Suddenly, total darkness. No sounds, no smells... nothing to tell whether we're alive or not.
A male voice thinks: It feels like I'm just waiting for something...
Out of complete nothingness, Riku appears, suspended in the void of space, visibly stunned.
"What the hell!?" Riku exclaims, looking around.
He notices many people around him—but what catches his attention most is a sort of arc-shaped structure in front of him, filled with chairs and thrones, almost entirely cloaked in darkness.
"What is—"
Riku is suddenly interrupted by a brutal punch to the face that sends him flying into another guy nearby.
"Ow..."
Riku gets up from the ground, holding his face where he was hit.
"Entschuldigen Sie! Alles in Ordnung?"
A girl approaches Riku, speaking to him in German.
Riku looks confused for a moment. But as he looks at her face, he becomes momentarily mesmerized.
Where did this girl come from? She wasn't there a moment ago... - Riku thought in surprise.
The girl is around 1.78 meters tall, with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, bright blue eyes, and a well-toned physique.
"I don't understand, can you speak English?" Riku asks.
The girl seems a bit stunned by the question.
"Oh... um... yes?"
Riku looks puzzled by her answer.
That wasn't a very convincing "yes"... - Riku thinks, eyeing her uncertainly.
The girl looks around, finally noticing the surreal situation they're in—and suddenly stumbles back.
"Woah..."
She's only just realizing this now?
Riku suddenly remembers the guy he was slammed into.
"Sorry! Are you okay?" he asks him.
"I'm fine..." the guy replies, glancing around. "What the hell kind of place is this!?"
"I don't know..." Riku answers, worried.
The boy approaches Riku, and Riku notices how tall he is.
He's huge!
The guy has dark hair, stands about 1.90 meters tall, and has black eyes.
As Riku looks around, he sees more and more people appearing around them.
From thousands, to hundreds of thousands, to millions of people, they fill the space surrounding the trio.
All of them are confused, afraid, and speaking at once—creating an overwhelming uproar.
Suddenly, a voice clears its throat from atop the arch Riku had noticed earlier.
"Greetings, mortals!"
The powerful, authoritative voice silences the crowd instantly.
"Welcome to the Divine Space. I am Bragi, the god of poetry and music, and I will be your guide!" he announces while descending the massive steps beneath the grand arch.
"Did he say... god?" the tall boy next to Riku asks, stunned.
"Since when do you speak Japanese?" Riku asks him.
"I... never. But when did you start speaking French?" the boy replies, equally confused.
"I understand your doubts," Bragi interjected in the two boys' conversation, "and I'm here to clarify that too. We've made it so that you're all speaking a single language… the language of the gods!"
We? - Riku wondered, suspiciously.
Suddenly, dozens of figures appeared, each sitting on thrones and chairs that had previously been empty. At the very top of a seemingly endless staircase, an enormous light burst forth. Riku saw it—yet couldn't bear to look at it for long.
What is that!? It's brighter than the sun! - Riku thought, shielding his eyes from the overwhelming presence.
Bragi clapped his hands, regaining the attention of all the mortals.
"Good... let's move on to the matter that concerns you all. To explain this clearly, let me break it down into a few points... first point: we have summoned 724,234,932 mortals—with a purpose. To determine the next Supreme God, among us gods!!"
As he finished his sentence, Bragi pointed toward the blinding light.
That's God!? - Riku was stunned by Bragi's words.
"You must be wondering... how can one determine who becomes the next Supreme God? Naturally, through a grand tournament!" Bragi let out a small smile.
"Now comes the part that's a bit harder to accept... this tournament consists of killing each other until only one remains!"
At those words, many begin to shout against the divinity. Bragi simply nodded, almost as if accepting their outrage.
"I understand what you're thinking—it's not fair... but unfortunately for you, you don't have a choice. You must participate in this tournament!"
The mortals grew even louder, their anger and panic rising.
Bragi inhaled deeply and then raised his voice, nearly shouting "Enough with the complaints! You'd better start accepting it as soon as possible!"
His commanding tone instantly silenced everyone.
"Now, let me explain how things work, and what you must do—so listen carefully! Each god you see before you has a number of selected subordinates. This number varies depending on the god's status—the more subordinates, the higher the chances of victory! Each god has selected one subordinates at a time, based on their own preferences and criteria. So, try not to disappoint them. Because if one of a god's subordinates wins and becomes the last person standing, that god will automatically become the next supreme deity!"
A boy raised his hand, catching Bragi's attention.
"Go ahead," Bragi said.
"Excuse me... but earlier you said only one person would remain at the end of this tournament. What if there are two or more left from the same group? Don't they all win?"
"Great question! But sadly, the answer is just as cruel as the rest... We need there to be only one. Even if several from the same group survive until the end, only one can remain. The last one standing will ascend as a demi-god, and live alongside the deities for eternity—as a reward for their hard work and sacrifice!"
The mortals reacted with a mixture of emotions—confusion, fear, anger—clearly divided in their responses.
"Second point: the location where this tournament will take place. We decided to create a world similar to your beloved Earth. So, if you look beneath your feet, you'll see your new home from now on. We've named it: Aetherion."
As Bragi said this, he pointed below them—toward a planet.
