Joyce glanced around in the dim lighting, eyes skittering over the shadows. Satisfied, she leaned in and opened her coat. Ares lot out giggles of joy as the boy saw the snacks and candies lining the inside of Joyce's coat. Joyce hurriedly shushed him. Eyes wide, Ares clamped both his hands over his mouth.

"Alright, stop being dramatic and just feed the kid already," Spade said tiredly as he flicked on the light switch. "Any closer to dinner and it'll ruin his appetite."

Joyce clicked her tongue in annoyance but took out the snacks from her coat and put them out on the table. "Alright Ares, you can choose one to have now and eat the rest later."

"Yay! Thank you!" Ares wrapped his arms around Joyce's midriff in a hug before turning his full attention to the veritable display of temptations. The small Demon King was having a hard time choosing, and Joyce kept whispering snack descriptions into his ear to make it harder. Spade shook his head.

"Ares, whatever's three snacks to the right of what you're looking at right now, eat that one. They're all yours, there's no need to worry too much about which one to eat first. Come on, it's almost dinnertime," Spade urged him. Ares nodded and grabbed a snack of sour-sweet fruit rings, eagerly popping one into his mouth.

"Ah! Sour!" Ares' face scrunched up.

"Oh no, is it too sour for you?" Joyce asked. Ares shook his head.

"It's sour but it's good!"

"Ha! As I expected! You have good taste, Spade's the one who has issues with his tastebuds! Come on kiddo, give me a five." Joyce and Ares went through a high-five handshake combo that grew more complicated every time Spade saw it.

"Are you feeding Ares snacks before dinner?" Mohan's voice rang out from the other room as they entered, already wearing a disapproving expression. Ares put on an innocent expression and stepped away from the table.

"It's still an hour before," Joyce protested. "I brought all these snacks for him!"

Mohan's gaze flickered over the spread of snacks. "I can see that. Well, Ares, you can have one a day."

Ares perked up in excitement. "Really? Yay!"

"Now go and finish your homework, then you can play with Joyce and Spade," Mohan urged him. "Finish that snack up too."

"Okay!" Ares cheerfully bounced out of the room.

"Alright, where do I stash these?" Joyce asked. Mohan waved a finger and the snacks disappeared.

"Well, that works too."

"Is something wrong, Mohan?" Spade asked, studying Mohan's expression. Mohan shook their head.

"Not wrong, no. But there is something I must speak to you of. Come, sit down."

"What's going on?" Joyce asked.

"Now that the two of you have a Celestial Blessing, you are eligible to participate in the Celestial Trials," Mohan announced. They sighed at the blank looks on Joyce and Spade's faces.

"You both are familiar with the space between dimensions. The Celestial Trials are...pocket dimensions, to make it easy for your intelligence levels to comprehend. The trials appear at specific times and those times only."

Joyce and Spade nodded in unison.

"The Trials were created in the primordial era and contain Celestial Artifacts, items blessed by the gods and imbued with their powers," Mohan explained. "Many interdimensional warriors will try their luck or test their skills in these spaces, but they can do so only if they have Celestial Blessings. Now that the two of you have one, you might as well enter the next trial."

Spade nodded. It sounded like something he'd gladly go for, given the chance.

"What's the artifact for this trial?"

Mohan smiled. "The Amulet of Viedin. It belongs to the Great Spirit Viedin, the spirit of mercy and wisdom."

"Oooh, wisdom again."

"Yes, Joyce, wisdom again. I think this artifact would be a good match for you. The amulet's powers vary depending on the needs and strengths of the bearer, so it would likely help with your translation skill," Mohan said.

"That sounds fun, but also you should know by now that we won't pass if the test is based on wisdom," Spade pointed out.

"Of course I know."

"You don't have to be that blunt about it."

Mohan ignored him. "The Celestial Trials are built so that it tests a diverse array of strengths, and often require teamwork with other challengers. The trials are balanced so as to not overly favor some strengths over others, so even if it leans more towards intelligence-based, you should still have some leeway. In either case, the next one is tomorrow night, and it's close enough to the next destination that you could just head over once you've failed."

"So we're gonna fail for sure, huh?" Joyce demanded.

