《Prologue》


 Prologue

    "Are you ready to take this responsibility, Azeur?"


    There were swiveling blue mists around a miniature seed, a little pellet that glowed like gold. A lifeless object hovering at the empty galaxy, the stars kept glittering while it tried to form into a possible planet. Sometimes he wondered if he could be successful at the end of this but the very last words of his father before he died gave him the hope and strength to continue. Amidst the suffering he felt from the sudden loss, he kept his promise.


    "Yes, dad. I will do it."


    He could still remember his smile before he became cold and limp. Just another event for others but for him, it was a very important part of his soul taken away forever.


    How long should he wait, he never knew. All that mattered was this - the seed should become a World Core. If this would happen, then he was halfway done and the rest would be easy. Sometimes he cursed the Mighty God, why he allowed him to become a cursed Planet Maker. But it was useless to cry over spilled milk, he got to do what he got to do.


    He needed to create a planet to overcome the curse. To extend his life, he needed that World Core.


    He waited. And waited. And waited.


    A million years had passed and he was on the verge of death. Will he die, that was the thought that kept bothering him.


    But something happened, a rare thing that gave him a chance.


    The seed that he guarded all his life bloomed into a World Core. The mists surrounding it became bodies of water. Then the core expanded until it shook greatly that the solid parts were altered, crushed, changed, even broken. Soon, the trembling stopped and everything settled down. Slowly but surely, continents were formed. Volcanoes, even the hills and mountains, were scattered across the planet.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Lifeforms began to emerge. But they were weak. They needed a Planet maker''s support to survive.


    What he intended to do would destroy the planet. He needed to consume the World Core to live but surviving means killing these puny creatures.


    So should he curse the Mighty God for his affliction, this was debatable.


    When he was about to do what he ought to do, he saw a human. Yes, the first creature he saw was a human being.


    He observed him - yes, he was really weak. But did it matter? He was powerful yet he was sentenced to death because of this disease. But when he looked at his face, he was shocked. Yes, he saw his father in him.


    Was this a funny joke - a masterpiece of the Mighty God because he found it funny that he suffer?


    The more he looked, the more he could see their uncanny resemblance.


    From the way he looked to the way he moved, even to his simple gestures of eating, they were eerily similar. He was about to investigate closely when he felt the pain inside his body growing stronger.


    He needed to make a decision. Now. Because anytime, he would die.


    He closed his eyes and asked, "Father, what should I do?"


    Then a soft whisper, a caressing voice filled his mind. "You got to do what you got to do."


    At last, he knew exactly what his decision should be.


    With a loud voice, he shouted, "A third of my soul will bless the land. Magic will come and power shall prosper. Let the ground bear fruits and food to sustain life. May the creations live long, showering them with wonders so they can protect themselves from harm. Oh, my soul, hear this prayer of mine!"


    His body shone like a dazzling star but his face was distorted in agony. His lips and eyes began to bleed, yet he stood laughing and proud.


    With a loud voice, he shouted again, "A third of my soul will bless humanity. Even though you live shortly yet you will rule the world. Thrones upon thrones, kingdom upon kingdom will rise and fall. There will be no limit, you can do anything and die like a short-lived star. Prosper and live. Fill the world with your kind. Oh, my soul, hear this prayer of mine!"


    This time, greater waves of pain attacked his body as part of his soul flew away. His body was covered in wounds, he was bleeding all over. He could barely stand but he still needed to do one last thing before he died.


    With a loud voice, he shouted for the last time, "A third of my soul will be my incarnate. Thousands of years shall pass, the living lives and dies, yet there comes a time when a boy shall be born, and he will continue my legacy."


    His body was slowly falling, his eyes that were once bright were dimming. Yet before his body hit the ground, he said, "His name will be Azeur, my Incarnate."

 Azeur, God Incarnate

    The dancing leaves flew around the swaying trees. The birds chirped happily because they knew that they survived for another day. The cats and dogs stopped fighting each other like they were friends. Even the usual calm river became rushing waves splashing against the shore - as if marking that the day was special. Yet the ones who mattered for him treated it like just an ordinary day.


    Yes, this was Azeur Brandt''s birthday.


