Chương 1: The Meaning of Death

Much has been said about the meaning of life. Why we are alive. What our reason for being is. Our purpose. But what about death? Why do we have to die? Why is there nothing that lasts forever? Perhaps it is so we can better appreciate life in its fleeting nature. Perhaps an endless existence would be a torment. Perhaps there is no reason, and everything simply is. In truth, the answer may never be within the reach of mortals. But... What of those who are not mortal?

"Everything that has a beginning will have an end. Only what has existed forever will remain so." Ah... The hall was immense, filled with countless figures listening in silence. Ha... ha... At the front of the hall, atop a raised dais, an old man with a long white beard was delivering a speech. Ha... haha...

"The Divine Order is one such thing, for it has always been. On the other hand, there is something that is only now taking form, a world." Hah... haha... ha...

"Welcome to the Hall of Dawns, chosen souls."

"Aaaa-HahAhaHAhahAhaHAhahAhaHAhahA—!" At that moment, everyone present turned toward the source of that strange mix of scream and hysterical laughter. Near the far end of the hall stood a young man with silver hair falling over his shoulders. He was staring up at the towering ceiling with his hands raised, and tears streamed down his cheeks from his radiant golden eyes.

"Ahem..." Up on the dais, the old man forced out a cough while stroking his white beard with his eyes closed. The young man lowered his gaze and let it wander through the hall with a distant expression. It was so vast he could not even make out the walls, and the columns that seemed to hold up the sky could easily be mistaken for buildings. His eyes swept across the thousands of faces watching him until, all at once, they widened and his face went pale for an instant, though he quickly regained his composure.

"My sincerest apologies, I had no intention of interrupting..." he said with a practiced smile, rubbing the back of his neck and bowing his head. What exactly he had interrupted, he had no idea, although what truly caught his attention was how clearly he could see and hear the old man despite the distance between them in that gigantic hall. The old man, who seemed to be leading that strange assembly, slowly opened his eyes, and his piercing gaze settled on the young man, who felt a chill run down his spine.

"I understand that being chosen as one of the candidates for godhood could excite anyone. But there is a time and a place for everything. Next time, try to choose more carefully when you celebrate." Around him, a flurry of quiet snickers and ill-intentioned remarks began to rise, but the young man did not seem to care in the slightest. He could only think about what he had just heard.

"Candidates... for godhood?" The young man's murmur was lost amid the chatter around him, though not all of it was mocking.

"Who is he? He doesn't seem to be a demigod."

"Are you sure? Unlike most of the idiots laughing like fools, I would have thought at least you had noticed the aura around him. To be honest... it's rather intimidating." Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Not far from the silver-haired stranger, two figures were whispering to each other. One was an athletic young man with chestnut-colored hair and matching eyes, his gaze calm and steady.

The other was a girl with sky-colored eyes and golden hair tied into a long braid that fell down her back. Both of them were watching him with unmistakable curiosity.

"That's exactly what I mean. He doesn't seem like an ordinary demigod at all... he reminds me more of a..."

"All right, that is enough," the old man said, raising a hand. Immediately, a powerful invisible pressure fell over the hall, and everyone fell silent at once.

"Now that the introduction is over, it is time to begin the explanations." The silver-haired young man was not affected like the rest. He looked around in curiosity, not understanding what had just happened to everyone else. Still, he quickly decided to focus on what the old man was explaining.

"Everyone in this hall is permitted to communicate with the Divine Order, but of course, to do so, a tool is necessary. That is where the Godscript comes in. It will present that information in a way you can understand it." Many of those present nodded. It seemed that only the silver-haired young man was completely lost.

"The Godscript is your connection to the Divine Order, and it will allow you to access detailed information about yourselves and about the world that surrounds you. Of course, the level of information you can access will depend entirely on you, your capabilities, your skills, and your relationship to the object or being in question." Now some of the figures around the silver-haired young man exchanged puzzled looks as well, which made him feel a little less out of place in that situation.

"Do not worry if you do not understand it right now. In time, everything will become clear," the old man continued.

"Now then, try to access the Godscript. Merely wishing for it is enough. I will give you some time to familiarize yourselves with it."

