Chapter 1 - Origins Rewritten

1st Saga - The Balance

Hanakawa Arc

A single golden thread glimmering with the light of possibility stretched on through a seemingly boundless cosmos, slowly growing longer with every passing moment. In this celestial plane, three women whose countenances were shielded by an indescribable glow gathered about the base of the thread, the three Fates of The Timeline. 

“Must we introduce the anomaly into this world? I really was quite fond of how these humans were progressing this time around…”

“I sympathize with your concerns… but avoiding it would itself be an act of forsaking this world”

“It was their choice to step beyond their realm, and it is now our duty to correct them”

With a look of disdain, the three glanced over at the newly forming segment of the thread. As with every prior instance in which the thread grew to mark a turning point in history, strands of shimmering aether coalesced from across the corners of reality, weaving themselves into and beyond the end of the thread. Only this time, the End no longer shone with radiance, as a taint likened to that of a crimson blood dye scarred its surface.

The Timeline set its gaze upon the new segment of the thread, and in that very moment, a message appeared in the minds of each of the fates:

<{The Timeline has set Fate into motion}>

• The 755th year after The Great Uprising

***

< The Great Uprising - A revolution led by the dissidents of humanity against the oppressive rule of the Olympus Faction, aided by unaffiliated gods. Location: The World Chain. Outcome: Destruction of the Eighth, Seventh, and Sixth Realms; Creation of World Zero; Restructuring of human civilization and class structure; Liberation of human societies; Disbanding of the Olympus Faction; Establishment of the Divine Layer >

From beyond the physical plane, countless pairs of divine eyes lay in wait for the fated anomaly to arrive. Yet, on the prophesied day, no grandeur awakening of any mortal nor descent of greater power appeared anywhere throughout the World Chain. For the first time in the gods’ recorded history, it would seem that Fate had been incorrect. 

However, sealed away from the gods’ gaze in World Zero’s Hanakawa Village, the occasion to forever change their history took place with barely anyone to witness it.

• World Zero, Hanakawa Village, The 768th year after The Great Uprising

An omen of rippling tides grew across the lakefront. Accompanying them was a single message that entered the minds of all within Hanakawa as bolts of crimson energy descended into the forests.

[ The wave event has begun ]

I raced through the trees, my feet striking the ground with a steady tempo as I approached a clearing. Bursting through the brush, I caught sight of my targets.

There in the clearing stood three hulking figures of a crimson hue, their crystalline bodies reflecting the sunlight with a shimmer. Two entries from the Hanakawa Corruption Archives flashed through my mind. 

< Golem-type | Rank 2 Threat | Durable | Slow Regeneration | These beasts are about one story tall with large, durable bodies made of crystallized corrupted energy. They bear a single ‘eye’ embedded in their heads, within which their core is located. Their movements are sluggish, but pack a powerful punch capable of dealing fatal damage to an unguarded human. >

< Goliath-type | Rank 3 Threat | Durable | Slow Regeneration | Armed | Considered the upgraded version of golems, goliaths wield a large, rough club with the same durability as a golem’s body. These beasts are 1.5x the height of a golem, with a slimmer, yet still durable body. Their core bears the same features and placement as their weaker counterparts. While wielding a club, a goliath’s swing is capable of demolishing a fortified steel wall. >

I smiled with a knowing satisfaction. Being lucky enough to encounter slow corrupted beasts lacking intelligence, my initiation was certain to finish quickly. As the beasts caught sight of my presence and began lumbering in my direction, I channeled the energy around me into an aura into my legs, the azure mana rising like wisps from my skin.

< Mana - The heart of magecraft throughout the World Chain and World Zero: A consumable, intangible, invisible, energy that allows humans to tap into supernatural abilities through magic and is sourced from the manaflow that descends from the Realm of Gods. Although all mana is readily available in the air, each individual bears a unique mana attribute that resonates with natural mana attributes, allowing for increased control and mastery over their respective specialty. >

Making the first move, I recklessly charged towards my opponents’ front line, made up of the two golems ahead of the goliath. Various scenarios and outcomes flashed through my mind. With my reaction and processing speed enhanced by my spirit aura, I quickly formulated a plan. Slightly diverting my trajectory, I set my sights on the leftmost golem, rapidly approaching and entering its range of attack. 

A raspy warbling sound emitted from behind the golem as the goliath reared its club, preparing to strike me down, tracking my every movement.

I had gotten too close. Perfect. I leaned my body backwards as I slid underneath the craggy legs of the golem, the goliath now unable to change the trajectory of its swing. 

Smash! The golem’s head shattered into pieces under the momentum of the club.

[ 1/3 of the wave event has been cleared ]

Now for the other two. As I turned around, the goliath who was earlier in the back row was now closest to me. I raced towards it once more, this time jumping back as it struck its club into the ground with full force. 

The goliath, now straining to remove the club from the divot in the earth, had created the perfect means of attack for me. 

Using the club as a ramp, I reached within striking distance of its core. 

[ Your mana attribute has temporarily shifted to Steel ]

It was a strange feature of my mana attribute. Since my birth, I never gained any remarkable traits from my mana nor aura usage. My father with the soul attribute was able to attune to living beings and read their thoughts and feelings, even being able to harness their energy. My mother with the earth attribute could detect presences through the vibrations they made on the ground and could channel an empowered defense. My brother with the steel attribute could armor his body with a condensation of mana as strong as steel, giving him an insanely powerful offense and defense. And me? At most, the spirit attribute on its own could slightly make me think faster and heal the most minor of wounds, usually small cuts. Although the minor healing was somewhat useful for inconveniences, the thought acceleration was essentially useless, as my months devoted to studying the archives made it so that I could formulate strategies regardless of what beast I encountered. However, at around 12, while sparring with my brother in preparation for my initiation the following year, I discovered a previously untouched aspect of my attribute: the ability to channel others’ attributes, albeit at a much weaker output. Since then, I had also started receiving these ‘attribute messages’, as I call them, which apparently nobody else in the village could see.

The wisps of my aura shifted to a silvery hue as I delivered a blow directly through the goliath’s head. Regardless of how powerful a corrupted beast was, in the end, they all crumbled the same once you struck the core. 

[ 2/3 of the wave event has been cleared ]

I watched as the goliath’s body shattered into miniscule fragments, its club falling to the ground with a thud as the golem continued to approach. I recalled another entry from the archives.

< Armed Corrupted Beasts | A term that refers to corrupted beasts who bear some form of armor or weapons separate from their actual bodies. They are almost always more powerful than their unarmed counterparts. After their core is shattered, there is an approximately three second delay between their actual body shattering and their gear shattering. >

In other words, I had a three second long opportunity. Dragging along the fallen club, I charged down the golem, no longer hesitating for any devised plans nor stratagems.

[ Your mana attribute has returned to Spirit ]

The duration for which I could channel other attributes was rather short, varying only within a few seconds each time. Luckily, I no longer needed the steel attribute to finish the job. Straining my muscles, I lifted the club off the ground before delivering a heavy swing towards the golem.

Crack! I wasn’t able to lift it high enough. The golem’s midsection had been shattered, but its upper half still remained functional. Yet, such an outcome was still satisfactory, as the golem wouldn’t be able to regenerate enough to move in time. 

Despite the club shattering, I now calmly approached the golem with a smug grin.

“Thanks for making this easy”

With a firm grip, I ripped the golem’s eye from its head and struck it against its own body until it shattered. It was a good thing that their cores were never perfectly at one with their bodies.

[ 3/3 of the wave event has been cleared. The wave event has been completed. “Kaito” has been initiated as a member of Hanakawa Village’s sentry ]