In the vast blank of space, thirteen figures hovered in silence.
They were Armored in sophisticated godsteel as 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, carved territories across the Earth.
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—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. 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… Yugo!"
The crowd exploded.
Yugo stomped into the cage like a bear entering a cave. He was six-foot-four, chest like a fridge, face already mutating. Fur crept up his arms. His jaw cracked wider as fangs split through his gums. His eyes glowed a dull amber. Yugo was a transformation type visor.
"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. It was just enough to boost speed and strength. He was mostly combat type so no big bolts, nor flashy shows; just contact shocks.
The bell rang.
Liam darted in. He struck low: three body shots, and precise strikes, trying to rattle the ribs, but nothing happened. No show of pain, no squeaks even.
Yugo grinned and swung once.
Sfx: Boom!.
Liam's body slammed into the cage like a ragdoll, blood flying from his mouth. The crowd roared. He staggered to his feet, groaning, bones cracking back into place.
Yugo 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 out the other side, dripping red. Liam's eyes bulged. Blood spewed from his lips as Yugo lifted him off the ground like meat on a skewer.
He tossed him aside like trash and 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. 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 beat. A black heart with it veins glowing red. A low laugh echoed in the dark. Then came the smirk, fangs flashing briefly. A new presence within Liam had awakened.
Back in the Arena
The ref reached for Liam's wrist to check for pulse. A hiss of smoke lifted from the healed chest, sealing perfectly like the cut had never happened and before the ref could speak, a shockwave burst out from Liam's body. Lightning flared. The ref flew back across the cage like a paper doll. The crowd gasped at the sight of this.
Liam lay face-down, sparking, limbs twitching. Blue arcs crawled along his skin. Then he stood, slowly but now fully healed.
Yugo turned mid-celebration.
"What the hell—?". He charged at Liam but Liam didn't move. Yugo's monster-sized fist came flying in and then stopped, dead still. Inches from Liam's face, blocked by his index finger.
Liam looked up, smirking, a sharp fang showing beneath his lip. His irises crackled with lightning.
Yugo blinked, then flew. One roundhouse kick—fluid, god-speed—sent him crashing through the cage, hurtling into the spectator stands. Seats shattered. People screamed and ducked. 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 confusion. Then awe. Then deafening cheers.
Liam stumbled. Then collapsed face-first.
...
There was an emergency scene after that. Two ambulances. Two stretchers.
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 fluttered open. 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. 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 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?"