In the vast blank of space, thirteen figures clad in armor made from sophisticated godsteel, hovered silently.
They floated in a ring formation and at the center of their circle was another figure, who was unconscious and floated motionlessly at their feet, as though he was dead.
This figure's dark hair drifted like smoke in zero gravity, his own armor had multiple cracks and some parts of his body were singed. There was a twitch soon after, the dead god's fingers curled slowly, and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. His shredded skin began to reknit, muscle fiber threading itself back together.
One of the thirteen immediately spoke.
"Deal with this quickly."
A golden chalice materialized above the regenerating god's body. It poured light like water, and in a single blinding flash, the void went white.
...
Two Thousand Years Later
The world had changed. Cities were modern. Humans lived in a world of glass towers and smart tech. There were nations. Presidents. Taxes. People still worked 9 to 5 jobs, watched Netflix, and drove Teslas.
The gods themselves no longer ruled directly, as they now lived amongst and integrated with humans. However, they lived like monarchs. Revered, feared, and worshiped; some openly, some quietly. More particularly, there were 13 divine families, each with global reach and absurd influence, with carved territories across the Earth. At the Head of these families, were the Family Leaders.
The only changes to the world wasn't just technology and co-existence with gods. The Prolonged exposure to divine energy gave rise to a new breed known as Visors. Humans born with internal mana, capable of supernatural feats. They weren't gods, but they weren't normal either.
And humans, being humans, did what they always did. They turned it into a sport.
...
The Midnight Circuit: An Undercity Combat Arena | 11:44 PM
Roaring crowds shook the dome and floodlights pulsed red over the pit-like caged arena. People were screaming from tiered seats above and eyes glued to the stage below where blood had already soaked into concrete.
Welcome to the Midnight Circuit; where Visors and engaged in what was known as "Pro-visor wrestling", and only one, mostly walked out. It wasn't supposed to be always be a fight to the death anyway, a simple surrender was okay but unfortunately that wasn't the case most times. Well, pro-visor wrestlers knew the risks and signed off on it appropriately.
"And for the final fight of the night!" the announcer's voice howled through speakers. "In this corner, standing in at 5'10, weighing in at 172 pounds, it's the human battery, the electric eel himself, Liam Velmont!"
There was this lukewarm applause from the crowd. A few laughs. One guy even booed.
Liam stepped into the cage. He was on tight black tracksuit. He had this lean, light-skinned frame. Muscles just enough to show he trained but not enough to intimidate. He ran a hand through his messy dark hair, eyes locked ahead.
"And in the opposite corner!" the announcer continued, voice drenched in hype, "the reigning middleweight champion! The King of Men and Beasts…Yugooo!"
The crowd exploded in reaction to the announcement, which quite frankly contrasted with their reaction the opposite for Liam.
Yugo stomped into the cage like a bear entering a cave. He was six-foot-four with chests like a fridge, face already mutating. His eyes glowed dull-amber as fur crept up his arms. His jaw cracked and widened while fangs split through his gums. Yugo was a transformation type visor with powers that shifted his body parts into those belonging to wild-beasts.
"You're not walking out of here," Yugo said, with a voice so deep and intimidating . "You should've stayed home, eel."
Liam didn't flinch. But inside? He yelled "Fuck"
Still, he held firm. His lightning abilities wasn't flashy, so there were no bolts to hurls, but it was just enough to boost speed and strength. Liam was a combat-type visor whose best lightning moves were nothing more than contact shocks.
The bell rang, signifying the start of the match.
Liam darted in. He struck low with three body shots, and precise strikes, trying to rattle the ribs, but nothing happened. There was no show of pain, not even squeaks.
Yugo grinned and swung once.
Sfx: Boom!.
Liam's body slammed into the cage like a ragdoll with blood flying from his mouth. The crowd roared in excitement, after all this was what they paid for.
Liam staggered to his feet, groaning, bones cracking back into place, but Yugo gave him no time to recover, as he blurred forward; speed of a cheetah, with strength of a gorilla carrying the weight of a charging bull. His punch hit with force enough to plough straight through Liam's chest.
The horned fist burst through the other side, dripping blood. Liam's eyes bulged as blood spewed from his lips while Yugo lifted him off the ground like meat on a skewer and tossed him aside like trash. As cynical as this might be, the crowd loved every bit of it. You could hear it in their cheers and roars.
