In the quiet reaches of the Milky Way, far beyond the familiar blue planet called Earth, life bloomed in a star system untouched by time. Long before Homo sapiens first drew breath, 50 light-years from Sol, there existed a system orbiting a massive red star named *Proxima V2*—twice the size of Earth's Sun and twice as dramatic. Seven planets circled this crimson giant, but one—**Arourian**, the third from the star—was special.
Lush, wild, and untamed, Arourian teemed with vibrant life. Massive trees stretched to the heavens, beasts roamed freely, and rivers glowed under the twin moons. Here, a race of humanoid beings with **gray hair and golden eyes** began to rise.
And on this planet, in a cool stone cave beneath a waterfall that shimmered with stardust, a child was born. But not just any child.
He simply… appeared. No flash of light. No grand cosmic event. Just—*poof*—*ta-da*, baby.
The first Arourian to be born of sheer existence. Not summoned, not conceived. Just there.
His name would be **Aethonix**.
But before he was Aethonix… he was **Marcus Jones**, a 35-year-old dweeby fanfiction writer from Oklahoma. He wasn't exactly a hero in life—but he *tried*. He had died trying to protect a child during a gas station shooting. Not the most glamorous end, but hey, points for bravery.
And now, he was a literal rock baby. Not metaphorically. Marcus couldn't move. He felt *heavy*—like, National-Geographic-Neanderthal-documentary heavy. His eyes fluttered open to the surreal sight of a woman with flowing gray hair and golden eyes carrying him like he was Simba on Pride Rock.
He blinked.
**"Why does she look like a goddess?"** he thought groggily. *Am I on set? Did I just glitch into Skyrim?*
The woman, graceful and radiant, held him gently as tribal chants echoed through the cavern. Around her stood others—men and women with the same celestial features, speaking…
**English.**
Marcus/Aethonix was so confused he almost cried—but didn't. Which only made them more impressed.
> "The child does not cry," one of the tribesmen said, nodding sagely.
> "He is a warrior already," another added.
> The beautiful woman chuckled. "We will call him *Aethonix*. The god of the sky. He will rise above us all."
Marcus was still processing the fact he couldn't wiggle his pinky. *"Wait, I got reincarnated into an alien caveman tribe where everyone speaks English? And I'm named like a Final Fantasy boss?"*
Awesome.
He soon learned the name of the woman was **Xylareth**, his mother—a high-ranking tribe priestess or possibly the local boss mom. His father? A mountain of a man named **Kraelos**, with arms like tree trunks and a beard that probably had its own gravity. Marcus (now Aethonix) watched him drag back an *eight-foot-tall black tiger-beast* like it was a gym bag.
**"Welp… I guess I live here now."**
Life was weird on Arourian. People lived in giant wooden huts, had no concept of birthdays, and casually hunted four-horned rabbit-lizards. Aethonix quickly noticed that *everyone* had the same model hair and eye combo. It was like being born into a premium Skyrim mod.
Oh, and they were all jacked. Like, *Olympic-athlete-meets-barbarian* jacked.
Aethonix began observing everything like a nerdy scientist trapped in a caveman anime.
> "Gray hair. Golden eyes. Sharp, retractable teeth—like mini vampire mode. Enhanced strength. Extreme durability. No WiFi. No TikTok. Civilization level: *Negative 9999999*. Yup. I'm in the Stone Age with steroids."
Months passed, and babyhood was… humbling.
> "I'm being breastfed… again. It's weird. It's gross. I have the mind of a grown man and the body of a potato. This must be karma. Or a cosmic joke."
Then, one day, everything changed.
While staring up at the ceiling of the cave, wondering if he'd ever see pizza again, a glowing blue panel suddenly *materialized* in his vision—like a sci-fi HUD in an RPG game.
> "No freaking way…" Aethonix whispered inside his mind. "IS THIS—IS THIS MY CHEAT SYSTEM?!"
The panel blinked to life.
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**Name:** *Aethonix*
**Race:** *Aurorian*
**Abilities:** *Immortality*
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His jaw (metaphorically) dropped.
> "IMMORTALITY?! Bro, what?!"
He tapped the ability, and a description popped up:
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**Immortality:**
*You have been granted eternal existence by an Apex Supreme Deity. You cannot be destroyed—physically or non-physically. You are the sole bearer of this gift in this universe.*
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> "Sole bearer?! So I'm basically the Highlander of this entire galaxy? With a baby face and no teeth? What kind of cosmic upgrade is this?!"
Aethonix lay back in his cave-cradle, mind racing.
> "So… I can't die. Ever. I can't even be spiritually deleted. Like… even Thanos couldn't snap me. This is wild."
He grinned internally.
> "Guess I got time to figure out how to become a god."
And thus began the journey of Aethonix—baby cave god, immortal RPG protagonist, and former fanfiction nerd turned universal anomaly.
The universe had no idea what was coming.
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