"Alright, let's get started!" Thaumiel chuckled, a mischievous glint flashing in his void-like eyes.
Damien took a deep breath, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves.
He glanced at Thaumiel and asked, "So what kind of body are you going to give me? Just so you know, I don't want anything useless. A Greek god physique would be great,surely that's not too much to ask!"
Thaumiel and Kaelos exchanged quick glances. Kaelos's intense gaze bore down on Damien, causing him to flinch slightly.
With a sigh, Thaumiel shook his head. "Don't worry! I'll give you a physique like nothing you've ever seen before. Trust me; you'll love it!"
Damien's eyes lit up as he nodded eagerly. Yet something about Thaumiel's tone made him uneasy; the grin on Thaumiel's face seemed almost wicked, heightening his anxiety.
"I'm just overthinking it," Damien reassured himself with a pat on the head. "At least this is the least he can do for me,nothing bad will happen!"
"I like your optimism!" Thaumiel replied playfully. "But before I grant you your new body, there's one more thing for you to do!" He didn't wait for Damien to respond as he continued.
"What is it?" Damien asked, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Thaumiel tilted his head with a smile. "You need to choose your divine abilities!"
"Divine abilities?" At first confused, Damien's eyes widened with excitement. "You mean I get to choose my own divine abilities?"
"Yes," Thaumiel confirmed with a nod. "Every god in the Celestial Pantheon who selects their Apostles must provide them with nine divine abilities. These abilities are essential for an Apostle's growth and strength; they set Apostles apart from ordinary beings!"
"That sounds amazing! I wonder what incredible powers I can get!" Damien grinned up at Thaumiel. "I want something badass and OP!"
Looking at Damien's eager expression, Thaumiel shook his head gently. "Well, I'm not the one who decides which 'badass' or 'OP' abilities you'll receive."
"Huh?" Confused again, Damien asked, "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that you'll have to draw from something akin to a lottery," said Thaumiel with an exaggerated grimace when mentioning Damien's luck. "Given your track record of terrible luck in your previous life, I'm not even sure you'll end up with anything good."
Before Damien could respond, Thaumiel continued complainingly, "Why did I even choose you? Your luck is simply disgusting! Even my old buddy,the God of Misfortune, has better luck than you! You should have been his Apostle instead of mine; I'm starting to regret this decision entirely. What an unlucky ant"
"Ahem...! My liege!" Kaelos's soft cough interrupted Thaumiel's complaints.
Damien's eyes widened as he looked up at Thaumiel, who towered over him with a bitter expression.
Thaumiel's words cut deep, twisting Damien's soul; it was hard to feel okay when someone spoke about his luck with such disdain. The disgust on Thaumiel's face only intensified the sting.
He felt his lips twitching, fighting the urge to pounce on Thaumiel and beat him senseless. But then he remembered who stood before him and simply sighed, shaking his head.
"Forget that he's a god. What can I do? I might get slapped out of existence if I try anything," Damien said, waving his hand in resignation.
Thaumiel didn't care about Damien's thoughts. He maintained that infuriating grin as he said, "Alright then, it's time to choose your divine abilities!"
Instantly, Damien sat up straight, his expression turning serious as he focused on Thaumiel.
Thaumiel raised a finger and swiped it through the air in front of him. A tearing sound echoed like cloth ripping as space cracked open in a single line, faint spiderweb-like cracks appearing around them.
Awe filled Damien's eyes as he watched the spectacle unfold; witnessing such power was mesmerizing,after all, how often does one meet a god performing feats like this?
The crack widened several meters as Thaumiel stretched out his muscular arm into the rift for just a moment before pulling out an enormous lottery wheel-like object.
The wheel was entirely black and massive; standing before it made Damien feel like an ant. He couldn't even guess what materials were used to create such a thing,it radiated a chaotic aura.
The wheel was divided into thousands of sections like those found on traditional lottery wheels, each inscribed with purple letters. It floated silently before him like an imposing stone deity, exuding an oppressive presence.
Although the words written on the thousands of sections was small but somehow he can see them. He wasn't particularly shocked after all this might be one of Thaumiel's power.
Damien stared in awe at this colossal object, awe coursing through him. He quickly regained his composure and glanced at Thaumiel, who stood beside him with hands clasped behind his back and a smile on his face.
"So what do I do now?" Damien asked.
"It's simple: you're going to spin this wheel nine times! Each time you spin it will grant you one ability until we reach the ninth!" Thaumiel replied cheerfully.
Damien exchanged glances between Thaumiel and the gigantic wheel before lowering his head in silence. He felt utterly speechless.
"How...?" he began but was swiftly interrupted by Thaumiel.
"Just place your hand on the wheel; it'll spin automatically! You just need to say 'stop' when you want it to halt. Do this nine times!" Thaumiel rolled his void-like eyes at him.
"Sigh...thank goodness!" Damien exhaled, relief washing over him as he slowly approached the wheel.
Standing beneath it, he felt as small as an ant. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on the wheel.
In an instant, it illuminated with a soft purple glow and emitted a faint rumble. It began to spin slowly at first, but then quickly accelerated to an alarming speed.
The purple light swirled around him like a portal opening up, making Damien feel dizzy just watching it.
"Stop!" he called out softly, and the wheel came to an abrupt halt not gradually like other wheels do,just a single, sudden stop.
The stone pointer landed on one of the words inscribed in a tiny section of the wheel, which lit up with purple light.
"Continue!" Thaumiel's voice floated from behind him.
Nodding in agreement, Damien placed his hand back on the wheel. It spun again at the same breakneck pace as before.
"Stop!" After some time had passed, he shouted once more. The wheel halted again, landing on another tiny label that glowed with purple light.
Once again, Damien placed his hand on the wheel and repeated the process: "Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!"
For several minutes, Damien kept spinning the wheel while his divine abilities were being chosen.
What he didn't realize was that both Thaumiel and Kaelos stood behind him in shock. Even Thaumiel,a Primordial God who had witnessed countless cosmic events, couldn't hide his astonishment from showing in his void-like eyes.
They exchanged glances every time the pointer settled on a divine ability.
"My liege," Kaelos whispered softly to Thaumiel, "are you sure his luck is disgusting? He's simply acquiring all of your innate abilities!"
Thaumiel remained silent for a moment; his gaze was fixed on Damien's back, flickering with unspoken thoughts until finally a knowing smile crept onto his face.
"Stop!"
The last divine ability was selected. Damien turned around to face Thaumiel with nine faintly glowing purple words illuminating behind him.
"So how did I do? What are my divine abilities?" he asked eagerly.
Thaumiel smiled and replied, "I must say your luck is quite extraordinary; even I'm taken aback."
Shaking his head slightly, he continued: "Your Nine Divine Abilities are:
Eyes Of Chaos And Destruction
Abyssal Genesis
Nihilic Domain
Calamity Heart
Ruinborn Ascendancy
Voidwalker's Transcendence
Cataclysm Chant
Oblivion Chains
Singularity Crown."
"Wow!" Awe lit up Damien's eyes. Just by their names alone, he could tell these abilities were formidable and impressive.