1 Let The Games Begin

Bored, bored, bored, bored. Jaxis sighed. Looming over his golden throne, he looked like he didn't belong in that giant chair. Small, skinny, with long grey hair and silver eyes. He looked as if he had died on that throne years ago. Which wasn't far from the truth, he didn't feel alive anymore. A skeleton ruling over a cold harsh land, it was his own type of underworld.

Why does nothing exciting happen anymore? Have all the gods have become complacent in their relative times and kept their power going on for too long? Even though he got one of the good slots throughout time he was bored. He needed to do something or else he would lose his mind and well that was never good. All they did was relive their favorite centuries for thousands of years being worshiped repeatedly.

He got up slowly as if a hundred years had passed since he had last moved. His body ached every bone in his body fought against him as if they knew what he was about to do, but he couldn't take it anymore everything here was extremely fake no more sense of danger due to his immense power. Even the other gods of this time left him alone, they feared him none had come close to his accomplishments in the past. No one planned or plotted anymore everything had become so stoic.

He moved to the edge of his Penthouse overlooking Philadelphia covered in ice. The city had been abandoned years ago due sporadic weather many humans moving inland away from oceans. Heavy winds hit his body freezing cold temperatures, but he didn't notice it anymore. He jumped down almost 50 stories as if it was nothing hitting the ground creating large cracks on the ice and began his journey. Time passed, days, weeks, months, who knew he certainly didn't care. Passing by empty towns frozen or flooded areas to the point nobody could live there anymore.

The land seemed to be dead heading towards the mountain. Completely empty and devoid of life, as he moved further inland he finally saw people moving along the streets mostly with worn and torn clothing. Most looking pale and sick due to high pollution poisoning. Nowadays if you lived outside of the inner cities it was hard to live at all. It was always the same the few would live in luxury and the

many would suffer.

Nobody would notice him unless he wanted them to anyways. As a god he had learned to interfere was meaningless anyways. Many other gods did but to him it almost always turned out to be the same. People dying for a cause and someone overstepping their new-found power becoming the ire of the change they tried to be. That's why he wanted to start it again. There was always someone that was

interesting that would unbalance the scales and that was what he wanted once more.

He finally reached a mountain range sharp white peaks filled with pine trees, continuing deep into the forest. He walked into a cave finally reaching a golden door with three guardian gods. They all were tall muscular men, long brown hair and dark black eyes. They all carried long swords on their side, but each carried a signature firearm, a magnum, grenade launcher and rifle respectively. It had been a long time since he saw them last.

"Halt," Spoke the of the guardians. Walking over to the small figure, which was half his size, "What are you doing here Jaxis? You know this area is off limits even to you. No one but the keeper is allowed in due to the time pack." He knew to be wary of Jaxis he was extremely dangerous and most likely the most powerful of them by far.

"I'm here to check on the item." Jaxis replied. He had to be quick he didn't want Rufi to notice him. It would become very complicated if a full god got in his way. Pulling darkness around him, it began to engulf him feeling the toxicity of its power. How long had it been since he had gone all out? He felt his muscles strengthen his body became almost none existent as light as a feather. As if he had never been the withered figure on that throne of death he was on. Instead he became death itself ready to eat life engulfing it and snuffing it out.

The guard's face darkened reaching for his weapon, but it was too late. He felt blood rush into his mouth as the fragile figure appeared in front of him in a split second. He had pierce right through his chest with his bony hand his life essence absorbed by the tiny god. The other two guardian gods quickly readied their weapons. They too had powers beyond mortal means even though they were not as powerful as him. Striking out at the figure, Jaixs moved swiftly melding into the shadows as he was part of them dodging the sword strikes.

The two guardians moved worked together to stop him. Striking with light into the darkness that was now his new form. Only to their surprise, have it eaten by his new body. One of the guardians immediately withdrew, more experienced in battle while the other stayed a second too long. A hand appeared, striking at the second guard towards his chest just like the first. The guardian managed to move just enough, having Jaxis only rip through his armor and take out his arm. Too slow. Jaxis frowned, he had been losing his edge the guard quickly turned away most likely to warn the other gods of his doings. It didn't matter they would be too late to stop him. Bang!! Four bullets flew from the magnum towards Jaxis at an incredible speed. Enhancing the bullets huh, Jaxis wove through the bullets towards the last guard standing at lightning fast speed. When he was past the barrage of bullets, to his surprise the guardian charged straight at him slicing at his skull. Jaxis moved his hand blurring through the air catching the blade just an inch from his face.

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Thick black blood trickled down his wrist, Jaxis smiled wickedly. How long had it been since that had happened? He felt alive for a second again, this is what he wanted to feel the rush of battle. He looked up at the guard noticing his fear, he hadn't expected Jaxis to catch it. Moving like a dark shadow engulfing his enemy trapping the guardian in the dark shadows. The guardian struggled under the crushing weight of the shadows, but he didn't have the strength to get out. The guardian turned to dust under him.

Jaxis moved quickly into the room, the door was at least two stories tall covered with gold runes protecting the room. Jaxis threw a large amount of his darkness against the wall struggling against the runes. He didn't want to fight five or six gods before his job was done afterword who cared. He had to be quick, thus he didn't hold back. The door cracked then finally gave in under the weight of his power. His blood was finally pumping as he entered the room it would begin soon. To his surprise a slender woman with long pitch-black hair was facing him holding a box in her hands. "Rufi what are you doing here?" He found the keeper of the box, Rufi goddess of ingenuity stood before him smiling at him as if she had won some great battle. This was a problem he could defeat Rufi but it would take too much time he didn't have the other gods would reach here before he could open the box. He instantly summoned his full force he could still make it, maybe just barely to open the box.

"Took on of you long enough, do you know how many years I have been waiting to open this." She replied quickly turning mechanisms the box to open it. She didn't waste any time Jaxis would surely kill her if she was too slow in replying. "I was surprised it was you though. Always so calm and calculating I guess you finally had enough too. Who do you think will end up winning this time, who's champion will pass the test, how many of us will survive?"

Jaxis stopped pulling his power as he understood immediately what had happened. Usually the god that opens the box would be hunted by the others until death, the same was for his champion. The fault would fall onto Jaxis. "Ha ha ha." He laughed wholeheartedly. "Rufi you are a smart one, shall we place a

bet? See whose champion will survive this ordeal." How long had she been planning this? Of course, he didn't care in the end as long as that box was opened new dangers were sure to fall upon the world. Rufi smiled and replied quickly, "I won't. I think you'll survive this somehow and your champions are too dangerous. Just like you I don't bet, unless I'm sure to win. Something tells me you got a trick or left in you." Then Rufi looked at the box opening it and screamed in delight. "let the games begin!!!!!!" A Bright white light engulfed the room. "Where shall you take us this time?" Jaxis said embracing the light as an old friend smiling, finally whispering "let the games begin…."