void_the_absolute

In a world where gods once ruled as cosmic systems and guardians wielded elemental truths, the balance of power has shattered.

Aethan wakes up with no memory of his past—only a mysterious System embedded in his soul and a name whispered in his dreams: Aetheris. Chased by beings both divine and corrupted, Aethan discovers he's not just a survivor—he's a weapon. Not born, but engineered as the final safeguard in a long-forgotten project to destroy the gods themselves.

Haunted by fragmented memories and hunted by ancient powers, Aethan’s journey leads him to uncover a truth that fractures the foundation of existence: the gods were never divine—they were programs, and Aethan is the bug that can crash reality.

Bound to the shadow-wielding fallen Guardian Lysandra—whose past is tangled in love, revenge, and sacrifice—Aethan must navigate a world spiraling into chaos. With every fight, kiss, betrayal, and loss, the system evolves... and so does he.

But power has a cost. And the closer Aethan comes to his true form, the more the world begins to break around him.

Will he rise as the savior of this broken realm... or become the destroyer of all things divine?

Chronicles of Aetheris: The Fall of Gods

Location: Subdimension Rupture – Below the Temple of Echoes

Crimson lightning tore through the air as the silver-cloaked figure lunged forward. Lysandra was already behind Aethan, her obsidian blade humming with necrotic energy.

His body moved before his mind caught up—Cognitive Acceleration triggered.

He ducked the first strike, spun, and parried with sheer instinct. But the second came too fast. A sliver of darkness sliced across his shoulder. Blood sprayed—black, not red.

> [Warning: Bio-sample Mutated – Awakening DNA Signature Detected]

[Analyzing Host Composition... Match Found: 1.002% Divinity – Unlocked Trait: Blood of the Forgotten Primordials]

Aethan collapsed, pain erupting through his bones like fire. The temple around them twisted, symbols crawling along the walls. Reality buckled.

"His blood's reacting," the silver-cloaked man hissed, stepping back. "The Primordials' curse still lingers in him."

Lysandra's face twitched. "He was never supposed to survive this long."

His eyes were no longer just blue—they were burning silver now, crackling with fragmented code. His body shook, bones snapping and resetting as if something inside him was breaking free.

> [System Evolution Path Diverging – Class Branch Activated: Myth Recompiler]

New Skill: Soul Thread Manipulation (Lv. 0 – Dormant)

Trait Progression Unlocked: Echoform Awakening – Stage 1 of 5

He grinned, half-crazed. "Looks like I'm more than a key now."

The ground shattered beneath him. A portal of swirling black mist opened without command. The temple's failsafe—a Subdimensional Rupture—triggered by the blood of an unauthorized godspawn.

Unknown Realm – Labyrinth of the Hollowed Ones

The air was silent. No time. No sky. Only floating shards of forgotten memories and twisted creatures that weren't truly alive.

Aethan crashed through a spiraling platform, coughing blood. But before he could move—

A girl no older than twelve stood before him. Her silver eyes mirrored his. Her hair shimmered like glass under moonlight.

"I'm your sister. Or what's left of her. Don't ask how. There's no time."

> [Memory Integration Detected – Gene Key Resonance: 2% Synced]

New Connection Unlocked: Echo-Bond – Soul Link: Althera (Deceased)

"I don't understand," Aethan muttered, staggering.

Althera touched his forehead, and in that moment—

The lab. The cold tanks. The scientists calling them "Failures."

The day he screamed so loud reality cracked.

The day the gods marked him for deletion.

"You were meant to erase them," she whispered. "But they feared you'd remember love."

Tears mixed with blood on Aethan's face. "They killed you..."

"No," Althera smiled sadly. "I chose to be forgotten. So you could live."

Her body flickered. She was fading.

> [Soul Link Severed – Transferring Echo Fragment... Complete.]

New Skill Unlocked: Hollowborn Rage (Lv. 1)

Passive Activated: Memory Guard – Emotional Immunity (Low Tier)

He rose—stronger, faster, eyes glowing with rage and pain merged. His System spoke:

> [New Evolutionary Tag Acquired: Echo of the Lost Bloodline]

Trait Bonus: Increased resistance to Divine Attacks. Adaptive Mutation unlocked.

> Quest Update: Vengeance Protocol – Phase 1 Initiated

Status: Betrayer – Soul Signature Identified

Somewhere nearby, Lysandra opened her eyes. She felt the shift in energy—his energy.

The silver-cloaked man beside her trembled. "What... what has he become?"

She didn't answer. Because deep inside her, guilt clawed.

Chapter 4: Bloodlines of the Lost