Online: Eiodolon Realms – Child of Ruin

The world ended in fire, steel, and code.

Rai Kurozawa's final breath was stolen by the obsidian blade of the Arch-God Tyrvalis, a being once thought to be fiction—just a raid boss in a VRMMORPG. But everything in Eidolon Realms had become real. Too real. No one had seen it coming.

Rai, along with the rest of the humanity, tried to resist against the onslaught of the gods but in the end they were betrayed by their own people.

One of the traitors was his own guild master, Lucien Valehart, a cold and ambitious heir to one of the richest conglomerates in the world. His betrayal of Rai wasn't personal — it was strategic. Lucien always saw people as assets or obstacles. Lucein was Charismatic, ruthless, highly intelligent. He believed in "order through control."

Lucien and Rai once fought together in the early months of the game and became something close to allies. But when Rai discovered a hidden code that hinted the gods of Eidolon Realms were real and watching, he warned Lucien. Lucien didn't listen. Instead, he used Rai's information to strike a deal with the gods.

He sold Rai out in a pivotal raid, leaving him for dead.

Rai did try to fight to the bitter end but in the end, he had failed. He had lost everyone.

Then—

He gasped.

His eyes flew open, and a familiar, low ceiling greeted him. He sat upright with a jerk, heart pounding.

Wooden shelves lined with outdated novels. A cracked monitor on an old desk. Faded posters of gaming icons. A wobbly fan spinning above.

This was his old room. This was before everything started to go haywire.

He scrambled to his bedside and snatched his phone. The lock screen blinked to life.

April 6th, 2032.

The day Eidolon Realms launched.

He nearly dropped the phone.

"No... this... this can't be..."

He checked the calendar again, pinched his arm, touched the scratchy bedsheet. Everything was as it was before his life went to hell. Before the gods awakened. Before his family...

A sob broke free from his throat.

He stumbled toward the door, yanked it open, and ran down the stairs. He slipped but barely regained his balance saving himself from a nasty fall.

"Rai! Come down, breakfast's getting cold!" his mother's voice rang cheerfully from the kitchen.

He froze.

That voice...

He turned the corner—and there they were.

His father, still alive, sipping tea and shaking his head at the news headlines. His mother, humming as she flipped eggs on the pan. And his little sister, Mei, twirling around with a spoon in hand and messy bed hair.

He stood frozen at the foot of the stairs, eyes wide, tears streaming silently.

"Brother?" Mei squinted at him. "Why do you look like you saw a ghost , huh?"

He rushed forward and hugged her tightly. "Wha—hey!" she squawked, flailing. "What's gotten into you! Don't hug like that you idiot, I am a big girl now." She punched him gently on his head," What happened?" 

His mom turned with a smile, then seeing the glistening tears flowing from his eyes, she frowned. "Rai? Are you crying?"

He shook his head, barely able to form words. "I... just had a bad dream. That's all."

They were alive. Warm. Real.

He buried his face in his sister's shoulder. Not this time. He wouldn't lose them this time.

He sat down quietly and ate breakfast, savoring every word, every sound, every heartbeat.

Across the table, his father, Hiroshi Kurozawa, turned the page of his newspaper with a practiced flick. He adjusted his glasses, then gave Rai a sidelong glance over the rims.

His father kept the newspaper aside at the table and looked at him and spoke ,"Hey man, are you fine?" Rai replied while smiling, "I am fine now, actually I am feeling better than ever."

His father looked weirdly at him and he thought, 'Teenagers sure are weird.'

"So," his father said, voice steady and practical as always, "have you thought more about college?"

Rai blinked. For a moment, he was seventeen again — or rather, was still seventeen. He wasn't used to this version of his father: healthy, calm, unburdened by the loss of everything. In the future, there was only ash, ruin, and silence where this warmth had once been.

But now...

"I have," Rai said quietly, placing his cup down. "I'm thinking about Zephyr Institute."

His father paused. "Zephyr?" A soft scoff followed. "That's ambitious. You do know what their cutoff is, right?"

"I know," Rai replied evenly.

The older man folded his paper and laid it down on the table. "Look, son, I know you're smart, but Zephyr's entry scores are brutal. Your midterms weren't exactly what I'd call stellar."

There was no anger in his tone. Only the quiet skepticism of a parent who had seen too much disappointment in the world to blindly believe in pipe dreams.

Rai, however, didn't flinch. He had come back with memories. Knowledge. This world still followed the same rules — for now.

"There's a new quota this year," he said. "For pro-gamers."

Hiroshi frowned. "Pro-gamers?"

"For Eidolon Realms," Rai explained. "It's the VRMMORPG launching tonight. They've partnered with universities across the country — even Zephyr. There's a program for top-ranking players. If you place high enough during the first arc of the game, they offer entry under an esports and digital innovation scholarship."

His father stared at him for a long moment, mouth slightly open.

"You're telling me," he said slowly, "that playing a video game… can get you into one of the best colleges in the nation?"

Rai nodded, keeping his voice calm. "It's not just a game, Dad. It's a multi-billion-dollar metaverse. They've integrated real-world AI applications, behavioral neuroscience, and quantum architecture. People who master it are getting scouted for everything from tech research to tactical defense jobs."

Hiroshi leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "Back in my day, we were proud to get a seat in a decent college just by acing our entrance exams."

"Well," Rai said with a faint grin, "back in your day, your biggest boss fight was a math teacher with a chalk throw."

His father snorted despite himself. "And he had better aim than most of those digital dragons, I bet."

Silence settled for a moment, not awkward, but contemplative. Hiroshi picked up his tea, staring into the mug like it might reveal some secret truth about the world.

"You're serious about this?" he asked finally.

"Yes."

"You really think you can win something like this?"

Rai met his father's eyes. "I don't think I can. I know I will."

There was no bravado in his voice. Just quiet certainty — the kind born not of arrogance, but of pain, experience, and the desperation to never repeat the past.

Hiroshi let out a long breath. Then, slowly, he reached for his briefcase and stood up.

"Well, if you do manage to get into Zephyr through a video game…" He adjusted his tie and gave his son a faint, amused smile. "Then I'll wear a 'Proud Gamer Dad' shirt at your convocation. Bright pink. With sparkles."

Rai laughed, truly laughed, for the first time since returning. "Deal."

His father paused before stepping out of the room. "Just… don't forget to live your life outside the screen too, alright?"

Rai watched him go, his smile slowly fading into something more solemn.

"I won't," he murmured under his breath, staring down at the quiet glow of his phone. "I already lived the version where I didn't."

Their home was the same. Small. Cramped. Worn down. His dad's old wallet sat nearby with just enough cash for the week. His mother laughed about a cracked stove she'd "get around to fixing."

Back then, all Rai had cared about was getting stronger in-game. Now?

He clenched his fist under the table.

He would get strong to protect them. To save the world. To destroy the gods.

But he would also make money. Real money. Enough to ensure his family never suffered again. They would live like kings.

After breakfast, he quietly excused himself and returned to his room. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the glowing screen of his phone. The forums were already buzzing about the VR launch.

He knew exactly how the early game would go. Where to go. What to loot. Who to avoid.

And what monsters would break the world.

With trembling hands, he opened a marketplace app and ordered the Dream Dive Infinity: Neural Sync Gear, the most expensive and advanced VR headset available.

'Man, They sure know how to dry a poor kid's wallet. If i do end up failing this time as well, then my old man will be really disappointed and we can't have that', He thought and smiled.

It would arrive within the hour. He still had some leftover tournament prize money from his high school PvP team. He smiled faintly.

This time, he wouldn't be the shadow. He'd be the storm.

And when the gods returned...

They would fall.