A Solitary God In A Dark Multiverse

Part of my mind dove into the tunnel to my left and began to shape what was a ma.s.sive, solid chunk of earth. I grinned as I began to mold and shape the earth that was visible and crushingly present throughout the area to the left of the ant"s tunnel.

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I mentally floated within a deep and gigantic natural wall of stones, soil, and dirt. I took a deep breath and willed a gigantic chunk of the rocky and naturalistic materials away, instantaneously creating an incredibly ma.s.sive cavern that stretched over a kilometer long, was at least twice as wide, and was over five-hundred meters tall.

It wasn"t illuminated, but I could peer through the darkness without difficulty and as I stared out at the featureless place I suddenly felt deeply grateful for one of the domains I had yet to make use of; the civilization domain.

I quickly and silently activated my "Create building" power and envisioned a ma.s.sive tower made of vanillcolored stone coming up out of the ground at the far end of the cavern. The earth began to tremble as my power flared to life and altered reality in an incredibly real way, both crafting and pulling a shockingly tall tower out of the floor of the newly created cavern at the same time.

In the span of a few seconds a tower well over four hundred meters tall was visible from any point within the gigantic cavern. I smiled as I studied it, aware that it was the product of my own immense, possibly immeasurable power.

I chuckled and began to design the rooms of the tower, countless rooms as was befitting a G.o.d of unquantifiable power. My mind quickly designed bedrooms, a room for seeing audiences, dungeons, and armories. It made sense to me, since I was a sovereign, to have a tower befitting a monarch.

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Another portion of my mind dove deep under the surface of the island, psychically tunneling through kilometers of stone, tunnels, and soil in every direction. I was able to lay my eyes on thousands of small creatures, some of which were things like worms, rats, and snakes that I had never laid my eyes on before. The sight was inspiring.

I was also able to lay my eyes on the obscure civilizations that lurked in the lightless pits of the world beneath the world. Dark elves, dwarves, kobolds, and other, more brutal and vicious civilizations like those of magmic giants and driders.

Each of these civilizations was distinct, and in my eyes, worth gaining influence over. It stirred a part of me that was quickly beginning to gain a palpable sense of pride, a part that relished worship and wanted me to actively expand my forces.

On the other hand, I was able to lay my eyes on creatures that I had seen before. I was able to see all sorts of spiders. Some of the spiders I got to see were like the giant spider I had transformed into my undead servant, but the majority of spiders I got to see were small things called tarantulas. They still intrigued me though, and I liked the sight of them with their furred bodies.

As I psychically zoomed through the world beneath the world I wondered what I"d have to do to gain access to the quest needed to earn the first tier of influence over whatever subdomain governed spiders. And I was also curious about what the quest would be. A part of me wondered if it"d be a simple evolutionary quest like the one I had undertaken for the Hymenoptera subdomain.

I was lucky to have a companion that was ready and willing to answer my questions. As I dug through the underground world, zooming closer and closer to San Gerardo, my mental questions were heard by the system. It wasted no time in replying.

[h.e.l.lo Althos. To gain influence over the flora and fauna subdomains it is necessary to interact with creatures from those subdomains. How you interact with them is up to you. It always takes interacting with a few of them, and then you"ll get permission to do the quest needed to acquire the first tier of influence over the type of life in question.] The system explained, gifting me with that knowledge freely.

[It"s true that a lot of the work required to acquire the first tiers of influence over the domains and subdomains will require grinding and practicing your skills, but so does gaining cla.s.s levels. In a way... it"s oddly mundane. Humbling even.] The system mused, and I chuckled at its observation.

[There"s a few things you should know going forward. Not every flora or fauna subdomain will require you to conquer a world in order to acquire your final tier of influence over it. It"s true that the subdomains that govern more aggressive things may ask you to do that, but that"s hardly every subdomain that governs types of animals, plants, or other lifeforms.] My companion told me.

[There are a few subdomains that will instead ask that you render a planet habitable for life or to make a moon or asteroid habitable for life. These tasks are suitably epic ones that are beyond your present capabilities but won"t be forever. Also, if you acquire enough tiers of influence over natural subdomains, including those of floral and faunal life you"ll eventually begin to level up your druid cla.s.s. That said, there are easier ways to do that.] The voice in my mind told me. I chuckled.

