The Kingdom of Zamorthal became crowded after the arrival of the new gods.
People came from every village and every city.
Warriors.
Merchants.
Farmers.
Old men and young children.
Everyone gathered before the gods.
One by one, they fell to their knees.
"Please help us!"
"Teach us!"
"We don't want to be weak anymore!"
"If another enemy comes, we will all die!"
The voices of thousands echoed through the kingdom.
Some cried.
Some lowered their heads.
Others begged with folded hands.
The leader of the new gods quietly looked at the people.
He could see the fear in their eyes.
The fear of losing everything again.
A young warrior stepped forward.
"My lord, I have trained since I was a child."
"I have fought beasts."
"I have pushed my body beyond its limit."
"But I am still only F Rank."
"What am I missing?"
The god did not answer immediately.
He looked at the crowd before speaking.
"The path to power is different for everyone."
"No god can simply place strength inside your body."
"If it were that easy, everyone would become powerful."
The crowd became silent.
Disappointment filled their faces.
Then an old woman slowly walked forward.
She leaned on a wooden stick.
Tears rolled down her face.
"We are not asking to become heroes."
"We only want enough strength to protect our children."
Her words touched everyone present.
Even the new gods remained quiet.
After a long silence, the leader nodded.
"We will stay in Zamorthal for a time."
"We will teach those who are willing to sacrifice everything."
"But understand this."
"Our training is cruel."
"Many will quit."
"Some may even die."
The people looked at one another.
Not a single person stepped back.
Instead, thousands bowed their heads at the same time.
"Please train us."
"We accept."
For the first time since arriving in Zamorthal...
The leader of the new gods smiled.
Perhaps this kingdom still had hope.
Long before gods walked the universe...
Long before the name Deca Gods became legend...
There was only a lonely little boy.
His name was Eric.
He did not know he was different.
He did not know power slept inside him.
He did not know destiny had already chosen him.
To the world...
He was only another slave.
Every morning before sunrise, Eric carried heavy rocks until his shoulders bled.
His hands were covered with wounds.
His feet were bare.
His clothes were old and torn.
The guards shouted at him every day.
If he slowed down...
They beat him.
If he fell...
They kicked him.
If he stayed silent...
They laughed at him.
Eric never fought back.
He simply lowered his head and continued working.
The other slaves often wondered about him.
Years had passed.
He had never bathed.
He was always covered in dirt.
Yet his body never smelled.
His face remained handsome.
His appearance was strangely beautiful, making him stand out among thousands of slaves.
The guards hated him for it.
One afternoon, a guard grabbed Eric by the hair and threw him into the mud.
"Look at him!"
"A slave who thinks he is special!"
The other guards laughed.
Eric slowly stood up.
He wiped the dirt from his face.
Then he quietly returned to work without saying a single word.
That night, after everyone had fallen asleep, Eric sat alone beneath the stars.
His eyes were fixed on the ground.
Then a gentle voice spoke behind him.
"Why do you allow them to treat you like this?"
Eric looked up.
Standing before him was a young woman with beautiful white and silver wings.
Silver armor covered her body.
A soft light surrounded her.
She looked more beautiful than anything Eric had ever imagined.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Eric quietly asked,
"Who are you?"
The young woman smiled.
"That answer is not important."
"What matters is you."
"You were born with power."
"You were born with purpose."
"You have allowed weak people to look down on you."
Eric lowered his eyes again.
"I am only a slave."
The woman slowly shook her head.
"No."
"You are far more than that."
"I am not here to help you."
"I am only here to remind you of what you truly are."
She turned and began to walk away.
"When you finally stand up for yourself..."
"Come and find me."
"We have much work to do."
Eric quickly looked up.
"Wait!"
"How will I find you?"
The woman stopped.
She looked back with a mysterious smile.
"You will know."
The next second...
She disappeared.
Only glowing silver feathers remained, floating in the night air.
Eric stood alone.
His heart beat faster than ever before.
For the first time in his life...
He slowly looked at his own hands.
And somewhere deep inside him...
Something ancient began to awaken.