"Who were the Gods?"

"That question, that one question, would forever remain unanswered, even now."

"The Gods, celestial deities that exist upon a higher scale, are hidden under a veil not intended not to be seen through by anyone, human or not."

"But, the lack of influence that the Gods once had on the lands of old, made it so that, the worlds, already tainted by vice and sin since the beginning of time, would only grow more and more chaotic and abominable as time passed, as the sinners began to question existence itself."

"This was not sudden, nor unexpected."

"It was simply because some people loathed their own pathetic lives, and blamed Them, the so-called creators of the World Tree, whom they had no idea truly existed."

"It was those, who had been left behind by parents, wives and husbands, who were tormented by being left with no solace from the Gods."

"However, they could not truly question Their authority or go against it, as Their existence was beyond everything else."

"The Gods were the ones to create the World Tree, after all, with its Worldly Roots expanding across all worlds that existed. And, this epoch of old, when the World Tree existed, was The Primordial Era."

"However, just like everything else that the humans of old touched, things soon became twisted, and eventually, the World Tree was seen as the Creator, and humans merely treated the Gods as an afterthought."

"Yet, it was quickly shown by Them and Their unfathomable power, that the Gods were far from that."

"All of these worlds, that had once sprouted by the World Tree, had ceased to exist, as they were all relinquished by the Gods and abandoned."

"It was almost as abruptly as they had formed, all due to the Sinners, who had committed a great blasphemy against the Gods."

"Among them, there were the Thousand Sinners, the main culprits that led the armies and the boundless worlds to destruction. They were chained to the Oblivionrealm, and left to starve eternally in nothingness."

"While, without the worlds as sustenance, the Worldly Roots could not thrive, and so, it died, and its deceased self lay the foundation for the Heavens and the Earth was born, which was eventually used by the Gods to create the stars, the heavens, and the earth..."

"…"

"…Haha…"

"Who the hell would believe this crap, huh?"

A raven-haired young man, who lay on a mattress on the dusty floor of a two-storey building, suddenly sat upright as he finished reading the first chapter, and he giggled shortly afterwards, seemingly finding something utterly hilarious.

He was reading an old book he found in the town's library, that was called, "The Ancient Secrets, Founded."

"This is so ridiculous… that it's hilarious! How can it lie about something like this so brazenly?!" He suddenly blurted out, proceeding to cackle, clutching his stomach from laughter, "I was expecting a book that I could use to pass the time, but it seems I just found a funny storybook instead!"

From what he had seen, merely from the first chapter of this large book, it simply defied all common knowledge. It spoke of the Gods in a peculiar light and even spoke of things that were either false or unknown.

From what was known in this day and age, there was no such thing as a World Tree, and, the Gods were not called "Gods" among the lands, but Deities, that were a part of the "Therach." There were Primary Deities, otherwise known as Patron Gods, and Secondary Deities, otherwise known as Guardian Gods.

They were the main deities, that both ruled over and even saw far beyond the lands of the Nation of Spiritsoul. But, They were shrouded in mystery and only those who had gone to schools and received proper education, mostly rich folk with noble lineage, would know Their names.

"…Ugh. Damn it," He muttered, tossing the book away, "I can't help but be reminded, that I am, and forever will be, unable to become one of them."

"A worthless scum like me, daring to even think of becoming a Runebearer… how pathetic…"

All mortals desired to become Runebearers. Those who had the power to become majesties amongst the lands. A usual characteristic of theirs was the fact that Runes, in the form of strange, long symbols, covered their bodies.

How they came to be was told through the Holy Book of Divine Revelations, which belonged to the Thearch's Holy Order. It was said that, during the Primordial Era, the Deities created both the real world and the Astral World. These worlds formed the bodies and souls of the first humans, and, they were blessed, with some of them managing to become Runebearers, a step into a realm which all peasants and lowly-born desired to reach.

This power was sometimes passed through the bloodline or could be obtained naturally. And, there existed plenty of these beings in the Nation of Spiritsoul, which was under the rule of the Lóng Empire, ruled by a man who had named himself, Gilgamesh, and instated an absolute monarchy.

The Nation of Spiritsoul suffered from overpopulation, hence the massive amount of poverty and peasants around, but, since the current emperor was foretold to only be competent in bloodshed, war and battle due to the Sign of the Gods on the day he was born, little to nothing could be done to help.