Liam's body barely moved as the ref rushed in, kneeling by his side. Now, deep in Liam's mind, the void of his subconscious, a dark red holographic panel flickered into view; sharp edges, crisp lines, glowing faintly like embers in the dark.
[System Notification > Quest Complete: Apotheosis Through Death]
Immediately after notification, something pulsed. It was a black heart with it veins glowing crimson. A low laugh echoed through the darkness, followed by a sinister smirk that revealed flashing fangs. A new presence had awakened within Liam.
Back in the Arena..
The referee reached for Liam's wrist to check his pulse. Smoked his from his healed chest, sealed perfectly like the cut had never happened. Before the ref could utter a word, a shockwave burst from Liam's body. Lightning flared and the ref was hurled across the cage like a paper doll. The crowd gasped at the sight of this.
Liam lay on the ground, his face turned to the side, body sparking as his limbs twitched uncontrollably. Blue arcs of electricity crawled along his skin. Then slowly, he rose to his feet, completely restored.
Yugo turned mid-celebration. "What the hell!?", and then charged at Liam, but Liam didn't move. Yugo's monster-sized fist came flying in and then stopped dead. Inches from Liam's face, blocked by a single index finger. Liam looked up, smirking, a sharp fang visible beneath his lip. His irises crackled with lightning.
Yugo blinked—then flew. One fluid roundhouse kick at god-speed sent him crashing through the cage and hurtling into the spectator stands. Seats were shattered. People screamed and ducked for cover. Yugo lay buried in twisted metal and concrete.
There was utter silence in the crowd. Even the announcer dropped his mic.
Liam, breathing softly, stared at his sparking fingers like he didn't recognize them. Finally, the announcer stammered into the mic: "U-Uh… I think… that's a win for Liam Velmont."
The crowd slowly turned. First it was confusion. Then awe. Then deafening cheers.
Liam stumbled. Then collapsed face-first.
...
There was an emergency scene after that. Two ambulances that had two different stretchers pulled out from it.
One held Yugo, barely stable and the other, Liam. His eyes fluttered open briefly as the doors slammed shut and sirens howled into the night.
...
The next morning in a Hospital in Michigan. Liam's eyes opened to the sterile white of hospital's ceiling. it was blurry at first, then clearer. He had Monitors beeped to his side and tubes that tracked vitals attached to him. Beside him, a slender girl stirred. Her head had been resting on her knees then she shot up. "Thank God you're awake!"
Yaela. Liam's sister. Eighteen of age and a First-year law student at Cale University, Detroit.
She ran out to find a doctor. A moment later, the doctor arrived with clipboard in hand, and her white coat fluttering. She flipped through his file.
Liam Velmont. Age: 21. Blood type: O+...
She nodded. "Vitals are stable. No internal damage. You're lucky. These pro-visor wrestling matches… I don't know why you lot take such risks." After a few more minutes, she walked off, muttering.
Yaela then turned to Liam and socked him in the gut.
"OW! What the hell!?" Liam yelled, clutching his side.
Yaela crossed her arms, eyes sharp. "That's for almost dying, you idiot.
"I'm fine. Middleweight champ now, remember?", Liam tried to justify.
Yaela shook her head. "You think I care about your stupid titles?"
They didn't have much. Parents died years ago when they were kids. They did most of their lives at Foster homes and then some point decided to start living by themselves. This led to Liam dropping out of school to do part-time jobs here and there. He eventually got into pro-visor wrestling and so far it handled the bills for Yaela's college. She hated it, but knew why he did it.
She stood. "I'm getting you food."
"Thanks," he said, genuinely.
The door shut and then Liam leaned back to now focus on a glowing red interface hovered in front of him the whole time. No one else seemed to notice and he didn't make a fuss about it either. His sister already had alot to deal with and he was sure that wasn't under the Doctor's scope.
[EVOLUTION SYSTEM – PLAYER: LIAM VELMONT]
Main Class: None
Sub Class: Combatant
Level: 0.1
Authority: None
HP: 100
MP: 150
STA: 200
STATS
• STR: 35 • AGI: 30
• CS: 20 • PRC: 35
• Stat Points Available: None
Skills: None
Inventory: None
⸻
Liam blinked.
"What the hell is this?"