There has always been a variety of Gods.
No pantheon had an absolute god. There was always a catch or a specific requirement for each position of the gods.
Though, I suppose the ones from beyond are an exception.
But, in the end, it comes down to the fact that each god has a specific role that they cannot leave.
Or better yet, one that they can't afford to leave.
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It has been many years since Nerval left Uruk. He did not have a specific destination in mind, but he still knew where he must go to find his answer and accomplish another agenda while he was at it.
From the knowledge he gained upon birth, Nerval believed was getting close to a mountain called Olympus, where the Greek gods reside. He was currently on one of the islands at the edges of the land.
The place he was walking appeared to be a mixture of a forest and the ruins of an old temple ground. While there were no buildings, there were plenty of pillars and handmade stone constructs such as seats and walls.
Nerval was looking around, taking in the odd scenery of the place while also searching for something. He was not only looking for a purpose this time, but something different.
Looking upwards, he searched the ones from beyond again, ignoring their agitated looks, and as he feared, one of them was missing. He doubted that they died, for he believed 'death' was a very mundane concept for their kind.
Nerval stopped looking upwards when he sensed the existence of a divine being close by. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he didn't believe that he was close enough to Olympas to see any of the gods yet.
Once he reached the source of the divine aura, he found a young girl, appearing almost young enough to be passed off as a child, sitting on one of the ruins, humming while swinging her legs back and forth.
She had long, bright purple hair tied into pigtails. She was wearing a somewhat transparent white dress with exotic patterns. Her hands and legs were covered with silver jewellery, and her eyes looked an odd pale purple.
"Oh my," the young girl stopped her humming as she saw Nerval, looking at him with a tilted head. "Did Meduseless let one in? Honestly, I can't leave her alone for a moment," she said, shaking her head.
Nerval merely raised an eyebrow at what the girl said, confused at what she was talking about. He can sense divinity from her, despite it being rather weak, but it was definitely the mark of a divine being.
"Oh well, I guess I have to punish her later," the girl shrugged her shoulders. She then put a hand on her chin and smiled. "Now, why don't you kill yourself?" The way she said it was that of a command rather than a question.
Nerval felt an aura pass through him, but it was easily ignored. Then he understood what the girl was doing. She was using her divine authority to make him follow her command, which meant her authority was akin to commanding others.
"Your authority does not work on me," Nerval commented sternly, ready to fight the girl should she keep showing hostility.
The girl's eyes widen and fear starts creeping up her face. However, she seemed to relax a moment later. "Oh, I see. You're a god, aren't you?" She asked and Nerval nodded. "Ah, that explains it. Your weird presence hid that from me. I don't recognise you, though."
"I do not come from the Greek Pantheon or any of their gods' bloodlines," Nerval explained. While he had no reason to answer the girl, but he preferred to keep things civil if possible.
"I assume you just happened to be here while travelling?" There was a hopeful tone hidden in her voice, and she visibly relaxed when Nerval nodded in confirmation. "Oh, you should have said sooner. Honestly, making a goddess worry," she commented while shaking her head.
Nerval can tell the girl was obviously hoping that he didn't come for her, especially when her divine authority failed. While he was curious, he was not here to question the girl, though he did have a different question in mind.
"Did you notice anything odd around here?" He asked suddenly.
The girl raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in curiosity and confusion. "What do you mean by 'odd'?" She asked.
"I am searching for something-"
"Something? Not someone?" The girl again seemed tense as she cut him off with her own question.
Nerval shook his head. "What I am searching for cannot be considered a person," he explained and the girl seemed to relax again. "I am trying to return it to where it belongs. As such, I am wondering if you noticed anything odd or strange around here."
The girl put a hand on her chin and began thinking. She hummed while looking upwards and stayed that way for a few minutes before finally looking back at him. "Other than the stars at night looking a little out of place, I can't think of anything. Though it is a very small change of locations, so I don't believe anyone who doesn't gaze at the stars as much as I do noticed," she explained.
"That is normal for the appearance of one of their kind," Nerval sighed and the girl looked even more confused and curious.
Looking upwards, he looked at the place where one of those from beyond was missing. The one that is always sleeping was not there, and his appearance in this realm was bound to cause the constellations in the sky to be off.
With a sigh, the god of nothingness looked back at the girl. "Thank you. I now know that I am on the right path. I will leave now and hopefully not disturb you again," he said to the girl.
The young goddess was about to say something when Nerval's eyes suddenly darted to the trees around them as the sound of rattling chains reached his ears. A scythe quickly and surprisingly flew towards him from within the forest.
