His legs shook, but they moved. One step. Then another. He staggered uphill through the park, drawn forward as if by instinct alone.
When he reached the side road, the streetlights hummed overhead, and the café stood just ahead—steady, unchanged, real. An anchor. Proof he hadn't fallen into some other world.
Then, as his foot crossed the line where grass gave way to asphalt, the world slammed back into him.
Sound returned all at once.
Sirens.
Not the distant city hum—but the sharp, erratic howl of the Anti-Hollow alarm system, blaring in uneven pulses, as if the system itself was scrambling, hunting for something it didn't fully understand.
Then he saw the house.
His house.
The lights were on.
All of them.
His bedroom window—normally shut tight at night—stood wide open, curtains fluttering in the breeze. The sight sent a chill straight through his spine.
So it wasn't a dream... is it?
They'd been searching for him.
Before he could move, the front door of the Maison Bella Café burst open.
His family spilled out into the night.
Mom stepped forward first, eyes sharp and wild with restrained panic, a pistol clenched in both hands—steady, trained, ready to fire.
Aunt Alura hovered just behind her, jaw tight, scanning the darkness like she was daring the night itself to try something.
Sophie followed, gripping an aluminum baseball bat crackling with Mana-charged electricity, arcs of blue light snapping along the metal as her fear transformed into fury.
And Daisy—
Daisy clutched the hem of Sophie's shirt, tears streaking her face, eyes wide and desperately searching the shadows.
"NIEROOO!!!" Mom called, voice breaking despite her effort to keep it firm.
The name cut deeper than any wound.
They weren't hunting a monster.
They were hunting the absence of him.
The moment Niero stepped onto the edge of the park, bruised, exhausted, the night seemed to collapse inward.
"—NIERO!"
His mother saw him first.
She crossed the distance in a heartbeat, the pistol forgotten as it slots back into her hip holster. Her arms wrapped around him so tightly it knocked the breath from his lungs, fingers digging into his back as if she was afraid he might vanish again.
"You—!" Her voice broke mid-word, fury and terror tangling together. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE EMPRESS ARE YOU DOING OUTSIDE AT THIS TIME?!! Where did you go? Do you have any idea what you did to us?!"
Her grip trembled.
Niero felt it—and it hurt more than any blow he'd seems to taken tonight.
"I—I'm fine," he said quickly, forcing his voice steady even as his heart hammered. "I didn't mean to—"
Sophie was there too now, bat still crackling faintly with electricity, her face pale beneath the streetlight. Daisy peeked out from behind her, eyes red and swollen, relief spilling over into fresh tears the instant she saw him standing there.
Aunt Alura exhaled sharply, hand pressed to her chest. "You little menace…" she muttered, equal parts angry and relieved.
Mom pulled back just enough to grab his shoulders, searching his face for blood, broken bones, anything. "Talk. NOW."
They boy barely can explained what happend to himself, let alone he can explained to his own family. He don't known what WILL happened if he explained. Worse case he would be grounded for life.
At that moment, he runs parallels on what and how to explain. As he thinks very heard, an article from the Bloom News from the Ark.Net, something he could use as somesort of an excuse.
So Niero answered.
"I—I went out the window to grab a soda," he said, words tumbling out faster than he could think. "I didn't want to wake anyone. But then—there was this woman. Weird. Mask on, trench coat, breathing heavity, acting really off. She started chasing me and I panicked, ran downhill, and… I fell into the park."
He swallowed.
"I couldn't find my way back right away."
Silence followed.
Sophie was shocked while Daisy sniffed, confused. Alura raised an eyebrow. Mom frowned, seems to be unconvinced, as her jaw tightened as the Anti-Anomaly sirens continued to wail in the distance, red lights painting the street in uneasy pulses.
A perverted flasher?
A dangearous stalker?
A Hollow entity?
Tonight had already crossed too many lines.
"…Inside," Mom said finally, her tone sharp but shaking at the edges. "All of you. Now."
They didn't argue.
