Warlock of Oceans: My Poseidon System

Cyrus stared at him blankly, a swelling of emotions gurgling within his very soul.

"You want to say something, don't you?"

"I've been thinking this for a while. I've lost my path in life. My purpose before was to get back to my siblings, my friends, and all the people I formed connections with, yet… I can barely remember their faces. I remember their names, but I've forgotten what they sounded like. I've just been going with the ebb and flow of what is happening to me, but I'm tired of going with the flow. I just wish something would go my way."

Before Cyrus knew it, he had spilled some of the darkest thoughts residing within his mind. It was as if the presence of this god before him forced him to say what he had been dying not to think about.

"Your fate is a hard and arduous path. Would you like to change it?"

Cyrus stood there, Poseidon's question hanging in the air like a weight he hadn't known he'd been carrying. His mind raced, swirling with thoughts and emotions that had long been buried beneath the surface. The god's words seemed to reach into the deepest part of him, stirring memories, desires, and regrets that had been left unspoken for too long.

He glanced down, a bitter smile creeping onto his face. "Would I like to change it?" he echoed softly, almost to himself.

The idea seemed so simple, yet in its simplicity lay a deep, gnawing doubt. For the first time in what felt like forever, a clear path was being offered to him. No more drifting along, no more just surviving day to day without purpose. The thought of truly taking control, of forging his own destiny, filled him with a glimmer of hope.

But there was something else too. A darker thought that surfaced as quickly as the hope had come: What if Poseidon was no different? What if he just wanted to use me, like everyone else?

Cyrus' expression hardened, his eyes darkening with suspicion. He stared at the god before him, wondering if Poseidon had his own hidden agenda if this was just another manipulation in a life full of them. But before the doubt could fully consume him, Poseidon laughed—a gentle, warm sound that echoed through the arena like the soft crashing of waves.

The laugh wasn't mocking or cruel. It was calm, genuine, and filled with a quiet joy that seemed out of place in the heavy, crumbling arena. It reached into Cyrus' guarded soul and eased the tension gripping him, almost against his will. For some reason, he felt that this god—this being of immense power—had no interest in deceiving him. And that smile, so gentle and sincere, almost made him feel... safe.

Without another moment of hesitation, Cyrus sighed, the weight of his thoughts easing just enough to let his decision come forth. "I'd like to change it," he said softly, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions within him.

Poseidon's smile deepened, and he began to walk toward Cyrus, his movements fluid and graceful despite the frail appearance of his body. Cyrus, compelled by something deeper than mere curiosity, stepped forward as well, closing the distance between them until they stood within arm's reach of one another.

Poseidon reached out his pale, slender arm, the long, flowing sleeve of his robe gently brushing the air. His finger, cold and smooth, lightly touched Cyrus' forehead.

Instantly, a flood of knowledge rushed into Cyrus, like a tidal wave crashing against his mind. His body convulsed, his muscles seizing with the intensity of it. Pain—unbearable, searing pain—coursed through every fiber of his being. He tried to scream, but the sound caught in his throat, and his vision blurred with the sheer force of the information pouring into him. It felt as though his mind was being ripped apart, every thought, every memory fracturing under the strain of this new knowledge.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, an oceanic tide began to ebb and flow within him. It was calming, like the rhythmic push and pull of waves against the shore. The pain lessened, his body relaxing as the cool waters seemed to soothe his mind, washing away the chaos. He could feel his consciousness slipping, drowning in the embrace of the tide.

"Good luck, my son."

And then, just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped.

Cyrus snapped awake, gasping for air, his heart pounding in his chest. He was back in the dungeon, the broken and ruined cathedral looming around him. The strange creature—its monstrous form looming over him—was still there, watching him with those cold, unblinking eyes.

But something had changed.

Cyrus felt... different. Empowered. His mind was clearer, sharper, as though the knowledge Poseidon had given him was still swirling within, waiting to be unlocked. He didn't fully understand what had just happened, but he knew one thing for certain:

He was no longer the same person who had stood before that altar moments ago. And, instinctually, a few words flowed from his mouth. A skill unbeknownst to this current world.

"[Throne World: Kingdom of The Sea of Life]."

