In a quiet corner of the world, nestled near a small village,there sat a young man.
He had bright blond hair,two long ears and eyes that were deep black with cross shaped slits at the center.He wore an old brown robe,stitched together with a mix of different fabrics,each piece clearly salvaged and reused.
His build resembled that of a typical human and he stood at about 1.70 meters tall.
Right now, he was sitting on a small ridge along a nearby mountain,gazing peacefully toward the village in the distance about three kilometers away.
A small, quiet smile rested on his lips,as he took in the view before him.
From high above,Oberon watched him.
Peering through his black and yellow System screen,it was almost like he was watching a Twitch livestream.
Just… no chat,no notifications.
Nothing unusual was happening.
He leaned back in his God Domain and smiled to himself,simply enjoying the sight.
From what he could see this land was perched atop a great mountain range.
But unlike Earth there was no snow at the peaks.
Instead, there was only warm sunlight gently falling over the hills and trees.It was peaceful.Truly peaceful.
A soft breeze passed by the young man,it danced across his skin like a singing maiden's touch.
The sunlight warmed him,the wind cooled him,both balanced perfectly,like nature itself was in harmony.It felt like paradise.
A paradise made for all living things.
Although Oberon couldn't feel the temperature himself,he could still fantasize about it,imagining the sensation from the way the scene looked and from the expression on the long eared, human like being's face.
After becoming a Newborn God,Oberon had gained the innate ability to feel the emotions of beings around him.
Of course, there was one condition he could only sense those emotions if the being in questiondidn't hate him or didn't actively try to block him out.
But right now, in this moment he could feel everything coming from the young man.
"So peaceful,"Oberon said aloud in his lone God Domain.
He hadn't felt lonely when he first arrived here,but now… he did.Even though it had only been about two hours.
"In the end, I still feel more like a human than a god."He smiled bitterly at the thought,then let out a soft chuckle,half amused, half reflective.
"Got philosophical already.That's… pretty unusual for me."He turned his attention back to the young man on the mountain.
A thought crossed his mind and that thought became curiosity,he scanned the black and yellow screen wondering if there was some kind of chat function.
A few moments of focus and he found it.
No keyboard. No voice input,he didn't even need to move.
The system responded instantly to the thoughts in his mind.
A smile tugged at his lips.
He thought of a message and it was sent.
Down below,the young man on the mountain flinched.
He heard a soft sound like a ripple in the air,a bell with no echo.
And then something appeared in front of him.
Something he had never seen before.
It was a strange black and yellow pane of light,almost like glass,but not quite.
It shimmered gently in the air,floating in front of his face.
Text appeared.
[A Lonely God is looking at you]
Reading the strange message,the young man tilted his head in confusion.
He read it again,this time aloud.
"A lonely god is looking at me?What's a god…?"The words puzzled him and made him curious.
He had never left the mountain before,only the adults were allowed to go down into the world,they always spoke of faraway lands of strange creatures and countless beings beyond the mountain.
But now… something even stranger appeared before him.
Another black and yellow pane of glass shimmered into existence.
[Do you want to become a believer of the Lonely God who is looking at you?Yes / No (Click!)]
He squinted at it.
"Become a believer…?What does that mean?"
He frowned, puzzled,but then he remembered what the first message said.
"A lonely god…"
That part stuck with him and somehow, in his heart,he felt… playful.Like today was a day for something different.Something new.
"Maybe I'll play with this lonely god,"he said, his voice light,almost amused.
"If he's lonely, I guess…I could keep him company."
With that innocent thought,he raised his hand and extended his index finger.He tapped gently on the word Yes.
The screen shimmered fading into glowing particles of light.
But before he could wonder what would happen next,a new message appeared before him.
[Congratulations!You have become the Lonely God's first believer!You are about to meet your god in Three...Two...One...]
He barely had time to finish reading it when the world around him began to twist.
His mountain, his village, his home all of it vanished in an instant.The ground beneath him changed.
Now, he stood in a wide, empty field of lush, green grass.
And above him there was no sky.
Only a vast, endless dark night sky with no stars.
Except… for one.
One bright star shone high above him.
Radiant. Still. Unmoving.
It burned like the most outstanding thing he had ever seen.But more than that as he looked at it,he felt something strange,something deep.
He felt like he was that star or… connected to it in some way.
And just as that feeling took hold a voice echoed across the field.
"Hello, my believer. I am the God of Light,Oberon!"
