Against the Gods - Chapter 8 The Wedding Night

Sometimes. You face a choice in your life

“Choose. Between the two of them. Whom will you save, Michael Aroa?”

You look back into your life and wonder how you ended up here

“Michael please!! Save your mother!! Not me. Michael you don’t need to make a choice here!! Michael! I love you! I won’t hate you for your choices!! Please save your mother!!”

You question the path that you took that brought you to this point

“Son. She is your wife! She has your child. It’s not one life over another but two over one. I am already old but she has a long life. You are smart enough to make the right decision, Son, aren’t you?”

Since it hurts, you wish you could stop time and have some time to think

[Activating Ability: Temporal Pause!!]

[Activation failed!! Not enough Energy!!]

You wish to go back into the past and change everything that led you to here

[Activating Ability: Time Reverse!!]

[Activation Failed!! You don’t have the Requirements to use this ability!!]

And then when nothing works as it shouldn’t.

[Are you sure you want to use this ability?]

You make a decision that you had never thought you would

[Activating ability!]

And then... Chaos ensues

[Ability Activated]

[God Power: Time Collapse]

Arriving in a strange world, Xavier realizes he's born into a family of hunters: Humans who hunt demons, cursed spirits, and various supernatural creatures.Xavier also comes to a realization that apart from espers- humans who awaken their attributes.They are Arcanists- humans who by going through the Arcane Ascension make use of the power of belief- Arcana, to manifest their wills onto the physical world.Not only that, but Transcenders- humans who consume divinity potions at the risk of losing their sanity also exist....And with the resurgence of the pathways.Xavier and his brother, Klaus are born into the Dark Era... an era also known as the Golden Age.Now both armed with a system each. The brothers must do everything in their prowess to put an end to the resurgence of the various evil gods and lunatics that endanger the lives of the normal citizens of the society.Churches of Gods, Prophets, evil gods, seers, oracles, and even angels of the lord can be both allies and enemies in this legendary tale that delves into the peak of mystery, fantasy, mysticism, and Lovecraftian horror!

Time is an illusion, and reality is a fragile thread in Kael's fractured world.Kael's life is defined by darkness, memories that flicker in and out like glitching shadows. Struggling with haunting nightmares and terrifying hallucinations, he finds himself trapped in a reality that doesn’t make sense—a reality where time is breaking, and nothing is as it seems.When a mysterious red notebook, filled with cryptic symbols, falls into his hands, it opens a gateway to a world where the laws of time no longer apply. Every hour, every minute, every second twists and warps, and Kael begins to realize that something—or someone—is manipulating time itself, pushing him to the edge of his sanity.But he's not alone. A girl, whose existence is as twisted as the world around them, seems to be connected to his suffering. Kael's bond with her grows as they both search for the truth behind their disturbing experiences, yet the more they uncover, the deeper they fall into an abyss of despair and madness.The Pulse, an unfathomable force that distorts time and reality, pulses through their very existence. As Kael inches closer to the truth, he faces a devastating choice—one that could either save them or shatter everything they hold dear.Time is collapsing, the Pulse is awakening, and Kael must confront the horrors lurking in the fractured timeline before it consumes them all.

Warning This fiction contains:

Graphic Violence Profanity Sensitive Content

Summary – Level 1:

Delve is an isekai litrpg that follows an average guy who just happened to wake up in a forest one day. He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel.

Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing.

Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one.

Did I mention that there will be math?

Summary – Level 2:

Okay, but what are you in for, really?

Well, this story is supposed to be realistic, or at least, as realistic as a fantasy litrpg can be. The main character doesn’t instantly become an all-powerful god and murder-hobo his way across the universe. Delve is, at its heart, a progression fantasy, but that progression is meant to feel earned. The numbers in this story actually mean something. Everything is calculated, and if you find a rounding error, I expect you to tell me about it. That said, if math isn’t your cup of tea, there is plenty more that the story has to offer. Characters are meant to feel real, and progression isn’t only about personal power; it’s also about allies, connections, and above all, knowledge. Figuring out how the system works is a significant theme.

...

What, you want more details? Okay, fine, but this is going to get a bit spoiler-y. Are you sure?

Yes!

Really sure? I mean, this summary is practically half as long as the first chap–

Now!

Okay, okay!

The main character becomes a magic user, but he takes a route that is not very popular in adventurer culture, namely that of a support. There is a full magic system with various spells, skills, and abilities, but our MC decides that aura magic is the way to go, and that the only stat worth investing in is mana regeneration. Most people at the Adventurer’s Guild think that this makes him a bit of a dumbass, but he’s playing the long game. We’ll see how that works out for him, won’t we?

Because of his build, the MC levels up fast, at least compared to normal people. There are no cheats, though, and he is limited in other ways. There are some clear and pretty obvious downsides to his build. That’s what makes it fun, no?

Morals? Our MC has them. Again, we’ll see how that works out for him. Realism, remember? Would you be okay with killing someone and looting their body? I sure hope not.

POV? The focus is on the main character, but there will be occasional varying perspectives from people around him, or involved in the events related to the main plot. It isn’t going to jump all over the place.

Tech is standard medieval stasis. No smartphones, but the MC does have a technical background. Computers and their programming might be involved. There might even be a bit of uplifting down the road, who knows? Anyway, it isn’t the focus. He isn’t going to invent the gun in chapter 1 and change the face of warfare.

Romance is not a major focus. Friendships are more the name of the game, though there will be some characters in romantic relationships.

There is exploration, though not as much of the geographical nature as you might expect. It is more about exploration of the system and the culture.

The pace is slow and detailed, sometimes verging on slice-of-life. The action is meant to be realistic and grounded in the numbers, and it is intended to have meaning beyond simply punching things until they stop moving.

The general tone of the story is grey, and some parts can get quite dark. People die. Sometimes, people with names, but not anywhere near GoT level. There is plenty of light, too, though, to balance the darkness. The world is dangerous, but overcoming that danger is why we’re all here, isn’t it?

Anyway, if you’ve made it this far through the summary, you clearly like words. I hope you enjoy the story!