The Morning After
The sun rose quietly over the countryside, its golden light creeping through the windows of Elmore’s home. In the front yard, Ash was bent over the wood grill Elmore threw together made of bricks from old chimneys that still stand where the houses brought it away, her hands moving deftly as she made biscuits and gravy in a cast iron skillet. She worked in silence, pointedly ignoring the faint smoke still rising from the smoldering/burning pile of bodies not far behind the house. The smell of the burning wood mixed with the comforting aroma of breakfast, as if nothing unusual had ever happened.
Inside, Edward was in the living room, playing happily with his new toys, babbling away to himself in that adorable, nonsensical way only a toddler could. The simple sounds filled the space, a reminder of innocence amidst all the madness outside.
Elmore sat down at the desk, setting up the old desktop computer and its sleek monitor. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but as the screen flickered to life, he wasn’t surprised to see the news showing stories about the spiderweb of shapes and colors he had seen the night before. Apparently, others had experienced it too, not very many apparently, and some were already learning to experiment with it, something he had not had time for. what he did notice is all of them reported it happening after sunrise after it happened to him something he noticed and just pushed to the back of his mind for now.
He wasn’t in the mood to deal with that just yet. He left the broadcast playing in the background and picked up his coffee, savoring the bitter flavor as he sat down at the table. Ash walked in a few minutes later, carrying the cast iron skillet with breakfast. They all gathered at the table, bowed their heads to pray, and began to eat. The food was simple but hearty, and somehow, they found themselves in a better mood than they should reasonably have been.
The silence of the morning, the warmth of the food, the sense of togetherness—it was almost enough to make them forget the madness of the night before. But then, out of nowhere, Ash’s face twisted in pain. Her fork clattered to the floor, and she grabbed at her stomach, gasping for breath.
"Help me," she wheezed, her voice panicked and strained. Edward’s babbling stopped, and he stared wide-eyed as Ash doubled over, dry heaving, her body convulsing. And immediately looking between her and me saying “Dada elp mommy! Dada elp!! mommy. Starting to cry repeating those words in different ways while she clutched it herself.
Elmore was at her side in an instant, his hands on her shoulders. “Ash, breathe. It'll be over soon, just breathe.”
He could feel the hum—the same low, vibrating hum he’d felt in himself the night before. It radiated from Ash’s body, like a tuning fork that had just been struck. Her skin was clammy, her face pale, but he knew what was happening. He had gone through the same thing.
Sure enough, after a few minutes of heaving and writhing, the worst of it passed. Ash’s body stilled, and she let out a shaky breath, her hands trembling in her lap.
Elmore helped her up, guiding her back to the chair. "I went through this last night," he said softly, stroking her hair. "It hurts, but it passes."
Ash looked up at him, her face still pale, but her eyes sharp. “What... what is it? What’s happening to us?”
Before Elmore could respond, the broadcast on his computer grabbed their attention. An emergency alert blared across the screen, the shrill sound cutting through the room. They both turned to face the monitor as a news anchor, looking far more frazzled than usual, addressed the American public.
"The government has issued a statement regarding the strange phenomena many citizens are reporting," the anchor said, her voice strained but composed. "They are claiming that humans are being exposed to some kind of radiation, leading to mutations and hallucinations. They urge the public not to interact with any... strange abilities that may manifest and to detain anyone displaying signs of mutation."
"They are calling this phenomenon the Nexus System," the anchor continued, "and it has been suggested that those who see a 'lightning web' or experience unusual powers have grown something the government is referring to as a Nexus. Though details remain scarce, they urge you to remain cautious. Furthermore, any individual showing abilities outside the norm should not be considered human and must be treated as dangerous. If encountered, do not hesitate to act."
The news segment began to loop, repeating the dire warnings over and over again.
Elmore chuckled darkly, leaning back in his chair. “Well, there you have it. Can’t play with the new powers that scare the government.” He took a slow sip of his coffee, shaking his head in disbelief.
Ash, her voice still a bit shaky but with her usual edge, smirked at him. "Of course, you would do the exact opposite of what your told."
He laughed softly, setting his cup down. "Damn right I will."
Without another word, Elmore turned his attention back to the spiderweb of lines and colors still faintly lingering in the back of his mind, a strange curiosity pulling him deeper into its mysterious patterns. He couldn’t help it—the government’s warnings only made him more eager to see what he could really do.
