The clouds turned dark and black lightning started to fall from the sky. In a remote place in a village called Vishka, the citizens were defending their territory from the creatures that were born because of the infiltration of corruption.
Giant black wolves, goblins, and ghouls were surrounding the small village from all sides, leaving no room for escape. There were no guards, as this was previously a peaceful world and conflict was rarely ever seen.
The village elder, a powerful old man who had been harnessing the power of mana for decades, closed his eyes and started to chant in a low voice. To others, his words sounded like mumbled nonsense, but everyone had faith in him. This man had been leading their village for ages.
The villagers resisted the onslaught of monsters with their rudimentary weapons for what seemed to be hours, but in reality, barely five minutes had passed. When it looked like they were going to fall prey to the monsters, the elder opened his eyes widely, followed by a powerful light that became a spherical shield around the surviving villagers.
Dropping to one knee, the villagers came for assistance. "Elder Otis, please drink this water," one of the villagers said before offering a glass of water to the tired elder.
"Thanks, young man." The elder's voice was soft. He had long white hair that reached past his shoulders, a bulky frame, and a long white beard, and he was wearing what seemed to be a toga.
Now that he was feeling slightly refreshed, he said, "The barrier will not hold on for much longer. How many brothers and sisters have we lost?"
A sad expression manifested in the villager's face. "I'm sorry, Elder, we currently don't know the exact number." He clenched his fists. "Joahnna, Lorian, and Juseph are dead."
There was a silence that filled the air among all the chaos. "I see," Otis simply responded before looking at the sky. His focus was broken by a tug he felt on the toga he was wearing.
"Elder Otis, will we be okay?" What the elder saw broke his heart; it was a black-haired, warm ivory-colored young girl about six years old with a dress made out of cotton. Her eyes were wide open, and her face showed fear.
Otis knelt further to match her height before placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Alina, I cannot tell you that everything is going to be alright, but I can promise you that I will try my best to protect everyone."
The girl slowly nodded before returning to her mother, who was a few steps away. Otis stood and looked at the beasts trying to break his barrier; cracks were starting to show, and he was left with barely any energy.
The ability to manifest extraordinary feats with mana comes at the cost of energy; if overused, it will lead to the death of the person using it. Right now Otis's reserves were low, as he almost depleted them for building a barrier capable of holding the continuous attacks of monsters without breaking. His old age also played a role in his limited energy reserves.
The cracks on the barrier started to become more noticeable; panic quickly started spreading through the villagers. Many women and children started crying while their husbands and fathers tried to calm them down. This situation looked hopeless and devoid of any light.
"Crack!" The barrier inexplicably broke before the anticipated time. When Otis looked at the approaching monsters, he spotted a twenty-foot-tall fat goblin with a big mace leading the smaller beasts into them.
'So that's what happened.' A sour smile took shape on his face as he prepared to use the last of his energy to contain this disaster. Resigning to his fate, he stepped forward valiantly while the villagers worriedly looked at him.
Otis closed his eyes once again and started using his stored energy as a last-ditch effort to try to vanquish the monsters. He raised his palms to the air and began chanting; a huge fireball appeared above him, which he threw at the monsters in front of him.
The fireball landed squarely in a group of goblins and ghouls, including the fat goblin. A huge smoke screen formed, and when it cleared, the elder saw the aftermath.
Many monsters died, but it wasn't enough. The fat goblin was still alive, and there was still an unending amount of different monsters approaching the villagers. "So this is where it ends..." Otis fell to the floor, having exhausted his energy. He knew what awaited him... death.
Slowly closing his eyes, he could hear the terrified screams of the villagers and could only wish a better future for them.
—-------
He didn't know when it happened, but when he opened his eyes, he saw a corrupted world floating in a void.
"What the…" His mouth was slightly opened out of surprise. Was this the world that he'd been residing in? He was brought back to reality by a commanding voice emanating from above him.
"Otis, you're a brave leader with a heart of gold; this is the world that you were born in. As you can see, right now it's in danger of being erased from existence."
Looking above him, Otis noticed the aura radiating from this mysterious being's body; it filled his heart with hope and love. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as if in a trance; words couldn't escape from him.
Assessing the reaction of the man in front of him, the nameless god started talking once again. "Tell me… Otis, will you rise up as my carrier and save the world from impending doom?"
After collecting himself, Otis's heart was now calm. "Before I give you my answer, could you please answer one of my questions?" he asked.
"Go ahead," the god responded.
"Who are you… No, what are you?"
Silence filled the space around them. To Otis, the god seemed angered by his question, but to the god, he was simply perplexed.
'Who am I? What does he mean by that? What's my name'? These types of questions bothered him deeply.
Just as Otis was about to apologize, the god answered his question. "My name is Varan, and I'm the creator of your world."
"I see." Even though there were still many questions in his mind, he knew what needed to be done. Otis fell to one knee and pledged loyalty to his creator. The newly named god Varan seemed surprised by the actions of the village elder.
"Please just tell me what I need to do," he pleaded while closing his eyes.
Varan, with a serious look on his face, exclaimed, "Spread my name across the world and worship me; do so, and I will assure a good life full of fortune and protection, a life filled with the greatest riches and treasures."
Opening his eyes, he finally had a good look at his creator; he was light without shape or form to his eyes. 'How can a creation dare to see the face of its celestial creator? It's simply impossible," he thought.
Noticing the lack of deceit in the elder's words, he said, "Now that you've made a decision, I will grant you my blessing." Varan placed his hand on Otis's forehead before he was filled with immense power. Otis immediately noticed his body fading in and out of existence.
"Your time is up. Fulfill your duties on earth and don't disappoint me." With that being said, Otis returned to the battlefield. He stood up from the ground and looked around at the destruction caused by the monsters.
"What is this?" Terror took hold of his facial features; there was only rubble left. The sight of dead villagers on the floor made his stomach twist and turn. His breathing quickened before he shouted with all his strength. "Aghhhh!!"
The monsters had already left; wherever he looked, there was simply no life.
"It should've been me… BAM!" He punched the ground out of frustration, leaving cracks in the stony path. Just as he had given up hope, he heard a weak voice coming from below one of the bodies.
"H-help."