*1 year later*
Pov: Sorcerer Supreme
"Are you sure about what you're telling me? Are you really certain there's no interference from any entity?"
I asked, deeply doubtful. After everything that has happened in such a short amount of time, how could there not be interference from a god?
"We searched for traces of cosmic interference, we investigated memories, and we even used the mirror dimension to spy on them. But truly, there's nothing."
Hearing that, two emotions took over me.
Relief, because no demonic entity had infiltrated anything, but also confusion.
And who wouldn't be confused? Vampires and werewolves, two races that have been trying to destroy each other for millennia, uniting under a single faith?
And the most ironic part? That faith isn't even real. The Moon God himself contacted me, thinking I was interfering with His acquisition of believers.
Only to end up even more confused than I was when He discovered I wasn't involved at all.
"I see. You may go."
I finally said, smiling.
"It was an honor to serve you, Master."
After the Master of the Mystic Arts said that, he left to continue protecting his Sanctuary
"... So just a child, huh? I just hope she really manages to control those two races in the future."
I said, but personally, I doubt it, after all, a thousand years is a long time. Even so, one must have faith.
POV: General
Those were the final thoughts of the Sorcerer Supreme before she returned to meditation.
And in case you're wondering, yes, the child she was referring to was Star. Currently known as the "Queen of Midnight" since she has already united two mystical races under her "faith."
Ironically, every other mystic society mocked her, believing she was merely a puppet leader.
And who wouldn't? Two races that hate each other more than anything, unified under a simple mortal (from their perspective), it would be strange not to suspect something.
While that unfolded in the mystical world, in the public world the war was escalating to the point that they were officially one year away from the Japanese bombing of the Hawaiian base.
No one knew that yet.
What they did know was that Africa now had an official religion, one devoted to a so-called Mother Goddess, no idol, no chants, no temples, only acknowledgment.
The nations were so shocked that they sent spies, believing it was the work of an enemy power.
Their disappointment was evident when they learned it truly was just that, a faith, nothing more.
So they archived the case.
Everyone, except for the Wakanda, who were left looking foolish when they realized that what they thought would be just a passing faith had actually become the leading religion of their continent.
So much so that the false and impoverished image of their land, the one they used to show to the world, ended up benefiting from this peculiar event. And yes, benefiting, because one of the unofficial doctrines of this faith was to help one another, even nonbelievers.
Frankly, no matter how xenophobic the Wakandans were, upon seeing what the followers of this faith were doing, they couldn't help but feel curious about the person leading it.
And to their surprise, it turned out to be a white girl, apparently an illegal immigrant (they couldn't find any record of her anywhere), and who, ironically, didn't even realize she was officially the most powerful woman in Africa.
You could say they questioned everything they thought they knew for quite a while, until they eventually just accepted it, and even began to secretly support that faith.
After all, no matter how secretive their society might be, they were still Africans, and seeing how well their fellow members were doing after everything they had endured filled them with joy.
Meanwhile, Daisy and the avatar of "Darkness" were adapting to the planet they had arrived on.
At first, Daisy was disoriented by the new world, but that feeling faded quickly. She was now focused on understanding her "Sequence 8"
As for the avatar of "Darkness," he chose to call himself Frank upon arriving in that world. Acting as a guide to Daysi, he taught her from scratch how to become the best "Death" possible
Why doesn't he question the fact that he is now mortal? Because, according to his memories, after deciding to accompany Daysi on her journey, he created a human body for himself so he could stay by her side, a body that would gradually regain his true power.
And although neither of them wanted to admit it yet, both had begun to feel love for one another
Not just the understanding shared between beings of similar nature, but something deeper. They could no longer imagine being without the other.
As for our protagonist, he was happier than ever, because six months earlier he had finally killed his mother.
How? Simply: he drugged her, tied her up, covered her entirely with gasoline (even internally), then added more anesthetics, erased any trace linking him to the act, and finally set the house on fire after escaping.
Not even "Death" could refuse her soul after that, and in a way, she was kinda glad for her death
He intentionally left behind her money and belongings, then moved to New York, where he set up a makeshift base in abandoned sewer tunnels.
