Death was taking me.
I had been falling for a long time. I was unable to see, smell, or feel, but I knew I was falling. Gradually I could feel my senses return, but a twinge of pain seeped in with them. The pain heightened at an alarming rate. Then a burning sensation bloomed where my heart would have been.
Agony followed.
Muffled screams escaped me. My eyes and mouth were still sealed shut, and my limbs were unusable. I flailed around in panic.
I had trained to the point of torture, past my limits, but this torment was unlike anything I had ever felt. Time passed.
'I won't beg.' I groaned internally.
At the thought, the pain flared in rebellion. I couldn't faint nor release any more sounds. My thoughts could no longer form. All that was left was silence and twitches occasionally, as I could only succumb to the pain. I had no idea of how long it had been. Time stretched. My body adapted, and my thoughts began to form.
'Is this... my life from now on?'
The pain vanished without notice.
My sight had finally returned.
As I opened them, a majestic sight unfolded beyond me. Within the darkness, violet streams filled with stars, bursting with different sizes and colors— flooded my vision. Towards the front of the stream, a shattered white hole could be seen. Jet-black shards of void floated around the white hole, gravitating towards it.
They paused.
Then they shifted into the white hole, resembling sentient beings as they repaired it. All at once, it looked bizarre, beautiful, and dangerous. It felt like something I shouldn't have seen, a secret best left forgotten.
Fear and curiosity were absent within me; only raw confusion filled me.
'Reasons are useless; I need to get out of here.'
When I tried to examine myself, I encountered darkness and purple streams.
'Am I just an eye?'
At the opposite end of the purple streams, I noticed a larger starburst with white sparks before my vision dimmed.
I was plunged into darkness once more.
The {■■■■■} POV
"In the hush between the stars, a promise made unmade, the void remembers your soul: may it grant favour."
Noah Grey POV
Nauseous, I woke up to the sound of streetlights buzzing. Beams of iridescent light glazed across me. I sat up gingerly, lowering my head into my knees, contemplating what I had witnessed. No panic could be seen or felt, but pangs of irritation were present. Taking a deep breath, I finally opened my eyes.
Only to close them again, I winced at the sudden intake of neon lights. I was in a room that gave off a futuristic vibe from the Earth I knew. A blanket was carelessly strewn upon me, and I was in a shirt that hung loosely on my pale skin, which seemed as fragile as a strand of rain. To my left was a cyan transparent window that revealed the area.
'I am not on Earth, at least not the one I once knew.'
Hovering cars, bikes and trains, all layered in different ways, filled the landscape. Lights of all colours shot endlessly into the sky, and the people… The people were all normal?
Joy and laughter filled the streets. Some hovered, some walked, but one thing that was similar to Earth was the smiles painted upon all their faces.
My stomach twisted and my jaw clenched. Beads of sweat formed on my hand, and a wave of dizziness washed over me.
'The same expressions.'
I rushed to the toilet I had noticed earlier. I couldn't clearly hear the faint voice of something similar to Alexa in my old world before I released the unknown contents within me into the bathtub.
I whispered while panting, "Calm down, Noah."
After some time, I got up and looked at myself through the mirror. A 14-year-old me gazed back. Hair as dark as the deepest nights lay in messy bangs on my short, delicate frame. The eyes that stared back at me were grey, the same grey that held the monotony and intensity from my past life. Another life meant more expectations, more shackles, and more regrets.
In my childish fervour, I thought I would be free in heaven, enjoying a freedom that I had longed for. I scoffed at my stupidity.
"A package has arrived; please collect it from the door," said the robotic female voice.
My muscles tensed.
'A package?'
With caution, I approached the door. I looked at the camera that revealed a box sitting outside my room with no one around.
I took the package and locked the room. If I opened this package, I knew there would be instructions or something of the sort. Something had sent me here, perhaps to mock me or on a quest, but I knew there would be more chains.
Why not walk out of here and live my life? I asked myself this question, but I was no fool. I read multiple novels set in this futuristic world. It was surely a joke, but I couldn't deny my reality. A sense of defiance and hopelessness welled within me. I was sure I was in the novel I read at my deathbed: A promise made, unmade.
