Chapter 19: Chapter 19 - Echoes of the Forgotten God
Chapter 19 — Echoes of the Forgotten God
"The old Technology God is not dead."
The entire village square fell silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
I stared at the prophet while my mind tried desperately to process what she’d just said.
Not dead?
That was impossible.
Wasn’t it?
The visions still burned inside my head.
Endless metallic cities.
Machines spanning worlds.
Civilizations connected through glowing pathways.
And that colossal blue figure standing above it all like a god watching over creation itself.
No.
Not just a god.
An empire.
Technology itself wasn’t merely power.
It was infrastructure.
Connection.
Dependence.
The realization made my chest feel strangely heavy.
Elena’s hand still held my arm firmly, stabilizing me after the vision.
Honestly?
I was grateful.
Because my legs suddenly felt unreliable.
Lucien stepped forward sharply.
"Explain."
The commander’s voice had lost some of its usual calm now.
Interesting.
Even he was shaken.
The prophet slowly lowered her hand.
"The starving god vanished beyond the broken pathways."
Silver light flickered faintly within her eyes.
"But disappearance is not death."
Dorian frowned deeply beside us.
"You’re suggesting one of the most dangerous divine authorities in history still exists somewhere?"
The prophet smiled faintly.
"Existence is complicated for gods."
Cryptic again.
Wonderful.
I rubbed my forehead slowly.
"Okay. Let me get this straight."
Everyone looked toward me.
"The original Technology God drained Earth’s spiritual energy, disappeared into dimensional nonsense, and now apparently might still be alive somewhere beyond reality?"
The prophet nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Honestly?
Hearing insane information delivered casually somehow made it worse.
Lucien crossed his arms tightly.
"If that’s true..."
He hesitated briefly.
"...then Kaiser’s awakening may not be coincidence."
Silence followed immediately.
Because yeah.
That possibility was terrifying.
The blue divine core inside my chest pulsed softly again.
Warmer than before.
Almost responsive.
Like it recognized the conversation.
I hated that.
Very much.
Elena looked toward me carefully.
"You alright?"
Good question honestly.
Probably not.
But compared to the rest of this week?
Surprisingly functional.
"I think so," I answered quietly.
Complete lie.
The prophet suddenly turned toward the dark mountains again.
"The pathways continue opening."
Her silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"The forgotten authority awakens across existence."
The younger knights nearby visibly became nervous again.
One whispered quietly—
"If the ancient pantheons hear this..."
Lucien immediately cut him off.
"They already will."
The commander looked toward me with sharp golden eyes.
"This situation has escalated beyond local jurisdiction."
God, everything sounded terrifying when he said it.
Dorian sighed softly.
"That means higher divine councils."
Lucien nodded once.
"Probably."
The merchant looked genuinely unhappy for the first time tonight.
Interesting.
Apparently even he disliked major divine politics.
I crossed my arms slowly.
"And what exactly happens during these councils?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Which honestly felt like a terrible sign.
Finally Elena spoke quietly—
"They decide whether emerging authorities should be protected..."
She hesitated slightly.
"...or eliminated."
Yep.
There it is.
Back to the murder possibility again.
Fantastic.
I stared toward the ruined center of the village square.
Broken stone still smoked faintly where divine attacks collided earlier.
Villagers watched us from windows and doorways now.
Fear remained everywhere.
And honestly?
I understood it.
A few days ago, Erald was just an isolated village.
Now?
Hunters.
Churches.
Prophets.
Ancient forgotten gods.
Their entire lives had become entangled in divine conflict because of me.
The guilt settled heavily inside my chest.
Elena noticed immediately.
Again.
Seriously, this woman read expressions too easily.
"You didn’t ask for this," she said softly.
I laughed quietly.
"No. But I brought it here anyway."
Neither of us spoke afterward.
Because unfortunately...
that was true.
The blue core pulsed harder suddenly.
Pain shot briefly through my chest.
I frowned sharply.
Something felt wrong.
Different from before.
The prophet noticed instantly.
Her silver eyes narrowed.
"The resonance grows unstable."
Lucien stepped closer immediately.
"What does that mean?"
The old woman became unusually serious.
"It means the authority is reacting emotionally."
All eyes turned toward me again.
Wonderful.
I rubbed my chest slowly.
Warm blue energy flickered faintly beneath my skin.
Not violent.
Restless.
Like static building inside electronics before discharge.
Dorian observed carefully.
"His power fluctuates with emotional states."
The prophet nodded.
"Technology adapts."
That word again.
Adapts.
Honestly I was beginning to hate how unpredictable my authority sounded.
Lucien looked toward me carefully.
"Can you control it?"
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
Because the truthful answer?
Not really.
Not completely.
I could influence it.
Guide it.
But every major change so far happened instinctively.
Emotionally.
Like the authority evolved based on survival needs and conceptual understanding simultaneously.
The prophet answered for me again.
"No."
Great.
Thanks.
Very helpful.
