《How Gods are Born》


 1 - A Thousand Voices

    God...


    Since childhood, we grow up under the influence of religion, of a god, of a higher existence ruling over mortals.


    The fact is, sometimes things may not have a greater, divine meaning, and that frightens most of us... It¡¯s hard to accept that a tree is just a plant, the Earth is just a planet, the ant is just another insect, and man is nothing more than a thinking animal.


    This idea... This truth has terrified the greatest minds since the dawn of existence. Great scholars throughout the ages have consciously expressed their disdain for the concept of a God explaining creation and death; however, subconsciously, the fear of the unknown is something deeply rooted in every being.


    It took me years to reach this line of reasoning, and only minutes to prove I was completely wrong.


    Gabriel was going about his routine, as peaceful as ever, unaware that this day would mark his life forever. He had an ordinary life, nothing truly remarkable, just living day by day, paying his bills and wasting his money¡ªa truly insignificant existence. He always felt invisible to others, and in a way, he wasn¡¯t wrong. People walked past him without giving him a second look, and he was fine with that. There was a certain comfort in being ignored, a certain... "peace," and it was that which kept him alive that day.


    It all started with the sky.


    A deep, terrifying darkness covered the horizon and, in the blink of an eye, swallowed the sunlight entirely. At first, it seemed like a storm, but there were no clouds and no wind. Just an oppressive, unmoving darkness; it was like staring into an abyss, frightening.


    And before anyone could react, a voice... no, a thousand voices echoed across the world as one. It was as if the very heavens had come to life, speaking directly into the minds of every living being.


    ¡°The time has come. Peace has lasted long enough. A new pantheon must arise. Let chaos reign, and from the survivors, we shall choose our equals.¡±


    The voices were neither male nor female, human nor inhuman. They were something entirely different, a legion of countless beings speaking as one, their words vibrating through the earth, through the air, through Gabriel¡¯s very core. It was as if the whole world had paused at this proclamation.


    The silence that followed was more terrifying than the voices. For a moment, everything remained still: the people, the cars, even the wind. The world held its breath, waiting for the inevitable.


    Then the earth opened.


    Gabriel stumbled as the ground beneath his feet gave way, jagged fissures splitting through S?o Paulo¡¯s streets. Skyscrapers groaned, their foundations splitting, windows shattering as buildings swayed like leaves in a storm. People screamed, running in every direction, but there was no safe place, nowhere to go.


    From the open cracks in the earth, something emerged. It wasn¡¯t just one thing; it was several. Grotesque creatures seemed to come straight from the myths taught in school, something from the worst of nightmares.


    One of them was as large as a house, and it seemed only half of it had emerged; its form resembled a giant human, but coiled around its body were numerous black serpents moving about. Its red eyes were the only visible feature on its face, showing a complete lack of emotion.


    This ¡°being¡± grabbed a man trying to flee and brought him close. Screams and blood erupted as the man was torn apart piece by piece; this scene instilled even more despair in those who witnessed it.


    Humans were no longer the rulers of this world. Now, inexplicable, ancient, almost forgotten creatures were crawling to the surface. Some had too many limbs, others too many eyes; some had faces that seemed to twist and melt, as if reality itself refused to hold them in a coherent form.


    They were horrors beyond any explanation, beasts from a time before humanity had words to describe what lurked beyond the darkness.


    Gabriel froze, his mind struggling to grasp what he was seeing. These creatures moved with a purpose: to kill. But, fortunately, none of them noticed him. They destroyed the city, tearing apart buildings, vehicles, and people with equal indifference, but Gabriel remained invisible to their eyes. He was insignificant¡ªbeneath any attention.


    It wasn¡¯t that he was being spared. It wasn¡¯t that he had been chosen for something greater. He was simply irrelevant, background noise in this great turmoil.


