He was at his damn wits end with developing the Eternius System. The system that would last eternally. Create new worlds and auto-generate universes and determine fates just as the God he had killed intended to do but was lazy and biased.

He'd been at it for the rest of existence and them some. At least a few hundred thousand years or so. Putting together the code and programs needed for the system to be able to function. He'd run at least three trillion different simulations to detect bugs in code and tried to think of every single possibility, but ultimately just granted the damn thing sapience, which was its own chore.

As for why he was building it. Creating a universe or expanding it to a multiverse was a difficult process and he wanted to be able to do other things with his time. 

Namely live a little in the transdimensional box that was his inner soul since his corporeal body had been destroyed by the curse of the Vanze Cult. It ate reality infinitely and did so inexorably. Nothing could stop it except it not having existed in the first place. Which is where the eternius system came into play.

For lack of ability to explain all the nuances and technicalities of the Eternius System, all he could say was that it was being sent back into time and Rewriting the world as he wanted it to be.

He let out a sigh and nodded slowly as he mentally released the seal on the Eternius System and let it run its first routines.

Looks like this is the end… treat em well Eternius System.

***

[ Eternius System: Online

Resetting State… Done

Retrieving Souls… Done

Rewriting Fabrics… Done

Restarting Timeline… Done

Saving Creator Lovus Eternius for New Game… Done ]

Wait what did that last line s-

***

He woke with a start gasping for air as he extended his hand and chanted a spell.

“Purifying Illumination!”

Nothing happened.

 “Flicker.” He said quieter and a small flame sparked into life, the spell true to its namesake flickered, the dancing flame barely illuminated the room and he used the flame to find the lightswitch or something.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

As soon as he could see he noticed he was in what constituted a bedroom. His bed wasnt the one he remembered from the past, in fact he had no recollection of any of the garbage that was this house.

He found the lightswitch and turned to face a mirror. He was in the body of a mortal, his form younger and soul impure. Not only that but he was shorter and his features were somewhat androgynous, a blend of boyish with slightly softer and more feminine features. His hair was pitch black and his irises were bright magenta, a color that was rare, but had always been his for as long as he’d existed, no matter the form.

“Huh…” He slowly turned as he heard the creaking of floorboards. Rather than let the demon or whatever lurked beyond get the drop on him, he charged the door and flung it open with enough force that it slammed into the wall of his room.

What lay beyond was neither demon, but the creature was all the same one of the most nefarious he’d ever witnessed and a strong feeling of nostalgia welled up inside him as the tears made his vision blurry. He reached out with both of his arms and charged her with a hug.

She yelped as the door was slammed and straight up screamed as the little brother she’d always teased hugged her with tears in his eyes. “Don’t do that! Wait… why are you crying? Eww… get off me!” She said, but was stroking his head all the same. Somehow it felt different than how he remembered. Then again, as the memories came flooding back, he was probably the worst little brother anybody could’ve ever had.

In the chaos, another door slammed open, from further down the hallway. “What’s going on?! Is there somebody in the house?!” Umbriel Eternius asked with a roar, he came charging out shotgun loaded and glowing with thrumming white light of ice magic. Umbriel cleared the house room by room and shouted as he got to the kitchen. “Clear!” 

Lovus heard rattling of windows as his dad began checking all the windows. He had pushed past his kids with only so much as an identifying glance. 

Mom was slower paced, Lyrra Eternius, namesake of the family that her father had married into and the unlanded daughter of a longdead Baron who’d lost his lands in a bet thanks to alcoholism and a severe gambling edition. Not that Lyrra minded. She looked tired, and she was tired. She worked at the docks as a cargo handler.

Lovus was still clinging to his sister with tears of joy that he would have to play off as the tears of a nightmare… and they truly were the tears of a nightmare, one where he was alone at the end of the world with nothing to show for it and nobody to share eternity with. 

As he peered into the grimacing and disgusted eyes of his sister, he decided he’d save her and do things differently this time. He’d support her dream to the best of his infinite ability this time and would be the side character in a story he’d already lived through, so long as she saw her own dreams come to fruition, not to be ended prematurely by a pack of wolves in the woods when she went to go hunt as a rookie in the Knights of the White Rose Guild.

“Sorry.” He said to his sister Seranna and let her go. 

Then he turned to his mom. “I may have overreacted about a nightmare I had.” 

She nodded slowly, and unconditionally scooped Lovus up in her arms in what was effectively a princess carry before ferrying him to his bed like he was just another piece of cargo in her long shifts. It wasn’t a minute before he was tucked in and she let out a sigh. “So… what is my little prince having a nightmare about?”

He shooked his head, and closed his eyes. “It’ll probably sound stupid… but I had a dream about living to the end of the world and there was nobody there with me at the end, after climbing to the top and leaving everyone and everything behind.”

She smiled softly and ran her hand through his hair, stroking her baby boy’s forehead with a sigh. “Maybe the Gods are telling you to make some friends and to quit being such a nemesis to your sister,” She said, her voice laced with an obvious wry smile.

“Maybe.” He said and opened his eyes, she seemed shocked for an instant but didn’t say anything. “I think I’ll try and be a little brother she can count on from now on.”

It was her turn to get all sappy as her eyes watered and she started fanning her eyes like it would prevent the tears from sliding down her cheeks. “My baby boy’s all grown up.” She said with a hint of pride in her voice and flicked his forehead. Then she got up to leave.

“Ow… You’ll all still be here when I wake up in the morning, right?”

“Of course we will.” She said with a somber smile, wiping the tears as she kept walking. She held the door and started to close it. 

Something told him he should say something, just in case this was just a hallucination at the end of his existence. 

“Hey mom?”

“Yeah?”

“Love you.”

“I love you too.”