I willed for the Window to move closer to the body as I needed to take a better look. There was a strange pull between us, something deeper than simple curiosity. Not just a connection, but familiarity.
It was unmistakably a Velmoryn. I could tell by the pointed ears, the pale, grayish skin, and the unnaturally tall frame. But the details, the small, defining features that give a person identity… they were missing.
It was faceless.
Its long gray hair draped loosely over the stone, and the familiar silvery markings traced across its skin like quiet veins.
Silvery markings mean that this Velmoryn was a Goddess's believer, but why is their face missing?
I wanted to examine it more closely. Maybe even try Guidance. But before I could focus, Roy's voice rang out. It was sharp, disgusted, and far too loud for the stillness of the chamber.
"An abomination!" he snapped, stepping quickly toward the platform.
I startled, my attention yanked from the body to him. He looked furious, and worse – he looked ready to act.
I instantly realized that he was going to destroy it.
What should I do? How do I stop him?
The first solution that crossed my mind was, of course, to kill Roy. But I discarded the idea as quickly as it came. There had to be a better way. More efficient. At the very least, I could try creating some kind of protective barrier around it.
But before that, I chose a simpler approach.
I willed a crimson light to descend. It would be subtle, but connected with me enough to warn him off without causing a scene.
However, instead of the light descending upon the body, an alarming red notification flashed before my eyes.
[Warning!]
Direct influence over something claimed by another God comes at great cost. To freely act upon it, possession must come first. Do you wish to claim it?
Not only was the red warning notification news, but the system was directly communicating with me. For a moment, I almost answered without thinking. I nearly agreed to claim the body.
But I stopped myself.
Making impulsive decisions, especially as a god, was the kind of mistake that could easily spiral out of control.
First, I checked on Roy. He wasn't moving, frozen mid-step. After a few moments of observation, I realized time hadn't stopped completely. It was more like this exchange with the system was happening outside of it, in a loop or temporary suspension that allowed me to think without consequence.
That alone told me how important this decision was. I decided to check the notification once again.
The system had referred to the current "owner" of the body as '[God]'. I had no doubt who it meant. The Goddess. The same one whose final statue I had destroyed.
If she was still alive, there was no chance she didn't know about me by now. So even without claiming this faceless Velmoryn's body, she had to be aware of my presence, and if she wasn't already planning something, then she was truly more dead than divine.
That part, I could ignore.
The real issue was the cost.
Until now, the system had never asked for permission. Whenever I willed something to happen, whether it was creating a statue, a weapon, or blessing a believer, it simply happened, and only after did I receive a notification informing me how much Divinity Point it had consumed.
Maybe the system wasn't enforcing those actions. Maybe it only observed and reported. But this? This question was different.
'[Do you wish to claim it?]'
That implied consequence and probably danger too.
What if I said yes, and the system drained every Divinity Point I had?
It was a risk I couldn't ignore.
But on the other hand… this body once belonged to the Goddess. Taking control of something that had been sacred to her tempted me more than I wanted to admit. This was very similar to when I had an almost uncontrollable urge to convert more Velmoryns as soon as possible.
At present, I have over 160 Divinity Points. Blessing Roy had cost just 0.5. Creating a powerful guardian had consumed only 10. Unless this faceless Velmoryn is something truly extraordinary, I doubt the cost will exceed 20.
Still, that was all guesswork. And speculation alone wasn't enough to justify the risk.
If only I knew what this thing actually is, I thought.
And though I didn't expect it to work, I still tried activating Guidance. And to my surprise it worked.
[God's Avatar – Incomplete]
A vessel forged through divine sacrifice, meant to anchor a god's presence in the mortal world and gather divinity. Its creation was abandoned before completion, leaving it dormant and unstable. Traces of loyalty and fading power still linger within.
I immediately understood just how important this Velmoryn body was, or rather, the vessel the Goddess had been preparing for herself. Thanks to Roy, I had stumbled upon something far more valuable than I ever could've expected.
If I could complete this vessel, then I would be able to roam the world freely. I would act as my own messenger, my own apostle. I would give commands directly instead of relying on others to interpret my will. And that was only the beginning.
The most important part, however, was that I could live again.
I could move. Breathe. Feel.
All the things I'd lost, this vessel could give them back to me.
I activated Guidance again, this time hoping for something more specific – information about the cost of claiming and completing the body. But as I expected, the system didn't respond.
I took a moment to collect my thoughts. To weigh the possibilities.
No matter how I spun it, no matter what angle I looked at it from, passing up a chance like this would be something I'd regret for the rest of my existence.
So I braced myself for anything terrible that might have happened and gave my answer.
"I wish to claim it."
[Warning: Passing the Divinity consumed 40 Divinity Points]
I exhaled, relieved. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't catastrophic either. I expected much, much more. 40 Divinity Points was not even half my total reserves.
But before I could celebrate, a familiar yellow notification flashed before my eyes.
[Congratulations, Verde!]
A significant milestone has been reached – the vessel is complete. Its rank has been adjusted to match your current level. Further changes will occur when control is taken for the first time.
As I finished reading the notification, I felt my connection to the vessel deepen. The pull I'd sensed earlier surged, growing stronger and stronger until I simply gave in to it.
