God Of Velmoryn [ LitRPG, Progression, High Fantasy ]

After sending Tekla and Avenor on their respective missions, I turned my attention to a theory I'd been meaning to test.

The creation of the basilisk using Sylnorath's body had been more than a success. It had been a revelation. Shaping an entirely new species through divine power had opened my eyes to just how much control I truly wielded. I wasn't limited to taming existing creatures or nudging them toward obedience - I could build from the bones up. Forge beasts with bodies perfectly suited to specific purposes. Beasts that would never harm my believers, that would multiply over time, and that would answer only to me.

Armies. Loyal, efficient, tireless.

But before I got ahead of myself, I needed to confirm something fundamental: could I reshape a beast's body without extinguishing its life? Because if I had to kill every creature and create a new vessel, the cost would be too steep.

And that led to yet another question - would the creature even be able to adapt to their new bodies without my concsiousness in it?! What if it was the soul that controlled the body, and if I artificially altered the species, their minds would not be able to handle the changes. In this world, the soul played a unique role, that much was already clear. But did these beasts even have souls?

The fact that I could shove fragments of my consciousness into an insect suggested they might. But it was also possible that the presence of a god functioned differently from a soul. After all, Avenor had been born from my own consciousness, yet he didn't possess a soul, at least, not according to Hollow Core.

I'll start small. Something low-cost. I still need to reach that 1000-point threshold and increase my rank.

I could have waited until I collected enough Divinity Points, but I didn't want to sit idle while divine threats gathered at the edge of my forest. Ever since I'd seen the approach of another god's apostle, I'd been searching for ways to cover more ground - quietly, effectively, and permanently. I needed scouts. Eyes and ears in every corner of the forest. And not just to detect invaders, but for long-term control. If I could improve my multitasking further, I might eventually monitor everything they saw, everything they heard, in real time.

That started with picking the right species.

I'd narrowed it down to three: insects, plants, and birds.

Plants were ideal in theory. No one would suspect a sapling to be a spy. They could be placed anywhere, at any time. But they had no intelligence, and to give them any semblance of thought, I'd have to develop a consciousness. That meant either granting a soul, which would likely mean that one of my believers had to willingly give up their life like Roy did, or sacrificing a portion of myself. Both options were far too costly.

Insects had the edge in stealth, they didn't need too much divinity points to modify and their numbers were nearly limitless, but their limited cognition made them impractical for anything more than basic surveillance. I needed scouts, not bots that would require my constant control.

Which left birds.

They weren't as discreet, but they were fast, smart, and already capable of navigating vast terrain, which was ideal because their numbers would be low in the beginning. With some minor enhancements, they could not only serve as scouts but also carry messages, something the Velmoryns struggled with.

Despite their strange bloodline and Goddess' clear involvement in their underdeveloped state, I still find it difficult to understand how they managed to stay so… simple.

Sometimes, when I thought about it, I felt a dread imagining how advanced the outside world might be. And that's exactly why I wanted Gundir to join me. The Drukyr clearly had knowledge the Velmoryns lacked. But despite Tekla's attempts, the old blacksmith refused to take a single step toward faith.

Let's locate a bird and start the experiment.

I willed the Window to drift through the forest, focusing on the treetops, scanning branch by branch for signs of a nest. I wasn't just looking for a grown bird, I wanted eggs too. If the experiment worked, if I could alter even the unborn… that would be like hitting a jackpot.

But finding one proved harder than expected. Winter was near its peak. Most birds had long since migrated, and the few that remained were buried deep in their shelters, motionless and quiet. Hours passed. Snow clung to the branches, wind shaking loose frozen flakes like dust. I kept searching.

Forget eggs… as long as I can find any bird at all, I'm happy…

Eventually, I found it - a nest tucked beneath the crook of a thick branch, hidden among needles of a frostbitten pine. Two birds nestled inside, white-bodied with streaks of green across their chests, their wings small and folded tight against their sides. No eggs. As expected. Most birds bred in summer, when they could freely hunt and feed their young after all.

It is what it is.

The two were still, locked in a deep, unmoving sleep. A natural hibernation, most likely; a way to conserve energy, to starve slower. My focus narrowed to the larger one, probably a male, barely distinguishable but for a darker tint across its back feathers.

I reached out.

Divine power coiled around the sleeping form, and it didn't so much as twitch. I pressed gently, urging its body into an even deeper state, a comatose slumber where pain wouldn't reach its mind. Whatever agony came next, I wanted it to remain oblivious to it.

I could feel everything. The moment my energy touched it, every shift, every change resonated back to me like vibrations through a wire. My control had grown. I didn't need the system's readouts anymore. I knew.

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The bones moved first - subtle, almost reluctant. The ribcage widened. Limbs stretched and reshaped. Its fragile frame grew longer, leaner, joints thickening to bear more weight. Wing bones extended, bending at new angles. Feathers fell loose as the skin beneath rippled and tore, then mended, reshaped to suit the new structure. Where once were two limbs, now there were four. Longer talons formed, curling tighter, sharper. Its breast narrowed, chest built for endurance rather than speed.

The creature's size was larger now - not enormous, but no longer fragile. A midpoint between falcon and eagle. Swift, but not explosive. Sturdy, but not sluggish. It wouldn't outpace a hawk in a dive, but it could fly for hours without tiring.

