[SYSTEM ERROR: UNREGISTERED ENTITY DETECTED!]
A translucent blue box appeared before Ragnar, words scrolling through it furiously.
His eyes were wide as he stared at it.
[WARNING: Subject bears the Mark of the Forsaken.]
Even though he had never seen the box or the words before, its name and meaning forced itself into his mind like an invader.
[Analyzing... Anomaly detected.]
This was his system!
'Haa!' He breathed in awe.
[Forbidden substance consumed: Divinity-Class Blood Signature: "The Allfather."]
'I can sense my divinity!'
[Mutation Triggered...]
In the next second, unimaginable pain smashed into him.
Before he could scream, the pain was gone, leaving him with a coughing fit.
[Recalculating Soul Structure...]
[The Curse of the Forsaken has been purged!]
[Divine Seal shattered. You are no longer bound by divine suppression.]
It was as if a dam had been broken.
Energy poured into him without any signs of stopping.
He coughed, expelling the blood in his lungs as the energy ravaged through every inch of his body.
The shattered bones of his ribs mended itself and the cuts on his body from the explosion began mending themselves.
As the energy got to his legs, his stump began to itch and in the next second, his eyes widened.
His leg regrew faster than anything he had ever seen.
The bones came first, then the muscles, then the nerves, then skin pulled over it all, covering it from view.
He was whole again!
Another notification appeared before him.
[Patron Acquired: The Allfather]
It was followed immediately by another notification.
[Blessing Awakened: Extraction]
And another.
[Quest Received: How The Tables Turn.]
[With your new powers, survive the attacks of the Nightshade and kill it.]
[Rewards: +2 to all attributes, +1 Blessing, +your life.]
[Failure: Death.]
Ragnar stared at the screen for a second before its message finally reached his brain.
His eyes widened and his head snapped around the room.
'Fuck!'
He'd forgotten about the monster!
Fortunately, or unfortunately, for him, the explosion that had revealed the god's blood had stunned the monster.
The Nightshade shook its head as it stumbled to its feet, blood oozing down a cut right above its left eye.
Ragnar bolted to his feet, racing to the door of the temple.
He moved faster than what should be possible for a normal human.
Faster than any Forsaken had ever moved before.
It felt like there was fire in his veins, fueling everything he did.
A second later, he burst out of the temple.
'I have to find my axe!'
He bolted down the steps, his eyes on the snow before him.
'There!'
Sitting innocently on the floor, next to a pool of his own blood was his axe.
He scrambled towards it, picked it up and turned back just in time to see the Nightshade leap out of the temple.
Now, with power flowing through him, the movements of the monster didn't seem as fast as before.
The Nightshade didn't rush.
Instead, it stalked slowly towards him, its eyes wary.
It could sense the change in its prey. It was no longer prey.
Ragnar growled as he crouched, watching the monster.
His heart hammered away in his chest, and his vision sharpened.
He could see everything in great detail.
The Nightshade pounced into the air, and this time, Ragnar sidestepped the monster's reaching claws, his axe flashing in the air.
There was a spurt of blood as his axe dug into the monster's flank.
The Nightshade yelped, tumbling as it landed.
It was immediately on its feet, its eyes on Ragnar.
Blood poured down the deep wound as the Nightshade growled.
They circled each other, each one not taking their eyes off the other.
But they both knew that their roles were now reversed.
The Nightshade was no longer the predator. It was now the prey.
"Are you scared?" Ragnar growled, a bloody grin on his face.
He spat out the remaining blood in his lips from his earlier injuries, a savage look on his face.
The Nightshade stepped back as it circled, and Ragnar drew closer to it.
In the next instant, he surged towards it.
The monster stepped to the side, dodging the arc of the axe and with quick feet, surged towards Ragnar, its jaw wide open to bite.
"Got you."
Ragnar spun on his heel, as if that was his plan all along.
His axe flashed downwards before the Nightshade could change its direction, biting deep into its skull.
Blood spurted high into the air, but this time, the Nightshade had nowhere to go.
It slumped to the ground, dropping with the force of the strike.
It didn't move. It was already dead.
Ragnar placed a boot on its snout, and with a grunt, yanked out his bloodied axe from its skull.
Ding!
The blue screen appeared before him once more.
[Quest Completed!]
[You have received: +2 to all attributes, +1 Blessing, +your life.]
[Blessing Awakened: Rend]
Ragnar could sense power surging through him.
It moved through him for a few seconds before dimming, taking with it the energy that the blood of the god had given him.
He slumped down into the snow as exhaustion hit.
But he could feel the increase in his strength.
It was undeniable. He had changed.
He had unlocked his divinity.
There was another ding and a notification appeared before him.
[Congratulations! New Titles earned.]
[Cursebreaker: You have broken the divine curse that has plagued your people for centuries.]
[Aberrant: You are mortal, and yet the blood of the divine flows through your veins. You are a deviation from the ordinary. You should not exist.]
[Incarnation of the Allfather: The blood of a fallen god flows through your veins. You are his inheritance. You are his incarnation. You are the Allfather.]
Ragnar stared at the screen for a few seconds.
'The Allfather.'
That was whom the blood had belonged to.
It also had to be the god for whom the temple had been built to worship.
The god that the Forsaken had served before their curse.
"Thank you, Allfather." He whispered.
As if the system had always been there, he knew exactly what to do next.
And so, he opened his mouth.
"Status."