Chapter 27: The First Pantheon

"System, summon character Odir."

[Summoning character: Odir.]

A bright blue flash suddenly erupted in the center of the council chamber, illuminating the enormous room with an intense radiance that forced Liam to narrow his eyes. Within the light, fragments of reality began gathering together, slowly forming the shape of a humanoid figure.

Scales materialized across the body, followed by limbs, clothing, and finally the distinct features of a lizardman. The fragments continued arranging themselves until the figure became completely solid, standing alone in the middle of the chamber as though he had been pulled from another place entirely.

Liam watched the process carefully while simultaneously preparing himself, straightening his back and adjusting his posture before the lizardman could fully recover.

He had never considered himself particularly concerned about appearances, but this was Odir, one of the most influential individuals in the history of the lizardmen, and Liam understood that a first impression could matter greatly.

"...Where am I?" Odir’s voice came out quietly as he slowly opened his eyes and looked around the unfamiliar chamber.

His gaze traveled across the enormous walls, the polished floor, the towering pillars, and the strange architecture that surrounded him, clearly unable to understand how he had arrived in such a place.

He turned his head several times before something at the edge of his vision finally caught his attention. His eyes gradually shifted toward Liam, and the moment he actually looked at the figure sitting upon the throne, his entire body froze.

There was something about Liam’s presence that his instincts could not properly comprehend, something that made every part of his body recognize that the being sitting before him was fundamentally different from anything he had ever encountered.

"What... are you?"

Odir’s hands began trembling as he stared at Liam, and despite being an accomplished warrior who had survived countless dangers throughout his extraordinarily long life, there was an unfamiliar fear spreading through his body. Liam noticed the reaction immediately and softened his expression.

"Do not be afraid."

Liam remained seated upon the throne, maintaining a calm posture as he looked directly into Odir’s eyes.

"I summoned you here. You may refer to me as the Entity, and I am the creator of your world."

Odir’s throat moved as he swallowed a large gulp, his eyes widening as the words slowly registered in his mind.

He had heard countless stories throughout his life about beings beyond mortal understanding, but nothing could have prepared him for standing directly in front of the one being who claimed responsibility for the world itself.

"Creator...?" His voice gradually rose as disbelief turned into realization. "God?"

Odir’s expression suddenly changed as another thought entered his mind, one that carried far more personal significance than the revelation itself. He stared at Liam with renewed intensity before taking a hesitant step forward.

"Then you must be the one who blessed me with my long life?"

Liam answered almost casually. "Indeed."

The response produced an unexpected reaction.

Odir’s hands tightened into fists. His body trembled, but this time it wasn’t from fear.

"Why?" His voice cracked slightly.

"Why did you give me such a long life?"

Liam’s expression slowly changed as Odir continued speaking, the words carrying centuries of exhaustion that had apparently remained buried beneath the lizardman’s strength.

"Everyone around me kept dying, and yet I couldn’t."

Odir lowered his head for a moment as memories flooded through him.

"I watched my companions grow old. I watched warriors I once fought beside disappear one after another. I watched my friends die, my leaders die, and eventually even those I considered family began disappearing before my eyes."

His hands trembled harder.

"I knew that you must have had a reason for allowing me to continue living. I believed you had some plan for me, something that required me to remain alive for longer than the others. That thought was the only thing that stopped me from throwing away my own life."

He slowly lifted his eyes toward Liam.

"So I waited." His voice became quieter.

"And waited."

For a moment, the enormous chamber became completely silent.

"I waited for centuries."

Liam stared at him. Internally, he felt a wave of guilt.

"I feel bad for him now."

"I couldn’t exactly tell him that I don’t actually have some grand plan and mostly just wanted to see what would happen."

Liam quickly pushed the thought aside before focusing on the lizardman standing before him.

He needed to say something meaningful.

"Odir, the greatest lizardman of your age, do you have any regrets?"

Odir’s expression became calmer as he considered the question. His answer came after a brief silence.

"I have none."

He looked toward the ground before continuing.

"I lived my life to the fullest extent of my abilities. I fought when I needed to fight, led when I needed to lead, protected those who depended upon me, and experienced more years than most beings could ever imagine."

Liam listened carefully. "Then tell me something."

Odir raised his head.

"Was seeing your children’s children, and then their children after them, truly worth nothing?"

Odir’s expression froze.

Liam continued before he could answer. "You witnessed generations that would have otherwise vanished from your sight. You saw your descendants grow, build their lives, and carry your bloodline into the future. You experienced things that none of those who died young ever had the opportunity to experience."

Odir’s eyes began to tremble.

"No..." His voice was barely audible.

Liam looked at him calmly. "People die. That is not fiction, nor is it something that can simply be wished away. Everyone eventually reaches the end of their life, but there is a difference between dying after having lived and dying before ever having the chance to fulfill oneself."

Liam’s expression softened.

"And you, Odir, fulfilled yours."

The lizardman lowered his head.

His shoulders began trembling, but this time Liam could not tell whether it was from grief, relief, or something that existed between the two.

Odir opened his mouth as though he wanted to answer, yet no words came out.

Liam watched him quietly before continuing.

"Odir, you are a great warrior. You are a great leader. But above everything else, you are yourself."

He paused for a moment.

"And you should be proud of that."

Odir remained bowed for several seconds.

Then, with a voice filled with humility, he finally spoke. "I was wrong."

He lowered himself even further. "I am sorry for doubting you, Entity."

"Welp." He stared at Odir for a moment.

"I really don’t know anything about you."

Liam glanced toward the System UI.

"Good thing I can probably fix that."

He mentally opened the Planetary Archive and began searching for Odir’s records, realizing that perhaps summoning someone without even reviewing their history beforehand had been slightly careless.

"I should probably read his archive first."

He looked toward the still-bowed lizardman.

"I really need proper context before doing this again."