Tower of Heaven

Such a thought had the potential to lead her to greatness.

Five years passed before Yin was able to question his presence, but Atlas didn't mind the passing of time. His Neurics were still developing as he wanted them to.

When five years passed and Yin herself had gained a sufficient level of intelligence, he approached her once again.

Whoosh!

A breeze blew through the cavern. It wasn't something that never happened, but it was definitely rare.

Yin looked up at the sky in curiosity, and that was when she saw it. The dust swirling in the wind formed a symbol that she had never seen before, and despite it being a word she'd never spoken, heard, or seen, she understood it.

"You are…the Shinnim!"

A word in Neuric tongue that meant "Guide," which, to them, was synonymous with the concept of God.

Their God was here. Their God was the one who guided her way before, and he had returned to guide her once more.

Yin stood up and faced the dust as it swirled into a new pattern.

Atlas had five years to think about what the Neurics needed after a more developed language. Their end direction was completely reliant on their intelligence. Even the improvement of their bodies came from knowledge.

He needed to make them even smarter. Once they were equivalent to humans, he could start with other plans.

Language gave them the ability to perceive things in a different light and comprehend that which they did not understand. To a talented species like them, words were a gateway to so much more.

Atlas only needed to guide them in the right direction.

What the Neurics needed from their God was not divine intervention, but a clue that showed them the correct path.

Using the dust, Atlas wrote out the Neuric word for coal. He showed Yin the secret of controlling fire, which she could spread to the rest of her people.

It was the first "Divine Revelation" to be perceived as such. This was the most important moment for Atlas, who wanted to establish himself as a God.

This scene was the first step to their evolution. However, it was not the only scene that appeared that night.

The three people that Atlas had his eyes on, Rok, Ye, and Uk, all received their own encounters with a heavenly being.

There was a familiar cave. It was the cave where Rok was born. He had never left this cave even once in his life. From the moment he could walk, he had been chipping away at the wall, absolutely convinced that there was treasure beyond.

Nobody else believed in him. Everyone told him to stop, that there was nothing beyond the wall but more rock.

However, he knew what he felt in his heart, and he wasn't willing to abandon it for anyone.

This was an ordinary night just like any other. Instead of sleeping, Rok continued his fruitless task. His jagged rock tool slammed against the wall, breaking away piece after piece.

Bang!

One last hit. His arm could take one last hit before it completely stopped working.

Yet, he did not stop. He raised it in the air, filled it with all of the power in his small body, and slammed it against the wall again.

Voom!

It was a reaction he'd never seen before. All of a sudden, a breeze blew out of the wall and slammed him backwards several steps. He put his arm over his eyes and took another look at the spot he had struck, and his eyes instantly widened.

"Shining!"

Not everyone was able to learn the newer, more advanced language of the Neurics, but Rok was still able to convey his intent.

He saw a shining metal behind the rock, and on it…

"My name! Rok!"

…was engraved none other than his own name.

He grabbed his tool regardless of his weary arms and slammed it against the rock over and over again, prying the silver tablet out of the wall.

[Rok: Hero of the Neurics]

On it were written more words than just those, but he could not understand them on his own.

When he showed it to someone else to be deciphered, he would find a prophecy with him at the center, leading the Neurics into the sun. With Rok's personality, such a prophecy would become his world, and he would embrace his role perfectly.

He would become a figure with the same level of status as Yin, and alongside him were two more reliable allies.

Uk saw images of pickaxes, axes, shovels, and other tools that would help the Neurics progress their civilization.

And Ye received enlightenment about swords, spears, and arrows. For the first time, the Neurics learned of the concept of weaponry.

Knowledge and power. They were synonymous in some circumstances but had their own distinct meanings in others.

Atlas currently had the power of the Heavenly Law in his hands. He could do anything he wanted, including direct intervention in the Neurics' fate. If he wanted to, he could force these developments onto them and make them into beings that they were not.

But, what did that matter? Would they truly become the best version of themselves because he gave them everything they were lacking?

No. They would only become tools that didn't know how to do anything that he didn't teach them.

That wasn't the kind of race he wanted to build. A race like that would be decimated by any other in war.

The best quality of the Neurics was their adaptability. That was the key to anything and everything. In this sense, they were very similar to humans.

Atlas gave them the clues they needed. When the next day came, those four people met through what they believed was too coincidental to be coincidence.

Rok went to Yin to have her decipher the silver tablet. Uk and Ye gathered to discuss their findings. The two groups found each other and heard each other's conversations, realizing that they were all part of the same grand plan.

Evolution was an exponential curve. Starting on that day, the Neurics were able to promote themselves to a different level of society.

They were already accustomed to using fire for cooking, but they were still afraid of the element. Atlas gave them the key to creating fire and controlling it, allowing them to conquer their fears.

In the next fifty years, the Neurics came closer to becoming a truly intelligent society. They learned how to forge and used the schematics provided by Uk and Ye to make tools.

Rok, who found silver, became a legend in his own way. People started to rally around him, especially as he continued to find precious metals for them.

Meanwhile, Yin played her part as an anchor. Her intelligence developed so rapidly that even Atlas was surprised. Within those fifty years, she had become the true central point of the entire village.

Everything relied on her decision, and with Rok, Uk, and Ye standing behind her, there wasn't room for anyone to object.

It became clear that the Neurics would become entirely new beings soon enough.

And, they did not selfishly take credit for all of their achievements. In the middle of the great village that was being built stood a statue depicting a Neuric that was tall and proud like no other.

That was their depiction of the Shinnim, their depiction of Atlas.

'I have to admit. It is a bit crude, however…'

It was a symbol of their growing faith in him.

Its quality was the last thing he cared about when he looked at it.