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The Ascention

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Synopsis

Chapter 1 - The Ascention

The night is silent, you could hear the wolves howling in the distance, a man rises from his slumber, his name is Light. His skin is white and his eyes are golden, he is tall and muscular, wearing only a loincloth and carrying a spear in his hand, he walks down the valley and suddenly stops, he points at something far away.

"Look there," says a voice coming from above him, "that is my city."

There stands an old man, dressed in all black, he has a long white beard and hair. He seems calm, but his gaze is piercing, a look of superiority in his face.

"I am Light, I have come here seeking help and sanctuary," replies Light.

"You seek shelter?" asks the old man, amused, "from what? This is not your land, why should I grant you that?"

"My home is threatened by a plague caused by the spring god. It is killing everyone on the island except me, my family and a few of our friends. We need help to find a cure."

The old man stares at him silently for a moment then shakes his head. "No, I cannot do this, you are just one person and your enemies are many. You must fight for yourself, if you want to survive."

"But my tribe needs help too!" screams Light, "they are dying too, they deserve a chance to live! They don't deserve to die because of me!"

"They also made a deal with the spring god and now they have to pay for it, that is the way things work. And besides, I already helped them once, when they were being attacked by the hunting god."

"But you didn't save us, we had to save ourselves, the hunting god was attacking us and it took all our strength, you gave us no help-"

"Yes, yes I know," interrupts the old man, "but remember there are two ways to survive; either you become stronger than your enemies or you ally with those who are stronger. The former is hard and slow, but the latter is fast and easy."

He takes a step forward and smiles at Light. "I am glad to see you understand this. Now, if you would kindly leave this place, I have to get back to work."

His smile fades as he notices the spear in Light's hand. "What is that?" he asks, puzzled.

"It is a weapon, a spear. A tool used to kill other creatures."

"Yes, I know that, but what is its purpose? You hold it in your hand, but where does it go?"

"Wherever I want it to go. The spear has power, it can hurt anyone, even an immortal god."

"And what is the point of that?" asks the old man.

"To kill them."

"Why would you want to kill a god? Why did you make a deal with the spring god in the first place?"

"Because I wanted to protect myself, to survive, so I could keep my friendsknowledge alive."

"So you are afraid of death?"

"Of course," answers Light, "who isn't?"

"Then why did you make a deal with the spring god?"

"Because I didn't want to die, because I wanted to live, and so I had to find a way to escape death."

"Ultimately, that makes you an enemy of humanity, and a coward on top of that" the old man replied.

"You may call me a traitor, but someone had to get out of the village to find a cure, and once i go back to my tribe, i have no intention of siding with the spring god, i will end his existence myself"

As Light pronounced these words, you could see a glint of ambition and a burning rage within his eyes, resolve was toning his voice, but nonetheless, despair shaped his expressions.

"I understand what you are trying to do, and I admire the courage that drives you to stay with your people despite the fact they are dying around you, but it is too late for all of them, do not throw away your life in vain.

If you are going to die anyway, then why not try to take down the one who caused this? The spring god is a monster that killed your parents and everyone else in your tribe, you owe him nothing."

"I know, that's why i want to kill him"

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that?"

"By taking his powers away from him, by using the spear. It can bestow mortality upon any being"

The spear was known as Spiritual Storm, a legendary relic, long thought to be lost, thrown into the void that lingers in-between the floating islands

Light had found it by searching for weeks through his books for a way to take revenge upon the spring god.

He was showing it proudly to the old man, but kept a firm grasp on it, as he didn't want it to be taken from it.

The old man was upset to see the Spiritual Storm and started to order Light out of his village.

Light refused and the old man told him to leave or he would have his men to arrest him.

In response, Light took the spear and threw it at the old man.

It pierced the flesh of the old man's chest, and blood exploded from the wound. The old man was obviously a god, and although Light was not, the spear hit him just fine, killing the old man instantly.

This act caused a reaction among the other gods. They all came to the village to see if what had happened was real.

The spear is a magical item, forged in ancient times, and since then it has been passed down from generation to generation in each generation, until now, when it finally reached Light.

The spear was able to blur the limit of mortality, but only to beings who were close to death, and it took a lot of training to master the art of wielding its powers.

It could not be used on healthy normal people, but only on gods and those who were about to die.

Light was the first person to be able to wield it in a significant manner, and he used it to slay the god responsible for his tribe's extinction, leaving him free to search for a cure. He was also the first to figure out how to manipulate it.

the spear asked him.

Light was surprised to hear a voice from his spear, up until that moment i was silent, just like killing a god changed something about it...

