The Manaverse

Location: Unknown

Jut floated in complete blackness. He couldn't feel any ground beneath him. He couldn't hear or smell anything either. All he could see was a System Notification.

You have been granted Access to Goddess Opheila's Champion Selection...

This may take a moment. Please standby...

Jut was about to start thrashing around and trying as many different things as he could think of to escape, but before he did, the sensations of feeling, scent, sound, and sight came back to him in an explosion that nearly overwhelmed him. Looking around, he noticed he was still sitting, but not on the floor, cross legged, like he had been. He was sitting in a chair of sorts. It felt like a solid stone beneath him.

Everything around Jut had become white as far as he could see in every direction. It was almost worse than the darkness, except he could somehow make out a horizon. It was like the bright white of his surroundings dimmed as he looked further away. Despite there not being a light source, he could make out a shadow beneath him. His booted feet could feel pressure under him as well, denoting a surface of some kind.

Jut was disoriented and his head was spinning. To keep himself sane, he investigated his outfit. Hadn't he just been naked? He wasn't wearing the outfit he had just stripped out of either. To his surprise, he was wearing the usual blue polo shirt and black slacks he wore to work at the grocery store. The ensemble was even complete with a name tag that read 'Kyle Jackson".

As if his thoughts changed the world around him, the floor began to fill in with a rush of color. It reminded Jut of the Random Skill Orbs, being the color of outer space, or at least what pictures showed space to look like.

The wave of darkness, filled with pin pricks of light and floating nebulae swirling through it, passed under him and spread out past the horizon. The new contrast allowed him to see that he was sitting in a circle of twenty to thirty chairs similar to his own. They looked like the cheap, white lawn chairs he could get from the super shopping center. In the center of the ring of chairs, the darkness coalesced before pushing upward and extending into the space above him.

Amongst the stars and other space imagery, a cascade of silver moonlight appeared that took the shape of long, flowing hair. Yellow eyes as bright as the sun appeared next. Their pupils were non-existent but Jut got the feeling he was being scowled at. Slowly, the form of a being took shape, made from the starry substance. The being was at least fifty feet tall, if not more, so Jut had to tip his head back to see the emerging face.

If Jut had to guess, he would say they were an Elf. At least, that's what he thought as he could make out tipped ears poking through the luscious, silver hair. The lines of their body was also the type of slender Jut expected from elves. While not being the kind to assign a gender to any person, the only non-slender part of their body made him believe this had to be the Goddess, Ophelia, with emphasis on the "dess".

Jut wanted to ask why he was there and how he got there. Yet, his voice was frozen in his throat. His whole body was shaking in terror. Even though the being was not looking at him directly, he felt an immense pressure on him. It was what he imagined a million people watching him all at once would have felt like.

"Oh. It's this Zone's turn, huh?" The being said. The words were flat, but there was an intense anger seething under them.

Before Jut could figure out how to ask what they meant, the being started to pace. It was like watching someone fume while waiting for the object of their ire to arrive.

"After the warning I gave? After watching so many die? After being in the home stretch? What in the Argorian Hells was that?"

As suddenly as they started pacing, the magnificent being turned and extended both arms at Jut. While he had been single for a while, he remembered the chiding look all women seemed to learn because they have to deal with men. That was the look he was receiving, only a million times worse. He felt like they could see, not only through him, but into his soul, piercing his very core. And it was clear they don't like what they saw.

It seemed like the being was waiting for him to respond as they didn't move. Jut tried. Trying to conjure up any noise was like trying to breathe under water. He just couldn't force the words out. He was too scared and they were putting too much pressure on him.

The latter was literal, not metaphorical. As if the being realized what they were doing, Jut felt the pressure ease as quickly as it had appeared. He wondered if they should have known it was affecting him all along.

Jut began coughing. It was so bad, he fell from his seat. On his knees, his hands grasping his throat, he breathed as deeply as he could, his body trying to replenish what he was lacking. He managed to gurgle a response.

"What did you say?" The being asked, sounding almost concerned.

Concern? Jut thought. Only a moment ago, they were going to squish me like a bug, without even using their hands, and now they sound concerned? He gathered himself as best he could and looked up at the being.

