Humans were weak. They were helpless against nature, plagues, and threats from unknown realms. Their existence had almost nothing to fight these disasters. They were at the bottom of the food chain, preyed upon by fierce animals. They didn't know what to do with their limited intelligence.
The world was harsh to them. But the sky was there, providing warm light during the day and comforting light at night, guiding them in the dark. So, they began to ask for help from the sky, as if it were an all-powerful, omnipotent entity. They started to believe they were being aided by divine beings above the sky. Even though there was no proof, they chose to believe, as it comforted their minds.
But as humans discovered fire and other natural phenomena, some began to abandon their faith in gods and pursue scientific research. The more science and technology advanced, the more people rejected the existence of gods.
Humans are no longer weak. They are no longer helpless against nature, plagues, or threats from unknown realms. They no longer need a savior. They have even forgotten the existence of gods.
"Kai! Are you listening to me?" My thoughts scattered as a sharp voice came from the elderly man in front of me. He seemed angry about my lack of attention.
"Kai, you're the only son of the Numen family. You need to pay attention to my lectures if you want to excel at the Academy." He stood up from his chair and walked behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. His grip is a reminder of the weight of expectation.
"Our family has no ancient imprints, despite being one of the great families," he said bitterly. He paused for a moment and then tightened his grip on my shoulders.
"You also know that you must excel academically so you don't embarrass yourself at the Academy filled with many heirs." Heirs. As the name implies, they are people from great families who inherit their house's ancient imprint. They inherit the power granted by the ancient imprint and the responsibility to defend the nation from all kinds of threats.
The family I was born into, the Numen family, does not own an ancient imprint but became one of the great families by inventing a way to engrave ancient imprints with no fatal risks.
"As an augmenter, you need to study more imprint patterns so we don't lose heirs in the engraving process. Do you understand?" With a snap of his fingers, he closed all the holographic terminals in the room.
"Yes, grandfather..." I replied without looking up. My grandfather's serious expression slowly softened as he walked away.
"This will be the end of today's lecture. Go to bed early. Tomorrow is your first day at the Academy."
I returned to my room and lay down on the bed.
"Change the room view to clouds." Within a few seconds, the room disappeared, and I was on the clouds, surrounded by an infinite sky. It's truly amazing how technology can alter perception.
I wondered how Shachi was doing. It had been 10 years since I reincarnated into the human realm as the successor of the Numen family. Before that, I was the Celestial King of the Second Heaven. I wasn't born a god, but due to my good deeds in human life, I was allowed to reside in the Second Heaven, thanks to the Supreme God and his teachings.
The human realm had changed significantly while I was in heaven, indulging in pleasures. Humans had rejected the existence of gods and even erased records of myths, hoping to advance technology without hindrance. Now, traces of divine knowledge exist only in the celestial realms. My duty is to protect these records, but something happened to me, and I reincarnated into the human realm. My memories are fuzzy and unclear. My powers as a celestial still remain, but I have decided to hide them because I can't let my original identity be exposed, especially with important memories of my reincarnation still missing. Who knows if someone has plotted against me?
Whatever the case, I am now the only son of the Numen family, and I have the duty to attend the Academy tomorrow. Just like that, I fell asleep on the clouds.