The hills behind the demigod camp were older than Olympus, or so the mortals whispered. Twisted roots broke from the earth like veins. Sunlight barely touched the forest floor. Birds didn't sing here. Even the wind moved differently—slow, watching.
Leonidas stood at the treeline, breathing hard.
"Why am I doing this?"
His voice sounded small in the silence.
It wasn't pride. It wasn't to impress the other brats at camp. He wasn't like them—sons of Ares with swords for toys, daughters of Artemis who moved like shadows.
No, this wasn't about them.
It was about the System. The whisper that growth required pain. That survival demanded more than waiting.
'If I don't change, I'll die. Just like my mother did. Just like anyone mortal in the path of gods.'
He clutched the wooden staff he'd carved himself. Rough, crooked. Just like him.
He stepped forward.
The forest swallowed him whole.
---
At first, it was just walking. Mud sucking at his sandals. Insects that didn't care he was half-divine. He tried to use the System to map his surroundings—
[ Mapping Feature Unavailable. Insufficient Synchronization. ]
'Figures.'
No divine blessings. No weapons. No fancy tricks. Just instinct.
Hours passed. Hunger gnawed at him. Thorns scraped his arms raw. He drank from a stream that smelled faintly of copper.
When he knelt, he saw his reflection.
A boy. Gaunt. Eyes too old. Hair stuck to his face in sweat.
'You look nothing like a hero.'
And then—
A sound.
Not divine.
Real.
The rustle of grass. A low growl.
Leonidas stood slowly.
The wolf emerged.
It wasn't massive. Not some hulking monstrosity. Just a starving alpha, ribs visible under its pelt. Scar over one eye. One ear torn. A limp in its rear leg.
But the hunger in its eyes?
Gods didn't know that kind of hunger.
The wolf didn't hesitate.
Neither did Leonidas.
He jabbed his staff forward. The wolf ducked, faster than instinct. It crashed into him, weight slamming into his ribs. They rolled. He tried to strike its head.
Too slow.
Its jaws sank into his forearm.
He screamed.
Blood gushed.
[ You are taking critical damage. Activate Vital Transfer? ]
"No!"
He kicked wildly, heel connecting with the wolf's gut. It yelped but didn't let go. He used his good hand to grab a rock—smashed it into the wolf's skull.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The grip loosened.
He shoved the beast off.
The staff was splintered. His arm bled freely. The wolf circled him now—cautious, but not retreating.
'It's wounded, just like me.'
He raised the broken staff in both hands. Made himself look bigger.
"Come on! You want a god's son? Here I am!"
The wolf lunged.
He didn't dodge.
He dropped to one knee and rammed the sharp end of the staff into its shoulder.
The beast howled.
They rolled again—into roots and thorns, blood mixing with dirt.
Leonidas bit back another scream as fangs tore into his thigh.
[ You are at 30% vitality. ]
He reached around the wolf's neck. Locked his arms. Pinned it down with sheer weight.
It thrashed beneath him.
He pressed harder.
Time slowed.
The wolf spasmed.
Then stopped.
Silence.
---
He slumped beside the corpse.
Chest heaving. Arm trembling. Tears mixed with snot and blood.
"This wasn't courage," he spat. "This was madness."
[ ✦ Combat Experience Acquired ✦ ] [ ✦ Bloodline Trait Stirred: Divine Endurance (Locked) ✦ ] [ ✦ System Progress: Path of Cultivation - BEGIN ✦ ]
He blinked.
[ ✦ Milestone Met: Facing Death by Nature ✦ Skill Creation Available: 1 ✦ ] [ ✦ Define your intention. ]
He looked down at his ruined arm.
'Power that isn't borrowed. Power I make. Power that answers to me.'
"I want to control energy. Not magic. Not divine grace. Raw energy. I want to move it. Bend it. Make it mine."
[ ✦ Skill Created: Energy Manipulation ✦ ] [ Harness the latent energy within you and around you. Foundation of cultivation unlocked. ]
A pulse passed through him.
Not divine.
Deeper.
Cellular.
Alive.
He gasped.
And the sky stirred.
---
Olympus
Far above, in halls carved of marble and starlight, Hera stood at her balcony. Her skin shimmered like sunlit pearl. Her hair was liquid gold, cascading in impossible waves down a back sculpted to flawlessness. Her eyes—jade with slits of emerald lightning—watched the world.
The ripple touched her.
Her lips curled.
"He's awakened something."
Crimson sparks licked across her fingers.
"Then I'll extinguish it before it grows."
---
Mount Fuji
Amaterasu opened her eyes.
Not startled. Just… pained.
She wore a kimono woven from threads of sunlight. Her hair was obsidian, falling in perfect sheets. A red sun-mark glowed faintly on her brow.
She exhaled.
"Too soon. He's not ready for Hera."
But the path had been chosen.
The System couldn't see it.
The gods couldn't fathom it.
A demigod had taken the first step…
…toward cultivation.
---
Leonidas sat by a shallow stream. Wounds half-bandaged. Arm stiff.
The water reflected someone else now.
Not a hero.
Not yet.
But something had changed.
Something born in blood.
He dipped his fingers into the stream. Energy buzzed faintly beneath his skin. Not divine. Not System-granted.
His.
His alone.