(Inside The Realm Of The Forgotten / Tartarus's Pit)
It was a ugly day for the world.
Not because the sky was dark.
Not because the air was foul.
Not because some god was screaming, some titan was plotting, or some nymph was being used as furniture in a divine palace.
No.
It was ugly because silence itself had become alive.
A silence so deep that even thought felt like a disturbance.
A silence so complete that even time itself seemed offended by it.
And in the middle of that horrifying stillness you could see a huge black tree rooted in a kingdom of dead stone and endless ash. The bark looked like hardened flesh, the branches stretched out like reaching fingers, and the leaves were a color that shouldn't exist at all as black miasma constantly dripped off of them and disappeared before it ever touched the ground.
(Mephitis's POV)
"This is actually beautiful." I said calmly while looking up at the corrupted world tree that I had planted in the bridge dimension between my realm and tartarus.
The dragonic miasma egg was buried deep beneath it's roots where no normal being could ever find it and the whole kingdom I made around the tree was already starting to feel like mine.
Not just because I created it.
But because it understood me.
The tree understood silence.
The kingdom understood stillness.
Tartarus understood endings.
And I understood all three.
I was currently standing on the highest balcony of the black stone palace at the center of the kingdom with my hands behind my back and a dark grey himation robe on my body while my featureless jet black face stared out into the endless dead horizon.
"System" I thought for a moment and said calmly.
[DING!]
[Yes co-administrator host]
"I need a proxy." I said plainly.
[DING!]
[Indeed host]
I looked down at my left hand and thought while flexing my fingers a little "I can't move openly anymore"
Gaia had noticed me.
The primordials had noticed me.
And after what my future self did to rip open the barrier around the greek realm, I had no doubt in my mind that the moment I stepped too hard onto the board again somebody stronger than me would try to swat me down like a insect.
That wasn't fear.
That was intelligence.
And I happened to value intelligence.
[DING!]
[Would you like to create a downgraded system from your co-administrator authority: Yes / No]
"Yes" I thought calmly.
[DING!]
[Forgotten Hand System successfully created]
[Functions:
-Mission Assignment
-Reward Distribution
-Status Window
-Storage (Limited)
-Communication Channel (Hidden)
-Observation]
[Restrictions:
-No co-administrator access
-No random rewards
-No free growth
-No direct revelation of host identity unless permitted]
I smiled a little and thought "Perfect"
Not too much.
Not too little.
Just enough to keep someone alive, obedient and dependent.
Exactly how a proper leash should be made.
I waved my hand lightly and the soulless high human male body floated out of my storage alongside one of the servant cards and stopped in the air in front of me.
The body was handsome.
Young.
Healthy.
Perfect.
Brown skin.
Dark hair.
Tall.
Lean muscular build.
Not too eye catching.
Not too ordinary.
A face that could blend into a crowd if it needed to and turn heads if it wanted to.
"Good." I said calmly while staring at it.
The servant card floated over and dissolved into light, sinking into the chest of the soulless body and making strange black lines briefly appear beneath the skin before vanishing.
[DING!]
[Vessel prepared successfully]
[Please choose a soul]
I raised my left hand and a giant black mirror formed in front of me.
No.
Not a mirror.
A screen.
The souls of my old universe started flashing across it in silence.
Men.
Women.
Children.
Kings of nothing.
Beggars with teeth.
Actors.
Liars.
Workers.
Killers.
Cowards.
Dreamers.
I stared with a calm look on my featureless face until one soul made me pause.
A young man.
24 years old.
Angry.
Sharp eyes.
Cheap suit.
Blood on his knuckles.
A smile that looked more like a threat than joy.
I tapped the mirror lightly and said calmly "Show me him."
The mirror rippled.
…
North America / United States / Illinois (Chicago Rooftop Parking Garage): November 8th, 2025.
It was a ugly night for the world.
The city below still full of sirens, neon lights and the kind of desperate movement that made weak people think life was going somewhere when in truth most of them were just running in circles until their legs gave out.
And if you were to look closely at the top floor of a parking garage. To be more specific, under the yellow buzzing lights and the rain that was starting to fall. You would see a young darkly handsome man in a wrinkled black dress shirt with blood on his mouth, one eye swelling shut and a gun in his hand while three other men stood in a half circle around him with weapons drawn and greedy looks in their eyes.
(Kairo's POV)
His name was kairo vale.
Twenty four years old.
Smart enough to survive.
Dumb enough to trust the wrong people once.
Only once.
Never twice.
One of the men in front of him, bald with a gold tooth and a heavy gut under a leather coat, pointed his pistol at kairo's face and said with a sneer "Drop the ledger kairo."
Kairo laughed and said with a smirk "Nah."
The rain was getting harder.
Cold.
Sharp.
Annoying.
The city smelled like wet concrete and bad decisions.
Fitting.