The divine being had bent forward and was looking at him. Their face was bigger than two of him. Their eyes, being so close to him, weren't actually a solid yellow. They roiled like the surface of the Sun. Bright orange and red swirls pulsed throughout each eye.

"Did I do something bad to you?" Jut asked. He coughed again but continued. "Because, if I have, I am very sorry and I will never do it again."

The divine being's eyes glazed over and the roiling colors swished back and forth as if they were reading something. Jut figured windows wouldn't be a thing divine beings needed, but the System didn't exactly follow the laws of nature he was accustom to either, so one never knew.

The being stopped reading and they focused on him, seemingly for the first time. They looked mortified. They immediately rose to their full height before bowing at the waist, their long hair touching the ground.

"Please do forgive me. I was just so angry. I forgot to give you the introduction and explain why you're here." The being's voice was now sweet and melodic.

Jut lost focus on everything. He was overcome by a need to please this being. It ran so deep, he was surprised he hadn't felt this way his whole life. He was enraptured.

Just as Jut was about to rise and swear undying, unyielding loyalty to the being before him, the sensation popped like a soap bubble. He no longer felt the need or desire to worship them. The ebb and flow made him woozy.

"Damn it. My emotions are just too raw right now. Initiate Stone Rank Phasing."

Then the goddess began to walk. Somehow, they didn't move as they did so. With each step their body took, they began to shrink. Their cosmic skin began ripple all over their body. When the top of their head reached Jut's chin, they stopped walking, looked at him and spoke.

"I am Ophelia, the Prime Deity of Life, Creation, and Order for Earth. Welcome to my Champion Selection, Human." They held their arms out to either side of their body in a welcoming gesture. "And yes. I am a woman. I can't actively hear your thoughts anymore, but most Gods and Goddesses are actually gender fluid. However, I'd rather you recognize me as female. I was always a woman before I Ascended and I have no desire to change that now."

Jut could barely believe this woman was the same fount of divinity and glorious rapture he had almost been crushed by. This very human woman was completely different, while still the same on some level he couldn't distinguish.

Ophelia had pale blue skin like a warm spring sky. Her moon light hair was now the silver of a woman who went grey in her twenties. She was still slender but she had the rounded ears of a human. Her eyes were now a soft yellow with white around the edges and pupils. Her figure was much more realistic for her lithe frame, too. While no longer divine in appearance, Jut thought she was still an otherworldly beauty. She seemed like any regular person now, even if she was blue.

Jut found that his voice worked fine once again. "Hello. I'm Jut Zoak." Once he heard his own voice, it was much easier for him to continue. "I'm not exactly sure why I'm here. I mean, when I said I wasn't sure what I did earlier, I really have no idea."

Ophelia giggled playfully, her hand covering her mouth. "Sure you do. You completed my quest, didn't you? Wasn't access to my Champion Selection listed in the prompt you received after it was over? I'm pretty sure you're smart enough to put the context clues together."

Jut flushed. The back handed compliment aside, he wasn't used to someone cutting to the heart of his concern so keenly. As if he was having something dragged out of him, Jut said what was really on his mind.

"Okay then. I don't understand why I was given your quest to begin with."

"So you're asking why you were chosen to be one of my potential Champions?" Ophelia didn't give him time to confirm the question. "You were chosen because you... drew the short straw, if you will. I am allowed only one Champion per Safe Zone, much like the other two Prime Deities. So, I blanket the population in each Safe Zone with a couple hundred quests that vary based on what I would like to have happen. Like, you were saving slackers and others were supposed to help make shelters or gather food. Some where given monster-hunting quests. Everyone who is in this space completed their quests sufficiently and survived the wave." She gestured around them.

Jut examined the other chairs around them again . His eyes widened in realization. No one else?

Ophelia nodded as if she read his mind. "That is correct. You are the only one."

"Does this happen often?" Jut asked in a hushed voice.

"No." Was her short answer. After a long, silent moment that felt very heavy, Ophelia spoke again. "Despite being a Prime Deity, even I can't change it. We'll just have to proceed. Even if we skip a few steps of the Selection process, I still want to give you the full experience."

