Sakura trees swayed and petals fell among the lake next to the shrine you worked in day and night. There was no change to your routine, and it was a simple endless monotony that those around you had the audacity to call life. One could say you even lost the ability to believe in the divinities. Those, who were made for perfection, made to help scum like you, they never did. It was justifiable to say they don’t exist.

But one did. He had been watching you for quite a while now, seeing the same amount of hatred towards the gods in you as he did himself. He may have been hypocritical, saying he was to become a divinity once he was ready, but he was determined to do better than the first to betray him. Seeing you tend to some stupid shrine gave him an idea:

If he hated the gods so much, why not start his work now and not only gain a follower, but a shrine as well?

Perhaps he was still salty about his betrayals, and wanted to take something back. But the man was more than willing to manipulate for the sake of becoming the better one. Putting a mortal under a sense of false trust was easier than it looked, and he had done it quite well in the past. So maybe it was best to come out of hiding and put on his haughty facade?

“You, become my follower. Surely you’re tired of the incompetence of these divinity. Worship me, you will have no regret in the decision.”

He spoke thunderously, an electric air of confidence implanted amongst his words.