“What do you plan to do, my boy?” The Highest Judge, an old man with a bald head and brown eyes, questioned Zak, peering deeply into his soul. Zak felt a mix of irritation and curiosity but tried not to reveal his emotions. He knew the judge had a way of reading people, and he didn't want to be caught off guard.

Ignoring the elder's prodding, Zak scanned the judge's office. It was an imposing chamber with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with dusty tomes, a testament to the wealth of knowledge contained within. A grand crystal lamp hung from the ceiling, casting an ethereal glow on the polished cherry wood furniture below.

The judge continued, unfazed by Zak's attempt to avoid the conversation. “Dear Zakkariyas. I know exactly what you want and why you are here, and I also know who your Judge is.” Zak's muscles tensed as he heard his full first name, he only told the judge a nickname.

The judge grinned, enjoying the effect of his words. “Do you remember Völundr? You may have wondered why he called you together... you and the other lackeys!”

Zak's eyes widened in surprise and suspicion. How did the judge know about Völundr and their mission?

The judge continued, “For he is one of many judges of this game.”

“Game? What game?” Zak's frown deepened as he tried to comprehend the old man's cryptic words.

The judge chuckled. “I’ll explain, but let’s make a deal first,” the judge said, scratching his chin.

Zak didn't like the idea of making deals with powerful individuals, especially not with the Highest Judge. He pointed his gun at the old man as a warning.

Undeterred, the judge continued, “You know what Ragnarök is?”

“It sounds familiar,” Zak sighed.

“There are many other terms for it, but they all speak of the end of an era, not the world. A prophecy of a seer, invoked by the god Odin, speaks of a final battle between the forces of good and evil, where chaos will overpower order. Even the bravest warriors, the Einherjar, won't be able to prevent the descent into chaos.”

“What do you mean?”

“The prophecy of Ragnarök doesn’t speak of the end of the world but the end of an era, as other ancient civilizations put it, such as the Mayans. The end of a time will make way for a new one.”

Zak's mind raced. He had heard of Ragnarök before, but he could never imagine how it could be connected to his mission.

“According to the prophecy of a seer, invoked by the god Odin, the forces of evil and chaos will outweigh and overwhelm in number the Divines of good and order. Death will sail from hell to attack the living ones in a final battle between order and chaos, which the Divines will lose, as destined.”

As the judge revealed more details, Zak's curiosity grew, and he couldn't help but listen. He wanted to understand the full scope of what he was up against and what role Völundr played in this supposed game.

“The Divines, aware of this, would gather the finest and bravest warriors to fight by their side when the day comes. In the end, they will be unable to prevent the world from descending into chaos. Nevertheless, there will be a few survivors, humans, who will populate the New World, to restart the cycle... much like the story of Adam and Eve.”

But even as he listened, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was much more to the story than the judge was revealing. His instincts told him to be cautious, for nothing was as simple as it seemed. As the saying went, ‘The devil is in the details,’ and Zak knew better than to trust everything at face value.

“What’s all this? Why would a lawyer talk about myths? I see no reason.” Zak said.

“The Akashic Records is where the ancient Divines —beings that many consider myths —dwell. They are not myths as you may believe, rather, these beings are very real. The prophecy of Ragnarök and many others refer to that, the ancient gods will perish, but the survivors shall begin the cycle again.” The judge coughed.

“There is some irony in all this. Mankind refers to Divines as everything supernatural that they can’t control, many call them gods. However, these creatures are controlled by the desires of humans!” the judge opened his arms as if giving a speech in front of a multitude.

“I don’t see the point,” Zak sighed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you step by step. First, I’ll explain what a Divine is. For many, they are rulers of the world, our destiny. As if they were our Divine creators. Reality is different, it's the other way around. Human beings, in their desire to have a leader to follow; someone to praise, to fight for, and honor. These desires are Divines. Humankind created the Divines, these gods.”

Zak frowned.

“The end of this era is upon us as it is the time when our current Divine dies, paving the way for a new one that will rule the world in its place. Humans need to create something new; they need to innovate. Someone said long ago that the most complex and powerful machine ever created was the human mind.”

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Zak nodded.

“The ones responsible for ensuring this transition are the Four Horsemen, the final judges. Völundr and I are two of them. We are in charge of selecting new candidates for the new being who will oversee us. The reason you are here is that I want you to be the winning candidate. I want to guide you to victory. Even if you destroy the world, it will return to how it was before when you are declared the winner.

“What are you talking about?” Zak interrupted.

“We are living in the final thirteen years of transformation; we are living at the end of an era. We have to seize the opportunity; we still have time to change our attitude.”

“Attitude about… what?” Zak frowned.

“Our destiny. We must change to achieve unification, our desire to be one again. To be one with the winner; these thirteen years will be mere preparation, and then the fight will begin. Recently, America declared war against Florida, and Great Colombia and Oregon joined soon after. The Empire of the Sun just annexed territory on the Qing Dynasty coast, practically landlocking it. Portugal overthrew the monarchy in Kongo, and now the country is immersed in anarchy. The same happened with the richest country in the whole world, the Mali Empire, thanks to France. The Ottomans and the Persians are in a state of never-ending war with France and the United Kingdom watching as scavengers, readying to invade and annex territory. The world is at war, complete and utter chaos!”