Jut shrugged his agreement. What else was he going to do? Say no? Probably not the wisest move to make just then. "Okay. So, I'm a Champion candidate. What's next?"

Ophelia smiled. "Right to the point. I like that. Next, I will answer any three questions you ask that would be impossible for you to obtain the Lore for. This is the reward for those not chosen in the end. I normally split my consciousness into multiple parts so each candidate can ask their questions at the same time. However, it's just the two of us now, so...go ahead."

Jut's mind froze momentarily. Any three questions? Would asking for clarification count as a question? However, there was one question he didn't need to think about that forced its way out.

"Why did we have a wave of Monsters attack us just before the Lock Down?"

Ophelia shook her head slowly. "I guess you aren't as clever as I thought."

Jut was stunned. That wasn't remotely an answer. Ophelia waved and another chair appeared next to his. Jut couldn't help but notice her summoned chair was fully cushioned. He opened his mouth with a retort, but she spoke before he could formulate his outrage.

"Your question was not specific enough. If I wanted to, I could just say "The Monsters were aggravated enough to swarm" and your question would be answered sufficiently. Try again."

Jut closed his mouth and thought. The anger at her casual insult slipped away. He didn't want to waste questions on partial answers and Randy's final words clung to him.

Jut watched her has he formed his question again. He was surprised when Ophelia didn't show an ounce of impatience. She never lost her kindly smile and waited for him to finally speak after a long moment.

"Who ordered the agitation of the Monsters?"

Ophelia's smile widened slightly. "That's a better question. Still not specific enough. So, instead of answering, I will do this." She reached out and touched Jut's forehead gently. "I've given you a way to find your answers. It will be up to you to find them. Follow the Quest, or not, is up to you. Next question?"

Jut was stymied for a moment. Was he just going to walk out of here with three new quests, or would she actually answer his questions? He thought hard and could only come up with one other question he wanted an answer for just then. The rest of his questions were piled high, but none were that important or something he couldn't try to find out on his own.

"Where is Kit Star now?" Jut looked at Ophelia.

The Goddess must have already known this question was coming because a map appeared. On the map was a glowing dot. The land mass depicted was of North America. If the map was accurate, she was to the North. Not only was Kit to North, but she was farther North than was possible to travel in the time since the Lock Down began.

"To stop any follow up and the waste of another question, yes. She is safe. She will remain so until the Lock Down is over. However, she has garnered interest from outside of this planet. She will not be returning to Granite City anytime soon. I'm sorry."

Jut felt two very opposing feelings crash inside his chest. Relief warred with frustration. He sat there for a long time, thinking and processing.

A pressure on his shoulder had him looking up at the blue skinned Goddess. "I really am sorry, Jut. I know she meant a lot to you."

Jut nodded. He was on the verge of a mental collapse. All the death, destruction, and loss was overwhelming and he was close to a breaking point. The whole reason he had started the Ascension process was to keep his mind busy, not to think about it all again.

Yet, Ophelia didn't pressure him to ask his next question. She just sat with him quietly.

"Oh!" Ophelia exclaimed. "I am able to relieve some of your misery and stress if you'd like? I haven't used this skill since I was a Mythril Ranker. It will only make you numb, but I promise, it will help you process your turmoil better once you leave here. What do you say?"

Jut was going to ask what exactly the skill did, but he didn't want to waste a question on that. Not to mention, it seemed like it would be rude to pry into her Skill. He nodded again and Ophelia touched him on the forehead once more. A cooling sensation passed through him, but he didn't feel any different after it faded.

"Well. Thanks, I guess. I should probably ask my final question..." Jut said.

"If you are ready. Sure. Go ahead." Ophelia answered easily.

Jut thought and thought, but no other questions came to his mind that was relevant enough to ask a Goddess. Instead, he looked at her. Ophelia was looking back at him, still giving him that warm, gentle smile she had as soon as she had cooled off.

Why is she being so nice? I guess it would be to put her Champion Selects at ease, but I feel like there is more to it.

Then Jut asked a crazy question that he expected would be a waste of the resource, but he didn't care. It would likely go to waste either way.

"Ophelia?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you be my friend?"