(POV Gabriel)
“A…A God? You’re joking, right?”
“Of course not. I am unable to lie, since it would go against my nature.”
“But, why?”
“I suppose you should know, since I’ve chosen you to serve as my temple. I am the goddess of righteous battle, and I could feel a genuine and pure desire from you to grow stronger.”
“But, I only want to beat Katariah—How is that pure or genuine?”
I heard a little chuckle from inside me. My gods, she’s really inside me, isn’t she?
“Yes, you want to beat a Demon, no? There’s no purer desire than that. In fact, you are the only one I’ve found so far that wishes to fight against one of their kind.”
“Wait—because I want to fight a Demon, you came to me?”
“Yes. I do not know what caused the world to come to this state during my slumber, but we must fight back against the agents of Chaos, otherwise this world would completely fall to the end times.”
“Chaos?”
“The enemy of us Order affiliated gods. We have battled for many millennia, or were supposed to. It seems like we’ve truly slept for too long.”
“Do gods even need to sleep? And how long were you sleeping for?”
“No, gods do not need to sleep. When I say that I’ve been slumbering, I mean that my power stagnated, and my consciousness shut down due to a nefarious plot by the agents of Chaos. It seems like something similar has happened to all the other gods of Order, since I’ve yet to hear from them. I do not know how long I’ve been asleep.”
“Then, what’s a Temple?”
“It’s a mortal that has given a god shelter. It is rare for this to occur, but there are some circumstances that have forced me to find a host.”
“You’re a God though—why would you need to find shelter in the first place? Aren’t God’s supposed to be all-powerful?”
Again, I heard that laughter.
“While Gods certainly are powerful, I am still a single entity after all. There are always limits to power, and ways to weaken others. I exited my slumber with very little of my divine power remaining. To gain it back requires time, and a catalyst. In this case, you are the catalyst.”
“A catalyst? For what?”
“It is simple. Each and every time a mortal gains a level, a sort of heavenly law descends, granting them more power. I can utilize this law to stimulate the release of divine power, which would be given back to me since I am recognized as a goddess.”
“So, you’re going to hinder my cultivation progress?” I asked icily.
“No, not at all. Rather, you will find that some of this divine power will rub off on your soul each time I do this. Since divine power is infinitely more potent than the crude mana you mortals use, you will end up rising very quickly in power. It is extremely rare for a mortal being to come into contact with divine energy.”
“And what if I don’t want you to help me?”
“It’s too late for that.”
“Huh? What do you mean?!”
“I’ve already entered the very essence of your soul at the moment, I have not the power required to separate us. I am sorry, but this was the only action I could take.”
For a moment, I felt angry towards the supposed goddess that decided to interfere with my life. Then, I felt calm. I don’t know why, but it felt like I had a revelation of some kind, telling me that everything was all right, and that this would benefit me greatly.
I thought for a while, before asking the goddess a question.
“Demons are our saviors, so why do you make them sound evil?”
“Because they are. They sow the seeds of chaos, destabilizing the world and throwing it to ruin. However, it looks like history does not remember that era correctly.”
“Correctly? They freed us from the oppression of the elves.”
“Did they? Their forbearer’s fought against a society that saw all of its members feed and working. And they did this for no reason. Eventually, they won, and the unfortunate elves were vilified and cast away. They destabilized a perfectly good world, for their own amusement. I will never forgive the Demons, as carriers of Dragon blood, due to this.”
“So wait—The Dragon’s are your actual enemy? Then why go after their decedents? Isn’t that a little excessive?”
“It is necessary. Otherwise, true order can never be brought back to this world. While the Dragons have already left this plane in search of greater amusements, their legacy still lives on. Luckily, it looks like the gods of Chaos have not interfered with this world while we Order gods slept. I suspect that something also happened to them.”
“But…The elves were evil, right?”
“Not at all. They were the descendants of beings meant to spread order and peace through all worlds, just as the Dragons wanted to cause chaos. They were only able to stay on this world long enough to have children, before they had to continue on in their mission. These children eventually became the Elves, who shared in their ancestor’s mastery over magic of all kinds. This was in contrast to the Dragons, and the Demons, who used magic to strengthen their bodies.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I was always taught that the Elves were the personification of evil. You telling me that they were the descendants of ‘Great Beings’ does nothing to sway that belief.” I said, trying to deny the Goddess, whose words were sounding more pleasing by the second.
“Who first said they were evil? It was the Dragons, and the Demons after them. Only the victor gets to dictate history, and they can make the greatest of saints appear like sinners incarnate. Perspective is a thing very few can indulge in.”
Ugh—it felt like I had a splitting headache trying to wrap my head around these new insights. The Elves? Good? That went against all the stories I’d heard as a child, and all that I’ve learned since. But, the Goddess said she couldn’t lie—right?
But, if Demons are truly evil, then I have a greater reason to fight with Katariah. Truthfully, a part of me knows that my other motivation is really childish, and that Joseph would not treat me any better should I win a fight. Though, it might be wise to combat childishness with childishness.
As soon as Joseph had woken up from when Katariah hit him, he asked after her. After remembering what had happened, he said one thing.
“This is good then. I’ve always liked strong women.”
I left after hearing that, wanting to learn more about Katariah. Not because I was genuinely curious, but because I wanted to figure out what had Joseph so enamored with her.
“Right then. Let’s say that none of that other stuff matters. How powerful can you make me?” I asked the Goddess now residing within me.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On when you next level up. At that time, you’ll come into contact with divine power for the first time. After that, your cultivation speed will start to increase rapidly.”
