Woken up by a spice-filled aroma to see an unfamiliar ceiling. I find myself laying in a large bed.

“Awake now, are you? When you’re ready you should come down the hall. I’ve made some food for you. But really… an unfamiliar ceiling how cliché.”

Who is— oh that’s right it Akkre. Did he carry me here?

*Grumble* Ugh… that’s right I haven’t eaten in a while. Adhering to Akkre’s words, I follow the delicious scent in the air as I come up to a large door. But as I try to push, it doesn’t budge.

“That’s strange. I can’t open the door.” I mumble.

I attempt to pull the door but to no avail. I know the smell is coming from beyond here but I have no idea how to open the door.

*Whoosh* Suddenly the door flies open and we are met by a young girl with beautiful, straight, long black hair. She politely bows and guides us over to a seat by the table where the people from before are sitting.

“Well dig in, kid.” Akkre says as he begins to eat.

“Gramps, you could have at least waited for her to sit down.” Says the young girl from before.

“Oh, right. Thank you Akkre for your assistance earlier and thank you for the food as well. And I was wondering who—” I say before being cut off by the young girl.

“Why don’t you eat first. I’m sure your body hasn’t eaten for a while so you should be rather low on energy. You can ask your questions once we have all finished our meal.”

At the young girl’s request, I refrain from asking any questions and begin to chow down. The air is filled with various spices as the sauce practically melts in my mouth.

“Thanks for the meal. It was delicious. Back to what I was going to ask earlier, who are the other people here? I am a little familiar with Akkre but I haven’t yet been introduced to the rest of you.”

“As ya’ know, I’m Akkre, Akkre Kojuuin. I’m known as the Keeper of Eternity.”

“Pleasure to meet you kiddo, I’m called the Keeper of Time. My name is Chronos.”

Chronos… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before. He’s an old-looking fellow with a long grey beard and a face covered in wrinkles.

“I am the angel Raziel. I hold the position of Keeper of Knowledge.”

Another name I feel like I’ve heard somewhere, but I just can’t place it. She has stunning blonde hair that stretches down to her shoulders. Gorgeous white wings line her back, as she gives off a sort of divine aura.

I turn to the young girl who let me in earlier. As I do she returns my curious gaze with a peaceful smile as she says, “my turn then. I am Kiyo Kojuuin. Unlike these three I’m not anyone important. I’m simply Akkre’s great, great, great, great… and a few more greats granddaughter, let’s just say I’m Akkre’s descendant.”

So her name is Kiyo and she is Akkre’s descendant…

“Wait, what! But he looks so young. Akkre doesn’t look anywhere near old enough to even have a granddaughter!” I yell in surprise.

“Looks can be deceiving. ‘Sides, I’m sure you’ve figured out that we are not human… well, I guess in Kiyo’s case she is mostly human. Since you’re familiar with us now, how ’bout you introduce yourself to my wonderful descendant and the rest of these old fools.” Akkre says with a slight smirk.

“Of course. I’m Millie Von Augustine. As per the agreement that was made, I am a servant of Akkre.” I say while performing a short bow.

“As I mentioned before I will now go into more detail on what I want you to do apart from miscellaneous tasks. I want you to enter a certain tournament for us. It’s a tournament held by the gods once every one thousand years. The next one is coming up soon.” Akkre says.

“Hold on, so I am fully aware of the existence of gods and such things now thanks to you, but aren’t there some conflicting names here? I’ve finally remembered why I recognised some names earlier. Raziel is an archangel from Judaic myth and Chronos is the name of a primordial god from Greek mythology. What’s up with the conflicting myths.?” I ask, compelled by my eagerness to learn about the world.

Akkre thinks for a moment before answering, “I think the best way to put it is that everythin’ holds a degree of truth but has been twisted over the course of many years. Now I could go into some more detail here but it would be boring and it’d be way too much effort to do.” Akkre says with an exasperated expression, clearly unwilling to delve deeper into the topic.

