~THIRD PERSON POV~

  Erebus grinned as he studied the boy before him

  The young man's features were beautiful but not as perfect and flawless as those he had seen before

  And when he smiled the purest smile anyone had ever seen it lit up the night sky and made the stars shine with delight

  His eyes were bright but it wasn't the light kind of shine but a dark glint as if he was contemplating a murder

  the permanent scowl with a razor straight line did nothing to aid the boy

  his hair was now dirty and decoloured over the time

  and the many scars all over his ripped we'll toned athletic body made the kid look like an evil overlord's son getting ready to kill his adversary

  the way his whole self exuded evilness and deathliness that could not be hidden from the eyes of those who saw him

  He was a demon, but if anyone knew the kid would know he was a kind soul and that had sacred Lord Erebus God of darkness more the once

  kindness in this world would only get you killed

  but Erebus didn't have the heart to do what needed to be done

  But he knew the boy would understand if he knew everything

  "The 'Ancient tree body' is the body of a deceased person with the blood of divinity it is a dangerous body to forge

  but

  If you want to achieve immortality, you have to acquire something called a 'Spiritual Body'

  it was a necessary evil

  and with the runes and scripts finally falling apart after so many eons their sanctuary was disappearing along with them

  just five years measly five years was all they got with the child and as only three of them were ready to train the new soul that refused the chain of the gods that they so graciously blessed upon him

  but now the runes were falling and a spatial rift would soon devour this place

  the fates had forced their

  it was ironic as fate would decide someone's free from fate's future

  and as a dying God, he felt that helping the child dolled up with wrath along with an exempt will free from the bounds of the river of fate

  And it was as the old God said

  ' all is for the best '

  and it was a great boon for any mortal

  to have the body and spirit of the god's soul to help the child

  So the boy did exactly what Erebus wanted it to do

  he gave the nervous child his most " don't worry" smile

  and tossed him the celestial core of his disciple may the world river embrace her

  if he could he would have never done such a taboo thing

  but the child was clearly a mortal without a spiritual root

  and so he needs a core and he had a core and by back luck or fate it was pure one without any elemental affinity

  perfect for the boy and his path

  he just prayed that his previous disciple would forgive him

  "First you have to swallow this," he said as he threw the core that looked like a white marble to the kid

  the child caught the core and studied it

  the white shimmering, bright pearl of core glowed brightly in his hands

  his permanent frown deepened

  and he looked at me with puppy eyes

  "Do I have to?" he asked clearly struggling to contemplate whether he should take it or not

  Lord Erebus God darkness barely controlled his laughter and nodded heavily

  the boy hesitated a moment and then

  He swallowed the core whole and the white glow became darker as the core touched his tongue

  As if the core suddenly became heavier

  Erebus was worried the boy might have lost his appetite

  but the boy swallowed

  Then suddenly Erebus felt something as the core power began melting inside the body of child

  it felt like a huge explosion inside the body

  then he picked up the boy and threw him into the million-year-old ice water pond

  as the child hit the water he let out a blood-curdling scream

  and the water broke and the lake cracked as the boy's skin began turning dark

  as the child screamed the lake split and formed into a whirlpool in the middle of the pool of water

  the child let you another scream and floated to the surface screaming

  Erebus was horrified by the pain

  "Is the child dead?" He shouted to Lady Tong

  She shook her head and replied: "No"

  "but you should jump and guide the spiritual energies to form the spiritual veins as I don't think the child will be able to think through the pain so you know what to do Lord Erebus"

  Lord Erebus nodded as he too jumped into the freezing ice-cold water

  ......................................................................

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  ~ FIRST PERSON POV DAVID~

  "Do I have to?" I asked feeling particularly afraid as I held the glowing white ball in my hand

  moments ago I had tried to look at it with my soul's eyes

  it was as if I was staring right at the sun as I held it in my hands

  It was blinding white and seemed so hot that it burned me

  I was sure I was going to pass out anytime now

  and I felt the bile rise up in my throat as I got the NOD from the man

  I swallowed my none existent salvia as I looked at the ball in my hand

  What am I supposed to do? I thought to myself

  What should I do?

