At last the eight chosen deities had chosen their loyal retainers for the third Tryfing. For these final twenty hours, each team was making their final preparations to enter the Fantasia world.

///

Team Lugh

Valhalla, Heading to the Grave of the Hero

Lugh and Ariel hitched a ride to Valhalla on the flying ship of Lugh’s fellow Celtic kin, Manannán mac Lir. He looked like a wise middle-aged man and was one of the few who didn’t truly have any ill will towards the young Celtic deity. If anything, he took this opportunity to ask the young human how he styled his hair.

“Pomade or wax? I see thank you, Ariel,” Manannán mac Lir said. Just as he finished speaking Lugh jumped behind him and used both of his hands to style the older deity's hair like Ariel’s.

“It's pretty old fashioned so it works for you, Lir.” Lugh giggled, as he teased both Ariel and Manannán mac Lir, who both looked annoyed at the trickster. Ariel grabbed his cloak and pulled him off the older Celtic deity, moving Lugh to the back of the boat.

As they reached their destination, the two youths thanked Manannán mac Lir and walked the courtyard to reach a giant stone plaque.

“Why does it feel different on this island, Lord Lugh?” Ariel asked.

“Someone put up a time dome around Valhalla. Freya’s been training her retainer here. I heard it was a really cute girl she picked.” Lugh had his trademark devilish trickster grin.

“You don’t say? Maybe we should check our competition out,” Ariel replied with his own devilish grin. Lugh laughed to himself knowing full well who Freya’s real retainer really was.

The two reached the plaque, which itself was written in Norse and decorated with many different gifts of offerings; whoever’s grave this was supposed to be was someone truly loved by everyone in Valhalla. Although, Ariel already guessed the deity whose memorial grave this was.

Loki was there waiting for them, his arms were crossed as he stared at the plaque. He turned around when he noticed the two coming closer. “Took you guys long enough,” he said with a hint of annoyance.

“Hey Bluki, we were just doing Tryfing stuff see?” Ariel lifted up his right arm to reveal the retainer bracer, the color of the accents of the bracer were a crimson red that matched Lugh’s cloak and Ariel’s hair.

“We were able to get red! You know that’s my favorite and lucky color, Lo! This got to be a good omen,” Lugh said.

“The color doesn’t mean anything in the end, Lugh, just for those silly humans to register themselves into the Tryfing system.” Loki moved his body back to facing the plaque.

“In our culture we believe in a gift cycle, when someone gives something it's to build true bonds of respect and love with one another.”

“Aww, does that mean you like me, Bluki?” Ariel teased.

“THIS IS SERIOUS! CAN YOU STOP CALLING ME THAT!” Loki shouted.

“Hehe your face looks like our favorite color now,” Lugh also chimed in and teased.

“Wouldn’t he look purple if he blushed?” Ariel teased.

“Look, you gave me something genuine that meant a lot to you and out of respect, I will do the same.” Loki went to the front of the plaque and whispered a Norse word and waved his hand over an empty spot of the stone.

It was like an invisible barrier had been ripped, and in its place a stone hammer rested with its handle up in the air. “Mjölnir…” Lugh said under his breath.

“I was given Mjölnir from Odin; he wanted me to have it, not because it was

my brothers but as a remembrance of my failures. I can't even touch it; it shocks me out of hate. Michael was able to move it for me… that damn angel was more worthy than me.” Loki’s hatred contorted his face but he looked at the two next to him and remembered that he was with friends, people that cared about him.

“Only me and Michael know it’s here, and now you two know. Ariel, if Nir thinks you are worthy then you may have it. This is my gift to you.” Loki moved aside, allowing the bancho to see the hammer fully. A thunderbolt was encrusted on the side of the hammer, with Norse words that Ariel couldn’t read.

Ariel didn’t look at Lugh for permission, he knew how grand this gesture was from Loki and to hesitate would be a sign of disrespect, to not just Loki or Lugh.

