The Architect’s POV:


    My real name is Artorius, named after my older brother, Aurelius. My parents gave him such a masculine name as a sign of respect.


    Born with golden eyes, my brother was believed to be a divine being by the villagers, and more importantly-my parents. They gave him the best clothes to wear, the best food to eat, and even the position of village chief. He did not disappoint them either. Skilled with the sword, he cut down many bandits and became champion in the annual tournament of strength at the young age of sixteen. Furthermore, he had a heart of gold and beautiful facial features to complement his golden eyes. His wonderful voice put many of the villagers under a trance as he sang. His charisma and humorous personality charmed many of the women and his eccentricities entertained the men. His list of achievements and amazing traits went on and on, so he was revered as a god by the villagers.


    I, on the other hand, was born without my brother’s golden eyes. I had average features and average strength, but if there was one thing I was better at than my brother, it was craftsmanship. I was, simply put, a genius at the art of crafting. I could understand blueprints easily, and spent most of my time in the workshop, planning and crafting weapons and boats. I was also quite intelligent, and had excellent grades, which were often better than my brother’s.


    The two of us worked hand in hand to bring the village peace. “Aurelius and Artorius- Aurelius the god, and Artorius the god’s right hand man!” The elderly always seemed to say that phrase in our presence, but it did not bother me in the slightest. Being the right hand man of a god! What honour that would be!


    Despite his positive traits, I, being the brother, knew of Aurelius’s negative traits as well. He often slept in, was loud, and liked to pick his nose when we were alone. But like many of the villagers, I turned a blind eye to them.


    There is one conversation with him I remember vividly. When we were six or seven, Aurelius asked me one day, “Am I a god?”


    Confused, I asked, “What is a god?”


    Aurelius scratched his chin, and after a few seconds answered thoughtfully, “I think…it’s like a really great guy that is super kind to you and will help you!”


    Ah, that did in fact sound like Aurelius.


    “Then that’s you, isn’t it?” I replied.


    “No… they say you must “love god”. But if I’m god like the old grannies say, then how do I love god?”


    “Love yourself? I think…” I scrunched up my eyebrows and answered.


    “But isn’t that like that word…narcis, narcicostic…”


    “It’s narcissistic. We learned it in class yesterday.” I said, ready to show off my knowledge.


    “Yeah! Narssisisistic!”


    I decided not to correct him and continued, “So…who do you think god is?”


    “If I need to “love god”, then…erm that’d be you…I guess, you’d be god…” he said softly.


    “Are you shy?”


    “No!”


    “Then what were you saying!”


    “I was, was…I was talking about mummy!”


    But I had heard him.


    ————————————————————


    When Aurelius was seventeen, he was given the title of village chief.


    I was doing pretty well too. I was regarded as the best craftsman in the village, and had a loving relationship with a beautiful girl, although we had not announced it.


    I had a great relationship with Aurelius, and we often talked and ate together. He showed me his swords skills often and even invented a new stance that baited the opponent in, and then with a powerful slash, would kill him. I marvelled at his skill.


    Yet everything changed when Aurelius turned eighteen. He was legally old enough to be married, and many fathers went to him to offer their daughters’ hand in marriage.


    My girlfriend was chosen to marry him.


    It couldn’t be helped, I thought. My brother’s status is far higher than me anyways, I thought.


    I numbed all feelings I had.


    On their wedding day, I refused to go to the ceremony, instead locking myself up in my workshop.


    Knock! Knock!


    Someone kept knocking at my door incessantly. “Knocking once is enough,” I grumbled as I got off my seat.


    “Open up and surrender!” A gruff voice shouted before I could open the door.


    “Who is it?” I instantly thought. “He sounded hostile.” I had not noticed it before, but there were silhouettes of people running as I looked through the curtains.  My workshop’s walls were partially soundproof to prevent the loud noises produced while I was working to disturb the others, and so I could not make out the screams of the many people outside my house. I had thought the noise was from the wedding.


    “Open up!”


    Dammit! Has the war spread here?


