Way of the Knights

Chapter 846: I, Divinity

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Raven's breaths were long and steady. 

With his back rested against the throne and his eyes closed, his chest rose and fell with every breath. There was comfortable silence around him. The atmosphere was lull and peaceful, some would think that Raven's sleeping if they saw him now. 

He wasn't. 

It isn't noticeable since it's extremely fate, but there are fluctuations around Raven which was caused by his breathing. It was weak but steady and constant, he had been doing this for quite sometime now. Again, the fluctuations were faint, almost untraceable even, but it's there. 

Raven's consciousness were floating in a deep space right now. He doesn't know it is nor remember how he got here, he just did. 

It felt like he was wandering this place for eons now. He has no idea what he's searching for but he still kept going. To him, it felt like searching for that 'something- is the only thing he could right now. That's all he could think about. 

On Raven's body, there are several things that are being roused into activity ever since he started his breakthrough ritual. 

First amongst all of these were other than the Fragments of Chaos that now permanently resides on his heart. 

At normal times, they'd just dance around that area like fireflies illuminating the dark. Right now though, they were more active. They were releasing a stronger light compared before. 

His Inner Cosmos swirled in to activity. The world tree at the middle blazed with uncontested brilliance which lit up the whole cosmos. The constellations lined-up and released hymns that contained endless profundities. 

The Ancestral Divine Galaxy also swirled into activity. His shared connections with the previous heir allowed them to sense what's happening. They knew that Raven was currently breaking through to the Divine Knight Stage, therefore they didn't dare to disturb him. They nulled their connection for now before they could distract him. 

The Scepter of Wisdom trembled within his consciousness. The fluctuations also reached it, causing it to release faint hums of excitement. The scepter moved on it's own, releasing tendrils of dark golden and pale silver lines that knitted each other into runes and seals, decorating Raven's consciousness with it. 

The scepter also drew constellations as if someone was controlling it. The constellations were nothing new, in fact they're the same ones that Raven knew already. The scepter just embedded them on his consciousness now. 

Why did the scepter do that? Well, that's something Raven had to discover later. 

Raven's lost consciousness within the sub-space still continued treading forward. He marched towards his destination even without knowing where it is or how exactly he should go there. He doesn't even know if it exists but he still marched forward. 

He stilled when he saw something changed right before him. 

It's nothing too shocking, yet it's still surprising. 

Sparks of light appeared before him. Some appeared close to him while others appeared far from him. 

Again, it wasn't anything special. Still, Raven was surprised. He wasn't expecting any of them to appear. In fact he doesn't even remember if they were supposed to appear. If there's one thing he knew right now, it would be the fact that these spark of light were extremely familiar. 

He felt close to them as if he had known them since he was a kid. He felt like he could trust them. 

Not feeling afraid of anything, Raven decided to trust his gut and follow where the sparks were leading him.

He didn't know where they're trying to take him but he still chose to follow them willingly. 

Just like that, Raven walked forward again, this time following the trail that sparks of light made for him. 

Along his journey, Raven saw some blurred images twisting around him. They tried to peel his attention away from his path but Raven didn't pay attention to them. 

As he went further down his journey, the images that were trying to tempt him became stronger too. The images became clearer and more vivid. Some of them even managed to make him remember about certain things, yet Raven remained unbothered. He continued on his way with a serene and honest heart. 

Still the temptations continued. It doesn't seem to end at all and it wasn't getting any weaker, if anything, Raven would say that they're becoming scarier. 

These temptation started interacting with him. They started speaking and they were starting to distract him. They took several forms that make it hard for Raven to ignore. 

They appeared as items that he had seen before. Place he'd been too. People he met long his way. His friends, his family. Heck, at some point, it even transformed into an image that Raven sought after all this time. 

It took form of him and his family, living a normal life in absolute peace and bliss – the very goal of all of Raven's hard work since the very moment he experienced Soul Rebirth. The goal that he and his team wanted so badly. 

He'd be lying if he said that the image didn't strike a chord on his heart. Of course it did! Raven wanted nothing more than to jumped in that image and live in it since that's what he wanted all along. 

For a second there, Raven was ready to risk it all. To abandon everything behind, forget this journey he's on and just live happily ever after. 

Yet…

"No. Not yet." He murmured to himself, staring at the lovely scene in front of him. All of them were looking at him, beckoning for him to come closer. Telling him to give-up. 

Raven steeled his heart and took a deep breath. He shook his head faintly and he opened his eyes, a flash of determination could be seen from his eyes. 

"I'll chase after this dream myself." He said, "I don't need it to be offered on his silver platter for me. I can do it. We can do it. It doesn't have to be now, nor soon. Just eventually."

"…I'll achieve that dream eventually."

"What I need, is strength to make sure I'll be able to do just that." 

After declaring that, Raven continued walking forward. He closed his ears and his heart from the tempting calls of the distractions behind him. He moved-on, trusting the trail left for him, leaving behind everything that tried to stop him from reaching his goal. 

Unbeknownst to Raven, the temptations vanished one by one behind him with every step forward he took. 

They all looked at his back, staring at him as he continued moving forward without looking back. His confident strides won them over so before they all vanished, they released their blessings quietly so as to not disturb the man. 

He also didn't know that his form gradually changed as he walked forward. 

Raven become transparent. He took a spiritual form which held several heavenly bodies within him. His eyes shone brightly as if they contained the sun on the right and the moon on the left. His hair turned velvety like the milky swirl of a galaxy.

His skin was translucent, making it seems like the birth of stars were painted on them. His blood turned silver, his veins appeared like the lines that connected the constellations and his every step gave birth to the creation of all things.

And at his heart, the true origin of all things resided.

And under Raven's determined gaze, the darkness surround the sub-space disappeared into shards. Revealing the brilliance of something truly Divine. 

Raven felt a strong surge palpitating on his chest, he felt like he was hyperventilating but in truth, this is him ascending. His very being was resonating with his own Divinity. 

Ancient knowledge started pouring over his mind, making him close his eyes to digest everything. A strong brilliance covered his body, causing his form to turn blurry. 

Raven's silhouette grew into enormous proportions. It didn't show any signs of stopping even when he's already as big as the planets themselves. 

Colorful lights exploded from his body, faint hymns of Laws chimed around him. Raven was basking in his new found Divinity and there's nothing that could stop him. 

…not even the Heavenly Law Order of the Divine Realm that's rampaging at his ascension. 

The Fragments of Chaos multiplied again and again within his heart, all without Raven's consent. They too basked in Raven's Divinity and devoured everything they could get in order to grow alongside of him. 

When Raven opened his eyes, the flashes of light twisted at his own will. It gave birth to numerous constellations, runes and seals that nobody ever seen before. 

The glittering arrangement of profound seals which contained the history and Raven's very own Will, says it all. 

From this point onwards, Divine Realm welcomed another Divine Knight within their ranks. 

He's a Divine Knight unlike any other. One that didn't follow the orthodox path of cultivation and piled up his achievements with the strongest foundation one after another. 

He, Vendrick Valorheart, broke through to the Divine Knight Stage. 

Claiming 'Chaos' the 'Origin of All Things' as his own Divinity. 

The Divine Knight of Chaos – Vendrick Valorheart.