Backtrack

'Rescue my family?'

'Are they still alive or is the system trying to lure me back to the three kings?' He thought as he was lifting his body up and immediately some powerful pressure pulled him to the ground.

His body was now back to physical form. The blinding light had dissipated and his new arm was much heavier than ever. It was somewhat bearable as he was in spirit form but now that he was in physical form, the weighty hand was just too much.

Immediately he came to a disappointing realization that he was a bit overpowered by the spiritual form. That meant that he might not teleport for long distances and he won't use the ability as often as he did in spiritual form. That also applied for the bow. Ten arrows were his maximum but he feared maybe four or five would be the maximum number of pulls he would manage in physical form.

Frustrated and disappointed, he sat down and rested the heavy hand on the ground and engrossed himself into museful thoughts.

He wanted to keep as much distance from Oakland as possible but now with a new revelation about his family, he had to go back. It was just like when he descended down his family castle and later descended back up another castle.

He pondered a bit about the likelihood of his family's survival. However he knew the system would not lie to him. It wouldn't lead him to believe that they were alive when they were dead. If the system instructs him to rescue them then they were alive somewhere and the system knew he had a chance to save them. No matter how slim the chance was, there was a possibility that he might save them. That's all he needed. He just had to be careful and extremely cautious.

There was also something he wanted in the kingdom of Oakland. He wanted to impart from the remains of Samson. At first he was scared out of wits to go back to the land of the three kings. That was why he had decided to venture north of the mountain of Zion. But now with a new personal mission, he was forced to go back because his family meant everything and more to him. He was still petrified to go back though but his firmness of purpose and resolution outweighed any other emotion. He had to do anything in his power to save them. He was their only hope.

The cherubim was still 700 points away from awakening and there was no way he could reach those points in time before they were sacrificed. He didn't even know how he was supposed to get those points. So there was only one option on the table. For him to have a good chance of saving them, he had to find the remains of Samson first and impart himself with the strength of the lengendary warrior.

This mission had no time lapse but he perceived that time was of the essence. They were obviously treated harshly and abused by the pagans. They were tortured both physically and emotionally from so he had to save them as soon as possible.

He was immersed in thoughts so much that his keen nostrils couldn't smell the burning steak he was roasting over a fire. The burning smell had been wafting through the air for a while now but somehow he couldn't smell it with his enhanced sentience.

It was just like when he was having a premonition about the war and his senses were completely numbed that he couldn't hear the collapsing castle. By the time he noticed the meat, it was already in flames.

Jumping towards the fire, he tried to rescue one of the flame engulfed steak but there was little he could do. The meat was burnt and extremely charred. It was just as black as the lightless cave. And unfortunately it was the last of the meat that he had collected from the group of men's provisions. He had roasted it all at one go, to have a feast fit for a king.

Cursing under his breath, he began to think of ways to hunt. The bow was too tough for him to pull and he wasn't sure if he wanted to eat anything killed by the soul damaging arrow. Summoning the dagger, he went to a small tree and cut a branch. He then carved thin arrows.

A while later, he summoned the Orion's bow. Loading the bow with the wooden arrow, he pulled with all his might and surprisingly the bow stretched as far back as possible with ease. It was just as he had thought. He can use mundane arrows on the bow and since they are not powerful, the bow also becomes lighter.

Happy with the result, he scoured through the mountain in search of any animal he could find. He didn't want to wander off too far because the hand was unbearably heavy. It was like it weighed a ton or two.

Before long he saw mountain quails. Stalking in ambush, he managed to close the distance for a perfect shot. His heavy hand pulled the bow without much effort and immediately as he let go, the arrow blasted through the air with frightening speed.

Oblivious to the danger looming in the shadows, the quails continued foraging. A second later, feathers flew in all directions as one of the quails was pinned to a tree by the mundane arrow. It's flock fled but not too far. An hour later he had slain half a dozen of quails.

Making sure they don't burn this time, Kodesh watched over the roasting quails with a hawk's eye. The delicious aroma was wafting through the air making him salivate. He had not eaten anything since the figs he had the day prior.

An eternity later he was devouring them with the pieces of bread left by the dead men. One roasted quail after another he chomped them down vigorously until there was only two left. Though he wanted to wolf down the remaining ones, his stomach begged for mercy. It was full to the brim.

Washing down the meal with water, he rested by the shelter. The night was already upon the sacred mountain and he collected some more firewood and searched the corpses for any valuables. He found some few coins in some of the men and he also stripped some of them of their clothes.

