The darkness was as impregnable as it was suffocating.
It was the subtle pressure around them that rang alarm bells in Kyle.
'We have been taught this before. Just use your divine power.' Alas, it was easier said than done.
He gritted his teeth, his heart pounding in his ears as he flexed his muscles.
Kyle lifted his hands to his face yet he still couldn't see anything, not even the rough outline of the limb.
The faint groan of the other four informed him that it was a collective experience.
"This darkness is the product of a mere tier zero artifact that seeks to blind everyone within its range." Sacred Sound's voice echoed from all sides in the darkness.
"The normal way to leave this trap is to exit its range but that's not what we're here for." A cold breath fanned down Kyle's neck, and he snapped his head to the side. The darkness was the same, yet it felt thicker than before.
A faint light pierced through the black, and Kyle shut his eyes to spare his retinas. 'What the hell? I can see?'
The light died down just as quickly as it had appeared yet Kyle was already following it.
Something about the darkness unnerved him and he would take the chance to leave it.
Just as he started, Sacred Sound spoke, "And I would advise you not to follow any lights you might see. It could be one of you… or something else."
Kyle froze and turned away from where the light had been. Tales of frightening enigmas related to the presence of the divine weren't rare.
'I just need to focus on using my power.' He repeated over and over again yet it did nothing to ease his problem.
"Pray. Most people forget that we owe our power to the gods. Pray to them. Have faith and praise them. They might not answer yet know that they are heard." The tip made Kyle hesitate.
He hated the gods. Hated them beyond all reasonable measure.
The thought of their sadistic cruelty made him grit his teeth. Why did they have to play with humans if they were so perfect?
Yet even if they weren't missing, he could do nothing to them for they were omnipotent, infinitely omniscient, and everlasting in existence.
He winced as a soft light built around his hands allowing him to see them.
A smile beamed on his face.
'I am using the power of the gods.'
The gods!!
The scenery collapsed, thrusting him into a memory he had spent so long trying to suppress.
A younger Kyle stood in front of his mom as she hung motionless from the ceiling with a rope tied around her neck.
Her eyes, which were once the same color as his, now lacked light.
"I… I never should have had you, filthy god-born." Those were the last words she had ever uttered to him.
Kyle gasped and fell to his knees, tears in his eyes.
'I hate the gods! I hate them!! I hate them!!!'
The darkness receded and vanished altogether.
Cool air slammed into Kyle and sent a shiver down his spine.
Sacred Sound stood a few meters away from him, staring intently with her eyebrows furrowed.
Kyle cleared his throat and stood.
He let out an awkward smile at their curious glances.
Either ignoring him or thinking nothing of it, Sacred Sound walked to the stage.
The five of them filed neatly behind her, marching uniformly.
Once on the stage, a hidden trapdoor opened up and she climbed in. Kyle stood by and let the others enter before him.
When he was the last, he inhaled and entered, closing the door behind him.
The trapdoor led to a large tunnel leading to only one other door at the end of the make-shift corridor.
They walked in silence, but Kyle was stuck in his mind: 'Did anyone notice anything?'
He sincerely hoped he hadn't said anything incriminating aloud because that was, by law, considered treason.
All of a sudden, he regretted sharing with Kevin the opinion of the gods.
'I doubt he'd say anything. I've known him for almost a year, and he'll keep it to himself.'
For some reason, he still couldn't shake off the feeling of imposing dread.
They soon stopped in front of the metal door and Sacred Sound pushed it open, allowing them file in.
The room beyond the door was pure white and covered in tiles, a high contrast with the dark rocky tunnel they had come from.
It was filled with various devices. Some mundane and other artifacts.
Particularly the most noticeable of the former was a giant capsule by one of the walls surrounded by one of the busy people in the room.
White coats streaked by as they watched in silence.
A rather short, stocky man walked to them and stretched out a hand to Sacred Sound.
She glared at it and he pulled his hand back and chuckled lightly, wiping the sweat off his face.
He turned to Kyle and the others, "I am Dr. Ezio. I'm in charge of a large part of our kingdom's testing and facilitations for demi-gods and Nephilim alike."
Dr. Ezio pointed at the capsule with his head, "That is a purity assessment tank. It scans how much of your blood is divine and its purity."
The capsule was made completely out of transparent glass and seemed very fragile.
Dr. Ezio pointed at Kyle, *You first, number 078, head in there."
Kyle nodded and walked to it. The glass split down the middle and opened, hissing as it let out pressurized gas.
The inside smelled even more sterile and was freezing compared to the outside.
Dr. Ezio nodded and the glass closed. The capsule hummed and a sharp jolt ran through Kyle.
'What is going on?'
He looked at those outside the capsule and saw that Dr. Ezio was gesticulating, clearly explaining something to them.
Everything was perfect. Almost.
The door to the room slammed open, and two men in shimmering golden armour walked in, holding a rapier and a lance respectively.
Sacred Sound turned to them, her voice clearly audible, "Why are you here?"
The two men bowed, and one spoke up, "We have received information regarding the slander of our ethics. A blasphemer."
Kyle's heart dropped and the two men turned to him.