    Above him, the now completely dark sky began to take on unnatural hues¡ªpurple, black, and crimson¡ªcolors that seemed to bleed into each other. It was no longer just twilight; it was as if the fabric of the world was being rewritten into something never seen before. The trembling sun was swallowed by the abyss; the light emanating from the sky had no warmth, only a blood-red glow that bathed the ruins of what once was a thriving city.


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    Gabriel took time, but he escaped the creatures along with others. He heard pleas for help as others were torn apart in the mouths of beings resembling wolves, though only in form, as they were shadows that seemed to have taken this shape solely to enjoy the hunt. The only visible thing was their blood-stained mouths, where there were remnants of what had once been a man.


    These beings made no distinction between man or woman; even children were not spared. Piercing, ear-splitting screams echoed from every direction.


    Gabriel ran for his life; he saw people who had already given up. One of them took out a gun and shot himself, and his body was spared no dignity by those creatures.


    Gabriel found the remains of a building during his escape and squeezed under it; now he could no longer see the chaos. The screams continued for hours as he prayed not to be found. There was a huge chance of being crushed alive amidst the chaos, which would be a far better death than what awaited him outside.


    He slept, not knowing for how long. Hunger consumed him more and more. Maybe he wasn¡¯t going to be crushed or eaten right now, but he would certainly die of starvation.


    Deciding to venture outside, he now walked among the wreckage, finally seeing what had become of his city. A once bustling metropolis, now a graveyard of twisted steel and broken concrete. The air was thick with the smell of burnt flesh and decay, the streets littered with the bodies of those who hadn¡¯t been fortunate enough to escape the initial wave of destruction.


    But it wasn¡¯t just the destruction that haunted Gabriel. It was the silence. A city once filled with the constant hum of life was now eerily quiet, except for the occasional distant roar of a creature or the unsettling whisper of the wind through ruined buildings.


    Amidst the wreckage, he heard sounds of what seemed to be human¡ªcrying, and even whispers:


    ¡°If you don¡¯t shut up, I¡¯ll be the one to kill you.¡±


    Gabriel had no time to worry about others; his biggest concern at the moment was himself.


    Days passed in a blur. Gabriel, still ignored and untouched by the horrors around him, wandered through the ruins, collecting the little food and water he could find. The world had become something different, something unrecognizable. It wasn¡¯t just S?o Paulo; it was everywhere. Whispers from survivors he encountered spoke of the same chaos unleashed everywhere; those who tried to venture somewhere else in search of safety ended up dead before they could get far.


    At this point, people were not yet accustomed to this new era of chaos. Monstrous storms of fire and lightning ravaged entire continents, while rising seas swallowed whole cities. From the depths of the earth, ancient creatures now roamed the surface once more. Beasts that had slumbered for ages were now awakened, drawn by the call of the gods.


    In his wanderings, Gabriel saw places where the very fabric of reality seemed to have completely ruptured¡ªplaces where time flowed differently, where the laws of physics no longer applied. These were dimensions of madness, where those who ventured in never returned.


    Amid all this chaos, Gabriel began to notice something more. It wasn¡¯t just that the monsters ignored him. The world itself seemed indifferent to his existence. He could cross a battlefield where indescribable beings fought one another, and no one would glance at him twice. He was invisible¡ªnot because of any divine protection, but because he was insignificant in the grand scheme of things.


    It was this insignificance that kept him alive. Gabriel quickly learned that survival in this new world required cunning. Brute force was useless against creatures that could tear apart tanks with a single swipe of their claws.


    He began to explore the ruins of what was once S?o Paulo, searching for anything that might give him an advantage. He avoided the monsters as best he could, slipping through the shadows of the ruined city like a ghost. It was during one of these incursions that he encountered something truly terrifying¡ªa creature from myths and movies he had seen as a child: a Hydra.


    The creature, with all its heads, was enormous and terrifying, its black scales covering its entire body. At the moment, it seemed to be sleeping, but even so, it looked like an insurmountable mountain. Each time it exhaled from any of its mouths, a greenish, toxic air was expelled.


