"Prince Enoch, it is time."
Enoch rose from the edge of his bed, brushing a strand of jet-black hair behind his ear and dusting off his royal clothing.
With one final look in the mirror, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Today is the day," he spoke in a shaky, youthful tone.
It was his sixteenth birthday, and at last, he would stand before the True Creator and be granted the chance to awaken.
Many men and women failed the procedure. Their souls were deemed unworthy, and they were forced to live ordinary lives within the walls of Tether City, capital of the Gavanian Country.
"Enoch, I said it is time!" The voice came again, sharper this time.
Creak...
As he opened the door, he was met with the sight of a beautiful woman with sharp features and jet-black hair of her own.
Her face crept into a smile as she looked the young man up and down, pride glowing in her eyes.
"My son," Queen Ruth said, brushing his hair back with her hand. "My son is all grown up. Are you nervous?"
Enoch brushed his mother's hand away, not out of disrespect but from embarrassment. He was at the age where he no longer wished to be babied.
"No, Mother. I know the True Creator favours me. I expect to awaken a class of the A-Grade and make our kingdom proud," Enoch replied in a confident tone.
Queen Ruth's smile widened as she heard her son's ambitions. She truly believed he would achieve every goal he set out for.
"Come now," she said, ushering him down the corridors of the Grand Palace. "Let us meet our Creator."
---
In the centre of the Grand Hall, Prince Enoch stood surrounded by the most important figures of the Holy Kingdom.
Pillars lined the hall, stretching high to the glass ceiling where sunlight poured through, casting its gaze upon the young man awaiting his awakening.
At the head of the audience sat King Jacob and his wife, Queen Ruth, upon their thrones with expectant expressions on their faces.
Queen Ruth seemed excited, while King Jacob was tense.
After all, Enoch was the only child he had been able to produce. If his son's awakening proved underwhelming, the power of the Rose Kingdom would falter, leaving room for the Dragoni Empire to wage war against them.
"Come on, son..." the King whispered to himself, clutching at his red robes. "A-Grade is the bare minimum... we need an S-Grade if we wish to have hope."
From the audience, a man approached Enoch, who stood at the centre of the room with a hundred eyes upon him. Among them was his wife-to-be, Lady Larissa, his childhood friend.
She watched from the side with a smile on her youthful, golden face. Her blonde hair was tied into a high bun and held together with an ornate stick.
Enoch glanced her way, admiring her beauty, before turning his attention back to the tall, wrinkled man approaching him.
The man wore long black robes, his hands hidden within his sleeves. Around his neck hung a necklace with a flower-shaped symbol.
He looked down at Enoch, placing two fingers on the young man's forehead and closing his eyes. With his other hand, he held the flower pendant and began to pray.
"O' True Creator, we ask today that you grant us your blessing. Our child, Enoch Rose, has worshipped you for sixteen years and is now ready to become a man," the priest spoke, lifting his gaze toward the heavens.
The room fell silent, the echo of his voice lingering.
Enoch clenched his teeth, trying his best to hide his nerves. Anxiety flooded him, but he dared not show it.
It was well known that the True Creator favoured the brave.
"If you see it fit, Great Creator, please grant him your blessing."
With those final words, the priest opened his eyes, removed his fingers from Enoch's forehead, and returned to his place in the crowd.
The audience waited in silence, their anticipation unwavering.
An awakening was always a silent process. Only the one awakening and the True Creator would know when it began.
It took only ten seconds for Enoch to be struck with his gift.
A jolt of immense pain shot through his body, starting at his feet and climbing toward his head.
Enoch gritted his teeth against the pain, trying to remain conscious, but at last, he let out a scream and fell to his knees.
Members of the crowd grew worried, some even daring to step forward to help the agonised prince.
But King Jacob raised a hand and clenched his fist, freezing everyone in place through magic.
Heads turned toward him, confused by his command.
"Do not interrupt," he said in a voice that carried through the hall. "Let the prince see it through."
He released his grip, and though free, none moved. All eyes remained on the young prince struggling to bear the pain.
Then, after a minute, his screams stopped.
Enoch stayed on his knees, a wave of tranquillity washing over him.
Not just because the pain had subsided, but because a new power was flowing into his being.
[SSS-Grade Class Awakened: Godeater]
Status:
[Name: Enoch Rose]
[Morality: The Shadowed Path]
[Class: Godeater]
[Soul Level: Copper]
Soul Progression: 0/100
[Titles: None]
[Affinities: None]
[Abilities: Divine Devour]
[Passive Abilities: None]
[Locked...]
---
Enoch remained still.
The crowd waited for him to speak, but he had no desire to. Not yet.
What he saw, he could hardly believe. His aim had been to awaken an A-Grade class, but he had far exceeded it.
However, it came at a cost.
His morality was tainted. He had been placed upon the Shadowed Path. A path destined for evil acts.
Such a path was punishable by execution within the Holy Kingdom, even before one committed a single crime.
Worse still, there was no way to hide it. The Morality Pathways would slowly alter one's appearance, making their corruption visible to all.
Over time, he would change. Even if he lied, he would be found out. His life would be taken from him.
A bead of sweat glistened on his forehead, yet he remained still.
He needed first to focus on his class and discover the nature of the strange ability he had been granted.
Enoch focused on his newly awakened system, bringing up the description of the Godeater and its ability.
Godeater: Born from blasphemy and hunger, the Godeater walks the line between mortal and divine. They possess the forbidden gift to devour the souls of gods, consuming fragments of divinity to wield their powers as their own. Each feast carves away their humanity, replacing it with the echoing voices of slain deities that war within their soul.
Enoch's body trembled.
He had guessed the meaning from the name alone, yet the description was even darker than he imagined.
Next, he focused on his skill, though its name already told him what to expect.
> Divine Devour
Unleashes the Godeater's cursed hunger upon a divine being.
Consumes the target's soul, absorbing a fragment of their power, memories, and essence. Each use strengthens the Godeater but risks fracturing their mind as the will of the devoured god claws for control from within.
Effect: Steal a portion of a god's abilities. Power gained depends on the strength of the consumed divinity. Overuse may lead to the following titles:
>Divinely Corrupted
>Overloaded Soul
---
Enoch read the description and understood the full scope of his new power.
The Godeater. A man with the ability to destroy the divine.
As he heard slow footsteps approaching, Enoch finally lifted his head.
There stood his father, King Jacob, striding toward him, his red robes trailing across the marble floor and his golden crown glinting in the sunlight.
He stopped before his son and looked down at him, eyes narrowed with hope and desperation.
"So," the King said in a low voice, "has the True Creator blessed you in a way that will make our kingdom proud?"
Enoch hesitated before rising to his feet. He glanced around at the watching crowd, then back at his father.
A smile spread across the prince's lips. A smile that hid secrets known only to him.
"Yes," Enoch the Godeater said, hiding his morality and class from all. "He has."
---
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