"You mean you weren't always a spear?" Light asked.

"That sounds like an interesting story."

The spear told him about the days before it was made.

Before the creation of the spear there was a race called the Aetherns, who lived far beyond the edge of the world and were the only ones capable of creating magic. They ruled the world and everything in it.

One day a group of them decided to become immortal and banished themselves to another dimension.

They left behind the physical bodies of their deceased loved ones, making those mortal vessels immortal.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Light asked.

"Oh, well that makes sense," Light said, chuckling. "I guess I'll take my leave then."

He grabbed the spear and turned to leave.

Suddenly, the sky darkened and thunder rumbled. Lightning flashed and the sky opened, revealing a white tornado. The wind blew hard and the earth shook, leaving Light terrified.

***

A man with long dark hair sat in a small room, overlooking the sea.

His eyes were closed and he breathed deeply in and out, concentrating on the air, and the currents, and the elements.

He suddenly snapped awake, he was sweating profusely and breathing heavily, his heart was beating fast.

The man stood up and walked around the room, moving from one side to the other. Upon each of his steps, the earth would shake. He stopped in front of a large mirror and looked at his reflection, inspecting himself. He was tall, almost six feet, with short black hair, and clear blue eyes. He wore a simple tunic and pants, both made out of a light material.

"So you have decided to end a god..." the man asked.

"And who are you?" replied Light with terror.

"I am Mephiles, the betrayal god, you had my interest but now you have my attention."

"What do you want from me? What should I do?" Light panicked.

"First I need to check if you are worthy of being my new servant... I must find out if you truly are a chosen one, so let us begin."

"Alright, then here goes nothing!"

Mephiles opened a door and revealed a small room filled with bookshelves. He grabbed a book and handed it to Light, who took it nervously.

Light was surprised, he expected to be attacked.

"I am not such a violent god, i do not need my strength to make you kneel before me." the old man remark "Knowledge and patience will suffice."

Light read the words written on the pages, as he did his mind began to feel lighter, his thoughts became clearer and he felt somehow... connected.

He closed the book and looked at the god.

"How do you know about me?" he asked.

"You are a hero, you have killed Ten gods already." the man stated. "But let us move on, shall we?"

"But... i just killed a god for the first time... and it was this old man" replied Light with a concerned expression, "When did i kill the other nine"

"You haven't yet" the god replied.

"That doesn't make any sense..." Light objected.

"It's pretty much what happened, or rather what will happen" Mephiles answered.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Light asked.

"Because you wouldn't have been ready to face it yet."

Mephiles closed his eyes and focused on the weather outside, the storm grew stronger and harder, lightning struck the ground, causing an earthquake.

"I will observe you from the shadow, you seem like an interesting fellow"

Suddenly, Mephiles vanished leaving behind a faint black mist where he was standing.

Light's head was spinning, he couldn't think clearly anymore.

He didn't understand how he didn't lose consciousness when the god was there.

"And now that I have you all alone, allow me to show you some of my powers" said Mephiles from the shadows.

Light looked around him, he could hear something coming from the corner of the room.

"Well, well, I didn't expect you to be so curious", said Mephiles, appearing right next to Light, "but then again curiosity is good, you should always be curious."

"Who are you?" Light asked.

"I am the betrayal god, you may call me Mephiles, but don't ever forget my name."

"Wha... what do you mean?" Light stammered.

"I am the god who betrayed all the other gods, to take over their powers and become the most powerful one."

"You're supposed to be dead" Light protested.

"And you're supposed to be a human , yet here you are handling an ancient relic, with a god living in your shadow" Mephiles answered.

"W-what are you talking about?" Light pleaded.

"Let's start with the last part, you are a human and i, a god, am in your shadow, you must have some kind of divine essence within you."

"A god?!"

"Yes" Mephiles confirmed.

"Th-this isn't real, is it?" Light asked.

"No, it's real enough."

"Oh god no"

"Just call me Mephiles" The figure suggested.

"What do you want from me?" Light asked.

"Nothing much, I'll just tell you what I can."

"Like how I'm going to die?"

"No, like where you should go next, and right know you should go back to your village"

"How am I supposed to trust you?"

"You have nothing to loose, it seems you are destined to betray me anyway, so why not save yourself some time and do it now?" Mephiles advised.

Light had a lot to learn, and he knew that the only way to get things done was to listen to Mephiles' advice, even if it seemed strange at first.

"Alright, I'll go back"

"Good. Listen, you should keep in mind that the world is full of traps, not everything is what it seems"

"I'm aware, thanks, I guess" Light sighed.

"Well, let's cut this short, I have to visit another place."