The snowstorm that followed the battle swept through Thaln's remains like a mourning veil. The wind no longer carried screams—only silence. Liam stood at the edge of a scorched crater, where Khar-Zun had fallen. His breath came in heavy clouds as he watched his people tend to the wounded and bury the dead.
The cost had been steep.
Two angels wounded. Thirty-nine soldiers dead. Faith Points gained—12,000.
Power came at a price. One Liam was learning to pay without flinching.
Elira approached, her twin swords now slung over her back, her white robes stained with soot and blood.
"We lost more than I expected," she said quietly.
"They chose to follow me," Liam answered, eyes still locked on the distance. "Their faith keeps me strong. I won't let their sacrifice be wasted."
Rune floated down, her light dimmer than usual. "You shouldn't push yourself this hard. Khar-Zun was a warning. The deeper you go, the more they'll send."
"I hope they do." His voice was low, almost hollow. "The more they send, the faster I find Varkareth's throat."
[STATS UPDATED]
Name: Liam Carson
Level: 19
Faith Points: 67,230
Followers: 2,021
Divine Rank: Lesser Divinity
Stats:
Strength: 60
Speed: 65
Endurance: 63
Intelligence: 70
Charisma: 52
Divine Energy: 840/840
New Skill Gained:
Holy Flame (Active): Coat weapons in divine fire for 30 seconds. Deals extra damage to demons and cultists. Costs 75 Divine Energy.
Flame Ward (Passive): Reduces fire-based damage by 25%.
That night, under a blood-red moon, Liam sat before a dying campfire, staff resting across his knees. Elira knelt beside him, her presence comforting, though her words had weight.
"I know you blame yourself."
"I don't have the luxury of blame," Liam said. "I only have results."
"And when your heart burns out from the inside?"
He didn't answer.
She took his hand gently. "I was raised to fight. To obey. But after all this… I believe in you, Liam. Not because you have power. But because you care. Even when you pretend not to."
He turned toward her slowly. Her silver eyes reflected the firelight, and for the first time in days, the mask cracked.
"I'm afraid," he admitted. "Of what I'm becoming."
Elira leaned closer. "Then let me remind you."
And she kissed him.
It was brief, intense—like a flare in the cold.
A promise, not an escape.
Rune floated up behind them moments later, whispering a teasing "Finally," before vanishing.
The following day, scouts returned with a discovery: a ruined temple buried in the ice caves northeast of Thaln. Ancient. Forgotten. But etched with divine runes.
Liam's interest was immediate. "Prepare the exploration team."
Only a handful went—Elira, Rune, two angels, and a priest.
The descent was brutal. The air turned bitter, the walls of the caves twisted like frozen screams. But deep within, the stone shifted—warm, golden, glowing faintly with divine resonance.
At the heart of the ruin was an altar surrounded by seven stone pedestals. Each bore an ancient symbol: flame, light, blood, stone, void, storm, and life.
Rune circled it slowly. "This is a shrine to the Seven Thrones—the original pantheon before the demon cult desecrated the world."
"And now?" Liam asked.
"They're gone. Or silent. But this place… it remembers."
Liam approached the altar. As his hand touched it, the runes flared to life.
[System Message: Hidden Shrine Discovered]
[Would you like to absorb the Divine Fragment?]
[Warning: Fragment may alter divine path.]
Liam hesitated for a moment—then accepted.
The energy slammed into him like a wave of molten light. His body convulsed, eyes burning gold. Visions exploded behind his eyelids: a city of light falling into fire, gods weeping as mortals worshipped demons, a single throne left untouched.
And on that throne—he saw himself.
[System Alert – Divine Fragment Absorbed]
Path Chosen: Throne of Flame and Judgment
Passive Ability Gained: Aura of Reckoning – Enemies within 10 meters suffer reduced regeneration and increased fear.
Stat Increase: +5 Strength, +5 Endurance, +5 Intelligence
New Title: Scion of the Fallen Pantheon
Faith Points +10,000
Liam collapsed, coughing smoke. Elira caught him.
"You alright?" she asked, worried.
"I saw… everything. The gods that came before. The rise of the cults. The fall."
"And now?"
"And now… I build something new."
Back at camp, the mood had shifted. Word of Liam's victory over Khar-Zun had spread. More refugees came—villagers, outcasts, even deserters from smaller kingdoms.
Some brought supplies. Others brought stories.
And all brought faith.
[Followers +1,200]
[Faith Points +18,000]
Liam stood atop the newly constructed watchtower, watching the camp grow into a city.
"What will you name it?" Rune asked.
He looked out across the banners bearing his golden flame. "Ashborn."
Elira appeared beside him, arms folded. "Your capital?"
"My beginning."
As dusk painted the horizon in fire and violet, Liam gathered his commanders.
"Drelmora," he began, spreading out a map, "is next."
Davon, now healed, nodded. "The northern fortress. High priest Orum resides there."
"They'll expect me to strike. But they won't expect me to bring heaven with me."
He raised his staff.
"Start training the faithful. I will elevate twenty more."
Elira blinked. "You're going to make more angels?"
"It's time this world saw what divinity really looks like."
[New Ability Unlocked – Ascension]
Convert a devoted follower into an Angel or Demon (based on alignment).
Costs: 5,000 Faith Points per conversion.
Requires: Willing subject with loyalty above 90%.
Limit: 3 per week.
Later that night, Liam visited the temple-tent.
Twenty kneeling warriors awaited him—men and women who had followed him from the ashes, who had bled and prayed and never wavered.
He raised his staff, gold and red flames circling him like a halo.
"Do you swear yourselves to my will?" he asked.
They answered in unison: "We do."
"Do you offer your lives, your bodies, your very souls to my flame?"
"We do."
"Then rise, chosen. Rise as my wings."
Power surged through the tent as the first three were consumed by divine light.
When it cleared, three new angels knelt before him—cloaked in gold, eyes burning.
[Ascension Complete]
New Angels: Cael, Mira, Torgas
[Faith Points -15,000]
[Followers +500 from miracle witnessed]
Outside, people gathered. They watched the light glow from the temple and fell to their knees.
And Liam… Liam stared up at the stars, feeling both larger and smaller than he'd ever been.
He was no longer just a boy seeking revenge.
He was becoming something else.
Something divine.
But deep in the pits of the south, Orum the Ash-Seer watched the stars flicker.
And he smiled.
End of Chapter 29