The voice echoed through the field,it didn't sound like something meant to be heard with mortal ears,it was… otherworldly like it was being felt in the soul, not just the mind.
The boy turned around slowly and froze.
Before him stood a figure unlike any he had ever seen.
He had long, shoulder length black hair,cross shaped pupils of golden yellow and black and a face that could only be described as beautiful.
No… not beautiful.Otherworldly.
His white robe was plain and spotless,yet it somehow made him look even more divine.
He had a pair of long, pointed ears,far longer than anyone in the his village,longer even than the oldest elders.
In his village, long ears were a mark of age and power,the longer your ears, the more respected you were.So, the boy stared at those ears in awe.
"A-Are you… an Averze too?"he asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Oberon blinked.
"Averze?"he thought.
He tilted his head in confusion.
"What the hell is an Averze?Is that the name of his race or something?"
But then, curious, he reached up and touched his own ears.And his hand froze.
They were long and pointy.
"…Wait a minute."
Oberon's thoughts spun for a second,he hadn't noticed until now,he definitely didn't look like this back on Earth and then it clicked.
"Oh. Right."
As a Newborn God, he hadn't been given a fixed appearance yet,they were shapeless undefined until their first believer saw them.
And in that moment,they took on a form that would be accepted by the believer.
Usually, that meant mirroring the race or traits of whoever believed in them first.
"Ah… so that's why."He let out a breath of relief.
He'd inherited the appearance of this Young mans race,Averze, apparently.
Luckily, all he had were long, pointy ears and cross like eyes.He could live with that.But then a darker thought hit him.
"Wait… what if my first believer had been a pig?Would I have turned into a pig god?"
He paled at the idea.
"What a terrifying fate…"he muttered to himself.
"Becoming a god only to end up as some divine bacon avatar.Being a god really is cruel."He shivered at the thought,then looked back at the boy with a perfectly serene smile.
After a brief silence, Oberon smiled warmly at his first believer and gave a firm nod.
"Indeed, I am an Averze."
Upon hearing those words, Osirs lit up with excitement.Before him stood an ancient being,someone from his own race.
From the history books in the village library, he had read that most of the elders and great warriors of the Averze had died long ago during some unknown catastrophe.
It was said that the current generations lived in the shadow of a far greater past.To see someone like this standing before him?It was like witnessing history come alive.
Osirs couldn't help but smile like an excited child.
"Hello, Elder!" he said quickly."I am Osirs, one of the few learning swordsmen of the village!"
Oberon's smile widened as he heard the boy's enthusiasm.
"Then tell me, Osirs," he said gently,"do you want to become a true swordsman?One who can soar through the skies,cut mountains like paper and split rivers in half with a single swing?"
Osirs was stunned for a moment.He remembered watching birds fly freely in the sky,as a child, he had often dreamed of doing the same.
The fire in his heart reignited.His cross shaped eyes gleamed with determination.
He nodded quickly, eyes full of wonder.
Oberon laughed softly, his divine voice like sunlight.
"Then receive my blessing.From this day forward, you are the Swordsman of Light,the protector of your village from beasts and behemoths and with my guidance, your village shall rise far beyond anything you've ever imagined."
With those words, Oberon activated one of his skills Blessing of Absolute Light.
He used 50 Faith Points,an expensive cost for a newborn god,but it was worth it.
A golden glow surrounded Osirs as the blessing took hold.Then, the system spoke.
[You have blessed your first believer, Osirs.As a Newborn God, you receive a bonus for your first believer.A higher Grade Blessing will be given.]
Oberon's eyes widened in surprise.He hadn't known about this first believer bonus.But then, another screen appeared.
One he hadn't seen before.
[Believer Management System
Name: Osirs Averze
Race: Averze
Serving God: Oberon, God of Light (God of Beginning and End)
Titles: Swordsman of Light, Sword Genius in Training of the Averze Village
Stage: Mortal
Soul: 1
Spirit: –
Body: 5
Vitality: 100
Skills:
– Low Grade Blessing of Absolute Light:A Low grade blessing from the God of Light. Grants the Believer an good affinity to the element of Light. The Believer may wield the element of the Light as naturally as a servant follows a prince.(The higher the grade of the Blessing,the higher the loyalty of the element of Light to the believer)
– Sword Path Instinct:A natural instinct for the sword Path. Greatly enhances the Believer's talent in all sword related skills, allowing the path of the Sword to be followed toward of the believer's form of perfection of the Sword.
– Mana Detection (Sealed):Locked. (Will unlock once the believer awakens spirit)]