Chapter 2: The Festival of the Gods

Nerez clasped his hands behind his back and took a few steps away from the half-open gates, as though trying to distance himself from the scene of the crime. But it was already too late. All eyes were on him.

“What happened here…”

Nerez jolted as the voice of the long-bearded old man, who should still have been on the distant dais, came from right behind him.

When he turned around, he found that the old man was now only a few meters away, examining the colossal double gate from top to bottom.

But what nearly made him fall backward was that the girl who seemed to shine with a light of her own had also appeared beside the old man, as if out of nowhere.

She was looking directly at him, and her gaze seemed to pierce all the way into his soul.

“The gates of Eferion open only when the Festival of the Gods begins. This is a case without precedent…”

After saying that, the old man turned around, and his bright emerald eyes also settled on him.

Under both gazes, Nerez noticed that they shared the same eyes, which seemed to reflect spring itself.

But while the old man’s hair and beard were white, the girl’s hair was the color of cherry blossoms.

Though the girl kept that serious gaze fixed on him, which was uncomfortable enough, the old man closed his eyes and shook his head to himself.

“Coincidence or not, no one may leave the Hall of Dawns until the explanation is over. Calm down already, Nereziel.”

“Nereziel? How presumptuous…”

“He’s not even a god. What insolence.”

“I think he gave himself that name. It’ll be funny when he fails…”

“When he fails? He’s been causing trouble from the start. They should have failed him already.”

Nerez did not ask how the old man knew his name.

[Zorovan]

[God of Life]

[Supreme God]

[Overgod of Ferendil]

[First Seat of the Primordial’s Council]

There was much more Nerez could see in his Godscript, but the titles that had appeared were already enough to make one thing clear: he could not afford to disrespect the being before him.

“Excuse me, Your… Excellency…?” Nerez began, somewhat hopeful after hearing the voices around him. “With all the trouble I’ve caused, wouldn’t it be better if you failed me? I would accept your decision and go my own way. Perhaps I’ll become a simple farmer in some remote corner…”

“Fail you?” Zorovan replied, stroking his long beard. “Only the Divine Order can decide who ascends as a god and who returns to where they came from. And there are only those two options.”

Nerez’s blood ran cold. Return to where he came from… did that mean going back to the sea of souls? Had he not really escaped? He was sure he had crossed the barrier… or would he be condemned to wander the void stretching beyond it?

“In any case, it seems someone has very high hopes for you. You were not given that name without reason. I hope you do not disappoint.”

“Huh…?”

Many of those around them did not appreciate those words, but Zorovan merely smiled before vanishing with the girl and reappearing with her on the distant dais.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Very well, I hope by now you’ve all become at least somewhat familiar with the Godscript,” Zorovan addressed the entire hall once more. “As I just mentioned, it is the Divine Order that will decide the fate of the seats available in the newborn world of Eryndea, but that does not mean you need not prove your worth.”

“Eryndea?”

Nerez only half listened to the old man’s words. He was still confused by what he had just heard about his name. But even more than that, he was terrified by the idea that the so-called Divine Order, or whatever it was, might send him back to the sea of souls… In other words, return him to the eternal cycle of dying and being born again without losing his memory: “the blessing of the Goddess of Fate.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at the half-open gate behind him, but for the moment he decided not to interact with it. He did not want to draw any more attention to himself.

“The Divine Order, through your Godscripts, will assign each of you your respective challenges. These will depend on the type of god you have the potential to become.”

Zorovan’s gaze swept across the vast hall. Under it, many swallowed hard.