Divine Awakening - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"Those are the two brothers in the beginning of the Bible, right?" Ash asked.

Bruja nodded. "The story goes that Cain became jealous of Abel and killed him. There is a massive mythology around Cain because he was cursed by God."

"Cursed? Like you said my blood is?"

"Yeah, but here's the interesting part. I’m ninety-nine percent sure I knew all the gods that lived or visited this planet, and none of them possessed the magic in your blood. In fact, I don't possess the magic that you carry, and that is a far larger mystery than you understand."

"So you're telling me some unknown god with an unknown magic cursed my father because he killed his brother, and he passed this curse on to me?"

"That's a good summary. We need to find your father to know for sure. Or find this hidden god that cursed him in the first place. Remember, I highly doubt the narrative you know is the truth. The story is more likely a reflection of the actual events."

Ash's Root chakra flared briefly at the mention of the hidden god. "What does this curse do?"

"I'm not an expert in this planet’s mythology, but Persephone said it would make your father stronger than normal and immortal."

"What? That doesn't sound like a curse at all."

Bruja lost her playful scowl, and her face fell. Ash’s Heart chakra felt the sadness like a slap.

"Trust me, child, immortality is a curse. The longer you live, the less empathy you feel. Imagine living thousands of years, everyone you love dying over and over again. It’s a cruel punishment, and I doubt your father escaped its harsh toll."

Ash’s Throat chakra resonated with the deep truth of Bruja’s words.

Bruja continued, "Cain must have also been linked to the planet, because this angry god took that from him."

Ash’s stomach clenched. "Did you see those titles and quests I got in the beginning?"

"Yes."

Ash pulled deeply on the energy of his Solar Plexus to calm himself.

"One of them aligns with that mythology. Here, let me pull it up."

Title: Legacy

Quality: Mythical

Requirement: Sinner’s Blood

Attribute Bonus: +20% Constitution, +20% Strength

Resistance Bonus: +20% Physical

Effect (Passive): Activation of the Brother’s Keeper quest line.

Effect (Passive): Suffer 50% additional damage from blunt weapons.

Effect (Passive): Restless Wanderer - after a number of hours equal to current level have passed in one location, the soil is cursed and no longer able to support growth. This effect is cumulative and does not reset. Affects a spherical area with a radius of 1,000 feet divided by level.

Effect (Passive): Penance - Once per day, fatal damage is ignored.

Effect (Triggered): Sevenfold Curse - once per day, reflect 7 times the damage taken for 7 seconds.

Ash brought the quest up as well.

Brother’s Keeper (1 of 5) - Echoes of the Past

Description: Follow the cries of the innocent to the forbidden ruins.

Task: Piece together ancient fragments to glimpse a tragic betrayal.

Restriction: Sinner’s Blood

Reward: Keeper’s Fragment

Ash glanced around while Bruja considered the title and quest again. For the most part, everyone sat by themselves with their eyes closed or staring vacantly as they accessed their menus, deciding what to do with their level two spell point.

"Between the title and the quest,” Ash stated, finding it hard to keep quiet, “it seems pretty obvious this dungeon thinks my father is this Cain. Which, a month ago, I would have laughed off immediately."

"I agree. My curiosity about this dungeon core has only increased. I always thought Pen’s obsession with this planet was odd, but now I’m wondering if he hid something from us. Regardless, if he wanted to protect something, or investigate something, he would've kept a journal about it. And the troublemaker with all Pen’s journals is busy with an alchemy quest."

"Pen? You’ve mentioned that name multiple times, and my Chosen title has a requirement on it that says ‘Disciple of Pen.’"

Bruja focused on Ash, and once again she looked a little sad. "Pen is the name, well… the nickname, of the god that gave your ancestors all their knowledge. He had a ridiculous feathered serpent costume he wore back then."

"Quetzalcóatl? Grandpa Pine said the serpent god was the Aztec version of the god my ancestors called Viracocha."

Bruja shrugged again. "I’ve no idea. Bottom line is that this dungeon core isn’t normal, and now I’m even more worried about what the Infernal Realm knows about this place. The only thing that would make this worse is if—"

Bruja suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes at Ash.

"What?" Ash asked, sensing the sudden irritation radiating from the small goddess.

Bruja raised her hand, her thumb and index finger an inch apart. "Have you seen or talked to a golden golem about this size?"

"Like a little statue?"

"No, he’s alive."

"Truly, I’ve never seen such a thing. What is he?"

"He’s on my list, so you know he’s trouble."

"Hey, you put me on that list, and I’m not causing any trouble."

"Spoken like a true troublemaker. If you see him, call for me immediately."

