I was just abducted by aliens all of a sudden, and then I'm thrown into this heaven-like landscape. In front of me are several figures made of pure light of different colors.
And then, there was this guy… a handsome man of sorts, who just told me he and everyone else here were gods.
On top of that, they're all creepily staring at me. I feel like running away from them right now.
"We… are Gods!" he told me.
"… You're kidding me, right?"
Everyone suddenly fell silent in response to my words.
"Huhh… no? We really are Gods. How hard is it to believe it, young hero?" he asked.
"First of all, I am not a hero. Secondly, call me by my name. It's Sylph," I said in response.
"Hey, this girl is pretty fierce."
"Woah there… calm down…"
"She just wants to be called by her name, seems normal to me."
"Ah, Aeolus is way too creepy. Let me handle it."
"I call dibs on her first!"
"Shut up! She clearly favors flames!"
"Her aura of Nature is strong, come with me…"
Suddenly, all these figures began to beg for me to pick one of them. It was as if they were battling for the last dish in a good restaurant.
I don't know what to say, honestly. Being scared shitless definitely doesn't sum up what I'm feeling right now.
"Enough! All of you! I spoke to her first and introduced us all, so back down! Do you want the Gods of the other eleven pantheons to come and annoy us as well?" the man they called Aeolus said to shut them up, letting out a sigh afterward.
"Well, maybe we shouldn't cause such a ruckus."
"Look, you brutes! You already scared her!"
"I'm sorry little girl…"
"We're not that scary."
"I like being scary though."
"This is why the world wants to kill us…"
Another figure soon emerged near me. I can't really see what it is except that it's made of red light, with a fiery presence.
"C-Can I go back now? It's very weird to suddenly be contacted by Gods! Are you like… kidnapping me or something? Wait, are all of you actually pedophiles?" I asked.
"Wait, you're misunderstanding us!"
"W-We're none of that!"
"She's acting a bit too insolent…"
"Young Sylph, relax a little bit. Despite what you've heard about us, we're good beings that protect your race and all of humanity," said the female voice within the fiery red figure.
"Is that so…?" I wondered.
Then why the hell does the world want to kill them? And why do they need to bring me here among all other people?
The gods, however, wouldn't respond to reason. With that, the figure made of red light held my hand tenderly and led me around the heavens while Aeolus walked by her side.
I wanted to resist but there was something suppressing my will. It was scary, to be honest.
As I walked across this "heaven" place, this woman's hand never let go of me, as the other gods around us decided to continue doing whatever they were doing.
Many of them began to walk around, as if they were all busily doing something, never stopping at all.
Along the way, we crossed fields made of fluffy white clouds as we reached the large temple made of gold. I could see across the skies that there were many floating islands in the surroundings. I don't know how high up we were, or if we were still in the world itself…
And the worst part, I didn't come here with my true body. I've been using my bare soul here, or well, an astral projection of it.
"Um, what's your name?" I wondered.
"Oh! The name's Fiere. This awkward young man is Aeolus, the God of Sunshine. Meanwhile, I'm the Goddess of Burning Passion," she replied.
"B-Burning Passion? Is that a type of divinity?" I wondered.
"Pffft… hahaha! She doesn't recognize it as one." Aeolus could not help but chuckle.
"S-Shut up, you idiot! It is one, dear. A very important one at that. All humans possess a burning passion for something. A desire, a selfish desire for something they must fulfill. Not only in love, but also in something they want the most, a goal. All of such things are encompassed within my divinity… and well, also the element of Fire. Those that are the most passionate have the strongest Fire-type auras… You, for example, are a very fiery girl," Fiere explained soon after.
After that, her appearance suddenly changed out of nowhere. The red light she was made of dissipated as a beautiful and slender woman with tanned and glossy chocolate skin emerged, with long crimson-red hair that reached up to her hips, complemented by fiery orange and red eyes. She had a youthful appearance but also exuded a strong sense of maturity. Her body was wrapped in a tight red dress, walking barefoot.
"I see… how many gods are there? Ah, and why did you bring me here to begin with? Did all Heroes come here before? Also, why do you think I'm a hero?"
I began bombarding the gods with questions. I was very confused, and I finally managed to muster the resolve to ask some more.
"So many questions… I suppose it's normal for a young girl like you. We Gods are many, hundreds. We take care of humanity in the vast world of Terrarium. You've been called here not by us, but by the Chief God of our Sunshine Pantheon, who has decided to give you the title of Heroine right away due to the turbulent times we're facing," Aeolus replied.
"I suppose you went too far, Aeolus. She's just four years old, after all. You can't expect her to understand everything you just said… To be more specific, there are over 631 Gods living in this world. Us Gods are split between 12 Pantheons, with each one having a Chief God which we serve. And then, the 12 Pantheons serve the Four Original Gods," Fiere said soon after, explaining it to me in simpler terms.
"Wow, so there are a lot of Gods…"
"Indeed. Oh right, answering your other question, all Heroes have been called here eventually. This is the Pantheon of Sunlight, which encompasses mostly Light and Fire Gods, although there are Gods of all elements as we are not restrictive as to whether other Gods can join or not," she added.
"As to who called you here? Well, you're about to meet our Lady."