People shouted and screamed as lights danced across the black stage, shifting in a myriad of colors—red, blue, green, yellow, and purple—blurring seamlessly over the exuberant crowd. Tanya, arms crossed and crimson hair falling loosely into her eyes, watched the spectacle.
In her opinion, this was all a bit much for a rising 16-year-old star. But apparently, her little "minion" had become the Justin Bieber of their time. She casually brushed her crimson locks aside. The color of her hair was new—an unsettlingly bright red, unlike her past life. She wasn't sure what it meant. Probably Being X's fetish, she thought, seeing little girls like her with colorful hair suffering under his twisted games.
Her attention shifted to the stage as Orpheus walked on, the crowd erupting into another round of cheers. The boy—her ally, if you could call him that—stood confidently under the lights. His short black hair was shaved at the sides, the top curled just enough to look deliberately messy. Light olive skin and striking blue eyes reflected under the white spotlight. The broadness of his shoulders and athletic build showed even through the sleeveless shirt and flannel he wore. Why he wore that considering the weather she knew not.
He had grown well, despite their horrific upbringing. A feat considering their shared past in the orphanage, a place known as the Under Light Orphanage was run by a gnarly, despicable woman named Helga. She had been a child trafficker and the orphanage was well known for its run-down state. It had never been raided by the cops because the people she trafficked to were powerful in the underworld. And in truth, no one cared about a place where whores came to drop children they carried to term. For Orpheus, it had been worse than that.
Orpheus hadn't arrived there until he was five, unlike Tanya, who had been born into it. His mother, a harlot, had kept him hidden from his wealthy, married father, hoping to spring the surprise of his existence. When that plan backfired, he was dumped at the orphanage, scarred and beaten. It was a cold January day when he appeared.
The other children were already fighting for survival in that place and saw him as prey. She was not kind but she wouldn't allow a child to suffer so. She taught him all the best places to pick insects for food. Where to sleep to avoid dust getting in your lungs. How to pick out the best parts from the shitty food they did get. Where to go to gain the most sympathy points from the adults in the big city when they snuck out at night through a hatch she made. Orpheus had taken to singing to get money.
And his career grew from there.
Now he stood on stage, a celebrity. She had long since joined the stock market from the money he earned, and they'd managed to forge enough documents to buy a little studio apartment together. It wasn't much, but it was theirs. She now had her own passive source of income as well, this world was for all intents and purposes earth.
"Ahem..." Orpheus's voice came through the microphone, soft at first. The crowd immediately fell silent. "Unlike most of my songs, this one is slower, more delicate. It's special to me... this day is special to me."
He paused, the teenage girls in the crowd clutching their hearts as if hanging on his every word.
"I know y'all are cold out here. But January 17th is the day I felt like I was born. It's not my true birthday, but... it feels like it is. And I want to share that part of my life with you."
His voice cracked slightly, but his smile remained strong. "You all brought me from zero to hero. Carried me on your backs when I was flailing. Doing nothing for myself locked up in a space where I just wasted away. And for that, I have only love for you. Only love..."
The crowd screamed again, their adoration for him vibrating through the cold air.
Tanya blinked. January 17th... was that the day? That January day? She couldn't remember. But she couldn't help the feeling that his words were aimed directly at her. No, surely not. People who grow up together usually consider each other siblings, right?
The colorful lights focused on him before turning white, making him the center of the world at the moment. His backup drummers and other band members started playing a lovely slow tune as he began to sing.
I was empty and I found you
Delightful all around you
There's a hope that just surrounds you
Oh so fluffy about you
He bobbed his head softly, lost in the dream-like rhythm as his voice floated across the silent stadium.
Something that I love
I hope for from above
The strumming of his guitar picked up pace, his rhythm growing more intense.
Despite the hate I got
Despite the things I sought
Always ending in despair
With a violent raucous flare
With bombs bursting in the air
How American am I there
A smile crossed his lips at the irony, and his words began to spill out faster, filled with more weight.
With bullets flying all around
Steeped in blood, Ares-bound
You know it tends to tire you out
When they see you as war clout
His voice rose, soaring above the melody as snow began to drift down from the sky. The crowd was mesmerized, entranced by his every movement, his every word.
But now that you've appeared
Now that you smile here
Your lips curling in the air
Nose bright red like your hair
Tanya's heart sank as Orpheus grinned ear-to-ear, as though speaking of the most precious thing in creation.
