“How odd,” said a woman with waist-long chalk white hair. The translucent beauty was sitting on the plain white floor cross-legged, her loose black one piece dress was stretched even further.

“Who are you?” I inquired.

I was calm, considering the circumstances but I was calm because this wasn’t the first occasion. The first time was only seconds ago.

Just what exactly happened?

The unthinkable and at the same time, the cliché scenario happened.

My school had organized a trip to a resort resided in the countryside. We were going there by bus but in a twist of fate, a brilliant ray of light descended upon the bus we were on. The last memories prior to being abducted by this ray of light was my text to my boyfriend.

Well, ex-boyfriend.

The text was what made it so. It was a break-up text.

None of us did anything wrong. Not exactly, at least.

Unlike me who was of mix ethnicity, he was a pure Japanese through and through. His name was Yuto and he was the nicest person I had ever met. Being the girlfriend of such person has its merits and demerits.

If I’m to be honest here, it had more demerits than merits.

He was equally nice to everyone. Being his girlfriend wasn’t so different. Having our skins touched without feeling reserved was the only privilege I could think of.

Besides that, I didn’t feel that special to him as his girlfriend but nevertheless, he was a nice person.

The longer I was in a relationship with him, the more I felt that it wasn’t going to work out. And frankly, he could has the awareness of a protagonist out of a romance story that spans over hundreds of chapter just to reach a solid conclusion. It was really infuriating.

However, we already crossed the line and ascended into adulthood together. We gave each other our first. It was on the spur of the moment. The mood was nice and I was longing for his attention which he had been giving out equally to most people.

His antics were just raising my ire.

Right before the mid-year break of my school term, I hit the limit of his density. Having enough of his cluelessness, I broke up with him. Not through a face-to-face meet nor a phone call, just a simple text that reads; “I have enough of this. Let’s break up,” and that was it.

Anyways, enough with the drama of my love life. Here is where things got interesting and out of the norm.

I wasn’t the only one who were “tractored” by the beam. A few of my classmates and I were transported along, and we later found ourselves in a white room. Those who were with me were Shin, a boy with a strong sense of justice, Karen, a girl who is head-over-heels for Shin, Olivia, a girl with a loud personality but can be quite shy at times, and lastly, Greg, a boy who was too big for his age and what one would call a muscle-brain.

In this sparkling white room devoid of any dirt or stain, we met with a self-proclaimed God. Its figure was obscured and its voice distorted enough to camouflage its gender.

Its introductions and premises were the template of most “Isekai” story.

I wasn’t a fanatic but I did indulged myself in some of the related works. Enough to know of the ongoing trend.

In the simplest of terms, we were summoned as Heroes by the God’s followers to combat the evil threat in the other world. We were currently in the God’s realm, the tutorial point, so to speak.

The short and concise story was, we were summon by an Empire in the world of Evarenan. The Empire’s principal faith was the God before us. In this world, the time for the Demon to rise from their slumber has arrived. Only the power of Heroes, Champions of Gods truly stands a chance against these Demons. Once victory is achieved, we would be sent back to our original world.

It was truly the standard template.

We were also given a short summary of the nature of the world he would be summoned to.

I was a very secluded person and I barely knew the four of them.

The four of them were close however. Without pitching me in, they came to a decision unanimously. They assented to the summons and the purpose they were abruptly given.

That’s great and all but….

The only off course to the God’s story and explanation was me. Only four persons were supposed to be summoned.

Apparently, I hitched along.

The God told us the four of my classmates were summoned as heroes to another world and I was just a mistake. I was never meant to be summoned.

I was the runt of the litter.

I had secretly hoped to be an underdog hero but the God rejected any possibility of me having hidden powers. I didn’t ask the God, of course. It read my mind instead.

With that as the impetus for the conclusion of the brief, a light swallowed us once again, sending us to the ones who summoned us.

--Or at least that was what the God claimed to be our next destination.

Instead, I found myself in the same white room but with a different figure in front of me. Although the room looked the same, my instincts told me that it was different.

Unlike the God from before, this one had a perceivable appearance, albeit mismatched with its fashion choice.

So, back to my inquiry for this person, this woman’s identity.

“Who are you?”

“I am Abaddon, Empress of Night.”

That was her introduction short and vague.

