Max woke up lying on the side of a long, empty road.
For a moment he simply stared upward, watching pale clouds drift lazily across the sky above him. The road stretched endlessly in both directions, a thin ribbon of asphalt cutting straight through a dense forest on either side. Tall pine trees swayed gently in the wind, their branches whispering quietly.
There were no cars.
No buildings.
No people.
Just the road… and him.
Max slowly sat up, brushing dirt from his clothes as he looked around. The forest seemed untouched by civilization, almost ancient in its quiet stillness.
"Well," he muttered to himself, "this is definitely not New York."
He pushed himself to his feet and began examining his body.
His first realization was immediate.
He was younger.
Max flexed his fingers slowly, studying his hands. They were lean, strong, and unscarred. When he touched his face and hair, he felt short, slightly messy black hair—clearly styled but with a naturally tousled look.
His reflection appeared faintly in the glossy surface of a nearby road sign.
Seventeen years old, maybe.
Fit and athletic, but not overly bulky. His red eyes stared back at him sharply, glowing faintly with a subtle supernatural intensity.
He looked… good.
Max glanced down at his outfit.
Dark jeans.
A comfortable black shirt.
And over it, a sleek black leather jacket that fit him perfectly.
"Nice," Max said with a satisfied nod.
He clenched his fist.
A strange sensation flowed through his body.
Knowledge.
Power.
Abilities.
Entire systems of energy seemed to hum quietly inside him, like dormant machinery waiting to be activated.
He could feel them—his Fate abilities, the Conduit energy buried deep in his cells—but they were muted, suppressed.
Limiters.
"Sadly," he sighed, stretching slightly, "I had to be younger to fit into Camp Half-Blood."
He rolled his shoulders and looked around the empty road again.
"Now then…"
Max raised a hand slightly.
"System. On."
A faint chime echoed in the air.
A glowing blue screen appeared in front of him.
Name: Max Zarco
Race: Spirit / Demi-God (Unselected) / Conduit
Money: 0
Inventory: Empty
Daily Gacha Spin: Available
Monthly 10x Spin: Available
Mission: None
Bonus: Luck increased for 48 hours
Max blinked slowly.
"Oh."
Then he grinned.
"Oh, that's good."
He rubbed his hands together.
"I get missions and monthly spins?"
Max leaned back slightly, impressed.
"Nice."
He glanced toward the forest.
"Luna and Hana probably aren't nearby yet…"
He could faintly sense the limiters placed on his powers, dampening his aura so monsters and gods wouldn't immediately notice him.
Smart.
"And my abilities are mostly sealed right now," he continued thoughtfully. "Makes sense if I'm supposed to blend in."
Then he cracked his knuckles.
"But there's no reason not to start with the gacha."
He pointed at the floating interface.
"spin."
The screen flickered as a wheel of glowing icons spun rapidly before stopping one by one.
Rewards Obtained
• Pouch of Drachmas (50)
• Vial of Ambrosia
• Demi-God Smartphone
• Promise of Earth
• Base Seed
• Demigod Enhanced Polymer Gloves (2)
• Bag of Gems
• Bottle of Magic Wine
• $1,000 USD
• Monster Egg
• Enchanted Glasses (x3)
Max stared at the list.
"...Wow."
He hadn't expected that many items from a single spin.
"Okay… that's actually pretty good."
He pulled several items out of the glowing inventory interface. The pouch of drachmas jingled softly as it materialized in his hand, followed by a sealed vial of golden liquid.
Ambrosia.
Even capped, it radiated a faint warmth.
Max placed it carefully back into the inventory.
Then his eyes focused on one particular item.
"Promise of Earth."
The name sounded… significant.
"Lets see what this does."
The moment he activated it, a bright green light flared deep within the forest nearby.
Max froze.
"...Well that's not ominous at all."
Still, curiosity won out.
He stepped off the road and walked toward the glowing light.
Leaves crunched beneath his boots as he pushed through the trees until he reached a small clearing.
And then he stopped.
Standing in the center of the clearing was a woman.
Her entire body looked like it had been sculpted from living soil and stone. Roots twisted gently through her hair, and faint green light pulsed beneath the surface of her skin like veins of emerald.
