'Oh shit.'
'It's all about to go to hell'.
Only a few minutes ago Sun had managed to navigate through the day's biggest challenge and yet another one cropped up almost immediately. He could feel a pang of dread wash over him as he came to grips with the situation before him.
All the chatter, laughter, and joy around him seemed to press down on his shoulders, while the people around him remained blissfully unaware of the danger lurking in their midst.
The diners sat on wooden tables that had scarred with time, their surfaces polished to a dull shine on which countless meals had been served and shared. A single pedestal fan stood tucked in a far corner rotating lazily, of help to no one.
From the open kitchen at the back, the clang of pans and an occasional bark punctuated the conversation. The atmosphere was lively, laughter rising here and there with sporadic spice induced exclamations.
Sun wasn't new to seeing this. But his current world view had gone through a complete revamp, so to speak, and unfortunately he was now getting used to the new new.
Conversations grew louder. The laughter became harsher and smiles turned tight and brittle.
The tone in the shack had grown heavier, something imperceptible, almost otherworldly had taken over the small space. It gnawed at the edges of the diners' mind, stoking the suppressed embers of emotions that had laid dormant.
Ace, blissfully oblivious—or more likely unconcerned—about the simmering shift around him, poked at the remnants of his fiery stew with the sharp end of his chopsticks. His face was still flushed from the spice, and though he tried to play it cool, the occasional muttered curse and the deep gulps of water betrayed his ongoing battle with the dish.
Across from him, Sun sat stiffly, his usual mild demeanor masking a creeping sense of unease. His eyes flicked around the room, taking in the diners who seemed... off. The elderly couple in the corner, who had been quietly sharing a plate of dumplings earlier, were now glaring at each other as if one had stolen the other's pension. The group of young men at the next table had gone from cheerful banter to sneering, their voices a touch too loud, their gestures a bit too aggressive.
And then there was Ace.
Sun swallowed hard as he noticed the faint shimmer of something unnatural flicker around Ace's silhouette. It wasn't visible—not exactly—but it was there, a subtle distortion, like heat waves rising off a summer road.
Sun stared at the man opposite him-not short, not too tall, well built and extremely powerful looking, an Aetherforged. The Aetherforged usually possessed abilities beyond the cognition of mortals but Ace was someone who couldn't be understood even by the Aetherforged's unconventional standards. And this would often cause Sun to furrow his brows in worry.
Today he was very worried.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sun asked hesitantly, leaning forward.
"Am I okay?" Ace shot him a look of pure indignation. "This food is trying to murder me, and you're asking if I'm okay? Sun, my insides are plotting a coup!"
Sun's lips twitched into a nervous smile, but his eyes didn't leave the rest of the room. The tension was mounting, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something—someone—was about to snap.
It happened faster than he expected.
"Hey, you."
The voice cut through the low hum of the restaurant, sharp and rough. Sun turned to see one of the young men from the next table—tall, wiry, with a crooked grin that didn't reach his eyes—standing and glaring directly at Ace.
Sun knew this was it.
'Oh, that's just great.'
Ace raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Yes? Can I help you, random angry person?"
"You've been complaining since you sat down," the man growled. "This place has the best food in the village, and you're ruining it with your whining."
The rest of the man's group muttered their agreement, their eyes narrowing as they focused on Ace. One of them—a stocky guy with arms like tree trunks—cracked his knuckles.
Sun tensed. "Ace, maybe we should—"
"Oh, I see," Ace interrupted, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. "You're all food critics now, is that it? Defenders of the Holy Stew?"
The wiry man bristled. "We don't need to be critics to know you're being disrespectful. Maybe you should learn some manners."
Ace's smirk widened, and for a moment, Sun swore he saw the faint glint of something sharp in his eyes. "Manners?" Ace said, his tone almost lazy. "Coming from the guy who's been slurping his soup like a drowning man gasping for air?"
The man's face darkened, and he took a step closer. The atmosphere in the restaurant thickened further, an almost palpable weight pressing down on everyone. Several diners were now watching the exchange, their expressions ranging from mild curiosity to outright hostility.
"Ace, please.." Sun hissed under his breath, "let's try not to escalate this, okay?"
"Escalate?" Ace echoed, glancing at Sun with mock innocence. "I'm just having a friendly conversation."
The wiry man's patience snapped. "You think you're funny, huh?" he snarled, slamming his hand down on the table. Plates rattled, and Sun flinched.
Ace didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. Instead, he leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand as he looked up at the man.