In this January weather we have, Oh I hope we have a blast
Through the winter and the snow
Let our love take the show
While she didn't share those feelings for him, it was impossible to deny the raw emotion in his voice.
Through the snowflakes and the slush
Melting and freezing states in flux
Let us remain changing and the same
Evolving together
Convergent the name
At least his schooling had worked to some degree, Tanya thought dryly. She used to worry he'd suffered brain damage as a child with how quiet he'd been.
So protect me and us, I'll protect you I'm cautious
Till the snow melts into spring—
(I-was-empty-and-I-found-you-Delightful-all-around-you-There-s-a-hope-that-just-s-.mp4)
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled. The sky turned a deep crimson, and the snow that had been drifting peacefully moments ago began to melt at an unnatural rate. The serene atmosphere was shattered. It was as if a divine hand had swept over the world, striking it in anger. Considering her history with the bastard that might actually be the case. he was the type to be angered by anyone at all feeling such a way about her.
Screams echoed from the auditorium as people began to push others out of the way like beasts. Savagely stepping on one another climbing over piles trampling the old, the healthy, and the young. The security tried their best but even many of them began to run. There is this primal sort of fear when faced with a natural disaster that people tend not to understand until they are face to face with one. The only thing more scary than the world is the people themselves. That being said that dumbass Orpheus didn't run.
Tanya!" he shouted into the mic. "Get to the stage or stay where you are! I'll come to you!" His security and managers tried to pull him through the back entrance in vain.
She sighed as he leapt into the stampeding crowd, flipping one of his security guards over his shoulder with a skill she had personally taught him. This was going to be a hassle.
She rushed ahead her short form hopping over several older men. She had gone so far as to start hopping from head to head. Like Mario over Koopas. This wasn't normal at all. While she wouldn't say she lacked physical fitness this bordered on that minor superhuman tier. She was still a 16-year-old girl without magic who'd been starved when young even if she was doing ok for herself now. But it wasn't time to think of that. She spotted him in the crowd rushing looking for her. Jumping off a particularly bald man she drove both her feet into Orpheus's chest knocking him on the ground and several people behind him like dominos. Luckily as he came off the stage he was near the back of the pack. Straddling him annoyed at the struggle she had to go through to reach him her eyebrows furrowed.
With a quick grab by the nose, she yanked him closer. "What exactly made you think jumping into a stampeding crowd during a natural disaster was a good idea? Did I fail that much in your upbringing?"
"Um shurry—" His voice was muffled by her hold.
"We'll talk later," she said, releasing him and pulling him to his feet. Together, they ran toward the stage, dodging falling pillars as the ground continued to shake violently. Despite her strange increase in speed, Orpheus was able to keep up with her just fine.
'Shkkkk boom!'
Wreckage had fallen through the narrow hallway coving the door to the exit behind the stage. They had barely gotten there dodging the falling boulders and structures to get to the stage in the first place. Tanya looked for anything that could help them, if they stayed here they'd die. Seeing the white gas that wasn't dust had been coming off the wreckage she looked at the pipes that had been exposed at her feet.
Gas," she muttered, eyeing the exposed pipe hissing ominously. There was gas coming from underneath the wreckage. She looked to her companion.
"A lighter! I know you have one," she snapped.
Orpheus fumbled, eyes wide. "It was just once—"
Tanya didn't wait. She dug into his pocket, flicked the lighter to life, and tossed it toward the gas. Orpheus tackled her to the ground just as the explosion rocked the building, sending shrapnel flying. While the explosion was mitigated by the wreckage it still sent several pieces of shrapnel their way but luckily it seems they avoided the worst of it. And more importantly, the entrance was blown wide open. Her plan had worked.
Orpheus got up quickly and Tanya was able to see. The city was collapsing. Great rends were torn in the earth. Like invisible hands were reaching from the core of the planet rending it without pause. Skyscrapers toppled like they were made of paper mache. Street lights flickered hasping lights illuminating the buried forms of families who got caught in the wreckage while the red sky loomed up above. Tanya couldn't help but feel an incredulous smile appear on her face.
"This is a bit on the nose no?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Let's go!" Orpheus grabbed her hand and dragged her along while she was still somewhat stunned by the literal collapse of the world. She wondered if he was even able to do shit like this. Wasn't he just a middling divine manager?
Above them, beams of light pierced the crimson sky, creating small pockets of blue amidst the chaos.
"Tanya, we need to head for the light. It might be our only chance."
