Faith was never stable.
It grew in silence, spread in whispers, and collapsed the moment certainty arrived.
Arakio learned this faster than most gods ever had.
The First Shrine
It began on a border world—small, damaged, barely holding together after the Convergence.
Someone carved his symbol into stone.
Not his face.
Not his name.
A single mark: a circle split by an empty center.
Hunger's shape.
By the time Eclipse Academy learned of it, three more worlds had followed.
People prayed.
Not for power.
For survival.
The Academy's Unease
"This cannot continue," a councilor said sharply.
"Worship changes trajectories. He'll trigger ascension whether he wants it or not."
The headmaster remained silent.
"Faith is pressure," another added.
"And pressure breaks variables."
Arakio stood outside the chamber, hearing everything.
He did not interrupt.
He simply left.
The Crowd
The next time Arakio stepped beyond the academy's barrier, a crowd waited.
Thousands.
Kneeling.
Crying.
Some thanked him for saving their worlds.
Others begged him to choose theirs next.
A child reached out.
"Are you a god?"
Arakio froze.
Ayakio squeezed his hand.
He knelt before the child.
"No," he said gently.
"I'm someone who's afraid of becoming one."
That answer spread faster than any miracle.
Fear Follows Faith
Not everyone prayed.
Some armed themselves.
Religious orders formed overnight—some loyal, some hostile.
World-governments began drafting contingency plans.
What killed demons could kill gods.
And what judged worlds could judge them.
Arakio felt it constantly now.
Eyes watching from other realities.
Hands hovering near weapons.
The First Attempt
It came without warning.
A long-range annihilation construct—designed by three worlds working together—fired from beyond perception.
Arakio sensed it half a second before impact.
The Hunger reacted automatically.
Not aggressively.
Selectively.
The attack vanished—its intent consumed, its energy dispersed harmlessly.
No explosion.
No retaliation.
The message was clear.
We can't touch you.
That scared them more.
A Private Fracture
That night, Arakio sat alone.
Jiho joined him quietly.
"They'll keep trying," Jiho said.
"I know."
"And one day you'll have to stop them."
Arakio looked at his hands.
"I already am."
Nothingness Speaks Plainly
For the first time, Nothingness did not whisper.
It spoke.
Faith always becomes fear, it said.
Fear always becomes violence.
"What do you want?" Arakio asked.
To see what you choose when the universe begs and threatens at the same time.
Arakio exhaled slowly.
"Then watch."
The Line Between God and Monster
A world sent emissaries.
Another sent assassins.
A third sent children with offerings.
Arakio accepted none.
Instead, he made a declaration—broadcast through stabilized convergence channels.
"I will not accept worship," his voice echoed across worlds.
"I will not rule. I will not judge unless forced."
Silence followed.
Then outrage.
Then relief.
Then doubt.
The Final Thought
Ayakio found him at dawn.
"You did the right thing," she said.
He smiled faintly.
"Right doesn't mean safe."
"No," she agreed.
"But it means you're still you."
Arakio watched the horizon.
Faith was gone.
Fear remained.
And somewhere beyond reality—
The gods debated.
Nothingness waited.
Chapter 18 Summary / Cliffhanger
Worship of Arakio begins across worlds
Faith rapidly shifts into fear and hostility
First assassination attempt fails effortlessly
Arakio refuses godhood publicly
Tension rises between worlds and divinities
Nothingness confirms this path was inevitable