Gaia

Huh? Where am I?"

Gabimaru was somehow inside a dimensional space where nothing seemed to exist. It was as if he were once again sealed in his sealing abyss skill.

A dimension he created to seal an entity, even a superior being like himself.

I somehow remembered that after I arrived at the village, I passed out."

Gabimaru could not see anything; even his own body wasn't visible, and only his consciousness was awake.

Hey system? Are you there?"

Gabimaru tried asking if the system was with him, but there was no response.

He pondered deeply, trying to know what was going on. But just as he was thinking, a flashing light struck him, and it began resonating within his consciousness.

What's happening?" Gabimaru wondered as all the sealed memories began recalling.

"Creator, what is happening?"

Gabimaru's consciousness levitated above the space and witnessed the memories he had that had been sealed long ago.

The scenery he witnessed was at the time when the five demi-gods revolted against their creator, God himself.

"I will give you my all-seeing eyes; it will aid you in the future," God muttered, his voice reverberating in Gabimaru's hearing senses as it echoed throughout the space.

"Creator! Please cancel their attack. You can freeze time entirely. I am sure that erasing it would not be a hurdle for you." Gabimaru pleaded, his head lowered as he bowed in front of God.

"I am tired; I will be rebuilding everything. A world where every creation I've made would be living in it."

Gabimaru could not understand what God was mumbling about. He stayed silent as God continued to speak.

"I will leave everything in your hands, Black. Protect the vast world I would build, preserve it, and let it flourish naturally. I will lay life into the new world I will create. A world with life where everyone will have a chance to grow."

God's words were so profound that they left Black astonished. He could not comprehend what he was saying. It's as if a grandfather were talking to a newborn child.

His words were filled with riddles, but Black did not utter a single word.

After that long speech, God eventually ended up transferring the omniscient system to Black, acknowledging him as his successor.

"The omniscient system will aid you in your journey. Learn and understand; the decision will be up to you, and you shall decide wisely." These were God's last words before the magical sphere that the five demi-gods cast struck him.

And after that, he recreated a new world as his majestic light dimmed and turned his existence into golden ashes.

Gabimaru recalled, and his consciousness instantly got sucked out of that subspace. Returning it to his body.

As he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed Ganz and the wolf king were right beside him, watching him carefully.

He surveyed his surroundings; it was an old, dusty room filled with bookshelves and cobwebs hanging at the ceiling corners.

Gabimaru slowly stood up, gazing upon his surroundings, while Ganz felt happy after seeing his boss regain consciousness.

[Notice: Rest mode has been deactivated.]

[Mana Energy has been successfully restored.]

How long had I been asleep?" Gabimaru asked through thought communication.

[Answer: 48 hours and 21 minutes.]

Two whole days?" Said Gabimaru through thought communication.

He could not believe he had been asleep for two days while the things he could vividly remember only lasted for minutes. It was as if time flowed differently.

"Boss! Good thing you've woken up. I was so worried." Ganz worriedly said, conveying his sincere feelings toward Gabimaru.

"Where am I?" asked Gabimaru, who consistently wondered about how he was lying on top of a wooden table.

"We are inside Amina's house. This was a vacant room, so she let us use it for the time being," Ganz responded, explaining it thoroughly.

Gabimaru pondered; he was so dumbfounded about the memories he had regained.

[Notice: The sealed memories have been restored.]

[God has left you two paths to choose from.]

Eh? What do you mean by two paths?" Gabimaru asked, surprised by what the system told him.

[God has acknowledged you as his successor; in spite of it, God still gave you freedom.]

[After the sealed memories have been regained, the restrictions God had placed on me will now be released.]

"Huh?" The wolf king and Ganz wondered why Gabimaru was somehow immersed in something as he held his chin and pondered deeply.

[The World of Pandora]

[A world with life, known as Gaia.]

[Gaia is somewhat similar to a system but treats every living being equally.]

[The status window is also part of Gaia.]

[The leveling system is also part of Gaia.]

[The force of mortal awakening and the demi-god power restriction are also due to Gaia's law.]

[Gaia is the balance of all; it is the life of Pandora.]

[A world where demi-gods aren't needed.]

The system's words struck Gabimaru wholeheartedly. The final creation of God was a world where everything in power was balanced.

But Gabimaru could still not understand what the two paths meant, and he asked the system through thought communication.

[God has given you two choices: whether you follow and become the next god or be free and live normally and rule as you wish.]

[Become the god or become the ruler.]

The system's words were so deep that Gabimaru could not utter a word. He knew that the choices were both catastrophic. One will let the world crumble, and one will let the world feel despair.

He pondered thoroughly, unable to decide what was right.

He then put it on hold and got up from the wooden table and began walking. As he got near the door, he noticed Amina stitching a worn-out cloak in front of the room he just went out of.

"Boss," Ganz mumbled while the wolf king stood silently and observed.

Amina shrieked and instantly covered her eyes after seeing Gabimaru.

Gabimaru wondered and noticed that he was completely naked, reminded that his old cloak got torn apart in the recent battle.

"Oh, my bad." Gabimaru muttered, slowly turning around to go back inside the room where Ganz and the wolf king were.

[Notice: 76 hobgoblins are approaching your location.]

What?"

Gabimaru remembered that the reason he stayed within the village was to help them and protect them from the monsters that tried invading their territory.

"Ganz, what time is it?" Gabimaru asked.

The wolf king sniffed while Ganz responded. "It's already evening, boss. The sun has already disappeared."

"There are enemies approaching." the wolf king uttered as he sniffed around.

Amina just finished stitching the cloak, and Gabimaru instantly pulled it out of her hand and wore it immediately.

"Huh?" Amina mumbled, surprised by the sudden action of Gabimaru, who just snatched the cloak right from her hand.

"Follow me, Ganz, wolf king. We have things to do," said Gabimaru as he walked out of Amina's house. He then stared at the night sky, which was filled with glittering stars and shapeless clouds that floated.

Ganz and the wolf king followed behind Gabimaru, while Amina stayed back and was notified by the wolf king to hide inside the house.

God has really made things hard for me." he mumbled in his head.

[Notice: The hobgoblins are nearing your location.]

Gabimaru let out a long sigh, realizing what the two paths meant.

A god would ideally be an overseer who would observe every creation he had and never interfere. It is a rule that God himself has demonstrated: whether people suffer or not, whether his creations get destroyed, God will not interfere.

While being a ruler is the opposite.

They were simple choices, but Gabimaru could not pick one.

"Was this how God felt?" Gabimaru muttered while staring blankly at the sky.

Chapter End.