Everyone had gathered now at the town center. They’d all seen the information presented by Andy and from what Calvin saw, the mood had not changed one bit. Everyone was stoked.

Food prep was in full swing from Ambrosia with many volunteers helping get things ready for the night.

“Thank you all for coming. We haven’t had the chance to sit down and properly celebrate Olympus, tonight we’re going to change that!”

Cheers erupted from the townspeople.

“First, we have one matter to attend to. By now, you’ve hopefully read the information Andy provided, and we have a choice to make. We wanted to get your opinions first before we did anything potentially so drastic. So, first I want to open it up. Are there any questions, comments or concerns?”

A hand rose up within the crowd. Calvin called on them to speak.

“I just wanted to say one thing. You all should do whatever you feel is best. My family and I discussed it, and no matter what, you’re still Calvin. You’re still the people that pulled us out of Knox’s shithole. You guys are out there risking your asses every day for us. Hell, the fact that you even bothered to ask us for our opinions says a lot about you.”

Many people in the crowd shouted their agreement.

“Thank you for that. I do want to be clear. We don’t know what options we’ll have. We’ll be stepping into entirely uncharted territory, and we might come out as something completely different. Hopefully not, but it’s possible.” Calvin said.

“Everything about our lives right now is uncharted territory. You’ve lead us so far and you’ve done a damn fine job of it. I’m not ashamed to say I’d be dead right now if powerful people like you hadn’t taken me under your wing. I’m certainly going to bust my ass to make sure I’m pulling my weight, but, you’ve gotta do whatever it takes to keep being strong as hell. We support you.”

“That’s appreciated. You all should not be concerned that you’re not pulling your weight. Olympus relies on each and every one of you just as much as it relies on us and the soldiers who defend these walls. We all have our part to play and yours is not insignificant. That’s why we’re celebrating tonight. Look at what we’ve all built together! I have no doubt we’re going to survive this tutorial and make Olympus a beacon of hope for everyone on Earth. I know we’re all ready to get to the party, so I want to open it up one last time, for objections.”

“I have a concern. I think you all should get your asses moving so we can see what cool classes you end up with!”

Applause drowned out all other noise at that statement.

“Ok, ok. We’ll sit down and discuss and get a move on. Meanwhile, everyone enjoy yourselves. We’ll catch you on the other side!”

With that, the crowd dispersed and began the activities. All along the streets, tables were set up, food was coming out by the cart full. There was dancing and singing, children running around and playing games. The atmosphere was full of festivity and Calvin couldn’t help but feel a little choked up at the scene. Every single person here, himself included had felt so hopeless just weeks ago. They’d been faced with a literal apocalypse and had to fight their way through endless hordes of monsters and shit humans just to scrape by. Now they had a fully functioning settlement with people all coming together to turn this complete shitshow into something worth fighting for. They were building a world that wouldn’t just be surviving, but thriving.

Amy stood next to Calvin and slid her fingers in between his, grasping his hand and watching the same scene. Calvin was surprised by the gesture, but this time, he kept his stupid mouth shut and just savored the moment.

“Alright Cal, ready to go watch Ian become a worm?”

He chuckled, “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this everyone.”

They all headed back to their seats around the fire. Sasha, Liam, and Tank’s Crew all joined, curious about the process and the results.

Calvin’s placed his hand on Freya’s head and the rest all linked hands.

“Here we go.”

He accepted the prompt that would set them on the Aetherian path.

Their entire world once again, went pitch black. The six of them stood in a soundless, empty void.

“Torchbearers.” An ethereal voice called out from the void. “Each of you has walked separate yet similar paths. You have faced your challenges together in unity but also separately as individuals. You have each grown in ways unique to your paths, yet have found yourself on the same road.”

Out of the void sprang images of massive civilizations, covering the surfaces of entire planets. The images shifted showing enormous space stations with convoys of ships coming and going. Next, they were shown large forests with structures built into the treescape, in harmony with nature. They moved through underwater metropolises, domed platforms orbiting stars. They witnessed beings of all shapes and sizes. There were humans and humanoid species, reptilian species, and creatures made of crystal and stone. They were shown massive entities easily dwarfing moons, floating through space in large colonies. The images shifted continuously as the entity continued to speak.