A Few Hours Later
The quiet resolve in Elmore’s eyes shifted into a determined focus. After breakfast, with Ash and Edward settled into their own activities, Elmore found himself returning to the idea of the Nexus System. The web of impossible shapes and colors still flickered faintly at the edges of his vision, and the government’s warning only deepened his curiosity. He couldn't resist trying to figure it out.
The next few hours passed in a blur, almost like a montage of failed attempts. He tried everything he could think of—closing his eyes, meditating, focusing intensely on the shapes, even waving his hands in front of his face like some sort of mystic. Each time, the strange lines in his vision would flicker but remain frustratingly out of reach.
He tried to visualize the patterns, like trying to grab a thread hanging just out of sight. But the moment he thought he had it, it would slip away, vanishing into the recesses of his mind. After what felt like an eternity of failed attempts, Elmore rubbed his eyes in frustration.
"Come on..." he muttered under his breath.
Eventually, something shifted. Instead of focusing with his mind, he instinctively began to pull at the sensation within his chest—like flexing an invisible muscle he didn’t even know he had. He concentrated on that tugging feeling, and suddenly, a burst of color exploded in his vision.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The spiderweb of shapes twisted and morphed, swirling into a vivid display of lights and patterns before coalescing into a simple, streamlined interface that hovered in the air like a hologram. It wasn’t elaborate or ornate—it looked like something out of a video game HUD.
In front of him, floating in midair, was a set of clean, numerical indicators, as though reality itself had been distilled into something he could now quantify. He blinked, staring at the display in awe. It was shockingly simple and concise:
---
Elmore
Level: 1
Strength: 7/10
Endurance:2/10
Dexterity: 3/10
Agility: 4/10
Intelligence:10/10
Resistance: 8/10
Vitality: 9/10
Aither: ???
Skills: [Aither Memory], [Progenitor]
The numbers were matter-of-fact, each neatly categorized as if his entire physical and mental being could be summed up with a few digits. Strength, Endurance, Dexterity—it all felt eerily familiar, like something out of an old RPG, and yet it carried an obvious weight he couldn’t ignore. looking over each stat carefully.
His Strength was just above average he guessed, not surprising given his sturdy frame. But his Endurance—only 2 out of 10—stood out like a glaring weakness. He was a big man, but clearly not conditioned for prolonged physical strain, something he always knew. His Dexterity and Agility were also low, though not awful—likely reflecting his general lack of finesse or quickness; he definitely wasn't a man about to do a backflip or run very quickly. Intelligence, unsurprisingly, was maxed out. He’d always been quick to grasp complex ideas, a sharp mind even before the world started changing it just never occurred to him that he was smart enough to be given a perfect score.
Then there was Resistance and Vitality—both high, as expected. His body could take hits and keep going, one of the few times being fat actually helped after the mini car accidents and diseases and attacks he's been through in his life. It would be a surprise if his resistance wasn't high and vitality, but his Aither was still a mystery.
Aither: ???
The question marks hovered there, almost taunting him. It was clear that Aither held the key to whatever new power was stirring inside him, but he still had no idea what it truly meant or how to access it. His eyes lingered on his two unfamiliar skills: [Aither Memory] and [Progenitor]. These were already etched into his being, but there had to be more, something deeper connected to this Aither that was growing inside him.
Elmore sat at the kitchen table, staring at the glowing display in his vision, trying to decipher what came next. He had spent nearly an hour experimenting with the strange system before him, focusing, flexing, and mentally pulling at different parts of the HUD, but nothing seemed to provide further information. That was, until he made a breakthrough purely by accident.
As he absentmindedly thought about his first skill, [Aither Memory] and asked himself what that even meant, he felt the interface shift. The moment he focused on the name and what he wanted to do, a small window opened beneath the skill, revealing the details.
---
[Aither Memory] A mind forever linked to the flow of Aither. You are unable to forget anything you have ever experienced. Memory recall is instantaneous and perfect.[Aither Memory] grows stronger with exposure to larger Aither sources.
---
A wave of understanding washed over him. The system could provide more information; he just had to focus on the individual aspects of it. And the fact that he has maxed intelligence and a mind skill made him immediately realize that he's going to be a genius even if he had to admit to himself that was mildly arrogant. Intrigued, Elmore turned his attention to [Progenitor], and again, a description appeared.
---
[Progenitor] The bloodline keeps you anchored to life. As long as a direct male descendant remains alive, you cannot die permanently. Upon death, your consciousness is locked in the aither until you can be placed within one of your direct male descendants' next unborn child .[Progenitor] grows stronger the more descendant’s there are that carry your last name and how many generations the name survives.
