I awoke in pitch black, lying on something which I couldn’t really describe, but it was neither soft nor very hard.

This wasn't my childhood bed. That much was apparent; in which I had slept in the night before, instead I found myself in what I thought was sand. It's wet too, ugh.

From the feeling I got, I think I was also wearing my usual equipment, a sort of armor made of leather. It was a pretty low tier, but I thought it looked pretty cool. Why was I wearing it? I went to bed in my pajamas and now that I am here. I’m suddenly wearing it.

Of course, this place could have been anywhere I could have thought of.

I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but no matter how long I seemed to wait, they never did.

But even though it was too dark to see anything, it wasn't too dark to hear anything.

There were many people present wherever this was.

Talking, shouting, screaming their heads off, moving about, and running.

From the muffled sound of bare feet to the iron clang of armored boots.

I stood up and waved my arms around to see if there was anything in reach, and I didn’t know if it was good or bad, but no, there was nothing from my childhood bedroom left.

No bed, no furniture, no walls even. I knew that because I had walked a decent distance in a random direction.

I sat down and after just a slight bit more time in thought, something churned in my stomach.

“Oh no,” I said, a realization dawning on me, “this is one hundred percent, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT, a death game. Aww fuck, I hope I'm not in the right here. And I still had so much to do. Ladies to meet, lands to conquer, tickets to punch. Boy, that ain’t right.” I said to myself.

And I was so connected with my parents yesterday too. Even in this form, as far as it is, or was, removed from my original self, they loved me, after they came to believe me and got over the shock.

I had the idea to sort of give them a lot of skills and buffs so they get to the powerful but what for? They were just normal farmers and that’s all that they ever wanted to be.

No need to give them anything they don’t actually want.

I think they handled yesterday pretty well.

As I put my face into my hands, I realized that they, again, felt differently.

They were clearly smaller and rougher.

My first guess was that I changed appearance again.

"Hey Faye, didn't I tell you I wanted to stay an elf?" I asked her. My guess was that, as usual, she was hovering just a small distance above the ground behind me, "I guess you can see me in the dark. I just assume that darkness is not a very limiting factor for you. Can you tell me how I look now? I feel kinda weird, but this is a... familiar weirdness."

Faye's voice came from behind me, and she confirmed my suspicions, "You look like you did two years ago, before all the changes."

I sighed, feeling a sense of nostalgia for my former self. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and yet it was only two years, "My original form? Oh yeah, before all the buff nonsense and form-switching. Guess I'm back to square one," I muttered. "Anyway, can we leave this place? It gives me the willies."

I sighed, feeling a sense of nostalgia for my former self. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and yet it was only two years. "I guess I'm back to square one," I muttered.

Faye's attempt to leave produced a small amount of light. It seemed like she glitched out for a second and then plainly stated, "I cannot leave this place. Something is preventing me from doing so."

"If something is powerful enough to stop you, a being with somewhat of a divine origin, from what you want to do, then it must be pretty powerful. Like, actually so. For a mortal guy, I think I'm pretty strong, crazily so maybe, but measuring myself against you, I think I'll lose that contest..."

I just thought for a moment, if there was really a being out there, which is strong enough just to cuck Faye's power, then what the hell was I going to do?

Alexandra is more powerful than Faye, that’s clear. Usually the creator is stronger than the creation. So, in other words, it could be a god or something like that which stands above Faye in the power-ladder.

If that was the case then I don’t stand a chance. If there was anything I could do then it was to talk, that's for sure; it's the very best of my nature. Or, that’s why I like to think, I can’t help it if a few people thought that it was annoying.

A blinding light flooded wherever I was. I shielded my eyes, squinting through the brightness. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but once they did, I could finally get a good look at where I was. A very drab and miserable-looking beach, with fog covering the horizon and the sky. Even though I could see a respectful distance in all directions, it was unclear how big this place actually was.

The light didn’t come from the sun or anything that would actually give it off. It was just, all of a sudden, brighter than it was previously. It was kinda scary.

"Who turned on the light?" I yelled around and now finally saw how many people were actually there. Must have been a few thousand. “Who even turned them off in the first place?”

I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but there was a feeling in my stomach that made me know just one thing, a hunch some may call it.

I really don’t want to be here.

I observed the surrounding people and felt their immense sense of confusion and disorientation. Of course, I knew what it felt like because it was something I was very familiar with.

And yet, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, one thing particularly caught my eye - the fancy sword that hung from the belt of the older teenager not too far away from where I stood.

The sword was unlike any I had ever seen before. It glimmered in the light, its sharp edge gleaming menacingly. And what was more, it had no sheath. This meant that everyone could instantly see the intricate details and craftsmanship of the sword, which only served to enhance its allure.

Hey, waitaminute, looking a bit closer, I knew that guy.

Without a second thought, I ran towards him, waving my arms enthusiastically.

“Oy, Konnichiwa, Rene-San! What's happening, my man? Long time no see! Hasn’t it? Oh, and the old guy is here too! What is this, a reunion special? Not too far into the future, I wanted to visit you and Leo here to see what I missed, but seeing how things worked out then, I guess I don't have to now."

“Excuse me, but do we know you?" Rene asked in genuine confusion.

I brushed it off and replied, "Don't worry about it. I'm just as clueless as the rest of you. But something in my stomach tells me that we're all here for a reason. Keep in mind that it may be a bad reason."

“Have you done this?” He asked.

“Don’t be like that, man. Most likely… No, I don’t think so. I don't remember any of this. Even if I had done all of this subconsciously, should at least some things be familiar? Also, think a bit for yourself, Reney-Boy. If I had done this, then why am I here with you? Shouldn’t I be a nefarious mastermind watching outside from wherever this is?

But what the hell do I know? I’m just some fucking guy, waking up here the same as the rest of you are.

And hi, Leo. You look pretty good, barely look a day over ninety.”

It seemed that he really did take that as a compliment, as he stroked his long white beard, very flustered.

"Hey, everyone! If anyone wants to figure out what's going on, come here!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

As people gathered around us, I made it clear that I wasn't responsible for their predicament. They thought that I knew what was happening because of what I yelled around but that was just bad wording on my part, but at the same time it was also a kind of bait to get people here quicker.

“Hi, a few of you may already know me. "I'm at fault for a few things, but that doesn't matter right now," I said, "And before anyone else tries to blame me or points a sword in my face, let me be clear - no, this isn't my fault. You ain't here because of me, I swear,” I held my hand to my heart, “cross my heart, hope to die, this isn’t my doing.”

Despite my best efforts, some of the people were still inconsolable.

One man, particularly, was very rotund and was sobbing like a little girl. Everyone could hear him with perfect clarity, "Why am I here? I just want to go home. I didn't do anything to deserve this," he wailed.

As a tall and muscular man swung his axe into the sandy ground, his disdain for the situation was palpable. He mocked the small, sobbing man, taunting him to cry even more. "Oh, woe is you. Why don’t you cry some more, little baby? It's not like each and every one of us is in the same situation as you, but you can keep crying if you really want to." He made exaggerated crying gestures with his large hands, his anger boiling over. "I’m going to find myself a way out of here, even if that means I’ll have to kill each and every one of you. I'll skin you all alive if that is what it takes," he declared, his tone menacing.

The suggestion of coming together to overcome the situation was met with a resounding "fuck no" from the muscular man. He scoffed at the idea of teamwork, refusing to believe that it would make any difference.

"I agree with this man," a lanky blonde woman said. "If you want to work, you can only rely on very few, and none of you I trust."

It all was so strange to me.

My first thought was that where the Muscle Guy struck his axe into the ground, the sandy ground, it created a small hole but then it kind of healed over when he picked it back up. So, what was the ground made of? It didn’t seem like sand, just stuff that looked like sand but behaved very differently. I don’t know why but I felt disgusted standing on it now.

And the second one was that these two people, Muscle Man and Lanky Woman, must have had some horrible experience with trust or some type of sentimental bullshit to act like that.

Maybe they were just naturally distrustful. Those types of people also exist. Not saying these types of people are bad or anythi- to hell with it, this really wasn't the right moment to pry into their personal lives and psyche.

As I looked at the lanky blonde woman, her features looked very familiar; pretty dang tall, golden hair, golden eyes and the most damning sign, pointy ears. Was she a high-elf?

Better to just ask her.

"Excuse me," I interjected, "but are you a high-elf?"

Her expression turned cold as she shot me a piercing glare. "I am not just 'a high-elf'," she spat, her voice laced with contempt. "I am the Kunin Yrmell von Dolwich of Alvansiedel, and I demand that you all tell me what you know about our whereabouts and what you remember before you came here."

Well, can this situation get any worse?

As the old mage Leoren spoke, his words carried a sense of familiarity that seemed to be lost on the elf woman he addressed. "Kunin Dolwich?" he said, with a chuckle that seemed to echo with a sense of history. "In sixty years I have not laid mine eyes on thee. Thou still appearest as thou didst in days of yore."

Despite his jovial tone, there was a hint of sadness in his voice as he reminisced about the past.

Yrmell, on the other hand, seemed to be completely oblivious to his words. "I am sorry, but do I know you?" she said, with a clear lack of recognition.

Leoren's response was not one of anger or frustration, but rather one of understanding. "Verily, it doth make sense, forsooth. Over the years, compared to thee, I hath changed much, and in the days of yore, I was but a lowly apprentice. But now, I am the High-Invoker, Leoren, son of Kaelmar, son of Lutumal."

The woman's response was less than polite, as she dismissed Leoren's attempts at conversation with a mocking laugh. "Little Leo? Is that truly you? Ha- It really has been a long time for you. But it seems that you are no exception to your kind. You have yet to reach two-hundred years of age and still, because of your short lives, you have aged dreadfully fast."

I looked at the few dozen people who came into my circle. There were always two a pair, even me, if you counted Faye, but the elf queen seemed to have no one.

"Who is your companion, Yry? We all got someone, and I know for a fact that high-elves have a companion," I asked.

The elf did not take kindly to my question. "How would you know anything about my kind, human?" she snarled back.

"Well, I know a lot, and I even know a few. I know Crown Rike, pretty cool guy actually-"

She cut me off, walking up to me and yelling into my face, "You know that treacherous leech Rike? How? Do you know what I would do if I could get my hands on that bastard?" She balled her fists in rage, "I'd rip him to pieces and crush the rest to dust. Not one shred of him would remain for his family to weep over, if there were any remaining awake."

