The Trials of the Gods (1)
“Alright, so who wants to go first?” Shamash said, looking around at the other kids.
“It’d be best to start with the easy ones, I think. Hmm…”
“I’ll go last,” Sagarmatha said in a calm voice.
“Hmmm. What kind of trial did you bring that makes you say that?”
“It’s a secret. We all agreed to keep them secret from each other, remember?”
Hmm… So even they’re keeping the details of their trials secret from one another? Now I’m really curious what they’ve come up with.
“Mine’s not that easy either… So I’ll go before Sagarmatha.”
“Fine. Then sixth is Sagarmatha, fifth is Thetis. But mine’s not easy either…”
What? Did they all bring tough ones?
Baal’s face grew a little tense at the kids’ words. With everyone saying their trials weren’t easy, he had no choice but to feel the pressure.
“I couldn’t think of anything special, so I went with something simple… Should I go first?”
“Sure. Ifrit goes first, then. But what trial did you bring?”
Ifrit hesitated a moment before speaking at Shamash’s question.
“There are a bunch of gods running wild around the desert near me. I’d like someone to tidy them up and bring some peace.”
Hmm. That’s a pretty straightforward trial.
“Were there that many gods around you, Ifrit?”
“The environment’s so harsh on humans that a lot of fear-born gods popped up. They used to annoy me so much I’d try to smack them down, but somehow they always sensed me coming and hid.”
Shamash nodded knowingly at Ifrit’s words.
“You mean that faint feeling when a stronger god moves? You sense Mom when she does it.”
“Uh… Hmm… Was there something like that? I never noticed.”
“Really? Am I the only one who feels it? What about the rest of you?”
“No idea.”
“Dunno.”
“Isn’t it just you, Shamash?”
Shamash’s face turned puzzled at the others’ responses.
“I’m the only one who felt it…? That sensation let me track Mom’s position easily.”
“Whoa, that’s unfair.”
“Why do you get all the special stuff?”
Hmm. The conversation’s veering off track.
“Okay, everyone, settle down. We’re not getting anywhere.”
The slightly restless atmosphere calmed at my words. Good. I shot Ifrit a sidelong glance, signaling him to continue.
“Anyway, subjugate all the desert gods and come back. That’s my trial.”
A truly simple trial from Ifrit. Baal’s face lit up with confidence upon hearing it.
“A trial like that? I could do it in my sleep!”
Baal, brimming with self-assurance. Hmm. I don’t know what those desert gods are like, but compared to sky gods, their divinity should be weaker… Yeah, he’ll be fine. He’s a sky god, after all.
“Oh, and obviously, no help from Mom! Got it?”
Ah… I was planning to lend a tiny hand if things got dicey.
Overcoming trials sent by the gods to claim glory. A common tale in myths.
Gods test heroes, and heroes overcome the trials. Efforts to trace the origins of such stories never ceased.
Some called the hero among heroes, Lyklen, the archetype of those myths. Others claimed the tale of the Hero chosen by the Life Goddess as the source.
Amid all this, a stone slab was unearthed from the ocean depths.
Originally a clay tablet, turned to stone by intense heat and pressure, it bore these words:
“The one who overcomes the trials of the seven gods shall seize this world.”
This discovery ignited fierce debates among theologians and historians.
Who were the seven gods? What were their trials? And what did “seizing this world” mean?
The gods of the Pantheon, who surely knew the answers, remained silent—as if they could not reveal them.
Thus, the slab’s meaning stayed unsolved, fading into obscurity.
Then, my old friend came to me with fragments of another slab. He looked deeply uneasy, clutching a small piece he swore he’d shown to no one else. Etched upon it:
“The king of the gods. His name is Baal.”
An incomprehensible phrase. Did the gods have a king?
Did a ruler exist above gods who dwelt as the supreme sovereigns of heaven and earth?
If so, was it not the Life Goddess, goddess among gods, but another?
I could not say. The name Baal was new to me.
My friend showed me the fragment, then departed with anxious steps. I never saw or heard from him again. He likely perished somewhere.
Leaving my friend’s tale aside.
If—truly if—a god called Baal, king of the gods, had existed.
Why had he vanished? Why did the gods never mention such a being? Why were we ignorant of him?
I knew nothing. Perhaps this name was not meant to be known.
A name buried by the gods of that era. A name that must never be unearthed. A name unfit for mortal lips.
From that moment, fear gripped me. I felt watched. Distrust poisoned my view of those around me. Everything led to suspicion.
Had my friend reached the same conclusion? Was that his unease?
In the terror crawling up my spine, I record my investigation of Baal here, then burn all other clues and seal these memories in this notebook.
Never to see this name again. Never to fall into danger because of it.
May this notebook reach one who seeks truth, when gods lose interest in humans and faith wanes.
With faint hope that this unknowable truth endures into the future.
This research note never reached human hands.
“Desert gods! Your king, the sky god, has come to rule you!”
Perhaps influenced by beastkin in the desert fringes, the young desert gods—many with animal heads—reacted fiercely to Baal’s bold declaration and charged. The clash between sky and desert gods raged for days.
The outcome was, predictably, Baal’s victory.
Gods born of scorching winds, flowing sands, and other natural forces—all fell before Baal, born of the heavens themselves.
They had no choice but to kneel before the immense power pouring from the skies.
Well, it was only natural. Among newborn gods, Baal’s power—drawn from the sky itself—was the mightiest. The faith of those who yearned for the heavens flowed to him.
An inevitable result. Gods born from fear of the desert’s harshness could never defeat him.
“Cleared the first trial without a hitch!”
“Mm. Things should be quieter around here now.”
Ifrit, was the trial just a means to shut up your neighbors?
Whatever. Conquering multiple gods was proof enough of Baal’s strength.
“Next… Sylphid or Yggdrasil, maybe? Who’s up first?”
“Me! I’ll go!”
Sylphid declared with supreme confidence.
“Fair warning! My trial won’t be easy!”
Ho. Sylphid this cocky? I’m dying to know what it is.
“My trial is… a race against me! From the eastern edge of this continent to the western! Pure flight speed, one-on-one!”
She had reason to be confident.
“No teleporting, either! Only your avatar body! That’s the rule!”
Sylphid, with conditions like that, hardly any god could beat you on speed. Shamash might turn her avatar to light and blast across, but… hmm… No teleporting seals that too. That’s ruthless.
Baal could teleport under the sky, but with that banned… no chance?
“Bring it! I’ll do it!!”
Surprisingly, Baal accepted Sylphid’s trial without hesitation.
“Baal, Sylphid’s speed is no joke. You sure?”
“Under this sky, I never lose! I’m good! I can win!!”
Ugh… Hope it works out, but those conditions are brutal.
Hmm… Should I lend the tiniest bit of help?