*Warning! This chapter is for 18+ only! *
On this same evening, in a pitch-dark forest covered with a thick layer of snow, there stood an enormous, jet-black, round structure without windows, resembling a black sphere. At the top, a small round lookout tower protruded with a pointed roof emitting a red glowing light, the only source of illumination in the area. It was utterly silent, and not even the sound of the wind could be heard as it passed by the building.
In a large circular room with broad, round, black wooden pillars, there lay an enormous, luminous stone altar in the center, adorned with a large red oval stone placed at its core. The light in the room had a subdued reddish-orange hue, illuminated by the intensely glowing red stone, radiating warmth throughout the space. Occasionally, the stone emitted sparks that scattered, and visible purple electricity could be seen emanating from within. Underneath the stone, a large, thin, ancient-looking circle was engraved on the worn surface. The entire room was filled with people wearing black hooded robes, forming a large circle around the stone altar.
They began their preparations. Four individuals each took out a round, black, transparent empty glass sphere with a small hole at the top.
A handsome man with a black necklace adorned with a small black stone around his neck stepped forward and approached the altar, turning to face the group. His skin was pale, flawless; he had long blond hair tied in a ponytail, and his eyes were bright, exuding a majestic aura. He took out a thick black brush and glanced at the four men, nodding at them.
"Let the ceremony begin before midnight."
*Snap*
He snapped his fingers, and the sound of rattling chains echoed through the room.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman appeared, both chained at their arms, necks, and legs, with their mouths gagged with a black cloth. They were led in front of the man, who looked at them. The woman's eyebrows suddenly lifted, and her eyes widened.
The man removed the cloth from her mouth and waved his index finger in front of her.
"Tsk, tsk. A romantic date in a restricted area. Next time, read the warning sign properly." He winked at her and burst into laughter.
"You are God Griffith! What's going on? Why have you captured us?" the woman asked with a nervously high-pitched voice while her eyes darted around the others in the room.
"I said you were in a forbidden area, but you're not here to be punished. Instead, you're given a chance to create something grand." Griffith said, giving a quick nod to the group.
A man stepped forward, holding a black knife with a sharp curved blade that cast a reddish glow in the light.
"The heart." Griffith ordered in a cold tone.
He then walked towards the altar and looked at the red stone.
*Puchi*
Before the woman could react, the man thrust the blade into her left chest and slowly turned the knife counterclockwise. Blood seeped from her white dress, and she lost her balance, coughing violently as blood slowly flowed from the corner of her mouth.
*Whoosh*
A man with a glass sphere suddenly stood beside her, quickly scraping the blood from her chest, which slid down into the sphere. He took a step back, and another man appeared, repeating the process. When all four had filled their glass spheres, the man withdrew the knife with a swift motion.
*Bump*
The woman fell lifeless to the floor.
The man in chains, who had witnessed the entire scene, began to convulse. He lay down on the cold stone floor, crawled toward the woman, and broke into loud sobs.
Griffith cast him a sharp glance. "It'll be your turn next time."
The words made the man stop crying immediately, and he instead looked toward the stone altar.
*Hum*
It resonated loudly, echoing throughout the room.
The men positioned themselves next to Griffith, and he dipped his brush into the blood, starting to paint atop the circle around the stone.
"An innocent virgin." he muttered.
When he finished the circle, he nodded.
*Crack*
"Argh." The man in chains screamed loudly.
The man with the knife had grabbed his lower part, and blood now gushed onto the floor, forming a thick puddle, and a strong smell of blood permeated the air. Some men coughed and covered their mouths, while others looked away, focusing on the altar.
The four men with the glass spheres hurried to the suffering man and filled the spheres with blood. They quickly ran to Griffith, who dipped his brush and painted the circle again with the man's blood.
"And something else." he added, coughing lightly, completing the final stroke.
He took a few steps back and looked at the stone.
*Hum*
It vibrated, and the floor shook violently.
*Crack*
Large cracks appeared in the altar, but the circle remained intact.
Griffith smiled, nodded, and turned to the group, spreading his arms and announcing, "Today, we are reborn with new abilities."
*Snap*
He snapped his fingers loudly. "I hereby summon the demon lord."
*Vroom*
An intense wave of heat shot out from the circle, and blood began to fly upward towards the center. It transformed into small, thick droplets that quickly formed a figure – a man dressed in black with pale skin and glowing purple eyes. He had thick black horns on his forehead and was covered in a black cloak. He looked around at the group, quickly studying the room, and his eyes fell on the woman and the man on the floor. He blinked.
"Heh. So, this is how you've done it." He burst into loud laughter that echoed in the room.
Griffith and everyone in the room humbly bowed to the man as they looked at the ground. "Welcome, my lord."
The man turned around and raised his left index finger into the air in front of him.
*Whoosh*
A large black, round smoke portal appeared, and another man stepped out.
"Lithien, reward them." the man commanded.
The man called Lithien nodded and produced a white round orb the size of a basketball, handing it to Griffith, who accepted it immediately while still focusing on the ground.
"Thank you very much, my lord."
"You have done your job well, so, of course, you should be rewarded. Only those in this room can use this orb, so use it wisely," the man explained, and his eyes fell on the red stone.
He raised his right index finger, and Griffith's black necklace flew off him, rushing towards the man, who caught it with two fingers.
"you no longer need this, but instead, use this one,"
*Snap*
He snapped his fingers, and a small black oval flintstone floated towards Griffith. "find the others if they exist and use this as the main core, but do not touch it."
Griffith nodded and took out a white cloth, wrapping the stone in it.
The man turned towards the portal, taking out a black whistle.
"This can summon an army of undead."
The whistle flew towards Griffith, who caught it immediately, raising his eyebrows but still not looking up at the person.
"Thank you very much, my lord."
The man gave a quick nod to Lithien, and they entered the portal, which closed behind them.
Immediately, everyone surrounded Griffith, eagerly studying the orb without touching it.
"What is it?"
"What abilities does it grant?"
Griffith smiled and placed the orb on the ground, instructing, "Touch it one by one."
One by one, they touched the orb. When they were done, they looked at their hands with curious eyes, furrowing their brows.
"I don't feel anything different."
"Neither do I."
"Have we been tricked?"
*Ping*
The sound was loud and echoed in the room.
"Welcome to the system." it was a soft female voice.
A black rectangular hologram appeared, hovering above the orb.
A man furrowed his brows. "A system for what?"
Griffith smiled and revealed, "Now, all of you can play as gods."
A man raised his brows and touched the hologram.
*Ping*
"Choose your tier."
*Ping. Ping. Ping*
Repeating ping sounds echoed in the room.
"C, B, A, M, E, S, SSS," a man recited, lifting his eyebrows. "those are all the Essence ranks, but SSS isn't included."
"It's the same as a good tier rank," explained Griffith, laughing aloud.
He looked at the group. "who wants to be the first to become a god?"