Divine Essence

Chapter 6: Gate To The Beyond

.....

The city of Hope was a shimmering sea of neon and spirit-glass, a place where the sky was perpetually filled with the hum of hover-cars and the distant, rhythmic pulse or glow of planetary shields. But while the city was vast, the world of the elite was small and perfect.

At the heart of the government district stood the DESEO Assessment Building. It was a towering spire of liquid silver, it was shaped like a blade pointing toward the heavens. This was the home of the Divine Essence Special Elite Organization (DESEO). To the citizens of Planet Hig17, this building was more than just a government office; It was the place where the "Special" were separated from the "average."

Vrr-hmmm. Vrr-hmmm.

The heavily pressurized doors slid open with a cinematic hiss. Miss Mo Lin walked through the lobby, her heels clicking against the polished obsidian floor with the rhythm of a soldier. She looked every bit like the high-society researcher, her silver-threaded robes shimmering under the artificial suns of the atrium. Beside her was her son, Mo Ren walked with a chest that was puffed out, his eyes scanning the various medals and holographic records of past cultivation heroes that lined the walls.

"One day, Ren," miss Mo Lin said, her voice dripping with pride that she had never shown in the basement of her own home. "Your name will be at the very top, my son. The Mo family has waited generations for a talent like yours. A mutation of both your father’s humming and my gravity... you are the perfect weapon."

Ren smirked, a cruel, and confident twist of his lips. "I know, Mother. Why would I compare myself to anyone else? I’m the only one who matters."

Soon they reached the front desk, where a robotic AI clerk with a glowing blue face scanned their biometric signatures.

"Mo Ren. Special Recommendation for DESEO Elite Combat Track. Level: Mortal-Rank. Assessor Vane is ready for you in Combat Chamber 4," the machine droned.

They were led down a long, and pure white hallway where the walls were made of transparent force-fields. Through the glass, they could see other students practicing. One of them, a girl was conjuring a storm of ice; another boy was growing wings made of light.

They finally reached Chamber 4. There was A man with a jagged scar that was across his nose and eyes, he stood there like cold steel. This was Assessor Vane, a man who had survived two wars against the Rakshasa.

"Mo Ren," Vane said, his voice sounded like gravel. "Your family speaks highly of you. But I don't care about names. I only care about results. In this room, you will face a Type-X Combat Automaton. It is programmed with the strength, speed, and aggression of a Mutant-Class spirit creature of the first level of the spirit dimension. If you fail, you leave with nothing but bruises. If you win, you get the recommendation. Use only your ability, no physical strength allowed"

Ren stepped into the center of the dome. Shhh-tink. The chamber was empty except for a few racks of mundane items: like steel balls, throwing knives, and heavy wooden blocks. These were the "ammunition" for Ren’s divine essence.

"Begin," Vane commanded.

Kachunk. Clatter. Whirr.

From a hidden hatch in the floor, a metallic monstrosity rose. It was a Type-X Bot, shaped like a massive mechanical gorilla. Its body was made of reinforced blackened steel and diluted Lynite, and its eyes glowed with a terrifying, and predatory red light. It pounded its hydraulic fists against its chest. CLANG! CLANG! The sound echoed through the entire chamber, it was a metallic roar that would have made a normal boy wet his pants.

"BZZZT"

The robot suddenly lunged. It moved with terrifying speed, and its massive shadow engulfing Ren.

Ren didn't flinch. He grabbed a handful of small steel balls from the rack and flung one of them into the air.

It didn't fall. It stayed suspended for a split second before shooting forward like bullets. But the robot Wasn't dumb; it swerved to the side.

"You can't dodge the inevitable," Ren arrogantly sneered.

The steel ball suddenly performed a sharp U-turn in mid-air. It chased the robot, curving and weaving like heat-seeking missiles.

THUD.

It hit the robot’s back. At the exact moment of impact, Ren snapped his fingers.

[GRAVITY INCREASE: 200KG]

The tiny ball, no larger than marbles, suddenly possessed the weight of a motorcycle. The robot’s knees suddenly buckled. The metal floor beneath that was its feet cracked. Creeeeeak!

The robot struggled to stand, its servos screaming. It turned and fired a localized shockwave from its palm. Which made Ren scramble back, diving behind a weapon rack. Whoosh! The rack was blown to splinters.

“Dammit!.” Ren hissed, wiping sweat from his forehead. “It’s faster than the training bots a normal mutant class creature!”

Ren grabbed a heavy steel spear from the ruins of the rack. Then He launched it, his [Homing Gravity] guiding the weapon in a jagged zigzag through the air. The robot tried to swat it away, but the spear curved around its arm and pierced deep into its shoulder joint.

Ren clenched his fist. "HEAVY!"

[[GRAVITY INCREASE: 200KG]

The spear’s weight instantly multiplied. The robot’s entire left side was dragged to the ground, the internal gears grinding and sparking. "BZZZT—"

Ren didn't stop there. He gathered three more daggers and sent them screaming toward the robot’s head one at a time. They struck home, and with one final burst of gravity, he had thrown the dagger letting the homing guide the dagger to the spot. Just as the dagger was close enough it's weight increased. Its speed boosted and the robot’s head was crushed into its own chest.

EXPLOSION!

The bot slumped over, with smoke pouring from its neck. Ren stood in the center of the room, He was breathing heavily. huff... huff... but his eyes were filled with triumph.

Behind the glass, the assessors and elites were nodding.

