Odyssey of the Blind God Chapter 1 Dream

"Is it time already…?" A young man, appearing to be in his late teens, murmured, his voice low, aware that no one else was present to overhear.

Before him lay the awe-inspiring sight of a divine palace, bathed in a brilliant, sacred radiance. The profound tranquility enveloping him instilled a deep sense of calm within the young man.

This place was, after all, quite familiar to him.

The pure white light penetrated his pores, seeping into every individual cell of his entire body, rejuvenating him.

"As always... it feels so real..." he uttered again, opening his eyes to reveal striking silver irises.

Though brimming with vitality, a discerning observer would perceive only profound sadness and utter despair reflected within those silver depths.

'Why bother opening my eyes... It's all just a dream, no matter what,' he thought with dejection. A sigh, heavy with longing, escaped his lips as he took his initial step towards the majestic divine palace.

His entire being felt revitalized, charged with an immense surge of energy. Yet, with each subsequent step, the weight pressing down upon him seemed to grow exponentially heavier.

He was already drenched in sweat before completing four steps.

Thick rivulets of perspiration coursed down his back, causing his shirt to cling uncomfortably to his skin. A profound exhaustion began to wash over him, insidiously supplanting the initial vigor that had ignited hope moments prior, much like a parasite draining the life force from its host.

His body trembled under the immense, crushing pressure, making it an arduous struggle to even lift his foot for another step.

'Just like always…'

This agonizing experience was precisely the same as it had always been, a recurring torment he had endured for the past few years. Nothing seemed to have shifted or changed in the slightest.

Clenching his fists tightly, the young man resolved to contend with this seemingly unwinnable battle.

Under ordinary circumstances, he would have undoubtedly surrendered by now, succumbing to the inevitable.

However, a cascade of critical events had transpired in the recent days, pushing him to a point of desperation where he could disregard his body's pain and exhaustion.

'It's merely a dream... Once you awaken, everything will be alright... Just endure it!' He chanted this self-reassurance like a sacred mantra.

All he could do at this moment was grit his teeth and await its conclusion. Both his body and his mind acknowledged the certainty that his own words would inevitably come to pass.

At the tender age of three, when he was but a toddler, a calamitous and unforeseen incident had occurred, irrevocably altering the trajectory of his entire existence. From that fateful day forward, his life had been utterly transformed.

Ever since that traumatic event, he had been plagued by the same recurring dream on the first day of every single month.

Initially, the disconcertingly vivid dream had left him bewildered. Yet, somehow, through the passage of years, he had adapted and learned to coexist with it.

The very incident that conjured dreams of the divine palace was also the cause of his complete blindness, the loss of his sight.

In an era characterized by perilous beasts, treacherous dungeons, malevolent extraterrestrial entities, and humans compelled to rely solely on their own formidable strength for survival, being blind presented an unparalleled nightmare.

And cruel fate indeed seemed to take a particularly malicious delight in afflicting this profound misery upon a young child who had barely learned to walk.

After all, his entire future had once been a pristine canvas, brimming with untold potential... before!

The young child's dreams were brutally shattered as he was forced into an premature adulthood, far sooner than his peers.

What remained was a fractured remnant, subjected to the harsh judgment of a society that revered the gifted and callously discarded the weak, treating them like disposable refuse.

Nevertheless, the young man had never voiced a single complaint about his dire circumstances, primarily because he was cherished by his family.

He desired nothing more than his parents and his sister, all of whom showered him with unwavering affection.

In fact, he was even spared from engaging in combat with beasts unless absolutely necessary!

His path had been arduous and fraught with humiliation, but despite these trials, he had managed to discover joy in the simplest of blessings.

To his immense misfortune and dreadful luck, even that solace was brutally ripped away when it was discovered that his beloved younger sister was terminally ill!

She had been diagnosed with an exceedingly rare ailment, and the required medication was prohibitively expensive for families of a middle-class standing.

Consequently, their fleeting happiness dissolved into sheer desperation, compelling him and his parents to embark on a relentless search for a cure.

They were compelled to acquire origin crystals by venturing into dungeons, perilous environments inhabited by ferocious wild beasts.

