The World After the Fall

[He is a God! I'm sure of it!]

"That's impossible!"

[No, he is. At least something close to it. You should trust your God sometimes.]

"…Are you serious?"

Runald turned to the man. The naked man was still lying on the ground unconscious. He was very well-built with his muscular body.

'…He has a beautiful spirit.'

Within [Chaos] or [Depth], the body wasn't built just through exercise. Having a well-built body was the result of a trained spirit. However, Runald had never seen a man with such a balanced build until now. This also was proof that this man cannot be a God.

"He can never be a God. No God has a spirit body."

Gods did not have spirit bodies. This was the truth of the [Depth].

"All Gods exist in 'presence' and only becomes themselves through Vicegerents. Isn't this the basic rule of the [Depth]?"

Andersen was shocked by the sudden logical explanation.

[…Uh… eh… Runald, are you trying to show off what you know?]

"You taught me this."

It was simple actually. It just meant no God could use their power without a Vicegerent. This was a fact for everyone who lived in [Depth].

[Hm… was it?]

Andersen said, "...Are you kidding me? You told me that the first day I came here."

[God] – a being that has achieved its status as the higher being ascended from their original self. These gods needed vicegerent to use their power. There was no exception in this.

Gods existed through vicegerent. They had a tremendous amount of power, but were never allowed to use it on their own. This was what Runald know.

"So, with that said. He cannot be a god. Maybe he's a follower or a vicegerent… I can send his world power too."

That's when Runald stopped. His face frowned and Andersen asked.

[Oh, so now you see?]

"…What is this man?"

[Didn't you say that he must be a [Follower] or a Vicegerent?]

"No… that can't be. He's from [Chaos]. There's no god in Chaos."

The only place where Gods existed was in [Depth]. And this man was from [Chaos]. It didn't make sense for him to be a [Follower] or a Vicegerent where there was no God. But Andersen had a different idea.

'Well, there is one in [Chaos] actually.'

There was one, terrifying god within [Chaos]. One that might be stronger and more terrifying than any of the top-ranking gods from [Depth]. But Andersen decided not to spill that part of the information.

'I doubt he would make a Vicegerent.'

As far as Andersen knew, that God was tied to [Chaos] through an unknown condition and never made a Vicegerent. So, with that put aside, there was no way that this man could be a Vicegerent or a [Follower].

Runald continued, "…Did you say he's a God because of that? Because he's not a Vicegerent nor a [Follower]?"

[Well, that was part of it.]

"But that's just a wild guess! You don't even have a logic that befits a God!"

[Runald, you learned well in insulting your own God.]

"Your logic is like this. There's an animal that looks like a rat, but it isn't. That what is this? A new animal? Then let's name this animal. This animal is now a cat!"

[…So rat is a Vicegerent and a God is a cat? What a pitiful parable.]

"Goddess, isn't it about time to tell me now?"

[Huh? What?]

"You said he was a God right the moment you saw him. You know something that I don't, right?"

A God was still a God. They were beings that had knowledge and information that no human could possibly obtain. If that God was certain, then there must be a reason, even if it was hard to explain.

[Runald, have you heard the story called the 'Strong Mouse Story'?]

"…What?" Runald asked confusingly.

'Strong Mouse Story? What is that?'

[Once upon a time, there was a mouse. He was a strange one. But as the title said, he was a strong mouse. He didn't scavenge leftover food, but he went out to hunt. After hunting and eating, he became really strong. He was a mouse, but he refused to stay as a mouse and became something more.]

Runald concentrated on Andersen's story.

[After a while, he was now strong enough to even fight against a cat. He also realized that other mice were afraid of him. He then saw it was those cats who saw him as equals, not the other mice. That's when finally realized…]

"W-what?" Runald asked. Andersen continued in a dreamy voice.

[Oh… I'm not a mouse anymore….]

Runald became silent.

"…You just made that up right now, didn't you?"

Andersen didn't answer but Runald realized something. This wasn't just some old fairytale.

"Wait, Goddess. The story right now…"

[I call these mice Awakeners.]

Awakener.

Runald felt a sudden jolt. He knew Awakeners very well. Rupture, the infamous terrorist group who opposed the Lords of the [Great Lands], was comprised of Awakeners.

[Those beings broke their limits as humans and became Gods. They created their own worlds and became the Vicegerent of their own worlds. These are mice that, through their hard work, had allowed them to even hunt the cats.]

It all made sense now. One that had its spirit body but also was a God. Only Awakeners were able to do that.

"I-is he an Awakener then?"

[Probably. And besides, if he's from [Chaos]…]

Andersen remembered what she heard from the [Little Brother] network that Awakeners were appearing in [Chaos]. She thought it was a hoax, but it seemed like it was true. Runald asked with a shaky voice, "Maybe he's from Rupture?"

[No, those ones never travel alone. He can't be from Rupture.]

The appearance of unaffiliated Awakener. Runald wasn't sure what change it would bring to [Depth].

"So, what are we going to do with him?"

[I don't know… It depends on if he is a God or not.]

"Depends?"

[Either he will become our ally or…]

Then Runald felt weird sensation coming up. It was similar to the urge to eat. After spending a long time with Andersen, Runald understood where this feeling came from. Vicegerents were beings who understood their Gods best. They understood them so well that they were influenced by their Gods' feelings.

"…Goddess?" Runald asked. And she answered,

[Runald, there's a way to make sure whether he will be our ally or not.]

Runald didn't want to know how, and she didn't care.

[Let's eat him.]