Chapter 1: Council of Gods
The alley stretched out before me, heavy with the lonely, depressed darkness that only 3 am could provide. Forlorn, yet blessedly empty.
After looking around to ensure I was alone, I dropped heavily to my knees. The cement was rough and cold, the fall leaving several scrapes on my skin, yet I didn't even wince. They were simply a few more bloody lines drawn on a canvas covered in paint.
My hair was short and tangled, matted with blood and other, more questionable body fluids. What little clothing I had left hung in tatters about my thin, bruised shoulders. Dozens of bruises speckled my flesh, ranging from fetid yellows to deep purple.
My fingers shook as I rummaged through my dress's rags, growing ever more frantic until I felt the touch of cold steel. With a sigh of relief, I withdrew the slender needle, tilting it until it caught the shattered starlight seeping through the polluted sky. A little brown blotch stained one end, proving this wasn't the first time it had been used. Figures.
How exactly was I supposed to use this? The dealer had been far more interested in extracting as much pleasure from my body than explaining what to do. I'd seen enough hollow-eyed druggies to know the basics, but this was the one thing in my short, miserable life I couldn't let go wrong.
After a moment of hesitation, I placed the point against my arm, centered within a splotchy bruise. This one was fresh, a final parting gift from the man who sold me the needle.
Perhaps sold was too strong a word; money wasn't so easy for one like myself to come by. Traded, or perhaps extorted, might have been fitting. I'd long since grown used to that kind of currency, trading whatever pleasure one might take from my body for some small morsel, a bed, and even the occasional scrap of clothing.
Still, even if it weren't the first time, it would be the last. I looked upward at the stars again and closed my eyes, praying to whatever god was listening. Please, please let it be the last.
I was just stalling. I knew that, and yet, as I opened my eyes, I found them filled with tears. Strange, I could have sworn I'd long since run dry. Life had hardly been kind, but no matter how much I struggled and tried to have hope, it had just led me to this point. Perhaps this was where I'd been destined to go all along.
The less I delayed, the better. The sooner it would be over.
With a shaky hand, I bit my lip and pushed on the needle. It sank into my flesh with a fiery prick, sending tingles racing up my arm. A wave of cold followed soon after as the drug entered my bloodstream, and I withdrew it quickly. It seemed my hands hadn't been steady enough, as the needle left a jagged puncture wound behind. I lowered my hand as a bead of blood oozed from the wound, ignoring it. What was one more pinch after everything I'd suffered?
I gasped, my eyes flashing wide as scorching ice raced through my veins, seizing my mind in an instant. I'd never bothered to learn the name of the drug or its effects, just that it worked. Every heartbeat drove it deeper into my system, and slowly, my strength left me. I slumped against the wall, blinking lazily, as everything grew hazy.
The dealer had called it a hallucinogen, which explained the way the shadows curled around my slumped body, grasping toward me like foul tentacles. The alley darkness took on the shapes of men and women I'd known throughout life, giving them phantasmal forms with glowing red eyes. They swung at me with clenched fists and shouted and screamed, but their violence fell like the passing breeze upon my face.
As the line of tormentors grew, they swirled about and combined in an irrational display of color and shapes, a blotchy circus of color. The spectacle continued as I teetered on the edge of consciousness, only fading away as my eyes closed for the last time. The needle dropped from limp fingers that no longer felt like my own, rolling out of the alley. My chest rose and fell once more, exhaling a mixture of bitterness and relief. At last, no more pain, no more people. No one could hurt me again.
The darkness came quickly, but wasn't quite as conclusive as I'd hoped. If anything, my mind cleared, shaking off the haze and jumping from thought to thought. A strange prickling sensation raced through my body, followed by a tremor that shook me to the core.
And then I was weightless. The sensation was so new and unexpected that I couldn't help but open my eyes. As I blinked away the darkness, my vision cleared, and I took half a glance around before quickly screwing my eyes shut again.
Whatever that was definitely hadn't been real. Hallucinogens were supposed to wear off after death, right? Had the dealer somehow given me the wrong drug?
No, that couldn't be right. I had died. The dealer promised I would!
But such conviction did nothing against the doubt swirling through me, a feeling driven by the weight of countless eyes. In denial and more than a little reluctant, I risked another peek.
Unfortunately, the hundreds of impossibly huge people hadn't disappeared. If anything, they felt even more solid now.
As I slowly adjusted to the sight, I found myself standing in the middle of a colosseum the size of a mountain. The walls were hundreds, if not thousands, of feet apart, white and seamless, looking carved from one solid block of stone. The sky was open above me, and the spaces between the arched walls were open, but there was nothing but darkness in all directions.
Thousands of giant beings sat in the stands around the arena's floor, dressed in clothing ranging from flowing dresses to pressed suits. Their eyes glowed with energy, seeming to stare right into my soul.
No, they weren't just looking at me. As my initial shock faded, I noticed nine other individuals standing beside me, arrayed before one of the largest viewing boxes. Several towering figures stood behind them, one for every normally sized person.
My eyes widened as I met the gaze of the only occupant in the box—a colossal man sitting on a gilded throne.
The giant, perhaps a god, held a scepter and wore long, flowing robes with golden embroidery. A heavy gold crown rested on flowing white hair, and a feeling of might and majesty seemed to ooze from every fiber of his being.
"Present your hero, Fate," the man said in a booming voice, causing my ears to ring.
