In a dark candlelit cavern, there was a young boy with short black hair and a painfully average face wearing a black hooded robe that looked like it was smoking, a throne and a floating crystal ball on a podium. The young boy was pacing back and forth with anxiety.

"Shit shit shit shit shit. Big Sis wants me to bring her a new champion." The young boy said aloud from panic.

‘Where am I supposed to find a suitable champion on such short notice?’ He thought and sat down on a thrown in front him while and slumped down in it while sighing.

‘Well, I might as well start now.’ and proceeded to scan Earth with his senses. Yes, this young looking boy clad in darkness, despite his appearance, could actually scan the entire Earth and every living being in it with just his mind because he was an incredibly powerful being - a god. Although it sounded like quite the feat, Earth was a very small planet compared to the other ones. To a powerful god like him, it was as simple as snapping his fingers.

He searched nook and cranny on Earth and before his senses reached a certain garbage dump, he came across a pair of long silver haired daughter and mother.

The mother was incredibly beautiful with ocean-blue eyes, round face, small nose high cheekbones, well-sculpted jawline and a slim waist despite being so buxom. The daughter, despite being so young, was also incredible eye-catching as well. She looked to be 5 years old and was a spitting image of her mother with the potential to be even more beautiful than she was.

‘Oh, well what do we have here? That little girl has potential. I’m sure Big Sis would be pleased. Hmmm, her name appears to be Mary Greyfield.'

He pulled out a large book from thin-air. It was pitch-black with a large white skull on the cover and it was oozing with an ominous aura. He opened it up and flipped through the pages trying to find a name.

‘Looks like I only have to wait about 10 years. Good! Both incredible looks and potential. Hah! I really lucked out. I should tell Big Sis about her to ease her mind so she doesn’t bother me about it again and ruin my time here.’

He hurried to the floating crystal ball on the podium. “Hey Big Sis, I have good news! I found you someone for you!” He said with fawningly to the crystal ball. Seconds later the crystal ball flashed with a bright golden light and he heard a voice.

“Kahlos, did you really?” She asked. Her voice was feminine yet dignified. Graceful yet overbearing and powerful. So much so that just her speaking made the air around the crystal ball reverberate and the young boy wince.

“Of course I did! I would never lie to you, Big Sis. She has both looks and talent! This girl’s talent in magic would be considered amazing even on Altera!” Kahlos said while vigorously nodding his head.

“Excellent! Altera is painfully lacking in new and young talents that I can nurture since trouble is brewing on Alabastra. I had even asked the other gods on their planets to send me someone but they could not as they needed them. That is why I was desperate enough to ask you to find me someone on that barren planet. To have someone as arrogant as you compliment this person is incredibly rare. Therefore, you even have me looking forward to her,” she said with interest.

“So when can I expect the girl?”

“In about 13 Earth years I’ll send the champion to you,” Kahlos said carefully.

“Is that so? That is sooner than I expected. Well, this could be considered that person’s good fortune as their talent would only be wasted on Earth anyway,” she said and went quiet as if she was pondering something.

Shit, did she find out? Kahlos had gotten scared when she did that. “Is there anything else you need, Big Sis?” He asked trying to hide the tenseness in his voice.

With her thoughts interrupted, she spoke. “Did you find out why Mana would rarely leak from Altera to Earth and disappear quickly?”

The Mana from Altera had been leaking to Earth for almost as long humans became conscious. The reason Earth had –not all- but many of its fantasy worlds through a myriad form of entertainment was because very rarely some humans would be able to traverse through the cracks with their minds with dreams or a burst of creative inspiration. Said humans would go on to create works of fiction based on Altera, albeit very imperfectly for two reasons: first is that Kahlos would seal them up quickly and the second is that humans from Earth would not be able to completely remember or decipher what they saw from Altera.

Kahlos inwardly sighed that he had not been found out and replied, “I have not, despite the many years this has been going on. I have not figured out the other oddity as well either.”

What he was referring to was something that she and Kahlos had been wondering for a while now. Although Mana leaked from Altera to Earth, some humans could peek into Altera but humans from Altera could not do the same.

The owner of the female voice waited about 10 seconds before answering. “Well like you said, it has been many years since this has started and nothing has come about it aside from what you told me about the Earthlings creating stories from Altera. Still, do not drop your guard and continue to monitor them when they do happen. Also, remember to send the champion or else … Hmph, what happened all those years ago will look like child’s play.”

********

In the middle of a heavenly area with clouds as the floor and the constant blue sky and a shining sun as light, and nothing but a chair, table and a crystal blow that slightly dimmed black, sat one of the most beautiful women to have ever existed that radiated majesty. She had long blonde hair that was just a bit wavy that went down just below her shoulder. Round face with high cheekbones and a well-matched jawline that complemented her facial structure. Deep blue eyes and a small nose that perfectly curved. Her body was also buxom like the mother of Mary but even more so. Her seductive red lips had a small mole above the right side of them that accentuated it almost infinitely.

After the black light had dimmed from the crystal ball, the heavenly woman fell into thought.

'That little muscle headed brat dared to lie to me about the date he could send over the champion. Well, he did contact me first so he might have lied so he could surprise me sooner, get into my good graces and get out of punishment. If the champion he sends is really as good as he says she is then I might consider it as long as he sends her no later than the intended time.’

