[Third Person POV]
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●Meta Essence of Crafter.
Master craftsman, able to design, build, and maintain anything from machines to a simple shovel.
Flawless work, anything created will never rot or rust, only able to be destroyed through violence. These creations are extremely durable as well.
Creations work better than one made by someone else.
Can conjure dead or inorganic materials needed to work from thin air.
Peak talent for crafting items on par with those in myth and legends, spears that never miss, swords that can cut through anything, invulnerable armor, etc.(Author: Slightly Altered)
Can force specific abilities onto items through sheer skill and ability to craft on a conceptual level.
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●Meta Essence Mad Doctor
Perfect Memory with Infinite Storage
Beyond Genuis level intelligent
Can make potions that can do just about anything, from immortality, to regeneration, or even cause someone to fall in love with a specific target
Immunity to all diseases & poisons, regardless magical or mundane.
Immense knowledge on Occult and alchemical lore that updates itself should you find a way to travel to different universes/worlds.
Supernaturally skilled at medicine, can cure just about anything with some research, already know how to tackle most ailments already.
Master of Life and biology, able to create other creatures like sewn together Frankenstein abominations, mutated beasts, and mythical, magical, and/or ordinary creatures.
Can conjure ingredients for materials.
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●Meta Essence of Blank
You gain but one benefit
Your potential becomes limitless. You can learn any discipline or skillset, even if you shouldn't be capable of it, without forgetting it and practice them into mastery, no matter how many you learn.
Any abilities you have from other essences will increase where possible and develop in ways beyond their initial purpose.
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"No matter how many times I look at it, even if it's just right in front of me, I still can't believe these things exist. I mean, they break every rule on the cosmic scales..." Hephaestus couldn't help but smile wearily, though he wasn't complaining; in fact, there was now a burning excitement boiling within him.
Why? Well, now thanks to these gifts, Hephaestus possessed the knowledge to create a potion powerful enough to reforge his physical body, and he didn't even need to scour the world in search of materials—he could simply summon them into existence.
"Ah! I should probably check on my Divinities too."
Closing his eyes, a mental image of two massive golden trees stood side by side, their roots intertwined within the ancient stone beneath them. Their trunks shimmered like living metal, reflecting light in rippling waves of gold. At the base of the first tree rested a finely etched hammer crossed with a chisel, encircled by a ring of flame symbol, radiating warmth and brilliance even in shadow. The second bore a symbol of fire — a swirling flame enclosed within a circle of etched bronze.
You see, in this universe, Gods and those alike must follow very special rules laid out by primordial laws. After all, Divinity is sacred power that wields immense influence over aspects of the natural world and sentient life, which can be used or channeled in various ways. Thus, it must also be controlled by these primordial laws, lest everything unravel.
Despite these restraints, however, there are still four main ways that a God can develop their "portfolio"—the record and manifestation of a Deity's domains and identity—using four different Divinities to shape themselves and their domains, the concepts that Deities rule over through their Divinity.
Each path carries its own demerits, especially in shaping a Deity's Domain, personality, and behavior. These paths are called [Realization], [Faith], [Legacy], and [Innate].
Innate Divinity consists of natural domains appearing at birth. All Innate Divinities are Tree level (Main Domains), and every Deity has at least one Innate domain. Deities who focus on mastering their Innate Divinities are naturally experts, though if faced with opponents that counter them, they will struggle to defend themselves. This path, at least, does not influence the Deity's mind and body.
Realization, however, is a Herculean endeavor. Imagine reality as a tapestry woven from threads of abstract and conceptual laws, which Gods can deftly manipulate. In essence, this manipulation represents not only the embodiment of their Divinity but also a means to ascend to higher levels.
Depending on the Innate Divinity, connecting it closely with related concepts and attempting to manipulate it through Realization and sheer will can lead to new Divinities (First to Fourth Branch domains), but only if successful.
Failure often leads to backlashes that can weaken a Deity, even to the point of losing their divine essence—the severity depending on the type and level of Divinity being attempted.
A Deity may also try to sprout a Tree Domain Divinity, but the difficulty drastically increases, making failure a guarantee of death. This path can also influence the mind and body of a Deity, though it can be guided and controlled, and its effects are generally mild or less.
Faith is another path entirely, serving as one of the main embodiments of a God's Divinity. Deities can gain or derive Divinity through their relationship with followers. This path makes it easier for a Deity to develop new Divinities and learn various concepts and abstract ideas, though which Divinities emerge depends on mortal belief.
Faith from mortal creatures affects a God's power — it grows with followers and diminishes or even disappears if neglected. This path influences a Deity the most, both in mind and body, though it occurs only if the God accepts mortal faith.