"My perception of elves usually was that they were graceful creatures, but now I may have to change my mind," a woman, who I only could describe as a nun, said.

"What do I care what the lesser think of me?" Yrmell snapped. "My only concern is for my kind, not for any of yours. All of you could die and I would not even bat an eyelid. What are you even after all? Humans? Am I only surrounded by lowly humans?"

The room fell silent as the queen's words echoed in the air. But an old man dressed in religious robes stood up shakily and spoke out against Yrmell's rudeness.

"No need to be so rude, Queen Dolwich," he said firmly. "You are not just surrounded by any humans, but rulers and kings of humans." With a flourish of his hand, he pointed to a man nearby, "That there, next to Head-Invoker Leoren, is Rene Retaire, the newly crowned king of Landsfor." He continued on to introduce himself, "I am Ivantie Bancui, Saviour-Patriarch and Ruler of Welia. And this," he gestured to the nun beside him, "is Ecumenical-Presbyter Nun Dyrna Sorna, my trusted right hand."

The imposing figure of a giant loomed in the background, and the man's voice took on a somber tone as he spoke of him, "The giant who previously sought to destroy us all is none other than Zaharias Spieretis, the First-Warrior and ruler of Tweldov, and his loyal second-in-command, Second-Warrior Yorgos Lefetis."

He then gestured towards two dignified figures seated in silence, "And here in our midst, silent but ever-watchful, sits Her Imperial Majesty Wo Aini of Alaran and the esteemed Imperial Bodyguard Baohu Ta."

“Many others too, that I have seen here hold a high position in our world.

The concentration of humans in this place seemed kind of strange to me at first, but if someone was gathering the greats from one world then it would make sense because the overwhelming amount of people in my isekai world were human.

It’s just a numbers game.

"But there are a few unknown to me, for instance, this young man," Ivantie gestured towards me, "who had the fine idea of gathering us all together. I do not know who he is."

Without hesitation, I responded, "That's very simple to answer. I am Asher Burell." And gave the most deep and royal bow I ever performed.

Zaharias started laughing and it seemed like he couldn't stop, his booming laughter echoed through the apparently endless expanse of the mysterious place we found ourselves in. "HAHAHAHA," he chortled, "You're the oh-so-famous Asher the Insane? Vanquisher of the combined forces of two world militaries? Free-er of slaves, slayer of those willing to enslave and destroyer of mountains?" His laughter was infectious, and even I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

But then, his expression turned deadly serious, and he leveled a scathing gaze at me. "Do not try to make me laugh, boy. You are nothing. You are not even the dirt beneath my boots."

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his threats. "That's funny," I retorted, "I don't think there even is any dirt in- wherever we are. Hey, Zah, you wanna test it out? You really wanna see how 'powerful' I can be? Do you really think you're stronger than me?"

He laughed again, seemingly amused by my bravado. "I sure want to see," he replied, his tone almost challenging me.

Without hesitation, I beckoned him to come closer. "Then come up here, stand right in front of me, and don't worry, I won't hurt you, completely the opposite. I want you to hurt me. I wonder if you even can."

Zaharias stepped forward until he was just an arm's length away from me, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Now give me your hardest pun-" I began, but before I could finish my sentence, he struck me with a powerful blow that sent me flying several feet back.

He cackled with delight as I lay there. For the theatrics I didn't stand up immediately, but I did spit out a few teeth which his punch knocked out.

"Is this the power Asher the Insane had? I guess you really must be out of your mind," he taunted.

Of course, I was far from defeated. I stood up, blood seeping from my mouth, and stretched my arms out towards him. "Now, I want you to do it again."

Zaharias looked incredulous, taken aback by my audacity. "Why, come for a second portion, have you? You're a greedy man, Asher."

“I only seek to entertain as best I can,” I said.

He pulled back, having a long arc to his blow. I embraced it and then, exactly in the same spot as before, he struck my face.

I braced myself for impact, but as his fist connected with my face, I felt... nothing. No pain, no impact, no movement. It was like he had just hit a brick wall.

Pulling back, Zaharias took his left fist into his right, having, most likely, broken the former one when hitting my face.

I smirked at him, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over me. "I've been through some... changes. I don't think a punch like that can hurt me again." I stated, then bowed, ending my performance.

I went over to where I had spat out my teeth, picked them up, and threw them back at Zaharias. "A gift, or souvenir. I already have more," I said, grinning.

I showed them all that the teeth had already regrown, straighter, whiter, and more unbreakable than before.

"Hey, that's pretty impressive," a teenager under the crowd said. "Teeth are precious, you know."

"I know, right?" I agreed completely, "if I could, I would just give everyone perfect teeth. If this was a death game where I could get a wish, like the grail war in Fate or the Gantz game thing, or if I become a god in the end like Mirai Nikki, then I make it so that everyone gets perfect and nice teeth for all eternity."

"Can you shut the fuck up about teeth or whatever, in the name of the void, you're talking about? By the gods, man. This is serious," a random man said. "If this is a game, then I do not want to participate. Whoever is the architect of this nightmare, I will not play along. If I look at it my way, then any of you could be the culprit behind this horror."

His words were strong and direct, and they struck a chord with many in the group.

"Really? Any of us?" I said, mocking the man. "Some of these guys may be powerful and rich or whatever, but getting some of the strongest people, in this world, in a very supernatural, not the magical kind, looking place, without any of them noticing, all at the same time, seems so utterly ridiculous to me."

The man was not amused by the sarcastic comment and responded with a warning. "It may well be, but if it was not you directly, one of you may be a spy for whoever the creator of this little spiel is."

The tension in the group was palpable, and it seemed like everyone was on edge. Yrmell, one of the members of the group, had finally had enough of the arguing and decided to walk away.

“I had enough of your bickering," she said, "none of you have the sight to see what may be beyond us. I had some hope that a few of the new rulers of the lesser culture and countries had a spark to them, which I see in my own people. But there is not even a slightest iota of warmth within you or any of you people. You can do whatever you want, but I will go out in search of someone I find, to my dismay, even the tiniest bit worthy.”

“Rike of the Teherendarels?” I asked.

She didn’t answer. The group fell silent as Yrmell walked away.

As I looked around at the group, I couldn't help but wonder if I liked being a part of it. There were too many personalities and philosophies at play, and it was clear that getting everyone on the same page would be a monumental task.

Just as I was lost in thought, the entire scenery around us began to shake. It was as if the white of everything was mixing with black, creating a ghoulish gray.

“Come everyone, friend or foe, I welcome each and everyone of you,” a very deep voice told us. It was unclear where it actually came from. Somehow, even though it was a guy's voice, it reminded me of Faye.

Looking up, very far off in the distance, I would see something come down. It didn't look very fast, but its speed was fantastical.

It was a raven or perhaps a crow or maybe even a jackdaw; I wasn't sure. It was hard to distinguish the difference between the three birds, as they looked so similar to each other. However, what was even more surprising was that the previously disembodied voice, which called down from the sky, belonged to the bird.

"You all have been chosen," it said.

"A talking bird, that's pretty cool," I said.

"Greetings, all," the bird continued, "I am Kavir. I am a Paragon, one to the God of Death, and my creator, Urien."

"Death God?" I muttered under my breath. Not again. I had this type of story line already. "This can't be good."

The crow landed on the ground without much issue despite its speed, and it addressed me directly, "not so, Asher.”

Then, just flying a bit into the air, so that most could see him it said, “Hear me, once and all, for your life depends on it," he declared, his voice ringing out with an otherworldly power. "You all have been invited. All your paths have led you here, before me and my master, the God of Death, Urien."

"You all will face labors," Kavir continued, "which will challenge you and reveal your truest self. They will test you physically, mentally, emotionally, and morally. I do hope that most of you make it as far as you can, but in the end, only one can remain. You shall not leave, nor fly from this duty given to you by the highest. The first ordeal will begin shortly," Kavir announced, his voice carrying a sense of finality. "Even if you do not trust each other, I recommend to you that you save as many as you possibly can."

Kavir flew away, very leisurely, but, again, he was flying much faster than it seemed.

I shouted after him, "What the fuck, get back here, you little shit! Why are we here?! Tell your master to F off!” I gave the sky the finger but I wasn't sure that the bird could see it.

But Kavir paid me no mind, disappearing into the distance with a leisurely grace that belied the speed with which he was traveling.

As we all tried to make sense of what had just happened, someone spoke up, their voice laced with fear. "Urien? The worship of that god is prohibited where I come from."

"We do not believe in him," a woman chimed in, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

"I don't even know who that is," another person admitted, their disbelief at the deity's existence only added to the confusion.

The sky darkened, slowly but surely.

When we all lifted our heads to look up, none of us were really sure what was happening.

There was... something in the sky and whatever it was, there were either a lot of them or it was really, really big.

It came closer, dropping from the sky, (I could see a recurring theme here), and after it was close enough, I could see what it was.

It was an absolutely gigantic... meteor? It was a round black sphere, like someone was throwing another continent at us.

One of my group threw himself on the ground, kneeling and raising his head into the sky, with a face that looked both filled with despair and hope.

“RELEASE ME!” He yelled as loud as he could into the sky. His arms outstretched, fists clenched as hard as he could, even bleeding, then once again, “RELEASE ME FROM THIS MORTAL TURMOIL!”

It was not a plea to free him, but more of a command to kill him.

"Pah, this is nothing," the elven queen said.

"Maybe this won't actually kill you. You're a high elf, you're actually immortal. But if this thing lands on you then you maybe be immobilized," I said, "just think about it. How long do you think you'll spend under it? I'll wager a guess that you don't want to spend the rest of your immortal life pinned under whatever that thing is. All of you," I addressed them all, even the people not in my circle, "Do you have any idea how you'll avoid that thing?"

"I do not care who you people are," Zaharias said, lifting his big round shield, "but I will not succumb to this game. Get under mine and Yorgos shields, as many as you can."

“Dyrna and I will cast as many prayers of protection as we can,” Ivantie Bancui said. "It is the least we can do as part of our common survival."

"Are you sure those shields are going to hold? What if the black sphere will just crush us?" A young, cowardly man said. Even though he voiced his concerns and in-dependability, he still had behind Zaharias' shield.

"Have faith, boy," the priest said, with an unfriendly tone, "what else is there we can do? Does anyone have anything they can contribute?"

"What do you want, spells, skills, items?" I asked.