But also to Thor.

He reached the hammer and grabbed at the hilt and pulled. No budge, no movement no matter how much he tried. Loki’s eyes fell to the ground and felt disappointed. Not because Ariel wasn’t worthy but because he thought it was his fault for hiding it away. Was Nir even alive in there anymore?

As Ariel was about to let go, his vision went white. He stood in a red fiery area. It wasn’t hell or anything like that. It was calming and soothing to be here covered in the red lights, it felt familiar to him.

“That’s because we are in your soul, boy.”

A voice spoke to Ariel, in front of him a young child appeared with gray eyes and blond short hair. He was covered with tattoos of lighting all over his face and arms. The boy walked around Ariel as if he was evaluating him.

“I guess that insufferable Loki was telling the truth about you,” the boy said.

“What do you mean?” Ariel asked

The boy sat crisscrossed in front of Ariel and motioned for him to do the same, which Ariel complied.

“That ergi níðingr good for nothing comes here and speaks to me from time to time.” The boy was cursing in Norse, words that Ariel didn’t understand the exact means to but could feel the negative connotations too.

“He told me today that he wanted to give me to you and the Celtic he’s friends with for some battle. He said you reminded him of Thor.” The boy placed his hand on his chin and stared even harder at Ariel. “I barely care what that argr tells me, but I was curious about you. I can see in your soul, and I know what you and your deity are trying to do.”

The boy's face looked sad, and he started to cry humorously and act dramatically. “I miss my master so much, you have no idea what it’s like to be a deity in a weapon that loses its purpose!” He stood up and raised his hand out. “You want to bring my master back, right? That's something I want as well. Your soul is a bit rough around the edges, but it’s as noble as Thor’s was.”

Ariel stood and grabbed the boy’s hand. “Lugh gave me this opportunity to fight and hanging out with him and the other tricksters made me realize there are others out there just like me. I want to heal Lugh, Loki, and the other tricksters' hearts…. and yours, as well.”

Ariel was shocked that he was able to articulate what he said so well. Then he remembered he was in his own heart, it was much easier to communicate one’s own feelings here.

Nir shook his head at the bancho, they only knew each other for a few minutes but it was clear to anyone just how kind the young man’s soul truly was. How much he reminded Nir of Thor and how he acted towards Thor brother Loki.

“I, Nir, proclaim… that you are worthy.”

Nir smiled at the bancho. “Rain, thunder, and lightning on our enemies.” Once again a blinding light appeared, causing Ariel to blink. The next moment he opened his eyes, he had moved his arms to block the blinding lights as his vision came back he felt and saw the hammer in his hands.

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Lugh and Loki both shouted in celebration. Nir had given his blessing for Team Lugh.

///

Team Zhong Kui

Diyu, Zhong kui’s domain in the underworld.

“RED!”

“Rejected.”

“BLUE!”

“Rejected.”

“Purple!”

“Rejected.”

“ARGHHHH do you believe this, Jer?” Audrey took the bracer off and threw it on the ground. Zhong kui shook his head and sighed. Jeremy the ghost quickly went to grab the bracer that had bounced off the ground. “My lady Audrey, pleas–”

“I thought I told you to drop that ‘my lady’ crap.” Audrey appeared behind Jeremy and had a ticked off expression on her face. “I ain't some old hag!”

Audrey looked at Zhong kui and stared at his skin before grabbing the bracer from Jeremy. She shouted anothercolor.

“GRAY!”

“Rejected.”

“Oh, COME ON.” She threw it again on the ground and Jeremy went to grab it one more time.

“Oh, big guy, here this is the list I was telling you about.” Audrey took a crumpled up ball of paper out of her pant pocket. “If you can get these humans to be a part of my ghost army that would be great! These guys are noble and cool.”

The “big guy” took the paper and uncrumpled it. He needed to squint to read the horrible handwriting. “EVH?” he asked.

