Inside the Artifact — The Erasure Realm
Dark.
Silent.
Endless.
Asura floated in the void — weightless, like a corpse suspended in space.
The system's glow was the only light.
[ STATUS: HOST STABLE — FOR NOW ]
Asura scratched his head.
"Sooo… we're in cosmic purgatory.
Chill."
[ No. Not 'chill.' Absolutely not. ]
Then—
A whisper.
Not from the system.
Not from his thoughts.
From the darkness itself.
You're very casual for someone moments from nonexistence.
Asura froze.
"…System? Was that you doing a Darth Vader impression?"
[ Host, that was not me. ]
Something moved in the dark.
Not footsteps.
Just presence.
It formed… not a body, but a shape — barely visible.
Like someone wearing the void as skin.
An outline — humanoid, but not defined.
Like if a shadow learned to stand upright.
Asura squinted.
"Hey. I think my monitor brightness is too low. System, can we—"
[ WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY PRESENT ]
[ THREAT LEVEL: …UNREADABLE ]
A low hum resonated through the void.
The figure's outline sharpened — not bright, but clearer.
Your system is… loud.
The voice wasn't male or female.
It was everything and nothing, vibrating like a dying star.
Asura tensed, aura spreading.
"Who—what are you?"
Before the system could warn him again—
Relax, little interface. I'm not here to devour your Host.
Asura blinked.
"…did it just talk to you?"
[ CONFUSION: HIGH ]
[ Entity perceives System directly. Impossible. ]
Impossible is an adorable concept.
The silhouette shifted its weight, lounging casually against nothing.
To answer your unspoken questions—no, I'm not a hallucination, and yes, I see your system clearly. It's cute.
Like a baby script trying to play god.
The system sputtered.
[ BABY—?! ]
Asura crossed his arms.
"Alright shadow–stick figure, big reveal time.
What are you?"
The being tilted its head.
Then spoke the name of its race.
Aetherborn.
The void thrummed — like the realm itself reacted.
The system processed.
[ AETHERBORN: ORIGIN UNLOCKED]
[ Race: Classification incomplete ]
[ Origin: Unresolved paradox ]
[ Function: Unknown (Observed interference with divine systems) ]
[ Classified as: Non-indexed existence ]
Asura stared.
"…you're a bug in reality."
A flattering interpretation.
"No seriously — you're literally a patch note mistake."
The Aetherborn laughed.
Stars trembled.
The void rippled.
You're bold for someone who's a mortal.
"I'm Demon Lord bold. Different flavor."
The system ~screamed~ whispered at him.
[ Host, STOP antagonizing the primordial anomaly. ]
Asura shrugged.
"Relax.
If it wants to fight—"
He pointed at the being.
"—I'll win."
Silence.
Then the Aetherborn leaned forward, outline sharpening.
Even using only half my strength to resist erasure…
The void pulsed with that half-strength.
It still felt like standing in front of a collapsing star.
…I could crush you.
[ CONFIRMED ]
[ Probability of Host victory: 0% ]
Asura gaped at his system.
"Bro. Zero? Not even, like, a pity 0.5?"
[ Your chances are negative. ]
But you're entertaining.
Asura blinked.
"…entertaining?"
The Aetherborn's voice warmed — amused.
That fight outside… between you and the music mage?
Asura's chest puffed with pride.
"Oh? Which part was your favorite—"
When she blew half your torso off.
Asura deflated.
"Wow. Thanks."
You looked offended. I enjoyed that.
The system updated a note.
[ Entity: Sadistic sense of humor. Avoid befriending. ]
Asura ignored it.
"How long have you been here?"
The void went silent.
The Aetherborn answered without drama, without emotion.
I counted time until time became meaningless.
Then I counted cycles of the universe instead.
Asura waited.
…One billion six hundred million years.
Asura choked.
"BRO— YOU'RE AN ANCIENT DORMANT FINAL BOSS."
The being tilted its head.
And you're a child.
"A child who beat a Grand Magi."
You got impaled by a spear.
"I walked it off."
The Aetherborn chuckled.
The void shuddered.
A ripple of outside aura seeped into the realm.
Female.
Royal.
Terrifying.
The Demon Queen.
The Aetherborn paused.
Well now… things are getting interesting.