"Can’t you just sense him? You’re a goddess."

Bruja glared at Ash.

Ash raised his hands slightly, not wanting to draw attention to himself but feeling the need to pacify the tiny goddess. "Fine, I’ll call you. What’s his name?"

"Oh no, we can’t say it. He can hear his name from anywhere. And if he comes, everything will go sideways. Or more sideways, I guess."

Ash shook his head. "Let’s get back to my father. Why am I being punished?"

"You weren’t until you came here."

Ash sat in silent shock. Finally, he replied, "You’re right. That title and quest only triggered when I stepped into this dungeon. Is that why you think the god my dad pissed off is at the bottom of this Pit?"

"Yes, but they aren’t at the bottom of the Pit. My guess is they’re far deeper."

For the second time in almost as many seconds, Ash sat stunned. "Deeper?"

"I’m a bit of an expert on dungeons myself, and one master recognizes another. I’m guessing this whole place is a dungeon."

"This whole area? Like all of Egypt?"

Bruja smiled. "No, this whole area, like the planet."

Ash’s Throat chakra heard the truth in Bruja’s words. She believed what she said. He couldn't form words because he couldn't wrap his mind around what she’d just said. The entire planet a dungeon?

Bruja pointed at Ash. "Focus on that quest. I want to meet this hidden deity."

Before Ash could respond, Bruja screamed in anger, and Ash jumped, causing a few concerned looks from his teammates.

Bruja looked over Ash’s shoulder. She snapped her fingers and pointed at the ground in front of her.

Ash couldn’t help it and glanced behind himself. With his enhanced vision he could make out something small in a shadowed portion of the tunnel behind him. It was oddly shaped, and it took a second for his mind to make sense of it.

A hand-sized pot sat in the darkness, and it contained a single stalk with a bulb that drooped, as if embarrassed. Then it disappeared.

Ash turned back around and jerked in surprise. Sitting directly in front of him was the pot he’d just seen in the tunnel. And what he’d thought was a flower bulb turned out to be an eye. An eye that stared directly at Ash.

"Christ almighty, what is that?" Ash hissed, only remaining where he was because his chakras hadn’t warned him of any danger.

Most of Ash’s teammates had seen his sudden movement, but this time they could see the pot, and a few of them jumped to their feet, reaching for weapons.

Ash held up a hand. "It’s not dangerous. It just surprised me."

"Oh, he’s dangerous, aren’t you Old Man," Bruja said, her eyes fixed on the unsettling eye-plant. "You sneaky little spying miscreant."

Ash waited for the eyeball to respond, but only silence followed. In the sudden quiet he realized Bruja had listed ‘Old Man’ as one of the people on her troublemakers list.

"Ugh!" Bruja said, stomping her little foot. "How do you always end up where you don’t belong?"

The eye-plant thankfully stopped staring at Ash and swung its large orb to Bruja. If it responded, Ash couldn’t hear it. It must have, though, because Bruja continued.

"You were not just in the neighborhood," Bruja told it. She narrowed her eyes and glared so hard at the eye-plant Ash felt a little sorry for it. "Have you found the Dungeon Core?"

Bruja quieted as she listened, and Ash studied the weird eye stalk sitting inches from his face. What in all that was holy was this thing? It was grey all over, even the eyeball, and the whole creature looked a little slimy.

Basic information appeared over the creature’s eyestalk.

Name: Archie

Type: Unknown

Level: Unknown

Domain: N/A

Description: A mysterious creature not bound by space.

That didn't provide much detail, and what did “not bound by space” mean exactly?

"Oh," Bruja said in disbelief, still staring at the eye-plant. "You’re telling me it can keep you away? Now I really want to meet it." She wagged a finger at the creature. "You better not be lying to me."

The eye-plant dipped its bulging eye in an obvious act of contrition, and this seemed to relax Bruja a little.

Bruja stopped wagging her finger and pointed at Ash. "Stay away from him."

The eye-plant turned its stalk and stared at Ash for a few seconds. The eye looked very intelligent to Ash.

"No, you can’t know why he’s important," Bruja responded to a question Ash didn’t hear. "You and the Priestess better keep your yaps shut, too. Darkness take me, I’ll make your life miserable if you screw this up more than it already is."

The eye-stalk spent another second studying Ash and then turned back to Bruja and nodded. Then, it just disappeared.

"Holy shit," Ash whispered. "What the hell was that?"

"Oh, just another one of the troublemakers I seem to attract. You guys should all get jackets or something. I spend ninety percent of my time making sure the lot of you aren’t destroying planets, ruining my plans, or endangering the universe. Sheesh."

Then Bruja disappeared, and Ash sat in stunned silence.