So… what the hell was I supposed to do now?

My head hurt just thinking about it.

Honestly, I shouldn't have anything to do with the Demon King this early in the story.

I mean, sure, I would have to kill him eventually but for now, he was supposed to stay in the category of "distant danger I'll deal with later."

And yet, somehow, that bastard trouble magnet decided to start stalking me already.

I mean, seriously… can't a man just breathe in peace?

If my life were a novel, I would have to say… it's got shitty pacing.

Within a single month, I have met a dead god, made a bear my assistant, the same bear who once tried to kill me, by the way, got swallowed by a monster, nearly died, then actually died, met a goddess, tricked her, got resurrected, powered up,

fought a weird elf, witnessed a side character's power-up, made her my assistant,

and now… I have somehow ended up face-to-face with one of the strongest beings to ever walk the mortal world.

Yeah. That's a month.

If this really was a novel, it would easily be a thousand chapters in already and if, after all that, some readers still called it "slow-paced"… then seriously, fuck those readers.

And more importantly, fuck the author who even thought to write this shit.

I mean, even for thousands of chapters, this is a lot of shit to cram in.

Hell, I have seen some authors stretch this much content into two or three thousand chapters and still call it "slow burn."

But oh well, this isn't a novel and there's nobody here to judge my inner yapping or call it "annoying."

And if someone does find it annoying, I have got a single, polite message for them:

This story isn't for you.

Just drop it.

Because I sure as hell ain't gonna stop yapping.

…And, you know, maybe add a polite fuck you all to that message, too.

Tsk. Got distracted again.

I reeled back my useless thoughts.

Focus, Rael.

For now, the Demon King was the problem.

From what I knew, that bastard was considered the wisest of all Demon Kings since the first one and more importantly, unlike the rest of those rigid, arrogant idiots, he was actually… kind of chill.

Well… unless you somehow ended up on his bad side.

I did consider hiding my power, briefly, but it was pointless. Sure, my abilities could help me deceive or mislead when needed… but what I lacked was experience.

I wasn't delusional enough to think I could fool that bastard with my barely forty years of total existence, even counting both lives.

It was the same thought I had had back when I was dealing with Hel… but back then, the Trickster had helped me.

He had probably boosted my confidence and maybe even my arrogance, enough to try pulling that off.

Doing the same now, though? Yeah, that was harder.

Especially when the asshole in question was a Demon King, someone easily on the level of a low-tier god.

And trying to fool a being like that wasn't just reckless.

It was suicidal.

But honestly, I didn't have a choice anymore.

Just the fact that I was here meant the Demon King had seen something and trying to either deny it or accept it were suicidal.

It was like being asked a question where every answer led straight to death.

This situation was hundreds of times more dangerous than when I faced Hel.

Back then, at least I had expected to meet a god.

I had prepared for it, had plans, backup plans and contingencies for those backup plans.

But now, I have nothing.

Blank.

I had already started thinking about the only two things that mattered in situations like this, an escape route or a plan for what to do if I died.

Problem was, I had neither.

I literally couldn't escape.

And as for a post-death plan? Yeah… that slot's already been used. Because that was pure chance and if I somehow ended up back in Hel's domain again… there's no way in hell I could trick her twice.

More importantly, counting on luck to get tossed into another god's domain was pointless with my luck which has been trying to kill me since day one.

Fuck.

This was one of those situations.

The kind where no matter which path you pick, death's waiting at the end, smiling.

So I did something stupid because, well… why not?

This was my life and not some shitty novel with hundreds of hate reviews and a few hundred thousand angry readers.

"Stop playing with me, Ashavar!" I shouted into the void. "If you really want to play, then become my friend instead of throwing some shitty illusions around."

If life was gonna screw me over till I moaned… then fine, I would show it just how big my titanium balls really were.

Because no matter what life throws at me… I was still bigger and stronger.

—

Ashavar watched the unmoving boy at the center of the training ground.

It had been exactly five minutes since the illusion began and in all that time, after that brief interaction with the girl inside it, the boy hadn't done a thing.

No panic, tears or even rage.

He just stood there silently with a smile as if lost somewhere deep in thought and there was a very weird aura around the boy.

That… amused him.

Just then, the boy's lips curled wider, forming a grin that shouldn't have existed in that silence.

He looked up at the sky and shouted, voice echoing through the illusion.

"Stop playing with me, Ashavar!"

His tone was sharp and mocking.

"If you really want to play, then become my friend instead of throwing these shitty illusions around!"

Morvana, standing behind Ashavar, froze.

Her entire body trembled at how casually the boy had spoken the Demon King's name, something even she, who had once birthed his child, would never dare to do.

But it wasn't the boy that made her blood run cold. It was the sound that followed.

A soft and quiet laugh from Ashavar himself and that gentle laugh made her spine shiver than ever.

"Ha… haahahahahahhah"

A dangerous wave of aura burst from the Demon King and the entire space around him seemed to stop breathing.

