Online: Eiodolon Realms – Child of Ruin

A loud ding echoed through the quiet house.

Rai stepped to the door and opened it to find a slim package waiting on the doorstep, sleek and branded in shimmering silver-blue lettering:

Dream Dive Infinity: Neural Sync Gear.

His heart skipped a beat.

He had ordered it the night before—still overwhelmed by the surreal experience of waking up in the past, reunited with his family. It felt almost unreal, yet the moment he touched the cool casing of the headset, everything solidified into something tangible. This was the beginning. His new start.

The moment he brought it inside, his mother called from the kitchen, "Rai, what did you order now?"

He tried to sneak toward his room with the large box in hand, but his younger sister popped out from behind the corner with an accusing look. "That's the latest VR set, isn't it!?" she gasped. "It costs more than my entire wardrobe!"

His mother came out, wiping her hands. "Rai... are you seriously wasting money on games again?"

Rai smiled. "It's not just for gaming. It's... future investment."

His mother frowned, crossing her arms. "Is that so?"

"I'll make something out of it, Mom. Trust me," he said.

His sister stuck out her tongue. "Better not become a brain-dead zombie in there."

He laughed and ruffled her hair before slipping into his room and locking the door.

Inside, Rai placed the Dream Dive Infinity set on the table. The black, glass-like visor gleamed with promise. He tore open the box and carefully lifted the state-of-the-art headset and spinal sync harness from within. He locked the door behind him, returned to his room, and set the gear on the desk. A whir of soft lights activated as soon as it was plugged in.

The Dream Dive Infinity glowed softly as it calibrated.

He connected it to his neural interface and began the biometric upload process. Fingerprint. Retina scan. Neural feedback calibration. Heart rate syncing.

"Initializing Biometric Sync," a soft synthetic voice announced.

He sat back in the chair, attached the neural nodes, and let the system scan his vitals. Fingerprint, heartbeat, retinal input, and even neural patterns were being mapped.

"Biometric Sync Complete. Synchronization Rate: 96.3%. Excellent compatibility."

Rai exhaled.

A menu flickered into his field of vision. He navigated to the online VR store. His fingers hovered above the title for a moment.

Eidolon Realms: The World Beyond Code.

Price: $399.9.

The price tag was hefty—like most top-end full-dive MMORPGs—but Rai didn't hesitate.

'Man, first the expensive Dream Dive VR set and now this, all my saving and winnings from previous pvp competitions are gone now'.

He confirmed the purchase.

"Download Complete. Launching server environment."

His pulse accelerated.

"Welcome to Eidolon Realms," the voice said. "Please lie back and initiate the dive."

He slid into the reclined VR chair, closed his eyes, and let the Dream Dive Infinity guide him under.

The screen displayed a countdown. [Server Launch in 00:00:10]

His heart pounded.

[00:00:03]

[00:00:01]

Connection Established. Welcome to Eidolon Realms.

Blinding light enveloped him.

Then—

He stood within an enormous ceremonial hall. Polished obsidian and radiant marble made up the floor, and towering golden statues of six divine figures looked down on him with authority and disdain.

The Six Major Gods.

The beings he hated more than anything.

His fists clenched at his sides.

They weren't just bosses in a game. Not to him. They were real. In the future, they had destroyed lives, twisted fate, and nearly broken the world.

But he barely noticed them now.

Because above those six statues stood a figure so luminous, so familiar, that his breath caught in his throat.

Aelina.

Her silver hair flowed like a waterfall of moonlight. She wore golden ceremonial robes and light armor over her shoulders—part divine cleric, part royal sentinel. Her expression was calm, serene, full of grace and devotion.

The Priestess of Genesis.

In this timeline, she was one of the gods' most devoted servants.

But in the future, she would become a goddess herself.

And she would betray all of the 6 major gods—for him.

His chest tightened.

She stepped forward with a face that showed no emotion.

"Welcome, Chosen One," she said, her voice a gentle, melodic chime. "You stand before the Six Pillars of Eidolon, our gods, our protectors, leaders and guides. Today, you will be under the blessings of the 6 major gods be granted the right to choose your class and walk your destined path. You shall walk as one of the chosen warriors to protect this world"

Rai barely heard her.

He took a step forward, eyes locked on her, her face so beautiful that even the moon would lose its shine in front of her. The words tumbled in his mind. He needed to tell her—about the future, the war, the betrayal of the gods, and her own destiny. About his rebirth.

