[Back To Shelf]
[Tumblr Post]
writing-prompt-s :
as you bring a sample of your crops to the temple of the harvest god, you and everyone nearby suddenly hear a telepathic childlike voice “um, I’m not sure how to tell you this, but your god kind of died…”
"Lucky for one of you, he never actually appointed a successor!! That means one of you gets to be the next one! I think..."
"Is that how it works?" Shouts a random villager.
"We don't really know. This is the first time this has actually happened and this was the best solution we could think of."
"How did he die?" "When did he die?"
"Well, he, um... We don't actually know. We just found his heart just sitting on the throne just half a moon ago, which means someone killed him, we think. That's how it works usually."
Silence, not even whispers are heard from the crowd of villagers. There are legends of people taking the place of gods, naturally, by consuming the heart of the one they wish to replace. This requires killing them, but this had different motivation, clearly.
"So, uhh..." The childlike voice, Yori, despite the telepathy, speaks with a very clearly shaky voice, "Whoever decides to, uh, investigate this, gets to be the next Decceo."
The villagers recognize the name, realizing that the one to step up would basically just be the god of their village, as well as harvest and whatnot. Decceo previously had been truly benevolent, especially to their village, and that is something that they would clearly want to continue. The person that needs to step up needs to be a good person, as well as not be scared of being murdered the same way. Not the most common thing.
Somehow, no one volunteers. Probably a good sign, but someone is still needed.
"Please, someone...?" Yori just sounds tired, rather than actually distraught. It is fear that prevents anyone from stepping up. "You were his favorite village, he spent the most time here, and I know for certain that you all are good. Good people. He loved you, not for nothing. And he made you perfect."
Still, no one wants to. They are scared. This sounds like the job of a legendary hero, not one of the farmers or bakers.
Doesn't anyone have any ambition? Is it going to be me? The one who is probably the most undeserving of the role? I don't mean because I doubt myself, or my skills, no. I am just a bad person. Likely my only redeeming quality is that I know that I am bad, which is the first step to fixing it. I have suffered very little in my life. My parents are the leaders of the town. I almost always get what I want, and I'm tired of it.
And I know that I can improve, this seems like a good opportunity to learn how to be a good person.
I want to be a good person.
So I stand tall, and shout,
"I'll do it!"
"Are you sure? It's an irreversible decision..." Yori warns me, reasonable warning.
"Yes." I walk forward, the crowd splitting around me. I get a weird look from some people.
"Y-Ok. Just step up to the pedestal, I can bring you up here if you truly think you're ready."
I step onto the pedestal,
And bright light surrounds me,
And the world disappears.
I think to myself, I remember the stories of powerful people from across the lands, and think about the legendary heroes, and I know that is not what I want to be. I don't want to cause wars, I don't want to fight in them. I am on my way to become what I want to be.
A god.
But I fear being corrupted by power. Maybe it is that fear that could prevent me from being corrupted? I already have been corrupted by less power. I treat people horribly already, a habit I cannot break.
I can figure it out. I deserve nothing, and I know that, but I get everything. I know it's unfair. And I feel bad about it. I don't want to be hated because I'm better off than others, so I will do what I can to fix that.
I don't know where I learned to feel bad.
I hope to learn how to make others feel better.
[
I spent like 15 minutes making sure Decceo and Yori aren't slurs or anything so I'm gonna be really angry if they actually are.
I'm pronouncing it "Deh-kay-oh". Because why not.
This seems like the kind of thing that would be perfect to turn into a full book. Maybe I will
Murder mystery with a character that feels bad for being rich, basically. With gods.
Maybe if I do make it you'll eventually find out what their name was before they became a god.
]