NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7 – God and the Aftermath
After a while, the white landscape gradually turned into a grassy field in a light-blue sky, with no clouds and the sun directly above my head.
"Where the fuck... A dream?" I was laying on the bed just now, and now I'm laying on the grass. Is this must be a dream?
I ponder and assess the situation. [Am I in a dream right now... Where the heck am I?] I think I slept a bit too early to have a dream, I'm not an expert but I think only closed my eyes for a bit, not even dropping my arm yet.
[And that voice....] The voice that called my real name...
In that moment, just as I was just thinking about who said it, "Well I guess you can call this a dream Rin." At an instant, there was a huge shadow looming over my head and heard the voice from earlier.
The voice was deep and crackly, like those of an old geezer. [Wait... Is this what I think it is...?] As I was scrambling inside my head for an explanation, I remember it, the...
[Message!] The one that sent me that massage... The one that I stepped on.
I slowly turn around, turning my whole body as I get ready for what's to come. [I did step on his mesaage after all.] So it's not surprising that I couldn't hide my nervousness.
"Finally your done." It said, as I still don't know what gender this is person is.
But I did it, I turn around. But all I could see right now is a pair of giant legs dangling. It seems that it's like a titan, as it's calf is the same size as me and he's sitting on some kind of throne while floating in midair.
Because of that I can't even see this person properly. [But I can't talk to it this way.] I swallow saliva and look up.
What I see is a man with a white robe, sitting on a golden chair and with both arms on the arm rest similar to the Lincoln statue seating on Washington DC. He has a golden necklace-like jewelry around his shoulders and a radiating aura. [As I thought a god!] Although I proclaim myself to be to not be terribly religious since I didn't care much about it at all, after what happened I'm having my doubts.
My eyes wide open as I go and ready myself to look at god face to face..!!....
"Hello Rin... Hm? What is it?" He asks.
"....Wut?" A completely average looking office worker style face, with a trim black hair combed to the side and it's even wearing glasses for godsake! "Sorry I don't believe in a god." I said out loud.
[I thought he'll look a bit more, you know, god like!] I completely expected a Gandalf-looking motherfucker with long white hair and a beard. [He looks like my coworker!] Rememberimg that time in my life devoid of any fun and being on a desk all day is making me make an unpleasant face.
"Sigh... I know, it's fine, jeez... Fine then I'll stop the act." He sighs deeply, and the floating throne slowly descends to the ground.
"Uhm... Okay.." Although it makes my eyes squint when I see it's face, it is still a god after all. "...But you look like an exhibitionist." I whisper it quietly.
Now that he has that face, it looks like he just cut a hole in a shower curtain and wore it on. I can only hope that he wears something underneath.
"I heard that." He said, as he sighs again and puts his hand on his face.
"Oh crap, sorry!" I totally didn't expect him to hear it, [Well... This place is a god's realm after all so I guess I shouldn't be that surprise.] I thought while being satisfied with that answer.
"And your thoughts too." He nonchalantly said that bombshell.
"...Eh?!" I exclaim in surprise, [So he knew all the shit I thought of him?!] Fuck well see me in hell I guess. "Uh, uhm sorry!" Since I don't believe in gods I don't have a god to save me!
"This is my realm after all. I have access to every single information one can have when you step here. Except for other gods and invaders." He pauses. "Plus I'm a god, so I care none to what a person thinks of me. I think you Earthlings use the phrase, 'All things cannot hide from the eyes of god.' I think." He wonders for a moment before looking down at me.
"...Oh really? Okay then." I said while in relief. [Wonder how you got that mug of yours god?] I thought, knowing he would hear it, but strangely remain silent.
After a while I don't have any more things to say about this subject so I move on to the topic bugging me the most. "...So anyways, what the heck am I even doing here?" I ask, [Like did I die already?]
"Well you see.... Uhm, you did read the message I sent right?" He ask, lowering his head a bit and scratching the side of his forehead with a wry smile.
"Oh yeah..." Then it dawned on me, the letter. If I remember correctly it said something like how he sent me to this world by accidentally killing....
"YOU KILLED ME YOU BASTARD...!!" I roared like Leonon earlier, my rage quickly increasing to beyond boiling point and turned into steam.
[How the fuck holy mother of fucking goddess of sex did I forget something like, I dunno, my murder?!] I kept saying fuck, shit, damn, and other swear words known fully knowing that he can hear them, but I don't care one bit.
It seems like I let that memory be wiped out when I stepped on that puddle.
But it seems like there's one side effect for being able to read people's minds. "Alright alright... I apologize.... At least let me explain— Argh?!" It seems that the constant bombardment of lines that would definitely caused a scandal if said has hurt his spiritual brain.
"Fine.... Then fuc— I mean kindly tell me then?" I angrily said while gritting my teeth. [Is this guy really a god?
