Chapter #1 — Godhood Achieved, Now What?

A/N: Maybe not something you guys expected or even wanted, but I just, I don't know, I've wanted to create something of my own, I guess? I've written so many fanfictions, it's about time I started my first Novel that I can confidently say is mine.

Work… Eat… Sleep,

Rinse and repeat.

It felt like I was rotting on the inside, as though an army of ants was burrowing beneath my skin, devouring me whole ‘till all I knew was agony.

Every goal and desire I ever had seemed to shrivel away. For a time, I wondered whether this was all there is to life.

The notions terrified me to no end: That I’d die chained to a dead-end career that I loathe;

That I’d die having accomplished nothing noteworthy.

I knew I wasn’t alone, but it had seemed like it, and what little support I could find online, plentiful as those might be, only managed to bring me down. Then, one night, when I was out on one of my regular walks, pondering the meaning of life and pretending to be Socrates, I came upon a heist.

I wish I could claim I charged in courageously to save the couple, but I simply watched everything happen like a coward. Maybe I was, I didn’t know anymore.

Not my proudest moment, but who cares? People died every second of every day, and our species reproduced like rabbits, so what if one or two more died? At least, such was my thinking, so I hid behind the bin, watching as the truest illustration of ‘Survival of the Fittest’ unfold right in front of my eyes… As insane as it sounded, I thought I might learn something… Anything from the encounter.

In retrospect, I should’ve fled, but self-preservation was reserved for people with real lives, not a Dungeon Hobgoblin with nothing to his name such as myself.

With how much I drank and how many drugs I put my body through, even organ harvesters wouldn’t want my cold corpse. As for my wallet, it’s emptier than Johnny Sin’s Soul, what could a thief want from me? My life, as it turned out. “I ain’t going back to prison, you fuck!”

Almost every TV episode and movie I had watched depicted being stabbed as painful, yet I felt nothing… None, but relief. Perhaps the medications had destroyed my nerves, or my organs knew I was a waste of air, who knew? All I felt was a cold, numbness running up my spine and the shocking amount of discomfort created by sticky, hotly-spilt blood. I might be ugly; I might be a failure, but I if there was one thing I had always been proud of, then it’s my personal hygiene.

“Ah, there goes my life.”

A fitting conclusion for a piece of human garbage.

If anything, the thief was doing me a favor.

There was no huge flash or sensation, just dark patches that crept into my eyes like a curtain. “Fuck this…” I didn’t believe in God, or any Deity really, but if there were one, I really hoped It was sending me to the Void… I was done with this. I was done with life, but with my terrible luck, the Buddhists might just be right. Reincarnation’s something I longed for, once upon a time, nowadays?

Not so much.

What were the chances of succeeding the second time around if I had previously failed once? Hah… The time for delusions had long passed. I had awoken from that bizarre dream.

[Godhood Plan Initiated…]


I hummed as words appeared in my vision, hovering just above my nose. “The UI needs more work…” I casually commented.

“What’s the catch?” For there was always a catch, whether you believed it or not. Nobody handed people stuff for free, unless they were your parents, and even then, they may have expected something in return. “’Cause if it’s a million years of slav-“ The blood rushes to my throat as the knife moves in my chest. “Slavery, I ain’t interested.”

[Congrats! You’ve Been CHOSEN!]


For what?

I barely survived mortality; what chance did I have of becoming a God? How much responsibility would I have? I couldn’t take care of myself; I lived on instant ramen and cokes; I didn’t even have a car and was driving my friend’s to deliver DoorDash.

How could I take care of a country, a planet, or whatever it is they were asking me to run? “Did you guys get the wrong Email?” I giggled at my self-deprecating joke, coughing up blood which stained my palms crimson. “I’m…”

I paused to look at the words before continuing. “The farthest thing from Godly material… Why me?”

[Why does anyone do anything? For entertainment, duh!]


Translation: They were tired of Gods who genuinely had their life together, and they—whoever ‘they’ were—just wanted a God who messed up more than he did right. "What do I have to do?” Sounded right up my alley.

[Nothing. Create your own universe. Create your own species and burn it to the ground for all we care.]


How… Callous, yet ultimately rational. What were the Gods’ motivations for caring about mortals who could be easily replaced? Who’re literally a dime a dozen? It's like a youngster playing Sims.

While most would like their Sims to live ‘THE LIFE’, just as many would place them in the pool, remove the ladder, only to watch them strive and struggle in vain for a slim chance at survival. “Why?” Why’d they throw Godhood at a random person?

Who in their right mind would?

What did they stand to gain?

Just entertainment alone? As if I’d buy that sketchy shit.

This was even more unbelievable than your average Crypto scams. “I–” I wheeze in agony. “I think I’ll pass.”

[Not possible. Prepare for troubles!]


[And make it DOUBLE!]


“Wha– Are you Gods or Team Rocket, you assholes?! I said: NO!!!”