"This planet will host the tournament… but not only you."
Everyone looked doubtful, clearly unsettled by that last phrase.
"Together with you, there will be other beings—what you humans have come to call... mythical creatures! They'll give you quite the challenge as well!"
"Why would you do this!? Isn't it already enough to make us kill each other!?" shouted a boy, visibly upset.
Bragi chuckled softly.
"Well, obviously because we'll be watching you every day. But if things got too boring, where would the fun be in that? So we went with this option!"
They're addicted to entertainment... - Riku thought, irritated by the gods' behavior.
"I'll also add that your starting points will be random. The third point connects to what I just said about the mythical creatures… they are far stronger than a regular human. To prevent this from becoming a hopeless mission, we decided to bless you. This blessing is meant to bring balance to battles against such creatures, enhancing your physical and sensory abilities. However, it only enhances—it doesn't equalize. So if one follower is stronger than another before the blessing, they'll still be stronger after. And, as some of you may have already noticed, the blessing also heals injuries and diseases. For example, mortals who were missing a limb will have it restored, and those with terminal illnesses will recover. This is to ensure that everyone starts with the same chance."
The crowd seemed to accept this part more willingly.
"Continuing on this point: the gods will have the ability to grant divine weapons to their subordinates. But not to all, since they are limited—these weapons will only be given to those the gods see as having real potential."
Bragi sighed, then added:
"And now, something very important—so listen closely."
He paused briefly, drawing attention.
"Now we'll talk about something that concerns one specific follower from each group... because one person will be able to unlock a secret power, after fulfilling a personal objective assigned directly by Supreme God. No one else, not even the other gods, knows what it is. This power can only be held by one follower per group at a time, because of how drastically it can affect the outcome of the tournament. If someone in a group unlocks this power, no one else from that same group can gain it—unless the current holder dies. And the longer they keep it to themselves, the stronger it becomes over time. So, I suggest identifying the power holders early… before it's too late."
Bragi then seemed to recall something.
Bragi glanced at his fellow gods, who were chatting among themselves, completely ignoring the rules being presented. The sight clearly annoyed him.
"Fourth point. This one concerns even my fellow divine companions, so try to pay attention—at least for once."
The gods reacted to Bragi's provocation with subtle smirks, but they seemed to listen.
"During the tournament, you will have the chance to speak with your deity up to three times. Each meeting will last five minutes. The first will be right after this explanation, giving you the opportunity to meet your god for the first time—whether to ask questions, discuss divine weapons, or anything else. The second and third times will depend on both sides. The god can reach out at any moment, while the follower must meet a special condition: they must possess true will to summon their deity!"
At the word will, everyone looked confused—and Bragi noticed.
"Will can mean many things… the will to understand, the will to improve, or even the will to survive. A god's time is sacred. If there is no real reason for meeting, then the meeting will simply never happen."
Bragi descended the last step of the infinite arch and stood directly before the mortals.
"Fifth and final point... as you may have noticed, we are deeply attached to entertainment. Throughout the centuries, we gods have watched human lives—directly or indirectly—and over time we've realized one thing: we are in love with humanity itself! Your way of expressing emotion, your choices, your unpredictable nature—it's all spectacular, in every sense of the word!"
The other gods nodded in agreement as Bragi walked slowly among the crowd.
"But of course, we couldn't just bring all of humanity here and have everyone die except one. So we selected a small percentage of you—specifically those aged between sixteen and twenty-one. And you might ask why… the answer is: because you are the most entertaining to us! Your emotions are amplified compared to other humans. Your thirst to understand yourselves, to learn new things—whether practical or emotional—your way of acting impulsively in extreme situations... You are the beating heart of humanity to us! That's why we won't give you strict rules. You are free to do whatever you want. Form alliances, make friends, even find your soulmate! We will remain here for days, weeks, years—or even longer. We'll wait. All of this... to give you the freedom to live and be yourselves. Not only for our entertainment—but also for your own!"
Bragi's words rang with genuine admiration. But as he looked at the faces around him, he realized that many still weren't convinced.
"You're still not convinced…"
Suddenly, Bragi ran back up the grand staircase, surprising everyone.
"The rest is up to you. The journey ahead of you will be full of dangers and trials of every kind. But what we offer you… is a second chance. A second chance to become someone important! A second chance to prove your worth! History is calling you—so for the last time, I ask you…
FIGHT FOR US!
We gods, who have given you this SECOND CHANCE!
Cry for US!
Rejoice for US!
DIE for US!
And grow stronger each day—learn to show no mercy to your enemies!
From this moment on, every one of your actions can change the fate of existence itself!"
Bragi's epic speech ignited something in many of the mortals. A roar erupted from the crowd—a single, overwhelming cry of emotion and resolve.
"To give you even more motivation, know this: every single thing you do will be recorded in a sacred book. And when it's all over, it will be handed to the humans who remain on Earth—to remember this epochal event. Whether your actions are good or evil, it doesn't matter… Either way, you will become part of history!"
The shouting only grew louder. The crowd was inflamed. Bragi smiled in satisfaction.
"Then my work here is done... You will now each speak, one by one, with your deity. And as they say—good luck, and may the best one win!"
Bragi snapped his fingers—and once again, everything went dark.