"Anything at all," he answered.

I looked around and then realized, "Aww crap," I gave my bag full of the good stuff to a little girl. Dang it.

Aini said, with a somewhat hesitant manner, "I could have something that would help, not much, but it is better than nothing. I have a skill which lets me heal and somewhat toughen up people."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"The condition that must be met is that I must consider you an ally and I cannot do that unless I think I can trust you at least a bit," she said.

"Empress," Zaharias said, "Yorgos and I already offer you our shields. There is not much we can still yet offer."

"I already trust most of you to a certain degree. At least as much that you will do anything to survive. But for the rest of you, I will need to know that you are with us, not against us. I also need to know that you will not abandon us when times get hard."

And most agreed, yeah, they weren't complete pansies. The cowardly man needed a bit of persuasion, but after telling him that as a big group we'd most likely survive whatever came, he gained some confidence.

Out of the twenty of us, nineteen could fit under the two shields, not counting Zaharias and Yorgos.

A single woman was left over, and she was panicking. The meteor was due to land any time soon. It was hard to judge the distance for something that big.

I stepped out and offered her my spot.

He thanked me, but Zaharis wasn't too happy. "What are you doing?" He shouted, "get back here."

"You can’t order me around. I’m the author of my own story."

"Do you want to live through this?"

"I don’t know. I never thought about being suicidal, but now that you mention it…"

Any moment now, it would reach the ground, meaning it would reach us.

"Hey, I know that you guys think survival is the only thing you can do but, see those people over there?" I pointed at another few huddled masses, just like we were, that were standing far away from us. "Even if you could survive this Armageddon scenario, do you think these guys have a shield like you? No, I don't think so and I don't really want to see all of these people here die instantly to the first trial or whatever."

"And what are you going to do then, Asher?" Priest Ivantie asked.

"I'm going to do the best I can"

“I will pray for you,” he said, beginning a chant of sorts.

Okay Asher, you can do this. I put some good distance between me and everyone else.

This could get ugly.

I stretched while it got really dark. Mhh, maybe it was even bigger than a continent? This could be another world, like one crashing into another one.

Eh, who cares. If it was an actual physical object, not some strange ethereal illusion which would still kill you in a strange spiritual way, then there was something I can do about it.

These guys are gonna have to thank me afterwards.

Well, I should probably start to cast a few skills and spells, shouldn’t I?

First, which was was the most important thing. I need to be strong. I am already but I just wanna make sure that I don’t get squished if I miscalculate.

Eve if I have trillions of points of strength, what does that actually mean? Does that mean that I am strong enough for this?

What if I’m not? What if I can only lift half a world, instead of a whole one? Then what?

Anyway. First, let’s start with the basics, [Raise Strength]

[Raise Strength] [Raise Strength] [Raise Strength]

And then just to sprinkle in a few others.

[Spirit of Iron] [Gorilla Strength] [Might of Metal]

[Muscular Limit] [Berserker] [Power Breaker]

These all do the same thing, increase strength, maybe a few other things which don’t really matter to the current situation. I cast them all twice so they can benefit from the XP buff. Then I became unsure and spammed them a few times, to just to make EXTRA sure.

Secondly, I need to be bigger. I hate to admit it but I’m kind of a manlet in my original form.

Even if I caught the other planet. If I’m short and then be pushed into the ground a bit then everyone will still be crushed to death.

In this case it really is important that I’m bigger, no matter what anyone would say.

So… [Titan].

It felt like a grew a centimeter.

Well, [Titan] once again.

This time, I shot upwards into the sky. From my new vantage point, I could barely make out a tiny dot far in the distance, which I assumed was the shield of the aggressive guy. I must be a few hundred meters tall now.

Should I risk using [Titan] again?

Yeah, sure, why not. Anything to get an advantage.

[Titan]

Hell yeah, I feel BIG. Not just big but B.I.G.

Don’t ask me what that’s supposed to mean.

Just in time too. The other planet was slow, with my current size I could jump up and touch up but now I just had to wait until I really could put my hands on it.

It didn’t take too long, half an hours or so. In the meanwhile, I decided to sit down and draw in the ground with my finger. It took a moment to realize that I must have created giant craters, but did it really matter in this desolate place? It didn't seem like anyone lived here, so there were no feathers to ruffle.

Okay, ready yourself, Asher.

I put my hands up and just as I thought I was pushed into the ground and not just a bit.

I heard the loud noise of the ground breaking from beneath me and I just had to hope that I won’t sink it entirely.

I was swallowed by the ground up to my knees. That must have been a few hundred meters to a few kilometers, the scale was hard to measures up here.

It was the heaviest motherfucking thing I had ever come across. Even with all my strength it was just a bit too heavy than I could bear.

I channeled my inner Atlas and tried to hold it up with my hands, shoulders and back.

This is gonna come haunt me in a few years when I get chronic back pain.

And then, it stopped and without really thinking about it I pushed it back and threw it.

Where did I throw it? Where else, back into the sky of course. Let some other planet have to deal with a giant meteor.

I waved goodbye to the planet as it slowly drifted away. It must have been really fast but not in my perspective.

“Return from whence you came!”

The moment those words left my lips, I cursed myself as I saw what happened next.

The meteor split into dark, pointed poles, like javelins or really big arrows. There must have been millions of them coming back towards us. Honestly, dodging the coming rain was gonna be impossible for most.

Best-case scenario? It will kill all of us.

Man, it was getting dark, darker than it was with just the meteor. Almost as dark as it was at first in here, if that was even possible.

Is this my fault? Nah, how could it be? But still, I gotta do something about this. I wanted to save a few people here and now; it went from one death scenario to another.

So, here’s another plan. I had a single skill which I could use, but I don't actually know how exactly it was going to work in this situation but hey, I'll give it a try.

Looking into the sky, once again, I know, I know, lots of sky gazing these past few minutes.

[Universal Derision]

...

Nothing happened, of course it didn't. It was the first time I used the skill.

Then I used it again to unleash the stronger version.

It was a taunt skill. Everything would want to attack me.

But unlike normal taunts, like [Taunt] or [Mockery], it didn't affect people, animals or monsters, just things, inanimate stuff, objects, y'know.

And I could see that it worked.

Instead of the rain of javelins I had seen before, the poles bunched up together, looking like the most giant single spear I had ever seen, and it was flying towards me.

Great, so what do I do now?

I guess I'll run, but I’m not sure that’ll do much.

I could teleport. My disappearance and reappearance could confuse the spears and let them all fall onto a single point of my choosing.

It was worth a try.

First, I should build up at least a good distance from the spears or javelins or whatever.

Using the skill [Flicker], which was just a basic teleportation spell I haven’t used yet, I teleported away.

At first it wasn’t very far, just a few steps away, but then, of course, I could go as far as I wanted to.

Looking up, I could see that the spears were following my position, like heat-seeking missiles locked on to me.

But I only teleported as far as I could see, not further, but always consistently, faster and faster.

When I popped up in the middle of a group of people who seemed familiar, I stopped for just a second.

“Hey, it’s you guys,” I said.

It was the guys under Zaharias and Yorgos’ shields.

“I guess this place isn’t really ‘infinite’ but just loops you around if you go too far,” I added, “or maybe I got lost. Can’t be too sure of what happened. I am an unreliable narrator, after all.”

“Just leave,” they said in unison.

“Roger that.”

I started to blink away again, for a minute or so, without a real goal, as a chicken without a head would run aimlessly until I found myself near another group of people.

A few of them I actually recognized.

There was:

Rike, of course, couldn’t have this type of world-impacting event without him.

Each member of the party which sought to bring back Alexandra’s medallion after a cult leader called Aebshem stole it.

The old man, who I think was called Mine, and the dark-elf woman, I don’t really remember hers. Each had their own companion.

Mine had someone who looked like a young soldier. Maybe this was a soldier below him in the pecking order.

The dark-elf had another dark-elf, a girl. She could have been anyone, sister, cousin, just some random dark-elf girl. Maybe she also had some sort of mentoring role to her.

The goblin and the orc, on the other hand, seemed not only to be each other’s companion but also really good friends. I guess they really hit it off after they were in a party, slash, dangerous adventure together.

I didn't see the dwarf around anywhere. Either he wasn't here or he wasn't invited to this event. If he finds out, then I think he's gonna be either mighty mad or really relieved.

But first, before I talk to any of them, I looked up at the spears. It looked like I was far enough away from the flying death missiles to catch my breath for a minute.

"Hey, Rike! You're here too? Who could have imagined? Both you and the high-elf queen here at the same time? Crazy, right? You guys are the only high-elves I ever heard of and you're both here."

"Hello there. I guess from your mannerisms that you must be Asher. How did you change your appearance again?" He asked.

"Yep, me in the flesh. How I actually look. And no idea, I just woke up like that."

"When I appeared here not too long ago, as must have been the same as you and all the others, I noticed that the part of Wystus I had given you was back again with me, all the parts that were given were back once more."

"Can you tell me what kind of companion Yrmell has? I'd be interested to know."

"Her's... hers is a rather rude little pixie called Kelewuen. They are inseparable and if I had not seen both at the same time before, I'd think that they are the same person. It truly made sense to them to share their life with each other. And indeed, Asher, this is all rather of the mad side. But now, I'd advice you to run as fast as you can. Those black spears will be soon here for you and we all are in their path of destruction. Can you bring them somewhere where none of us gets hurt?"

"I'll try my best, boss."

Then I ran again. What the hell was I going to do with these missiles?

Just let them hit me?

Wait- that’s not a too bad of an idea.

I ran to a place very far away from all of the people, stopped in my tracks and stretched out my arms in embracement of the dark spears.

The first one hit me, ripped through my chest and then disappeared.

This repeated all over my body for each individual spear for at least a minute. Not once did two of them come at me the same time, each taking their own turn in a very smooth queue.

But after the first one, they didn't really bother me.

Yeah, I get it, I was ran through by a lot of dark spikes for a while, yawn. Cause of that punch from Zaharis earlier, I regenerate much faster than anything could damage me. The thing that really bothered me is that it tore my clothing to shreds. Those were specifically for the visit to the king of Phosa and the silk they were made of was pretty damn made of expensive.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

After it was over and I stood in a absolutely giant pool of blood but with no visible wounds on me, I yelled out, "A real test of character, isn't this, Kavir? What's the test here? The message of it all? 'Will you die if this would happen?' Or what? Well, that shit sucks, man. Get something more clever."

