The Girl Who Hacked The Magic System

PoV: Lillian

The gods in this second 'tier' are really a whole other kind of being than the ones in the step below. I can feel it in the very air, in the way the mana feels almost like it's electrified. I can feel it in the way the hair on my arms is standing up.

These guys are in a whole other league.

And there are more steps. If each step upwards carries a similar quality leap in the level of the godly beings, then I'm cooked.

And yet, all I can see around are statues. Not a single other being here. Not a single living god.

But even if these are only statues, they seem to carry some sort of connection to the beings themselves.

I can feel their divinity pulsating, like their core is tied to this place.

Like this guy here. It has the head of a weird reptile with tusks. 'Kharuja, the path opener, remover of obstacles,' his plaque says. Just by being near his statue, I can feel like everything is possible.

I don't know him, nor have I any idea of what world he might be from, but I can sense his presence in there. As if I could touch his statue and reach him through it.

Oh? Maybe that IS actually the truth. Maybe I can reach other gods through this place.

Well, let's keep exploring. And try to avoid unwillingly contacting a random god. I don't know if they would be hostile, so it's better not to force my luck.

:::

In the third layer, the presence from the statues is even stronger. There are far fewer statues here, and they are fairly distant from each other.

Trying to get close to any statue is overwhelming, so I just look at them from a distance as I walk. I go through the middle of the gap between statues, where their presence is mild enough for me to pass.

As such, I am not able to read any of their plaques, as it would require me to get closer to them.

So I just pass through, curious about what I will find in the next step.

The fourth tier.

Here, there are only twelve statues, forming a circle. And the fifth and final step of this weird stair is right in the middle of that circle, and it consists of one single statue.

The statue of a woman with four faces and eight arms, almost too bright for me to see.

Each face is turned to a different direction, but I can't see any detail in them, no matter how many times I circle it.

I'm at a huge distance from it, and just looking at its direction makes my heart sink within me, so I look in the other direction.

And all I can see, from this vantage point, is a sea of statues. From here, I can see the different layers and feel the weight of the powers of the deities in each layer.

It seems that the layers form some sort of circular pyramid-like structure. It wasn't possible to notice the curve from down there in the first layer simply because of how big this all is.

It seems to really be an endless sea of gods and goddesses. Each probably governs a world… maybe some worlds have more than one god, while some gods exist in more than one world.

I feel humbled by all this. I can't even see my own statue in the middle of this sea, as if I'm just a drop of water in the ocean.

"Good. You understood it quite quickly, I must say."

Huh? Who said that?

I look behind me, to the place where the voice came from. It's the statue at the center. She is the one talking to me.

I blink, as its presence is too much for me to bear.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll adjust; just wait a moment."

The presence shifts and seems to diminish, and soon it's dim enough that I can not only look at her but even come near her.

Her form has also diminished. As before she was giantic, now she is a woman just a bit taller than me. But her head still has the four faces, and only one of them is staring in my direction.

"I'm Ain, the nothing. Origin and end of all beings, including gods."

"I'm Lillian Annes. I'm pleased to meet you."

"Oh, I know who you are, Saint Lily. A goddess born of compassion and a desire for freedom for oneself and for others. Such noble feelings."

"You… know who I am? Why?"

"I know about everyone, dear, as I'm the one who guards the realms of the gods. There's no divinity that comes into being or ceases to be without my knowledge."

"Guardian of the realms of gods… this place?"

"Oh, this place is just the crossroads, the space between dimensions where the core of all godly beings, alive or deceased, rests."

"So these statues are…"

"Yes, each one of those statues has in it the core of that very deity. In mortal terms, that would be like the heart, or some sort of 'true body' if you prefer the depiction."

"But why isn't anyone else here?"

"They usually don't like it here. You see, all gods think of themselves as so important and mighty, so this view is a bit unsettling."

"I can see why. Though, as a former mortal, I don't see it as a problem. I was also like those statues when I was a mortal, just one among several."

"Oh, and right you are, darling. But you are a rather… unconventional deity. Most of the time, gods are born of ideas and symbols taking form. It's rare for a mortal to ascend."

"I see. The only other goddess I knew about before was also a mortal who ascended, so I thought that it was a normal thing."

"Oh, no, it isn't normal at all. Though it happens from time to time. The thing is, most of the people who ascend from mortal life to godhood do it on purpose, like Juno did."

"On purpose?"

"Yes. Which means they are a bunch of arrogant and petulant little annoyances who crave more and more power. They are the ones who take to this sight less favorably of all."

"I see. I never craved power, nor is all this something that I desired myself, though it's not something I'm against. It was just… unexpected."

"And that's what makes you such a special case. And also why the existence of all of this doesn't hurt your feelings."

I see. If someone ascended to godhood in my world, thinking that they are like the only gods ever, only for them to come here and find themselves at the bottom of another food chain, it would be unsettling.

"So that's why most of the gods avoid this place."

"Exactly. And yet, they must come to this place, even if by force, until they understand what you understood."

"So that was my goal in this place? To understand?"

"Yesss. And isn't it such a beautiful goal? To understand one's position in the cosmos and the order of things is so important."

"And you are the one at the top of this order."

"He heeee. Right you are, yet again. I am the one all gods are contracted to."

"Contracted?"

"Exactly, my dear Saint Lily. You see, there is a set of rules that every divine being must abide by."