A tear in Reality split up underneath me, drawing me into an endless whirling mass of metaphysical forces that concentrated at a single point in Space and Time—a Singularity. Then the entire Universe appeared to collapse: “What are you doing…? What is going on?!”

I shouted as Infinity itself was revealed to me. Even the Creation Gods had a hierarchy… An Infinity that existed inside itself.

Imagine a line running forever; this is line A, and it is wedged between lines B and C, both of which also stretch forever.

That is an Infinity within an Infinity.

A tear in Reality split wide underneath me, drawing me into a whirling mass of metaphysical energy that converged to an Our Universe is only one of Infinity; our sorrows are a blot on an otherwise blank canvas. “Ah, how meaningless…” Everything was pointless.

Gods, despite their immense power, had nothing to do… Some would construct Universes merely to war with one another, some to enjoy the worship of their Creations, and some to compete for the title of Strongest, but it’s a struggle that had no end in sight.

Then there I was, floating in the empty Void.

I turned to face my old Universe, then glanced at my arms, a shapeless mass that had developed into something vaguely humanoid. I stretched out, and with a touch, the Universe shuddered, nearly collapsing on itself.

A few more touches, and it would vanish into nothingness, so I paused, utilizing my newly acquired Divinity to rapidly stabilize it.

The vibrating Universe soon settled down. “Godhood achieved…”

I whispered to myself as I looked over the expanse of black Void.

“Now what?”

[Create, destroy… Eternity is at your fingertips. Just remember to choose a cool and notable True Name. It will define you for all of eternity, until you become bored and commit Soul Suicide, or get murdered by a Deviant or Voidspawn.]


The second Interface followed with,

[The last guy we chose, decided on PussyDestroyer321. Don’t ask me why he chose it, I genuinely have no idea. He, of course, committed Soul Suicide after being bullied by his fellow Divinities.


The Realm spawned from the destruction of his Divinity’s being picked apart as we speak. It’s one of those Hentai-Verse? Yes, it was as sad as it was hilarious.]


‘Pussy– What?’

[And be cautious of whichever Will you choose to govern your Universe. Creations are often fascinated with their Creator, but that does not prevent them from revolting. My proposal is to connect their existence to your own, or to establish a split Stream of Consciousness to control your Universe. Either way works.]


If I said I wasn’t the slightest bit overwhelmed, I’d be lying.

[Unfortunately, there is no instruction booklet available. But one last piece of advice: Create your Universe, and do it quick. The Universal Boundary will shield you against Deviants and Voidspawns.]


‘Voidspawns? Deviants? What in the 18 Hells are those?!’

[The former may be negotiated with, but they will steal all you own and more; the latter are hungry for Creation Seeds in our Souls, so start moving. Wherever Creation exists, Voidspawns follow.]


“Why?!”

I hiss, flailing aimlessly within the Void.

“Why’d Voidspawns want Creation whatever?!”

[They want to be us.]


Fear crept into my chest;

[But they can’t.]


It’s an instinctual terror, as if countless unseen eyes were watching me from the Darkness–

[We’re the Positive of Infinity—]


Eager;

[While they’re the Negative—]


Ravenous;

[Their suffering is never-ending, and unfathomable, therefore they attempt to fill the Void in their existence with our Essences.]


For the first time in my life, I experienced actual terror.

[Run, New God. Run, lest you be consumed. It is a fate that even the Gods do not wish upon the worst of their foes.]


It was a terror I imagined the first Man must have felt as he gazed into the Abyss outside his cave, where the Unknown laid in lurking, all hungry for his flesh.

[RUN!!!]


Something suddenly sprang at me from the Nothingness, a Voidspawn with leaking eyes and a praying mantis for its lower-half, and a bunch of tentacle for legs, all formed from the purest of Darkness.

Its maws were oozing with what looked to be saliva, teeming with bacteria, which looked like smaller Voidspawns whose beady eyes shone as brightly as their Progenitor’s. Instinctively, I tried to get a better look, but instead of a flesh, I found only trillions of particle-sized creature of the same appearance, if more simplistic. “What in the actual fuck–” Dammit…

It shrieked, demonic howls booming through the Void as it raced at me, and I quickly whirled on my feet, fleeing desperately in the opposite direction with the Voidspawn hot on my heels.

Death didn’t terrify me; it hadn’t for a long time, but I knew Death wouldn’t be waiting for me if I was taken.

Whatever was would be a million times worse.

As I ran, my heart, or its Godly equivalent, hammered inside my chest. Our chase kept going for what felt like hours, “Fuck… Fuck… Fuck!” Not that there was an indication for time, as there is no Celestial Body to judge. ‘How is Godhood even more difficult than Mortality?’

Why is life still so dreary even after I had shuffled off the Mortal Coils? This sucked! ‘Why am I afraid?’

I was no longer a powerless human, but a God.

Why was I running?

The two Gods that brought me here may have stated that Voidspawns were the shit, but they couldn’t be that powerful, right? Otherwise, no Creator God would exist.