    “Open up! Or I’ll break this door down!” The gruff man threatened.


    My assistants were not with me as they were at the wedding and I was not good at fighting.


    Desperately, I took up a hammer and prepared myself beside the door.


    Impatiently, the man kicked down the door, and moved in, brandishing his sword.


    With my hammer, I quickly hit him in the stomach and he tumbled to the ground, moaning in pain.


    I didn’t even bother to grab his sword, which had fallen to the ground, and ran out of the workshop.


    I ran and ran and ran, avoiding the fire and the screams.


    I ran and ran and ran, not even thinking about Aurelius or my previous girlfriend.


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    I ran into the forest, adrenaline coursing through my veins.


    I ran for hours, and just as the morning sun rose, I tripped over a road and fell.


    My feet hurt so much, but the sun was so warm. It enveloped and embraced me so gently. Slowly, I stood up, and walked onwards. Coming out of the forest, there was a cliff. Standing on top of it, I could see miles away. On that cliff I realised something. My brother was gone from my life. On that cliff, in that moment, I realised what I was.


    I couldn’t stop laughing.


    I couldn’t explain it.


    I gazed at the sunrise, laughing maniacally.


    All my numbed feelings of inferiority, of pain, of envy towards my brother gushed out of my heart


    I had survived when my brother could not.


    What does that make me?


    That makes me what you said I am, brother.


    I am a god!


    “Artorius,” A voice inside my head spoke. “Congratulations on attaining the power of glitch.”


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    A few days later, I arrived at a city called Babylaind. The city faced constant attacks from invaders, the governors were on edge about the war.


    This place is perfect! I thought.


    After getting an audience with the governors. I promised them that I would protect the city and showed them by glitch-God’s plan.


    Over the next few years, I drove off all invaders using my glitch. Using a single dagger, I could control it from afar to cut off an army of invaders'' necks in an instantAs a result, the news spread that a legendary warrior was protecting Babylaind, and perhaps because of that, the war did not spread to this city.


    Over the next few decades, I worked tirelessly to improve this city, and in turn, I gained respect and power.


    One day, when I had just driven out the last of the invaders,  a man who looked to be in his fifties in a black hooded coat came up to me while I was punishing some criminals.


    He was fairly short, around 165cm, and had a large grin on his face.


    “Ohh, what a terrifying glitch,” he said, as he looked at me squeeze the criminals with their clothes using my glitch.


    “Say, how would you like to join the “Jokers”?


    And so, at the age of 31, I became the fifth joker.


    I was still exceptional at craftsmanship, and my glitch only helped to further my talent. In the span of forty years, I had become the saviour of Babylaind, and everyone dubbed me “The Architect”.


    The Architect always gave food to the beggars.


    The Architect donated fortunes to the poor.


    I gained the public’s support quickly through my acts of kindness.


    I truly had become a god.


    Yet…


    “You are not a god.”


    Why would you say that? Why would you discredit all my work?


    “You are not a god."


    Why, brother?


    My brother, with his golden eyes, stood before me.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    “Hello, Artorius.” He beamed. He had the same striking facial features, the same golden eyes, the same stature of the Aurelius on his wedding day-on the day I abandoned him.


    I looked around. Aurelius stood in front of me, and everything else was pure white. I was dressed in my grey clothes, the clothes I used to wear in the village. My body had also reverted to that of a young man.


    “Are you…his ghost?” I asked, my voice quivering. Ah, my voice was also lighter.


    “No, I’m just an illusion of him, a trick of your mind.” Aurelius said, yet his smile did not falter.


    “Then…there’s no point talking to you.” I got up on my feet.


    “Hey, don’t be like that,” Aurelius cried dramatically. “You’re hurting my precious feelings!”


    “Tsk. How do I get out of here?” I asked impatiently, walking away from Aurelius.


    “You can’t get out, you know!” he cried, his voice echoing. “It''s endless.”


