As soon as Athena left my dominion, I instructed Aurelion to return to Eriavel and keep watch over that velmoryn. I would deal with him, the droplet of the vampire velmoryn’s blood, and everything else later. But first, I needed to properly analyze what I had just learned.
Grasping Athena’s consciousness had helped me understand what gods truly were. What I myself was.
A raw, primal energy trapped within a strange barrier. An energy that possessed will.
Athena’s divinity had been different from the energy that was her. If her divinity was pink, soft, and warm, that other thing was… if I had to describe it in a single word - pure. It was purer than anything I had ever felt or seen.
Back when I had first become a god and consumed the Goddess’s lingering divinity from her statue, I had asked myself a question - what would happen if I ever ran out of divinity?
Now I had my answer. My own divinity could never have affected that other energy. No matter how the system classified divinity, may it be pure or mixed, it was nowhere near what I had sensed within Athena.
Is that a soul? No… I’ve seen souls. They are no different from divinity…
Trying to find answers was one thing. What concerned me even more was that Guidance had not refused to entertain my question or told me to search for answers myself. It had simply failed to activate.
As if a god’s consciousness was something I should not even attempt to comprehend.
I calmed myself.
Then forced the negative thoughts aside, focusing instead on what mattered most in that moment. What could grant me the greatest advantage in the coming war against the Night God.
After understanding what gods truly were - or at least more than I had before - I was now confident I could clone myself. And unlike before, I was no longer afraid that one of my clones might revolt and attempt to seize control.
After sensing how Athena’s consciousness had been structured, I was certain that none of my clones would ever stand a chance against me. And in time, once my mastery improved, I would likely learn how to limit their will. I would create personalities that were not exact replicas of mine, but instead driven to protect and serve me.
I moved within my dominion and extended my left arm, severing it just above where the elbow would be. The moment my hand detached, I focused on it and began channeling divinity into it while simultaneously shaping it into form.
If my theory was correct, I could create flesh from my divinity and store a fragment of my detached consciousness within it, while also embedding clear instructions. Both had to be done at once, but that was no issue. I could easily handle two processes simultaneously.
As my clone began to take shape, I considered whether I should grant it a velmoryn form. How would velmoryn clone benefit me? Didn’t I already have Avenor?
Wait… can I even create a clone of any other race but velmoryn?
Back when I created the basilisk, the system had told me that any avatar I shaped needed to be part of my lore. Perhaps I could create elves or demons as well. But an elf would be the same as placing the largest possible target on my clone. And demons… even ignoring the appearances of the Marquess and Reest, I saw no benefit in creating one.
So instead, I chose the most primitive option - a human.
Even if the creation failed, I could simply try again. Within my realm, there was no real risk of wasting divinity, so I didn’t mind a few failed attempts.
As I made my decision, the crimson mass of energy began to shift in color and solidify. First the bones formed, then muscles knit themselves around them, and finally the skin.
Within seconds, a man stood before me - pale skin, dark brown hair and eyes. Of average height and build. Nothing that would draw attention. He was a somewhat handsome human, without pointy ears, sharp teeth, or other anomalies. My experiment had clearly succeeded on the very first try.
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How strange…
But as I observed him, I immediately realized that his mind had yet to fully form. Or rather, the fragment of my consciousness I had split had not yet settled inside.
I focused on the connection between us and channeled more divinity. I attempted to strip him of traits I did not want - ambition, resentment, and worst of all, cynicism. I had no use for those in my clone. Instead, I tried to instill a single directive: strive for the God of Velmoryn. Follow his orders.
[Warning: Astral Rebirth failed to shape your astral body’s personality.]
I wasn’t frustrated. If anything, I hadn’t expected success. But I tried anyway. Each failure was a lesson, and one day those lessons would be the reason I succeeded.
The brown eyes of my vessel came to life as my consciousness settled within him. He blinked and looked at me. His eyes widened for a brief moment, tears streaming down his cheeks - yet he was grinning like a lunatic.
What the fuck? Is this one a ret…
But before the thought could fully form, his expression smoothed into something neutral. He flexed his facial muscles and clenched his jaw.
“I thought our connection would be different, Verde,” he said, voice too soft and pleasant for my clone.
Only then did I realize that my connection with him was nothing like with the basilisk, nor like when I had taken over Avenor. I could feel his emotions, his thoughts - everything - much like I could feel my believers. Yet he was far from being my avatar.
I tried forcing my way into his mind to assume control, to establish a direct connection.
As I did, a golden notification flashed before my eyes.
[New Authority]
Congratulations, Verde. You have achieved what every god strives for - the creation of a new Authority.
Authority Acquired: God of Many Faces (Incomplete)
You are the first deity capable of freely dividing yourself into multiple extensions without suffering any lasting damage. What was once believed impossible - to adopt new forms and exist simultaneously within different vessels - has been made reality.
There are currently twelve extensions of yourself active in the world, spanning four distinct races/species.
You are your avatars, and your avatars are you. No extension will ever disobey your will, for if the head falls, so will every limb.
All of your avatars may enter your dominion freely. They may communicate with one another regardless of distance. They may absorb the divinity of other deities to grow stronger. However, their Rank may never exceed yours, nor may they ascend until your own Rank reaches a sufficient threshold (???).
You may not bless your avatars nor accelerate their growth.
Maximum number of avatars: 18.
Your new Authority remains incomplete. The full extent of its benefits and the path required to complete it must be discovered by you.