Lastly, Legacy requires guidance or inheritance and can also embody a Deity's Divinity. Through guidance, younger Gods can learn concepts unrelated to their Innate Divinity by seeking the aid of one who holds such foreign concepts. With assistance, the young God can acquire foreign Divinities, though the process is burdensome and taxing on both parties, especially the Guider, so most Gods hesitate to take on that role.
Inheritance, by contrast, is simpler — a God may give one of their Divinities to another through death or by passing it on like a title. However, since a given Divinity cannot be reclaimed, this path is rare. It influences the mind and body of both giver and receiver, though mildly or moderately.
As for the Divinity Structures (Domains) or Divinity Levels, they are arranged as follows:
Tree (Main Domains) — (Innate) The core root used to develop the First to Fourth Branches, each maintaining a special connection to the Tree they sprout from.
First Branch (Secondary Domains) — The first set of derived domains from Realization, Faith, or Legacy.
Second Branch (Tertiary Domains) — Further divisions and specializations.
Third Branch (Quaternary Domains) — Subtler, more precise conceptual powers.
Fourth Branch (Quinary Domains) — The deepest or most niche offshoots, often personal or rare.
Naturally, the Tree is the strongest and most "familial" to a Deity compared to the Fourth Branch domain. However, while branches can develop to become stronger, lower-ranked Domains are far more difficult to advance.
"Exactly like for the original, my Innate Divinities are Craftsmanship and Fire. Honestly a little bummed out I didn't develop new ones due to blank but oh well, I'm still very much grateful whoever gave me this second chance."
"Okay enough stalling and let's head straight to work."
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Within the warm glow of his volcanic cave on Lemnos, Hephaestus sat surrounded by scattered by large and numerous chunks of gleaming metal, such as gold and silver, but also special metals with unique properties, mithril and adamantine, specifically from Tolken universe.
Using the knowledge from his mortal part, also thanks to the Mad Doctor genius level intelligence, Hephaestus easily realized that the properties of these two metals can allow the creation of a virtually perfect cauldron, resistant to intense heat, physical damage, and chemical corrosion.
The mithril being both lightweight and strong would make a cauldron easy to handle. It will remain beautiful and untarnishing, It'll resemble silver but does not tarnish or grow dim, which is ideal for cookware that needs to remain clean and chemically stable. Malleable In its pure form, it can be "beaten like copper," allowing it to be shaped into a cauldron, and chemically stable enough to have a high resistance to chemical reactions, making it safe for a wide range of ingredients. While adamantine can make it almost virtually indestructible allowing it handle possible unstable potion brewing.
Despite having only his small baby hands, they moved with surprising precision as he tapped each piece with his hand, and using his Craftsmanship Domain he spread the same golden glow coating he used to make his crutches over the materials, which is in fact just the divine power Hephaestus is controlling and using as a substitute for his lack of equipment, even though Hephaestus knows he should be more patient and create a proper forge with proper tools first before heading straight to trying to craft a cauldron & potions, he just couldn't.
Yes, he is not the same Hephaestus, but the pained and misery still lingered, like a snare that just won't let go, and not to mention with the Meta Essences bringing a great number of benefits, he also realized that he didn't need to go through the tedious process of preparation that the old Hephaestus had to do.
Skillfully the shaping metals into semi cauldron form, the arms of Hephaestus lit ablaze into reddish orange flames but he showed no panic, instead the flames moved, coiling the creation till it turned red from the heat, then the gold coating appeared again but this time on Hephaestus hands now wrapped into a fist.
Raising his fist above his head, he used his full body to slammed the cauldron, and not just once but multiple times, each one calm and steady. Sparks danced around him, lighting his chubby face as the metals slowly fused together under his focused gaze, using his fists as replacement for a hammer, slamming the impurities within the metals.
Bit by bit, he molded them into the form of a dull silver cauldron, its surface shimmering with layered hues of precious light. Though simple in size and appearance, the craftsmanship carried the quiet brilliance of a God of forge.
But as he completed the completed the cauldron, he slowly realized something.
'Wait a sec, I think I may have to make the forge anyways...'
'F*ck!!'
What Hephaestus forget that although the capabilities to practically craft any item without the need the of a forge, he had never once practice potion brewing, meaning he will still have to make the forge, the tools for the forge, the tools for potions brewing and the like. He may also need a few "test subjects" for his potions.
"This might take longer than I thought...." Hephaestus couldn't help lament as he set aside his newly made cauldron and slowly made his way to cave walls as he start slamming his way into it, slowly but surely making a decent forge for craftsmanship and potion brewing.