    “Well that can’t be true, since your voice echoes.” I refuted, quite satisfied with my logical argument. "If it were endless, there wouldn''t be anything to reflect your voice."


    “You’re a smart one, aren’t you? It echoes because you think it echoes, and it will not echo if you don’t think it’ll echo.” Aurelius teased.


    I continued walking, not bothering to refute his illogical statement.


    I had been walking for a few minutes, yet Aurelius was still behind me.


    “Get off my back, would you?” I shouted.


    “Would you, would you, would you, would you…” Aurelius mockingly imitated an echo, with a clownish look on his face, his eyes open wide.


    “Seriously, what’s wrong with you?! I lashed out, unable to control my temper.


    Aurelius, acting shock, squealed.


    “Whatever,” I continued walking on.


    “Artorius,” Aurelius called out this time seriously.


    I stopped in my tracks and turned around apprehensively.


    “See, you respond when I call you Artorius. So why do you keep calling yourself a god?” he inquired.


    “Can’t I be Artorius the god?”


    “No, Artorius is Artorius, god is god. Honestly, you have so many names that it’s confusing! Saviour? That name doesn’t suit you at all!” he answered, shaking his head.


    “No.”


    “Hmm?”


    “NO, I AM A GOD! I’M A BETTER GOD THAN YOU WILL EVER BE!” I bellowed. “SHUT  UP ABOUT ARTORIUS, I DON’T GO BY THAT NAME ANYMORE!”


    “I ACHIEVED SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU! I SPENT MY ENTIRE LIVE SURPASSING YOU! DON’T ACT LIKE YOU’RE BETTER!”


    Tears streamed down my cheeks.


    “I AM A GOD! THEY SAID THAT THEMSELVES! I AM A GOD!”


    “Who said that you were a god?” Aurelius asked, tilting his head to one side.


    “The people…of Babylaind…” I answered, my voice getting softer.


    Why should I be scared? I''m correct!


    “I remember their nickname for you was "Saviour " or "The Architect” right? When did they ever call you “god”?” Aurelius asked.


    “I…But, based on what I’ve done…”


    “With a power bestowed upon you by some mysterious person? Maybe that person is a god, but you probably aren’t.”


    “No…you’re wrong,” I denied.


    “No, I’m not wrong,” he denied.


    “Why…” I gritted my teeth. “Why, why, why, why, why…”


    “WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS TO ME? WHY DO YOU KEEP DENYING ME? I SURPASSED YOU! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?”


    I sat down on my butt, looking straight at Aurelius.


    ‘LOOK! I’M SO… SORRY FOR ABANDONING YOU! BUT I WAS SCARED! I DIDN’T WANT TO DIE! I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY!”


    I covered my ears and shook my head.


    Then I felt a pair of warm arms embrace me.


    “No…I’m sorry for abandoning you,” he said softly into my ears.


    “I’m really sorry…”


    His voice started to break.


    “I’m sorry for outshining you, and I’m so sorry for taking your girlfriend. They let me choose a wife, but I chose her, despite knowing that she was your girlfriend!”


    Why was he crying? Why was he ranting?


    “I saw you two together, but I liked her too, and so I was so jealous, so I chose her. It’s probably my karma that caused the invasion! It’s my stupid fault!”


    I don’t care anymore.


    I should be the one apologising.


    I slowly brought my arms up to comfort him and hug him.


    “You aren’t, just an illusion, are you?” I asked.


    “No…I’m an illusion…” he protested, sniffling.


    …


    “Brother, I’m sorry for being the god you were supposed to be.” I tried to say something mature, but it came out wrong.


    Thus, there was no reply from Aurelius.


    Suddenly, I noticed that I had grown to my older self, “The Architect”.


    Looks like our time was almost up.


    If I wanted to say something, it had to be now.


    …


    Aurelius is my brother.


    “Brother, I love you!” In the end, I said something cheesy.


    “I love you too!” Aurelius replied, with large drops of tears streaming down his face


    I forgot that he used to be obsessed with cheesy dramas.


    But now, I understand.


    I am…not a god.