Prologue

Third Person’s POV

The Gods and Goddesses, along with the Primordial Deities, gathered around Evergreen to complete the final rites. There, Evergreen was to ascend as the God of Illusion, known to be one of the most powerful gods in the heavens.

[System: Welcoming the 8 Gods and Goddesses with the 8 Primordial Deities]

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Goddess of Light and Judgment— Solvarya 

God of War and Honor—Valkrion 

Goddess of Life and Harvest — Eirenya 

God of Shadows and Vengeance— Noctavar 

Goddess of Wisdom and Magic— Auremelia 

God of Storms and Wrath— Thundarak 

Goddess of Time and Fate — Selaria 

God of Death and the Underworld** — Dravanos

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Primordial of Void and Nothingness — Abyx 

Primordial of Timeflow and Stagnation — Chronael 

Primordial of Chaos and Possibility — Nytheryz 

Primordial of Existence and Light — Solmera 

Primordial of Matter and Decay — Thremor 

Primordial of Breath and Boundlessness — Zephyrox 

Primordial of Balance and Dissonance — Eclith 

Primordial of Dreams and Consciousness — Yureth

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[Gods, Goddesses, and Primordial Deities, please proceed to the rites.]

After the formal welcoming, the rites began.

The elders spoke:

Sub luna fracta, figuram meam abnego— 

Corpus est pulvis, nomen est umbra.

Veritatem ligantem repudio, mendacium liberans amplector.

Realitas est velum—ego sum laceratio quae somnium revelat.

Resonant umbrae, falsa fiant integra, 

Per voluntatem meam, illusio fit divina. 

Clausis oculis, omnia video. Apertis oculis, nihil video.

Ex silentio, dico Ultimam Mendacium:

Nihil est reale, nisi ego."

Evergreen's body suddenly rose and floated.

Then the elders asked him, “Evergreen, do you accept the fate of becoming a god?”

Evergreen didn’t answer right away—instead, he thought deeply before responding.

After a few seconds of silence, Evergreen answered with a question: 

“If being a god is such a huge responsibility for someone like me, then what are the things I can and can’t do? And why is it that now, even as gods, you still haven’t done anything for the world of mortals?”

The elders answered, “Become a god, and you shall know the answer.”

But after Evergreen’s statement, the elders suddenly halted the ritual.

“Why should I choose to become a god if you won’t even give me an answer?” Evergreen said, as his body slowly returned to the ground.

One of the gods stood up, his voice laced with fury.

“I knew it. This person has no right to become a god like us,” declared Noctavar.

“Why would I choose godhood if, right now, my power can already be compared to yours?” Evergreen asked the elders with a straight, unreadable expression.

The gods grew more enraged at Evergreen’s words. Almost all of them couldn’t believe what he had just said. One of the gods stood up again.

“Is that how someone who has yet to reach our level is supposed to act? We are the gods,” said the God of Light.

“Then if I can defeat one of you, I want you to answer my question—only then will I accept the fate of becoming the God of Illusion,” Evergreen challenged.

One of the gods responded, “You really think a mere mortal like you can defeat a god?”

“I wouldn’t challenge you if I couldn’t,” Evergreen replied confidently.

The gods were now truly furious at Evergreen’s audacity.

“Someone like you deserves death!” the gods shouted in unison.

“You have no right to treat gods like us this way!” added the Primordial of Light.

Then, Abyx, the Primordial of Void and Nothingness, spoke:

“My fellow primordial deities, and you gods among us—do you agree to let me be the one to fight this mortal and prove that we are not so easily challenged?”

The elders responded, “You have our blessing—may the white prevail, and not the black.”

The battle began. The gods and primordial deities watched in silence. In the end, they could not believe what they had just witnessed:

Evergreen had nearly killed Abyx, the embodiment of Void and Nothingness.

“Have I proven that we are not just mere mortals?!” Evergreen shouted, smiling, his poker face still directed at the stunned gods and primordial deities.

[System: Rules are RULES. Gods, Goddesses, and Primordial Deities, grant Evergreen his WISH.]

Once again, the elders began the ritual for Evergreen. All his wounds healed, and this time, all of his questions were finally answered.

In the end—Evergreen refused to become a god.

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