"Hu hu hu,"
The kidnappers finally woke up after having a nightmare of being swallowed by a blood tornado. The suffocating sensation of being devoured still lingers, especially on top of their faces. A feeling they never wanted to relive.
And now, their vision is filled by a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties, based on human standards, grinning and his fingers wriggling around, as if itching to scheme.
Chad continued to laugh viciously,
"Hu hu, here forth, our guinea pigs!"
He turned his head around,
"Eli! Aren't you lucky? You get to try out your powers first-hand on living, breathing creatures! Truly, a magnificent experience! Hu hu hu."
The pair of kidnappers flinched at Chad's words. One tried to scoot away, but Chad gave them a death glare, and they froze.
"Mr. Chad… please stop laughing like that…"
Eli flinched. For a moment, Mr. Chad truly looked evil.
"Most importantly, please explain more. I really don't understand how the power of this mark works."
Chad faked a cough.
"Ahem, in that case, it's better to tell you where divine marks originated from. In ancient times, demons wreaked havoc in the mortal realm. This made the creator, the very first Almighty God in the Heavenly realm, to pick angels in order to fight them."
"As a present, he granted them each a unique mark of their own, which became a way for those angels to pass down fragments of their soul's power to their descendants."
'Demons? Do they really exist?'
Eli's eyes trembled. He thought demons were only used by the elderly to frighten him at night. But to hear a tale where they really existed, it made him realize how dangerous the world truly is.
There's also more details that bother him. He asked,
"Mr. Chad, didn't you say earlier that Solomon's mark is something only a powerless human can have? If so, is it possible for those angels' descendants to be powerless? Am I… one of them?"
Chad shook his head,
"No. Their descendants, even if they do not possess a mark, have a strong innate divine power. Also, they cannot be called humans. At the very least, they are demigods now."
"Demigods?"
Chad nodded,
"After they descended and saved them from the demons' terror, humans began worshipping them, calling them gods of their own domain. Of course, those gods are still not equivalent to the one true God. Even though they possess longer life spans than that of humans', they're still mortal and could die. As soon as they pass away, their power gets transferred to the mark they leave behind. That's how divine marks get stronger each generation."
He looked at Eli.
"What you have though, is not something that came from one of those angels. Solomon's mark was granted by the Almighty God to a human named Solomon a thousand years ago. You are, without a doubt, a human."
Eli's eyes widened.
"Then, are you saying I'm a descendant of this Solomon?"
Chad shrugged.
"No, and that's what makes it interesting. Solomon did not have descendants of his own. He died single, alone, perhaps even virgin! Ha ha! Serves him right, that stubborn old man."
He wiped the tear on his eye after a burst of laughter. Eli was left looking confused.
Chad continued,
"Solomon wished for his mark to be passed down to powerless humans instead. In other words, it was a game of random picking. In this generation, it just happened to be you."
Chad pointed his finger at Eli's eyes.
"That mark picks its owner, unlike the other divine marks where the heir has to be hand-picked by the current bearer. The glowing sphere inside your pupils is the proof."
'Solomon's mark picked me?'
Eli couldn't help but touch his eye. It's like unraveling secrets of his own he did not know.
"T, then, could I really erase memories using this mark's power?"
"Sure, you can. Since your body's already attuned to the mark, you can access basic spells from low Verses like sensing truth from lies. But deeper abilities like memory tampering requires more divine power."
Chad had his chest puffed out.
"However, since the great me is here, you have nothing to worry about! I will supply you with divine power that you can temporarily use, just enough to overcome those walls for a single moment!"
'Low Verses? What is that? Does it mean there are high Verses?'
Eli cautiously asked,
"U, uhm, by Verses, you mean…?"
"Ah, it's called the Atlas of Verse. It's essentially the ability progression system of a divine power. The Verses unlock in order from 12 to 0. Verse 12 being the weakest and Verse 0 the strongest. Hmm, you're probably around Verse 11, judging how you can use your ability multiple times in a row."
"I, is that so?"
Eli tilted his head.
A faint sound creaked behind them.
Chad smacked the head of the chubby kidnapper who was trying to get away from the cart.