“Yeah, legendary guitarist Edward Vin Heler! That legend died a few years ago. If he’s still around in the underworld waiting to get in that cycle you waz talking about, get him to join us.”

Zhong kui stroked the beard no one knew he had. “I’ll talk with these souls and promise them underworld benefits if they accept. But I don’t see why we need any of these humans to win.”

Audrey patted his back and just shook her head in amusement. “Kui, big guy trust me, it’s all about style and flair and the best way to do that is to make sure I make a big first impression and entrance, right Jeremy?”

Jeremy looked unamused as he handed Audrey the bracer. “Don’t rope me into this my lad–”

Audrey wrapped her arm around Jeremy’s neck and started to give him a nuggie on his head. “Stop calling me ‘my lady’!” she yelled, causing Jeremy to drop the bracer.

Zhong kui smiled lightly under his cloth face-covering and went to pick up the bracer. He then pulled his retainer apart from Jeremy and placed the bracer in her hands.

“Try black or white.”

Audrey put the bracer back on. “Black, like a warden of death!” She shouted it out and waited.

“Accepted.”

She took her fist and lightly nudged Zhong kui. “Hell yeah, now I'm officially registered. This calls for some drinks! Jeremy, tell Nakir our angel to get some good stuff!”

///

Team Freya

Valhalla, the Fields of the Fólkvangr

Thanks to the time dome it felt to Charlie like he was training for a few days instead of a few hours. His clothes had gotten so battered and tore up that Freya asked the Norse deity Nanna to create training armor for him. In just a short while, Charlie was looking more and more like a noble Norse einherjar.

Charlie fell to his knees in exhaustion taking deep breaths. The cuts he got from Freyr started to heal slowly. “Are you ready to call it quits?” Freyr asked.

“You can stop if you want, Charlie! You've done so much already,” Freya chimed in.

Charlie couldn't stop huffing and puffing, he was pushing his body harder than he had ever done in his human life. It felt like his soul was slowly crumbing, screaming for him to stop. He looked down on his right hand and saw the purple bracer shine.

“No… it's not good enough,” he said, but what he really wanted to say was that he still wasn’t good enough. Charlie thought that if it were Carmichael that was here, would he be struggling the same way he was? No… he would, but he would be training even harder.

“Let’s keep going, maybe… we can ask other einherjars to join in?” Freyr shrugged his shoulders and started to get into battle position.

“Hard to believe you're the same guy that Freya recruited back on Earth,” Freyr said with a smirk of admiration.

Yes, it was hard to believe that in a short time Charlie had changed to this extent. As Freya watched her retainer, she realized she wasn’t even doing anything to teach Charlie.

She had always been like this, making others do her work, like Freyr… or Achilles. But the only reason she acted this way was because God had started to ignore her and the others, focusing more on the humans and their so-called potential.

Yet here, she was front row to that potential. To Charlie's drive and change and to be something more. Maybe this is why God favored humans. Maybe Freya needed to change?

Would she be able to? And why would she even want to change? For God? For herself?… To talk to Achilles? And maybe…return things to how they used to be, before the Great Rebellion?

Either way, Freya needed to start acting like a deity. Charlie needed his deity.

Freya got out of the chariot and started to run the opposite direction of where the two were training. “I’ll go get some warriors to face you, Charlie.” She too decided to take the first step.

///

Team Nuada

Elysium

Outside the Main Plaza

Nuada sat alone on the outside of the main island of Elysium. He sat on the edge of the floating island and had his legs dangling off the side, staring at the gates of Eden.

His feelings and what he wanted from the Tryfing had changed so much since he met João. He had his crown back on, which still felt strange and foreign to him.

Slowly, he was getting his confidence back after his failures in the Great Rebellion, and yet, he was sad. All the other deities were with their retainers planning, making memories and experiences.

While his retainer suffered in oblivion, he just wanted the time to pass quickly. He glanced at the bracer he was given, which was pre-registered green for João.

