With the authority of Magic now a co-equal part of his essence, Nicholas could finally enact the core design that had motivated his every move since his own apotheosis. The defeat of Lucifer was not the final objective, but the acquisition of the supreme, precise power required to forge a new system of divinity. The old ritual was a blueprint for creating sovereign entities, potential rivals. He needed not independent gods, but integral parts of a single divine engine.
His vision was of absolute control and exponential growth. He needed gods who were not merely loyal, but whose very metaphysical structure was an extension of his will. They would serve a dual purpose: first, to expand and refine the core authorities of his four attendants, branching them into potent new Aspects.
Second, and most crucially, they would act as purifiers, drawing faith, absorbing its corrupting impurities into themselves, and sending only the purest, most potent divine energy upward to fuel his attendants and, ultimately, his own ascent.
Such a ritual did not exist. It would be a work of staggering complexity, weaving together the domains of Fate, Magic, the Soul, and Creation itself. It had been impossible before.
Now, with forty percent of magic's fundamental authority humming in his essence, co-master of the arcane with Odin, the impossible became merely difficult.
The defeat of Lucifer was not just the removal of a thorn; it was the acquisition of the precise, supreme tool needed to craft his masterpiece.
The next five years were a period of dual focus, a divine and mortal cleanup operation. With the Satanic churches spiritually decapitated by Lucifer's crushing defeat and very public humiliation, their structures were vulnerable. Nicholas directed his Ascended and the Bureau of Containment with surgical precision. They hunted rogue demons and they infiltrated their ranks.
Using the knowledge extracted from captured cultists and the Keeper's insights, they identified networks of infernal influence woven into mortal governments, financial institutions, and media.
It was a silent purge. Corrupt politicians found their hidden sins exposed by "investigative journalists" who were Ascended agents. Blackmail rings disintegrated as their protectors vanished or were arrested on unrelated, but impeccably evidenced, charges.
The flow of dark money funding hatred and chaos was redirected, siphoned into Order fronts or simply erased. It was not a war fought with just lightning and fire, but with subpoenas, scandals, and perfectly timed revelations, a restoration of mortal order that severed the remaining, shriveled roots of Hell on Earth.
While this mundane consolidation proceeded, Nicholas and his pantheon undertook the greater work. Isolated in the deepest chambers of the Luminous Court, surrounded by the shifting landscapes of their own authorities, they crafted the new Ladder of ascension.
The Ladder's first step was the creation of the Seed. This was not a splinter of the attendants' full divine essence, which would weaken them. It was a cultivated fragment, a sliver of their specific authority grown in the nourishing environment of the Atrium and imprinted with a foundational direction. From the Cupbearer's domain of Vitality and Emotion, a Seed might be grown with an inclination towards Burning Zeal or Soothing Calm. From the Keeper's domain of Secrets, a Seed might lean towards Hidden Truths or Unfathomable Mysteries.
This Seed was then bonded to a worthy mortal Ascended, not through a dream-quest for an object, but through a direct ritual of integration. The mortal merged with the Seed, becoming something new: an Ascendant Demigod. They were not born of a god's blood, but forged by a god's will. Their power was a focused echo of one of the four pillars, and their soul was now permanently tethered to the attendant who sourced their Seed.
The Ascendant's path to full divinity, to becoming one of the Unknown, was a journey of three secret rituals, each designed to expand their specific Aspect and fulfill their primary function.
The First Ritual was the Ritual of Aspect. The Ascendant, through profound deeds and embodiment, had to define and intensify their Seed's leaning. A Seed of Burning Zeal might be forged in the fires of a righteous crusade or the relentless pursuit of a grand cause. This ritual did not just grant power; it focused it, defining the precise flavor of authority they would wield, such as Blazing Conviction or Unyielding Fervor. This act of definition sent a wave of refined conceptual energy back to the source attendant, strengthening that particular facet of their domain.
The Second Ritual was the Ritual of Faith. Here, the Ascendant had to attract a devoted following. They needed mortals to believe in them, to direct prayers and faith towards their specific Aspect. This incoming faith was raw, laden with mortal hopes, fears, and selfish desires. The Ascendant's divine nature, now specialized and focused, processed this faith. They acted as a filter. The chaotic, impure emotions and desires of the believers were absorbed and contained within the Ascendant's own spirit, becoming a part of their divine burden.
This refined faith was then compelled upward, through the bond of the Seed, directly to the attendant. The attendant received not a torrent of chaotic worship, but a stream of potent, clean power specific to their domain's branch, which they could absorb to grow stronger without risk of corruption.
The Third Ritual was the Ritual of Apotheosis. To complete their ascent, the Ascendant had to perform a feat of ultimate significance that embodied their Aspect to a world-altering degree. This final catalyst caused the mature Seed, now swollen with defined authority and purified faith-energy, to fully blossom. The Ascendant's mortal shell was consumed, and they were reborn as an Unknown—a true god of a single, refined Aspect.
Upon ascension, they were instantly drawn into the Hall of the Ascendant through the hidden Gate of Enlightenment. Their existence now served two immutable functions. First, they eternally expanded and refined the attendant's authority; the God of Blazing Conviction permanently enhanced the Cupbearer's domain over passionate vitality. Second, they became a permanent, dedicated purification node.
All faith directed at their Aspect would flow to them, be cleansed of its impurities—which they now held trapped within their own immortal form—and the pure essence would be sent upward.
The system created a perfect hierarchy of control and refinement. The Unknowns were gods, powerful within their narrow scope, but they were also eternal filters and amplifiers. The impurities of mortal faith did not corrupt the higher pantheon; they were sequestered within the Unknowns themselves. The attendants grew stronger and purer from the constant influx of refined energy.
Nicholas, at the apex, received faith from his attendants that had been cleansed twice over, first by the Unknown and then by the attendant's own symbolic artifact.
He gazed from his throne, the design complete. The first Seeds, fragments cultivated from the Cupbearer's zeal and the Keeper's depth, were ready. Worthy Ascended were being chosen. The Ladder was built.
Now began the careful, systematic process of climbing it. He would create a pantheon where every member became a divine apparatus, where every new god was a dedicated instrument, expanding his reach, purifying his faith, and ensuring that every ounce of belief would be used to serve the ascent of the Architect.
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