The corridor of starlight pulsed in rhythm with Rai's presence. The silence between him and the god was thick with something unspoken. His expression calm, Rai stood with hands loosely at his sides, still adjusting to the weightless stillness of whatever realm this was.
Across from him, Zeirion, god of the world Aetherion, observed him with arms folded, robes drifting like mist. The divine figure radiated subtle pressure — but not aggressive.
Rai's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So," he asked "what happens to the ones at the bottom of that divine ranking you mentioned?"
Zeirion's brows rose faintly.
"You're quick to the real question."
The god's expression shifted. Approval? Amusement? It passed too quickly to tell.
"Every year," Zeirion said, voice calm but weighty, "the bottom world in the divine ladder is removed from active standing. They're not destroyed immediately — they're placed under observation."
"Still in the game, but can't win anything!!" Rai guessed.
"Exactly. No rewards. No growth. No support. If they fail to re-enter the rankings within ten cycles — ten years — the world is marked for reclamation. Their structures are erased. The souls scattered."
Rai's lips pressed together in thought.
"That's… harsh."
"It's a system created by gods. Mercy is not a design feature."
The words hung in the air like stone.
Rai looked at the portal forming at the far end of the corridor — a swirling curtain of white-blue light, pulsing slowly with the heartbeat of a world.
"And your world?" he asked. "Where does Aetherion sit?"
Zeirion's gaze turned distant.
"Low. But not at the bottom."
"So if I screw this up, we've still got time."
"Not much."
"Well, lucky for both of us..." Rai turned back to him. "I'm ready."
Zeirion's expression lifted. "Already? That was fast."
> "I'm a gamer. I don't need to overthink the early-game if I know my late-game."
"Very well," the god said. "What did you choose?"
"Soul Split."
The corridor grew still.
Zeirion didn't respond immediately. His golden eyes narrowed.
"That one!."
"That one."
A long breath escaped the god's nostrils.
"It's… not the strongest option."
"Doesn't have to be."
Zeirion stepped forward, voice tightening.
"You should reconsider. You're not just playing for yourself now. Your strength reflects on me. I paid a steep price to acquire your soul — . You want to help? Choose something that grows faster. Stronger."
"I've thought it through."
"There are perks that guarantee your growth. System upgrades, direct affinity over magic or power —"
"You said it yourself," Rai replied, unshaken. "We're in the same boat. My win is your win. I'll do it my way."
Zeirion studied him closely.
"you are being Stubborn."
"Experienced."
The god sighed.
"Fine. The will of the soul is law. I'll grant it."
A glowing circle appeared beneath Rai's feet. Faint runes spiraled upward, encircling him in a soft blue lattice. Three small flickers of light pulsed within the lattice — faint, barely visible, orbiting his core.
Zeirion lifted his hand. The gate of rebirth shimmered in full form now — wide, tall, humming with creation.
"Through here," Zeirion said. "You will be reborn into Aetherion — think of the chosen race and your soul will travel to the location and binding will be completed. One of the three vessels I've prepared for you will receive your soul."
Rai's eyebrows rose slightly.
Zeirion said, casually. "The other two will be claimed back. Once you pass through, the strongest resonance will decide your new life. The rest will… fade."
Rai didn't answer.
He took a long breath, stepped toward the gate.
Zeirion's gaze followed him carefully.
"You'll arrive as a newborn," he said. "Memories intact, though scattered In the beginning."
"Anything else?"
"Only this—good luck, Earthling."
Rai nodded. "See you on the other side."
He walked forward, slow but certain. The light from the gate reflected off his figure as he neared it.
Just before his foot crossed the threshold, Rai exhaled softly.
No words.
No declaration.
But in that moment, something unseen shifted.
"Soul Split: Activate."
A ripple passed through his soul — silent, invisible to the god's perception.
Three pulses. One rhythm.
All at once, Rai fractured — cleanly, perfectly — into three identical threads of soullight.
And then, as one, they passed through the gate.
The corridor dimmed. The portal flickered. Gone.
Zeirion blinked. A faint glitch shimmered at the edges of the now-empty corridor.
"Wait... that wasn't supposed to be used that fast."
He frowned. The system should have delayed the soul finalization until entry — until the vessel sync occurred.
But it hadn't.
Instead... it had accepted three completions.
Zeirion's eyes widened.
"...He split before entry."
He stared at the still air where Rai had stood.
"What in the Source did you just do...?"
In Aetherion, the winds shifted.
Three races.
Three births.
Three lives.
And one soul now three.
Soulsplit – you can split your soul in three. Three soul shards, giving you experience like you have three brains in one body.