BR Prologue

Erons walked alone down the deserted road. The weather was bitterly cold, enough to make him want to hug his shivering body tightly. His attire, however, consisted only of a tunic and trousers suitable for autumn, with a thin cloak thrown over them.

Even that was only because the director had tossed him an old, tattered cloak, claiming it was something special he had prepared.

“Ugh, it’s freezing. Couldn’t I get something a little thicker? With weather like this…”

The footprints scattered across the road were now invisible, buried under the snow that had fallen overnight.

Perhaps because the snow clouds had cleared and there were no trees to block the sun, but the sky was so dark that it was hard to believe it was daytime.

It was utterly desolate, not a soul in sight.

Erons walked and walked, following that unfamiliar yet somehow familiar landscape. Until his destination appeared.

“Ah. The temple.”

The temple he reached through the snow was eerily quiet. Once packed with worshippers, it was now so silent you wouldn’t even notice someone dying.

“Welcome.” As Erons tried to enter, a priest appeared and blocked his way. “What brings you here?”

“Ah, hello, Priest. I came to use the prayer room.”

The priest seemed wary of Erons, likely due to the rare visits from worshippers. But upon hearing he wanted to use the prayer room, the priest soon smiled and gestured for him to follow, leading the way.

‘How can he walk without even looking ahead…?’

Erons kept glancing sideways at the priest while facing forward.

This priest was someone he’d never seen before, who certainly hadn’t been here during his previous visit. Perhaps because the number of priests was decreasing along with the dwindling congregation.

Erons found himself drawn to this unfamiliar priest.

Even more so because the priest hadn’t opened his eyes once, from the very beginning of guiding the way until now.

Despite seemingly being unable to see, the priest walked unhindered all the way to the prayer room.

“Please make yourself comfortable.”
“Yes. Thank you.”

Erons entered the spacious prayer room, and the priest closed the door behind him. What greeted him was swirling, hazy dust. It was a stark contrast to the past, when dust never had a chance to settle.

He gave a wry smile at the sight, then passed the undamaged chairs and knelt before the altar. He always insisted on that spot.

After all, the altar was closest to the Goddess statue.

As he approached, the white-gold statue of the Goddess shone unusually bright, even though no light entered through the windows.

Removing the hood that had covered his face, Erons clasped his hands together to pray.

“Lady Theos, I’m here.”

As if responding to his voice, the Goddess statue’s eyes flashed just as Erons lifted his head.

“I left the orphanage. They said I had to leave because I wasn’t adopted even after turning twenty… I know they kicked me out because I’m useless. Since I couldn’t get adopted, they kept hinting since last year that I was just wasting food money by staying. Since the headmaster handles the children’s care, I guess I wasn’t needed anymore. Still, he got me a place to stay in a neighboring territory as a token of appreciation… He did give me some pocket money, but it’s only for ten days. I don’t know how I’ll survive after that. Can I really manage…?”

Flicker, flicker.

The Goddess statue’s eyes sparkled once more. This time, far brighter than before. As if conveying the divine message supporting Erons’s independence, the light radiated a warm glow toward him.

Though called prayer, what Erons offered was merely lamenting his plight.

There was a time when he, too, had offered standard prayers, pleading for mercy and nothing more.

One day, when he was young and such prayers began to feel a bit tedious, he made a fervent wish. The Goddess statue’s eyes sparkled.

At first, he thought it was sunlight reflecting off it. After all, it was impossible for only the eyes of a platinum statue to sparkle.

Erons, curious, told the other students who had come with him about this, but no one else had seen it.

That’s when he knew.

The gods truly are answering my prayers.

The Goddess statue reacted more distinctly when Erons shared personal stories rather than prayers. When he recounted the mundane details of his daily life as a mere orphan, it would radiate a much brighter light.

Such unique tastes, indeed.

“Yeah, it’ll work out somehow. Being an orphan and an Omega doesn’t mean I have to die. Right, Lady Theos?”

Bolstered by the divine answer, Erons flashed a bright smile at the statue before heading for the exit. Unlike when he entered, his footsteps were noticeably lighter.

Squeak.

The old door creaked open slowly as he touched it.

”Hic!”

Before he could step out, the priest suddenly thrust his face through the door crack. Barely steadying himself from nearly falling backward, Erons took a deep breath to calm his startled heart.

‘What is wrong with this person? Surely he hasn’t been waiting here for me this whole time…?’

Erons was still wide-eyed, but the priest, beaming as if something was terribly amusing, led him out of the prayer room.

“Oh dear, did I startle you? That wasn’t my intention, my dear. Have you finished your prayers?”
“Ah… yes, I’m done. Here’s 500 cents.”

Erons pulled five 100-cent coins from his pocket and held them out to the priest. The priest, who had been peering intently into the prayer room through the slightly ajar door, looked back and forth between Erons and the coins.

He folded Erons’s hand holding the coins in half and covered it with his own.

“It’s alright.”
“Pardon?”
“I cannot accept it from you, devotee. Please take it back.”
“Why…? I always donate.”
“If you use it where you need it most, that alone is enough. Take good care not to lose it.”

Though he had attended this shrine for over ten years, this priest was the first to refuse his offering, and he couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

Since prayer was all he could do for the Gods, and even that was an act of seeking their care, he believed giving even a small amount was serving them. 

True, he only had enough for ten days’ living expenses, so his refusal was welcome, yet his heart felt uneasy.

“Please, devotee.”
“Really… I don’t have to give anything?”
“Yes, of course. The Gods would surely wish it that way.”
“I understand… Thank you, Father.”
“You’re welcome. May the blessings of the God Theos always be with you.”

Even after refusing the offering, the priest offered a blessing. Seeing such a kind person, Erons felt a pang of guilt for having felt slightly uneasy about him.

Bowing deeply to the priest several times in gratitude, Erons immediately left the temple. He had to reach Herenan before nightfall.

This was the true beginning of standing on his own.

“…Found him.”

The priest lifted eyelids that had seemed unlikely to open. The movement was painfully slow. The eyes that finally revealed themselves possessed an uncanny and bizarre shape. A strange form utterly incompatible with any closeness to the divine.

His gaze already tracked Erons’s retreating figure, which was already far beyond the temple.

Until even his faint shadow vanished.

He headed toward a corner of the temple shrouded in darkness, devoid of any light.

His lips curled upward endlessly, matching his slightly excited footsteps. His face, smiling so widely its corners reached his ears, held both joy and ecstasy.

“Our devotee, it seems we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on.”

Reaching the dead-end corridor, a portal ring connecting to another space appeared before the priest. The place visible beyond the portal was dark, dingy, and musty.

As the priest stepped into the ring, his appearance changed, too. It was a form utterly unfit for the sacred temple, as if tainted by evil.

“May the Gods love you for a very long time.”