Only God

The dying sun pierced from west to east across the entire horizon, as if the world was ablaze.

This sight was so horrifying it chilled the bone, the sky oozed a murky red, swallowing the six hills of Pasofilo, and the area was engulfed in fiery red.

Hiris, with eyes wide open, witnessed this grandiose yet terrible spectacle and the artisan couldn't help but think,

Is this Father expressing His anger?

The God of Mountains and Crafts shivered involuntarily. First, He looked at Laren and Utus, then at Xilan, clad as a Disciple, and pity and sympathy naturally arose within Him.

Now Father has sent this man, but what is he, after all? He's not even a Prophet, just His disciple. What could such a mortal mean in the presence of us Divine Beings?

He had once sown the seeds of faith on the earth, and now, thousands of years later, those seeds had grown into a vast sea of wheat. He had once herded flocks on the earth for the Prophet and Father, and now, thousands of years later, his name was sung by countless people, revered and used to name their children. He was once so glorious, even surpassing many Divine Beings. But now, he was nothing more than a Disciple, a mere Hermit.

If Father possesses such vast and formidable power, why send such a mortal to conquer the hearts of Gods?

"It's not about what I should do,

but what God wants to do."

As these words fell, the three Gods, including Hiris, stared straight at him.

Utus repeated,

"What God wants to do?"

A breeze swept through, the autumn leaves rustled as they left the trees, and the fiery remains of the sun shone on the land and the murky, filthy rivers flowed swiftly.

At this twilight hour, the robin perched on a branch, seemingly watching quietly at this group with fates so diverse.

Xilan's eyelids drooped slightly as he recited in a low voice,

"In the beginning, heaven and earth were divided in darkness,

thus, God descended to an age when nothing in the world yet had a name."

All three Gods looked at Xilan, knowing that he was reciting ancient Scripture, which predated the existence of any Divine Being present. Yet, these Scriptures, held sacred by mortals, had long lost their power to move the hearts of these nearly Eternal Beings.

All three stared directly at Xilan, minds racing back through the lines of the text, as if the speaker was unwitting and the listeners were keen.

At this, Xilan, as if he had received some divine mandate, walked forward. This Hermit of God suddenly grabbed the hands of the three Divine Beings.

Laren and Utus were startled, but they quickly composed themselves, staring directly at Xilan.

"Now… what are you going to do?"

Laren asked harshly.

"God wants me to let you kill me."

A bizarre string of words burst from his thin lips.

The three Divine Beings were momentarily stunned; they were unprepared for such a statement.

Just then, a vast, magnificent, and undeniable force erupted from within Xilan's soul. The trio, still in a state of shock, was almost defenselessly swept up by its power. They felt like they had suddenly plunged into a chaotic, enormous maelstrom, without knowing where they were being carried off to.

The world spun, and wondrous visions abruptly arose.

When the three Gods regained their consciousness, they found themselves in a strange room, resembling a verdant shallow lake or some lush marsh. The fragile water plants moved without wind, like stars orbiting in the cosmos.

"Where is this?"

Hiris was the first to speak.

The artisan sensed that the force did not belong to Xilan; it was as if Father had exercised His mighty power to bring them here.

Laren looked angrily at Xilan and demanded,

"Why have you brought us here? You pathetic mortal, what conspiracy or trick are you playing?"

Xilan responded calmly,

"This was not my idea."

"Then whose was it?!"

The Dream God inquired subconsciously.

"It's God's."

Xilan said softly.

Laren immediately fell silent, biting back his words.

Storm God Utus was calmer than Laren. After scanning the surroundings, the proud Divine Being asked with an imposing voice,

"Why has Father brought us here? To imprison us? To teach us?

And also, the words you just spoke, were they true?"

Those words just mentioned…

Hearing this, both Hiris and Laren perked up their ears, of course recalling what Xilan earlier stated.

"Literally, God wants me to allow you to kill me."

Xilan repeated,

"You'll have three days to consider; after staying here for three days, you can let me die. The Lord will not resent you, nor will I."

The three Divine Beings' eyes simultaneously widened. Even though they had already heard it once, they still felt astounded.

"What does this mean?"

Hiris asked urgently,

"This, this… Xilan, you are God's… Please ask our Father to take back that statement."

The God of Mountains and Crafts felt a wave of panic. Unlike the other two, He revered His Father immensely, so when Xilan spoke those words, Hiris's first instinct was to have Father retract them.

Laren looked nervously and resentfully at Hiris. The Dream God certainly didn't want the statement retracted.

Killing Xilan meant removing the last obstacle to civil war within Kaelonde. The Path of Divine Creation would then come to an end, an outcome many Divine Beings yearned for.

Utus, however, was silent for a moment, as if pondering if there was a hidden secret in Xilan's words.