    The date today was Agno, the 8th month of the year, 2020. Ten years ago, in that same month, Azeur was born from a rich family on the fourth day. His father was the mayor of Halian City. His mother was a great magician and an elder of the Council. His only sister was a topnotcher in a prestigious school. Even his brother, two years older than him, was chosen to represent his city in the upcoming Magic Contest. What''s not to like, that was what he usually asked himself. Yet he knew, in this household, he barely existed.


    "My child, your food''s ready."


    Azeur''s eyes lit up when he heard that familiar voice, and turned around in excitement. "It''s you, Nana! You''re here!" He forced his tiny feet to run and hugged her tightly. "I miss you."


    Danica Shell, or Nana, received his gestures with happiness. The white on her hair, the wrinkles on her face, these were the evidence of her age, yet for him, she would gather her strength to visit him every time she was free. She patted his back, her eyes misty, "I miss you, child. And happy birthday."


    Azeur paused a bit, his lips slowly curved into a smile and raised his head. "Thank you, Nana. This means a lot to me."


    "I know." Danica got the tray and set it on the oak table, wiping the surface with a clean cloth. "There, it''s a cupcake. And it''s carrot, your favorite."


    Azeur clapped his hands, his feet moving around like a monkey. "Yay! I can eat carrot cupcakes again."


    He was about to grab it when Danica stopped him. "You should make a wish first."


    "Okay!" Azeur closed his eyes and said, "I wished that my dream will come true."


    BANG!


    "Thunder!" Danica approached the open window, her face frowning as she stared up the sky. "It''s dimming and the winds are getting strong. There should be a thunderstorm." She closed the window and locked it. "There, this should not disturb our celebration, right?"


    Azeur nodded, his hands holding the cupcakes as strong as ever.


    "Well, before you eat, tell me about your dream."


    He set the food on the table. "Well, it''s a dream, like a dream when you sleep."


    "Oh! I thought you were talking about ambitions." Danica sat beside him, "Go on, what about the dream?"


    Azeur scratched his head. "It''s really crazy, you know. You might not believe me, Nana."


    Danica gave a light chuckle, "I won''t laugh. I promise. Besides, dreams are supposed to be crazy."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He took a deep breath and recounted it, "You see, I was walking at a great beach. You know, this wide," he opened his arms sideways, "and as I walk, there are many creatures, scary monsters, looking at me. But I was not afraid. I walked straight ahead until I reach a throne. And a loud voice called my name. He says, Azeur, my incarnate."


    There was still silence. Danica''s brows were furrowed, she knew this was just a dream but something made her heart beat faster. Even then, she nodded her head, "So your wish is to let your dream come true? So you want to become a God incarnate?"


    Azeur giggled. "I know it sounded silly but hey, I''ve read a book once, and it say ''If you''ve gotta dream, you gotta dream big because it''s free. Only make sure that you are not caught up with it and stay grounded in reality."


    "A wise saying."


    "Yeah!"


    Danica smiled and took the plate, "Go on. Eat it."


    "Okay." He was about to take a piece when the plate cracked and the cupcake fell on the floor. Like an orchestrated action film, a mouse came rushing from a tiny hole, partially hidden by a table, and ate the cupcake. At once, its body shivered before it became still.


    "Nana, the mouse is dead..." Azeur had a realization and stepped backward, his eyes reddened because of his suspicion. Even though he was young, he was very intelligent. But because of the funny dream he always had every night, which warned him that he should not expose his ability nor intelligence before he could protect himself, he exactly did that. The cost was his family''s rejection.


    Danica''s eyes sharpened, the looks of a kind woman gone on her face. She unsheathed her dagger and pointed it at him, "You should have just eaten the cupcake to spare yourself from this."


    Azeur, who was holding his emotions, began to sob. "But Nana, why? You worked for us since I was born. Wait...don''t tell me someone sent you to work here just to kill me?"


    "Truly intelligent. Madam is right. You are a threat to the world."


    "But how did she come up with that decision? Why kill me?"


    Danica snickered. "Well, I think it''s kind of me to explain it to you before you die." She stopped as she coated her dagger with poison, and continued, "You see. Madam is a psychic, blessed with the gift of the seer. She predicted that on the 8th day of Agno, 2010, a young child of great evil will be born. Using the mystic powers of astrology, she found out that this will happen in the city of Halian. So, we come up with a simple solution."


    "A Plague that only affects babies...so you were behind that incident." Azeur sighed deeply, recalling what her mother said a year ago. "But I survived and your plan failed. But why wait ten years just to kill me again?"


