Smiling At Death

"You are dead."

"Err…really?"

"I am the Angel of Death, Azrael."

"Huh? Angel?"

Kazi Hossain had been recording an archeology site in Gujarat, India, when a nasty earthquake struck. His world blacked out instantly.

He ran a hand through his hair. It was messy, long at the back, and entangled, just as it was before his death. He glanced at his clothes. Black shirt and pants, a huge contrast to the white of the room, and certainly not what he was wearing during his death.

He pinched his cheek. Pain.

"I guess I'm dead." Kazi accepted it and moved on. There was no reason not to. He recalled his death vividly. Too vividly. "Is this heaven? Or hell? Aw man, should I have been more religious?"

"This is not hell nor heaven. This is the world beyond. High above, beyond the scope of the universe, we are here. Angels, gods, demons. All of us exist. Divided in our realms and united at the advent of the Heavenly Games."

"That sounds…absurdly complicated." Kazi kicked back. "Tell me more."

"When death takes hold of a body, the soul is sent outside reality. Here, in the world beyond worlds. Depending on their beliefs, they go to heaven or hell, or perhaps they reenter the cycle of reincarnation; of life and death. In the past, there were others: Valhalla, the Field of Reed." Her black eyes stared into his soul. Kazi smiled at death. "But, at the advent of the Great Conjunction, some souls enter a special tournament hosted by the gods. Blessing the people with magic and superpowers, all for the sake of getting a second life on Earth."

"A tournament, eh? So this is like the plot of a shounen series."

"Ten thousand will participate but only twenty shall be allowed to return. Summon prize pool."

Bleep!

Following the buzz, a huge red screen appeared containing text written in Bengali.

[ Top 20-11: Climb the ladder to fame and claim your share of the treasure! Be among the Top 20 to receive staggering rewards from $1 million to a jaw-dropping $10 million USD!

Top 10-4: Ascend further up the ranks and unlock unimaginable wealth! Secure your spot in the Top 10 to seize from $100 million to an astounding $700 million USD!

Number 3: Reach the third position and grasp the grand prize of $800 million USD! But that's not all - this prestigious victor also gains the unparalleled power to obtain any material possession from history!

Number 2: Secure second place to claim an extraordinary reward of $900 million USD! Additionally, this winner acquires the ability to alter a single pivotal event from their past, unlocking the potential to change their own fate.

Number 1: Only one warrior shall stand at the summit, crowned as the ultimate champion! The champion will receive a staggering $1 billion USD, plus the previous two exclusive prizes. And, as an extraordinary gift, the gods offer a secret special prize - a wish that can shape reality itself! The victor may ask for anything their heart desires, as long as it maintains the cosmic balance. ]

Kazi read it twice. "Wow…a billion dollars!? How would that even work? You can't just plop a billionaire into the real world without raising a billion eyebrows."

"We have people within the mortal realm to smoothen the process," Azrael replied. "It is simple for people of our influence."

"So angels really do live on Earth!?"

"Yes."

Kazi grinned. "I hope they're all as pretty as you."

Azrael, for the first time in their conversation, flashed with emotion. Rather than embarrassment, she was puzzled.

"Okay." Azrael stared at him and waited. When Kazi didn't add to his words, she continued, "Please trust that the wishes will be granted."

Kazi leaned forward, still grinning, and cupped his cheek. "I believe you."

Angel of death or not, she was really pretty. Too pretty. The kind that put a person on edge instead of comfort. Kazi complimented her not only to stir some change but to ease himself from the deathly aura emanating from her.

"If you wish to understand the world you are in, say 'open status'."

"Open status."

[ Status: Kazi Hossain

Class: —

Level: 1

HP: 15

HP/Minute: 0.5

MP: 16

MP/Minute: 1.75

Attack: 6

Defence: 4

Attributes

Strength: 6

Resilience: 3

Agility: 6

Deftness: 55

Vitality: 1

Magical Might: 2

Magical Mending: 2

Distributive Points: 3 ]

'This is cool. Very cool. Magic, deftness…that means luck or something to that effect.' There was an X-mark at the corner of the screen. Kazi clicked it and the blue screen closed. Death's full face reappeared in his vision. 'Doesn't hurt to ask.'

"What do these stats mean exactly?"

"Strength is tied to your physical strength. It directly affects your attack, which is a combination of the items you equip and your strength—"

"So basic game rules, got it," Kazi interrupted. "What about deftness?"

"It is the luck you humans create from your own effort. Your ability to steal, your ability to land critical hits, your ability to stumble upon great treasures, the ability to know where to go based on your five senses. It is mystical as it is physical."

What a tidy explanation. "Magical mending, I assume that's healing and support stuff?"

"Yes."

"And distributive points?"

"Points you can spend on your attributes or your skill tree."

"Skill tree?"

"I shall elaborate on the skill tree later."

Azrael stopped talking, like an NPC from a video game awaiting a dialogue option. Kazi shrugged with his shoulders.

"Okay."

Immediately, without wasting a second, Azrael started to speak. "The Game System is the crux of the tournament. With it, you will grow and learn. You will traverse through the Heavenly Tower. You will level up, accumulate prize points, and build a reputation for yourself. You will fight, investigate, and do so much more." Azrael took another one of those meaningful pauses. "To gain the points you desire, you must traverse the Heavenly Tower. You must explore its gates and that which leads to pages of mythology. Every week, a new gate, a new story, a new page will appear in the tower. Some will remain open. Some will close after a selected attempt. Others will simply end after the first. But at the end of the day, you must collect Prize Points through the Heavenly Tower and its gates. You must fight."

