Chapter 1: New World
In the beginning,
…there existed a will.
Believed to have started from a strand of consciousness.
That was God, in its boundless, omnipotent, and omniscient existence.
With nothing more than its thought, it shaped the boundless world.
One where reason and logic had no control.
Space for people to occupy, and time to denote the sequence of events.
But its work didn't end here.
Myriads of worlds, far beyond a singular one at the midpoint of all creation.
Veldanava created them.
More so, the beings he created even before the entire creation.
Angels.
…rather, the Primordial Angels.
Split from the Great Holy Spirit of Light were seven beings possessing great powers.
With their great powers came an undying body that would never age.
A body that would never rot.
One that could be identified as perfect and divine by the standards of any mortal.
But…
'Designated Angel.'
Inside a white space.
No, an endless corridor lined with white pillars and golden filigree, stretching far beyond sight—
A single entity moved.
Like their brethren, they appeared beautiful.
Their appearance tilted towards that of femininity, but their masculine appearance was also there.
Unlike that of others,
…their wings were concealed, draping an holistic robe that resembled a jacket and inner wear.
Eyes that sparkled gray in loss.
Not to mention, their expressionless and mechanical face.
Worse than that was that his 'Angelic' body was suppressing other emotions within him right now.
Helion.
That was his current identity.
Or perhaps, as others might call it: his Name.
Naturally, because of that name, he was close to the concept of 'sun' or 'fire'.
When viewed differently,
..the name was quite similar to both Elyon and Helios joined together.
Perhaps, it was a combination of both.
Still, that was the least of his concerns.
'However, my remaining brethren…'
Not everyone possessed a symbolic name like his, and certainly, even weirder than that was–
'I appear not to be within the Biblical Era.'
Looking left, then to the right, still with that mechanical expression.
His brethren, too, all went about their way idling by.
One would be startled by just how mechanical the angels truly were.
'The Creator's name is Veldanava.'
Star Dragon King.
He couldn't say he had heard that name before, since he originally came from a different world.
…lived his life till he was cut off from the face of the earth.
Too young, perhaps, for such an end.
Regardless, he still went on, his feet covered in divine shoes, tapping the floor.
Weird.
Helion came to a pause, tapping his foot on the surface of what seemed to be a floor.
Pure white, however, it still served as such.
'No matter the frequency of my taps, no auditory response resembling footsteps is detected.'
Despite the unfamiliar scenery and the questions forming in his mind...
Everything was answered at once by something called a skill.
The name of that skill was [All of Creation].
One that supplied every answer the instant he wondered as long as his mind could comprehend the phenomena.
But therein lay the problem.
Understanding everything didn't tell him what to do next.
'What do I do from now on?'
Helion's steps slowed to a stop as his gaze traveled across the endless expanse of the Hall.
It lasted for about a moment.
Then he continued. But before he could move so much as a single step.
"...Did you hear? Veldanava-sama intends to continue his creation on the world below."
"Nngh. It has been... a very long time."
Words drifted from Helion's fellow brethren to him as they passed by in mechanical movements.
Even their words lacked ego.
For beings deemed perfect, they appeared oddly mechanical.
Helion tilted his head, curious.
'Does the concept of falling exist for us?'
He stopped himself. No, he didn't wish to dwell on that thought.
But yes, his mechanical body…
It was a bother.
"Excuse me. Where can we experience the Lord's works?"
Helion turned back to the two female Angels who were already walking away.
But when he said those words,
They paused for a moment.
…then by the time they turned back, both females' eyes sparkled in recognition.
Immediately,
"Greetings, Helion-sama."
Both female-looking Angels knelt on one knee in recognition of him, which only made him tilt his head to the side.
"...You recognize me?"
For a moment, both Angels looked at each other.
Then, once more, they kept their heads down low in respect.
"Yes. My lord is one of the Cherubims of the Heavenly Star Palace, dwelling on a much higher standing than us."
Helion felt his heart—
No, not his heart per se, but he felt something in him throb.
The human personality that had mingled with the Perfect Angelic body obviously showed a reaction.
However,
…His perfect body suppressed it.
'So, I am a Higher-up?'
While that thought swirled in his mind, the two remained perfectly still on one knee.
They would not move until permitted.
It was protocol.
In the first place, the reason they hadn't noticed was because of this 'Layer'.
Heavenly Star Palace
Also known as 'Heaven', it is the abode of the Star Dragon King.
In other words, an entire dimension in its own right.
Seven Layers of 'dimensions'.
Of course, while these dimensions were lapped on top of each other, they weren't hierarchical.
This was the second layer, known as the 'Hall of the Endless'.
