Chapter 9: Chapter 1.7

I've always thought that the sound of running water was soothing to the mind and soul. Just picturing it watching off negative energy is something I was taught as a child by my mother. She heavily believed in spirituality and everything along those lines. I wasn’t really much of a believer in it, but I still engraved her teachings in my heart and soul.

There was the sound of birds chirping, and the rushing sounds of a river filled the air as well. I stood on the edge of the bank and crouched down. I cupped my hands in the crystal-clear water and splashed my face with it. It was the only thing that could fully wake me up. I didn’t really get a good night’s rest.

Ever since Draven taught me how to be alert even while taking a nap, my body just automatically assumes every little sound when I am asleep means danger. My bow training has been going well, and my sword training could use some improvements, but it is still better than before. If I had to be honest, ever since I single-handedly killed that wolf hybrid, I’ve been feeling rather proud of myself.

The weak version of myself was no more and what was left was someone capable enough to achieve everything I set out to do.

My ears suddenly perked up, and I quickly jumped into the river’s icy cold water in order to evade an arrow.

*Splash*

My head stuck out of the river, and I said, "What the hell was that for?"

"Good, your senses are sharper now," Draven said as he crawled out of his hiding spot, holding his bow.

I floated on my back in the water, "There are other ways of doing that besides shooting arrows at me all willy nilly, you know."

Draven chuckled and said, "Well, I think my way is more effective."

I sighed, "Whatever you say, you annoying high elf."

Draven approached the bank of the river, "Well, at least you’re calling me by the proper term. So, your training is winding down, and one of the last few things I have to teach you is how to harness and use God Force."

"I don’t have access to that, remember. Only the other races and certain human bloodlines can use it."

Draven sighed and replied, "Think of it as training just in case you ever get access to it. You did say that you want to capture as many towers as possible. At the top of every Tower holds something called Deity Essence. When a being comes into contact, the Deity Essence is absorbed into its body, and they will gain access to God Force if they didn’t have it before, or it will just add to the strength they already have. A combination of Deity essence and God Force will give the user peak human capabilities along with access to a magical ability. If a being absorbs enough Deity Essence, they will transcend mortality and ascend to Godhood, being branded as a freshly created deity."

"Wait, do I get to select which kind of Deity I can be?"

"I believe when you ascend you become a deity of your greatest desire. Well, I am not too sure."

A Deity of my greatest desire huh?

I swam to the edge of the river and said, "Alright, let’s get this training over with. I think I need to take a nap soon."

Draven rubbed his hands together while replying, "Thanks for telling me. Now I’ll make you work for that nap."

I hung my head, "Please don’t."

"Ok, now sit."

My mother's ramblings at times gave me some idea of what the training would be like. So, I took a seat on the riverbank in the criss-crossed apple sauce position and inhaled deeply.

Draven nodded his head and replied, "I see you’re somewhat aware of what you have to do."

"It’s all thanks to my mother. At least I managed to remember some of the things she taught me."

"What an interesting lady."

"You better not be thinking about her, or I'll think about your little sister."

Draven raised his fist and said, "I’ll punch you."

I instantly replied, "Not if I punch you first."

Draven laughed and said, "Close your eyes and relax your body."

I followed his instructions, then instantly moved my right hand towards my chest and caught something between my right index and middle finger."

I opened my eyes and saw that the object was Draven’s dagger. I tossed it back at him and said, "Really?"

Draven shrugged his shoulders. "I just had to be extra sure that your senses were sharp enough."

I annoyingly closed my eyes and relaxed once again.

All I could see was darkness and the occasional flashes of light.

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I heard Draven’s voice speaking to me.

"God Force draws powers from our souls and our desires. We can use it to enhance our physical attacks, strengths, speed, defence, and even senses. The drawback is that there’s a limit to how much strain you can put on your soul before it temporarily shuts off your access and you’re left powerless."

"The same goes for your magical ability. You can use God Force to enhance it, but at the risk of putting an immense strain on your body instead of your soul. The more Deity Essence you absorb, the longer you can assess your God Force and magical ability."

"When you have access to your magical ability, let’s say, for example, pyromancy, the only thing that will limit you is your creativity and imagination. If you want to create a 15-foot, seven-headed dragon made out of fire, then be my guest, but please ensure that you don’t use up your God Force doing fancy tricks. Sometimes simplicity is the deadliest move."

When I capture this tower, I wonder which type of magic I’ll receive. Pyromancy sounds badass. Maybe sound magic will be useful. When I reach that bridge, I’ll cross it.

Draven tapped his foot and said, "Are you playing attention?"

I blurted out, "Why yes, obviously. I don’t know what kind of question that is."

"Good now, keep concentrating. Peer deep into your heart, mind, and soul."

I did that, and all I could see were the images of Esbeth being destroyed by fire and lightning.

That fateful day. We were going about the day normally. Our family attended to their fields, and my grandparents were inside the house, making lunch.

I sat on the porch with my little sister and mother. There was a trumpet sound that shook the earth in a manner similar to an earthquake.

Everyone was confused at first. Then the skies began to open up. Fire and brimstone began to fall on our small town. The lightning that shot down from the sky felt precise, as if someone was taking aim at the fleeing people.

My mother took us to the side of the house where the doors to the cellar were situated. She opened it and was about to usher us inside. My little sister, who was just 6 at the time, started acting like someone else was in control of her body, then rushed off towards the burning fields.

As my mother closed the doors and she attempted to reassure me that she would be back soon once she got my sister.

A few moments later, there was a crashing sound that shook the earth again. I fell to the ground as the bottles of wine neatly stacked on the shelves took a dive and shattered on the stone floors. sending glasses and red wine everywhere. It looked like a blood bath, literally.

I slowly got off of the ground and waited eagerly for my mother to return with my sister.

An hour passed, followed by three hours, and then a day passed. No one came.

I pushed the doors of the cellar upwards, and it opened up. The sight before me was something I believed was only possible in fairy tales.

Our house was destroyed, and our fields were burned. I ran about trying to find any survivors. However, the only thing I could see was the charred remains of human beings. It was too much for my nine-year-old eyes to see or my stomach to handle.

*B-blerghh*

I threw up and stumbled a bit. The only thing that was on my mind was to locate my mother and sister.

Sadly enough, I didn’t have to go far to discover them. Just a few feet away, there were the somewhat charred remains of an adult shielding the equally charred remains of a young child.

It was my parent and sibling. I could easily identify them because of the clothing they wore.

I sat on the ground in defeat and looked up at the blood-red skies. There was a male hovering in the air with a satisfied look on his face. I couldn’t make out any distinctive features that could allow me to confidently point him out in a line up.

The male made eye contact with me and then rushed towards my direction.

I immediately opened my eyes and started to pant heavily.

Draven asked, "What’s the matter?"

I calmed myself down and replied, "Meditation nightmare."

"We can take a break if you want to."

I shook my head and closed my eyes again.

"I’ll feel weak if I allow myself to take a break due to that."

Draven sighed and replied, "Let’s take it from the top again."

My main goal is to find out who that Deity was and settle the score with him. I will stop at nothing until I do so with my own two hands.

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