1 Prologue

Somewhere, where light had no rule over the ever so pervading darkness. In a place among the stars yet not visible or tangible to any motal. Two eyes, as large as a moon opened up. They belonged to a being, far larger than a star. It looked around, then a wide grin crept up on its face, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. Its eyes narrowed to slits as it detected something flying toward it.

The creature stiffened, the 'thing' flying toward it was no bigger than a man, and compared to the being, it was the same as comparing a speck of dust to a mountain. Yet a primordial fear gripped at the being. Whatever was coming toward it would be able to kill it with a sneeze. Yet before it could move, a soothing voice echoed through its mind. "I am a Celestial, here to welcome you, newborn among us, and to warn you about an impending peril."

The creature relaxed, whatever this Celestial was about, so far it didn't mean him any harm. Soon after, an old man materialized before the creature's gigantic eyes. "My name is Omega. Welcome to Godhood," the Celestial said.

Feigning bravery, the creature spoke, "I thought Celestials were mightier than gods…" his voice rattled the very fabric of space.

The old man scoffed, "If it weren't the case, your voice should have obliterated me. Come with me."

They flew through darkness in silence until they reached a galaxy. The old man led the new god to a small planet then hovered above it. "This is Hera, the source of danger I told you about," the Celestial said.

"Danger? Here, I could fit this planet in my palm, and crush it if I were to wish. Why fear something this small?" the new god asked.

"Don't you fear me?" the old man grinned, "It is not about the size. Something has gone awry in this system. You steer clear from it until we figure it out."

The god, doubtful of what the Celestial had said, focused its eyes on the planet. Yet, not even believing its own power, what lurks within the planet actually gave him more fright than the mighty Celestial right next to him.

"I can feel something ominous dwelling within this planet," the new god said. "Could this thing be the source of the peril you spoke about? If so, what do you know about it?"

The old man sighed. "Only pieces of a puzzle. We know it started with a boy who cheated death. It's a long story. Would you care to listen to it?"

"I'm immortal. All I have is time." the new god replied.

"Surprisingly so, it is also what I believed when I first ascended. Peel your ears wide open and listen to this tale."

The old man looked at the planet below him with sorrow in his eyes. Then he began his tale.

"The young man walked through a desert, arid lands where only hungry beasts roamed. Yet, even skin on bones, the beasts would rather hunger than make the young man their next meal...

He crawled more than walked, and fumbled and fell every few steps, yet he kept moving forward even when he had a cut that ran from his shoulder to his hip. He had wandered into a beast's lair and the latter lashed at him with its claws.

Only the beast immediately recoiled when sunlight had reflected on the man's face. Recognition dawned on the beast, and as if it had committed the gravest of sins, it scurried back to the depth of its cave, whimpering in fright and terror. The wanderer, disappointed, left the beast alone. The wound in his chest didn't seem to bother him. He walked, eyes darting in all directions. He found an old tree atop a canyon and decided to make his last stop there.

He tied his cape to his trousers and made a rope with it. He then wrapped it to a solid branch and around his neck. He yanked the makeshift noose, made sure it held on tight. Then he jumped.

The rope, now taut, caused his body to jerk upward. He started dangling as his lungs struggled, gasping for air. He closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable, but the branch snapped. He fell, rolling in the air as he did, then collided against a round boulder.

He gasped as air forcefully penetrated his lungs. The world had turned red, and his bones ached. He was fine though. Even the wound on his chest stopped bleeding. He blinked, sparkles danced before his eyes. The gorges seemed shapeless, and the world turned around him.

He blinked once more. Then he saw it. A small fox eyed him from a distance. Its fur was white as snow. It had crimson eyes and three tails. It blinked at him, then hopped away. The man hurried to his feet then chased after the fox.

The fox had already disappeared though. It created a small hole in the ground and jumped into it. The next moment, the hole was no more and the man was left alone in the desert. On his own again, he walked for miles. Quick sand pits spat him out, desert serpents refused to take a bite of him, and those who dared to, were the ones to die, poisoned even!" 

"I say the man has the luck of a devil, but how does this fare with what Hera has suffered?" the god asked the Celestial.

"Oh, it does. For that because of this man, who Death itself finds it troublesome to claim his life, has been the center of all of the events that shook Hera to its core. Even the Mage War broke due to him. Escaping death by the skin of his teeth, only to find himself facing more deadly perils."

"Why did Death spare the man so many times?" the young god asked.

"It is unclear how that young man managed to cheat Death for so long," the old man said. "But even he couldn't escape it. For Death is inevitable, even to us."

"So what happened?" the young god asked. "How did he die?"

"He did, and he didn't."

"I fail to understand."

The young god raised an eyebrow. The old man chuckled. "You're new to this, I forgot. But he is still with us, In Nowhere, a realm that is neither here nor there."

The young god looked at the man as if he was a crazed person. He had given him thus far no leads or credible information but to steer clear from a planet that has been resided by a man that does not die.

"Can we go to this Nowhere? I am intrigued. I wish to see this man."

" Oh, so do I, but the portal to Nowhere has opened thrice since time began. It opened the first time to throw the Demon King in. The second time was to trap the young man who cheated death." The man looked at the planet below him, doubt and sorrow gripped his heart. "More war and bloodshed await these lands…"

"What about the third time?" the young god asked.

The old man's face turned grim. "We don't know," he said in a defeated tone. "We don't know who opened it. But we do know one thing, the young man who entered it had not left, but at the same time...He is there no more."

"I thought you were all knowing Celestials," the young god pointed out.

"That's the rub," the old man said, thoughtful. "Stay away from Hera. Not even Fate can predict what will happen to these mortals next. The Gods have turned a deaf ear to their prayers…"