Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

"The Inner-City Gate leads to a place called the Sea of Desolation. Most Olympians know the place by another name: the Infinite Dungeon. While Flesh-Sanctification cultivators and the occasional Bone-Forging cultivator explore the Sea of Desolation, we demigods stand guard around our outpost in the debris field, the Inner City, and Pandora to defend against other demigods that think to encroach on our territory.

"It makes you wonder how great we once were. Humanity grows with every passing day by salving from the ruins of ancient civilization. Once upon a time, we cultivators sanctified our flesh by gaining the favor of the gods. Now, we can only grow by finding scant fragments of those beings we once worshiped.

It was a lot to take in, but Sorin wasn't one to let the wonder of this sight blind him. "Why did you wish to show me this, Grand Elder? I'm sure I would have discovered much of what you told me in time, but I have a feeling that much of what you just said is restricted knowledge." He knew this to be the case because he felt a clear and telling headache. Historical Amnesia wanted him to forget something.

"The fact that you didn't pass out immediately is encouraging," said the Grand Elder. "Few are so resistant to Historical Amnesia below the Demigod level. Despite your low ranking on the God Seed Achievement Stele, your progress in your divine mission can't be low. This gives me hope. Hope that one of you can succeed."

"Succeed?" asked Sorin. "I'm not sure which matter the Grand Elder thinks so highly of."

The Grand Elder gave him a searching look. "As God Seed of Asclepius, I thought the answer would be obvious to you."

Sorin frowned but took the Grand Elder's words as permission to inspect him. Though only a three-star God Seed, it wasn't impossible for him to treat or at least analyze a demigod.

Surprisingly, discovering exactly what the Grand Elder was hinting at wasn't difficult. "You're dying," said Sorin. "Your body can't contain your divinity and is slowly degenerating. If you don't exert yourself, you might live a hundred years, but if you do exert yourself, you might not live to see the next moon."

The Grand Elder nodded. "My condition was already bad, but five years ago, I suffered a grievous injury. Our medical mannequins also began to malfunction, though fortunately, they've recovered somewhat over the past five years.

"Since the timing coincided with Delphi's Shrine Descent, I had Elder Claudius investigate and discovered that my injury was a result of damage to the Ancient Temple of Asclepius. Something happened down there, Sorin. Something that harmed our entire bloodline.

"My theory is that this would have devastated our entire bloodline. My injury wasn't the result of a direct attack, but rather a result of my instinctive reaction in absorbing all negative consequences from the event to prevent the worst from happening."

Sorin frowned. "Why are you telling me this, Grand Elder? Shouldn't such matters be kept secret?"

"I am telling you this to give you pressure, Sorin Abberjay Kepler," said the Grand Elder. "I thought we had more time, but now, it's become clear that the Kepler Clan will soon have no demigod to support it.

"This isn't just a safety concern—it relates to our bloodline. Somehow, our connections to the Temple of Asclepius have been reduced to nothing, and now, only two individuals are supporting our entire bloodline: me, a wounded demigod, and you, our clan's God Seed.

"If nothing is done and I inevitably perish from this world, our bloodline will begin to decay. Every generation will become progressively weaker until, finally, three to five generations from now, not a single trace of our bloodline will remain.

"This is something that must be prevented at all costs. Not just for our clan, but for humanity as a whole."

Only now did Sorin realize the severity of the situation. I thought Asclepius's departure would only affect me. Now, it seems it also concerns my ten thousand clan members. "I take it there is a way to resolve the situation?"

"There are three ways," said the Grand Elder, holding up three gnarled fingers. "The first way is naturally to extend my lifespan. Should you find a Thousand-Leaf Life Enhancement Flower or Four-Star Life Nurturing water, you are to bring it to the family at all costs. I promise that the rewards will not be lacking.

"The second way is for the clan to produce a demigod. Fineas is currently the most likely to achieve this. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I lack confidence in you; it's that the clan has never produced a demigod-level God Seed. The clans that can are few and far between.

"I know you and Fineas have your disagreements, and the same goes for Reeves. That is why I request that you avoid killing Fineas. Teaching him a lesson is fine, but killing him is out of the question." There was no mention of Reeves, implying that killing Reeves was still on the table.

"I'll consider your request," said Sorin. "But just so you know, he's already out there causing trouble for me. If he crosses my bottom line, I won't hesitate to act."

"I understand," said the Grand Elder. "This leads me to the third option: for you to break through and become a demigod. This is the preferred option since you, as the God Seed of Asclepius, are the closest thing our clan has to an ancestor. You might not know this, Sorin, but shortly after I suffered that injury, I became the recipient of a large amount of divine energy that saved my life. The source of this divine energy was none other than your breakthrough.

"The God Seeds of each clan aren't just useful because of their ability to unearth hidden inheritances. Their progress rejuvenates and improves the clan as a whole. Just as your presence increases the performance of our apothecaries and physicians, your breakthrough to the Flesh-Sanctification Relam has increased the chances of our clansmen breaking through to the Flesh-Sanctification Realm several-fold."

The Grand Elder sighed. "If only God Seed weren't such short-lived individuals. Their divine missions aren't easy, and their presence naturally attracts danger and conflict."

It was now clear to Sorin why the council had treated him fairly and why Delphi had refrained from causing him trouble after he'd revealed his status. "The support you've been providing me—that you provided me even before my status was revealed. It's because you suspected all along that I was a God Seed."

"I am not a kind individual, Sorin," said the Grand Elder. "I have done many terrible things. But I do consider the bigger picture. Killing you off would have stabilized the clan, but it would have eliminated the small chance that you bloomed as a God Seed. As the most direct member of the Abberjay branch, your chances of doing so were much higher than any other clan member.

"The actions of certain family members that took matters into their own hands and crippled your cultivation angered me greatly. You'd lost most of your value and your potential, and I considered discarding you, but then I remembered that God Seeds are often produced through adversity, which is why I sent you to the Bloodwood Outpost under the guise of exile.

"That's all to say that everything I do—everything I have ever done— is for the good of the family. Even if you don't manage to become a demigod, you'll aid the family immensely, which is why I have issued strict orders that you be treated fairly and that no attempts are made on your life. I know they'll eventually find a way around it, but it will give you time. Time and pressure to grow."

He then pointed down at Mount Olympus, and for the first time, Sorin noticed five lights. They were gold and tinged with white, and it was thanks to their presence that the landmass known as Pandora remained stable and was even growing with time.

"They are the end goal. I know it's unlikely to happen in my lifetime, but it is my wish that one day, our Kepler Clan produces a deity. Only in this way will our clan's potential be fully unleashed and our status as the vital helpers of humanity be set in stone.

Sorin wasn't sure what to say. His actions in Delphi and the support Asclepius had lent him had tossed the Kepler Clan into the ocean. He knew that there would be no more God Seeds of Asclepius after him. If he failed, the Kepler Clan would vanish with him.

"I'll do what I can," Sorin finally said.

"And I will support you how I can," said the Grand Elder. "I have asked you a favor by asking you to spare Fineas. A favor I will return by finding you a teacher. You are woefully incompetent in fighting at the Flesh-Sanctification level, and few are suitable for correcting your bad habits.

"As for Reeves, don't worry about him. I'll keep him in line to make up the balance. You have my word. Now wake up! You've already surprised me greatly by enduring for so long, but keeping your body separate from your spirit for so long is pushing things."

"Wait, you're saying my body—"

An intense feeling of vertigo overcame Sorin as he came crashing down towards Mount Olympus and the Pandora Continent.