Reborn as A God

Oh dear, the little prank I did on the gods has come to bite me in the arse. No Michael exists, in fact just didn't create any angels but those damn gods like chatter boxes told the humans legends about the messengers of the greater will, the angels. 

I wasn't going to tell her anything. I had came up with the surname just there. 

 I shrugged. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Her mother chuckled, sipping her tea. "Hmm, Adam Michaelson, how quaint. I am Lady Evelyne Varnemire, and this delightful firecracker beside me is my daughter, Celestia."

I blinked. "Celestia? That's very... regal, doesn't suit your stinky attitude at all."

Celestia sneered. "You're not the first to say it. And probably not the last to get kicked for it."

"Noted," I muttered under my breath.

Lady Evelyne set her teacup down, eyes glinting mischievously. "Celestia, why don't you take our guest to his quarters? Or shall I say... your new pet?"

I choked on air. "Whoa wait....Excuse me? You can't just—! I'm not a pet! This world is strange"

Celestia kicked me in the shin under the table, making me jolt. "Shut up, mutt, follow me."

Lady Evelyne smirked into her teacup. "I must say, I do enjoy your bickering."

Before I could argue further, Celestia wordlessly took hold of my arm and practically dragged me off. She was clearly enjoying this far more than she should. I was pulled through a lavish corridor until we reached a massive double door. Two knights opened it to reveal a room so large and decadent it nearly gave me vertigo. Velvet carpeting, silk curtains, a massive bed with a canopy that looked like it belonged to a god-king... and did I mention the fireplace big enough to roast a boar in?

I stopped resisting and stepped in, eyes wide.

"I take back everything I said," I whispered. "I want to live here now."

The knights chuckled faintly and left me alone. Celestia chuckled as well then walked out and closed the doors.

With an undignified yelp, I leapt onto the bed, face-first, burying myself in sheets softer than anything I had ever touched. I rolled around like a dog in a meadow, laughing quietly. Then, after indulging for a minute, I sat up and walked to the massive window.

I was on the second floor. Outside the manor's ornate fence, life bustled. Carriages rattled past. Vendors shouted. Citizens moved in waves. And far in the distance, cutting across the skyline like a golden dagger, was the emperor's palace. Tall spires, divine architecture, and at its heart, a presence I could feel gnawing at my senses.

There. The divine ritual. It was happening even now. Threads of divinity pulsed in the atmosphere, faint, but unmistakable. I sat cross-legged on the soft rug, centered my breath, and let my consciousness flow outward. My body stilled, and my spirit detached, rising above myself like mist on a winter's morning. I soared through the night air, intangible and unseen, straight toward the emperor's palace.

The air around it was thick with divine essence, like a pool of molten light.

I reached out, brushing my spiritual hand through the haze. The moment I did, it surged into me, racing through my essence like a tempest.

Whrrrmm—

Time seemed to still. The sky grew quiet. My vision trembled.

And then, two lights shot out from within the palace. Golden, radiant, shaped like men, yet cloaked in robes that made even the stars shiver. They hovered above the palace, their eyes sweeping the area like searchlights.

"They felt me," I muttered, holding myself still.

One of them, taller and sharper-eyed, spoke. "Something has touched the essence."

The other frowned. "A specter?"

"No... something... strange. But I see no form."

They searched for several long seconds before turning away.

"Likely residue from the extraction," the first concluded.

And with that, they vanished back into the palace.

I remained in place, heart thudding in my chest despite my spiritual form. That taller one... something about him... it was faint, but familiar. A flicker of recognition. I couldn't place it. Not yet.

I moved on, floating across the capital.

Everywhere I went, hidden temples, academies cloaked in illusions, secluded gardens. I felt it, divine essence. Faint but present. And each time I reached out to it, it welcomed me, entered me, strengthened me.

Each time, within minutes, mages or priests would emerge confused, searching. They always couldn't perceive me and they always left after searching around for a while. Four hours later, I drifted back to the mansion and into my body. I inhaled deeply, feeling the divine essence settle inside me like coals then get locked away in the depths of my soul.

