The dice stops

- What is this place…? - Nicholas looks around, awed by the view.

The sky seems to be beautifully handmade with celestial bodies that illuminate a clear night. There are planets, aligned like the two hands of a clock, close enough to see their colors and rings. There are also stars, separated into constellations that resemble the hours of a day. And in the middle of it all, there is a big sun. The floor under their feet is like a calm river, but stepping on it feels like solid ground. Pillars of what seems to be water connect the sky with the ground, but they seem to be somehow frozen. There is no flow nor breeze. A scenery where time itself seems not to be.

- We are dead, aren’t we? - Pietra whines sorrowfully.

- Hmm, this is not what I was expecting… - Kai ponders.

- Kaaaaaai! - she shakes him in desperation.

Then, as if opening a door in space itself, an entity appears floating before them. A gorgeous woman with hair made of golden sand that continuously falls and never ends. Her eyes are red like rubies, and the very same golden sand covers her body in the shape of a dress decorated with precious stones.

- Be not afraid - she says, her voice strong and piercy.

Kai is charmed by her looks.

Nicholas is trying to understand where all the sand is going.

Pietra is quite afraid.

To further increase her greatness, the moment she first speaks, the planets rotate, the water flows and a soft wind comes. This goddess introduces herself not only as someone powerful but as time itself.

- I am Rasnati. Rejoice, for I have chosen you. - she stares down at the trio - Eh? Three?

Her voice softens a bit at the surprise of seeing more than one person. She floats down, sits on a throne that appeared the moment she sat down, and rests her head on her hand in a position of authority.

- How did all of you fit inside my portal?

- Well… - Pietra mumbles.

Kai takes a step forward and bows on one knee.

- Oh, mighty goddess! Please grant me your blessings and power so I can fulfill my mission in your name! - he says in the most chivalrous voice he can.

His friends look at him in disdain. They know he is only trying to flatter her to get a good ability or something.

Rasnati grins.

- I like obedient puppies like you. Here, I grant you a small fraction of my power.

With a gentle hand gesture, the deity commands a good amount of sand to fall on top of Kai’s head, burying him.

- Argh!

- Serves you right - Pietra sighs.

Nicholas raises his hand.

- Sorry ma’am, could you please send me back home? I came in the heat of the moment, and I just remembered I promised to take care of my little sister tomorrow.

A few seconds of awkward silence.

- No.

- Awn… - he whines, defeated.

- But I like your attitude.

Another great pile of sand falls, this time on Nicholas.

- AAH-

- So… - Pietra wonders if she should say anything - Are we going to be sent to another world then?

- Oh, you know the drill? Good, that saves me a lot of bothersome explanations.

- Actually, I would like some bothersome explana-

- You seem wise. Have my blessings as well.

- Can we talk about- KYAH!

With the last member of the team buried, Rasnati chuckles.

- You seem like a good bunch. I am very excited to see how you will do in my world.

- Does it have some nyan nyan? - Kai digs his way out of the stack of golden sand.

Nicholas' head pops out of it as well.

- My gut says we are missing something significant here.

- Worry not. You will learn everything you need in time. For now… Go~

Instant darkness.

…

Kai slowly opens his eyes. It seems he is inside an old church or at least a place very similar to one. Still drowsy, he looks to his right, and Nicholas is leaning on him, drooling on his shoulder. And to his left lies a skeleton. He jumps out of his seat, breaking the fragile pew he was sitting on in the process.

- Kai, look! - Pietra waves at him a few pews ahead - I found a sword!

The sword, still on its sheat, looked like a regular longsword you could find anywhere in a game.

- Urgh… Where did you get that?

- With him - she points at the skeleton, which is holding a bag with two more swords on it.

- Don’t you think it’s suspiciously convenient having a skeleton with exactly three swords right here where we started our journey?

She shrugged.

Kai sighs and takes one of the swords, but the moment he does so, he is taken by a sudden feeling of hollowness, as if a huge presence instantly left his body. The emptiness in his chest almost makes him cry.

- Pietra?

- Hmm?

- When I touched this sword, it was like all that goddess's blessing and love were gone.

- Oh, you felt it too?

- Why didn't you tell me?

- You never gave me the chance.

- You cannot be serious…

- Guys, what’s up? - Nicholas walks to them, yawning.

- Nicholas! Don’t take the sword in that bag, did you hear me?!

- Do you mean this one? - he already did.

- AAAH! - he screams hysterically - Not even ten minutes into our new lives, and we lost our powers!

Kai tries to beg forgiveness from Rasnati while the others ignore him.

- Maybe it’s related to this place? Is this somewhat a church of a rival deity?

- I don’t know. It reminds me of a regular church though…

When Nicholas says this, they all remember a person that this scenario reminds them of.

- We… Kinda forgot Giovanni, didn’t we? - Kai looks down.

- Sorry Gio…

- There was nothing we could do. He wasn’t there when the portal appeared.

- Yeah…

Before they can think of anything else, they hear the sound of many horses arriving outside. As they stop, a group of male voices start talking.

- Are you sure it’s here?

- It has to be. We have been searching for hours now.

- How creepy. Was this building always here?

- Silence! They will hear you!

He clears his throat.

- Get out of there now! We know you are here! - a voice of authority calls them.

- Should we go? - Nicholas asks, not sure of what to do.

- We don’t want to get caught in the middle of a misunderstanding. Let’s find another exit and leave - Pietra advises.

The church’s door went flying right past them.

- Or not.

A group of five knights came inside. Four of them are wearing full-plate armor. The last one, their apparent leader, wears a way lighter defense and a white cloak with a coat of arms proudly displayed on it. His long red hair conveys nobility, while his intense dark brown eyes intimidate with courage. In short, everything about him says that he would lick his king’s boots if ordered to.

- My name is Kirys Guson. I'm one of the generals of the Kingdom of Alcus sent by Your Majesty to investigate an abnormal amount of corrupted magic detected in this region and arrest any criminal involved!

- Sorry, you got the wrong guys. They just run away through that broken window over there - Kai says with a straight face.

- Is that so? My deepest apologies. I will take my leave then. Have a pleasant day - he turns around and walks away.

The general stops for a moment.

- As if I would fall for that! - he states in anger.

- He did fall for it for a second, no? - Pietra mumbles.

Kai takes a step forward.

- But General, this is truly a misunderstanding. We have nothing to do with this place or have any relation with whoever comes here.

- Really? Enlighten me-

One of his subordinates, who was very apprehensive and shaking until now, suddenly runs past his superior and quickly pierces his sword right through Kai’s chest.

- You fool! What have you done!? - Guson apprehends him, not believing in what he just did.

- You think I wouldn’t recognize a corrupted scum like you?! I know how you work, how you lie and seduce to break and destroy us! You can’t trick me! I will avenge my family this time! - the knight shouts, blinded by anger.

- KAI! - Pietra screams in terror.

- GET AWAY FROM HIM! - Nicholas loses his temper and pushes the soldier away. With only his left hand, he was able to throw him at Guson and his other subordinates. Unfortunately, his sword flies with him, and Kai now bleeds heavily.

Kai looks down, the hole right where his heart is.

- My dream… My catgirls…