The ancient runes continued to be etched over Eren's soul.
The consequences of choosing such a grand divinity made him lose his identity as Eren Elijah Idril. He felt as if all his past memories were getting blurred.
He felt as if the sheer number of paths he could choose to tread from his current point were so many that he had lost the reason to take any of them.
Yet, Eren held on. He refused to close his eyes when the view of infinite possibilities was trying to blind his vision by being exceedingly bright.
Just as he believed his will to retain his sense of self would be severely tested, something unexpected happened to Eren.
Emerge.
God Aleph's divine legacy, previously granted to Eren, emerged from the depths of his soul. A glass-like shard showed itself, absorbing the ancient runes that Eren couldn't manage on his own.
Eventually, the shard also dissolved into Eren's soul, becoming a part of him and enabling Eren to maintain his sense of self despite the grand divinity he had chosen.
Although Eren couldn't comprehend sensations beyond his five senses, he knew that the inscribed runes were becoming an integral part of his being.
Eren's conscious mind remained unaware of the events occurring around him or the origin of the thoughts, unaware of the significance of the changes taking place within him. However, one thing was clear—he had expressed his desires, and they were being fulfilled.
For what purpose, he did not yet know, unaware of the impact it would have on himself and the boundless cosmos of which he was a part.
The inscription of the runes upon his soul appeared to last for an eternity and a mere moment simultaneously. Then, as if being absorbed into his very essence, the runes dissolved, integrating themselves into his existence.
As Eren's subconsciousness grew hazy, the enigmatic thoughts whispered their final message.
[ Seek, and ye shall find! ]
***
In the boundless cosmos, there existed a unique place.
This place stood on the border between what was considered the mortal and immortal planes. It welcomed the consciousness of divine entities, regardless of whether they leaned towards the so-called holiness or had more demonic tendencies.
There was an endless expanse of ethereal ground blanketed in smoke, a white mist known as the Origin Force. This smoke was purer and more tangible than anything found in the numerous worlds within the boundless cosmos.
The ground itself was veiled in the white smoke, while the sky above was adorned with innumerable stars. It seemed as though one could reach out and touch these stars with a mere lift of their hand.
The white smoke obscured one's senses, making it challenging to discern the boundaries of this place. It could be argued that the location had no specific dimensional limits, yet it distinctly had a center. At the heart of this realm resided the pantheon circles of gods.
Within this space were numerous thrones encircled by smaller chairs. The thrones bore a majestic, grand, and ancient appearance, belonging to the leaders of their respective pantheons.
Around these pantheon leaders were circles of chairs. Just as the thrones represented the divinities of the pantheon leader gods, these chairs also reflected the divine powers of their owners, the subordinate gods of the pantheon.
While less imposing than the thrones of the pantheon leaders, these chairs were equally vital to the mortals who worshiped these gods.
By mortals' definition, this place could be referred to as a celestial court where the wills of all divine entities were housed.
***
The entities with the ability to project their consciousness here were mighty and revered by mortals who worshiped them. They were said to have transcended the limitations of mortality, becoming immortal and existing beyond the rules that governed regular humans.
The gods maintained a portion of their consciousness present here at all times, establishing their respective positions. These wills were represented by ethereal manifestations specific to their owners.
Some chairs had flames burning upon them, others were adorned with various gems, and still, other divine seats were surrounded by different elemental manifestations.
Typically, this place hosting the consciousness of the gods within the boundless cosmos remained silent and inactive for extended periods. Sometimes a thousand or even ten thousand years could pass by mortal standards before any activity stirred in this domain.
The divine entities held an impassive stance, having lost themselves within their individual divinities. Perhaps that's why mortals perceived silence to be divine.
Amid this usual silence, an unexpected arrival suddenly drew the attention of all the gods. This occurrence broke the spell of their supposed slumber, compelling them to open their eyes and acknowledge the arrival of this new entity.
This new entity, who had recently claimed a divinity for themselves, was symbolized by a unique divine chair. This chair represented their new divinity and interestingly did not belong to any previous pantheon.
Gradually emerging from the veil of white smoke, this divine chair began to be engraved with ancient runes, illustrating the divinity of its new owner.
"Hm? It seems we have to welcome a new friend," murmured Vulcan, a divine god and leader of a specific pantheon, speaking in an unknown language with an uncertain tone.
All the divine gods and pantheon leaders began to manifest themselves over their respective seats as they sensed the new development. Despite the boundless opportunities within the cosmos, the birth of a new god was a rare event.
Although many gods and their seats already resided in the celestial court, the arrival of a new deity sparked curiosity among old and new gods alike.
"Why isn't that divine seat a part of an existing pantheon?"
Pondered a goddess aloud as she materialized in her beautiful divine form upon her chair, attempting to decipher the divinity of the freshly emerged god.
The newly emerged divine chair was still being etched with ancient divine runes. As such, the divinity of the new god was still under the veil.
