Rise of the Fallen Son-in-law

Chapter 3: Climbing uphill

Celeste's heart sank as she listened to the sound of silence on the other end of the line. She held her breath, hoping against hope that he would speak. But as the seconds ticked by, the only sound she heard was the faint buzz of static on the phone.

Finally, she hung up, her hands shaking and tears welling in her eyes. She had never felt so alone.

Celeste's wedding day dawned, and she felt like a prisoner in her own body. She had tried everything to escape her fate, but her parents had left her no choice. She would be married to Bradford, whether she liked it or not.

As the ceremony began, she felt her heart sink. She was about to lose everything she had ever cared about. But just as the priest was about to pronounce them man and wife, a thunderous roar echoed through the hall.

A great shadow passed over the assembled guests, and all eyes turned upward to see a dragon descending from the sky.

The rumors were true - the god of war had returned, and he had come to stop the wedding. As the dragon landed, its great wings blocking out the sun, a man dressed in shining armor leapt from its back. He strode towards the altar, his eyes fixed on Celeste.

"I have come to save you, Celeste," he said, his voice ringing with power. "I will not allow you to be forced into a marriage you do not want."

The nobles gasped, and some began to tremble with fear. But Celeste felt only relief.

The guests and nobles at the wedding were struck with terror as they gazed upon the mighty dragon that had landed before them. They had heard the rumors that the god of war had returned, but they had not truly believed it until now. As the dragon's great wings flapped in the air, the building shook, and many of the guests began to flee in panic.

But as they fled, a lone figure emerged from the dragon's back. A man dressed in shining armor, his eyes shining with determination. As he approached the altar, the guests fell silent, their eyes wide with shock.

Celeste stared at the man before her, her heart racing. She had heard the rumors of the god of war's return, but she had never imagined that he would look like this. His armor gleamed in the light, and his eyes burned with a fire that seemed to come from within. She felt drawn to him, as if he were a beacon in the darkness. But even as she felt herself drawn to him, a part of her was afraid. She turned and fled from the altar, running to the one person she thought she could trust.

Bradford stood before her, his face twisted in rage.

The Blackwoods were furious. Not only had the god of war ruined their carefully laid plans, but he had also made them a target for the god killers. They would be forced to flee, to go into hiding, and they knew that their lives would never be the same.

As they seethed with anger, Celeste and Markus stood together, their hands entwined. And as they faced the future, they knew that they would face it together, no matter what.

"We can't give up now," said Celeste, her voice trembling with emotion.

"You're right," said Markus, his gaze fierce and determined. "We have to do whatever it takes to stay together, no matter what our families say."

"But what can we do?" Celeste asked, her eyes wide with fear.

Lord Blackwood stood before them, his face pale and drawn. He knew that he could not force them to marry, not now. They were determined to stay together, and he knew that any attempt to separate them would be futile. But he also knew that his family was in danger. The god killers would be relentless in their pursuit, and the people of the town would blame him for bringing this upon them. He was trapped, with no way out.

"Markus," he said, his voice heavy with resignation. "I can't stop you from doing what you want.

Markus's smirk turned to a scowl as he realized the weight of the responsibility that now rested on his shoulders. He knew that he would have to become stronger, to train with his system and become the god of war that his people needed. But he also knew that he could not do it alone. He would need the support of his mother and his wife, and he would need to find a way to protect them from the god killers.

He turned to Celeste, his expression grim. "We need to get out of here," he said.

Lord Blackwood realized that he had no power to stop Markus and Celeste from pursuing their love, and that his family was in danger if he tried to oppose them.

The people were outraged by the potential threat posed by Markus's presence, and feared that the god killers would strike again.

Markus knew that he needed to become stronger in order to protect his family, and that he would need to rely on his training and his system to succeed.

As Markus and Celeste mounted the dragon, Mrs. Blackwood rushed forward, her face contorted with anger. "How could you let them go?" she demanded, her voice trembling with emotion. "You're just going to let them leave, after all they've done? After everything that's happened?"

Lord Blackwood met her gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable. "They have chosen their path," he said. "And I can't force them to stay.

The wind whipped through Celeste's hair as the dragon soared through the sky, but she could not enjoy the feeling of freedom that she had once loved. Instead, all she could feel was a sense of dread.

She knew that their flight was not one of triumph, but of peril. The flames of war raged all around them, and she feared for the safety of her family. She wondered if she had made the right choice, or if she had put them all in mortal danger.

.

As the dragon landed, Markus and Celeste were met by Cedric, a man with the bearing of a soldier. His gray hair was peppered with strands of white, and his eyes held the wisdom of age.

"Welcome to my training ground," he said, gesturing to the open arena that lay before them. "This is where heroes have trained for generations. And now it is your turn."

Markus took the sword of the gods from his belt and held it aloft. As he did so, the system gave him his first task.

Celeste watched with a mixture of fear and awe as Markus began his training. He was a blur of motion, his sword a silver streak in the air. She saw the lines of his muscles ripple beneath his clothes, and his eyes were focused and intense.

MARKUS' STATS:

STRENGTH: 65/100

ENDURANCE: 55/100

SPEED: 50/100

AGILITY: 60/100

WILLPOWER: 75/100

INTELLIGENCE: 75/100

As Markus and Cedric began their sparring, Celeste watched in horror as her husband was quickly outmatched. Despite his training and his focus, he was no match for the seasoned warrior.

The blows rained down upon him, each one harder than the last. His movements became slower, more labored. And then, with a single, well-placed strike, Cedric sent him crashing to the ground.

"I am sorry," said Cedric, a look of concern on his face.

QUEST COMPLETE!

NEW TASK: Train for a full day at the training ground, to improve your strength, endurance, speed, agility, willpower, and intelligence.

REWARD: +10 attribute points to be allocated as desired.

CONSEQUENCE FOR FAILURE: A random attribute will decrease by 5 points.

Taking a deep breath, Markus rose to his feet. He wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded to Cedric. "Let's do this."

For the next several hours, he pushed himself to the limit. His muscles screamed in protest, but he kept going. He ran, he jumped, he lifted weights, he meditated, he pushed himself as hard as he could. And when he was finally done, he collapsed to the ground, his body trembling with exhaustion.

MARKUS' STATS:

STRENGTH: 75/100

ENDURANCE: 75/100

SPEED: 65/100

AGILITY: 70/100

WILLPOWER: 85/100

INTELLIGENCE: 85/100

LEVEL: 1

The sentries from Capital City, Precipice arrived at Markus's home, their faces grim and unsmiling.