The family ushered him back into the café-house, the door slamming shut behind them as the alarms screamed outside, waiting for the alarm they hoped is a false alarm to die down. Niero felt the weight of their eyes on his back—relief, suspicion, fear, love—all tangled together.
He knew what was coming.
An earful.
Extnded grounding.
Questions he couldn't answer, not even to himself.
But as he stepped inside, surrounded by warmth and light and the people who had torn the night apart looking for him, one truth settled heavily in his chest:
He had come back alive, safe and sound.
-
==========
-
Niero surfaced from sleep to the sound of a woman's voice.
> "Rise and shine, kiddo."
The word slid into his awareness like a needle, too clear, too *present* to be part of a dream.
His eyelids fluttered open.
Late-morning light spilled across his bedroom ceiling, warm and ordinary, dust motes drifting lazily in its glow. His body felt… good. Not sore. Not bruised. Rested in a way he hadn't felt in years, as if every ache had been smoothed away while he slept.
That alone made his stomach tighten.
He pushed himself upright, heart beginning to race. "No way…" he muttered, rubbing his face. "I didn't—"
> "Sleepwalk? Hallucinate? Chug too much MaxEdge?" the voice cut in, amused. "Please. You hit harder than that."
He froze.
Slowly, carefully, Niero turned his head.
Vuldyr floated near his desk, legs crossed in midair, silver hair drifting as though submerged in invisible water. Her halo glowed softly, its light refracting against the posters and clutter of his room like it had always belonged there.
Real.
Too real.
His breath hitched.
"You're… real? In here?" he whispered.
She grinned. "Unfortunately for your peace of mind? Yes."
The room felt suddenly smaller.
Niero scanned his surroundings—his messy desk, his intact window, his gaming chair right where he'd left it. No blood. No crater. No monster. Just a normal bedroom in Sector 13, late morning sunlight and the faint smell of coffee drifting up from the café below.
"Then last night wasn't a dream," he said quietly.
Vuldyr's expression softened, just a fraction.
>"Nope. Very real. Very messy. And very impressive for a Level One, I might add."
His chest tightened.
> "And don't worry, no one else can see you," he said, already knowing the answer.
She shrugged lightly. "Perk of being your designated cosmic guide. Logoi privileges." Then, more seriously, "Right now? It's just you and me, kiddo."
Niero clenched his fists atop the blanket, feeling the steady strength in his arms, the unfamiliar weight beneath his skin.
The truth settled in, heavy and unavoidable.
He hadn't imagined the Hollow entity.
He hadn't imagined the power.
And he hadn't imagined her.
Whatever had awakened inside him last night hadn't gone away.
And so was "HER".
Niero bolted upright.
In one sharp motion, he threw himself off the bed and lunged for the corner of his room, fingers wrapping around the familiar grip of his aluminum baseball bat. The metal felt cold. Solid. Real. He spun back toward her, bat raised with both hands, heart hammering so hard it hurt.
"Who—what are you?!" he shouted, voice cracking despite himself. "How did you get into my room?! Get out! Now!"
Vuldyr stared at him for a long second.
Then she sighed.
Not an angry sigh. Not even an offended one. Just the tired, long-suffering groan of someone forced to explain the obvious to a particularly dense child.
> "Oh stars above… REALLY?" she muttered, rubbing her temples. "After everything we went through last night, *this* is where you land?"
She straightened, floating a little higher, silver hair drifting lazily as if mocking the tension in the room.
> "Fine. Again. Slowly." She raised two fingers. "I am Vuldyr. Logoi-class digital construct. Stargod support unit. Your support unit." She glanced at the bat. "And unless that thing suddenly learned how to hit concepts, it's not going to help you."
Niero didn't lower it.
His arms trembled—not from the weight of the bat, but from everything crashing down on him at once.
The forest.
The screaming.
The feeling of his fists burning as he hit something that shouldn't exist.
The way he'd almost died—would have died—if something inside him hadn't answered.
His stomach twisted violently.