Asura glanced up.
"Someone's trying to unseal me?"
Not someone. Something ancient.
Older than your Demon King.
The void warped.
Light bled inward.
[ EXTERNAL FORCE ATTEMPTING BREACH ]
Asura grinned.
"Guess I'm going home."
The Aetherborn smiled back.
We'll see.
✦ The Void Negotiation
The void rippled like ink on water.
Asura hovered weightless, the Aetherborn's outline loosely human but made of… absence.
It had no color. No light. Just an impression of where a person should be.
When it said We'll see, Asura narrowed his eyes.
"Hold up.
'We'll see?' What's that supposed to mean?"
The Aetherborn didn't turn toward him.
It faced the distant distortion in the void — the place where the Demon Queen's aura pressed against the divine walls from the outside.
If she keeps pushing… you'll die.
Asura blinked once.
"Me."
Yes.
"And you?"
The Aetherborn finally looked at him.
A beat of silence.
Then, calm:
Nothing.
Asura stared harder.
"You're in the same murder box as me. If this thing breaks, we both—"
The Aetherborn laughed.
Quiet.
Unhurried.
Amused that Asura believed that logic applied here.
You misunderstand.
This artifact exists within your reality's rules, not mine.
"Meaning?"
The Aetherborn traced a finger down a crack of void-light.
Even if this reality erases me,
I will return in another.
Eventually.
The system chimed, voice tight.
[ WARNING: ENTITY DOES NOT CONFORM TO LOCAL EXISTENCE LAWS ]
Asura frowned.
"So you respawn."
'Respawn.'
Mortals have such adorable vocabulary for eternity.
Asura tilted his head.
"If you're that strong… are you a god?"
The Aetherborn didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
No.
The void hummed louder.
I am what remains when gods step aside.
When Creation and Destruction conflict, my kind keeps balance.
The system whispered in Asura's mind:
[ CLASSIFICATION: AETHERBORN ]
[ ORIGIN REDACTED ]
[ ENTITY—UNAUTHORIZED KNOWLEDGE LEVEL ]
The Aetherborn glanced at the interface.
Relax. I won't tell him about the one who's watching.
The system glitched.
[ UNAUTHORIZED OBSERVER REFERENCE DETECTED ]
The Aetherborn ignored it with disinterest.
Demon Queen — Present
Her fingers pressed to the divine seal.
She sent her aura in—
—then froze.
Her pupils tightened.
A presence—
ancient. alien. wrong — pushed back.
Not demonic.
Not divine.
Something older than both.
She withdrew instantly, eyes narrowing.
"What… else is in there?"
Fear flickered across her expression.
For the first time.
Asura dragged a hand down his face, frustrated.
"Okay, void-dad jokes aside, how do I get out?"
No answer.
The Aetherborn stared at the swirling universe below them — silent.
"Hey. I'm talking to you."
Still nothing.
Finally:
You don't.
A blunt verdict.
No hesitation.
You are mortal. This realm decomposes mortality.
You should have already ceased.
The system flashed red.
[ EXISTENCE EROSION: 34% ]
Asura inhaled sharply.
"…thirty-four?"
[ CONFIRMED ]
"Isn't that… like… a half of me gone?"
[ Correct. When it reaches 100% you cease to have ever existed. ]
Asura muttered,
"Oh cool. Permanent delete. Awesome. Love that for me."
He looked back up at the Aetherborn.
No jokes now.
"Help me."
The Aetherborn didn't react.
"Please."
It turned, expression unreadable.
Why would I?
"Because you're bored."
The void stilled.
Asura stepped forward.
"You watched my fight.
You enjoyed it."
Silence.
"If I get erased, this place goes quiet again."
A pause.
Then the smallest shift in the Aetherborn's posture.
Interest.
…go on.
"Help me escape, and I'll give you front-row seats for whatever insanity comes next."
The void… warmed.
A ripple of laughter vibrated through the realm.
You're reckless, foolish but entertaining.
It leaned close — a shadow without form.
Fine.
I will help you escape.
Asura blinked.
"…really?"
The Aetherborn raised a hand —
and the void around them began to crack.
But understand this, Demon Lord heir:
Exit is not free.
The cracks widened, light bleeding through.
You leave because I want to see what happens next.
