Magnus still confused and disoriented from his trip, managed to blurt out a single sentence:” Who are you?”

The black-haired stranger smiled kindly, pointed at a chair that Magnus was sure wasn’t there before, and said:” Sit down. You must be tired, traveling through dimensions is tiring for mortals after all. I’ll explain everything.”

Magnus feeling overwhelmed listened, sat down, and sighed.

“You called me mortal. What are you then?” he asked.

The figure chuckled again and answered:” My name is Hostyr. The god of perseverance and sacrifice.”

Magnus laughed and replied: „Why should I trust you? For all I know, you could be a hallucination caused by me getting hit over the head. And even if you were God, why would I be of any interest to you?”

“A god, not the God. There are many more besides me. As for why should you trust me? Look into my eyes.” Magnus couldn’t resist the command of a supposed god and looked into his eyes. A man so large as to cover the horizon stood on a plain of swords punctured by a thousand cruel-looking spikes. Even despite the immense pain it must have been in, its eyes shone like wildfire. Unwavering and even seemingly content.

Magnus snapped out of the vision and realized he was kneeling on the ground, blood leaking from his eyes. Hostyr answered the unspoken question: “That was my true body. Do you believe me now?”

Magnus gathered himself and sat back down on the chair. “I guess so. Doesn’t change the fact that I have no idea why you brought me here.”

“You are from a newly integrated world. Fate gathers at such places and I wanted a part of it. What I am saying is, I want to support you, Magnus. Give you my Blessing.” Hostyr said free of chains suddenly sitting on a chair opposite Magnus’, a table with a teapot and two empty cups between them.

“I am no one special. You have billions of choices. Why choose me?” Magnus asked while scratching his head.

“I took a liking to you. You remind me of when I was starting on the path of cultivation. Enduring, never giving up despite the suffering and pain. A survivor.” Hostyr answered while pouring tea into the cups. “Have some tea. It’s outright divine.” He chuckled at his own joke as he slid the now full teacup to Magnus.

Shrugging his shoulders he took a sip. Hostyr was right it was divine. The best drink he ever had. He couldn’t describe the taste even if he tried. It was close to the taste of black tea but better in every way. After finishing all of it Magnus put down the cup.

Hostyr smiled kindly: “I hope it was to your liking. I would offer more but drinking too much of it is not healthy for a newly awakened soul. Congratulations on that by the way. You were one of the first from your planet to reach Level 5.” He finished his cup and continued:” Now let’s get to business, shall we? But first I have to ask. Do you even want my Blessing?”

Magnus answered almost instantly:” Why not? I figure if you wanted me dead, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. What is the Blessing and how do I get it?”

“A Blessing lets you borrow some of my power. In exchange, a link is created between us sharing some of your Fate with me. The Blessing also gives me a way to interact with the mortal world. There are five tiers to them relevant to you right now and each one gives you a different Title. Follower, Cleric, Priest, Bishop, and Apostle. The Blessing you can receive from me is only the Follower one, as the System is preventing gods from meddling too much while the newly integrated planets are still acclimating. Also, any higher Blessing would be too overwhelming for your yet newly awakened Soul. As for how you get it. Every god does it differently. I choose to do a test.” Hostyr explained.

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“What kind of test?” Magnus asked suspiciously.

“A simple one, but not an easy one. You have to carry a fraction of my burden for one minute. I must warn you though. I am not called the god of perseverance and sacrifice for nothing. I carry the suffering of a universe. If your Will is not ready for it. You will be broken. I will not let you die, however, so do not fear that. So, do you accept my Blessing?” Hostyr offered a hand.

Magnus didn’t accept the held-out hand just yet and took a risk,” I want three questions answered after I pass your test and then we have a deal.”

Hostyr let out a deep laugh,” Most gods would smite you on the spot for making demands like that,” Hostyr continued after wiping away the tears from his eyes,” very well then three questions and then I send you back. Having your soul so far, so long from your body is unhealthy at your Level.”