Steeling myself, I whirled, drawing Divinity into my fist. I had no idea what I was doing, but I could at least try. All youths born on my side of the city knew how to. We had to for our own protection.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world, where vulnerability and weakness were not tolerated.

I learned it from the minute I walked into the dreadful public school- the only one my deadbeat, alcoholic father and drug-addict mother could afford.

While I dared not pretend to be the next boxing champion, I knew enough to throw a straight punch at least. Coupled with the Divinity I had imbued into my fist, I could hurt the Voidspawn, surely? “Kamehame–” My knuckle collided with its chin, “HAAAAAA!”

The Voidspawn's head jerked back, its spits coating my arm and making me hiss as billions of tiny maws dug into my Essence.

I’d never been subjected to it, but I assumed this was how getting doused with acid felt like.

The good news was my punch seemed to have worked, for the Voidspawn looked like it had gotten a fishbone caught in its throat.

I took a peek and found the Singularity had embedded itself in its neck, the gravity around it causing the Darkness to collapse in on itself. As cool [Singularity Fist] was, I didn’t have the time to marvel at the Powers of my Infinity, for there was the bad news too…

The Voidspawn, obviously more battle-hardened than I was, disregarded my right hook and went directly for the jugular.

I avoided the strike, but given that the Voidspawn had many more limbs than I did, it was a fool's errand from the start… I bit my tongue, the breath forced from my lungs, only to remember I no longer had functioning lungs, or at least no need to actually breathe. “You fucking–” It jumped on me, pinning me down, its tongue smearing corrupted saliva all over my face, “You gross MOTHERFUCKER!”

With all the strength I managed to muster, I head-butted the Voidspawn, my forehead proving far sturdier than its teeth, as splinters of its fangs flew everywhere. The Entity howled in anguish, but I was not finished. It would be a shame to die to a scrub after becoming a God for less than… How long had it been again?

I shoved my fingers into its mouth and forcefully drew out a filthy and repulsive tongue coated in drool. Starry Essence oozed from the gaping gashes running up my forearm as I hurried to the side, my chest heaving despite the absence of internal organs.

Some things were constant, and while my hardware may have been Divine, my software was primarily mortal. “Fucking bastard…”

I spat on the Voidspawn, crawling to the side to catch my breath as the Entity violently flailed, slowly breathing its last, only to be met with someone’s armored boots.

I slowly turned my head up, finding a man in his sixties with a white coat hanging from his left shoulder, embroidered with perfect golden threads. One of his eyes— the right one— was covered with an eyepatch made with the same level of craftsmanship his outfit was made with. One look, and anyone could see the love and care shown.

His massive muscles were hidden by a fading toga, and a golden belt tightened around his waist. “An Ascended from the Prime-Verse?”

Gungnïr, the name of the Divine Spear hanging over his shoulder, came to mind. “You are—” Few people in the modern world were unaware of the All-Father who presided over the Nordic Mythology…

The God of Wisdom and Death; of War and Kingship;

The King of the Æsïr.

“You fought like a Mortal…” He said, visibly amused. “But you fought valiantly, New God. Rest, I shall bring you to our settlement, where you need not fear the vile Voidspawns… Our Divinities will annihilate all creatures birthed by Nothingness. Fret not.”

His voice, soothing and compassionate, like that of a grandfather I’d never known, put me to sleep faster than a lullaby would.

“But-“

I turned to locate my Universe, but there was nothing there. “Prime Verse doesn’t stand still. It soars across the Infinite Void, absorbing Ambience Divinity to add to itself in the forms of Dreams and Revelations. No one, be them Gods or Mortals, knows why it does what it does, but we’ve stopped trying to understand it. It simply is.”

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t avoid feeling melancholy. An ache I couldn’t comprehend, because there was nothing left for me there. My parents were hardly the shittiest, but they didn’t try either. They simply… Existed.

I didn’t have any siblings, and my pals were mainly concerned about my wellbeing when I was grinding the Devil’s lettuce.

I had nothing to lose, yet it felt… Unusual, oh-so unusual, that the world I knew, the Universe from which I was born, had abandoned me so abruptly.

So, what else was new? “Wh- Where are we going?”

Odin grinned, much more warlike than he had intended.

“Omnipotent City, where the glorious lights of Divinity stood tall; where every street’s made with the best of materials, contributed by every known Creation Gods.”

I couldn’t help but notice his use of wording ‘Known’, which implied that there were also unknown Creation Gods. “How did you find me?” I inquired, equally intrigued and skeptical. It struck me as odd that Odin himself was out and about and happened to run across little ol’ me.

“Fate, New God.”

Throwing me over his shoulder, the one that wasn’t occupied with his Divine Spear, Odin added.

“Our meeting was fated.”

I shook off the melancholy and chewed my lips. Perhaps that was for the best.

Perhaps it is time for Julius Holmes to die so that a new person—a God—could be born.

But if I wasn’t Julius Holmes anymore, who was I then?