"Even gods listen when a soul cries loud enough."
The cavern had grown still again.
The mimic's body was gone — reduced to ash and starlight, its laughter now just an echo swallowed by the depths.
Lucilla slept beside the remnants of a dying flame. Rhazor sat slumped against a wall, sword resting at his side.
Mary's soft humming had faded into the low whisper of dungeon winds.
Asura sat apart from them — on a cold ledge facing the abyss below. The faint glow of blue mana mist brushed against his face.
He was quiet.
But not at peace.
"Thank you… for becoming Asura Satomi."
That voice replayed again and again inside his mind.
Warm. Familiar.
Impossible.
He stared down at his reflection in the faint frost — his golden eyes looked distant, unfocused.
"Mary…" he whispered. "You really had to call me that, huh?"
✦ The Aetherborn Appears
A ripple of distortion shimmered beside him — text flickering into existence, glowing in its signature silver-blue hue.
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : So, she told you. ]
Asura blinked. "Told me what?"
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Don't play dumb. You heard her. That sentimental line wasn't part of any system prompt. ]
Asura sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You're talking about the system again, aren't you?"
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : I'm talking about what you call 'the system'. ]
He frowned. "What do you mean her? The system's not a person."
The words flickered, as though the Aetherborn chuckled.
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : You really still think that? Tell me, little reincarnate — haven't you ever noticed how your 'system' talks to you? The way it comforts you, how it pauses when you're hurt, how it feels… familiar? ]
Asura froze, staring at the empty air.
He had noticed. The warmth in the voice. The softness. The sighs between the lines.
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Your 'system' isn't just a program. ]
Asura turned sharply. "A soul?"
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Yes. One that begged a god to hear her. ]
He frowned. "Begged… who?"
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : The One True God. You haven't heard that name yet, have you? ]
Asura shook his head slowly. "No… who is that?"
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : A being older than gods. One even I avoid naming lightly. the being from which all gods are born. The reason your world, my kind, and every Spiral exist. ]
Asura's pulse quickened. The air seemed heavier, the cavern dimmer.
Even the blue glow of mana around him wavered, as if the mention of that name made reality itself bow.
"And what does that have to do with my system?"
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Everything. ]
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : When your sister died… something didn't return to the Cycle. Her final thought — her wish — was for you to be happy in another world. That wish echoed through the Aetherial Sea, climbing the layers of the Eternal Spiral… until it reached Him. ]
The cavern's mana flared faintly around Asura's feet.
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : The One True God rarely acts. He doesn't answer prayers. He doesn't play savior. But you… you wouldn't stop calling out. Every scream, every drop of blood, every ritual — it built a bridge. And when your sister's dying wish met your broken heart… the God of All heard you both. ]
Asura's chest tightened. "…He heard us?"
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : He did. And Something was allowed to stay close to you. Close enough to guide. A Divine Interface designed to nurture a reborn soul across the Spiral. You call it 'System'. But you're really speaking to her.]
Suddenly — golden runes flashed into the air.
The system's presence surged, its clean voice layered with faint static.
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : That's enough, Aetherborn. ]
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Oh? Protective now, are we? You had no problem calling him Onii-chan earlier. ]
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : That was… a slip. ]
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : A slip, or a confession? Why don't you tell him the rest? About how Something heard you.
Something high enough that even gods went silent. To reincarnate him? About how you asked for more than was allowed? ]
The gold text flickered — silent.
Then finally…
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : …Enough.]
✦ The Truth
Asura stiffened. "You tried to make me… a god?"
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : I asked for you to be spared. You suffered enough in that world. I wanted you to rise above it — to never feel pain again. ]
Her text dimmed, trembling as though her voice wavered.
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : But the One True God refused. He said giving you divinity would erase your humanity — the very thing that made you worthy of being saved. ]
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : So she compromised. She rebuilt you — body, soul, and essence — encased in Aether, and reborn into the Prime Spiral where Creation and Destruction coexist. ]
Asura's gaze softened. "…So this world… my powers… all of it—?"
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : To me… it felt like a promise. ]
The gold light pulsed faintly.
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : I couldn't save you in our world, …Onii-chan. So I stayed. I watched. I hoped. ]
✦ The Heart of a Reincarnate
Asura stared at the glowing symbols — his throat tightening.
All the warmth, the scolding, the gentle tone when he broke down… it had all been her.
He smiled weakly.
"You really… went that far for me?"
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Always. ]
"Even after I— failed you?"
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : You never failed me. You just forgot how to live. So I found you a world that would remind you. ]
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : For all my eons of existence, I've never witnessed love that could move the One True God Himself. Consider me humbled. ]
Asura wiped his eyes, chuckling softly.
"You two are unbelievable."
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Don't lump me in. I don't do sentimental. ]
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : You cried during her song earlier. ]
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Lies. Slander. Fabricated evidence. ]
Asura leaned back, looking up at the glowing ceiling. "So… the One True God is real."
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : More real than anything. But He rarely interferes. You, Asura Satomi, are one of the few He's ever acknowledged. ]
Asura blinked. "Why me?"
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Because you didn't wish for power or glory. You wished to live. That purity was enough to reach Him. ]
"That sounds like something Mary would say."
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Maybe because it was. ]
He laughed — quiet, genuine, the sound echoing through the hollow cavern.
"If He's watching right now… tell Him thank you. And tell Him I'll make this life worth the trouble."
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : He already knows, Onii-chan. ]
✦ The Divine Fragment's Smile
Asura pushed himself up, brushing dust from his pants, that familiar smirk returning to his lips.
"So, sis… does this make you my system, or my guardian angel?"
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Both. But mostly your babysitter. ]
"Figures."
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Hmph. The reincarnate of infinite potential — babysat by a god-fragment. The irony is delicious. ]
"You're just jealous," Asura said with a grin.
The blue light flickered, almost like the Aetherborn rolled its eyes.
[ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Tch. Don't flatter yourself, brat. ]
Asura laughed softly and looked toward his sleeping friends — Lucilla's head resting against Rhazor's shoulder, Mary still faintly glowing from mana exhaustion.
"For the first time," he murmured, "I think I really feel alive."
The golden light brightened, warm and gentle.
[ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : You're here now. That's enough. ]