This empire was an integral part of the Middle-High Continent, a continent closer to the Mistlands farthest north, which was the border to the Astral World. The monarchs and emperors ruled everything and were considered to even be the heralds of the Deities themselves by the peasants.

However, to this young man, Cairo Harpin, who was also one of these lowly-born, he thought, they might as well have been the Deities anyway, as the Deities seemed to have no care for him at all.

"…Divine Thearch of the Stars, the Heavens, and the Earth! I call out your name! Please… free me…" Cairo exclaimed, not even expecting an answer back, at this point.

"…Please…"

As a young boy, he had seen the world for what it was with his own eyes.

His mother was a harlot, and his father, although he was once a fairly affluent man in his old hometown, his father was revealed to have slowly been being pulled into the Ascetic Sects; one of the largest surviving cults, rooted in the Nation of Spiritsoul.

Soon after, his fractured family fell apart, and his heart grew distant from anyone else due to his past. Although the community around here was nice and welcoming, he did not socialise with many often, turning him into somewhat of a recluse.

However, after a few more months had passed, he had become a young fool instead.

He was such a young fool, that the very reason why he found the old book so amusing in the first place, was because it had seemed to be the only thing he had seen in recent days that did not praise the Deities, and instead spoke of them in an odd light.

"Damn it… DAMN IT!" He shouted in an unexpected burst of anger, tossing the book away from him.

The lack of response he had from the Deities, all these years, made him feel like They didn't even know he existed.

But, it also seemed like that was not the only reason why he was angry. Perhaps he was jealous, of the rich folk, of the Runebearers, of everyone who had a chance, except him.

"…"

Cairo eventually calmed down and glanced back at the book. It was strange, really and truly. The information contained in the book was nothing but falsity, but, it didn't seem to be a storybook.

He got off his mattress with a big heave and picked it up, expecting an answer for his confuddled, lost mind, and ended up on the second page, which exuded an opaque, misty aura.

"I wonder… what… is this book?" Cairo inquired, as he gazed into its contents.

The first sentence spoke of a "Hanged God."

"The first of the Thousand Sinners, and the last to fall into the Oblivionrealm. His two hands, which were cast outside the Oblivionrealm, were so that he could not use his trickery to escape that realm."

The old book spoke more about these Sinners, and, as it turned out, the Thousand Sinners were said to have been "Daemons", that had been waiting for so long for a mysterious something to happen. And, manifestations of their evilness would forever encroach upon the world, in the form of Evil Spirits.

"…This… this is more interesting than I first thought…" Cairo said, scratching his chin as he read, "It's even saying that the Evil Spirits, that possess both the dead and the living, originate from these Thousand Sinners…"

"…Could there be a chance that it's speaking the truth?" Cairo asked, curious before shaking his head, "… Actually, that's stupid. Even the Arcanologists don't know the origin of Evil Spirits, so why would a random old book know?"

"But, still…"

Cairo read on, to the bottom of the second page, and read the last remaining words in his head, "What would you want to align your fate with? The Gods, or the Daemons?"

"…Obviously, the Gods. They might not have answered me yet, but, everything else pales in comparison to Them… that I why I shouldn't give up, just yet! I will receive their blessing, and I will become a Runebearer!"

{We have heard you. Your Starry Fortune has been Aligned with the Gods.} An ethereal voice spoke in his head, startling him of all his senses.

{But, to see your fate towards the future, We must peer into the past.}

{Cairo Harpin… you shall be our herald!}

Just as these words echoed fervently, Cairo collapsed and tumbled into the mind he called his own.

He fell and was falling for a long, long time. Until, a scramble of thoughts unravelled before him, thoughts that he had of the present, the past, and somehow, even the future.

And then, his fate appeared before him, unravelling, until it assumed the form of a vivid art painting, on a canvas that seemed to be, the night sky.

"…This…"

Cairo remembered instantly. Once, he had a dream which he now considered pitiful. He wanted to become a painter.

{…The Night Painter. You shall see into the souls of others, and paint their deepest desires and souls, to repay their karma, in return for tremendous power.}

"What…?! What is this?! What… what do you mean?! Are you… a Deity?!"

{…You have obtained the Primordial Secret, as it has been fated. Take this gift as an apology, and use it wisely, and, in Our place, stop "it", from tarnishing the world.}

{We shall not permit you to fail us, for your life is in the hands of Divinity.}