Nuada’s over-thinking made time slow to a crawl; he needed the Tryfing to start now! He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace that had a small vial looped around it. Nuada had created an extra one out of the young man’s remains.

He had asked João’s grandfather to give it to his grandson’s parents; instead, João’s grandfather wanted Nuada to keep it.

Nuada felt he was not fit to keep something like that. He started to over think and doubt himself again, causing his brain to go into overload.

He stood up and remembered the advice that the Machados passed down to their kin to relieve themselves of the pressure and stress of the curse.

“Arm’s length, shoulders wide, like you're looking for a fight. You'll be alright… so, with all your might push through and fight!”

Nuada punched the air with his left hand, the one with his silver arm. He caused a ripple of energy to break the wind. The wind was blown forward and then came back, passing him and blowing his hair.

It was a nice and calming breeze that he felt. Nuada then put the necklace on and continued to stare at the gates of Eden.

Still waiting… but at least now, he had eased his mind.

///

Team Ra

Ra’s War Room

“See? I told you this movie was cool,” Darren said. He pointed at the screen with his bracer hand, which was gold.

Ra, Muriel, Osiris, Arawn (Osiris’s Celtic assistant), and Darren were all watching a movie called “The Mummy.”

Everyone but Osiris was watching the film on the edge of their seats. Osiris was in a daze on the couch, her bandages unwrapped and everywhere.

She had no life in her eyes or will to live. She and Arawn had been in a warden meeting that caused Osiris to sink into this existential crisis. Ra wondered what frightened her so much, but she didn’t want to talk about it.

“This Brandan guy is cool!” Arawn said.

“Yeah, he’s the shit. Back in the institute they gave me a bunch of his movies to watch. Dude is the G.O.A.T.”

“Isn’t he human?” Arawn tilted her head in confusion. Muriel chuckled and explained the human acronym.

“I agree that this human is ‘cool’ but I don’t appreciate that the pharaoh is the villain. He should be the hero!” Ra exclaimed.

“Yeah and Brandan should play him!” Arawn chimed in.

Ra took a moment to think before saying anything else. “I agree. He is one of the only humans so far that hasearned my respect with his performance.”

Osiris let out a moan and breathed out. “This is peak cinema,” she finally said but was still in a daze. Darren smiled watching his favorite movie for the millionth time.

“We got to watch Encino Man next!”

///

Team Archangel

Archangel War Room

Lu(Ast)th(er) Sat(Or)en(ion)ly

STR:

INT:

ATH:

RES:

Hero: You are the hero of the Fantasia world, and you must have a legendary backstory as grand as the title of hero. Start anywhere and be anything as long as your ideals are that of a hero. Because of the title of hero, your legend will be known far and wide, making you an ideal target for other retainers. Only a human with the traits of a hero can be chosen for this role.

Unique Ability: Choose one of your deities’ (angels’) godsends. This godsend will become a physical weapon in the Fantasia world. You will be locked out of your abilities, powers, and connection to your deity (angels) until you find your weapon. But once you find it, you will have a permanent godsend that doesn’t use your ather to sustain its form.

This godsend is also indestructible. The only drawback is that the weapon itself will be so regal and otherworldly to everyone else that all retainers will know this weapon is a godsend.

The Archangels stood dumbfounded at their retainer Luther’s stats and role information. All of his stats were locked and his name was a jumbled mess in the system as well.

“Was his soul's original name supposed to be Aster Orion?” Gabriel asked.

“Looks like it,” Michael stoically said. He stared at Luther who was on the floor against the wall. His eyes had no life in them, as if he was missing a critical aspect of his soul. Wrapped around him was the cloak of the stars, given by Hades.

Uriel grabbed Luther's right arm and checked the gray-colored bracer. “I’m glad Achilles was able to help us register the bracer. Hey Luther, we risked our butts for you. Can you talk to us like a normal human?”