Within the package lay two items: a note that seemed too old for this day and age and a small vial containing a blue liquid. I chose to leave the note and stored it in the subspace within my watch. I immediately knew I wasn't well off here. I had 6000 credits and a subspace with only 1 ㎥ worth of space, both meagre amounts in this world. Ashyn
I stared at the vial, tempted. I knew whoever threw me here sent me these things and would most likely have sent the two items, but I have had enough.
Childish perhaps, but I, Noah Grey, would hold the torch in this tragedy. Like I had done in my previous life, I would do what was deemed impossible. The only difference was that this time, I would free myself from the burdens that held me in place.
I've felt their weight; now I would rise beyond it.
'I will surpass myself.'
Without hesitation, I took the vial and crushed it in my hand. The glass splintered, cutting deep into my pale skin. Dewy crimson blood oozed out of my hand, intertwining with the mysterious blue liquid.
'I am sure this is the right decision.'
'Sta–'
Time stopped. The blood and liquid paused while falling, frozen. Blue and red mixed, and before I could react, the liquid shot into me. My blood retraced itself, closing the wounds I had previously inflicted, and a soothing chill crawled throughout my body.
I grimaced, brows furrowing. 'I should have stored it.'
There was no change within me, at least none I could feel. I should have been angry, annoyed or even worried, but only exhilaration flowed through my veins. A growing smirk found itself on my face.
'The chains have already started to form.'
'Status'
Aeron Araxys
𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘
Status
Bloodline: ???
Description: A yearning for freedom…
==========
Rank cap: C+
Rank: F+
==========
Strength: 7
Stamina: 5
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 9
Perception: 6
Dexterity: 10
Charm: 20
Luck: 0
==========
Talents: A Gambler's Reality
Skills: Pain Resistance {SSS} (Max) ---All Languages {S} (Max)
Arts:
==========
Fate Points: 0
Fate Shop
Ashyn's Death: 4 years 75 days…
==========
End
𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘
It was concerning.
I rubbed my eyes to check again, but the stats remained the same. The status screen itself was another thing. It was all black, and according to the novel, all status screens were blue or white when blessed by Ashyn. The main character had a gold one, with features like quests, system points, and shops where he could buy skill upgrade tokens, arts, and talents. However, mine was called Fate Point, though I already had an inkling of how it worked and functioned.
Everyone in {F} was still regarded as unawakened, the normals. In the academy, all first-years were above the E rank. Subsequent ranks were harder to achieve, and even the MC and his party only reached B rank when the demons arrived, ultimately leading to Ashyn's death. The jump between {B} and {C} was a major step which normally took 4 years, but it took the party 20 months, with the MC taking 16 months. They were undoubtedly talented, comparable to the elves, but I would need to elevate them all to at least {A} rank by the time the demons arrived if I wanted Ashyn to survive.
The higher your rank cap was, the faster you grew with the MC at SSS+ and the party all with SSS- caps after the Ignition.
My new name was Aeron Araxys, a name unmentioned in the novel, so I was clearly an irrelevant character. I remained unconcerned about the bloodline and domains, as they came much later down the line.
'A Gambler's Reality'
==========
Talent: A Gambler's Reality
Description: Never stop! You are only one draw away from the win!
Luck increases by one every 30 days..
77% chance of negating curses, but if cursed, the effect is twice as effective.
Successful gambling increases luck by 0.1.
If fate changes significantly due to your actions, a random increase of a stat will be given from 1 to 3 stat points.
Skills: Poker Face {C} (0%): an unreadable straight face to keep you folding under pressure—Gambler's Instinct {B} (0%): Passive that allows you to sense dangers or even treasure
==========
'Is this the talent the potion gave me?'
It was extremely useful because luck was a difficult stat to increase due to its ties with fate. But a faint feeling of unrest rose from the bottom of my stomach. I would make use of it, as it would have been childish not to, but this wouldn't happen again. I would make sure of it.