Another man, taller and cleaner than the others, clicked his tongue and said "You really think you can walk away with twenty million dollars and a copy of the senator's transactions."
Kairo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said calmly "Walk away, No. I think one of you ugly fuckers will probably shoot me. The problem is I'm still trying to decide which one I want dead first."
One of the men on his left immediately rushed at him with a knife.
Kairo shot him in the throat.
*BANG*
*SPLAT*
He stumbled back with wide eyes, dropping the blade and clawing at the hole in his neck.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD." Said the fat one screaming.
"Yeah. That's me." Said kairo with a grin while Immediately taking cover as he fired the gun.
The others didn't fall short.
*BANG* *BANG*
One tore through his side
*SPLAT*
The other ripped through his shoulder.
*SPLAT*
Kairo staggered back against the wet concrete barrier and let out a breath through his nose and thought with a ugly smile "So this is it"
*Dak*
The clean one suddenly charged at him like a idiot trying to play hero and kairo laughed and smashed the pistol into his jaw.
*BOOM*
*CRACK*
Then shoved him over the edge.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH." Said the clean one screaming as he fell.
Kairo looked down over the side of the garage and heard the wet crunch several seconds later.
*CRUNCH*
The fat one had a horrified look on his face and screamed while firing the rest of his magazine into him.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG**BANG*
Kairo's body jerked.
His knees buckled.
The ledger slipped from his bloody fingers and hit the ground.
The rain was freezing now.
Or maybe he was just dying.
Probably both.
The fat bastard walked up shaking and kicked him in the chest.
*THUD*
"Should've taken the money and stayed loyal." Said the fat bastard while breathing hardly.
Kairo looked up at him from the ground and started laughing.
Actually laughing.
Not because anything was funny.
But because the stupid bastard still didn't understand.
Kairo had copied the ledger three days ago.
His boss was already finished.
The senator was already finished.
Everybody was already finished.
He coughed up blood and said softly "Loyalty is for dogs."
Kairo grabbed his ankle with his bloody hand and yanked hard with the last bit of strength he had.
*THUD*
He crashed down beside him with a scream.
Kairo pulled the knife from the dead man's dropped hand and rammed it into the fat bastard's eye.
*SCHLICK*
"AHHHHHHH." Said the fat bastard letting out a horrifying scream.
He rolled off kairo twitching and screaming and Kairo laid there on the wet concrete with blood pooling under his body while the rain washed it toward the drain.
His vision was going dark.
Fast.
His chest felt heavy.
His mouth tasted like metal.
And all he could think was: "I'd rather come back as the devil than die like this"
The world went black.
…
(Unknown POV)
The darkness around him was silent.
Not peaceful.
Not empty.
Silent.
The kind of silence that made someone realize sound was a privilege.
When kairo opened his eyes or at least thought he did, he saw a huge figure standing in front of him.
Tall.
Featureless black skin.
Dark robe.
A presence so wrong and calm at the same time that he immediately understood one thing.
This was not a god that saved people.
(Kairo's POV)
"Well. You don't look like heaven." Said kairo while staring at the being in front of him.
The being looked down at him and said in a soothing but deadly voice "And yet you are still speaking."
Kairo smirked despite himself and asked "So what are you, death."
The being was silent for a moment and then said calmly "No."
"Then wha…" Asked kairo, only to get cut off.
"I am meaning." Said the monstrous being.
Kairo laughed weakly and said "That sounds fake as hell."
The being's featureless face suddenly formed a very wide mouth full of razor sharp teeth and he asked "Do you want to live, kairo vale."
Kairo stared at him for a moment and asked back "At what cost."
"Everything." Said the being plainly.
Kairo thought for exactly one second and answered "Good"
The huge being actually seemed emotionally dead.
Not happy.
Not pleased.
Not amused.
Like kairo had done nothing interesting enough be thrown away.
He raised his hand and the darkness around them shook.
[DING!]
[Forgotten Hand System is binding]
[10%]
[20%]
[30%]
[40%]
[50%]
[60%]
[70%]
[80%]
[90%]
[100%]
[DING!]
[Binding complete]
[DING!]
[Mission = Accept existence : Reward = Qualification to live]
[Do you accept = Yes / No]
Kairo stared at the transparent screen in front of him and then back at the monster and said with a laugh "You really are the devil."
The being leaned down slightly and said with a long, horrifying black elongated tongue waving and said with a voice echoing in and out calmly "No. But you may serve me."
Kairo smiled with blood still on his teeth and clicked yes.
…
Greek Realm / Mortal World (Unknown Forest): Unknown Date.
Kairo's eyes opened immediately.
He sat up with a gasp and started breathing heavily while looking around at a black forest with silver mist around the roots of the trees and a moon that looked way too big hanging in the sky.
His body felt different.
Better.
Cleaner.
Sharper.
Kairo looked down at his hands and frowned.
Not the same scars.
Not the same skin.
Not the same body.
