*CRACK!*
Suddenly, a thundering sound filled the room.
The sound was so loud.
It felt like thunder struck the whole damn room.
"..."
Every single deity shut up instantly.
"ENOUGH!"
The Goddess of Wisdom had spoken, and even her fellow deities recognized the authority in her cold tone.
"You want to know what I think? I think you're all acting like kids fighting over toys while everything burns around us!"
With her golden eyes blazing with divine rage, she continued.
"Athena..."
Hermes started.
"No, you'll listen. All of you."
She cut him off sharply.
She turned to address the entire assembly, her owl ruffling its feathers in annoyance on her shoulder... even the bird looked fed up.
"The prophecy isn't some suggestion we can debate. It's the only path to victory that doesn't end with everything we've ever cared about disappearing into absolute darkness."
"The prophecies of the Seer have never been wrong."
"..."
Nobody could argue with that. Her track record was basically perfect.
"But a human..."
Hanuman began.
"A human, who is the same species that brought us into being through dreams. The very same species that has survived every disaster the world has thrown at them."
Athena started once more, her voice dropping to a dangerous level.
She paused, letting that sink into their thick divine skulls.
"You think they're weak? Earth just survived a Trial Invasion that wiped out half their population, and the survivors didn't just survive, they adapted. They awakened powers they never knew they had and kept fighting."
The chamber stayed silent. But the tension shifted from anger to undeniable truth.
It was a hard pill to swallow, to be honest.
"And more importantly... This is not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves... One wrong move, one moment of disunity, and entire factions could flip to the enemy's side in an instant."
Athena continued after a moment of silence.
She gestured to the energy table, which was now showing images of various supernatural entities already moving through Earth's wrecked cities.
"Look around you. All of Fantasia's entities are making their moves right now. While we're here debating whether to trust the prophecy, our enemies are out there corrupting, misleading, and recruiting the people from Earth."
"... She's right. Fighting among ourselves only helps the Antagonist."
Frigg nodded slowly, understanding appearing in her eyes.
"The Goddess of Wisdom speaks truth, united we stand a chance. Divided, we guarantee our own destruction."
Saraswati folded her multiple arms.
Thor shifted Mjolnir across his knees. His hammer hummed like it was agreeing.
"So what's the plan?"
"We've been waiting for the Great War, and now it's here."
The Seer said quietly.
The images on the table shifted to show darker scenes.
Shadows that moved with evil intelligence.
Creatures that were impossible to describe consuming everything in their path.
And somewhere in the darkness, a presence so evil that even viewing its reflection made several of the lesser deities step back from the table, like cosmic jumpscares.
"The Antagonist will seek to consume not just Earth, but all dimensions connected to it, including our dimension... Fantasia itself. Only the Protagonist has the power to stop this consumption. To prevent everything we hold dear from being devoured by absolute darkness."
The Seer continued, her voice taking on a scary tone.
"But they're just one person... Against something like that?"
Hermes muttered, still unconvinced.
"One person with the right power can change everything. History has proven this countless times."
Frigg said firmly.
"Mortal history, this is beyond anything mortals have ever faced."
Hanuman countered.
"Which is exactly why the prophecy exists, Ra's wisdom flows through these words... The Antagonist was designed to be unstoppable by normal means. Only the Protagonist's unique nature can truly destroy it."
Thoth said, finally looking up from his papyrus.
That's what the prophecy said... Though he felt bitter about it, obviously, nobody likes being told they're not good enough.
"And what if we can't find them in time? What if they die before they even know what they are?"
Hermes asked.
"Then we're all fucked."
Thor replied bluntly.
But of course, he earned sharp looks from several representatives.
"... What? It's true."
"..."
The deities fell silent.
They knew they were indeed fucked if that happened.
... They're just not used to such profaned language... the divine etiquette classes clearly didn't cover apocalyptic scenarios.
"Yes."
The Seer nodded grimly to Thor's statement.
"Even now, every faction moves to establish influence on Earth."
The table's images changed again.
Now showing scenes of various supernatural entities moving through Earth's cities and wilderness.
Some offered help to struggling humans, while others brought only more chaos and destruction.
"The Trial Invasion has already claimed nearly half of humanity, those who survived have been changed, awakened to powers they never imagined possible... It is among these survivors that we must seek allies, people who can aid the Protagonist in the battles to come."
The Seer continued.
"The children of Earth will need guidance. Without it, those who want to use them as pawns will find them easy prey."
Ra's golden words pulsed brighter in Thoth's papyrus.
"Or turn them against their own savior."
Freya added, her voice carrying the weight of bitter experience with mortal politics.
"The timeline is speeding up beyond our predictions. The merging itself has caused time fractures... Events that should take years are now compressed into months, weeks even."
Thoth looked up from his ever-writing papyrus, speaking with Ra's authority flowing through his words.
He rubbed his head as if it was aching from the amount of work that's about to come.
"Which means... We have very little time to act. The Great War approaches, and when it arrives, there will be no neutral ground... Every soul, mortal and divine alike, will be forced to choose a side."
The Seer said, her starlight eyes scanning the assembled divine representatives.
The chamber fell silent once more.
The weight of cosmic responsibility settled over the assembly like a heavy blanket, the kind that makes you realize you can't just call in if you're sick for work.
"Then we act quickly. Each pantheon will send representatives to Earth. We find the worthy, guide them, prepare them for what is coming."
Finally, Athena spoke, her voice carrying Zeus's thunderous authority.
"Agreed."
Came the reply from around the chamber.
"But remember... Subtlety will be key. Too heavy a hand, and we risk pushing potential allies toward our enemies. The humans must choose their path willingly, or the choice becomes meaningless."
The Seer warned as the divine representatives began to disperse, their forms shimmering as they prepared to project their consciousness across dimensions.
