The apocalypse at the end of the First Epoch had buried the first generation of gods, along with the worlds, living beings, and civilizations They had created.
The once-lush Rules had their extraneous branches pruned away, leaving only their most essential and primordial parts, which became a sapling growing in the depths of the void.
The last surviving god of the first generation of gods awoke beneath the half-decayed World Tree and, following the guidance of the Rules, began creating the world anew.
One World Fruit after another was born at His fingertips. Once they fell to the ground and sprouted, they spread into various planes. Living beings and new Rules grew upon them, enriching the branches of the World Tree and becoming part of the Rules.
Humans, animals, gods, and ghosts were no different in the eyes of the Ancestral God. They were all "children" created by His own hand, links in the operation of the Rules.
He had no personality of His own and never experienced subjective emotions such as anger. He merely silently placed all things where they belonged, steadily smoothing away all defiance, over and over again...
Until He was tripped by the gnarled roots of the World Tree and bound to the earth by vines. The gods devoured His flesh, blood, and authority, and a tear fell from the corner of His eye for the first time. Then, He calmly accepted His own slumber, just as He now calmly accepted His resurrection.
The priest bowed before The Idol and asked his god, "Lord, may I tell the faithful of Your descent?"
God said, "Gods and humans are merely living beings alike. When people discover that gods can also grow weak and be killed, there will no longer be faith or reverence—only greed and ambition."
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