The days after the Tribunal's judgment were filled with unease.
Though Liam had survived the test and emerged stronger, the golden mark now glowing on his palm was a brand to the divine—and a beacon to every force seeking control over the balance of power. Followers praised him more fervently than ever, their faith flooding into his system in torrents. But peace, as always, was fleeting.
In the depths of Thal'ren, something ancient stirred.
And it was not pleased.
---
[STATS – Updated]
Level: 31
Faith Points: 61,220
Followers: 14,700
Core Stats:
Strength: 94
Speed: 99
Endurance: 100
Intelligence: 109
Charisma: 86
Divine Energy: 1560/1560
Active Effects:
Tribunal Mark (Unstable): Grants heightened divine perception, but increases threat level to cosmic entities.
Divine Link (Partner: Serenya) – Synchronization: 24%
Faith Burn (Unlocked for Emergency Use)
---
Liam sat cross-legged in the underground sanctum—the one that had once been the cult's heart beneath Thal'ren. The city's people now rebuilt the surface, but down here, the walls whispered. Memories bled from stone and rune alike.
Rune shimmered faintly above his shoulder. "There's something older here. Something deeper than even the cult knew."
"I can feel it," Liam said. "This place isn't done with me."
"You've changed," Rune added quietly.
Liam didn't respond.
He knew it was true. Since the Tribunal, something inside him had hardened. His vengeance now held purpose—but that purpose came with a cost.
His eyes flared gold and red.
---
Serenya entered, her violet aura illuminating the chamber. "You've been here for hours."
"I'm listening."
"To what?"
"To the voice beneath the stone."
She didn't ask for clarification. She merely stepped forward and knelt beside him. "Then let me listen too."
Their auras merged again, faintly. Not as a Divine Link activation—but in presence. Trust. Familiarity. The silence between them had grown… comforting.
And then they heard it.
A hum.
A rhythmic pulse… like a heartbeat deep in the earth.
And a whisper—
> "You bear the mark… you who defied the architects…"
Rune recoiled. "That's no memory. That's a living presence."
Liam rose. "Then we speak with it."
---
They followed the heartbeat through a maze of forgotten halls and sealed doors, each inscribed with forbidden script and warded with dead gods' magic.
Serenya's light peeled back the locks.
Liam's staff absorbed the corruption.
At the deepest chamber, they found it—a vault not made of stone, but of living obsidian. Its surface rippled like water, runes drifting across its skin like falling stars.
> System Notification:
"You have discovered a Forbidden Core: The Heart of the Forgotten."
"What the hell is this?" Serenya asked, breath catching.
"A buried god," Rune whispered. "Or what remains of one."
A rumble filled the room.
The vault opened.
---
Inside was a sphere—black as void, burning at its center like a dying star.
It spoke directly to Liam.
> "I am Vel'Torak. Exiled from the celestial pantheon. Betrayed by the Tribunal. Slain, but not erased. You… are like me."
> "Marked. Feared. Abandoned."
Serenya stepped back instinctively. Liam, however, stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
Vel'Torak's voice rasped like stone cracking.
> "I offer you my chain. One of the Seven Divine Anchors. Use it to bind your fate—to tether yourself beyond the Tribunal's reach."
> "But know this, godling. Once taken, you will never again be seen as mortal, not even by your own."
Rune flickered uncertainly. "He's offering power… but it comes with isolation."
Liam stared at the burning sphere.
Then he reached out.
And touched it.
---
A searing bolt of agony raced up his arm. The divine mark on his palm ignited, and for a moment, his mind was cast through a storm of memories—worlds falling, pantheons crumbling, a war in heaven beyond comprehension.
He saw Vel'Torak rise and fall.
He saw himself—mirrored in every betrayal.
Then the pain stopped.
And in his hand lay a fragment of silver chain—engraved with runes of freedom and fury.
> Item Acquired:
– Divine Anchor Fragment – Vel'Torak's Chain
Grants immunity to Tribunal possession attempts.
Boosts Endurance and Divine Energy.
> +10 Endurance
+200 Divine Energy
Liam breathed deep, sweat rolling down his brow. But he did not fall.
Vel'Torak's voice echoed one last time.
> "Bring ruin to those who forgot you. Bring wrath to those who judged you."
---
Back on the surface, Mira trained with the elite guards. Her swordsmanship had sharpened—tempered by watching Liam face monsters both cosmic and human.
But her heart was heavier than ever.
She remembered the way Liam held Serenya's hand after the Tribunal trial. The bond between them, though unspoken, was real.
And Mira hated how much that hurt.
When Liam returned, his aura was darker, sharper.
He looked older—like the divine had carved a few more years into his soul.
She approached him alone that evening. "Another step closer to becoming something inhuman?"
Liam smirked faintly. "If it means winning, I'll take that step again."
Mira swallowed. "Then take this, too."
She stepped forward.
And kissed him.
Not gently. Not softly.
It was the kiss of the battlefield—fierce, urgent, real.
When they broke apart, she didn't look away.
"You're not allowed to leave me behind."
Liam stared, stunned for once.
Then—he smiled.
"I wouldn't dare."
---
That night, Serenya meditated in the temple alone.
She felt it—the shift in Liam. In the divine web they shared.
And for the first time in her long, broken existence… she felt something unfamiliar.
Jealousy.
---
> System Update:
— Divine Anchor Fragment Integrated
— New Path Unlocked: The Chainbreaker
You now stand outside the hierarchy.
Prepare for Intervention.
---
End of Chapter 36