"How has it gotten so dark all of a sudden?"

Thunder flashes from the clouds, creating a crackling sound that ripples forth the ears of the unwary and easy to terrify youth.

After just having finished doing homework and other representative duties, I found myself dozing off after a hard day of school.

" *Sigh* some people just can't understand that shut-ins are fragile and easily tired out."

Looking down at the stone pavement, ignoring the impending thunder and threatening rain to come, I kick a pebble on my way back, doing my best in forgetting all these things that ruin my life of being at peace, by myself, and so on.

But, it's not such a bad thing. After all, I have friends to share those experiences with, despite being the weakest one, heck even the smartest bookworm in our school far exceeds me in physical attributes.

I guess some people aren't just blessed with the things. Can't ask for things that will never be there for you, Kael.

Walking at a faster pace, I begin to become queasy, that feeling that you might throw up at any minute comes up in the most unpleasant time in the world.

Suddenly, my thoughts are cut off by a strong clad of thunder and lighting, forcing me to cover my ears and cower to the ground as to not get shocked.

Looking around me, the dark night sky looms over, decorated by palely dark clouds, covering the brightness the moon has to offer.

The winds ravage the area, sweeping leaves and other clutter everywhere. Including the very trees themselves, which look like they might pop off the soil with a bit more pressure.

Again, my ears are bombarded by what sounds like an explosion of epic proportions, similar to an atomic bomb, except there's no visual proof to say that at least.

From a distance away from mine, smoke flares out, rubble is scattered everywhere. The sound should have been enough to wake the entire country, but no one seems to notice as the lights present in the windows are still open.

"What's happening now? Don't tell me I'm still dreaming."

Or maybe, that's still a good idea.

Curiosity, slowly getting the better of me, moves my body, forcing me forward as to survey the area.

The neighborhood is covered by walls from both sides, concealing the houses within.

This time, silence, nothing else could be heard other than my footsteps. Not even the sound of a cricket nor an owl's is present.

From above, my attention is taken once more, flashing in the clouds is a wave a light.

"I wonder if this is a bad omen for me."

Ignoring my own remark, I continue forth, shifting from a walk to a run, looking both ways for another soul, but none can be seen. It's as if I'm the only person in the world.

"That just can't be true, right?"

Nevertheless, I trudge on, wracking my brain as to make some sense of what I might get myself into. Not dismissing the thought that I might be abducted by aliens or anything else, like a being with tentacles, which is enough to send shivers down my spine.

Finally, I arrive, and it all comes into full view. A crater, massive that anything I've ever seen off of the internet.

"What the hell is this?"

I step back, when suddenly, a figure emerges from the seemingly bottomless hole in the earth.

Unable to control my footing, I fall on my behind with a loud thud, closing my mouth with my hand as to avoid shrieking like someone that I'm not, namely a girl.

Instead, I push myself back with my legs, desperately trying to catch my breath as a bloody arm rises, taking hold of the ground that is only meters away from me.

I hear a voice, a voice that petrifies all my movements. I can't move anymore. Why? What's happening. It's as if I'm Perseus against Medusa, except I'm losing the battle.

-Wait, please, help me.

A figure finally come into full view, presenting itself as a bloodied body wearing an ancient garb from the period of ancient Greece.

Long dark hair and green eyes, tall and lanky, wha- who is this!?

Coming towards me, it blinks, opening its emerald eyes that glow in the dark.

-Please, help me.

I can't answer, but I have one in my head. All logic has been thrown out from my brain, and is being replaced by a blank slate that remains blank whatever you put in it.

But, finally, my jaw and lips seem to quiver, indicating that my mouth can move.

"Wh-who are you? Are you God?"

Without an answer, the person falls flat on the ground, spilling a velvet liquid onto the stone pavement.

What the hell is happening? I've never taken any drugs of the sort, and I don't think anyone can ever pull this off as a prank. Heck, why me although? I've never been interesting in my entire life, so I kind of made it career of some sort.

But, why am I talking like this right now? maybe it's because I'm dismissing this thought in front of me, one defying all logic and sense.

Being freed from control, I launch myself backwards, forgetting the force I was exerting as to get away from this person.

Quickly rising up, I look at the person I suspected to be after me, but instead all I see is a silhouette of someone lying unconscious on the floor.

Looking everywhere, I try to find someone who can at least help me understand this.

But instead, without thinking, I approach the body, hesitating whether I should leave or not.

It did ask for help, but it's not normal, whatever it is.

Behind it is a crater that, if you look at it from a satellite's perspective, you'd see a hole in the earth.

Brimming with one measly Idea, one that never works usually. I take out my phone, hoping to get a hold of anyone at all, but just as I suspected, and anticipated quite anxiously, there's no signal... And, my battery dies in that moment, blinking thrice before shutting off.

