"WAR IS AT HAND"

"Is this a dream?" Mariam's voice echoed. Goddess Mami's facial expression suddenly turned grim.

"What gives you such courage?" she asked the young girl who, out of all the kids, had the courage to speak.

Mariam was starting to realize that what she was experiencing was reality rather than a dream. She had no answer to give to the Goddess; she stared blankly at the woman whose face was barely visible because of the distance between them.

"Oh, my dear child, this is as real as it gets. You've been chosen for something beyond your wildest imagination." Goddess Mami's lips curled into a sinister smile.

Goddess Mami's words stirred the dormant series of questions resting in the minds of the kids. The kids exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to make of this surreal situation. Before they could gather their thoughts, a little girl dared to speak up. "You call yourself a Goddess, yet you withhold information from us? We are supposed to fight for you, but you treat us like fools!"

The audacious outburst shocked both the children and the other Gods watching from the stands. Only the Gods knew what Mami was truly capable of. She said nothing all this while, not because she could not speak, but because she was taking her time to assess the will of the kids chosen for the constellation battle.

In the past, Goddess Mami was, and had always been, a Goddess that hated and tricked creatures into the sea to drown them, claiming their souls. She called it a sport she could never get tired of.

Goddess Mami is a Goddess with an enormous amount of energy; she could summon colossal waves with just a thought or evaporate water across different worlds with the wave of a hand. Yet the mortal beings in her presence had no knowledge of this.

"You, how old are you?" The Goddess questioned the little girl who had dared to speak up.

"12"

"Why are you here?"

"To fight for weirdos calling themselves Gods."

Mami's eyes turned blue, giving off a faint glow. At the tips of her fingers were crystal-colored liquids, dripping to the platformed stage with every drop making a thunderous splash sound.

"Are you mocking me, you Amoeba!" Goddess Mami said, leaning backward and laughing in a horrific and delirious manner which frightened not only the kids but some of the Gods as well.

Unfazed, the little girl stood her ground, her eyes blazing with determination. "I may be young, but I won't be silenced or manipulated."

The tension in the coliseum escalated, leaving the kids on edge. They were about to witness an epic confrontation between a mortal child and a formidable Goddess.

Goddess Mami's anger seemed to subside, replaced by a hint of curiosity. She realized that these children were no ordinary mortals; they had a fire within them that intrigued her.

"Interesting bunch we have all gathered here!" The Goddess announced to the other Gods in a malicious voice.

"They are all worthy," she yelled again maniacally. Rambunctious cheers shook the coliseum.

Goddess Mami now delighted explained everything to the kids. She told them about their purpose in Nirvana and how they would get the blessings of their respective Gods, which would enable them to possess and wield the power of the God that chose them.

"Listen very well, children. Not all of you have been chosen by a high-ranking God. If, for any reason, you dislike the position you and your God are currently in, then you are free to challenge the God who is two ranks above you. Please note; if you fail, then you will be demoted a rank, also losing a portion of your energy, which means you and your God get weaker. When you challenge a high-ranking God, they can't refuse the challenge, whether they are interested in fighting or not, their proxy must be made available for battle. If that is not done, the high-ranking God automatically forfeits his position to the challenger and..." Her voice became inaudible as a dark ominous mist shrouds Goddess Mami.

The mist rapidly vanished as it had appeared. A sinister-looking figure, tall and slender, wrapped in a dark cloak, stood on the platformed stage instead of Goddess Mami.

He had a strange physique that made him look like a pole. He had long, flowing dark hair that reached his waist, his slender body portrayed elegance at first sight, his eyes lacked any sign of life.

"We shall begin the selection," his thunderous voice said.

Alex murmured under his breath, "a selection?" Half of all he had ever dreamed about had died alongside RIA. He did not mind being in a strange place or even dying a second time.

A sharp pain struck him, yelling out in pain, Alex fell to the ground, grabbing his chest tightly like he was having a heart attack. Mariam and the other kids around him were about to ask him what was wrong when the sinister-looking man said, "you shall not speak unless told to do so. If you fail to hear a single word I utter, you will be next."

Conflicted on what to do, Mariam looked down at Alex struggling to gasp for air.

"I believe I am yet to introduce myself; I am Lord Amanita Phalloides. It shall do you good to remember my name. Soldiers, war is at hand," The God of Darkness declared