  I closed my eyes tight trying hard not to cry

  I just accepted the fact and with one motion a pit in my mouth

  the ball tasted disgusting it tasted of death and decay

  and yet the man said to just swallow it as if swallowing was no big deal

  what was I supposed to do?

  How did the man expect me to do this?

  Did he even know about these things?

  What happens if he can't find anything wrong with this?

  Is there something wrong with me?

  Or this ball?

  but I ignored the panic and the disgusting taste and swallowed the ball

  and cool wonderful energy began to flow through my system

  like a warm soothing shower washing away all my sins

  I sighed as the cold water washed away my tears

  I stood there for a second just enjoying it

  and the warmth from the water helped soothe the burn

  I felt refreshed and I started to float away in the water like a feather floating on the ocean

  it took me a second to realise it wasn't feeling but I was actually flying through the air

  and then I hit the water

  and it stung like fire.

  Water drilled right down into me until I thought I was dead for sure.

  the pain and heat of it was unbearable

  I felt like I was burning alive

  I wanted to cry out for help but my throat was dry

  I couldn't move so much as I struggled to breath

  and the water seeped into my pores making every part of me ache and

  feel sore

  I felt a sharp pain shooting up through my body as I felt myself begin to suffocate

  I opened my eyes slowly to see my surroundings but I couldn't

  the darkness scared me more than the pain ever did I let out an ear shattering scream

  I heard something fall from above me

  it was soft as a feather landing softly into the water

  was that a person?

  I closed my eyes again afraid to open them

  could I trust what I felt in my gut?

  Could I trust my instincts?

  They weren't as strong as they usually were

  "circulate your spiritual energy" a distant gruff voice spoke to me as I felt hands wondering all over me

  and I felt someone gently brush my head

  trying to ignore the raging pain I tried to gather the energy but failed

  again I tried but the pain was just too overwhelming I felt like a broken ragdoll

  my muscles ached terribly

  I felt weak

  I still couldn't focus

  I tried and kept trying

  And try harder

  My mind was blank I wanted to leave so bad

  it hurt...

  "Don't fight it let it enter your very core let your anger aid you" I heard a muffled voice

  in the darkness speaking to me

  but pain flashed like someone had stabbed through my arm and my blood began to burn.

  I was about to give up when a chant appeared in my mind

  and like someone had thrown a lifeline to a drowning man I grabbed onto it and began to chant like my life depend on it

  "Cycle" the voice came again louder this time

  "Draw in the water into you drink it, breath it, absorb it, devour it"

  so against my better judgment

  I pushed the cold water everywhere I could

  surprise when the water followed my spiritual energy,

  so I cycled my energy along with the water forcing it into my muscles, skin, even the very centre of my bones.

  It was an endless moment, but still, it was over

  sooner than I'd thought.

  but I was celebrating too soon as the pain came back

  my body began to twist involuntary

  and I could feel the pressure and pain

  from before coming back with more force and intensity

  I cried out painfully and in that moment

  I withdrew in my soul space

  as I lay there in my lake crying from the pain that came in short bursts I thought

  "I hate my life so much"

  ....................................................................

  ~THIRD PERSON POV~

  Lord Erebus was shocked as he watched the broken, twisted and burnt body of the boy lying limp floating in the pond

  His body wasn't moving much anymore, as he'd run out of energy sometime today.

  When he twitched, it was like lightning moving through dead flesh more than any conscious attempt at motion, and his skin was all but invisible beneath swollen black veins. the spiritual ice water ran throughout his body

  as foam trickled from his teeth as his own blood ran from his ears, the corners of his eyes, and even sweated through his pores.

