Endless Chaos – Chaos Void Plane
The Path of Knowledge
Chapter 3 – The First Believers
Arin followed the golden current of faith for most of the day.
The Chaos Void Plane remained quiet and endless around him. The gray land stretched as far as the eye could see, occasionally broken by floating fragments of rock drifting silently through the air.
But the faint golden particles never disappeared.
They moved like a slow invisible river.
Arin walked in the same direction.
The Chaos Wonder Artifact of Knowledge floated beside him, occasionally pulsing with soft light as it recorded everything.
Finally, the artifact spoke.
[Life signatures detected.]
Arin immediately stopped.
"Distance?"
[Approximately 12 kilometers.]
A small smile appeared on Arin's face.
"So I was right."
Faith energy required believers.
If there were believers nearby, there had to be intelligent life.
And intelligent life meant knowledge.
Several hours later, Arin climbed a low ridge of dark stone.
From the top, he finally saw it.
A settlement.
It was small, perhaps only a few dozen buildings made from rough stone and strange black wood. Smoke rose from primitive furnaces, and several humanoid figures moved through the village.
Arin crouched behind the rocks, observing carefully.
"Artifact, scan them."
The cube emitted faint lines of light.
[Species classification: Void-adapted humanoid.]
[Civilization stage: early tribal society.]
The creatures resembled humans in general shape, but their bodies were shorter and thicker. Their skin carried a faint gray tone, blending almost perfectly with the land of the Chaos Void Plane.
Their eyes glowed faintly with pale blue light.
Arin watched them quietly.
Children ran between the houses.
Workers carried tools made from stone and strange metal fragments.
Others were gathering glowing plants from the surrounding fields.
It was a simple but functioning civilization.
Then Arin noticed something important.
At the center of the village stood a tall stone pillar.
Carved into the pillar was a strange symbol.
A spiral surrounded by rays of light.
Several villagers were kneeling before it.
Praying.
Arin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Faith energy."
The artifact immediately confirmed it.
[Faith energy density increasing.]
Golden particles gathered around the pillar like faint mist.
Much stronger than the scattered particles Arin had encountered earlier.
These believers were producing it directly.
Arin leaned forward slightly.
"Zoom the observation."
A projection appeared above the artifact.
The villagers were chanting together.
Though Arin could not understand their language, the emotional structure behind their voices was clear.
Hope.
Devotion.
Trust.
Belief.
The golden energy slowly gathered above the pillar, forming a faint cloud of light.
Arin watched carefully.
This was the first time he had seen faith being generated directly.
Then something remarkable happened.
The golden mist began condensing.
Slowly.
Gradually.
Until a tiny crystal appeared in the air.
It was no larger than a grain of sand.
But it shone with pure golden light.
Arin's eyes widened.
"A Godhood Crystal…"
The artifact scanned it immediately.
[Divine structure confirmed.]
[Proto Godhood Crystal – early stage formation.]
Arin held his breath.
"So this is how gods are created…"
But before the villagers could notice anything—
The crystal suddenly dissolved into golden light.
The energy shot upward and joined the invisible river of faith flowing through the sky.
Arin frowned.
"It was taken."
The artifact confirmed.
[Faith energy transfer detected.]
[Destination unknown.]
Arin leaned back against the stone ridge.
The villagers below continued their prayers, completely unaware that the divine energy they produced had been taken away.
They believed their prayers were reaching a god.
In reality, they were feeding something they would never see.
Arin stared at the fading golden current in the sky.
"The God of Belief."
If the legends were true, that god had fallen long ago.
But this system was still functioning perfectly.
Faith was being generated.
Godhood crystals were forming.
And someone was collecting them.
Which meant only one thing.
"The god never died."
The artifact remained silent.
Arin continued watching the village below.
Then a new thought appeared in his mind.
A dangerous thought.
"If belief creates divine power…"
"What happens if the belief changes?"
The artifact processed the idea.
[Possible outcome: alteration of faith energy flow.]
Arin smiled faintly.
"So the system isn't fixed."
Belief was not a physical object.
It was a concept.
And concepts could evolve.
Or be manipulated.
Arin looked again at the villagers praying before the stone pillar.
They had no idea how powerful their belief truly was.
They were producing something capable of creating gods.
Yet they had no control over it.
Arin slowly stood up.
"I think it's time to learn more."
The artifact glowed softly.
[Experimentation recommended.]
Arin nodded.
But he wasn't reckless.
If he interfered directly, the fragile civilization might collapse.
Knowledge required patience.
Observation.
Understanding.
Only then could experiments begin.
He took one final look at the small village glowing under the artificial moonlight.
Below him, dozens of believers continued praying.
Above them, invisible rivers of faith flowed silently across the Chaos Void Plane.
And far beyond the horizon…
Someone was waiting to collect it all.
Arin turned away.
But his mind had already begun forming questions.
If faith could create gods…
Could knowledge do the same?
End of Chapter 3