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The goddess who had chosen Clara guided the young woman through the glowing door that connected the university's psychology classroom to an entirely different world.

The girl felt unable to refuse the long-haired woman's will. It was as if she were completely entranced.

"You have nothing to fear, sweetheart," the goddess told her.

Clara couldn't respond because of the imposing aura radiating from the deity, and even less so because of the surprise she felt when she saw how the landscape changed beyond the door.

Although her feet walked upon solid ground, there was no visible floor. All around her were stars, distant constellations of various hues, and faraway planets whose shapes and colors she could make out.

"What... what is this place?" Clara finally asked. "Space?"

"It's our home," she replied calmly. "The home of the gods."

The golden-haired woman continued walking across the solid expanse, leading the young woman by the hand.

"You're very lucky. You know that?"

Clara shook her head and looked at her with curiosity.

The goddess returned a tender smile, the kind of smile one gives a pet that doesn't understand a single thing being said to it.

"Mortals like you cannot reach the home of the gods. Only the few we choose can come here."

The goddess stopped and stood in front of the young woman without letting go of her hand.

Although Clara wasn't short, standing at five feet seven, she felt like a child next to her. The woman towered far above her, standing more than eight feet tall.

"Rejoice. This is a great honor for you," she said seriously. "I, the Goddess of the Stars, have chosen you as my representative. You are the Star Heroine, and I will grant you my blessing."

"A heroine?"

The deity looked at her coldly after the question, and Clara understood that it wasn't the time to ask questions.

Something that had always characterized the girl was her great intelligence and ability to read and understand situations. From the woman's expression, she knew that she had to respond with the words expected of her:

"Forgive me. I still don't fully understand the situation, but I understand that this is a unique opportunity. Thank you very much for choosing me, great goddess."

The deity smiled and proudly puffed out her chest.

"Excellent. Sometimes I forget that I'm dealing with mortals and that you know almost nothing about us," she sighed, gazing into the emptiness of space. "I'll have to remind the other gods of that. Some of them have very little patience."

She fixed her gray eyes on Clara again and continued:

"We are not gods of your reality. We rule over Deivas, the world to which you and your companions will be sent."

The young woman swallowed nervously upon hearing that but didn't dare ask any questions.

"Millennia ago, the gods made a pact not to interfere with the world directly. Our powers are not equal, and since many of us had different ideas about the world's destiny, we decided to let mortals act of their own free will, guided by our blessings."

The goddess seemed bored with the explanation.

"Unlike your reality, Deivas contains a high amount of energy within it: mana. It not only allows mortals to use magic but also creates great dangers throughout the world—the Catastrophes—which threaten the lives of our worshipers. And this is where you come in."

The woman's expression changed completely. Now she smiled faintly as she said:

"You and your group will be the heroes who save the world from the Catastrophes. Each of you will receive a blessing from a god, and you will be able to use some of our abilities to fulfill the mission we are entrusting to you."

Clara felt overwhelmed by the information. It seemed so unreal that she began wondering whether she was dreaming.

Everything the goddess explained sounded like something straight out of a video game or anime, and Clara felt that if this had happened to her back when she was in school, she would have been excited and thrilled. But now, something worried her.

She didn't know exactly what was troubling her, but her mind told her to remain alert.

"Perfect. You seem to understand," the goddess said without giving it much importance. "Now I will give you my blessing. I will grant you the knowledge of Starfire."

Clara snapped back to attention and listened carefully to every word the goddess spoke.

"Starfire has two functions. If you use it on a target you consider hostile, it will cause harm, but if you use it on a target you consider an ally—including yourself—it will heal wounds."

«Definitely like a video game,» Clara thought.

"Once I give you my blessing, you will awaken in Deivas, at one of my altars. There, you will reunite with your companions once they have all been blessed."

The Goddess of the Stars finished her explanation and immediately raised her hands to begin the ritual, but before anything happened, Clara quickly asked:

"Why did you choose us?"

The woman looked at her coldly, as if she were annoyed.

"Are you perhaps looking down on my gift?"

"No... no... that's not it," she hurriedly replied, her heart pounding. "I'm truly grateful, but I don't understand why us when we belong to another world."

She gave her a grimace but answered with a huff:

"We gods have our reasons."

Clara knew she wasn't going to get the goddess to tell her anything more. So, to avoid angering her, she nodded.

"I understand. Thank you very much."

The deity narrowed her eyes and, without saying another word, began her ritual.

With her arms extended upward, the constellations surrounding them began to move and spin.

Clara felt firmness beneath her feet, but the surrounding motion made her feel as though she were floating, causing dizziness that threatened her balance.

The goddess's hands, which ended in long golden nails, began to glow, emanating a powerful radiance that blinded the girl.

Unable to see anything else, Clara felt the pressure of one hand against her chest and another against her head. Immediately, she was overwhelmed by a comforting warmth that smothered every other sensation.

For a while, though she couldn't tell whether seconds or hours had passed, all she felt was that warmth and an image within her thoughts that her brain received as information:

"☽✦ AST · EL"

Although Clara was unable to explain the meaning of those symbols, her body and mind understood that, with those words, she could use Starfire as if it were innate within her. The information was engraved into her soul.

When the light and warmth dissipated, darkness enveloped her in a deep sleep, which was interrupted by a gentle movement on her right shoulder.

The girl heard the echo of a voice speaking to her, but although she tried to understand what it was saying, the words sounded like strange babbling.

She gathered her strength, opened her eyes, and regained all her senses.

She felt the cold floor beneath her as she lay there, while a heavy floral incense scent filled her nose.

Beside her, crouched and pushing her shoulder to wake her, was a young man with round glasses and curly hair, dressed in a white-and-green robe.

The boy had a wide smile and bright eyes filled with excitement.

"Bene venisti!" he said in a language Clara didn't understand.

She was the first to awaken in this new world.

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