early winter, year 02 – sky empire: machiavelli district
snow fell in slow spirals outside the glass domes of the academy.the empire drifted higher this season, sunlight turning the clouds below into a sea of gold.
inside the alchemy lab, glass tubes pulsed with faint silver light. laora adjusted her goggles. "and that should stop your blood from burning holes in the table."
kain laughed quietly. "good. last time, it tried to eat through the floor."daniel leaned against the counter. "so, tell me again why we're distilling your blood like wine?"lumiel flipped a notebook open. "because we can't project our souls across worlds unless we stabilize his aeonic resonance. his bloodline acts like a gateway."
acheron crossed her arms, crimson horns glinting in the lamplight. "translation: if we don't anchor him, he'll vanish."
1 – the experiment
the room dimmed as selene activated the mana lattice overhead. glowing sigils formed a sphere around them.laora poured a vial of liquid silver into a small crystal basin. kain cut his finger and let a single drop of crimson-silver blood fall in.
the mixture pulsed — red and white spirals merging until the basin glowed like a tiny sun.
"synchronization 87 %," lumiel noted. "astral projection ready."
acheron raised a brow. "you're really going to let him drift into the void?"daniel smirked. "please, it's not the void, it's research."
kain sat cross-legged inside the lattice. his eyes closed. the flame of nihility flickered along his skin.
"alright," he whispered, "let's see what the aeons see."
2 – crossing the veil
the world fell away.his body faded, leaving only light and shadow suspended in endless silver mist.he floated above the empire — the entire city shining below like a constellation of glass.
but beyond it, he saw paths — glowing threads stretching between stars, each one humming faintly with life.
voices whispered along the threads. not words — emotions, memories, reflections of worlds unseen.
"these are the astral roads," said Aeon Ix, its voice soft inside his mind. "the arteries of creation. few mortals walk them awake."
below him, other lights appeared — shapes of his companions, their astral forms glowing faintly as they joined him.acheron's aura shimmered crimson and silver, selene's blue and white, laora's emerald-green threaded with gold.
"so this is astral projection," selene breathed. "it feels like… being thought."
"no distance, no gravity," laora whispered. "just pure will."
daniel appeared beside them, his projection flickering like smoke. "and no wallets, so don't steal anything."
3 – the first realm
they drifted along one of the glowing threads until it opened into a vast world of crystal forests and rivers of glass. the air hummed with faint melodies — whispers of mana alive.
"this isn't a dream," kain said. "this world's real. parallel, but real."
lumiel's voice echoed through their astral link. "we're still anchored. i can record everything you see."
acheron crouched near a glowing flower, her astral hand passing through it. "we can't touch, but we can learn."
selene pointed upward. "look—those are temples. aeonic structures."
indeed, colossal temples floated among the clouds, each crowned by a shining sigil — unfamiliar, yet somehow related to Ix.
kain murmured, "each one must belong to another aeon…"
the air trembled. a faint crimson light flickered far beyond the horizon, pulsing like a heartbeat.
acheron frowned. "that's not one of them.""no," kain said softly. "that's the bloodline calling back."
4 – return
a pull seized him — sudden and sharp. the astral road twisted, light streaming backward.voices echoed — Ix's, his own, the whispers of other worlds.
"blood cannot walk forever without body. return, heir."
the silver mist folded inward, and he felt his body again — the weight, the heartbeat, the warmth of hands on his shoulders.
acheron's voice reached him first. "kain—wake up!"his eyes opened, glowing faintly silver-red. "i saw… everything."
laora steadied him. "and?""the worlds are alive. connected. waiting. each one's a reflection of the other."
lumiel nodded slowly, eyes distant. "then the next step is clear. we use projection to map them — trade routes, resources, contacts. we expand the empire before ever moving a single ship."
daniel smirked. "so, astral capitalism."acheron groaned. "you're impossible.""i prefer efficient."
they all laughed softly, relief washing over the room.
5 – the vow of exploration
later that night, kain stood on the balcony overlooking the drifting empire. stars shimmered above like doorways.
acheron joined him, her hair catching the silver light. "you looked calm out there — even with the void staring back."he smiled faintly. "maybe it was staring at itself."
she touched his hand. "what's next?""mapping the astral roads. building the bridges.""and after that?"he looked at her, eyes bright. "we walk them — together."
the silver horizon pulsed once, and the wind carried the sound of distant laughter — as if the worlds themselves approved.
[status update]
name: kain machiavelli
race: half aeon • half blood dragon (vampiric mutation stable)
level: 34 exp: 7 020 / 7 800
tree rank: gevurah (3rd sphere)
guiding aeon: ix – aeon of nihility
unique skill: shadow nihility flame lv 10
domain: nihility domain – silver-crimson form (mastered projection link)
new ability: astral projection (group synchronization)
objective: chart the astral roads and establish the empire's first inter-world outpost.
end of chapter 22 – the blood of aeons