‘Chronicles of Lost Eras

Author: Historian and Archeologist François Boulard.

Date Year 684 of the 6th Era.

Chapter 4 : The Natural Laws of Existence and the Nature of Gods.

Before understanding what a God is, one must know about the Natural Laws, also referred to as the Laws of Existence.

Could the Gods create a stone so heavy that they could not lift? Such goes the omnipotence paradox. Similarly, could the Creations Gods, who were - at first- two groups of homogenous immortal entities, have unwittingly created things they couldn’t control at a later time? The answer is unmistakable yes, and we have historical facts to confirm that.

Whether it is something as complex as the concept of Time or Death, or other concepts that are comparatively simpler, they were all the byproduct of the Twelve Creations Gods. It is unknown if, by distinguishing themselves from each other and creating Races, Unique types of energies, or worlds, the Twelve had deliberately wanted the Natural Laws to eventually escape their control.

However, it is proven that they trapped themselves in a plane of existence that followed the flow of the Natural Laws.

Fire, Earth, Death, Love, Time… there are an uncountable amount of concepts, either interwoven or separate. Each concept, or Natural Law- in most cases- has a God residing over it,

For example; The Goddess of Love ‘Aphrodite’

The Natural Laws are ever-lasting and cannot be erased. They can be cancelled, so to speak, but that is only temporary as they will form again with the passing of time. The Gods ruling over any of the concepts, on the other hand, can be replaced. We’ve seen that happen a lot of times, especially during the first couple of Eras.

The Natural Laws would designate a candidate and give them what is known as ‘Existence Trials’.

One common misconception is that the Natural Laws are sentient. That is erroneous. They are the foundation of the known existence, keeping it stable and livable. They do not have thoughts, bodies, or anything like that. They are wholly intangible.

Put simply, they are boundless and extremely pure types of energy, sometimes mixed with each other and sometimes in contrast and opposition. They cannot erase each other or, in a literal sense, clash against each other.

Lastly, not all Natural Laws are equal. Time, Death, Darkness, and Light are the most superior and have more influence than the rest. Amongst them, Time had never designated a God to rule over it, instead choosing to rely on Time Spectres to deal with any person foolish enough to mess with Time and try to chase past, present, or future.

Ironically, and despite its strict moderation, there have been instances where notable individuals succeeded in traveling to the past through the use of Magical Artifacts. Said individuals weren’t erased by the Time Spectres.

Across the entirety of the Vast Expanse, I know of only three living beings unbound by all the Natural Laws. They are; The Frog of Destiny, the Headless Soldier, and The Prince of Sand.

Moving on to the celestial beings called ‘Gods’. I have to admit, however, that this term has ever been used loosely, thus giving it a rather vague definition.

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I’ve had the pleasure and displeasure of encountering quite a number of Gods during my life, which has allowed me to form a solid opinion regarding their existence as a whole.

First, I’d like to empathise that Gods have to exist as the Natural Laws need them. They are part of the foundation and though not all of them might be morally good, they are an essential part of existence.

Second, not all Gods are the same. Appearance, size, prowess, motivations, origin, and so on…

If I have to categorise Gods, then I would put them in three groups.

The first group is composed of the Gods created by the Twelve and subsequently attuning to a concept. One simple example is the God of Wrath, which is called ‘Wrath’ and is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

These Gods were born strong and ‘immortal’, literally made manifest through the very essence of one of the Twelve Creations Gods. They were bestowed powers and names by their creators, but not all of them chose to follow custom and remain loyal and obedient. Some chose to rebel and others switched allegiance.

The second group is made up of entities that ascended to Godhood by getting bound to a certain concept. After completing the Existence Trials, whether they were ageless or mortals, they would gain absolute power over their own concept.

The Natural Laws chose the most perfect candidate for them, so the Gods of this group aren’t necessarily uniquely meant to be Gods. Due to that reason, the Gods of this group tend to be more chaotic, for want of a better word. They wage wars and seek more power, thus making them the most notorious.

And last but not least, the third group encompasses every other living being that attained power akin to that of a God. This group is made of the unexplained and ambiguous Gods.

Ancient Magical Artifacts, sheer will coupled with a ludicrous amount of fighting and training, a combination of specific circumstances, all these reasons and more are ways through which some living beings managed to transcend and create their own concept.

The created concepts are not necessarily strong or eternal, but they exist and are what help their creators achieve unattainable powers. Then again, those powers do not have to be meant for killing or destroying things. Each God excels at their own fields, and as long as they stay true to their own concept, they will remain in power.

It is hard to explicitly define how the Gods of this group truly ascended. The God of Secrets ‘Lirim’, for example, is one such case.

He didn’t create the very concept of a secret and assuming as such is total foolishness. But such is his title, so a plausible theory would be that, through methods unknown to us, he had gathered so many secrets unknown to anyone, that he had eventually become a God. Then again, that theory is also stupid as that would mean that any person dedicated to a simple goal could become a God. Could someone who ate meat every day of his life become the God of Meat? The notion itself is absurd.

There must be a requirement unknown to those who haven’t experienced it themselves. Moreover, these types of Gods are generally seclusive and never reveal themselves with the exception of a handful.

A mortal can become a God and there are more than a way to do that, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, History proves that Gods of this group are the strongest, most compassionate and well-adjusted. Their secrecy notwithstanding, they tend to involve themselves in mortal affairs and even offer a lot of help.

One question I hear often asked; Are the Gods considered a Race?

The answer is actually simple. Being a God doesn’t mean you’re no longer a human, an elf, etc… Being a God is a title. A very prestigious one, it seems. It is a way to differentiate the mortal living beings from those who got attuned to a unique concept.

Technically, the 72 Demons of Hell are also Gods.

Notably, there have been Gods that are tied to more than one concept.

If we take the Trickster, he is the God of Tricks, Magic, and Cards. He is the only God that belongs to all three groups.

I’d also like to mention that there have been cases in which a mortal has achieved God-like powers without attuning to a concept.

For example, many people think that the Nameless Knight is the God of Darkness, but that is wrong. Even amongst the aforementioned exceptions, he is quite odd. The Dark Knight is the one in control of the Primordial Darkness Laws, rather than the opposite. He is not bound by them.

'The Wind Elemental Laws, considered to be part of the Natural Laws, are considered an exception as they were created by Ventus Malum 'The Gale Devourer'. Nevertheless, they still have the same role as any other Natural Law and have a God attuned to them.'