"Just wish for it? But I don't even... I don't even know what it is..." The silver-haired young man looked around. Everyone seemed focused on the air in front of them.

"Will it be enough just to think about that so-called Godscript?"!! To his surprise, a holographic screen appeared before him. Presumably everyone had one, and each was invisible to the others. Around him the clothes, and the figures wearing them, looked far more like something out of a fantasy world than a sci-fi one.

"Judging by everything around me, this doesn't seem like a very technologically advanced world. To be honest, this hologram feels wildly out of place..."

"But then, could the old man have some kind of implant in his throat? Is that why I can hear him so clearly? Or is he a cyborg?!... Wait, what's this? Delayed messages?" His attention returned to the holographic screen floating in front of him. [Someone powerful has taken an interest in you] [Someone powerful has named you Nereziel]"Nereziel?" [The Sacred Darkness] In a separate holographic window, a new message had appeared in answer to his question. Apparently, that was the meaning of the name.

"The Sacred Darkness... wasn't there anything less... cringeworthy? How about Peter? Or John? I think the first name I ever had was Leon... Or was that the name of a video game character I liked?" [Nereziel] There was no helping it. At the top of his screen, Nereziel appeared as his name, and apparently there was nothing he could do to change it.

"I think I'll stick with just Nerez... But someone powerful?" A very old memory surfaced in his mind, too old, and yet unforgettable all the same. A perfect smile and eyes as cold as ice. Nerez felt a chill run down his spine.

"No... it says 'recent messages' here, even if it doesn't say the time... Anyway, they have nothing to do with that angel-faced demon, I'm sure of it... Mm? What's this?" [Modifiers] > [Blessing of the Goddess of Fate]"This definitely does have to do with that angel-faced demon!!" His shout alerted those around him, who were apparently checking their own holographic screens, so he hurriedly lowered his head in apology.

"But blessing? My Godscript, or whatever it's called, is broken... How can it call that a blessing?! I couldn't escape even by dying! Ah... sorry, sorry..." Now almost everyone around him was staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"But this time is different... I finally reached the edge of the sea of souls. This time I wasn't reborn again... Mm?" [SPE: 3, 245, 658]"SPE?" Nerez instinctively tried to press his index finger against the letters on the hologram, which, surprisingly, worked, causing a smaller tab to open on the side. [Spiritual Energy]"Spiritual energy? But such a ridiculously high number... Now I'm almost sure there's something wrong with this hologram."

"Just as I thought, my spiritual energy is over twenty thousand."

"Wait, I don't believe you... the average spiritual energy of a demigod is only ten thousand."

"I come from a family of gods, don't compare me to a first-generation demigod like yourself."

"Yeah, my Godscript is definitely broken," Nerez nodded to himself after hearing the voices around him.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter if it's broken. I have no interest whatsoever in any of this demigod, godhood candidate, or cyborg nonsense." Nerez turned away from the old man, who at that moment was on his distant dais, speaking with a girl that seemed to shine with her own light.

"Worse, if I stay here, I might run into that demon. She called herself a goddess, after all..." He made his way through the crowd toward the double doors he had noticed the first time he looked around. What Nerez had not realized was that he was being watched by the two young people from earlier, as well as by the girl speaking with the old man, who kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye from time to time.

"... Is there anyone strong enough to open these doors? Or do they open with some kind of mechanism?" Once he reached his goal, he was able to appreciate just how gigantic they were. In fact, they quite literally looked like doors made for giants. Nerez placed both hands on either side of the seam where they met. There was no handle in sight and, even if there had been one, it would have been the size of a steel beam, so he simply applied a bit of pressure, just out of curiosity.

"You again?! What do you think you're doing?" the old man said wearily, one hand over his forehead.

"The gates of Eferion only open when..." Nerez turned around after being addressed, but it was already too late. The colossal doors swung open with ease, and at the same time some kind of magical barrier surrounding them shattered with a thunderous crash....

"Umm..."...

"Sorry?"... The two young people who had been whispering to each other, the old man, and almost everyone present fell silent. Meanwhile, four pairs of eyes that had been watching him for some time now did so with renewed interest.

"Tch."

"..." And another two with unmistakable hostility.