When Arthur opened his eyes once more, he was standing. Not amidst the fires of war, not on the blood-soaked burning hell of the battlefield. No, he was standing in a serene field of grass. It wasn't the trimmed, synthetic green lawns that the aristocracy in his old world flaunted and maintained. No. It was untouched, vibrant and serene. The grass was tall, deep and lush, like a perfect emerald sea, rippling under the gentle breeze.
Above him the sky stretched endlessly, a soft gradient of pinks and yellows. For a moment Arthur just stood there, revelling in the weightless feeling of peace.
"Haahhh. How nice," he murmured, the words coming out softly. 'Was this death…It wasn't bad.'
He let his fingers trail through the blades of grass, their softness a sharp contrast to the sharp edges of spears and swords that had defined his life since arriving on Pandora.
Then it all came back, the searing pain, the MageKnight's blade carved from flame burying itself in his stomach, the unbearable heat as it burned him from the inside out.
And then… darkness. No, that wasn't right. Right before it had consumed him entirely, there was something else. A blue screen.
As if summoned by his thoughts, the translucent blue screen materialized in front of him.
CONGRATULATIONS, ARTHUR GRAVEWALKER
YOUR TRIAL IS NOW UPON YOU
PREREQUISITES FOR ENTERING THE TRIAL: UNBLESSED
STATUS: ERROR! CANDIDATE ALREADY HAS A BLESSING
BLESSING : SUN'S CONCEPT FOUND
ERROR! PREREQUISITE CONDITIONS FULFILLED
Those words appeared for him. They were right there. The words that he had been waiting for since he arrived in this world. Sun's Concept. So it was a god's blessing.
CALCULATING…
CANDIDATE HAS FULFILLED PREREQUISITES. CANDIDATE HAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED HIS TRIAL.
LATENT MANA ABILITIES AWAKENING…
AFFINITIES AWAKENING…
CANDIDATE'S BLESSING AWAKENING…
A surge of power erupted within Arthur, roaring through his veins like molten lava. He gasped, clutching at his chest as his entire body burned—not with pain, but with raw, uncontainable energy.
"Hahahah, fucking finally!" he laughed, exhilarated. For once, the universe had thrown him a lifeline instead of a death sentence. His body hummed with newfound strength; he could feel the threads of mana in the air, delicate yet vibrant.
Just as he began to marvel at this transformation, the screen reappeared, but this time, it wasn't blue. It was red.
ERROR!!! DEITY INTERFERENCE
SYSTEM CORRUPTION DETECTED
CANDIDATE BEING EXTRACTED BY EXTERNAL ENTITY
Before Arthur could process the words, the earth beneath him began to shudder violently. A massive black hand clawed its way out of the ground, its shadowy fingers coiling around his body like chains.
"No!" Arthur screamed as the hand dragged him downward. He tried to resist, but the grip was too strong, the earth swallowing him whole.
When Arthur opened his eyes again, he was lying on a cold marble floor. Around him stretched an abyss of shadows, so deep it felt as if the concept of light itself had been erased. He sat up, groaning, his head pounding.
"Where… am I?" he muttered to himself.
"You are with me…"
The voice was deep and resonant, sending shivers down Arthur's spine. A figure stepped out of the shadows, his presence overwhelming. Pale skin, dark midnight hair that cascaded in soft curls, and eyes like blood-red rubies that burned with ancient and unyielding power. Though he appeared youthful, his aura screamed of timelessness.
"I am Hades."
Arthur's blood ran cold. Hades, the King of the Underworld. He had briefly read about him. A god feared amongst the Olympians. The oldest brother. He wasn't someone that usually interacted with humans.
"H-hello, uh… Lord Hades," Arthur stammered, awkwardly bowing. He had no idea what the protocol was for meeting a god.
Hades' lips curled into an amused smirk. Then, to Arthur's shock, the god let out a laugh—a snorting, almost undignified laugh that echoed through the shadows.
'Huh. King of a weird laugh for a god.'
"Don't worry, little mortal," Hades said, his laughter subsiding. "I'm not here to kill you. I merely want to… talk. After all, it's not often a soul as unique as yours enters my domain."
"What do you mean, as unique as mine?"
Hades smiled. "Arthur, do you know why I rarely contract with humans?"
"Uhh, no."
"It's because of my nature. I am the god of the underworld. So only those whose souls are closely related to death could ever be summoned into these halls, as you have been."
"So, it's because I killed a lot. That doesn't make sense…there are people who have killed more than me."
Hades snorted. He was decidedly unrefined for a feared deity. "Not killing. I know humans have a penchant for that. I'm talking about dying."
Arthur's jaw fell open. 'Did he know I died already. Is that why here's summoned me here?'
Hades' smile widened, "Yes, I know you died already. I don't know how, but I can guess who. It seems you have attracted the eye of someone far greater than me…"
Hades disappeared from his throne of shadow, appearing before Arthur in a blur..
"And I don't say that lightly…son of compassion. I don't know how you managed to gain a concept. Especially his. But then again, it's not why I summoned you here. I summoned you here to offer you my blessing."
Arthur stepped back in a daze. His mind racing. It was obvious that Sun was a far greater figure than he had previously realised. Pushing those thoughts aside he replied, fumbling over his words. Hades' aura of fear was too overwhelming.
"I-I don't understand. What's a concept? And why are you giving me your blessing?"