And then, the final change.

The eyes opened and in that thin glint I saw what I had made. The pupils shimmered with faint, barely visible runes, etched into the crimson iris like forgotten language woven into flesh. No natural bird had eyes like that. These saw more than sight. I felt it. They could read heat from beneath snow, track the faint pulse of mana from a hundred meters away. They would perceive motion like ripples in water, every gust of wind, every shift of leaf or muscle.

[Warning: Creation consumed 7 Divinity Points!]

The kelvarin's head twitched - that's the name I chose for it.

It hadn't adjusted yet, its new frame felt foreign, limbs responding with hesitation, eyes flicking toward shapes it hadn't known how to interpret before. I narrowed my focus toward the bond I'd etched into it. There were no coherent thoughts, nothing like Velmoryn awareness, but sensation bled through. Confusion. A tremor of fear.

Not fear in the way the intelligent being understood it. It was more like a clash. The remnants of its old instincts resisted the surge of new capabilities. The creature remembered being small, soft-boned, vulnerable. Now it moved with power, and something inside it relished that power.

Its gaze shifted.

I felt it choose. It had selected its mate, still curled beside it in hibernation, as its first target. The old bond between them meant nothing to this new form. It was hungry. The idea of eating the past, literally and symbolically, sparked a strange sense of approval in me.

Still, I didn't allow it.

This pair was a rare find. A matched male and female, bonded by old instinct. If I was going to create a self-replicating species, I needed them both. The moment summer came, they would breed. Multiply. Populate the skies with my eyes.

I reached out again, stirring my divine power gently. The kelvarin's head slumped. It sank into sleep without resistance, and I turned my attention to the female.

Her transformation felt different.

The moment I began, the cost increased - subtly, but noticeably. Something internal resisted. When I extended my senses inward, I felt the fragile beginnings of life forming inside her. No fully developed eggs yet, just the spark of them. That, perhaps, was what drew more of my power.

Her body changed slower, but the result was identical. Bones lengthened. Wings unfolded. Talons curled sharp. Her feathers shimmered as they reformed and when the process neared its end, I noticed it. The faint crimson edging her wing tips, thin as thread.

So that's the mark, I thought, observing closely. Whenever I alter something with divine power, it seems to leave a signature. It manifests differently each time though.

[Warning: Creation consumed 8 Divinity Points!]

The nest was now cramped, barely able to hold the two of them. The male slept still, unmoving. But the female stood. She spread her wings, testing them with a slow, hesitant flap. She was stronger. Graceful. No longer a forest bird, burt a kelvarin.

I wanted to see her fly. To see what she would first and how it would feel to see the world from above. But then a voice reached my mind.

"Verde, you bastard… what am I supposed to tell her now? Give me some kind of sign. Will you allow us to leave or not?"

…

"Avenor," Aria called softly as they moved through the forest. Huanir walked ahead of them, scouting the path. His senses were uncanny, he adjusted course with barely a sound, navigating them away from nearby beasts long before they drew close.

Avenor turned toward her. She wasn't looking at him, her eyes remained fixed on the snow-covered ground.

"Why did High Father send you on this quest?" she asked. "Did you… anger Him?"

He let out a short laugh, more reflex than amusement. "I thought you believed I was His chosen. Isn't that why you followed me?"

"So you noticed?" she replied, her voice dry. Despite the implied amusement, no smile reached her lips. "I do believe you're connected to our Lord. But the more I think about it… this quest feels like a punishment. Did something happen in that dungeon?"

His smile faltered, warping at the edges. Aria caught it and gave a chuckle.

"You don't have to tell me," she said. "But if I'm walking toward certain death, you owe me at least…"

"Nothing like that," Avenor cut in. "I'm not being punished. But I agree… I don't think High Father sent us here just to convert another tribe. There's something else. We'll find out soon enough."

"If you say so," she murmured, clearly unconvinced. Her eyes drifted back to the snow. Her white dress clung to her legs, soaked at the edges.

"Aria… are you not cold?"

"No. Velmoryns don't feel the cold the same way elves do. We're demons, remember?"

Avenor blinked. His mouth opened, then closed. He'd known for a while now - there was something off about her. Something she carried that she refused to name. Every time he tried to ask, she shut him out.

"I heard the Yellow Tribe was converted," he said eventually, trying to shift the air. "They'll join us when summer comes."

"Yes."

A snow crushing beneath their steps became the only source of sound, the silence becoming heavier with each moment.

"Avenor," she said suddenly, stopping mid-step and turning to face him. Her eyes caught his. "I know you're not happy in the tribe."

"That's…"

"Don't interrupt me." Her tone cut clean. "I know something happened in that dungeon. I'm not asking you to confess. I have my secrets too…"

Her gaze wavered for a heartbeat, drifting to the side, then returning with renewed focus.

"I know High Father shall unite the tribes. When that happens, Tekla shall become High Priestess. The faithful shall be blessed. The rest…" Her voice quieted. "Avenor, I'm not like Ninali. I can't give my life to anyone but myself. When His rule spreads through the forest, I shall ask Priestess for permission to leave the tribe. If High Father allows it… I want to see what lies beyond this forest."

She stepped closer, her expression softening.

"Shall… shall you come with me?"