"Can a god truly die?
If the answer is 'yes'—then how are they any different from us?
A god who cannot even protect himself—how could he protect what he created?"
---
The morning sun poured into the kitchen through the balcony. Asterfa was sitting at the table, eating while lost in thought about what had just happened.
"Asterfa?"
"…"
"Asterfa??"
"…"
Mai gently tapped Asterfa on the head, bringing him back to the world.
"I didn't know you were this excited about university," she said. There was a hint of worry in her voice, though her sweet smile tried to hide it.
"Don't worry, they're not going to eat you alive," she added with a teasing tone, trying to lift his spirits.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Asterfa took another bite of the waffle and smiled at Mai.
"I think this is the best waffle I've ever had," he said, laughing. He didn't want to keep thinking about it.
Mai stood proudly and grinned.
"You always say that. Are my waffles really that good?"
They were laughing again when Mai's phone rang. She jumped up in a panic, answered the call, and started rushing around.
"I totally forgot I have work today!" she panicked, quickly pulling on her boots, grabbing her bag, and heading out the door.
"Good luck on your first day!"
Asterfa finished his waffle and closed his eyes. It hadn't even been half an hour since he'd seen those things.
"Was what I saw real? I must've just been really tired lately. Maybe it was the effect of that alien horror movie Mai played the other night."
He was trying to convince himself with something logical. He'd always been like that since childhood—questioning everything, always looking for the reasons behind what he learned.
He could still feel the texture of that dark, ash-colored soil in his palms. Soil watered with the blood of humans, soil that had witnessed the fall of cities…
When he came to in the bathroom, his nose was bleeding.
"That man in golden armor… He called himself Griem. What did he mean by 'the god is dead'? How can a god die?"
Asterfa wasn't particularly religious, but he wasn't so skeptical that he denied the existence of a god entirely, either.
"I better not be late to the opening ceremony. I'll think about all this later."
He cleaned up the kitchen and went to his room. He put on a black shirt and pants, then stepped outside. It was still the end of August, and autumn was beginning to make itself known. The cool breeze flowed through his messy black hair, softly brushing his face.
His house was only a 15-minute walk from campus. As he walked, his mind wandered.
His life was fairly ordinary. After his sister found a job abroad, he had moved with her to attend university. His family was kind and gentle people—and they had raised him to be the same.
"A few aliens can't take over the world that easily. Nuclear weapons would beat them in no time."
Was he really convinced of that? Or was he just trying to comfort himself… even he wasn't sure.
Since he was interested in chemistry, he had chosen the chemistry department. He was just a few minutes from campus when a ringing started in his ears. It grew louder and louder, turning into pain.
"Again?"
He felt nauseous. He was about to collapse. Covering his ears didn't help—the ringing continued. It was as if a hundred waves were crashing into his mind all at once. He could feel the pressure. His body was getting heavier. He was losing strength.
Just when he thought he would faint, he suddenly felt his strength returning. A tingling spread across his back, and his body felt light. The ringing and the pressure disappeared. He was left breathless. He quickly sat on the nearest bench, trying to catch his breath.
"This time there were no visions… and I didn't bleed, either."
Once he had calmed down, a figure in a brown cloak appeared before him. A woman pulled back her hood and smiled at Asterfa. Her white, fluffy hair spilled out of the cloak, and her face, glowing like the moon, looked even more beautiful with her green eyes.
"You can feel it," she said. Her voice was soft and melodic, with a playful hint.
"If you keep this with you, they won't be able to sense you," she added, tossing him a pendant.
There were 11 different symbols on it. The more he looked at them, the more they seemed to merge. The woman pulled her hood back up, gave him one last smile, and disappeared.
Asterfa's mind was in chaos. First the strange visions, then a woman like something fallen from the sky giving him a pendant… She said it would protect him from "them." He stuffed the pendant into his pocket and continued walking toward campus, not wanting to think about it any further.
When he arrived, the crowd shocked him. He'd expected a lot of people, but not this many. He'd never seen so many faces in one place. He noticed the shade under a tree in the distance and decided to sit there to escape the sun.
"Hahahahaha!"
Had he gone mad? All of this… it had to be his mind playing tricks on him. He looked up; the sun filtered through the leaves, lighting his face. He wanted to calm down. Even though part of him thought it was all a dream, something inside him was screaming that everything was real.
He couldn't accept it. He was human. He was on Earth.
As his thoughts swirled, dizziness hit him again. When he opened his eyes, the leaves and sunlight looked different. The colors were brighter, movements sharper. It was as if he could predict how each leaf would sway. Time felt like it had slowed. He could see the full motion of the leaves as if they were one continuous flow.
The sunbeams were full of color. They revealed their hidden hues one by one before his eyes. He felt as though he could reach out and touch them. It felt like a long time had passed, but not even a minute had gone by.
"Excuse me?"
A sweet female voice cut through his thoughts. Asterfa opened his eyes to find himself staring into the kind, large brown eyes of a young woman.
"Yes?" he replied, coming to his senses.
"All the other trees were taken by groups of friends… If it's okay, may I share this one with you?"
There was a touch of embarrassment and excitement in her voice. There were still thirty minutes until the first class. Though the weather was cool, the sun was shining intensely in a cloudless sky, as if celebrating its own brightness.
Asterfa, a little surprised and a little shy, said:
"Of course, please," and sat up straighter to avoid bothering her.
"I'm not in some dating sim. I shouldn't romanticize this right away."
He warned himself, closed his eyes, and tried to gather his thoughts. The woman thanked him but didn't speak. She seemed to be there just to avoid the sun.
Later, he attended his first class along with everyone else. After his afternoon lessons ended, he decided to go home. There was a welcome party, and though it was open to all, he hadn't received a personal invitation and didn't feel like going. Besides, he didn't know anyone. The first day was mostly for orientation and campus tours anyway.
His sister wouldn't be home for a few more hours. So he decided to spend his time at a newly opened "magazine café" nearby.
The concept was a place where you could hang out with friends and read magazines, books, or manga together.
As soon as Asterfa walked in, a nostalgic, slightly cinnamon-like dusty scent filled his nose. The girl from under the tree was there. She was wearing the café uniform and serving a table a few seats away.
She noticed Asterfa, smiled, and came over. Asterfa ordered a sweet, milky caramel coffee—extra sugar. Then he started flipping through random magazines and books. He was trying to distract himself.
Before he knew it, two hours had passed. He had drunk five coffees and was quite enjoying himself. Calmly, he left the café. But when he stepped outside, the sky was covered in dark clouds—though the sun should still have been out.
And then the sirens began to wail.
"THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT: THIS IS NOT A DRILL. EVERYONE PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR HOMES OR SEEK THE NEAREST INDOOR SHELTER!"
"…"
"NO! THIS CAN'T BE REAL!"