“How rapidly?”
“You are level 127 at the moment, correct? I can bring you to the level 250 bottleneck in a year.”
I nearly fell from shock. That advancement speed was, well, godlike. Truly, only with the intervention of a god can someone advance one hundred levels in a year. Regardless of everything else the Goddess has told me, this increase in power alone is worth letting her reside within me for a while.
Clenching my teeth, I resolved myself towards leveling up as soon as possible, in order to begin this process of gaining power.
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Divine Realm of Chaos, Pantheon of the Gods.
Time: Around the Present. (±4 or 5 months)
Inside a massive throne room with a number of large stone chairs arranged in a semi-circle, a conversation was taking place.
A man seated on the largest and most intricate throne spoke first, addressing the puny looking messenger who had entered. The messenger kept looking toward the god’s hands, which were well worn and scarred.
“They’ve begun to wake?”
“Yes, My Lord. Currently, the strongest among them have already begun seeking Temples for refuge.”
“Have you checked the World Seal?”
“I have. The inner Sky has been broken, and only the outer Space-fold is keeping the Divided spaces apart.”
“Who would break that seal? Only a complete idiot would mess with…”
“Lord, it was that person.”
“Oh? Then I guess the act can be forgiven.”
“Lord—What are your commands?”
“Do the same as we have been. Simply observe the mortal realm, and don’t get too involved. Those annoying little gods of Order do not realize the depths of the pool in which they would swim.”
Swiftly, the messenger left to carry on the news. Another being materialized on the throne next to the king of the gods. She lounged on the stone chair, and looked at her brother, amused.
“Really Anitious? You aren’t even going to appoint a Temple, or even inform the mortal world of what is to come?”
“Why should I appoint a Temple for myself? I already gave that Hero that got summoned a hefty Blessing. Besides, my Temples have always gone insane. You know that.”
“I know, I know. ‘No mortal can handle the God of Knowledge’s vast intellect!’. I was just asking, do you think they are strong enough?”
“The world below is certainly capable of handling itself. There are some beings down there with the power to rival lesser Chaos Gods, to say nothing of severely weakened Order Gods. And, if the worst comes to pass, we can then start appointing Temples and Champions like we did during that bygone era.”
“I just can’t help but feel that something momentous is coming, and that we’ll be squashed if we make the wrong move. Perhaps it’s best to be on the safe side?”
“We already allowed those summoned heroes to pass through the Rift. They’ve been training hard, and will certainly be strong enough to ‘greet’ the Order God’s Temples. I know that your feeling are intrinsically tied to your role as the Goddess of Fate, but I also know that there’s only one being we have to worry about in the mortal world.”
“Ah—her, right?”
“Exactly. Those bloodlines, along with that soul…While I’m eager to see what will become of her, she frightens me to no end.”
“Because of the ‘no-interference’ policy?”
“Yes. I couldn’t even contact her! What sort of power lurks behind her, to block out even my touch?”
“Ewww! Don’t say it like that—you sound like some sort of pervert!”
Anitious, God of Knowledge, laughed a little.
“Sure, I’m the weird one. At least I don’t stalk mortal women with my divine sense, and try…”
“No!!” Called out Anitious’s sister, The Goddess of Fate, Veranda.
“Oh, please keep talking Father—I want to find out more about Aunt’s bad tendencies.” Said a newcomer, as she materialized in the throne to Anitious’s left. This Goddess looked fairly young, with bright red hair, and vibrant green eyes.
“I’m afraid that bad things will happen to my brother, if he continues speaking.”
The new Goddess sighed.
“Damn. And I thought it would be entertaining.” She paused. “You know, I just heard a rumor concerning the Order Gods….”
“They’re true. The World Seal was broken, and they were woken. However, it’s nothing to be worried about, Farah.”
Farah, the red-haired Goddess, looked very worried.
“’Nothing to be worried about’? We spent so much time and effort setting up those seals, and now that they’ve escaped, there’s ‘nothing to be worried about’?! At least tell me you’ve punished the mortal who broke the seal, Father!”
“Why would I?”
“Because, the Order God’s nearly brought about this planet’s death through stagnation and corruption! The one who let them out needs to become an example to the mortal people! We need to rally them for battle!”
Anitious laughed a little, instantly earning a smothering glare from Farah.
“I think you’re taking this a little too seriously. The Order God’s are not a threat anymore, with how much their power’s been drained due to the Seal. The mortal world will have nothing to fear for the next few hundred years, until they regain their full strength. If I’m right, their Temples will have been destroyed long before then, and their souls thrown into reincarnation.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Well, they’ll first try and seek out the last Elves in the world, who are still inside the outer Space-fold. However, the Order God’s and their chosen Temples will have an unexpectantly hard time getting the Elves to join them, since the Hero’s we allowed to be summoned into this world will be nearby. And, even then, there’s one other thing to consider.”
“What is it?”
“The one who broke the World Seal in the first place—It was Katariah Silver.”
A look of understanding passed Farah’s face.
“Ah, so that’s it. Her fate’s already woven into this, isn't it?”
“Exactly. She’ll likely encounter Order Gods and their Temples at every turn, which will inevitably lead to conflict. As long as those God’s lay an eye on her, they’ll think Katariah a monstrosity that needed eradicating. After all, they would hate the idea of their precious Angelic bloodline being crossed by something they consider Evil incarnate. And, she’ll happily destroy them for provoking her.”