I WAS The Rank–1 Hero

How am I able to put all these thoughts into words?

"What am I?"

The first question left my mouth, I couldn't even process it.

Ylthea smiled, her gaze was patient.

'She' didn't answer immediately, as if allowing me time to gather all my thoughts.

I couldn't hold myself.

I clenched my fists. My mind raced.

I recalled the Essence explosion, the overwhelming surge of power, and then... this place.

"The last thing I remember... I was absorbing an enormous amount of Essence, but then—" I frowned. "What happened to me? How did I end up here?"

I felt my heart pounding.

If this wasn't a dream. If this wasn't some kind of illusion—then where exactly was I?

But that wasn't the only question burning inside me.

I looked up, my voice was quieter this time.

"And you..." My throat tightened. "You vanished from this world. Sera says so. Then... why?"

Ylthea didn't flicker, she was smiling as she listened to each question.

There was more—so much more I needed to understand.

"Why were you gone? Where have you been all this time?" My voice shaking. "And... why do I feel like I've known you forever?"

The connection between us, the way my Authority was tied to 'her', the way my soul recognized 'her' instantly—

There had to be a reason.

I exhaled sharply.

"What is happening to me?"

Silence filled the air.

Then, with a soft sigh, 'she' finally spoke—

"You are ready to know the truth."

And with those words—

Everything changed.

The world around me shifted.

One moment we were standing in a forest. The next—

A ripple of light stretched towards me, distorting the space around us.

I blinked.

The dense trees, the forest, the waterfall, the fresh scent of earth, vanished.

Instead, I found myself standing in the middle of... a vast desert.

The sand beneath my feet was deep crimson, its color was unnatural.

A Fine sandstorm swirled in the air, yet I felt nothing.

'Is this an illusion?'

Ylthea stood ahead, her white robes flowing smoothly despite the raging winds.

Then, she began.

"Long ago, this world was granted with the gift of utilizing Elementals by the gods."

I stiffened.

That statement alone defied everything I knew.

"...What?"

I recalled all my history books.

It was written there, that over three thousand years ago, humanity had lived without Elementals. Then, suddenly, the earth shook, and an immense surge of energy flooded the world.

This energy was called—

Elemental Essence.

It got absorbed by the people, their bodies automatically adapted to its nature.

And that's how.

Earth, Water, Fire, Ice, Wind—the five fundamental elements were born.

That was the known history.

But Ylthea's words contradicted all of it.

Were all the history books wrong?

She continued, looking me in the eyes.

She confirms it.

"The concept of Elementals has always existed."

She raised her hand—

And the sand storm vanished.

In an instant the dusty air was cleared, revealing a sight that took my breath away.

Turning my head towards her, I looked in disbelief.

"...You really are a goddess."

She smiled faintly but said nothing. Instead, she gestured for me to follow.

I obeyed her, without any question.

We walked for only a few seconds before she stopped.

I stepped beside her—

"..."

And my breath caught in my throat.

Ahead of us, stretching beyond the cliff's edge—

A fortress of gold and glass.

It stood majestically, gleaming under an ethereal gold light.

The structure was huge, its golden glow illuminated the white marble city surrounding it.

Its architecture was breathtaking, it was far grander than anything I had ever seen.

I was really mesmerized by it.

I turned to Ylthea, my voice was a whisper.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Silence.

She smiled, and with her melodious voice, she answered.

"We are fifty thousand years in the past."

A pause.

She continued.

"Welcome to Olympus."

"..."

'This is... insane!'

I find it hard to believe.

But it felt real, way too real.

Reading my expression, Ylthea spoke.

"This was Olympus, the home of the Thirteen Gods and Goddesses. They once lived in that very fortress."

She pointed.

But before I could respond, the world shifted again.

In an instant, I found myself right in front of it.

The towering golden-glass fortress loomed right infront of me, stretching so high that my neck ached trying to take a peek.

Surrounding the fortress were white-marble houses of various sizes.

The Olympus together with the houses formed an entire city. The roads were paved with polished ceramic stones, making the city feel perfect.

People roamed the streets, all dressed in flowing white robes, same as Ylthea.

I couldn't hold back my question.

"Why are we here?" I turned to Ylthea. "Does my power have a connection to the gods?"

The moment I spoke, the scene shifted again.

This time, we stood within the grand halls of Olympus.

The room was enormous, it was so vast that I felt like an ant in comparison to it.

Everything around me was white marble, the floors, the walls, everything, it reflected my silver eyes and jet-black hair like a mirror

Surrounding us were thirteen towering white marble thrones.

Each throne was massive, as if meant for giants rather than gods.

They surrounded us in a perfect circle.

I turned towards Ylthea.

'She' wasn't looking at the thrones.

She was looking up.

I followed her gaze, and instantly my breath caught in my throat.

Painted on the ceiling was a massive circular mural.

Thirteen figures, all wearing the same white robes, stood around a colossal tree, its roots wrapped around a floating sphere.

The sphere was a planet.

Our planet.

The gods joined hands, their faces were hidden beneath a thin white fabric hoods, as they blessed the planet beneath them.

I finally understood.

This was what Ylthea meant.

Long ago, the gods granted humanity the gift of Elementals.

I turned to 'her', my voice quiet.