Nerval easily caught the incoming scythe. His power of the void made sure that the blade does not pierce his skin. Looking at the handle, he saw a set of chains that led to somewhere in the forest
A figure suddenly jumped up from the trees and fell down, heading straight for void god. Using the same arm he caught the scythe with, he blocked an incoming kick from the mysterious attacker.
The figure jumped over him and stood between and the goddess he was speaking to while pulling the chains of her scythe, causing it to leave Nerval's grasp and fly to her hands.
Finally getting a look at his attacker, Nerval raised an eyebrow at seeing a girl incredibly identical to the one he was speaking to with some notable difference.
The girl that attacked him appeared physically older, but her eyes seemed more immature. She was wearing a black dress and hood instead of a white dress like the other one, and her hair was tied into a braid instead of ponytails.
"Elder sister, please get behind me!" The attacker instructed. While Nerval was confused on why she was apparently the younger one, he didn't voice it and simply got ready for battle as the girl entered a battle stance. "I won't let you hurt he- ow! Ow! Ow!"
Whatever tension had built up was now shattered as the goddess Nerval was speaking to started pulling on her apparent younger sister's cheek while standing beside her, causing her to drop her battle stance and start helplessly flailing her arms.
"Dear me, Meduseless, can you really not read the mood?" The 'elder sister' sighed in annoyance, pinching the other girl's cheek even harder. "He's not here for any 'Gorgon'. He's just lost. And we were having a civil discussion before you showed up."
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The 'younger sister' cried out the best she can with her cheek being pulled while flailing her arms. "Please forgive me!".
The 'elder sister' sighed and let go of the younger's cheek. "Well, guess I'll have to think of a punishment for you now," the older one commented while the younger was nursing her cheek. "Now, are you leaving now that you have what you want?"
"One last question," Nerval stated and the girl raised an eyebrow of confusion. "You... are a goddess, correct?"
"A goddess?" The 'Elder sister' chuckled. "It's been some time since someone called me that instead of Gorgon," she whispered to herself. "Correct, I am a Goddess," she answered.
Nerval took a breath and looked down. "Tell me... what is it like to be a diety?" He asked.
The girl looked visibly confused, while her 'younger sister' appeared comfortable to let her do all the talking. "Aren't you a god yourself?" The 'elder sister' asked.
"I was born different," the void god looked back at the two girls, and the younger one seemed to take interest in what he was saying. "I was... born without purpose, without people to rule, or anything else. As such, I would like to know, what is it like to be a deity?"
The girl looked at him for a moment before she started chuckling, which eventually turned into laughter. "Hehe...Hahaha! A god born for nothing! Is this a joke? Or are you just defective? Hahaha!" She said between her laughs.
"E-Elder sister!?" The younger one seemed shocked at her sibling's choice of words, while she simply kept laughing.
Nerval did not feel insulted. He had nothing to prove to the girl. Defective or not, he was still a god, and that was a fact. So, he saw no reason to react to the girl's laughter.
"But that's not a bad thing," the elder sister said as she got her laughter under control. She looked upwards and gazed at the sky. "To be a god Unbound by their authority or duty... I actually envy you," she confessed before shaking her head and looking back at Nerval. "I can't give you that answer. All gods are different. Even if there are gods who are born of the same authority, they would be fundamentally different at their core. I do not believe any god can tell you how to be one," she explained to him.
Nerval looked down, thinking about the answer he received, with a sigh. He nodded to the girl. "Thank you again. I will leave and bother you no longer."
The girl simply nodded as she and her 'younger sister' watched Nerval turn around and walk away. He now knew he was on the right path, so he simply had to keep looking for the one that is always sleeping.
The Void god simply kept walking until he reached the edge of the ruins and there were just trees. Before he passed by the final ruin, he looked back. "Are you planning to keep following me?" He asked. From the top of the trees jumped down the 'younger sister'. She looked at Nerval but did nothing else. "Do you plan to attack me again?"
The girl shook her head. "No... I... I want to thank you," Nerval raised an eyebrow, showing his confusion. "Elder sister... she did not laugh much after we started living on these Isles. Seeing her laugh again... was nice... so thank you," she said with obvious gratitude despite her rather apathetic look.
"You have no reason to thank me, for it was never my intention to make her laugh," Nerval said. He did not give the girl a chance to say anything else before he started walking again.
The void god did not sense the girl following him anymore. He believed that it was either because she had nothing else to say or because she simply couldn't go past the ruins.