“I don’t understand. First, you tell me about these Divines, then about Ragnarök and whatnot, and after that about becoming one to stop the wars around the world... then you’re telling me to be a god?”

“Everything, as we know, was created by a supernatural force, which many call ‘God’. A Divine is a supernatural creature made of Aether. It’s an attempt to answer important questions such as ‘Who created us?’ and ‘Why are we here?’ Humanity has pondered all those questions eternally, and the best way mankind found to answer them, as I said, was by creating the Divines. Our thirst for knowledge was so great that we created Divines. We attributed to them those answers, giving them the power to control our lives residing in The Akashic Records. Mankind claimed to be created, when, as is, we do not realize we are the Creators. A Divine is not a god, they are different. They are the incarnation of Aether itself... of Akasha.”

Zak sat back on the couch and held his head while staring at the carpeted floor. “And what about the current Divine?”

“All Divines were created by human desires. However, the current Divine is special.”

“Special?”

“It was not created by us.”

“That means… Were we created by him?” Zak scratched his chin.

“No, I’ve already said they cannot be considered gods. It defeated the Divines created by mankind and proclaimed itself as the Divine of the new era, but It has no power to create. It only takes care of guiding us, governing us, and listening to us, but there is one small detail... it’s a gatekeeper.”

“I don’t understand,” Zak sighed.

“Everything began with an ancient culture; they created a Leader that never existed.”

“Never existed?”

“They could not create a new leader because there were already leaders to follow. But a supernatural being, joined this deprived people to aid them and give them freedom. Proclaiming peace everywhere, helping people to take their own destiny. The antique Divines realized this newcomer was not a Divine like them, created by the desires of humans. When seeing its immense power and overflowing goodness, they redeemed themselves before him. That way the creatures we commonly call ‘angels’ were born.

“Right, angels.”

“Many other Divines, did not want to follow this new leader. Some of them said it was degradation; they suffered a desolate destiny. They became demons. Demons who will live forever, aiming to destroy the new leader and its followers. Also, many of those antique Divines who agreed to serve the new leader still do so. Angels are not entirely ancient Divines. Some were born by the decision of the new leader to protect the lives of those beings who gave him glory. Humans.

As I’ve said before, nothing is eternal, but death is no more than a transformation of life! The current Divine will die to accommodate a change to the new era that is coming.”

“It’s dying and it needs to find a substitute to take the reins of the world. To protect it and prevent it from going to its eternal annihilation?”

“Exactly!”

“So, for that you need me?”

“Just as you have heard.”

“Why hasn’t Völundr told us?”

“I suppose he might be waiting until you’re ready. There is another thing you haven’t noticed, but you need to know as soon as possible.”

“What is it?”

“The number Völundr assigned you is the thirteenth. You know what that means?”

“I know that is the number of calamities, but other than that, I don’t know. What is it?”

“Thirteen is a sacred number for the Mayans. The number of death. But death is not an end but regeneration, and great transformations. Do you know what it means?”

“No.”

“It means you have been chosen to change the world. Völundr gave you that number because he acknowledged you were perfect for the task.”

Despite his suspicions, Zak realized that he needed to know more to make an informed decision about their next move. And so, mentally, he agreed to the judge's deal, knowing that whatever lay ahead would be fraught with uncertainty and danger. As he prepared himself for what was to come, Zak couldn't help but wonder if he was merely just a pawn in a larger game, or if he held the power to change the fate of the world. Only time will tell.

Zak approached the Highest Judge and untied him. “What if I detonate all my explosives?”

“If you do, nothing will happen. It will create destruction and it will be a major step toward unification. You do not need to worry. Subsequently, being chosen as the new Divine, you can go back to where it all began.”

Zak grabbed his Eikóna system to broadcast a new message. “Dear citizens of the world, it pleases me to tell you that in fifteen minutes... I will detonate all the bombs. I will name them one by one.

The first one is located on New York’s Wall Street, in the United States of America. The second is in Shinjuku, in the Japanese archipelago, within The Empire of the Sun’s financial center. The other one is in the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

From now on, you have ten minutes to find and disable the others located in Jerusalem within the Ottoman Empire; London in the United Kingdom; Rio de Janeiro, in the Brazilian Empire capital city; and Rome in the Kingdom of Italy.”

He took a small box from his coat pocket and revealed a rectangular device; its size was smaller than a can of food. It was a timer marking ‘00: 00: 15: 45.’

“Less than fifteen minutes left. Hurry!” Zak ended the transmission and turned to the Judge.

“Well, what now?”

“First, we must get out of here,” the judge said, opening a backdoor leading to a dark, secret tunnel. “Come this way!”

The judge lit a torch and Zak followed closing the door behind.