I didn"t disagree with what it said though, and so I reviewed the powers I possessed thanks to my influence over the subdomain of healing in preparation for what I was about to do as well as to "tend to nature" as the system had told me was the key to leveling up the druid cla.s.s, hours ago. Doing so just took a thought.

[Pa.s.sive powers:

Restorative energy manipulation: This pa.s.sive power allows you to idly channel energy that undoes wounds and defeats discomfort. You no longer need to use magic to cure wounds, and any effects that suppress the effects of magical healing on those you intend to heal are ignored, allowing you to heal at maximum efficiency.

Natural healing: This ability is the result of having influence over one or more elemental subdomains. Through it you can create fonts of natural healing, locations wherein someone"s natural ability to recover from sicknesses and from wounds are tremendously sped up.

Since you can currently influence the earth subdomain this power currently works on tunnels, on forests, and on mud. Mud can be taken and transported out of the affected area and can be used as a healing ointment. As you gain influence over other elemental subdomains the ways you can use this power will increase.

Sensory restoration: This power automatically restores a sense to a target who has lost one. If the target has only lost a single sense then this power automatically restores that sense.

Rejection of discomfort: In the case of G.o.ds an aura is an emanation that surrounds them and projects certain beneficial or harmful effects to lesser creatures who stand in their presence.

At the lowest tier of influence over the subdomain of healing, you gain an aura that grants nearby creatures that are neutral or friendly towards you the effects of a numbed pain spell. This aura extends beyond you in every direction for six meters.

Twice per twelve-hour period, you can supercharge this aura and for ten minutes it transforms into what you gain at the second tier of influence over the subdomain of healing: an aura of regeneration which heals neutral and friendly creatures in your presence for a hitpoint every half minute. Lesser creatures suspect that you are somehow responsible for their healing or abated discomfort but unless you wish for them to realize it they don"t.

You can suppress this aura whenever you wish. This aura"s effects can be mixed with the effects of other auras that affect friendly and neutral creatures. There exist auras that target hostile creatures as well, ones that drain their life-energy or sap their hostility from them.

Health map: This is a pa.s.sive power that allows you to detect the health of creatures on your minimap. You have already seen a weakened version of it, innately, but this is greatly enhanced and is effectively the prognosis spell ambiently applied to your minimap.

Universal healing: This synergistic power is the result of you acquiring influence over the subdomain of necromancy as well as the subdomain of healing. Because of it, you possess the ability to heal creatures regardless of their type.

Holy energy manipulation: This synergistic power is yours due to your influence over the faith domain and the subdomain of healing. It allows you to create and manipulate holy energy, an energy that is repugnant and dangerous to the undead, and to evil extraplanar beings. Holy energy also heals and strengthens the living and good-aligned extraplanars.

Active powers:

Symptom removal: This power allows you to target a disease a creature is suffering from and do away with a symptom. At this tier of influence, this is only usable on non-magical diseases, but it can be used on any non-magical disease. You can use this power twice every twelve hours.

Pain immunity: This is a targeted power that renders someone unable to feel pain. It is usable six times per twelve-hour period, and each usage lasts for five minutes. If used before a battle it can be immensely powerful and free you up to not have to cast numb pain on creatures mid-battle.

Healing burst: This targeted power sends a tremendous burst of life energy into whatever targets you"ve chosen and the number of targets you can select is unlimited. It heals them of anything short of magical diseases and restores them to maximum hit points.

It also functions as a casting of "Abate sickness" on a grand scale, causing affected targets to gain a forty-eight hour period of relief from even the strongest magical sicknesses. This power can be used four times per six-hour period.]

The powers I possessed made me smile, and for a moment I decided to test a single one of my more potent active powers. I began to mentally target every single creature in the forest above me, a wide grin on my face as I prepped my experiment.

