Another voice, this one decidedly male, spoke, "Ugh, fine, I guess I'll help you, Volana, seriously you can be so helpless sometimes." The voice came from a figure approaching from the darkness (How long was he there? was he the one who laughed earlier?) As I looked on curiously, in walked a man, tall and thin. However, the tone of his visible, well-defined muscles on his abdomen seemed to prove that even though he was thin, he did not lack in strength.

His outfit was just as peculiar as the Goddess but also different in every possible way. He wore a long cloak with a high collar made of what seemed to be red velvet, trimmed in white with odd black dots on it. Alex recognized these shapes from the local pubs, but he could not recall what they were. On his head sat a golden circlet that fit well with his long yet manly dark brown hair. His black and gold shirt was open, buttoned at the top only, baring his abdomen. His skin had various filigree tattoos decorating and complimenting his toned form. He wore a buckle on his belt; this depicted a strange device with four shapes set within circles on one side on the other where four arrow pointing to the center. Those shapes where the surrounded by larger circles. These circles sat inside ovals, which shot down, and angled out to either side. Those ovals were connected at their top half by a rectangle with two smaller ones set inside it. His pants were red leather with more gold trim and boots of black leather.

I was startled. Never had I seen a man like this before. I felt instinctively jealous of his form, yet knew that I was likely starring at another god, which meant this was a form no mortal could hope to reach. As I was lost in my current thought, the God spoke again.

"Young soul, it was I who suggested Volana take on a champion. It was also I who suggested you take on the powers of the demon because I believe you are uniquely able to take them." He approached me and looked closely into my eyes before turning away. "Tell me, do you know why you, after spending over two days with Julia, who was infected with an ever hungering darkness, were not yourself infected by the demon?” The male God said as he calmly strode closer to the red-eyed smoke.

I only responded by shaking his head. "You, young soul, seem to be unable to be absorbed by the demon, why that is, even I am unsure. However, we are certain of it now." The newest God said confidently; just as I was about to ask how they became confident, he answered it. "You see, young soul, the reason we are certain of it is that that little guy," he said, tapping on the glass of the caged miasma, causing it to wince, "Tried to eat you as we were pulling you here."

I grew angry, had this thing not taken enough from me as it was? “Eat me? That thing tried to eat me!” I was fuming, both disgusted and furious at the thought.

"Oh yes indeed it did; that's how it got here, after all. I can only assume it saw you as an easy meal and thus got pulled to us along with you." He raised his hand to stop me from having another outburst. I snapped my mouth shut, audibly, even in my anger; I knew I was talking to a God “On another note, these children are spreading like wildfire, it would not be long before those you knew suffered similar fates.”

My thoughts immediately went to Laurence and Milda. My anger only built, looking at the being in the sealed box before me. (How much did this demon need to torture me before it was satisfied?) "Now tell me, would it not be a great irony, to take the very thing that caused all of your plights, and convert it into a power to destroy its own creator?" In how the male God said it, it seemed he saw this all as a game for his amusement.

I smiled. It was a rather malicious smile; I really started liking this idea of becoming a champion. I didn't care about the male God's tone or that he was obviously manipulating me, not that I could really recognize such things at the time anyway. I was just a poor boy that was stepped on hard and saw his chance to stand back up. I also liked the idea of using the same boot that stepped on me to stomp its own master; it seemed like justice.

I caught himself completely surprised by my own thoughts, wasn’t I just a baker’s son, with no combat or worldly experience to speak of? Where did this side of me come from? This side that wanted to go out and fight the great evil, to go adventure the world. (I did envy adventurers; maybe this is a chance to experience some of that life as well as a little helping of reven…justice. Am I even capable of such things?)

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I wasn’t sure if I should or even could do this. As my fear and self-doubt crept in, Volana, who was silent since the male Gods' arrival, intervened.

Volana, who could sense his fears and internal turmoil, decided that now was a good time to rejoin the conversation. "Worry not, my child, we don't plan on sending you to fight the heart of the demon instantly; that would be tantamount to suicide. Instead, we will send you to an area where you can gain experience and skill until you decide to take the heart of the demon. You will likely not be able to count on the help of others, but you may be able to “recruit” an army of your own."

“Huh, how can I recruit if I can’t count on others?” I asked a little more timidly now.

“Oh, don’t sweat the small stuff. he informed me you will be given a guide as well, the guide would be able to answer such things.” Answered Volana, pointing at the male god.

“Ah, yes, we would not send you alone with no guidance. This is a monumental task after all. You will have the tools you need, do not worry.” Added Clarion.

I calmed myself, I’d taken in a lot of information since coming here, nearly giving me a headache (Can souls even have headaches?) Deciding not to dwell on my most recent thought, I remembered that I still needed at least one more piece even with all this information. Hence, I asked, “what happens if I refuse?”

Volana and Clarion looked at each other and sighed. Volana said in a monotone voice. "You would simply return to the cycle, your memories erased, waiting your turn to be sent into the world in your next form.” She paused for a moment then continued, this time leaving the monotony behind. "There is one thing I would like to add, this demon, this blight on my world, it is created by another. As such, I cannot destroy it. Even manipulating a portion of it, as I purposed to empower you, will drain my power significantly." She seemed disheartened as she said the next bit. “I would never resort to a champion; otherwise, not that you would be incapable of solving this issue, mind you. I just prefer to solve major issues of balance myself. However, you should know that if you do not fight the demon, I may not find another who is worthy in time, and there may be no world for you to incarnate into.”

I initially thought these powerful gods were doing this as entertainment, especially the male one. Even with that, I was pretty much sold, now hearing it was not so, and it was rather dire, my mind was made.

"I accept to be your champion, your godliness," Alex said, in the most stoic tone he could muster.

"Very well," stated the now visibly cheery Volana. "Then let us begin, Clarion; you go first,, if you don’t mind, I shall go retrieve the itty bitty ball of hate," Clarion smirked and approached me. (So he's Clarion, what was he the God of again?) He took out a gold coin, jammed it into my spiritual orb, and said, “By my divine power, I name this soul a player of my game.” Power welling up in my soul was painful but it was little more than an itch compared to what id just gone through and it passed pretty quickly.

Meanwhile, Volana was approaching; the once miasma demon had been compressed into a jewel the size of a marble. Volana shoved the black gem into the same spot as the coin, the two items merging. She said, "No chant for this part, just intense pain, suffer through, and you will be rewarded." I, struggling to speak through the mounting pain, said, "Why….didn’t…..you……warn…..me!” Volana and Clarion only smiled and said in unison, "Would you have agreed if we did?”

After what seemed like centuries of pain, it finally subsided. My collapsed spirit now lay on the floor; I was conscious but too exhausted to move. My mind rang with a headache that somehow I felt in my whole body.

"Made it, though, I see. Shall we move onto the next phase? This one is painless, I promise," Said a familiar godly feminine voice. Volana came walking in from the same door as she did the first time she arrived.

“Don’t care much to believe you, now, your godliness," I grunted, with a hint of sarcasm, as I struggled to rise to his feet.

"Oh, don't be so fussy," she said, "It was only a few minutes of pain." Before I could respond, which was probably for the best, she continued, "All done, your new body is ready, off you go now." With a smile, she waved as I was dragged from the room, flying toward the planet at speeds too fast for me to process.

A while after Alex was gone, a hearty laugh was heard in the halls of Volana's temple. Clarion was seated next to her in another chamber of her temple. He was in a fit of laughter while she sat red-faced. "So, your godliness, what is your command!” he joked, laughing even harder. “Shut up! I didn’t tell him to call me that!” she shouted, arms crossed and face flush with embarrassment