Godseed Ascension System

6

The system paused, its tone shifting to one of measured neutrality.

[Affirmative. Your wife made an irreversible choice in her final moments. Her dominant gift was transferred to you, ensuring your survival. The energy she gifted was sufficient to awaken your full potential.]

Kael’s chest tightened as the weight of the revelation crushed him. “She… she gave up everything… for me?” His voice broke, the storm within him roaring.

[Correct. Without the blast of gifted energy, your godseed would have remained dormant, and you would not have survived the events that followed.]

“Why?” Kael’s fists clenched at his sides. Guilt gnawed at him like a relentless predator. He suddenly felt as if he had a hand in his wife’s death. “Why didn’t she save herself? Why waste it on me?”

[It was not wasted,] the system replied, its voice calm and resolute. [Your wife’s gift could never unlock on its own, unlike your godseed, which would have activated over time due to your unique bloodline. In the given circumstances, she would have died without passing on the gift. She made the optimal decision to transfer it to you.]

“I don’t want it!” Kael yelled, his voice reverberating in the cave. “I’d rather have her alive than these miserable powers!”

[Aggravating noise will alert the devil angels. Host is advised to lower his tone. Emotional outbursts will not alter the past.]

“Just shut up!” Kael growled. “You’re just a machine. You can never understand loss.”

 He sighed and shut his eyes, struggling to hold back the tears. He knew deep down that the system wasn’t lying. Selene’s only option had been to pass on her gift. Even if she had fought back, her inexperience would have only delayed the inevitable. Still, he blamed himself.

He wished he could turn back the hands of time… His eyes snapped open, the thought electrifying his mind.

“...System.”

[Host may address me as Eidolon.]

“Eidolon,” Kael began, his voice calmer, almost pleading. “Can you reverse time?”

[Host cannot undo the distant past. However, when host attains a certain level, limited time manipulation will become possible.]

Kael’s shoulders slumped. “Useless,” he muttered under his breath. He hadn’t expected a miracle, but the confirmation shattered what little hope he had left.

[Host must know this: your wife entrusted you with the strength to fulfill her unspoken wishes and to reclaim what was taken from you both.]

“I’ll make it count,” Kael whispered, his voice barely audible. “I’ll make sure her sacrifice wasn’t in vain.”

The system’s tone remained steady, almost encouraging:

[That is your choice, Inheritor. With your godseed awakened, the path ahead will be fraught with missions and trials. With each victory, you will grow closer to reclaiming what was lost, avenging what was taken, and ascending to true godhood.]

Kael wiped his face with the back of his hand, the faint glow of his fully healed body casting flickering shadows on the cave walls. He took a deep, heavy breath, hardening his resolve.

“I will do whatever it takes to ascend. No more weakness,” he vowed. “Guide me on how to become a god.”

[Host must rest for now. System integration is not fully functional yet. A new mission will be communicated soon.]  

Kael wanted to protest, but in truth, he was also trying to figure out the system, so he had to obey. In a matter of minutes, he felt his eyelids become as heavy as lead—it was the system’s doing. Kael was mentally and physically drained; even though his body was fully healed, he had not yet reached the level where he could go without rest. He was still connected to his mortal body, and as such, these measures were necessary to avoid burnout.  

Despite his attempts to fight it, sleep claimed him. For the first time since his wife’s death, he slept without those merciless nightmares of her death and his helpless children. His sleep was void of painful memories and self-blame. Only silence.  

Until the system’s voice shattered it.  

[Alert: Incoming government drop detected.]  

Kael jolted awake, his heart hammering. “What…what drop?” he asked groggily.  

[The weekly government supply. These are critical resources distributed in limited amounts to the prisoners. The drop contains: pure water, food, high-value items like a single loaded weapon, Vitalis crystals, and occasionally experimental devices.]  

Kael sat up, trying to shake off the lingering haze of sleep. “I thought the government wanted us to suffer? Why are they helping us with resources?”

[Host’s assumption of the government is incorrect. The drops are not acts of mercy. It is a competitive way for the government to monitor prisoners’ behavior, potential soldiers for their recruitment. It is a game of survival of the fittest. Many prisoners die in the process.]  

Kael cocked a brow. “So it is a trap?”  

[Affirmative. However, host cannot choose to sit it out. New mission: Host must retrieve the weekly amenities.]  

[Reward to be granted upon mission completion.]  

“So what now?” Kael asked, the remnants of sleep gone.  

[Host must reach the drop zone before the competition arrives. Time before drop-off: 20 minutes.  

Location: 1.8 kilometers from host’s current position. Estimated time of arrival: 15 minutes.]  

“What? I only have 5 minutes before the vultures pour in?”  

[14 minutes 30 seconds left.]  

Kael gritted his teeth. The clock was ticking. His gaze shifted to the darkness outside the cave. It made him wonder how long he had been asleep, and just the thought of meeting crazier prisoners than the devil angels sent shivers down his spine.  

He clenched his fists. His mind was temporarily distracted from his loss and more burdened with surviving the mission. He had rested long enough to begin to feel the godseed within him. The power was raw and promising. He could do so much with it.  

He moved to the cave’s entrance, his senses sharpening as he looked around, but before he could make a move, the system’s warning came in.  

[Host will need to utilize stealth. Host’s current energy levels are insufficient for direct confrontations.]  

Kael didn’t like the idea, but it was his best option. He began to sprint, stepping lightly on his feet to avoid any unwanted sounds. He moved at a pace faster than any human could, and in no time, he neared his destination. He thought he had succeeded, but then the system notification quashed his hopes.  

[Alert: Three hostile entities detected nearby.]