Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss - Chapter 401

Chapter 401: Chapter 399: Atyrus
*****Moments before Nathan awakened.

Time had stopped, like the world itself held its breath and everything around him.

He was on the ground, holding Elshienne tightly in his arms, his knees shaking against the cold floor, his heart screaming quietly as he looked down at her pale face, her lips barely parted, her fingers no longer moving, and her body growing colder and heavier with every second.

Her blood soaked through his clothes and her warmth was fading fast, and Nathan didn’t know how to stop the fear crawling up his spine, how to breathe, or how to stop the rage that was growing deep in his chest like a beast waiting to break free.

He clenched his jaw, pressing her closer, trying to protect her even though he was too late, even though it hurt so much he thought he would break.

Then a voice spoke, cutting through the stillness like a blade through glass, deep and powerful and not from this world.

“Nathan.”

Nathan didn’t look up.

“Do you hate this feeling?…This helplessness that crawls in your chest? This pain that wraps around your heart like chains? The fear of losing someone so precious it makes the world itself feel empty?”

Nathan’s lips trembled. His eyes burned—not from tears, but from a heat that didn’t belong to this place.

“I can’t lose her,” he whispered, his voice so soft it barely left his lips. “I don’t want to lose her. Not her. Please… not her.”

The voice grew louder, deeper, and wider like the ocean stretching into eternity.

“Then listen well, child of the mortal.”

“I am Atyrus – The one who watches from beyond the stars, the one who sees all paths, all lives, all threads that tie your kind together.”

“I am the blade that cuts through destiny, the eye that sees what should be and what must end.”

“I offer you a choice, Nathan. A path stained in sacrifice, lit by your will and sharpened by pain If you wish for strength, then take my hand not with pride, but with purpose. Will you accept the power to protect her—not for glory, not for revenge, but to shield what little light remains in your world?”

Nathan didn’t answer at once. His eyes never left Elshienne’s face. He was afraid—afraid to blink, afraid she would stop breathing if he did, afraid that letting go would mean losing her forever.

Then he whispered again.

“…Yes.”

The voice paused, as if measuring his soul.

“Even if it changes what you are, even if you are no longer the same, even if the world fears what you become?”

“…I don’t care.”

“Even if it tears at your body, even if it burns you from the inside out, even if your heart is never the same again?”

“…As long as she lives, I’ll endure it.”

A stillness passed through the space between them.

“Then rise, Nathan, and be named by the heavens. You shall carry my mark, and with it, you shall burn away the chains that bind you and crush the shadows that reach for those you love.”

“From this moment forward, you are no longer just flesh and bone. You are Will made form, you are the hand that strikes against despair, you are my chosen blade.”

“Awaken, Nathan Hamilton And let no one—no god, no beast, no cursed soul—lay a hand on what is yours again.”

And in that frozen moment, Nathan opened his eyes.

___________

Back to present

Nathan slowly began to hear something calling to him, soft at first like a breeze whispering in his ear, and then it became clearer and clearer until he heard her voice, the one he never wanted to lose, calling out to him with warmth and relief.

“Nathan!”

His eyes slowly opened, heavy and blinking against the soft light, and the first thing he saw was Elshienne’s face close to his, her eyes wide as she suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, and Nathan, still sitting up slowly, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer without hesitation.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he whispered softly, his voice quiet but full of everything he had kept inside, “I already lost our mother… I don’t want to lose you too…”

Elshienne suddenly let go of the hug, leaned back just enough, and smacked him lightly on the head with a pout.

“Who said you’re gonna lose me? Huh? I’m not going to let anyone take my life, okay? So don’t say weird things like that, it’s fine now.”

Nathan blinked and smiled, a soft and small smile, the kind he rarely showed, and Elshienne smiled back at him, just as warm and real.

That’s when Nayoung suddenly burst into the room with her usual loud voice and bright energy, waving her hand excitedly like nothing serious had just happened.

“Hi Nathan! Wow! You still look handsome as ever!”

Nathan’s smile faded immediately, his expression returning to that usual quiet and blank face that made it hard to tell what he was thinking.

Nayoung puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms with a dramatic pout.

“Hmp, even after awakening, nothing changes! Still as snub as ever! Can’t you at least say smile back or something?!”

Elshienne laughed, holding her stomach gently and shaking her head.

“Congratulations, Nathan. You finally awakened. That’s a big step. So? Who blessed you?”

Nathan’s eyes flickered for a second, remembering the deep voice, the frozen world, and that god who spoke to him when time had stopped.

“Atyrus,” he said slowly. “His name is Atyrus.”

Elshienne tilted her head a little, thinking hard, then raised an eyebrow.

“That’s weird… Atyrus? I’ve never heard that name before. His name isn’t listed in the known deity records, so maybe that means he’s in the lower rank class… or maybe your his first blessed being.”

“Ehhh?! What?!” Nayoung leaned over Elshienne’s shoulder dramatically from behind. “Nathan got blessed by a lowest rank deity?! That doesn’t make sense! Elshienne, that’s super weird, right? Someone like Nathan should have been offered blessings by multiple strong deities, like the top ranks lining up to choose him!”

Nathan looked away with a small sigh and replied quietly, “I don’t wanna think about that right now. Where are we, anyway?”

Nayoung grinned and spun around on her heels.

“We’re in Professor Jihoon’s building! This is the clinic room. You think you can stand?”

Nathan sat up more and looked down at himself, then slowly pushed the covers off and swung his legs off the side of the bed.

“How long was I out?”

“Hmm, about three hours,” Elshienne said gently while watching him closely.