The giants' eyes shifted onto me, paralyzing me with fear. A soft, feminine voice, clear as a ringing bell, spoke up behind me. "I give you Rachel, a recently departed soul from one of the fallen realms. She just recently joined the cycle and happened to end up in my hands."
Her voice had a strangely calming effect, beckoning me toward the speaker. Unable to resist, I slowly turned, and all thoughts of the colosseum fled, consumed by the radiant woman standing behind me.
She was tall and beautiful, wearing a dress made from the night sky itself. The fabric was dark and midnight, yet light by the twinkling light of countless stars. It had no line or seam, and the hems of her sleeves and skirt faded off into nothingness. Soft golden starlight emanated from her eyes, and she smiled as she met my gaze.
The moment our eyes met, my entire life flashed before my eyes. I saw my birth, subsequent abandonment by my mother, and every single thing that happened afterward until the moment I plunged the needle into my skin.
An abrupt force slammed into me, scattering my vision in a swarm of black dots. I stumbled back a step, nearly falling to my knees, as I struggled to regain my balance. Managing to raise my head, I saw another giant in the lineup glowering at me. His eyes glowed with the light of the sun, and he was dressed in gleaming medieval armor with a sword strapped to his back. The suffocating pressure intensified as his eyes narrowed, stabbing into me like knives.
"Sun, restrain yourself," the woman behind me said. Despite the atmosphere, she sounded serene and tranquil. "This soul is only mortal, after all."
The giant, Sun, folded his arms and snorted derisively. "This is your hero? What'd you do, pull randomly and hope to get lucky?"
"Indeed," Fate murmured, smiling faintly. "Though whether I'm lucky or not shall be proven in the time to come."
A surprised murmur rippled throughout the assembled giants, growing louder until the man on the throne held up his hand. Immediately, the whispers fell still, plunging the colosseum into a smothering silence.
"Enough," he said, his voice rolling like distant thunder. "The choice has been made." He turned from the giants and swept his eyes over us. "Mortals, we've called you here for a very special purpose. The world of Enusia falls under the shadow of invasion and needs heroes to be their light. You ten have been chosen to travel there, gain strength, and drive off the demon armies that will soon plague the land."
It was insanity. Demons? Words? Was I actually hallucinating after all? The other 'mortals' looked the same as I felt, peering about with expressions a mixture of fear and curiosity.
The giant on the throne continued. "The one with the most contribution shall be given godhood and ascend to join us in the high heavens. As for the rest of you, you have all been taken at the moment of your death, so you have no world to return to. Thus, in the scenario you survive, you may continue living on Enusia with whatever life you've chosen to build."
A giant on the far side of the semicircle suddenly raised a hand. "Contribution as in influence on the intelligent species, right?"
A small smile played across the seated giant's lips. "Correct, Life. Unlike last time, we expect to see more than rampant forests from your hero." The smile faded, and he cleared his throat. "Now, no more interruptions. Heroes, our magic shall place you in the bodies of the young of various species randomly around the world. Our servants are preparing even now for your arrival and shall welcome you as you awaken as heroes. Find the nearest clergy, and they will guide you to the place where you may train in safety. Now, with that said, we will move on to the blessings. Patrons, instruct your mortals."
I flinched as a hand fell on my shoulder, turning me around in fright. The starry woman smiled faintly at my reaction, having shrunk down to my own size.
"Forgive me if I make you uncomfortable, but there is truly no need for caution. I am your goddess, after all."
I shrugged off her hand, "What does that even mean? And where are we?"
"It appears you're still confused, so allow me to offer some information. This is the council of gods, who rule over all the cosmos. You may call me Fate. The one on the throne is known as King, the god of godhood. We, as a council, are in favor of protecting the order and lives of the various worlds of the cosmos, but some forces seek their destruction. Those are called demons. They search out planets to consume, and when they do, we dispatch heroes to protect them. As much as it pains me to say this, this has turned into a bit of a game between the higher powers of their side and ours."
I nodded slowly. A game for the fate of worlds? At this point, I was ready to accept anything. "If you're really gods, then why don't you do it yourselves?"
"If we were to get involved, those opposed to us would as well. A clash between individuals of our power levels would end up annihilating whatever world we fought on, leaving both sides unsatisfied. Thus, we abide by a strict noninterference policy."
So there were rules. What other--
"There are no other rules," the goddess said. "Victory can be obtained through any means, as long as we gods do not interfere directly. Guidance and blessings are allowed."
Mind reading, too? I shied away and did my best to hide the several disrespectful thoughts that jumped into my mind.
Her laughter danced through the air. "To label a goddess a creep takes a bold spirit," she said in amusement. "But I'll ignore it for now. As a hero, you are given powerful abilities and blessings. I am allowed to grant you one thing of my choosing, although that doesn't have to be now. The abilities are generated randomly upon your arrival and will likely match your background and species."
"So there's a chance I won't be human?" I asked curiously.
She nodded. "Indeed, and that's even more likely, perhaps. About half the population is nonhuman in Enusia. Oh, it looks like we're running out of time. Come, let me give you my blessing now."
I froze as a strange light appeared from above, watching in fascination as it curled down in a multitude of glimmering ribbons to surround me. The tendrils sank into my skin, filling my body with warmth.
"A blessing of potential," she whispered in my ear. "May you reach for the things you never had in your last life."
King's voice reverberated, resonating with a sense of anticipation. "Now that you've given your blessings, let the true fun begin. Are there any patrons eager to cast a curse?"