The forest had not yet healed.
Even days after the Abyssal tide receded, a gray sickness lingered between the trees. Leaves hung limp, bark carried black veins, and the soil itself breathed a faint, bitter rot. Life had not died—but it struggled to remember how to live.
At the center of the wounded forest stood the young dryad.
Sylphi’s small hands rested against the trunk of the great heart-tree Aethyr had preserved during the battle. Her bright green hair shimmered faintly with scattered motes of life essence, but the glow was weaker than before.
Not dying.
Just… lonely.
The battle had lasted days.
Days where the forest screamed.
Days where she had waited alone.
Aethyr watched from the roots nearby, seated with his back against a moss-covered stone.
Seventeen years old.
A survivor of a battlefield most adults would not have endured.
Yet his mind was not on the battle.
It was on the future.
In front of his vision, faint silver runes formed a quiet window only he could see.
NULL CODEX — INCOMPLETE SYSTEM
Completion: 79%
Host: Aethyr
Authority Path: Order
New Function Detected: Faith — Locked
Requirement:
Recognition by a structured civilization.
Aethyr stared at the words.
Faith.
The princess had mentioned it.
The strange saint of the dead god.
Velra stepped beside him, arms folded.
“You’re thinking too loudly again.”
Aethyr glanced up.
Velra’s silver eyes reflected the weak forest light. Despite her usual calm arrogance, there was clear exhaustion in her expression.
The battle had pushed everyone.
Even her.
“You said something before,” Aethyr said quietly. “About the empire.”
Velra nodded.
“The Central Dominion doesn’t ignore disasters like this. An Abyssal incursion of that scale will draw attention.”
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She looked toward the horizon.
“And attention means opportunity… or execution.”
Aethyr smirked faintly.
“Optimistic.”
“You manipulated abyss creatures to save people,” Velra replied flatly. “Do you think the empire calls that heroism?”
Aethyr didn’t answer.
Because she was right.
To the wrong eyes, what he did could look like corruption.
Or worse.
Control.
Velra crouched beside him.
“But there’s another possibility.”
“What?”
“The empire rewards the impossible.”
Aethyr looked at her.
Velra continued.
“If you can prove what you did was control—not corruption—you could receive imperial sanction.”
“And why would they give that to me?”
Velra smiled faintly.
“Because the empire is desperate.”
The Empire Arrives
They arrived three days later.
Imperial banners appeared first.
White and silver cloth marked with the symbol of the Central Dominion—a radiant crown surrounded by twelve stars.
Hundreds of soldiers marched through the ruined forest edges.
Disciplined.
Silent.
Efficient.
Aethyr stood atop the broken stone wall of the base settlement as they approached.
Behind him gathered the survivors he had saved.
Farmers.
Hunters.
Refugees.
Children.
People who had watched him fight the Abyss.
One of the imperial officers stepped forward.
Armor polished to a mirror shine.
His voice carried authority.
“Who commands this settlement?”
The crowd slowly turned.
Toward Aethyr.
A seventeen-year-old boy standing on broken stone.
The officer’s brow twitched.
“…You?”
Aethyr shrugged slightly.
“Temporary arrangement.”
The officer looked around the battlefield remains.
Thousands of abyss corpses.
A damaged forest that should have been fully devoured.
Yet the heart-tree still lived.
Suspicion filled the officer’s voice.
“How did you repel the Abyss?”
Aethyr answered simply.
“I controlled them.”
The soldiers immediately raised weapons.
Velra sighed quietly behind him.
“That was not the diplomatic answer.”
Aethyr ignored her.
Instead he stepped down from the wall.
“I can prove it.”
The officer narrowed his eyes.
“Prove controlling the Abyss?”
“Yes.”
Aethyr lifted his hand.
Shadow spread across the ground.
From the darkness, a twisted abyss creature slowly crawled into the open.
Half broken.
Barely alive.
But obedient.
The soldiers immediately prepared to attack.
“Hold,” the officer commanded.
The creature stopped beside Aethyr.
Completely still.
Like a trained animal.
Gasps spread through the soldiers.
Aethyr spoke calmly.
“I can control them. I can redirect them. I can weaponize them.”
Silence fell.
Then a new voice spoke.
“You’re lying.”
The soldiers parted.
