All five hundred and ten elves of the White Leaf tribe gathered in a nearby clearing. Well, I said nearby but almost everywhere was a clearing as the land was truly desolate. They all packed their belongings and were left standing in lines unsure of what was about to happen next. The children were crying as they had to leave behind their houses. The adults’ faces were terrified as the elder did not let them know what danger awaits, only that there was one.

Elder Havies was standing firm in front of the panicking masses. His face was nervous but showed a tinge of strength as he knew he needs to stay calm and collected.

“Everyone! Please stay quiet!” He shouted.

Not everyone listened, especially the children. They were too scared to do so.

“ Everyone!” Elder Havies tried again to no avail. His voice was just too weak.

The people were even too busy panicking to notice me, a stranger, standing next to the elder.

This is my time to show dominance but also give them a sense of new hope. I tried channeling the little divinity I had to my hand. I could feel the sensation of golden mana traveling through my veins. I raised my hands to the sky. A black cloud was formed out of nothing. The black cloud’s insides were charging up positive energy as it gradually generated electricity. It was building it up slowly and slowly until finally a roaring thunderstrike left the cloud and traveled into my hands. The incredible sound and spectacle silenced the crowd and the sky turned dark. The wind was blowing furiously.

Everyone gazed at the black cloud before staring at where the thunder hit the ground. They all witnessed my golden-shining hand and my glowing eyes. My long white hair also flowed with the wind. It was a sight out of a painting. A moment of realization struck them. Every single tribesmen and women dropped down and started worshipping me.

“God Awana!”

“It is a miracle! God Awana is back!”

“The day has finally come! We are saved!”

The tribespeople was euphoric. This was a moment they have been waiting for literally thousands of years. Generations of their ancestors died for this moment. This moment was the bedtime story parents would tell their children. A legend told in each household. Their god has received his second coming.

“People of the White Leaf tribe. I have returned thanks to all of your efforts.” I increased the volume of my voice with my magic as my voice echoed.

Everyone cheered and some cried their hearts out.

“However…”

As my voice trailed off, everyone went silent to anticipate what I was going to say next.

“We are not safe yet. As you know, the ten gods are still the rulers of this planet. The moment they found out I am free, they will send all of their forces here to kill not only me but all of you. I am also not strong enough to deal with them, let alone the demigods they may send. That is why we must move.”

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“But your holiness! Where!? We have nowhere to go! My children are too weak to travel” The one who raised her voice was a mother with two children.

“Do not worry. Physically traveling will not be necessary. But before that…”

I paused for a short moment before continuing.

“You should no longer refer to me as Awana. This name is now dead. Not only that, your tribe is no longer White Leaf tribe. For now, we are no longer our former selves. This is not only for our safety but also as a way to usher us into a new era." I articulated with regality.

“My name is now Tiven. A name that in your elvish tongue mean ‘Sky Angel’. Do not ask me why I chose this name. In fact, it was Neityr here who gave me this name.” I looked to my side where she was but Neityr averted her entire head due to embarrassment. The crowd also looked at her with reverence and even envy as she received the incredible honor of naming a god.

“Of course, you may still refer to my true name if you wish. But remember, if we deal with outsiders, I may only be referred to as Tiven. As for the new name of your tribe, we shall decide at a later date. Now…”

I turned my back from where the elven tribe was towards the large and empty desolate land. I raised both of my hands and channeled my powers. Cloud creation. And tis’ no ordinary clouds. This was the type I used as the home of my magnificent palace in the sky when I was still a complete god. This cloud was completely solid and sturdy yet could float and fly up in the skies. I have built an entire palace on top of it but this was surely going to be a first time I will try to house a settlement on top of it.

I mixed the clouds with soil on the top layer to allow not only the growth of plants and animals but also to act as foundations for buildings. My current powers only allow me to fit perhaps three of the size of the palace I used to own. But it was currently just enough to house five hundred people. As my power grows in the future, I could definitely expand to fill even an entire kingdom.

I could not look behind me but I hear people shouting something in awe and wonder. Some even started to chant their happiness towards me. The whole process took almost one hour. The entire cloud also became so thick and tall that I had to create a staircase to allow the people to enter the cloud.

“Your new home is now finished. Please board the cloud.” I told the citizens.

“Everyone! Please form a line! The children and the weak go first!” Elder Havies shouted towards everyone.

The people followed our orders and formed a line. The children who I saw was too weak to even play around before started running with furious speed as they were too excited for what they would see up there. The weak and elders were slower as they had to be assisted by the younger people.

“Neityr, do you know where’s the nearest place we can get supplies? I am referring to plant seeds, equipment, building materials, and also cattle we can bring up there.”

“Hmmm….Let me ask my grandfather.” She poked her Elder Havies’ shoulder who was still helping the people get up the stairs. “Grandpa, Where is the nearest place we can get supplies?”

Elder Havies stroke his beard. “Ah. Our current location is the very south of the continent where everything is hot and dry. But if we go a little north towards the equator, we can reach the tropics. We can extract natural resources from the jungles we will encounter along the way. There are also some small kingdoms over there. But...if we reach civilization, there is also the risk of encountering a god.”

“I see. Do not worry. I have cast a protecting barrier over the cloud to not only protect us from the environment but also the gods. They will only see this cloud as just a simple cloud from the outside. And even then, gods are not omniscient beings who are aware of everything. They’re much stupider than you think—especially if they are arrogant.” I replied.

“Oh! I think everyone has boarded the cloud, your holiness.” Neityr interjected.

“Then it is time for us to depart,” I replied smiling.