“I’m a little disappointed but that’s fine, I have a few more questions anyway. Like, why do you need me to participate in this tournament for you? And what kind of tournament is this?” I ask.

“The answer to your second question would be a martial arts tournament. I believe that is enough for a satisfactory answer.” Chronos says while stroking his long beard.

“As for your first question, the tournament requires that a champion is chosen to represent each faction. Said factions being the different pantheon of gods, for example, the Olympians or the Asgardians. Additionally, the chosen champion of each faction may not have any more than 1/16 of Spirit or Celestial blood, nor may they be connected directly to a god or spirit. This effectively requires that the chosen champion must be a mortal. In most cases, the champions are given extensive training that would allow them to fight on even terms with demigods, in addition to any special equipment they are given.” Raziel explains in great detail.

“Almost all of the current champions are descendants of the first ones to participate… however, we never had a champion before which is where you come in.” Akkre says.

“And why is that?” I ask.

“… well… we cheated in all the previous ones and got disqualified in the first round.” Akkre reluctantly says.

“That’s right, I heard about this from grandma. You tried to participate by disguising yourselves and you all got identified immediately.” Kiyo says.

“So how do you expect me to compete in a martial arts competition even though I don’t know the first thing about fighting?” I ask.

“We got a few years ‘till the time comes. Don’t worry We… or rather I will train you.”

Akkre says as Kiyo begins to turn pale.

“Akkre’s training isn’t very easy, people have died undergoing his training,” Kiyo says while shaking.

“That’s a bit harsh, people like Alice and Xue had no problem with my training. I think you’ll do fine… probably” Akkre says as he turns his head away.

“Hey wait a moment there! Just what do you intend to put me through!” I say as I begin to panic.

“You probably don’t need to worry, while you were sleeping we gave ya’ some more divine blessings.” Akkre says.

“Huh? Divine blessings? And what do you mean by ‘more’?” I ask.

“A divine blessing is rather straightforward. It’s a blessing you receive from a divine being, such as a god or high-ranking angel.” Raziel says.

“And when we went to give you some we found out that you already had one, it grants you universal compatibility. The ability to instantly understand a language once spoken to. It’s how you’ve been able to speak with us all this time.” Chronos says.

“It’s just as these old folk said. Anyways the additional blessings ya’ received have greatly increased your base strength, oh and you also now have an affinity for all types of magic.” Akkre says.

“I’ve put up with it for a while now but will you please stop calling us old, Akkre. You’re not much younger than either of us. At the very least I look young, unlike this old fool!” Raziel says while clenching her fist in one hand with the other pointing at Chronos.

“Don’t point at me, you old crone! The two of you are just as old as me!” Chronos says as his hand hits the table.

About ten minutes go by before the three of them finally calm down.

“So can I ask I question now?” I say.

“Ahem… go ahead.” Akkre says, clearing his throat.

“What faction are the three of you from? I’ve read Raziel’s name in Judaic texts and Chronos is one from ancient Greek mythology, yet the three of you seem to be on the same team.” I say.

“We belong to a rather special faction. It’s called the Order of the Keepers. Collectively the three of us are known as the pillars of existence. We operate on a much grander scale than the other factions within Celestia. The Order itself includes our subordinates, although the three of us are the only ones with any real divine power.” Raziel explains.

“Okay, one last question. When does this tournament start?”

“In 25 years.” Akkre says.

“… really? You’re putting that much time in preparing? I’ll be over 40 by then.” I say.

“Is 25 years really that long? Seems pretty short to me.” Akkre says.

“Of course it’s short for you, Gramps. Not everyone has been alive for billions of years. Humans don’t usually have a long lifespan like Spirits and Celestials do.” Kiyo says.

“One last question, but for real this time. Just what would I be doing for this training of yours?” I ask.

