Free Web NovelChapter 1: Chapter 1: Awakening
The city of Aethergate had never been so crowded.
Floating ships drifted through the skies above the city while divine beasts soared between crystalline towers. Every inn, restaurant, and plaza overflowed with visitors.
Today was Awakening Day.
The day when eighteen-year-olds received their Divine Realms and began their journey toward godhood.
For ordinary people, it was the most important day of their lives.
For future gods, it was the first step toward immortality.
At the center of the city stood the Hall of Awakening.
Thousands of young men and women filled the enormous plaza surrounding it.
Some were excited.
Some were terrified.
Others prayed silently.
Kai Ardyn stood among them.
His black hair swayed gently in the wind as he stared toward the massive crystal floating above the plaza.
The Awakening Crystal.
A divine artifact older than most kingdoms.
It had witnessed countless awakenings across countless generations.
Beside him stood his childhood friend Ethan.
Ethan was fidgeting nervously.
"You look too calm."
Kai smiled.
"Inside I’m panicking."
"You’re lying."
"Maybe."
Ethan groaned.
"How are you not nervous?"
Kai looked around.
Young men and women filled the plaza as far as the eye could see.
Some came from wealthy families.
Others came from noble bloodlines.
A few were rumored to possess special talents even before awakening.
Yet all of them stood equally before fate.
Because nobody knew what awaited them.
The awakening process itself was public.
The results were not.
A god’s realm was their greatest secret.
Their race.
Their authority.
Their resources.
Their population.
Everything remained hidden unless they chose to reveal it.
This was one of the oldest laws of divine society.
Information was power.
Power attracted enemies.
The crowd suddenly became silent.
A pressure descended from the sky.
Several figures appeared above the Awakening Crystal.
True Gods.
Even after seeing them from a distance before, Kai felt insignificant in their presence.
One of the gods stepped forward.
His silver robes shimmered with divine energy.
"Today’s awakening ceremony will now begin."
The crystal immediately released golden light.
The first participant approached.
He placed his hand upon the crystal.
The crystal glowed briefly.
Then a notification appeared above him.
Awakening Successful.
Nothing else.
No race.
No talent.
No authority.
The young man’s expression instantly changed.
A grin spread across his face.
Whatever he had received, he was happy with it.
The crowd began whispering.
"What do you think he got?"
"No idea."
"Probably something good."
The young man ignored everyone and hurried away.
His secrets remained his own.
One awakening followed another.
Some people laughed with joy.
Others looked disappointed.
A few appeared completely stunned.
Yet nobody knew the reason.
The mystery created endless speculation.
Hours passed.
Eventually a new name appeared.
Kai Ardyn
His heartbeat quickened.
This was it.
He slowly stepped forward.
The crowd barely paid attention.
Thousands of awakenings occurred every year.
One more was nothing special.
Kai approached the crystal.
For a brief moment, he hesitated.
Then he placed his hand upon its surface.
The world vanished.
Everything became darkness.
Then stars.
Countless stars.
Kai felt as though he was floating through an endless universe.
Suddenly a voice echoed through his soul.
Divine Realm Initialization.
Divine Realm Creation Successful.
A brilliant light appeared before him.
A world emerged.
Kai’s eyes widened.
Rolling grasslands stretched beyond the horizon.
Silver rivers cut across fertile valleys.
Snow-capped mountains rose in the distance.
The sky was clear and beautiful.
The entire realm radiated vitality.
Then he noticed it.
At the center of the world stood a gigantic tree.
Its trunk towered higher than mountains.
Its silver leaves glowed softly beneath the sunlight.
Its roots spread across vast stretches of land.
The sight left Kai speechless.
The voice returned.
Unique Realm Wonder Detected.
Sacred World Tree
Kai inhaled sharply.
Realm Wonders were incredibly rare.
Many gods spent centuries searching for one.
Yet his realm possessed one from the beginning.
Before he could process the information, another notification appeared.
Starting Race Assigned.
The words slowly formed before him.
Nine-Tailed Fox Maidens
Kai froze.
The name alone sounded extraordinary.
Then detailed information appeared.
Race Information
Nine-Tailed Fox Maidens
Grade: Legendary
Population: 10
Potential: Extremely High
Natural Talents:
Spirit Magic
Elemental Magic
Illusion Magic
Special Trait:
Each additional tail awakens a random magical affinity.
Kai stared at the information.
Legendary Grade.
He knew enough about divine society to understand what that meant.
Most new gods received Common or Rare races.
Legendary races were almost never seen.
Even powerful clans would fight wars to obtain one.
Then another notification appeared.
Divine Authority Detected.
The screen paused briefly.
As if evaluating something.
Then words emerged.
Divine Evolution
Kai’s breathing stopped.
Authorities were even more valuable than races.
Every authority was unique.
Some controlled fire.
Some controlled war.
Some controlled death.
They formed the foundation of a god’s future path.
Yet he had received one from the beginning.
And something about its name immediately felt extraordinary.
Evolution.
His heart pounded.
Before he could investigate further, silver lights drifted from the Sacred World Tree.
Ten figures emerged beneath its branches.
Young women.
Each possessed fox ears and a single fluffy tail.
Their silver hair shimmered beneath the sunlight.
Golden eyes reflected intelligence and curiosity.
Unlike primitive races, they appeared fully aware.
The ten girls immediately knelt.
"Greetings, Divine Lord."
Their voices were clear and beautiful.
Kai felt slightly overwhelmed.
These were his people.
His followers.
His first believers.
The foundation of his future civilization.
One of the fox maidens stepped forward.
Compared to the others, she seemed more mature.
"My Lord."
"My name is Luna."
"I have been designated as the village leader."
Kai blinked.
"Village leader?"
Luna nodded.
"It is our duty to help establish your realm."
The intelligence of the race immediately became apparent.
Many starting races required years before they could form organized societies.
His fox maidens seemed capable from the very beginning.
Then another notification appeared.
Unique Racial Trait
Nine-Tailed Fox Maidens do not reproduce naturally.
The Sacred World Tree produces Spirit Blossoms.
Spirit Blossoms become new Fox Maidens.
The prosperity of the realm determines birth rate and quality.
Kai stared at the information.
His race was directly connected to the World Tree.
Realm development would determine population growth.
A smile slowly formed on his face.
That suited him perfectly.
He had never wanted to become a god who simply relied on warfare.
He wanted to build something.
A civilization.
A kingdom.
Perhaps one day an empire.
Luna waited patiently.
The other fox maidens watched him with curiosity.
For the first time, Kai looked across his realm.
Endless possibilities stretched before him.
A Legendary Race.
A Sacred World Tree.
A mysterious Evolution Authority. freewebnovel.cσ๓
And an untouched world waiting to be developed.
Somewhere outside, countless gods were beginning their own journeys.
Yet none of them knew what he had received.
Nobody knew about the Nine-Tailed Fox Maidens.
Nobody knew about the Sacred World Tree.
Nobody knew about Divine Evolution.
And Kai intended to keep it that way.
In divine society, information could be more valuable than armies.
The strongest gods were often those who revealed the least.
Far away, the awakening ceremony continued.
New gods laughed and cried as fate unfolded before them.
Meanwhile, inside a hidden realm unknown to the world, the first Chapter of a future empire had begun.
And high among the branches of the Sacred World Tree, a single silver blossom slowly started to form.