"Is that...?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Then, she began to explain.

"This... is were it all began."

"From the beginning of the universe, all the creations were ruled by us— the Gods."

She continued.

"We granted mortals our blessings. And in return..." she paused.

Her gaze darkened.

"They gave us their absolute loyalty."

"They will do anything to please the gods."

She continued, her tone carrying the weight of history.

"We were worshiped. We were adored. We were respected.

All the thirteen gods were united. They were one together.

But then—" she hesitated.

"He betrayed us..."

She paused.

"Agroth."

The God of Chaos and Destruction.

He had once held the 9th seat among the gods.

But in his greed for power, he turned against his own kind.

"He disrupted the balance and unity we had maintained for eternity."

Her expression changed to anger.

"Agroth manipulated others to stand with him. And before we knew it—"

"The gods were divided."

'She' took a deep breath.

"A war broke out."

As she spoke, the world around me shifted again.

I was no longer a spectator of her words.

I was now witnessing the history.

Then I saw 'them'.

The thirteen gods.

They sat upon their respective thrones, it was all an illusion, but even so, their mere presence made me suffocate.

And among them Ylthea, sat on the 13th seat.

The voices of other twelve gods clashed around.

The debate had already begun.

Agroth spoke, he demanded that the gods divide the universe into separate territories, each territory was to governed by an individual god.

It was a debatable proposal.

But 'he' was cunning.

Slowly, five other gods joined him in favor.

The Gods of Dream, Void, Memory, Desire, and Will.

Total of five gods on Agroth's side.

And six against.

Six on six—

The division was set.

And Ylthea...?

She was the only one who did not choose a side.

She remained neutral.

Then the first battle erupted.

The world drifted apart with clashes of divine powers.

I watched as the once-unified gods clashed, their abilities shaking the very foundations of the universe.

The golden fortress of Olympus, which once stood high and majestic, now crumbled under their might.

And in the end—

Nothing but dust remained.

The vision faded.

And I now stood in the present—

The Olympus was no more.

I turned to Ylthea.

"Why didn't you stop them?"

She had the power to.

Then why?

Was she indifferent?

Did she not care?

I didn't believe that.

Not for a second.

She exhaled softly.

A sad smile crossed her lips.

"I wish I could have."

My eyes widened.

Her expression...

It wasn't that of a god.

It was that of someone carrying regret.

Even a goddess could feel sorrow.

"Do you regret it?" I asked.

A minute pause.

Then, she nodded.

"Very much."

A long silent stretched before us.

I simply stared at the fallen Olympus.

A thought loomed in my mind.

'Even the God's have regrets...'

Ylthea was the one to break the silence.

"Do you have any more questions?" she asked.

I thought for a moment.

I have plenty.

I asked her about my Authority—why I was chosen, whose voice I kept hearing in my mind, why I couldn't die, and why I kept experiencing past visions.

She answered all hesitation.

"It's because your Authority is incomplete."

Instead of explaining about my Immortality, she explained the other—

According to Ylthea, an Authority Holder could witness the traumas of those close to them. Sometimes, they could even see the past of people around them, who was burdened with deep sorrow when their Authority was activated.

In my case, my visions only triggered after I had used Quantum Manipulation.

She continued, "To break free from this, an Authority Holder must receive the blessing of their respective god."

"Until then, they could only wield half of their Authority's power."

'Hmm?'

I hesitated before asking, "Then that means... you could—"

She nodded.

"Yes. I can now unlock your full potential."

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The moment she spoke, a huge amount of divine energy erupted from her body.

Its weight was crushing me, forcing me to my kneel.

The divine power erupted from her flowed through me, wrapping around every fiber of my body.

A vast amount of knowledge injected into my mind.

But unlike before, I didn't feel any pain.

Instead, there's only warmth.

Suddenly something inside me shifted.

A strange power coursed through my very being.

Then inside my head, I heard that voice again.

[Blessings of the Ancient God...]

[Success.]

[Evolving...]

[Success.]

[Granting Full Authority...]

[Success.]

[Stigma of Ylthea...]

[Success.]

Then, a ear deafening voice rang in my mind, it was so loud that it blanked out my thoughts.

'[Child of Ylthea.]'

'[The Paradox is born.]'

'〘Skill Upgrade: Quantum Manipulation >> Paradox Invoker〙'

I gasped for air.

Haaah... Haaaah.... Haaahh...!

I felt exhausted.

Suddenly my eyes burned.

"!"

It was so intense as if a lava poured on them.

"Aagh!" A gasped escaped my mouth.

"Open your eyes, my child," a voice echoed.

I obeyed them

Slowly I opened my eyes.

A transparent display floated before my eyes.

『Title: Child of Ylthea』

『Authority: Paradox』

『Stigma: Mark of Ylthea』

『Skill List』

>〘Distortion〙

>〘Elemental View〙

>〘Paradox Invoker〙

>〘Ruler〙

>〘Immortality〙

>〘Appraiser〙

〘More...〙

"What... is this!?"

I was awestruck.

I rubbed my eyes, and opened it again. But the transparent window still remained.

On that day, my life changed forever.

End of Chapter.

[A/N]: This Chapter is 2k+ words. I wanted to split it, but I liked it this way. Join the discord from my profile.