"It's your first trial, you won't pass unless you're incredibly lucky. There'll be more chances, these things happen more often than you think. Once you've got the hang of it, you're sure to pass one eventually," Mohan said. "Just always be prepared for the unexpected."

"Ominous warning right there," Joyce grumbled. "But it'd be nice to meet some other interdimensional warriors, I've never really met any."

Mohan smiled at her wryly. "Prepare yourself," they said seriously. "Set the table for dinner."

"Wow, way to bait and switch!" Joyce cried in outrage after Mohan as the spirit got up and left the room. She whirled towards Spade. "Amulet. Trials. Cool stuff all around. We've got to do this."

"Agreed."

"Also, I set the table last time. It's your turn."

/////////

Spade and Joyce stood in the middle of a space that seemed straightly like a posh waiting room, a rather normal-looking space with carved wood chairs, tiled floors, and relief sculptures on the walls. It was completely mismatched with the interdimensional gate that led to it, a swirling portal enveloped by intensely shimmering energy in colors the human eye couldn't comprehend. There were thirteen others in the room, and most of them had been scowling fiercely at their competitors until Spade and Joyce entered.

"Hi," Joyce gave the room a wave, and was greeted by stunned looks and then intense hostility, though no one had the guts to approach them. Spade could see why. The others in the room were powerful enough in their own right, but nowhere near Joyce and Spade's level. Was the average level of interdimensional warriors this weak? Spade almost felt a little disappointed.

That feeling was shortly dispelled as the portal opened again to let several figures through. Two women and two men stepped into the room, eyes sharp and determined. They wore light tunics and trousers that seemed to be made entirely of metallic scales, but didn't seem to be in any type of discomfort despite how much it must've scraped against their skin. The newcomers carried themselves with the casual arrogance of the powerful, surveying the occupants of the room. The woman who seemed to be the leader of the group nodded at Spade and Joyce, and Joyce waved back.

"Finally, it seems we have found worthy competitors," the woman greeted them.

"Nice to meet you too," Spade said mildly. The woman smiled sharply, a cold glint in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped as the portal opened again. Only two people entered this time, one trailing reluctantly behind the other.

It was immediately clear that someone- or rather, something incredibly powerful had joined the game. He looked very much like a handsome man, but everyone present could sense instinctively that he wasn't human. There was a faint smell of incense, and his face seemed to look a little different from moment to moment but was always perfectly handsome.

"Well, look at this," he said in an amused voice. "So many of us gathered at once."

His eyes narrowed and his smile grew wider.

"I am going to have fun tonight."

Joyce went completely still, looking at the being before her with fascination. A shiver went down her spine as their eyes met. For the first time in a very long time, she was facing someone as powerful as her, if not more. The being sensed that as well, eyes narrowing into slits.

"Yeah, I sure hope we have fun," Joyce finally said lightly. "I'm Joyce, nice to meet everyone."

"I'm Spade."

The being smiled at them even wider, revealing a set of very white and very sharp teeth. "I am Meluk of Anjavakar. You may call me Meluk. It is certainly a pleasure to meet you."

That sure was creepy, but Joyce only nodded politely.

"Gramps, could you move a bit and let me through?" The young man still standing in the portal spoke up. Meluk obligingly stepped aside, and the man quickly entered the room proper, skittering to a corner where he sized everyone up nervously. Everyone's attention turned back to Meluk, who probably did warrant it, but Joyce continued looking at the man curiously. He had shoulder-length black hair in a low ponytail and was rather thin, dressed in loose white tunic and pants that looked like...pajamas. The man didn't seem to have any magic whatsoever, but Joyce had a vague feeling that was only on the surface.

"Screw this, I'm going home." One of the female interdimensional travelers who had arrived before Joyce got up, and a few others followed her. Meluk let them slip past without comment, only smirking condescendingly as portals flared up and disappeared.

"Good. The weak should know their place. The less rabble there is, the more fun for the rest of us," Meluk said. Joyce tried not to roll her eyes. Seeing that there wasn't about to be any more meaningful interaction, Joyce walked away from Meluk towards the man in the corner. Meluk's gaze pierced into her back, literally. It was blocked by Joyce's automatic shielding system. She turned towards him again with a look of annoyance at the laser beams shooting from his eyes.

