The forest around Aeryn Hollow was silent, wrapped in the kind of hush that followed strange events. Kairo Veyne sat near a glistening stream, arms around his knees, eyes lost in the gentle current. His mind, however, was anything but still.
It had been three days since the boulder incident—since the moment time had frozen, the system had awakened, and his soul had started to tremble under a weight he couldn't describe. The glyph on his wrist still pulsed faintly, but only he could see it. His parents saw nothing. They asked no questions.
He had tried to tell them. Words died in his throat.
> [System Status: Hidden Mode Active]
> Do not alert non-compatible entities.
The message always appeared like a silent command etched into his thoughts. He hated it.
Theron Veyne, his father, remained quiet but vigilant. A hunter by instinct, he noticed things others didn't. Kairo had caught him scanning the skies more often than usual lately.
"There's something wrong with the wind," Theron murmured that morning. "It smells like a storm that's not meant for weather."
His mother, Lira, tried to smile. Her fingers brushed Kairo's cheek with gentle warmth. But there was tension in her shoulders—a crack in her calm.
"Sometimes," she said, gazing toward the mountains, "the world changes before anyone notices. And the people caught in the middle... they change too."
---
> [Daily Sync Complete]
> +1 Synchronization Point
> Current Synchronization: 5%
> New Function Unlocked: CHAΩS Codex – Lore Fragment #1
Kairo hesitated, then opened the Codex. The text unfurled like glowing threads in his mind.
CHAΩS CODEX – Fragment 1: The Forbidden Ones
> "In ancient time, there were beings who moved through time like pages in a book...
> who walked between stars as easily as stepping over stones.
> They could unmake reality with a breath.
> The universe called them 'aberrations.'
> The gods called them 'threats.'
> But they called themselves nothing.
> Because they had forgotten fear."
---
That night, Kairo dreamt of flames.
A great city crumbled beneath skies of violet lightning. Mountains broke apart like glass. Symbols he couldn't read spiraled overhead.
And in the center, hovering above the wreckage, stood a figure cloaked in black fire.
Himself.
Older. Stronger. Terrifying.
Kairo jolted awake, his skin damp with sweat. The mark on his wrist blazed, then cooled.
> [Warning: Detection Imminent]
> Divine Eyes have glanced your way…
His breath caught in his throat.
> [Trial Unlocked: Echo of Origin]
> Internal Realm Constructed
> Begin Trial? (Y/N)
His hand trembled.
"Yes," he whispered.
The world vanished.
He opened his eyes in a place with no sky, no ground—just floating shards of memory and echoing whispers of time.
And before him stood his mirror image.
Older. Eyes like broken stars. Aura shaking the fabric of space.
> "This is what you become if you follow chaos alone."
Then the trial began.