"WHAT THE FUCH." Said kairo loudly.
[DING!]
[STATUS]
[NAME: Kairo Vale]
[RACE: High Human]
[AGE: 24]
[Titles: None]
[STR Lvl: None]
[Perks: [Adaptive Mind], [Miasma Tolerance]
[Blessing: [Fragment of Meaning], [Fragment of Miasma]
[Skills: None]
[Storage: [Ragged Cloak], [Rust Knife], [3 Miasma Stones]
Kairo stared at the status window for a moment and said slowly "Yeah…I'm definitely dead."
[DING!]
[You have been selected]
[DING!]
[Your existence now belongs to purpose]
[DING!]
[Survive, obey, grow]
[DING!]
[Failure = disposal]
Kairo looked around the forest with narrowed eyes and at all the status screens in front of him and asked aloud "Who the hell are you."
The system stayed silent for a moment.
Then one new line appeared.
[DING!]
[Your questions are irrelevant]
Kairo barked out a laugh and stood up from the ground while brushing dirt off his black trousers and dark tunic that definitely hadn't been on his body when he died and muttered "Of course."
The air smelled strange.
Old. Wet. Alive. Not like earth. Not like home.
Actually not like anything he'd ever smelled before.
Kairo took exactly three steps before he felt something moving in the mist.
Low.
Fast.
Hungry.
A creature the size of a large wolf stepped out from behind a silver tree with black eyes and a mouth full of jagged teeth.
It looked diseased.
Wrong.
Partially hairless.
Dripping black saliva onto the roots.
Kairo froze.
The creature growled and crouched.
"Damn." Said kairo quietly.
[DING!]
[Emergency Mission = Prove Qualification]
[Mission = Kill the Miasma Wolf]
[Reward = 1 Lesser Recovery Potion / Basic Combat Knowledge]
[Failure = Death]
Kairo looked at the rust knife in his storage, then at the monster, then back at the screen and said with a strained smile "You really couldn't start me off with something easier."
No response.
Of course.
The wolf lunged.
Kairo threw himself to the side.
*THUD*
It's claws missed his throat by what felt like a breath.
He rolled, yanked the rust knife from storage on instinct and slashed upward as the beast turned.
*SCHLICK*
Black blood sprayed across his face.
The wolf screamed and snapped at him wildly.
Kairo kicked one of the miasma stones from his storage into its mouth without even knowing why he did it.
The moment it bit down, the stone exploded into black smoke.
*BOOOM*
The creature stumbled back choking and kairo didn't waste the chance.
He charged forward and stabbed the knife straight into its eye.
*SCHLICK*
Then again.
And again.
And again.
Until it stopped moving.
Kairo fell backward onto the roots breathing hard with black blood on his hands and a crazy grin on his face and said between breaths "Okay. Now this is more like it."
[DING!]
[Emergency Mission Complete]
[You have acquired: 1 Lesser Recovery Potion]
[You have acquired: Basic Combat Knowledge]
Suddenly a wave of information slammed into his head.
Knife angles.
Footwork.
Timing.
Breathing.
Instinct.
Kairo clenched his jaw and let it settle and then laughed softly into the dark forest and said "Whoever you are. You're a sick bastard."
This time the system answered.
Not with a screen.
With a voice.
A soothing but deadly voice that came from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Correct." Said a inhuman tone fading out.
Kairo's smile slowly faded immediately and he stood up and looked around the forest and said "Show yourself."
The mist thickened.
The voice continued.
"You are alive because I permitted it." Said the inhuman voice.
"You are standing in my world because I permitted it. Do not make the mistake of thinking this is freedom." Said the inhuman voice again.
A long pause followed.
Kairo swallowed and asked with a grin that was more defiance than confidence "And what exactly am I supposed to call you."
The forest went silent again.
"You may call me…system." Said the inhuman voice.
Kairo laughed in disbelief and shook his head and said "Yeah. Sure."
[DING!]
[Main Mission = Enter the age of gods]
[Objective 1: Reach The Civilization of The First Humans]
[Objective 2: Learn where Zeus's forces are gathering]
[Objective 3: Do not reveal the existence of this system]
[Reward = Qualification to continue existing]
[Additional Reward = Pending evaluation]
The screen disappeared.
Kairo stared into the dark forest ahead of him and wiped black blood off his mouth and smiled.
Not because he trusted any of this.
Not because he felt safe.
But because for the first time since dying, he understood the rules.
Some monster had pulled him out of the grave.
Given him a knife.
Pointed him at a war.
And expected him to survive.
He clicked his tongue and started walking through the mist with the dead wolf at his feet and the moon above his head while saying quietly to himself with a grin. "Alright then. Let's see what kind of god thinks he can use me."
Far above the forest, hidden behind black mist and silent stars vanished.
(Mephitis's POV)
"He'll do." I said calmly.
Then I closed the crack and disappeared.
…
THE END…