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"This is the first time I"m truly unleashing my potent healing abilities isn"t it?" I asked myself, once I had targeted the entirety of the inhabitants of the forest. I targeted every tree, every insect, every lifeform large enough for me to target that lingered within the boundaries of the forest was a target for the power I was about to unleash.

I had around three-quarters of a million lifeforms selected and as I readied myself to unleash my true power as a G.o.d of healing, I allowed myself to feel my hesitation. "This is a truly powerful, genuinely world-changing ability." I reminded myself, wanting to feel the nerves and the tension I recognized lingered in my heart.

"This isn"t curing a disease, or even regenerating a limb. This is... genuine power." I said to myself, wondering if I should stop if I should pull back and not use this ability. I considered this fear, for a second. It made sense for me to feel this way. This was, after all my first time using my powers on a wide scale since I hadn"t created a hive-mind with the ants in my swarm.

But in time the fear I felt, the hesitation that made me stop, lost its edge. I wanted to do this. I wanted to experience the power of the subdomain of magic and this was one heck of a way to do it.

"I"m going to do it." I told myself, grinning as I readied myself for the storm of notifications I was about to receive. As I did so, I heard indistinct voices in the back of my mind. I knew they were domains and subdomains chattering about what I was going to do.

"So it"s true then... He"s finally gonna perform a wide-scale miracle." One of them whispered. Its voice was powerful, ancient, and majestic. A deep, almost oak-like timbre resonated from the throat if domains and subdomains even had throats, of whichever domain or subdomain was speaking.

"About time he used me to my maximum potential. If he only uses me on individuals than I feel like I"m just being used for glorified spells rather than true miracles." Complained a soft, but audibly excited voice. I chuckled and made sure to remember that that was the voice of the subdomain of healing.

"So is he a restorative G.o.d after all? The multiverse could use authorities with an interest in healing." Said another of the voices. This one was strange because each word had a different quality to it.

Some words felt hot to hear, while others chilled my mind. I wondered if that was the voice of the subdomain of evocation magic, and suspected that it was since evocation magic governed elemental, oftentimes destructive magic.

"Oh? He hears us. How intriguing, his connection to me might be stronger than we antic.i.p.ated." Spoke another, this one more sinister sounding. It sounded like it was coming from two places at once, not just in the back of my mind, but also the front of it. It was possible that this was the voice of the domain of the mind. I grinned in response to its observation, hoping that it was right.

And then I went ahead and unleashed my immense, divine healing energy. I did so with a relieved sigh, as at all once I felt thousands of lifeforms above my physical body sigh in relief and begin to cry tears of joy and delight.

The power that surged out of me was potent enough that even I felt it. I had to concentrate to stay on my feet, and not visibly appear exhausted. I felt weak for a second, as the burst I had just unleashed was so magnificently ma.s.sive that even I felt the effects of its sudden loss. But that momentary weakness dissipated a few seconds after I had unleashed my magic.

And then I received a single notification.

[Alert: You have performed your first ma.s.s-miracle. Ma.s.s-miracles are historic events that permanently alter the fates of worlds. In this case, you have tested your restorative power by targeting a forest and using it to conduct an experiment to determine the potency of your deific power.

Your actions will convert some forest inhabitants into your worshipers. A few of them will be humanoids, some will be fey, and others will be animals who dwell within the forest. You performing a miracle in this place is one necessary component of eventually transforming it into a holy site.

Over 99.9% of the forest creatures who just now benefitted from your healing burst do not know you. Only the goblins, a handful of coyotes, and a few other creatures have even seen you in any form whatsoever. It is time for you to decide how the inhabitants of the forest shall receive word of what you"ve done for them.

How would you like for the creatures who dwell in this forest to learn of the act that you just performed? Please write out the notification you wish for them to receive.] The system"s automated component instructed me.

I chuckled as I saw this and immediately knew what to do. I wasn"t going to hide behind my persona in situations when I could help it. I began to compose a notification. One that I felt painted me in the best possible light.

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The forest was a dark place during the brightest of days. Even the brightest parts of it often felt subdued and eerie. It was a beautiful place, to be sure, but not one that most would call hospitable or well-lit.

