The Lost Kingdom | Nova Terra Chronicles

Location: Arena Games - NTG Lounge:

The lounge was quiet. Too quiet.

Rikushi sat forward, his elbows on his knees, hands clasped as he stared at the monitor mounted to the lounge wall. Hoshina sat beside him, fingers laced around a mug of something warm, though she hadn't taken a sip.

Glonk leaned against the far wall, arms folded. Zamy swayed gently with their eyes closed. Davie stood near the corner, checking and rechecking the calibration of his pulse rifle, not out of necessity, but habit. Mek sat cross-legged, visor dim, running diagnostics in his head. Kayma, Kuddle, and Musi were scattered nearby.

The air was thick with tension.

The screen flashed as Paulta was thrown across the sand arena like a ragdoll, slamming into the wall with a thunderous CRACK. The cameras zoomed in on Silvanus, the towering god of nature and forest, stepping forward like a living siege engine, vines coiling around his limbs.

A ripple of fear ran through the room.

"...They're getting stronger," Rikushi muttered. "The gods are starting to take us seriously."

"They should," Glonk grunted. "We've made our mark. But now... they're trying to erase it."

Davie set down his rifle with a metallic clink. "We're up next. GD6, right? Discordia, Coelus, Cardea, Carna, and Aesca...Aesculo..."

"Aesculapius," Zamy whispered. "And all of them are gods... designed to be chaos incarnate."

Kuddle shuffled uncomfortably. "I-I'm not sure I'm ready."

Kayma cracked his neck. "Doesn't matter. Ready or not, we walk onto that field."

"But how do y'all win?" Musi asked quietly. "They're gods."

Rikushi stood, turning to the group. "We don't win by playing it safe. We win by becoming more. Every single one of us that ascended... we weren't chosen by fate. We forced the stars to look our way. You'll have to do the same."

"But... me... and Davie--" Mek started, looking down at his hands. "We're not like you. No soul. No blood. We're just code. WE'RE ANDROIDS!"

Davie didn't speak.. but he didn't have to. The silence said enough.

Glonk looked between the two and let out a breath. "You think gods bleed circuits? You think power is about being 'alive'? You two are more human than most I've met."

Rikushi quickly added, "Mek. You took care of Musi while Kuddle was gone, right?" then added, "And Davie. You genuinely laughed when we were stuck in that Vault, you had fun, and I don't think a basic 'android' would do that. You're more human than most... Humans!"

Davie and Mek opened their eyes wide, as they stared into the ground.

Zamy opened one eye. "Sometimes... miracles happen when the system breaks."

The screen flashed again--this time with the final blow. Novema fell to one knee, and the match ended with GD3 declared the victor.

The announcer's voice roared through the speakers:

"AND THERE IT IS! GOD-TEAM THREE--ADVANCING WITH A FLURRY OF POWER UNMATCHED! ANOTHER STEP CLOSER TO THE FINALS!"

The room was silent again, until--

"Something great will happen," Hoshina said suddenly, her voice firm but kind.

Everyone looked at her.

She met Mek's gaze, then Davie's.

"But it won't be pretty... it'll hurt, and it'll test what you think you are. But it'll be fun."

She smiled. "And it'll change you. Just don't run from it."

The bell for the next match rang outside.

Mek stood up, followed by Davie. Kayma tucked his small knife into his pocket. Zamy and Kuddle walked in unison behind them.

Rikushi stopped them at the door.

"Don't try to be gods," he said. "Just be legendary."

They walked through the tunnel, the lights above humming louder with every step, the roar of the crowd growing closer. The arena loomed just beyond the shadows, a battlefield waiting for sparks to fly.

Across the sand stood GD6.

Discordia stood at the center, clad in swirling robes, holding a staff that pulsed with chaotic energy.

Coelus, glowing with astral enchantments, floated inches above the ground.

Cardea, the goddess of thresholds, had dual daggers that warped space when they moved.

Carna, radiant and lethal, held curved blades and a smirk that promised violence.

Aesculapius, tall and serene, the god of healing... and of controlling life and death.

Five gods vs Five mortals. Or maybe something... on the brink of more.

The air was electric.

Mek activated his helix reactors in his mecha-suit. Davie equipped his ion sword and blaster. Kayma's hands glimmered with Shadow-Magic. Zamy's aura of dark and decay swirled around him. Kuddle's eyes glowed as he stepped forward, with his Druid-Staff.

Let the next fight... begin.