Aetheris.
Aetheris is a world made up of three great continents, known as the Three Pillars of Progress and Thought, or more simply: Yurtha Land, Throne of Dawn, and Drflixia Ofloria.
These three continents are home to civilizations that have already reached the peak of modern development. There are no longer any developing nations; every country has advanced. Magic was abandoned long ago and disappeared six hundred years ago, leaving behind nothing but myths and old folktales.
In the present era, three siblings from the Erratic Family live in this world.
The Erratic Family is an ordinary household residing in the continent of Yurtha Land, specifically in the nation of Cyranthia—a country famous for its educational system and countless prestigious schools.
Felix Erratic is the youngest child. He has an older sister named Elena Erratic and an older brother named Rhett Erratic.
The three of them live together in a modest house, spending peaceful days without major worries or troubles.
Elena Erratic, the eldest sibling, is twenty-three years old. She has been supporting her younger siblings ever since she was fifteen after their parents passed away. Occasionally, neighbors would help them through donations to cover school expenses. Elena is beautiful, wears glasses, has bright violet eyes, and reddish-purple hair.
Rhett Erratic, the middle child, is twenty years old. During his time at Cyranthia Central High School, he was incredibly popular, but he was also known as a troublemaker. There was even a time when he nearly killed another student for insulting the Erratic Family. He has a handsome face, reddish-purple hair, and dark crimson eyes.
Felix Erratic, the youngest, looks somewhat similar to Rhett, though he isn't nearly as much of a troublemaker. He understands his family's financial situation very well and is known as a talented and intelligent student. Like Rhett, he is handsome, but he has dark purple hair and deep violet eyes.
One day, feeling bored at home, Felix decided to head outside to get some fresh air and take a break.
He visited several malls, bought some food and clothes along the way, and simply enjoyed his day off. While spending time at one of the malls, Felix unexpectedly ran into his classmate, Alexa.
"Hey, Fel! How've you been? Hmm... it's pretty rare seeing the smart kid hanging around a mall," Alexa teased with a giggle.
"Hahaha... I was just getting bored at home. Everyone's always busy with their phones. Whenever I ask someone to hang out, they always have an excuse, so I decided to come by myself."
The two of them continued walking around the mall and eventually tried a few games together.
"Hey Fel, let's try that basketball game!"
"Sure!!"
After enjoying the basketball game, they moved on to the claw machines.
"Fel! Can you get me that cat plushie? It's so cute!"
Without much choice, Felix laughed.
"Heh, if I get it, it's yours!!"
Felix inserted his first coin, carefully moved the claw, and successfully grabbed the cat plushie Alexa wanted.
"Hahaha, here you go!"
Alexa pouted a little because she felt bad that Felix was the one who won it, but Felix simply handed it to her.
"Thanks, Fel! Sorry... you're the one who actually got it..."
Felix just smiled.
"It's fine. As long as this pretty girl is happy, that's enough for me~"
The two laughed together.
Since Felix still had a few coins left, he tried the machine two more times and managed to get a teddy bear.
"Hmm? You're already out of coins, Fel?" Alexa asked curiously.
Felix shook his head.
"Nope. Those were my last ones."
Since it wasn't too late yet, they decided to grab lunch.
"Hey Fel, let me treat you! You got me that plushie after all, hehe."
Being the type of person who never says no to free food, Felix immediately agreed.
The two ordered the same thing: ramen.
"Wow... ramen really never gets old. No matter how many times I eat it, I don't think I'll ever get tired of it!"
Curious about the taste, Felix quickly started eating.
Slurp!
The ramen was incredible. The seasoning was perfect, and the broth was rich and satisfying.
"Hmm, Lexa, how much does this ramen cost? It's so good I kinda wanna come back here again!"
Alexa chuckled.
"Tastes great, right? And the price is only... 214 Cyran. Not that expensive."
Felix froze.
"214 Cyran...? WHAT?! That's insanely expensive! That's basically my allowance for thirteen days!"
Alexa immediately realized her mistake.
"Ah... sorry, Fel. I forgot about your family's financial situation."
Felix reassured her that it was fine. Sometimes people simply forgot about things like that.
Ten minutes later, they finished eating.
"Felix! Wanna help me shop for some clothes?"
Felix agreed.
The two headed toward a clothing store filled with expensive outfits.
"Okay Fel, wait here and tell me which outfits look good... Oh, and pick a few for yourself too. I'll buy you two sets, hehe."
Once again, because it was free, Felix couldn't refuse.
He picked two simple outfits before returning to Alexa.
"Fel, are you there?" Alexa called from inside.
"Yeah, I'm here."
Alexa stepped out wearing one of the outfits she had chosen.
"What do you think, Fel? Does it look good on me?"
Felix couldn't help but think:
Wow... she's really beautiful.
"Wow, it looks perfect on you, Lexa!"
After another twenty minutes, Alexa paid for all the clothes, including the two outfits Felix had picked.
As evening approached, Alexa waved goodbye.
"Fel, it's getting late. I'm heading home first!!"
"Yeah, take care, Alexa."
The two parted ways.
Felix sat outside the mall, surrounded by the crowd of people coming and going. Suddenly, a stranger approached him with a drink.
"Hey, young man... wanna try this drink? It's free."
Felix hesitated for a moment.
A free drink? That's kinda suspicious...
But in the end, he accepted it.
"Sure, sounds good. I'm pretty thirsty anyway."
He took the bottle and drank everything inside.
"Fwah!"
After finishing it, Felix felt slightly dizzy. Something felt strange inside his body.
Looking around, he realized the man who gave him the drink had already disappeared.
Feeling a little uneasy, Felix decided to head home.
While searching for a taxi, he noticed a large crowd gathering nearby.
Curious, he walked over to take a look.
The sight before him made him freeze.
The person lying on the ground was already dead.
And it was the same man who had given him the drink.
Fear and confusion immediately filled Felix's mind.
A detective soon arrived and began examining the body.
After checking it, the detective announced that the man wasn't human at all, but rather a nearly extinct alien species.
The detective speculated that the deceased might have been the last surviving member of his race. Since there had been no reports of them anywhere for centuries, it was highly likely that the entire species had finally gone extinct.
Still unable to process everything, Felix quickly left the scene and headed home.
However, during the journey back, he began experiencing strange symptoms.
His body felt weak.
His organs felt as if they were shrinking.
Something was clearly wrong.
When he finally arrived home, Elena was there to greet him.
"Lix! What's wrong?!"
Seeing how exhausted he looked, Elena immediately checked his temperature and discovered that he had a fever.
Worried, she helped him to his room.
She prepared a warm compress and placed it on his forehead.
While taking care of him, Elena started noticing unusual changes.
The skin that had once been rough now felt surprisingly smooth.
His body also seemed smaller somehow.
Concerned, Elena decided to let him rest.
A while later, Rhett returned from college.
Elena quickly told him to keep an eye on Felix because something felt wrong.
Rhett agreed and went to check on his younger brother.
After observing him more carefully, he noticed something strange.
Felix's hair, which had always been short...
was slowly becoming longer.
What exactly is happening to Felix?
—To Be Continued—