Still, Abaddon…. Wasn’t that the name of the Angel of Death? Was she a reaper?

“Hirano Shizuka,” I responded naturally despite the escalating assumption in my mind. Perhaps it was the mood that made me replied automatically.

“Please to meet you, Shizuka,” sitting on her knees, she gave me a deep bow. She was doing a “seiza” and a kowtow.

“Are you a God too?” I asked.

“I am.”

And also unlike the God from before, this one gave me her name and aspect. I guessed she is a God who governs the night?

“This is truly odd,” she repeated her question with a different phrasing, inching closer to me by inclining her body forward.

“When you say “odd,” are you referring to me?”

The Goddess named Abaddon looked over my shoulders, and then to both my sides, before returning her gaze to me, “I don’t see anyone else here? And I was looking at you when I said that. Who else do you think I’m referring to?”

Perhaps of my cold and unsociable vibe, my classmates rarely talked to me or even approach me. Therefore, I am not used to being spoken to in this way. Although the experience was refreshing, it was vexing. Her subtext was basically, “hit me in the face for being pompous.”

“For someone who has such a spirited and tenacious Mana Vessel in addition to a solid iron will, you are not chosen as a Hero. How odd.”

I heard some unknown words but I’m guessing it was some foreign terminology.

“Oh,” she clapped her hands together as if she realized something, “by Mana Vessel, I mean your soul.”

My soul? In other words, I have a powerful soul? What does this implies then?

“For him to overlook a worthy candidate, that is so unprofessional of him. Perhaps he hates your guts?”

“What does it means to have a spirited and tenacious Mana Vessel?” I asked by recycling the same terminology.

Abaddon raised an eyebrow on my question, “it’s kind of a short story but since you’re from a world without magic, I doubt it’ll be a short one.”

“Try me.”

The raised eyebrow went even higher.

“We may not have magic but we do have one hell of an imagination.”

Abaddon stared at me for quite a while before coming to a verdict, “very well. I will also make it as concise as possible.”

A table appeared before Abaddon. It was a Kotatsu table. I was gestured to seat opposite of her. Reluctantly and dubiously, I took the offer.

Oh? It’s quite comfortable. I didn’t realize how cold this room was until I tucked into the Kotatsu table.

There was no oranges though.

Wait. If it was going to be concise, why are we making ourselves at home?

“Reincarnated or Summoned individuals, they exist in this world. Some believe it to be true but it was still legends to some.”

Abaddon began her narration with those words as the pretext.

“Reincarnation doesn’t differ much to summoning. Both had their essence transported to this world due to being chosen by Gods, only difference being one had a chance to return while the other doesn’t. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you why that is the case?”

I nodded.

She smiled at my nod, seemingly satisfied that I was following her explanations. “They are always granted gifts by the Gods who chose them, I’m sure you already know. He did at least briefed you on what kind world you be plunging into right?”

I nodded but something was amiss with her story. “What did you meant by gifts?”

“Power.”

I was given a short answer.

“The ability to cut anything, the ability to have unrivaled speed, the ability to dissent lies and truth, the ability to have unlimited Mana, just to name a few.”

“I don’t remember receiving a gift though?”

“You weren’t given one. That God didn’t favor you but he did favor the other four. Depends on the Gods themselves, some offered choices, some offered what they themselves see fit. That god was the latter.”

So that’s how it is.

“An individual’s soul integrity decides on how many gifts one can be granted. The average soul can only be granted one or two Gifts. Beyond two, it is a rare occurrence.”

I drank the green tea that was suddenly there in front of me. I wouldn’t have realize it if Abaddon didn’t motion me to the green tea with her eyes.

“As for you, I don’t think your Mana Vessel would even break after four. That is how strong your soul is.”

A bowl of chips was next to appear out of thin air on the table but when I refused it, it disappeared as sudden as it appeared.

“The four heroes that you tagged along with, are they your friends?”

“No. We’re classmates. Other than the polite greeting gestures we exchanged when our paths crossed, I don’t think we had ever spoke.”

“I see,” Abaddon nodded. The meaning to her words and nod was ambiguous to me.

“What now?”

“Well, throwing you into this world without any incentives would definitely make your life a living hell unless that boy, Shin kept his word.”