Kavir swooped down from the sky, flapping his little wings.

Honestly, I am kind of surprised that everything was somewhat normal sized to what I had already know, people, gods, even death god's familiars.

Kavir was the exact size you'd expect a black bird like that too be.

"Are you not satisfied with what you have been given, Asher Burell?" The bird asked.

"Not in the slightest."

"Could it not have been interesting if you hadn't decided to make it all about you again?" he asked and I knew what he was getting at, "this is a game deciding the fates of all of these people; trials and challenges to them and their companion. As your's is Faye and Faye's is you. Would you not have found it more interesting if you had kept your hands to yourself? You do not even know what would happen to the people who are eliminated. I imagine that you'd think they would die, but knowing who Urien is, why would he decide to take matters into his own hands and go about and kill, if he despises it so much?"

"I dunno, I think it would be usual, the absolute norm, that gods of death specifically like the part where they get to kill. Wait just a moment, is the god of death because someone gave him that title or is Urien the manifestation of the concept of death? OR did he just kinda… blip into existence when death occurred for the first time?"

"So many questions, Asher. We'll see if you are found worthy of having them answered. If you get through the next trial I will tell you an old story, when I was first created by my god. It should either alleviate your curiosity or put an excess to your already high interest. Oh, and one last thing before I go. Because of your... special status, you are hereby forbidden to help anyone in the trials, except for your companion, Paragon Faye, who I am sure of needs none of yours. Good luck to you, young Asher. You may need it."

As the words left the bird’s mouth, they sounded like a dimming echo through a tunnel.

"Flock off, feather face. If I can only help myself, then what do I need luck for? If I had to keep the others safe, then maybe I would."

"You will need all the help you can get," it said, as he flew away.

As I watched the bird, the scenery changed.

Looking to the right, I could see a shop with TVs in their windows, they looked pretty futuristic.

It was in the middle of the night and I could see myself in the reflection of the glass.

A mirror to my past, my oldest self, Cyrus.

A fat, ugly, short loser. With no sense of style, with no friends, absolutely no social life and nothing to look ahead in his future for.

Real sad, right?

I wandered around the streets for a bit. I guess I must have been transported back into my world again, or this was an illusion; the next test, so to say.

If this was really real life then I wondered, when exactly is this? I've been gone for about twenty years, but this doesn't really look all that different from when I left, not even the least bit cyberpunk-y.

But eh, who cares? I don't really, neither did I care about who I am again.

In both cases I'm still very young, I could- I can do anything with my life. I wasn't even thirty yet, and before I was spirited away into another world, I really thought long and hard about what I wanted to do.

I finished school and graduated but I didn't go to a university or anything the like but there were still a lot of options for me.

I wasn't greedy or wanted anything too fancy in life, just my peace and quiet.

Then, a tall man bumped into me, he stumbled and then fell over, dropping a bag he was carrying.

I grabbed his hand and then helped him up. Helping wherever I could wouldn’t hurt, right?

But when I saw his face I froze for a moment.

It was my Dad, sure he was older, but it was unmistakably him, with the same laughing lines and crow’s feet he had since I was a little child.

First time ever since I had been reborn I stammered, “…here you go, sir.”

When he stood up and looked into my face, he also froze, but just for a moment.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked automatically, I didn’t know why.

“Sorry,” he said, “dunno where my head is at,” obviously trying not to make the situation too awkward but; just as I inherited from him; he couldn’t help himself but say, “…you kinda look like my son.”

“Oh? And how’s he?” I asked, I just wanted to know what happened to me after I was reincarnated.

“Oh, he’s dead, musta died around the time you were born, I would imagine. Horrible accident. Ran over by a carriage.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Aye, anyway, he woulda hated what has become of anime.” He chuckled sadly, “you watch any, by chance?”

“Sorry, but I haven’t really caught up with any thing the past few years,” I said.

“No matter; thanks again and sorry but I must really run now.”

He gave a short wave and then went on.

I was left with a strange feeling in my stomach until it started to growl.

Looking around I saw a small hot-dog stand.

Searching through every single one of my pockets I, sadly, didn't find any money. It didn't seem like this was supposed to be a fun challenge.

There were a few people around, I got to the closest one.

There was one, a man, who in the dark he kind of looked like a bum, but still I asked, "Hey, can ya spot me a buck?"

From his pocket he pulled around a fiver, with it I bought two really cheap hot-dogs.

One for me and one for the guy who gave me the money. I handed it to him and sat down on the curb, watching the cars go by in the neon filled moonlight in the city.

The man sat down next to me.

"You could have bought two for yourself, you know," he said.

"Well, it's better to share, ain't it?"

"It truly is." He looked at me, and getting a clear shot of his face in the dim lights on the street lanterns, I could see that he was older man and had an air of tiredness around him.

Strangely enough, he was finely dressed, as if he were going to an opera or a funereal.

“You could stay if you wanted to. Leave everything that was behind. No one would fault you in that choice, seeing how things turned out for you, once again.” He said, looking at me with piercing eyes.

“I know what this is,” I said, also tired, “what happens if my heart wavers? Is this purely out of the feelings from my heart or is this really my own, pure, decision?”

“Yours is your own; heart, choice and all. You, and your being, would not betray yourself, would you? Would it? No, I do not think so.”

“Then no, I don’t want to stay. Why would I? It would also be a bit unfair, wouldn’t it be? I already died here and just getting a continue in the same world just doesn’t seem right.”

“Very well, the choice has been made.”

He second he said that the scenery changed again.

Guess it turned out that this was an illusion, a very short but realistic one.

Back at the drab beach there was no one else. I must have been the first one out.

Well, I was not the 'only' one. Kavir was there, waiting.

Looking around, I couldn't see Faye anywhere, unlike it was usually she wasn't hovering right above my shoulder.

"What was this trial about? Emotional manipulation? Seems like a low blow, doesn’t it?" I said.

"Who could have known that Alexandra's chosen was a being so in-tune and comfortable reconciling their past?" the bird said.

"I knew that test was for chumps. Just be okay with who you are and were," I said with a confidence that surprised even myself.

Kavir looked at me with a hint of amusement in his eyes before responding, "It is not so simple, Asher. Many have problems with themselves which cannot be hand-waved to be okay."

"Yeah, the second I said that, I kinda wanted to take it back. It sounded pretty stupid, but I am not one of those 'people'. I am fully okay, okay with being what I am.

By the way, Kav, your boss is quite… unpleasant, isn't he? I could use stronger words, but I don’t wanna incur the wrath of the guy who is imprisoning me here. In any case, IF people don’t die here, even if the ones eliminated in the trials have their memories removed and can't remember what happened here, kidnapping a few thousand people and putting them here is a bit too much. It's just a dick move. I mean, seriously, after enduring two trials, no one even knows what we're actually doing here. What is this all for?"

"Patience, Asher," Kavir responded, his voice laden with a calm reassurance. "All will be unveiled in due course. Your presence here would bewilder many mortals, as your extraordinary status is beyond their comprehension. Though I came into existence eons ago and have witnessed beings like you occasionally, you remain a rarity. How do you feel about all this?"

"I feel fine," I replied, trying to push back the nagging feeling that something big was about to happen. "Physically, I don't 'feel' much as of late, meaning the last two years, when all of this shit first started. Mentally? Great, actually."

Kavir nodded sagely, his gaze fixed upon me. "Good," he murmured, his head swaying slowly. "In preparation for what is about to unfold, you will need a tranquil mind, undisturbed by external forces."

Kavir waved one of his wings in a large arc and in the next moment we were in, what I could only describe as, a pretty pleasant room or a study for a man who would call himself a gentleman.

Using both [Material Gain] to conjure a large amount of silk and [Thread Appreciator] to weave it into something fashionable, I created a silk bathrobe of the highest quality.

It was wine red with black accents, of course. I wore it over my current more raggedy armor and then I sat down in one of the armchairs and pretended to smoke a pipe. I had one but didn’t actually want to smoke it; I tried smoking them a few times on my travels, but I dislike their taste.

“Kavir, my fellow, would you catalog yourself as a being of refined class and intelligence?” I said in a thickly laid British accent.

With the assistance of wing flapping, the bird jumped and settled onto another chair. “I am as my God has created me. Through the eyes of a mortal mind, I may seem astute in knowledge, but that only comes from the gifts I have been given by powers beyond myself.”

“Hear, hear, dear old chap,” I said, raising my imaginary pipe, “though I must ask. How come we find ourself here in this very moment, upon this cavalier study?”

“I have come to the conclusion that a place, which is seen as comfortable to you, would be the best to hold the next trial,” the bird answered, “usually, a place familiar, filled with good memories or emotions would be used, but your case is special. We do not want to use the memories of your old world, because we don’t deem any of them fitting and in your new world, there is no one place which you seem to be attached to.”

“And what is the next trial?”

“The Trial of Power. It is rather simple in nature. It may be the simplest one of all.”

“Then go on, I have no worries about that it is.” I lay down my pipe on the fancy table next to me.

“It has already begun. Not to imply that I am disappointed in that which is the reality of the moment, but do you not feel any different? Any difference in your being right now? Or maybe just a moment ago that has passed?”

“Now that you do mention it, I feel much more… clear or focused than I usually do. Like a veil has been lifted or the fog that always clouds my mind has evaporated, leaving me with only transparency and purity.”

I crossed my legs and stared off into space, but I only pretend to think, “you didn’t do anything weird to me, did you now?”

“Weird?” The bird said. It didn’t really sound like a question. “No, Asher. You've been tested, through and through, though there does not seem to be any significant change in your personage. I can only guess at the reasons.”

“So, what DID you actually do?”

“Just the tiniest fraction of the power of a god has been given to you, though you have seen and felt the results. This may have been because you already have been acclimated towards inhuman amounts of power, but this seems to be a little different from how it would normally affect mortals. Instead of being a detriment to you, it only assists your being, not diminishes it, as yours has been to you.”

I felt the clarity leave me. “Good things don’t last- Well, sometimes they do but this isn’t one of them.”

The bird listened intently. Something I thought was unusual for a Paragon to do, with my only experience with them being Faye, who never listened to me.

“I can only guess that the other people in this game are also doing this trial, like, right now, I mean. How’d they react?” I asked.

“Some did very poorly,” the bird answered. “Some, as you have, did very well; different but well. This is a matter of being, of personality, not of mind or body.”