She nodded her head quickly, she was about to suggest the same. She didn't know how long this would go on for but if the landscape kept shifting like this then the chances of survival were nilch. Whatever divine game this was she would play it. And she would win.
The nearest beam of light was three or four miles away—just barely within running distance if they could keep a steady pace. They weren't the only ones with the idea; across the shattered city, dozens of people sprinted toward the lights, hoping to escape the destruction. As the world warped and twisted beneath their feet, Tanya kept a sharp eye on the surroundings. Something wasn't right.
"WAIT!" she hissed in Orpheus's ear, yanking him to a stop.
A skyscraper, groaning under the pressure of the earth splitting below, toppled toward them like a behemoth. The people running alongside them barely noticed until it was too late. The crash sent a shockwave through the air, knocking the pair back, debris and blood raining down as those caught beneath were crushed. Orpheus pulled her back up with expediency. He was as focused as she had ever seen him. They dashed toward the skyscraper Orpheus kicking in a window to create an entrance. They climbed through, navigating the debris-filled structure. Running on what would have been the walls of the formerly vertical building. A huge piece of wreckage came up in front of them and without a word, Orpheus bent down using his hands as a booster for her to get up before he climbed up with her help from the top. She had taught him well.
A few floors had collapsed, exposing the twisted interior of the skyscraper, where others rushed through the wreckage in the same desperate bid to escape and get back on the street to go toward the light. The groaning of metal and stone grew louder, a deep, primal sound that made Tanya's skin crawl. With a violent lurch, the building split in two, leaving a gaping chasm that yawned between the halves. Unfortunately for her that was the side she was running at. She lost her footing slipping on some wreckage as the skyscraper tilted diagonally and she fell in. Or at least she should have Orpheus had grabbed her hand preventing her from falling to her death. He was on top of the ledge leaning down to hold her. But just above him, she could see an old woman who was slipping down as well from the tilted building. But taking advantage of his prone position she drove her foot into his back using him to regain her balance and once again traveling outwards. He fell in as well but his other hand caught himself on the edge of the ledge. One hand holding her and one hand holding himself. Only he was standing between her and oblivion.
"Orpheus, you're bleeding!" She only now noticed the deep red spreading across his shirt.
The fool had been pushing through the pain the entire time. She could feel the pulse of her frustration mixing with something deeper—a gut-wrenching realization that he was fighting for her, even at the cost of his own life. She had watched him since he was small. She had seen him grow up. She had seen him struggle and cry and fight and scream and smile and laugh and succeed and fail. He only had one life, this was her 3rd. She would not let him go like this.
She began to wiggle her hand out of his using her other hand to try and peel his off.
"Let. Me. GO!" She snarled, but Orpheus didn't budge. His grip became almost crushing. Veins bulged on his neck as the wounds on his back seemed to open more. Blood streamed from his back flowing down his arm and dripping onto her face. Slowly but surely as he roared his lungs raw resisting both gravity her dead weight and her fighting back he began to lift her up towards the ledge.
"DAMN YOU, LET GO!" But just as almost every time since he hit puberty, he did not listen. With one final gasp and an unnatural strength born of desperation, he threw her onto the ledge. She quickly scurried to grab him but she was only able to graze his fingers. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle as he gave her one final look—a smile, bloody and broken yet proud—before he slipped into the darkness below.
Gritting her teeth she felt her nails dig into her palms. But this was on sacrifice she refused to waste. Taking one last look back she started making her way out. But at this point, she was just running to run. Everything felt like a blur. She couldn't tell how much time had passed or what was going on around her. There was just stone and glass and death and screams. The sounds of destruction, once deafening, now faded into a dull, distant roar. Her ears were ringing, her heart pounding as if the world itself was beating against her chest. It didn't matter. She had to run. As long as she could run, she was alive. And if she was alive, then Orpheus had lived, and Being X hadn't won.
Her mind barely registered her actions as she tore through the collapsing city, leaping over rubble and skidding past the bodies of those who hadn't made it. She only stopped when she saw a figure buried under the wreckage—the old woman, reaching out desperately for help as people ran past her, too consumed by their own panic to care.
Tanya didn't stop herself. She slid the debris off the old woman's legs, freeing her.
"Oh, thank you, deary," the woman croaked, her voice weak. "Could you help me out? I'm afraid I can't run anymor—"
Tanya's eyes glazed over as she stepped closer, her breath shallow. The world around her dulled, reduced to the steady beat of her heart, the trembling earth beneath her feet, and the old woman's pleading eyes.