At first, everything darkened. For a brief moment, I felt something close to pain. A sensation I'd nearly forgotten. But it passed just as quickly, and the darkness faded, leaving only the Window in my view, where a crimson light was slowly descending onto the vessel below.
Roy froze. He stared at the glow for a few moments, carefully studying it. And the moment he recognized the same divine power I'd used to bless him, he dropped to his knees and prostrated himself without hesitation.
But my attention was already drifting toward the vessel lying on the platform.
The moment the energy entered the body, a new connection awakened, and I realized I could control the vessel directly, even while still occupying my usual perspective.
This is so weird.
I wasn't used to being a god yet, and now I was experiencing what felt like two separate existences at once. And yet… somehow, I managed. My mind adapted. I could control and perceive both without conflict.
I tried opening my eyes – its eyes – to see the world through the vessel's vision. Having a body again, feeling the weight of limbs, the pressure of gravity... it was uncomfortable at first.
That discomfort quickly spiked into the sharp and sudden pain. But even then, it didn't overwhelm me. The pain felt distant, like it was happening to someone else entirely and the moment I willed it to stop, it would obey.
The vessel was changing. Morphing.
It was becoming me.
Suddenly, my vision blurred, and I felt an emotion that didn't quite belong to me - hope. It was too vivid to feel foreign, yet I knew it wasn't mine. I tried to focus on it, to trace where it came from, but the feeling slipped away just as my vision returned.
Realizing the moment had passed, I shifted my focus to the Window, curious to see how my vessel looked like.
The silvery markings across the body turned crimson the instant I took control. Strands of deep, fiery red hair bled into white. The face, once undefined and lifeless, slowly began to reshape.
What caught me off guard was the lack of magical presence. I could feel it clearly, this body didn't have much mana.
The feeling of having mana, however limited it may be, is so exhilarating… I trailed off for a moment, closing my eyes to enjoy the sensation of it coursing faintly through my body. Still, I snapped out of it quickly, shifting my focus to the more practical side of things.
The reserves were small, far too small. That was going to be a problem.
Whatever, I thought, brushing the concern aside. I'll bless it later and raise the stats that way.
Glad to have found the cheat code, I decided to resume checking the vessel.
The face of the vessel, now fully formed, was unnecessarily beautiful. It was almost like a woman's refined features, elegant and smooth. Probably the Goddess' influence.
The eyes, however, reflected the vessel's altered nature - one was a bright crimson, marked by my divine power, while the other remained a vivid cyan.
The limbs were strong, full of vitality. Even without a status window, I could tell this body was physically inclined.
Unlike Roy, this form was built for power. It was robust, but not bulky.
"I-is this truly You, my lord?" Roy's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He didn't even raise his head, likely afraid that doing so would be taken as an insult.
Should I reveal the truth? Or pretend to be an apostle?
I weighed the options quickly.
Revealing that I was their god offered no real benefit. If anything, it would only make the Velmoryns dependent on me, expecting every word or movement to be a miracle.
I didn't want that.
"No," I said in a low voice. "How could someone like me be Him?"
I stood up on the platform and immediately regretted it.
The cold stone brushing against my newly-formed genitals was a sharp reminder that I was completely naked. I glanced around, hoping to find something, anything, to cover myself, but there was nothing useful nearby.
Roy, who had lifted his head just enough to peek at me, quickly removed the robe he was wearing and extended it in my direction.
I accepted it without hesitation. "Thank you."
I kept my tone pleasant, tactful. I hadn't yet decided what kind of persona this so-called apostle of mine was going to be, but that could wait.
"Did He bless you as well, Elar?" Roy asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
Is this 'Elar' like Mister?
I briefly scanned his thoughts, probing for jealousy and greed, intrigued by how he would react to some stranger gaining the same favor he did. But all I found was curiosity, laced with caution. He wasn't fully trusting me yet.
"He did more than that," I said, placing a fist to my chest in the Velmoryn way, the same gesture they used when speaking of me.
Roy's eyes lit with reverence as he returned the motion, his posture easing.
"I was trapped… bound by the Goddess, unable to leave," I continued, calmly weaving the lie. "But He freed me. He spoke of you, of your tribe… even the child soon to be born. He gave me all I would need to help you."
"Praise be to the Velmoryn God!" Roy declared, once again placing his fist over his heart.
"Praise be to the Velmoryn God," I echoed.
I could feel the change, his doubt had eased. Mentioning things I shouldn't have known had worked, but his trust hadn't fully formed yet.
That's fine. I'll earn it.
I could have used Verde's divine power to show that I was truly an apostle to force his loyalty, but I didn't want that. I needed to learn how to speak with them. How to belong here.
"I'm Roy… but you already know that," he said with a faint smile, stepping closer and placing a hand gently on my shoulder. "What's your name, Elar?"
Name… right.
I hadn't decided on one yet. I could've gone with Verde, but if my name ever became publicly known, it might cause problems down the line.
Wait… what if this vessel already has a name...
**
A/N-
The next chapter will be available in 3 hours. Don't forget to Follow the novel so that you don't miss it.
If you'd like to support me and also read ahead of the public release https://www.patreon.com/GodWithWings
You can read up to +15 chapters