He could not bring himself to care at the moment. He had more important things to be concerned about. If he was right about his suspicions that the one that is always sleeping is appearing in this world, then everything in this realm was in danger.
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Divine authority.
It is something all deities are born with. There is no god or goddess without a form of divine authority.
Depending on the level of divinity, a deity might be able to do anything related to their authority.
Yet, I wonder what purpose does a god whose authority is literally 'nothing' can serve.
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Nerval sighed in mild annoyance. Waiting for a long period of time was never a concern for him, but he's been going in circles without much help in finding what he was looking for.
He was currently in one of the deeper parts of the forest near Olympus. Still not close enough to enter the mountain itself. He believed his nature and connection to nothingness should make sure that none of the gods can sense his presence, which is a good thing for he had no interest in meeting any of them at the moment.
Nerval stopped as he saw something in the forest. A dead deer. Normally, he would have passed without batting an eye, but the deer had an arrow in their chest, which means that it was killed by someone, not something.
Nerval raised an eyebrow in interest. He did not believe there were any human villages near this place, so it could not be one. And he doubted the gods themselves would spend their time hunting for a simple deer.
Kneeling down to get a closer look, Nerval narrowed his eyes. The arrow was obviously shot at incredible accuracy. He can see that it passed between the ribs and managed to pierce the heart directly.
"I hope you're not planning to take my hunt," someone said, causing the void god to look over his shoulder to see someone walk towards him from between the trees.
It was a man with a large body, heavily muscled, short brown hair, and simple clothes made of animal pelts. His eyes stood out for looking rather normal and somewhat small for a person of his size.
In his hands were two weapons. One was a large club, the other was an odd bow with a string made of light. The latter one implying that he was the one who shot the arrow.
"Awe, I was hoping for a woman when I realised someone was here," the large man sighed in disappointment.
Nerval ignored that comment. "I suppose this is your catch?"
"Yeah, that's right," the man said putting his knuckles on his hips. "I can share some with you if you want, but I got to ask, what are you doing in Arty's territory?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow. "This place should be off-limits to anyone but me and Arty's huntresses."
"I was not aware that this area was owned by any god," Nerval stood up and turned to face the man. He doubted this forest would be owned by any humans, for it was too far from where they usually placed their territory.
"Oh, I guess you're not from here then?" The man asked and Nerval nodded. "That explains it. This area is owned by the goddess Artemis, and only me and her huntresses are allowed here. Males are especially not allowed here."
"And how are you here then?" Nerval asked, the person in front of him both being a male and an exception to that rule.
"Ah, me and Arty are pretty close!" The man said with pride filling his voice.
"And where is this 'Arty' at the moment?" Nerval asked again.
The man sighed and scratched his head. "She was called for some meeting between the gods. Something about the stars becoming strange."
"So they're getting closer," Nerval whispered to himself. The one that always appears sleeping getting closer means that finding them should be easy soon, he just needed to wait.
"Well, anyway, would you like some?" The man said, motioning to the deer.
Nerval shook his head. "No, I appreciate the offer. You have good aim," he said as he stepped aside as the man walked forward and knelt to the deer.
The man chuckled. "Hehe, thanks. I take pride in my archery," he said as he pulled out a handmade knife. "I'm Orion, what's your name?"
"Nerval," the void god replied. He had gotten used to referring to this name as his own after so long from when Gilgamesh gave him the name.
"Well, what brings you to this part of this forest?" Orion asked as he began to use the knife to cut the deer. "I was hunting, obviously, so what's your story?"
"I'm looking for something," Nerval simply replied. Standing still as he watched Orion.
"Oh, what is it? Maybe I can help you find it. I have pretty good eyes on me," the large man said as he looked at Nerval from the deer.
"Believe me, if you had seen it, you would know what it is," Nerval replied, which confused Orion, but he just shrugged and went back to the deer.
"Well, you seem like a pretty nice guy, so seriously why not stay for a short meal," Orion impressively already finished skinning the deer and cutting out the meat, surprising Nerval at the speed of such a flawless work. "I'd prefer a woman, but a man is still better than no company at all."
Nerval sighed and nodded. "Very well," he replied. He had no reason to decline, and the best option to find the one from beyond would be to simply wait for them to come close to this realm so that he can finally sense their presence.
Orion smiled and stood up. He walked close to one of the trees and gave it a strong punch. Nerval raised an eyebrow as he saw the tree easily fall down to the ground with a dent on where Orion punched it, showing the man's size was not just for show.
It wasn't long until Nerval and Orion were sitting on the tree that the latter knocked down. Orion had started a fire in order to cook the meat and both of them were currently sitting in silence watching over the fire as the meat cooked.
