Chapter 1: Rhyme;Reason

On that day, the gods gave humanity a trial.

Mankind had been able to pull through several years. Wars, pandemics, and disasters emerged a few years back. Most people thought that the end of times were near. Humanity was not united, no. There were still corrupt people in power. There were still clashes in beliefs. There were still various kinds of disparities and discrimination. But the human race continued to struggle to survive. As if praising their perseverance, the gods made themselves known.

[The gods are impressed with the steadfast existence of humanity.]

On that day, almost every person on Earth found themselves staring at these words in front of them.

“Do you see this?”

“There's something in front of me...”

“Is it also saying…?”

“What is this…”

Each person could only see the words in front of them but everyone had received these words from gods.

[The gods will give humanity a trial of worth.]

[This is a chance to go beyond your limits.]

[Prove yourself.]

[The gods are watching.]

[Do you wish to proceed?]

[Yes/No]

After all they have experienced the past years, the humans felt like they were being rewarded. The majority did not hesitate to select ‘yes’. The young and the bold, those who have dreamed of this from the stories they have read. The ill, the suffering, and the old, those that want a second shot at life. Even the corrupt, those that crave power, saw this as an opportunity.

Those too young or incapable of thinking for themselves were not given this choice. Instead, the 'texts' told them their chance will come in time. As if the gods were giving everyone a chance in due time.

[You have declined the offer for now.]

Those that have rejected this, received this message. The message gave them relief in that they can still take the offer should they change their mind.

[Your journey begins in 24 hours. Be prepared.]

It caused a massive uproar all over the globe. Some people are scrambling to find a safe and secure spot to prepare for their trial. Others gathered with their trusted colleagues. They thought they would be able to do better together.

Of course, the incident first tossed various questions to scientists. They could not explain the phenomenon. While some people were wary of it, they couldn't even begin to comprehend how this was possible.

The atheists went under fire. There will always be people ready to mock another's beliefs. They are either zealots to their own belief or doing it for selfish amusement. This phenomenon proved that gods existed, after all.

The religious groups were no exception. Gods. There was more than one god watching humanity right now. Do they cling onto their belief and reject the offer? But that's the genius of it. It was presented as a ‘trial to overcome’. That was the deciding factor.

Still, in the end, more than eighty percent of the people that received the message took the offer. The world braced itself for the beginning. It was the day where the world had a single goal—albeit strangely: to prepare for the awakening.

[The weighing of your soul begins.]

The moment that timer hit zero, the entire world froze in time, in space, and in reality itself. The minds of those partaking in the trial wandered off into their own realms. It varied between each person.

For humans, it seemed as if the gods were blessing them with as much as they could. There were those that gave up despite giving their all. They obtained at least some skills that made them more powerful than an average human. The further the progress, the higher the evaluation. The better the ‘weight of the soul’, the better the rewards.

There was a small percent that succeeded. Some pushed through with sheer perseverance. Others cleared it through unwavering endurance. Still, there are those that showcased their hunger for power. For some, a burning desire overcame their hurdles. These people were able to make the most out of the ‘weighing phase’.

Many worried that things were too good to be true. Those that gave  up at the starting line obtained enhancements to their abilities. It was then they realized the reason why such boons were necessary.

The world started to move again. Time resumed its flow. The expanse of space moved once more. Reality resumed. This phenomenon would not occur again for those who would take their ‘weighing’ later on. They lost consciousness for around an hour or two before they would awaken.

[The trial begins.]

At that moment, rifts and cracks in reality started to manifest. Archways of various sizes and designs start to form around these distortions. Some are made of stone, others of wood. Some of a strange red metal, and some were bone. There were those that stood as tall as a regular human while some were more than sevenfold. Once the arch completed, the rift opened and monsters started to come out of the gateways.

They felt the surge of power and the euphoria of fantasy, but casualties were inevitable. Humans thought that they were more than ready for their trial only to face the reality of the situation. This was no game. This was no fantasy story. This is a trial from the gods.

On that day, humanity not only fought for its worth but also for its survival.

“Hah…” A sigh escaped her lips. She toyed with her hair before brushing it away. Her locks flowed freely, defying gravity. Her hair was as dark as the night sky, dotted with stars. Rather, her hair itself was the night sky. Her skin pale with a soft glow like the moon. Her purple hues looked around, confirming she was alone in the vastness of space before she hung her head. She let herself fall forward as a cloud formed itself into a comfortable bed to catch her. Her dark blue gown became disheveled but soon warped itself into nightwear.

