It was nighttime, but the crimson light never faded. Instead, it deepened, while the laughter grew fainter with every passing moment. On the ground were geometric markings drawn using his parents' blood. At the center of the formation, he etched the Eye of Providence, then moved the corpses to the northern and southern edges of the circle while he sat directly above the symbol.
Seated on the stool, Sol lowered his head, his eyes tightly shut, a mop leaning against his shoulder. His breathing was soft, harmonious, and peaceful—a stark contrast to the maddened laughter of God echoing in the background. He had completed the final preparations and now waited for heaven's call.
But it never came.
Sol's eyes slowly fluttered open, instantly locking onto the wall clock hanging directly opposite his stool.
"11:55 p.m." he muttered, his face blank and expressionless despite the gravity of the moment.
Ji Wei and his friend, Junta Musa, must ascend to partake in the Armageddon Games, and the window for the divine call was nearing its end. If it passed, Sol would be forced to risk his life by dabbling in spirituality just to gain the strength needed to escape Texas. After that, he would have to live in hiding for another decade until the divine call came again—and even then, there was no guarantee he would be chosen.
Or…
He could end everything here.
He could always pick up the same kitchen knife he used to butcher them and drive it into his own neck.
"It's not like this life is worth living." Sol exhaled loudly, shifting his gaze toward the window.
It was 11:57, and the crimson glow was beginning to dim. Even the divine, maddened laughter was fading. For the first time, a crack appeared in Sol's calm expression. His brows twisted into a slight frown as he leapt to his feet.
He sprinted to the window and looked outside, only to see the massive eye in the sky slowly closing—like an infant innocently drifting off to sleep.
This is it?
Is this the end of his life?
Did I make the wrong bet?
Sol stared at the colossal eye blankly, his hands clenching into fists.
Before killing his parents, Sol had weighed his options and chosen this uncertain path over continuing his current life. That was why, even at this desperate hour, he maintained a calm gaze, staring directly at the colossal eye while trying to make sense of the situation. Becoming an ascendant was the last job anyone wanted. In fact, relatives of newly chosen ascendants often mourned as though they had lost a family member.
This was because in this line of work, death was inevitable. It was only a matter of when.
Even Alistar White, who secured three decades of peace for humanity and seemed unstoppable, was eventually killed in the Armageddon Games. Ahmed Ali, one of the most famous ascendants of that era—second only to Alistar—became humanity's next hope. Because of him, the USH experienced a brief five years of peace even after losing the Armageddon Games. With Ali on the front lines, those creatures had no chance of reaching the city walls.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
Until news of Ali's death at the hands of an angel broke out, plunging the world back into turmoil. One by one, all the veteran ascendants of Alistar's era were killed, despite being the most powerful generation of ascendants ever recorded in Earth 5580's history.
As an ascendant, one would die in one of four ways.
In the Armageddon Games.
On the front lines.
While resolving a local incident caused by a paranoid civilian dabbling in dark magic and mistakenly summoning a powerful evil entity capable of terrorizing an entire state without impunity.
Or by being overwhelmed by the power of the Origin, losing oneself and succumbing to corruption.
With this in mind, it was understandable why everyone wanted to avoid the life of an ascendant by all means. That was why people locked their doors and hid under their beds during the divine call. No one wanted to be the next chosen.
Yet here he was—willing to take on the role everyone resented.
So why was heaven refusing him?
Sol couldn't grasp why the heavens had chosen to ignore the one man willing to shoulder its power and face its trials.
"ARE YOU SCARED?"
Sol's blank expression shattered as a crooked smile crept across his face.
The smile bloomed into a crazed grin as he screamed at the top of his lungs, "ARE YOU SCARED I'LL BE THE ONE TO KILL GOD?!"
"IS THAT WHY YOU REFUSE TO GRANT ME THE POWER I DESERVE?!"
Buzz!
As if responding to his words, the colossal eyelids froze. Slowly, they slid open, and the dimmed crimson light regained its brilliance.
"It worked?" Sol gasped, shock flooding his voice as he glanced over his shoulder.
It was 12:01.
Yet the Eye of Providence was still there.
THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
Sol's body shuddered as his strength rapidly drained away. An unnatural fear tore through his being, raising goosebumps across his skin. In all seventeen years of his life, he had never felt this afraid—not even during the worst days of abuse.
"You've got to be kidding me. You called it out, and now you're scared to face it?" Sol muttered, gripping his chest tightly.
The pressure intensified as the eye slowly shifted its attention toward him. Usually, it gazed downward, and only by looking up could one meet its stare. This time, however, the eye actively sought him out.
BAM!
A fierce red light erupted—not from outside.
Sol's head snapped upward, and to his horror, the colossal red eye now occupied his ceiling, staring directly down at him. Its gaze shifted to the corpses and ritual circle, lingering for several seconds before returning to Sol.
By now, he was petrified, yet the crazed grin never left his face.
"INTERESTING, MORTAL…"
That was all Sol heard before his heartbeat thundered in his ears.
BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.
The sound grew so loud it drowned out everything else. His heart felt as though it were pumping molten lava instead of blood. Scorching energy rampaged through his body, unbearable in its intensity. Wrapping his arms around himself, Sol staggered toward the staircase.
His skin burned a deep orange, sweat pouring down his face and soaking his shirt. Breathing became labored, his vision blurred, and his strength faded unnaturally fast. He swayed left and right as he reached the base of the stairs before collapsing hard, gasping for air.