I return my phone into my pocket, looking past me, forward at the glistening city sight filled with light and energy. Yet, beside my surrounding area, is a world filled with nothing but silence, not even a spec of life other that I, remains here.

Shaking my head, I kneel down, despite the feeling of dread that overcame me the moment this person emerged from the massive crater, I trudge through, thinking that my heroism for helping someone might pay off, and hopefully benefit me in a way.

It feels like it's drawing me in as well. A strange allure one might call, like a siren's.

Or, I might just be making reasons. But that's beside the point. I need to help this person first, putting everything that happened before, past me.

It might not be possible, but i'll see what I can do.

I nudge the person's back with my finger, staying safely away from it as much as possible.

No response, not even a slight movement or jerk. A thought of death comes to mind, giving me another possibility that this person might be dead judging from the blood splattered about the surroundings.

" *sigh* why am I still here anyway? I should've been long gone by now."

I cautiously reach out to the person for one more attempt at waking it.

With a strong sense of urgency, my hand is gripped tightly. In an attempt to back away, terrified, I pull until I feel my arms dislocating from my shoulder, cracking the joint in my arm.

"Gh, Ah! Get away from me!"

Blood runs to my head, adrenaline drowns my body, as if a being chased by his prey, merely seconds from dying.

Instead of a bloodthirsty monster, the person grabbing my arm begins to glow, four orbs of different colors orbit around me.

One is of a faint red hue, giving off warmth, the other is white with a mixture of faint blue, one that seems to emit a cold presence, and beside it is one of a lush green color, calming me, but the fear remains nonetheless. And lastly is one of a bright gold color.

Forgetting that I was tugging on my own arm, a voice beckons to me, softly but coarsely saying, "Please, help me, I can't hold on any longer."

Orbs of white light dissipates from the person, latching on to me and disappearing once making contact with each other.

Then and there, the white light implodes, wrapping the entirety of the area in an embrace of purity.

And in that instance as well, the light vanish, as if it was never there in the first place. Including that crater that was supposed to be in front of me.

Now, it's gone, a mirage, but it looked too real to be one.

That person, the one who gripped my arm. Where is...

"What just happened? This is one bizarre day."

Blinking once, thrice, four times, my vision begins to fade, my body weakens. That vitality that I had kept in me had now disappeared, it is the same feeling of being drained from a hard day's work, but in this instance, my energy has spilt out.

My knees give way, hitting the hard ground loudly. My eyelids feel heavier all of a sudden, forcing its weight to close my eyes.

The last thing I see before they fully shut, is the beautiful view of the city bustling with lights and loud noises.

As my eyes close, my other senses feel sensitive, mostly the air, which breezes by, touching my skin as if naked and bare in a garden of tranquility.

What's even more strange is the fact that I could say words like this calmly. Have I accepted what has happened? No, of course not. I haven't even understood what had transpired.

Or rather, I can't begin to fathom what it was. An anomaly, that's one way to describe it.

It just feels, tiring all of a sudden, like sleeping is the best thing to do right now.

And maybe, that's what I'll do...

I'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

*Yawn* "I feel so tired. I can't believe what happened yesterday. I guess it was all just a dream."

I smile wryly to myself, looking around, confirming whether it truly is my room or not.

I see the posters taped to the wall, the secret stash, check. clothes, check, all mine for sure. I guess there's really nothing to worry about.

I got worked up for nothing. I'm sure a worrier.

Stretching one last time, I approach the door, turning the knob, pulling it, and to my surprise, a bird chirps past my door, the wind brushes past me, and the clouds drift on by...

Quickly closing it, It put my back to the wall, breathing in and out as calmly as I can.

"Oh no... No, wait, this can't be real. Maybe I'm just hallucinating, yeah, maybe it's just a case of morning sickness. I know that if I walk out this door, I will be walking on a hardwood floor, safely and not flying in the air."

Closing my eyes, brimming with a newfound confidence, I open the door, walking with great faith to prove myself wrong.

It is almost suddenly when someone grabs my arm again, the same feeling as before washes over me.

"What are you doing? You do know that it's going to be a hard fall from here to there, right?"

A voice, another person's voice, in my room. Great, just fantastic.

Still with my eyes closed, I listen intently, trying to stuff the fear down the deepest depths of my mind.

"Kael? Can you hear me?"

That voice, whoever it is, also knows my name. Taking a deep breath in, I open my eyes.

My arms and legs grow limp, my brain turns to mush, and I dangle from my death of a high fall, but instead, the voice from earlier pulls me back, plopping me on the floor as the door closes.

The man with the strong, masculine voice sits in front of me, crossing his legs.

"Are you, alright?"

"Define alright. It seems that the vocabulary doesn't exist in my life anymore."

"Aha~ So that means no, right?"

