The wind howled across the jagged ridges of the Ashen Expanse, a barren land long abandoned by both man and beast. Smoke rose in lazy coils from distant cracks in the earth. Liam stood on a cliffside, his golden-red cloak whipping behind him, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
Below lay the Ruins of Caernhal, once a stronghold of a splintered angelic order known as the Seraphic Knights—an ancient sect that fell from grace after denying the will of the High Pantheon.
It was there the God System pulled him.
Not by command.
But by instinct.
GOD SYSTEM – STATUS
Level: 15
Faith Points (FP): 34
Followers: 124
Angels: 2
Potential Angel Candidate: 1 (Elira – Loyalty: 95%)
STATS:
• Strength: 26
• Speed: 29
• Endurance: 29
• Divine Power: 49
• Willpower: 33
• Charisma: 28
• Perception: 25
New Passive Unlocked: Angelic Bond (Rank I)
Strengthens your power when an Angel is nearby. Adds +5% to stats during battle.
Elira stepped beside him, hood raised. Her fingers brushed against his lightly.
"They say no one returns from Caernhal," she murmured.
"They're wrong," Liam said. "We return with more."
Rennan and Kaelion stood behind them, weapons ready.
"I feel... something calling," Kaelion muttered, his hand tightening around his blade. "It's old. And angry."
Rennan grunted. "Might be a trap. Or a test."
Liam nodded. "Either way, we go in together."
They descended the cliff and crossed into the crumbling city.
What greeted them was not silence.
Chains clattered.
Stone statues lined the streets—angelic forms twisted in agony, with broken halos and shattered wings. They bore symbols not of the gods, but of binding runes, etched in red iron.
Liam placed a hand on one.
System Alert: Residual Divine Energy Detected
Fragment of Fallen Angel – Name: Seriel
Status: Bound. Consciousness preserved.
Do you wish to attempt revival? Cost: 15 FP
Liam frowned. "Fifteen?"
Elira stepped closer. "Is it worth it?"
He looked around. There were hundreds of these statues. Trapped souls. Forgotten warriors of a cause erased by the gods.
He hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Revive Seriel."
System Command Executed – FP: 19 Remaining
The runes on the statue flared.
Stone cracked and peeled like scabs, revealing silver armor and a body of radiant light beneath. The angel collapsed forward—coughing, weak, his wings half-formed and bleeding.
Kaelion's eyes narrowed. "Brother...?"
The angel looked up at Liam, tears in his glowing eyes. "You… freed me. After so long…"
Liam knelt. "You are Seriel?"
"I was Seriel the Just. Now I am simply... a survivor."
"You serve me now," Liam said softly. "I am no god of the old. I do not seek obedience. I offer purpose. Revenge."
Seriel's wings flared. "Then I shall burn the sky for you."
GOD SYSTEM UPDATE
New Angel Created: Seriel
Former Seraphic Knight. Specialist in purification and rune magic.
Loyalty: 72%
Passive Buff: Runes of Binding now removable.
As Seriel stood, a deep groaning noise echoed through the city.
Statues began shifting. Some cracked open violently, revealing mangled angels corrupted by despair—beings too broken to be saved.
They rose on black wings, their faces twisted into masks of rage.
"Corrupted ones!" Seriel hissed. "They chose madness!"
Liam raised his staff.
"Then we give them mercy."
The battle in Caernhal began.
Elira danced between broken pillars, loosing enchanted arrows into shrieking angels. Rennan crushed enemies with his hammer like thunder on bone. Kaelion fought beside Seriel, flame and light merging in radiant arcs.
Liam cast Divine Chains, wrapping his enemies in searing threads of belief. Each time a corrupted angel fell, faith points surged.
System Log:
+4 FP
+3 FP
+6 FP
+5 FP
Total FP: 37
But it wasn't just slaughter. It was liberation.
Each time Liam passed a non-corrupted statue, he paused—reviving the soul within. Slowly, a new angelic host began forming behind him. Half-broken. Unworthy in the eyes of the Pantheon.
But to Liam?
Perfect.
An hour later, Caernhal stood reborn in golden and crimson light. Statues were shattered. Chains broken. Over two dozen new angels had risen, swearing themselves to Liam.
Among the broken hall of the Seraphic Temple, Liam stood before a massive mirror—its surface rippling like water.
The System pulsed.
Divine Relic Detected: Mirror of Devotion
Function: Reveals the heart's most powerful bond.
Do you wish to activate?
Liam hesitated.
"Do it," Elira said softly.
He nodded.
The mirror shimmered—and reflected not just Liam, but Elira, standing close beside him, hand touching his.
A line of golden-red tethered their hearts in the glass. A bond. Not of command.
But of devotion.
GOD SYSTEM – BOND RECOGNIZED
Elira: Devotion Tier I
Increases Liam's Willpower and Perception when near Elira.
Chance of unlocking unique combined ability.
Elira looked at the mirror, then back at Liam.
"Do you believe in destiny?"
"I believe in rage. In rebuilding. But this...?" He brushed her hand gently. "This is new."
She didn't pull away.
For the first time since his family's death, Liam didn't feel like a weapon. Or a symbol.
He felt like a person again.
As they prepared to leave, Seriel approached.
"The runes here—some match those used by the Crimson Cult," he said. "I believe the one who bound us… is still alive."
"Who?" Liam asked.
Seriel's face darkened. "A former Archangel. One who betrayed the heavens. Her name is Vaelith the Crimson Seraph."
Liam's jaw tightened. "Where?"
"North. Beyond the Obsidian Steps. She commands a legion of traitor angels and cultists. And she wears the face of salvation."
Liam's hand clenched around his staff.
"We burn her next."
GOD SYSTEM – UPDATE
Level Up: 15 → 16
Faith Points Gained: +18
Total FP: 55
Followers: 148
Angels: 26
Devotion Bond: Elira (Tier I)
New Angel: Seriel
Commandment Added:
8. The betrayed shall become the righteous.
In the shadows of the ruined temple, far beyond their sight, a woman with crimson wings and a silver halo watched from the clouds.
Her lips curled into a cruel smile.
"So, the boy has begun to understand. Let him come. I will show him what it means... to kill a god."
[End of Chapter 19]