Daylight fled as night slowly crept in. The sun gave way to the starry sky, and darkness cast its veil across the landscape.
The still, quiet forest was disturbed by the sounds of hurried steps passing through foliage.
My legs are getting weaker. I feel like I could collapse at any moment.
Jack's galloping heart pounded with great intensity. Each thump propels adrenaline through his blood vessels, contracting them to perfuse exhausted muscles.
The only thing louder than the beating of Jack's heart was the dozens of footsteps behind him.
If they catch up to me, I'll die a gruesome death just like that guy. I will be exhausted sooner or later, so I need to lose them and find somewhere to hide.
With labored breathing, Jack forced himself to resist the burning sensation building up inside his lungs and continue to run.
As time passed, Jack's eyes adjusted to the lack of light around him, and his surroundings became slightly visible. Looking ahead, he saw faint glimmers of moonlight perforating through the canopy of trees.
If moonlight can reach here, then there must be a clearing ahead.
The sight Jack was met with as he entered the clearing filled him with joy.
Moonlight broke through the veil of darkness and danced along the surface of a quiet river. The tranquility calmed Jack's weary mind.
I've made my way back to the river! If I follow it upstream, I should be able to find the cave next to the waterfall.
Jack fell to his knees and swiftly lowered his head to the water. After drinking a few mouthfuls directly from the river, he stood up and looked up at the sky.
Jack's eyes widened with shock as he stared at two distinct moons. One no bigger than the other, they equally shared the vast sky.
"No, there should only be one." Jack panicked as he shook his head in disbelief. "No, no." His mind began to race as he thought about everything that had happened since waking up in this forest.
This planet is not Earth. I could explain the odd clothing of that group and their talk about divine energy as simple role-playing. I might have even been able to convince myself that those terrifying creatures were just my eyes playing tricks on me.
"However...." Jack shifted his head to gaze at the moons. I cannot deny that there are two moons in the sky. If this is not Earth, then where am I?
Distant footsteps shook Jack out of his thoughts. The sudden realization of being on another planet caused him to momentarily forget he was escaping danger.
Jack hurriedly made his way upstream until he arrived at the pond and waterfall he had been at previously.
I can't hear their footsteps anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm safe. Jack walked over to the pitch-black cave. I can't run all night long. Maybe I can hide inside this cave till daylight.
The shadowy cave pulled a curtain across jacks eyes. Unable to see anything, he hugged one of the walls as he made his way through the passage. Rounding a corner, he found a small chamber large enough for five people.
A patch of luminous moss softly illuminated the ground of the chamber. Like a night light, the glowing moss forbids the dark shadows from approaching.
It's not a king-sized bed, but this moss is better than sleeping on the cold cave ground. Jack proceeded to walk into the middle of the chamber. Plus, this moss also lights up part of the chamber, so I'm not walking around blindly.
Suddenly Jack heard a mysterious female's voice in his mind.
[Divinity detected]
It's that voice from that Divinity System.
As Jack thought about the Divinity System, a semi-transparent window appeared in front of him again. Unlike the last time, though, he was not forced to endure any agonizing pain.
"I guess it wasn't a hallucination after all..."
Jack stared at the system window in front of him and found himself lost in thought. He attempted to piece together everything that had happened and figure out what he should do next.
Assuming this place isn't the afterlife and I'm on a planet that is not Earth. My first goal should be to find a way back to Earth.
Jack's face quickly filled with sorrow as he crumbled to his knees. His mind was overwhelmed by the mountainous task that stood before him.
Who am I kidding? Return to Earth? I'm nothing more than some mortal man. I cannot traverse space, let alone leave this planet. I don't even know where I am in this vast universe.
An unknown chuckle resonated in Jack's mind.
"Is the Divinity System... mocking me?"
A woman with a voice drenched in wickedness
"You're partially correct. While I am part of the Divinity System, I am also not, and while the Divinity System is a part of me, it is at the same time not."
Jack stared into the dark chamber with a judgmental look. "That was incredibly unhelpful."
"Hehe"
"Anyways, why were you laughing at me?"
"The answers you seek lie in front of you, yet you have chosen to remain blind to the precious gift bestowed upon you."
"What gift? The system?"