"Impressive," Vane whispered. "To take down a Mortal rank Mutant-Class bot solo... his control over the weight-timing is flawless. He’s a natural-born sniper. The Mo family has produced a monster."

While the "Golden Child" was basking in the praise of the assessors, the "Trash" was standing in a cold, and dim office that smelled of stale coffee and old paper.

"Expulsion is too light for you, Mo Seven," the Principal barked. He was a bloated man with a Divine Essence that allowed him to detect lies, but that didn't help him detect his own stupidity. He slammed his hand on the desk, making his holographic nameplate flicker.

Seven was standing across from him, while looking utterly bored. He had a bruise on his cheek and a small cut on his lip from the cafeteria brawl, but his eyes were like flint.

"Let’s be real, Principal," Seven said, his voice calm and sarcastic. "You don't want to expel me because I fought. We both know that You want to expel me because I hit Kaito Johnson, and his daddy pays for your vacation home in the Beca-resorts."

The Principal’s face went from red to a dark, and angry purple. "How dare you! You are a Null! A social error! You have no place in this academy!"

"Actually," Seven countered, leaning forward and resting his hands on the desk. "As a citizen of Hope city Planet Hig17 under the Interstellar Education Act, I am entitled to a public hearing before expulsion. Do you really want the government auditors coming in here and looking at your 'donations' from the Johnson Group?... well, in your eyes, I’m just 'smart.' I know the law. Don't you?"

The Principal’s jaw worked silently. He was trapped. Seven was right. A public hearing would expose the corruption in the Academy. He hated this boy. Seven wasn't like other kids; he didn't cry, neither did he beg. He talked back like he was the one in charge. He talked like he wasn't a kid but an old geezer who had seen better days.

"Fine!" the Principal hissed. "No expulsion. But you are a disgrace. You will perform School Service for the remainder of the semester. You will clean in the school, and you will assist the kitchens. Starting tomorrow morning. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind!"

Seven turned and walked out without saying a word. “Cleaning,” he thought, a dry smile on his face. “In my old life, I was a hero who died in a blast. In this one, I’m a school janitor. The Gods really do have a twisted sense of humor.”

He walked out of the school gates, while ignoring the whispers of the students. He didn't head home. He couldn't go back to that basement yet. He had a bigger fish to fry.

He headed toward the Portal Station. A few blocks from the school.

The station was a massive, domed structure that looked like an observatory. Inside, the air is hummed with spiritual energy and tech. Thousands of people moved through the halls. soldiers in high-tech Warframes, researchers with floating data-drones, and young cultivators looking to make their fortune.

Seven walked through the crowd, as his heart pounded against his ribs. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. “Since I was five years old, I’ve been training,” he thought, his eyes fixed on the glowing blue light at the end of the hall. “back on earth, I learned that life is short and you have to be ready for the end. In this world, I realized that if you don't have power, you're just a ghost. So trained, I ran until my lungs bled. I lifted stones until my muscles tore. I studied the movements of grandpa while the Mo family ignored me.”

He remembered an anime from his old world about a four Clover boy with no magic who became the wizard king. He had used that story as his bible. He had forged his body into a weapon because he had nothing else.

“The Gods gave me a Null-rank soul and body,” Seven thought. “But my mind evolved into a warrior’s mind...”

He reached the terminal. The attendant was a young woman who looked bored out of her mind. She scanned Seven’s biometric identification.

"Name: Mo Seven. Rank: Null. Age: 16," she read aloud. She looked up, her eyebrows raised. "Kid, according to our records you've been here a few years ago and the portals don't work for Nulls. You’re just going to stand on the pad and look like a fool. Just like last time. Why waste the credits?"

"Just open the gate," Seven said.

The woman shrugged. "Your funeral. Go to Pad 09."

Seven walked toward the center of the hall. The portals here weren't doors; they were large, glowing circles that were etched into the floor. They looked like ancient runes mixed with circuit boards. Like spiritual energy mixed with tech. A pillar of shimmering blue light rose from each circle, reaching up to the ceiling.

HMMMMMMMM.

The cinematic hum of the portal was like a deep bass note that vibrated in Seven's ear. He saw a group of Advanced-rank cultivators stand on Pad 07. They each shimmered for a second and then vanished into the light.

Seven stepped onto the edge of Pad 09.

The last time he had done this, the light had felt like solid glass. He hadn't been able to even put a toe inside the circle. The portal had rejected him like a foreign virus. This helped the scientists to determine that the portal is truly linked to divine essence. "I’m a scientific miracle of suckiness." Seven thought.

He took a deep breath. “If this doesn't work... I really am just trash then.”

He stepped into the light.

Fwoosh.

The sensation wasn't cold. Neither was it hard. It was like stepping into a warm bath. The blue light swirled around his ankles, then his waist, pulling at his atoms.

Seven’s eyes widened. As He felt the connection. The Spirit Dimension wasn't pushing him away anymore. It was recognizing him. And welcoming him.

“It worked,” Seven whispered, with a wild, manic grin spreading across his face.

He stood in the center of the circle, the blue light intensifying until he couldn't see the station anymore. The sounds of the crowd faded, replaced by a high-pitched, harmonic ringing.

Seven felt a sudden, violent tug at his navel. Then The world stretched. The lights of the city turned into long, white streaks. He felt like he was being squeezed through a straw at the speed of light.

“Watch out, you hateful Gods,” Seven thought as the world dissolved into white light. “The Trash is coming for your throne.”.