“I’ll be sending you around to various places to accomplish an objective. Once that’s done we just repeat that. Just know that it may not be a place on this planet that I am sending you. I might even have you sent to the past. You will have 25 years to train but thanks to Chronos we can take all the time in the world by having you do my errands— I mean by training you in the past. of course, this is after we get your fundamentals up to par.” Akkre says.

He said something incredibly dubious right there but this is quite the adventure he is proposing. Although, I have already agreed to do his errands, so I have little choice in the matter.

“So with that out of the way, how would you like to go on a small trip to another world?” Akkre says.

Another world! My eyes light up at the very idea.

I begin to jump in my seat as I say, “yes! I wanna go! Where are we going!?”

“You’ll find out, in due time. However, we are only going to pick up a weapon for you to use. But first, you need to rest. Wait until after dinner, we can go then. Now then, the meeting is adjourned, everyone is free to do as they please until dinner time.” Akkre says as everyone begins to leave the room.

“Well, in any event, make yourself at home, Millie. This shrine was built in honour of Akkre, but outside of my family, there aren’t many humans who have ever heard of him. The god that history forgot.” Kiyo says.

“Hmm… hey Kiyo, I’ve been wondering about this for a while. How old are you?”

“How old do I look to you?”

“You don’t look much older than me, I’d say 17 or 18. But since your related to Akkre you might be even older.” I say.

“Your starting to catch on. Thanks to Gram— I mean Akkre’s blood, my family tends to age rather slowly compared to most humans and we have a longer lifespan. But over the generations, that boon has been dwindling. As such I am not much older than I look at 670.”

From my perspective, that’s still pretty old.

“Anyways, feel free to wander around the grounds but don’t leave our property without telling someone, you could get lost in between dimensions. I’ll talk to you later, I need to clean up the mess Gramps and the rest of them made.” Kiyo says as she begins cleaning the Keepers mess.

With Kiyo busy cleaning and the others nowhere to be seen, I take some time to explore the shrine. I have been walking around for almost half a day now and it feels like I still haven’t fully explored the place, I haven’t even found an exit yet. Now that I think about it where the hell am I? There’s no way, am I lost?

“…I think I’ll just keep walking.” I say mumbling to myself.

But really, I have no idea where I am. I know I’m still in the shrine but seriously why is this place so big? Oh, I think that’s Kiyo over there.

“Hey!” I call out.

The woman turns around at my call for me to realise that it wasn’t Kiyo. But they look rather similar, are they sisters?

“Who might you be? An intruder? No, someone like that wouldn’t just call out to me.”

“Sorry if I startled you, my name is Millie. Akkre saved me the other day and I was just exploring. From behind you looked like Kiyo so I thought I would call out but it seems as though I was wrong. Are you her sister?”

“Don’t worry about that, you’re not the first one to make that mistake. However, we are not sisters. My name is Tsuyu, I’m Kiyo’s grandmother and Akkre’s great, great… actually, I’ll just skip that part.”

“Does everyone around here just not look their age or something? You hardly look older than Kiyo.” I ask.

“It’s flattering for you to think I look as young as Kiyo, but unfortunately I am almost a thousand years old. If you stick around long enough you should get used to the age disparity at some point. I can sense some power in you, I assume you are the one they chose for the tournament.”

“Yeah, I am. But I haven’t really fought other people much before so I’m not sure how well I will do.”

“Don’t tell me the venerable ancestor is going to train you.”

“You mean Akkre right? He said he would.”

“I am so sorry for you. His so-called ‘training’ is mostly just sending you to do the stuff he is supposed to be doing. Often times just cleaning up a mess a made from a while ago. You might get a real task given to you but more often than not they can be absurdly difficult.” Tsuyu says.

“So I heard. Although, when I think of training, I think of things like pulling logs around or sparring. I was a bit surprised when I heard I would be going around to different places.” I say.

