"Poor child... let him become our god..." An aged voice sounded from behind, 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 youth sat cross-legged on a cushion, his face pale and his eyes tightly shut, like a corpse. Yet his chest rose and fell faintly, and his heart was still beating.
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 ribbons. He gently brought it down on the youth's back, piercing the skin. The blood that flowed out gleamed golden-red.
Dense, bizarre symbols were carved beneath the blade, while threads of crimson connected the youth to the Rabbit God statue.
The youth's body and features changed at a visible rate. His figure became slender and well-proportioned, while his face grew gentler and less distinctive.
Like a block of raw marble, being carved from its stone womb into a human-shaped statue.
A newborn god was being sculpted—or rather, someone was attempting to sculpt a god.
"Though the corpse suffers pain, the soul shall never perish... The Rabbit God descends into mortal flesh, bestowing blessings upon generations untold..."
The priest muttered rapidly in a low voice, his words rustling like the whispers of rats.
The runes covering the youth's body glowed with sacred golden light. Only upon closer inspection did one realize it was not light at all, 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 youth. Fine fur sprouted across the youth's face, and his eyes