The god sighed.
"I was meditating and while I was… this happened."
His eyes weren't looking at me anymore. They were focused somewhere else, like he was seeing a million timelines unravel at once. The data from his strange glyphs continued floating beside him, but now the light of the holograms cast harsh shadows over his face.
"I already spoke with the gods. I told them what happened, what I saw in your memories, and what your kind became. And they... they left the decision to me."
That last line hit me harder than anything else he'd said so far. The gods had washed their hands clean. And he held the scales now.
"I've made my decision."
I braced myself.
"I'm going to give humanity one last chance."
My mouth parted, but no words came. I didn't even know how to feel. Hope? Dread? Guilt?
He turned to face me fully.
"According to your time, the Ashven Blood Rain fell one hundred and twelve years ago. It gave humans power, transformation and potential. And what did they do with it? They destroyed themselves. They twisted the gift. You all used it to subjugate, dominate and cannibalize your own progress for decades until the first disaster."
I wanted to argue but I couldn't.
"Even if I gave them another chance today, they'd likely do the same thing. Maybe worse. Because power doesn't change people. It reveals them. So, I'm making changes."
He raised a single hand and I felt something ripple through the space around us, like gravity itself changed its rules.
"I'm sending you back."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
"I am sending you back in time to the day you were born. You will retain your memories, everything you've seen, every disaster, every betrayal, every lost city, every death. You'll remember it all."
I was completely frozen. Time travel? God-tier second chances? I didn't even know what the rules were anymore.
"You're going to find a way to save your world. You have the knowledge, the foresight, and now… you have divine sanction. A push from outside the flow of causality."
"But—" I finally managed to whisper. "Even if I go back, even if I change things, won't the disasters still happen?"
He nodded solemnly.
"Yes. Because I was not the one who punished your world."
That hit like a slab of ice down my spine. He folded his arms.
"Those disasters were decreed by others. And I have no right to revoke what I did not command. The gods will strike again. But whether your species falls or survives this time will be up to you."
I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. What was there to say?
This wasn't just a second chance. It was a test. One the rest of humanity wouldn't even know they were part of. Only I'd carry the weight. Only I'd know the countdown had already started again.
He took a step toward me, the cosmos bending around his form.
"Are you ready to become your world's last chance, Verdamona? Although I doubt you will save the world."
I stared up at the god who should've intervened, the god who could've done something but didn't… and yet was still offering me something I never expected.
Redemption. Purpose. A war to win before it even begins.
Slowly, I nodded.
"I am the God of Runes, by the way," he finally said, as though the title should mean something to me.
And somehow… it did. Not from memory or history, but from instinct. The moment he said it, something etched itself into my soul, like a hidden truth I'd always known but never had the words for. Then he looked at me again, and his voice dropped into something more grounded.
"Altering time isn't easy, Verdamona. Even gods pay a price when they meddle with what's already been carved."
I stared at him, narrowing my eyes slightly.
"So why give humanity another chance at all?"
"You're asking a god why? Most mortals would tremble in front of me. You're standing there, arms crossed, dead, in your soul, and you're still asking questions like this is some boardroom pitch."
"Maybe I just don't care anymore," I snapped. "I died. My world ended. What's the point of fear now?"
He gave a small chuckle, almost fond, before turning slightly, letting the starlight glint across his white robe and curling hair. Then his tone shifted.
"I loved Earth."
Those three words nearly broke me. Not just because of what he said, but how he said them as if it still pained him.
"I watched your people from afar. Watched you rise, fall, create, destroy. And no matter how much the others turned their backs… I didn't. Even if I was meditating, even if I was inactive, I remembered. And now..."
His eyes met mine again.
"Now I'm leaving it to you to save the world I still like, even if it doesn't deserve saving."
My throat clenched. I was still angry and confused. But I couldn't argue with that.
"I don't know how you got here. Mortals don't end up in my sanctum by accident. But since you are here, and you clearly don't fear me, then maybe, just maybe, you're the right one to carry this."
Silence stretched between us, filled only by the soft glow of drifting holograms and the sound of my heartbeat in my ears even tough I had no flesh and bones.
"You'll be reborn on the same day and hour before your birth. But this time, you choose. You can be reborn to any place. A wealthy family, a poor village, even a dynasty if you want. Your starting point is yours to command. You can even change your appearance. You'll still be you, but your body doesn't have to be the same."
That offer felt like a cruel kindness. My hands balled into fists at my sides.
I was born alone, thrown into the world with nothing. No name, no family, no warmth. The orphanage I was dumped in burned down when I was four. I lived in shelters after that until the shelters got too crowded. Then I lived in streets that reeked of rot and rust and regret. People spat on me. Cops beat me. The government ignored me. I scavenged trash for food, fought other kids for a piece of bread. I was twelve the first time I saw someone stab another person for food.
I grew up sick, dirty and invisible. And when I finally clawed my way into some semblance of adult life, it was already too late. The world was dying. The disasters had already started. People were getting abilities, forming factions, killing each other over raw power like animals. And I was still powerless.
I hated humanity. I hated the gods even more. And then I died as one of the seven strongest beings.
The Rune God spoke after my silence.
"You'll carry the same soul and mind. But this time, you'll have foresight. You'll know what happens. You'll know what to change. What alliances to forge. What dangers to avoid."
I swallowed hard.
"But what if I fail again?"
"Then your species will die. And you'll die with them for real this time."
Gods weren't gentle, I guess.
"Do you want a new name? Or do you still want to be Verdamona?"
I shook my head.
"Verdamona's fine. I want to remember everything."
He nodded.
"Then choose, Verdamona. Where do you want to be born this time? Who do you want to be?"