Festival

To be a god is to hold a connection with your followers. And through this they are able to send them a portion of their divinity, differentiated so that it won't burn the mortals from within. A 'Blessing', as it's called.

Which sounds lovely and all, but the truth isn't as pretty. You can't really 'give' your divinity to a follower. That's not how it works. Instead, you package a spell or an ability using your divinity, send it through the Ether, and plant it inside your follower's soul. It's essentially no different imprinting a spell on someone. A living spell that grows with the follower, but a spell still.

Anyway,

Standing around while over a thousand people are kneeling and praying to me is…bloody awkward. I could feel myself literally shriveling up from the inside as I tried to think of ways of runni-, I mean, of getting people to stop.

So, I decide to enact one of my plans. Both for practical reasons and to help keep me focused on something else.

Kuoh is strong, but compared to the Underworld, it still isn't enough. My city has quality in spades, but the quantity of our manpower is still thin. 

That's changed, of course. Nearly all civilians who lived in this city now have some sort of superpower, no matter how minor it may be. But, even then, I don't think it's quite enough. Maybe I'm being greedy, but better be greedy than be lacking.

Except giving these people some normal 'Blessing' would be boring, wouldn't it? And besides, I don't want to pressure these people into a life of combat. If they want to remain as they are, then that's fine with me.

So instead of anything overt, I decide to be sneaky.

Primal Energy. The catalyst of growth and evolution. It's the thing that's brought me this far in the first place, and it'll continue to push me forth. It won't do much on its own, but whenever someone puts in effort to grow, then Primal Energy will be there to prop them up.

It's the perfect gift. It'll be extra energy for them all, and something to aid their growth for those who want to do more.

Thankfully, with my new divinity, I won't need to repeat that painful process Akeno and I went through. I can insert Primal Energy straight into their bodies, and they'll feel nothing but a small jolt of heat in their chests.

…the only problem is that I can't do it remotely. I need to touch my followers in some way.

So, shamelessly stealing from the person before me, I begin walking around, placing my hand on my followers' heads. And as I do, I'll whisper encouragements as I discreetly slip in a seed of Primal Energy into their bodies.

It's awkward, of course. I can't help it really, considering every third person I bless ends up crying in some way. But I continue on, putting my head autopilot as my body moves along.

Thankfully, I don't really need to worry about my Primal Energy being used for something nefarious. Most of the people bowing and kneeling before me are citizens of Kuoh in some way, and those that aren't either came from Kyoto or from Hibana. Of course, those that live elsewhere will soon be noticed for their sudden increase in growth, but people can chalk it up to me 'Blessing' them instead of Primal Energy doing the legwork.

Then again, it's not like anyone can actually see it. Let alone interact with it consciously.

The entire thing takes over four hours. My chest feels cold from all the Primal Energy I sent away, and my cheeks are cramped from how long I've kept this soft smile on my face. 

I'd say it's worth it though. Seeing these people be so happy to be blessed, even if it's something as minor as me saying their name and thanking them for how much they've done for themselves and others,

It's a special experience, I say. Makes me feel warm. 

Even if the incredible Faith they have for me makes me cringe slightly.

By the time it's over, the people of Kuoh have had enough time to set up an entire goddamned festival around me. Like, a straight-up summer festival was built around me during those four hours, and now I'm being escorted around by Dulio and his guild of rescued exorcists as we go around sampling foods from the vendors.

Also, I find it somewhat odd that they're doing a 'Summer Festival' in late autumn, but-, well, I don't really mind. 

Suffice to say, I've basically abandoned any hope of going home and dunking my head into my pillow.

The food's good though. So that's nice.

Interestingly enough, I can sense the presence of multiple angels just outside of Kuoh. They're not doing anything—they're merely observing me from afar. From what I can tell, they seem both eager and anxious to meet me. They think that I'm the Christian God, probably because a portion of his soul actually lives inside me.

Am I going to do anything? For now, no. That might change in the future, though.

