Alex sat in silence, the room quiet aside from the faint hum of the ever-present lights above.
Both he and Kaelios had been stuck there for the past several minutes, restricted and unable to access their skills.
The room itself was plain, devoid of much character or luxury, likely by design.
They had no weapons, no system menus, and no access to their abilities.
“So,” Alex finally said, breaking the long silence, “do you know anything about the people who appeared on that screen earlier?”
He hadn’t told Kaelios yet about his brief encounter with Vexum, one of the mysterious beings who had introduced themselves before.
But even without sharing that, he was still curious.
The [Creators], as they were called, were unlike anything he had ever seen, and if Kaelios, a literal god, knew something about them, now was the time to talk.
“Not much,” Kaelios replied with a shrug, stretching one arm as he leaned against the wall, “They’re called the [Creators].”
“They’re the ones responsible for all this, the [Chosen Games], the format, the arena, even the rules. Everything.”
His tone lacked its usual confidence, as though speaking about them made him feel small.
So Kaelios didn’t know much either.
That wasn’t reassuring.
If even the [God of Destiny] had no deeper knowledge of the very beings orchestrating the Games, then there wasn’t much point in asking further.
Whatever the truth was, it would reveal itself soon enough.
Another few minutes passed.
“They could’ve at least given us more time to prepare if we were just going to be sitting around like this,” Kaelios muttered.
He stood up from the edge of the bed with an annoyed groan and stretched his limbs, his muscles rippling slightly beneath his sleek white armor.
“Anyway, let’s spar.”
Alex blinked, looking up from where he sat.
“Spar?”
“Yeah. Even without skills, we need to stay sharp. What if one of the rounds is physical combat with no magic or abilities? We need to know where we stand without our powers.”
Alex scratched his chin thoughtfully, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Kaelios had a point.
There was no telling what the [Creators] might throw at them.
He stood as well, cracking his neck and stepping forward.
Facing Kaelios, he narrowed his eyes and activated his [Eyes of Cursed Void], one of the few abilities that still seemed to function in a limited way within this sealed room.
It let him scan his opponent, and what he saw reminded him of just how powerful his partner truly was.
[God of Destiny – Kaelios]
[Level: 2,000]
[Destiny Points: 300]
[Skills: Destiny Shift, Threads of Fate, Fated Cataclysm, Scale of Destiny, Destiny Swords, Destiny’s Barrier, Fated Doom, Annihilation Paradox, Chains of Inevitability, Eclipse of Fate, World Cleaver, Light Dummies…]
Even with his divine status sealed, Kaelios still radiated power.
Four radiant wings folded behind his back, a golden halo hovered above his head, and his white hair shimmered faintly beneath the room’s dim light.
His golden eyes were calm, yet Alex could sense it, beneath that calm, Kaelios was nervous. He just hid it well.
“You ready?” Kaelios asked with a light smirk.
Alex nodded once.
“Yeah.”
And then…
Fwish! Fwish!
Their fists met with a sharp snap of air.
Despite their skills being disabled, their physical abilities hadn’t been entirely stripped.
The room seemed to dampen the extremes, no explosive speed or devastating power, but left them with enough strength to fight meaningfully.
Bam! Bam!
Fists collided with short, controlled bursts of force, each blow sending ripples of pressure through the space.
The beds trembled every time their arms clashed.
They traded strikes, neither one holding back.
When a punch landed cleanly, it didn’t knock them down, but it hurt, real pain, dull and throbbing, enough to prove this was more than just friendly practice.
Minutes passed like that, punch after punch, dodge after dodge, sweat beginning to roll down their temples.
Their movements were sharp, deliberate.
Alex adjusted his stance several times, switching between offense and defense, reading Kaelios’s movements with his cursed vision.
Kaelios fought with elegance, a seasoned flow in every movement.
But still, they were evenly matched like this.
Eventually, both stumbled back, breathing heavier than before.
Blood dripped slowly from Kaelios’s nose, and Alex wiped his own face with the back of his hand, seeing red on his knuckles.
It was a draw.
Neither gained much from it in terms of new techniques, but it served as a reminder of what they were capable of without their powers, and what kind of raw strength the Chosen Games might demand.
And then it happened.
Ding!
A loud notification chime echoed in the room.
Both of them froze. Their gazes locked immediately, eyes sharp.
“That’s it,” Kaelios murmured, stepping back.
Alex nodded. It was time.
A voice echoed in their minds, one that rang not just within their chamber but across everywhere.
[The first event of the “Chosen Games” will now begin.]
Silence fell upon cities and villages alike as massive celestial panels opened across the skies, displaying the message for all to see.
“Oh god.”
“It’s really happening…”
“Who’s going to be in the first event?”
Back in the mortal realm, people watched with wide eyes.
The [Fox Tribe Village] was no exception.
Alera’s house had become a gathering point, a giant panel hovering above them showing every detail as if they stood beside Alex themselves.
“Alex is in there, right?” Lilith’s voice trembled slightly, unable to look away.
“Yeah,” Aurelia answered, her tone calm but heavy.
“He is.”
Even though none of them could reach him, their thoughts and hopes were locked on him.
But there was no place for hope inside the [Chosen Games].
Only willpower, strength, and the knowledge that death could come at any moment.
[There were supposed to be twenty pairs of participants. However, due to the death of the “God of the Abyss” and his “Chosen One,” only nineteen remain.]
The gods didn’t need to guess who had done it.
They already knew. No one would underestimate him. Not after that.
In the [Chosen Games], underestimation was a death sentence.
Gods and Chosen Ones were bound together by a soul link.
If the god died, their chosen would perish instantly.
If the chosen died, their god would lose half their divine power for two full weeks, an eternity inside the Games.
Everyone understood these rules.
And the next announcement confirmed the stakes.
[We will proceed with the “Elimination” round. By the end of this event, only ten pairs will remain.]
Kaelios’s face turned serious as he looked at Alex.
That meant nearly half of the current players, gods and mortals alike, would die in the very first event.
[The rules of this “Elimination” round will be revealed during the event itself to ensure complete surprise and fairness.]
[The “Creators” will be personally overseeing the Games. Any attempt to cheat will result in immediate annihilation.]
Confusion spread among the spectators.
“Creators?”
“Is this really happening…”
Tension hung over the world.
The panels continued without pause.
[19 pairs remain.]
[One pair will not participate in this round and will automatically pass to the next. This is to maintain fairness in elimination numbers.]
[18 pairs will fight. Nine will survive. With the one exempt pair, that brings us to the final ten.]
[How will the exempt pair be chosen? Simple, by the participants themselves.]
And then, without warning, all the panels around the world darkened.
New visuals bloomed into view. 40 squares.
Each one representing a god or their chosen mortal.
Alex tensed.
“It’s starting,” he muttered, already knowing what was coming.
“Be ready, partner,” Kaelios whispered beside him, “We need to be smart.”
Alex nodded slowly.
He would be ready.
No matter what this elimination round held, no matter how sudden or chaotic it became, he wasn’t going to die here.
He had come too far, lost too much.
Too many people believed in him now, even if he couldn’t hear their voices.