Hades sighed, disappearing and reappearing on his throne. "I'll answer these two questions, it's not easy to keep you here and I need to hurry this along. But no more. Blessings come in different stages. Higher level blessings are incredibly rare, and incredibly difficult to obtain. They also have significant drawbacks. You wouldn't have heard of a concept before, because it has never been given to a mortal before. It is the highest level blessing a deity can give. To answer your second question, Gravewalker. I have many reasons. One of them is that you are one of the few humans that can receive my blessing. Because of your unique constitution."
"Because I have died already", Arthur replied, no longer bothering to try and hide the fact.
"Yes. Now will you accept my blessing?"
"Will you give me your concept?"
Hades looked at him blankly, then broke into fits of laughter, almost falling off his chair. "No. The trial to obtain my concept will kill you, and I don't trust humans with that power. You'll get a middle-rank blessing, Gravewalker. And even that might be too much, I wouldn't offer it, but since your other blessing is quite incompatible with mine, it is only right."
'Hmm, so a concept is quite a powerful thing. I'm quite lucky I guess.' He sighed. There was just too much he didn't know.
"Do you accept my terms Arthur?"
Arthur studied the deity. Then he nodded, more power was always welcome. "Alright."
Hade smiled. "Very well."
A surge of power shot through Arhur's veins. It felt like molten lava. He screamed, falling to the floor. He felt his bones pop and his muscles tear. His skin seemed to tremble and melt as smoke rose from his body. Darkness filled Arthur's vision as pain overwhelmed him.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Arthur awoke on a battleground of dirt, facing a grey angry sky as smoke billowed upwards in thick black pillars.
A translucent orange screen popped up in front of him.
NAME: ARTHUR GRAVEWALKER
AGE: 14 YEARS OLD
RACE: HUMAN
CLASS:
BEGINNER SWORDSMAN LVL1 ——> BEGINNER SPEARMAN LVL2
SKILLS :
AURA : LOCKED
BLESSINGS:
Hades Will -
Prerequisite condition fulfilled
Fire Affinity , Earth affinitySecond stage - LOCKED
Sun's Concept -
Prerequisite conditions fulfilled
Healing blood:
Provides low level regeneration to anyone apart from the caster who consumes the caster's blood.
Second stage - LOCKED
AFFINITIES : BLOOD, FIRE, EARTH
STATS -
RANK F
STRENGTH: F
AGILITY: F+
STAMINA: E-
INTELLIGENCE: F
MANA CAPACITY: F-
CHARM : UR
Arthur sighed, dismissing the screen with a thought. Slowly he got up, head spinning. He looked down, expecting to see a large gaping wound where the sword had pierced him. But there was nothing, only a faint scar running down the length of his stomach.
'Officer Mara!'
The night had begun to settle like a heavy shroud, suffocating and endless, but Arthur pressed on. Officer Mara's pale, bloodied figure was still where he'd left her, hidden beneath the corpses.
She gasped when she saw him alive. "Y-you're still alive… H-how—"
"No time to explain," Arthur cut in, his tone firm.
With strength that surprised even himself, he hoisted her onto the backplate of his armor and began dragging her through the chaos. The trials had left him stronger and refreshed. However every step was a battle against time and the impending artillery fire. He weaved through the bodies and debris, his muscles screaming, but he refused to stop.
He needed to get over before the battle shifted to the night phase.
As night completely fell Arthur made it behind base, out of the range of enemy artillery that would be starting in mere moments. He had seen many other soldiers, both enemy and ally dying out. There just wasn't enough time in the day to save all of them. He just couldn't.
Gritting his teeth, he took Officer Mara to the medical tent.
"MARRSHH", he bellowed as he got close.
Immediately the dark eyed bow shot out of the tent, his face the picture of relief.
"Arthur!"
Then he saw Officer Mara, and his expression became serious. "Bring her inside."
Nodding, Arthur hoisted Officer Mara onto his shoulders, careful to avoid her injuries as he took her inside the tent.
The healers were busy with the wounded, but there was a spare bed for Officer Mara. Placing her down. Arthur staggered back, finally relieved. He had done it. He'd saved one more. But the happiness was quickly doused by the images of all he left behind. How many were out there now? Dying in the cold and darkness?
"Fuck," he muttered, his hands shaking.
"I have to go back out there," he said aloud, his voice hollow yet resolute.
Marsh turned to him in alarm. "Arthur, no! That's suicide! They'll detect your mana signature and shoot you down!"
Arthur knew Marsh was right. But how could he stop now?
Mara's weak voice broke through his thoughts. "Take my necklace," she rasped.
Arthur blinked. "What?"
"It… suppresses mana signatures," she explained, her voice barely audible. "Take it. You'll need it."
Without hesitation, Arthur took the necklace—a silver chain with a ruby pendant—and slipped it over his neck.
"Thank you, Officer," he said softly.
Mara smiled faintly. "No… Thank you, Arthur. You're… a kind boy."
Arthur's chest tightened at her words, but he didn't respond. He turned and stepped back into the night, the necklace cool against his skin.
The battlefield stretched before him, vast and merciless. The cries of the wounded and dying pierced the air, mingling with the distant rumble of artillery.
The night was a void, a predator waiting to devour him.
For most soldiers, this was the time to rest, to retreat and recover. For Arthur, the battle had only just begun.
He stepped forward, disappearing into the darkness, alone…