Lowly Ascent

The temple was high above the rest of the city, it sat on a node of stone seemingly predating the city itself. Nothing important had eroded after all this time, leaving the structure in almost perfect condition.

On the way to the city center, there weren't any bones either, the city was either abandoned or something took the corpses long ago. Cain and his group knew nothing of the place they were in, and the Herald already knew something was watching them.

Ascending the steps and entering the temple, unlit braziers wrapped around the edges. A few cultists opened their backpacks and took out kindling. They lit each of the braziers.

With light, the rest of the temple could be seen better.

"I've never seen anything like this...Raven, is this how ancient cities were built?" Darla inquired.

"No... no cities have ever been built like this. At least the ones recorded."

Pillars surrounded them, only when they walked further did they enter the outer interior of the temple and into a large empty room with a circular dome.

On the floor and ceiling, destroyed murals were left in mystery, unknown what existed before their vandalism. 

"Raven look! There are tablets here! And there in our language!"

Cain raced to Darla's side, peering over her shoulder to read the tablet that contained knowledge that would quench his curiosity and suspicion.

The tablet read:

"Tis the day of man, tis the day of joy when this sanctuary finally completes itself.

"Four years we toiled to make a home beneath God's lost vessel, his rotting flesh bringing bounty through the soil. But this place is not for him but man, for we only worship ourselves, for we are the ones who broke our backs in this place, it was our sweat and blood that created it.

"Praise God for his kindness, but do not worship. For worship awakens God's greed, it turns his heart rotten, and leads to the end of man."

Cain tilted his head. 'Praise God....but do not worship him? Are these the thoughts of the earliest settlement? Was this city one of the first in this world?'

He noticed Darla was still reading, so he went to the next tablet nearby.

The others followed the Herald and Princess's example and joined Darla in reading the first tablet. All the while, the two Apostles kept watch.

The next tablet was clockwise from the first along the wall, it read:

"This marks the second year after the city was first constructed. The nearby settlements think of us as another kingdom.

"They send gifts but we do not need them. They think we have a king but do not know we have no ruler.

"We are free.

"We are just.

"We are man."

'An individual city-state with good intentions?' Cain hungered for more and went to the next:

"God's flesh is gone, it has all to the earth. We may not know his great name but we give thanks nonetheless.

"In our inner sanctum, we have contrasted what our visions foretold. Our philosophers long ago saw through life, and now we will help all see through it.

"For once the prophecy begins it will not stop, and the eventual end of hate and pain will begin.

"This is the Gospel of not God, but Man."

Cain went to another:

"Waiting has been hard for our people, but we will persevere.

"Many do not like the thought of turning one of us into a monster that will fulfill what no human can accomplish. Yet since man cannot succeed we must change like we always have.

"Many fear this change will have terrible consequences.

"We fear not, for it is our decision, it is Man's Gospel that leads us.

"Man will be free from life, for life is a lie, a punishment for things we no longer remember."

Cain's evaluation of the people who existed in the city fell.

'So they are just crazies who think they are righteous? Did they use some occult methods to turn people into monsters? Are they the ones who first created them? No, this tablet only mentions creating one...so just what did they create?'

The reason for Cain's newly found disgust was because of the childish notions these people had. They seem to have believed life was a lie, a notion that would make everything Cain had done up until this point worth nothing if true.

Unfortunately for Cain, the tablets stopped there, the rest of the wall was empty.

'So few entries...did the city fall preemptively? Did they wake up from their insanity and leave?'

"Herald! There is something here!" One of the Apostles yelled to Cain.

'Oh, finally?'

"I know." He grinned as his soul energy expanded and moved like black liquid.

Outside the temple was a strange creature. It was layered in black rags and glowed. Behind it were multiple haggard creatures on all fours, they were malnourished and small, with strands of hair littering their smooth heads.

"Ah, so that was why monster hunters came down here. There was a den of ghouls led by a specter. A wraith perhaps?" Cain didn't mind the extra fun, he enjoyed a good fight.

"Strange though, why is a specter leading ghouls?" Darla finished reading from the tablets, she joined Cain and the two apostles.

"Who else, but the residents of the city? Or perhaps the ones who didn't leave. Who knows, they could even be cave divers trapped over the years. Ghouls are born from death, a death from starvation and thirst if not created by any other means. As for the specter, they must've been a path user who died with great hatred." One of the Apostles explained.

Cain laughed, "Who cares, I'll kill them all the same."

Black thick soul energy moved about and split into multiple raven feathers.

Once in the Augmented Stage, the user could change their soul energy into any form for attack, the only difference was the changes made were only in appearance.

For example, Cain could make his soul energy look like flames, but the flames could not burn. Only if their soul was augmented to burn like fire could their soul energy also burn.

Noticing the danger, the Specter let out an ethereal screech and commanded its army of ghouls to attack.

ROAR!

The hordes ascended the stairs to the pantheon, their grayish skin and dirty maws moving faster than any normal man could. But their way was blocked, blocked by feathers.

"Feathers fast as wind, sharper than knives, my soul is potent, and those touched by it will meet their demise."

Cain's words held the power of language within. His words became true.

The feathers flew about like a storm, the ghouls up front getting cut by the pressure coming off the rotating collection of black.

When the storm fully engulfed the ghouls, they were torn apart as their shells were trashed and the souls inside were absorbed.

It was carnage, not a minute passed but Cain dealt with a den of ghouls a group of trained hunters would spend weeks attempting.

'I've reached optimal strength, at long last! Now, where is the Specter?'

SCREECH!

The translucent ghost appeared behind Cain and tried to attack his soul!

As it swiped, the scenery changed. The darkness illuminated by fire became a bright world of red with a burning eye in the sky staring down at it.

"Using a loophole, I can let beings bypass my shell and enter my soul, dragging them here....perfect. This should work on any enemy I find unless their soul is just as strong as mine, but that shouldn't be unless they're one of those Lower Gods themselves." Cain's voice echoed as he found a new way to trap his enemies.

The Specter was estranged, it didn't know what to do.

"Well, now that I have another card, I'll let you die in peace. You also helped me understand how ghosts can exist, Mr. Specter."

Cain manifested out of the ocean of blood below the Specter. He grabbed the creature by the throat and his mouth began to expand.

"To think a denser soul could let you exist long after your demise. However, to do so you needed impurities such as resentment of others, it was how you could connect with the ghouls right? You used their resentment to be born and exist in this plane, like a piece of paper grabbing onto a paperweight."

Struggling within his grasp, the Specter tried to claw its way out from Cain but the latter's soul was so dense it was like trying to hurt a mountain. In the end, Cain's soul sucked in the Specter and devoured it whole.

"R-Raven? Are you okay? The ghost disappeared after touching you." Darla was by his side when Cain opened his eyes.

He grinned, patting Darla's head, "No need to worry, all the enemies are gone. We can now explore freely."