The wind blew cold through the hollowed ruins as dawn crept across the blackened horizon. Liam sat in silence, his eyes dry but bloodshot. The Spirit hovered nearby, watching him with unreadable eyes.
"Are you going to sit there forever?" she asked softly.
Liam didn't answer at first. He traced his fingers across the scorched ground, then finally stood. His legs trembled, weak from shock and exhaustion, but he stayed upright.
"No," he said. "Not forever."
He walked to the remains of his sister's body. Carefully, reverently, he pulled free the collapsed beam and cradled her charred form in his arms. Her favorite ribbon was still tied to her wrist. It hadn't burned.
He buried her in the field where they used to chase fireflies, then did the same for his mother and father. No tears left. Only silence, and purpose.
The Spirit watched him work, her glow pulsing with each breath he took.
"Are you ready?" she asked once he finished.
Liam turned to her. "I need power. You said I could destroy. Show me how."
The interface reappeared.
---
Destroy – Tier 1 Activated
Target: Corpse Remains
Effect: Purify and Reclaim Energy
Yield: +5 Faith Points
---
He stared at it, uncertain.
"You want me to destroy… them?" he asked, cold.
The Spirit shook her head. "Not them. What remains of the pain. Their physical forms have passed on. But the God System can sanctify their essence, reclaim energy, and allow them peace. It is not desecration. It is transcendence."
Still, it felt wrong. But he hovered his finger over the prompt, and then—hesitantly—he accepted.
Golden light surged across the graves. The bodies shimmered, faded, and disintegrated into gentle motes of white fire. The earth trembled faintly.
---
Faith Points +15
New Ability Unlocked: Create – Tier 1
Available Action: Create Symbol of Faith (cost: 10 FP)
---
Liam blinked. "Create?"
The Spirit nodded. "Your godhood begins with belief. Even a single follower can begin to change the world. You may now create your first divine mark. A Symbol of Faith. It will attract a follower. Someone who needs something to believe in."
"I don't want worshippers," Liam muttered.
"Too bad," she said. "If you want revenge, you'll need them. Power flows through faith, and faith flows through presence. Leave your mark. Let them come."
Reluctantly, Liam opened the menu. A glowing glyph floated before him, ready to be shaped. He didn't know how or why, but instinct took over. His fingers moved through the air, drawing a twisted, elegant symbol: a broken sword wrapped in divine flame.
The moment it solidified, a beam of light shot into the sky.
---
Symbol of Faith Created
Location: Carson Gravesite
Divine Presence: Awakened (Minor)
---
Far away, in the shattered village of Duskmoor, a child in rags sat crying beside a dying well. Her mother was gone, taken by the cult weeks ago. She hadn't eaten in days.
Then she saw the beam of light.
She blinked, crawled toward it. Something warm tugged at her chest.
In her heart, for the first time in days, she whispered:
"Whoever did that… please… save me."
---
Follower Gained: Name – Elira
Faith Points +3
New Trait Unlocked: Passive Regen – Faith
+1 FP/hour
---
Liam gasped, the sensation like a flame kindling in his soul. The warmth of belief… it felt real. It wasn't just power. It was connection.
He turned to the Spirit. "Who is she?"
"A girl. Broken, like you. She called out to something… and you answered."
He looked back toward the beam. "I don't deserve to be worshipped."
"No god ever does at first," the Spirit whispered. "But you can be the one this world needs. Even if it means becoming what you hate."
Liam clenched his fists. "If they want a god… then I'll become one. But not to be adored."
He turned toward the charred path leading east.
"I'll be a god they fear."
And with the graves behind him and fire in his veins, Liam took his first step down the path of divine conquest.
[End of Chapter 2]
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