Lowly Ascent

Life went on, and a decade passed. The Kingdom and Empire had their yearly wars, but neither side ever overpowered the other.

The only real change could be said to be the rise of a city in the south, as well as a specific religion becoming prominent in Netherane. In the south, a massive city was dubbed the 3rd greatest city in Netherane, taking Peoria's place.

However, what was more surprising was the city of Salazar becoming second, and the city of Carc becoming first!

In the past decade, Carc had become a hub in the West. It was a city that continued expanding as the ruins across the river were rebuilt, and the city continued to drastically increase in size.

It was commonly compared to the City of the Dead, previously known as Free City.

From what was known, a mysterious event happened in Carc 7 years ago, a religion came out of thin air and spread like wildfire.

Advocating the will of their god, they told of a prophecy of his rise and the destruction of Netherane, and only God's believers could be saved. The kicker was the church spent an excessive amount of money to improve the quality of life wherever a believer may be, even if it was a single person!

Churches popped up in every city in Netherane, as the religion gave food to the poor and took in the homeless. It became a place no power could touch without facing the people's wrath.

No one knew the truth except a small few, like the well-informed or doubters in power like the royal families.

The truth of the matter was that this religion was one that worshipped Cain, and his syndicate was its center. Under Cain's orders, the syndicate came to light under the name of 'The Church of Pestilence'.

With the strongest powers doing nothing in light of this threat, Cain was able to reach his hands into every part of Netherane.

But Cain was never present in this past decade; no, he spent his time completing his research and perfecting his craft.

Cain had broken through to grade 4 because of such research. He was even about to complete his body, combining every virus he worked on to create his ascension to true 'godhood' in his people's eyes.

He additionally made a breakthrough with the Zimo virus that had a surprising effect, though he wouldn't be adding it to the serum, instead, its role was to be used in Netherane's destruction.

In these recent years, he was able to unlock the consuming virus's secrets. But what he discovered only led to more questions.

When he finally understood its secrets, Cain realized that this virus was only a branch of a core, a core he didn't know where to find.

Most of the Virus's code seemed to be incomplete, like a puzzle needing a key. 

But this didn't mean Cain failed in his endeavors; no, it was the opposite. He would not only gain complete balance with this evolution but he would become immune to anything that would negatively affect his body. Viruses and pathogens alike would only fuel him as he became immune to all and turned poison into medicine.

Over the years he also selectively 'bred' the viruses used in the serum, making them 100% compatible with his DNA which was thought to be impossible, and boosting their capabilities to another level.

Cain had long perfected his craft and became a master of control and understanding.

The madman even had his personal servants leave updated information outside his door so he could always stay informed of the changes in diseases and the world around him.

It took up many resources, yet it was acceptable because the other plague doctors had access to this information as well.

These 10 years were extremely hard for Cain. For the sake of his research, he had to torture himself, not quenching his bloodthirsty mental defect, which caused him many painful nights.

But it was all for this moment; after this, he could roam free and break the chains that bound him to this realm! Cain picked up the serum he had created with sparkling eyes.

He looked at it with love. Ten years of work were finally completed.

Closing his eyes, he felt the microorganisms around him as he swept them away to not interfere with his ascension.

Cain reached enlightenment when he finally understood the consuming virus. He felt like he was given a tiny string. It allowed himself to control the microorganisms around him to a simple degree, being able to push or pull.

It was progress, and it would prove useful now when Cain needed zero interruptions and impurity in the process.

He focused on the vial as he put a drop of his blood inside; the liquid soon boiled and turned into mist.

Drifting towards him, Cain began to boil his body, and his arm fell apart into a pool of blood and then also turned to mist. The other parts of his body did the same as the mist from the vial fused with these parts.

A scene of destruction and creation was commencing as Cain didn't scream in agony at his body turning into liquid and then gas.

Every part of his body was melted and reconstructed over and over; Cain was in a state of constant harrowing pain.

He simply focused as his state of consciousness went and came too, as his sense of self was diluted throughout his body.

He was like steel being tempered and quenched over and over. It was not until the early morning that he stopped and opened his eyes.

Cain ran to the nearest mirror to check himself. He saw his skin was white and holy, his eyes burned red like the blood-red moon, and his hair was long and black as night with a glow of something more. He emanated a refined and all-mighty aura; even looking in the mirror, Cain felt like he should bow his head.

He was now something more, not mortal but not an all-powerful god! His body had no imperfections and it was lean with muscle, he had acquired his perfect body!

Smiling, Cain finally had the power to face anyone in all of Netherane. It was an astounding achievement!

All that he had to do now was uncover a few more secrets, and he could finally end this game between him and Numineer.

Finally, he would break free from the seed that the tree had planted and uproot Numineer from the earth for all to see!