    At first, Gabriel was paralyzed, terror-stricken, but realizing the risk he was taking by staying there, he quickly fled without alerting the creature.


    To his relief, Gabriel stumbled upon a small store that appeared to still have food. Looking in from the outside, it seemed untouched, which was unusual in times like these. His hunger and excitement overrode his caution, and he entered without much thought.


    This was his worst decision yet. Inside the store, there were at least a dozen creatures that resembled wolves, their forms made of gray smoke, giving them the appearance of mirages. They were larger than an average person, comparable in size to a horse.


    Gabriel ran, fleeing as he¡¯d never done before. Whether it was the best choice is uncertain, but his retreat seemed to ignite the hunting instinct in these creatures, who now pursued him relentlessly.


    Gabriel used his smaller size to his advantage, slipping through narrow spaces, but he couldn¡¯t lose the creatures. Remembering the Hydra, he headed back to where it had been, as it seemed his only hope. Yet, to his despair, where the Hydra once lay, there was now only a carcass; three of its heads lay lifeless, and the rest of the creature was nowhere to be seen.


    Breathless from the relentless chase, Gabriel had no time to think or draw conclusions. He hid in the most unlikely place¡ªhe crawled into one of the severed Hydra heads, hoping it would mask his scent. But he¡¯d forgotten one crucial detail: the Hydra was a venomous creature. Gabriel was wearing thick clothes, which offered some protection, but they soon began to melt away, and his exposed skin started to burn upon contact with the Hydra¡¯s blood.


    Gabriel couldn¡¯t bring himself to choose between being devoured or burned alive, so he remained where he was. His clothes had already disintegrated into rags, and the pain of being burned alive slowly stripped away his sanity. He wanted to scream but held back, afraid of being found, until finally, as if his mind wanted to put an end to his suffering, he passed out.

 2 - A god cannot sin

    Darkness¡­


    It was all that could be seen, no matter where he looked. If you stretched out your hand, you would know where it was but wouldn¡¯t be able to see it.


    An immeasurable void¡ªthat was the place Gabriel found himself in. He couldn¡¯t remember how he ended up there; it simply made no sense. But before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, a light appeared.


    A faint light came from a candle nearby, resting atop a table with an old man behind it. His clothes were tattered, his face lined with prominent wrinkles, his sunken eyes revealing his age, and his skeletal frame teetered on the edge of his final breath.


    Breaking the silence that had lingered until then, the old man spoke:


    - ¡°We are very unfair to God. We don''t even allow him to sin.¡±


    - "Excuse me?" ¨C Gabriel replied, confused.


    - ¡°It¡¯s Nietzsche... You must know him¡­¡± ¨C said the old man


    - ¡°First, why don¡¯t you sit down?¡± ¨C he added, gesturing toward a chair.


    Gabriel watched the man cautiously, hesitating before making any movement. The old man¡¯s appearance and demeanor didn¡¯t seem threatening, but Gabriel still felt unsure. Not understanding where he was or how to leave, Gabriel slowly approached, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he decided to sit down.


    Before Gabriel could ask anything, the old man anticipated his question:


    - ¡°A dream... You will wake up soon; don¡¯t worry. I just want to talk a bit, for now¡­¡± ¨C The old man sighed calmly, then continued ¨C ¡°What do you think Nietzsche meant by that phrase?¡±


    Gabriel pondered. Everything seemed illogical at the moment¡ªquestions without meaning, he thought. But the old man¡¯s gaze encouraged him to answer.


    - "It¡¯s an ironic phrase, considering recent events..." ¨C Gabriel mused, reflecting on all he had endured. ¨C ¡°This phrase just makes me think about how humans interpret everything to suit their convenience¡­ Gods are supposed to be perfect¡ªor so people believed¡ªand we¡¯ve conveniently molded that concept to fit our own moral limitations, dictating what they can or cannot do.¡±


    Gabriel paused, looking at the old man, who seemed to read his mind and finished the monologue with him:


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    - ¡°God is not dead just because we are alive.¡±


    The old man chuckled.


