Apollo's Son
I thought it was utter nonsense, but I decided to answer sincerely anyway.
"Quite ordinary. You must know I came from another dimension. I lived an utterly mundane life there too. Nothing I've done here is all that different. No matter where I look back in my life, there's nothing remotely special about it."
It was a life that needed no embellishment or exaggeration. Just drifting along like water in a stream. Sure, I'd wandered a bit after arriving in this strange world, but humans really are creatures of adaptation. I'd landed a job at the temple and spent a solid ten years there without a hitch.
"But you are special—most special indeed, Scribe Peleus."
I nearly denied it outright, but then I remembered what had happened earlier. That snake had said the exact same thing. Special—most special.
"…Why is that?"
"Simple. Because you are the one chosen by Harpocrates, the god of secrets and silence whom we serve."
"That's hard to grasp. I've devoted my life to this temple, but I've never once heard his voice."
If it was because I lacked faith, there was nothing to say. But if he'd chosen me, shouldn't he at least speak to me once? This was a world where gods' bloodlines walked the earth openly.
"The time simply hadn't come. But consider this: for the past ten years, you've enjoyed tremendous privileges."
"Privileges?"
I didn't recall any hefty bonuses. I'd gotten by, but it was a life of thrift.
As I furrowed my brow, one thing came to mind. The exceptional permission this High Priest had granted me.
"You don't mean sorting the forbidden books, do you?"
"Precisely."
This temple housed a special chamber unknown to the outside world: the library storing the forbidden tomes of Harpocrates, god of secrets and silence. That library held countless secrets of gods and myths, accessible only to the High Priest before me. Yet, unusually, I'd been granted entry long ago—to catalog and index the scattered books.
"So you knew I was sneaking peeks at the forbidden books."
"Of course. I sent you there precisely so you would read them."
While organizing that library stuffed with forbidden volumes, I'd devoured them for a full ten years. Back in Korea, I'd always loved myths and legends, game lore too. The unbelievable secrets in those books were endlessly fascinating. Still, living so ordinarily in this world, I'd prioritized the sorting over the reading. With so many books, the task took a full decade. I'd only just finished, proudly compiling a perfect inventory.
But he'd sent me there to read them?
"Think about it, Scribe. When you first entered the library, didn't I bestow a divine blessing upon you?"
"Ah… yes. I couldn't read the ancient tongues or cuneiform scripts, so I couldn't sort the books."
Thanks to that divine blessing, I'd deciphered the library's myriad cryptic scripts with ease. Fitting for a blessing from the god of secrets, I'd thought.
"I'll tell you now: the contents of those forbidden books you read are knowledge prohibited to mortals. Yet Harpocrates allowed—no, ensured—you pored over them meticulously for ten years. And you still think there's nothing special in your life?"
"Well…"
"You know the secret of Zeus. You know the secret of Hades. You know the secret of Poseidon."
"…"
I was at a loss for words at this unexpected revelation.
"These are perilous truths that would incur the gods' wrath if spoken aloud by any human. But you know them all."
BOOM!
At that moment, an explosion rocked the air from outside. The ongoing blasts were drawing closer.
The High Priest gave a faint smile. "They've come searching for the Secret Book, oblivious that you are the true key our god has arranged. Heh heh heh. Fools."
"The Secret Book? What's that?"
At my question, the High Priest rose, gripping his staff of twisted olive branches. "Come, it's time to move. These old legs feel leaden, but this is no time for idle chat. I'll explain on the way."
He manipulated an ornament on a nearby bookshelf. With a rumble, it slid aside, revealing a hidden passage.
"Follow me."
"Where are we going?"
"To where the Secret Book is kept. The intruders attacking the temple today seek it."
After ten years here, it seemed there were secrets even I didn't know.
What the hell was this Secret Book?
As I pondered alone, a question struck me. "Forgive me, High Priest."
"Speak."
"Couldn't you go out and drive off the enemy yourself? I've heard you're a legendary hero."
The High Priest, walking ahead, chuckled softly. "Indeed. Few humans have reached my level."
"Then why…?"
Why not help the warriors outside? I trailed off, lest it sound like reproach. Seeing so many I knew cut down had soured my mood.
