"Are you... God?" The question emerged slowly.
Silence settled between them, stretching on for several minutes, until...
"Pfff... hahahaha." A sudden, unrestrained, and unhinged laugh shattered the silence.
The self-proclaimed being observed with a faint, expressionless smile. It was not a warm smile, far from it; it was more like a perpetual smile he wore regardless of his true thoughts. But his eyes were different—they held a glimmer of curiosity, now dulled, as if he had already lost interest in the being before him.
He remained like that as the man's laughter filled the space, until it gradually faded.
"Sorry... sorry." His voice, still trembling from the uncontrolled laughter, struggled to regain composure. Contrary to all expectations, that explosive laughter seemed to have breathed some life back into his deathly body.
"It is quite admirable," the being commented, his tone devoid of all emotion, "that the instinct to laugh persists even in the face of the abyss. A peculiar trait of your species."
"I doubt it." He shrugged dismissively. "But in my state, I couldn't care less if you're God, death, or just some random lunatic."
"What is notable is that you did not beg. Most, in my presence, would desperately seek salvation."
"Those who don't seek it have no need for it. If it is my time to die here, then so be it."
"I suppose you are right." The being tilted his head slightly. "And considering what fate holds for your lineage, perhaps death would indeed be a mercy."
"No one wants to die."
"And does that exclude you?"
"Of course not. No one wants to die, and I am no exception." A spark of vitality crossed his pain-clouded gaze. "But if death comes, I will face it having fought with my last breath to avoid it."
The being nodded several times, a hint of reflection in his expression. "Humans... are more complex than I anticipated."
"Maybe I'm just an odd case."
"Perhaps."
After a pause that marked the end of the casual conversation, he finally cut to the chase. "Well, God. Let's get to the point: what the hell do you want?" There was no trace of reverence in his voice.
"Nothing in particular. I was merely observing." The being took a step closer and crouched down, shortening the distance. His gaze up close was like that of an entomologist studying a rare specimen. "I had certain... expectations for your future. But it seems your journey ends here." A genuine, though faint, note of disappointment colored his words.
"What do you mean?"
"The myriad of possible futures, the branching paths. Some of yours promised to be fascinating. A pity they will not come to pass."
He furrowed his brow, processing only half of it. "Do you... see the future?"
The being gestured vaguely toward himself. "Me? No, that is not my specialty. But my authority... allows me to glimpse certain probable destinies."
With partial and unsatisfactory understanding, he nodded. "So you just came to watch? No help, no miracle?"
The refusal was immediate. "Intervening lacks interest. It would ruin the spectacle." He stood up. "Besides, you don't need it. You will save yourself."
"So your visit is pointless?"
"Not entirely. I came to give you a piece of advice." His voice took on a different tone immediately. "Do not accept any patronage."
"Patronage? What does that mean?"
"You will understand when the time comes. Patience is a virtue, especially when the outcome is so near." Without waiting for a response, he began to walk away, disappearing among the trees. His figure blurred, merging with the shadows of the forest. "I wish you luck. You will need it." Those were his final words before the silence reclaimed everything once more.
Confused, he wondered, "Was it really not a hallucination?" He shifted his gaze to the grimoire beside him; the number marked was four. "It's enough," he said while extending his broken hand toward the book.
"I should have prepared it earlier. Let's see: Glyph of Being and Glyph of Treatment. The name is... treat wounds." He wrote slowly in the grimoire, and as if it had a will of its own, the words appeared in the conjuring space exactly as he had uttered them. "After all, if you have the will, good."
He placed his hand on his body. "Treat wounds." Immediately, a green aura enveloped his entire body. His wounds began to close at a slow but steady pace. As if being sutured, the green energy continuously injected itself into them, healing them little by little. The remaining energy merged with his body, breathing a gust of life into his deathly organism. Instantly, he felt his endurance partially recover.
"Is that what he meant by not needing his help?"
He stood up slowly and looked to where the being had been before. There were no traces of footprints or marks, as if that person had been nothing but his imagination, not a real being.
"That was... No, let's forget about it for now," he murmured while scanning his surroundings. He had lost his staff at some point and didn't know where it was.
"I can't use the Glyph of Projectile without an arcane focus, so I'll only be able to use the glyph of being and the glyph of touch," he murmured to himself as he left the place, understanding there was no point in staying any longer.
He looked up at the sky. It didn't seem like much time remained until the end of the night.
"This night felt longer than I would have preferred." He walked slowly and, whether by luck or something else, found a place to rest: the entrance to a cave covered by vegetation and trees. It seemed very hard to find.
"How convenient," he murmured as he entered. The cave wasn't very deep and appeared to be partially flooded, as more passage could be seen beneath the water.
"Water, finally. Let's get cleaned up," he said while removing all his torn and ragged clothing.
First, he drank water. He didn't care if it was purified or not; at that moment, survival was more important. Once his stomach was full, he submerged himself in the water and let it cleanse his impurities.
He floated for a few minutes before emerging and drying himself with his shirt, which now resembled more of a torn rag. He kept only his trousers and tunic on. Then, he went to a corner and prepared to sleep.
Thus ended that long night.