Right after the goddess' disappearance, Varan had looked upon the world. With all the chaos that was spreading around, one place in particular caught his attention. It was a small village by the name of Vishka in the human continent.
The difference between this place and the others was that it held someone that radiated immense light. His heart was pure, and he was ready to defend his people when necessary. He stood watching the fight between the villagers and the monsters.
His powers had immensely weakened after being corrupted with dark energy. Right now, he was trying to find a way to increase said energy. The only thing he could do in his state was give someone a low-level blessing.
Seeing the man about to die, he took his consciousness and hid his physical body. After offering him his blessing, he accepted and was brought back to the world.
Varan placed his hand in front of him, and a panel of light appeared. This panel that he created showed him his current creator energy (CE) that is gained with his followers' worship. Right now he had five hundred energy; before giving a blessing to Otis, he had a thousand CE, which meant that he could grant one more blessing.
Every creation or action that influenced his world required this type of energy. Depending on the scale of the creation, the energy spending varied. The more CE he spent for granting a blessing, the more powerful it becomes.
Varan's focus was taken by the sight of his carrier, Otis, helping a child get up to her feet. He saw the miserable condition of the girl and the desperate look in his follower's face.
"I guess it can't be helped." Varan used his remaining energy to grant this child a blessing and save her life.
—------
Otis currently held the child in his arms, worried for her well-being. The creator had granted him a blessing that made him more powerful, but the ability to heal was out of his reach.
"Alina, hold on, everything is going to be alright." Otis carried her on his back and desperately tried to find some herbs to calm her state. Her ragged breathing made his body tremble in desperation.
A beam of light then suddenly pierced the heavens and fell upon the girl on his back. Otis widened his eyes widely before looking behind him. Her injuries were healing at a fast pace, and in no time she was able to coherently speak.
Otis placed her down on the ground, and the silence that followed was unbearable. The weight of his failure to save the village fell upon his shoulders; he could only look down in shame. His eyes opened widely as Alina jumped from the ground and hugged his figure.
Tears started streaming down her face, and the only thing he could do was silently hug her back. Otis took one last look at the destroyed village before deciding to leave the place.
"Why did everyone… Why did my mom have to die?" She asked. Otis couldn't respond; he silently picked her up and started walking away. The elder knew that there was a settlement called "Tagea" about three months away on foot; this was their next destination.
That same day on the way there, Otis said, "I'm sorry for not being able to answer your question; just know that the creator of the world granted both of us his blessing; that's why we're alive right now."
A frown appeared on the girl's face. "Then what about everyone in the village? Why didn't he save them?" She said in a low voice, tears once again threatening to spill from her face.
She wanted to scream and let her frustrations out, but knowing that monsters could be close kept her in check. The elder heard her words but chose not to add salt to injury.
Three months passed slowly; the relationship between the elder and the girl slowly improved, and the girl now saw the elder as her grandpa. They had avoided most conflicts with monsters and battled when necessary. They ate whatever they could find along the way.
The corruption of the world changed some laws regarding the human body. They now couldn't rely solely on mana to keep their bodies working; they needed nourishment. Otis could control the mana around him to generate water that was safe for consumption and use fire to cook meat.
Shortly after departing from their village, they had suddenly gained knowledge on how to survive now that the laws of the world had changed. Every night they spent at least half an hour praying and worshipping their god, Varan.
It was currently daytime, and they were on a path that seemed to be leading them to the settlement. Walking a few steps forward, they could see a stone wall protecting the homes behind it.
Archers were strategically placed atop the wall for a more efficient defense of the area. Otis and Alina looked at the bow with confusion; it was something they had never seen before. They were quickly spotted by the archers, who drew their bows and aimed them at the pair.
"Wait! We're humans; monsters destroyed our village. Could we come in?" A tense silence followed; it didn't last long as they lowered their bows before opening a huge wooden gate.
An armored person stepped out of the gates and greeted them. "Sorry for what happened; we have been experiencing monster attacks daily, and we are wary of anything getting too close to the walls."
"No problem, I understand your worries." Otis responded.
"Please, come inside; we can talk more peacefully there."
The guard was a muscular white man with a short white beard and short black hair. His armor was rudimentary and very worn out. They both quickly followed him inside, where they saw the daub housing and the people.
Many looked hungry, sickly, and without energy; this condition contrasted with the soldiers, who were looking well fed and strong. Noticing the confusion of the pair, the guard decided to explain.
"Every night we have monster attacks; the monsters here are weak to sunlight. To be able to fend off these attacks, we have to be in our top physical condition. We've been having trouble finding food since the change. Soldiers are prioritized because without them this place will surely fall."
Now that Otis was closer to the guard, he could see that his eyes were baggy from the lack of sleep. Every night these people had to fight to protect what they had left.
"I'm sorry you all are going through this; it must be exhausting," the elder sympathized.
The look on his face hardened. "It is, but if this is what it takes to keep everyone safe, I'm willing to pay the price." The guard led them inside of a half-timbered house where a woman was sitting drinking tea.
The atmosphere suddenly changed once they locked eyes. Otis and Alina could feel the aura around her; she was a mana user.
Not everyone in this world is able to handle mana; only a selected few have the constitution necessary to handle it. Alina was blessed with a constitution by the creator, making her apt to use mana even though she wasn't able to do so before.
The woman slightly smiled before commenting, "Now this is rare; it's not every day that you can see a mana user, especially two."
The woman had dark orange hair, a honey skin tone, and delicate facial features; she seemed to be in her mid-thirties.
Before any words could be exchanged between them, the guard offered them a place to sit before standing beside the woman.
She slowly sipped her tea while waiting for her guests to become comfortable. "So, what are both of you doing here?" She asked.
"Hello," he began, "My name is Otis; this girl beside me is called Alina. Our village was raided by monsters not long ago, and we are wondering if we can take refuge here for some time." He calmly awaited her response while Alina discreetly kept looking back and forth at the woman and Otis.
The woman smiled slightly before chuckling without any explanation. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at your situation; it's just that I noticed my lack of modals. My name is Ada. It's been a while since we had visitors."
Alina made a displeased expression and tried to speak, but when she was about to do so, Otis stopped her. She frowned at him but didn't say anything. Ada looked at her reaction and apologized once again.
"Both of you are free to stay here… as long as work is being done. We cannot allow ourselves to relax for a second. The moment we become comfortable is the moment that this place will fall." Ada's facial features became melancholic for some reason.
Otis looked at Alina for a second; seeing no signs of disagreement on her face, he accepted the deal. "Alright, we will start working today. Thanks for giving us a chance." Otis said before bowing his head a bit.
A slight frown crossed her face. "I will be honest with you, this place is plagued by a mysterious illness; there's a high chance that staying here will affect both of you. Do y'all still want to stay in here?" At the end of her sentence, her facial expression hardened and became serious.
Ada was surprised when, for the first time in the conversation, Alina spoke, "I might be able to help."