The world spun silently upon the board.
Clouds drifted over oceans. Nations rose and fell in the blink of an eye. Civilizations bloomed like flowers before withering into dust. Thousands of years passed upon the miniature Earth while only a few moments passed within the endless darkness surrounding it.
The two gods watched.
And watched.
And watched.
"Yawwwwn."
An act so unnatural for a divine being that the universe itself seemed confused by it.
Stark (The God of Persuasion and Parties) leaned lazily against nothing at all, somehow sitting despite there being no chair beneath him. He twirled a goblet made of the void and stars between his fingers.
In that goblet, a liquid that currently had a party going on inside of it was happening. Figures danced and spoke as if nothing unusual was happening.
He lifted it to his lips. Swallowing the feelings of a party.
"Well," he sighed, "this is already boring."
The world on the board continued turning.
The second god crossed his arms.
Gonari's (The God of Victory and Fortune)armored shoulders and arms reflected the miniature wars and victories occurring below. Thousands fought. Thousands died. Kingdoms clashed against kingdoms.
His eyes followed every battle.
"Then perhaps your attention span is the problem."
"My attention span?" Stark scoffed. "I watched one empire conquer another twelve times in a row. Even the mortals are recycling ideas."
"And not one damn party has happened in the past week!"
"Perhaps you do not understand the meaning of war." Gonari spoke, focused on the victories happening across the globe. Whether that be in battles, gambling, or simple children's games.
"What's the point of war if there is no celebration afterwards?"
"War reveals a person's true character. On the battlefield, deception is stripped away, leaving only truth."
"It is where shells are broken."
"Yeah, yeah, victory is nice. But watching everything spiral into a party? That's unforgettable. Stark spoke ever so swayingly as he lifted his goblet once again, smirking.
Gonari's golden armor shone, its reflection going through the victories and fortunes happening across the globe at a rapid pace.
"Gold is purified in fire. Why should humanity be any different." He stated like a fact of life. Not being persuaded in the slightest.
"I like that one"
A third figure appeared upside down above the board. Cloaked and shadowy.
Nobody had seen him move.
One moment he wasn't there, and the next he was.
The Nameless Godgrinned. (The God of Lies and Mistakes)
"Actually, this empire is using a different flag."
Silence.
Then Stark burst out laughing.
Even Gonari struggled to suppress a smile.
The Nameless God landed softly atop the board itself, somehow standing on the clouds.
"Look at them," he said.
He pointed downward.
"Building cities."
Another point.
"Destroying cities."
Another.
"Building them again."
His grin widened.
"Do you ever think they might be copying us?"
Stark laughed harder.
Gonari grunted.
"Mortals strive for pureness and progression."
"They strive for repetition," Stark corrected.
"They strive."
The armored god's voice echoed through the endless darkness.
"And that alone makes them worthy."
The Nameless God walked across the oceans.
Every step caused strange ripples through reality.
"Worthy of what?"
"Purpose."
The Nameless God tilted his head.
"What if purpose is boring?"
Neither god answered.
The silence stretched.
Then Stark suddenly stood.
An idea flashed across his face.
The kind of expression that had historically resulted in several extinct species.
"Oh."
The smile slowly spread.
"Oh, I have a terrible idea."
Gonari immediately frowned.
The Nameless God immediately became interested.
"Tell us."
"No."
"Tell us."
"No."
"No."
"Tell us."
"Dammit!" Stark cursed
"Someone made a mistake~" The Nameless God's formless grin stretched inhumanly wide.
"Okay, fine." Stark spoke, grumbling.
He snapped his fingers.
The Earth vanished.
The board emptied.
Only the hexagonal tiles remained.
The endless darkness seemed to lean closer.
"What if," Stark began. "We stop watching history?"
The Nameless God nodded.
"So far, I'm listening."
"What if we play it instead?"
For the first time, Gonari looked away from the board.
A dangerous sign.
The god was intrigued.
Stark noticed.
His grin grew wider.
"We create miracles."
Gonari remained silent.
"We choose mortals."
...
"We give them power."
The Nameless God laughed.
"Oh, well, that sounds irresponsible."
"Exactly."
The grin widened.
"We choose one mortal each."
The board beneath them began shifting.
Hexagons expanded.
New layers unfolded.
Mountains rose from nowhere.
Empires appeared.
Entire continents emerged.
The board continued growing.
And growing.
And growing.
Until it resembled a complete world.
The Nameless God stared.
Then slowly smiled.
"This chessboard has gotten a lot larger."
"Now you're understanding."
Stark spread his arms.
"Three players."
The board flashed.
"Three miracles."
Three empty spaces appeared.
"Three stories."
The spaces glowed.
"And whoever creates the most interesting outcome wins, and when it's over, we're throwing the greatest celebration this void has ever seen."
Gonari stepped forward. Ignoring the comment on a celebration only focused on one concurrent thing.
"Wins what?"
Stark paused.
The Nameless God paused.
The three gods stared at one another.
Then simultaneously realized none of them had thought that far ahead.
The Nameless God laughed so hard he fell through the board.
Then he appeared inside Stark's goblet.
Then he appeared beneath Gonari.
Then reality seemed to remember where he was supposed to be.
His voice echoed from somewhere beneath reality.
"We don't even have a prize!"
Stark snapped his fingers.
"The winner...and the loser..."
Gonari groaned.
The Nameless God reappeared.
"That's cruel."
"Exactly."
The three shared a rare laugh.
Then Gonari became serious.
"If we are doing this..."
His gauntlet touched the board.
Golden light spread across the continents.
"...Then the game must be fair."
Stark immediately objected.
"No."
"Relatively fair."
"Better."
"The chosen mortals must have free will."
Stark nodded.
"Agreed."
"We may guide them."
"Agreed."
"We may influence circumstances."
"Agreed."
"But we may not directly command them."
The Nameless God sighed.
"Fine."
The rules etched themselves into the board.
Ancient symbols burned into existence.
The game accepted them.
The Nameless God stepped forward.
"And one more rule."
The other two looked at him suspiciously.
The trickster smiled.
"If a Miracle discovers the truth of the game..."
The darkness stirred.
"...they may challenge the players."
Silence.
Stark blinked.
Gonari blinked.
Then both smirked.
Because suddenly the game had become much more interesting.
The board trembled.
Three empty spaces appeared above the world.
Waiting.
Three mortals.
Three futures.
Three disasters waiting to happen.
Stark raised his goblet.
Gonari rested a hand upon the hilt of his sword.
The Nameless God produced an impossible deck of cards from somewhere within his cloak.
The world below continued turning.
Unaware.
For now.
"Shall we choose our pieces?" Stark asked.
Gonari nodded.
The Nameless God's grin became impossibly wide.
"Lies to Parties, Mistakes to Victories, Chaos to all! Let the game begin.~"
The lights above the board dimmed.
Across Earth, three unsuspecting humans continued living their not so ordinary lives.
None of them knew that at this very moment, three gods had fixed their eyes upon them.
And none of them knew that the first move had already begun.