BOOOOOOOM
The first lightning strike descended like divine judgment on Damian’s entire body.
It crashed into him with the force of collapsing mountains.
His body seized, every muscle locking simultaneously, his bones vibrating from the impact.
The lightning didn’t just strike his flesh.
It tore through his soul, ripping into his consciousness with claws made of universal law.
[Will: 500 → 485]
The number flashed in his peripheral vision as agony beyond anything he’d ever experienced exploded through every fiber of his being.
His skin blistered and charred, smoke rising from his shoulders.
His mind felt like it was being torn apart from the inside, pieces of his consciousness shredded by energy.
’This...’
The thought came fragmented, barely coherent through the pain.
’This is just the first attack?’
His knees buckled, his body swaying but somehow still standing.
Blood ran from his nose, his ears and the corners of his eyes, the tribulation having damaged his body from the inside.
’I have to endure nine of... these? And this is the weakest?’
His thoughts struggled to form.
CRACK
The second strike came before he could recover.
BOOM
Purple-white energy slammed into him again, this time feeling like it was trying to erase his very existence.
[Will: 485 → 465]
Damian’s scream tore across the mountain peak, raw and primal.
His body convulsed, his back arching, his hands clawing at nothing as the lightning cooked him from the inside out.
More skin charred black, the smell of burned flesh filling the air.
His soul felt like it was being ground between millstones, crushed and torn and ripped apart.
Thud
He fell to one knee, his hand pressing against scorched stone to keep from collapsing completely.
Pant... pant... pant...
His breathing came ragged, each inhale feeling like broken glass in his lungs.
CRACK
Then the third strike descended–
BOOM
[Will: 465 → 440]
"AHHHHH!"
–And the scream ripped from his throat as he collapsed forward, his palms hitting the ground, his body shaking violently.
His back was a mass of charred flesh and exposed muscle, the clothing having been completely incinerated.
Blood pooled beneath him, mixing with melted snow, steaming in the cold air.
’Can’t... can’t take much more...’
****
Agatha stood on a neighboring peak beside Lily, her hands gripping her walking stick so hard her knuckles had gone white.
Her eyes were locked on the distant figure of her grandson, watching him get struck again and again by lightning that made the air itself scream.
"My grandson... He’s going to die."
Her voice came out hollow, stating fact rather than fear.
"Mother–"
"He’s going to die and I can’t do anything to stop it!"
Agatha’s voice rose, her composure shattering completely.
"Each strike is at the peak of A+ rank! Maybe higher! And he’s just an A- rank who can’t even use his damn Aura! His body can’t withstand this, Lily!"
Lily’s face showed conflict, her inherited memories warring with what she was witnessing.
"Something is wrong, Mother."
Her voice came out quiet, uncertain.
"This lightning tribulation is far stronger than the ones described in my bloodline memories. Those were tests of worthiness, difficult but survivable for those who reached their potential."
Her eyes tracked the churning clouds above Damian.
"This feels different. It’s almost like..."
"The universe itself wants him dead!"
Agatha finished, her voice breaking on the last word.
****
BOOOOM
The fourth strike descended.
CRACK
Damian’s body, which had been trying to push itself up, was slammed back into the stone with bone-breaking force.
[Will: 440 → 410]
His consciousness flickered, darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision.
His entire body was a landscape of destruction with charred skin, exposed bone, burned muscle, blood and ash mixing together.
He lay there, broken and dying, unable to move.
’Get... up.’
The thought came weak and distant.
’Get up... or you’ll die here.’
His arms shook, trembling with effort as he tried to push himself up.
His fingers left bloody prints on stone, his body protesting every movement.
Slowly and agonizingly, he managed to get to his knees.
Pant... pant... pant...
His head lifted, crimson eyes tracking upward through burned and bloody lashes.
The fifth strike was forming in the clouds above, energy gathering and preparing to end him.
’What’s... going on?’
His thoughts struggled through the pain and exhaustion.
’Why is it so strong... Lily said it was a test... But this...’
Even though Damian knew nothing about Lightning Tribulations, even though he’d never studied them or encountered one before, this didn’t seem normal.
It didn’t feel like a test at all, it felt personal.
’It wants to destroy my soul completely and kill me.’
The realization settled with cold certainty.
His jaw clenched, blood running from his split lips.
’Why? Why does even the heavens want to kill me? Just because I reached the full potential of my mind?’
But even as the thought formed, he knew it wasn’t right.
Something else was happening here, something deeper.
And as if the consciousness of the tribulation felt Damian’s thoughts, felt his question–
The lightning paused and the energy that had been gathering, preparing to strike, stopped mid-formation.
"..."
Complete silence fell across the mountain peak.
Then an ancient voice resonated across the mountain peak, emotionless and vast, carrying weight that pressed down on reality itself.
"After so many eras, another mortal has chosen to walk that path."
Damian’s breath caught, his eyes widening in shock.
’The tribulation... it’s talking to me?’
His mind raced as he pushed everything else away to process the words.
’That path?’
Understanding crashed down like the lightning itself.
’So, the reason the tribulation is so intent on destroying me... It’s not because I reached my full mental potential.’
His thoughts connected pieces he should have seen earlier.
’It’s because of the Law of Devour, isn’t it?’
The path he’d chosen today, the moment he’d awakened that Law Seed temporarily and consumed the soul fragment.
The ancient voice resonated again, confirming without words.
"You are not worthy of walking that path, mortal. Abandon it. Erase those principles from your mind. Give up your thirst for power."
A pause that felt like judgement itself.
"And ’I’ shall let you live."
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