By “his word,” Abaddon was talking about the promise Shin made to me when I was revealed to be an unintended summon. His precise words were, “don’t worry, Hirano. I will protect you. You have any troubles, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

It reeked off elementary justice.

“Only a girl head over heels for him would believe that. He may not believe that he lied but his justice is plain pathetic, in all honesty. All the matters he involved himself in, he had never seen it through till the end.”

“I know,” said Abaddon. “Which is why I have an offer to make for you.”

And the Kotatsu was gone and we were standing face to face when we were sitting down just now.

Is this how an acid trip feels like?

“What kind of offer?”

“Allow me to speak honestly,” the Goddess who governs the night asked me, a normal human for permission to speak honestly.

While I was hesitating on how I should respond, Abaddon continued on. Looks like that was just a figure of speech.

“I am looking for a champion too, like Aur.”

“Oar?”

“Aur. A-U-R. Aurmonzias. It’s the name of the God you met before me.”

So that was his name. Aurmonzias. What a mouthful.

“He is the God of Strife. He values the growth of the world more than any other God.”

He sounded dangerously obsessive but I kept my opinion to myself. I wasn’t sure if Aur could hear me if I did said it out loud. Who knows what a God can do.

“Hirano Shizuka, would you be interested in becoming my Champion?”

Being addressed with your full name in a casual-like conversation somehow makes your skin crawl. Or is that just me?

“Let me phrase that into something more God-like,” she then cleared her throat. “Hirano Shizuka, I want you to be my Champion. Will you, Shizuka?”

“If you’re looking for a champion, why didn’t you summoned one like Aur did?”

Abaddon shook her head, “it is not the Gods that performed the summoning, it is their believers. We Gods are forbidden to directly interfere or meddle with the affairs of mortals. I maybe a God but my believers, devout they maybe, they are few and aren’t as strong as Aur’s. They simply don’t have the resources to perform a Hero Summoning Ritual.”

“Does that mean Aur is your superior or your better?”

“Neither. We are not superior nor inferior to one another. We all thrive in the aspects we are designated. Quantity of believers is only a factor in the mortal realm, it is meaningless in the God’s Realm.”

So, not even Gods are perfect.

“What say you?”

“Say that I’m granted gifts from you, would I be on equal footing with the other four, so to speak? I’m not trying to gauge my superiority. I just want to know if I will be a liability to them.”

She shook her head, “You will be even better than them.”

Better?

“Instead of gifts, I’m offering you my essence, my power.”

“Your power?” The way she phrased her words confused me. “What’s the different between your essence and Gifts?”

“Gifts aren’t powers of Gods, although they are granted by Gods. In the end, Gifts are just abilities within the realms of mortals’ limits. What I’m about to grant you, would be something different and better. Mortals called it Divine Art.”

Divine Art?

“Divine Art, the highest form of magic. It was also once called, Apotheosis Magic. A fitting name considering the source of an Apotheosis Magic comes from a God itself.”

While the offer just gotten more tempting, it had also gotten more suspicious. No way would I have taken the offer without being shed some light.

“Why are you going so far to grant me your powers?”

“I like you, for one thing.”

Platonically, right?

“Secondly,--” she went silent as she glanced around. Although there were no walls here but walls have ears had never suited a situation more than this.

“Secondly?”

“—the imminent evil threat in that world will be too much for the four Heroes of Aurmonzias. I don’t have any basis for that line of thought but going by my billions of years old instinct, those mere gifts is insufficient.”

Maybe it was just my imagination but the room has gotten colder. I wish the Kotatsu table was still here.

“Also, I don’t think you are the type to abuse power.”

“What makes you say that?”

Before I knew it, her hand was caressing my hair. “Hunch,” she said.

“Entrusting your power to someone because you had a hunch?”

“I’m old, Shizuka,” she told me, with a tone devoid of any implications. “Older than you mortals could ever imagine.

For once since the start of our conversation, she sounded like a God.

“We have wisdom accumulated over eternity. Our hunch is nothing one should be taking lightly.”

“I understand,” I nodded, rigidly.

“However, my powers alone would not suffice. You will need to seek out the others.”

“The others?”

“Those who are alike. Bearer of God’s essence.”

She was being quite round about now. I sensed an underlying meaning but I was slightly overwhelmed with everything currently.

