Chương 2: Chapter 2: A God

Commoner, Zed, Human

Imperial Calendar: Year 1596, Month 2, Day 14

Shadowy Forest, North of the Imperial Territory

-This is a terrible idea.

In the heat of midday, Zed whispered to himself, his eyes weary but constantly scanning his surroundings. He felt a bit of fear; after all, he never liked taking such risks. He would much rather be in a safe place, but... right now, he and his party were in a forest that was anything but welcoming. Trees as tall as the sky cast long, extensive shadows that emitted a terrifying chill.

Pursing his lips, he lamented to himself. All of this was because of his best friend's idea, Adam, the leader of the party. Unlike Zed, Adam was much bulkier and even taller, with muscles defined all over his body. One could say, no, it was a fact, he was the most popular person in the village where the three of them had grown up. On the other hand, Zed was like the shadow that made his friend shine intensely. His body wasn't tall, nor was it muscular; he could be described as a fragile wooden stick.

Letting out a resigned sigh, he continued on his path, trailing at the back, lost in his depressing thoughts. He had always been that type of man, cautious and fearful. He had tried to change; he really did, but he couldn't deceive himself.

-Don't worry, Zed, just trust me, alright!

Adam flashed a big, bright smile, his white teeth, along with his golden eyes and hair, made him look incredibly cool. He wore a leather armor around his chest, along with shoulder pads, leggings, and lower parts. It could be said to be of low quality, but it was much better than the equipment Zed had. He let out another sigh.

-Today was my little sister's birthday....

Indeed, today was her birthday. He had promised his younger sister that he would buy a cake so big just for her. The cake she loved was chocolate. She was five years younger than him, and the two of them were orphans. Their parents had abandoned them... As the older brother, he had to take care of his sister by himself. He tried working other jobs, but the money he earned was not enough. Desperate and as a last resort, he decided to become a volunteer soldier, or also known as a hunter. You could say he was lucky to join Adam's group, his childhood friend. In this same group was also Emily, another childhood friend.

Not wanting to disappoint his sister, he promised her again that he would buy the cake, but she would have to wait until he returned. He assumed the trip wouldn't take more than three days, but it had already been four, and today was his sister's birthday. With pain in his heart, he continued walking.

-Why didn't you tell me! I could have bought the cake for you.

Emily's delicate voice resonated beside Zed. He let out a strange yelp, surprised. Cautiously looking at Emily, he lowered his head a bit. She was a noble, in fact, Adam was also a noble. And only he, all the members of the group were nobles, he was the only low-born commoner.

Emily was beautiful, with her golden wheat hair cascading down her back, and her pink eyes looking at him with a mischievous smile.

-Ehhh... you turned red! How cute!

She let out a giggle, then laughed and teased Zed a little.

-I'm not cute!

He protested, his face even redder. To be honest, it wouldn't affect him so much if he weren't in love with her. He lamented in his heart. She was a noble, and he was a parentless commoner; the chances were zero, if not nonexistent. It was one of the many things he regretted daily...

-Don't bother him too much, Emy, let him be.

Adam intervened with a smile on his lips. Zed looked at Adam's back. To his eyes, it was incredibly large. He had power on his own and the charisma Zed lacked. He couldn't deny that he envied Adam's life; he had everything Zed couldn't have...

Shaking his head, he stopped having gloomy thoughts, but his heart was still heavy. He had a bad feeling. Since leaving the village, he had had this feeling in his heart. Something was not right, but he didn't know exactly what...

Looking around, he saw ahead a temple, an ancient structure in ruins.

-Hmmm... We should be there, yes, it should be this place. It looks almost identical to the drawing on the map.

Adam put his hand to his chin while comparing the two. After a few seconds, with his characteristic smile, he looked at the rest of his team.

Zed shrank back in fear. This feeling grew much stronger, dangerous, very dangerous. He felt somehow very exposed. He was weak, very weak, barely able to wield a sword. He always got nervous when facing low-level monsters; he ended up mostly injured and beaten. This also generated a feeling of inferiority in himself; he was the only one who had such a hard time...

Looking at the temple again, he remembered the words written on the map.

-Temple of Shadows.

It was one of the many temples that had been abandoned for thousands of years. It was said that in these temples were things of incalculable value, but at the same time, very dangerous. It was said that at the bottom, the deepest chambers held terrible curses for those who dared to enter...

A temple of a forgotten God.

A god whose name is unknown.

A god full of mysteries.

A god full of lies.

A god whose worship was forbidden.

A god whose image was erased from all records.

A god whose wisdom was lost in the annals of time.

A dead god.

.....

...

God of Shadows