2. Shadows Training

In the depths of Benjamine' soul, a series of explosions litter the vast space as Benjamine and Shadow fight in an intense one on one battle.

"You've come a long way since we first met at the academy. Unfortunately, I'm still much stronger than you. Primordial Orb!"

A powerful orb of dark energy homes in on Benjamine.

"If that's true, then why do you still reside within me? Paladins Shield!"

The orb slams against Benjamine' shield causing an explosion so powerful, it sends Benjamine flying backwards but uninjured. He manages to stop his momentum, but it takes a big toll on his body. He's breathing is heavy, his body still shakes from the force of the impact.

"HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP HOLDING YOURSELF BACK!?!? You will never stand a chance against the higher gods if you're too scared to unleash your birthright powers."

Shadow starts gathering a massive amount of dark energy and concentrates all of it into an orb the size of a stone.

"If you can't stop this attack, then all the hope I had for you was for nothing. This is goodbye, Paladin. Primordial Extinction."

He sends the orb flying towards a weak Benjamine. All Benjamine can do is watch helplessly as the orb gets closer. He closes his eyes and accepts his fate.

"Guess I wasn't that special after all. It was great while it lasted. Mom, dad, I'll be seeing you soon enough."

"Is this really what the son of a Bloodgrave would do when faced with a hopeless situation? We don't recall raising a son to give up the moment he's overpowered by the enemy. REMEMBER WHAT BLOODLINE YOU COME FROM AND USE THAT POWER FREELY TO DESTROY YOUR ENEMIES!"

"It is not your time yet, my beautiful child. You still have much to accomplish. Now, make your father and I proud."

Benjamine smiles to himself.

"Of course, how could I forget about the blood that runs through my veins. Sorry, dad, I will not embarrass the Bloodgrave name anymore."

Benjamine stands up and begins gathering sinister energy, which surprises Shadow.

"What is this pure sinister energy gathering around him? Has he been hiding this from me the whole time?"

Benjamine opens his eyes and looks at Shadow with a sinister smile.

"Time to show you the extent of a Bloodgraves power, primordial."

Benjamine sticks out his hand and stops the orb mid-flight before absorbing its energy. Shadow begins to panic as he watches this scene unfold before his eye's. When he has absorbed the attack, a powerful wind surrounds him making Shadow step back.

"Let's see if you can handle your own attack with my power imbued in it. Soul Judgment!"

A powerful beam shoots out of Benjamine's hand towards Shadow, causing a shockwave of immense proportion to travel throughout his soul. Shadow erects a barrier just before impact, but the blast is so powerful, his barrier starts cracking.

"Impossible. I understand he's special among humans, but how can he have power that rivals a primordial such as myself? I severely underestimated his resolve and prowess, now I will pay the price for it. Mind you, losing to someone like him doesn't seem too bad anymore."

Benjamine puts everything he has into the attack which increases it's power, causing Shadows barrier to crack even more.

"It's time for you to taste defeat at the hands of a human, Shadow!"

The barrier breaks and the attack hits Shadow, causing an explosion so powerful, it shakes both the Divine Realm and the Living Realm. After the intense fight, Benjamine falls down exhausted after his battle with Shadow.

"I did it, mom, dad. I brought pride to the Bloodgrave family name. Thank you."

He's eye's flutter closed as exhaustion takes over his body.

In the Divine Realm, the shockwave from Benjamin's attack reaches the farthest corners. Many of the gods are frozen in place, unable to even blink. In the high chambers where the ruling gods live, concern spreads through their faces. One of the gods, an elegant lady dressed in the finest silk with long white hair, and olive skin raises her voice, it is deep and covered in confidence.

"Fellow gods do not be alarmed by this abnormality, it originated from the Prison Realm, it could just be a heretic trying to escape or vent their frustration. Please pay it no mind."

The other gods return to their stations and continue with their work. The goddess who had spoken earlier approaches the chief god and whispers in his ear.

