The first thing Sbu felt was heat — not from fire, but from inside him. Every breath shimmered like sunlight.
He opened his eyes to find the tent ceiling above him again, faint dawn light bleeding through the canvas. The familiar hum of the camp drifted in: the clatter of metal, low murmurs, the distant hiss of boiling water.
For a heartbeat, he wondered if it had all been a dream — the ancestors, the pain, the chanting.
Then he saw his hand.
Thin veins of golden light traced across his skin before fading again like disappearing ink.
> "Oh… so it worked," Lungelo said lazily from the corner, grooming a paw. "Guess the old ghosts finally pulled it off."
Sbu sat up, blinking. "I… feel different. My body—it's like there's something in my body."
> "That's because there is," Lungelo said, smirking. "Congratulations, bloodline boy.You've got the divine core now — light blended in your bones."
Sbu flexed his fingers. The air shimmered faintly, tiny sparks of light floating from his skin. "It feels… alive."
> "It is alive," the lion said. "And now, you're ready."
Sbu frowned. "Ready for what?"
Lungelo's golden eyes gleamed.
> "To advance, kid. You held back before because you had to meet the ancestors first. Now your foundation's solid. You're overflowing with qi — any more and you'll leak."
Sbu hesitated. "Advance… to Tier 1?"
> "Yup. Time to see what you're really made of."
He took a deep breath and crossed his legs. The camp noises faded away as he focused inward. The system's interface flickered before his eyes:
---
[SYSTEM STATUS]
Name: Sibusiso Mthembu
Tier: 0 (Peak)
Qi Channels: 12 / 12 [Fully Activated]
Bloodline: Mthembu Divine Line (Active)
Advancement Possible: Yes
Proceed to Tier 1? [Y/N]
---
He stared for a moment.
> "Let's do this."
He pressed [Y].
The world erupted in light.
Qi flooded through his meridians like a tidal wave, slamming into the core of his being. It was both agony and ecstasy — a thousand suns burning and freezing inside him. Then, as suddenly as it started, everything went still.
A gentle warmth filled his chest. He opened his eyes — and light poured out of them.
---
[ADVANCEMENT COMPLETE]
Tier: 1
New Element Unlocked: LIGHT ( Level 1 – 0 % )
---
The glow faded, leaving him gasping but grinning.
> "Light?" he murmured. "I have… light?"
Lungelo let out a low whistle.
> "Well, that's a surprise. Light's one of the rarest elements. It's not fire or lightning; it's balance itself. Creation and destruction in one glow."
Sbu stared at the faint radiance still dancing on his palms. "It feels… peaceful."
> "Peaceful for now," Lungelo said. "But light burns just as easily as it heals. You'll have to learn what kind of shine you want to be."
Outside, distant shouts echoed through the camp — recruits talking, rumors spreading fast. News was flying across the world.
People everywhere were awakening strange new powers — some could harden their skin like stone, others could vanish into mist or call lightning from the sky.
Humanity was changing.
And deep inside, Sbu knew this was only the beginning.
> "So," Lungelo yawned, stretching. "You're Tier 1 now, you've got a divine bloodline, and light itself in your veins. How's breakfast sound?"
Sbu chuckled, shaking his head. "You're impossible."
> "Correction — I'm legendary."
The boy laughed, the tension breaking. Outside, the sun rose over the camp — brilliant, blinding, and pure.
For the first time since the voice descended from the heavens, Sbu didn't feel afraid of the world ahead.
He felt ready to meet it.
---