As usual, I moved through the city invisibly once I returned to Sanctuary. However, as soon as I reached the Twilight Cathedral, I dropped the spell. Needless to say, my appearance caused quite a stir. Some things never changed. As soon as the kobolds who were in the church saw me, they fell to their knees.

"Welcome home, Lord Nóttormr," they chanted, their voices echoing in the large cathedral.

Although I wasn't sure why, I decided to change my form back to that of a winged kobold and strode forward. "Please stand," I said as I approached the altar. Then I turned around and looked once more at the kobolds.

Movement at the entrance caught my attention. Geyma. Her eyes met mine. "My lord," she said, dropping into a fluid bow. "Someone has come seeking an audience."

I frowned. Something about Geyma was off. After a few seconds, I realized that she actually looked nervous. Whatever waited in the guest chambers had her on edge. That made me curious. "Bring them to me," I said. Then, almost immediately afterwards, I changed my mind. "No, I will go to them. Please lead the way."

While I had been planning on making the divine realm a little larger, that would have required me to use Faith Points. While I had managed to gain a lot of points while I was flying, anything that was able to make her nervous was enough to make me nervous. Because of this, I decided to wait, just in case I needed the points.

As we walked through the tunnels, I tried to guess who I was going to meet. Finally, unable to wait, I used my divine connection to my followers and tapped into the consciousness of the kobold guarding the guest's door. Then I nodded, realizing why Geyma was nervous. A bronze dragon had arrived.

Soon enough, we arrived at our destination. Afterall, Sanctuary had only recently been established. Despite how industrious the kobolds workers were, there was a limit on how much they could accomplish. Once we reached the doorway, I motioned for the others to remain outside and stepped into the room with the bronze dragon.

He had been sitting at a desk. Fortunately, the bronze dragon was in a human form. If he had taken a gnome form, I probably would have walked right back out. "Welcome to my city..." I said, waiting for the dragon to introduce himself to me.

"I am Ormirdan," the bronze dragon declared. "I have heard of your pantheon. I seek to join it."

I waited a moment, but the dragon said nothing more. Not liking the silence, I quickly responded, "If you wish to join the Draconic Pantheon, you must swear the same oath as the others," I said. I tried to keep my voice calm but firm.

"I am willing. I have spoken with the others. That is the reason why I decided to come forward." Without saying anything else, he took the same oath as the other dragons. However, this time, before I handed over the scroll containing the Ritual of Apotheosis, I asked, "Do you mind if I ask which divine spark you have obtained?"

"You'll find out either way, so I see no reason to hide the knowledge. I managed to find the divine spark of Speki, the goddess of wisdom."

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

I had to admit, I was impressed. Becoming the god of wisdom was impressive. Without saying another word, I handed over the ritual. "I'll leave you to examine the scroll. Please let me know if you need anything now or in the future." I then waited a moment, but Ormirdan seemed more interested in the scroll than with speaking with me, so I quietly left and returned to the cathedral.

Once I returned, I informed my kobold believers about the draconic pantheon. It went without saying that they were ecstatic. Then again, I suspected that any good news I gave them would just be used as an excuse to "bathe" at one of the pools.

Over the following days, system notifications appeared. One by one, the other dragons completed their ascensions. I knew this because their names appeared in the pantheon list. Each notification brought a wave of Faith Points to me. Each time, I used some of these points to increase the size of my divine realm. Although it was still small, it was large enough. As for the rest of the points, I needed a horrendous amount of Faith Points to advance to a True God.

The Draconic Pantheon's power was spreading, which meant my power was growing as well. Before too long, each of the dragons had completed their ascension, which gave me additional Faith Points. Although I was curious if any other dragons would appear, none did. Despite this, I was certain that at least one or two other dragons would eventually join. Those who hadn’t arrived yet were probably looking for divine sparks which they could use.

Finally, I was able to save enough Faith Points to meet the minimum requirements. Stepping into the divine realm, I send out an order. “System, please use my Faith Points so that I can become a True God.”

Nothing happened for a moment, but I soon noticed that my Faith Points were rapidly dwindling. As they did, I started to feel a resonance between myself and my divine realm. Gradually, I felt my consciousness start to flow outwards. I was simultaneously everywhere and nowhere, experiencing everything in my domain at once.

My physical form abruptly felt suddenly distant, like a beloved childhood toy viewed through the lens of adulthood. If I had to compare it to something, it was as if my leg had fallen asleep. I knew it was mine. I could touch it, but it was almost like it wasn’t really my leg.

Understanding flooded through me. I realized that I could still inhabit and control my old body, but its death wasn’t the end. I could always create another body, although it would take me a while to create. It was at this point that two system notifications appeared.

ACHIEVEMENT: TRUE GOD. You have merged with your divine realm and become a True God. As the first reincarnator to ascend to true godhood, you have been given access to the surviving souls of your family and friends. Additional information about the system is accessible at this time.

ACHIEVEMENT: AVATAR CREATED. You have created an avatar. This avatar is connected to the Realm of Guthheimr. Because of this, it can freely interact and gain experience within that realm.

I also sensed other changes. Although I had considered myself a god before, I realized that wasn’t exactly true. Although they were called gods, minor gods and lesser gods were just more powerful demigods. Eventually, they would die or fade away. I had become something that was almost eternal. As long as my realm existed, I would remain. The only thing I had to fear was being killed by another True God now.

I no longer even needed Faith Points to exist. I could survive based solely off my divine realm and off my connection to Twilight and Death. As long as twilight or death existed, they would be tied to me. Because of this connection, I would remain. I might not be powerful without believers, but I would still exist.

I realized that the transition from lesser god to True God wasn't just an increase in power. It was a fundamental shift in the nature of existence itself. Somewhere in the vast expanse of my new awareness, I felt something stir. I could now sense other divine realms, other True Gods, and a vague sense of unease from some distant threat. I might have taken my place among the gods, but that wasn't the ending.

That was when I received a message from the god who had reincarnated me. Just from a few mere words, I could tell that he wasn’t just a True God. He was something greater, and for some reason, was annoyed with me.

I didn’t know what I had been expecting, but I suddenly realized just how much I still had to do. I needed to reincarnate all my relatives and friends. I also needed to see what I had done to annoy the leader of the System Lord pantheon. I was also worried about the threat that had destroyed my universe might be working its way toward this one. There were a lot of things that I needed to do in the future. Sighing, I realized that I was still a small frog at the bottom of a well.

Despite my worries, I couldn’t help but smile. This wasn't the end of my journey. It was just the beginning of my journey. Sanctuary was secure, the Draconic Pantheon was growing, and I was now a True God. Whatever challenges lay ahead, I would face them with the strength of my followers, the power of the pantheon, and the knowledge that even in the face of the unknown, I had become a god, a real god. Chuckling, I sent my avatar out into the world of Guthheimr. I had a lot of work to do.