Yes, he now lives worse than before, but in a way, he is happy.
★ "So… what now?"
asked the System, curious, because not even he understood why the protagonist have done all of that justo to live in the sewers.
"Now? I'm simply waiting for the remaining year to pass.
Once it does, I'll bring the "God Almighty" pathway, because I'll need the avatar of the "Visionary Pathway" to reach at least "Sequence 1"."
★ "…Well, suit yourself. I don't intend to stay in this place forever. If you don't mind, I'll go check what the other avatars are doing."
Hearing this shocked the protagonist for a moment, before he finally asked, holding back anger:
"I… I have that ability too, don't I?"
And as expected, the System answered with complete disinterest:
★ "I think you didn't quite understand what I meant when I offered you the deal.
When I said I would make you the "God Creator" I meant you would become it literally once you accepted."
"...YOU SON OF A BITCH! AND YOU'RE ONLY TELLING ME NOW!?"
★ "HEY, DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME. YOU'RE NOT MY BOSS"
"THEN WHY YOU DIDN'T EXPLAIN THIS SHIT TO ME!?"
★ "WHY WOULD I!?, AREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO WANTED THE POWER!?, WHAT MAKE TOU THING THAT IT'S MY WORK BE YOUR STUPID ASSISTANT!?"
After hearing that, our protagonist didn't rebut it, I'm his place he was sent spiraling into a brutal, relentless self-examination.
"Yeah… Since when do I need help acting? I know myself, I know my character to the bone.
But still… why didn't I notice I'd started depending on others?
Shit. Since when the hell did I stop being myself!? We're talking about me, ME! I'm the one who tried to kill my teacher just because he said something he shouldn't have.
I'm the one who was ready to unmask FBI spies.
DAMN IT! I'm the one who, if cornered, can not only plan a genocide but also understand exactly how the human mind ticks.
When the hell did I become this weak!?"
By that point it was as if a veil had been ripped away from our protagonist, the pieces of a puzzle snapping into perfect alignment.
Then, as if answering a summons from deep within, an answer surfaced in his mind, not said by his system, but by his soul
"Because you have to demonstrate that you were a perfect creator"
And once he received the answer, he also understood how his power really worked
To summarize, the protagonist's abilities are directly linked to the "Pathways" he possesses.
However, even without previously obtaining a "Pathway", he still retains the corresponding abilities.
For instance, if the avatar of the "Fool Pathway" holds "Sequence 9", the protagonist would occupy "Sequence 8". Similarly, if the avatar of the "Chained Pathway" is "Sequence 4", the protagonist would correspond to "Sequence 3" .
If a "Pathway" does not yet have an avatar, the protagonist defaults to "Sequence 9". This explains his initially slow cognitive processes, the vast amount of information he needed to analyze overwhelmed his mind.
As a result, the "Visionary Pathway" was compelled to intervene, forcing him to suppress this aspect of his power until he deliberately sought to access it again
Once he understood this, the only thing that he could say to his system was only a little thing
"…I'm sorry, I let my anger get the better of me."
Once the system heard this, he couldn't help but said
★ "… *sighs* Don't worry, kid. I didn't take it personally. I know you carry a lot of pressure as it is
especially having to literally conquer this universe or else you'd be destroyed. It would be surprising if, given your life story, you hadn't finished me off by now."
"…Thanks for accepting my apology… and just so you know, I would have killed you the moment I first met you."
Said the protagonist with sarcasm, and after hearing that, the system couldn't hold back its laughter, and while it laughed more than it'd like to admit it said,
★ "Well, good thing I don't have a real body, otherwise there'd be nothing left of me."
The protagonist, joining in with his own laughter, said
"Nah, don't worry. I'd leave your corpse behind, after all, your body could serve as an escape route if things go wrong."
And so, after continuing to tell jokes that, if heard by anyone else, would make them think they were talking about kidnapping and torturing people in unimaginable ways, an entirely unexpected friendship formed between a system that hates its job and a complete paranoid who now had a god complex.