Land of Evernight — The Abandoned Library
In the darkness of the Land of Evernight, outside an old town library that looked as though it had been left untouched since the late 1900s, a stone on the ground began to move.
Scratch.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
With each scrape, faint sparks began to form—until a small flame ignited in midair.
A hand emerged from the fire and dropped lightly onto the ground.
As the flames settled, two figures gradually became visible.
One had a short haircut and a round, dirt-stained face, breathing heavily as though exhausted from a long journey.
The other stood slightly behind, taller and leaner, carrying a worn backpack slung over his shoulder. His gaze carefully scanned the surroundings, alert and cautious.
...
The distant growls of unknown creatures echoed faintly through the silence as the two of them sat on the cold ground together, facing the abandoned road ahead.
Everything around them was quiet… but decayed, as though the world itself had been left to rot.
The man finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Paul… remember this. Don't trust anyone here. Everyone is on their own."
He paused, then added more quietly,
"And don't even trust me."
Paul turned to him, visibly tense.
"I've been here for a long time," the man continued. "I've seen friends fight against the god of this world… and some of them actually escaped."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"In this place… anyone can lose control at any moment. If I do… don't hesitate. Just run."
Paul nodded, fear lingering in his eyes.
He wasn't a fighter—just a scholar. He had been researching the matter, and with enough knowledge had become part of the Evernight.
And somehow… he had survived long enough to meet this man.
For now, at least.
The man adjusted his glasses and let out a faint smile.
"So you're from the new century…"
He exhaled slowly.
"How is the world now? I haven't seen rain in so long… not real rain. Only those storm clouds and monsters."
A dry chuckle escaped him as he looked out at the ruined road ahead.
...
Paul remained silent for a moment, then smiled softly.
"The world?"
He looked down, as if choosing his words carefully.
"The world… is different now. A place filled with modern technology—big televisions, exquisite food, video games, and all kinds of entertainment."
He paused.
"A world with monsters and sorcery."
His tone steadied as he continued. "Computers, fast cars, high-speed trains… phones that can reach anyone instantly. Rockets, jets… science constantly advancing. Communication faster than ever."
He let out a faint breath.
"It's… a world that feels like a brand new day."
For a moment, silence followed.
The man stared into the dim firelight, his expression slowly softening. Then, almost quietly, he spoke.
"I wish I had left back then… fifty years ago."
"There was a war we couldn't even see properly. A prophet came to our town once, shouting that the end was near… but we didn't believe him."
A bitter smile formed on his lips.
"Some people, because of fragments of that conflict, gained power. They became sorcerers."
Paul tilted his head slightly, curiosity breaking through his fear.
"They didn't drink potions?"
...
The man shook his head slowly.
"No. Or… do people take potions now?"
He paused, staring into the firelight. "Back then, everything was different. Power appeared in fragments, left behind from a battle we couldn't even see clearly."
"At first, we thought they were miracles."
"But then… we realized something was wrong."
He looked up.
"We found ourselves trapped in this strange place."
"The ones who gained powers… were also the ones who spoke about the battle."
His voice lowered.
"They said the Pale Moon Goddess was the one who sealed us here."
Paul listened quietly and nodded.
So it's not just potion orders...
He thought inwardly, his curiosity deepening.
I always assumed sorcerers only came from controlled phases and potions.
But if power can also leak from divine remnants… then that means fragments of higher beings can also grant orders.
His thoughts accelerated.
If the Creator's hair is a vessel for power… then other divine fragments which are the gods must function the same way.
That would mean gods themselves could scatter orders… creating sorcerers… angels… even god-level beings.
So grace and blessings are just structured contamination of divine fragments…
But there was a flaw with this theory, and that was the Church of Retribution.
They never speak of blessings… only correction and denial.
He recalled one of their two doctrines.
"If the Sun reveals all… then we must deny what is revealed."
Paul's eyes narrowed slightly.
Are they rejecting blessings… or rejecting the existence of uncontrolled divine fragments?
...
Paul thought for a moment before finally speaking.
"Mr. Gommer… are you familiar with the Church of Retribution?"
Gommer nodded slowly. "Yes… I was like you once. So I know of that hidden church."
He paused.
"They worship the Almighty Sun God… if I'm correct?"
Paul nodded and gave a faint smile. "There's something I've been wondering."
He leaned slightly forward.
"There's a quote from the Church: 'If the Sun denies all, we must deny what is revealed.'"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is this doctrine meant to suppress the existence of divine fragments? The idea that other gods, born from the Creator's remnants, can awaken and spread blessings?"
At that moment, faint cries and distant growls echoed through the darkness surrounding them.
Gommer slowly looked around the ruins.