“He thinks that experience is the best way to learn. I’m sure you’ll end up sparring someone at some point but I can assure you that it won’t be easy. But with the power you have received, you should be able to make it through in one piece… I hope.”

“On the topic of power I was given, can you tell me a bit about magic?” I ask.

“I’m no expert but I believe Raziel would be a better recipient of that question. The only thing I know is rituals related to shrine work. There aren’t too many people around here who are well versed in combat magic other than Raziel. The only other ones would be the venera— I mean Akkre’s wife and one of their daughters. Unfortunately, they are both out shopping right now but you will most likely meet them when dinner comes around. But I can take you to Raziel, who can give you more information about magic. She is currently in the garden, I’ll guide you to her.” Tsuyu says.

After nearly forty minutes we finally reach the garden. But apparently, the garden is as large as a house. Why is this place so damn big?

“Hey Tsuyu, I’ve been wondering this for a while now. Why is this place so absurdly huge?”

“You think this place is big? I think it is incredibly small, especially when compared to the house the venerable ancestor grew up in. Since dinner is coming up soon Raziel will come out on her own. So you can just wait here and you can talk with her as you two make your way to the dining hall. I need to be going so I can get ready to help set the table. See you soon.” Tsuyu says.

In an instant Tsuyu vanishes, leaving me alone at the Gardens entrance. With Tsuyu gone, I turn to the garden to see Raziel’s wings turning from around the corner.

“Hello, Millie. If you were waiting here then you must have some questions for me correct?”

“Yeah, it was about magic. I wanted to know more about it.”

“I see, dinner should be soon so let us talk as we walk. Magic is essentially the ability to manipulate the energy around you and give it a temporary form. There are various different types of magic. For example, we have elemental magic which has many different uses, from basic home applications to military applications. But that’s only scratching the surface of it. There are so many more different types I would need all day to go through them all.” Raziel explains.

Raziel continues to explain some of the different types of magic and their use until we reach the dining hall.

Wait, this smell… it reminds me of home. As I slide the door open the smell only gets stronger as I see a familiar sight.

“Just in time Millie. Since you’re from a German family I cooked us up a German meal, rouladen with spätzle. Hope you enjoy.” Akkre says.

“This looks great Akkre. Just where did you learn to cook like this?” I ask.

“I’ve spent my fair share of time wandering around Germania. Oh right, that area isn’t called that anymore. Anyways there are some people here you haven’t met yet so let’s get you introduced.” Akkre says.

Just as Akkre pointed out, I notice a few more people around I haven’t yet met.

To Akkre’s right is a woman who looks vaguely similar to Kiyo and Tsuyu, but not so close that I would confuse them from behind like those two.

And on his left is another woman but she has similar ears on top of her head like Akkre and seven transparent tails. Unlike most of the people around here who have black hair, she has blonde hair like me.

“Nice to meetcha, names Tsuki. I’m Akkre’s wife. I do hope you do well in the tournament. If I could I would enter it for Akkre but despite my being born one human I’m on the list of ineligible participants. Over on Akkre’s left is one of our daughters, go on and introduce yourself.”

“A pleasure. My name’s Ena.”

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude but… well… it’s just that I noticed that your hair colour is very different from your parents.”

“I know it’s a bit strange that I’m the only one in the family without pure black hair. From what I understand, I have what is called atavism, it’s rather common among Spirits. It’s where an old trait from an ancestor shows up later down the family tree. From what I heard my grandmother on my father’s side had blonde hair and that’s where the trait comes from.” Ena explains.

With everyone introduced we begin to eat our luxurious German dinner. The flavours blend perfectly together in my mouth as the juicy meat from the rouladen mixes with the gravy from the spätzle.

“That was delicious, thanks for the food Akkre. Now then, don’t think I forgot about it. Where are we going on this trip you mentioned?”

“Well, aren’t you excited. Worry not, for I am a man of my word. Our destination is my hometown, in my homeworld. The Capital city of the Great Demon Empire, Sesna.