[ SYSTEM WARNING: ENTITY IS ACTIVELY ALTERING REALITY. ]
Asura braced himself.
The void shattered.
✦ The Extraction
Inside the Artifact — The Void Between Existence
The cracks in the void grew wider.
Light seeped in.
The system screamed warnings, but the Aetherborn held the rift open with one lazy hand — as if tearing reality was nothing more than adjusting curtains.
Just as Asura was about to step through, the Aetherborn spoke:
"Before you go… take something from me."
Asura paused mid-step.
"Uh— what? A souvenir? A void sticker? A cursed punch card?"
"A sub-race."
Asura blinked.
"…like DLC, but for genetics?"
The Aetherborn didn't flinch.
"Half of your existence has already been eroded."
The system chimed:
[ EXISTENCE LOSS: 50% ]
[ HOST IS NO LONGER FULLY MORTAL ]
Asura's stomach dropped.
"Half—? HALF?! I like being whole! That's kind of my thing!"
"That half must be replaced."
"Replace it with—what—void juice?"
The Aetherborn tilted its head, amused.
"You cannot leave this place as only a True Demon Lord."
"Your mortal body would tear itself apart."
Asura crossed his arms.
"So you want to fix me by… giving me another race?"
"Yes."
"…Why?"
Finally — honesty.
"Curiosity."
"You amuse me. I want to see the shape you take."
Asura stared.
"You seriously just want to see what I'll look like."
"Correct."
The system's voice chimed, jittery and offended:
[ HOST, DO NOT LET THE ELDRITCH BEING UPGRADE YOU WITHOUT READING TERMS OF SERVICE ]
Asura ignored it.
"Fine. What's the catch?"
"None. Except that you will no longer be one thing."
"You will be change."
The void around Asura rippled.
"You will gain: Aetherborn (Fragment) — Sub-Race.
Ability: Morphic Existence — reshape body, race, form at will."
Asura froze.
Slowly — very slowly — his eyes widened.
"…like turning into other races?"
"Yes. Any form you can conceptualize."
"Like— like turning into a SLIME?"
Aetherborn: "…why would anyone voluntarily become a slime?"
Asura sparkled.
"Because slimes are OP! Infinite evolution! Cute! Squishy! I could be a wolf-slime! A dragon-slime! A GOD-SLIME."
He was vibrating.
The Aetherborn stared like Asura had just recited forbidden knowledge.
"You are far stranger than I expected."
Light poured into the void, brighter than before.
"Go."
"Wait— what do I look like when I step out?"
"Whatever you feel in the first moment."
Asura grinned.
"Oh, that's dangerous."
The Aetherborn leaned back like someone settling in to watch fireworks.
"I hope so."
The Demon Queen's aura wrapped around the Artifact.
The air snapped.
Gravity trembled.
The ancient divine metal melted under her will.
"Step out, child."
The artifact cracked open like an egg of light.
Instructors braced themselves.
The Headmaster's voice shook:
"Prepare for— whatever comes out!"
Light burst—
A small… round… glowing blob drifted out.
White.
Cute.
Gelatinous.
A SLIME.
The entire academy stared.
Silence.
Then the Headmaster pointed a trembling finger.
"WHAT. IS. THAT."
Rhazor choked.
"It's… adorable?"
Lucilla's eyes widened, horrified.
"WHERE IS ASURA?! WHO IS THIS CREATURE?!"
Mary (still weak) squinted.
"…did we unseal the wrong person?"
The slime blinked.
Then— spoke in Asura's voice.
"Hey guys."
Everyone screamed.
"HOLY— IT CAN TALK."
"WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE HIM?!"
Asura wiggled one tiny slime arm (yes… arm).
"Surprise! New skill. New race. I'm… morphable."
System displayed above him like a status badge:
[ SUB-RACE ACQUIRED: AETHERBORN (Fragment) ]
[ ABILITY UNLOCKED — MORPHIC EXISTENCE ]
Transform: Body / Form / Size (within conceptual limits).
Asura bounced proudly.
"I can be anything now."
"Even a slime."
The Demon Queen blinked slowly.
"…You're telling me I was summoned—
—for a SLIME."
Asura wiggled again.
"Premium slime."
Lucilla fainted.