As soon as Cyrus activated [Throne World: Kingdom of The Sea of Life], the entire dungeon began to warp and twist around him, reality itself giving way to his domain. A massive wave of water surged forth, enveloping everything within the dungeon. The walls of the dilapidated cathedral were swallowed by the ocean, and the once-dry ground transformed into a boundless seafloor, covered in shimmering bioluminescent coral and teeming with strange, ethereal sea life.

The inhabitants of the dungeon, both monsters and adventurers alike, were submerged, but they did not panic. The water was not a hindrance to them. It was as if the sea itself accepted their presence, allowing them to breathe effortlessly and move with a surreal grace. Their limbs cut through the water as if it were air, each motion smooth and fluid. For a brief moment, it felt almost like an illusion, but it was not. This was Cyrus' domain, a kingdom born from the depths of his soul.

Suddenly, notifications began to pop up around him, signaling the defeat of monsters scattered throughout the dungeon. The very presence of his throne world was lethal to them, and they perished without even realizing what was happening. Their bodies were crushed, drowned, or torn apart by the power of the sea, granting Cyrus experience as he stood in the heart of his creation.

The monster who had been on the verge of finishing the job—a sword poised to strike—suddenly found itself moving at a crawl. The water surrounding it resisted the swing, slowing the blade to a near standstill. It struggled to move, each swing of its massive sword becoming heavier, more labored. Its once menacing aura was now suffocated under the immense pressure of the ocean surrounding it.

As the monster gasped for air, its chest heaving in desperate, shallow breaths, the seawater rushed into its lungs, filling every crevice with unbearable pressure. Each attempted inhale became a drowning agony, the once-proud beast reduced to pitiful, frantic thrashing. The water around it seemed to come alive, sensing the weakness of its prey.

From the ocean's depths, massive tendrils of coral emerged, their once static forms now serpentine and predatory. They coiled around the monster's limbs with terrifying speed and precision, pulling and constricting with an unforgiving force. The creature roared in defiance, its eyes wide with desperation, but the sound was muffled and distorted by the water, barely more than a garbled cry.

Suddenly, a school of sleek, razor-toothed fish darted in from the shadows of the submerged dungeon. They circled the beast-like predators sensing blood in the water, their sleek bodies glinting with a menacing light. Then, in an instant, they attacked. Their sharp teeth tore into the monster's flesh, biting and ripping with relentless savagery. Flesh peeled away, blood billowing into the surrounding water in thick, red clouds. Each bite took another chunk of the creature, its limbs, and body shredded by the swarm of ravenous fish that seemed to multiply with each passing second.

The monster's struggles grew more frantic, but the more it moved, the more the ocean itself responded. Whirlpools began to form around its body, small at first, but growing in intensity. They latched onto its arms and legs, spinning with violent fury, wrenching and twisting its limbs in unnatural directions. Bones snapped and muscles tore as the watery vortexes mercilessly yanked the creature apart. It screamed silently, thrashing harder, but with each movement, the tendrils of coral tightened, and the whirlpools spun faster.

The once immense and terrifying figure was reduced to a maelstrom of agony. The monster's limbs were the first to go, severed by the crushing force of the water and the relentless assault of the fish. Blood spurted from every wound, staining the once-clear waters of the throne world's sea in a cloud of crimson. Pieces of its flesh floated aimlessly, torn free by the violent surges of the water and devoured by the swarming fish.

As the creature's form began to disintegrate, the coral tendrils snaked higher, wrapping around its torso and neck, tightening like a noose. The ocean was unforgiving, pulling the creature's head back with a sickening crack. The tendrils crushed its throat, and within moments, the head detached, floating lifelessly in the water as blood poured from the open stump.

The swirling underwater whirlpools finished their job, dismembering what remained of the monster's body. Limbs now severed, spun aimlessly in the currents, carried away by the flowing streams of Cyrus' oceanic domain. Blood and viscera clouded the entire area, as the sea claimed the monster's body, reducing it to nothing but a floating mass of gore and broken bones.

The greatsword it had once wielded, a weapon of terrible power, slipped from its lifeless hands and flopped down to the seafloor, sinking into the soft, glowing sand below. The kingdom of the sea had claimed its first victory, and Cyrus stood as its ruler, the power of the ocean now fully his to command.

The once formidable creature was gone—consumed, torn apart, and left as nothing more than scraps drifting through the endless expanse of Cyrus' Kingdom of The Sea of Life.