Tekla's eyes widened as Karla shone crimson and vanished. With Tekla, I had assumed it was possible because she was my follower, and not even an ordinary one - she was my priestess. But now it was confirmed. I could pull even the physical bodies of non-believers into my realm.

[Warning: Divine Kingdom consumed 5 Divinity Points!]

Even if Karla is important, I'm starting to waste Divinity Points carelessly… From now on, I must spend divine energy only when I have no other choice.

As the thought passed, the blond Elf dropped to her knees before me, her shoulders trembling.

"I dare not imagine that the God of Velmoryn would grace me with His presence," she said, her voice shaking.

Is this the weight of my power, or is she simply afraid to stand before a god?

I had expected Karla to remain composed. Not because I underestimated myself, but because I found it hard to believe I could project an aura greater than the Goddess of Elves - the one three gods had united to defeat.

My manifestation on the throne shifted. Its right hand tapped the armrest with a single finger, the sound echoing across the space. The basilisk that lurked behind the throne slithered forward, pressing its scaled head near the God of Velmoryn's hand as though asking to be stroked.

Karla's eyes fixed on it. She swallowed hard as the serpent drew close, then flinched when it stilled under my touch.

"Such a dreadsome creature, and yet it bows to the care of the God of Velmoryn… Perhaps I was wrong in thinking He is a deity of the Netherworld. This realm bears no aura of demons. And that tree… no, He cannot be of the Netherworld. Thank the Mother…"

I froze for a moment as her thoughts brushed against mine. I had believed only my believers' minds were open to me. But no. It seemed only gods, even the weakest, were immune. That might change in time, but for now I was glad. Hearing Karla's thoughts would make this conversation much easier.

"You may make your request," my voice resounded, as the god seated on the throne stilled its tapping hand.

Whenever I spoke as a god, trying to sound almighty, the words never came naturally. For some reason, I still felt human. All this divinity was only a role I played.

Karla swallowed hard, her thoughts tangled as she searched for the right words. With Tekla she had spoken boldly, but here, before me, she believed a single misstep would bring death, or punishment at best. And to her, that wasn't unjust.

Where my mind still treated gods as nothing more than stronger beings, Karla - and Velmoryns as well - saw gods as owners of their lives. In their eyes, a god had the right to end them at will. It made devotion simple, but would a civilization truly flourish if my believers saw themselves only as my property?

"High Father, I am the last daughter of the Goddess of Elves…" She faltered, weighing whether to recount everything.

"I am aware," my voice cut through the silence. I revealed that I knew her story. Even if it meant losing details that might have been useful, what mattered in that moment was binding her to me. I could always seek knowledge later.

"He knows… Of course He knows. He is a God after all…" Her thoughts softened into a sigh, and then her gaze sharpened. The trembling ceased. She had crossed the line between doubt and resignation.

"High Father, I beseech Your aid in saving my kin. Every soul among us would vow themselves unto You. I beg You, accept us… grant us Your grace…" The hardness left her eyes as quickly as it had come, fading under the weight of my presence. Only then did I notice - she had been straining since the moment she entered my realm. My power pressed against her, distorting her mana, fraying her composure. No wonder she shook.

"My children shall not be given to spare your kin," I answered, voice calm but soft. "The Velmoryn are yet unprepared to face those who hunt your kind… and you, child, do not possess the power to unseal what was bound."

It was no more than a shot in the dark, but how could she prove that I was wrong? She had no way of knowing what I truly meant.

"What does He intend by those words? Is the seal warded by a strength beyond my reach, and how came such a safeguard to be… how is it that He knows of it? No… the mark upon Avenor was not the whim of chance; it answered the God he serves. When Mother told Freya that a chosen would come, perhaps She spoke of the God of Velmoryn, not Avenor."

Karla's thoughts ran exactly as I had expected. It was only natural - anyone before a god would rather search for hidden meaning than risk believing Him mistaken.

"Lord, forgive me that I dare to ask… but High Father, shall You grant salvation to my kin when the Velmoryn have grown strong, and I myself have gathered the power required?" She pressed her forehead to the floor, as though she was certain her boldness might cost her dearly.

Little did she know I was celebrating.

I almost told her, "Once the time is right," - a safe phrase that would grant me all the time I wanted. But I stopped myself before the words echoed in my dominion. For some reason, I felt this was the moment that would define what kind of god I was becoming.

I could pose as omniscient, and for a while my believers might trust me blindly. But sooner or later, I would falter. There would likely come a time when I would lose a battle or two, perhaps even a war. And when that happened, would their faith survive? Wouldn't even the most loyal realize that I was not who I claimed to be?

Or - I could show them that even a god could fall. That strength and knowledge set me far above them, yet not beyond mistakes. Wouldn't that prove that what mattered was not never falling, but rising again? Wouldn't it push them to strive harder, knowing their fate wasn't written for them but carved by their own hands?

I convinced myself that this reasoning was correct. That, in this moment, uncertainty was the truest answer.

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"Perhaps," I said at last, the word lingering like an echo not meant to be caught. Then, after a pause, I added, "All rests within your hands."

"What does He mean? That if I alone grow stronger, the Elves may be saved? Or did His "you" mean all who follow Him?" Karla wrestled with my words, trying to force meaning from them.

Whether she succeeded or not, I felt lighter. As though something had been lifted from my chest.

Literally.

What is this? Did that decision affect me somehow?

I still knew far too little about what it meant to be a god, but one truth was becoming clearer: every decision shaped me. Like rules of a game, once chosen, they bound me. Shackles that no power could undo. Perhaps that was the difference - mortals could act freely, while gods carried chains of their own making.