These hidden locales were not only fraught with diverse environmental dangers but were also teeming with powerfully aggressive beasts that showed no mercy, capable of tearing apart any intruder who dared trespass upon their domain.

Despite the omnipresent peril, his parents toiled tirelessly, risking their lives each passing day for the sake of their daughter.

Even so, their efforts proved insufficient to vanquish his younger sister's illness, merely managing to postpone the inevitable.

Ignited by a burning desperation to aid his family, the young man pursued entry into the divine palace with fierce determination, harboring a fervent hope of discovering anything that could offer solace or aid to his loved ones.

He felt useless, a mere burden to his family, which fueled his determination to alter his destiny. He poured all his efforts into accomplishing something that might offer even the slightest help.

One such endeavor involved entering the divine palace that materialized in his dreams, as his instincts screamed that it was far more than just a magnificent structure!

**

Fifteen years prior, on a balmy summer afternoon indistinguishable from any other, a dungeon portal blazed into existence at the heart of a children's playground.

The portal vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving no trace behind.

It was as though the portal had never graced reality in the first place!

However, a singular complication arose…

One of the many children, who had been joyfully playing on the grounds, had vanished into the dungeon portal!

It was only after a full week had passed that the child magically reappeared, precisely where they had vanished from... with eyes devoid of life and marred by bleeding.

Remarkably, the child survived this harrowing ordeal. Yet, from that day forward, the child could no longer perceive the ethereal energy known as mana!

This child was Nial, the young man currently exerting himself to his limit, letting out a roar as he took his fifth step toward the divine palace.

Streams of sweat now coursed down his brow, slicking his hair to his temples.

But surrender was not an option. Thus, he pushed onward, teeth clenched, his silver eyes blazing with intensity.

Following the breakthrough of his personal limit, the subsequent steps felt considerably less arduous than the preceding ones, despite the exponentially escalating gravitational pull.

Summoning his formidable willpower and visualizing his bedridden sister and his weary parents, who toiled relentlessly each day, he uttered another groan before continuing his ascent.

Nial understood that he could no longer afford to treat life with such levity, finding the strength needed to climb the marble staircase.

Wisps of clouds coiled around the staircase, creating the illusion that he was treading upon air.

To ward off dizziness, he compelled himself to fix his gaze upon the palace.

Unaware of the passage of time spent ascending the stairs, Nial reached the summit, gasping for breath.

He marveled at how his body had withstood the trial, feeling as though it might cease functioning at any moment.

Yet, the instant both his feet touched the final step, the oppressive pressure dissipated.

This reprieve allowed him the necessary moments to stabilize and draw breath.

He took a beat to regain his composure, inhaling deeply.

With an unyielding spirit, he pressed onward, each step deliberate.

Nial halted only upon reaching the threshold of the immense palace hall, his feet crossing the boundary of the colossal, open doorway.

'I... I did it!!' That singular thought echoed in his mind as an exhausted smile graced his lips.

'"Finally, you have arrived, Nial! It took you quite some time!"'

Emerging from the ether, Nial heard the alluring voice of a mature woman.

It reverberated throughout the vast hall, echoing off the imposing walls, causing him to startle.

Lifting his gaze, Nial looked directly ahead toward the elevated throne visible through his clouded vision.

Focusing his sight upon the scene before him, he perceived a mature woman seated regally upon the magnificent throne.

Her skin was fair and unblemished, and her physique appeared flawless, perfectly accentuating her otherworldly beauty.

The elegant white gown she wore clung gracefully to her voluptuous form, drawing attention to her raven-black, silky hair and deep brown eyes that seemed to pierce the very core of his soul.

He had no comprehension of how the woman, who bore the semblance of a goddess, knew his name.

But even if Nial had desired to speak, uttering a sound was beyond his capacity.

It was as if his lips were sealed shut.

Without another word, the god-like entity rose from her throne.

Her simple movement caused the entire palace to resonate with the immense power her being emanated naturally.

'"So, that is the appearance of our little anomaly. I had considerable hopes, but alas… It is rather… disappointing."'

The Goddess's pronouncement inflicted no pain upon Nial.

After all, he was already desensitized to harsher treatment and demeaning labels.

Consequently, his eyes betrayed no hint of animosity. Instead, they sparkled with sheer resolve.

