The blade stopped an inch from his throat.
Kael didn't flinch.
He watched his own reflection tremble in the executioner's sword — a thin boy with dirt on his face and blood on his lip, standing alone in the center of the Divine Arena.
Above him, twelve colossal statues loomed over the crowd.
The Twelve Gods.
Judges of fate.
Givers of blessings.
Today was supposed to be his awakening.
Instead, it was his death.
Thousands filled the arena seats. Nobles in silk. Priests in white. Soldiers in steel.
And in the center, on the cracked marble platform, stood Kael Draven — seventeen years old and officially declared worthless.
The High Priest lifted the crystal Orb of Benediction once more.
"By the will of the Twelve," he announced, his voice echoing through the sacred amphitheater, "we confirm the result."
The orb glowed faintly.
Then dimmed.
Then went completely dark.
A murmur spread like wildfire.
"No resonance."
"Zero affinity?"
"That's impossible…"
The priest's expression hardened.
"This child has received no blessing."
The words struck harder than any weapon.
In the Empire of Valtheris, a blessing was everything. Fire, wind, steel, light, shadow — even the weakest citizen carried a spark of divine favor.
Without one?
You were considered cursed.
Dangerous.
A flaw in the system.
Kael slowly lifted his eyes toward the towering statues.
Twelve stone faces stared down at him without mercy.
Not one had chosen him.
Not even the lesser gods.
Nothing.
He felt the crowd's disgust before he heard it.
"Curse-born!"
"Throw him out!"
"He'll bring misfortune!"
Someone threw a stone. It struck his shoulder.
He didn't react.
Because beneath the humiliation…
Something else was rising.
Not fear.
Not despair.
Anger.
"I request permission to cleanse the impurity."
The executioner stepped forward, kneeling before the High Priest.
Permission granted.
Steel rasped softly as the sword was drawn.
Kael's hands were bound behind his back. His knees pressed into cold marble.
So this was it.
No dramatic rebellion.
No hidden talent awakening.
Just a quiet end.
The executioner raised his blade.
The crowd fell silent.
Kael exhaled slowly.
And then—
The wind stopped.
The torches froze mid-flicker.
Dust hung suspended in the air like tiny stars.
The executioner's blade halted inches from Kael's neck.
Time.
Had stopped.
Kael's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"What—"
A crimson light flickered in front of his eyes.
Not from the statues.
Not from the priests.
From nowhere.
A translucent screen materialized in the air before him.
ERROR DETECTEDDivine Selection Failure LoggedHost identified as anomalyCompatibility: 99.8%Initiating Forbidden Authority...
Kael's breath caught.
The screen pulsed again.
Welcome, Vessel.You have been rejected by the Twelve.Therefore, you are eligible to consume them.
The words burned into his vision.
Consume them?
System Activated: GOD DEVOURER PROTOCOL
A sudden surge of heat exploded in his chest.
Pain tore through him — not like fire, but like something ancient carving itself into his soul.
He screamed.
But no sound came out.
Because time was still frozen.
Images flooded his mind.
A god of flame devoured by shadow.
A war deity collapsing into ash.
A throne in the sky cracking apart.
Power — raw, terrifying power — coiling inside him like a sleeping beast opening one eye.
First Objective: Survive.Secondary Objective: Ascend.Final Objective: Devour the Twelve.
The crimson screen flickered.
Then vanished.
Time snapped back.
The executioner's sword fell—
—and shattered against Kael's neck.
Steel cracked like glass.
A shockwave blasted outward, throwing the executioner across the arena.
The crowd erupted into screams.
The High Priest stumbled back in horror.
Kael slowly rose to his feet.
The ropes binding his wrists burned to ash.
His eyes… were no longer the same.
A faint crimson glow pulsed within them.
The statues above trembled.
Hairline fractures spread across the stone faces of the gods.
For the first time in recorded history—
The Divine Arena shook.
Kael looked up at the towering figures.
And smiled.
"You rejected me," he said softly.
His voice carried unnaturally far, echoing across the arena.
"Now it's my turn."
The sky darkened.
Somewhere beyond the clouds—
Something divine began to stir.
End of Chapter 1