    - ¡°You¡¯re on the right path¡­ Just because the gods don¡¯t favor humanity doesn¡¯t mean life has no meaning¡­¡± ¨C The old man stood up gently, smiling as he looked at Gabriel, who didn¡¯t fully grasp what he was saying.


    The old man raised his hands calmly, still smiling.


    - "In that case, I don¡¯t intend to disturb you, at least for now." ¨C With a final smile, the old man clapped, and everything went dark once more.


    Gabriel woke up. He was unexpectedly seated at a table in what seemed like a restaurant, or the ruins of one. His clothes were different from before¡ªit made no sense. Gabriel had many questions but no one to answer them. And now wasn¡¯t the time for contemplation.


    Outside the small restaurant, there seemed to be some commotion. He heard people shouting.


    - ¡°Surround him and don¡¯t let him escape!¡± ¨C Gabriel could clearly hear the words, which felt oddly strange.


    - ¡°Aaaah, die, you damn mutt!¡± ¨C someone shouted.


    Gabriel left the restaurant and headed towards the sound of the commotion. It wasn¡¯t close¡ªhe ran for about five minutes to get there. He arrived to see several people surrounding what looked like a white wolf. It was noticeably different from the wolves that had pursued him before; not only was it white, but it was also considerably smaller. On another side, Gabriel saw a woman wielding a traffic sign against another of the wolves. He stood there, static, questioning if he was seeing things right. The sign still had "Stop" written on one side¡ªan unexpected sight, to say the least.


    The woman fought the wolf, swinging the metal post as if it were an axe or something similar. The ease with which she wielded it was as impressive as the fact that she was using it as a weapon¡ªsomething he hadn¡¯t expected to see, even in an apocalypse. She was about a handspan shorter than Gabriel, who stood at 5¡¯8¡±. Her crimson hair, an unnatural shade of red, highlighted her pale skin and full lips. Though she wore baggy clothing, Gabriel concluded she must be quite toned judging by her physical prowess.


    Snapping Gabriel out of his trance, the woman missed one of her swings with the improvised weapon, and the wolf seized the opportunity to sprint toward its companion, breaking the circle and attacking the men surrounding it. The wolf now faced one last obstacle to reach its companion¡ªGabriel. Everything happened too quickly. Before he could react, the wolf had already bitten one of his hands clean off. Gabriel''s scream was sharp, a shriek filled with pain so intense that anyone hearing it would feel it deeply. The woman, who had been fighting the wolf, witnessed the entire scene. She ran at the creature, taking advantage of its landing from the last attack, and before it could reach its companion, she swiftly finished it off. She gave Gabriel a quick glance, a look filled with remorse, then moved to confront the remaining wolf.


    The pain from his severed hand had already lessened considerably, but it was still something beyond anything Gabriel had ever felt¡ªeven worse than being melted inside the Hydra¡¯s head.


    With the woman¡¯s arrival, the wolf was ''easily'' killed after about ten more minutes. During this time, Gabriel took the opportunity to flee. He didn¡¯t understand what was happening. His hand, which had been bitten off, was slowly regenerating. The bone was growing back, followed by the ligaments, veins, and eventually, the flesh. Gabriel didn¡¯t know what had happened while he was unconscious, but one thing was certain: he was no longer the same. He was no longer human.

 3 - Who am I?

    Some time had passed since the incident, and Gabriel¡¯s hand was now intact. He could still feel a residual pain from the bite¡ªit could actually be described more correctly as a memory.


    And at this moment, he was sitting in a dark room. He had searched for a long time until he could find a place that offered a certain level of safety. Of course, he couldn¡¯t completely let his guard down, but it was enough to finally get some rest.


