[Lord of the Mysteries] Offering Humanity to the Gods

Horns Axis was an orphan.

As a child, he learned that in this world, good people were not necessarily rewarded. So he did his work reliably, conducted himself cautiously, respected the rules, and never crossed the line fate had drawn.

Until death came. He prayed to the gods, but the only one who answered was an ordinary man with clear, perceptive eyes.

He followed that man's footsteps, and even after his death, maintained everything he had left behind in Tingen. But some clues, along with an inexplicable feeling, convinced him that perhaps the man was not dead after all.

He packed his bags and set out to investigate and search. He left Tingen and traveled to Backlund, across the turbulent sea, and into the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

He reached beyond the void and witnessed with his own eyes how a gentle ordinary man, the one who had saved him, became a lonely god for the sake of everything he cared about.

He asked the deity, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

The deity did not answer. From within the gray fog emerged a dusty gray cat.

Horns: ...

The deity [Lord of the Mysteries]: ...

The cat: (drops to the ground) (rolls to his feet) (rubs against him) Meow.

He understood the deity's instructions. The deity wanted him to take away this dust-covered humanity and gather the fragments of humanity that would gradually scatter along the journey, so they could fight against the awakening of another consciousness in the future.

Was he willing?

Of course he was.

A few things to know:

This is a Lord of the Mysteries-only fic. The author is not a professional, and the protagonist is not a Beyonder or a Psychiatrist for Beyonders. The story is divided into a first and second run and is slow to heat up. The first run's main plot focuses mainly on character relationships, with few changes to the original plot. The second run takes a significantly different direction, in a good way, and adds a semi-original "character," Cat Klein, who is the humanity Klein retains after becoming a god.

As for pacing, the first run's main plot is somewhat scattered. The second run centers on gathering humanity, changing fate (yes, I'm pulling out the knives the original stuck in us), and meeting the god again, so the main plot will be more tightly paced.

The protagonist has little in the way of Beyonder Ability in the first run, and not much more in the second (come on, you!). His main means of influencing the plot are knowledge, information, connections, and professional Psychiatrist skills. Readers looking for high-octane fights may be disappointed, since the premise doesn't really support that kind of content. But the characters won't become stupid or fade into the background (I think). I'm mainly curious and want to try telling a story in the Lord of the Mysteries setting from an ordinary person's perspective.

As for the romance, this is not a romance-focused CP fic, but a main plot with a romantic storyline (underline that). The main CP is Klein and the protagonist; all other relationships are platonic. The protagonist's feelings for Klein are made up of gratitude toward the person who saved him, compassion for a man who sacrificed himself and lived in loneliness, a believer's faith in a deity, and a little bit of affection.

In real life, I'm an office worker, so updates are irregular. When I'm not around, I'm either reading novels or locked in a battle of wits with my boss, so don't expect a steady update schedule. I really can't manage that ( ).

Theme: Good people deserve good things. And even when they don't get them, good people will repay them.