Only God

Deep within the library stood the throne of the bygone Fairy Queen.

Empty and desolate was the throne, and not only that, its back was covered with marks left by swords and bites as if from some vicious beast, evidence of a brutal battle that had taken place.

The stench in the air made Eden wrinkle his nose, but to no avail, for he was in a soul state, and the stench was not like any found in the Mortal World, it was one that penetrated deep into the soul.

Eden drifted slowly, reaching out his hand, trying to get closer to the throne.

Suddenly, the surrounding bookshelves erupted with creaking noises, like desperate cries and wails, and at the same time, the books themselves buzzed open and shut rhythmically as if signaling for help, as if something ghastly sat upon the throne.

"This!"

Eden was startled, and at that moment, a broken shard of mirror glided slowly from left to right.

Reflected in the shard was the scene within the library.

Everything was much the same, the only difference being that upon the throne sat a desiccated fairy.

Eden froze in place.

The body, withered like a sun-dried monkey, the ancient yet once dazzling garments, the pale, lifeless face, the whole figure lifelessly hung upon the throne as if narrating the tragedy that the Sea of Souls had endured.

Eden shivered belatedly, grasped the mirror shard, and moved closer to the throne.

The disturbances around him grew more intense; the sounds from the bookshelves grew more violent, the books continued to flap open and shut, and for a moment, the entire library seemed to boil over, as if preventing Eden from touching some unspeakable taboo.

Eden neared the throne, and the moment he touched it,

His shoulder... it was as if something had grabbed him.

Eden was stuck in place.

Using the mirror's reflection, he saw a pale, slender hand resting on his shoulder.

The hand's owner was a fairy looking like a mummified corpse.

Eden stopped, barely daring to breathe. Upon realizing the situation, he wanted to chant in the Ancient Language but hesitated.

The fairy behind him made no move for a long time.

Eden turned his head and found he couldn't see them, visible only through the reflection in the mirror.

After a lengthy silence, Eden finally spoke,

"Who... who are you?"

The fairy behind him didn't answer; he was just slowly, faintly breathing, as if he could die at any moment.

Both seemed to stand still, maintaining a strange and eerie equilibrium.

"What happened here?"

Eden asked.

As soon as he spoke, the fairy behind him finally moved; his body shuddered, and through the mirror, Eden saw his lips trembling, like a survivor hesitant to relay their horrific experience.

After a long while, the fairy released Eden's shoulder, slowly floated up, and Eden saw through the mirror that the fairy meandered amongst the flapping books before grabbing one and bringing it over to him.

Eden caught the book and upon closer inspection, he found it had no title. Flipping through its pages, he recognized the scrawled handwriting, written in utter urgency.

["Tusi and the God of Craftsmen, Hiris, along with the roaring of the beast, a massive wave of sound destroyed His Star, a violent pale rain poured down, thousands of Craftsmen Temples collapsed, Divine Statues were obliterated, Hiris fell."]

["The God of Cold Wind, Grauman, He raised countless wild winds, trying to halt the beast's advance, but as darkness erupted from the ice, the colorless winds were instantly tainted pale, Grauman was consumed by His own cold wind, He fell."]

["The Storm God, Utus, and the Wine God, Sibos, set aside their enmity, racing across the battlefield of stars, thunder mingling with wine, striving to salvage a lifeline for the Country of Divines, but the beast sprayed its poison, fangs tearing through the proud storm, venomous wine spread throughout the starscape, Utus and Sibos fell."]

["Prophetic God Kagawus, how ancient a Divine, enjoyed much prestige among the Gods, but under the beast's oppression, the Golden Hall collapsed, the Prophetic Star shattered, even He was powerless against the pale torrential downpour, Prophetic Star became an eye without pupils amidst the sea of stars, tirelessly devouring lost souls, Kagawus was reduced to a servant."]

......

Eden trembled, a wave of horror rising within him, his soul restless and uneasy, fear pervading his mind, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The book was like a mournful elegy,

At the end of each lament was marked with a cold word—death.

And all of the records highlighted the same fact,

["Those Divinities, those Gods, They died, were destroyed, scattered, the Country of Divines was ruined, the beast came."]

After who knows how long, Eden finally caught his breath.

He gasped for air, flipping through the book in his hands, then held his head, unable to believe this was the fate of the Gods.

These were the Gods, the high and mighty Gods, ruling the Celestial Kingdom, revered by countless believers on Earth.

Eden so wished that this was nothing but fabricated poetry.

But the scenes unfolding in the Sea of Souls shattered his hopes.

These Divinities had met such a fate…

Then… what about the Lord?

Another wave of fear struck at Eden's heart, the string called "faith" in his mind trembled incessantly.