Prologue - 0

"Yaleem..."

Huh? Something isn't right here...I should be in a deep slumber within my divine domain, usually unreachable towards gods of an honorable rank or lower.

"Shoo, let me sleep for a few more centuries."

"Yaleem!"

Thud!

Something thick and obviously wooden smacked the back of my head, forcing my eyes to shoot open and stare daggers at my assailant.

"Fuck! Ow! Why would you do that, Chaosa?!"

My blurry vision which could have been from just waking up or from blunt force trauma was clearing rapidly, which allowed me to see the gaping tear in space in my domain behind the currently yapping goddess of enlightenment and water.

"What the f— Why is there a hole in my domain?!"

Thud!

My outburst resulted in another whack to my skull. At least now I was sure why my vision was blurry a few seconds ago.

"Ouch!"

"That's not important right now! Did you know that Ignaleos is hunting you down?"

Ignaleos? The current sovereign rank god in charge of us all? The god of old? That Ignaleos?

"Why would...Ignaleos of all people...?" I hate to admit it, but even I could hear the fear in my voice. But could anyone blame me? Such a high ranking god only makes a physical appearance after tragedy has struck the cosmos and it needs to be dealt with immediately.

Despite my confusion however, Choasa sported a look of urgency.

"The. Redemption. Program." She inferred through gritted teeth.

The Redeption Program. A chance to give the inhabitants of a planet to prove that their existence wasn't, for the lack of a better term, trash.

Many "trash" planets have been created through the universe's will, but as time passes, the available spaces for inhabitable planets begin to grow more scarce. In theory, those slots could have went towards more productive planets that provide more meaningful existences. To solve this problem, the council and Ignaleos has decided to create the Redemption Program.

And I was in charge of it.

"I have warned you many times, Yaleem. Yet you persisted to shirk your duties!" Chaosa was yelling, but her face showed that she was worried. Worried what would happen to me.

"H-hold on. I haven't been shirking anything. In fact—"

"Show me," she demanded, "Show me that you haven't been goofing off for the last dozen eons."

"Alright, alright."

With a wave of my hand, rows of small planets the size of peanuts would arrange themselves orderly in front of Chaosa.

"As you can see, I am an available patron on every pla—"

Or rather, that's what should have happened.

"W-what the hell?"

In front of us both was one planet. Only one, out of the thousands I started off with.

"No...no..."

The wailing from Chaosa brought my eyes to her, and what I saw nearly broke my heart. She was holding her mouth in shock, shaking her head slowly. But the worst part was the singular tear trailing down her face, paving a way for many more to come.

But they never did, because they never got the chance to.

The space around us seemed to grow dense— heavy and hostile. My lungs felt like they were being inflated to their limit then forcfully squeezed and deprived of everything they had to offer. Through the pain though, the both of us couldn't help but become idle. The pressure was so intense that it held us in place.

From my peripheral vision, the rest of my divine domain was starting to rupture and split away in different spots, revealing the space between celestial bodies.

'Ignaleos.'

It was obvious what was behind it. The presence of someone many ranks above my own. The peak of godly strength in the most passive of forms.

[Only one planet left.]

"Urk!"

[Is this all you have to show after such a long time, Yaleem?]

'Why...why is he using the voice of his core essence?'

Each syllable shakes mine harshly, each time threatening to break.

A large hand grasped the planet. I tried to look at the owner of it, but I wasn't able to. No, as a matter of fact, I couldn't. Every time my eyes went above his mouth, I felt my core essence screaming in agony for me to either stop or retreat. But one of those options weren't available, so I had no other choice but to settle with not knowing what Ignaleos looked like.

[So many countless lives have been lost because of your negligence. Many of whom could have ended up becoming one of us...do you understand?]

I couldn't nod. I couldn't speak. But I did what I could to appease the deity.

[...y e S...]

My own pathetic attempt of Divine Speech.

[...]

For some reason, there was a long pause. Was it to let that fact sink into my consciousness? Or was Ignaleos thinking about what to say next?

[Yaleem. Do you know what you are the god of?]

'Why is he asking me that? Of course, I am the god of...of...'

Why isn't it coming to me?!

[Truly pathetic, even though I expected this much out of someone like you.]

Ignaleos let go of his grasp on the last planet, sighing.

[I have to do what I have to do.]

Before I could think about what he just said, many of the stars across the universe vanished into nothing. One by one, those brilliant shining lights were extinguished. Those were gods.

[We've grown weak. We've forgotten who we are, and why we are. Because of that...all gods with the rank of 'honorable' and lower will be excommunicated.]

'Wait. Honorable and lower? Then does that mean I'm safe then, since I am considered a venerable?'

[No.]

'?!'

[Yaleem, you are an exception. By far, you are the biggest disappointment in the entire cosmos. If you had done your job properly, we may have been ready for the upcoming war...]

As he spoke, I felt my connection to the Radiance waning. My own light was being snuffed out.

[But as gods, I must give you all chances like we grant the mortals, no?]

Ignaleos turned his head to look at the last remaining planet I was assigned, and smiled.

[How lucky for you that it is your last. Now.]

He placed his hand on my head, and whispered, [Fall.]

Darkness quickly surrounded my vision, but the last thing I heard were the shouts and cries coming from Chaosa as I descended.

Damn. Not only did I fail myself, but I failed the woman I planned on marrying.