“Now that we are on the same page, let’s begin.”

“Begin what?”

Leaving my question unanswered, Abaddon began chanting some incantations with her head lowered and eyes closed.

I expected some aesthetics but there was none. It was just her whispering chants.

After chanting for about a minute, she opened back her eyes and raised her head.

With a bowl of transparent liquid in her hands, she offered it to me. It looked like water but when the smell hit, I could tell it was liquor.

I was about to received it with a single hand, Abaddon clicked her tongue at me.

It took me awhile to figure it out what she was saying.

This time, I used both of my hands to receive the bowl.

I brought the bowl close to my face and gave it a sniff. This wasn’t the first time I had drink alcohol, so I could tell how strong the liquor in the bowl was.

Pausing my breath and steeling my resolve, I intended to drink it all in one gulp but before the bowl even touch my lips—

“Wait.”

I was told to wait. Her hand held mine. I looked up from the bowl.

“You’re quite accepting and adaptive.”

“I had experience,” I told her.

“I know it’s late to be asking you this but I don’t want us to be hiding anything from each other.”

She’s billions of years old Goddess, it won’t be her fault if she wasn’t able to tell me each one of her secrets.

“Would you not like to go back to your own world? I’m sure Aur already told you that you will all be returned to your own world after completing your quests in that world but wouldn’t you rather to return now? I can do that.”

Her last sentence gripped my interest but--

“You don’t owe that world anything, you know?”

Strange…. I never thought about that. All I was thinking of, was what I should be doing to survive in the other world. Asking to be returned to my world never did crossed my mind.

Was I that detach from my original world?

Besides the assurance of safety and convenience, I don’t have any attachment to that world. I don’t have parents. I lived all by myself in a condominium apartment, receiving monthly allowance from my wealthy relatives. They weren’t bad people. They were decent. They were taking care of me out of obligation and for the sake of their public image.

So to say, I have no family nor friends that would mourn for me should I one day disappear from the world.

Perhaps being transported into another world, was something I have been looking for all along. Maybe that was the reason I drown myself in books, televisions, and video games. To escape my mundane reality.

I was actually looking forward to this. I wanted to see a world that only existed in fiction. Or I just wanted a second chance at life….

Perhaps I shown it on my face or Gods have mind-reading abilities, Abaddon seemed to grasp my answer. She released her grip.

She gave me a smile, a warm, gentle, and motherly smile.

I fought back a tear as I drank the whole thing in one fell swoop.

I wanted to give back the bowl but it had already vanished from my hands.

“What kind of powers would I have?” I asked.

“You will know soon enough,” she answered plainly. “Some advice, “do not despair and be afraid of the unknown.” An acquaintance once told me, it is only feared because it’s unknown.”

Once again, she gave out a feeling that reminded me I was speaking to a Goddess.

“It is time,” she said.

And the white room turned dark in an instant like the power was cut.

“Farewell for now, my champion, Hirano Shizuka. When the opportunity arise, do visit me at my temple. I will be looking forward to our conversation then. Have a pleasant journey, Shizuka.”

Everything felt surreal then, but I kinda felt tears trickling down my cheek. Was I really this reluctant to part with her?

“And one last thing. While I don’t have any say in what you do with those power of mine as long as you don’t abuse it, heed my advice, don’t tell anyone. The things they will do to get their hands on it.”

To that sound advice, I nodded.

As I bid my farewells too, the whole place turned completely silent.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a different room. I was lying on the floor.

Shin, Karen, Olivia, and Greg were here with me. Shin was helping me up from the floor while asking about my condition.

When my blurred vision became clear, I realized we are surrounded by peoples in robes, resembling Mages from fictions.

“Welcome, Champions of Aurmonzias.”

A man wearing a golden crown dressed in thick ceremonial clothing greeted us.

“I am the Great Emperor of Zerogian. From today onwards, you four shall be the Heroes of Zerogian Empire.”

I stuck my head out from behind Greg, who was big enough to hide me from the Emperor’s view. I waved at the Emperor.

The Emperor looked dumbstruck. Why?

“F-five….?” The Emperor blurted out in a break of character.

Oh right, I was supposed to be a tag-along. Well, this is the start of my new life in another world.