The enemies around me analyzed my movements and obviously waited for me to attack first.
For the kind of fight I'm about to engage in.... What weapon could be effective? A greatsword to hit as many as possible at once? Or a light weapon to stay agile.. hmm.
I think the first thing I'll try is fast attacks.
Let's see how it would look like with projectiles.
I formed two pistols with my magic and manifested them in my hand. Their projectiles should also be made of my magic.
I used my shadow step to quickly move behind the enemies and shot the first one in the back...However…
…my projectiles showed no effect..?
Instead he turns around, smiles and attacks me.
I dodge to the side, but there are many more around me, synchronized in their attacks against me.
There are really many of them.
I form a rapier and stab the first one in the chest.
This seems to work better.
The first one falls to the ground and crumbles into black ash.
The others noticed this, and switched to a new strategy.
They surround me and attack at the same time.
In a matter of seconds, I have quickly destroyed 5 opponents with my weapon, and move into the shadows.
But as I teleported behind an enemy, two grabbed me by the arms and another cut my heels.
I let out a cry of pain as I fell to the ground, still pinned.
In front of me was one of them, ready to strike... but as the blade tore through my body...
Wait.
Dit it just slide through..?
At the other end, the blade came out only as ashes.
At the same moment, the arms of those holding me also disappeared and my wounds were healed.
As if my body was permeable…
I turned my magic into a sword and beheaded the two who held me. At the same moment, I used shadow stepping to kill the remaining 3.
"Did I pass?" I asked confidently.
Without any communication, I found myself in another place... some kind of bridge? But out of light...
"Walk this path and you will reach the gate of the Heavenly Realm" spoke the voice in my head. It was deep and yet pleasant
So I kept walking on this kind of bridge and it became boring.
This path stretched on for hours and slowly I wondered if this wasn't another test and if I didn't have to do something else... so I looked around and analyzed my surroundings.
Below me were only clouds, above me the stars and around me... nothing.
It doesn't seem like I need to do anything with the environment, and yet there is something wrong here. I've been walking all this time and nothing changes.
Wait... at the same level as I am, there is nothing around me.... This creature... No, Luna had mentioned that my powers have something to do with Void or "nothing". I could try to effect something in the environment with my magic. I can't walk for hours to see nothing.
So I concentrated on my surroundings and on my magic.
Still, there is no noticeable reaction when I shoot any projectiles or throw anything.
What if I try to copy Luna's magic? To change my environment? With my current environment, that might make sense, but I've never tried anything like that.
I sat down on the bridge and meditated. I concentrated and imagined creating a space around me purely from my magic. It was really tugging at my strength and my mana veins were at their max... so if I should train for anything, it should definitely be more magic endurance.
Anyway, I need to keep going.
My magic spread under me, like a kind of ground, forming a box around me. Still nothing happened?
"Then I guess that's not it," I said uncertainly as I dissolved my magic again and realized I was in a different place.
"So it worked after all?"
"And how it did." spoke a soft voice that was behind me.
When I turned around, I saw Luna sitting in front of me... and this time for real, not just her ghost. The environment still seemed strange to me... so... unfamiliar.
The trees looked different, the smell was more like something sweet, and the grass under me was like wool.
"Are we here... in this Heavenly Realm?" I looked at Luna with a questioning look.
"Well, at the edge at least, yes," she said with a slight giggle in her voice.
"And why on the edge? Isn't there something like a city here?"
"In the Heavenly Realm only nature is represented. It is the home of the Celestials, and only animals and they live here. It is unusual that a human being like you is allowed to enter divine ground."
"And why am I allowed?"
"Because we are the last heirs of a Celestial. The power of the Void actually comes from one of the 5 Celestials. And... there are no more living beings except you and me who have such a power."
"Yet I am a human being. So what are your ulterior motives?"
Something can't be right if a Celestial has no heirs, a talking half-breed creature talks to me, and I'm supposed to come here as a human.
"You think far ahead for a human.... It is indeed not without reason that you should come here."
"Then speak."
"The Celestial I spoke of...he won't be able to represent the pillar he is at the moment for much longer...to put it out there for you.... He's getting weak."
"You still haven't mentioned why I'm here now."
"We need to get you to the point where you can replace him in the worst case scenario. To put it bluntly, Sia. You need to gain the power of a god." said Luna with a serious look on her face.
That sits... I'm supposed to become divine? As a human? And especially me, who is a total normalo, who only wants to read his novels and doesn't care about others... such a person shouldn't be a "pillar of the universe", like everyone says.
"But Sia... that's what makes the Celestial... His pillar is that of "nothing", which also means he controls the Void that connects all worlds... you have to become the bridge between worlds and for that we have to get your human body and soul ready for this post."
"To be honest, I don't understand your thoughts behind this.... But if it is such a "divine providence", then I must accept it," I said, sighing.
-Now, Sia's God training with Luna and the Celestial will begin.-