Chapter 27 – The Birth of Gods
Afternoon light spilled through the window, painting long golden lines across the floor.
Soma sat by the sill, resting his chin on his hand, watching the empty road outside shimmer in the heat.
Everything felt still — too quiet.
Then the doorbell rang.
The sharp sound pulled him back to reality.
He blinked, stood up, and headed downstairs.
When he opened the front door, a woman stood there — tall, poised, and striking.
Her blond hair caught the light like fine silk, and a pair of sunglasses hid her eyes.
Without a word, she removed an ID card from around her neck and held it up.
> "Hello," she said in careful Hindi, her tone calm and formal. "I'm Jessica Walton, an investigator. I'm here about the blackout that happened a few days ago."
Her Hindi was careful, slightly broken, each word measured.
She tilted her head politely.
> "Can you call your parents for a moment?"
Soma hesitated, shifting his weight.
> "My grandmother lives here," he said. "But she's out of the city for work.
Right now, it's just me."
The woman removed her sunglasses — and Soma froze for a second.
Her eyes were piercing blue, sharp and assessing, scanning not just him but every corner of the house beyond.
> "I see," she said, crouching slightly so her gaze met his. "And when does your grandmother usually return?"
> "I… don't really know," Soma admitted. "Sometimes she comes back around midnight."
She nodded and jotted a note in a small notebook. Then, standing upright, she asked gently,
> "Alright. Can you tell me what you remember about the blackout?"
Her tone was calm, but there was a quiet intensity behind it — like she was listening for something more than words.
Soma hesitated.
As her eyes met his again, an uneasy chill ran down his spine.
He blinked once — and activated the All-Seeing Eye.
A faint shimmer crossed his vision.
Lines of glowing text appeared beside her face:
---
Human Female
Name: Jessica Walton
Affiliation: Interpol Field Division – Global Anomaly Taskforce
Age: 27
Condition: Malignant growth near vocal cords.
---
Soma's breath caught.
A cancer… near her throat?
He quickly looked away and deactivated the vision.
Then, forcing a small smile, he answered her questions — carefully weaving a story about how he'd been at home when the sky went dark, how everything outside had gone silent.
She listened without interrupting, occasionally scribbling notes.
When he finished, she nodded thoughtfully, flipping her notebook closed.
> "Thank you, Soma. That's all for now."
She turned toward the gate, adjusting her sunglasses again.
> "Wait," Soma called, "Miss Jessica?"
She paused, half-turning back.
> "Yes? Did you remember something else?"
Soma hesitated, his hand unconsciously brushing his throat.
He wasn't sure why he was saying it — but it felt important.
> "You should… get a medical checkup soon," he said quietly, touching his own throat.
Her brows lifted slightly.
Then, after a brief silence, she smiled — the kind of smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
> "I will," she said softly. "Thank you."
And with that, she turned and walked down the path, her figure fading into the sunlight beyond the gate.
He closed the door and returned to his room.
The calendar glowed faintly in the afternoon light.
Soma leaned closer, murmuring to himself,
> "Nine days already…"
He summoned the Genesis Ring and checked the Soul Storage.
Awakened Souls: over thirty million.
A slow smile curved his lips.
> "Let's go," he whispered, "and create the Guardians."
Closing his eyes, he let his consciousness dissolve into light.
---
When Soma opened them again, he stood suspended in midair.
Beneath him stretched a living paradise — endless plains of emerald grass, forests swaying in a golden breeze, rivers gleaming like molten glass.
Unknown creatures darted among the trees, leaving ripples of sound and motion that echoed across the valley.
Far ahead lay a vast lake, hundreds of kilometers wide. Its surface shimmered like liquid silver beneath the sun.
Then — a pull.
A strange gravity seized him, drawing him toward the lake's center.
Soma hovered above the water as a ten-foot-long golden soul rose from the depths, spiraling upward in radiant silence.
He widened his eyes and activated the All-Seeing Eye.
The air shimmered as glowing words unfolded before him:
> Divine Soul
The Will of the World — born from the collective consciousness of billions of living beings.
Ability: Prescience — glimpses fragments of the future.
The golden soul pulsed violently, resisting the pull of the Rune — but the power of the ring was absolute.
It trembled, then streaked forward, merging with Soma's chest in a blinding flash.
A surge of energy thundered through his veins — hot, radiant, alive.
> "A… Divine Soul," Soma whispered. His voice trembled in awe.