The ground trembled.

Morvana collapsed to her knees, choking on the sheer pressure in the air.

This wasn't power he released consciously. It was simply leaking from him as a natural reaction,

as if the world itself was holding its breath,

waiting for the sovereign to finish laughing.

A laugh so genuine that Ashavar hadn't heard it from himself in over a century.

A crimson domain burst outward from the Demon King, its sheer force hurling Morvana away and sealing the space shut, cutting off every trace of divine intrusion.

Because for the first time in forever… Ashavar had found something that truly amused him.

His body drifted down from the sky, descending as naturally as gravity itself bent to his will.

He landed before the boy, the only one still standing.

Even Morvana, an SS-Rank and one who had once borne his child, had collapsed under his aura.

And yet this boy… remained upright.

Ashavar tilted his head slightly, his voice calm and almost curious.

"What were you saying?" Ashavar asked, still not bothering to pull back the unconscious flood of his aura.

The boy before him gritted his teeth, his body trembling under the weight but the smile on his face never faded.

He looked straight into those serpentine crimson eyes and said. "I said… become my friend."

—

Meanwhile at the same time, within the divine domain of a god, a mortal kneeled.

His soul flickered under the weight of divinity, trembling as if it could extinguish at any moment.

"For what do you seek an audience?"

The god's voice echoed through the endless space calm and devoid of emotion.

The mortal's very soul trembled violently beneath the weight of that booming voice.

"I… I wish for another chance, oh Great God," he said, his tone trembling yet reverent.

The vast voice echoed across the domain again. "You, who have already failed in what you sought to achieve… and yet you wish for another chance?"

"Tell me, mortal… why should I grant it?"

The mortal raised his head ever so slightly, his eyes no longer trembling in fear but burning with determination and something far worse.

Vengeance.

"Oh Great God," the mortal said, his voice trembling but unwavering, "I shall walk the mortal world as your Apostle… and acquire the thing you desire most, the Chalice of Death."

The god stared at him in silence.

Then, slowly, a laugh echoed through the vast domain.

"Hahahaha… a mortal daring to negotiate with the divine?"

His tone carried both amusement and disdain.

"The world has truly forgotten the wrath of Vael'Runn."

With a snap of his fingers, the god's laughter turned to judgment. Countless spears of dark light materialized and impaled the mortal where he knelt.

"Now," Vael'Runn said, his voice calm once more,

"Tell me what you know… and where you heard of the Chalice."

He smiled faintly.

"And perhaps I'll make your suffering a little less painful."

—

Author's Note:

A side story of Fragile Heart of the Creator 😂

Ok guys, how was the chapter and hey, just to clear things up, I wasn't pointing fingers at anyone… or maybe just a tiny bit.

So, here's a bit of my yapping. I started writing purely for fun but I'm also a massive overthinker. I honestly love when people share their thoughts, whether it's about pacing, the MC yapping too much or anything else. Feedback helps me grow and I try to improve at my own pace accordingly.

As for lack of dialogue. Well, He is been alone most of the time and it'll shift now that the academy arc's here. Still, its supposed to be first POV where readers experience everything through perspective of character. So there will still be chaotic rambling because that's how First POV is supposed to be—Immersive… AND IF YOU ARE FORGETTING SOMETHING, HE IS A TRICKSTER FOR GOD's SAKE.

And I am definitely not doing this to stretch chapters because trust me, if I wanted, I could very well do lot more than this… its not difficult to use flowery words, and grand descriptions but mine are straight and simple. Each yapping has meaning and world building maybe only some people might not get. It's called organic world building.

But lately, I have seen a few rude and disrespectful comments from some Aliens who doesn't contribute anything and still sound like I owe them something… and yeah, that doesn't sit right. This story will go where I plan to take it.

I'm not saying I hate all aliens… only those who act too entitled. Like, seriously, if you don't like it, the least you can do is just drop and move on instead of leaving some sad little comment trying to sound superior.

Still, I won't lie, rude comments do get to me sometimes, no matter how chill I try to act. I wish I could ignore them but I'm that guy who reads every single comment and review like an idiot, so maybe that's on me.

But hey, if you don't like the story or Rael's or my endless yapping, you're totally free to drop. The world blessed us with free will and nobody's forcing anyone here. Instead of breaking the spirit of a fragile-hearted, humble and maybe just slightly benevolent guy like me.

Maybe I just don't have the patience or thick skin to be a 'good' author… but hey, it is what it is 😅 I am not here to please everyone.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who sticks around, you guys seriously keep me going. I'll try my best to ignore the alien haters from another cosmos from now on. So that my fragile heart doesn't break.

And don't worry! I added this long author note after updating the chapter, so it shouldn't affect the price.

Thanks again for supporting my story despite its flaws, without you guys, I wouldn't have made it this far. ♥️

And don't mind my little venting because sometimes even authors need to breathe a bit. (But for the disrespectful ones… yeah, you can mind it.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.