"That thing…" he said, swallowing hard. "That Hollow thing—if you hadn't been there—"
> "You'd be on the next missing child report by morning," Vuldyr replied bluntly.
The words hit harder than any blow.
Niero's breath hitched, his grip tightening until his knuckles turned white. The reality he'd been desperately trying to deny finally broke through the last of his resistance.
It wasn't a nightmare.
He hadn't woken up in time.
He'd been saved—barely.
Anger surged up to smother the fear, hot and messy. "THEN EXPLAINED!" he snapped, eyes burning. "Explain why something like that came after me. Explain why I could fight it. Explain why you're here!"
For the first time, Vuldyr didn't smirk.
She looked at him—really looked at him—and her voice, when she spoke, softened just a little.
> "Because last night," she said quietly, "you stopped being just a kid."
The room fell silent.
Before Niero could force another question out of his throat, footsteps thundered down the hallway.
Fast.
Uneven.
Panicked.
The bedroom door flew open.
"Niero!"
Daisy stood there in her pajamas, small hands clenched into fists, dark hair still a mess from sleep. Her wide eyes flicked between the overturned chair, the bat raised in his hands, and his face—still pale, still tight.
"I heard you fall," she said quickly. "And you were yelling. What happened?"
Niero froze.
The bat lowered an inch without him realizing it. His heart slammed harder than before—not from fear of Vuldyr, but from something worse.
Hope?
He swallowed and looked past Daisy, then back toward the empty air beside his bed.
"Daisy," he said slowly, carefully, "do you… see what I see?"
She blinked.
"…See what?"
She glanced around the room, genuinely confused, eyes skimming over the same space where Vuldyr floated, luminous and unmistakable to him alone.
Behind Daisy, Vuldyr crossed her arms and leaned closer to her ear.
> "I told ya, Kiddo. She can't," she said quietly. "Only you can."
Niero's breath hitched.
Vuldyr's voice, calm and teasing, talking casually only to him.
> "Some paracausal entities don't register to baseline reality, let alone perception," Vuldyr continued, tone slipping back into clinical calm. "But in my case, your neural lattice is now partially bonded with the V.L.K.Y. Omnidroid through Astra Force with me in it. Symbiosis, kiddo. Think of me as… software running on hardware only you have. Or a ghost-y roommate in your head."
She tilted her head.
> "Totally nothing to be afraid of."
That did not help.
Daisy shifted her weight, worry creeping into her voice. "Big bro? You're kinda freaking me out."
He forced his shoulders to relax. Forced air into his lungs. Forced himself to look like an ordinary ten-year-old boy holding a bat in his bedroom instead of someone who'd nearly died twelve hours ago.
"It's nothing," he said quickly. Too quickly. "Just—uh—cockroach."
Daisy recoiled instantly. "Eww—seriously?!"
"Yeah," he nodded, grasping the excuse like a lifeline. "Thought it I saw one. A big one."
She frowned, clearly unconvinced, eyes narrowing as she studied him for another second. But then she sighed.
"…Okay. But still." She pointed at him. "Hurry up and come downstairs. Mom needs help at the café, and you're already late."
"Yeah," Niero said. "I-I know."
Satisfied enough, Daisy turned and padded back down the hallway, muttering something about bugs and boys being weird.
The door clicked shut.
Silence returned to the room.
Niero let out a shaky breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. His legs felt weak, his grip loosening as the bat dipped toward the floor.
He looked back at Vuldyr.
"So, You're REALLY invisible," he whispered.
Vuldyr smiled faintly, hovering upside down now, hands clasped behind her head.
> "Technically, to everyone else, I don't exist."she said. "Congratulations, kiddo. You're officially special, having your very own "ghost"."
Niero's stomach sank.
"Yeah," he muttered. "That's totally not comforting at all."
-
==========
-
Niero shuffled down the stairs, tugging on his oversized black T-shirt emblazoned with the barely legible logo of some obscure underground metal band no one else in the house understood. His movements were slow, still stiff from memories his body insisted had been real—even if logic screamed otherwise.
