"Ara~ ara~ (my), look who we have here today…"
A soft, playful voice drifted through the air. I felt weightless, floating on something that was not quite air, and yet, not quite a dream. My eyelids fluttered open, trying their best to adjust to the blurry world filled with soft, fluffy clouds.
"Where am I…?" I muttered, pushing myself upright. "Heaven…?"
However, instead of angels and the large golden gates, I found myself staring at a…tree.
Definitely not heaven.
Its silver leaves glimmered like small, shiny stars, casting faint violet ripples down its trunk. The bark pulsed softly as though it were alive. Strange.
"What the—" Before I could finish, someone entered my line of vision.
"Yo hoo," She greeted me.
A small girl around four to six sat on a branch, swinging her legs playfully. Her hair was pure white with streaks of silver. In what I assumed was the sun, her hair glistened faintly. Her eyes glowed with mischief as she hopped down the branch with a small thud and dusted her dress dramatically.
"Yo…" I returned her greeting awkwardly.
"Hey there, o young wandering soul," She chirped. "I'm Luna. Welcome to the Hall Of Judgement. You should consider yourself lucky. It's not every day that a soul gets invited here." Her smile was bright, too bright, but unsettlingly knowing.
"Ok…?"
"Hey, you're literally a VIP, no, VVVIP guest here! You should at least act more excited and enthusiastic!!!"
"What? Weirdo…" I couldn't help but comment,
Her smile cracked instantly.
"I heard that, you little brat!!" Luna puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. "My goodness! I swear, young souls these days, so rude!! Ya'know, I literally wasted a good five minutes of my precious time to bring you up here just because Mother ordered it. And you didn't even give me one shred of thanks!!!"
"Sorry…"
"My goodness! Young people these days, really," Luna sighed as she rubbed her temples.
"By the way, who's Mother?" I asked.
"You don't know? The mother of gods—?" Luna paused and glanced at her imaginary watch on her wrist.
"Oh well, we don't have any time left. Your judgement has already begun, sooo~~ let's get down to business."
"What? But you still haven't—"
Before I could finish, the world distorted and in an instant, I was standing before a grand wooden table, shaped like a semi-circle. It was as though I was in court. Grand crystal chandeliers hovered over me, illuminating a hall too large to comprehend.
Seven figures sat before me, each radiating an aura so powerful and ancient that my heart almost skipped a beat. Just how powerful were they? If they wished for it, I could die in a split second.
Where was this place?
Heaven?
Heavenly court?
Elders meeting?
Hell, if I knew.
The central figure—a tall, elderly man with a long beard shimmering with stardust—sitting opposite me leaned forward. His eyes were like the galaxy, constantly shifting and turning. Fate seemed to be connected with him as well. Because fate is another thing that consistently changes. Maybe he is the root cause of my bad fate.
"This is the Hall of Judgement." His voice boomed across the hall, rumbling like distant thunder. "Here, we will determine your fate." His gaze pierced through me, as though scanning my entire past, present, and future.
"I am Azelarion, leader of the seven major gods. God of Creation, Space, Time…and Starlight."
The sheer weight of his introduction almost crushed me completely.
"You're not the god of fate?" I asked, utterly confused.
"Ho ho ho," Azelarion laughed. "My boy, wielding Starlight is controlling fate itself! Starlight is the key to everything!!"
"Oh, sorry, I didn't know," I apologised.
"No, no, it is fine. You're new to our world after all." Azelarion chuckled.
Suddenly, Luna appeared at my side, appearing out of thin air as if she had always been there.
"Time for introductions!" She sang.
"Azelarion gestured around the table with a sweep of his hand.
"To my right—Ignarion, god of Fire." A tall man with blazing red hair nodded, molten eyes flickering.
"Eiralis, goddess of Water." A serene woman with flowing blue hair gave me a cool, piercing smile.
"Sylphael, god of Wind." A lithe woman surrounded by a constant breeze nodded.
"To my left—Gaiadros, god of Earth." A mountainous man whose skin resembled granite grinned.
"Nyxaria, goddess of Shadow." A cloaked figure with violet eyes glowing through the darkness gave me a small nod.
"And lastly, Iscalon, god of Healing." A gentle man radiating calm gave me a warm smile.
"We are the second generation gods," He gestured to everyone. "And there are seven major thrones in this world," He explained. "Fire, water, wind, earth, shadow, healing, and starlight."
My gaze drifted to the others. Their auras felt…powerful, yet firm. Like walking pillars.
"But," Azelarion continued lightly. "Beneath the major thrones lie the minor thrones—powerful, yet less."
"We have lightning, ice, sound, gravity, light, restoration, and many others," Azelarion said. "These thrones shape the world. And their successors…shape its destiny."
He looked at me, expression unreadable.
"But such knowledge is unnecessary for you. For now."
A ripple went through the gods.
A glance here.
A smirk there.
Nyxaria's shadows curled like smoke.
Ignarion muttered something under his breath.
Eiralis gave Azelarion a pointed stare.
They knew something I didn't.
Before I could demand answers—
"Well then, let's see," Azelarion opened a glowing scroll with a flick of his wrist. "Hm, you're royalty…no, sorry, ex-royalty…" I winced. "Had some mommy and daddy issues…, you cared deeply for your adopted parents…, and had no friends except for one who sadly passed in middle school, which left you devastated and not have the will to make any more friends…, yes, yes, and you were planning to go on a date with a classmate called…Alison? Am I correct? An after-school date…cool, cool…and…that's about it!!" Azelarion closed the scroll.
Even though it was painful, and I hate to admit it, he basically just summarised my entire life story in a single breath.
"That's my resume?" I arched a brow.
"Something like that." He grinned.
"Well, now you have two choices," Azelarion said. "One, live in heaven for eternity. And two, descend—"
"I'll take the first option, please!!"
I have always been begging the gods to take me back to heaven; this is my chance!!
"Wait, but I'm not done!!"
"I don't need to hear it. I will go to heaven and live in peace forever—"
"And two, descend to another world and live a second life," Azelarion continued, cutting me off. "Don't worry, it will be very interesting, you know? It will be so interesting that even if you die and end up back here again, you won't forget it!!!" His eyes gleamed.
I had a feeling he was planning something evil up his sleeve.
"I told you already, I'll take the first option—" I whined.
"Oh? Is it the second option I hear?" Azelarion pretended not to hear me.
"No, no!! I said the first option!!!!"
"Oh, ok then!! The second option it is!! If you insist so!!!" That bitch beamed.
"What–? No—I said—"
"Time's up!!" Luna appeared behind me again, tapping her foot with the impatience of a child who had been kept waiting for five minutes too long. "Come on!! Move it, move it!!"
Before I could react, she grabbed a lever embedded in the floor and yanked it down with a grin far too evil for her small face.
The ground vanished beneath me.
"HEY!! WAIT—WHAT THE HELL?!"
I plummeted into an endless void.
Azelarion's voice echoed faintly, smug and amused, "We will meet again soon…prepare yourself, child."
"Bye bye!!!" Luna chirped, happily waving goodbye.
"You little—! I'll never forgive you!!!!!" I screamed as the darkness swallowed me whole.