"Everything comes to an end! Life, Love, Laughter, everything! Including Worlds! Yggdrasil, Gaia, Geb, Nuna and so many more! When a life ends, they are sent to the afterlife. A mirror of the world they resided in. But what happens when a World dies, what happens when the mirrors follow?", he asked. Gorm's voice echoing throughout the theatre.

  "Every world that has gone through their ends, their apocalypse, their Ragnar?k. They all migrated here! On our world, our Nexus! How? Why? No one has solved this millennia old mystery! However...", his voice bellowed.

  "At the Summit Of Nexus, resides a Final Star! To catch this fallen star, is to gain the powers that far surpasses any god to have ever lived. Gain this strength and any wish your heart may desire! Shall be made reality!", He stabbed his spear into the ground.

  "Reach for the stars, clutch it in your grasp and your wish will be reality! My wish? Is to have my spear pierce the hide of Fenrir and the great serpent J?rmungandr!", He raised his fist, pointing at the sky. His bronze brace revealing itself.

  'If I... get my hands on the star... I can wish for anything?.' Ax asked himself.

  "However... the final star of Nexus. Was already cimed, clutched. Used. The wish used to bring all the gods, demi-gods and monsters back to life!", he said with fury. Ax's face turning a shade of confusion. 'What?'.

  A smile fshed across Gorm's face.

  "The final star of Nexus, the star of Floor-1. Has been used, diminished. The Final Star of Floor-2 however..."

  Ax's eyes widened, his heart beating louder and louder.

  "The Final Star of Floor-2! Has yet to be cimed! The Final Star of Cosmorgia! Has yet to feel the warmth of a mortal hand!", the emotion of the theatre changed. The mostly silent spectators, started cheering. Growing more and more rambunctious.

  "All of you here! Are already Summit Seekers! But without Allegiance. Without a common goal. Pass the trials with flying colors and you shall be given a silver token! The token signifying competence! Use this new found competence to join a new Order! Join comrades in arms and be given advantages beyond mere Totas! Or follow your new life solo! With nothing to drag you down! Just don't lose your sanity while you run solo.".

  "The First trial begins tomorrow! You will be given a symbol as you leave. Gamma! Theta! Or Kappa! They will guide a thousand of you to different trial grounds! The Desert, The Forest and a Fungal Lush!", as he started to finish his speech, flocks of ravens and doves started to gather around him.

  "The Odin's Ravens and Doves of Aphrodite! They shall be our eyes! They shall see your performance, to fall victim to our judgements!", He screamed as he walked back to the spear, picking it up off the ground and equipping his shield.

  "Scream, my Summit Seekers! Scream for these trials are not only a test of might! For these trials are a festival! A celebration of life and mortal desire! A celebration of struggle! A celebration of our new lives as Summit Seekers! Let the Trials Commence!" He roared as he held his shield close to him and pierced the bck sky with his spear.

  As Ax looked above him. He started to see, he started to see a shooting star, then another followed by another. Till the entire bck sky lit up with showers of shooting stars. Compared to nothing Ax had ever id his eyes upon. He looked around him, the other seekers who roared just a moment ago. All the seekers who couldn't sit still. We were in awe in silence.

  He looked next to him and he saw Eine, staring into the sky just like everyone else. The stars shimmering, reflecting off of her eyes and armored limbs. Staring with an expression of awe and pure joy.

  But who could bme her? He thought. Who could bme her? This wasn't a common occurrence back on Earth.

  ***

  "What... was all that? Does it just happen here?", Ax asked her, in awe of what just unfolded.

  "Yeah! Twice every year, one month in between each other.", she replied, showing the same enthusiasm.

  "Is that why the trials take a month to complete?"

  "Exactly why they take a month to complete. That being said, the pamphlets with the symbols are being given out. Let's walk back down.", She said as she got up, half the theatre already left.

  "Sure, I guess.", he said as the both of them walked down the stairs. Two workers in leather armor ran gave each of them a pamphlet, each with different symbols.

  Ax opened the pamphlet to see the letter 'K' engraved onto it. "I got... a K... Kappa! I got Kappa!" Ax excimed. As he read the fine print.

  "The Fungal Lush... Is that… a mushroom forest or something?" he asked himself.

  "Yeah, and I got... Gamma. The desert, shit. I guess we go separate ways then," she said as she dreaded the idea of getting sand everywhere.

  "I fucking hate sand," she said.

  A dove and raven perched on their shoulders.

  "Ah!" Ax shrilled.

  "Pfft—don't—look at their neck, you idiot," she said, trying to hold back her ugh.

  The dove that perched on Ax's shoulder had the K symbol around its neck as a neckce.

  "Oh, I think I know what to do from here," he said as he connected the dots together.

  "Yeah, they also act as our guides. Follow them and you'll be fine," she said as the both of them walked towards the exit.

  "I guess this is where we split; see ya after the trial ends, I guess?" Ax said as he looked at her.

  "Hmm. Yeah, see you then. Good luck." Ax raised his fist at her.

  Eine looked at it, then raised her fist and tapped his. "Good luck," he said.

  ***

  Ax followed a crowd that branched off the main one. And the dove sitting on his shoulder was silent, so it seems he's not messing up anything.

  "I wonder..." Ax said as he turned around in a different direction.

  The dove immediately got off and started cooing, pulling Ax's coat with its feet.

  "Alright, alright. I get it. Wrong way."

  ***

  After what felt like 15 minutes.

  "Whoa...'" Ax's jaw dropped with awe.

  Ax, along with the crowd, stopped by a sea. The sea was expansive, and by the shoreline were two galleon ships anchored to the seabed. The ships were massive, bearing three incredible masts for navigation. The dove perched on Ax's shoulder flew off to one of the ships.

  "I guess that's the one I hop aboard," Ax talked to himself as he hopped onto the deck from the dock he was standing on.

  "This is one massive ship, holy shit," he said as he walked towards the front end of the ship. His elbows resting on the thick wooden rails of the ship.

  "All hands on deck!" a man screamed from the crow's nest of the ship.

  "Next stop! The Lushmush Isle!" he screamed out.

  The anchor lifted, the chain rattling as it got pulled up below the docks. The wind started picking up, blowing Ax's hair behind him. The salty scent of the sea wind flushed his lungs. A soft smile spread across his face. He turned his head to look at some of the fellow passengers.

  *Bleeeeccccccchh.*

  Much to Ax's dismay, his serene movie moment got interrupted by a man wearing a silk robe, a tiger skin kilt, and was barefoot.

  The man looked up at Ax, whose face was already contorted with disgust.

  Ax's eyes widened. "You... you look like... Sun... Are you a stone monkey?" he asked.

  As he got a good look at the guy under the moonlight.

  His primate features are more visible. His red skin and grey fur. He opened his mouth once more to speak.

  "Yeah, what of it—" his words were immediately interrupted by more of his lunch.