"So," he muttered under his breath, half to himself, half to the floating presence beside him, "statistically speaking… what are the chances I'm having a schizophrenic episode right now, seeing a floating ghost lady that no one else can see?"
Vuldyr drifted upside down beside him, hands folded behind her head, her expression far too amused for the topic.
> "Oh, Kiddo, if this were just a mental breakdown, things would be so much easier," she said cheerfully. "No paracausal entities, no existential threats, no dying-almost-dying. Just meds and a quiet padded room."
"Yeah. That's definately not comforting," Niero replied flatly.
> "Didn't say it was."
He reached the last step.
POP—POP—BANG!
The sudden explosion of poppers and streamers detonated across the café floor, showering him in colorful paper and glittering ribbons.
"SUUUURRRRPPPPRRRRIIIISSSSEEEEE—!!!!!!"
Niero yelped, nearly leaping out of his skin, instincts screaming incoming attack! as his heart slammed into his ribs. His eyes darted wildly, muscles tensing—
Only to be met with the sight of his family grinning like maniacs.
"Surprise, birthday boy!" Sophie shouted, pumping a fist into the air.
Confetti rained down. Daisy bounced in place, waving a party horn far too enthusiastically. Aunt Alura clapped, laughing, while Mom stood behind the counter, smiling with unmistakable relief beneath the joy.
Niero stood there, frozen, streamers tangled around his shoulders, brain completely short-circuiting.
"…Huh?" was all he managed.
Vuldyr burst into silent laughter, floating in a lazy spin above the café.
> "Wow," she said smugly. "You survive an child-kidnapping murder-ghost and this almost kills you."
Niero slowly exhaled, his adrenaline crashing just as fast as it had spiked, staring at the banner overhead:
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIERO!"
Niero blinked, the noise fading into a dull hum as something quietly clicked into place.
Today is May 21st, 2082.
His birthday.
The realization hit him harder than the confetti poppers.
A few hours ago, he'd been dragged into a nightmare by a Hachishaku—torn hands, screaming air, a HUD counting down his survival in cold percentages. He had nearly died. He had died, maybe, in some version of the night that still lingered behind his eyes.
And now—
He stood in his family's café.
Alive.
Ten years old.
The absurdity of it made his stomach twist.
His gaze drifted to the counter.
There they were.
Two cakes, proudly displayed like trophies.
At the center sat Mom's cheesecake—perfectly smooth, professionally torched at the edges, the kind that belonged behind glass in a high-end patisserie rather than a neighborhood café. She'd even garnished it with carefully placed berry slices, pretending she hadn't spent half the night worrying herself sick.
Beside it was Sophie and Daisy's creation.
A stacked tower of pancakes masquerading as a cake, slathered with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate in enthusiastic, uneven lines. It leaned ever so slightly to the left, held together by toothpicks and sheer sibling determination. Daisy beamed at it like it was a masterpiece.
"And that," Aunt Alura announced dramatically, pointing at the empty space beside the cakes, "was where my Black Forest cake was going to be."
Mom shot her a look without even turning around.
"It had rum and schnapps."
"Flavor, little sis" Alura countered. "Its culture."
"It. had. ALCOHOL."
"Eh, potato potato," Alura sighed, folding her arms. "Apparently its 'not suitable'for a ten-year-old prodigy."
Mom sighs. Sophie snorted. Daisy giggled.
Niero stared at the cakes, chest tightening in a way he didn't have words for.
Just hours ago, something had called him baby bad while trying to rip him apart.
The after that, he got an earful scolding for leaving his room at dead of night, especially during an anti-anomaly warning siren.
And now people were arguing about liquor regulations in dessert.
Vuldyr hovered quietly beside him for once, her expression unreadable, almost… respectful.
> "Funny how the universe works, huh, Kiddo," she said softly. "First day as an awakened Stargod… and it's also the day you were born."
Niero swallowed.
