Chapter 674 - A New Skillset

Zeke awoke with his face buried in soft grass.

At first, he reveled in the feeling because, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he wasn’t in pain.  The entire time he’d spent descending the circles of Hell, he’d been forced to endure some level of torment.  At times, it was so subtle that he forgot it was even there, but at other times, it was far more overt.

But now?

Now, it was entirely gone, and he couldn’t help but bask in the feeling.  Slowly, he turned himself over, and before he even opened his eyes, he could feel the warm sunlight bathing his form.  He let out a deep sigh.

Finally, he opened his eyes, and he saw nothing but blue and white.  The sky was as idyllic as any he’d ever beheld, and when he turned his eyes, he saw a blanket of green interspersed with multicolored flowers.  Blues and reds, yellows and purples – the entire rainbow was represented. 

He sat up only to realize he was naked.  However, that didn’t distress him.  The same could have been said for at least half of his trek through Hell, so he’d grown accustomed to it. 

He propped his forearms on his knees and took another deep breath, only to be greeted by the smells he associated with spring.  Blooming flowers, a bit of ozone from a recent shower, the earthy aroma of the soil – it was all there, and he found it all to be so incredibly soothing that he almost forgot what he’d just experienced.

But the second the thought crossed his mind, the memory came crashing into him.  He knew better than believe that had been the true Oberon he’d seen obliterated, but destroying even the projection of a god took a degree of power he hadn’t expected.  That it had originated with him – and not with his intention – was more than a little troubling. 

More importantly, he had some other issues to address, like his long-unavailable status.  He quickly opened it:

Name

Ezekiel Blackwood

Class

Primordial (Nascent)

Race

Titan (B-1)

Core

Divine (B-5)

Body

Divine (A-2)

Energy

Divine (B-6)

Affinity

Divine (A-7)

“What the…”

Before Zeke could ponder it further, he heard a piercing scream in his mind.  It was so powerful that it created a splitting headache that felt like someone was driving an icepick in his brain.  He clutched his head in both hands, but it didn’t help at all.  As was the case in the circles of Hell, he had no choice but to endure.

Five minutes later, the scream petered out. 

Then, a small voice called out, “Ezekiel?”

“Eveline?” he asked.  “Is that you?  I was worried you’d…”

“Been obliterated?” she asked, her voice strengthening.  Finally, she appeared next to him, her image flickering.  She glanced around.  “This place feels wrong.”

“Do you think it’s because we’ve been tortured for the past hundred years and we don’t know how to deal with peace?”

“Perhaps.  Is that how long it was?  I expected some time dilation, but not that much,” she responded.  “Do you know where we are?  And what happened?  I can tell something is different, but you seem…blurry to me.  Like looking directly into a light.”

Zeke let out another sigh, then he explained his meeting with Oberon.  He ended by saying, “I chose my evolution, but I don’t think it was what he expected.  The second I made the choice, everything sort of exploded.  Oberon was obliterated, and –”

“Wait, what?  You obliterated a god?”

“I fought gods in hell.”

“This is a real god, though.  He’s one of the rulers of this realm, and he’s more powerful than you can imagine,” Eveline stated. 

“I think it was just a projection.”

“Still…”

“What do you think about my new status?” he asked.  “Or my choice?”

“I don’t know.  I can’t see any of it.  I told you – it’s blurry.  What did you pick?”

“It’s something called a {Primordial Titan},” Zeke replied.  “And –”

“Primordial?  Oh, Ezekiel…that’s not good.”

“What?  Why?”

“Do you know what a primordial is?”

“Uh…not really?”

“It’s the predecessor of gods.  They were here first, and they were far more powerful,” she explained.  “Some myths claim that the only one that survived is the creator of the Framework.”

“That…that actually makes sense.”

“Nothing about you makes sense, Ezekiel,” she pointed out.  Zeke couldn’t really deny it, either.  Sometimes, he still thought of himself as the same young man who’d died trying to save his brother’s life.  The failed athlete.  The depressed loser.  But now he was dealing with gods and primordials and the fate of the universe.  It was overwhelming.

“What do you make of it, then?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.  “Read your status to me.”

He did.

“No numbers?” she asked. 

“Other than the ones after the letters, no.  What do you think it means?” he asked. 

“It seems self-explanatory to me,” she answered.  Then, she went on to explain what she believed, positing that the numbers were indicative of how close he was to progressing to the next grade.  “The question is what is the maximum before it tips over.  Do you need to get to the tenth level of A-Grade before you move to S?  And the label of Divine suggests that improvement past that point might be possible.  Do you feel any stronger?”

Zeke shrugged.  “Not really, but I wouldn’t unless I strained.  Plus, there are my skills to worry about.”

He already knew that they were different.  He could feel them inside his core, and he could see the altered runes below the surface.  However, he was more than a little trepidatious about looking. 

Despite that lingering anxiety, he couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer.  The first skill he looked at was the most important:

[Primordial Titan] – You are a nascent primordial, and your alternate form shall reflect this.  Take on the form of a primordial titan, towering over your enemies in both stature and might. 

Zeke didn’t know what to think about that.  The description hadn’t changed that much, but he could sense the power in the skill.  It gave the sense of overbearing might, and in a way he’d never quite experienced. 

He moved on to the next ability:

[Steps of Creation] – You have the ability to create and destroy, and in equal measure.  Divinity trails your every step.  Briefly stop time and channel the power of a true god.

That was the upgrade to [Shifting Sands], and the description certainly fit what he’d experienced in Hell.  However, he wasn’t quite certain what it meant when it said that he had the ability to both create and destroy.  So far, he’d only engaged in the latter, completely ignoring the former.  However, he wasn’t one to argue with the Framework.  It likely knew him better than he knew himself. 

