"I accept."
"Then let us begin."
The golden light exploded outward, engulfing Levi's broken body in warmth that burned like the heart of a star.
He felt his wounds closing, his bones mending, and his blood replenishing itself. But more than that—he felt something vast and ancient settling into his soul, changing him at the most fundamental level.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION... COMPLETE]
[WELCOME, CHOSEN OF THE LIGHT]
[INTEGRATION BEGINNING...]
Words appeared in his vision, glowing with the same golden light as the entity. But before he could process their meaning, unconsciousness claimed him.
When Levi next opened his eyes, he was lying in his own bed in the tiny apartment he shared with Maya.
Sunlight streamed through the cracked window, and the smell of breakfast cooking drifted in from the kitchen.
"Levi?" Maya's voice called out. "You're going to be late for your examination!"
He sat up, his mind reeling. The examination. But he'd already taken it. He'd failed, been trapped, died...
"What day is it?" he called back.
"Tuesday, silly. Your big day. The fiftieth try, right?"
Levi stared at the photograph on his nightstand—Maya, smiling and healthy. The same photograph he'd carried into the ruins.
The same photograph he'd been clutching when...
He looked down at his chest, expecting to see the claw marks from the shadow beast.
Instead, he found unmarked skin and a strange tattoo just over his heart—a stylized sun with wings spread wide.
[SYSTEM TUTORIAL AVAILABLE]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO BEGIN?]
The words hung in his vision like a hallucination, but he knew they were real. All of it had been real.
"Yes," he whispered.
[TUTORIAL INITIATED]
[WELCOME TO THE LIGHT GOD ASCENDANT SYSTEM]
[REMEMBER: POWER COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY]
[PREPARE FOR INTEGRATION...]
And in that moment, as golden light began to dance around his fingers like living flame, Levi Ashworth understood that his real journey was just beginning.
The golden text floating in Levi's vision pulsed gently, waiting for his response.
He blinked hard, rubbed his eyes, even slapped himself—but the words remained, hovering at the edge of his sight like persistent afterimages.
"Levi?" Maya's voice drifted from the kitchen, tinged with concern. "Did you fall out of bed again?"
"I'm fine," he called back, his voice hoarse. The apartment felt surreal—too normal, too peaceful after what he'd experienced in the ruins.
He swung his legs out of bed, testing his weight.
No pain.
No weakness.
His body felt... better than it had in years.
[SYSTEM TUTORIAL INITIATED]
[ACCESSING HOST BIOLOGICAL DATA...]
[INTEGRATION: 23% COMPLETE]
The words shifted, replaced by what looked like a status screen:
[LEVI ASHWORTH - LEVEL 1] [HEALTH: 100/100] [STAMINA: 100/100] [LIGHT ENERGY: 50/50]
[CURRENT ABILITIES:]
[LIGHT TOUCH - RANK 1: Minor healing, 5 energy cost]
[ENHANCED REFLEXES - RANK 1: Passive improvement to reaction time]
[DIVINE SIGHT - RANK 1: See through illusions and detect divine energy]
"What the hell?" Levi whispered, reaching out to touch the floating text. His fingers passed through it harmlessly.
[PROFANITY DETECTED]
[REMINDER: AS FUTURE VESSEL OF THE LIGHT GOD, MAINTAINING DIGNITY IS RECOMMENDED]
[THOUGH GIVEN CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES, EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS ARE UNDERSTANDABLE]
Despite everything, Levi found himself smiling.
Even the system had personality.
"Big brother?" Maya appeared in the doorway, her pale face creased with worry. She looked exactly as she had a week ago—thin from months of treatment, dark circles under her eyes, but still beautiful in the way that made his chest ache. "You look... different."
Levi's hand moved instinctively to the mirror on his dresser.
His reflection showed the same brown hair, the same unremarkable features, the same lean build that had proven inadequate in forty-nine examinations.
But there was something in his eyes now—a depth that hadn't been there before.
"Different how?"
"I don't know. Less..." She paused, searching for words. "Less defeated, I suppose. You've been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders for so long, but this morning you look... hopeful?"
[PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF DIVINE INTEGRATION INCLUDE:]
[INCREASED CONFIDENCE]
[ENHANCED MENTAL CLARITY]
[IMPROVED EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE]
"Maybe I'm just ready," Levi said carefully. "Ready to finally pass."
Maya's smile was radiant despite her exhaustion. "I've always believed in you. Even when you didn't believe in yourself."
The words hit him like a physical blow.
In the original timeline—was it a timeline? A dream? A vision?—he'd failed.
He'd died in those tunnels while she waited at home, growing weaker by the day.
This time would be different.
This time, he had power.
"Maya," he said softly, "what if I told you that everything was going to be okay? That I was going to take care of you, no matter what?"
Her eyes glistened. "Oh, Levi. You don't have to promise me things like that. I know you're trying your best—"
"No promises," he interrupted. "Facts."
[LIGHT TOUCH ABILITY AVAILABLE]
[SUBJECT: MAYA ASHWORTH]
[CONDITION: CHRONIC DIVINE ENERGY DEPLETION]
[TREATMENT POSSIBLE: YES]
[WARNING: CURRENT ENERGY LEVELS INSUFFICIENT FOR COMPLETE HEALING]
Divine energy depletion? Levi's eyes widened.
Maya's illness wasn't some random genetic condition—it was connected to the gods somehow. The system could heal her, but not yet.
Not until he grew stronger.
"I need to get ready," he said, kissing her forehead. "Wish me luck."
"You don't need luck," Maya said firmly. "You need to remember that you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and more capable than you think."
As Levi gathered his gear, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. The sensation followed him down the narrow stairs of their apartment building and onto the crowded street.
He paused at a vendor's stall, pretending to examine fruit while scanning the crowd.
"Paranoid already?" a voice said beside him. "That's wise. Most mortals who gain sudden power become careless."
Levi spun around, but saw only a tiny spark of golden light hovering near his shoulder.
Other pedestrians walked past without noticing it.
"What are you?"
"I am Mera," the light pulsed brighter. "Think of me as your guide. Your companion. Your very persistent conscience."
"You're the one who spoke to me in the tunnel."
"Oh no, that was Lord Aseraph himself. Or rather, the last echo of his consciousness. I am merely his final gift to you—a fragment of his power given form and purpose."
The light began to shift and expand, taking on a vaguely humanoid shape about the size of Levi's thumb.