"WELCOME, MORTALS… OR SHOULD I SAY… OUR SAVIORS!"
The goddess's voice rang out, cutting through the chaotic atmosphere like a knife through butter. Every head snapped toward her, and instantly their eyes glazed over with a mixture of emotions—mostly devotion, lust, and an overwhelming need to kneel and beg. Beg for what, exactly? I'll leave that up to you.
The goddess sighed as if expecting this. And she did. They could not be blamed; she was a goddess of love, lust, and beauty, after all. Mortals, in the face of the personification of such things, were bound to fall into such a state.
With a swipe of her hand, the "veil" she had placed on their minds lifted. Their eyes regained life. They were all startled; one minute they were standing in a panic, and the next they were kneeling, their foreheads touching the floor.
Not all remained in a daze. One such person was a boy with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face that screamed "protagonist." Basically, a really, really punchable face. He stood unhurriedly, lifted his gaze, and his blue eyes met the goddess's pink, heart-shaped eyes.
Budump~
Is this love? the protagonist thought.
The goddess's eyes twitched briefly before she hid it.
"A-are you a goddess, perhaps, ma'am?" the protagonist spoke softly and slightly nervously. Don't judge—this was his love interest, you know.
But—and I mean BUT—don't ever, when talking to your future female lead, call her "ma'am," or this will happen:
CRACK~
"Hahahaha! I see we summoned a joker," she laughed. But it wasn't a funny laugh. No, her eyes were squinted, her brows were twitching, and she wore a crooked smile that didn't reach her eyes.
And did the protagonist take the hint?
"Haha, the Miss Goddess is too kind. My name is Jake… but would it be okay if you told us why we are here?" he spoke, his voice filled with excitement. Yay! The goddess found me funny! he screamed inwardly.
By this point, the others had regained their focus. They stood bundled together as if scared they'd lose each other. Sadly—or maybe not—they all seemed to collectively see Jake, our protagonist, as their leader and spokesperson.
It seemed things weren't going well. This was shown by the way the goddess's voice had lost its graceful tone and now carried a touch of bitterness.
And can you blame her? She was a young—ahem, a relatively young goddess whose beauty surpassed all, and now some mere human was calling her "ma'am" as if she were some fossil. That accursed mortal, tch tch.
"H-hey, Jake, don't you think you're being too comfortable?" a reasonable boy whispered.
"Yeah, Jake, are you seriously trying to flirt with a goddess?" another spoke, her voice filled with disbelief and… respect? Damn protagonist halo.
Others joined in, trying to make their "leader" be more respectful. But sadly, Jake was having none of it. With a single glare, they all shrunk back and stopped speaking.
The goddess regained her graceful and godly appearance. She stood straight, cleared her throat, and began speaking. "Ah yes, as to why you are here… you, dear heroes, have been summoned as the saviors of this world to fight the beings trying to invade our home."
GASP~
She paused, letting them absorb the information, then continued. "Truthfully, this world would be doomed without you sob and its people killed mercilessly sob. So I—no, WE—beg of you, dear heroes: help us! Help us protect our home!"
The goddess's eyes glistened with tears, her face a picture of pity and sadness. Did I overdo it? she thought, seeing that nobody had said anything. She was about to speak again when she was cut off by the protagonist as he began his "hero speech."
"YES!" Jake shouted, perhaps a little too loud. He noticed the slip. Cough. "Yes… Miss Goddess, how could we, as saviors, just abandon you and your people?" His voice was filled with such righteousness it could kill an evil being on its own; it was that potent.
He spun on his heel, facing his teacher and classmates whose faces were now lined with skepticism. They were clearly not convinced.
"Haha, come on guys, think about it! We could be heroes! HEROES! Our names would be in history." His tone darkened slightly. "And let's be honest: back on Earth, most of you would have lived mundane, boring lives."
He paused again for dramatic effect.
"Now you guys have the chance to change that. Change your FATE!" He spun again to face the goddess, who looked amused. "And Miss Goddess, this world has powers, right? And we'll awaken powers, RIGHT?"
Ah, what a clever guy. The once unconvinced faces brightened with clarity. All eyes now turned to the goddess; her answer held power over their choice.
The goddess suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Cringe, she thought. But to her, that hardly mattered. If it worked, it worked. So, she played along.
"Yes, Savior Jake. This world is a place filled with endless opportunities for glory and prosperity. And as for powers… that is why you have met me before going on to your new world. I will be the one to awaken your latent potential."
The second she finished, the group became feral, all shouting and pleading for the chance to awaken first. Which, in all fairness, you'd all do… don't lie.
"STOP!" Jake shouted. And stop they did.
