Monday, 7:30 PM. Multiverse-wide.
TVs flicker on.
Glass turns opaque and glows.
Still water in cups, oceans, and tears begins to shimmer—with sound and light.
Even in homes without electricity, screens appear on walls, windows, ponds, crystals, and shadows. You cannot turn it off. You cannot break it.
The Totems have spoken. The show begins.
A glowing stage unfolds on a planetary scale. In the center, a colossal screen pulses with energy. Millions watch—knowingly or not.
A voice crackles to life, rich and theatrical:
"Good evening, mortals and deities alike. I am Verot, the Totem of Speech. If your voice is gone, pray to me. If you are pure, I'll lend it back."
Verot appears on the screen, suited like a cosmic anchor. He does not speak—his voice simply resonates.
"This is Totem Contest—not a TV show… but an entertainment ritual. If you have no television, fear not. If your device is broken, fear not. The show plays everywhere. In reflections. In minds. In dreams."
A cheer erupts from invisible crowds.
Four seats rise from the void, and towering masks shimmer into view.
Meet the Judges
Mazi, Totem of Creation:
"Hi people. Call me Clock Mask. I measure your beginnings."Zavir, Totem of Destruction:
"Greetings. I am Red Moon Mask. I mark your endings."Aernis, Totem of Inner Protection:
"You may call me Lion Mask or The Storyteller. I guard the spirit."Drakso, Totem of Outer Protection:
"And I… I wear the Dragon Mask, the Story Changer. I guard the flesh."
Verot smiles.
"Today's contestants… are not mortals—but young totems seeking fame, virtue, and divine rank. Let's welcome our six contestants for this week !"
The Contestants
Laro – Totem of Winds ,
Virtua – Totem of Strength ,
Glade – Totem of Politeness ,
Metara – Totem of Blacksmiths ,
Kikia – Totem of Beauty ,
Fione – Totem of Winter.
"Let their devote actions be judged. Their virtues weighed. And their survival… determined."
The cosmic timer begins its countdown.
Welcome to Totem Contest.
The contest begins. The stage vibrates with elemental energy.
"Come forth, Laro!" Verot declares.
From a whirlwind of translucent feathers, Laro appears—tall, ethereal, masked in silver spirals.
He bows, his wind-mask breathing gusts of calm.
"I am the Totem of Wind. Today, I present five mortals who pray to me. One will be chosen to face divine study."
He raises his palm. Five glowing shards hover midair—visions from Earth, year 3090, Vigora continent.
Each is marked with age, dreams, purity, and power.
Suddenly, a sixth shard rises on its own—random, uncalled. It pulses blue.
"Selected at random," Verot announces. "Presented to Tecto, the Totem of Technology."
Tecto, housed within a satellite-shaped mask, emerges on the high screen.
He gestures once, and the shard enters the broadcast system. It becomes visible to all.
A young girl hologram appears—seen from above, caught mid-laugh under moonlight.
Devotee Profile
Name: Merda Age: 13 Origin: Vigora Continent, Earth Time 3090 Devotion: Wind Totem – Laro
Laro nods solemnly:
"Yes. She is Merda. She believes the wind hears her secrets. I accept her."
Enter the Storyteller
From a column of books and mythic scrolls, Aernis, the Totem of Inner Protection, ascends the stage.
His Lion Mask radiates wisdom. The crowd hushes.
"To know her essence," Aernis says, "we study her daily life. If we find virtue, she is blessed. If we find sin... she is judged."
The screen shifts again.
Scenes of Merda's life unfold:
Sneaking books from forbidden libraries. Whispering stories to the wind in solitude. Standing up to corrupted elders. Stealing food to feed others. Carving sigils of Laro into canyon walls.
The audience murmurs. Judges glance between one another.
"Begin analysis," Aernis commands.
The hologram fades.
Merda's image vanishes into mist.
Aernis, the Storyteller, steps forward, his Lion Mask glinting under celestial light.
"The story begins. We now study the girl called Merda, born of Earth Time 3090."
Origin & Family
Merda lives in Berki Town, nestled in Metu Country, on the Vigora Continent.
