Chapter 39: Velkaris's Past
Perspective: Velkaris
In the dim reflection of the sanctuary's mirror pool, Velkaris sat alone.
His divine form shimmered with controlled perfection—flawless skin, featureless mask, a presence more concept than man. A god born from deception. A reflection of faith, rather than its source.
But inside?
He was hollow.
Lately, the silence of his sanctum didn't soothe him. It scraped at the inside of his mind. The chants of believers drifted in through the mirror walls, yet none of it felt real.
Not the power.
Not the temple.
Not even his own name.
He looked down at the mirror in his hand. The one that had bound him to this world—the Divine Card of Lies. A tool of the system, a symbol of authority… and yet, even while holding it, Velkaris couldn't feel complete.
Something gnawed at the back of his soul.
"Who was I?"
He whispered the question to no one, then louder—toward the mirror, toward the system that shaped his being.
"System. What was my name before I became a god?"
A pause.
A long, agonizing moment of silence.
Then the cold, mechanical reply:
System: I do not have information regarding your mortal identity. Records before deification are corrupted or missing.
No true name on file.
He didn't blink. He couldn't. But something inside him cracked.
"I don't remember it either…" he whispered.
"I know I was born in an orphanage," he said aloud. "That place… a decaying building with cold floors and cracked windows. But there were two people—only two—who made that world bearable."
His voice turned softer.
"Lyra. She was like a big sister. Stern, kind. Always said the stars were maps to our future."
"And Eiren. Little Eiren. He looked up to me like I could save him from everything."
"But me... what was I to them? A name? A smile? A memory?"
He shook his head. "I can remember their voices. Their laughter. But not what they called me. My name… it feels like a lie."
He pressed a hand to his chest.
"No matter how much divine power I gather… no matter how many believers whisper my name like it's holy… I can't fill this void."
He stood and walked toward the main mirror of the sanctum. His reflection stared back—elegant, serene, godlike.
But behind the eyes… nothing.
"Was I ever real?"
"Or did I begin as a lie?"
Even his emotions felt worn thin, like copied fragments from a person who once existed.
"I don't even know if Velkaris was chosen… or forced."
He turned back toward the Divine Card resting on the altar. The thing that gave him status, form, and purpose in this world.
"Is this what it means to be a god?"
"To forget yourself for the sake of others' belief?"
The mirror behind him trembled faintly—responding not to divine command, but to sorrow. His sorrow.
Velkaris knelt, placing the card back on the altar.
"Even if I don't remember who I was…"
"Even if my name is lost…"
"I won't let Eiren and Lyra fade like I did."
His voice cracked. Just a little.
"I'll become someone worth remembering… even if I was never real."
End of Chapter 39: Velkaris's Past