“The Aetherian Collective existed as teachers, caretakers, and guardians for all sentient beings. They sought to encourage life and the pursuit of knowledge, they defended their charge against any and all aggressors, keeping war outside of their protected systems. Aetherian warriors were the most respected and feared of all warriors. Their artisans were at the peak of technological capability and craftsmanship. Their scholars contained the brightest minds in the universe.”

An image of a large crystalline structure, far larger than any sun appeared in front of them.

“When the system arrived, the Collective adapted. They continued their pursuits. They followed the path of the system seeds and provided aid to all newly initialized civilizations, helping them grow and thrive in their new reality.”

The large crystalline structure began forming long, green cracks along the surface. The cracks began growing until the entire surface was etched in a malicious green script.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“When The Corruptors appeared from the void, everything changed. Peace was lost within the Collective. War broke out as civilizations fell prey to The Corruptors. Entire galaxies of peaceful beings were corrupted, now seeking only to consume.”

“The war against The Corruptors raged on for so long that entire Galaxies were birthed and had decayed away before the Aetherian Collective finally met their defeat. In their final act, they sent a call throughout the multiverse through the Obsidian Heart, looking to champion another to take up the torch and continue where they left off.”

The room went black again.

“You have accepted the call. Your achievements have shown your determination to face any challenge. Your minds have been tested, your wills challenged, and your might assessed. At great personal cost you have chosen to aid and protect those around you, even those who had previously turned against you. For this, you must sacrifice even more. You must put the entire universe above yourselves. You must strive to protect all those who need protection and destroy those who would endanger your mission. In exchange for your benevolence, you will be granted the opportunity for power like you have never known. You will continue to face challenges and hardship, you will continue to lose much in your pursuit of the Collective’s goals, and you will continue to nurture and grow your power. This path will take you on the path beyond Gods, and should you survive, will place you at the pinnacle of all existence. Go now. Remake yourselves. Do not abandon your charge, do not forsake those who depend on you, destroy all those who would challenge you, and end the corruption at all costs.”

The darkness gave way to pure light.

Calvin looked around and could no longer see anyone in his party besides Freya. The two of them sat alone in a vast emptiness that radiated serenity and peace.

YOU ARE SPIRIT-BONDED TO ANOTHER. YOUR PATHS ARE INTERTWINED. YOUR EVOLUTION WILL DEEPEN YOUR BOND AND KNIT YOU CLOSER TOGETHER. IN UNITY YOU WILL FIND STRENGTH.

BEGIN RACIAL EVOLUTION?

Calvin confirmed and viewed the options presented to him.

AETHERIAN EVOLUTIONARY OPTIONS

Titan: The Titans were a godlike race of giant humanoid creatures formed from the matter of a collapsing star. Their lives began in the far reaches of a tumultuous binary system. Nanites bound the matter into a planetary structure, giving birth to sentient life on its surface. These beings, born from the influence of the system exhibit immeasurable power and toughness due to their composition. (Toughness +9, Speed +3, Power +10, Control +7)

Augmented: The augmented are not an individual species. All manner of lifeforms chose augmentation in the Aetherian Collective. Cybernetic augmentations were used to enhance biological life, providing benefits beyond what could be attained naturally. The finest artificers within the Collective sought to adapt and enhance all lifeforms beyond their traditional capabilities. Augmented evolutions retain the characteristics of the original species, gaining an initial subset of cybernetic augmentations and allowing for continued integration and improvement. Base stat points per level can be improved through additional augmentations (Toughness +6, Speed +6, Power +7, Control +7)

