PS: Never trust a Celestial. 

Cicero... What else was he hiding from me, or from Omega? 

I searched my trunk and found the talisman. I put it in my pocket and sighed. Just keeping that paper away from Omega was stressful enough. I burned the scribbled notes and sat on my bed. I held my head in both hands and sighed once more.

Too many things and concepts swam before my eyes. I had to do something. I searched through the rustic chest until I found what I was looking for, a couple of undergarments, needle and thread. 

What? I was a mercenary. Learning how to sew hidden pockets in your clothes was among the first things I learned, especially that I was a poor mercenary. 

I got busy making a pouch in the spare undergarment while I processed everything Omega had told me. Primordials were strong. G.o.ds were weaker. Between G.o.ds and Primordials, there were Celestials. Omega was one of them. 

Beneath all these mighty beings, there were the Fragment bearers, people like Sam. People like me, however, weren't even in the picture. If I worked really hard, I would barely reach the level of someone who just merged with a Fragment. Those who have completely a.s.similated their Fragments to their souls, however, were a thousand times stronger.

In other words, Sam was a thousand times stronger than me back then. Now that I'm a weak mortal, my chances to survive a full blown battle against him were close to nil. Then there was the candidate for the Holi Wars. In this case, it was Raiya. If Cosmos, or as people call it back in my planet Hera, the Eternal Moon, accepts her sacrifice, she'll be reborn as a G.o.ddess. 

The Primodrials will test her. It's their own way of welcoming a newborn G.o.d. If she succeeds in her task, she'll reign over all Hera. The Champion's job was to stop the new G.o.ddess.

The Primordials play a game called the Holi Wars. Their champions represent the will of the planet, to accept, or reject the new G.o.d. Should they succeed; the Primordials will gift them G.o.dly weapons, worthy of their stature. They would have prevented the birth of a weak G.o.d or G.o.ddess after all. 

Should they fail; the beasts of the Holi Wars will consume their souls. 

How fair was that? I had asked. Omega only shrugged. He told me I could help the champions succeed, but he doubted I could live to see the G.o.ddess awaken. In fact, he doubted I could ever succeed in surviving more than a week. 

"I am an avid collector," he'd told me after the lecture. "I like odd trinkets and rare, forgotten objects. I'll train you to survive during the wars on one condition."

He wanted me to fetch him a rare treasure in the southern continent, where the Holi Wars in Hera were to be held. "I'll teach you how to summon the elements, and how to solidify your essence. The rest is up to your own creativity." 

"Will I ever get another Fragment?" I had asked, to which he sn.i.g.g.e.red. 

"Who knows what the future holds?" he had said, shrugging. 

He sent me packing. He said we had outstayed our welcome in Yanoku. I killed the maid by the way. Why show mercy while the world kept on throwing punch after punch at me? To h.e.l.l with the Paradox, it was there already. It's not like sparing the maid would have changed its mind from devouring me.

I packed and changed into my new undergarment. It didn't matter what Cicero had in store, or Omega for that matter. If that talisman could help me in dire situations, I'd gladly use it. 

I learned to accept this. There will come a time when my back will be against a wall. That was a certainty by now. I should be ready for such times. The image of that Paradox loomed above my head. I shuddered just thinking about it.

I left my room and headed for the main door where Omega awaited. He was whispering something to Cicero when I came in. He looked up, dismissed the old man then welcomed me with an amiable smile. 

"Today, my dear pupil, is the first day of your transformation," he said in a cheerful tone. "I shall train you on the art of Celestial combat. Although I can't teach you our spells, I can help you summon the elements. With my guidance, you shall become a force to be reckoned with. Even the Primordials' champions shall fear you." 

He opened the door and Minsec's domain welcomed me, dark, endless. Cicero arrived soon after. He was carrying a small pouch which he handed to me. 

"What is this?" I asked. 

Cicero smiled. "Open it," he urged. 

I undid the pouch's strings, and lo and behold, I was staring at vast s.p.a.ce, much like the one in Minsec's domain but contained into a small pouch that could fit in my palm. Bottles with a golden liquid were neatly a.s.sorted to my left. A beautiful staff floated right beside them. There was a map as well, and a crystal ball. 

"This is a bottomless pouch. It's a Celestial treasure, from our good master." Cicero told me. His lips moved, and I read "Bow!"

I bowed to Omega, and the latter approved with a wide smile. "You can store almost anything inside it, as long as it's not a planet," he said then chuckled. "The crystal ball I gave you is how you'll transmit the treasure to me. I'll fill you in on the details later." 

Cicero gave me a wry smile then extended his hand. "Good bye, Myles Stalwart. It's been an honor." 

I frowned at the old man and shook his hand. "Good bye," I said, confused. 

Omega led me into Minsec's domain and through countless turns. The ball of fire and other marbles floated below us once more. The big ball of fire, I learned, was our sun. The other marbles were planets, and ours, Hera, was one of them. It looked small from where I stood. I couldn't wrap my head around it. 

Omega stopped then extended his hand toward the invisible walls. The wall rippled, as though made of liquid, and Omega's hand disappeared inside. He turned to look at me. "Give me a second, will you?" He plunged his head inside the now liquid wall and disappeared. 

After a short while, my master came back. He was grinning. "I still got it!" he said in a triumphant tone. He pulled me from the shoulder then shoved me inside the portal he had just created. I landed on soft and moist soil. My knees sc.r.a.ped the ground and my nose almost broke against the surface. 

I got up, brushed the dirt from my clothes then looked around. Tall trees extended toward the sky. They obstructed most daylight from reaching the ground. I heard snarls and growls in the distance. Omega deftly landed beside me. He looked around, overjoyed.

"Welcome to Ulmir's Domain!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.