The return of the gods did not end with their awakening.
As time passed, the number of divine abodes that returned to activity continued to increase, and the traces of their owners’ presence began to appear more clearly throughout Iberon.
At first, these traces were limited.
But they soon became something that could no longer be ignored.
Ancient temples that had remained silent for countless ages began responding once again.
Some formations connected to certain gods resumed operation.
Elsewhere, ancient treasures hidden within divine abodes began to reestablish their connection with their owners.
Even some divine symbols carved upon the ruins of ancient temples began to glow with divine energy.
There was no longer any room for doubt.
The gods were reclaiming their existence.
Yet...
Not all gods dealt with their return in the same manner.
Within one of the divine abodes...
A Lesser God sat upon his throne, with several servants standing before him.
He had regained consciousness only a short while ago, and he had no interest in celebrating his return or displaying his power.
He wanted information.
He looked at one of the elders and said:
“Tell me about the world.”
The elder bowed.
“What would you like to know, my lord?”
“Everything important.”
The god raised his hand slightly.
“Who controls the lands that once belonged to me?”
The elder began answering.
He mentioned the names of the empires.
Then he spoke of the races that had expanded during the intervening period, the powers that had risen after his absence, and the changes that had taken place across the Upper Continent.
The god listened without interruption.
Whenever he heard a new name, he asked about it.
He was not trying to reclaim everything he had lost immediately.
First, he wanted to understand the world he had returned to.
After a long while, he said:
“So the balance of power has changed.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The god thought for a moment.
Then he said:
“Do not take any action for now.”
The elder raised his head.
“Do you not wish to reclaim your territories?”
The god looked at him.
“I do.”
Then he added:
“But I will not make a move until I know who I am dealing with.”
The elder bowed.
“As you command.”
Within the abode of another god...
The situation was completely different.
The god was not concerned with territories or empires at first.
He sat inside his palace, closed his eyes, and began absorbing the divine energy that had started spreading throughout his space.
The energy continuously gathered around him.
With every cycle of cultivation, his strength recovered a portion of what he had lost during his slumber.
Awakening alone was not enough to restore him to his former state.
His body and soul needed time to recover their strength.
But the environment was beginning to improve.
With the return of divine energy to Iberon, recovering his strength had become possible once again.
After some time, the god opened his eyes.
He looked at his palm.
Divine energy flowed around his fingers with greater stability than before.
One of his servants asked:
“My lord, do you require more resources?”
“Yes.”
He then gave him several orders concerning the cultivation resources within the divine abode.
He did not need many words.
He knew what he wanted.
To recover his strength.
In another empire...
News of the awakenings reached its leaders.
Several powerful cultivators were gathered inside a vast hall, while maps of the Upper Continent lay before them.
The question was no longer:
Had the gods awakened?
That had already become known.
The question now was:
What would they do?
One of the leaders said:
“Some gods have begun reestablishing contact with their followers.”
Another replied:
“And some divine abodes have begun sending servants into the main world.”
A third asked:
“Has any god begun claiming their former territories?”
“Not on a large scale yet.”
Silence descended.
Then one of them said:
“That will change.”
The others looked at him.
He continued:
“As the number of awakened gods increases, some of them will find that the world they left behind no longer belongs to them as it once did.”
No one objected.
It was only logical.
The ancient gods had possessed influence before their slumber.
But now, new empires, races, and powers had emerged.
Naturally, their return would alter some borders and spheres of influence.
One of the Transcendents said:
“That is why we must not act based on assumptions.”
Everyone looked at him.
“We must determine which gods intend to reclaim their influence, which are concerned only with recovering their strength, and which will choose to observe the new era.”
Then he added:
“We cannot deal with all of them in the same way.”
The others agreed.
The return of the gods marked the beginning of a new stage of shifting balances.
But the change was not merely political.
In numerous cities, news of the ancient temples began to spread among the people.
People entered temples that had remained abandoned for generations, only to see ancient divine symbols glowing before their eyes.
Those symbols were no longer mere relics.
They were connected to a living existence.
Some elders began remembering the stories passed down through their families about the ancient gods.
Stories that most people had believed were nothing more than tales from the distant past.
Now...
Those stories were beginning to acquire a different meaning.
Inside one of the temples, an old man stood before an ancient statue of a god.
He stared at it for a long time.
Then he said:
“So... the legend was not a lie.”
No one answered him.
But the symbol above the statue lit up once again.
The hands of those present trembled.
And the news began spreading from one city to another.
Yet not everyone was enthusiastic about the return of the gods.
Some empires had built their power during their absence.
And some cultivators who had risen to positions of authority saw no reason to automatically submit to gods they had never known.
One of the leaders said during an internal meeting:
“We must be realistic.”
Those present looked at him.
“The fact that a god is ancient does not mean that everything he wants must be obeyed.”
No one objected.
Then he said:
“But that does not mean we should provoke them either.”
That was the real problem.
The gods were no longer merely names recorded in ancient texts.
They were real beings, and their power surpassed most of what the current generation had ever known.
Therefore, the empires began dealing with the matter cautiously.
No complete submission.
No reckless confrontation.
Only observation.
Within another divine abode...
One of the gods had already listened to a complete report concerning the new era.
He sat upon his throne while his servant stood before him.
The servant said:
“These are the most important pieces of information we have managed to gather so far.”
The god remained silent for several moments.
Then he asked:
“Are there still temples bearing my name?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Are there still followers?”
“There are few compared to the past, but yes.”
The god thought for a moment.
Then he said:
“I want to see them.”
The servant raised his head.
“Would you like to send someone?”
The god shook his head.
“No.”
Then he rose from his throne.
The moment he stood, his divine aura spread throughout the palace.
The ancient formations stirred in response to his presence.
He looked at his servants.
“I will go myself.”
Their heads lowered.
“As you command, my lord.”
He walked toward the gate leading outside his divine abode.
He did not need to announce his return.
Nor did he need to display his power before the world.
He simply wanted to see Iberon for himself.
The world he had left behind had changed.
And now...
It was time for him to see just how much it had changed.
That same day...
Another piece of news began spreading.
An awakened god was preparing to leave his divine abode.
No one knew exactly what he intended to do.
But this time, the matter was not about the awakening of another god.
It was about the first step an awakened god would take toward the main world.
And as the empires prepared to watch what would happen...
The ancient gate of the divine abode slowly began to move.
The passage leading to Iberon opened.
The Divine Era had already begun.
And now...
The gods were beginning to move.