He opened his mouth to speak.

But before he could speak, something strange happened.

Space-time suddenly froze.

A chill raced up his spine. He was now unable to speak or even move a finger.

And then a voice—quiet, echoing from the void—whispered into his mind:

"Not now, Child of Ruin."

A voice—ancient, echoing—whispered directly into his mind.

He tried to turn but couldn't move.

"The truth must wait. Your fate is not yours alone."

A force tugged at him. The grip of time and space returning.

But Rai, shaken by the voice, lost his footing. He stumbled forward—and fell—

He stumbled, balance disrupted, and fell forward.

SMACK.

His hand landed squarely against soft, warm flesh.

His eyes widened.

Aelina gasped, face suddenly burning scarlet. She covered her chest quickly with both arms, eyes flickering between outrage and embarrassment.

"I-Idiot!" she yelped, turning away.

"I swear I didn't mean to!" Rai stammered, frozen. "I—I tripped! There was—something happened—"

Her hands were still clutching the front of her robes protectively.

She peeked at him through her fingers. She wanted to get angry but looking at that face-

"You're such an idiot..." she murmured, her cheeks still glowing. "But I'll let it pass... this once."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Thanks, I guess?"

Aelina composed herself and stepped back to the center of the ritual circle.

Her voice became ceremonial again, though a bit flustered.

"There are six primary classes in Eidolon Realms," she explained, raising her staff.

Glowing sigils formed a circle around them:

Warrior — The iron front line, defenders and swordsmen with high strength and defense.

Mage — Masters of elemental and arcane power, wielders of destructive and utility spells.

Rogue — Assassins and tricksters, fast, deadly, and masters of stealth.

Cleric — Healers, buffers, and conduits of divine energy.

Ranger — Hunters and beast-masters, controlling nature and long-range weapons.

Artificer — Technomancers, inventors, and engineers who fuse magic with machinery.

"You may choose your path," she said. "And know this—beyond these paths lie the Legacy Classes. Unique, hidden inheritances of beings once too powerful to remain part of the mortal world. They can only be unlocked through fate... or defiance."

A normal player may have sought more information but Rai didn't hesitate.

He stepped toward the Rogue sigil.

"A shadow-walker," Aelina said softly, watching him. "Quick. Deadly. Merciless."

He nodded. 'I won't make the same mistakes again. This was the class I had in my last life and i know most of the tips and secret loots and even legacies of this class.'

The sigil lit up, surrounding him in light.

CLASS CONFIRMED: ROGUE. UNIQUE LEGACY CLASS UNLOCKED: THE FALLEN BLADE.

Origin: Unclassified anomaly. Temporal sync detected.Warning: This class diverges from standard progression.Legacy slot locked. Conditions unknown.

'The Fallen Blade...? That wasn't in the original game. Not in the wiki, not in any player logs. And that warning… temporal sync?' Then Rai glanced at Aelina and thought further, 'it doesn't seem that Aelina has recognized the fact that I have somehow gained a unique class. But perhaps it is for the best, right now she a devout believer of the 6 major churches. And during the end she did tell me that some of the minor gods are willing to help humanity, but i don't really know which ones. And also why? It is best to have her as a spy. If i gain proof against the gods her being the kind hearted soul she is, she will definitely help me.'

'But why did i gain this unique class? Is it because I came from the future?'

It was as if the game's system recognized him—not as a new player, but as someone whose soul had already walked the battlefield. Someone who had lived, fought, and lost.

'I didn't accept a legacy. I didn't unlock a special event. And yet… this.'

Maybe his rage, his pain, the weight of his memories—they left a scar. Not on the game world, but on his soul. One deep enough that even a god-coded system couldn't ignore it.

'A class born of failure... and revenge. Yeah. Sounds about right.'

The teleportation gate shimmered behind him, spinning open like a star-flung vortex.

"Your journey begins in the mortal realms," Aelina said. "May your path lead you to greatness."

"This gate leads to one of many Beginner Villages," She further said. "From there, your true journey begins."

Rai gave her one last look, then turned and stepped into the portal.

As the light swallowed him, Aelina let her hand drift to her chest, cheeks still pink.

She stared at the spot where he had vanished.

"Idiot..." she whispered.

Then, after a pause:

"...but a handsome one."