Deep under the ground of Valerius, in a place where no light had ever reached, a single object floated without moving above a wide lake of glowing liquid energy.
It was the egg of a god.
Anyone who saw it would have thought it was just a huge, clear crystal. Soft silver light pulsed inside like a slow heartbeat. But this was no ordinary crystal. This was the physical form of a Zeniork egg.
Long ago, a Zeniork had sealed its final offspring inside this shell before rising to a higher dimension and leaving the world behind.
For almost a thousand years the shell had rested here, completely undisturbed.
Inside the shell, the young Zeniork child was already awake in its mind.
"I am here."
"I can feel everything. Even you narrator. I can argue with fourth wall."
Truly a god's child.
It had no body yet, but it was fully self-aware. It learned the soft voice of Aethelgard. It learned the long history of its people.
"I know who I am," the child whispered to itself. "I know what I will become."
Suddenly the gentle silver light inside the shell turned into a sharp golden aura.
The shell cracked.
A rush of pure energy burst out and gathered into one single point. A small humanoid child appeared.
"Danger."
The single word rang through its young mind.
Then other voices spoke inside its head, full of worry.
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"Wake up, child."
"Something is coming."
"You are not safe anymore."
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The child listened carefully. Using the gift of future-sight passed down through its blood, it tried to look into the future, some years ahead.
The child didn't know the exact time it saw in the future. Soon, the child would forget everything.
It saw the giant World Tree burning in black flames, its green leaves turning dark.
The world of Valerius in the sea of fire.
It saw the hard metallic-wood limbs of the Nedoms warriors lying broken across the continents.
It saw the twisted, black-eyed Enigmas laughing in the ruins of once-proud cities.
Worst of all, the child saw a vision of itself.
Zoran's bone-white fingers closed around its neck. The pure divine soul was pulled out and fed to the skeleton's endless hunger.
"No…"
"That cannot happen."
Just then, the ground around the lake began to shake. A large hole tore open in the crust above. Pure white rays of light from the surface poured down into the dark cavern and struck the lake.
The child wasted no time and focused inside his heart. A small surge of energy rose inside its new body. It began to float. Then, with sudden force, it shot upward through the hole at enormous speed.
When it reached the surface, the first thing it saw was a majestic tree that stretched high into the sky.
That was the World Tree.
The god child realised, it had been resting right below Aethelgard the entire time.
It did not take long for the Nedoms to sense the birth of a new god.
Commander Vaelen was the first to detect the child, because he was the nearest. He flew straight toward to the small figure floating in the air.
"Welcome to the world, little child," Vaelen said with a calm smile.
The child looked at him and remembered the future vision where Vaelen had died while trying to protect him.
The child opened its mouth and spoke for the first time.
"I am Iromi."
Vaelen's smile grew warmer.
"Iromi, Welcome to the world."
Iromi floated quietly in the air.
Below him, Vaelen had already landed on the soft ground near the roots of the World Tree. The Nedoms representative stood still, waiting.
Iromi looked down at him. Everything felt new. The wind moved through his hair. The light of the sky touched his skin. He had the deep knowledge of a higher being inside his mind, but his heart still felt like a child's.
"So this is what it means to have a body," he thought. "It is strange… but not bad."
Vaelen raised his head and spoke in a calm, gentle voice.
"You can come down if you want, little one. Or you can stay in the air. There is no need to hurry."
Iromi floated a little lower but did not touch the ground yet.
"I… I am still learning how this body works," he said softly.
Vaelen nodded.
"That is fine. You just woke up. For now, just look around. Feel the air. Listen to the leaves. You do not have to be a god today. You can simply be a child."
Iromi stayed quiet for a moment. He liked those words. No one was forcing him to do anything. He simply floated and looked at the green world around him.
After a short time, the ground trembled lightly.
Three Nedoms appeared from between the giant roots. Each one stood more than forty meters tall. Their bodies looked strong and shining. Every step they took seemed careful, as if they knew their decisions could change the fate of the whole world.
They stopped a short distance away and looked down at the small floating child.
Vaelen turned to them and spoke respectfully.
"He has awakened."
One of the leaders, a Nedoms with silver lines across his chest, spoke in a deep but calm voice.
"So this is the new god child."
Iromi looked at them. They were enormous. Their heads rose high enough to cover the light. For a moment he felt very small. Then he decided to do something.
He flew upward until he reached the height of their faces. Now he could look straight into them.
"Hello," he said in his soft, clear voice. "I am Iromi."
The three leaders were quiet for a second. Then the silver-lined one gave a small nod.
"Welcome, Iromi. We are glad you have come into this world."
Another leader added, "The world needs you… but there is no rush. You should grow at your own speed."
The third one looked down at Vaelen.
"Vaelen. You will take care of the child. Stay by his side. Protect him. Guide him only when he asks. Let him see the world the way ordinary beings do."
Vaelen placed one hand on his chest.
"I understand. I will take care of this child, I mean Iromi."
The leaders nodded and soon left, walking back into the deep forest of roots. Their huge steps faded into the distance.
Vaelen looked at Iromi again.
"Come. I will take you to where I live."
Iromi floated beside him as they rose higher and higher into the air. They flew up the side of a great structure built among the upper roots of Gaia. The ground fell far away below them.
Finally they reached a wide platform hanging one thousand meters above the forest floor.
Vaelen's living place was here.
There were several large rooms connected by open halls. Soft light came in through wide openings. The air was cool and clean. From the edge of the platform, Iromi could see the endless green canopy of the World Tree stretching out like a living sea.
He floated near the edge and looked down.
The height made his small chest feel tight.
"So high…" he thought. "If I fall from here…"
Vaelen noticed the look on his face.
"You do not have to stand near the edge," he said kindly. "There are safe rooms inside. You can rest. You can look out the windows when you feel ready. This place will be your home for now."
Iromi slowly moved away from the edge and floated into one of the open rooms. The space was large around him, made for someone Vaelen's size. He felt tiny inside it.
But Vaelen's voice remained calm and steady.
"Take your time, Iromi. There is no need to rush anything. I will stay with you. You can experience this world step by step, just like any other child."
Iromi landed softly on a long seat. He looked around the quiet room, then at Vaelen was standing near the entrance.
For the first time since waking, he felt a little less alone.
"I am still small," he thought. "But someone is here to take care of me."
Outside, the leaves of the World Tree moved gently in the wind. Far below, the living world of Valerious waited.
And high in the quiet suite, the little god began his first real day.