    Once he relaxed his body, his mind was flooded with questions that he hadn¡¯t given importance to until now. For instance, what fuck had happened to his body? Or what kind of being was strong enough to kill that Hydra?


    The first question could be answered by putting a few things together: Gabriel hiding inside the Hydra, the abnormal healing ability¡ªhe didn¡¯t even need to be a detective to figure that out. But how he exited the Hydra¡¯s head or why he had acquired the ability was still a mystery, and no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t reach a logical answer.


    - ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time with unnecessary questions...¡± - The same old man who had appeared in his dreams now stood before him, but now in the real world.


    - ¡°Is this a dream?¡± - Gabriel asked, observing the old man. It was clear that his appearance had changed. He no longer looked as frail, as if his body was on the verge of collapse, and he seemed to have lost a few of his excessive years. He was leaning near a window with a sarcastic expression in response to the question and scoffed.


    - ¡°What do you think?¡± Gabriel didn¡¯t know how to answer, and there was silence for a few minutes before the old man continued.


    - ¡°You¡¯re proving yourself to be more incompetent than I imagined... It¡¯s truly difficult watching you go around in circles.¡± - Gabriel felt some resentment at the old man¡¯s statements and replied.


    - ¡°Who are you, anyway?¡± - As he spoke, Gabriel stood up, moving toward him in a hostile manner. In response, the old man just shook his head and sighed.


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    Gabriel was confused by the old man¡¯s calmness despite his attempt to threaten him. He could hear the old man murmuring something, but  he couldn¡¯t understand clearly.


    - ¡°What should I do? It¡¯s still too early to take control...¡± - Changing the situation entirely, the old man raised his head, his eyes now black. Before Gabriel could understand what was happening, the old man thrust his hand, claw-like, toward Gabriel¡¯s chest. His hand pierced the flesh, he was aiming for his heart. Gabriel thought he was getting used to painful situations, but this was completely unexpected, something truly unforeseen. He could feel something wrapping around his heart. Tears now streamed down his face; the hostility was gone from Gabriel¡¯s expression, leaving only tears and fear of death. There was no dignity left.


    - ¡°First... fix that attitude before addressing to me again.¡± - The old man tightened his grip slightly around Gabriel¡¯s heart, and he felt as if something in his chest was about to explode. - ¡°Now, you¡¯ll seek ways to strengthen yourself. Right now, you are pathetic; there¡¯s no sign of divinity, not even dignity.¡± The old man¡¯s tone grew more threatening with each word.


    - ¡°And you evenq ask who I am.¡± - And with that, he partially squeezed Gabriel¡¯s heart.


    His legs gave out, his eyes lost focus as fluids dripped from his orifices. Before he could fall to the ground, the old man held him upright by the shoulder, and while wiping his hand, which had just been on Gabriel¡¯s heart, on his clothes, the old man murmured again:


    - ¡°I am you, idiot!¡± - A shocking revelation, of which Gabriel was unaware, as he had already lost consciousness long before.


    When he woke up, Gabriel could still clearly remember what had happened. He imagined everything to be just a dream, as there was no wound on his body, but his clothes made it clear that it hadn¡¯t been a dream. Remembering what had happened, Gabriel broke out in a cold sweat. This was... fear!


    Looking around the ruined room he was in, he saw words written in dried blood on the walls:


    ¡°You must seek the angel represented by this symbol!


    I¡¯m not very patient, so don¡¯t disappoint me again.¡±


    The drawn symbol... Gabriel knew it. Even more than that, the symbol was a summoning sigil. It was already uncomfortable to try and summon an angel¡ªthey were extremely dangerous. Gabriel had seen them disintegrate dozens of people who worshiped them ¡°in the name of the Lord.¡± And now Gabriel had been given a mission to go after one of them. But not just any angel, as the symbol belonged to the one known as "the Morning Star". Gabriel now had to seek an encounter with the devil himself.