The runes that had become a bit more familiar burned into existence before his eyes again.
{Does the Heretic require information about his transformation?}
Dust pursed his lips and nodded.
'This cheating Voice of God... I need to be careful with the way I ask questions or I'll get duped again.'
"Yes. These changes I'm feeling... I feel like I'm faster. My heart feels different too."
{The Mark of Divinity is reshaping the Heretic according to the design of the Divine}.
Dust frowned.
Such a statement was rather suspicious.
"Reshaping me you say..."
{All Marks fundamentally alter the nature of their bearers. They corrupt, change, and pervert what is into an enigmatic variant. Something strange and new}.
The Voice of God's words sent a chill down Dust's spine.
His voice trembling, he couldn't help but say,
"I'm being corrupted."
{No. The body and soul of the Heretic is being perfected by the will of the Divine}.
"Perfected."
He grimaced. He knew his body was changing. However, wasn't 'perfecting' quite the choice of words?
What does it mean to be perfect?
What did it mean to be 'perfected'?
To correct his deformities?
To strip him of weakness? Or rather, fill him with strength?
Or was it something more vague and hard to pin down?
Perhaps, his mind was not yet ready to understand something of that nature.
{The Crusaders of the Church bear Marks of Sin, fragments of power granted onto them by Ashkarod. These marks twist their bodies and minds toward madness and mutation. The Heretic bears a Mark of Divinity, power granted directly from the source of all creation. This mark reshapes the bearer toward a divine ideal}.
Dust touched his wounded shoulder. Even through the poison, he could feel the flesh around the wound tingling; a tell-tale sign of healing.
'Even my healing is faster?'
Although it wasn't very obvious, or perhaps he was imagining things again.
'That's probably it.'
He envisioned the runes again...
***
{Marks of Sin: 2/1000}
***
"An ideal you say..."
{The perfect Witness. The perfect instrument of the Divine's judgment}.
Such a thing sounded rather terrifying.
His expression changed a bit.
"Doesn't that sound like you are trying to replace me? Then what happens to who I am?"
The Voice of God was silent for a short moment.
{The man named Dust will cease to exist. In his place will be the Heretic}.
Dust felt something cold settle in his chest.
Like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
There truly were no free things in life.
{The transformation is propagated by the absorption of each Mark of Sin. With each manifestation of divine essence, each a step toward the fulfilment of the Heretic's purpose}.
Dust paused to think.
"So if I don't collect the marks, if I don't use my abilities, I stay human longer?"
{Yes. But the Heretic cannot avoid his fate forever. The Divine's design cannot be resisted indefinitely}.
Dust leaned back against the cool white stone of the platform beneath him. Resting his head against the ground, he asked,
"These Marks of Sin... How exactly do I absorb them? Is there some sort of mystical sorcery going on?"
{When a foul thing dies, its Mark of Sin is released as spiritual energy. The Heretic's nature allows him to absorb this energy and add it to his own Mark. Lesser creatures possess fragments of a whole Mark. Greater creatures possess complete marks. Ancient creatures may possess multiple marks}.
"Then as I reach a thousand..."
{The Mark of Divinity will unlock. The Heretic will gain access to the first tier of divine power}.
Dust breathed a sigh...
'Looks like I can get away with acquiring extra information if I play it smart and twist my questions into statements. That way, I don't get played again.'
However, it was impossible for him to avoid making statements forever. Not until he at least perfected the method.
"First tier, huh... How many tiers are there?"
{That information is not available to the Heretic in his current state}.
Dust closed his eyes.
There was a light hum within the stone thrumming through his body. Or was it his soul?
Around him, the broken temple stretched into black nothing, a void without stars or horizon, only the white stone platform beneath him and the twelve pillars ringing its edge. Above, a sun the colour of a dying ember hung eclipsed and motionless, bleeding faint red light across the stone.
Eleven of the pillars wore statues he couldn't look at directly, veiled behind something his eyes refused to parse. The twelfth, at the platform's centre, needed no veil. A single lidless eye, carved from stone and rimmed in rings that turned slow and silent, watching him without blinking.
Somehow, he felt as though its presence brought a much needed shade and light to this strange place that existed in his own mind.
He let out a sigh.
Although the Voice of God seemed very selfish, it still seemed more honest than the Church and its collection of prayers and false blessings to appease the heart of the common damned man.
Assuage their fears, grant them grain and the barest of protection.
Then Lord their might over them all.
The carrot and the stick.
To make matters worse, the Emperor seemed completely blind to their antics.
Dust sighed again. But there was nothing he could say or do about all that. After all, he was just a common town guard.
What did he know?
Still, staying in a semi-safe town was much better than his current situation.
Him living through the hour was still unsure.
"My last question," Dust said.
Since he only had three attempts every day, he had to make every one count.
Each question was an opportunity for him to not only cement his current understanding; it was also an opportunity to gain as much of an advantage as he possibly could.
Dust sucked in a deep breath,
"What should I do to survive my current predicament?"
Dust clenched his fists as he continued,
"I have a rough idea of what to do, but I am still unsure. There are so many things I could do. And yet, there is so much danger, I feel all of them will amount to naught. So tell me; what do I do?"
This time, the Voice of God was silent for a fair bit.
It was as though the Divine was contemplating in his behalf.
Eventually, he got his answer,
{The recommended course of action for the Heretic, is to keep accumulating Marks of Sin}.
Dust grimaced and let his head drop,
"Is that so... Well, I thought as much."