I try not raising my voice, keeping things to a minimum as I stand on the border of tearing up from pure terror.

I can't even muster up the energy to be surprised anymore. I just woke up, and now look at what has happened. Nothing good of course, but that's already a given in some cases.

"Please let me explain, Kael. This will be pivotal I assure you."

The voice urges me on, waking my trembling soul, losing heart at every second.

"Tell me. Do you have anything to do with the man I met last night?"

I begin asking, piecing everything together, in hopes of finding an answer before I'm bewildered.

"Yes... I'm afraid so."

"So, that thing that happened last night, it wasn't a dream?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Were you the one who brought me in my room as well?"

"Your room? Oh, yes... I was the one as well."

A slight pause, it gives off a terrible vibe, as if there's something concealed within the words.

"Wait, how would you know where I live?"

"I do not have a better explanation for it, but... You are not at your home, but at the same time you are at it as well."

"Stop sugarcoating it. I don't think anything else can surprise me anymore. I've lost the will"

"... V-very well then. I will explain."

I sit upright, the man clears his throat, clenching his fist as to cough in front of it.

"I replicated this room from the same one in your memories. So, it is safe to assume that this is your place, but at the same time, it is not."

"My mind? Wait, let's put this in order first. Who are you?"

"My name is Vixalis, I am a minor god that is in charge of shifting the seasons, the four seasons to be specific."

"Straight to the point, eh? Well, It doesn't surprise me at all right now, so tell me where am I exactly?"

"Right now, you are in our world, Corderan. The realm where Gods hold their annual feast, the one that will decide the leader for the millennia. A place where mortals also live below. I created your home so that you will have some place to stay."

"Hmm, alright. It doesn't make sense, but if I nod, maybe he'll think that I'm listening."

"Uhmm, I don't think you realize, but you're talking loudly, and I can hear you."

"Oh, don't let me interrupt you. Please go on."

"O-okay then. That very night, when you touched me, my powers drifted to the very source, a vessel to be exact. That would be you, the only person close enough to receive my powers at the time. If you were not there, then I might have faded in the mortal world forever. So you have my thanks, since I am alive, but in spirit, which means that I can still resurrect after the feast."

Exhaling, the timid man named Vixalis casts his eyes down, his emotions slowly affect me, bringing me to reason.

"So, what does that make me now?"

"You are now me, I suppose. You are the new God of the seasons."

"Seasons? Sounds pretty lame to me."

"What? That's pretty harsh for someone you just met. Can't you world it more properly?"

"Don't think there's a way around it. I think I realized this from experience, but, the only way to help out someone who's timid, is to be harsh with them, but still letting them know that you are his or her friend."

"Well, I'm happy that you consider me as your friend, despite meeting now only."

"Don't sweat it. I should be quaking in bed by now, crying my heart out, but it won't help me at all. So it's useless."

I stand up, walking towards the small fridge that I keep in the corner of my room.

If what Vixalis says is correct about this being a complete replica of my room, then there must be some, "Aha! I knew it."

I take out a bottle of soda, two cups, and set it down between us, sitting the same way as the man in front of me.

"Here, have some. So, you're a god. Have you ever had this kind of beverage before?"

He holds up the plastic cup containing a bubbling sugar filled root beer, analyzing it.

"I don't think I've had one, nor seen anything like it. I've had wine, but only one for the minor gods."

"Then don't be shy, take a sip and tell me what you think."

He raises the cup, bringing it close to his mouth. His eyes open wide in surprise, he downs the entire cups, emptying it without delay.

"What is this amazing cup of fizzing grandeur. It may even rival the soma of which the gods speak of in the temple of Aether, the gathering place."

"That's good and all, but I think we still have many more details to cover. So tell me, why bring me here? You could have just remained on earth, a pretty mundane place, but still quite lively."

"I have to. I must fight for something that I long for, one of which is a place where the great Gods roam, such as Zeus, Odin, Ra, and many others so to speak."

"How do you decide how to do that?"

As I ask, I pour both of us a cup of root beer, in which Vixalis takes greedily.

"We battle with each other, with the world as our battle ground. I should've lost, but you have brought me back, or rather I forced you back here. Forgive me."

He bows, prostrating his entire body towards me.

"Calm down. So, was that the reason as to why you came crashing down to earth?"

"Yes, I was miserably defeated, mocked, for I had not the prowess to fight. You cannot deny a challenge that a god offers you. You must take it on with your pride on the line. And so, Thor shamed me in front of all the gods, stripping me of my dignity, sending me off into the mortal world to die."

Sympathizing with him, I feel anger welling up, but not pointed at the God Thor, since that might not be such a great idea. So I stick to sympathizing alone.

He continues.

"But, I am still eligible to win. I will do all I can. The prize for winning is a wish, one that can grant anything, without penalty."

