Bump, bump, bu-bump. A rhythmic heartbeat played.
"Hmmm, am I still... alive?"
Looking around, darkness was all that surrounded me. Ba-bump, ba-bump.
"Am i dead and what's with beating?" I looked around and paused. "Is that...?"
A giant heart stood there beating; Was it real?.
"It can't be real, right? It's too big to—"
A voice suddenly spoke. It was deep and devilish. "Quit gawking at my heart. It's devilish."
The voice seemed to come from the top of the heart. Thud. A man. No, a devil.
"What are you?" I spoke as I stepped back cautiously. All I could see was a faint red light followed by the sound of chains.
"What I am doesn't matter." The man stepped closer, and the light seemed to brighten. Four arms.
"What the—" I took a step back, but my eyes were still locked on the... the devil.
"Stop stepping back, will y'all? I wanna get this over with." The man stood tall—four muscular arms, all shackled. As he stepped into the light more clearly now, white hair and glowing white eyes. Red markings started from his eyes and covered his tanned skin. I was sure now: a demon.
"Did I make a deal with the devil?" Stepping back, fear took over.
"You should really stop moving." The man stepped, and suddenly he was staring down at me. His shackled arms grabbed my shoulder. "One more step and you would've died."
I stared back. What was he talking about? I couldn't see anything behind or under me, unless... that's what I was meant to see. My eyes widened at a never-ending fall. The man grabbed my hand and launched me away from the edge.
"Ghkk!" My hand flailed, and I hit the ground. "Erkk, the fuck?" I spoke, winded. I breathed in and out, gasping for air.
"This is crap. I thought I told that divine piece of shit..." He gritted his teeth. "What's your name?" The man stood staring down at me while I was still breathing hard, trying to recover.
"Kolden. My name's Kolden." I coughed laying back on the beating heart. I should've lied about my name, but if I did, I felt certain the man would've killed me.
"Kolden. That's the name. I was hoping he made a mistake. Tschkk." The man disappeared. I looked around. "Up here!" He was once again sitting on the beating heart.
"Are you the person who messaged me?"
He sucked his teeth in annoyance. "I could never be that oversized bastard. You really believed a message like that?" The man's glowing white eyes stared down at me.
I stood up to look at him. "Yeah, well, I guess I didn't expect much."
The man scratched his head. "Ehh, humans are stupid. Well, enough blabber, it ain't important. I wanna know what you were offered."
I looked at the heart, then back at him. "Well, they offered to give me a heart. I have something called heart cancer, so... I need a new one."
The man nodded. "Yeah, I know what it is. A heart, alright." The man stretched and fell down, leaning his arm against the beating heart. "Did you give anything in return?"
Thinking about it, I guessed not. Even if it felt like I was dead, it didn't seem that way. "Ummm, no, I didn't." I stared back at the man. Maybe one thing. "Whoever it was told me I must become a god?"
Speaking calmly, I stared at the man. He huffed. "Is that what you wanna do?"
I thought about the question. Is there really another option? "Yeah. I mean, becoming a god—I don't think it's possible, but I'd like to have a heart. And my sister as well; I need to get back to her." Looking around, I was most likely dead. If I didn't accept the offer, I'd likely die for real.
The man stretched, his shackles jingling. "I sense no lies from you. I guess that means you are my chosen successor." The man took a step forward and was now standing tall on the heart. "Well, you might be a dumbass, but you want a heart again, don't ya?"
I stared at him. "Yeah, and my sister too. I wanna return to my world healthy and able to take care of her."
The man grinned brightly. "Then take my heart. In return, you have to become a god and free me."
I laughed softly. "I seriously have to become a god? And free you?"
The man nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Once I'm freed, you'll have completed what's needed and become a god. You'll take what once was my position, and that'll be it."
I rubbed my head. "This seems like a big ask."
The man waved his hand. Humans are dumb. You're gonna become a god; shut your trap and accept the deal."
I stared. How long would that take? And my sister—would she be safe? "Ummm, my sister, will she be...?"
Interrupting, he spoke. "The man who offered you the deal has eyes everywhere. She'll be okay."
I nodded. There were no other worries. "I'll accept the deal."
He nodded. "Great, you sure do reason well." He appeared in front of me. "Ever had your heart ripped out?" He spoke, grinning.
A hand pierced my chest. I convulsed and seized. I'm dead, I thought over and over. It hurts, it hurts—dead again.
"Ahhh, fuck, that hurt!" I grunted, rubbing my head and looking around. "A god?"
I covered my eyes as a light suddenly appeared.
≺ Divine Sytsem≻Name: Ishaan Veritas Rao
"Two hearts, one path"
〔 Hearts 〕[ Normal ] : ●●●●●●○○○○ (Stable)[Divine] : ○○○○○○○○○○ (Void)
〔Divinity〕Purity: High-Noble Grade Capacity: 82%
Note: Your mind is fortified. You can gaze upon the High Gods without turning to ash...
〔No Path〕Choose your burden. No God has been claimed.
〔 ASCENSION PATH
Ⅰ. Body ─────── [ LOCKED ]
The Echoes of the Past await. Can you survive His memories?
Ⅱ. Mind ─────── [ LOCKED ]
Ⅲ. SPIRIT ────── [ LOCKED ]
Ⅳ. SOUL ─────── [ LOCKED ]
Ⅴ. SELF ─────── [ ??? ]
"Ishaan Veritas Rao is next up!"
I stared up in a daze. I loudly blurted, "Huh?"
I stood there. I seemed to be in a church hall. A giant stone with engravings stood behind the man who had called me.
"Tsk, you're getting cocky, Rao." A broad man with long red hair spoke as he got closer.
Ding. A bell chimed.
"Please, no fighting in the hall." A tall man with long blonde hair walked out of a door, wearing a wide grin. "Please excuse me, sir. I seem to have lost my temper." The man stepped closer to me as he stared at me down. "You must be Rao. I've heard a lot from the Higher-ups."
The man smiled; his grin showed off many teeth. I stepped back. "Sorry, I was just nervous, that's all." I bowed in apology.
"Oh, it's completely fine. But let's hurry; I'm sure the other students want to be tested."
I smiled awkwardly and made my way to the stone.
"Place your hand on the stone and breathe. Everything else will follow naturally," a man in a white church robe spoke calmly. I placed my hand and closed my eyes.
Breathing. Tasting. Hearing. Seeing. Those words repeated in my head
Ding.
"Preparing Trial One: Unknown Pathway."