Chapter Two: The Akashic Veins of Oblivion
[Primordial Sync Achieved…]
[Awakening the Blood of a God…]
[Primordial Lineage Detected]
[Designation Complete: Lucifer McKenzie is now recorded in the Akashic Veins]
The text appeared in front of Lucifer McKenzie's eyes, looking like sacred symbols floating in the air and made of ancient information. The golden runes shone with a divine aura, seeming to float in the air like stardust that had stopped moving.
"What the fuck…?" He spoke softly, running his fingers through the holograms.
He tried to cut through them, but they were only an illusion of light that could not be touched or avoided.
A long silence filled the air with tension until Lucifer let out a shaky breath and whispered.
"S-status…"
Reality itself seemed to hiccup. The world stopped, and in front of him was a black screen with a few old symbols written on it. A slight chill could be felt in the air.
[Lucifer McKenzie]
[Rank: Mortal Dreg]
[Elemental Affinity: Death, Shadow, Darkness, Void – Class: Forbidden]
[Bloodline: Sovereign of the Nether Reaches (Hades' Line)]
[Unique Art: Death Itself]
[Quest System: Initiated]
Lucifer's throat tightened. It all made sense to me, as if the last piece of a nightmare puzzle had fallen into place. This was not just a trick, a virtual reality, or a story made up by fans.
This was the setting for Son of Zeus. The Lightning Thief—and yet, he was a character who had never been part of the original story.
More than that—he was the only child of Hades, the only Great God who never had any kids in the whole story.
"I've been yanked into a bastardized version of my favorite goddamn novel," he muttered, a touch of awe mixing with dread.
The last two days made sense now—the lack of signal, the strange magnetic fields around his phone. The Akashic Veins, a metaphysical manifestation of the internet in this myth-touched world, could only be accessed by those who had awakened their divine heritage. No mortal bandwidth. Only the blood of gods could surf these cosmic threads.
Lucifer pulled out his phone, hands trembling just slightly, and downloaded the Akashic App—a program that interfaced with the divine consciousness of the planet.
Navigating through it was surreal. Every line of code hummed like a whispered prayer. Every tab flickered like a candle flame before a statue of a forgotten deity. After scouring for nearly an hour, he confirmed what he feared and hoped for in equal measure.
He was not in a world like Son of Zeus—he was in it.
"Holy fuckin' shit."
He collapsed onto the bed—barely catching himself—and pinched the bridge of his nose.
His thoughts turned toward his divine heritage.
Sovereign of the Nether Reaches.
He knew exactly what it meant, and that knowledge tasted like blood and iron in his mouth.
Hades—dark prince of the underworld. One of the Three Greats. The one who had no heirs in the book.
"Then who the hell was Lucifer McKenzie supposed to be?" he muttered, brow furrowed. "Where the fuck did he come from? And why wasn't he ever mentioned?"
The entrance letter to Demigod Academy sat tucked in his satchel like a forgotten blade. It made no sense. According to canon, Hades had no children. Not one. The author had deliberately excluded him from parenthood.
Unless… they had died before the plot began.
Lucifer's gaze slowly shifted back to the Unique Art section of his stat window.
[Unique Art: Death Itself]
[Effect: You Die]
Silence.
Then—
"What the actual fuck?!"
He paced the room like a wolf locked in a burning cage.
"Not 'your enemies perish' or 'death befalls your foes'—no! I die? That's the skill?! Are you fucking kidding me!?"
Everything fell into place like a cruel joke. Of course Hades had no surviving children. Of course they weren't mentioned.
They had all died using their cursed Unique Art.
And in this world, your Unique Art was everything. The only way to grow stronger, to ascend through mortal ranks, was by mastering and evolving that Art through repetition and risk.
But how do you master a power that kills you the moment you use it?
Lucifer's eyes fell to the Quest System entry. It was unique—no other character in the book had access to such a system.
It was his one sliver of hope.
And it was currently fucking empty.
No missions. No rewards. No divine nudges.
He was on his own.
He clenched his fists.
"I could roll over and live a quiet life. Never tap into my lineage. Just… fade away."
His lip curled with disgust.
"No. Fuck that. Not again."
Lucifer McKenzie had been painfully, gut-wrenchingly average his entire life—before this. No scholarships, no trophies, no applause.
But now he held the power of a god within him. He would not die a footnote.
"I will train it. I'll train the fucking skill that kills me—because I refuse to rot in mediocrity again."
But first, he needed an answer. A solution.
He needed to die.
And then come back.
Resurrection.
An impossible goal. But only impossible for those without foresight. And Lucifer had something no one else did:
He'd read the goddamn book.
"There are methods… ways only a reader like me would know."
He packed a satchel full of dried food, energy bars, survival gear, and cash—ten thousand dollars he'd looted from hidden spots around the apartment when he first woke up here.
He hailed a taxi through the Akashic Veins and directed it to the merchant district.
"The herbs first," he muttered. "Lunaflame, Starshade, Emberthorn."
They sounded like fantasy, but they were commonplace ingredients in this world's ritualism.
The market was a sprawling chaos of smell and sound—sizzling oils, chanting vendors, flares of raw mana bursting from magical devices. He ducked into a dusty herb shop tucked between a weaponsmith and a rune-engraving studio.
The shopkeeper was a creature of myth—thick arms, twisted horns, goat legs and all. His goatee twitched with interest as he looked up.
"Looking for something, mortal-born?"
Lucifer didn't flinch.
"I need Lunaflame, Starshade, and Emberthorn. In bulk."
The satyr blinked. "We have them. One moment."
As the shopkeeper moved, Lucifer studied the arcane jars and potion vials glowing faintly on the walls. He knew everyone here had some divine blood. Some had gods for grandparents. Others were children of monsters or titanic beasts. He couldn't be sure where he came from.
Hades might've fathered him directly. Perhaps he was simply the next victim of a cursed family.
Either way, it didn't matter.
The satyr came back with a pouch filled with sparkling ingredients.
"Five grand," he grunted.
Lucifer winced.
"That's enough to put together a powerful gaming computer…" he said. But he paid.
After gathering the herbs, he went to a liquor store.
A large, one-eyed doorman wearing an earpiece stepped out to greet us.
"You can't enter. We don't allow minors."
Lucifer took out the impressive ID he had received from Demigod Academy.
The cyclops' eye grew wide with shock, and then filled with respect.
He put his fist to his chest and bowed.
"Apologies, sir! You are most welcome!"
Inside, the staff worked quickly to make sure he was comfortable.
"I need to get Bahram Liquor," he said. "Cheapest one you've got."
Lucifer thought the attendant's smile was so big it might split his face. "Please, let me show you the way, honored guest."
He was taken to a private room, and a man with shining golden eyes and starry pupils entered shortly after, carrying two bottles.
This is your Bahram Liquor, and this—our pride—is Gargoyle Wine. A gift."
Lucifer blinked.
"Free?"
"But of course, sir. We appreciate you being here at our store. We hope you will mention us in a positive way to your fellow scholars.
He nodded slowly. He hadn't understood how important his Academy ID was.
He should have shown the badge at the herb shop as well.
I'll tell the others about this place.
The man bowed deeply.
Lucifer walked outside with a new sense of purpose.
"I have the herbs and the liquor…"
He paused.
All I need now is divine water. And a human sacrifice."
He looked up at the sky as the wind wrapped around him.
The sacrifice must be something that represents me for resurrection to happen. I must die so that I can be reborn."
To be continued...