“More of a soul thing?”

This he didn’t answer, instead he offered, “if you are interested, I can show you a few examples.”

“Sure, I love to see the success and failure of others.”

“Let us see which could be interesting,” Kavir said.

I thought he must have feigned the idea of him thinking about what he’d shown me. If he was anything like Faye, then ‘thought’ was something they could do instantly, or faster than any mortal being could comprehend.

The room shifted from the gentleman’s study into something that looked like a tribal hut with a thatched roof.

There was a fire in the middle of it, burning out its last cinders, and a lot of blood was pooling on the ground.

In one of the corners lay a man, completely unfamiliar to me, not just because I didn’t know who he was, but because his face was almost unrecognizable.

His right had was wrapped around a primitive knife, parts of his face and skin on his arm have been cut off and from all the blood, I could only guess that he had stabbed himself multiple times somewhere in his chest or somewhere I couldn’t see.

A sane person wouldn’t do something like that to oneself; in any scenario which was the one I was in right now, my first guess would have been that someone else had done this to him, but this wasn’t a normal situation.

“This is Nocko’Tchektia, the highest shaman of his tribe, the Wak’Redewi. They’re tiny, and live in the Red Mountains over the Eastern Sky, in almost near isolation.”

“Eastern Sky? I’ve never heard of such a place, nor have I heard of these guys, makes sense if they are as tiny as you say they are. In which country do they live in?” I asked.

“They live in Foretcynth. The biggest nation of their world.”

“’In their world’ you say? They’re neither from my original nor my new world, then?”

“That’s right. You mustn’t think that your new one is the only from which people have been selected from. But you and yours have been grouped together, just a few thousand, with even the slightest hint of potential.

This may be disappointing to hear, but both of yours were the most lacking when it came to candidates.”

“I don’t really care.”

“In Nocko’Tchektia culture, birds represent hope. To him, I was a sign of hope and either a messenger or a manifestation of the bird-god Kethkal’Woh’Zawani, The Bird of the Midnight Moon.

When he was one of his world's chosen, he must have seen it as a sign of the gods for him and his people to rise up from the darkness which shrouded him and his ancestors for ages past. Though when power was given to him, same as you, he could not handle it. Starting mad ramblings about the prophesied coming age of light and the glory of his people.

When he thought about his power overall, he tried to get rid of his mortal body; overcome it, in a sense. But now you’ve seen the results, just pointless self-mutilation and then destined death.”

“I don’t wanna seem rude, but that’s fucking stupid. Is this really what happens to people when they get power, or was this guy just delusional?”

“Do not mock him, he had his believes and stead to them fast until his dying breath. You must have things you believe in, even when you face death, do you not?”

“Yeah, but just normal stuff, nothing outrageous as believing oneself to be have been chosen by some god.”

“But you were, weren’t you? Do you not hold any believes about that? Or about other gods or realm beyond your understanding? Beyond death, the pale blue veil.”

“...Yeah, no. I don't really want to make any statements on death, gods, or anything religious or political.”

“If it is not your will, then I’ll not try to force an answer. This moment and the man will be lost after. If you did not have the words to spare, then never again will you have the chance. The choice was forever yours. Another then.” The bird said, bringing us to what must have been another scene of misery, slash, people failing the ‘Trial of Power’.

If I had been the one naming the trials, I would have gone a completely different route.

Just changing around a few words and searching for synonyms to make them sound cooler couldn’t have been that hard, right?

‘The Capacity of Potential’ sounded a lot better to me instead of the tired old ‘Trial of Power’, but I’m just a random asshole with an opinion, and I guess Urien, so in other words, a literal god, or Kavir, a higher being, named those. So they must be better at this sort of thing, right?

I’d never thought that religion would turn out this way.

Now, I stood in something that looked more like private quarters in a spaceship.

In fact, one side of the room was just a giant window, out of it, there was the night sky but far off in the distance I could see three suns, or three random stars, I wasn’t sure what to call them.

One was small and blue, it was the closest, one enormous red one, being the furthest away, and a simple yellow one between them.

“Very sci-fi, wouldn’t you say, Kavir?” I said.

“If you deem it so, Asher. I can not make any statements to you which you would see as either very truthful or very deceitful when you know not my perspective.” Kavir answered.

“True. I would think it was sci-fi, but if you lived like this your entire life, you would see it as ‘modern’ or ‘contemporary’.

Anyway, who’s trial is this? I already had a good look around and they’re not here? Oh, is this an alien species which is invisible to the human eye or has natural camouflaging systems?”

Reaching out my hands, I waved them all around me, trying to find the invisible individual.

“No, look under there,” he said, pointing a wing at a desk on the other side of the room.

Waking over to it, I lifted the whole desk and when I saw a little girl crouching underneath it; I threw the desk away, across the room.

She wore a jumpsuit, something I’d imagine a janitor would wear, but on a child it looked kind of comical.

“So? A kid. You wanna tell me what’s wrong with her? She’s just kinda staring at me.”

“This is Ao, daughter of Iol and Aure. If you want I can tell you her story.” Kavir said.

“I can already imagine. Either this is just travel or permanent, like going from one planet to another, or this ‘ship’ is her home.”

“It is something like that. Her parents and rest of the people on the board of this ship hope to soon find a new world to populate because their old world was doomed; an unavoidable catastrophic hit by a meteor. Her parents met on this ship, and Ao was the first person born on it. Her birth has only come because of the death of the old world.”

“And what is her major malfunction? Why are you showing her to me? And also, can she see us? Me throwing the desk must have gotten some amount of attention, no? Or is that also just some kind of illusion?”

“What you did was real, but she will not be bothered by it. She will be bothered by nothing in her life anymore.”

“Why?”

“That is just how she processed the power. The personage of Ao has been lost and as young and innocent as she is, or was, never again will she be what she had been; any emotions or experiences she would have felt, gone; and herself is now shut off from most, if not all, which would make someone consider themselves human. From this point of her life she will be undisturbed by anything she sees or feels with the tiny fragments of Ao she may still has left.”

“That’s sad to hear. Kid’s that age can usually be little shits but still, she could have grown up to be a good, kind person. But, oh well. She came this far, didn’t she? Wasn’t her choice, most likely; more like, it was yours and Urien’s; but congratulations anyway. And Kavir, I’m really fed up with this shit. When is this over?”

“Patience, Asher, only two more things are ahead then it is over. Most have not even come this far. But because of your actions in the first, your world had many come to at least the second trial and I commend you for it.”

Kavir waved one of his wings, and from the beach we went to a palace.

It was a pretty lushes place.

"Not to fear. This is the realm of the gods. Or at least a replication of it. The actual realm is the most infinite of realms and the one with the most power, granted from the gods to it. Just beyond the bridge in the north is Alexandra's own infinite domain within it. Let us get closer."

With another wave of his wings, we were transported to something like a throne room.

There was Faye, standing next to Alexandra, who was sitting on a throne, watching something in a very large mirror like tablet.

"Hey Alex, hey Faye," I called out and waved to them.

"They cannot see us, neither can they hear us," Kavir replied, his voice calm and collected.

"Oh," I put my hand down, feeling a bit foolish

"This is not the real Goddess of Redemption, just an apparition created by my god. Faye is a very perceptive Paragon, the lesser ones would not know this, but she does," Kavir continued, his eyes scanning the room .

"Then why doesn't she do anything about it?" I asked, feeling a bit perplexed by the situation. Would Faye just do nothing? What am I saying? Of course she would. She has done so for about twenty years with me.

"She had already. She is waiting for me to pull her out of it, because I know that she knows," Kavir replied, his tone serious.

"And what are we doing here?"

"We are here for your trial. You are not the only one doing this right now. Time means nothing to the power of a god, and if mine wills it, then an infinite span will play out in his very palm. And I am with all that have been called to play out this very scenario, even with her, though the only thing she does is wait," Kavir explained, his voice taking on a more ominous tone.

"And what exactly is this trial?"

"It is simple, very much so. Will you kill your companion to cross into the next trial?" Kavir asked, his eyes boring into mine.

"Maybe," I said casually, trying not to put any emotion on display. "You'd really have to tell me what this all is actually about."

"Why, it's simple. This is all a test to see who is worthy of the mantle of God of Death," Kavir replied. “Such earthy attachments as 'friends' or 'companions' must be forgone if you truly want to call yourself something beyond mortal.”

"Hold up. Is this really necessary?" I asked.

"If you want to proceed, it is."

I thought for a while.

"Would it be easier if I told you that this was the destined point for her death?" Kavir said. "That everything in her life, and yours, mind you, has led up to this moment, which will and would have always have been her death? Would it be easier or harder if I told you that its either you or her? Either you decided for her death or yours?"

"Would you feel bad if I told you that I may think that you’re lying to me, just to trick me? And those; what you said; are all just 'ifs', y’know? And why did Urien decide that? Why is this very moment her death?" I asked.

"I do have the capacity to lie, but it is for you to decide what to do and Urien does not exactly decide when someone or something dies. He is not the force of destiny but instead, the force of death, and his being is bound to enforce it. Young Asher, do you want to hear a story, one which happened a long time ago when I was first created?"

"Sure."

"My God, Urien, had seen countless lives come and go throughout his eons of existence. He had witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, the birth and death of countless species, and the passing of billions upon billions of souls. Even before my birth, he had grown weary of the cycle, and often longed for the end of all things.

But there was one specific task that he despised above all else, and that was taking the life of a child. It was a task that weighed heavily on him, for he knew that a child's life was full of potential, of possibilities, of wonder and joy. He hated to be the one to snuff out that light, to rob the world of what might have been.

One day he came upon a small child, laying in a bed, weak and pale. The child's parents were there, weeping quietly, holding each other as they watched their child slip away.

Of course, this was not the first time, nor the last, that he had seen such a sight, but this specifically reminded him once again about the great sorrow which his presence inflicted upon everything.

For an infinitely small moment, he hesitated, but he knew that he had a duty to perform. A duty which has been given to him by something even higher than himself. He saw the potential in the child's eyes, the dreams and hopes that would never come to fruition. He felt a deep sadness, a sorrow that he could not put into words.

Though it was not a duty which he could ever shrink from, with a heavy heart. Reaching out and touching the child's forehead, its breaths grew shallow, and then stopped altogether. The parents wept openly, and he felt a pang of guilt and remorse.