Hostyr motioned with his hand. Magnus shook his shoulders and shook Hostyr’s hand.

The chair Magnus was sitting on suddenly disappeared along with other furniture in the underground room. The bricks making up the walls started floating away, revealing the endless plain of swords yet again. Realizing his hand was no longer holding onto Hostyr’s he turned around. The familiar giant still stood impaled. Looking more closely Magnus could certainly see a resemblance between it and Hostyr’s smaller form, with the eyes standing out the most. Where there wasn’t a spike impaling the giant, he could see what must be millennia or more of scar tissue layered on its skin.

“Stop staring, you are making me blush. Let’s get on with the test shall we,” Hostyr said as one of the smallest spikes stuck in his body floated down onto Magnus’ level. The spike only looked like a splinter compared to Hostyr but to Magnus, it looked more like a great sword covered in red lines. It suddenly stabbed forward and Magnus couldn’t even blink before he felt the spike penetrate into his flesh. He caught a silent,” Good luck,” before blacking out due to the searing pain of the spike.

He was a deer, grazing peacefully in a green clearing, surrounded by a herd of similar deer. His ears perked up and he heard the distinct whistling sound of an arrow. The archer wasn’t a good shot however and the arrow penetrated only his lungs. The herd dispersed around him and Magnus tried to limp away with his unfamiliar legs through the feeling of blood leaving his body. A teen boy covered in a heavy brown cloak was quickly hurrying toward Magnus’ limp body with a knife in his hand. The boy kneeled down and plunged the knife into his heart.

He was a soldier, marching alongside his platoon toward a figure floating above a red sea of corpses and flames. Magnus marched on even through the deep-set fear in his heart. The figure turned its gaze upon him and his comrades and stretched out its hand. A smell of brimstone filled the air and Magnus closed his eyes, awaiting his fate. When he next opened his eyes, he was alone. The fire consumed all his brothers and sisters. Magnus fell to his knees and started weeping. The figure descended near him, laughing. Suddenly rage replaced his sorrow. He wrapped his hand around the hilt of his dropped sword and as if he had years of practice he struck for the figure’s neck. A flash of red and a smell of brimstone.

He was a beggar, lying in a decrepit valley on a cold night. Magnus knew he was used to the cold, but he was getting old. The cold coupled with the fire in the warehouse made food hard to come by. No one had any food left, especially not for someone like him. He was getting sleepy now. Just a few minutes would surely help him. He closed his eyes.

Magnus opened his eyes and quickly sat up while breathing heavily. He was back in the damp cellar. Hostyr kneeling beside him.

“Good, you made it. Ask away now. Remember, you don’t get more than three questions. We don’t have much time so keep them simple,” Hostyr commanded.

Magnus managed to blurt out a question even while surprised, “What happened on Earth?”

“The System usually integrates many planets at once to conserve energy. It takes them all and mashes them together, sometimes adding locations from other places in the Multiverse. Probably to boost the Fate and fuel itself. The combination is not always smooth though so expect many disasters in the days to come.” Hostyr answered.

“What even is the System?” Magnus asked.

“I don’t know. It was here when I was born and they don’t teach about it in schools so. Though I am very young compared to some of the other entities of the Multiverse. Good luck finding them if you want the answer to your question though.”

Magnus scratched his head when suddenly he thought of a good question, “How do I get stronger?”

“Finally, a proper question,” Hostyr smiled, ” it all boils down to taking risks. If you spend your whole life meditating in a cave, you probably won’t get very strong. Fight and struggle to earn your power. Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. And most importantly. Stay true to your Way.”

Magnus felt the thread tethering his soul to his body vibrate.

“It seems we’ve run out of time,” Hostyr patted Magnus on his shoulder and smiled,” we’ll see each other again sooner or later. Good luck.”

The infinite thread snapped him out of the dungeon and Magnus prepared for another nauseating trip.