Chapter Four: New Beginning Part Two

On the streets, I observed with caution at some people who were giving us long, curious looks. It must be that we were new in this city because of how we glanced around in awe while taking pictures like tourists. Because of the medieval and ancient buildings surrounding us, it was like we were in a European city. Many of the European newcomers felt right at home. Although there were scattered Asian and modern buildings, most of them were the tallest structures in this city, up to two hundred meters tall.

“Is that a pyramid?” Katie pointed.

We stared in the direction she was pointing, about twelve blocks away. We saw the largest. Almost twice as large as the one in Egypt, this one had a smooth whitewashed surface with a capstone made of gold.

“That’s the Pyramid of New Beginning,” Hassan said. “It is now a bank of the Golden Griff Guild. That’s where they minted the chaffs and stored our gold.”

“Gold?” we all gasped.

“Everyone’s gold is in there,” he explained. “You would need an army to break into that place. It’s a shame that we can’t bring them to Earth, so try not to think of any foolish ideas. People here are very possessive of their valuables.”

When the seven suns were set, we arrived at a magnificent castle. Hassan guided us through its iron gate, passing the lavish courtyard, and inside the Marble Hall through the oaken double doors with a round, clear-glass window from above. It had a fantastic view of Starting Point. The ceiling had a crystal chandelier with its candle flames radiating the hall in bright gold. In front of us, two marble stairways lead up to the balcony with purple curtains. We assumed that was where the king himself would appear.

Hassan and the Crimson Shadow members left the castle once all the newcomers had gathered in the Marble Hall. We waited thirty minutes for someone to welcome us until Andromeda appeared on the balcony.

“Hello again, everyone,” she said. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

It was a good thing that it was only thirty minutes. Longer than that, we might get impatient.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” she announced. “I would like you to meet the Guildmaster and Party King of the Boston Tea Party Guild. Brave of Dionysus, the Party God himself. The man, the myth, the legend — Rad Meister!”

The only response from the crowd was a little applause and many perplexed stares.

“A Party God, huh,” I mumbled. That was a perfect title for the Greek god of wine, pleasure, and festivities.

Once the curtains opened, Rad Meister appeared, holding a golden goblet while his arms rested on the shoulders of four beautiful girls. I expected the king to be some pretty boy. Instead, he was a puny guy in a toga with a freckled face and curly orange hair. Having a pair of girls on each arm earned him a mixture of admiration and envy among the guys, and disdain from many girls. For some like me, I just wanted to know what was going on around here.

“Hello, newcomers,” Rad greeted with a high voice. “Welcome, welcome to the two thousand and eighteen years of Game of Heavens and Earth.”

Two thousand and eighteen years! Like the current year? Was that how long this Game had been? The crowd went silent for a while before erupting into an uproar. Rad coaxed us to calm down so he could explain.

Long ago, eight powerful braves managed to travel to the other side of the world, battling treacherous terrains and dangerous beasts. Since only one brave could reach the finish line, none of them were able to defeat each other. Because of that, they had a stalemate for a long time until they discovered a revelation that would change the lives of every person in this world forever.

“We don’t age,” Rad said aloud.

“What?” the crowd snapped.

“We don’t age. I may look physically sixteen to you, but I’m from the Nineteen-Eighties. I’ve already passed puberty, man. Lots of people here are hundreds of years old. A few are millennium old. We all stayed the same. We’re all practically immortals here.”

I swallowed hard, realizing why there were no adults to be found.

Someone in the crowd said for clarification, “So whatever happens to us here, we won’t die, right?”

“Absolutely, that’s what the gods said before they put us here.”

“Then what about those bullet holes from the stone bridges on top of the mountain?” Wilt asked with his voice so loud that the hall could hear him. “Can you explain that?”

I was astounded that he noticed that too. Everyone was shocked once again with words, bullet holes, echoed in the hall.

“Ah, I forgot about that.” Rad took a sip from his goblet. “We had a Great War about a century ago. But don’t worry, people. Guns got outlawed after that, and we’ve had peace ever since. Like that kid said, whatever happens, we won’t die.” He glanced at Andromeda with a sly smile. “Show them, Andy.”

Andromeda complied. She stood on the parapet and jumped. The crowd screamed in terror when she struck the marble floor. We all expected a bloody splat, but instead, she vanished with a pillar of light burst out from where she fell.

“Look.” Rad pointed out the window. At the peak of Starting Point, we saw another pillar of light before both disappeared in a second. “The best thing about this world is that as long as you die inside the Great Blue Zone, you’ll be resurrected in the Gate Ring. Wicked, huh?”

That explained the pillar of light earlier when Andromeda first appeared to us.

“Again, as long as you are inside the Blue Zone or any places with a blue sky, you’ll be fine,” Rad resumed. “You think the gods would put us here for a gory bloodbath. That’s unethical to their standards.

“Beyond the Outer Wall is the Yellow Zone. That’s the place with the yellow sky. In this world, death here is what we call, recall.” He air-quoted that last word. “Meaning, if you died there, you’ll be magically returned to our world in the exact time and place the moment before you met your god.”

“Oh, no,” I gasped with cold sweat.