novelraw Chapter 10 : Rebellion
Chapter 10 : Rebellion
Chapter 10: Rebellion
As the years passed, the tribe continued to develop steadily.
And Apollo’s appearance, nourished by divine power, still retained the vigor and vitality of his youth.
Until a rebellion broke out!
Apollo’s eldest son, En, joined forces with the two grandsons of the old priest—who had long been dissatisfied over losing the position of priest—as well as the son of the old priest’s disciple.
They incited a group of people who resented unequal distribution and harbored jealousy toward Apollo’s “agelessness.”
And they launched a challenge against the one they saw as “the person chosen by the god!”
But this was a struggle destined to fail.
Even though Apollo was nearing sixty, the divine grace flowing within him granted him an ageless appearance, a long lifespan, and power beyond mortals!
Thus, they were defeated!
Defeated with ease.
Apollo looked at his bound eldest son kneeling on the ground, disappointment in his eyes.
“Why?”
En raised his head, his gaze fixed on his father’s still youthful face, jealousy surging within his eyes.
“Why?”
En repeated the word, as if hearing the most ridiculous thing, suddenly bursting into wild laughter.
“Hahaha! Hahaha—!”
The laughter stopped abruptly. He looked at Apollo in despair and suddenly threw out a question:
“Father! Do you still remember my mother?!”
Apollo was stunned, his thoughts dragged back to the past.
En’s mother—his former partner, that gentle yet resilient woman—had long since passed away from illness, returning to dust with the passage of time.
He did not understand why En would bring her up at this moment.
His gaze turned stern.
“En! Do you think that by mentioning your mother—”
“You can seek forgiveness for the crimes you have committed?!”
“Forgiveness?”
En’s voice suddenly rose, filled with mockery.
“Great Apollo! The one chosen by the god! My father! Can you truly not see it?!”
“Mother is dead! She aged and died just like all mortals!”
“And me! Your eldest son! I have grown old as well!”
“My hair is turning white, my strength is fading, and I am about to walk toward death just like mother!”
He stared fixedly at Apollo’s face.
“But you! My father!”
“You are exactly the same as decades ago! Just as young! Just as strong!”
“Time has lost its meaning on you!”
“I don’t want to die! I want to live!”
“To be like you, to receive divine grace, to escape the fate of mortals!”
“But what about the god?!”
“Other than you, has His gaze ever fallen upon any of us even once?!”
Apollo had never imagined that his eldest son harbored such deep resentment!
This resentment was not only directed at him—but also at the god!
A chill ran through his heart.
“En, you resent me? Resent… the god?!”
His voice carried disbelief.
En lowered his head, his shoulders slumped, yet his voice remained clear.
“…I dare not.”
“I dare not,” not “I do not.”
For the first time, Apollo revealed a look of fatigue—a look he had never shown before.
In everyone’s eyes, he was “the one chosen by the god,” a perfect leader.
But he was also human!
He could grow tired, feel pain, make mistakes.
Yet the tribe needed him, and the people needed him.
He had been striving to become a chieftain who met everyone’s expectations, but he was not a perfect god—he too made mistakes.
Just as he once, for his own selfish reasons, took advantage of the god’s mercy to forcibly keep the god from leaving.
But when faced with the words of the old priest and En, he had still admitted his mistakes and made changes.
He had tried to do better, to bear the future of the entire tribe!
Yet in the end, his eldest son resented him, even… resented the god who had granted everything!
“En, you have changed!”
En admitted it calmly, his tone carrying a sense of reckless finality.
“Yes, I have changed.”
“People change.”
“Father, one day, your other children—and even you—will change as well!”
“In this world, aside from the eternally unchanging god, nothing remains unchanged!”
Apollo stepped down from above, walking toward En.
A trace of reluctance flashed in his eyes, but it was soon replaced by the resolve of a leader and servant of the god!
“En, you may resent me!”
“You may resent anyone in this world!”
“But you must never resent the god!”
His voice was resolute.
“It is because of the god that our tribe has what it has today, that you and I possess everything we have!”
“Your resentment is the greatest blasphemy against the god!”
As if sensing that his life was about to end, En gave Apollo one final look, as though trying to etch his father’s figure into his eyes.
“Father, He is your god!”
“…not my… god!”
Before his words even finished—
The wooden staff in Apollo’s hand—
The staff that symbolized divine will and authority had already turned into a blur, thrusting forward with precision and finality!
“Pfft—”
En’s body trembled violently, the light in his eyes rapidly fading. He fell straight to the ground, eyes wide open, filled with unwillingness.
Around them, there was dead silence.
Everyone was stunned by this scene.
They watched as their chieftain—whom they revered like a god—personally ended the life of his own eldest son.
At this moment, the air was filled with a thick scent of blood and suffocating oppression.
Apollo slowly withdrew the wooden staff, his movements stiff.
En’s blood stained his hands. The sticky warmth made him feel an icy chill.
He looked at his fallen son.
That eldest son in whom he once placed great hopes, who first learned to run, who first followed him on hunts…
Now…
Had become a corpse gradually losing its warmth.
The authority on his face melted like ice and snow, replaced by deep exhaustion and sorrow.
His once upright posture now bent slightly.
“He was right…”
Apollo’s voice was very soft.
As if speaking to himself, yet clearly reaching everyone’s ears.
“People change, the world changes… aside from the god, nothing is eternally unchanging.”
His gaze swept over those who had participated in the rebellion, including the old priest’s two grandsons and the disciple’s son.
Their ambitions seemed so laughable and insignificant before Apollo’s absolute power.
“My son, En, for betraying the tribe and questioning divine will, has been executed.”
Apollo’s voice returned to calmness, though beneath that calm lay turbulent undercurrents.
“All those who participated in the rebellion will be reduced to the lowest rank of labor slaves!”
“You will dig canals and build city walls. Spend the rest of your lives atoning to the god!”
After dealing with the rebels, Apollo turned his gaze toward his other children.
Their faces still carried lingering fear, along with an indescribably complex emotion.