Chapter 1: New beginning

I'm Aether Aureole Hendrix.

Aether is the primordial god and the personification of the bright upper sky in Greek mythology. An aureole is a halo of light that surrounds a sacred being's head or body. I always appreciated my parents for giving me such a distinctive name. even though I was aware that I could never live up to that name. All I have in this pathetic life is a name that I can't even claim as mine. Will I ever make it to the bright upper sky?

This beautiful night makes me nostalgic as I walked alone one day. The world beyond my window is enchanting. Do I deserve such a life? Mom, Dad, and brother..? Exactly where in the sky are you? What happened to you? Are you here with me? I need you.

Infantile amnesia, which refers to individuals' inability to recall experiences or events that occurred before the age of two to four, affects every kid from the moment they are born. But, as for me, I remembered everything as if it had happened yesterday. She had died giving birth to me. My father and brother took care of me after my mother died from complications, with tears streaming down their faces, and my father and brother never blamed me for my mother's death. They took care of me even while I was there at the burial of a mother I killed. Only three times did my family and I spend time in the place we refer to as "home": once after I was released from the hospital; once during the planning of the funeral; and once following its conclusion. Throughout the one month the funeral was arranged, I remained dry-eyed. In all honesty, my father always urged me not to be scared to show my tears, but I did not want to cry in front of a family in mourning.

My family drove me home the day after the funeral was completed. After a long and sorrowful car ride, they then took me to a bridge. At the time, I felt they were going to toss me off the bridge. However, this was not the case. "Look, Aether! Every night, our mother gazed at this bridge in the hopes of giving birth to a healthy baby boy who would lead a lovely life. My little brother, she should have seen how much you have grown in only one month. You would have had her deepest devotion. "

That much is certain. "She would have adored you." My dad responded, "

We lay down on the chilly grass as we descended the bridge while gazing up at the starry sky. "I will show you so much love, my lovely baby brother. You will be the happiest kid ever. Our mother will always remain by our side, nevertheless. "

I eventually reached my breaking point. My eyes started to tear up, then they moved to my cheeks and finally to my chin. She was more than merely another mother; she was my mother.

As we were driving home, and while we did so, tears were streaming down our faces as I was being held in my brother's arms. My father and brother died protecting me when a truck collided with our car.

Even though I had killed another blood relative, I can still clearly recall that they never appeared furious as their bodies ran cold. They passed away smiling. I am sorry for presenting you with such a scene, but "my baby brother," our little angel, soars above the "Bright Aether Heavens." We love you.

They were people who loved me; they never harbored resentment toward me during that one month.

I go to the same bridge every week. No matter what time of day it is, I always glance up at the sky with nostalgia for that day. For some reason, I always felt obligated to place violet chrysanthemums on their graves. So they can live a long time in the next life, with each violet chrysanthemum I grow, I visit their graves every day and pay my respects.

For a brief time, when I first saw my mother, I was reminded of a meadow of violet chrysanthemums. I have never encountered a woman with more beauty than she had.

As for me, I now work as a full-time depressed office worker who enjoys reading fantasy novels as a hobby. My parents gave me a sizable inheritance after they passed away. After my father and brother were laid to rest, a conference was arranged to discuss my guardianship and the inheritance that had been left to me. I will not go into further detail, but following the meeting, everything worsened. My relatives had planned that I would receive a monthly stipend when I turned 18 and that I would inherit my parents' wealth when I was 21.

I was placed in my uncle's care. His presence came at an unfortunate time. He had a stable income, nonetheless. His unstable mental state was worsened by the deaths of his wife and daughter. He would regularly mistake me for his daughter and would have me remove all of my clothing before striking me with a stick if I ignored his orders to dress in skirts or act femininely. Our home was filled with the scent of cigars, the sound of smashed alcohol bottles, laughter, swearing, and other sounds every night. Every time he used to lose each game, as it increased the hits and slashes, After a few years, my uncle started to lose all the money and became financially unstable, but the greedy gambling character in him never faded away. He would get loans from loan sharks but never pay them back. He was in debt of approximately 1.2 million. My father owned significant oil corporations, so almost half of my inheritance—roughly $1.9 million—had been embezzled by him. All of that cash went into his pricey cigars and booze. I frequently left the house with a cigar-like odor.

