It was said that a man could only enter the Tower of Heaven ten times in his or her life. Reaching the first step would save a man from mortality, and the zeroth step would make him a God.
The 9th step of the Devil Curse was the Accuser of Brethren—the one who exposed man's iniquities before God.
At this level, he was able to see the physical representation of sin, binding himself to the sinner through black chains that grew heavier the deeper the sinner's remorse. From there, he could wipe away the sin in exchange for greater physical capabilities, setting the sinner free but leaving them in a vegetative state.
Of course, all of this was only possible if he could get the target to take accountability for their sin.
Penning down the final details of his curse, Liam slammed the book shut vindictively and shoved it to the other side of the table, where Renginald stood patiently.
He grabbed the book and went through the contents before speaking. "It's almost time for the welcome party. You should get prepared."
Liam nodded in response. This was supposed to be the highlight of the day—how could he forget?
After taking a hot shower, he dressed up in his red pajamas with black star decorations and had Renginald drive him to the campsite located next to a stream in the lush forest at the edge of the community.
On their way there, Liam noticed several empty duplexes like his home scattered everywhere. He easily counted up to fifteen and wondered why the government would provide so much housing here when there were rarely ever more than five Ascendants.
Once they reached the forest, he was pleased to find the path wide and neatly laid out, allowing vehicles to pass through. By the time they arrived, it was already 8:30 p.m. The moon hung high in the clear sky, and dozens of stars twinkled in the dark night.
The tents were set up beside the stream, giving space for a barbecue grill on the side with several trays filled with delicious dishes and coolers stocked with drinks. The aroma within the campsite was mouthwatering.
Grilling some barbecue ribs was a man in his late forties with a thick mustache and a beer belly. He called out, waving with a friendly smile.
Liam ignored him and instantly shifted to the comfy one-seater sofas neatly placed around the campfire. A lady his age sat on one of the sofas with a magazine laid open across her face. She was dressed in goth clothes and a skimpy skirt, radiating the aura of someone everyone would like to avoid.
His gaze then lingered on the projector and smart board set up as if a class was in session. Madam Ruth and the fat kid, Dennis Forman, were working on the projector and seemed not to have noticed his arrival.
'They kept calling it a party, but there was no music. What kind of party has no music?' Liam complained inwardly.
"A-HA! New kid, come help me over here."
Instinctively, Liam searched for the source of the voice. It was the potbellied man still waving at him enthusiastically.
"He seems like a nice man," Liam commented before approaching.
Getting closer, he got a better look at him. Battle scars littered the man's body, with a burn scar on the right side of his face. He looked hideous, but his inviting smile made it easy to overlook his flaws.
"Liam Wilfred, right? I've been itching to see you since last night!" Jackson reached out, and Liam shook his hand.
"You're the old legend of the Western Province, Jackson Bridge—the Prophet. Awww, that always sounds cool whenever I say it." Liam chuckled.
After spending all his life in the Western Province, how could he not know of the one and only constant in the ascendant world for over thirty years? People even joked that he might be the man to outlive the legendary Alistar White.
Jackson's smile widened, and he ruffled Liam's hair before flipping a steak.
"And you are our very own pioneer—the Devil of the Western Province. Your title has a nice ring to it too."
Both men laughed loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Ruth glanced at them briefly before returning to her work, while Dennis waved and Liam waved back.
"Before we start officially and get fed the usual filtered information, I'm curious to know what it's like to be an Ascendant from your point of view," Liam asked.
Jackson smiled bitterly but kept his eyes on the grill.
"Hell. If you're talented, you get cheered on and pushed to your death. And if you're like me, you become someone the whole city loathes. You become the guy who isn't useless enough to be discarded but not useful enough to enter the limelight while risking your life. It's brutal." Jackson laughed bitterly.
Liam soaked in his words and expression while he spoke but couldn't understand what Jackson truly meant. From all the years of research, he understood that talent in this world was tied to Will.
How far can you go for what you want?
The world followed the law of give and take. Only those willing to give up much could gain much. Jackson simply wasn't someone like that.
Shuffling footsteps stole his attention before he could respond. Ruth, Dennis, and the goth girl, Lia, were done with preparations and approached.
Dennis and Liam began introducing themselves and getting to know everyone's names. Eventually, Liam learned that not only was Jackson the Ascendant in charge of Dennis during his awakening, but Dennis had also awakened the Binder Curse, while Lia was a Witch Curse wielder with only three years of experience.