---
Descending to the ground, he placed a hand on his chest, feeling the quiet hum .
Then he focused on the Genesis Ring.
---
SOUL STORAGE
1. Soul Fragments: 7,909,700
2. Awakened Souls: 37,004,080
3. Intelligent Souls: 147
4. Transcendental Souls: 0
5. Immortal Souls: 0
6. Divine Souls: 1
---
He opened the Creation Tab and began writing:
> Guardian — A being capable of channeling and wielding the Rune's divine power.
When he finished writing, multiple options appeared before him.🍏
1. Reproduction Potential – Null
2. Life Cycle – Divine
3. Mana Affinity – Divine
4. Intelligence – Divine
5. Physical Aptitude – Divine
Requirement: 1 Divine Soul
Yes / No
He selected Yes — three times.
Then he added another command:
> "Create Rune."
The interface flickered.
> ERROR — ERROR
Soma frowned.
> "So I cannot create an entire Rune at once… What if I build the Seven Rings separately?"
The thought sparked like lightning through his mind.
He focused again on the Creation Tab:
> "Create six Rune Rings — each containing three symbols."
A new notification appeared:
> Upgrade Required: Genesis Ring.
Requires: 1,000,000 Awakened Souls.
Yes / No
He selected Yes.
Another message followed:
> Requires: 6,000,000 Awakened Souls to create Rings.
Yes / No
Without hesitation, Soma confirmed.
---
When Soma opened his eyes, light burst from his chest. — three radiant souls ascended before him, each ten feet tall.
The first burned orange like a dying sun.
The second glowed gold, pure and blinding.
The third shimmered in molten amber.
He distributed the Six Rings among them.
Power rippled outward, distorting the air like heat above a desert.
Soma activated the All-Seeing Eye again, and golden script appeared before him:
---
First Guardian
Soul Type: Immortal
Skills: Anima, Chronos, Nihilion
Second Guardian
Soul Type: Divine
Skills: Anima, Genesis, Prescience
Third Guardian
Soul Type: Immortal
Skills: Anima, Chronos, Aetherion
---
Another text materialized in midair:
> Soul Corridor Established.
Through this link, the Creator may grant Rune access to chosen beings.
The Creator may also revive them — or even respawn Himself — through their souls, infinitely.
Soma's breath caught.
> "I… can revive infinitely?"
A grin spread across his face, wide and incredulous.
But before he could speak again, the three souls began to change.
Their radiant forms condensed — light shaping flesh, color, and motion.
The first Guardian took form: a colossal figure, ten feet tall, with four arms and a body of shadow and starlight.
The second — a luminous woman, her body radiant, a third eye burning upon her forehead like a dawn star.
And the third — a muscular, majestic figure: six arms extended, seven spectral heads orbiting his body, each one representing an element: fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, light, and dark.
When their transformation was complete, the three bowed deeply.
Their voices merged into a single resonant harmony:
> "We offer our highest gratitude to the Great One — Creator, who has borne us into being."
Soma could only stare, overwhelmed by their majesty.
Then the luminous woman stepped forward.
> Supreme One, by what decree were we shaped? For what charge do You free us into being?"
Soma blinked, grounding himself, and answered quietly:
> "I want you to protect this world — from every calamity that may come."
They bowed again in unison.
> "We accept your charge, Supreme One."
The radiant woman's gaze lifted.
> "We would be honored to bear names bestowed by the Creator."
Soma smiled faintly.
He turned first to the towering black figure, whose very presence bent the fabric of space.
> "You shall be Ruler of Time and Space. From this hour your name is Kronos."
Then he looked to the woman, glowing with every hue of creation.
> "You shall be Ruler of Knowledge and Creation. Henceforth you are Aurora."
Finally, his eyes met the gaze of the demonic yet regal being, his seven heads shimmering with power.
> "You are sovereign of the Seven Elements — the Destroyer. In my name, I anoint thee, Shom."
They bowed deeply.
> "We shall honor our charge and keep the world."
In a cascade of golden light, Soma vanished — his energy scattering across the horizon like falling stars.
---
Moments later, he reappeared above the white platform, the vast world stretching endlessly beneath him. The suns' light spilled across the horizon, painting the clouds gold and crimson.
He stood silently for a moment, watching the morning dawn over his creation. Then he turned toward Alex.
"Hey, Alex…" Soma asked softly. "If I upgraded you, would you transform like them too?"
Alex blinked once, her core pulsing faintly with light — yet she said nothing.