As the great chamber began to empty, the Seer remained behind, her perfect features creased with worry.
She gazed into the energy table, watching as it showed her glimpses of possible futures.
In some, Earth bloomed with new life and power.
In others, everything dissolved into an endless void of consuming darkness.
The margin between salvation and total destruction had never been thinner.
***
Meanwhile, in a realm that existed differently from all others...
The Celestial Heaven stretched across impossible distances.
Here, the very concept of beauty had been redefined and perfected... it's like someone cranked the contrast and saturation to maximum.
Clouds weren't just water vapor, but condensed dreams and hopes.
The architecture was organic, grown rather than built.
Spires of living silver reached toward a sky that showed not one sun, but seven...
Each casting light of a different color that somehow blended into perfect, warm brightness.
Gardens of impossible flowers bloomed everywhere...
Roses made of solid laughter,
Lilies that sang lullabies,
Trees whose leaves were pages from every story ever told with love.
At the center of this divine realm was the Cradle.
It was a sacred grove where the most elite of the Valkyries made their eternal home.
Ancient trees with bark like polished armor.
A perfect circle around a clearing where grass grew in patterns that told the history of every noble death in battle.
It's a memorial landscaping at its finest.
And at the center of it all stood countless pristine crystals.
Items that represented the lifelines of each Valkyrie present.
And at the very center was the biggest and most beautiful one... if only its surface hadn't lost its glow.
For ages, it had been dark.
Its many-sided surface reflected nothing but emptiness.
History says it had once blazed with silver fire.
One of the beacons that could be seen from any corner of the Celestial Heaven.
But that was before the Heavenly Demon War... before the great clash between the angels and demons.
... And before their first great captain lost her life during the war.
The current Valkyrie Captain, Sigrid, stood watch as she gazed at the biggest pristine crystal.
A nostalgic look was present in her eyes.
She came here to visit her former captain, before she needs to get on her work as they were being summoned by their Creator due to the recent dimensional merging of the so-called Reality.
What lay before her is he crystal lifeline of a familiar person.
A great rival.
And a best friend.
Captain Sigrid stood watch with a sad look, as she closed her eyes.
The current captain's wings were magnificent... They were feathered extensions that sparkled with starlight, and her silver armor gleamed with the same pearly brightness.
Valkyries of all types, perfect models of divine warriors, also stood guard around her.
The biggest crystal had been dead for so long that many of the younger Valkyries had never seen it show anything but empty transparency.
It became a memorial for those seeking courage while being watched over by the other glowing crystals as they monitored their comrades' lifelines.
Some Valkyries guarded it out of duty and tradition, not out of any real expectation that it would ever...
*Thun!*
A pulse.
Faint. Barely noticeable.
"... Hm?"
Sigrid, who was lost in her memories, snapped her eyes open to the crystal's core.
Her centuries of experience telling her that something had changed.
But before her conscious mind could process what she was seeing...
*Thunn!!!*
Another pulse.
Stronger this time.
A signature silver glow.
Like moonlight through water, flickered deep within the crystal's heart.
"C-Captain, is that...?"
Brunhilde whispered behind Sigrid, her voice tight with disbelief.
The beautiful crystal suddenly blazed to life.
Silver fire erupted from the crystal.
The glow was so pure and overwhelming that it made the seven suns of the Celestial Heaven seem dim by comparison.
Valkyries throughout the Cradle cried out in shock and amazement.
"... W-What?"
"T-This is...!"
"... Call the Heavenly Father!"
Some fell to their knees.
Others spread their wings and took flight, circling the reborn beacon in patterns of joy and reverence they had only read about in ancient texts.
The light pulsed once more, and with it came a sound... not heard, but felt in the very essence of every divine being present.
It was the call of destiny.
But as the silver fire reached toward the sky, piercing through dimensions.
*Wooom...*
... Something else began to form within the crystal's heart.
An image.
It was faint at first, like a reflection in disturbed water. But it was growing clearer with each pulse.
"... Captain, do you see..."
Brunhilde whispered, her voice barely audible above the celestial humming.
"I-Impossible."
Captain Sigrid stuttered for the first time.
But she couldn't look away.
The image was of a woman.
Mature, maybe in her late twenties, with silver hair that seemed to catch starlight even in the crystal's reflection.
Her face was beautiful and mature, but still youthful.
There was something ancient in her golden eyes...
Sharp.
Intense.
And serious.
A depth that spoke of battles fought and sacrifices made.
She wore bluish-silver armor that looked familiar, yet different.
More refined.
More... evolved.
She definitely looked younger than what Sigrid remembered, but...
'It's definitely her!'
"... S-She should be dead, she disappeared ages ago... A-After the Heavenly Demon War... After..."
One of the younger Valkyries whispered, her voice cracking with disbelief.
"... After everything fell apart."
Captain Sigrid finished, her own voice tight with emotion.
All the Valkyries were trembling with shock.
The silver-haired girl in the crystal's heart was someone they knew very well.
How could they not? She was the famous first captain who led the Valkyries to countless battles.
The first captain of the Celestial Cradle.
Her presence filled the entire Cradle with an energy that made every Valkyrie's wings tremble with recognition.
This was no ordinary reflection.
This was a connection.
A connection they once thought was forever lost.
A bridge across impossible distances and forgotten time.
"She's alive. Somehow, after all this time... Master is alive."
Brunhilde said, and the words carried the weight of revelation.
It was a miracle.
A great revival.
The pristine crystal pulsed brighter, and the image became clearer.
Captain Sigrid felt her knees go weak.
After ages of separation, the connection had been miraculously restored.
She didn't know why, or even how.
But one thing was for sure,
... Her best friend was alive.
The image of the First Star Valkyrie... of Aurelia was clearly reflected on the surface.
***
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