"What is going on? My body... it’s beginning to feel weak."
The last priest standing inside the temple looked down at his shaking hands. He could feel that his source of energy was leaking away.
It could only mean that the villagers were starting to lose their faith in him, and it had started to affect him now.
"Why is this happening? Did the villagers not get sicker after drinking that well water? They should be rushing here to ask for my help! So where are they?"
The priest asked in an angry voice. This sudden drop in his energy was making him feel irritated and he quickly tried to curb his anger.
But then he felt another blow as one of his fellow priests died and the other one looked to be on the verge of severing the connection as well.
"Just what is the problem with those two? I better get out and check for myself-"
For the first time, the third priest decided to step outside the temple, only to notice the crowd gathered outside.
Seeing this crowd made him smile and he quickly changed his mind about what he needed to do. Instead of finding his fellow priests, he was going to take care of these people and gain power.
His plan was simple, but the people seemed to disagree.
"There he is! Make sure to stone his face! How dare he deceive us?"
"We will drive him out! We don’t need him here!"
People were gathered outside the temple gates, but they were not happy. Their anger surprised the priest, who had expected them to come begging for help. He instantly started to feel his body weakening.
’This is not right! These people cannot abandon me like this. I won’t allow it-’
"Everyone, let’s calm down and-"
Someone threw an egg at his head while others started throwing stones. Their intent to drive him out was clear.
"Go away! We do not need your kind here."
"That’s right! We don’t need you or your mercy! We have found someone who genuinely cares for us and is not corrupt like you. We will be following Sir Priest from Goddess Apophis’s temple now."
That finally made the third priest lose his temper and he started foaming at the mouth as he looked at the people protesting against him.
"Do you really think you would be able to do that? I am someone who’s about to become a god. I won’t go down-"
A wave of exhaustion suddenly hit the priest, causing him to fall to one knee. He looked at his hands, which were starting to disappear, and panicked.
He had forgotten that he had crossed the line of being a normal human a long time ago. Now, his existence was sustained by people’s beliefs. And now that he had lost his last believer, he was going to disappear.
"I... don’t want to die! I am someone destined to become a god-! Your god-! You all won’t be able to escape my resentment. With my dying breath, I will curse you all-"
The man disappeared before he could finish speaking. And just like that, the village was free once more.
...
The creature tormenting Aiden seconds ago was now standing on the ground, clutching its head. Meanwhile, the villagers were throwing stones at it and cursing it.
"How dare you come here and cause us trouble? Go back to where you came from."
"Stop bothering Sir Priest who is here to help us."
"First the temple and now you! We don’t need your kind here."
The villagers were like a force that had come to help Aiden. Their presence slowly started to drive the monster mad and it quickly lost its source of faith, causing it to go berserk.
It started attacking the villagers, but it was too weak to fight them all.
In the end, the stones did their work and the monster started to disappear. Its resentful eyes looked at Aiden before it broke down into fragments. The silence that followed made the villagers let out sighs of relief, and they started to collapse one by one.
"We did it! We got rid of the monster poisoning our well... but what about the water? Is it safe? Where will we get more water?"
"There is a source in the temple, but it won’t sustain us all. What are we going to do?"
The villagers asked as they turned to Aiden. Their eyes were begging him to provide them with a solution.
Aiden felt caught between a rock and a hard place. But he quickly realized what he could say to turn the situation in his goddess’s favor.
"Please don’t worry, everyone! My goddess has assured me that she will help you all. Your water source should be back to normal soon."
The villagers did not believe his words at first. But because they had seen Aiden’s ’miracles’ so many times, they decided to trust him this time.
He was instantly proven right when a beautiful light shone behind his back and illuminated the well.
"The well... it’s glowing."
"Is that Goddess Apophis’s miracle? I cannot believe I get to witness such a thing! I shall forever dedicate myself to her from today onward."
"I will do the same as well. Let this be a lesson for us all. We shall worship Goddess Apophis as our deity from today onward."
The villagers started to show their appreciation for what had happened one by one, and Aiden felt a sense of satisfaction as he watched them.
He also felt his goddess’s body slither up his arm and hide beneath his clothes once she was done with her part.
Finally, it was time for them to head back.
Aiden declared and he felt his goddess tap his wrist happily.
Finally, her fate was starting to turn around and head in a brighter direction.