Without a word, Tanya lunged.
Under the red sky and collapsing earth of the apocalypse Tanya bashed her skull into the earth again and again.
Once, twice, thrice. Until fragments of bone and grey matter covered the concrete. Her face was concave and the smell of bile and other fluids leaked over her hands. Until her spine was misaligned and jutted through her frail skin due to the trauma. Until Tanya's face was gray with dust and red with blood that perfectly matched with her hair. There was no emotion left. Only survival.
Without hesitation, she turned and continued her path toward the light.
Under the eerie beam of light, the world was untouched by the devastation raging across the planet. The sky, still blue in this little pocket of tranquility, stretched peacefully above a park where other survivors had gathered, huddled together in silent shock, these were those who had happened to be here when it started safe from it all. And in that green little park plenty who had to run from the apocalypse sat against the trees crying their eyes out from stress and loss in contrast.
Tanya crossed the threshold into the safe zone and immediately felt the shift. The terror, the destruction—all of it was muffled here. She saw others looking up, their eyes wide with disbelief. Something was there, though she couldn't see it.
As she stepped further into the light, a message appeared before her eyes, as clear as day:
[Congratulations! You have entered a safe zone during planet initialization.]
[Wait here and the changing earth won't affect you. Aether is reforging the planet and the lifeforms on it.]
[Once the process is done, the aether that has seeped into your flesh will grant you the Gaean system. Good fighting to you!]
[Time remaining: 01:22:03]
Tanya blinked, her bloodied hand rubbing her temple. "What the actual fuc—"
Deep in the cosmos, two colossal figures loomed over the universe, gazing down at the chaos below.
"The Kovri aren't letting us go, huh?" The first figure, a humanoid with the legs of a dragon, grumbled. He looked like a creature ripped from Greek myth—a Gigan. "Over half the cells have already been initialized. Why didn't we initialize this one before the invasion?"
"This is to be expected," his ally replied. The second being was far stranger, with one hundred arms and fifty heads. A Hecatoncheires, towering above his companion. "We no longer have primordial backing. Mother is dead, and this was her plan. This cell is special. They need to struggle and challenge themselves to grow. We need all the talent we can get... if we are to win."
"What cell is this, by the way?" The Gigan asked, curious.
The Hecatoncheires brought up a blue screen, reading the details. "Cell 777777777777777777777777777777777777."
"Wait, isn't that the human cell? Ah, I see now. So it's that race."
"Yes. The experimental race. The only one our mother made with another."
"That chaos creature, Adam, right? What was even the point of that? I heard they were horrendously weak."
"Do not question Gaea, but if you must know, it's because they were born from that shifting beast of flesh and bone—Adam—that they have potential. When mixed with their Gaean physiology, some of them become quite powerful. Most of them are garbage, however."
"And what does that mean?"
"It means humans have the highest chance of giving birth to a Veeran. Aside from that they are nothing special."
The Gigan's eyes widened. "A Veeran? That's insane. They don't have limits to their potential... no wonder this cell was a special case. Even one could be a game-changer if their innate traits are good. And even if not they don't have limits to their potential. But Im confused why choose to initialize now and lose so many? Should they not be a treasured race?"
"Gaea's latent will has sensed this is their peak. This is the highest number and highest quality of Veerans the human race will ever produce. past this is only downhill."
"I see. When will the Kovri reach humanity's planet, there are several other sapient Gaean races in this cell no?"
"Probably a few years the Milky Way galaxy is far from the supercluster the Kovri entered into."
The Gigan raised his head clapping his hands with a grin.
"Well here's to hoping for change!"
Tanya stood quietly as the timer ticked down from two seconds to one. And finally, it hit zero. A little blue screen popped up in front of her once more.
[Congratulations, survivors of Gaean cell 777777777777777777777777777777777777!]
[This is the Gaean system, the system your divine mother has created for you to face outside threats invading her body.]
[Your planet has grown significantly, and aether has seeped into all beings. This will awaken your innate traits and abilities, allowing you to take the first steps toward ascension!]
[Beasts also get this benefit, as you are all Gaeans. But as a sapient race, you have an innate advantage. Prepare yourselves as your mother's enemies invade this cell—your universe.]
[Please say "display" to access the system.]
A lot to unpack there, so this wasn't being X? It was some deity named Gaea based on the earth goddess of Greek myth. Her cells were apparently universe and enemies were invading her body like a pathogen. This aether was given to us to prepare us to battle these pathogens?
