"Poor child, let him become our god..." An aged voice sounded behind him, hoarse and low.
Qi Si put away the carving knife and turned to look.
Smoke from the incense burner spread out, sketching an illusion.
A naked boy sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his face pale and his eyes tightly shut, like a corpse. Yet his chest rose and fell faintly, and his heart still beat.
The old priest in black hunting robes stood hunched over, holding a stick of longevity incense in his left hand with his back to the rabbit god statue.
His right hand held a carving knife wrapped in red silk. He lightly drew it across the boy's back, piercing the skin. The blood that flowed out gleamed golden-red.
Dense, bizarre symbols were carved beneath the blade, while crimson threads linked the boy to the rabbit god statue.
The boy's body and appearance changed at a visible rate. His frame grew slender and well-proportioned, while his features softened and became less distinct.
Like a block of raw marble, being chiseled from its stone womb into a human-shaped statue.
A newborn god was being carved—or rather, someone was attempting to carve a god.
"The corpse suffers, the soul shall never decay... The rabbit god descends into human flesh, bestowing blessings upon generations..."
The priest muttered the words in a low, rapid voice, whispering like the scurrying of rats.
The runes covering the boy's body shone with sacred golden light. Only upon closer inspection did one realize it was not light, but the color of blood.
—Golden blood belonging to a god.
The rabbit god's phantom rose from the shrine and slowly attached itself to the boy. Fine fur sprouted across the boy's face, and his eyes flew open, bursting with the bloody red of