The old woman’s expression softened slightly afterward.
"But neither could the first one."
Cold silence followed.
Lucien’s jaw tightened.
"That comparison helps nobody."
The prophet ignored him.
Her silver gaze remained fixed on me.
"The forgotten authority grows through necessity."
The blue core pulsed again.
"Every challenge accelerates evolution."
Wait.
I frowned sharply.
"So the hunters attacking me..."
Dorian immediately understood too.
"They unintentionally strengthened your authority."
The prophet smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Oh.
Oh that was bad.
That was very bad.
Because it meant conflict itself accelerated my growth.
And if the hunters realized that—
they might either stop attacking directly...
or escalate hard enough to kill me instantly.
Neither option sounded healthy.
Lucien clearly reached similar conclusions.
His expression darkened immediately.
"The council must hear this."
Dorian sighed.
"The council hearing anything usually creates problems."
Honestly?
That felt universally true for governing bodies.
The prophet slowly stepped away from us again.
Her movements seemed weaker now.
More fragile.
Like earlier visions drained her.
"Tonight changed fate’s direction."
Silver light flickered weakly around her body.
"The old pathways awaken because of him."
The younger knights looked increasingly uncomfortable with every sentence she spoke.
One finally asked carefully—
"Prophet... what happens if the Technology authority fully returns?"
Silence.
The old woman stopped walking.
Then slowly looked back over her shoulder.
And for the first time—
fear appeared in her silver eyes again.
"Civilization changes."
Nobody spoke afterward.
Because somehow...
that answer felt more terrifying than destruction.
Civilization changes.
Not ends.
Not burns.
Changes.
Technology never destroyed humanity directly on Earth.
It transformed it.
Rapidly.
Irreversibly.
And honestly?
People feared irreversible change more than death sometimes.
Lucien exhaled slowly.
"We leave before dawn."
I blinked.
"Excuse me?"
The commander looked directly at me.
"You cannot remain in Erald."
Chief Rowan immediately stepped forward.
"But—"
"The village becomes a permanent target otherwise," Lucien interrupted firmly.
Rowan fell silent.
Because again...
the commander wasn’t wrong.
Elena frowned slightly.
"The shrine still requires protection."
"The Eternal Light will station knights temporarily."
Several villagers visibly relaxed hearing that.
Religious military presence apparently inspired safety here.
Personally?
Armored church soldiers mostly inspired future paperwork.
But different cultures, I guess.
Dorian crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"And Kaiser?"
Lucien’s golden eyes remained on me.
"The council will demand direct evaluation."
That sounded deeply unpleasant.
The prophet suddenly laughed softly again.
"You think chains can restrain evolving concepts?"
Lucien ignored her completely.
Interesting.
Maybe because she was right.
Honestly, the more I learned about this authority...
the less controllable it sounded.
That worried me immensely.
The blue core pulsed again.
Softer this time.
Almost tired.
Same honestly.
Elena finally released my arm slowly.
Her fingers lingered slightly longer than necessary.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous for my mental stability.
She looked toward Lucien.
"I’ll accompany him."
The commander frowned immediately.
"That complicates matters politically."
"I wasn’t asking."
Oh.
That tone again.
Sharp.
Confident.
Honestly attractive in extremely inconvenient ways.
Lucien studied her silently for several seconds.
Then sighed quietly.
"...Lady Seraphine already anticipated this possibility."
Interesting.
Elena didn’t look surprised.
The commander continued—
"The shrine goddess granted temporary approval."
So Seraphine really had been planning ahead.
Smart goddess.
Dorian suddenly smiled faintly.
"Well."
Everyone looked toward him.
The merchant adjusted his coat calmly.
"Since we’re apparently beginning a politically dangerous journey involving unstable divine authorities..."
His eyes glinted slightly.
"...I suppose I’ll join too."
Lucien stared blankly.
"You volunteer for this?"
Dorian shrugged casually.
"Potential future profits remain enormous."
There it is.
Businessman priorities remained undefeated.
Honestly?
Respect.
The prophet smiled knowingly.
"The merchant follows changing eras."
Dorian bowed slightly.
"I prefer surviving them."
Fair.
Very fair.
Thunder rolled again overhead.
The dark sky above Erald slowly began clearing as storm clouds drifted apart.
For the first time tonight, moonlight touched the ruined village square.
Silver light illuminated broken stone.
Flickering shrine flames.
And frightened villagers watching from afar.
I looked around slowly.
Everything had changed so quickly.
A week ago I was an ordinary man from Earth.
Now ancient prophets spoke about me like some world-changing disaster waiting to happen.
And somewhere beyond reality itself—
the original God of Technology might still exist.
Watching.
Waiting.
The thought sent chills through me.
The prophet suddenly spoke one final time before turning away.
"He already knows."
My heartbeat stopped briefly.
I looked toward her sharply.
"...Who?"
The old woman smiled sadly beneath the moonlight.
"The one whose throne you inherited."