] It seems like a weird guy cosplaying as a Roman patrician with a bad headache problem."Fine. Ahem! You see uhm... Well it's kind of personal so..." He was fumbling with his explanation right now, [I seriously wanna punch this guy.] At least give an explanation to the guy that you just killed. My perception of gods are lowering every second.
Before I could break a nerve though, "He had a fight with his son." A third voice suddenly broke in and cut through the god's stumble.
I look around, seeing where that voice came from. [It definitely sounded more feminine.] I thought, before I look behind the god's throne to see a beaming smile.
"Wait just a moment Gabril?!" It seems that's her name. Which sounded similar to the angel Gabriel. Which is perfectly appropriate because I can slowly see a mass of feathers spreading out behind the throne.
"Yes God-sama? I thought that you thought of me for help, so I was summoned here." She said while giggling as she elegantly walks out behind the throne.
"Good! Then I'll—" Before he could continue though, "Alrighty then Morus-sama, God-sama has kindly thought of me when he fumbles on his word like that so I was summoned here to explain your death in the most detailed of stories." She happily explains like a professional receptionist.
"U-uhm.... Okay.." I meekly said, as her radiant aura blinds me and also couldn't keep up with their conversation. [...But she does look kinda familiar.] But I couldn't pinpoint it down right now. So I look once again at the god's panicky face.
"No—!" I thought I heard a scream but it must be my imagination.
•••
"So.... That's it?" I limply said.
After listening to her side of the story, I could only slump and be left distraught as to my circumstances of my death.
"Wait no! Your misunderstanding Ri—" He was interrupted yet again but this time, "Shut up you son of a bitch." By me.
I sat on my knees, "..Aauughh.... My head fucking feels like crap.." [Now I understand what Marina must have felt like at that time...] I thought, I put my face to both of my palms and made the biggest sigh.
I spoke with a grave tone. "So I died by this idiot's petty squabbles?" By idiot I meant the one sitting on the chair right now.
By what Gabril explained to me. On that one faithful day, Japan was suddenly engulfed in a massive storm, labeled as the 'Storm of the Century' it raged through Japan. But that said it was just a storm so as long as we hid in our houses that would be fine, is what people thought. But then one of the lightning strikes hit the antenna of a house and caused the person who's playing a VR game at the time to get his brains fried out. He was the only casualty of the storm.
In other words, me.
Gabril then told me that the 'Storm of the Century' was actually caused by the guy in front of me and his son. Arguing about something that even he forgot, as it escalated to a full-blown fight and their powers caused the clouds to come to them resulting in a storm.
"So I died in such a stupid reason? Is that how am I worth on Earth?" I frustratingly thought.
"Yes, sadly it is. But fortunately the God of Planet Earth seriously got pissed at what happened and order the god-sama behind me to transfer your soul and send it to the other world." She explains. As if trying to calm me down.
"But how the heck am I transfered as my character?!" [Surely I would have been reborn with my original body?] I thought.
But the man of the hour, Godman is what I call him from now on, has finally lifted his face from his neck and answer my question that's meant for him. "Well you see, when I look at the state of your soul, it projected yourself as the body of 'Morus' of Endless Game Online as supposed to 'Rin' of Earth." He says as he pauses and bites his lip for a bit.
After that he spoke once again with a squint in his eyes. "...Admittedly I'm not a particularly powerful god, as I was just a simple God of Wind with a name that I forgot, unlike the God of Planet Earth which I am a subordinate of." He pauses again, this time like he's remembering something.
He spoke with his eyebrows lowered. "Even then I was stripped of that title and the name that came with it after what happened so I can't manipulate your memories to revision yourself as Rin. All I could do for you is lessen the mental trauma of your death." He calmly explain. For a god he expresses a lot of emotions.
[So then... It's my fault?] If I hadn't played on that day I would have still been alive back on Earth. [No no no! I shouldn't blame myself now! It's Godman's fault for being irresponsible!] I immediately remove my doubt.
"...Well you have partial blame but I was the one that instigated it, I apologize." He bows his head.
Even for what he did to me, he's still a god so it makes me feel uncomfortable when he bows like that. [Get your head up already!] I thought.
Sure enough, he did. So I ask him another one. "Then Godman how the hell did you two fight in the middle of the city anyway? There's entire oceans on Earth that you could duke it out on, what gives?" Even if I wanted the only casualty in the end, there would still a possibility that others died when they were fighting, if they hit a lightning at a different angle or even the aftermath, so they would known the danger.
"I have no excuse to say..." He pauses for a bit. "Back then I have no emotions and feelings. The God of Planet Earth is a very pragmatic and very hands off kind of god so he doesn't interfere much with humans. He doesn't even have a name or form, it's just what the various religions formed by humans would see him as." He said.
