The empty Void stretched out endlessly as a colorfully extravagant being danced to its unheard tune. To the empty silence, it seemed most artistic, divine even.

Then, he spread his arms out wide and gave a deep heartfelt bow. His cheeks painted with horrific blush, exuding an otherworldly beauty. A whisper louder than a thousand screams tinged with tranquility. “Thank you, my dear Deities but I couldn’t have done it without you~”

It was a honeyed screech, leaving the Void just as unresponsive as it had been before. Yet, the being seemed to be filled with great vigor at the sight.

“That brings to an end our special dance break! Now, my dear Patrons, I hope our first champion has piqued your interest very much despite her rather obvious inferiorities.” The Curator gave a deep sigh, taking a seat from the irreconcilable emotions he was feeling.

He gave another deep sigh, lamenting her birth, oh what a frail and pitiful thing. All but a flicker in the grand cycle, ignorant of Glorious Purpose!

Then, it continued. “But fear not my dear Deities, there is still much more in store. Oh so, so, much more!” Another Echo burst forth into the soundless Void, pulling a grin on his face.

“Of course! Let me introduce you to our second pick-a creature of human wisdom and less than human peculiarities and I believe it is better than Humans in every way conceivable!”

The Stage opens once again, the creature on full display. With the face of a man, the body of a man, and the intellect of a man, it stood listless as if a puppet with its strings cut.

“Hmm? But can we really call it standing?” Indeed, the creature was upright but not on normal legs. Instead it had eight slimy tentacular appendages of sizable girth, that kept its torso aloft.

A simple blue creature.

He had gills resembling a fish, clawed fingers and one hell of a taste when fired and seasoned. Who wouldn’t love this little octo-human?

“Behold! The Cecaelic Nightmare, Raider of Ships and Looter extraordinaire!” Drumroll. “Bubbles!”

“Get it? Because it Bubbles? Hehe,” The honeyed cackling filled the Void once more as the Curator shared his joy. And once more, it was not reciprocated.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

A silent murmur from the Champion was what broke the silence.

"...seas and lost... ships of faust... seas and lost... ships of faust..."

"Bubbles, I told you. No lullabies. I get sleepy when you're around, which is absolutely fantastic!" The creature shuddered but didn't stop mumbling.

"Now now, listen here. Tell us a bit about yourself, no? How about your parents? Oh wait, they're dead! Your lover then? Whatchamacallit, Garcia! Garcia! Garcia!"

He mimed an echo, which the endless Void would not return. The Curator huffed.

Bubbles rasped as his mumbling slurred at the name, his eyes reddened at the mention. He wished to cover his ears and let out a wail but the terror kept him standing and still. All that these emotions succeeded in doing was make The Curator cackle louder.

“Oh dear dear, he looks to be in absolute shock. Truly, worse than our little Missy before. But fret not, dear bubbles for you too have Glorious Purpose!”

"... praise be... Lord of Storms..." Bubbles' lament fell to the Void’s ears, his tears seemed to burst forth any second at this rate.

Oh, this would not do!

Leaving a few words of encouragement to the mumbling Fishman, he turned to the Void once more, a lavish smile adorning his face. He showed off the creature on the stage while humming and nodding along.

“He is fast, swifty, and talented with talent! Still, an absolute menace in water environments with so many limbs! A great deal, if I ever saw one!”

Bubbles trembled at each boom of noise, his fists clenched to the point of pain. He did not want this, absolutely none of it.

“Send me home… I don’t wish to be here, oh, oh, father!”

The Curator waved him off as if he were spouting trivialities. How considerate of him.

“Indeed! So, I would give you a long and deep speech about your purpose in this place, the reason you were chosen, the purpose of this Game we are about to conduct, the day that it begins, the participants of the game, and last but not the least, your divine destiny in all of it but my bubbly dear I can see your fatigue. Nay, I can feel it!”

Saying so, he tapped the forehead of the Cecaelian as a cosmic force seared itself into his mind. The kicking and screaming was brief before all that was left was silence.

The Curator stared curiously at the creature, an object of his power nestled within it. It gave him nothing more than thought, yet its presence was enough.

"I am not... Bubbles, call me Darvi." The retort was swifty, enough to make the Curator's slits for eyes curve to angles unknown.

"A minor detail, don't think too deeply! Now tell me, how does it feel to cast aside your delicate emotions? Of course, for the sake of fairness I cannot let it affect you for long but it should be okay to have given an introduction at least! Sell your pitch, YOURSELF!"

"I will... Better yet, in action." The response was swifty, once again.

“How compliant! You know you speak well when you don't sing lullabies Bubbles. Isn't it great to see when the puppets actually work?” The Curator’s voice boomed, into the silent Void beyond him this time.

Bubbles felt that terror once more as this being continued to string together nonsense. His past, a subject of pain, had been laid bare before it and criticized as if it were a useless tale.

"I..."

Bubbles clenched his fist, his lips tasting the metallic essence of liquid courage. He held himself steady and sucked in a deep breath as he spoke out loud.

"I will win. No matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice."

His gaze carried a strange light. His eyes were reddened yet fierce and he gave off an aura of unmistakable determination.

The Curator smacked its lips at this sight, appearing satisfied. It clapped thrice, as the curtains fell once more.