"Your doubt is natural, Scribe. But even if I went out now, I could only buy time. Far more important is revealing your true mission. I regret it comes so suddenly…"
What?
A legendary hero over two hundred years old, transcending humanity, could only stall?
"Pardon?"
Stunned, I pressed him, and he replied bitterly. "A god has invaded. The enemy's leader is the son of Apollo."
"A god?"
Apollo's son leading the charge himself. If the foe was divine, even a legendary hero like the High Priest would struggle—I got that.
"But can't gods intervene in mortal affairs at will?"
"They could, but if they possessed whenever they pleased, our world would be chaos. This time, though… many gods have given their… consent."
"Consent?"
"Or perhaps tacit approval…"
He trailed off and said no more. Clearly, there were circumstances beyond a mere scribe like me. I didn't press.
We traversed an ancient tunnel thick with musty air, untouched by humans for decades.
Thud! Boom! Explosions continued outside, dust and dirt sifting down with each one.
"What exactly is this Secret Book? If it's worth a god invading for, it can't be ordinary."
"I'll tell you when we arrive. First, shall we discuss Apollo? I'd like to test how well you've read the library's forbidden tomes."
Sweeping cobwebs aside with his staff, the High Priest turned to me.
"…Very well."
"What do you think of Apollo?"
One of the world's most famous gods—easy enough to answer. "A great one. God of music, poetry, medicine, archery, prophecy. God of the sun, son of supreme Zeus—truly a prince among gods."
Handsome beyond words, just, fair. He had it all. Anything more would just hurt my jaw.
As I recited the obvious, the High Priest asked meaningfully, "Yet why would such a just and righteous god send his son to attack our temple?"
"…Hm."
When I hesitated, he urged me to recall the forbidden books. They did mention Apollo's secrets. But it was too outlandish to accept easily.
"…That was deeply irreverent content. Apollo couldn't be like that. I believe it was a forgery, full of slander."
"Do you truly think so? Well enough—preconceptions don't shift easily. Let me rephrase: In what book, and what did it say about Apollo?"
No escaping it. I sighed, silently apologizing to Apollo for the blasphemy I was about to recite.
"A thick tome bound in purple leather. A record of evils from myriad worlds. Astonishingly, it mentioned Apollo."
"Haha, intriguing. Why would great Apollo appear in a forbidden catalog of evils?"
His tone held clear mockery toward Olympus's prince.
"I don't know. The absurd slander claimed Apollo's true nature is that of a rat god. That his current glorious form stems from stealing the true sun god Helios's divinity. A false masquerade as the righteous god of sun, prophecy, and medicine."
"Is that so. Heh heh."
The High Priest chuckled lowly, but he clearly knew it all already. Come to think of it, when stripping the soldier who killed the old bread-seller in the village, five rats with tangled tails marked his body. The emblem of the rat god…
"The rat god's true name is Smin—"
"Stop!"
The High Priest thrust his staff to my lips, halting the name. His face stern, he warned, "Never—never—speak that name while Apollo lives. No human who uttered it has survived."
"What do you mean?"
"The moment you voice that cursed god's name, you'll witness horrors mortals neither should see nor endure. Every rash fool and brave soul has been seized by unknown terror, driven mad."
Uttering it reveals sights that break anyone. Even heroes met miserable ends.
Chilling. I swallowed hard, gooseflesh rising.
His tone implied the book's outlandish claims were truth. If Apollo was such a being, what did that make this world?
I followed silently, heart pounding. This world I'd seen as warm and quiet was peeling back to reveal unknown horrors.
I'd read similar in the forbidden books but dismissed them as forgeries, entertaining fantasy novels at best. If true, how could I cope?
My legs began to tremble.
"Don't fear."
Sensing my dread, the High Priest chided sternly. "You are chosen by Harpocrates, the god of secrets and silence we serve. Such weakness achieves nothing."
"…How could someone like me be his chosen? I can't believe it. I'm just an ordinary scribe. I've never even heard a god's voice my whole life."
Not even from this world, at that.
But without turning, he shook his head as he walked. "Who can fathom a god's will?"
His words struck heavy in my chest. I realized I was being inexorably drawn into this world's terrors, sinking like quicksand.