"Sorry if I was out of line, but I believed it best to lie to the others, so their scars of that battle don't reappear. That was no ordinary heretic, was it, father?"

"You are right Serin, it was Him. I will never forget that sinister aura. It doesn't matter though, there has never been a single being to breakthrough the Prison Realm."

With that, Serin bows and returns to her chambers, leaving her father contemplating.

In the Living Realm, the human city of Erib, a small city surrounded by lush green pastures, a forest as far as the eye can see, and the agricultural capital of the Spes Kingdom is struck by a tremendous earthquake. The people begin to panic when the buildings start breaking, and the city wall cracks. The city guards try and calm the residents, but their attempts are ignored. As the panic spreads throughout the city, a loud voice booms out reaching its farthest corners.

"People of Erib, we are currently experiencing an earthquake, our watchers have confirmed it is not a siege. Let us take this time to ask the Earth Mother to still her breath."

The people stop and fall on their knees as they prey to the Earth Mother, asking her to still her breath. After what feels like hours, the rumbling stops and the people of Erib rejoice with praise to the Earth Mother and their king. After a week, when everything has calmed down, rebuilding and repairing of the city gets underway, all the residents help where they can. The castle of Erib overshadows the city with its tall and intricate design, built out of the best materials from the surrounding area. Inside the king's hall, the doors burst open as a man wearing a tattered brown dress and holding a scroll approaches the king. He is immediately stopped by the king's guards.

"Let him pass, he is one of my scouts."

The guards move back to their places as the scout presents his report to the king. He goes down on one knee as he addresses the king.

"King Eribis, I bring news of a startling discovery. A dungeon has appeared on the farthest outskirts of the forest, it appears to be shaped like a temple. When I entered it, I was pushed back by beasts so mutilated I couldn't recognize them. I do believe this new dungeon holds treasure beyond our wildest dreams, the sooner we can send a party out to explore it, the better."

The king sits on his throne as he makes his decision.

"Very well, I order that a party of our finest warriors be formed to explore the dungeons worth and bring back any treasure they may find."

With that, the scout leaves and the doors close behind him. In the depths of his soul, Benjamine opens his eyes as his energy slowly returns. Still confused, he looks around and sees a figure watching over him.

"Mom. Is that you?"

He stretches his hand out, only for it to be smacked away.

"Oh please! If you're going to confuse me that badly, I would recommend you find yourself another primordial."

"Oh, it's just you Shadow. What happened?"

"You defeated me, is what happened. I'm still trying to understand how it was possible."

"YES!!! I beat you; it was about time too. How long have I been asleep?"

"Impossible to tell, but I will say our fight had an effect in the living realm. It caused a new dungeon to appear and now the humans are getting ready to explore it."

That sounds fun. I really wish I could do it again, but I'm stuck here for eternity."

"That would be the case if your physical body didn't appear. But your physical body has appeared in the depths of the dungeon. If you don't believe me, look for yourself."

Benjamine follows Shadow and sees his body chained up to pillars in a room with ancient script.

"You couldn't have woken me up sooner and told me about this?"

Shadow looks at Benjamine and shrugs. Without another word, Benjamine returns to his physical body, but Shadow stops him.

"I'm not here to stop you, I want to warn you. With the fights we had in your soul, your physical strength will be much greater than two thousand years ago. Be sure to not alert the gods to your presence yet. Learn about how the world has changed and understand it so you have a better chance of beating the gods."

"Thank you, Shadow, that was my plan from the beginning. I'll remember your warning."

Benjamine returns to his body with a smile as a bright light full of warmth and hope envelopes him. Shadow watches him fade and whispers under his breath.

"This time, we will see our revenge through and none of those bastards will be able to stop us."

Benjamine hears Shadows remark just before he disappears. A smile crosses his face.

"Don't worry, Shadow. This time round I will use any means necessary to exact our revenge and annihilate the gods once and for all."

Shadow smiles after hearing Benjamine's remark and vanishes into a dark, ominous mist.