Jake bowed again and spoke. "I'm sorry for their behavior, ma'am. It's just that where we come from, such opportunities are impossible." He shot his peers a glare. "So please, don't take offense at their rudeness."
The others shrunk in embarrassment. They had acted like animals!
"Hahaha, I don't mind such eagerness, Savior Jake." The goddess laughed, then continued. "Now, if you have all agreed and wish to proceed, please form a line with Jake at the front."
Now, you might ask why, if she disliked Jake, she'd let him go first? You'd probably put him at the back out of spite. Tch. That's short-sighted. The goddess saw that if she wanted to control the heroes, Jake would be the way to do it with minimal effort. She's just laz—I mean, efficient.
The group's faces fell, realizing if they hadn't been so hasty, they might have had a chance to go first. Jake's face lit up, thinking the goddess favored him.
Then the goddess began explaining how they would awaken.
In short, each person would enter a small pocket dimension to undergo a rebirth, gaining a body that would not only accept mana but also awaken the latent potential of the soul. She added that, if lucky enough, they could be blessed by a racial change. If the group was ecstatic before, they were now practically bouncing off the walls.
"Okay… we will begin now." With a wave of her hand, space tore open, leaving a vacuum between dimensions. "We will enter through here, and once you are out… well, you'll be nothing like the mortals you are now."
Gulp~
The group, including Jake, swallowed hard. She just tore open space! they screamed internally.
"Now, step forward, Savior Jake."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
As Jake walked closer to the tear in space, the more frantic his heart became. Yet, he swallowed his fear and stepped through. The goddess followed, thinking these "heroes" were rather gullible. What if she were lying? (She wasn't, but what if she were?) So, guys, if a goddess summons you, at least think before you follow her into a tear in space. Stay safe out here; there are thieving goddesses everywhere these days.
Inside the pocket dimension, Jake stood rigid with sweat trickling down his forehead. It wasn't that he was scared—no, never. He was a hero! It was just that he was standing in front of a "pool" of sorts. The liquid within was translucent, and if one looked closely, they could see strands of all colors wriggling and intertwining.
The problem was the pressure emanating from it. The weight alone nearly made Jake's knees buckle. If not for the goddess standing next to him, he'd be nothing but a flesh-and-blood paste.
"I-I'm supposed to get in there?" he asked, pointing toward the pool.
The goddess smirked, saying in a teasing tone, "Don't tell me the mighty hero Jake is scared?"
The comment hit the nail on the head. Instantly, his face crumpled in embarrassment, but he steeled his heart and walked forward. "Hahaha! How could I be scared?!"
Once he reached the edge, he gulped hard. Then, with a bend of his knees, he jumped.
SPLASH~~~
Jake's body plummeted. He began flailing, panic seeping in as he ran out of breath. Then the pain hit. Sudden, agonizing pain shot through his body. His bones creaked and then, under the pressure, snapped. His blood vessels expanded and exploded. His skin began to shed. As the liquid seeped into him, his bones remolded, coming back stronger. His organs reconstructed, and his skin returned paler and unblemished, as if he'd been sculpted from divine stone.
This went on for hours. Finally, his body floated in the air.
GASP!!
His eyes snapped open. He began gasping for air, his lungs expanding and deflating at alarming rates. The goddess, watching from a distance, felt her breath hitch. Only one word echoed through her mind:
Primordial.
What was a Primordial? They were an extinct race, eradicated eons ago by the gods. They were known for alarming rates of growth, unusually large mana reserves, and adaptability. But Primordials were superior for one simple reason: each one awakened a "Gift"—something unique to them, gifted by reality itself.
"H-how?" she asked herself.
"Hmmm, a Primordial, huh? I wonder why one is so far away from home?"
A deep, powerful voice answered from beside her. He didn't sound impressed; he sounded amused.
"W-what… w-who are you!?" she screeched, her voice tinged with fear. How did he get here? How did she not sense him?
The stranger's ruby eyes shifted from Jake to the goddess. He flashed a toothy grin that sent shivers down her spine. In mock shock, he spoke. "Ahhh, how could I forget? I am in the presence of an almighty goddess."
His voice took on a royal, formal tone as he turned to her.
"Let me introduce myself formally. You may call me Vlad… Vlad Tepes."
The realm shook.
"Or, commonly known as Dracula."
The realm cracked, and the goddess's eyes began to bleed.
"Or, fully: Vlad Dracula Tepes, the Impaler."
The realm imploded. The goddess's head exploded. Vlad merely smirked.
"Curiosity always kills the cat, it seems," he muttered.
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This chapter was pretty useless, I might rewrite it. Let me know what you think.
And enjoy:)