Augustus’ statement hit Aurelius like a bolt of lightning. The concept of becoming a god was something that he had never truly considered. Gods were beings of immense power, far beyond what even Chosen were capable of. Yet, here he was, listening intently to Augustus explaining the path to godhood.
“‘Hmm… I guess let’s start by explaining the primordial gods, as it's pretty simple to understand. Basically, primordial gods ascend to godhood through the process of ascension.”
Aurelius gave a slow nod. He wasn’t sure what a primordial god was, or if there were multiple types of gods, but he knew he had to wait and let Augustus explain.
“Ascension itself is pretty self-explanatory. It means breaking through the confines of your world and transcending the limitations of mortal existence. It means understanding a good amount of the fundamental truths that govern the universe and mastering the forces that shape reality itself, most namely: mana. It means transcending the limits of your world, and ascending to the universe, hence the name: ascension.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Aurelius began, his mind trying to wrap around the information that Augustus had placed on him. “Your world? Universe? Are there multiple worlds?”
“Oh yeah,” Augustus’ crow face nodded. “There are millions, perhaps billions of different worlds, all unique in sense. Most worlds are much, much bigger than yours — if you can even consider this place a world — with a population size in the billions.”
Aurelius’ mind was once again working overtime to try to comprehend the information Augustus was freely giving to him.
Billions of worlds? With population sizes in the billions? Just how enormously large was the universe?
However, something else had caught Aurelius’ attention.
“What do you mean if you can consider this world to be a world? What does that even mean?”
“We’ll get to that. But first, a little more backstory,” Augustus said with a smile. “Becoming a god is extremely difficult, with perhaps one individual in a world billions ascending every couple of thousands of years. That number fluctuates from world to world and is partly based on the world’s mana density. As you might expect, understanding mana to the point where you can become a god is much harder when you have little to none of it. Even still, with the number of worlds in the universe, the total number of gods has naturally become enormous.”
Aurelius nodded, that part made sense to him.
Seeing Aurelius nod, Augustus continued. “This is both a good and a bad thing. A good thing because gods help the universe function. I am not entirely sure how, but from what I know gods help keep mana flowing throughout the universe, either through using it or excess mana they give off.”
“Oh and a quick side note that I forgot to mention earlier, once a god ascends, they physically can’t return to any world, they are stuck out in the universe. Their world literally cannot handle their presence anymore.”
Augustus paused, as if giving Aurelius a moment to digest the information.
"Wait, so gods can't return to the worlds they were born on? Or any world for that matter?" Aurelius asked, seeking further clarification.
"That's correct," Augustus confirmed. "Once a god ascends, their very presence becomes too overwhelming for any world to handle. It's as if their existence is bound to the fabric of the universe itself. They become cosmic entities, intertwined with the forces that govern reality."
“That’s why you can’t physically walk this world and you have to use this illusion or whatever this crow is,” Aurelius said, realization slowly dawning on him.
Augustus moved his crow head side to side. “Yes.. that’s part of the reason. I'll have to explain more about the universe at large later, but for now let's stay on topic and return to the bad of having too many gods.”
“As you would expect, gods are not all peaceful beings. There will naturally be conflict. However, this conflict isn’t necessarily bad for the universe in small quantities, as, like I said earlier, gods using their powers helps keep the flow of mana going.”
“The conflict is bad for the universe once it becomes too out of hand, too large. Having hundreds of thousands of cosmic entities fighting each other can really fuck up the fabric of the universe. No example is better than the first God war. Apparently, this war, between potentially millions of gods, literally broke a part of the universe.”
Aurelius’ eyes widened at the news. He was about to ask another question about the war when Augustus continued.
“Of course, the universe was very unhappy at the outcome, to say the least. In response, it implemented a countermeasure to make sure that the number of gods never got too large and to curtail the potential chaos that could ensue from divine dispute. That countermeasure is called the system.”
“Wait, you mean the system that I have?” Aurelius asked, incredulously.
“Yes, precisely that one.” Augustus said with a nod.
Aurelius was starting to grasp the magnitude of what he was learning. The world he thought he knew was just a small piece of an incomprehensibly vast and complex universe, where beings of godlike power interacted and shaped reality on a cosmic scale. And the system that he had always thought of as a unique and personal gift was actually a universal tool for maintaining order among these entities.
“Well, if the system was meant for gods, why do I have it?” Aurelius followed up.
“Ah,” Augustus began, “I was getting to that. As I mentioned earlier, the universe needed a failsafe to make sure that the number of gods never got too far out of control. One way it accomplished that goal was through the creation of the system, and the notorious games that the system made.”
"The games?" Aurelius questioned, his curiosity piqued even further.
Augustus leaned back, his black feathers rustling as he settled into a more comfortable position. “Yes. The system decided that it was a great idea to introduce a battle royale for the gods. A battle royale that was, in a sense, completely out of their control. The premise of the battle royale was that the universe would create a completely new, and temporary, world. In this world, each god was responsible for one race, and one Chosen. Should the race meet its demise, so too would the deity's existence. And as you might expect from a battle royale, the last race, the last chosen, the last god, wins.”
Aurelius’ eyes widened with horror as the pieces in his head started to click together.
“No..”
“Oh, yes,” Augustus said with a smile in his voice. “As you might have figured out by now, we are both a part of this game.”
Aurelius felt a mix of emotions swirling within him—shock, disbelief, and a growing sense of unease. The revelation that he and Augustus were both part of this cosmic game, where gods vied for supremacy through races and Chosen, was almost too much to comprehend. He felt like a pawn in a game far beyond his control.