"Beacons of fate spread far and wide throughout the stars. Journeying to one is as simple as achieving godliness."
"Is this a joke? It's that simple? Become a god? Why don't I create a new universe while I'm at it..."
"Divinity is the foundation of godhood. Incorporating it into the mind allows one to perceive the world through new eyes and command great power."
"No, there has to be another way. It's impossi-"
"An unwavering mind and fierce determination are required for all that step onto the divine path, for the journey is an arduous one."
"-ble to become a god...."
To Jack, achieving godhood was the same as reaching up and plucking a star from the sky. It was a feat unaccomplishable by a human.
Jack's eyes stared blankly, devoid of hope, as his thoughts retreated from reality into the recesses of his mind.
Despair clasped its cruel hands around Jack, pulling him into its depths. His motivation to survive in this cruel world shattered as the weight of an insurmountable hurdle crushed him.
As Jack's last sliver of hope began to wither away, memories of Claire and the promise he made to her flashed through his mind.
I promised Claire I wouldn't stay away for too long. If I give up now, I'll be breaking it. Jack rose to his feet and, with renewed vigor, raised his fist with confidence.
"No matter how long it takes, I will achieve godhood and swim across the sea of stars just to hold your hand once again. I will dance with death and sweep away the heavens if it grants me even one more chance to hold you."
Brimming with confidence, Jack opened the Divinity System and looked at the notification that had appeared earlier.
[Divinity detected]
[Absorb?]
From my experience so far, I use my mind to navigate through the system. Knowing that all I should have to do is think about absorbing the divinity.
Jack closed his eyes as the system window let out a blinding light. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and saw tiny bight particles floating throughout the chamber.
Are these little balls of light divinity?
As Jack stood mesmerized, the little balls of light swiftly began to circle him. Slowly the balls of light move closer to Jack before completely enveloping him. Suddenly, the particles of bright light vanished, leaving no evidence of their existence.
That was more flashy than I had expected. I should check the Divinity System now.
[Divinity System]
[Strength: Weakling]
[Endurance: Weak human]
[Agility: Weak human]
[Mind: Feeble imitation]
[Divinity: 100]
Everything is the same, except I have gained 100 divinity. I wonder how I am supposed to use it.
Jack stared at the system window, lost in thought. Feeble imitation... what does that mean? Jack was bewildered as the other three had physical descriptions while his mind had a vague description. Maybe it's something psychological since it's the mind.
[Not enough divinity to improve mind]
I understand now. I can use the obtained divinity to improve these areas. My strength seems weaker than the other two, so let's improve that first.
[Expend 20 divinity to improve strength?]
[Weakiling -> Weak human]
It looks like I was right. My strength was weaker. Jack took a deep breath. Yes, I wish to improve my strength.
[Fusing divinity with musculature]
[Reconstruction in progress...]
Jack was instantly met with almost unbearable pain as he fell to the floor.
"AHHHHH... IT FEELS LIKE MY MUSCLES ARE... BEING CUT AND THEN... SEWED BACK TOGETHER." Taking deep breaths, Jack cried out from the pain.
As Jack screamed, the system continued to rip each of his muscle fibers and reconstruct them anew. Although the reconstruction only lasted fifteen minutes, it had felt like an eternity to Jack.
[Reconstruction complete]
Jack panted as he strived to catch his breath. Is this the Divine Path? Now I understand why that wicked woman said it required an unwavering mind and fierce determination.
[Divinity System]
[Strength: Weak human]
[Endurance: Weak human]
[Agility: Weak human]
[Mind: Feeble imitation]
[Divinity: 80]
Will I experience that pain every time I improve one of these four areas? I'll probably end up losing my mind if that's true.
Jack hesitated for a moment to continue and possibly experience that torment again, but determined by the desire to reunite with his loved one; he steeled himself.
I guess this is my first step on the divine path. One of many that will eventually lead me back to Earth.
The divine path was like a grand mountain with a peak that pierced the skies. Standing at the base, one would be filled with fear and feel incapable of conquering it, but with unfaltering determination, even the tallest of mountains can be overcome one step at a time.
"Claire..." Jack stretched his arm toward the chamber's roof. "wait for me..." Clenching his fist. "I'm coming."