“Name?” the priests inquire

“Allen,” I respond.

“He is fine.” As a result of what the man standing next to the priest says, the priest writes down my name.

I guess he’s a lie detector?

“You’ll be in the first group; line up next to them.” After writing down my name, the priest says.

I go to the first group, where the elf girl is prominent. Aside from me and her, there are four more children, all of whom appear to be from poor families by the look of their clothes.

“Are you also a member of this group?” inquires the elf girl.

“Yes.” I give a nod.

“Well, my name is Marine; what is yours?” She asks with a smile.

“My name is Allen.” I respond.

“Well, wait a minute... you’re Allen.”

“Yes,” I respond.

“The first group will be the first to arrive. Come on, kids,” says the priest, who has finished writing down names.

Two priests open a door that reveals a crystal in the centre.

“Go on in and make sure to touch it all at the same time. It’s best if we all count together, okay?”

The five of us enter the room while the elf remains outside.

“Is something wrong, princess Marine?” one of the priests inquires of the elf.

How many royals will I encounter today?

“AH, ah, no,” she says as she follows us in.

The crystal is quite large, and the room is decorated with murals of the gods on all four walls.

They appear to be demonstrating their powers, such as Poseidon controlling a massive wave with his trident, Ares standing atop a mountain of defeated enemies, and so on. They all appear to be Olympians; I had hoped to see images of the other gods, but no such luck.

The only thing in the room is the crystal, which is 8 feet tall and 4 feet across. It’s a massive structure. It appears to be protruding from the ground like a growing plant.

When I look around, I notice that all the other kids have taken up positions around the crystal, which glows with white light. It’s a warm, bright light. I take a step towards it and wait, but no one says anything.

“OK, everyone, on a count of three,” I say.

“1….2……3” I feel myself slipping into the crystal as I touch it.

I try to pull myself back, but the more I try, the stronger it pulls. It’s as if the crystal is pulling me from my body. I close my eyes to concentrate.

The pulling sensation vanishes as soon as I close my eyes. I open my eyes to find myself in a different place.

I’m standing in the middle of nowhere. The sky is orange, and the sun is setting red. I look around, and all I see is the flat earth. There was no dust, no air, nothing but me, the sun, and the sky.

“You’ve finally arrived, Earthling.” The voice appears from nowhere. A deep, earthy voice. I look around, but I see nothing.

Suddenly, the earth moves. It’s got to be an earthquake. I have to run.

The entire earth rumbles, with cracks appearing here and there. I choose a random direction and begin running in that direction.

Small cracks grow into massive ones. The earth continues to tremble, and massive cracks grow to the size of colossi. I come face to face with a large gaping crack.

I take a different path. The crack is enlarging. Earthen pillars begin to move upward.

The ground on which I was standing begins to rise as well.

I keep running. The ground on which I was running shifts to one side. I slip.

I try to reach for something. Anything. There isn’t anything I can grab on to.

I fall.

The ground then appears beneath me. I land on it with a thud. My legs hurt, but that isn’t the most important thing.

The ground I am standing on is also rising towards the sky. I look around. Massive rocks the size of buildings block every side.

I’m in a bind. I try to get up, but my legs give way and I collapse.

The sun is then obscured from my view. I turn my gaze to the massive earthen column that is blocking the sun.

The earth then begins to fall away from the column. There appears to be something beneath it.

Then, from beneath the column, white skin appears. Thousands of tonnes of earth fall away in a matter of minutes, revealing a massive woman.

She has to be at least 50 feet tall. Her long, green hair reaches all the way to her waist. Giant green eyes stare at me. She is completely naked, exposing her bare breasts and the heavenly green bush covering underneath.

I trace her entire body with my eyes. I’ll never forget such a sight.

“We don’t have time for your ogling, Earthling.” As she looks at me, the enormous woman says.

She must be a goddess, right?

“I am Gaia, the one who gave birth to Trius, and yes, time for awakening is short, so we must act quickly.”

Can she read my mind?

“Yes, I expected this way it’ll be faster. Anyway, I’m guessing you have a lot of questions?”

Yes, I do have a lot. Why had I been reborn? Why is it this world? Did you make your decision? How did you make your decision? Is there anyone else like me?

“I understand you have a lot. I’ll give you a brief explanation.”

She goes on to say that I was reborn in this world so that I could be her champion.

The other gods can bless their champions, but her powers are too powerful for the people of Trius. She asked the fate sisters to find a suitable soul for her, and they found me.

The fate sisters have told her that there will be a great war in the future, and unlike previous wars, she will not be sitting this one out. She will protect Trius, and she has chosen me as her champion to do so.

Another soul has been summoned from Earth, but she does not know why or who. But I should be wary of them and their intentions.

As she continues to explain, I notice that the sky is becoming darker. She turns her gaze to the sky and the setting sun.

“I’m afraid that’s all the time we have; I’ll give you a seed of my own power; I’m not sure how your body will react, so be ready.”

She begins to shrink in size and floats towards me. She stands the same height as an average adult.

She lowers her head and looks me in the eyes. She extends her hand to reveal a plant seed.

When I look at it, it reminds me of an acorn.

“This is a seed of my power; it may appear to be a small thing, but if nurtured, it will grow into the most powerful of powers.”

Her hand is getting smaller, I notice. When I look at her, I notice she is the same age as me.

“We don’t have time, so don’t move.”

She approaches me and inserts her entire hand into my chest; I look down and see that my shirt is still on, but her hand has gone through it.

I feel a warm sensation in my chest.

“Goodbye, Earthling.” Gaia in front of me vanishes into thin air.

Wait, which side of the war am I supposed to fight on?

There isn’t an answer.

My chest is burning up. I clutch my chest, but the pain is excruciating. It’s as if my entire insides are on fire.

When I look around, I see the last rays of sunlight disappearing from the horizon.

“Help, Help!” I scream into the void.

When I close my eyes, the pain does not go away, but rather spreads. My entire body is ablaze.

I open my eyes to find myself back in the awakening room. I’m lying on the floor, and my vision is becoming blurry.

I scream for help. The kids around me are fleeing. The elf girl is crying as she looks at me.

The priest enters the room. They might be able to help.

I’m surrounded by liquid. I notice it’s red, and the smell of iron leads me to believe its blood. I scream for help.

“Kill him! The gods! have cursed him,” one priest shouts.

What curse? Please help me. I’m in so much pain.

I collapse and fall asleep right there.