Her dialogue sounded scripted. Like she was here but also not.

"'Open profile' in order to keep track of your Prize Points."

Kazi nodded. "Open profile."

[ Profile

Name: Kazi Hossain

HP: 15/15

MP: 16/16

Distributive Points: 3

Prize Points: 0

Age: 28

Class: —

Level: 1

XP to Next Level: 10 ]

"Woah, it even knows my age."

Age…age.

Kazi ran the numbers through his head. 'Ninety-nine gates, each separated by a week of difference. Meaning, we'll be here for ninety-nine weeks or…four weeks in a month…almost two years. The Heavenly Games will go on for two years.'

"So do people of all walks of life and ages come here?" Kazi asked.

"To an extent, as long as you have lived for more than five thousand days. Nationality is not taken into regard nor is wealth, status or blood."

Through quick maths, Kazi calculated that to be almost fourteen years old. 'So ten thousand contestants over the age of fourteen are gonna be in this thing, huh? Interesting.'

"I assume there's a hub area for the Heavenly Tower?"

"Yes," Azrael answered. "Everything you will need will be in the hub. We call it the White Abyss. Your Prize Points will serve as currency. Furniture, food, weapons, bars, libraries, all will be accessible for your liking."

Whoever constructed the Heavenly Games was incredibly thorough. Kazi was impressed. "Furniture, huh…?" Kazi's intuition nagged at him the moment he had gained consciousness. So it was correct. "This place we're in…it's mine."

"Yes. Excellent deduction." Well, look at that. The Angel of Death praised him. "You may go in and out of this pocket dimension as you please. Either say 'enter home' or 'exit home' and click to confirm on the screen that appears. For now, however, please remain in your seat. I still have much to explain."

He rolled both his arms back, cracking his bones. "No problem, angel."

"The map of the White Abyss. The hub surrounding the Heavenly Tower. Please say the words 'open White Abyss map'."

"Got it. Open White Abyss map."

Beep! A sizable rectangular map appeared, coloured in shades of black and white. There were eight icons, eight specific locations in the square-shaped map. Kazi clicked on each and read the designated boxes.

[ Heavenly Tower: The centrepiece of the White Abyss. It has 99 floors to house each gate. Through the system and saying "Open Heavenly Tower", a player may teleport to any level that has been unlocked. ]

[ Hall of Players: A museum dedicated to previous players of the Heavenly Games. Minerva serves as its tour guide. Two sphinxes guard the front. ]

[ House of Wisdom: The greatest source of knowledge in existence pooled together by gods and humans of all walks of life. Librarian: Toth, Egyptian god of wisdom and writing. Library Assistant: Brigid, Irish goddess of poetry, learning, and craftsmanship. Archivist: Saraswati, Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts. Guardian: Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, and warfare. ]

[ Nebulous Bazaar: A bustling marketplace where otherworldly merchants trade in wares from distant realms. It is managed by renowned merchants, as well as retired champions and notable players of the past Heavenly Games. There are stores, restaurants, merchant stands, etc. It is 15 kilometres long and contains over 4,000 stores and structures. ]

[ The Endless Bar: A bar run by Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, and Loki, the trickster god of Norse mythology. The bar is over 300 feet long and the entire structure is 300,000 square feet. A common saying is, "Let's go to the end." So come on and join us for a drink! ]

[ Tvastar's Forge: The forge of the divine blacksmith of Hindu mythology, shared with Hephaestus. It is a self-functioning forge managed by the Kourai Khryseai (Golden Maidens) who are woman-shaped, gold automotones and intended for players to craft their own weapons. ]

[ Valhalla's Colosseum: A massive, multi-level colosseum built for players to test their mettle against each other in a safe zone. There are ten levels and over 500m tall. To be able to book a floor, whether for sports use or training, three people are necessary (party or not). The Archangel Michael and the Heavenly Host operate Valhalla's Colosseum. ]

'I'm going to be here for two years. I should memorize these locations and the figures associated with them.'

Kazi scanned the icons and the layout out of the map. From the top left to right was Valhalla's Colosseum, House of Wisdom, and the Endless Bar. Smack dab in the middle of everything was the Heavenly Tower, represented by a massive, thick black tower symbol. At the bottom, left to right, was the lengthy Nebulous Bazaar, Tvastar's Forge, and the Hall of Players.

Kazi had studied a lot in regards to history and mythology. He had to, because he was an archaeologist. Connecting ideas, myths, stories, and folk tales was a part of the job. Kazi wasn't sure if it would help but he recognized every name listed in the descriptions of the locations, from Tvastar, Toth, Minerva, to Dionysus.

Azrael was no exception. She was a hell of a lot different than in scriptures though. In fact, for Kazi, the name Azrael wasn't the name he associated the angel of death with. It was Malak. There was a particular story recalled of when Allah created Death and the angels were forced to gaze upon its beauty. But once the angels were able to compose themselves, Death submitted to Malak.

That was one of many stories. Whether it be in Islam or Christianity, there were numerous accounts of Malak and Azrael's birth and function. As a historian and archeologist, Kazi wondered which was true. He wished he could ask. Alas, judging by the blackness in her eyes, she would not tell him. Azrael was interested in something else. He could feel her eyes burn into his soul as she asked him a question.

"So tell me, Kazi Hossain, what is your wish? What is that you desire after you traverse the ninety-nine gates of the Heavenly Tower?"

A wish…if he had one, it would be to bring world peace and solve world hunger. Something simple. Something beyond himself.