"From Verse 12, you can use the Eye of Discernment, which can discern lies from truth. Solomon's mark governs truth, memory, perception, and command. The stronger your divine power gets, the more you can unlock Verses and use more spells."
Eli gripped his shirt. His heart was racing.
Everything feels surreal. Can he really do such a thing as long as he listens to Mr. Chad?
"How should I do it? Please teach me how I can improve, Mr. Chad!"
He bowed his head as low as he could.
With the young man in front of him, it felt like he could learn more about the truth of this world. He wanted to know how to use his divine mark and see more of what this world offers.
Chad was stunned to see the child prostrate to him. Eli looked at him full of enthusiasm and innocence. Even though it was not the first time he experienced it, he still felt something inside him stirred.
His lips curled into a smile.
"That's what I was planning, anyway. Now then, you brat."
He pulled Eli to face the two kidnappers, who were surprised by his gesture.
"I will give you the divine power you need, so come open the door to Solomon's Verse 7, and access Memory Lane! Close your eyes and follow my lead!"
The kidnappers who were listening to their conversation had their jaws dropped.
The taller of the two, was dumbfounded at what he had just heard.
'A Verse 11 jumping straight to Verse 7? That's impossible. I've never heard of such a thing! Even with Santheus' blood, it can't possibly be done!'
He looked at the grinning Chad and his body trembled.
'I, is he really serious? Can he really make it happen?'
"Yes, sir!"
Eli nodded resolutely.
He shut his eyes and waited for Chad to start pouring divine power into him.
'...Hmm?'
When he did not feel anything after a minute, he opened one eye to see if something went wrong.
He gasped when he saw Chad unwrapping the cloth around his wound and dug his fingernails again until it bled.
"M, Mr. Chad? What are you doing? You're still wounded!"
He quickly tried to stop him.
Chad bit his lower lip.
"I have to do it. This is the only way to make you go straight to Verse 7 quickly."
He held out his bleeding palm to Eli's face.
"Open your mouth. I will give you a drop, no, half a drop."
"Eh? O, of what?"
Eli subconsciously moved away.
Chad did not care.
"Of my blood. Hurry, so I can wrap it close again!"
"Y, you want me to–with my mouth? I, I don't want to. I'm scared!"
Eli's body started to tremble. This is different from what he had imagined. Mr. Chad wanted him to drink his blood? His stomach turned. How is it even going to work? What's the basis of it?
Chad frowned.
"Just do it! This is the best way. You want to learn from me, right? Then listen to me!"
"Hiik–! B, but…"
A tear came out at the corner of Eli's eyes as he slowly but reluctantly opened his mouth under Chad's palm.
"Yes, sir…"
Drop.
The blood hit his tongue, tasting the distinct taste of iron.
"Huk–!"
He could feel his insides churning.
It was a sensation he had never felt before.
He felt his body gaining more and more energy. His heart started beating fast. He clenched his chest. He wanted to vomit.
'What in the world did I just–?'
"Uh, Ah! Ugh! Kugh!"
Just as a surge of energy coursed through him, the sensation twisted, like invisible hands were yanking his insides apart. It felt like every fiber of his being was being torn apart from within.
'No, I don't want this. Please stop!'
"Agh!"
His body fell from the cart. However, he did not feel any pain from it.
The pain he was feeling inside is too unbearable, making his body feel numb from anything else.
Tears flowed from his eyes. It's too much. It really is too much. He wanted to scream but nothing's coming out. His lips started bleeding from how much he was biting them.
Through blurry tears, he saw a foot step into view. Chad knelt down and carried him back to the wooden cart.
"Do not fear. I am here to guide you."
"Ah!"
Chad grabbed the kidnappers and put them in front of Eli. He put Eli's hands on each of their backs.
He then sat behind him and put his own hands behind Eli's back.
"Sit straight. Right now, your body is bursting with divine power you can't manage. I will control it for you. Close your eyes and follow as I say. Remember, do not let go of your hold on them, not until we're done."
Eli could not say anything. He could not do anything apart from crying and biting his lips out of pain.
He doesn't understand a thing Chad just said, but he decided to follow his instructions.
Chad's hand started emitting golden lights.
Eli closed his eyes shut.
A dark tunnel with golden threads spread out before him, pulsing like veins.