บท 6: Chapter 6 Ash till a new dawn

While Damon was gone. Auther did not sit idle. Utilizing the divine sword bestowed by Damon and the knowledge he taught him. He rapidly rebuilt his tribe. And then Auther began to conquer the other tribes.

But unlike others before him, after subduing a tribe, Auther did not kill them or treat them as food but demoted them into slaves that worked for him.

Soon, Auther relied on his bravery and magic sword to conquer all the tribes of the entire Eden Plain. He claims to be the king Chosen by God. He then established the first city of Humanity, which he named the city of rebirth.

He insisted that his kingship is conferred to him by God Gaia. Saying that he was the true king and son of God. He soon founded the first empire of humanity and combined all the language and writing into a new system.

At the same time, he brought flames to humans. With fire, humans can cook food quicker. Things that were not edible can now be eaten through the power of flames. Which greatly broadens the human diet.

The most important thing is that with flames, humans can smelt ore to make stronger weapons and use flames to frightened and kill beasts that could not be killed in the past.

Under the leadership of Auther, humans quickly smashed the barrier established by the beasts. And they gushed out of the Eden Plain into the larger world.

He also developed the first written law of humanity. Allocating society into three classes, nobles, commoners, and the meagrest slaves. And he declared himself the God-chosen king who is above the three classes.

His a great monarch that has never been seen in human history. He has unified and merged mankind for the first time. But at the same time, he is also the most brutal monarch in human history. He massacred many civilians and slaves to become a sacrifice to heaven.

However, because humanity has continued to rise rapidly under his hands. The population has soared to hundreds of thousands in just over a decade. And several city-states have been created. This now means Humankind has finally entered the age of civilization.

Auther's life is glorious, grand, with supreme authority, wielding the Excalibur with his superhuman physique. No one in the empire can shake his position. He has the supremed power.

Money, beauty, as long as he wants, there is nothing he cannot get.

But Auther will nonetheless get old. After being enhanced by the Origin, Auther's physique is different from ordinary people even his life span is longer than an ordinary mortal.

Nevertheless, his lifespan will still have a limit. In his later years, when his life is coming to an end, dark thoughts will emerge occasionally, but how could the king Chosen by God fear death. He thought. But as he aged, even a bit, he began to fear dying.

Seeing his body weaken day by day, Auther could feel death closing, constantly. Remembering his glorious life, Auther did not want his life to end and his grand empire to continue without him.

He recalled the tall and majestic man he met when he was still a shell of his current self when he ate the flesh of his brethren. Thee who bend lightning to his will. A being so strong that the storms rest at his command.

The Great God he named Gaia. Who imparted his knowledge, bestowed him the infinity fire and the divine sword he called Excalibur and gifted him the power of the gods onto him.

He hopes to see God Gaia again, even in death. He also wished to go to the kingdom in the clouds and become an immortal and powerful God like the Great God Gaia.

But due to Auther fear of death. He began to build churches for the Great God Gaia also a large number of statues of him. Although he had never seen him wholly. He made the kingdom's best sculptors carves Gaia according to his vision and his memories of his shape from behind the grey light.

In the next two years of his life, he returned to the spot where he first met Gaia. Then he built a gigantic statue of Gaia, and at the same time constructed a chapel more sumptuous than his Castle.

He adopted the religion of Gaia as the empire first and only religion. Auther made all the subjects of the empire believer in the religion he named Giamor. Whose God is Gaia, the Great God of Creation.

At the same time, he also moved the capital here. The new capital of the Holy Empire the Holy City Of Giamor. Auther did his best to hold grand sacrificial ceremonies here every year to pleased the God Gaia.

He also selected many pure believers he called Saint. They came to the temple to pray to God Gaia every day and night. In hopes of obtaining his wish for immortality from Gaia.

However, all this was in vain. Auther did not see Gaia or received an answer from his prayer. Did the great Gaia God felt his devotion to being not adequate? Ideas and feelings fogged his judgement, which made him moody and at the same time crueller. Even he does not know how many people he put to death, because of the slight annoyance they induced him. All this lasted until the day before his death.

In the magnificent palace just built in the Holy City, Auther wears a golden crown studded with gems of various colours and sits on a pure golden throne. His hair has become snow-white his face with wrinkles and dark spots. The eye's once full of fire now has a layer of grey gloom.

He gently stroked the sword given to him by Gaia. His eyes were full of remembrance and nostalgia. Recalling the invincible years of the past, from the fall of his village to the birth of his empire.

However, no matter how brilliant he was once, the passage of time left its mark. He is old now. And like thousands of mortals. Auther is about to usher at the end of his life to what rest beyond life.

In a stupor, a radiant figure suddenly emerged in the hall, slowly walking towards him, Auther abruptly raised his head, and the majesty of year's of war returned to him.

Even though he is old now, the grandeur of a ruler still show's on his wrinkled face. But his might quickly faded. Because he knew this figure and the power and status he now possessed all came from this familiar and unfamiliar figure.

"Auther, you have done well?" Damon said with a stern voice. Inside he sighed, as he watched the boy turn into a grizzled man from the youth not too long ago.

His appearance was the same as when Auther first saw him, the majestic face, the tall and broad shoulders. Even with the light coating his body. Making it hard to see his aspect, one can feel the majesty.