"Oh, that's pretty tempting, but how do you plan on winning. I've studied history, and I know that there are some Gods out there with really crazy strong powers. Plus, I've never even heard of you."

"Wha-that's terrible. Can't you say it with a bit more finesse in it?"

"Nope, sorry, we timid people have to help each other, but in your case, you're a god, but it doesn't count you out as a timid being, right?"

"I guess, you are correct. I guess we are much more alike than we think we are."

"What do you mean?"

Puzzled, and somewhat doubtful, I ready myself for what he is about to say.

"I think I remember seeing in your mind a time when you had been rejected after confessing your love through a parchment paper-"

"Ahh! Stop right there! No need to go past that, alright. jeez, you have no mercy, don't you?"

"Oh, was it a terrible memory. Forgive me, I must have brought about some recurring nightmares."

"Now, I don't know whether you're mocking me or not."

"Oh, did It come off as a mockery? Forgive me, those were not my intentions."

"Moving on once more, tell me, how do you intend on winning?"

"I don't. It is up to you now, my friend."

Freezing all actions, I hear the words echo in my mind, and resonate in my ears.

Standing up in surprise, and in clear agitation, I voice my complaints.

"Wait, what!? What do you mean I have to win?"

"But, you are in my body now. Your body is in possession of my soul, so in technicality, you are me, while I can create an image of myself with my own powers, similar to what you see now, but nothing more than that, I'm afraid."

"Why me? I don't even know how to fight, let alone beat a god, or think of even beating one."

"Yes, I know that you are not the best when it comes to physical strength as well, Kael. Being beaten up by an old woman for mistaking you as a burglar-"

"Ah! Stop right there! Nothing more than that, alright? You're ruthless. But, I can just stay here where it's safe and not participate, right?"

"That's not the case. All the participant's names are written in a stone slab inside the temple of Aether. Your name will only disappear when you are declared defeated, or you concede. In some cases, the higher gods take on the weaker ones for practice, and eliminating competition."

"Well, I don't think anyone will come and find us here. It's safe to say that this is a secure hiding place, right?"

Vixalis goes silent, looking at me with scorn.

"You do know that gods are omnipotent beings with limitless potential, correct?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then you must know that they can easily find our location wherever that may be."

*Sigh* Just more trouble then I originally imagined. The degree of severity is much more than I could ever anticipate. Think about it. Defeating a god without knowledge of fighting, nor knowing that the power of the mighty four season god has. It's suicide to say the least.

In the midst of my reconciling, Vixalis interrupts me.

"Don't worry too much on how to use my powers. I can teach you. You have a lot of potential, as my partners, the deities of the seasons, tell me."

"That's reassuring and all, but how about you? Don't you think I can do it?"

He takes his time, drawing up ten seconds before responding again.

"I know you might be able to accomplish something great!"

Such a long pause! And plus, he's sugarcoating too much of his words. He doesn't believe in me at all.

"I need some assurance. Tell me, I'm immortal now, right?"

"Yes and no, but I don't know how that's a source of assurance for you. The feast has just begun, and the battle between Thor and I was the first to start it. There might still be a lot of gods near my rank that you might stand a chance against."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. It just means that I can't die if I lose, right?"

"Sadly, that's not how it goes."

"Oh, God. Please, enlighten me."

"Very well. Immortality is only a gift given to gods. In your case, you are half mortal and half god. The only way a god can become immortal, is if he is birthed from two parent gods, or had gone through the birthing ritual that makes a child mortal, specifically dropping you in a river of immortality. So, you will die if you are defeated, giving me full control of your body as your soul fades from this world, where it is not from. The feast cannot end until there is only one contestant left."

"So I have no choice other than to win or die, correct?"

"Spot on!"

I'm starting to lose faith in a god, which is highly unbelievable from another person's perspective, but in my case, it's all real and too good to be true.

The long dark haired god smiles weakly, giving me the thumbs up, which serves no real motivation other than comic relief.

I wonder how this'll turn out. I've lost almost every emotion normal person should have.

From what I've pieced together, I am now a god of the four changing seasons, in the middle of a battle that will decide who will become the great god of all gods.

I'm immortal, but only to an extent where injuries made by gods are tolerable, but still painful because I'm half mortal.

The feast cannot end until a winner can be named, God of all gods.

That's the gist of it...

"Well said, but with a few missing parts here and there, but leave that to me. I'll fill you in as the days go by."

"Wait! How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Don't you remember, Kael? The one in front of you is just an image I created as to not make the conversation awkward. I am still within your soul, looking from what you see, and everywhere else."

"That's pretty unnerving."

"Try not to worry too much. Think of me as a voice inside your head."

"Fitting actually. I'm slowly starting to become insane, so kind of a good call."