"I salute to the gods," Hope declared, trying to fall to his knees. Only then did he remember that he was out of body and could only express respect through words.

"Let's get to the point. We have no time to waste," the new speaker gave the impression of power and thunder.

"Don't be hasty, old man," a new voice warned. "I want to meet the boy and talk to him." His tone was like poetry as if he was speaking in rhyme.

"We agree; we should hurry before the others arrive."

"Let them come!"

"Being late isn't our problem."

"You seem scared, boy."

Various voices were heard, and the gods entered into dialogue. Some seemed to forget about the boy entirely, while others had shown more interest than the rest. Hope concluded that the reason for their gathering was precisely him. Unfortunately, he couldn't see them physically and could only tell the difference by their voices.

"The boy is confused; don't talk at once." It sounded like angels were singing or talking to the stars before going to sleep.

"Then I'll begin." The sign of strength repeated. "We may have time, but the same can't be said for our guest. He will awaken soon, and we have a lot to catch up on."

"Very well, as an elder, you can lead the meeting. I'll make sure you don't miss anything." The owner of the voice laughed. "Or forget anything." This was the speech of a proud yet mocking god.

No one wanted to break the silence that had fallen, so the previous god continued, "Before we begin the oath ceremony, do you have any questions?"

Hope hadn't expected to be speaking already, so he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Perhaps the Chosen One doesn't know how to speak."

"Maybe he left his tongue behind?"

"Give him time. Don't rush him." The roar came again. "Don't pay any attention to them."

The boy was ready this time. "Which one of you should I place the Covenant with? Can you tell me more about the prophecy?" He managed to finish, and silence fell once again.

"He knows how to talk."

"But he has no idea and is sitting in a well."

"But he has no idea!" It echoed, and then there was silence again.

"There is some confusion here." The thunder returns. "You aren't here to make a covenant with any of us. If you expect to receive powers from us, then you are mistaken."

"But…" Hope wanted to interject. What did they mean, he wouldn't receive power from the gods?

"You will get nothing from us." The voice became even more stern. "You will only swear an oath before us."

"And we will assist you in understanding the fragments," another voice reminded the same one who had promised to observe.

Gods love silence as much as talking. This has already happened several times. At least the boy was given time to gather his thoughts.

"The prophecy didn't say this. I came here to receive your power, and what does it mean that you won't give it to me? The fragments say that I will be able to help the world with the might gained here. This is my duty, my purpose, and the essence of my life."

"The uncertainty continues, and it's time to get the facts straight. No fragment says you will save the world. The prophecy only speaks of the Chosen One, who will gather all its force. He will receive the full version of the fragments, but how he will use them, even we gods have no information about that."

"Impossible!" Hope almost shouted. "I was told that I would save humanity; I would lead them, and this knowledge came from prophecy."

"Incorrect information! Lies and false facts." For the first time, the calm darkness seemed to tremble.

"How?!" Hope didn't want to believe it. He had been taught from birth that he was the saviour. He was supposed to be the key to humanity's peace. Guaranteed good against evil. And now he finds out it is nothing but a lie?

Maybe he was the Chosen One, but that didn't mean he wouldn't go against the world. But more than anything, he was heartbroken that he had been fed lies.

'Does this mean I wasn't chosen as ruler?'

All this time, they nurtured his hope. They hadn't told him the truth once, and the whole city was trapped in that lie.

'Did Avi know? I don't think so.' He didn't want the girl to know, either.

"Show me the fragments." He demanded with a severity that surprised even himself. But he was in such a storm of emotion that it didn't even bother him.

"As you wish." The word was cut short, and a shattered light flew in his direction.

The only light in the black environment was split. It changed colours, and Hope remembered the fragments coming out of the monsters. This time he saw much more, and they were flying toward him.

"Touch it with your hand." The advice came, and the boy obeyed.

In his imagination, he moved his hand, which wasn't in place. Then he felt a comfortable touch, and his eyes lit up. Then, with his brain tensed, Hope was tasked with reading information that was several levels beyond human capability.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The fragments ranged from poems to fairy tales. There was no mention of him saving the world. He heard nothing about receiving power from the gods, nor of a saviour who would protect humanity from the approaching second cataclysm. There was no commander who united people and led them.

The boy's initial anger had subsided a little. But it hadn't completely disappeared. Now a new fear had appeared; anxiety that he would someday have to go against humans.

'Everything is in my hands.' He controlled his emotions and waited for the gods expectantly.

"There is one more fragment left, and you will hear it after the oath." The moment approached, and every distracting sound faded.

"Your oath doesn't need to be too grand. You will gather the fragments, regardless. Simply tell me what you intend to do about the prophecy, what your plans will be, and your promise to us."

Hope lowered imaginary eyebrows. The oath, in his mind, mustn't have been a simple process. Moreover, it was of two kinds, and there had to be a choice or at least some options.

"I swear before the gods that, until my last breath, I will do everything I can to collect every fragment. I swear that I will unite the prophecy and the people. If necessary, I will resist Fracture to the last drop of my blood."

He didn't hear it verbally, but he felt the agreement in the oath.

"I have to interrupt, but I like the boy's attitude. I'm glad the Fragments chose him." It was the first god who had greeted Hope.

"His determination is truly commendable. It seems he hasn't had an easy life. I support electing him as the leader of all people."

"They deceived him, using him as they pleased." His cheers returned.

"And I am disappointed." The mocking god spoke proudly again. "Should we leave the fate of our world in the hands of this one small and weak child? And risk all the fragments? What will happen if he collects them? Will he march against us? Will he wipe out humanity? Perhaps he himself is the reason for the next fracture."

"I won't do this. It won't happen," Hope said with the most convincing voice he could summon.

"We don't know that." He gets the same answer. "We only believe in the prophecy, and on that matter, it offers nothing in your favour."

Thunder intervened. "It's precisely because of the lack of fragments that we have no other choice. We don't know enough about the future." He sighed. Did the gods even need to breathe?

"Here is your last fragment."

New colours appeared, which came back to Hope. 'Is this something system related?' He touched it and only showed numbers. Moving numbers, which changed almost every second.

"What is this?" he asked, puzzled by what he was seeing. It wasn't what he expected.

"As I told you, you won't receive Covenant from us. We don't offer Mark, but that doesn't mean that you will be left without anything."

"What do you mean?"

"The Covenant is already within you. It's a bit unique and doesn't fit into any category. You might be more of a Binder, but not entirely. It's connected to the prophecy and its different manifestation in you. You haven't received the Mark yet, which is why you're having trouble controlling it. You should have seen the fragments already, but you should have lost control when confronted with them."

"I've always had trouble moving when fighting monsters," Hope concluded. It turned out that the cause of three years of agony was closer than he thought.

"That's because you couldn't control the fragment. After you leave, everything will change, but it will take some time. Prophecy is still asleep. It's going to take more than this for Him to wake up. Just be prepared for the change that Mark will bring to you. Your skills won't give you explosive power, and at first, you may even consider yourself weak for a Binder. This will be because you received Mark not from God, but from the prophecy itself."

"You've been talking so much. It's been making our heads hurt. He understood everything, and if not, he will soon enough." That was the most distinctive sound. It was as if a toothless creature was speaking and couldn't hold back the words.

Hope began to stir. As if it were time to wake up.

"We'll meet again soon," the words followed as he felt his body approach. A familiar heaviness was added to this, making it difficult to part with the lightness.

Along with his sight, his other senses returned, and the first thing he saw was his original position. He was sitting in the same way, his legs motionless and aching.

The meeting with the gods was over. He was back in the real world.