The silence was broken by Orion. "So... You don't seem like the average human," he commented.
"I am no human, but a god," Nerval immediately replied.
"A god from another country? now that's something I haven't seen before," Orion chuckled. "So, what are you a god of?" he asked.
"Nothing," Nerval replied, just as quickly as with the previous question.
"Seriously?" Orion looked from the fire to the void god. "You have to be the god of something. You're not really a god otherwise," the large man explained, knowing about the process on how divinities are born.
"I was born from nothing with no purpose, people to rule, or even a place to belong," Nerval explained as he turned his head upwards, looking at the realm beyond existence. "All I know is that I am a god, a divinity of nothing."
Orion raised an eyebrow before simply shrugging his shoulders and looking back at the fire. "All divinities have a reason to exist. Maybe you just haven't found yours yet. Arty has her share of divinities to deal with, and they sometimes bother her, so you should feel lucky you don't have that burden yet," he said before pulling the meat back from the fire and giving Nerval his share before they began eating.
"Daaaarling!" a loud, feminine voice yelled out from the sky. "Where are yoooooou! I can hear someone else with you, and it better not be another woman again!" the voice called out in anger.
Nerval looked upwards in curiosity while Orion panicked. "It's not! It really isn't!" the large man yelled out to the sky.
"There you are!" from the sky floated down a large silver bow with a woman sitting on it.
The woman had long snow-white hair that had red tips. She was wearing an exotic white and red dress with some silver jewellery. She had pale blue eyes that settled on Orion instantly without even passing a glance at Nerval.
To the Void God's surprise, the woman didn't even wait for the bow to get close to the ground, and instead jumped straight towards Orion. "Wait!" The large man yelled before he was tackled to the ground, off the fallen tree he was sitting on.
Nerval looked at where Orion and the women fell and he was surprised to see Orion being held in a chokehold by the woman from behind. "I swear, if I as much smell another woman on you!" the woman said tightening her hold.
"A-Arty... we h-have a g-guest," Orion struggled to get out while tapping the ground with his hand as a sign of surrendering.
"A guest?" the woman finally seemed to notice Nerval while ignoring that Orion's face was turning blue. "Ah, why didn't you say so!" the woman finally let go of Orion before standing up and adjusting her dress. "Nice to meet you, I'm Artemis, the goddess of hunt," the woman enthusiastically introduced herself.
"I am Nerval, the god of nothing," the void god returned the introduction while standing up from the fallen tree.
"God of... nothing?" Artemis seemed confused before she realized something. "Ah, you're a god from a different country? what are you doing in my territory?" she asked, tilting her head.
"He said.... he was looking for something," Orion said between heavy breaths, rubbing his still sore throat.
"Oh, what are you looking for?" Artemis asked.
Before Nerval can reply, he heard a sound that was a combination of a screech and a roar in his head. His eyes widen as he looked away from Orion and Artemis, who appeared confused at his sudden behavior, showing that they didn't hear the sound themselves.
"So... it finally showed a sign," Nerval mumbled to himself before looking back at the two. "It seems what I am looking for is not in this forest. I thank you for your hospitality, Orion, but I must leave," Nerval said, looking at the large man as he stood up.
"You're leaving already?" Orion asked.
"What I am looking for cannot be delayed," Nerval said before looking at Artemis. "But, I would like to ask you... what is it like to be a deity?" Artemis seemed totally caught off guard. "As I said, I am a god of nothing, as such, I do not know how it feels like to be a god like other deities, so can you please answer me."
Artemis clapped her hands together and hummed in thought for a moment. "To be honest... I don't know how to answer that," she said, looking down. "We gods might be generally built the same, but we're fundamentally different deep down. Even if two gods came from the same divine authority, they would still most likely be different. I can only give you my personal opinion on what it's like to be a god, but I can't tell you what it should be for you, and I don't think any god can either."
"I see," Nerval sighed, taking in Artemis' answer. While it wasn't exactly what he had hoped for, it was still insightful. "Thank you for answering, and thank you again for your hospitality, Orion, I will take my leave now."
With that, the Void god turned and began walking away. He finally knew where the one that always appears sleeping is, and he could not waste any more time. So, he had to put what Artemis said in the back of his head for now.
because, at the current moment, he had to deal with one of the Old Great Ones.
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A sense of duty.
I had always wondered if gods are born with it, or do they gain one over time like humans do.
while I was not born with one, I suppose I found one, or made one for myself.
keeping the ones from beyond from appearing here.