  He'd lasted more than a day, which had left even lord Erebus astonished. His standards were high—too high, really—but this child had still surprised him.

  even his former disciple who had long surpassed him and died had only lasted half an hour

  that was nothing compared to the boy

  but it wasn't over far from it

  Lord Erebus guided the spiritual energy and the chilled deadly water throughout the body

  forcefully not just opening but creating spiritual channels as well as meridians in short he was destroying recreating a new body for the boy

  Lord Erebus consider himself a kind loving God but he couldn't be kind to this boy

  they were pushing him into a dangerous path from his connecting cushy life the least he could do was give the boy a chance to survive

  he began using his divine essence spark and lightning to stimulate and cast the body

  he worked with such precision and without any emotion as if he was working on a cast of iron instead of a living breathing body

  then suddenly an idea struck him and he immediately acted on it

  once the boy's new body was forged his spiritual veins and meridians spread through his body like tree veins with the heart as the stump he was now an actual tree with the roots buried inside him

  and then he connected the core of his former disciple of his soul creating a game empty core

  if the child was lucky to awaken a spirit his core would be more powerful than a 1st-grade golden core

  but then he did something no other God had ever gone he began fusing his driven spark with the core

  Lord Erebus skilled wickedly and sent power into the boy's chest

  "I am about to die anyway at least I can feel better for fooling this Pope child" he muttered

  a light flashed around the boy's chest

  as he fused the core and divine spark he felt the child rage slipping into the core's essence

  he felt the rage

  the anger was blonding as it was like a fire in the core he felt the pain and fear of rejection from the core as he felt it

  but then

  as the core of the core was being consumed by the rage

  Erebus for the first time felt pain

  the pain became less intense as the core was being burned

  but the divine spark fought against it and finally subdued it

  as the core was becoming stronger than ever

  his core was evolving as Erebus fought the flames of rage

  the rage felt like it was burning

  Erebus felt like he was burning too

  with the fire that raged inside his heart

  it felt like it was ripping his insides apart

  he was burning inside but outside

  he felt like he was melting inside

  He felt the anger and hate within him grow and grow

  As the heat of the anger and hatred grew

  finally, after eons, Lord Erebus God of darkness survivor of Olympus was finally afraid

  A memory of an old friend came to him

  his rage was great too

  but he had extinguished it and made peace with himself

  his friends word carved at his soul and so he decided to carve those words in the boy's soul

  [Divine Rage can make people uncomfortable. It can feel disruptive, chaotic, frightening or unpredictable. We must remember, The aim of divine rage is not vengeance but to reorder the world. It is precise and purposeful never use it for oneself but others]

  Erebus felt a pang of saddens as he remember his old friend he was the only true kind and loving God unlike his breathing the vain and selfish ones

  he remembered the hunched back the twisted legs and the fiery wrath that he channelled into his forge

  and through that memory, Erebus came up with another inspiration

  Erebus began to cast divine inscriptions, divine runes and even divine words of creation on the very bones and soul of the child

  the boy's back seized up. His eyes rolled up into its socket, and foam bubbled up quickly at his mouth as he choked violently.

  Erebus ignored the boy's struggle in favour of continuing

  his work as if nothing had happened

  He knew the boy wouldn't die the heart won't let him

  Seven days and seven nights the boy squirmed like a worm on a frying pan,

  and when it was over only the tired and dying Erebus looked happily at his handy work

  only a single day remained for all of them

  but lord Erebus was proud of the boy

  with his body forcefully transformed he should have not even have woken up

  with all the pain

  he looked at the colourless eyes of the boy

  he felt a pang of guilt for he had stolen the boy's soul mirror

  but that was the only way he could think that could protect the boy

  now no dirty or being can see into his soul

  no one would know he is unbound unless they throw him into the river if fate and time

  but even with all the pain, the boy had suffered because of them

  there was no madness in the eyes of the boy

  his will wasn't broken his mind wasn't shattered

  Lord Erebus God of Darkness began to cry for the first time since he began to walk this cosmos

  he was proud

  he was happy

  but he didn't know why

  He was sad

  The last day had come

  the final day the last day

  Lord Erebus was excited

  the child's body and the child's soul was ready to

  he was ready for it

  the child of wrath carrying the heart of the Tree

  Lord Erebus was relived

  he didn't have to worry about the child anymore now

  he could go on peacefully now

  but before he disappeared he wanted to see the boy's..............