Because though they've technically done nothing, their negligence for the Church had led to all that suffering. In a way, the Angels are the indirect catalyst to the drastic action I took.

They know that too. It seems they're just unsure as to what to do about it.

They'll be unsure for a lot longer. I don't plan on forgiving their negligence so easily. The lives that were tortured and lost can never be brought back. 

I can also sense a number of enemies watching me. They all come from different places—Devils from the Old Satan Faction, folks from the Hero Faction, and even some Vampires and Fallen that joined up with the Khaos Brigade.

Naturally, they all rushed to Kuoh when they heard that I'd awakened, curious to see the 'God' that had changed so much. 

And behind that curiosity, I can feel fear. I haven't been shy about keeping my energies in check, and they've flooded the entirety of Kuoh. The citizens are unaffected—protected by their Faith—but those with impure intentions aren't so easily let go. Most of them are frozen by the sheer density of energy in the air, and those that can move can only do so through intense effort.

Honestly, watching their reactions is too fun. Seeing the fear and terror as they realize just how puny they are in comparison is just too entertaining. Akeno's fully infected me in that regard.

Although, something's been bugging me.

I can't find Akeno anywhere. Every time I try, I find nothing. My eyes don't glitch, I don't get a message barring me from continuing—I just find nothing. It's…unnerving, to say the least. It's as if she's vanished from history entirely.

I know she's alive—I can feel her overwhelming Faith in me—but it doesn't stop me from worrying.

And eventually, I can't help but turn to Dulio and ask, "Where's Akeno?"

The man freezes, the corndog held barely over his lips. And for a moment, panic fills his eyes. Panic fills the eyes of the rest of his entourage as well, and though they hide it well, my eyes can see through their practiced calm.

My eyes narrow, the aurora wafting behind me becomes just a little brighter. "Where is she?" 

Dulio quickly glances around. "...she is fine, My Lord."

The air gets heavy, and he lets free a pained gasp as I take a step towards him. "I didn't ask that." I say, my soft voice reverberating unnaturally. "I asked where she is."

He gulps. He glances at the exorcists he'd rescued, before he takes a deep breath. "As I said, she is fine, My Lord." He begins, before he frowns. "However, when I rushed to where you casted your Judgement, I found both you and her deep in sleep."

"You were encased in that golden amber you had awakened from." He continues, fidgeting slightly. "While Lady Akeno was covered in a dark crystal of some kind."

I frown. Dark crystals, is it? I wager that it's the same crystals that Akeno's wings are made of. It probably has something to do with the 'thing' that lives inside Akeno then. But why? She doesn't have divinity like I do. Just what is it that happened?

"And where is she?"

"She is in Kyoto, My Lord." He says dutifully. "Lady Yasaka has kept her safe in her own home. She eagerly awaits both her awakening and your arrival."

I hum. 

Thinking about it more, Akeno is probably experiencing some evolution of her own. That crystal she's inside is probably protecting her while she's changing. But, she fell asleep and was encased roughly the same time I was.

And considering what I know-

Could it be that Akeno's growing alongside me?

That's the most plausible explanation. I won't ask about the Hows, but if that's really true, won't that mean that she'll wake once I do? Or maybe I need to come in contact with the crystal before she wakes like I did?

「Host's Inquiry Acknowledged as 'True'」

I nod. Guess I know what to do next.

"I see." I say, before I tilt my head. "Why did you feel the need to hide it away from me?"

"Ah." Dulio looks away for a moment, chuckling awkwardly as he scratches the back of his neck. "I-, we wanted to spend more time with you, M-My Lord." He smiles. "We just couldn't contain our happiness."

…

Dulio. Those words are nice and all, but that gaze of yours says a lot more than you think. You look like a possessive boyfriend, you know?

Save those eyes for my big sister. 

Actually, why don't you go home to her? Let's end this all, already. I want to go eat some pizza and go to sleep.

Idiot.