The sky stretched wide and endless, painted with drifting clouds and birds gliding through the calm wind. Their wings fluttered softly as they passed above the old oak tree whose roots twisted like resting giants.
From afar, faint echoes of celebration drifted through the air — laughter, clapping, the distant rhythm of the festival beating in the distance. Below the hill, the village stretched out, every rooftop gleaming under the sun, their reflections dancing upon the river that flowed beneath the old stone bridge. A simple one word you could describe —peaceful.
As the leaf swaying through the wind, beneath the shade of the old oak tree, Zeke lay sprawled across the grassy ground — one hand tucked under his head, the other lazily holding his stomach. His right leg rested over the other, the picture of pure, hard-earned rest.
After all those exhausting chores, he finally claimed his sacred spot of rest. His well-earned reward? To lie under the shade of a tree… and do absolutely nothing.
Yep. That was the entire plan. The reason why he didn't come at the festival.
A cool breeze brushed through his hair as sunlight danced between the leaves. Their shadows glided over Zeke, swaying as though carried by the rhythm of the wind.
Zeke let out a relaxing breath
"Now... this is life."
Well he wasn't wrong about it back then long time ago thousand of years he couldn't count he was been in this same vibe a lazy type of god what you could picture him but yeah however this kind of moment feels like heaven...
He miss this kind of feeling though... But yet... Something was missing...
His grin slowly faded, and his eyes gleamed—as though searching for a missing piece. In silence, he stared at the leaves dancing above him.
After a while the peace began to weigh differently. Something in that calm reminded him… of a time long ago.
That missing piece.
The one who once stood beside him — the God himself.
The world around him seemed to grow quieter, even the wind felt different. But it wasn't the place that had changed — it was Zeke.
Something inside him shifted, a quiet nostalgia stirring for a past he could no longer reach.
Back then, even when he was scolded for slacking off, for skipping divine duties or dozing off mid-assignment, he never truly felt lonely. Because the god was there — watching, guiding, sometimes yelling, however he was always there.
Those voices that once weighed him down… the words that used to irritate him… and even the reminders that once inspired him — now they were nothing more than faint whispers in his mind.
For the next moment sigh.
"You'd probably scold me again if you saw me like this," he whispered.
"Still… I kinda miss that."
And for the first time in a long while, the breeze felt colder.
The memory faded like smoke, and Zeke let out a long, exaggerated breath.
"What am I even saying…" he muttered, chuckling under his breath.
For a second, that grin returned — faint but real — before fading again into the calm of the afternoon. His head rested lazily on his palm, eyes fixed on the distant village where faint echoes of celebration still drifted through the wind.
"I have a family now… a life I should be responsible for," he thought.
"A son, a brother… and a nephew of that uncle Frick of mine."
The thought made him snort softly, shaking his head with that same tired grin — half at peace, half in disbelief. Somehow, he had ended up here… in a world he once helped create.
And the worst part? This world didn't even repay him. Instead, he was reborn as a nobody — with pathetic mana control.
Zeke sat cross-legged on the cool grass, his back resting lazily against the tree as his gaze drifted toward the village below—not too far from where he sat.
A sigh slipped past his lips.
Not for a while something small rustled nearby.
He tilted his head slowly… only to catch sight of a tiny rabbit hopping toward him with the caution. It has white fluffy fur with an iconic black pattern on his long ears.
The little creature paused a few steps away, staring at him with those big judgmental eyes.
Zeke blinked.
Then the next moment he sighed once more, turning his head back toward the distance.
"hey their little one,"
he greeted casually, raising a hand in lazy salutation.
"Looks like you're alone in this journey too, huh?"
The rabbit twitched its nose. Didn't bounce away. Didn't bite him either. Good start.
Zeke scooted slightly closer, lowering his voice in fake seriousness.
"What's your story? Got abandoned by your squad? Lost the map? Or… lemme guess—no more carrots at home, so you ran away because nobody appreciates you?"
The rabbit continued staring, not even blinking.
Zeke nodded knowingly. "Yeah. I feel you, bro."
He plucked a blade of grass and pointed it like a dramatic council stick.
"Let me guess—you woke up, looked at your responsibilities, and said: 'Nah.' Respect."
The rabbit hopped a bit closer.
"Exactly," Zeke continued as if the rabbit had confessed its trauma.
"Me? Same. I just fought a war with chickens earlier. just like you I don't have friends either."
He dramatically placed a hand on his chest.
"and worst thing is, My dignity? Gone. My reputation? Shattered. My legacy? Buried so long ago I've lost count of the years—it's practically a fossil by now!"
The rabbit blinked. Approval? Probably.
Zeke sighed deeply, leaning back.
"Sometimes, you just wanna lie down and exist. No expectations, no yelling, no carrying buckets with a disease of being a reject!?"
The little rabbit blinked.
"while chickens stare into your soul with murder in their eyes. Ya feel me?"
The rabbit did a little hop. Zeke gasped. "He AGREES."
He then looked toward the sky.
"From now on, I shall name you… Fluffington the Wanderer. Fellow survivor of emotional burdens and possibly foxes."
Fluffington nibbled the grass like a sage accepting his destiny.
Zeke looked back at the village, while the rabbit is nibbling the grass beside him.
"Well, buddy… life's weird. But if a rabbit and a chicken war survivor can share the same patch of grass peacefully… maybe there's still hope in this worl—"
He turned his head toward the rabbit—but froze.
It was gone.
"Huh?"
Only a faint twitch of grass remained where it once stood.
Then Zeke saw the rabbit who's already hopping away, leaving him alone beneath the quiet rustle of the tree.
"…He left," Zeke whispered, betrayed.
Then something in the sky pulled at his attention.
A flock of birds cut across the horizon—fast, scattered, their cries sharp and frantic, like they were fleeing from something unseen.
Zeke's eyes narrowed. He pushed himself halfway upright, watching as more birds streaked past in the same direction, wings beating with urgent fear.
"Huh...?"
Curiosity piqued, he followed their path, slowly tilting his head left while scanning the sky.
And then—his gaze landed on something.
His breath hitched. His eyes widened.
From the far horizon. A mass of dark clouds—thick, swirling... almost alive.
At first, it looked like a distant storm. But something was off.
Its edges weren't silvered by sunlight—they shimmered red.
Zeke squinted, rubbing his eyes once to make sure he wasn't imagining things.
When he opened them again, his gaze sharpened instinctively, as if trying to zoom in on the scene.
Then he saw them.
Shapes… moving within the haze.
Flapping silhouettes it wasn't a bird, yet countless, Too distant to fully make out, yet too large to ignore.
A chill crawled down his spine.
"What the—" he muttered, heart skipping.
Then he flinch when the sound hit.
GONG! … GONG! … GONG!
The echo thundered from the village — over and over, deep and urgent. Zeke froze for a heartbeat. That sound… he knew it. It was a warning signal.
"What the hell is going on!?"
He bolted upright, sprinting across the curved slope of the grassy hill, his heart pounding faster than his feet. zeke replaced by panic and instinct as he raced toward his home, the echo of the gong chasing behind him.
And the storm from the distant horizon seems to keep closer and closer.