"I am a Hero?"
Kael questioned as he raised his eyebrow.
"Chosen by the Great Feraos himself."
The Pope answered confidently.
"Great Feraos, huh?
Who was he again?"
"Great Feraos is our Primal God, the eternal gui—"
"Right, scratch that.
Too much info dump."
Kael quickly waved his hand, stopping the Pope.
"I'll wake up soon, so instead of the lore, continue with action.
What am I supposed to do now that I am Hero? Kill the Demon Lord?"
He questioned.
The Pope blinked in surprise.
For a moment, he was wondering if the Hero had something wrong with his head. Soon, however, he shook his head.
He cannot doubt the Will of Great Feraos, that is blasphemy.
The Pope then stood up and glanced at Kael.
"Please follow me, Noble Hero."
Kael nodded and followed the Pope. The two started walking towards the massive crystal Kael saw before.
"This is the Orb of Resonance. One of the Ancient Relics that belongs to our Kingdom, a Gift given to us by our Lord Feraos.
It reveals the potential of those who touch it.
It is said that if you are able to make the Orb react to you, even if it is a small vibration, you are destined for greatness as long as you reach your full potential.
Please place your hands on it.
This will confirm your destiny as the Hero and ease all your doubts."
"Mhm, typical isekai stuff."
Kael nodded to himself.
"I guess Mark was correct. I need to stop watching that stuff."
Then, he started thinking.
"A girlfriend, huh…"
He thought about Mark's suggestion, and at the same time, he moved his hand and placed it on the Orb of whatever.
The Pope and the rest of the priests observed this scene with fervent eyes.
Kael then felt something entering his body. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, but before he could express his shock or move away,
Bzzzzz
The Orb of Resonance blazed with brilliant light that blinded all who were present.
Bzzzzz Bzzzzz Bzzzzz
The sound of it vibrating as if it would soon break into pieces echoed throughout the Hall, and,
"What—What is this?! I can't see! It's too bright!"
A priest shouted.
"Is this the potential of the Hero?"
Another priest gasped.
"Nerathis is saved! Nerathis is saved!!"
"O Noble Hero!"
"O Great Feraos! Thank you for blessing us!"
The Pope and the priests fell to their knees again, their voices thick with awe.
This time, their eyes showed even stronger reverence and devotion. If before, their belief came from the prophecy, now, they were seeing it with their own eyes!
In their entire life, they had never seen anyone who made the Orb glow as brightly as Kael did, and this was a big deal since these people had seen even the strongest Tamers test their potential using the Orb.
Even the current Grand Marshal of the Drakthar Kingdom, one of the strongest warriors in the entirety of Nerathis, was only able to make the Orb glow faintly, and even that surprised all of Drakthar.
After all, the Orb barely reacted to anyone. If it did, it would only vibrate lightly. Glowing was a rare case. The number of times the priests had seen it glow, even faintly, could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
As for this…
The glow so bright that it blinded them all…
This was something they had never even dreamed about!
This man… he was indeed someone chosen by the Great Feraos!
The man who would save Nerathis!
'W-What the hell? Who blinded me!?'
While the priests had pretty much lost their minds, Kael felt a strange energy coursing through his entire body. His eyes were blinded by the bright light the Orb emitted, then suddenly,
[Ding!]
He heard a sound.
[Talent Awakened.]
[Talent Name: Dragon Genesis]
[Talent Rank: SSS Rank]
'H-Huh…?'
Kael frowned, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
But then,
His vision blurred, and suddenly, his surroundings shifted, showing him an entirely different scene.
He was no longer standing in the Hall with the Pope and the priests. He was in a completely different place, his body no longer his own.
It was as if he was pulled into someone else's world, seeing through his eyes, feeling his emotions as though they were his own.
The vision was vivid and terrifying.
The air was thick with the scent of blood and decay, and the distant sounds of battle echoed in the background.
Kael could feel 'his body' pressed to the cold ground, held down by monstrous hands.
He struggled to move, but the grip was too strong. His chest was crushed beneath the weight of these creatures, their claws digging into his skin.
A monstrous hand was holding his head up, and while another kept his eyelids open, forcing him to watch the ongoing slaughter.
His body trembled, his breath was shallow, his heart wrenched in pain.
The monsters with grotesque appearances tore through helpless humans with savage ferocity.
"AAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!"
"HELP ME!!!"
"SPARE M—NO!!"
Screams filled the air as humans were slaughtered without mercy.
'!!!'
Kael felt a chill crawl up his spine as he realized something…
T-These monsters… They were the same monsters from his dream… The monsters he vividly remembered…
Step Step Step
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows.
An aged woman, with long, white hair and silver eyes that gleamed with a chilling, malevolent light. She walked towards Kael—or the man pinned on the ground—with a cruel smile on her lips.
"Like what you see?" her voice was hoarse, clearly belonging to an aged person who didn't have long to live.
"I told you, didn't I? Since you refuse to submit to my Lord, I will make you die in despair."
The man's eyes widened, and Kael could feel his heart burning with endless rage as the woman's words sunk in.
The monsters around them continued their bloody work, but the woman seemed unfazed. She knelt down before him, her gaze never leaving his eyes.
"How was it?" she continued, her tone full of mockery and cruelty.
"Watching the destruction of the world you so desperately tried to protect?
Seeing everything you cherished being annihilated in front of you and being completely helpless to do anything?
O Brave and Strong Dragon Lord…
The Strongest of Humanity…
Did you enjoy it?"
Kael felt the man's chest tighten, his emotions boiling over as the woman's words cut through him like a knife.
His entire body shook with rage, despair, helplessness, and regret.
Soon, however, his rage took over all other emotions as he glared at the woman and screamed.
"NERISSAAAAAA!!!"
"Hahahaha~"
The woman, Nerissa, however, wasn't affected by his rage in the slightest. Her laughter echoed in Kael's ears, a sound so cold that it sent a shiver through his entire being.
Before Kael could process anything anymore, the vision took a final, brutal turn. He watched in horror as the woman raised a sword, its blade shining with a deadly cold light.
Slash
With one swift motion, she brought it down, and the man's head was severed from his body. Blood sprayed the ground, and the vision shattered into darkness.
"Haahhhh!!!"
Kael woke up.
"Haahh… Haahhh… Haahh…"
Gasping for air, his heart racing, his body drenched in a cold sweat and trembling without stopping.
He looked around and…
He wasn't in his room…
He was still in that big Hall, the priests still kneeling in front of him in reverence and he...
He couldn't be more confused.
'What… what was that?'