    "I actually tried but Madam stopped me, the reasons I don''t know. She changed her plan and this time, I became a nanny inside your house."


    "I see."


    Danica was about to strike when she saw his odd expression. Taken aback, she asked, "Why are you smiling?"


    Azeur gave an almost shrill laugh that echoed inside the room. "Because your plan failed. You see, I forgot to remind you that my dream is actually true. I am really the God Incarnate of Azeur."


    Danica felt the tingling sensation on her nape and sprinted forward. She thrust her dagger as hard as she could but her hand stopped midway. Her body was frozen.


    "Release me! Azeur, my child! Release me, right now." Danica''s voice quivered, she was like a statue.


    The tears on his eyes did not stop falling. His face was messy but his stares did not soften - they were as sharp as daggers. "I trusted you! Everyone is just a liar! My mom does not love me. Even my dad ignores me. My brother rejects me while my sister hates me. All this I can take. But you! I''ve treated you like my family! I did not feel that lonely because, in you, I have a mom, a dad, a brother, and a sister. But why?! Why?!" Tell me, did you ever been true to me? Did you really care about me?!"


    Danica''s eyes went misty. "Yes. I...I indeed care for you. But everytime I took care of you, bathe you, gave you food, accompany you, as time passed by...I dreaded that this time will come. But you know. You got to do what you got to do."


    Suddenly, a rushing wave of energy entered his mind and he saw what happened thousands of years ago, during the world''s creation.


    Then there was a momentary silence. This time, his tears had stopped falling. He raised his head and stared at her, his smile curved lightly, almost a sneer. Then he said in a chilling voice, "You''re right. You got to do what you got to do."

 Azeur, the first friend

    Danica closed her eyes, understanding that her fate was sealed. She reminisced her memories with the child, those ten wonderful years. Slowly, a smile formed on her lips. "Goodbye, child."


    Azeur''s shoes hit the wooden floor, the footsteps echoed inside the room, then it stopped. Just a few centimeters away, he could even hear her heartbeat. He lifted his right hand unhurriedly until it was pressed on her chest. "Danica Shell, I can spare you if you tell me where your Madam is."


    She never replied.


    Archer grinned, knowing that she would not spill the beans. "Well, then. Goodbye, Nana." He shoved his hand forward, penetrating her body.


    Danica screamed in agony, blood kept flowing out of her wound. Even then, her consciousness never faltered and the pain intensified. She did not want to open her eyes because she was afraid to look at him. Those haunting eyes. Not that it mattered anyway because she could not move.


    Azeur pulled back his hand, carrying a beating heart. It was throbbing. The red blood adorned his arms yet it did not disgust him. Rather, he just felt nothing. Indifferent. Soon, the heart stopped, together with the female before him, they died together.


    He waved his hand and an invisible barrier surrounded the crime scene. His eyes glowed, and swiveling mists appeared beside the corpse. Like a hurricane, it gulped the body, the blood, and the heart. Then, like a bubble, everything vanished.


    "Problem''s taken cared of." Azeur noticed the wasted cupcake on the floor. He crouched down and grabbed it, moving it near his face. "Indeed, it is poisoned. But what can the poison do? I''m hungry anyway." He took a small bite and his face brightened up and had another one as he took a seat on his bed.


    When he was done, he picked up the broken plate when he saw the carcass lying on the floor. "Thank you for attempting to save me, even though it was useless." He tapped it lightly and stood up, leaving the area as he went to throw the broken plate to the bin.


    After a few minutes, the first to move was its hind legs, then its chest. Suddenly, the mouse stood up and sniffed around. As soon as he saw Azeur back on the bed, it climbed up and crawled onto his shoulder.


    Azeur could hear its breathing. He glimpsed at his shoulder and frowned. "You smell disgusting. If you want to be with me, you better take a bath."


    The mouse squeaked as it stood on its hind legs and rubbed its head. It began to lick its body and tail.


    Azeur smiled. "Not that type of bath. A human bath."


    The mouse shook its head and did its thing again.


    Azeur remembered what Nana had done in the past, "Well, what about I show you how to take a bath?"


    The mouse nodded and crawled toward his hand.


    Azeur carried the mouse to the bathroom and dropped it in the tub. A shampoo on his right hand, he opened the shower until it was just enough to let the mouse swim and mixed the shampoo on the water. With a little swirl, a foamy solution was formed. "Go on. That''s how you take a bath. Dive into the water and rub your body. You got to learn to do it, okay? I don''t want to smell anything bad from you if you want to join me."