The discussion was mostly between Liam, Dennis, and Jackson since Lia didn't bother speaking with anyone, and Ruth was avoiding Liam for reasons best known to her.
From the discussion, Liam learned that Dennis's father was an Ascendant. Calvary Foreman was famous for his Hellfire Curse, which gave him immense destructive capabilities. This man had kept the Western Province safe for several decades, but on an expedition beyond the walls, their team encountered an angel, and he died in battle.
He was the Western Province's strongest Ascendant ever.
Once the grilling was over, food was dished out with drinks, and everyone found their seats around the campfire, focusing their attention on Ruth, who stood beside the projector with a beer can in hand.
"Welcome to another annual camp party. As usual, there are new faces, and we're missing a few old ones. Cheers to those we've lost and those we've gained."
Everyone raised their drinks with heavy expressions—only Liam remained smiling. Ruth noticed but had no intention of ruining the mood because of a psychotic killer.
After everyone took a sip and lowered their drinks, Ruth continued.
"I'll start with the basics. Ascendants are bloodhounds. We exist to eradicate the true foe of humanity—angels. We are humanity's spiritual police, tasked with preventing desperate humans from seeking dark alternatives to power. We are guardians, ensuring the survival of the human race." Ruth explained in detail.
She watched Dennis listen attentively and even jot down points, while Liam was busy chugging down his third can of beer.
"Mr. Wilfred. Do you agree with the statements I just made?" Ruth asked.
Chuckling, Liam nodded. "Mostly. However, I disagree with the point that angels are humanity's greatest foe."
Ooh?
Ruth raised a brow and took a step forward. "Tell me, what is humanity's greatest foe if it isn't angels?"
"God," Liam blurted out. "Everything started with that crazy bitch. If we kill her, everything ends."
Swish!
Before Liam could react, Jackson lunged toward him like a spear, covering his mouth with both palms.
"Don't be stupid, boy! She's always listening. Do you want to die?!" he yelled, but Liam only let out muffled hysterical laughter while everyone stood frozen.
Even the cold goth girl, Lia, was forced to pay attention and gave Liam a deep stare. God was everywhere, and since her madness, she had never been too lazy to respond to human prayers in whatever way she saw fit.
Blasphemers dying to a thunder strike from the heavens wasn't uncommon in this world, so people tended to avoid any God-related topic.
"Crazy bastard," Lia said, but a small smile bloomed on her face.
This crazy bastard might just be the one to make this place exciting.
Meanwhile, Madam Ruth simply stood and watched Jackson struggle to hold Liam down. She waved for him to stop before continuing like nothing had happened.
"To fulfill our role as Ascendants, having a curse is not enough. You also need to learn martial arts and how to shoot a gun. That should be your next focus," Ruth said, though her eyes were on Dennis.
"War is around the corner, and the government is searching for the angels leading those creatures. Once they do, it will be our duty to get rid of them…"
While Ruth spoke, Liam just watched in silence with a playful smile. He could already sense a link to her sin—all he needed to do was reach for it.
She was remorseful but seemed to hate him more since he knew her hypocrisy.
'But straying from the path of your curse corrupts Ascendants. Even without harming her directly, I believe I can push her into madness with a little effort. Should I?' Liam licked his lips.
"What about Mysticism? When do we get to start practicing?"
Dennis' question stole Liam's attention for a moment. Many believed the curse was the primary strength of an Ascendant, but that was far from the truth.
The arcane was the true secret behind a powerful Ascendant. The deeper one fell into the abyss of the elder arts, the more formidable they became. However…
"The spiritual is not—it's not as straightforward as you think. It requires a lot of mental fortitude, which you'll build through physical exercise. You two need at least six months of training before dabbling in the mystic arts," Ruth rebuked kindly.
Liam nodded in agreement. At first, he was surprised the fat kid knew about mysticism, but he quickly remembered he was the son of the greatest Ascendant the Western Province had ever produced. It was only natural that he knew that much.
Time passed as several topics were discussed and every necessary piece of information was shared. By the end of the discussion, Ruth offered to be Dennis' personal coach—it was clear she had high hopes for him.
Meanwhile, Liam felt like a third wheel whose interjections only infuriated Ruth. He couldn't help but question the source of her hostility. Was it because he knew her sin, or because he was a murderer?
Liam was slowly beginning to believe the first option might be the answer.