The next morning arrived shrouded in smoke and sirens.
Kael sat on the rooftop of a crumbling tenement building, hunched over the remnants of a stolen loaf of bread. He didn't eat to survive. His new body did that on its own—auto-healing, low metabolic needs, enhanced senses.
But he ate anyway, just to feel human again.
Down below, city guards zipped past on hoverbikes. No one bothered looking up. No one ever did. Mortals were far too busy running from their own shadows to notice a reborn god among them.
🔄 [Skill Copied: Bonegrip]– After killing a mutant brute.– Allows temporary reinforcement of joints and bone strength.
The Omega System fed him constant updates. Notifications. Power gains. Targets.
But what it didn't offer… were memories.
Kael still couldn't remember the name of the girl who died holding his hand. The woman whose tears once burned hotter than any sun. He couldn't remember the melody of the warhorns of Heaven.
But he remembered pain.
And pain was all he needed to keep moving.
📍 Location Acquired: The Lower Cathedral District
⚠️ Relic Detected: Chain of Saint EloriaClassification: Low DivineCurrent Holder: "Sister Elyra"
🧭 Quest Update:🔸 Recover Relic🔸 Avoid detection by Watchers of the Pantheon🔸 Do not let your soul aura exceed 30% visibility
Kael's eyes narrowed.
A relic meant power. Power meant progress. And progress meant revenge.
⛪ Inside the Church of Chains:
The cathedral was falling apart, but inside, it was eerily intact. Candles burned without ever melting. The pews were polished, though no one cleaned them. A thin scent of blood and incense lingered beneath the perfume of old wood.
And at the altar stood a woman cloaked in silver-white robes, her face hidden by a veil of chain-links. Her voice floated like silk dipped in fire.
"You reek of Heaven's hatred," she said without turning.
Kael's fists clenched.
"And you… speak like someone who's kissed the foot of a god."
She turned, and when she did, the veil parted just enough for him to see eyes that glowed violet—with sadness, not power.
"I did more than kiss," she whispered. "I burned for one."
Sister Elyra was no ordinary priestess.
Her heartbeat was calm. Her aura twisted like wind around a grave. And around her neck, barely visible under her robe, hung a single rusted chain-link—pulsing.
Kael's system pulsed too.
🔔 Divine Object Identified: [Fragment of Eloria's Chain]Abilities: Binding, memory lock, truth suppression
"You came for this, didn't you?" she said, fingers brushing the chain. "Another thief looking for god-scraps in a broken world."
"I'm not here to steal," Kael replied. "I'm here to kill."
The candles flickered.
"I know what you are," she whispered. "You're the one the pantheon buried. The storm-blooded son. The monster they couldn't burn."
Kael stepped forward. "Then you know why I need that chain."
But before she could answer—
BOOM.
The stained glass exploded inward.
Figures in white cloaks and jagged halos descended—The Watchers, servants of the High Seat, with weapons made of starlight and judgment.
☠️ WARNING: HOSTILES DETECTED
Count: 3Rank: Intermediate Divine Agents
Recommended Action: Run, Hide, or Level Up Fast
"Too late," Elyra said calmly. "You led them here."
Kael raised his hands.
Lightning crackled.
"I didn't come to run."
⚔️ Combat Mode Activated
💥 Skill Fuse Initiated:[Divine Pulse Lv.1] + [Bonegrip] + [Wrath Memory Residue]
➤ New Skill: Storm Vein– Temporarily electrifies nervous system, boosts reaction speed 300%, unleashes chainlightning on contact
Kael moved like a phantom.
The first Watcher lunged with a blade shaped like a burning feather. Kael side-stepped, grabbed his wrist, and ripped it off with a surge of crackling light.
The second conjured chains of light—only to have them shattered by Kael's Storm Vein surge. Sparks danced across the cathedral.
Elyra watched from behind the altar—lips trembling, chain glowing.
The third Watcher began to chant something in an ancient language—something that called on the stars to burn away sin.
Kael didn't give him the chance.
With a leap that cracked the floor, Kael rammed his fist into the Watcher's chest—and pushed the lightning through his heart.
Then—silence.
The cathedral smoked.
Kael dropped to his knees, panting, arms burned. His vision blurred. The system was trying to rewire his nerves in real time.
⚠️ Soul Overload: 76%
☠️ WARNING: Exposure to divine combat at low level is unsustainable.⚠️ Suggestion: Upgrade Core. Consume relic. Rest.
Elyra walked slowly toward him.
"You're not a monster," she said.
Kael looked up.
"You're a broken star."
Then she did something he didn't expect.
She took the chain from her neck… and gave it to him.
🔔 ITEM ACQUIRED: Eloria's Chain (Bound)✨ Skill Unlocked: [Memory Lock] – Seal a painful memory or extract one from others
System Status: Core Upgraded
New Class Path Unlocked: [Chainbound God]
Next Objective: Seek the Shard of the Devourer in the Undercrypt
Kael held the chain in his palm. It pulsed—not with power, but with grief.
He looked at Elyra, who now knelt before him, head bowed.
"You still believe in gods?" he asked.
She didn't look up. "No. But I believe in those who survived them."
⚡ End of Chapter 2