Aetherborn: The Aetherborn were a miracle born from calamity. A thriving human civilization within the Aetherian Collective found themselves at the convergence between two merging dimensions. The cause of the anomaly is unknown. Most life on their planet was destroyed in the collapse followed by the merger, some, however, was enhanced. The humans who survived the cataclysm were held together by the nanite fabric, becoming part of the nanite fabric themselves. The Aetherborn are supernaturally enhanced humans with greater resilience, speed, and control of the nanite fabric. (Toughness +7. Speed +8, Power +5, Control +9)

Voidkin: The voidkin were a reptilian lifeform that took to the stars when their home star was destroyed by an enemy super-weapon after a millennia-long war. Their species fled and survived for eons in the void between stars. They adapted to life without a source of natural light, becoming masters of the darkness. The Voidkin are known to the universe as master assassins, and with no planet to call home, their bases of operations have never been found. (Toughness +4, Speed +11, Power +7, Control +8)

Aureus: The Aureus are entirely energetic lifeforms of unknown origin. It was said they were the result of a technological species achieving transcendence and casting off their physical bodies. The Aureus thrive throughout the universe, choosing to live within energetic anomalies. Their unique composition allows them to ignore most kinetic and biological damage, however, they are highly susceptible to energy disruption. (Toughness +2, Speed +11, Power +3, Control +16)

Calvin hadn’t known what to expect. Now, faced with the choices, he felt like he was staring down the largest obstacle of his entire life. Choosing any of these options would change him fundamentally. Thankfully, there were options that allowed him to retain his humanity. He wanted to base his decision solely on that, but he was careful to examine the merits of each choice from an objective lens. Like the being had said before, their path would continue to involve sacrifice, and in exchange, they would be granted the tools to succeed.

Titans sounded absurd. Calvin wasn’t a science buff, but he knew a little about things like neutron stars, becoming a titan would likely make him unbelievably durable and strong. It came at the cost of speed though, and that was currently his primary attribute. Choosing Titan would force him to change his combat style entirely.

Augmented sounded pretty great. Their stat points per level were lower than the others, but they made up for it in the ability to improve those numbers on their own. Thus far, they had not had the ability whatsoever to directly influence their own stat points besides through equipment. This was also the one that would leave him the closest to human as possible. He really wish he knew what options the others would be presented with.

Aetherborn were a close second in the human department. To him, they sounded like human+. The stats were rather balanced with a slight edge in the speed and control department. This matched his combat style closely.

Voidkin… nope. As much as he wanted to look at these objectively, becoming a skulking reptilian creature was not on his to-do list, especially with the other options present. He’d thought this would be a fantastic choice for Amy, but really hoped, maybe a little selfishly that she wouldn’t choose this if presented.

Aureus. This was an interesting pick for sure. This was about the absolute furthest away from humanity he could possibly pick. The speed and nanite control was unbelievable and for a moment he imagined himself as some sort of energetic lightning spear god. The weakness to energy disruption sounded like a really big weakness though. Even within their own town they had several means of energy disruption, even among those who haven’t evolved. Calvin felt like the risk/reward was too imbalanced on this.

He was truly stuck between Augmented and Aetherborn. He tried getting Freya’s opinion on it but was unable to make a connection. He deliberated on his choices, and faced with indecision, he picked the one that most closely matched his current combat style and selected Aetherborn.

In an instant, his body was ripped apart into atomic particles. His consciousness remained and he could see the same had happened to Freya. He felt no pain during the process and slowly, their bodies were stitched back together. Nanites were weaving themselves into their bodies. He looked much the same as before, although now the skin on his arms was etched in glowing runic tattoos. He noticed his hand did not return.

Freya had also undergone quite a transformation. She was at least twice as large as she was before, with the same markings except she also had glowing runic patterns on her fur. Her bright blue eyes were also now a luminous blue, hinting at a strong power held within her. She was more akin to a large wolf now than a small husky. If she wanted to be a bigger, scarier dog, she got exactly what she wished for.

As his body was completely knitted back together, the entire world around them flashed and an instant later, he found himself kneeling back by the fire. One by one, each of the group appeared in much the same state. At first glance, it looked like they’d all retained their humanity, mostly.