As he turned to leave, he looked back at the child's lifeless body, and hope that somehow, someway, even with its spirit now gone, that it would find its way to a better place, where the pain and sorrow of this life would be forgotten, and where the child could once again be free to dream, somewhere even beyond the gods.

You may think that the woe will fade in time and that all will be forgotten due to the sheer amount of death which happen across the countless realms, but when you have the power of a god, memories will never dim and experiences will never dull.

Now, again, I ask of you, what will you do?"

"Can I talk to her?" I asked.

Once again the bird faked to be in thought. "I'll allow it."

Kavir vanished, leaving me, Faye, and the fake version of Alexandra alone.

"Hey Faye," I waved.

She didn't answer.

"How'd you feel if I told you that you'd die right now?"

Again, she didn't answer.

"Let me rephrase it this way: Tell me how you would feel if I told you what you would die right now?"

Now she answered, "I would not feel anything. The concept of feeling and death are mortal notions. I have not been birthed, so death is not something I can experience. The closest is the state of un-being, which is a state in which even the possibility of feeling is non-viable."

"Answer me this: Did Kavir asked you to kill me?"

"He did."

"And tell me, what was your answer?"

"I did not. My Goddess has tasked me to watch over you during your life. Killing you, even if you yourself would request it, is something which I cannot carry out."

"What's the most comfortable physical act of friendship would you allow me to give you?"

This question would have shaken a few people, to be sure, but Faye, as always, was undisturbed.

"Based on my dislike for you, but your unwellness of mind, and the expectations of my Goddess, you may hug me once, but I will not return the gesture," she said.

"That's more than enough for me."

Stepping up to her in the fake throne-room, next to the fake Alexandra, in this fake world, I gave Faye the first, last, and only hug I will ever give her, "thanks for everything, Faye. Even if it didn't seem like it, I always appreciated having you around."

I let go of her, and a sensation which made my hair stand on end washed over me, as I watched in the next moment that Faye dissolved into thin air.

As she did, she looked as she always does, with a very neutral expression.

I wondered if she felt anything as she was taken into the unknown, fear, worry, anxiety, anything at all. Maybe even happiness that she left the world true to her responsibility to her goddess.

The world seemed to stop. The fake Alexandra was suddenly stuck in the motions she had made swiping at the mirror-like tablet before her.

"Sad is the state of being which we are all forced upon, would you not agree?" Kavir said, as he suddenly appeared again.

We were at the beach again. It looked very empty. I looked around but couldn't see anybody besides myself and Kavir..

“How many people failed the trials? How many are left?” I asked the bird.

“Not many are, to my dismay. In this world, and in many others, only a handful are left. The Trial of Power was a great filter. Those deemed unfit, even if they did survive or handled the power, were removed.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little unfair? They came all this way and still failed, just because you guys thought they were ‘unfit’.”

“Fair are just a few things. Most who will experience it will not notice and those who do, do not care. Even if you deny it, you are of the second sort, Asher.”

“It isn’t because of fairness specifically, just in general. Most things don’t bother me or really pique my interest. It’s not really my fault, there’s just something wrong with my head. Only happened after I was reincarnated, though. There’s a case to be made that Alexandra, or Faye, are somewhat responsible for this.

So, what to do now? It really seems like I’m the last guy left. I can’t see anyone else here.”

“But you are not. The fraction of the fraction is left. It is true that they number in just a handful now, but there is at least one that you are very familiar with. Let us go to meet him.” Kavir said.

Then, like a ghost materializing before me, Rike appeared. I hate ghosts.

“Heya, fella.” I said, “how come you’re still here? I really had the thought that the last trial is gonna be the end of all high-elves. With the death of at least one member.”

“To my surprise,” Rike began, “Wystus and I had a conversation and he, with neither malice nor greed, wanted me to advance. So that, in his eyes, someone like me, someone he’d trust to do the right thing, had the chance of becoming the god of death, instead of someone who’d misuse the power entrusted to them.”

“Wow, Wystus is a much more reasonable person than I would have first imagined. Big revelation. I kinda thought he was more like a pet ,or not to use a derogatory term or participate in cultural appropriation, but I heard Yrmell said that, lesser creature.”

"Don't petty yourself with such small things. Wystus would know that you meant nothing by it, knowing that you neither know him nor our culture to a good degree."

"Anyway. Kavir," I turned my attention to the bird, "what's the thingy that we have to do now? I survived an unsurvivable situation, I let go of my past, I took the power of a god and judged fit and I sacrificed my closest companion. What's left?"

"You are," the bird said. "Only a handful of people are left, that you know, and only one can emerge. The champion, if you will."

"So, we have to figure it out between ourselves?" I asked.

"Yes, it's that simple. We pair up those who remain, first those who may count as closest, then just those remain, and let them decide, with either words, bargains, or more unsavory methods."

"You're talking about murder, right? That and any kind of hurt, I'd imagine, torture, backstabbing and the like."

"If you want to call it that. I'll give you time and privacy." Kavir said as he began flapping his wings to fly away.

"How do I know you won't just spy on us? A being such as yourself could easily do that." I raised a point.

"I swear to you on my creator," the bird said in the distance, swooping away.

Then we were left alone.

Wasting no time, I immediately asked, "are you going to kill me? Or at least try to?"

Rike laughed, "no. I am not saying I thought about it, but it is no more than the usual thoughts someone had about killing another. Violence is not something I want to use, but if you try to take this matter into your own hands, then I'll try to defend myself, as futile as the effort might be, as I know the depths of your power."

"Then how are we going to solve this?"

"I do not know, Asher. Even in all my years, this is just above me in every way. This is above every mortal being in the world, or worlds. The role offered, the title of God of Death, is not something I want, and I doubt myself to be better suited than most. But as Wystus believed in me, then I would imagine that it is better to be me than them. Not because I covet the power or the prestige of the title, but because I think I would do the right thing. There is a thought that I could abdicate and leave you with the responsibility, mind you. I would need to know in my heart of hearts that you would do the right thing and not abuse the gift that will be given to you."

“What do you expect of me? From what I heard, Urien doesn’t actively choose the people who die. It’s more of a verbose manner of destiny. And if even gods can’t escape it, then I don’t think I can.”

“It is strange, no? I am so old, for someone who is considered a mortal by the gods, but there is still so much I do not know and am unsure about. I guess I expect you to be gentle and kind with the power, and to struggle against the unfairness of fate.”

“You think that’s the right call? I dunno, man, I wouldn’t even trust myself.”

"It may only be from necessity. I tire and the idea of life and the idea of an infinite amount of life, or unlife, whatever it may entail, I cannot stomach. As I lost Wystus, as he made his choice, I lost a part of myself I do not think I can live without. But I may have no other choice."

"I kind of like the idea of immortality, in a more cosmic sense. And to the concept of death, or the negative impacts of seeing it pretty much every day at anytime, I'm very impartial to. If I had the power I'd split myself into multiple and spread them across the worlds just to see the different types of worlds, not too many at once, I don't want to instantly know everything about every universe or world that is out there, but still a good amount to never grow bored of it. I know that one must always be there to, y'know, murk people and take them 'away' but think of all the perks! I know that death is a pretty big thing. Being rude or cruel or completely apathetic to someone who just died is such a dick move, in my opinion. People usually just need someone who understands and is there for them in such an important moment to them."

Rike started to fade away.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Huh," he said with a sad smile, "I guess that is all I needed to know. I know that I can trust you. May you forever keep your heart as it is, Asher, or Cyrus. And never forget, they just need someone who understands," were his last words before he was no more.

There was a long time of rest. And I’m sad, sadder than usual.

Is the name post-death depression already taken? This was the best I could describe it.

I liked Rike. Even though I didn’t know him that well, I thought he was a good person.

I lay on the ground and mindlessly drew a circle with my fingers a few times.

Then I saw a pair of boots. Looking up, they were attached to a guy.

He looked like he was about thirty, just a tiny smidgen younger maybe, tall with one very expressive eye, as if you could glean his intentions just by looking into it. The other one was covered in a linen cloth which was used as an eye-patch.

But he was somewhat ugly. He had long, sleazy black hair and a few very obvious scars.

Other than that, he looked pretty unremarkable. He wore faded silver plate armor and a long sword which was attached to his back in a sheath.

“Yo!” He said, with an outstretched hand. I took it and he hoisted me up. “Whatcha looking so glum for?”

“Oh, a guy I liked died, I think. I’m not very sure about what actually happened to him.” I said.

“Sounds rather tough to deal with. I’m familiar with that sensation. The group I had been with since the start of all this slowly lost its members after every trial. And just now, before I met you, I had to deal with a very stubborn woman to decide who of us was gonna advance. Her name was Gigi, red hair, fiery temper, short as hell too. But in the end, we both kind of agreed that it would be best if I were the one to advance.”

“Well, in my case, Rike just didn’t want the role. And I would be somewhat looking forward to it.”

“Sadness is not gonna help any of us and we’d better get your mind off your friend Rike. How about… What kind of women do you like?”

“Whaddaya mean? Looks-wise? Personality-wise? A combo of the two?” I asked.

“In general I guess. I haven’t told this a lot of people, but seeing what situation we find ourselves in, I don’t think it matters a lot. I like girls with big ears. I don’t know what it is, they’re kinda cute and if they're flustered or self aware of them, I just want to squeeze them.”

“The girl or the ears?"

"Both of course." He said.

"Well, I like amazonian girls. Strong, assertive. Big girls in the other way too, y’know, with some amount of meat on their bones, though not too sizable. I’m no fat-fetishist. I knew of a few wayyyyy back, online, and they were some of the funniest fuckers I knew. Sometimes I miss the simpler times.”

“That’s something I can understand. The simplicity of the past is something most everyone longs for. What’s your name, anyway?”

“Remember your manners,” I said to him.

“Oh, I don't think my name matters. I'm not a very well-known person. I am just a warrior.”

"Well, I'm Asher, Asher Burell. If you're from my world, then you'd most likely heard of the name."

"Can't say that I have," he said. "What do you do, Asher?"

"I don't have a profession, or a job, or anything the like. I was an adventurer for a time, but then I became a wanderer. And then I became something like a diplomat, or just an outright one. I just kinda fell into the work. And you?"

"You mentioned being an adventurer. What exactly does that entail?

"We're kind of like mercenaries. We basically do anything that is requested of us, if the money is right."