"We should move soon," he said calmly.
Then, changing the subject, he added with a faint smile,
"But I'll still answer you."
He exhaled slowly.
"I once had a friend who followed that church… back when it was still hidden from the world."
The firelight flickered across his face. "Before the current age… before kings… before organized churches… there was the Age of Beginnings."
"In that time, the Ancient Sun God awakened from the fragments of the Creator and seized authority over light during what we now call the Age of Stone."
Gommer's tone grew heavier.
"He is not just a god of warmth. He is a god of judgment, exposure, and irreversible truth."
"That is why his followers do not judge others freely, they believe judgment belongs only to him."
He paused.
"And that also explains something important."
"The Ancient Sun God does not 'bless.'"
"He reveals."
"Under his light, lies cannot exist. Corruption cannot hide. Even thoughts are exposed."
"To stand before him is to have one's mind, body, and soul judged at the same time."
A brief silence followed.
Then Gommer's expression darkened slightly.
"But there was one flaw."
...
"What's the flaw, sir?" Paul asked, his voice slightly raised in curiosity.
Gommer smiled faintly before answering. "The flaw… is something far more terrifying than you think."
"The Sun God is a being of judgment and revelation. But that also means, when he reveals something… he does not destroy it."
"He forces it into existence."
"In simple terms… hidden evil does not remain hidden under his light. It becomes real. Visible. Tangible."
His tone grew heavier.
"He does not cleanse the world. He simply ensures that nothing can remain concealed."
Gommer exhaled slowly.
"And because of that truth, his followers realized something."
"They could not rely on revelation alone."
"So they created doctrine."
"That is where the Church of Retribution was born."
He glanced toward Paul.
"Not as a force of punishment… but as a correction system."
"A way to deal with things that should not exist after being revealed."
Paul nodded slowly, but his mind was already racing.
So that's it…
A new realization formed in his thoughts.
This curse logic… this so-called "fragment system"…
They're all connected.
He looked up at the stormy clouds and said Inwardly. The entire existence of gods isn't only about a fusion with the earth. Gods are actually created by the Creator's very own ideas, about existence.
Paul ran a hand through his hair, letting out a quiet breath.
"I think I understand now, sir… but I still have another question."
He looked up.
"If the yellow sun is the one that reveals… then why is it the crimson sun that appears and grants people sorcery?"
He paused slightly.
"…Did your era ever have a crimson sun?"
The man shook his head.
"No. We never saw anything like that."
He glanced at the dark sky.
"The only time people gained power… was during that battle."
Paul fell silent for a moment.
How strange… There are still so many things I don't understand…
But he pressed on. "Then… if the yellow sun reveals everything, how can it still function if it isn't up above in the sky. Because now in our era we have mysticsm and curses, but it's not the Yellow Sun that's there, but rather the Crimson Sun."
"And… how is the crimson sun connected to the Creator?"
The man simply smiled and shook his head again.
"I don't know that either."
Paul nodded slowly.
Then, as if piecing something together, he murmured,
"So… the Creator's thoughts formed these gods…"
"A thought of sunlight—and the Sun God emerges."
"A thought of beginnings and human existence—and the God of Beginnings appears."
A faint, almost excited chuckle escaped him. "Heh… then that means…"
"These fragments… they're not just remnants."
"They're pieces of authority."
"If that's true… then it should be possible…"
"…to kill a god, take their fragments… and inherit their divinity."
He let out a quiet breath.
"Oh… how remarkable…"
But they are matters of curses and cursed items all from the creators thoughts also, I wonder what could be the connection? Did the creator think of different matters, and maybe some of the negative thoughts formed curses and while some of those curses also did the same as gods and took a form.
Does that also mean that if you take a creator fragments or let me say a god fragments, you have to follow the idea the creator have about you, and perform them. Wait I've heard of this matter before, some people categorized it as laws from the creator, but it's only for humans, does that mean gods also obtain laws?
Heh, maybe this is why I ended up here, curiosity just wants to kill me heh. Leaving that aside there's also a term I've heard before, something about Leochi, that the gods will be fleeing the wrath of the creator. That should mean that the time of the Apex is only when gods are able to enter the world and chase thier ambitions, in order to find a way to stop following the Creators laws.
...
At that moment, Gommer suddenly lifted his massive axe, his expression turning serious.
"Let's move."
Paul nodded and quickly got to his feet.
Behind them…
Something was chewing.
A wet, slow tearing of flesh echoed faintly through the darkness.
Neither of them turned back.
Under the dim illumination of storm-heavy clouds that never gave rain, the two figures moved forward—step by step—through the broken streets and scattered rubble.
The darkness swallowed them whole.