Prologue: The One Wish
The sky fractured, a jagged tear spilling light like shattered glass. From the impossible fissure, a god descended.
But let's rewind.
Hours earlier, I was just Yamato Ryuu, nineteen, a guy whose defining characteristic was blending in. No powers, no romance, just a quiet existence in the background of Fujikawa High. Problems were to be sidestepped, not confronted.
Until the universe decided to throw me into one.
Everything stopped during last period. Literally—the world had paused. I stood up, panicked, and saw him.
A man floating inches above the ground, dressed like a cult leader dipped in glitter.
"Yamato Ryuu," he spoke, his voice resonating with an otherworldly calm.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I stood slowly, my hands clammy. "Who... who are you?"
A gentle smile touched his lips. "I am Aetheron, a traveler between realms. And I have sought you out."
I blinked, disoriented. "Sought me out? For what?"
"Your world teeters on the brink of a precipice you cannot fathom. Mine has already fallen. I offer you a chance, Ryuu Yamato. Come to Kael'theron. Help me reclaim what was lost. And in return... one wish. Unbound by limitations." A shadow passed behind his gaze—something vast and hungry. "There's a rot eating at the seams of everything."
"You serious?"
"As the silence that cradles dying stars."
I glanced around the frozen classroom. "Why me? I'm just... me."
"Precisely," Aetheron replied. "A blank slate. A soul untouched by the burdens of power in my realm. I offer you a choice, Ryuu Yamato. Step through the veil. Become something more."
My mind reeled. This was insane. Too much. I just wanted to graduate without causing a scene. This isn't a tutorial boss. This is permadeath mode.
Aetheron raised a luminous hand. "Doubt builds its own prison."
With a snap of his fingers, the world shattered.