Luca, seemingly bored with the whole "chosen one" spiel, suddenly perked up, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous light.
"Okay, okay." he said, rubbing his hands together with an almost childlike glee. "Enough with the dramatic backstory and the doom and gloom prophecies. Let's get to the fun part! Do I get any cool powers? You know, the kind of stuff that makes saving the world a bit more...exciting? Like...phasing through walls? The ability to fly? Time freeze? Or maybe I can talk to animals? That would be awesome! Imagine, commanding a whole army of squirrels! Or maybe I can shoot fireballs from my hands? Or control people's minds? No that would be too boring...Ooh! Or maybe I can turn into a giant, fire-breathing dragon! That would be epic!"
The Goddess of Space, struggling to maintain her composure in the face of his unbridled enthusiasm, simply shook her head, her expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"That was the initial plan." She admitted. "To bestow upon you certain abilities, augmentations that would aid you in your mission. We couldn't, after all, send a mere mortal, even one as...resilient...as yourself, on such a perilous quest without some divine assistance."
She paused, then added, with a hint of pride in her voice, "However...after witnessing how capable you actually are, we realized that such measures were unnecessary. You are, shall we say, more than equipped to handle the situation."
Luca rolled his eyes, a dramatic gesture that was somewhat undermined by his still-healing face.
"Cheapskates." He muttered under his breath. "Fine." He conceded, with a theatrical sigh. "I guess I already have enough...to handle this little problem." He then looked at her, a strange, almost ominous glint in his dark eyes, a hint of the power that lay dormant within him. "
This...This should be easy. A walk in the park. A minor inconvenience. Probably only take a day or two."
The Goddess of Space winced, a flicker of apprehension crossing her face. "A day or two?" She asked hesitantly. "What is going to happen in those two days?"
Luca shrugged, his movements still slightly jerky due to his injuries. "Oh, you know." He said casually, as if discussing the weather. "Repel the human forces. Send them packing. Fling them back to their continent with a flick of my wrist. Like you said, they're just a minor issue compared to what I can handle. Just a little...push."
If anyone else had made such a claim, the Goddess of Space would have laughed it off as delusional bravado. But she had seen what Luca was capable of from his records. She knew he was...different. Special. And potentially very, very dangerous.
A slow, somewhat apprehensive smile spread across her face. "You're right." She said, her voice laced with a hint of dark tendencies. "Sending you to push back the humans...it's like...Well, it's like what you humans would say is dropping an atomic bomb on a coughing baby."
"...A slight overreaction, perhaps, but undeniably effective."
Luca grinned back, a chillingly charming expression that belied the immense power hidden beneath his scarred exterior. "Exactly." He said, his voice laced with a hint of playful menace. "Overkill is my specialty...Always has been."
The Goddess of Space sighed, a sound like the rustling of cosmic winds.
"While we have deemed additional abilities unnecessary in your case." She said. "I am still obligated to bestow upon you a blessing, a gift befitting my domain." She paused, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. "And as the Goddess of Space, I grant you the ability to...create and utilize portals."
Luca's interest was immediately piqued. "Portals?" He asked, his disfigured face contorting into an expression of curiosity. "Like...the one I came through?"
"Precisely." The Goddess confirmed. "You will be able to travel instantaneously between locations you have already visited. This includes various points within Lunacris, temples dedicated to my sister, and even...back to your own world, should you choose."
Luca's grin widened. "Now that's convenient." He said, rubbing his hands together. "I wasn't quite ready to say a full goodbye to my world just yet. I can even see Sarah and Lily again..." He paused, a mischievous glint entering his eyes. "Wait a minute." He said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "If I can create portals...couldn't I just...you know...bring over a whole arsenal of weapons from my world? A thousand guns? A few tanks? Maybe a nuke or two? We could create an elite army, equip them with advanced weaponry, and just...obliterate the humans! Problem solved!"
The Goddess of Space shook her head, her expression firm. "While your...enthusiasm...is appreciated." She said. "That is not the purpose of this blessing. It is meant for convenience, for travel, not for...wholesale importation of destructive weaponry."
"...The portals are bound by certain...cosmic rules. They will not allow the transfer of objects that could cause significant disruption to the delicate balance of either world."
She softened her tone slightly. "You could bring a few...samples...from your world, for demonstration purposes. But anything beyond that...the portals will simply refuse. Think of it as a cosmic weight limit, designed to prevent...excessive...chaos."
She continued, "You can also transport people, within certain limits. You can bring others with you when you travel, but you cannot bring individuals from one world to another. The intermingling of souls across different realms is...frowned upon...by the higher powers."
Luca nodded, absorbing the information. "Rules, rules, rules." He muttered. "Fine. I can work with that. Though, I'm still a little disappointed about the whole 'no nukes' thing. That would have been fun."
"Oh, and one more thing." The Goddess of Space added, as if it were a mere afterthought. "While your primary objective is to protect the demi-humans from the human invasion—a task I'm sure you'll find...manageable—there is another aspect to your mission."
"The demi-human continent, you see...It has regressed significantly. Beyond simply lacking magic, they've fallen behind technologically, socially, culturally. They need...assistance. Guidance. You will need to help them rebuild their civilization, solve the various problems plaguing their societies. This..." She emphasized. "...is the true challenge."
Luca, his eyes already gleaming with anticipation, simply smiled. "So..." He said, ticking off the tasks on his mostly healed fingers. "One: repel the human invasion. Piece of cake. Two: rebuild the demi-human civilization. Slightly more...involved. Got it." He nodded, his expression confident. "Now, can we open this portal already? I'm itching to get started."
