Silence crawled back over the street like a living thing.
Han Islat sat against the cold, cracked wall of an abandoned storefront, chest heaving, fingers trembling with phantom light. The corpse of the Forgotten Wretch lay a few meters away—skin deflated, limbs twisted in impossible angles.
The crystal shard in Han's hand pulsed faintly.
Not with warmth.
Not with power.
With hunger.
A low whisper echoed in his head:
"DP: 6… unstable… collapse delayed…"
He didn't understand the words fully, but the meaning pierced him:
He was alive only because of that single devoured fragment.
One monster's worth of stolen divinity.
What kind of god needs to eat monsters to stay alive?
Han wiped sweat from his neck and stood slowly.
The silence felt… different now.
Before, it was empty.
Now, it felt like something holding its breath.
Watching.
Judging.
Waiting.
The sky cracked again—thin lightning of white-violet light crawling across its surface like fractures in a cosmic dome.
Han swallowed hard.
"Someone… something… is looking at me."
Not paranoia.
Instinct.
His newly awakened god-sense, faint as it was, rippled across the city. Not sight. Not sound. Something deeper. The world's attention brushing against his soul like a cold fingertip.
"Han Islat."
The voice was not heard but felt—a vibration in the bones.
He spun around.
No one.
Windless city. Dead street. Shadows that refused to move.
But the whisper persisted:
"Why do you exist?"
Han grit his teeth.
"Show yourself."
The shadows trembled, then still.
A mocking silence.
Then, the system whispered:
[Warning: Nearby Divine Remnant detected]
[Threat Level: Unknown]
[Survival Chance: 4%]
"…Four percent…?"
Han looked up at the sky.
One of the cracks widened—just a little—and something like a massive, ghostly hand dragged its fingers across the tear.
A silhouette.
A god.
Watching.
Han's throat tightened.
"I'm… not supposed to be here, huh?"
The sky remained silent.
The City Starts Moving
Han forced himself to walk.
Every step felt heavier, like the air was thickened.
Windows creaked.
Metal groaned.
Dust shifted.
He passed collapsed buildings and empty cars, scanning for movement, for life—anything that wasn't a monster.
But the silence was so complete it nauseated him.
After some time, he reached a—
Wall of torn posters.
Hundreds of them.
People missing.
Faces. Families. Children.
Announcements of a world screaming for help before the Silence swallowed everything.
Han touched one.
It crumbled to dust instantly.
"This wasn't a sudden apocalypse," he whispered. "People tried… to do something. But… no one survived."
He took a step back.
Then froze.
Footprints.
Fresh ones.
Not his.
Small. Light. Barefoot.
Leading toward a collapsed metro entrance.
Han's pulse sharpened.
A survivor?
He followed the tracks down into the tunnel.
Each step echoed softly.
For the first time, the silence broke—just barely—as if the world allowed sound again… reluctantly.
Then he heard breathing.
Soft. Unsteady. Human.
Han quickened his pace—
then stopped sharply.
A girl.
Maybe 14 or 15.
Dirty clothes. Knees hugged to her chest.
Eyes wide with terror.
She wasn't looking at him.
She was looking behind him.
Han turned—
—too slowly.
The Second Monster Arrives
A creature clung to the ceiling like a pale spider, limbs bent backward, head twisted upside down. Its eyes glowed faintly blue. Its ribs expanded with every hiss.
Another Forgotten.
No—this one was different.
Stronger.
More intact.
Less broken.
"…divinity…growing…"
It sniffed the air, clicking its teeth.
"…hungry…"
Han dragged the girl behind him instinctively.
"Stay behind me."
Her voice shook.
"You're… You're one of them… aren't you?"
"One of what?"
"The gods."
The creature dropped from the ceiling.
Han reacted before he could think.
His body moved with divine instinct—fast, precise. He grabbed the shard, slashing. The monster dodged unnaturally, spine bending like rubber. It swung its arm—Han blocked, skidding back.
Stronger. Faster.
This wasn't the same as before.
[DP: 6 → 3]
[Emergency Defense Instinct activated]
"What—?!"
Han's knees buckled.
His vision blurred.
Using instinct drained DP automatically.
He didn't choose to defend.
His divinity forced it.
The system whispered:
"Low DP. Body destabilizing. Collapse possible."
Han cursed and dodged another swipe.
The creature lunged—fast—
Han grabbed its jaw, twisted, and slammed its head into the wall. The tunnel shook. Dust rained down. The creature shrieked.
Not in pain.
In recognition.
"…abandoned…god…"
Han crushed the shard into its chest.
Light tore through the monster.
[Devour Authority Activated]
+7 DP
+1 Domain Fragment]
+Minor Mutation Resistance]
Warning: Fragment incompatible. Side effects possible.]
The creature convulsed, then collapsed, deflating like punctured leather.
Han staggered, barely standing.
His hands shook violently.
His heart pounded in unnatural rhythm—like a drum out of sync with reality.
The girl watched him with horror and fascination.
"Y-you killed… it…"
Han wiped his mouth, tasting iron.
"…No. I devoured it."
The First Potential Follower
The girl took a cautious step closer, gripping her torn backpack.
"What are you… exactly?"
Han crouched to meet her eyes.
"I don't know."
"…Your eyes," she whispered, "they're glowing."
He froze.
They were?
Han looked at his reflection in a shattered glass panel.
His pupils glowed faint blue—the same color as divine shards.
She took a shaky breath.
"I prayed… before the monsters came. I prayed that someone would show up…"
Han stared at her.
"And… you came," she whispered.
Han felt something stir inside his chest.
A faint warmth.
A bright spark.
The system reacted.
[A human has recognized you as divine]
[First Worship Intent Detected]
+3 DP (Faith Bonus)
Warning: Faith unstable. Requires consistency.]
Han exhaled.
He didn't know her name.
He didn't understand his own existence.
He didn't even know if he was truly a god.
But for the first time since awakening…
he wasn't alone.
He held out his hand.
"What's your name?"
She hesitated.
"…Aira."
"Aira," he repeated softly.
"You're safe now."
Her lips trembled.
"Are you… really going to protect me…?"
Han almost said he didn't know.
But something in his soul—fragile, forming—answered for him.
"…Yes."
The tunnel trembled.
The city shifted.
The sky cracked deeper.
The world itself reacted to those words.
Han Islat felt it—
Like a spark.
A tiny ember.
His first true piece of divinity.
[Domain Evolution: Flicker → ??? (Pending)]
[A god's identity begins with a promise.]
Han looked up at the cracked sky.
Something massive moved behind the veil.
Watching.
Judging.
Awakening.
He whispered to himself:
"This is just the beginning."