The Goddess observed this, prompting a subtle shift in her initial assessment of Nial.

'"Perhaps…? No, that is unlikely… I am expecting too much."'

Discarding the thought, she flicked her wrist with an almost imperceptible gesture, drawing him closer without so much as brushing his hair.

Nial's breath hitched as the Goddess's divine radiance gently enveloped him.

'"You are… unfamiliar with those eyes of yours, yet you have encountered them before…"' She murmured, her gaze fixed upon Nial as she contemplated,

'"Perhaps you are more intriguing than I initially surmised!"'

Still rendered speechless, Nial could only gaze upon her.

He made no effort to avert his gaze from her piercing eyes as he desperately tried to articulate his thoughts.

'If only I possessed the ability to wield mana, or even better... if I could see again, then… I could truly aid my family!' he pondered intensely, summoning all his strength to speak.

"So, you wish to assist your family?" she inquired suddenly, as if reading his mind like an open book.

She could not only perceive but also hear the images flashing through his mind: his frail sister confined to bed and his parents, worn out by exhaustion.

Consequently, on a mere whim, she resolved to perform an act she, as the Divine Goddess, had never before undertaken.

"Anomaly Nial, are you prepared to incur a debt to me in return for the restoration of your sight?"

Her words resonated with him, making it feel as though his most cherished dream had just materialized. Nial reacted without a moment's hesitation.

He nodded his head with vigorous enthusiasm; even the inherent suppression exuded by the Goddess's sacred aura was insufficient to restrain his movement as a bright smile spread across his face.

'Will he prove sufficiently useful, I wonder?' she mused internally, only to recall the very reason she had permitted the mortal anomaly to enter the divine palace in the first place.

Thus, setting aside her reservations, she raised her hand and gently touched his forehead with her forefinger, right between his eyebrows.

A moment later, the Goddess channeled a minuscule portion of her divine essence into Nial, allowing it to permeate the skin where her finger made contact with his brow.

A surge of hope and apprehension for the future coursed through him. However, mere seconds elapsed before he observed a profound furrow appear on the Goddess's countenance, causing his smile to vanish instantaneously.

"I... my attempts to restore your eyesight have failed? Was the divine energy I utilized insufficient? That cannot be... Employing more would prove fatal even to the mightiest of mortals..." she murmured to herself, yet Nial absorbed her words with perfect clarity. Her statement puzzled him, but he dared not make a sound or movement.

He could sense that the divine essence coursing through his body was enacting a change, but strangely, it was incapable of reaching his eyes.

It was as though an invisible barrier impeded its progress, preventing any healing of his vision.

At that precise moment, something long dormant, sealed deep within his consciousness, began to tremor violently. It erupted with immense power that surged through Nial's entire being, threatening to tear him asunder.

His skin ruptured, and torrents of blood erupted from his body, yet paradoxically, he experienced no pain whatsoever.

Instead, Nial perceived something entirely distinct, a sensation that harkened back to the days before the calamitous incident, to the nascent years of his life before circumstances had taken their grim turn!

An overwhelming torrent of divine energy coursed through his physical form, permeating every single cell within the young man. The sudden deluge of power left him momentarily stunned as he distinctly heard a piercing shriek.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!! WHO ARE YOU?!? IS THAT YOU, R-..." the Goddess exclaimed, utterly aghast.

Averting her confusion, her expression now mirrored sheer terror. The entirety of the divine palace began to quake violently due to the power she unleashed, all of which was directed towards forcefully repelling Nial with her utmost strength.

Projected through the air, Nial was sent hurtling as if he were but a piece of parchment. The sheer force employed in his expulsion was potent enough to extinguish his life instantly.

Consequently, he remained oblivious as his form collided with the wall of the divine palace, subsequently dissolving into innumerable motes of light... and shadow.

**

Awakening abruptly from his reverie, Nial gasped for air, his back slick with a cold sweat. He drew in a breath and detected a foul odor lingering in the atmosphere surrounding him.

A moment later, Nial opened his vacant, white eyes, utterly devoid of vitality and the slightest glimmer of life!

Once more, he was plunged into darkness, exactly as it had been before…

However, at that critical juncture, Nial discerned a solitary alteration.

'I... I can sense mana?'