Silence was never meant to exist.
Not after a god had moved.
Yet across Eclipse Academy, across the fractured skies and stabilized worlds, silence reigned—heavy, unnatural, absolute.
Arakio lay unconscious at the center of it all.
A World Holding Its Breath
Medics rushed in waves, but none dared touch him at first.
Sensors failed.
Mana readings contradicted themselves.
Reality around his body behaved politely, as if afraid to disturb him.
"He's not injured," one healer whispered.
"He's… recalibrating."
The council watched from a distance.
No one argued.
No one commanded.
For the first time in its history, Eclipse Academy had no authority greater than a single boy lying on the ground.
Ayakio's Vigil
Ayakio refused to leave his side.
Hours passed.
Then days.
She spoke softly to him—about small things, normal things. About meals they never finished. About the sky before it broke.
"If you wake up… promise you'll complain again," she said with a weak smile.
"I don't want you perfect. I want you here."
Jiho and Riko took turns guarding the chamber.
Neither joked.
Neither slept.
Inside the Hunger
Arakio drifted.
There was no light.
No darkness.
Only vastness.
The Hunger stood before him—not as a voice, not as a monster—but as a mirror.
You chose, it said without sound.
And choice creates consequence.
Arakio looked at his reflection.
He no longer looked human.
Not fully.
"Can I go back?" he asked.
The Hunger paused.
You can return, it answered.
But you will never be small again.
The Price Revealed
Visions unfolded.
Worlds he saved.
Worlds he would one day have to abandon.
Friends who would age while he remained unchanged.
Power had a cost beyond pain.
It had distance.
Arakio clenched his fists.
"Then let me carry it."
The Hunger bowed.
Not in submission.
In acknowledgment.
Awakening
Arakio's eyes opened.
Not glowing.
Normal.
The room exhaled.
Ayakio broke first—gripping his hand, crying openly.
"You idiot," she laughed through tears.
"Don't ever do that again."
He smiled weakly.
"I'll try."
Aftershocks
But the world had changed.
Students avoided his gaze—not out of hatred, but reverence.
Enemies no longer plotted loudly.
They watched.
The council issued a single declaration:
Arakio is no longer classified as a student asset.
He is a Multiversal Variable.
And variables could not be controlled.
The First Whisper of Nothingness
That night, alone, Arakio heard it.
Not Hunger.
Something colder.
Interesting choice, a voice murmured.
Let's see how long you can keep making them.
Arakio looked up at the stars.
"For as long as it takes."
Somewhere beyond existence—
Nothingness smiled.
Chapter 16 Summary / Cliffhanger
Post-godhood aftermath explored
Emotional focus on Ayakio, Jiho, Riko
Hunger becomes a partner, not a weapon
Cost of power = isolation & distance
Arakio awakens fundamentally changed
Nothingness directly acknowledges him