"That is what I am, but lately I became more of a monster hunter. We were called Adventurers at first, but since those days it has been a long time, now I only feel like a murderer, for those that we slay are often intelligent creatures. But often enough, we have to kill those who are lower, no smarter than dogs, but who would feel right to kill dogs for a living?" He also seemed sad now.

"Tell me, who was your companion? Who was the person you sacrificed to get this far?"

His expression turned serious as he recalled his former companion. "his name is also something which doesn't matter," he said. "He was famous, famous enough, that is. Do you know what a mage is? Is magic something which exists in your world? I just ask because I cannot be sure."

"Of course it does. You know, even I could be counted as a sort of magician," I answered.

"He was one too. Maybe the most powerful wizard who ever existed in my world. He tamed, then mastered wild magics and created a few new ones, which other wizards in my world could just not recreate.

I knew him since I was a child. He was always looking for a challenge, always pushing himself to be better. To master all which he threw himself into, but in the end, he asked to be left behind. He was clearly smarter than me, even better in a fight, if it had come to that, but that did not change that this was just not something he wanted."

I nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "It must have been hard to leave him."

He clenched his jaw, and I could see the pain in his one good eye. "It was," he said through gritted teeth. "But there was no other way. After we were both spirited away here against our will, we quickly recognized what were getting into with this game and we both knew what the consequences would be if we failed. This is something akin to the risks I face when I took on the role of adventurer or monster slayer, whichever you want to call it, but not he. He only ever wanted to explore the unknown for the benefit of his fellow men, but this had no use for anyone. How about yours? Who were they to you?"

“Her name was Faye, she, uh… I dunno what to say. I barely knew her. She wasn’t human, y’know. You know what an angel is?” I asked.

“No, that word doesn’t tell me anything.”

“You at least know what a god is, right?”

“Of course.”

“Faye was something like an assistant or a messenger to the Goddess Alexandra. Paragons they're called. My guess is that there are either a lot of them or very little of them. Anyway, she was kinda tasked with overseeing myself. You see, I was reincarnated, brought from one world to another, reborn to live again.”

“I do hope that you have valued your new life. Sometimes I curse at myself because I do not with my own.”

“Even though we technically knew of each other for two decades, we barely ‘knew’ each other. If you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.”

“So, there is not a lot to tell, no character growth, if you ask me. She was very cold and mostly emotionless, I guess. And now, with her gone, there is basically no one I have. Sure, I got parents that are still alive, in both worlds too, but over the years I’ve grown so detached from them and any other kind of connection, or rather life in general. How about you?”

“I have a horse, a very smart and loyal one. He's my best friend and I kind of saved his life when he was still very little. Since then, we've been inseparable. To my luck, horses are not brought to this nightmare plane of sand, mist and light."

"How do you want to do this?" He asked. "After all I and my companions have experienced here, I cannot let you just become a god without any quarrel. You can step down, none would dare look down upon you and there would still be honor in it."

"I can't. I kind of did something like a promise that I wouldn't just give up."

"Then there is no other choice but to fight."

He unslung the sword on his back and pulled it out of its sheath, then threw the sheath away.

By the looks of the blade, it wasn't made of normal metal, but I couldn't begin to imagine what it could have been, counting in all the different universes or worlds he could have come from and their ways to craft/smith weapons.

Its edge was pretty dull looking, but it had no damage, no chinks or scratches of any kind, as though it had never been sharpened.

“Are you going to clobber me to death? That sword really ain’t sharp.”

“It is also very heavy. Here, hold it and see for yourself.” He handed me the sword.

And true enough, it was; at least five times as heavy as a sword of its size should have been, maybe even more.

“Under all the chaos of this chaos, I lost my helmet. Due to fairness sake’s, I will not attack your head, if you do not attack mine. But seeing as you are wearing no armor, would you like me to face a handicap?”

I should have tried this earlier, but oh well. I was kinda preoccupied.

I tried to open the pocket dimension that came with the skill of the same name, but the usually easy feat of opening a tear in literal reality didn't seem to work.

Great, I had no access to my other equipment, no armor sets, nor weapons, no potion, gadgets, no nothing, and again, just a few days earlier I gave away my infinite bag. Everything I had collected over two years for an emergency situation and now that I was in one, I couldn't use them.

I had to completely rely on my body and spells then.

“Well, to make this more interesting, how about you only try to hit me in the face? Or the general head area. You got a big and really heavy sword. Swinging it around that high to only hit my head will be really exhausting. So, I think that'll be fair to me.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but if you truly knew me, then you'd know that I do not tire easily.”

He took several feet back. “You ready?” he asked.

“Yeah, let's get this over with.”

Dragging the heavy sword behind him, he ran at me at full speed. He was like a fast Pyramid Head.

The idea of it was pretty scary, or that’s what I thought.

He was unusually quick, even to me, and I felt that this wasn’t going to be like all the other fights I was in.

I stood still. Even if I had a bad feeling, I should mostly be safe, whatever he would do.

Swinging the sword in a wide arc, which I thought was deliberate of him; like I should have dodged it. It connected with the side of my head.

Like hitting a gong, a loud resonant, echoing sound filled the void of the beach.

Ouch. Sure, it didn’t kill me, but it hurt like a bitch. It shouldn’t have, but it did.

Holding my head in my hands; like trying to stop it from vibrating, I felt blood gushing from the wound at my temple. It didn’t heal as it should have.

This situation, as highly unusual as it was, was getting even more unusual.

“Are you alright?” he asked, real concern on his face.

“I don’t know. I think so?” was my answer. “How would I know that I am?”

“You got me there. I also don’t know. How about this: How many fingers am I holding up?” He raised four.

“Four. Yeah, no, I think I’m alright. What it that sword made of? I don't think I've ever been hurt like that. Usually, I heal when struck."

"I'm familiar with that feeling and even I must admit the truth, I do not know. The sword was given to me by someone or something who I imagine is beyond mortal means. Maybe another god, maybe just a powerful force, who knows?" He said, shrugging his shoulders.

Funny, I might die here. Better give it my all, or at least enough so people couldn’t say that I didn’t try to fight.

At least now I knew that I couldn’t take him head-on, so I began to circle around him, searching for an opening.

I raised my hand in a pistole gesture and from my right index finger shot a projectile made of energy aimed towards the adventurer.

It was too fast for him to react and it tore a hole in his chest, right at where his heart was.

"Sorry, after taking the first blow like that, I realized that the stakes are just too high for me not to do anything at all," I said.

"There is nothing to be sorry about. Completely the opposite, actually. You should fight, fight as hard as you can," he responded.

"Seeing that you haven't buckled yet, I guess you're gonna be harder to kill than I first imagined. Now I know what you meant when you said that you're familiar with the feeling. No wonder. There must have been at least one person here who was gonna rival me in power somehow. Either through sheer strength or some other way. How did you get your power? Do you have stats in your world? Did you abuse some system there? Did a god make you strong? What is it?" I demanded an answer.

"Nothing the like. It doesn't matter. Not every part of my life needs to be revealed for you to understand me as a person."

"I had the thought that Urien or Kavir will just put a cap on my abilities in a trial like this. You wanna test it and see if it really is like that?"

"I am ready whenever you are."

Shooting another bolt of energy from my fingers, this time he was ready for it and lifted his sword, blocking it.

The bolt of energy didn't seem much stronger than the one I shot previously. I don't think I have [Buff X] anymore.

He knew that he couldn't just stand there and wait for me to attack him again. He charged towards me, swinging his sword with all his might. But I was too quick, dodging the blow and unleashing a flurry of punches.

Even without [Buff X] I was still very strong and with every punch I put another deep dent into his armor, with the sound of crunching bones and spraying blood shooting throughout the drab beach we stood in.

But even that wasn't enough to stop him. It didn't even seem to bother him very much.

I jumped back a distance, and I raised a hand and a wall of fire erupted in front of me, razing the ground and turning the beach's sand into crystal glass.

But, without a moment's hesitation, he charged towards the wall, jumping into them as his sword seemed to slice through the flames.

His sight blinded by the flames, as he emerged on the other side, he was impaled by a spike I placed there in the few seconds I was out of his field of vision.

He was unable to move for a moment. I wasn't too far away from him, a few steps maybe, and from there I could see that the flames had burned his face pretty damn badly. Half of his face was now just crisp and leftover face flesh.

The spike broke, unable to support itself under the strain and weight of the warrior; the impact it has just received was also no help in the matter.

"Give up?" I asked sarcastically.

"No way, man," he said as he clash the spike with the sword, fell to the ground and pulled it out of his stomach.

Then he charged at me with renewed ferocity, swinging his sword with deadly accuracy. I dodged most of them with a spell called [Shadow Steps], either teleportation behind or beside him, but his attacks were non-stop so there wasn't a lot of downtime to think of what to do next.

This guy was relentless and seemed to be immortal.

I had so many spells and skill that I couldn't remember most of them and opening the system menu to look them up right now seemed like a bad decision.

Just then, he swung his blade around with such force that it sliced through the air, leaving a trail of sparks behind it and the blade connected with something; two of my fingers on my right hand, severing both of them. They fell on the sandy ground, while the two stumps I now had began to bleed.

It hurt like a bitch.

That blade was insane. Does it just straight up ignore my stats?

He already said that its original wasn't entirely kosher.

"Sorry about that," the immortal said. "That wasn't on purpose. You know as well as I do that I only tried to hit your head."

"Eh, don't worry about it. They'll regrow." I said.

"Yours too?" He said, somewhat surprised, "well, we may not be so different after all."

I chuckled at his remark, but inside I was thinking furiously. I couldn't keep relying on dodging forever, and I needed to find a way to defeat him without losing any more body parts.

I decided to try a spell I haven't used before, one that required a lot of concentration and finesse. Because of these factors I thought it was useless if I just had another instantenous one which did the same job when it had a high level.

I closed my eyes and focused all my energy on my hands, feeling the magic coursing through my veins. I opened my eyes, and my hands were glowing with a bright blue light. I feel like a real mage.

I raised my hands and shouted, "[Elemental Fury]!"

A massive bolt of lightning shot out of my hands and struck the immortal man, knocking him to the ground. The lightning crackled and sizzled around him, but he slowly got back up, seemingly unscathed.

I cursed under my breath. This guy was really starting to get on my nerves.

He charged at me again, but this time, I was ready for him. I raised my hands again, "[Spatial Displacement]"

I disappeared into thin air and reappeared behind him, my hands glowing with a bright red light. I struck him with a powerful punch to the back, and he stumbled forward, off balance.