Max immediately tensed.
He knew exactly who she was.
Gaia.
The primordial goddess of the Earth.
Yet she looked… calm.
Almost peaceful.
"Relax," Gaia said gently.
Her voice sounded like wind through ancient forests.
"I'm not my dangerous self yet."
Max remained cautious.
"I know you are on guard," she continued calmly. "All those nasty rumors about me."
The earth shifted slightly beneath them.
A chair of compacted soil rose from the ground beside him.
"But I would like to explain myself first."
She gestured politely.
"Please. Sit."
Max hesitated… but eventually sat down.
"What is this about?" he asked.
Something didn't add up.
From what he remembered, Gaia shouldn't even have enough power to manifest like this yet—not until much later events involving Kronos.
Gaia folded her hands together.
"You summoned me," she explained.
"More specifically, you summoned my most gracious aspect."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"I suppose I should explain," she continued.
"In the beginning… I was a caring goddess."
Her expression softened.
"But when Zeus and his brothers rose to power, something changed."
The air around them seemed heavier.
"You understand how gods exist, yes?"
"Belief," Max said quietly.
Gaia nodded.
"Exactly."
She looked down at her hands.
"When mortals believe something about a god long enough… that belief shapes us."
Her voice carried a quiet sadness.
"In this era, many mortals believe I am a monster."
"A force of destruction."
"A hateful primordial."
She looked back up at him.
"And so… that version of me grows stronger."
Max stayed silent.
"My true self is angry now," Gaia continued. "Wild. Unstable."
She gave a faint smile.
"And it isn't entirely my fault."
She paused.
"Perhaps it isn't even entirely my sons' fault."
The forest fell quiet again.
"Anyway," she said after a moment, shifting topics, "I can see what you are."
Max didn't react.
"A demigod with no true divine bloodline."
Max tilted his head slightly.
"You can see that?"
Gaia nodded.
"Yes."
She sighed softly.
"I would help you if I could… but creating divine bloodlines is beyond even my power in this weakened state."
Max thought for a moment.
Then an idea formed.
"If you have something," he said slowly, "blood… divine energy… anything like that… I might be able to do something with it."
Gaia studied him carefully.
Then she extended her hand.
A glowing drop of emerald liquid formed above her palm.
"This is my blood," she said.
"Or at least the closest thing I can manifest right now."
Her expression turned serious.
"But be warned."
"If this works… you will become the only demigod of Gaia."
Her voice lowered.
"And my sons will notice."
Max didn't hesitate.
He summoned a small blade of conduit energy and sliced a shallow cut across his forearm.
Then he activated his conduit absorption ability.
The green blood flowed into his wound like liquid light.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then power erupted through his veins.
Earth energy surged through his body like a living river.
Max clenched his teeth as the transformation completed.
When the light faded, Gaia looked satisfied.
"Good."
She smiled warmly.
"Finally… a son I might be proud of."
Max flexed his hand.
He could feel it.
The earth itself responding faintly to his presence.
"I hope I can see you again clearly one day," Gaia said softly.
Then her body crumbled gently into dust, returning to the soil.
Max stood silently for a moment.
Then he pulled out the vial of ambrosia and took a careful sip.
The taste was incredible.
Like the best meal he had ever eaten combined with every comforting memory he possessed.
The cut on his arm healed instantly.
"Honestly," Max admitted, "I just wanted an excuse to taste it."
He chuckled and reached into his inventory again.
Two sleek polymer gloves appeared in his hands.
They were clearly inspired by the ones from Atomic Heart.
Black, flexible, and covered with subtle technological seams.
Max slid them on.
They tightened automatically around his hands.
"Huh."
He raised his hand and focused slightly.
A faint surge of conduit energy ran through the glove.
The interface flickered to life.
"So I can power them with conduit abilities," he said thoughtfully.
"But it looks like they still need some kind of AI system to fully operate."
He shrugged.
"Still…"
Max flexed his fingers again.
"They look cool."
He turned back toward the road.
"Alright."
Max adjusted his jacket.
"Time to find Luna and Hana."
Then he started walking.