On his forehead, an amber light—matching the color of his pulsating veins—etched the Eye of Providence as he struggled to remain conscious.
"I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT YOU BECOME."
The feminine voice echoed with a chuckle.
Slowly, the eye sealed shut, and the crimson light faded with a hiss. Sol lay unconscious, blood streaming from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. The Eye of Providence on his forehead flared one last time before dimming into nothingness.
— The Veil —
Darkness slowly gave way to light as Sol's eyelids fluttered open. He mechanically sat up, still shaken by the pain he had endured moments ago—yet it was gone. He looked at his hands and noticed an unnatural glow surrounding them, confusion flooding his expression.
Lowering his gaze further, he realized most of his body was still submerged in another body.
Startled, he jumped back several steps, staring at his unconscious form.
"What the hell?" Sol muttered, glancing again at his glowing hands.
Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was still in his living room—at the foot of the staircase, just as before. Yet everything felt off. The space felt similar to being underwater, as though the world was shifting while remaining stagnant. No matter where he looked, reflections of himself stared back, as if he were trapped in a mirror world.
The sensation was deeply unnatural, especially for a first-time experience.
"The Veil," Sol murmured, genuine intrigue in his voice.
Having inherited his father's curiosity for the supernatural, Sol had studied spirituality extensively. The Veil was the realm between the mortal world and the spirit realm—a plane that overlapped with reality, where minor spiritual entities like ghosts resided.
It was usually safe unless an evil spirit was present, capable of snatching souls before the natural rebirth process began. Such occurrences were rare, unless something drew them to a location.
"Something like the resentment and negative energy accumulated where a murder has just taken place," Sol muttered, his eyes widening in realization.
Instinctively, he turned toward his parents' corpses.
That section of the room was engulfed in unnatural darkness, as though it devoured the surrounding light. Within it, a pair of colossal emerald, reptilian eyes stared back at him.
Swoosh!
A cold northern wind swept between them as they locked gazes. Sol was surprised—but not afraid. After enduring the presence of the Eye of Providence, a mere spirit failed to unsettle him. Instead, curiosity filled his mind.
Spirits that resided within the void were weak, capable only of threatening the souls of mortals crossing over. Yet with a single glance, Sol knew whatever lurked within that darkness was far from ordinary.
"I don't remember performing an invocation ritual, so how are you here?" Sol asked, his voice flat and empty.
The emerald eyes narrowed, but no answer came.
Instead, the creature moved.
One moment it was hidden within the darkness; the next, the massive head of a green serpent streaked with black stripes emerged. Compared to its head alone, Sol felt like an infant standing before a towering professional athlete.
How much bigger is it beneath the shadow?
A crooked smile tugged at Sol's lips.
As a mysticism enthusiast, he understood the importance of spirits. The strongest ascendants were talented mystics—even Alistar White had been possessed twice in his youth. Sol knew that even after gaining an Origin core, mysticism would remain vital. Encountering a spirit that didn't immediately try to kill him felt like a stroke of fortune.
If he could claim this creature as his own, he would gain a massive advantage over his peers—and increase the likelihood of the government overlooking his crime.
What should have been the worst day of his life had become the foundation of a greater future.
Luck was on his side.
Meanwhile, the serpent observed the longing in Sol's eyes and recalled his reaction to the Eye of Providence. He had been terrified—yet exhilarated. This boy wasn't fearless; he was forcing himself to stand firm.
That level of mental fortitude was rare.
U'tha had never encountered a human with such resolve at such a young age.
"Truly, you are an interesting mortal," the serpent hissed, its voice deep and resonant.
Earlier, another group of humans in the city had attempted an invocation ritual out of desperation. U'tha answered their call—only to slaughter them when it realized the ritual was flawed. As it prepared to return to the spirit realm, it sensed intense resentment and murderous intent.
That was when it found Sol.
It watched him kill his parents.
It listened as he laid bare his plans.
It observed him remain calm as midnight approached—and witnessed him provoke the heavens with words alone.
When the colossal eye glanced toward the corpses, it was not Sol it was observing.
It was U'tha.
Now that Sol had been chosen, U'tha pondered its next move. In an era where humans trembled in fear, this one dared to dream of killing God.
Becoming his spirit might prove… advantageous.
Its thoughts were interrupted as Sol extended his hand, palm up, as though demanding payment.
"I want payment for my parents' souls," Sol demanded shamelessly.
U'tha blinked.
It hadn't expected such audacity. Those souls would have crossed over regardless, and he would have gained nothing from them. It was like demanding payment for abandoned scraps.
Only someone sick, selfish, and cruel would make such a request.
And that was precisely what excited it.
U'tha remained silent, gazing past Sol as crimson light converged behind him, forming a blazing wall. This was the passage to the Tower of Heaven, where Sol would be tested to determine whether he could wield the power of the Origin.
Sol noticed the crimson reflection in the serpent's eyes and turned around.
"I'll become your patron if you pass the trial," U'tha hissed. "That will be your payment."
Just like that?
Sol blinked, stunned. He had expected resistance—negotiation. Not immediate agreement.
Was the universe finally rewarding him?
"Deal." Sol grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "No take-backs."
He turned and walked toward the wall of crimson light, stopping just short. Looking back, he found U'tha still watching him intently.
"Wait here," Sol said with a grin, flashing another thumbs-up. "This won't take long."
The universe had aligned itself with his dream.
All that remained… was for him to do his part.