The First storm

It had been forty days since the sky had last cried.

The land was changing. The white void had begun to grow color. Blue above. Green below. Wind with scent. Time with rhythm.

And in the center of this fragile world, four people walked side by side.

Miko, quieter than he once was, with eyes no longer seeking worship — but understanding.

Sena, scarred but steady, still watching him.

Takamura, still unsure if forgiveness meant forgetting — but choosing to walk anyway.

And Kawasai, humming as they stepped barefoot over earth that didn’t exist a month ago.

They weren’t gods. They weren’t heroes.

They were rebuilding.

At the edge of the river, Miko was planting seeds. His fingers trembled slightly — not from weakness, but from fear of doing harm again.

Kawasai knelt beside him.

“ What you plant matters. But so does how you plant it. ”

Miko nodded. “ And if it doesn’t grow? ”

Kawasai smiled. “ Then you learn why. And you try again. ”

Behind them, Sena watched the water. Her reflection stared back — tired, but alive.

Takamura was working with others. New people. Survivors drawn out of the broken corners of the void — people who had never followed Miko, never known Kana. People untouched by gods.

It was Sena who asked Kawasai, later that night:

“ Why are you helping him? He destroyed everything. ”

Kawasai answered with a question:

“ Isn’t that when someone needs help the most? ”

the sky turned black again.

Thunder roared — not from Miko, not from divine wrath — but from nature, returning.

Rain fell. Real rain.

The village panicked.

Old memories stirred. Kana’s reign. Miko’s end. The fear of being erased again.

But Miko didn’t flinch.

He walked into the storm, arms spread.

Not in challenge.

In welcome.

“ This is real, ” he whispered. “ It hurts. It’s cold. But it’s real. ”

And the rain didn’t destroy.

It fed.

By morning, shoots had risen from the dirt.

Green.

Alive.

Miko collapsed from exhaustion.

Kawasai carried him inside, whispering:

“ You were never meant to be worshipped. Just to live. ”

 not a god, not a fragment… but a human. Someone who once believed in Kana’s divinity and refuses to accept the world Miko is helping build.

This new character will challenge Miko — not just physically, but ideologically.

They arrived in the night, cloaked and silent, walking the ash path as if it had never changed.

The villagers saw her first — a girl, older than Sena, younger than Kana once was. Her robes were torn but marked with the insignia of the old faith: a black spiral carved over the heart.

Her name was Naeri.

She stood at the edge of the settlement and said nothing. Just stared at Miko as the villagers gathered around.

Sena stepped in front of him, wary. “ Who are you? ”

Naeri’s voice was calm. Low. Unafraid.

“ I followed Kana. I watched you kill her. ”

Takamura stepped forward. “ Kana was killing us. Miko stopped her. ”

Naeri didn’t even blink. “ No. He replaced her. ”

She turned to the villagers.

“ He wants you to believe he’s changed. That he’s human. But I’ve seen gods fall before. They never stay down. ”

She pointed at Miko.

“ You don’t forgive a tyrant. You bury them. ”

Miko didn’t speak.

Not yet.

That night, the camp was tense. People whispered. Some feared Naeri. Others were curious. A few — terrifyingly — agreed with her.

And Miko? He sat with Kawasai by the river.

“ She’s not wrong, ” he said. “ I don’t deserve this peace. ”

Kawasai tilted their head.

“ Peace isn’t something you deserve. It’s something you grow. And if someone tries to burn it down… ”

They held up a hand.

“ Then we learn if the garden can survive fire. ”

Naeri challenged Miko — not to a duel. But to a decision.

“ Leave this place. Exile yourself. Prove you’re not manipulating them. Or I will turn them against you. ”

Miko stood before the village the next day.

He looked not like a leader. Not like a god.
Just a man.

“ I won’t leave, ” he said. “ Not because I think I’m pure. But because I want to face what I’ve done. I want to fix it — here. Where I broke it. ”

Naeri spat at the ground.

“ Then you’ll watch them suffer for your pride. ”

And she walked away — but not alone.

Five villagers followed her.