.
.
.
I was on a train heading to West Kony, a small village situated to the far west of Civoria. It was fascinating watching the transition from the cyber world to the flat green hills of the countryside. From the air, the scenes and the people, there was a silent tranquillity throughout the three-hour journey, an experience I never tasted.
My plans here were simple: to increase my talent cap before I entered the academy. There was a week left before the story would truly begin. Though I was confused about how I got in, it was most likely due to family ties or some promise made by someone. Their requirement was {E}, but here I was still at {F+}. I could only dismiss the thoughts for now and focus on the current objective.
I knew my charm stat was high, so I slipped on a hoodie and headed through the lonely town. The townsfolk were wary but kind. After all, it would have been worrying seeing a 14-year-old with such small stature go into the woods even under the morning sun. They told me the forest was safe minus the few bears here and there, and I reassured them by booking a room at the inn. The price slightly irked me, at 500 credits a night, but it was a necessary venture. The cool summer breeze brushed my hair away as I stared at the daunting foliage ahead of me.
.
.
Much later in the story, there would be a demon outbreak here, and a school trip was planned. One of the female heroines would find a dragon's essence lost through time. It should have had no karmic ties, but the energy it radiated made a demon outbreak possible in such a remote place. Her potential was above the {S+} essence, but it was good enough for the current me. It was sold for 2.8 billion credits and would be worth even more now, as Ashyn had yet to do the Ignition for humanity.
After the two-hour trek I finally arrived at the place. An old tree was singled out, marked with age and curved in a grotesque manner. The essence was in the middle of the tree, and there was a way to approach it without antagonising.
It was simple: to not make any contact on the darker leaves that it dropped. The heroine had to call the whole party to subdue the {B} Elderthe. As I reached the tree, the leaves started to glow with a gold sheen; gold dew formed from every leaf before they all gathered into a sphere. A single branch reached out tenderly and brushed my cheek in a strangely intimate manner. The gold orb solidified and landed within my grasp. It was milky gold, dewy inside, and constantly pulsing with energy.
I was about to start absorbing it, but the leaves stilled midair. The gentle caresses of the summer breeze vanished. All sound was absent in the forest. Immediately, I stored the essence in my subspace and tensed. There was no warning from Gambler's instinct, but it had worked earlier when I avoided the bears. It meant that whoever was doing this had no ill intent.
That or, 'This entity is beyond the scope of the skill.'
I narrowed my eyes, loosening my muscles, waiting patiently for any signs of danger. A melodious voice flowed through my head.
"You are not of this world, child. The soul shares secrets I have yet to fathom, but yours is unlike what I have come to be aware of."
It paused.
"For what reason are you on this plane, young one?"
"To seek something I have yet to discover." I was sure it was Ashyn. If it was, this was the best answer I could give her without lying. There was silence for a short while. It was unsettling, as if she was examining every inch of me. I could feel something within me being peeled apart piece by piece before it stopped.
"I will be watching you."
Before the sentence had finished, I found myself in the room I had booked earlier. Murmurs and laughter were heard across the inn. I leaned against the wall and sat down, panting.
'Another humbling experience'
All dragons and phoenixes were safeguarded by Ashyn. I had forgotten the simple fact. She monitored any movement of related items. She could not harm the inhabitants of her world, only bless them and communicate. Any mortal who talked to her for too long would burst into ashes, yet I hadn't felt a thing.
'Is my soul abnormal?'
I was sure I would meet her again, but next time it wouldn't be so one-sided.
Ashyn
'His soul burns faintly, shackled by otherworldly burdens. He exudes a familiar warmth but also an underlying danger. His colours will show in time. How was he able to locate the essence? Soul search? Precognition? A skill? '
She sighs, "Regrets can wait; time does not."
Ashyn closes her eyes and plucks a strand of her platinum hair. A small droplet is formed, suffused with her vitality. Her aura visibly dims before she disperses into particles that descend to the very earth she embodies. The droplet blinks out of existence, going to the boy she is wary of.