Most other angels, both without ego and with ego, lived on the first layer.
The second layer was for these Angels to commune with each other.
"I wonder what my Lord is doing in a place such as this?"
Just as Helion was fetching the remaining bits and pieces of the information he'd missed,
..both female Angels suddenly called for his attention.
"Don't worry about it."
Saying that, he turned away from them.
Perhaps it was because of his human spirit merging with this body that caused his memory loss.
Yes… his awakening was not long ago.
In human terms, it would be about a day.
Most of the panic had long since faded, and all that was left were questions.
But just as he took a step forward,
"My lord, as rude as it may be to say this, do you perhaps require a guide?"
The female Angels saw nor felt anything wrong with Helion.
Other than the fact that their superior seemed… distracted.
And they were right.
Helion paused.
Slowly, he turned his head, glancing at them over his shoulder, before facing forward again.
"I'll leave it to you."
"Understood."
Although entry into the Fifth Layer was forbidden to lower-ranked Angels.
..their status still granted them the authority to communicate between layers.
And using that channel, they could send him back to his 'Layer'.
Both women approached from behind, stopping a short distance away, about two feet away.
Stretching their hands out, a white circle appeared on the ground.
Then with what seemed to be a snap,
His body blurred into a streak of white and vanished.
Or so it appeared to others.
To Helion, however, a blinding light filled his vision.
When it finally receded, he found himself elsewhere.
Fifth Layer
It was unlike that of the second floor.
A lush garden spread out, seemingly endless. Green was everywhere he looked.
Trees spread out in a well-thought-out manner, bearing radiant fruit.
Large streams of water, ran across sections.
Words like beautiful didn't do it justice.
Or at least, that was what Helion thought.
When he looked closer, he sensed countless pocket-like spaces scattered throughout.
'So those are probably dwellings…'
While this place wasn't the Heaven he was familiar with in his past life,
..it seemed whichever world he'd spawn into was inspired by the Christian religion.
And now that he thought about it… there were no real restrictions here.
Holiness wasn't something vague.
Sin alone wasn't enough to cause a fall.
That line of reasoning was why he'd stopped thinking about it altogether.
Once more, as he continued his train if thoughts, an heavy wind of gust bellowed.
Whoosh~!
It swept and rustled the trees and the graces in that manner.
Slowly, Helion raised his eyes up, to see a figure with wings descend.
Flap~! Flap~!
While making flapping sounds, the person, rather, angel finally landed.
They landed with their hands folded together, while glaring daggers at him.
…what was it?
Anger?
Yes, there was a bit of anger in it, which meant 'sin' truly was a vague concept in this world.
In turn would also mean that them lacking ego was a design than a flaw.
Helion wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or mildly concerned by that.
Regardless, the figure was undeniably handsome.
Ashen hair that fell wildly all over his hair, wearing a half-plated armor across his body.
The male-looking angel glared at him.
"You're late. Lord Veldanava has been waiting. Feldway-sama is also not pleased with your attitude."
He paused.
"And you call yourself a member of the Cherubs?"
Quite the glare indeed.
Helion's expression, however, did not shift in the slightest.
"I see. Then let's go."
Since time was of essence, he was supposed to go, but to where.
Helion's feet had begun to lift off the ground when all of a sudden, a thought struck him.
Of course, all while ignoring the silent fury of his brethren below.
"Uhm… where to?"
Perfectly mechanical.
With that same placid expression, Helion's question made the other angel snap.
"...You disgrace!"
Saying that with a snarl, their wings flapped once more.
A gust of wind followed the flaps of his wings, as his feet slowly took off from the ground.
Following that,
Said Angel flew straight upwards, to the sky.
'...'
Helion said nothing, merely following the fellow Cherub ahead of him.
'Who is he..?'
No answer came.
Unlike before where it was the fundamental knowledge that came to him.
It wasn't like an AI that could answer his questions.
They continued upward, through layers of mist and cloud,
Until a pure white light swallowed everything once again.
And then—
they appeared elsewhere.
Heavenly Star Palace Throne Room
The dwelling place of the Creator Himself.
Yes.
Even if 'holiness' was a vague concept in this world, the resting place of the Creator still exuded it.
This place gave off that vibe.
Purity.
Like the Second Floor where he'd once been lost, this place too resembled a grand hall.
Several pillars in place.
White, adorned with golds, and so on.
Like him and his fellow Cherubs, other Angels of higher rank appeared to be present here.
With his appearance, they all looked at him.
At his arrival, their gazes turned.
Some looked with interest. Others, with indifference.
And others, however shared the same contempt as his escort.
Regardless of that attention,
He was more or less curious about the nature of this place.
It reminded him of the 'Second Layer'.