The night Althos performed not just one miracle but several within and underneath the forest had started off normal enough, a positively unremarkable night by the standards of the forest. That ended when he performed his first wide-scale miracle.

At approximately 8:30 at night, the very ground underneath the forest began to radiate a faint silvery glow. And at first, as if mirroring Althos" dominion over the earth, it was only the ground that radiated this gentle, restorative glow.

It took a few moments for it to spread to the smallest creatures. More often than not these creatures were sleeping, sometimes within trees, sometimes they boldly slept on the forest floor, and in a few cases, they slept shallowly within the earth just underneath the forest.

A few moments later it spread to inhabitants of the forest who were roughly the sizes of goblins and satyrs. All of them, a few dozen in total, awoke as they felt the potent energy surging into them. Their bodies were also glowing. They gave off the same eerie, radiant glow as the earth at their feet.

The trees were next. And when they began to glow the rest of the forest awoke. Trees and their leaves began to transform, their wounds fading from the branches and from their trunks over the course of a few heartbeats.

The few humanoids who dwelled within the forest, creatures like tiny and curious gnomes and a single spear-fingered hag, benefitted from the healing as well. Their skin was also transformed, momentarily at least, by the unimaginably powerful burst of healing energy that Althos tested on the forest.

And then came the largest predators within the forest. Creatures like predatory and aggressive snakes, spiders, and even more conventional predators like wolves and bears weren"t exempt from Althos" healing. Their carapaces, scales, and fur coats were also painted a glorious shade of silver.

Althos had no way of knowing this, but this action, undeniably divine act, was felt the world over and beyond. Elves, demons, dragons, and other more ancient and more esoteric forces felt the young G.o.d"s powers spring out from the earth and cover kilometers of forested land. They felt it heal the wounds of hundreds of thousands of living creatures. It was so radiant that for a single, brief instant the forest was visible from outer s.p.a.ce.

The trees sighed in relief, the goblins and satyrs cried out in joy, and the other, more mysterious and more hostile forces that dwelled within the forest stirred as ancient and powerful energy penetrated their battle-hardened bodies and soothed their scarred souls.

The creatures that dwelled with the forest received a single notification that identified the ent.i.ty responsible for the miracle. It was direct and in many ways honest, even if it hid the intention behind the curious G.o.d"s actions.

[Alert: The merciful lord, Althos, has extended to you a token of his love. He has given you relief from pain, cured your sicknesses if he was able, and if not at least given you respite for two days from the suffering your sicknesses have caused you.

Althos is a G.o.d of mercy and restoration. This is but one gift he can offer to those who seek to live peacefully. He cares not for your background, nor your history. If you come to him, he will accept you. Offer him your prayers and your praise to let him know you wish to know him.]

The message was simple, and in the cases of the goblins, it was reworded to state that "Cosecha" was responsible for the miracle. In their cases, it was a reaffirmation that Cosecha wishes to help, to heal, to protect. But the edits were minor. The system itself did that as a favor to the young G.o.d.

Althos" first recorded ma.s.s miracle occurred on the 3rd day of the month of Atrium, in a small world named Torus.

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The string of notifications I received was still going even when I targeted all five of the humanoids, three humans, and two dark elves, whose sight I"d be restoring. At this point, several minutes had pa.s.sed since I triggered the miracle and I had grown used to the endless surge of notifications.

I quickly and quietly activated my sensory restoration power. I grinned as I felt another burst of healing energy, or more precisely five small bursts of healing energy leave me. It felt like a much smaller version of the incredible burst of energy I had just unleashed.

A second later I felt a new, never-before-felt, surge of power well up within me. It was at this point that I received a new, brighter, and bigger notification. It was one that stood out and dwarfs other notifications. I read it and smiled even as I read the first word.

[Details about the domain of light:

The domain of light is an enormously powerful domain that governs any and all illumination. Whether it is light from the sun or the afterglow of a nuclear explosion, the illumination it radiates is governed by this domain.