Luther said nothing and continued to look away from the angels.

“Hey Michael,” Gabriel said to his older brother. “Could I come up with Aster’s hero backstory?”

“So, we going to call him Aster now?” Raphael said.

“I mean that was the name he was supposed to have! Plus, I haven’t done anything! You all have been working hard, sure I came to help stop Lucifer but I don’t think it would have truly mattered if I was there or not.” Gabriel had a face of disappointment.

“I’ll leave it to you, Gabriel.” Michael gave his younger brother a smile and pulled out his blazing sword. “Take my sword and give it to Achilles or Damaris. Once you set up his heroic back story, the weapon has to be near where he starts.”

Gabriel beamed with joy at his new mission and grabbed the sword. He started to brainstorm the backstory when the cloak of stars caught his eye.

Michael went to Luther, who they would be calling Aster in the Tryfing. He bent down and pulled Aster’s face up, making sure he was looking at the angel's face.

“Hey, I need you to listen. We can’t help you unless you find the sword and accept the role of the hero. The sword is going to be near you where you start, so make sure you pull it out of the stone.”

Aster still said nothing; it didn’t deter Michael from talking to him. Instead, he said one last thing.

“You have to step in the fire and become who you were supposed to be.”

///

Team Minerva

Minerva’s War Room

“Your move.” Minerva smiled as she finished moving her chess piece. She was wearing a more casual gown and didn’t have her armor on.

Alessandro, who was sitting in front of his deity, stared at the chessboard. His left index finger was tapping the top of his pocket hand book, which he had on the table.

The bracer was also on his left arm and was the color orange. Elena’s favorite color.

He moved his piece and motioned his hand to Minerva for her to take her turn.

///

Team Inari

Inari’s War Room

“That is why I want to return to Eden, Kento.” Inari had decided to explain her reasoning for winning to her retainer earlier then she had planned. She felt he needed to know.

She poured him a cup of tea from a pot she just brewed.

“I see, you want to see your lover who stayed in Eden.” The old man nodded his head in agreement with her goals, and took a slip of the tea. His bracer was on his right wrist and was blue.

“What about you, Kento, what would you wish for?”

Kento rubbed his chin and smiled. “I thought about it all my life. At first I would have wanted to use it to better Japan, but as I kept thinking about it, I decided that maybe I should be more selfish.”

“Ooh, Kento Sanosuke, what selfish wish would you make? To live longer ohoho?” She waited for Kento to pour tea in her cup and then took a sip of it as well.

“I would like to represent Japan in every Tryfing for all eternity.”

“Now that’s an incredibly selfish wish. If you win, no one could contest that you deserve to represent all the Japanese deities.”

Kento started to pour tea for Haniel, his guardian angel. “I’m going to prove it to you and everyone else, I, Sanosuke, will bring you victory, my lady. And I’ll make sure you are reunited with your beloved.”

His face was filled with conviction as he poured the tea and slowly went outside to give it to Haniel. As he returned, he spoke up to Inari.

“Also, can we change the age my consciousness awakens? I think age fifteen would be a better middle ground,” he said with a smile.

///

The final hours had passed. Achilles stood in the main hall of Elysium, spinning his spear. He hit the ground under his feet and summoned the opening ceremony stage around him.

“Finally, it’s time to enter the Fantasia world.”

3rd Tryfing

Official judge: Heroic Greek deity, Achilles.

Support judge: Angel, Damaris.

Chosen deities:

Ra: Demi-God: Darren Donaldson

Lugh: Knight: Ariel Morales

Zhong Kui: Exorcist: Audrey Rhodes

Inari: Polymath: Kento Sanosuke

Freya: Assassin: Charlie Wilson

Nuada: Conqueror: João Machado

Minerva: Tactician: Alessandro Lorenzo Bianchi

Team Arc-Angel: Hero Luther Satenly (Aster Orion)

Fantasia world: Helioan

Starting year: 875 F.R

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