"Funny?" Ace repeated, his voice dropping just enough to send a shiver down Sun's spine. "Oh, I'm hilarious. Want to hear a joke?"
The man hesitated, caught off guard by the unexpected response.
Ace's grin turned sharper. "You."
For a moment, silence.
And then the man's knees buckled. He staggered back, clutching his head, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His friends rushed to his side, their bravado replaced by confusion and fear.
"What's wrong?" one of them asked, shaking the wiry man's shoulder. "Hey! What's happening?"
The wiry man didn't answer. His eyes were wide, unseeing, his face pale as a sheet.
Ace leaned back in his chair, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Oops. Guess he couldn't handle the joke."
Sun stared at him, his mouth slightly open. "What... what did you do?"
"Nothing much," Ace said with a shrug, picking up his glass of water. "Just showed him a little... perspective."
"Perspective?"
Ace took a long sip before setting the glass down. "You know, a quick glimpse of the vast, uncaring void of existence. The usual."
Sun's stomach churned. "Ace, you can't just—"
"Relax," Ace interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "He'll be fine. Probably."
The rest of the diners were now openly staring, their earlier hostility replaced by an uneasy tension.
"Aetherforged..." people whispered in subdued, cautious tones.
Sun swallowed hard and stood, his legs feeling a little shaky. "I think we should go."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Already? But I was just starting to have fun."
"Now," Sun said, firmly this time, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Ace sighed dramatically and pushed his chair back, standing with an exaggerated stretch. "Fine, fine. But next time, you owe me dessert."
Sun didn't respond, too focused on getting them out of the restaurant.
As they stepped outside, the cool evening air hit them like a balm. Sun exhaled, his shoulders relaxing slightly, though his nerves were still frayed.
Ace, on the other hand, looked entirely unbothered. He glanced back at the restaurant and smirked.
"Well, that was entertaining."
Sun shot him a look. "You're impossible."
Ace grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And yet, you need to stick around. Fascinating, isn't it?"
Sun shook his head, muttering under his breath as they walked away, leaving the chaos—and the diners—behind them.
As they left the restaurant Sun couldn't help but remember life before the great cataclysm. A world without Gods and monsters, where good and evil, right or wrong, were left to the human devices and myths were consigned to human imagination and literature.
Little did we know, nothing would remain the same.
15 years ago, tremors shook the entirety of the Earth. What was initially described by the finest geologists and scientists across the globe as an unnatural seismic activity within the Earth's core came to be later known as the Great Cataclysm. It marked the end of Gaia's protection over the world. The Mother had entered a deep passage of slumber having lost...
The Aegis of Gaia had been lost and mankind had entered a new era. It started with the second coming of the Gods. Followers thronged in thousands to view the Divine and they showered miracles on them.
Riches, cures, wishes— they received all. But it was not just one God. There were many. Soon there were not just Gods, creatures of all shapes and sizes, demonic beings, things all of faith, stories and legends entered our domain, feeding on our belief and our faith.
They needed us and when some of us refused... well lets just say the rivers of blood helped convinced many. The beings, these creatures however were not united as one. They warred against one another bringing untold destruction, dismantling cities and destroying lives. It was at that time one of Gaia's safety nets came into play forcing the divine back into their own planes.
They could no longer enter Earth easily, but their effects still lingered. They blessed their followers with Aether, imbibing them with some of their own abilities creating apostles, saints and soldiers. They then went on to create Gates for their armies to enter Earth and Dungeons for their followers to strengthen.
Gaia too played one final hand, dispersing Aether across the world and granting abilities to the human race. It was said that as her children all humans could call upon her powers but in reality very few could manifest any kind of extraordinary powers.
Gradually, the world came to an uneasy stalemate. Divided into various factions, some seeking to conquer, while others seeking to protect and still others who lived only for themselves. In the backdrop of all this the world moved forward coping with a new reality. Those who governed, split the people by their powers, gauging their abilities and assigning them a category tier.
Collectively, they were called the Aetherforged.
Although Gaia had spread her power to every human, most remained mortals. The tiers began from Mortals, Enhanced, Superhumans, Elementals and Mystics, Titans, Ascended, Cosmic and finally the Divine. The Gods and strongest supernatural creatures in the realm of divinity were categorized as Cosmic and Divine.
No living human had yet ascended, but there were stories of humans who had stepped into the realm of divinity in many myths. Well monsters and creatures of all sorts were now alive and roaming the world so who is to say that one day...
'And this man walking beside me, who scares the living hell out me and in reality is my master is at least a cosmic level being and a demon.'
' Ace, the demon, Azazel— who is on a holiday.'