In this world, power never came without consequence. Dark magic dulled the empathy of the Velmoryn. Fire magic caused volatility, its wielders as unstable as the flames they summoned. Healing magic increased compassion to the point that watching one's suffering became a torment, and perhaps divine magic gave weight to every choice, binding a god to the shape of their own decisions.

I couldn't be sure.

But it was undeniable that my believers' perception seeped into me. Their emotions colored my own. Was it so farfetched to think that my own words might press back against me as well?

Because it all made sense.

Perhaps the Goddess had chosen to be the kind of deity who cherished her children. The two Netherworld gods I had glimpsed were the opposite - indifferent, cruel, discarding lives as if they were nothing.

Maybe there was no balance in godhood. Perhaps in the end I would have to decide. Over time, even a slight tilt toward kindness or cruelty would deepen until nothing remained but absolutes. Would I become like the Goddess who gave up everything to buy her people a chance, or a demon-god who would slaughter thousands simply because waiting for his followers to move aside was an inconvenience?

I wanted neither.

I wanted to be my own god. One who walked a path of his choosing, untouched by divine law, by his believers, even by the system itself. But was that possible? Even in my old world, was anyone ever free of influence? Education, culture, the place of one's birth - humans were always shaped by something.

The thought left a sour taste, and disappointment lingered as Karla's voice broke into my self reflection.

"Lord, my heart is set. I wish to embrace Your light, if You allow it." Her tone no longer carried hesitation. The resolve was firm.

"I will, my child," I answered, letting my voice echo through the dominion. Yet the spark of joy I might have felt was dulled by the weight of my earlier thoughts.

What followed was the last thing I expected.

The moment I gave my consent, Karla rose from the ground as though lifted by unseen hands, like I had bestowed a blessing. Crimson divine energy surged to meet her, coiling tight around her frame, winding like serpents intent on carving themselves into her flesh.

Her fingers spasmed, stretching wide. Her eyes slid shut. The passing noise of her thoughts fell silent.

Despite calmness on her face, I sensed that my energy was rougher than usual. For a moment, I even considered whether it would end up harming her.

And that's when a red notification window flashed before my eyes.

[Warning, Verde!]

You are attempting to invade another god's domain. Your identity and location remain hidden, as their rank is below &@#%§ (full information cost: 100 Divinity Points) and their mark was erased within your dominion.

Your new believer was not a worshipper of the god who holds the Authority (Complete): God of Elves; otherwise, conversion would not have been possible.

At your current rank, you may no longer accept non-Velmoryn believers, except for Elves. Rank advancement is required to expand this limit.

You have stolen what belongs to another god, and in doing so, your presence has been revealed to §##$@@$##. (full information cost: 500 Divinity Points).

Guidance Advanced Tier Feature Triggered - 10 Divinity Points

How can that be? Wasn't the Goddess supposed to be dead? How can anyone still hold authority over the Elves? Didn't Karla say that after the Goddess perished, Freya had pledged herself to another god…

And then it struck me.

Why would any god risk war with three divine beings unless there was something worth such danger? Karla had said the god who remained loyal to the Goddess was weak. After the Goddess's fall, that god accepted Freya as a believer, helping her seal away the surviving Elves.

They must have gained something in return.

Freya was no ordinary Elf. She had been the Goddess's strongest Inquisitor. Perhaps when someone of such stature bends the knee to another deity, it allows them to seize Authority itself.

When I was reborn, the system had declared that the Elves already had a god. I assumed the message referred to the Goddess. I thought that from the moment I tried to select Elves as my race until the time I became god of the Velmoryn, there was some gap, some delay. I never knew how long I drifted in that strange space before reincarnating here. But now I'm certain - there is a new God of Elves. Though with incomplete Authority.

And that wasn't even the worst of it.

By chance, I had avoided alerting that so-called God of Elves. But I had successfully announced myself to someone… or perhaps several someones. Five hundred Divinity Points for that information was far too steep, yet the weight of it gnawed at me. Honestly, if I could change anything about it, I'd have paid those 500 Divinity Points and learned the truth. But that information would change absolutely nothing right now.

The irony of the moment was not lost on me.

I had stumbled into an entirely new threat before I had even solved the matter of the spider mutants and the Father of the Night and the Moons. His apostle had likely already reached the Blue Tribe too…

I must clear the spiders' nest quickly and I must learn the identity of the god Freya swore herself to.

My gaze shifted to Karla, still suspended in the air, divine power folding around her like a cocoon.

"Guidance."

[Status – Recovering]

After forcefully erasing the mark of another god, a mortal would ordinarily perish. However, since your new believer rests within your dominion, your divine power sustains their life and mends the damage.

Estimated recovery time: 6 months.

Forceful healing is not recommended. If awakened before recovery is complete, the believer's mind may collapse under the strain.

I know I've fucked up a big time when even the system feels generous enough to hand me important information…

I shook my head, a wry smile splitting my smoky mouth. There was nothing I could do about it now.

Whatever… at least I gained a strong believer. That alone makes it worthwhile. Besides, even if that god, or gods, who just learned about me, wants to act, they wouldn't be able to reach me here. As long as my believers remain in this forest, anything above Platinum Rank can't threaten them and I'm fairly certain I'm strong enough to erase anything below that. I must use this safe zone as long as I can. Who knows, perhaps the Goddess' curse will be lifted in time; she is no longer alive to maintain it after all… I must eliminate those spiders and unite the Velmoryns under me. I need to rank up, fully awaken my Authority, and begin properly establishing Velmoryn civilization…

The time had come to act. Once winter passed, I would spread my influence across the entire forest.

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