Prologue(2): Flipped World

{Prologue: That Day, Five Years Ago}

(Five Years ago)

The ground quakes under my feet and I fall forward. I scrape my knees and hands catching myself.

"AHG!" My screams are being drown out by the sounds of buildings crashing, people screaming, and explosions. Sparks rain from the sky as electric wires from electric poles whip around, flogging and electrocuting whoever they touch.

The sound of a whip cracking just above me as I throw myself to the ground sends shivers down my spine. Tears well up in my eyes and in quick succession make rivulets down my face as I huddle up into a ball.

'My parents, they were...' Thinking that only makes me cry harder. I let out choking sobs.

BOOOM

A deafening impact resounds. Before I even realize what's happening, I'm airborne. Time seems to pause as I get a good look at the cause of such power.

All that is left of the Giant that had crushed my family is a red cloud. No, not a cloud. The entire upper half of it's body became a bloody mist.

There I see him. A small speck, an ant compared to the figure which sent deep compressions in the earth with each step it took.

It's the silhouette of a... person.

Time resumes. I fall to the ground, my entire body bursts with pain as I slam into the concrete. The blood cloud rains warm liquid all over me and the surrounding destruction.

{GIGANTOMACHIA}

(Present)

So too as Giants from the Myths rose up from their Earthen grave on that day, the Champions of the Gods appeared. We call those with the blessings of divinity Giant-Slayers.

I aspire to be a Giant-Slayer. I look at myself. Dark shaggy hair, and deep merlot eyes.

"I can do this!" I tell myself. Failure isn't an option. I need to, I will kill the Giants. They have taken too much from me, from everyone!

I walk out of my bathroom after renewing my resolve. In these five and a half years since the Giants appeared, all world governments had united to form the GS Academy. Only those fifteen or over were able to obtain the blessing of a God. I have trained extensively for this day, since I was nine and a half years old.

I stretch my taut muscles, readying myself for a short jog to the GS train station. Built by the combined might of humanity, the GS station stretched across the entire world. Blessed by Hermes, it would get people to their destination quickly and safely.

In an hour, a third of the world had been crossed. I arrive at my destination with a crowd of people, other teenagers, some adults, just like me, all here to see if they are worthy of a God's blessing.

The crowd of people moves at a hurrying pace as we exit the train. There, I see it. A magnificent view of a city filled with numerous buildings.

That entire city is the GS Academy. Built from the ruins of a country destroyed by the Giants.

Time passes in a blink, and before I know it, I'm standing in an auditorium. My heart is thundering with excitement.

One by one, people's names are being called to come up to the stage. The ones called up kneel before the statues of the Greek Gods. Then, they just stand up. Having been blessed in that instant.

"Cora Elsher." A girl, around my age, walks up to the statues. She kneels, and the world flashes. A flurry of particles green and brown wrap around her. I watch in awe as a bow and arrow are in her hand after they disperse.

"Artemis," I whisper to myself. A few minutes pass as ten more people get called up and blessed.

"Emery Brewer."

Finally. Finally! With a body trembling from nervousness and elation, I step carefully, to avoid falling, up to the statue. Kneeling on one knee, I bow my head.

'Zeus. Zeus. Zeus or Heracles,' I inwardly pray. No one has been blessed by Zeus yet. The other eleven major Gods of Olympus not as elusive as him, The King of Gods.

I stop hearing sounds. 'What?' I lift my head and look around. The entire world has... darkened?

In my confusion, that's when it happens. The world crinkles as though a piece of paper, and... fractures like glass.

The chink in what I can only assume is reality widens as two, thick and burly hands grasp it before widening the gap. In my panic, I lower my head again.

"Emery Brewer, yes?" I hear a baritone voice say. I know his name instinctually.

"Y-Yes, Lord Zeus!" I confirm.

"Hm..." An appraising tone, I can feel his eyes looking at me head to toe.

"Well, I have some real unfortunate news for you kid," he tells me.

"It seems your... uh, not compatible with any of the Major Gods." I feel a pit in my stomach form.

"Or, uh... any of the Minor Gods. This..." I make out the sound of him scratching his hair.

"This is the first case I've seen of your type. I honestly didn't think there wasn't a person a God couldn't bless, but, well, here you are, Haha!" He laughs boisterously.

Not caring if it's disrespectful or not, my head snaps up in panic. A man with long curly white hair, a thick beard, and bulging muscles enters my sight. There are no imperfections on his body I can spot, perfectly symmetrical in his entirety.

"A-Are you sure?" I ask foolishly. His eyes narrow, and I can instantly tell what I had just asked was fiercely disrespectful. My body locks up in fear.

"Am I sure?" he repeats. He grabs his chin and looks up as though in thought.

"Well, actually, there is someone..." he muses aloud.

"But I wasn't sure if you wanted to get his blessing. Are you sure you want his blessing?" he queries me with a grin.

At this moment, I have two choices. Get a potentially life-threatening blessing, or give up on my dream. My fists clench.

"Yes! Yes! Anything, I'll take anything, please, Lord Zeus!" I agree, and his grin widens.

"Koalemos! Get your dumbass over here! I think I found someone who can take your blessing!" Zeus shouts behind him. Zeus disappears and another person takes his place. He has black hair, over six feet, muscles, and dull red eyes.

"I'm Koalemos," he introduces himself. I have never heard of a God named Koalemos.

"Mhm." He nods to himself as his eyes glance over me.

"Yeah. You'll do. But... are you sure you want my blessing?" he questions. Unlike Zeus, somehow, I'm able to look him in the eyes. My gaze locks with his, my determination firms.

"Yes, Lord Koalemos, I'm sure."

"Alright." He snaps his fingers, time resumes, and the world brightens. Disoriented, I take a moment before I'm able to stand up.

"Go down." The man who called me up demands. I follow his orders and make my way back to where I stood before.

"Rai Akimitsu." My eyes wander to the boy just called up. His hair is a bright red, styled in spikes, he has glowing golden eyes, and a big smile on his face.

{There are people in this world called Giant-Slayers, blessed by the Gods, who fight the enemy of both Deities and Humanity, the Giants. Those blessed by the Major Gods are called True Giant-Slayers.}

He kneels. Lightning falls.

BOOOM!

Thunder resounds.

I stare at Rai who stands there uninjured with my mouth agape. His fists enlarge, Gigantism... an ability of Heracles blessing. Lightning arcs around his body.

{Those blessed by two Gods, Minor or not, are called Dual-Blessed.}

Everything goes dark.

{Emery Brewer is neither of those things. And this isn't his story.}

I finally remember.

{Prologue - End}

{Chapter 1: Rai Akimitsu(1)}