---
Elmore sat back, feeling the weight of the information sink in. These weren’t just abstract concepts—these skills were tied to his very existence, altering his life in profound ways. He was quite literally immortal as long as Edward lived and had kids of his own. And this [Aither Memory] meant he would never forget a single moment of this surreal journey. His heart raced as he thought about the implications, but then he glanced at Ash, who was busy with Edward in the living room, oblivious to the changes happening inside her.
“Ash,” he called over to her, his voice steady despite the emotions swirling within him. “You should try to open your Nexus System.”
She raised an eyebrow, setting Edward down and walking over to him. "My what?"
"The thing I was messing with earlier—it's like a HUD from a video game, something that shows stats, skills, everything about you. I think you have one too. Just... concentrate. Imagine pulling something in your chest into your mind's eye."
Ash looked skeptical but trusted him enough to give it a try. She closed her eyes for a moment, her expression tense as she focused. After about an hour of her groaning and complaining eventually, her eyes snapped open, and she let out a small gasp.
“Oh my God,” she muttered, blinking rapidly. “I see it. It's real I thought you were bullshiting me. Elmore, what the hell is this?”
Elmore smiled, feeling a strange sense of relief that he wasn’t alone in this. “It’s real, Ash. It shows everything about you. Can you see your stats?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she replied, her voice uncertain but excited. “They're kind of like yours, right? Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and the rest. And there are skills too.” She paused. “Two of them.”
“What are they?” Elmore asked, leaning forward. “Can you focus on them and see the details?”
Ash nodded, narrowing her eyes as she concentrated on the first skill.after some coaching from Elmore.
---
[Matriarch] The strength of family resides within you. You inspire loyalty and protectiveness in those you love. Those under your care have increased resistance to fear and panic when near you.[Matriarch] grows stronger the more you are loved.and the more individuals that love you.
---
Ash let out a soft chuckle. “That’s... kind of perfect,” she said, her tone thoughtful. “It sounds like some weird motherly superpower.”
Elmore smiled. “Seems fitting.”
“Alright, let’s see the second one,” Ash said, focusing again.
---
[Silver Tongue] Your words carry a persuasive edge, allowing you to influence others more easily. Negotiation, diplomacy, and even subtle manipulation become second nature.
[Silver Tongue] grows stronger the more people you convince of outlandish lies or Hard truths, score a good deal or win concessions, change someone's opinion to positive or negative.
Or manipulate a strong willed target successfully.
---
Ash looked at Elmore, her eyes wide. “Well, this explains a lot. I have always been good at talking my way out of or into things.” she smiles mischievously, nudging Elmore with a cocky smile.
Elmore nodded, fascinated. “Those are really powerful, Ash. You’re even more of a leader than you already were, better skills for it anyway.”
Ash sat down across from him, staring at the invisible display in front of her. “So, what do we do with this? I mean, these are... gifts, right? Or curses? I’m not sure. Is this God's will? I'm so lost.”
Elmore shrugged, still trying to wrap his own head around it. “We figure it out that's all we can do, Slowly if need be. We see what else we can do, but for now we keep this between us. No one else can know, especially with the government labeling people like us as dangerous.”
Ash frowned, clearly unsettled by the thought of being more dangerous than an angry hillbilly with a gun. Instead she is now an angry hillbilly with a gun AND superpowers, but she nodded in agreement either way almost absent mindedly. “So... what now?” imagining herself as supermom lost in space while Elmore talks.
Elmore tapped his fingers on the table. “Now, we see if we can make use of these abilities. We experiment. You’ve got [Silver Tongue], so maybe you can try persuading people when we’re out gathering supplies. Test the limits of it, see if it works differently in different situations. It sounds useful especially with us running low on money and things to trade..”
Shaking herself out of her thoughts “And you?” Ash asked, folding her arms hoping to look determined and actually pulling it off this time.
“I’m still figuring out [Aither Memory]. It’s mostly passive I think, but I’m not forgetting anything anymore. Everything I experience is burned into my mind and easy to pull from but I don't feel smarter and I'm not connecting new dots. I think it's mostly just memories like it says on the cover.”
Ash took a deep breath, nodding slowly as she glanced toward the backyard where the remnants of the fire still smoldered, the bodies of the looters nothing but ash. "We’re going to need these powers, aren’t we?"
"Yeah," Elmore said, his tone grim but resolute. "I think we will."
