Mizuki changed from a lovely pink kimono to her celestial suit, walking out of her pavilion into her car. Yes, it was a magnificent Porsche 911, sakura pink colour, as per her taste (She loves pink and she knows how to drive). In her sector, there weren't any sort of traffic light systems, because people there weren't at all prone to getting into any sort of accidents. Lucky, am I right? The sky was a marvellous blue and so was her mood, unfortunately. Damn it, Yanluo... You had one job. You just had to get rid of that damned anomaly. Why are you taking so long? Had I known that you'd be so inefficient, I'd have gotten rid of her myself... Aah, it's always like this...
Everything was fine until two months ago. I had a bad cup of tea. It was too sweet, an unfortunate thing to happen to someone such as myself, but I understood that it was a sign, an ominous thing would happen soon. So, I decided to do the ritual for prophecising, and indeed, I found my answer. Fate. Fate of not myself, but Death. He was soon to be replaced by an unexpected figure. I'd informed him almost immediately and put up alarms on every gate of the Immortal Realm, the Realm of the Afterlife, in search of anyone who wasn't a part of the system. That's when Death took off, saying that perhaps the Anomaly would still be in the Mortal Realm and left for one and a half months, going off the radar and maintaining such a low profile that nobody could even tell whether he ceased to exist or not. Luckily, his existence prevailed once he entered the Realm itself, and I knew he was alive.
But what is this message supposed to mean? It ensures that Death hasn't finished off the Anomaly, but... To be eligible to take part in the CONTEST implies that Death's existence is to cease sooner or later. And that leaves me with two questions - Who sent the message, and why me? Life is always too busy creating life, whereas the others aren't even aware that something of this sort is happening, except the one who rules over everything. Time. Chryos must know; he knows everything. Aah, this is so troublesome... I can't even enjoy my sweets like this...
She sighed as she drove to the INTERTWINING BRIDGE THAT CONNECTED ALL THE GODLY REALMS. The bridge joined all the sectors, and at the start and the end of every bridge were gates that verified the entity that wished to cross the bridge. Of course, for higher entities, there was really no need for such menial things. The bridge was built over the River of Destiny, and at that place, the Sun never went down, as though it were a never-ending sunset.
As she drove over the bridge, watching the lovely scenery of the River and the sunset, she couldn't help but be reminded of the past. She loved Death, but not the way that Selora did, no. It was never romantic. For her, Death was someone who had brought to where she is now, and he never asked for anything in return for it either.
The two had entered the Contest together, since it was the year when the Realm had to replace both the God of Death and Fortune, due to a malpractice case... And things were certainly not easy back then.
It was a massacre at first. Because the two Gods had been defamed for their practices, it led to a riot. Many of Death's and Fortune's subordinates, whether they played a hand in it or not, had their existence cease. In the Immortal Realm, you can die. And by dying, it means to have your existence cease. It's more painful than dying in the Mortal realm, because it means that your soul may live on as an immortal, but as an immortal, you only become a memory, never to be revived. Of course, there are always exceptions.
And so, because of that, there was a decrease in the population, and so only the strongest and the bravest could participate, while knowing that they might just be finished by the spectators. Mizuki didn't have to worry about it however, as she was from the Qin clan, one of the strongest and powerful clans in the Fortune sector, and possibly the Immortal Realm, and she came fearless. But she was only participating as she was the daughter of the Clan's head.
The beautiful thing about the contest is that anyone can enter, so it was anyone who was just eligible. Of course, seeing the daughter of the Qin clan's head intimidated people, but it was all useless, as Mizuki wasn't brought to survive; she was brought up to live. She couldn't truly compare to those who could truly earn the position, and that is what scared her. The Contest is a brutal competition of survival, and only the last one remaining wins the title.
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THE CONTEST, BIT1
"I... I don't think I'll be able to do it." Mizuki spoke over the phone with her father. "Mizuki, you must. All your life, you have raised and brought up with such care, you should at least make us proud and win this. Our clan has always ruled over the Fortune sector, except for the last time. So, it's time for us to return, and you will do it!" He cut the call, and Mizuki fell over in a corner, tearing up. She was barely sixteen. Why was she expected to do this? Why couldn't her father enter instead if he's so ambitious?
As she cried, Yanluo saw her crying and sat down next to her. This was their first meeting. It was surprising, seeing the daughter of the Head of such a big clan, just lying and crying around like a baby, almost funny.
"Why are you crying? Aren't you supposed to be out there, as the proud face of your clan?" He asked almost mockingly.
She looked up at him, almost irritated. "I don't want to do this. I'm being forced to."
"Expected. You are some big high official's daughter, are you not? Don't worry, people out there aren't expecting much for a 16-year-old girl, anyways. It's just your family who is."
"But it's because they are the ones who are expecting that I'm sad. Why don't they understand that maybe I'm not capable enough..."
"Why do you think you're not capable enough?"
"I'm not you, okay? I've heard things about you, and you seem like the most likely to become the next God of Death. Isn't your resume already shining with everything you've done for the nation? I've done no such thing!"
"Listen. Forget about everyone. Forget about achievements. Thinking about others have done, or what all you haven't done, is futile. You're currently trapped in a place where you'll have to fend for your life, to show that no matter how hard the struggle, you have the power to push through it. Fight for your life, for your survival. Because now it's a ride or die situation. Don't take pity on anyone either; they're all here trying to fend for themselves, even if it means killing you. They won't give a damn. So you might as well go all in."
Mizuki looked up at him, almost surprised. He was giving her advice? Supportive advice? That was... warming, to say the least. Given the current situation, it was by far the most comforting thing anyone had said to her. "Hey, you're... nice."
"Nice? Maybe. Why do you say that? Didn't anyone ever say something like this to you? How exactly were you sent off here-"
She leaned forward and gave him a small kiss, hugging him tightly. He embraced her back, smiling softly.
"Sorry, I just felt like doing that. I'll make sure to follow your advice. You're Yanluo from the Wang clan, right?"
"Yeah, Mizuki... from Qin clan." He chuckled.
"Yes. Let's say, hypothetically, we make it alive from this competition together, would you be interested in trying out this dish with me, the mortals came up with it, call it Pizza."
"Yeah, I've been meaning to try it, actually. Sure, we'll try it if we make it alive."
The two laughed together and talked for a good half an hour before entering the Contest, and won the title of becoming the God of Death and the Goddess or Lady Fortune, respectively.
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That was the decisive moment when Death was perhaps the closest friend she had, someone she cared for more than her family. He was the one that she was willing to meet Chryos for. And meeting that bastard wasn't a joyride, certainly.
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PALACE OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Mizuki arrived at the palace, huffing irritably. It wasn't exactly the best thing to meet a self-righteous bastard who only cared for fun and themselves.
"Greetings, Lady Fortune," the guard at the gate spoke humbly. "What brings you out her today?"
"I'm here to meet God of Time, your master, Chryos."