All was bright, too bright for my liking. We were standing before a big golden gate. On both sides of the gate where high white walls made out of giant stone blocks. They span all the way I could see.

We weren't alone there. Similar pairs to ours seemed to appear little by little. The other guides were dressed much the same as Nataniel, though they acted a little different. I have the feeling she would skin me for this, but they felt more dignified. I couldn’t really pinpoint to why I felt like that though, so I just shrugged the feeling off. No one can blame me for being paranoid a little. I just teleported. Just now.

The other people, other scions I guess, arrived in all shapes and colors. Some were incredibly buff, the sort to pick me up in one hand and throw me across a village. Some didn’t even look entirely human. A few had a tail, a pair of horns, some had unnatural skin colors, others seemed to have a completely different anatomical body structure. The interesting thing was, that the guides seem to reflect the one they came there with.

In the middle of me trying to figure out if that was a coincidence or by design, a loud voice started to speak from behind the gate. Startling me a little bit. Nataniel looked to the gate with disdain.

"Welcome scions and their handlers. Welcome to the city Ina the sky, the one and only Nirvana." The voice paused, after a while of silence, it coughed and began speaking again. Did it expect an applause? Nataniel laughed a little.

"You have been called here, because it is your destiny to join our ranks! To uphold the rules of the world! To keep the darkness from spreading! To become SUPERARE! Our mission is glory, our actions pure. We fight off the evil trying to grasp at the roots of our world! We are the wall, the shield and the spear, I ask you all. Do you want to join us in our holy crusade?"

There was no awkward silence now. The other scions were shouting and screaming at the mention. Those that had shields started bashing into them, producing loud sounds. The guides were patiently waiting there. Nataniel started to pick her nails.

"You don’t seem like the other ones." I thought out loud.

"Neither do you." she rebutted. Fair enough.

"Now and for all time. You will revel in glory, in mead and in song! Go now, you future pioneers, you warriors of truth! Show the wise man behind these walls, that we should open them up for you! Your handlers know of the feats you need to accomplish, they will guide you to them. Don’t let your will slip young ones! Rejoice, for you are destined to join us!"

Another wave of cheers erupted around.

"We can go now." Nataniel said.

The voice started to talk about the mission specifics, but I didn't get to listen to those.

"Are you sure, it's seems like…" She took my hand and we were in the library again. My body was shaken, the sudden difference in the air, the movement to my house. I felt it this time. So much so that my stomach twisted itself and I vomited my breakfast on the stairs.

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"That happens sometimes." Nataniel didn’t seem to mind too much.

After wiping my mouth and cleaning up what remained on the floor. I found Nataniel reading in the library. She was lying on the old dusty couch.

"What now?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, her face devoid of any sign of irony.

"The quest, you are supposed to tell me it...right?"

"Oh right, I didn’t yet tell you did I?" She looked put her book on the floor and pointed to a different one. "Bring me that, please"

"Huh?"

"Bring me that book."

I warily walked over to the book, still maintaining eye contact with her. I gingerly picked it up and handed it to her.

"Thank you, now you may go."

"Wait what?"

"I don’t require any services right now, thank you though." Natalia said and lied down again.

I stood there dumbfounded.

"This doesn't feel like a 'holy quest'." I said mockingly.

"You are very much right in that regard, I wouldn't call it that either."

"So you are slacking on your job."

"What you!" she eyed me angrily. This seemed much more natural to her then the dignified act she put on earlier. "I am supposed to be a guide, but who said that you are worthy to be guided!"

"The voice before?"

"He doesn't know anything about what your mission really is! He is just a drunken yapper."

"I suppose that the Nirvana standard isn't as high as I thought then." she stopped talking to me and sat back again. Looking away from me.

"Can you tell me about the quest? I am moderately interested."

"No patience, that’s not good. Wait"

"Please?"

Her yes shifted from the book to me. She sighted and turned to me.

"Alright, I suppose that I should tell you a little more. Sit down."

After sitting down Nataniel started to explain the situation to me. With every movement of her hands, small rays of light followed, it was almost like she was painting in the air.

Basically, it’s a game of chance, or at least that’s what it should be. Random people get selected to participate, get a chance to join the higher evolution, their idea of survival of the fittest. Even though I don’t really understand why luck is seen as a skill too. Anyway, the theory is, that each of us has to perform a miracle, become a hero, slaughter many enemies, basically the very classic ways to make yourself seem more then others. She explained that that was just the first step, but that she couldn’t tell me the rest even if she wanted to, she can't, because she promised.

"And what is your part in all this?" I asked her.

"Support and guidance mostly, which I just provided."

"That’s not all is it?"

She eyes me angrily. "No, it's not. I am supposed to help you find an obstacle big enough for you to become worthy, so you can go to the next step."

"Why do I get the feeling that you won't?"

"Because you are somewhat smart." she smiled ironically and stood up.

"I am going now, I don’t want to help you. And I will do my utmost not to."

Before I could ask why, she wasn’t there anymore.