"Dude, can't a girl introduce herself? Don't be a prick."

Meluk's eyes narrowed, and the laser beams increased in intensity. Joyce glared at him, power curling around her fingers as she lifted her hand.

"Gramps, stop it! You're making a scene!"

"Nice to meet you, Joyce," she said, offering her hand. Realizing there was still magic shimmering around it, she quickly offered her other hand instead. The young man smiled and shook her hand.

"I'm Lucas, nice to meet you," he said.

"Are you also a mage?"

That seemed to surprise Lucas, but he nodded. "Yes, I'm not very good though."

"Yeah? Well, that's all relative."

Meluk scoffed as he watched the two talk, walking over to a chair and spreading out on it. Spade also came over to meet and greet, while the four warriors in scaled armor whispered furiously among themselves. Their leader soon made a beeline over and accosted Spade.

"We need to team up," she hissed at him. Spade gave her a blank look.

"Sure, we don't have any experience so it would be nice if you could show us the ropes."

"No! I meant team up against him."

"Meluk? Is that necessary? I mean it is supposed to be a competition, not an all-out battle royale."

"Are you crazy? A heavy-hitter like him isn't even supposed to be here! We've got that mage of yours and the Thousand-Year Demon in here with us, this is going to be brutal!"

"That mage is not mine and she'll behave if you're not too mean to her. And is he really a thousand years old or is that a title?"

"He's well over a thousand, but you shouldn't mention that to him."

The woman let out a frustrated sigh. "Listen, do you want to have a fighting chance at all? You know that only one person can get the artifact, right?"

Spade didn't think teaming up with her and her friends would actually boost his chances, but it wasn't something he wanted to rub in her face. "I'll think about it. Talk it over with Joyce, all that. We'll let you know."

//////////

The waiting period was actually pretty long, and even with Meluk, Joyce, and Spade added together, the tenseness in the air dissipated quickly enough. People began to mingle and chat, one person even taking a nap on three chairs pushed together. Joyce and Spade were sitting on the floor sharing snacks with Lucas, who was rather likable despite not being very strong. Spade reached out and grabbed a card from the deck, groaning in disappointment.

"Joyce, you're not changing the cards around, are you?" He asked accusingly. Joyce flashed an innocent smile at him.

Lucas chuckled as Spade leaned over to try and see Joyce's cards. Lucas was sitting with one leg folded and the other stretched out. The prosthetic from his knee down didn't take too kindly to bending, but the floor was big enough that a guy could stretch his legs out without tripping anyone.

Their antics were put to a stop by the portal opening up again. Everyone turned to look at the newcomer in horror, sensing that once again, someone extremely powerful had joined the trial.

"What is with this Trial?" one of the travelers hissed in frustration.

A huge, muscular man with a handlebar mustache and impressively tight clothes stepped into the room.

"Oh boy," Lucas muttered, scooting closer to Joyce and away from the entrance.

"Meluk," the man growled menacingly.

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy, Joyce, uh, you might want to cast a shield or something," Lucas said uneasily. Wordlessly, Joyce threw up a shield around the middle of the room, covering everyone but Meluk and the newcomer.

"Vitras," Meluk said pleasantly, tossing aside the book he had been flipping through. "I would say it's good to see you again, but I don't want to."

"You've got some nerve to show your face here," Vitras snarled. "Step forward! I'll end you before you can dirty the halls of this trial."

"Aren't they both already inside though?" Joyce asked Lucas, who only shrank back some more.

"They really shouldn't fight here, but I don't think they'll listen," Lucas said softly. "The circuits in this room are geared to target anyone who starts a fight, and it's magic past the 40th tier. Neither of them will be able to nullify it."

Joyce ran her Descriptor skill quickly. "Whoa, you're so right. How did you know that? I didn't sense you using a skill."

"I just looked," Lucas replied.

"You looked and understood the circuits right away?"

"It's a hobby."

"That's so cool."

Meluk and Vitras were still staring at each other down, one smiling in quiet derision and the other glaring in rage. They continued for a moment that seemed to stretch out indefinitely, and then both sprang forth at an incredible speed.