He looked at the third ability on his list:

[Primordial Wrath] – Your anger exceeds the divine.  Incurring your wrath is to court destruction.  Conjure an abyssal fissure with the power to unmake reality. 

Zeke knew that was the upgrade to [Wrath of Annihilation], but he also felt that it had incorporated more than just that skill into its pedigree.  A quick look told him that he was missing both [Hell Geyser] and [Unleash Momentum] – both staples of his former fighting style – which suggested that the new, combined skill was even more powerful than the description indicated.

Still, he was a little disappointed at the loss of those other two skills, both of which had served him well.  However, progress often took sacrifice.  If nothing else, Hell had taught him that lesson.

So, he moved on to the next ability:

[Divine Guidance] – You have bestowed your benevolence on your followers, fostering unparalleled prosperity.  The burden to continue that guidance weighs on you.  Continue to empower your people, and in return, gain their faith.

It was obviously an upgrade to [Prosperity], but it had clearly incorporated [Benevolence] as well.  A quick look told him that [Mark of Companionship] was gone too, and if he concentrated on the new skill, he gained a vague sense of his people’s well-being.  He didn’t dwell on it long, but what he felt was comforting.

Next came:

[Primordial Authority] – Within your territory, your authority is absolute. 

It was the shortest skill description yet, but Zeke got a sense that the effects were incredibly complex.  It was a combination of his domains – [Burden of Sovereignty] and [Aura of Desolation] – so he had a vague idea of what it meant.  However, he knew it would take significant experimentation before he was comfortable with what the new skill represented.

He moved on to a new ability called [Hand of Creation], but he didn’t even need to read the description to know that it was the upgrade to [Hand of Divinity].  He’d used it often enough to know precisely what it could do. 

So, he checked the next one on his list:

[Eye of Judgement] – You are above them all.  Judge them.

Zeke frowned at that description, but he couldn’t deny that, from what he could feel from the associated runes, the skill felt extremely powerful.  It was also obviously an upgrade of [Eye of Reckoning], though it didn’t incorporate any other skills. 

The next in line was:

[Pantheon] – Gods are beneath you.  Summon them to do your bidding.

The new skill was based on [Colossal Army], but it also incorporated [Avatar of the Colossus] and [Storm of Hammers].  He had no idea how all of that would fit together, but he was eager to find out.    

[Primordial Mind] – None but the Creator may see or manipulate your thoughts. 

That was a straight upgrade for [Bulwark of the Triumvirate], and one he very much appreciated.  If he’d had it in Hell, he might not have spent years slowly deteriorating in the Circle of Fraud.

A chill rushed up his spine at the memory.  He still hadn’t gotten over that, and he wasn’t certain if he ever would. 

He went down the list, settling on the next skill:

[Primordial Strike] – Unleash your power upon those who displease you and see them destroyed. 

It was another straight upgrade – this time, of [Titanic Smash] – and he very much looked forward to testing it out.  He’d long tired of fighting only in melee, so it would be nice to once again have a repeatable attack at his disposal.

The penultimate skill was an upgrade to [Flames of Reprisal]:

[Vengeance] – To attack a primordial is to ask for obliteration.  Return any damage upon your enemies tenfold, and watch them fall to the hubris that would see them challenging their better. 

Tenfold sounded good to Zeke, though he wasn’t certain if that was a flowery description or simply a metaphor.  Regardless, it was a straightforward skill that was already active, so it was something he didn’t need to think about much.

Finally, he reached the last skill:

[Unfettered Truth] – Your gaze reveals all.

It was a long overdue upgrade to [Inspect], and one he was eager to test. 

Through it all, he’d kept a running commentary with Eveline, reading each description to her.  With every skill on his list, she grew paler until, when he’d finally finished, she said, “This is not normal, Ezekiel.”

“You know that for certain?” he asked.  “You’ve never been to the Ethereal Realm.”

“I know enough.  The status might be normal.  I don’t know,” she admitted.  “But those skills – they make it sound like you are more powerful than a god, lesser or otherwise.”

“That was the impression I got, too.”

“Do you know how insane that sounds?  You just descended to this plane!”

“It does say I’m a nascent primordial.  That tells me that I have a lot of room for growth.  Maybe these skills descriptions refer more to potential than their current strength,” he ventured.

“You don’t believe that.”

“Not really, no.”

“Neither do I.”

“So, what do we do?” he asked.  “Oberon warned me that this place was ruled by a demon god.  I honestly don’t remember his name, but Oberon said that it looked like a utopia, but it wasn’t.”

“Was it Mak’tar?”

“That’s the one,” Zeke said.  “Why?”

“We need to get out of here as soon as possible,” she remarked with no small degree of urgency.  Did Oberon tell you which way to go?  Did he mention how you were supposed to escape?”

“He said to get to his embassy.  Beyond that…wait, do you hear something?”

Zeke whipped his head around to see a group of ten figures coming his way.  They didn’t look like demons, but they were more than five miles away, so he couldn’t be certain.  One thing was sure – if they wanted trouble, they were likely to bite off way more than they could chew. 

After all, he had a lot of new skills, and they were just begging to be used.

He pushed himself to his feet, and at long last, summoned Voromir to hand.  He didn’t have time to inspect the weapon properly, but he could feel that it had changed just as much as he had. 

It still felt familiar and comforting in his hand, though. 

“You might want to disappear.  This could get messy.”

Eveline flickered out of existence, taking up residence in his head.  Meanwhile, Zeke planted his feet to wait for the coming encounter.