For a brief moment, I felt a warm, soothing sensation spread all over me as the particles of light surged into my body, but the sensation didn’t stop after a while; it grew. The warmth got hotter and hotter until my fingertips felt like they were on fire; my skin and eyes tingled and burned as if a thousand molten needles were being poured into my pores.
Within the expanse of the domain, a series of sickening pops suddenly rang out, my face contorted with pain so deep I couldn’t even scream. Visibly, every bone was moving and reconstructing itself, moving the skin above it in a grotesque dance of blood and uncanny motion, muscles ripping and reattaching themselves to the reconstructing bones, my nerves pushing on overdrive, amplifying each broken bone, each torn muscle, each severed ligament. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing but a broken exhale managed to escape, as even my vocal cords were a part of this transformation.
After a while, the physical effects began to subside into the warmth again, but my reverie was soon cut short by the searing pain that shot through my chest and head, rendering me unconscious.
Moments later, I came to, or so I thought, until I noticed the floating golden screen in front of me.
{†Minor God System†}
‡Profile‡
Name: Astrael
Title: God of Shelters
Divinity Rank: Minor God [0.1]
Domain: Initial mortal region (Vasyti Village)
Authority: Shelter (EX)
Followers: 12 (5 Fanatics / 7 Casual)
Faith Points: 25,350 (Used for Skill upgrades, miracles,...)
Divine Energy: 200/500 (Used to manifest divine abilities...)
‡Core skills and talent‡
♦ Shelter (Ex-rank)
Type: Passive skill
Generates an impervious sanctuary within your domain. Crops flourish, storms bend around it, fires are snuffed, disease halts at its borders, and intruders cannot harm those under its protection. The stronger your Faith, the larger and more impenetrable the shelter becomes—eventually capable of reshaping terrain to safeguard all within your dominion.
Current diameter: 2 km
♦ Minor miracle (C-rank)
Type: Active skill
Allows you to intervene directly in the mortal world to aid followers. Can heal injuries, purify toxins, calm minor disasters, or shield a small group from harm. The effectiveness and duration scale with the god’s Faith and the devotion of those helped.
Reading the details on the glowing screen, I rubbed my eyes, still unable to believe what I was seeing, "This has to be some elaborate cosmic joke...What kind of joke would cause such pain, though? Minor God? Followers? Faith Points? What even are the differences between a fanatic and a casual believer?" I began to wonder as my eyes scanned the floating screen.
[#Followers are the mortals who believe and worship you. Thus earning you faith points.
There are 3 types. Casual: 50 faith points per day, Devotee: 500 FP/day, Fanatics: 5,000FP/day#]
"I can’t bother myself with being surprised? I thought you died or something? I saw you turn into specks of light and enter me... WAIT! Don’t tell me you possessed me!!" I said, my voice nearly a shout
[#No, I now reside within you, as the Minor God System, to help and assist you to rise within and beyond all other gods#]
It replied it’s monotone voice as irritating as it was the day I first met it
"I see", I replied slowly after processing what the system said" Since I somehow have followers, how do I see them, I can’t ’God’ over people I can’t see; this place is all white"
[#You simply have to will it; you’re a God. Don’t limit yourself to what you plainly see. Your followers are members of the village, Vastyi. A village on the continent of Caelion. The planet is named Vethyris; you’ll know more about this new world in due time]
Following the system’s words, I focused on my followers, the one the system said are in Vastyi, after what felt like 10 minutes of just closing my eyes and hoping for a feeling that I didn’t know yet, I felt a gentle tug in my mind, upon sensing that I noticed 5 people, kneeling at an altar, offering prayers, with 7 others behind them. One voice, a particularly elder man, was the most prominent amongst them all.
*Oh Lord, if there’s a God out there, please hear our prayers, help our land; if this plague goes on like this, we will all die out. The fields are empty, the rivers are dry, and our people are dropping like flies; forgive us for the sins of our ancestors"
Listening to the prayers, I looked over the village and the areas around it, and truly, it was in a state of despair and disarray, the soil was a pale clay brown, no cattle in sight, even the people praying looked sickly, not to mention the necrotic grey fog that surrounded them and spanned across the land.
"To imagine things got so bad that they started praying to any god willing to listen" I muttered, as a heavy feeling of pity settled in my chest
"I mean since technically, since I am their God, there has to be a way for me to... Wait, my Authority", I said, opening the system panel to look at it.
‡Core Skills and Talents‡
♦ Shelter (Authority)(Ex-rank)
Type: Passive skill
Generates an impervious sanctuary within your domain. Crops flourish, storms bend around it, fires are snuffed, disease halts at its borders, and intruders cannot harm those under its protection...more.
"This is perfect!" I exclaimed and almost immediately I tried activating it, it was easier than expected, as a golden orb flew out of me towards the village, planting itself into the ground, for a moment the land seemed to hold it’s breath, a small almost imperceptible glow rippling across the soil, each pulse pushing back the grey fog, in a sudden surge of golden energy my shelter authority a shimmering barrier pushed the fog back enveloping the village, and the land around in a 2km radius.
At a visible speed, the skies over the village began to peek through the fog, the air purifying itself of those microscopic impurities that plaqued the air, now carrying a pure feeling, like a spring breeze or gentle wind after rain; personally, I think it smelled like petrichor and vanilla.
And surely these changes didn’t go unnoticed by the humans at the altar.
Their reactions shifting from minor confusion to genuinely bewilderment at the sheer impossibility of this sudden ’miracle’
*The air, I can breathe, my throat burning up. It doesn’t feel like my lungs are on fire,* one said
*Same, and look, the sky, we can actually see the sky, the grey mist is gone*
*Do you think our prayers have actually been answered?* Another one questioned, one of the casual believers of the bunch
*Yeah, right, maybe the plague just finally left?" Said another sceptically
*Are you all fools or something, the plaque has been around since the time of my grandfather and my grandfather’s grandfather, what make you think it would just magically ’leave’ our prayers have finally been answered, and now you doubt? Do you want the gods to be angry?* The older man scolded them *Matter of fact, our new god will provide us with a miracle, maybe that will knock some belief and sense into you all* He added with a huff as he knelt at the altar once again to offer another prayer
*Oh, great Lord, I, thank you for hearing our pleas. I come before you once more to humbly ask for a miracle to prove to your followers who doubt that you are true. Our fields are barren, or rivers dry and our people afflicted. If you truly exist, shower us with your benevolent grace and aid your followers in our dire time*
Watching the scene from my realm, I couldn’t help but sigh, ’That’s a lot of words being used to ask for a couple of miracles,’ I thought as I listened to the man’s prayers, wondering if I could actually do that. Right when I was doing that, the system offered a solution.
[#Using your Minor miracle skill, you could grant an answer to this prayer; it would cost you 8,000FP. You also have the option of restoring their rivers and curing those who were afflicted with an additional 6,000FP. Are you willing to proceed? Y/N#]
"Of course, leave it to the system to come in clutch."