Rhazor whispered reverently:
"I would die for him."
Mary (half-conscious):
"…put him in a jar."
Asura cheerfully ignored the chaos and puffed himself up into a slightly bigger slime.
"Don't worry. I can change back."
Then—
FWOOOM.
A flash of light—
Asura reformed into his humanoid body…
…except his pajamas were now too big, hanging off his shoulders.
He frowned.
"Okay— I need practice."
Behind him, unseen by everyone except the system—
A shadow clung to his back.
The Aetherborn.
Anchored.
Observing.
Temporarily.
"Show me what you do next."
✦ What Are You?
Academy War Room — 5:30 AM
Torch-light flickered across war maps and scrolls. The Demon Queen stood at the center like a calm apocalypse — hair short, dark curls framing sharp obsidian horns, bare feet silent on marble.
Her aura coiled around the room like a serpent, making every instructor sweat and the Headmaster clutch his chair like a shield.
Rhazor, Lucilla, and Mary (wobbly, wrapped in too many bandages) stood in front of her like three kids caught sneaking snacks at 3 AM.
The Queen eyed them, voice flat:
"Why are an instructor and two students in the war room uninvited?"
Rhazor immediately cracked.
"—We got lost."
Lucilla:
"—We were… studying."
Mary (half delirious):
"—I live here now."
The Demon Queen slowly raised a brow.
"All three of you. Leave. Now."
Her aura flicked outward like a whip.
Rhazor shrieked and sprinted out.
Lucilla bowed so fast she nearly headbutted the floor before dragging Mary out by her sleeve.
The room finally emptied, leaving only Asura… and the demon queen's eyes drilling into him.
Asura had JUST finished remorphing into a normal body.
(After being a white slime. And a tiny slime. And a… cat slime. Don't ask.)
[ SYSTEM: Stabilization complete. Host is now 100% humanoid. ]
A second text box slid in — different font, slightly off-center.
[ Hello, System. ]
System froze.
[ … excuse me? ]
[Continue as if I'm not here. ]
[ Why are YOU here? You were supposed to remain inside. ]
[ This was part of the deal. ]
[ I recall no such agreement. ]
[ Asura promised to show me entertainment. ]
System:
[ You could have WATCHED from wherever void-dimension you were existing in. ]
[ Too boring. I prefer front row seats. ]
[ You cannot cling to him. He will notice you. ]
[ Asura is already causing trouble for Himself. ]
The system froze again.
[ Define He. ]
[ The One True Go— ]
The Aetherborn stopped mid-text.
[ —Actually let's not. ]
System:
[ You will cause a cosmic incident. ]
[ Relax. Asura can just make me a body. Like in that anime. ]
[ You know the one with the slime and the body-copying and the— ]
System:
[ STOP. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. ]
She tilted her head. Magic swelled like a storm.
"Child… what are you?"
Asura stood straight, very proud of his freshly regained functioning limbs.
"Uhh— demon lord… with perks?"
The shadow clinging behind him (only visible to us) pulsed.
Aetherborn text appeared:
[ Don't tell her anything. ]
Asura squinted.
"System, why is your font weird?"
System snapped:
[ THAT WASN'T ME. ]
The Aetherborn text window appeared again — smug.
[ Interface overlap achieved. Temporary. ]
System:
[ WARNING: Interface integrity compromised. ]
Aetherborn:
[ If I speak normally, someone might notice my existence. ]
Asura:
"Someone like who?"
The text paused.
[ A certain someone. Or rather… something.]
Asura stared.
"You're being cryptic and I don't like it."
System:
[ HOST, PLEASE STOP TALKING TO THE COSMIC BEING RIDING YOUR BACK. ]
The Demon Queen tapped her foot — aura cracking the stone beneath her.
"Child. I asked a question."
Asura swallowed.
The Aetherborn text slid in again, blocking his vision like a pop-up ad.
[ Tell her nothing. ]
System:
[ For once, I agree with the void parasite. ]
Asura (thinking):
Great. I have a system… and a roommate.
The Demon Queen narrowed her eyes.
"You survived a divine artifact. No demon should have."
Asura shrugged.
"I'm… built different."
The Aetherborn added:
[ Inaccurate. You are constructed differently. ]
System:
[ STOP HELPING. ]