Chapter 1: The Fall of Tian Wudi

"Please, this way, Divine One," said a man with a worshipful look to Tian Wudi. Wudi placed his hand on the man's shoulder and said, "Thank you, my child." His hand glowed, emanating a power that made the man feel as if Wudi was a divine messenger from the heavens. The man dropped to his knees and bowed, utterly convinced that Wudi was a divine being. Wudi, with a proud but benevolent expression, continued on his way without even glancing at the man who had fallen to his knees.

Wudi soon arrived at a set of stairs where a person was giving an opening to a crowd on a very large stage. It seemed the opening was for Wudi. Another person approached Wudi from behind and, without even looking towards the man Wudi, said, "You did a good job. The venue is more than we could ask for. Many will be saved and know God's love." It appeared that Wudi truly believed what he said, but the man replied curtly, "Of course, the pay is more than enough for me to land a venue like this. London will be the big one." It was clear that the man did not believe and was only there for the money.

"You know we're not a cult, and you've worked for me for a long time. You've felt it too. One day you will believe," Wudi said.

The man looked at Wudi's hand with a somewhat questioning gaze. It was true that he had felt it too and had seen his hand glow with a godly color, but he was not a believer and thought it was some sort of trick. Even so, the sensation he felt from Wudi's hand was real, which made him question whether it was a con or not. Unknowingly, he even nodded at Wudi's words while reflecting on the sensation he had felt before.

With a proud expression and ready to give the largest sermon of his life, Wudi began to ascend the stairs. "I will make the world believe. I am a true son of God. The right hand of God is I!" he thought, his expression turning benevolent right when he entered the crowd's sight, putting his hand behind his back and approaching the center of the stage.

Wudi took a light breath and began to speak, "I-" but someone yelled, "False god!" Some even laughed. It appeared that many people had only shown up to watch Wudi make a fool of himself, but many believers began yelling at the man. Just as it seemed that there would be an argument, Wudi raised his hand. "It's my time," he thought, channeling all the power he could muster into his hand. His hand glowed radiantly, and the expression on his face was that of benevolence itself. Even the people who had been clamoring earlier became quiet and began to question whether he was really a prophet or not.

With a voice that exuded exuberance, calm, and an unquestionable authority, Tian Wudi spoke, "If I am not the hand of God himself, then may He strike me down." The crowd felt the power that they assumed to be divine and stared in disbelief. Wudi was content with the reaction of the crowd and basked in the light, looking up slightly as if to stare at God himself with a smile forming on his face. Even his agent, who did not believe, stared in wonder, absolutely mystified by what he felt. There was an aura radiating from Wudi, and not a single person out of the thousands made a sound. They looked on in awe, even the news crews forgot to speak while reporting, and people at home were statues staring at the spectacle.

It was a clear and sunny day, without a drop of rain, so it was an odd sound to hear thunder, and the quiet crowd had only made the thunder all the more louder. It was then that a bright blue light from the heavens breached Wudi's own golden light creating a contrast that no one could forget. From the perspective of the crowd, a thin bolt of light from right above where Wudi was staring into the heavens struck him directly. The crowd was in stunned silence, and then an uproar. Wudi immediately dropped, and it was clear he was dead.

Wudi was motionless as the light began to fade from his eyes, but the smile that was creeping up his face froze when he died, creating an unbelievable look, as if it was planned. Some would believe it was intentional, that he had saved the world from divine punishment by taking their place, but most believed it was a big hoax. The roars didn't stop for a long time, but Wudi could no longer hear them, though his thoughts still spun even as the world turned black.

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It was then that he heard a sweet voice enter his ears, "My Tian'er." He could feel his hair being ruffled and sadness in the woman's voice. 'God?' he thought. He realized he could feel his body and slowly opened his eyes. A woman with exquisite features and who exuded a semblance of grace entered his view. He realized he was on a bed, a luxurious one at that. Staring into her eyes, memories began to flood him. He seemed to have been transmigrated into this young man with the same name. Wait, no, something wasn't right. He seemed to realize that he felt whole.

Pushing these feelings aside, he said, "Mother." His mother gasped and said, "Tian'er, you spoke." She had a surprised look but was rather calm. He knew why; this Wudi had never spoken a word in his life.

Looking around, he realized that there were herbs and a bucket of ice that seemed rather fresh. "What happened, Mother?" Pausing and pushing her shock aside, she said, "You were hit by tribulation lightning." Her face showed deep thought as she pondered how to continue. Sitting up straight, Wudi said, "Well, I'm fine now, Mother. There's no reason to worry too much about it."

"You don't need to explain," he said, with an odd expression. Swallowing any previous thoughts as to why he was hit by lightning, she said, "Okay Tian'er, I'm unsure as to why you're speaking now, but surviving and speaking is a good thing. Perhaps this was an opportunity." With a wary smile and slight self-loathing, Wudi said, "We can only hope so, Mother. Can you please leave me to rest?"

With a somewhat excited expression that betrayed her usual behavior, she said yes with a light smile and left the room. 'She must be excited to tell Dad that I'm okay and, more importantly, that I'm speaking,' Wudi thought. He needed to sort through his thoughts and figure out the situation, but he knew one thing. He was no prophet, and the Tian Wudi of before was now gone. Or maybe a better choice of words would be 'has fallen.'