A Choice

March 6th, Year 3025

My heart pounded out of my ribcage with anticipation as I walked alongside my best friends and teammates of countless years into the transportation portal. It lit up with a light blue and purple hue, making us acknowledge that it was officially unlocked and we could finally enter the last floor of the tower.

A little over 25 years of work had helped me convince myself that I would be ready for this final challenge, ready to take on the strongest and deadliest of, well… anything that the tower could throw at me by this point. My entire life felt as though it was designed and built for this moment, and my mixture of emotions were being broadcasted across my face for the first time in years. 

I snapped out of my haze as I stepped in front of the portal and turned to face my other three teammates who were following close behind. All displaying the same level of emotion as I was, I searched their faces to remember all of our memories and achievements that led us to this moment. My teammates, Jasmine, Zach, and Cole, all came to a stop as they realized I was watching them closely. I waved them off and motioned towards the portal as I took a step into it, followed by my friends. 

As our eyes shimmered with violent streaks of galaxy-like colors, our vision came back to us and we were able to focus again on what I could only describe as awe-inspiring. In front of us stood a long metal bridge that towered over an endless void of nothingness. On the opposite end of the mile-long bridge stood what appeared to be a floating dueling arena made of a bright silver platform nearly a half mile wide on each side, with a ginormous cathedral towering over it from behind. 

The portal shimmered out of existence as my teammates looked around with fear and nervousness painted all across their faces. Right as I was about to speak, Zach spoke up, "I guess this is what it was all for, right? Everyone ready?"

I gave a stern nod back, which Jasmine and Cole quickly copied, before I took off for the cathedral at a jog-like pace. 

What felt like the slowest few minutes of my life passed by as we quickly made it to the dueling ring, followed by our boots echoing against the countless stairs to reach the cathedral's entrance. I slowly placed my hand on the door before the door swung open with a loud boom.

Dust cleared the air as we all leapt into the fighting stance we had practiced for years. As I stood in the front, I saw from the corner of my eye as Jasmine's mouth slowly dropped at the sheer sight of the figure in front of us, before all four of us were forced to one knee from the pressure of the beast, or whatever the fuck I was looking at was.

Sitting upright nearly 30 feet away on his lavish throne was what one could only assume to be a devil. The creature slowly took in all of our presences before rising to its hooves. Now standing before us was a 9-foot-tall demon, with 8 thin but deathly sharp spikes sticking out from each side of its face. Two massive horns protruding from the top of its head, which curved forward almost made me falter, before snapping out of it and working my way back to my feet. The beast was dressed in a fear-inducing fiery maroon colored cloak along with metal plates all over its body and thin black pants which looked as though they were about to burst from its bulging muscles.

  I felt the anticipation rise up inside me as our eyes locked, and I rose to my feet and readied myself into a fighting position. My teammates all around me slowly tried to rise after seeing me but failed to do so as the weight of the pressure continued to drown them. I pointed my freshly sharpened blade at the creature before his deathly voice rang out and echoed throughout the otherwise silent room

"Hello Kai…" he paused momentarily before taking in our surroundings and continuing, "and the rest of your little crew, although I must admit I'm a little puzzled at the sight of who you've decided to bring along on your travels considering the hatred for you they are all hiding within their bodies."

Another brief pause gave me time to survey my surrounding friends as I saw several looks exchanged between the group before I settled my gaze on Zach, my oldest teammate and closest friend in this world, as his face turned from a surprised look to a furrowed frown.

"Ah, I see" the creature spoke up again, "You didn't know, did you? And to think you were supposed to be 'the one who will conquer the deities'.

He let out a quick chuckle before finally speaking up, "What a load of shit. The entire palace worked up over one who cannot even sense the resentment from his closest friends. That damn prophet, always claiming to be the strongest of us yet he can't even predict this simple future."

My mind raced as I tried to process all which was happening. The conqueror of the deities? The hatred and regret showing from my friends' faces? The prophet? What was happening, and what is going to happen after we make it out? Wait, I never even measured this guy's streng-

Within a blink of my eyes, the creature had dashed and appeared right before my eyes as I was thinking and crushed my sword in the process. He towered over me and the rest of my teammates as he let out a grim laugh and cleared his throat before speaking once more

"Here's what's going to happen. I will give you all a choice, the decision of a lifetime which will reward some and punish the others. I will offer the three of you scared little pussies in the back the option to receive power greater than your wildest dreams, enough to manipulate and bend the world to your wills, per two simple conditions."

Jasmine was the first to speak up after glancing at the other two while avoiding my eyes entirely, "W-w-what are y-your conditions," she spoke in a quiet and submissive tone, even more shy than she usually was. The creature, or deity, eyed her in return before meeting my eyes, "Firstly, you three will slay Kai and fulfill your little dreams I see you so desperately want. Second, you will never be allowed to enter the next portal and continue climbing the tower to our land."

The three looked at each other once more before all nodding and giving me one final glance as they bowed their heads and ceased their effort to rise from the deities' enormous pressure.

This time Zach spoke as the others remained silent and I tried to comprehend everything I was witnessing, "We accept your conditions sir, please release your power over us and allow us to complete our goals."

As the pressure finally faded I felt relieved for all of a few breaths before the full force of it was redirected at me and almost brought me directly to the ground. I quickly jumped back with all of my strength while Jasmine started to conjure an ice spell many times bigger than her.

I screamed at them in desperation, begging to know what was happening, but was met with no reply but looks of sorrow and pity. Why was I being given these looks? After I had saved their lives countless times, sacrificed myself under any circumstance for who I thought were my closest friends, why? Why? WHY? 

I quickly drew a second blade out of my storage ring and engulfed it in the strongest flame spell I had in my arsenal as my rage continued to burst out. I sidestepped and narrowly dodged Jasmine's Ice barrage before ducking under and countering Cole's deadly sword strike. Fighting under the pressure of the deity only made this fight much more difficult, yet not impossible to win.

My mind raced, and I fought sloppily worrying about the two ex-friends in front of me as they continued to throw every spell and attack they had in them at me. Dodge, swing, duck, cast, punch, kick, the actions fell into a motion as my years of training kicked in and I started gaining ground on my two ex friends. I felt as though I was on the verge of taking Cole down and already planning my next moves towards Jasmine until…

Silence. 

A deathly chill flew over me as the world came to a stop and my life, for the first time in over 30 years, felt filled with absolute peace. Rose-colored vision overtook me, a blissful peace filled my soul, almost as if… 

I glanced down at the 8-inch hole now filling the place where my core previously was. Completely obliterated as I slowly fell to the ground and laid, staring up at Zach, whom I had not seen the entire fight, blood dripping from his hands and mana lingering at his fingertips. 

I tried to understand everything that had just occurred in the past 10 minutes as tears began to fall on me from above, yet they were not mine?

I used my last bit of energy to open my eyes once more and saw the tears raining down on my cold face as my killer stared down from above, before turning away and walking towards a seat within the cathedral.

My mind started going blank as the only thing I could think of was one word, why? I came to terms with my death as I slowly drifted in and out of my consciousness and succumbed to my wounds.

The last thing I remembered was the light slowly overtaking me as I pondered on what the afterlife would have in store for me, before a strange yet quiet and calming voice slowly whispered in my ears the few words which would change the course of this world forever.

"Do you wish for revenge?"