[[I will grant your wish]]

I looked around. The owner of the voice was nowhere to be found. In this dirty prison, I was the only one still breathing. Everything else was just a pile of rotten corpses.

I didn't think I was hurt so bad that I'd get a hallucination, but the voice kept continuing, [[In exchange, present your soul to us in five years]]

Five years. I would be seventeen years old then.

I laughed a little. My hallucination was quite amusing.

I had always known that I was going to die young.

My father, the King of Albertani and the head of the Albertania family, had made sure I was aware of it since the moment I stepped inside the castle. He screamed at me that I'd die on a battlefield, dying a painful death. And then, just as he promised, he sent me to a brimming war against the neighboring Kingdom, Fentena, one week ago.

The prison where the enemy trapped me in smelled bad and, at the same time, familiar.

The chain, shackles, and blood. They reminded me of the old disciplinary cell where my father used to lock me in as a punishment.

It seemed the enemy thought that they'd gain something from the king by keeping me alive. They'd realized how wrong they were soon enough.

My mother gave me the name of a hero. The legend of Erik Lisone was famous for the lack of bloodshed and sacrifices. His journey was comparatively easier than all other heroes before him. He didn't go through wars, his family was rich, and his friends were loyal.

She, too, didn't expect me to last long. She just wanted me to live a good life, just like Erik Lisone.

Sorry, Mom, but ever since you left me in the palace, my life had been nothing but endless suffering.

The door to the prison opened, and a man stepped in. I instinctively blinked at the sudden rain of sunlight.

"Your Highness."

The man stood before the bars. He called me respectively, but his smirk was mockingly playful. "The King refused to agree with our proposal."

I expected that much.

"We will prepare for your execution. If you have any last words, why not say it now?"

Last words... I didn't have such a thing. All this time, I had done my best to survive. It would be too late for regrets.

No, that was a lie.

I did have some.

“Just a little..." I spoke for the first time since I was dumped in this cell. "Even if just a little, I want to feel happy too."

The man tilted his head. Did he think my last words were sad? Strange? Pathetic? "Well, it's nice knowing you, Your Highness."

I sighed.

He didn't care about me, and it would be strange if I expected him to. He left without another word, leaving me alone once again with the lifeless corpses.

"Hey," I spoke up to no one. "Will you really grant my wish?"

I didn't know what to expect. My sanity might have snapped at this very moment.

And because I was so crazy beyond saving, I heard the soothing voice back again.

[[I will]]

"Alright."

My throat was dry, but my voice had never been clearer than it was now.

"I'll give you anything, so-"

The world was consumed by sunlight. It touched the dirty prison bar and purified it. Closing my eyes from the blinding light, I continued, "-please, grant me happiness."

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a floating text in front of me.

||You have become the summoner of three great deities.||

I scratched my eyes. The floating text stayed there within my reach. Yeah, there was no doubt about it.

I had officially lost it.

A dark-haired little girl manifested out of thin air in front of me, dressed in cute white clothing and looking entirely out of place in the dirty prison.

As I became at lost for words, she lifted the edges of her white dress and bowed in a noble-like manner. [[I am Tu, the Deity of Time and Space]]

A little boy popped up beside her, covered in a black cloak. He didn't bow, and compared to the little girl, his demeanor was cold and rigid. [[I am Rikal, the Deity of Etherealm]]

The floating text erased itself, replaced with another one.

||hello (◍•ᴗ•◍) I am Huan✿ Deity of Knowledge ✿ she/her @ ur service||

The little girl stepped in front of me, extending her hand. [[Now, let's get you out of here, shall we?]]