Soon the sun descended on the horizon and the light of day was substituted by darkness. Sitting silently by the fire, he pondered for a while about his family until his eyes began to leaden with sleep and before long he was dosing off.

As the sun rose in its majesty and showered the desecrated mountain with bright light, he readied himself for a long journey back the way he came.

After eating leftover quails, he paid his respects to Moses, the servant of the Most High. Moments later he he walked out of the cave a different man. His demeanor was somewhat different. Like he was ready to take on the world.

Kodesh descended down the mountain. He had with him eight mundane arrows resting on a makeshift quiver and soon he reached the monument of the mountain. He was not the same boy he was the last time he was at the monument. It even seemed like a lifetime ago but it was only a day prior.

He was weak, desperate and petrified but now he was, strong, brave and determined. He was now a man not a scared boy he was a day before.

Caressing the stone monument with his new right hand that the sacred mountain had gifted him out of blinding white light, he cast one last look at the tall and magnificent mountain.

Turning his back on it, he trarversed the wilderness towards the south. He had with him two skins of water to last him two days. He also had three loafs of bread. What he didn't have was meat. But with his long white bow, he knew he was bound to kill something along the tedious journey.

With that he pondered about a few things. There was something he noticed in his system at the very bottom of the block prints.

[EXPLORE THE SPIRITUAL REALM] [ACCEPT] [EXPLORE LATER]

The Seer had told him stories about the spiritual realm. It is a perilously and precariously dangerous world. Only a few come out it alive. And fewer still come out with their minds still sane. The seven ranks of demonic entities dwell there, ruling the physical world from their strongholds.

Some demonic entities reside on earth, though their powers are only a fraction of their spiritual counterparts. They rely on blood sacrifice to sustain those powers and grow in strength. One of these entities is the pagan god of Oakland. The one lending them the terrifying power that Kodesh had a premonition of.

In the spiritual realm there are thousands upon thousands of such entities wielding even more power than the pagan god of Oakland. And their powers are not as limited like on earth.

Kodesh knew he was going to have to venture into the spiritual realm. He had a feeling that to reach 700 points, he would have to kill these entities. He just needed a push to go there. The very kind of push that had him going back south.

He was now going back to the lion's den because the system gave him a push, a mission to save his family. So he knew someday he will willingly or unwillingly press [accept]

The journey was long and harsh. The sun was as scorching as the red coals that charred the steak last night. And today he was the steak.

A while later as he was traversing his way back to the lion's den, he noticed how the divine sensory aspect had sharpened his sentience. He didn't only sense humans, he could sense even animals too. And it proved useful because before long, he caught a scent of a wild game. He had hunted a lot growing up so he knew that smell all too well.

A while later, he saw the fresh tracks imprinted onto the dry ground and gleaned that it was gazelle. Silently tracking the unsuspecting game, he inched closer and closer like a skilled predator, honed by countless failures. He didn't make even the slightest of sound, he was in his element like a prolific huntsman.

He is the greatest venerer in all the earth. Well at least according to him.

With his enhanced senses, he narrowed the distance and summoned the long white bow. The Orion's bow immediately manifested in front of him.

Taking out a wooden earh from the quiver, he closed the spatial distance even more. He could have easily reached the spitting distance, judging by how stealthy he was.

Nonetheless, he decided to take a shot at about 30 yards away from the merrily foraging gazelle. It couldn't smell the scent of death approaching.

Raising up the bow, he took a long deep sigh and locked his gaze on the wild game. Oblivious to the danger stalking in the cover of the very grass it was fattening itself with, Kodesh pulled the earh. He could already envision it roasting slowly over red hot coals, it's juicy aroma permeating the calm, fresh air of the wilderness.

"Yummy."

Almost instantly the gazelle leapt into the air and bolted out of sight, it's elongated neck protruding above the tall grass.

He had inadvertently said 'yummy' out loud and the gazelle didn't wait for a second invitation. Immediately it broke into a gallop, its legs springing further away from Kodesh by the second.

He got lost in his thoughts that he made a stupid mistake. So much for the great venerer of all the earth.

He was enraged and exasperated to the point of screaming his lungs out. Somehow though, he managed to keep his cool but his nostrils did not. They immediately flared and his brows furrowed in resentment.

Even with his razor-sharp senses, he still failed. What a shame.

But even the most prolific of predators fail sometimes… right?

'I'm going to kill that extended necked creature.'

Nothing could ever make him feel better. He is somewhat moody so there was only one thing that was going to make him feel better. Killing that stupid wild game.