"What the fuck are we, white blood cells?" Tanya muttered.
She shook her head. It didn't matter. She needed to see what she was working with.
"Display," she said aloud.
The system responded immediately, her stats and abilities flashing before her eyes:
[Name–Tanya]
Race– Gaean: Human
[Error]
[Error]
Race– Gaean: Human (Veeran)
Level— 0/20 (Tier 0)
Racial traits— Gaean
- [Encompassing Earth – As a Gaean, you can absorb and interact with aether.]
- [Healing Soil – Slight boost in stamina and vitality when on the ground.]
- [World Weary – Gain resistances by enduring struggle.]
Innate trait— Veeran (Bloodstained Angel of War)
- [Wings of Absolution – Grow red wings that can fly at immense speeds and be used as weapons. Grows with advancement.]
- [Chaos Flames – Manipulate black flames with low energy cost that have the properties of erosion and misfortune. Grows with advancement.]
- [War Totem – Gain a burning red broadsword that can be imbued with your aether. Bonded weapon that transforms into other weapons, but the broadsword is its strongest form. Grows with advancement.]
- [Beast of Desolation – Choose an animal or beast to bond with as your beast of war. Enhances their abilities and binds them to you forever. Horses are recommended. Chosen beast grows with you and your advancement.]
- [Limitless Potential – As a Veeran, your innate traits will always grow with you, and you may attain more with advancement. There is no end to your potential.]
Stats
- [Str – 7 > 45]
- [Cons – 8 > 37]
- [Agi – 10 > 33]
- [Perc – 10 > 30]
- [Vit – 6 > 35]
- [Int – 13 > 19]
As the system finished displaying her information, Tanya's hair suddenly ignited, burning a bright red like flames. Two crimson wings burst from her back, glowing with a fierce, radiant light. Of course, she thought bitterly. She was the horseman of war. Considering her past life what the fuck was she expecting.
Goddamn gods could never leave her alone.
At the bottom of the chasm where Orpheus had fallen, his broken body lay beneath the wreckage.
His spine was shattered, and several organs had been crushed. Yet, somehow, he still clung to life. Barely. Perhaps it was willpower, perhaps it was something more.
His vision was gone—no, not gone. He couldn't see, but he could sense something. On the fringes of his conciouss.
[Congratulations, survivors of Gaean cell 777777777777777777777777777777777777!]
[This is the Gaean system, the system your divine mother has created for you to face outside threats invading her body.]
Orpheus croaked, trying to speak, but his voicebox was likely crushed. Still, the system seemed to sense his intent.
[Please say "display" to access the system.]
Unable to speak, Orpheus's thoughts alone triggered the system's display.
[Name–Orpheus]
Race– Gaean: Human
[Error]
[Error]
Race– Gaean: Human (Veeran)
Level— 0/20 (Tier 0)
Racial traits— Gaean
- [Encompassing Earth – As a Gaean, you can absorb and interact with aether.]
- [Healing Soil – Slight boost in stamina and vitality when on the ground.]
- [World Weary – Gain resistances by enduring struggle.]
Innate trait— Veeran (Loved by All, Hated by Ends)
- [To Not Turn Back – Use 99% of your aether to revive from the dead once per day. (Passive)]
- [Sprite Progenitor – Using aether and words, bring life to the inanimate to fight for you or learn from them. Grows with advancement.]
- [Oracle – Manipulate probability to benefit you by bending fortune. Grows with advancement.]
- [All the Sounds in the World – Remember and use the sounds of different elements or unique effects and string them together. Disrupt harmonies or create symphonies. A dominant force of magic. Grows with advancement.]
- [Limitless Potential – As a Veeran, your innate traits will always grow with you, and you may attain more with advancement. There is no end to your potential.]
Stats
- [Str – 10 > 23]
- [Cons – 10 > 37]
- [Agi – 9 > 28]
- [Perc – 7 > 49]
- [Vit – 8 > 36]
- [Int – 10 > 52]
A burst of purple light exploded from Orpheus's broken form, and a shadowy figure that looked exactly like him stepped out, flesh forming around it until it became a perfect replica of him. His eyes widened in shock—then relief.
Orpheus slumped against the wreckage, now standing in front of his own corpse. He smiled weakly, closing his eyes as exhaustion took him. He was physically, mentally, and newly magically tapped out. So he decided to rest for now. But even then he smiled in his dreams.
He was alive.
____________________