The Goddess of Space rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath about his impatience. "Such haste." She whispered. "It's almost as if he's eager to cause chaos." Nevertheless, she gestured, and the shimmering blue portal reappeared, pulsating with otherworldly energy.
Luca, his eyes blazing with excitement, took a step towards the portal. But just as he was about to step through, the Goddess of Space stopped him. "Remember..." She said, her voice laced with a hint of warning. "Your mission is to repel the human forces, not to...annihilate them. We are not condoning a genocide."
Luca chuckled. "Relax." He said, waving a dismissive hand. "I'm not going to massacre anyone. I'm human myself, remember? Atleast part humna. I'm just going to...take care of the leadership. The ones responsible for this whole mess. A little...persuasion...should do the trick."
He looked at her, his smile widening.
"Besides." He added. "I'm looking forward to a little peace and quiet in this new world. Some fun. Some relaxation."
"...So, really, you can put your worries to rest and put your trust in me, the very saviour, your sister chose."
And without another word, he gave her one last glance and stepped through the portal and vanished.
Watching him go, the Goddess of Space let out a long, weary sigh.
"I have never met such a...unique...mortal." She muttered to herself. She then looked upwards, as if addressing her sister, the Goddess of Equivalent Exchange. "I hope you know what you're doing, sister. I sincerely hope you chose wisely. Because if this goes wrong...I really, really don't want to be the one cleaning up the mess."
And with that, she opened another portal, stepped through, and the realm she had been occupying dissolved into nothingness...
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Luca stepped through the portal and into...another world.
The transition was seamless, instantaneous. One moment he was in the ethereal realm of the Goddess of Space, the next he was standing in the midst of a massive, ancient temple.
The air was thick with the scent of damp stone and something vaguely floral, and the silence was profound, broken only by the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore.
He looked around, taking in his surroundings with a slow, appraising gaze. The temple was clearly old, its grandeur faded but still evident in the intricate carvings that adorned the walls and the colossal sculptures of goddesses that stood watch over the main chamber.
Some of the statues were damaged, chipped and worn by time, adding to the temple's air of ancient mystery. Portions of the roof had collapsed, allowing shafts of sunlight to stream in, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.
Through these broken sections, Luca could see the vast expanse of a deep blue ocean, stretching to the horizon. It seemed the temple was situated on a tropical island.
He was standing in the center of the temple's main chamber, the now-closed portal a distant memory.
Just as Luca was about to turn and explore the rest of the temple, a voice, old and raspy but still carrying a surprising amount of power, shrieked.
"An undead!"
The echo of the word hadn't even faded before a chorus of similar voices erupted, overlapping each other in a symphony of panicked confusion.
"An undead? Here? In the sacred temple?"
"Heavens above! It's hideous!"
"Did it interrupt the ritual?"
"Maybe it wandered in while we were distracted?"
"Or perhaps...perhaps the ritual went wrong? Did we accidentally summon something from...from the underworld?"
"It must be a demon! Look at its horrifying visage!"
"Quick, someone grab the holy water!"
Luca, his disfigured face momentarily contorted in an expression of bewildered amusement, slowly turned back towards the source of the commotion.
He couldn't help but chuckle. "Undead?" He muttered under his breath. "Seriously? I mean, I know I'm not looking my best right now, but 'undead'? That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"
He raised a charred hand, examining it with mock concern.
"I'll admit, I'm a bit...crispy...around the edges. But undead? Come on, people. I'm still mostly flesh and blood. Well, mostly flesh. And some...regenerating bits. But still! I'm hardly a zombie!"
Luca, following the sound of the voices, finally laid eyes on the source of the commotion.
Standing a short distance away, huddled together in a somewhat disorganized group, were a dozen or so elderly women.
They were dressed in an eclectic assortment of elaborate, old-fashioned gowns, each seemingly representing a different culture or era. But what truly caught Luca's attention were their...unique...features.
These were no ordinary grannies. These were the demi-humans the Goddess of Space had spoken of.
One had a long, bushy tail swishing nervously behind her.
Another had pointed ears twitching with every exclamation.
A particularly tall woman with feathery wings folded tightly against her back seemed to be trying to hide behind a dwars who was barely reaching her knees.
There was a woman with sharp fangs peeking out from beneath her lips, her skin a shade of pale green.
And, to Luca's particular delight, there was even a slime girl, her gelatinous form quivering with anxiety.
"Well, hello there, ladies!" Luca said with a cheerful grin, spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "It's a pleasure to—"
But unfortunately, he was abruptly cut off by a shriek from a one-eyed woman who was clearly a cyclops.
"It speaks!" She exclaimed, her single eye wide with terror. "The undead speaks!"
The other women erupted in a renewed frenzy of panicked exclamations.
"A talking undead! Heavens above! And look at him! He's practically falling apart!"
"It must be an intelligent undead! Even more dangerous! Probably plotting to steal our souls!"
"But...It looks rather...like a melted candle that someone tried to glue back together with cobwebs..."
"And those burns! Did he try to sunbathe in a volcano?"
"He's so skinny! Did he escape from a famine?"
"He probably smells awful! Like burnt hair and old socks!"
"He's so ugly, he'd scare the goblins!"
"Clearly, the ritual went horribly wrong! We were supposed to summon a savior, not a...a...a walking, talking, crispy critter!"
"Crispy critter?" Luca muttered, his grin widening. "Now that's just rude."
He watched in amusement as the women continued to chatter amongst themselves, their voices rising in a crescendo of accusations and speculations.
Instead of getting offended, he was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, finding their fear and confusion oddly endearing.
He was starting to think that this 'saving the world' gig might be more entertaining than he had initially anticipated.