But unlike below, this place had an end.
Not in the sense that this place wasn't as endless as the lower layer.
Rather, it was the end of the throne room in front, where a throne was laid.
White, inlaid with gold.
But, He barely had time to take in the sight before,
Shing~
…a blade glimmered before him with its tip resting at his throat.
Another Angel was at his front with a completely cold expression in his gaze.
'Haah. Why does every Angel I meet seem to be out for my life.'
Wryly, he couldn't help but think so,
Despite his expression remaining the same it usually is.
"How dare you keep us waiting? Who do you think you are?"
The voice came from the silver-haired angel before him, clad in black attire that shimmered like the night sky itself.
Beautiful in appearance.
More so even than his androgynous features.
"Calm down, calm down. He's just awakened. It seems some of his memories got jumbled during the merging process."
Just as the blade's tip edged close enough to graze Helion's neck, another voice intervened.
Immediately, Feldway drew back his sword and dropped to one knee.
'…!?'
Instinctively, Helion did the same, bowing his head low.
With [All of Creation] constantly active, he didn't need the skill to recognize why.
Instincts.
Yes, that was what was currently happening.
Surely, the creator wasn't emitting any sorts of pressure on his creations.
But rather,
..it was an innate instinct.
An innate submission woven into their very being.
"Rise, rise, no need to be so stiff."
Despite the words, none of the high-ranking angels seemed eager to obey.
But, reluctantly, they rose.
As Helion straightened, his gaze finally lifted toward the Creator.
To his surprise, the resemblance was uncanny.
A perfect mirror of Feldway, who was now, through sheer speed alone, standing beside the throne.
They look completely the same.
Only inverted.
And upon that throne, the Creator sat with one elbow resting lazily on the armrest, his head propped against his hand.
"Well, it seems I no longer have to worry about you."
"Perhaps, in time, your memories of this place will return naturally."
Helion's eyes widened slightly.
What was he talking about?
No, with the way he said those words, the Creator knew about him, then?
Of course, not the current him, but the human him from another dimension entirely..
In as much as Helion wanted to ask, he couldn't.
Partly because his body resisted the very notion,
and partly because…
one wrong word here, and every angel in this hall would turn on him.
Seeing as nobody made a comment.
…he could tell they weren't interested, or maybe like him, they couldn't question Veldanava.
"No, no, this serious atmosphere won't do. I've thought of something."
Like a child, despite having been living since nonexistence.
The Creator's expression was that of a mischievous schemer.
A playful version of that, if one may.
"Let us create one who is like us."
One made in our image, who can live among us, dwell with us, speak with us,
…and dine with us.
He didn't need to finish the sentence.
Everyone in the hall already understood what he meant.
Regardless.
"Lord Veldanava. The Spirits already exist, do they not? Wouldn't they alone—"
"...haah. You really don't understand, do you?"
Feldway had spoken up, despite still being composed about it, but Veldanava shot him down.
Even composed as he was, Feldway faltered slightly at his Creator's rebuke.
And as Veldanava had said, none of them seemed to grasp his intent. However…
'He's looking at me, isn't he?'
Helion thought as his eyes shifting subtly to the side.
Around the throne, the hierarchy of the Star Palace stood assembled.
The Primordial Angels, Seraphims, occupied the front ranks, followed by them
Cherubims.
Helion could see more new faces though.
A beautiful blonde-haired female Angel, another dark-haired beauty.
Not that it mattered.
Even if he wanted to admire them, he couldn't.
Neither his nature as an Angel,
…nor the fractured human soul within him, allowed such impulses to manifest.
Still, that was the least of his problems.
"..What do you think, Helion?"
As expected.
But immediately as Veldanava said that however,
"That pipsqueak?"
"Him?"
"Che, this disgrace."
While he was happy that an Angel like them could display this level of bizarreness,
..him being the center of attention was far from pleasant.
Regardless, Veldanava didn't stop his creations.
Instead, he found it amusing.
Perhaps this was what he wanted to see.
A form of entertainment—his creations arguing amongst themselves.
Not in any destructive sense, of course.
But watching them bicker like this…
Yes. That seemed to amuse him.
"Does Sir Veldanava want to populate the World below with beings?"
With the little he could glimpse from [All of Creation].
Cardinal World.
The world below this one.
One could say it was a sandbox for the potential loving Creator deity.
He had a purpose for it.
…so to say.
In other words. …the Creator wanted entertainment. But why ask him?
"Oh? You do get it."
Just those few words from Veldanava were enough to silence the hall.
Slowly, their heads creaked towards Helion.
"Haah!?"
All the Angels, all uttered that, stunned speechless.