When she was thinking of the suffering she had inflicted to Kahlos all those years ago and changing his form and thought about how she would punish him if he failed this time, an enchantingly beautiful and seductive yet dangerous smile appeared on her face.

********

After the call had ended, the Kahlos felt a shiver run down his spine until the golden light from the crystal ball dimmed all the way down to disappearing and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he called this woman “Big Sis,” he was terrified of her. He had been ever since he had fought her all those years ago and lost. After he had lost, she put him through excruciating pain and made him take on a form that made him look like a 14-year-old boy. The pain was not that bad as he was a god and could endure much but what made him depressed was what he looked like. From his gigantic and majestic form to a boy who looked like he barely hit puberty. She knew he was extremely prideful and that the form change she made him have was the biggest one she could have given him. That is why he said “13 years” instead of 10. Just in case something went wrong, it would allow him some leeway to fix things so he would not have to face her wrath.

When he thought about the way his body looked, he became down and decided to walk into a different room to the left of his throne. What was odd was this door was not made of stone despite it being in a cavern. It was an upholstered leather home theater double door with a sign above it with what looked like Kahlos holding a controller.

When he pushed the double doors open, walked in and flipped a switch, the room became bright with flashing lights and screens. There were handheld consoles lying everywhere with candy and popcorn all over the floor. Soda on every counter, table, and couch with a cup holder. 50inch smart TVs on every single wall, including the one with the door and consoles PS4s, XBOXs and PCs connected to all of them.

He smiled as wide as he possibly could. Then he grabbed a bucket of popcorn automatically prepared for him from a machine, grabbed a cup of soda from the counter and walked to one of the TVs and sat down on a couch in front of it. He was watching a bunch of animated characters fighting and a yellow-haired boy with a headband, and a pink haired boy with a scarf yelling “THE POWER OF NAKAMA!” Then he sighed contentedly.

‘This is the life. I hope Big Sis never finds out about this. She still thinks she’s “punishing” me.

Truthfully, Kahlos actually enjoyed his time here on Earth despite it being barren of Mana aside from the occasional Mana crack from Altera and Big Sis forcing him to stay here to watch the Mana cracks as punishment. He had found the humans on Earth quite ingenious when creating entertainment for themselves. Using human entertainment was his favorite thing to do.

‘I’ll just wait for Mary Greyfield at the appointed time, shove her off to Big Sis, and I can be free of worries and live a life of human luxury!'

Little did Kahlos know that he would never meet that girl at the intended time because she had changed her fate.

********

“Mary! Why do you want to go into the alley?!” Helen yelled.

‘This usually so clever girl has gotten a bit unruly since her father died,' Helen thought and sighed.

“But Mommy, I think I saw a little girl jump into a garbage!” Mary exclaimed. She thought she saw long silver hair rushing into the garbage.

“Honey, don’t be silly. Why would someone jump into the garbage? Especially a girl?” Helen asked incredulously. She thought that her daughter had an overactive imagination or maybe was acting out in some way to cope with the loss her father.

“But Mommy, I’m not lying c’mon!” Mary continued to say but turned to see the look her mother was giving and she could feel that she did not believe her.

“I’ll prove it to you then!” Mary forcefully grabbed her mother and pulled her to the garbage dump in the alley.

Helen was about to quit her nonsense but remembered that it was one her very rare days off and decided to go to the park with Mary. If she continued to show distrust in her, it might ruin the day so she gave in.

When they got near the garbage dump Helen could actually hear something! ‘Oh my god! Is there actually a little girl in there?’

“See Mommy, I told you there was someone inside!” The girl said with a smile on her face while giving her a mother a ‘know-it-all’ look.

“Okay honey, I’m sorry.” She said with a sad smile while looking at the girls face. ‘I should trust my daughter more.’

With a resolute look, she turned toward the garbage dump and reached a hand over the cover then turned to Mary. “Mary, step back a bit just to be safe okay?”

Although from what Mary had said, the person in the garbage dump was a little girl, she did not want her daughter to be in danger in case the person was dangerous.

“Okay, Mommy,” Mary said while stepping back.

Helen turned back to the garbage dump grabbed the lid and lifted.

What she saw almost made her burst into tears. She did not see a little girl. Instead, what she saw was a little boy with silver long hair, skinnier than bones with nothing but a small t-shirt and ripped jeans that only went down to his knees. What was worse was that he was battered and bruised almost to the point you could not see what his normal skin color. She was also sure that he had broken bones as well.

She tried to reach out to the boy but he flinched heavily, ran into the corner, hugged his knees, and cried, “I’m sorry! I promise I won’t go in your garbage anymore! Please don’t hurt me!”

‘This poor boy. What did he have to go through?!’ She thought in sadness.

She decided to change her approach and in her gentlest voice, she could possibly muster said, “Hi, my name is Helen. I am not going to hurt you, I promise. Can you tell me your name?”

That’s when the boy looked up and she could see his face in the same state as the rest of his body. She could only sigh in sadness at the thought that someone could do this to a child.

He responded in a voice as quiet as a mouse, “My name is Rae. Are you going to take me back to my parents? Please don’t take me back. I promise I’ll be good!”

Helen’s face twitched at the revelation that his parents had done this to him, but she tried her best not show it on her face.

She reached out her hand ever so slowly and started patting his softly with a gentle so smile on her face.

“No Rae, you’re not going back; you're never going back, I promise.”

Rae really thought she looked like a goddess at that moment.