A young woman stepped forward.
White priestess robes mixed with royal silver armor.
Her golden hair was tied loosely behind her shoulders.
But what caught attention most was the symbol hanging from her neck.
A broken sun.
The symbol of a dead god.
Velra whispered.
“…The Saint.”
Aethyr’s eyes sharpened.
The woman studied him carefully.
“You claim to control the Abyss,” she said calmly. “Yet corruption has not touched you.”
Aethyr shrugged.
“I have good discipline.”
She shook her head slightly.
“That isn’t how corruption works.”
Her eyes glowed faintly.
Holy light.
Divine power.
The soldiers whispered nervously.
The princess raised her hand.
“Allow me to test him.”
The officer hesitated.
“…Your Highness.”
Aethyr blinked.
Princess.
Velra muttered.
“You’re standing in front of the Saint Princess of the Central Dominion.”
Aethyr sighed quietly.
Of course.
Politics had arrived.
Faith
The princess stepped closer.
Her gaze studied Aethyr like a puzzle.
“My name is Princess Seraphine.”
Aethyr nodded politely.
“Aethyr.”
She extended her hand.
“Let me see your soul.”
“That’s a concerning sentence.”
Velra snorted.
Seraphine ignored them.
Holy light gathered around her palm.
Then she touched Aethyr’s chest.
For a moment—
Time stopped.
Inside Aethyr’s mind, the Null Codex exploded with light.
External Faith Detected
Source: Seraphine
Divine Path: Dead God — Unknown
Compatibility: High
Faith Function: Unlocked (Partial)
Seraphine staggered backward.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“…Impossible.”
The soldiers rushed forward.
“Princess!”
But she raised her hand to stop them.
Her gaze returned to Aethyr.
“You…”
Her voice was quiet.
“…You carry the seed of a god.”
Velra froze.
The officer looked horrified.
Aethyr scratched his head.
“That sounds worse than it probably is.”
Seraphine slowly smiled.
Not fear.
Excitement.
“Do you understand what this means?”
“No.”
“You could stabilize the frontier.”
Her voice grew stronger.
“The empire cannot stop every Abyss outbreak.”
She pointed toward the ruined forest.
“But someone who can control them…”
Aethyr’s eyes sharpened.
Opportunity.
He spoke calmly.
“I want something in return.”
The soldiers immediately frowned.
The princess tilted her head.
“Oh?”
“A land grant,” Aethyr said. “Official recognition from the empire.”
The officer nearly choked.
“You dare demand territory?!”
Aethyr continued calmly.
“And permission to train people.”
Seraphine studied him.
“For what purpose?”
Aethyr’s voice was quiet.
“To fight the Abyss.”
Wind moved softly through the dying forest.
Sylphi peeked from behind a tree.
Seraphine noticed her.
“…A dryad.”
She looked back at Aethyr.
Then laughed softly.
“You’re very ambitious.”
Aethyr shrugged.
“I prefer prepared.”
The princess turned toward the imperial officer.
“Report to the emperor.”
The officer stiffened.
“…What should I tell him?”
Seraphine’s eyes shone with dangerous curiosity.
“Tell him we found someone who can perform the impossible.”
She glanced back at Aethyr.
“And I want him tested.”
The officer swallowed.
“What kind of test?”
Seraphine smiled.
“The kind only someone extraordinary can survive.”
The Impossible Challenge
Later that night, Velra sat beside the fire.
“You just challenged the empire for land.”
Aethyr nodded.
“Yes.”
“You’re insane.”
“Probably.”
Velra leaned closer.
“What if they test you with something suicidal?”
Aethyr looked toward the dark forest.
Where abyss shadows still lingered far beyond sight.
“They will.”
Velra sighed.
“And you’re still smiling.”
Aethyr rested his head back.
Because for the first time—
The path forward was becoming clear.
The Null Codex pulsed faintly in his mind.
Order.
Faith.
Empire.
A war against the Abyss.
And now—
A challenge worthy of it all.
NULL CODEX UPDATE
Faith Path: Activated
Next Requirement:
Achieve Recognition from the Emperor
Reward: Territory Authority
Commander Path Unlocked
Aethyr looked at the stars.
Then quietly smiled.
“Looks like things are finally getting interesting.”