“Surely there could have been a better way for the system to control the population of gods?”
Aurelius asked, his voice hinting at his disbelief.
“There are other ways the system controls the population. But, the game’s intended purpose is not only to control the number of gods. The second purpose for why the game exists is something I will share later,” Augustus said.
“So, you’re saying that I am essentially a pawn in a game of power and survival among the gods?” Aurelius questioned, his voice tinged with a mix of frustration and resignation.
Augustus' crow head nodded sagely. "In a way, yes. But remember, the game was, in part, designed as a way to keep the gods in check and prevent catastrophic conflicts that could destabilize the universe. It's a mechanism to balance the immense power that the gods possess."
“And besides, there is a way out for both of us. You can beat the game,” Augustus said, making it sound a lot simpler than Aurelius knew it actually was.
Aurelius stared at Augustus, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions. The weight of the revelation was sinking in, and he couldn't shake the feeling of being caught in a cosmic scheme far beyond his understanding. He had never signed up for this, never expected his journey to lead him to the knowledge that he was a pawn in a godly battle royale.
“What does Maledarkor have to do with this though, you said he wasn’t a Chosen,” Aurelius pointed out.
“That’s true. However, Maledrakor himself is a product of the system.”
“How so?”
“There is a very obvious exploit to this sort of battle royale game. What if you just don’t kill each other? Technically the game would never end, and no god would be at risk of death.” Augustus began with a smile.
"The first games quickly identified this loophole, prompting the system to devise countermeasures. A solution was sought to incentivize the Chosen to kill each other before a designated time threshold. Furthermore, the intention was to imbue this mechanism with an element of fun, something not as boring as killing all the Chosen once a time limit was reached.”
Aurelius' eyes once again widened in realization as Augustus continued to explain.
“Maledrakor is that countermeasure. In every game, after 4,000 years, theoretically enough time for a race to win the battle royale, the system decides that the game has gone long enough without a victor. It introduces Maledrakor, whose sole purpose is to wipe out nearly all the races and Chosen in the world.”
Aurelius’ was once bombarded with questions. Maledrakor wasn't just some random malevolent entity; he was a calculated creation, a last-resort mechanism engineered by the system itself.
“Is there anything we can do about it?” Aurelius asked.
"Absolutely, there are two ways," Augustus began with certainty. "First, like before, you can win by being the last Chosen standing. Maledrakor's purpose is to speed up the game and ensure a single survivor. This option, however, depends on both luck and skill. As you saw with the Dark Elves, they didn’t get too lucky with where Maledrakor spawned. Sometimes, if luck shines and you're far from Maledrakor when he appears, you could win just by being the last one he targets. But, considering your distance, the second option might be more practical, though definitely harder. You'd have to defeat Maledrakor. If you can kill Maledrakor, you win."
Aurelius slowly nodded, thinking over the options. As Augustus had mentioned, option 1 was unlikely given how close he was to Maledrakor. He would either need to kill the Chosen himself, hope that Maledrakor forgot about him, or somehow move most of the High Elven race to another part of the world — none of those seemed viable. Option 2 however, might just work if luck was on his side. Based on how Augustus described, it would be harder, but not extremely difficult.
“How high are my chances of defeating Maledrakor?” Aurelius asked hopefully.
“Nearly non-existent,” Augustus responded bluntly. “Out of the history of games played, I don’t think there has been a single time when Maledrakor was defeated.”
The color drained from Aurelius’ face and his hope suddenly vanished.
“Surely not right? What if other Chosen were to help me?” Aurelius asked, somewhat desperate for some sort of light to shine in this bleak future of his.
Augustus gave Aurelius a flat look, which was somehow communicated on the face of the crow. “You can’t be that naive? We both know that isn’t an option. Like I said earlier, Maledrakor is meant to speed up conflict and there can only be one survivor. The chances of you finding a Chosen who is willing to help you fight Maledrakor, doesn’t backstab you along the way, and then lets you kill Maledrakor so that you can be the winner, are slimmer than your chances of prevailing in a direct showdown against Maledrakor by yourself.”
Aurelius hung his head, he also knew that hope was in vain. “Then do you have any way for me to make it out of this game alive? Can you tell me what Maledrakors power’s are? After all, if the High Elves die, you are going to die as well.”
Strangely, Augustus didn’t look too concerned about the prospect of him dying and responded with a smile. “Yes, I do in fact. To beat Maledrakor, you need to first understand his ability of corruption.”
Aurelius nodded, urging Augustus to continue.
“As you heard from Kael, Maledrakor has an ability to corrupt living beings, turning them into his mindless minions. This corruption is not limited to just physical transformation; it also affects the mind, twisting the thoughts and emotions of those under his control. They become utterly devoted to him, carrying out his will without question."
“This ability is not only limited to living things, but also dead ones. Maledrakor can raise the dead, infusing them with his dark power and turning them into his loyal undead soldiers. These soldiers retain their skills and abilities from their past lives, making them formidable opponents.”
Aurelius’ mind raced as he absorbed this information. The power to corrupt and control both the living and the dead was a terrifying ability, and one that made Maledrakor an almost unstoppable force.
“However, probably most terrifying is his ability to do the same to a Chosen. However, with a Chosen, not only does he corrupt them, turning them into the Generals for his ever growing army, he also can absorb part of their powers.” Augustus said, uncharacteristically serious.
“Therefore, I would recommend that if you want to have a chance at beating Maledrakor, you take the first available opportunity, before he has the ability to grow too strong.”
