[God of Games] 1 - Birth

Synopsis: Born in Heaven, the home of the Gods, one Sirus works to rise from a fledgling God to become one of the strongest Gods within Heaven with his unique divinity.

[Chapter Starts]

[Searching for Host]

[Host Found]

[Dispatching Host...Done]

[Extracting Host]

[Searching for Prime Location]

[Location Found - 93% System Interest]

[Reforming Host]

[Inserting Host]

[Editing Host 4%...12%...Complete]

[Awakening Host...Done]

[Generating Status Display...Done]

[Good Luck, Host]

...

Pain, terrible agonizing pain, took over my mind as it felt as if every nerve, every muscle, and every cell within my body suddenly combusted, alighting me in flame. Everyone around me jumped back as I went from a normal man to a walking pillar of screaming golden fire. My legs were the first to give out, causing me to fall to my knees and then to the ground as I began trying to roll on the ground, hoping to extinguish the flame.

Those around me kept their distance, leaving me to scream in agony; those who did try to help found that nothing they used would put out the flames. A coat instantly turned to ash upon touching the fire, water to steam, and even someone who grabbed an extinguisher from a nearby store couldn't extinguish the flames.

In a mere three minutes, my body was turned to ash and scattered through the wind, leaving nothing but the witnesses, recordings, and cameras even to remember my existence. 

I floated in an empty void, bereft of everything but my own mind. I could not feel anything, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, and everything was just gone. I was nothing. 

Was this to be the afterlife? An empty void, trapped with nothing but my own thoughts? 

Yet, despite the eternity I felt in that place, it suddenly changed as energy overflowed me, turning me into a shining star within the void. In mere moments, all of that energy condensed to form a body made from pure energy.

I raised my jagged arms, which looked like a mix of solid material and waving flame. My hands each had five clawed digits that looked more like knights' plated gauntlets. 

I felt...different.

I had the sensation of touch, but my skin...if I could even call it that, was by no means as squishy and...weak as what I was used to. I felt strong and durable.

[Generating Status Display...Done]

[Good Luck, Host]

/=======+=======\

Name: Sirus

Race: Newborn God

Level: 1

Faith: 0

Divine Energy: 100/100

Divinity: Games

Divine Skills: [Issue Quest], [Divine Contract], [Manifest]

\=======+=======/

[Issue Quest - Divinity (Games) - Description: Reality is your Game; call forth a Quest on a Target]

[Divine Contract - Divinity/Racial - Description: Heavenly Contracts are a staple to all Gods, allowing for the Divine to form a Contract with mortals]

[Manifest - Divinity (Games) - Description: Bring forth the faith you have gathered from your followers to manifest objects, skills, classes, or entities related to your divinity]

Wha...?

With a flash of light, the void receded, and I found myself standing upon a large stone platform. At the edge of the platform was a massive bull-like creature with red glowing eyes.

"Damn it. Of course, a newborn pops up during my shift," The creature cursed, its voice rough and deep.

"What?" I asked, my own voice unfamiliar to me as it sounded ethereal and creepy.

The Minotaur began walking forward, its giant hand rubbing the back of its bull-shaped head with annoyance, "You are a Newborn God; congratulations. Whether you were birthed naturally or through faith, it does not matter. Welcome to Heaven, home to the Gods. My name is Vaeus, God of Strength. Who are you?"

"Sirus...God of Games?" I introduced myself, confused.

"Games? Haven't heard of that one before? Well, come on, since you showed up during my shift, I am the one who has to walk you through everything," Vaeus said, gesturing for me to follow. Left with little other choice, I followed.

And walk me through, he did.

It turns out that Heaven isn't anything like I imagined. It was a mishmash of countless architectural styles from Roman and Greek to Victorian, Gothic, Modern, and even futuristic.

We walked past houses, stores, smithies, palaces, and so much more.

"The economy here is Faith. If you want to own your own little spot in Heaven, you'll have to earn and fight for it," The God told me.

"Earn it?" I questioned.

"Yes. You will have to reach out to the Mortal Planes and find some believers; the Faith that they generate from their belief in you is the currency we use here. The more followers under you, the more Faith you generate, and the more things you can afford or do here in Heaven. Some Gods band together to form a Pantheon and work together to gather a large number of Followers who believe in all of them at once. Because you're a newborn and therefore have no Faith to spend or use, you will be placed in one of the many shelters with the other newborns and fading Gods," Vaeus explained.

"Fading Gods?"

"Yes. Since you are a newborn, you have a sort of Grace Period to start trying to obtain followers under your Religion. If you don't have any followers by the time your grace period ends, you will begin to Fade and will eventually cease to exist," Vaeus explained dismissively.

"What?" I asked, stopping dead in my tracks.

"We die if we don't have anyone worshiping us?" I questioned.

"Yes, and no. Faith is our...life source, so to speak. If you have no Faith, you will begin to Fade, but if you had a large stockpile of Faith, you wouldn't even need to have followers. Faith is our economy, meaning some Gods don't even bother with Religion and instead sell their skills and services for the Faith they need," Vaeus explained further.

Before long, he brought me to what strangely looked like one of those small apartments you'd see in Anime, going up two stories.

"Here's your key. Your apartment is B6, on the second floor," Vaeus tossed me a key, which I caught without realizing it.

"Finally, if you have more questions, ask someone else. As for descending down to the mortal plane?" Vaeus waved their arm, summoning a... pamphlet into existence, "Here's the manual."

With that, the Bull God walked away, clearly annoyed, leaving me confused.

What?

As I walked up the apartment stairs, looking at the passing doors, B1, B2, B3, all the way to B5, I froze as B7 opened, and a figure walked out.

This figure was a woman with long green hair covered with flowers. They wore white robes and featured large antlers upon their head. 

"Oh, hi there. I guess you are a new tenant?" the woman asked before introducing herself. "My name is Ihna, Goddess of Nature, and you?"

"Sirus, God of Games..." I introduced myself to the incredibly attractive woman.

She smiled, "Nice to meet you, Sirus! If you need help, please knock on my door!" 

Before I could even get a goodbye in, she walked off, a spring in her step and a smile on her face.

Brushing it off...I unlocked the door of my supposed apartment and stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind me.