A God’s Dilemma

All things die. The universe exists in a cycle, energy flowing continuously from one vessel to another, one filling by way of another's emptiness. Contrast forms identity, concepts forming when distinctions are recognized by conscious minds, hoping to understand the vast, uncaring void that is the universe and find a higher purpose within its borders. In turn, a perfect realm cannot exist without the emptying of a perfect being, the death of a god.

So for this god, the fact that he was still alive was kind of awkward.

"Ah, shit, that wasn't supposed to happen."

As Anterion opened his eyes, it took him a while to adjust to the light, an experience he hadn't felt since… well, it had been a while at least. In general, it had been a long time since he had taken human form, but the fact he had been in deep slumber for so long didn't help matters. The first thing he saw was the white of a room, distinctly of his own divine power, and yet not one he remembered making.

"Oh goodness! My lord, you're finally awake, how wonderful."

Anterion heard a voice emanating from a light in the middle of the room, already seemingly forming into something more solid. After a moment of formation, the being fully transliterated into a physical existence, revealing a ball of metal feathers that resembled something akin to a cherubim or some other high-order of Angel of human myth. This being happened to be quite familiar to him, but something was definitely off

"Delvis? I don't remember making you so…"

"Small? Ah, see, about that…"

Anterion sat up, acutely aware of every sensation in his human body for the first time since awakening. It was odd to be able to feel toes again after so long with an ethereal body, but not entirely unwelcome.

"This is kind of nostalgic… I haven't had a human body since I made that wish after defeating the Demon Lord… Still, I shouldn't be alive, I'm not s u p p o s e d to be alive unless something went very wrong. Delvis, you said you knew something about all this?"

"Yes sir! Do you recall the last thing you did before reaching this state?"

"Right… I was…"

Anterion curled his eyebrows, trying his best to recall his actions within the ethereal void. Trying to recall actions taken in a place with no action, an emptiness beyond binary distinctions, was, in theory, impossible for a human mind to do, but divinity touched as this human avatar was, it was not an impossibility.

"I had gotten tired of the responsibility of godhood, the loneliness and all that jazz. I thought it would be for the best if I stuck to my human roots by keeping a natural lifespan, and I wanted to create a better world. So I tried to kill two birds with one stone and…"

"You desired to sacrifice your law body to produce a perfect universe, yes, and you produced the angels to serve as its foundation and watch over it. Unfortunately, the process was a failure."

"A failure?!? Why? How? I mean, I was untouchable, nothing could have caused that to fail. What went wrong?"

Anterion was at a loss as to how this could have occurred, or how this would have led to his current predicament. Unfortunately, his angelic companion didn't seem to have an answer for him, its silver wings curling into an even tighter ball, as if ashamed by its lack of information.

"Unknown. My ability to analyze information on that level of existence is limited at best, and I've only awoken recently myself in any case. I don't even have much information about the outside world-"

"The outside world? I thought the world creation failed?"

As if by habit, Anterion pulled himself into a stretch as he considered the predicament he was in. Human perspective… certainly refreshing in some ways at least, but he was totally puzzled as to what the implications of the world outside were.

"Well, the creation of a perfect world failed… but your holy form still was scattered in such a way to produce an entirely new world, even if it is not quite perfect in the way you would have wanted. Beyond that, I can't speak to any qualities it has."

"A new world formed from… alright, that settles it. I'm heading out to explore."

"What? Sir, please hold on, you're not properly equipped to head outside on your own!"

"Aw, don't be like that, Delvis. I can handle anything that the outside throws at me, promise. There's no need to worry about a demigod like myself, I'll be fine."

"No, I mean… you're totally naked!"

Ah. He knew he'd forgotten something.

It took a little over an hour for Anterion to regain his composure and prepare for a return to a human body. For starters, Delvis made sure to remind him that he needed food and water; Probably only one meal a day considering his divine nature, but it was something to keep in mind.

What really caught Anterion's attention was the appearance of the body; Apparently, within this quartz-like structure, Delvis had some measure of power, at least enough to create a mirror for him to view himself, and what he found was rather comforting.

"I… look like me. That's pretty cool."

What was an obvious statement for the average observer was something that Anterion was incredibly elated to see. In terms of attractiveness, it wasn't much to look at, though he did stand out. Bright red hair, a splash of freckles across his nose, pale skin, and most strikingly, light-blue eyes that bordered on sea green. What really stood out for him, however, was that his current form was a mirror image of his time before ascension, that 19-year-old hero who took down a Demon King with nothing but guts and determination. There was something nice about it.

"But more importantly…."

The demigod clenched his fist, a blue glow emanating from it as he did so. Even now, in this human body, he still controlled power over numerous laws, according him divine power regardless of the situation. His authority wasn't as absolute as it had been before, but all in all, he was likely the strongest being in the world.

"Are you satisfied with the clothes I've produced then, sir?"

Delvis appeared behind him, the glowing white light of its core now shining through the gaps between its feathers. Seeing that, Anterion couldn't help but grin and pat the surprisingly soft orb.

"You did fine if that's what you're worried about. I just can't stay cooped up in here forever. The clothes are nice though!"

"You like the outfit then?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I assume you can't leave this area though right?"

"Unfortunately… but why do you need to leave? Do you plan on studying this world's foundations? The possibility of creating your perfect world as intended shouldn't be impossible with some effort."

Anterion mulled it over as he adjusted his outfit. But, after a moment of thinking…

"…not right now, no. I'm more curious about what sort of world i accidentally made, I don't want to be a god to it or anything. Unless I find something really urgent, I think the way forward for now is just exploring. But hey, should be fun?"

"Fun?"

"Ah, right, I didn't program you with that sort of conception. Alright, don't worry about it then, you can just trust me for now."

"Hmmmmm… well, if you must go, my lord, then take your weapon. Up until now, it's been gathering dust uselessly… I would hate to see such a holy weapon become simply an artifact of a bygone age."

In a flash of light, Anterion saw a golden sword flash into view in front of him, another artifact from his past: this one glowed with a flaming aura that was nonetheless cool to the touch, at least for its true owner.

"Been a wild since I held this baby in my hands huh? Still, I don't think it's a good idea to draw so much attention to myself. Actually, hold on, I remember it could do something pretty cool. Watch this!!"

Shaking the sword like a flashlight that had stopped working, the blade erupted into a burst of energy, before reforming itself into a sleeker form. Anterion beamed as the sword now adjusted itself into a walking stick, one that would complete his disguise and still be capable of using its holy power to smite anyone who thought they could cause problems for him.

"That should do it. Alright, I think that's more or less everything… I'm not forgetting any other clothes, right? Remembering human instincts is a lot easier than remembering social norms."

"No, I believe that's everything, lord. I wish you the best of luck in your investigation, however. Do note the individuals have formed their own societies, ones which may not take kindly to outsiders."

"Heh, like I said, don't worry about it. I'm God after all."

With a smirk and wave of his hand, Anterion stepped into the unknown.