“Those bastards really went ahead with it.” She heaved another sigh. A while ago, the gods and goddesses of humanity convened for the ‘trial’. An overwhelming majority of the gods had voted for it. Those against it were significant in number. Unfortunately, they were either lower deities or fearful of the higher ones. No one could voice their displeasure. Even Astraea—goddess of the constellations—could not hold a candle to them. Their power comes from being highly established in human mythos.

“Tch.” She clicked her tongue and rolled around on her cloud bed. “They still pushed through with it.”

During the convention, things were going unanimously. The higher gods controlled the flow. They pointed out the benefits of having the humans undergo the trial. It was something akin to their development reaching a wall. If not for this trial, humanity's growth would plateau. There will be deaths; that is inevitable. But sacrifices are a must for the good of mankind.

“I can't do anything by myself,” Astraea muttered as she sat up and hugged her knees. She, herself, was not a weak goddess. But the gap in power was prevalent. The popularity of their myth and lore affected how much power they could exert. She might be able to hold her own against a higher god but that is the limit of her current self. The higher gods were on a different level. That's why there was no one that voiced their disagreement at the time.

Wait. No. There was one. It wasn't exactly a disagreement but an inquiry that caused a small disturbance.

“What of the Void Contract?” A goddess had asked. It was a simple question but it caused a wave of murmurs and whispers. The Void Contract was something more of a myth among myths. A destroyer of worlds. A killer of gods. A devourer of goddesses. Those were the most common rumors that circulated. She has not yet encountered the Void Contract in her lifetime.

At first, she half-expected that the higher gods would deny the existence of the Void Contract. But it wasn't the case. The higher gods were silent for a moment—perturbed by the inquiry. After a moment, they became confident. They stated that it is well within their domain and responsibility. The trial is, after all, for the ‘good of mankind’ and the ‘betterment of the world’.

It was a good point but it seemed more as if they were convincing themselves and not the other deities. Regardless, that was the only thing notable from that one-sided affair.

“The Void Contract. I wonder if it can help me,” she mumbled. “But I don't even know what it is…”

“It is nothing special,” a voice answered nonchalantly. It belonged to a young adolescent male.

“Really? It seemed like it was—” She froze and turned around immediately.

“Hello there.”

A figure in a dark hooded cloak. Only their lower mouth was visible. A cloak covered the rest of their body. The garment blended into shadow-like wisps. Its presence was quite frightening, yet it greeted her with a friendly smile.

The sudden appearance stunned her. Astraea then made some distance between them by having her cloud bed slide back.

“Who are you?” She asked, confused. “How did you get here?”

This was her domain. Even higher gods would have difficulty entering this place without permission. A deity's domain is their strongest fortress and where they are at their peak.

“I am—as you called—the Void Contract,” he responded. His voice made her certain it was male. Or at least was posing as one. “Were you not looking for me?”

A chill ran up her spine. If he was the Void Contract, then this situation was terrifying. No wonder the mere mention perturbed the higher gods. Does it mean that some of them had already encountered the Void Contract? Still, this was her chance. Even if he was not the Void Contract, he was powerful enough to appear before her with ease.

“If you're looking to ask if I can stop the trial, then don't bother,” he answered before she could even ask. If it were only a destructive force or a decree to drive humanity to extinction, then he could step in. But they gave humanity a chance to survive and become stronger. The motion was legitimate.

“Tch.” She clicked her tongue. She can only infer that one of the higher gods had been in contact with him before. “So what can you do?”

“That depends,” he echoed from behind her. He was sitting comfortably on the edge of the cloud bed.

“Stop that!” She shrieked and threw a cloud pillow at him. It dispersed on contact since it was made of clouds. It served more to comfort her than to harm him anyway. She took a deep breath. 

“Don't think about what you want to do in relation to the gods and the trials.” He continued. “Tell me. What is it that you truly desire?”

She bit her lip. She had been trying to think of ways to stop the trial. Her other plans were to prevent the other gods from interfering with humanity too much. In the end, those were but several means to an end. At the end of it, she only wanted one thing.

He disappeared from behind her into wisps of black smoke. The wisps swirled in front of her as he reformed. He was right. No matter how many plans she would come up with, there was only one goal. One desire. She looked up at him, seeing his azure hues for the first time.

“Good.” He smiled. “What are you willing to offer in exchange?”

“Everything.”