I stood slowly, walked to the window again. The city lay beneath me, still bustling with activity the emperor's palace still loomed in the distance.

I smiled faintly.

"Your descendants keep making mistakes just like you... Akiyo," I whispered.

I laughed. A quiet laugh, equal parts pity and amusement.

I was halfway through enjoying my third cup of tea and basking in the sheer absurd luxury of the mansion when a knock came at the door.

Then it opened without waiting for my reply. Of course.

It was her again, the smug Celestia. She wore a pale lavender traveling dress now, complete with silver embroidery and a silk cloak draped over one shoulder. Her long black hair was tied into a loose braid, and she had a sword she definitely knew how to use sheathed at her hip for "decoration".

"Still alive, are you?" she said, stepping in without permission. "Good. You'll be needing that head of yours."

"You mean the one your goons almost cracked open like a watermelon?" I retorted 

She smirked. "Please. If they wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. You're still here, which means you're useful. So get dressed. We're going out."

I blinked. "Out where?"

She tapped a folded paper against her palm, sealed in violet wax. "Magic Academy registration."

I leaned forward, curiosity piqued. "You're enrolling?"

"I am," she said proudly. "And you're coming with me."

I raised a brow. "To register too?"

She looked at me like I'd just asked if bread was edible.

"No," she said flatly. "You're coming as my bodyguard."

I blinked. "Bodyguard?"

"Mhmm," she hummed. "Consider it employment. You'll get a nice room, three meals a day, access to the capital's best magical library, and full permission to maim anyone who tries to kill me. And trust me-" she tossed me the sealed letter, "they'll try."

I caught the letter and broke the wax seal with a flick of my thumb. Inside was a royal recommendation letter of enrollment. Her name was written in flourishing runes: Lady Clestia Varnemire, Third Daughter of the Duke of Vale.

"Vale…" I murmured. "Of the northern border?"

"Correct." She sniffed. "Though they say I'm the useless one, the one with no magical talent. But I'll prove them wrong. I'm going to walk into that academy and show them I'm not just a pretty decoration."

I gave her a dry look. "So naturally you're bringing along me a divine powerhouse to babysit you while you prove you're independent."

Her expression turned to that of disgust. "Divine powerhouse? You? Please don't make me laugh. Why do you talk weird anyway?" 

I blinked. "Nevermind"

"Anyway I'm ambitious." She turned for the door. "We leave in an hour. Dress well, you represent Varnemire now."

I watched the door close behind her.

Then I looked at myself in the mirror and muttered, "What the hell did I just sign up for?"

One Hour Later

I walked beside her carriage, not inside. Bodyguards don't get cushioned seats, apparently. The city sprawled in all directions, cobbled streets, layered rooftops, countless bridges linking towers, and bustling merchants yelling about bread prices and enchanted brooms. Above us soared skyships, some small, others resembling floating galleons supported by massive arcana stones glowing faintly violet.

And all around me… Arcana, it ran through everything. The stones hummed with enchantments, the lanterns glowed with light runes, even the air carried traces of residual spellwork from generations of layered rituals.

I could feel it all now, as clear as air to lungs. I clenched my hand slightly, and the wind around me slowed to a breeze. 

I whispered, "Aqua, coquere."

A nearby puddle of water started to steam.

I groaned.

"I could've heated that bath last time… with just a word....or words"

I felt stupid. No beyond stupid. I'd been sitting on a goldmine and hadn't even scratched the surface. In terms of power as it stood I was probably floating somewhere between Runesmith and Spellbinder in my arcane arts. But I had no real technique. Raw power didn't mean much without form. I needed to learn, so perhaps guarding this goblin wasn't a bad idea. Not just for access but because whatever was going on at that Academy. I needed to investigate them too, the divine essence coming from them was quiet big too.

I'd seen the look in those divine figures' eyes. They were in a rush that's why they were investigating even the smallest disturbance around the divine essence. I'm guessing that they had problems with other people who wanted to absorb it. 

I want what is mine how dare they steal it from me.