Believe it or not, but I used to have friends in elementary school. "Aether, why do you smell like cigarettes?" They would say,

It did not end there. You could say my uncle had a fetish for children, so he would make me invite my friend over, and as they were returning home, they would go missing.

He usually tries to place himself in situations where he can interact with young females.

He has photos of young girls on his phone, usually between the ages of 5 and 10, and stares at them as if a wolf was at its prey; he prays to "God"—loudly—every day, pleading with "God" to grant him a girlfriend.

That hellhole of a childhood continued until I was 16 and reported my uncle for child abuse. As for the children, their lives were not fulfilled as he was sentenced to only 12 years of prison. For the rest of my life, I lived in an apartment. I was old enough to live alone with a housekeeper. Of course, I was bullied throughout high school for being an orphan and graduated like any other student. With the money my parents left me, I went to college and then to get a stable job.

One night, I was walking alone as I missed the last bus. It was the day my uncle was supposed to be released from jail, but due to his mental instability, he was transferred to a psychiatric facility.

I got a call from the hospital; he was being held in

——

"Mr. Hendrix, Your Uncle died as a result of an unknown chronic disease. You will have to come to the hospital to pick him up for cremation.

"Yes, I will be there."

I hung up the call.

...

——

Yes, he finally died! ..I'm sorry, I mean... no.

——

I genuinely don't know why I had run in such a hurry, but it wasn't like I felt bad, it was more like I was happy to see my uncle's cold body. From what he had done to me, his death was nothing. As I rush from signal to signal, I do not turn to look behind or on either side. The sight of his cold body Just thinking about it made me feel content, so much so that my blood sugar spiked.

I ran my way to the hospital, and as I was running in a hurry, I didn't look the other way, and in one brief moment it felt like I was being pushed by an impactful force. My guess was true; it seemed as if I had been hit by a truck. as time goes by while I am lying here on the concrete. For some reason, I enjoyed the silent atmosphere and the nightly breeze.

It's the same atmosphere as that day.

I slowly started to lose consciousness. Is this the end...? Will I ever be able to reach the aether skies...? Will I finally get to meet them? The pain had gone away after a few minutes.

[Aether Hendrix, Are you ready to climb the tower?]

{Yes or No}

During my time reading novels and webtoons, I read novels in which situations in which a player dies and is reincarnated to climb the tower. Around this time, a god would appear and give me a second chance! So where is my God?

I seemed to be still unconscious. I am in a dark and enclosed place, but it is not my mind. As a sudden light, almost how the moon reflects the sun.

I hear a voice. It sounds as if it is of peace or joy that covers your body in a moment of chaos, but is so divine and godly that it shakes you to your core, as if the night was talking to you.

{Greetings, Human}

"H-hi?, Who are you?"

{I am Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night.}

Nevermind, I found her.

"So are you going to make me your incarnation?"

{Yes, Wait-How?}

experience.

{So do you choose to be my incarnation?}

"Yes."

{Aren't you going to ask why?}

"No,"

{It is fairly simple. Although your name is Aether, as in the personification of the upper bright sky, you resemble both Dawn and Dusk.}

"Nobody asked."

{Stop making this difficult for me...}

{So here's why I want you to be my incarnation:}

"YES." "I know you want me to climb the tower."

{Aren't you going to ask why?

I don't care.

{What the heck, I'll just let the system explain.}

Thank you.

{Remember, when you need to call me from the "Otherworld"}

{"Goodbye, My incarnation"}

I ain't yours, woman.

Was I salty? Yes.

Why? It's pretty hard to not be when your body hurts as hell.

[Congratulations, Aether Aureole Hendrix,]

[You have completed the qualifications to be a "Sky hero."!]

...

[You have been chosen as the apostle of Nyx], the ancient Greek goddess of the night!].

[Climb to the top of the tower, and you'll be granted a wish!]

[Save planet 1834 from the catastrophe!]

[Attain the 'Aether Skies' you mention!]

Good luck on your journeys!

(Moving worlds in... 1. 2. 3....)