Chapter 2: God’s Son
Shortly after the notification, I was transported down to the planet where Cassius, or someone who looked like him, and I assimilated.
Cassius was found; nobody knew who gave birth to him or who fathered him. Cassius was an orphan.
Around town, Cassius was just a man. He never had anyone really close or anything of the sort. And then I took over.
Looking to my right, I was still comforted by the system, which at the time had written to me, "Apostles/Prophets are much more talented than the Non-Favored or non-Apostles/Prophets."
After a quick read of the message, I got up and sighed. The position I woke up in was the exact same way I died.
Quickly, I gathered myself, brushing off the dust that had collected on my garments. I found a place to sit down and collect my thoughts.
I was a man with direction. I needed a plan to establish my religion. This world was new to me, and domains were a sign that everything is a result of gods, and a godless place will be left behind by places with domains.
A benefit I had as the sole god of my religion was that I had my say, thus I could think and respond to other things faster than in polytheistic religions.
However, that was not the sole advantage. I had the ability to control my chief apostle, Cassius. This means that human error is solely determined by me. Additionally, the perception of the religion to newcomers will be within my control.
My first main goal should be creating a hearth for Eternumism. A hearth is a necessity for any idea, and my hearth will be here in this village.
"MISSION CREATED
Description: Origin is the essence of all things. The heartbeat of any entity lies in its narrative. The backdrop, or the hearth, serves as the pivotal force in the genesis of every tale. Rewards: 10000 FP" So, the system creates missions based on what I think? Or is there more to it? In order to establish a strong foundation, I must first break down the process into smaller steps. This involves gaining my initial followers, developing a deep understanding of the world in which I exist, crafting a compelling narrative to introduce and establish my religion, and finally, embarking on the journey of creating the story of Cassius. By following these steps diligently, I will be able to lay the groundwork for the growth and success of my religion. I need to be careful with my first few followers; they need to be very influential, but they can't have a negative impact, or else I'll give my religion a bad reputation. The village head of this place would likely be very good, also someone young who knows how to write, and the village elder would be the cherry on top. After that, everyone else would fall into place. So, the best point of action would be… "System, can I go to my original view temporarily?" "Affirmative, entering OmniView. That's good. I can go back and forth. Everyone is still moving in real-time, and Cassius is still brainstorming. I needed to find the village head. With a thought, my body, or whatever it's called now, moved to a middle-aged man sitting in the manor at the end of the main road. "Analyzing…" the System buzzed. "Profile Name: Fredric of Intreed Title: Village Head of Intreed Age: 37 Reputation: 10/10 (Village Level) Biography: With a mind keener than a freshly sharpened blade, he outshone his fellow villagers and quickly rose to the esteemed position of Village Head. Under his guidance, Intreed blossomed into a thriving city on the fringes of The Kingdom of Aurorhelm, experiencing rapid growth and prosperity. Religion: Umbranism (False Religion)" According to the system, he was sharp, which was a good thing, and he had a good reputation. "System, what is Umbranism?" I asked. "Umbranism is a belief system constructed entirely from human ideas, devoid of any divine foundation or higher power. In other words, it's a religion based on falsehoods." It was set in stone; my first person was Fredric, and I needed to recruit him. I knew Fredric cared about Intreed, so causing a calamitous event in his illusion would strengthen my case. It'd also be beneficial to include something I can use as a stimulant to bring people onto my side. A bad guy. In Christianity, the devil was the personification of evil. "Malus" I like that. I like that a lot. "System, back to Cassius please." "Affirmative, entering ApostleView." I became Cassius, and it was then I marched to the Village Manor. "Cassius? What brings you to the manor?" a man stood guard at the door. "I will speak to Fredric." I continued; I needed to set a reputation for Cassius. The man made no attempt to stop me and let me into the manor. I walked up the creaking steps and opened the door ahead of me. "Cassius." Fredric looked up at me. "Fredric," I maintained eye contact, "You have impressed me, little brother." Fredric raised an eyebrow, "You are aware of who I am, correct?" "More than aware, I've watched you with interest for the last 37 years. I am not the 'Cassius' you call me out to be. I am the true son of the Eternal One." Fredric examined me with his eyes, realizing I truly believed what I was saying. "There is no god, there is only us in this world, child. You'd do good to know that." "You are wrong; my father is God. I can show you as well, who my father is." "If he were your father, he'd prove it to me." "If that is what you wish." I tapped my heart, forehead, and lips before clasping my hands and bowing my head, "Father, save this man, lead him not to Exile but to Elysium." I wanted this to be how people prayed—it looked cool. It was then I sent Fredric to the Dream state. "Activating Dream State. In the dream state, you control everything. Unfortunately, this costs you 100 FP after calculating the power of your target. Every hour is an additional 100 FP." It was perfect, just how I wanted it. I imagined a monster of immeasurable size balancing the planet with just his pinky. The Monster was called Malus, a creature engulfed in darkness, the very absence of light. Yet there was another entity, pinching Malus's nape with two fingers, holding Malus. The entity was infinitely larger than Malus, its hand larger than life. It was The Eternal One, or Eternum. Fredric was but a speck on the planet. "Child, wake up." I, impersonating Eternum—well, technically impersonating myself—spoke into his mind. He shot awake; he woke to the destruction of his planet and people. "The death of this planet is unfortunately inevitable, child. Some things aren't made to last." Fredric was confused to hear those words, and surprised to see his village empty, the buildings vanished, his land infertile, and his family gone. "I can save you; I can save the worthy men, women, and children." A tear dropped from Fredric's face to the ground. He was surprisingly accepting of this. He tried to say something, but words couldn't leave his mouth. "It's okay, child, you can rest now that I am here. I created humans; they are my greatest work," I continued to talk to him, "I was proud of myself; I gave my children the ability and will to think for themselves and grow knowledge. Yet I knew that one day it would come back to bite me. I knew that giving you guys the will I have would create disorder. I knew of the poison in the goblet, yet I kept pouring. I gave my work love, knowledge, desire, life, freedom, and death. And I did it so you could all be happy; I gave you guys a planet to call home. The will I gave humanity created the wheel of hatred. The embodiment of hatred came to be; Malus was born from Humanity's hatred of itself. Malus is a necessity; if I kill Malus, humanity's freedom is restricted. Malus will destroy the planet. But it will never destroy you or your family, child. My first creation, Cassius, will always be my most prized possession. Cassius has the ability to love, yet no ability to hate. He looked upon this planet and decided he wanted to keep it alive, henceforth keeping Humanity alive. Without him, I would've left your race to die, satisfied with giving humanity the chance of freedom. He knows of the veils on the face of humanity, yet he wants to save humanity. Fredric, you have been deemed his first follower."