He wasn't ready to say anything.
Wasn't ready to think about destiny, or cosmic potential, or the fact that something out there had already tried to kill him on his birthday.
Niero barely had time to process the sight of the cakes before both his sisters moved in perfect, merciless coordination.
"C'mon, birthday boy!" Sophie laughed, grabbing his right arm.
"Make a wish!" Daisy chimed, tugging his left with surprising strength for an eight-year-old.
"Hey—wait—!" Niero protested, but he was already being dragged toward the counter, feet half-skidding on the café floor.
Mom watched with a hand over her mouth, smiling in that tired-but-happy way only she could manage. Aunt Alura leaned against the counter, arms crossed, grinning like she'd just witnessed a prophecy unfolding.
"Look at him," Mom said warmly. "Our little boy's really growing up."
"Slowly becoming a man," Alura added with mock gravity. "Give it a few more years and we'll have to worry about predatory women sniffing around."
Sophie snorted. "With his face? Yeah, that's a real risk."
Daisy frowned. "What's a predatory woman?"
"Ask later," Sophie and Mom said at the same time.
Laughter filled the café again—easy, sweet, real.
Niero felt it wrap around him like a blanket.
This is real, he thought. This is my life.
He was placed gently in front of Mom's cheesecake. Ten small candles flickered atop it, their flames wavering softly, reflected in his wide eyes.
The family began singing.
"🎵 Happy birthday to you— 🎵"
And then—
The world split.
Not violently. Not loudly.
Just… peeled back.
Golden-blue light flared at the edge of Niero's vision, invisible to everyone else. Letters, symbols, and clean geometric frames unfolded in midair, hovering just inches from his face.
-
━━ ✦ [ STARGOD SYSTEM ] ✦ ━━
> [ LEVEL UP ]
> Ascension Realm: 1st Realm - Mortal Realm
> Ascension Phase: 1st Phase - Awakening Phase
> Ascension Level:01 → 03
> Rewards Granted:
> + 2 Ascension Points
> + [Rank-E (Uncommon)] Hachishaku's Tattered Dress— Remnants of a Hollow entity's mirror after the child-kidnapping Yokai from archaic Japanese folklore. Residual malice detected. Minimum containment recommended
-
The song faded into a dull echo.
Niero's breath hitched.
Level… 3?
He hadn't trained.
Hadn't chosen this.
He'd just… survived.
No—
He'd killed something.
Vuldyr hovered beside the interface, arms folded behind her back, her usual spark muted, replaced by an unusual gravity.
> "That's the cost of victory, Kiddo," she said, her voice low, almost a whisper. "Experience doesn't care about age. Doesn't care about birthdays. It only answers to those willing to cultivate, to endure, to fight... and to defy fate."
The candles flickered, shadows dancing across her face.
> "This path…" she continued, softer now, almost fragile. "It's long. Painful. It will break you. You'll question yourself. You might even hate who you're becoming."
Her eyes held his, steady and unwavering.
> "But when you survive it… when you endure… you will rise. You will surpasses your limits, becoming stronger than you've ever imagined. I… I believe in you."
For once, there was no teasing. No spark of mischief. Only the weight of truth.
> "If you want to be strong," Vuldyr said, voice sharp with quiet resolve, "you'll train. Without hesitation. Without excuse. With every ounce of your guts and will, you will rise gloriously."
She tilted her head.
> "So tell me, Kiddo—are you ready?"
"🎵 …happy birthday dear Niero— 🎵"
The final note rang out.
Niero looked at his family—Mom smiling through misty eyes, Sophie nudging Daisy to sing louder, Aunt Alura pretending she wasn't emotional.
He looked at the candles.
At the flickering flames.
At the future pressing in from just beyond sight.
And he smiled.
Then, with one steady breath, he leaned forward and blew.
The candles went out all at once.
Darkness.
Light.
And the quiet beginning of something far bigger than a birthday.
-
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<<<[ Ch 11, Part 03 - END ]>>>