I took advantage of his momentary weakness and chanted, "Vortex Summon!"

A massive vortex appeared in front of him, pulling him in with incredible force. He struggled to break free, but the vortex was too strong.

I watched as he was hurled through the air and slammed into a nearby rock formation I conjured up, causing it to crumble.

As the dust settled, I approached him cautiously, my hands still glowing with magic.

"Give up now?" I asked, panting slightly from the exertion.

He looked up at me, his face crisp, bloody and bruised, but still defiant.

"I'll never give up," he said through gritted teeth. "I am immortal, and I will always rise again."

I sighed.

An idea popped up in my mind. Maybe I should have tried this from the very beginning.

[Tear Soul]

It was a pretty simple spell which did direct damage to the target’s soul.

This time the effects of the spell were very visible, not in a physical sense, but still, you get what I’m saying.

He dropped his sword, which landed with a heavy thud on the sand, and held his hand to his chest.

“Ha,” he laughed, but not in a sad way, more like remembering a very faded happy memory. “This actually hurts,” He said, almost smiling.

I had a much more powerful spell which would have done about the same thing, but I held of using it at first because it would have drained all my MP and SP at the same time and there wasn’t even one time where this was the case but I think I this was the right, maybe the only, time where I should have used it.

“I’m sorry for this.”

“Hey, no harm done.” He responded, grabbing his sword and sitting down, just accepting his coming fate.

[Enter the Void]

The spell must have been powerful enough to completely erase his soul, because the moment I finished casting it, he disappeared into thin air, just like Rike did.

This didn’t feel good at all. I thought that this guy was pretty nice and our personalities clicked.

If we met under any other circumstances, I’m sure we would have made great friends.

“When the hell is this going to end?” I yelled into the air in an attempt to gain Kavir’s attention.

The bird wasn’t here the instance I kinda won the fight against the immortal dude.

“Kav, where you at?” I cupped my hands to my mouth to yell even louder.

“Right here, if you want me to be,” I heard the familiar voice behind me say.

“Hey, appearing out of nowhere behind me was usually Faye’s thing. Could you not do that in the future?” I asked.

“My apologies. It will not happen again. Is there anything else you’d be uncomfortable with you’d like me to avoid?” The bird asked.

“At the moment, nothing comes to mind.” I was somewhat taken aback that he was so accommodating.

“What’s gonna happen now?” I asked, “I think most people are done for, aren’t they? First, I had to ‘go’ against Rike, he was from ‘my world’, and then I had to go against the immortal dude, he was from another world. Do I have to go against another world person again or am I finished? Did I finally reach the last stage?”

“No, only one person for you to go against is left. Of all the people and creatures who started, only the both of you remain.” Kavir answered.

“And who’s that?”

“I will show you one another.”

Before me appeared a child, a little boy.

Nope, I’m so fucking out.

“I saw how these things turned out and no way am I going to fight a child. I give up,” I threw up my hands in a cross in the air.

“Halt,” I heard a low voice say.

Looking around, it didn’t seem to belong to anyone present.

Great, another disembodied voice. How many of them have we seen up until now?

Four?

Though, unlike those times, both the boy and Kavir were frozen.

Sure, the boy could be frozen with just the power of the Paragon, but the Paragon itself?

Strange, that doesn’t usually happen.

Who’s the person who was pulling the strings behind the curtain?

Could only have been the Head Honcho himself, The Big Cheese, Urien, the oh-so-scary God of Death.

But up until now, he’s been more like an absentee father. Why would he show up now?

“Seriously, if you want to talk I’m gonna need, at least, an avatar of you to look at. Something like a burning/not really burning bush or an actual guy. This ‘voice of god’ shtick really doesn’t bode well with me.” I said to the air.

…And, yep, there he was, standing before me. I’d imagine the God of Death differently, instead I was presented with a lanky emo.

“Why?” He asked, getting closer to me without moving. Either I was being moved towards him or the other way around.

“My limits are pretty much anything that involves children.”

“Is it really that simple with you?” He asked. His tone didn’t change.

“Yep.”

There was a silence.

“If is that is truly the end, then, as a boon, because you have made if this far and I have taken a slight interest in you. Is there anything you would like to know before you face oblivion?”

“Once I met a guy called Aebshem, who claimed to be a prophet of yours. Is that true? I can’t really imagine that you're the type of god who has favorites among mortals, or do you?” I asked.

“He, who claimed to be one of mine, was nothing to me. Not a prophet, not chosen by me in any way your minds could comprehend. He was simply a delusional man. High on his own power, believing himself to stand above the rest of you.”

“That sounds a bit… harsh? I guess. Secondly, could you explain why you have taken an ‘interest’ in me? I don’t think I can figure this out myself, seeing that you are a somewhat ‘higher’ being than me.”

“Because you are simple but also because you are complicated. Such a sight I haven’t seen in a long time.”

“I’m really split here if I should take this as a compliment.”

“Do try to. You don’t want a lot. Why is that? You don’t really want power, even if you have it. Love is not something you strife for. Glory, fame, riches, not a lot takes ahold of your being. Not even helping other people or making a name for yourself, you just meander about, strolling through place to place, just seeing where the paths leads you then disregarding it when it does not suit you anymore, why? You may blame your current state of being to the supposed status of insanity, but irrationality is also something which does not have a hold on you. No, rather, most of your decisions have a rationale behind them, even if just a fraction.”

I used a spell called [Party Maker] and a little bit of confetti sprayed out of my hands. “Yay for me, right?”

"Why has Alexandra chosen you, of all the infinite beings in the infinite worlds, and given you new life?”

“Maybe she is just a bad judge of character?” I said, using [Party Maker] a second time.

And this time, a full-blown magical parade rolled in from the mists of the beach, then disappeared into it again.

Hey, I have my buff again!

Quick, I need to think of something so that I have a bit more time to think of something so that, maybe, I won’t die.

“Are gods omniscient?” I asked.

“We know a lot,” Urien said, “but we do not know everything.”

“Can you read minds?”

“Some can, some can not. I have been around long enough that I know the hearts of man.”

“It seems like you do not like Alexandra very much. Why is that?”

That should keep him occupied for a bit, and I’m sure ‘reading’ my intentions are gonna be hard if even I barely know what I’m doing.

Uhh, yeah, seriously, what the fuck am I gonna do?

First, [Silent Cast]. Urien was barely paying any attention to me and I think, in his god-mind, he didn’t care that I’d cast even a single spell. Conveniently, [Silent Cast] is also cast silently itself.

Just to make sure that he really isn’t going to see/hear.

[Silent Cast] [Silent Cast] [Silent Cast].

Can’t be too careful, can I? Four times should be enough. But what now?

What spell or skill is gonna rival the power of a god? Or save my ass, at least.

Before I cast any spells, the mist of the beach lifted, finally revealing the light of the sun, or should I say ‘light’ of the ‘sun’.

When I looked up, I saw that there was no celestial body in the sky which gave this ‘planet’ its light.

Instead, the light that came from the heavens was people, or ‘people’.

I knew one of them; it was Alexandra.

Arigato, Alex-Sama (and all the other gods), here to save me, and everyone else’s ass, I guess. Wait, I'm the only one who is left. Oh, and the kid, he was still frozen in place.

“Urien,” one of the gods called out, clearly angry, “What, in the name of all that is graceful, do you think you are doing?”

The God of Death laughed, “what does it matter what I think, oh God of Love? The only thing that matters is what I do.”

“Honey, the name’s Qintoris, and what you do is meddle, and the meddling look is not something which lends well to your whole theme. Yours is more of a dark, loner type, far away from people and their affairs.”

“I choose what to make of my own affairs.” Urien retorted, “unlike most of you lot, I choose what I am. And now what I have chosen is not to be what I am. And do any of you really believe you can stop me from un-doing my being? I spent eons dealing with all manners of death. I know what I am doing. Choosing my successor, in a manner I see befit, is only a courtesy I do for the uncaring universe and the lot of you.”

The gods landed.

Alexandra was at the forefront with the God of Love, as Urien called him, next to her.

Behind them were also:

A very unhappy, and very, very tall man in armor.

A small, tired looking woman.

An old man in white robes and a long beard; pretty Abrahamic-God-looking kinda guy.

One had a Fu Manchu style mustache and more narrow eyes than the rest of them.

Anyway, there were a lot more but I’m not gonna describe every single one of them.

I mean, I can see them. Why would I go through the trouble of narrating the looks of all of them inside my own head?

The main point was that they were a large group and clearly upset.

One god, his face was unclear, hidden behind a large hood, walked in front of the arguing gods and they were silent as he approached.

He spoke slowly and with a sense of gravity in his words, “Long… since long ago have we performed our duties, in all unhappiness that can be imagined, in all misery that can be brought upon a being. It is not new that you are upset, Urien. But what does disturb us is that you change the given fates of mortal beings. As you know, we tolerate many things, but meddling to such a degree… we do not agree and thus we cannot look away.”

“Why? We usually do. You most of all. Destiny-” Urien spoke up but was cut off as the hooded man shouted, which scared a few of the lesser gods.

“I never look away, Death God! I perform my duties aware of everything. I am aware of every strand of fate that is being pulled and all the consequences that are being brought by them. I am not grateful for the role I have been given, but my happiness is no concern because I was not made for it, neither were you. You are not a person such as these mortals you have been toying with, even tortured. You are a function, a basis and reality in which the essence of being all lie in, but it seems you have a defect. You are a function gone awry. You see yourself as one of them, something with the feeling, desire or sentiment of those who employ that which is your obligation.”

“You and all of our ilk are too ignorant to know our folly but not me,” the god of death said.

“Umm, yeah, can I leave?” I asked, interrupting the gods.

“You? You don’t matter and have no say in the matter of anything. You are a nothing. A speck of dust, oblivious to the true ways of the world.” Urien said to me, and I thought he was being unnecessarily rude. He addressed the hooded man again, “would it matter if this mortal were to die?”

“If his destiny demands so,” was his answer.

“Does it this time? Or are you, as always, unwilling to share what is to happen? You are a powerful god. Fate, future, past, present, all that will be. But never once have you divulged any knowledge, even to your so-called colleagues. I am the only one who sees our true nature and rejects it. Are we truly the ones who stand above all? If there was anything other than us, it doesn’t care or is ignorant to our plights.”