    The mouse squeaked and swam around as if it was diving in the sea.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Azeur grinned when he saw how compliant the mouse was. Satisfied, he went back inside the room and sat on the bed. As they say, when you''ve got nothing to do, then your mind would become active. When he was doing nothing, memories of Danica, of his mortal family, and of his past came inside all at once.


    "Was it really right for me to save this world?" Azeur sighed and checked his memories of his ten years stay inside this house. His family - they were the only ones he met in his entire life as a mortal.


    After finding out that Azeur was not brilliant like the rest of his children, his father was scared that his reputation would be destroyed when outsiders knew who he was. He was the one who suggested not let his son leave the house but to Azeur''s surprised, no one disagreed. Nor even bothered to care.


    His mother treated him differently as if he was not her child at all. He even rarely met her because she was always on the Council''s headquarter.


    His sister had her personal house and this made the situation worse. They do not meet at all unless it''s special times like his father''s birthday.


    His brother was always outside as well. Busily achieving his dream to become a great magician. Or whatever it was, not like he cared at all.


    Azeur''s eyes narrowed into a slit. He had made a resolution inside his heart. At once, he moved out of his bed and was about to exit through the door when he heard scratching noises. Then he felt something crawling on his clothes, which finally stopped on his right shoulder. "Good, you smell nice. Remember, if you pee, you better make sure you ran as far away from me and do not let your piss get in contact with your body in any way."


    The mouse nodded his head and slept.


    "Don''t sleep yet. Do you even have a name?"


    It squeaked.


    "Oh, Shae? Okay. You better behave."


    It squeaked again, this time sleeping for real.


    Azeur shook his head and went outside his room and walked through the wide hallway, big enough to let a truck passed by. The walls were adorned with old paintings and beautiful mosaics, with the thick carpet covering the floor. Even the grand stair at the end of the hallway was made of jade.


    As he moved downstairs, he saw the lifeless living room filled with nonsensical things intended for leisure. As far as he was concerned, the only thing he enjoyed playing was Polygon, a board game that had moving tiles. But sad as it may be, they were confiscated without even giving their reasons why.


    He did not mind these things and went straight to the dining area. There he found the kitchen crew preparing something.


    "I need to eat," Azeur said as he sat on one of the empty chairs. "Right now."


    Elena, one of the maids, turned around and screamed. "Young Master! There''s a mouse on your shoulder!"


    "I know. Prepare something for him to eat as well. A slice of cheese would be good for his diet."


    Tofee, one of the chefs, tread his steps and whispered, "Young Master, you better get rid of the mouse or your father will get angry when he sees it."


    Azeur just ignored him and closed his eyes.


    Tofee felt angry when he saw Azeur ignored him. Even then, he controlled his temper and signaled one of his subordinates, Echo, to get rid of the mouse.


    Echo nodded and slowly approached Azeur. When his hand was about to grab the mouse, Azeur said matter-of-factly, "If you dare touch the mouse, I will cut off your hands."


    The blood was drained off Echo''s face, his body slowly stepping backward as he replied, "Yes, young master."


    Azeur stood up and started walking right back to the living room, "I expect my food to be ready after I come back." Then, he continued on his way and sat down on the couch nearest to the Holograph. Using the sensor device, he filled it up with his power and turned the Holograph on. He scanned through the channels until he reached the only one that fitted his taste - Mythical Creatures Channel.


    Even then, his mind was not totally into the show. Rather, he was thinking - is the world worth saving? He sacrificed a lot just to let the world survive, not that they requested it from him. Even then, he believed that since he was the one who had given them the chance to live, then it would be right for him to take it away if he saw them not fitting.


    "Shae, are you awake?"


    Squeak!


    "What do you think of humans?"


    The mouse made a lot of squeaking noises as it stood on its hind legs.


    "Cruel? I myself am cruel if I had to, so I don''t blame them if they act that way."


    Shae made another long series of squeaking sounds as it hopped on his shoulder.


    "Selfish? Cruel without reason? Ungrateful to the Gods? Is that how you see them?" Azeur sneered, his fingers tapping against the couch, and said, "Then let me see. I will travel the world for a year or two. Let me judge what they really are. If what you say is true, then I will destroy this very world I save with my hands."