Be forewarned, this is not a domain for the soft-hearted. This domain, like every other non-alignment domain, is not a good or evil domain. It is a neutral domain. It can be used for good, like providing light by which civilizations are built, or for evil such as for creating weapons with which to slaughter refugees who hide in darkness from evil soldiers.

This domain banishes darkness and sheds light on ancient, forgotten truths. To gain influence over it destroy darkness and build cults that worship you as an illuminator. Be a provider of light in a world that all too often feels the impact of darkness.

Light domain pa.s.sive powers:

Light generation: This pa.s.sive power allows you to generate light wherever and whenever you wish. It can be used to illuminate the seafloor, the deepest depths of a mountain, or the lightless corners of s.p.a.ce.

Light manipulation: This power grants you the ability to manipulate light. You can solidify light to form powerful suits of armor, distracting vehicles, or even weapons that ignore armor and can be fired at the speed of light. A uniquely powerful manifestation of this power from an ancient G.o.d of light created an unmatchable bow that fired arrows that flew at the speed of light.

Light speed: You gain the ability to move at the speed of light. You also gain corresponding reflexes.

Portal creation: You can synergistically fuse your ability to teleport with the ability to move at light-speed, allowing you to create temporary portals that go from one place to another. You must have been to the places any of your portals go, but with this, you gain an incredibly potent power that can turn the tides of a war in an instant.

Image manifestation: By combining the powers of the domain of the mind, and the domain of light you gain the ability to manifest whatever is on your mind. These images are not real and are not solid, but they can be created remotely allowing you to create illusions even without influence over the illusion subdomain or illusion spells at your disposal.

Light walking: You acquire the ability to walk wherever light is present. This isn"t the same as flying, but given your newly acquired ability to move at the speed of light, it is just as if not even better than normal flight.

Light detection: So long as something has a single ray of light illuminating it you can detect it. This is a direct upgrade to your tremorsense that allows you to detect flying creatures and creatures within water.

Aura of illumination: Nothing can stay hidden in your presence. Invisible things are rendered visible, and lying while in the range of your aura is impossible for mortals unless you allow it.

Domain of light active power:

Disintegrating radiance: When activated this twice-per-twelve-hour period power gives you a bird"s eye view of a place and allows you to select a location. When you do that location is immediately bathed in a flash of light so powerful that it utterly disintegrates whatever or whoever was there.

Domain of light blessing and curse details:

You can bless creatures to be able to endure exposure to any type of light and see, or better see and be better equipped to handle all manner of light if they can already see or endure exposure to all kinds of light.

Your curses centered around the domain of light cause light to burn a creature, and cause their vision to slowly deteriorate.]

After reading through the notification I didn"t hesitate and activated my new "Light generation" ability. The tunnel I was in was immediately illuminated, a pale silverly light filling and brightening the previously pitch-black tunnel. I also activated the same power within the cavern I had created, ensuring that it would be well-lit in the next few moments it took my allies and I to enter it.

The ogresses who accompanied me, finally inured to my rapidly expanding powerset, just sighed when the tunnel began to beautifully come into view, even as I deactivated the spell I cast on them, unwilling it like how I had canceled out my magic draining power on Gnorl earlier today.

I chuckled at them and then used my powers to open up the wall of the tunnel to my left, revealing the entrance to my cavern lair, and the newly created pallid tower. The wall to our left crumbled and formed a naturalistic pathway to my new home. The cavern, fully illuminated by my power, was revealed to my allies in its full glory.

"Come friends. It is time that we rest. It has been... truly a long day." I told my allies, as I considered merely opening up a portal into my home, but then decided against it. A final kilometer-long walk was nothing after the walks we had done today. I heard multiple creatures sigh, and I chuckled and led the way into the tunnel.

It was ma.s.sive, and featureless aside from the tower. The floor, walls, and impossibly high natural ceiling were made of darkened stone that contrasted beautifully with the weird, silvery light my "light generation" power created. We took our first steps into it, and I began to grin, already feeling at home in my enormous, handmade palatial realm.

It was while we began to trek through the empty s.p.a.ce between the entrance to the cavern and my tower that I began to truly process the countless notifications I had received for my miracle. And they, like many parts of today, brought goofy grins to my face.