The energy in the chamber shifted. The initial bravado of introductions faded into something heavier—anticipation laced with reverence and fear. Everyone in the room understood what was coming, but only a few understood what it truly meant.
The Gathering's Truth
Every three years, the Awakeners' Gathering was held to reshape the ranks that defined humanity's surviving powers.
It wasn't merely a tournament—it was the pulse of civilization itself.
Each Awakener stood as both soldier and symbol. The higher the rank, the stronger the influence—and the greater the chance that their god, patron, or constellation would favor humanity with power, protection, or in rarer cases… annihilation.
The Gathering was also a broadcast—a spectacle streamed through the System's ethereal interface to gods, constellations, and divine watchers across the multiverse.
It was said that every strike, every drop of blood spilled, resonated through the AetherNet, a lattice of reality connecting all realms of Aetherys.
The System wasn't just technology—it was a divine construct, created by higher intelligences born from Lucien Dreamveil's Void. Through it, the gods watched, sponsored, and manipulated from afar.
And somewhere, high above, Lucien himself observed, silent on his throne of nothingness, the faint glow of his eyes reflecting creation itself.
As the air rippled with anticipation, new presences entered the hall. The Apostles—the chosen vessels of divine intent.
Each one was a world unto themselves.
1. The Apostle of Nexus, God of Creation and Order — "Erevan Sol"
A calm figure draped in silver robes. His eyes burned like suns restrained behind glass. The air around him shimmered with geometric perfection—every movement measured, every breath divine precision.
> "Order births existence. Without it, chaos devours all."
Erevan was the manifestation of balance, wielding the Architect's Sigil, a power that allowed him to rearrange the molecular structure of matter itself. His followers called him the "Blueprint of the Living."
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2. The Apostle of Ragnis, God of War — "Kael Dravon"
Bare-chested, scarred, with twin blades fused to his arms by molten bands of divine metal. The heat from his aura made the air waver.
> "War is the only truth that doesn't lie."
He was known for single-handedly razing an entire stronghold over a personal grudge. His eyes held the madness of a man who had seen gods bleed.
3. The Apostle of Luthar, God of Death — "Seren Val'ka"
A pale woman in dark robes, her smile a whisper of mercy.
> "Life is a thread. I decide where it ends."
Around her, souls drifted like smoke, whispering. The scent of decay clung to her form. It was said her god could hear through her ears, and see through her eyes, marking anyone she looked at.
4. The Apostle of Ada, Goddess of Fate — "Rheia Vel"
Draped in golden chains and silk, eyes covered by a thin veil. She saw through threads of destiny, pulling them with her will.
> "Fate is not written. It is corrected."
Her presence bent probability itself—every coin toss, every heartbeat, every decision around her shifted ever so slightly, always in her favor.
5. The Apostle of Golden Rage — "Taran Voss"
He laughed too loudly, smiled too wide. A man of lightning and ruin. The god he served was worshipped by berserkers, mercenaries, and madmen.
> "I burn to remember what it means to live."
He wielded fury like an artist wielded a brush—beautiful, terrifying, unstoppable.
6. The Apostle of Heathar, God of Storms — "Elara Juno"
Her aura was a storm itself—thunder rumbling faintly whenever she breathed. Her hair shimmered like live current, her eyes piercing blue.
> "The sky bends to the one who listens."
It was said she once destroyed an airborne fortress simply because it offended her sense of symmetry.
7. The Apostle of the Void, God of Nothingness — "Kairis Ash."
Cloaked in silence, gravity bowed around him. His power didn't scream like fire or thunder—it whispered like inevitability.
> "Everything that exists must one day fall back into nothing. I'm just here to remind you."
Where the others stood surrounded by light, flame, or death, Kairis was wrapped in shadow. Not evil. Not good. Just absence.
Above them all, unseen but ever-present, sat the Constellations—ancient beings, each representing a concept, a story, or a force. Some were remnants of gods long gone. Others were born from the wishes of entire civilizations.
Their names flickered across the System's sky in symbols and light:
[The Burning Saint], [The Warden of Crowns], [The Laughing Star], [The Last Dawn], [The Pale Tree], and countless others.
The System's interface shimmered into view above the arena, holographic in its beauty. It wasn't technological—it was spiritual geometry.
Each participant now had a divine audience.
Some constellations offered whispered blessings.
Others watched in silence.
And a few… simply waited for the killing to start.
The cloaked arbiter spoke once more:
"The Gathering will proceed as it always has. Blood for recognition. Power for survival."
"Every Awakener fights not merely for glory, but for the favor of the divine."
"The victor will ascend in rank—Dragon, God, Abyssal. Their family, their stronghold, their god—will rise with them."
His voice echoed, cold and ceremonial.
"But remember: death here is permanent. When the System erases a soul, even the gods cannot bring it back."
A silence followed—a silence so deep it hurt.
Then the System's tone chimed, clear and mechanical yet divine:
> [System Update Complete]
[Apostle of the Void recognized]
[System Interface expanded — New Features Unlocked]
[Store – Roulette – Gacha – Void Nexus Added]
The interface shimmered before Kairis's eyes—runes rewriting themselves like living code, reshaping his entire being.
He didn't move. He didn't flinch. He just smirked faintly beneath his hood.
"Looks like I've got their attention."