[If you said that out loud on Earth every single religious fanatic would hunt you down...] I thought, It would be an idealistic dream to make each religion as one at best and heresy at worst. But when it's a god that said it it must be true.
But I continue to listen to his story. "So we, his subordinates that he assigned are the same." He pauses.
"I don't know why me and my son did what we did, but that god is ruthless. He killed my son, the instigator, then strip me of my powers, title, and name and asked me to take care of you, the one that died by the hands of god." He finishes his explanation. "Once again, I'm sorry for what happened."
"Then... Then..." I'm left practically speechless. [He can't lie right? Does he?] I thought while in the midst of my head screwing with me with this information.
"It's the truth. We god's are not primarily living beings. So we cannot deceive ourselves, so lying is a foreign concept to us." He said, reading my thoughts as even he shakes his head from the state of my mind right now.
[I can't... Ugh.... There's one more thing left...] This amount of information should be dealt with in a long span of time, not right now. So I will treat them without care for now, I think of them and read it like a report would be.
After analysing all the information though. "But Godman there's one more thing I need to ask of you about." There's inconsistencies.
"Hm?" He looks with a bit of curiosity.
"...Well two things actually." I pause for moment. "Why are you speaking as though your reminiscing about my death? I only felt it for a moment then came here instantly." I pause. "Then—" I interrupt him. As I then ask the second question.
"....You're a god belonging from Earth right? Then why are you here? In another world with me?" I ask, then I see the Godman opening his eyes.
[There's something your hiding from me.] I thought.
He looks at me with shock before calming down and look straight at me with a serious expression.
"So you caught on huh? I expected that you would know the truth later on but you saw through the lines and hints to notice it?" He says, while sighing and looking at me intently.
[Not lying my ass! I knew you were hiding something from me!] Hiding information is not a lie if the other party didn't asked it in the first place. [There's loopholes for everything! Even gods!] I thought. Making him hear it loud and clear.
[I first noticed this flaw when he would just answer my questions when I ask them. If he were not trying to deceive me, he would have told me everything from the start! His reluctantce and the fact he would only answer my thoughts selectively is what exposed him!] I thought, explaining how I got here to fully surprise this God-man itmself.
After that, from the looks of his face Gabril finally broke the ice. "Well God-sama, I think you have some explaining to do." She said, but this time with a grin.
"Fine... Well Rin, I hope you can handle receiving more blows from this point on." Godman said as a warning
"S-sure..." [Even if I blow my brains off I need to know the truth!] I thought.
"Well then... Firstly, this world..."
•••
"....Aaauuuggghhh...." My head feels like fucking exploding.
I open my eyes to see a wooden ceiling and the rough texture of the bedsheet, [Looks like I'm back.] I thought, before another stresser came to the scene.
"Good morning Morus-sama!" It's Gabril, coming out of the wall behind me and sticking her head above to my face.
"Eeeeehh...!!?" Needless to say that even with her beautiful face, the fact she could just go through the wall and have her hair covering my face still made me jump to the side of the bed onto the floor.
"Did you forget my pact to you Morus-sama?" She asks, fully knowing what she did as she touch her cheek with her finger.
"Jeez I know I know!" I said as I stand up and stretch my back. "It's still all coming in and flowing in my head... I still can't believe it though." I said, these information from the Godman keeps making my head hurt.
But still, as a Iook at my side, "I think I saw something interesting there for a second." I pointed at the corner next to me, hidden by the dresser.
[How could I have not noticed this?] It must be my exhaustion last night.
I walk to the dresser and look at the side and look at the small opening to the side of the corner.
"I knew it..." I unconsciously smile. "Hey Gabril, I think you would know this symbol perhaps?" I said with confidence, as she float towards me and look at the object on the wall.
"Yes it is Morus-sama." She looks at the symbol and immediately kneels down.
"I bow down to both of my masters. The first is the symbol of my old master, my god, the one that I eternally serve, Kurumi-sama. And to you, the one that created me, Morus-sama. I swear my loyalty to you." She changes her attitude entirely in the presence of this symbol.
"I knew you look familiar..." I said looking down at her beautiful form.
I look at her light pink hair, three pairs of wings on her back, and the black and white coloring of her toga-like dress and gold jewelry and embroidery, and finally her spikey halo. At first I didn't realized who she is but now I'm certain. The reason of her bowing to me is...
"Stand up Gabril, the one that I gifted to Kurumi." [My custom-made NPC.] I look at her bowing to me.
She is acting out of her script, like she's a real being.
But my eyes gets interrupted as beams of light hits my eyes. I look out the window and see that those lights came from the same sunrises that I have always watched everyday on my screen.
"The same world huh..." I muttered. With me enjoying this view once more.