"Is it you? The great God, Creator of Gaia, you came to see me. My old age has made me senile, haha." Auther's voice was hoarse, as dry as rotten wood, but his excitements were sky-high.

Damon gradually approached Auther, he stepped on the delicate white bear leather with his feet. He looked at the old man. Only a sigh was left in his heart. A few days pass, the boy no more, now with one eye white as ash due to being blind, body so weak he could die at any juncture.

"Auther, you did exceptionally good. You stopped humans from war's and cannibalism and brought men out from ignorance to civilization. You are a truly great king. The history books will teach about you from now till the time ends." Damon said to ease the boy.

"But, I don't want only this," Auther cried out with a dry voice.

What does he want? Damon was baffled "What do you want, then?"

"I know, I will sound like a child, begging for his mother breasts. But I wish to live forever, just like you, father." Arthur stood up tremblingly from his golden throne, looking at Damon with fiery eyes and a powerless face.

Under the Gray light, Damon body looked extremely sacred, and at the same time, full of youth and might.

A hundred years, the passage of time does not affect the Great God. He is still full of life. Truly an immortal God, Arthur thought.

"Eternal life, to be Immortal?" Damon smiled bitterly, "No one can live forever." Damon said softly

"No, that cannot be because you are immortal." Auther gulped. He is old. He doesn't even have the strength to speak aloud.

"I have the power that everyone envy, the status that everyone yearn to get, and the reputation, money, and beauty that thousands will die for. But these, in the face of immortality, are just things, an object that will be gone in time. I was once perplexed and obsessed by this glitz, these material world things, but now as I have age and grey, old. I know that only eternal life is everything. I want to have eternal life-like you. Father." He said breathing as if he had pushed hundreds of men.

Damon was surprised. Auther has mature and chosen his path. But one cannot say his words are wrong or right, each view each own, then he shook his head

"Auther, you have experienced and see the world differently from others. But no mortal can live eternally. Even I, Is still powerless from the river of time."

"No, no, no. You're Gaia the God of Creation, is it not you who invented time itself, the Great Creator, you are deceiving me." Auther shook his head agitated and angry. For him, Damon was his last hope.

"Please, give me a new life. I am willing to give you everything I have come to retain. Prestige, Wealth, Beauty, Reputation, what I can give you. I give you all. And. And you owe me. I fulfilled your endeavour. You who forged a world of chaos and chose me to fix it, your sins. Year's of fighting and building and the thousands I killed, they are not on your hands but mine. I sleep to see the face of the foes I have slain, days after days. Please let me live another life, a longer life, Gaia." Auther said pleadingly with a cracked voice, full of sensations. Auther eyes are red as if blood has formed a lake, within.

"Auther, everything you have was initially given to you by me, your divine power and the sword of God. How can you bargain something that is already mine? I created the world but the sins you utter, they were made by man. I chose you to help yourselves. But I understand you have been through a lot," Damon expressed in his saddened voice.

For Auther, he and Damon have been separated for almost a hundred years, but Damon. The time of the two separations has only passed a few days on earth, watching the teen who he spends days with, who have been together for a time just about to die of old age a few days later. For him, the sentiment in his heart is very intense.

"I see, yes I was false, God, Forgive me, but you are the Great God of Gaia. You truly can make me immortal." Auther couldn't believe it, couldn't accept it, and didn't want to understand. Auther's words were so fueled by despair he continued to plea.

"Auther, I have not misled you, whether you believe it or not." Damon shook his head

"Today I have come, it's because to see you for the last time. Now, I should also go, but your wish, we shall see, for one to start a new you must shed yourself of this one." Damon said after thinking of a solution.

After speaking, Damon turned around and slowly left the hall, his figure gradually fading.

"No, you can't go, you can't go!." Auther saw this and instantly chased after him. The old body abruptly gave birth to new strength. his actions became skilful, with the burning of one life. His thinkings stood hectic he did not have time to understand the word of Gaia.

However, he couldn't catch up with Damon at all. All he could snatch was the misty grey light left by him. Auther chased him out of the hall, and the guards outside soon sighted him running. They didn't know what had happened, so they could only do their guard duty unless orders by the king.

This is the church dedicated to the Great God of Gaia. It is the most important and most magnificent place in the city and also the resident of Auther. Citizens in the city can see it as soon as they look slightly above the centre of the Holy City.

"It's the king!" A boy shouted.

"You can't go, father. You cannot just abandon me, Gaia, Gaia!" Auther wailed awfully, plunging into a semi-crazy state.

And his words also caused the surrounding guards to kneel to the ground, shivering with fear, as they know of the king wrath.

"Gaia, you are a liar, a liar. I hate you. I loathe you." Auther said, with red tear drizzle from his cheeks

"Isom, did I hear wrong. Is he cursing the Creator?"

The people who came after seeing the king outside were horrified. If ordinary people dared to curse Gaia like this, they would soon be tied to the torture rack and scorched to death on the stake. But it was Auther who said this, the father of the Empire and Creator of Giamor.

Maybe it was a hoax. Maybe a nightmare. Auther accidentally or not fell and rolled down a stairway of tens of meters. The God bestowed sword in his hand also slipped out, passing through his frail body.

Then rosy blood smeared the sacred marble steps, red, and Auther's throat with reluctant voices screamed. But this did nothing to slow his death. He died.

Those who saw this scene were dumbfounded.

"This is the wrath of God, a curse, the Curse of God."