Ren woke with a start, drenched in sweat. The mark on his hand pulsed like a heartbeat, brighter than ever. Aeri sat nearby, sipping her tea calmly.
"You're late," she said, eyes narrowing. "Or… early. Depending on how you define waking up panicked."
Ren rubbed his eyes. "…I think I just touched a cosmic reset button in my dreams. Or maybe reality's mocking me again."
Aeri didn't answer. She tilted her head, studying his mark. "Time to test it. Your power. Silence."
Ren froze. "…Test what? I'm not some anime protagonist who suddenly gets world-ending skills in a single morning."
"You are," she said matter-of-factly. "And if you want to survive, you need to control it. Now."
Ren groaned but obeyed, raising his hand. The mark flared, and suddenly, the sounds of the city vanished. Birds hung motionless in the air, a dog mid-bark froze like a statue, and a street vendor's cart stopped wobbling entirely. Even the flowing water in the fountain below was suspended.
"…Uh," Ren whispered, heart racing. "…Okay… that's terrifying."
"Good," Aeri said softly. "You're starting to understand. You can silence not just noise, but the world's… influence. Magic, divine interference, even life's flow for a moment."
Ren blinked. "…That's… insanely powerful. Also… insanely stressful."
Aeri nodded. "And there's a cost."
The moment the sounds returned, Ren felt a hollow tug in his chest. A faint memory, personal and warm, flickered and vanished. He blinked rapidly. "…Wait. Did I… just forget breakfast? Or was it last week's math test?"
"Memory fades with each use," Aeri said. Her voice was calm, but her eyes carried warning. "The more you silence, the more you erase. Choose carefully."
Ren slumped onto the balcony railing, gripping his head. "…So I get god-level powers, and my life experiences get shredded like paper. Marvelous."
"You can't hide it," Aeri warned. "Not even from me. Secrets like this will find you out eventually. And enemies…" She trailed off, letting the word hang.
Ren glanced at her, exasperated. "…Enemies. Right. So many enemies. Gods, spies, thieves, cosmic nightmares, possibly the guy who owns the vending machine from my old life…"
Aeri smirked faintly. "Focus on one at a time. And start small. Silence a falling object, a weapon, or a creature attacking you. Practice until it's instinct."
Ren groaned. "…Instinct for forgetting things? Great."
He tried again. This time, a stray rock fell from a ledge above the city street. He focused, willing it to freeze midair. The rock halted inches from a passerby's head. Ren's mark flared bright, then dimmed. He felt another tug — a fleeting memory of a childhood friend he barely remembered. Gone.
"…Oh no," he muttered. "…Oh no no no no no."
Aeri placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're learning. That's what matters. Control first, consequence second. Always second."
Ren exhaled shakily. "…I have to get used to being a walking paradox. Power with a penalty. Strength with amnesia. And probably eternal sarcasm."
A sudden rumble in the distance caught their attention. The mark pulsed again.
"They've found us," Aeri said softly. "…The pantheon's agents. Get ready."
Ren stood, gripping a makeshift staff he'd carved from a tree. "…Right. Let's test these powers in combat without accidentally erasing my entire personality. How hard can it be?"
Somewhere in the city, golden eyes glinted. Somewhere, the echoes of the fallen gods waited. And somewhere deep in Ren's mind, the cost of silence whispered a warning he couldn't ignore.
To be continued…
If you're enjoying the story, want to read more, and wish to support me in creating future chapters, you can do so here:
https://patreon.com/LucienDio
Every bit of support means a lot and helps me keep writing and expanding Ren's world. Thank you for reading.