When I opened my eyes I was standing on a vast plane that stretched on endlessly. The ground reflected the sky… or whatever was above me. There was a tapestry of twinkling stars both above and below. When I looked around I saw this plane wasn’t as empty as it initially seemed. 

Standing a few meters away from me was a person… or at least I thought it was. They seemed to glow, and beckoned me to approach when all else was dark. Tentatively, I stepped forward. My footsteps didn’t make a sound on the reflective ground.

I got closer and it became clearer that this… person wasn’t Human. But they didn’t look like a Monster either. Their features were all pale, like skin devoid of blood. Their eyes were covered by hands — of which they seemed to possess three pairs of. Their other four arms hugged their body which was covered in robes just as white as they were. They were beyond beautiful, making them both otherworldly and terrifying. I opened my mouth to speak but froze.

“You’re here,” they murmured. 

Their voice was equal parts beautiful and grating, pressing against my heart like an indescribable emotion.

“W-who?” I stuttered, wincing. 

“Kodeko Piveto. I am Karma. You should be aware of who I am. After all, you are one of my few worshippers,” said the being. 

Dumbfounded, I continued to stare at the beautiful being until their words started to make sense. Karma… and I, their worshipper. My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. 

“Karma… you’re the God of Fate,” I whispered. 

A wave of emotions washed over me. Awe, elation, confusion then anger. I remembered why I was here. I was dead, and it seemed I’d met a god at last. And just liek my family, I was killed by Monsters.

“You’re angry,” remarked Karma.

“Yes,” I said stiffly. “Have you been watching? All along?”

“Indeed.”

“Then why don't you do anything? Where are the others? Aren’t there seven of you?” I looked around. 

“Were seven of us. They’re too busy fighting,” Karma maintained their indifferent tone.

“So what am I here for?!” I snapped.

Karma was silent, their expression still unchanged. Then they smiled. It was even more beautiful than their neutral face. 

“Your family is in the spirit land, watching over you. I offer you two options, Kodeko Piveto,” Karma monotone. “You can join them… or I can imbue you with Ase and you won’t die.”

“Wait, my family? Where are they?” I questioned, still confused. 

“You may recall your father and mother teaching you what little they preserved of their culture. You have great potential. Your Chi is strong. You know who I am so you know I can see your fate. Allow me to imbue you with Ase, or follow your family to Ala Mmuo.” 

I’d never heard these words outside my father and mother’s lectures and stories, so I was still in shock. Chi was supposed to be me but in some cosmic sense while Ase was some sort of authority I held on the world. It was a profound, spiritual thing to us but here was the God of Fate telling me my Chi was great and that he’d imbue me with Ase. 

“What’s the catch?” I said after a long pause. 

A pair of Karma’s arms unwrapped themselves from their body and they held up their hands as if they were a scale weighing two options.

“If you choose to join your family, there is no catch. Your soul will naturally venture to Ala Mmuo if you die. When you die. But, if you choose to come back to life with my Ase, I will have a job for you,” Karma explained. 

“And that is?” 

“Well, it is of benefit to you as well. You must defeat the overlord of your city: The Tsar. You see, the only reason I could come to you like this was because you worshipped me, and with your body on the boundary of life and death, material and immaterial, now I can visit you. But my reach is still weak and all of the gods have limited power in The Tsar’s Domain,” Karma clenched one the hands they were holding up. “Will you do it?”

I stared at my reflection on the ground below me. 

I didn’t want to die. There was a time where I did. Gods knew if it was just a few months ago, I might’ve been relieved to join my family, maybe even relieved I got to go out the same way they did. But not anymore. I either waited and died or died doing something instead of just staying hopeful.

“I can do it but… I don’t think taking down the Tsar is a one man job,” I said after a long pause.

“The others of the Pantheon have agents who’ve infiltrated The City and there are others who’ll help you. You just need to know where to look. Now…”

Karma leaned forward, their face leveling with mine. 

“I’ll see you again.” The void closed in on me, and everything went black. 

When I could feel again I was on the ground, gasping for air.