Her father, Chremee, and mother, Saito Suri, are revered teachers at Viroka University. Their wealth is vast, earned through knowledge and dedication—not inherited from power.
Merda, a 13-year-old student with purple hair and emerald eyes, studies in Class 4A at Metra Academy.
Daily Rituals & Contradictions
Each morning, she prays to Laro, the Totem of Wind, believing the breeze carries her wishes. She boards her school bus in silence—but at home, she shouts impatient demands to her mother. Her speech is polite in class... yet her actions whisper secrets.
"We now observe the duality," Aernis says.
Moral Ambiguities
During school break:
Merda steals food from classmates and hides it in a concealed box.
After school:
She visits local shops, fakes distractions, and takes items unnoticed. These stolen goods are given to beggars, with one strange twist— She invokes Laro's name as divine permission for her theft.
That night:
She argues with her father over homework. She insists he help her… then does it in his name. Before sleep, she plans her next theft, feeling wind swirl through her open window.
Verot turns to the audience.
"Merda is no simple thief. Her heart holds mercy, yet her methods wear shadows."
The judges lean in.
Clock Mask tilts his head. Red Moon Mask glows faintly crimson. Storyteller touches a scroll titled "Forgiveness". Story Changer writes a symbol in smoke.
The studio-darkened cosmos flickers with stunned silence. Anchor Verot places a trembling hand to his mask.
"Oh my mind… shattered. This child, Merda—born into wealth—could give, could ask, could offer through kindness. But instead, she steals under the banner of devotion. She whispers Laro's name like a cloak."
The screen replays scenes of Merda lifting bread, slipping coins, giving with sacred phrases.
Her logic: If I am a child, the sin belongs to my Totem.
The judges speak one by one.
🎭 Divine Judgment Begins
Mazi, Totem of Creation—Clock Mask shines amber:
"When I wrote her fate, I allowed a single theft—an act of hunger and growth. But she repeats the deed. This is destiny rewriting itself. I must intervene."
He closes one book and opens another: Correction.
Zavir, Totem of Destruction—Red Moon Mask glows cool crimson:
"Punishment must teach. Not destroy. Not spoil. It must weigh on the Totem, not only the mortal. Let the wind tremble with consequence."
His scroll reads: A Warning in Flesh.
Laro, Totem of Wind, steps forward.
His voice is gentle, his sorrow sharp.
"She prays to me. She trusts me. She sins in my name. I… accept the burden."
He turns toward the cosmic tribunal.
"Let punishment fall. But not on soul. Not on spirit. Take... her leg. Let her fly no longer on stolen wind."
The crowd gasps.
Lightning forks behind the screen.
A whisper runs through the multiverse: She who walked with wind, now limps with truth.
Drakso
, the Story Changer, steps onto the cosmic stage, his Dragon Mask gleaming.
"Let the punishment unfold—not in chaos, but in quiet correction. The story has changed."
🌅 Merda's Next Morning
Merda awakens, unaware of fate's shift. She prepares as usual—school uniform, bag packed, wind prayer whispered.
At the bus stand, the school bus speeds past. She missed it.
Deciding to walk, she cuts through alleys. The wind swirls uneasily.
Suddenly—dogs attack, gnashing teeth and wild fury. She screams. Her leg bleeds.
A stranger appears, silent and swift. He lifts her and rushes to a nearby clinic.
But as she fades into pain… he vanishes.
He was Laro.
🏥 In Hospital
That night, her parents arrive in tears. Her classmates stand in shock.
The diagnosis is simple—and devastating.
"One leg gone."
But a masked doctor steps forward.
"She will receive a tech-leg. Yet beware: one more sin… and the other leg will vanish too."
He vanishes. He was Laro once again.
On screen: video replay, celestial confirmation, divine authority.
Merda is changed—physically and spiritually.
End of Broadcast
One hour later, Anchor Verot returns:
"The first day. The first story. Totem Contest has begun. Tomorrow, we meet the best devotee of Virtua, Totem of Strength."
His voice fades.
Real World Reaction
Across the multiverse, confusion reigns.
People call news channels. Channels call higher powers.
"We saw it. We couldn't stop it. It vanished. It wasn't hacked. It was... divine broadcast."
The Totems have gone live.
The game is real.