"Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road."

  Dag Hammarskjold, Swedish Diplomat

  “Milly!”

  Milly’s heart soared as she emerged into the dimly lit cavern and heard Calista’s excited shout. The next moment, Calista wrapped her arms around Milly in a fierce hug, burying her head into Milly’s shoulder. Instinctively, Milly’s hands wrapped around Calista’s waist and she held her tightly.

  “I’m so glad you are safe,” said Calista, relieved. “What took you so long? You had me worried sick.”

  “Sorry, Calista,” Milly said, leaning into the hug. “I…had a hard time with my scenario. It was not what I expected.”

  She could not tell them about Luna. About the backdoor to the Contest. She knew now that everything they did, everything they said, was being watched. If there was a puppet master manipulating the contests from the shadows, he could not learn about Luna.

  Calista didn't ask her anything further, sensing her reluctance. She simply held Milly tighter.

  “Calista… umm… you're going to crack my ribs,” Milly said reluctantly, and Calista released their hug with a sweet smile.

  Milly reached up and lightly touched Calista’s short red hair, freshly cut and frayed at the ends. “You look beautiful, Calista,” Milly whispered. “I really like it.”

  “Do you?” responded Calista. “I’m glad. It was… a fresh start. To be who I want to be, you know?”

  “I… yes, I know what you mean,” Milly said, smiling at Calista’s newfound spirit. She seemed more sure of herself, more confident in who she was.

  “You two are just adorable,” laughed Rain, who was leaning against the tavern wall and watching them with a sly smile and a twinkle in her eye.

  Calista stepped back from Milly, feeling her face flush. “What do you mean by that?” she asked, but Rain did not answer. She just rushed up to Milly and wrapped her in her own enthusiastic hug.

  “We were worried about you, Mils,” Rain said, “Calista wouldn’t sit still because she was so anxious. She refused to leave the Arena without you.”

  “I’m safe, Rain,” Milly said, returning the hug and feeling grateful for her friends. She looked down at Rain’s hand and saw the cut across her palm. She turned Rain’s palm up and gathered her healing magic in her hand.

  “It’s nothing,” Rain explained, but she gave a sigh of relief as Milly’s healing took away the sting.

  “I guess we need to wait for Xavier,” Calista said reluctantly. “He hasn’t shown up yet. Once he gets here, we can leave this crazy place. Though he's going to get such a piece of my mind for his shitty attitude.”

  Milly had watched Xavier on the monitors, leaving the Arena without a thought given to any of their fates.

  “Xavier is already gone,” Milly said with an angry bite. “He didn’t wait for us. He just… left.”

  “What a tremendous asshat,” Calista spat, no longer feeling the need to try to hide her intense dislike.

  Milly wanted to defend Xavier. She wanted to believe he was still her friend - that he was simply misunderstood and had confused this world with a video game - but, deep in her heart, she wasn't sure he was anymore.

  And why doesn't that bother me more?

  “Let’s just go,” Milly muttered. “How do we get out of here?”

  “Easy,” Rain announced. She walked up to the wall at the end of the cavern and pressed her hand against it.

  “Everyone ready?” Rain asked, and Milly and Calista nodded. “Let's do it.”

  There was a click and a whirl, and a doorway sprung opened in the rock, leading into a narrow corridor. The evening sun was shining at its end, a welcoming sight. Calista gripped her driftwood spear and headed through first, and Milly and Rain followed.

  Milly was excited, the bitter thoughts of Xavier already fading. The mountain air wafted into the corridor, bringing a sense of renewal. As they got closer, she could hear the faint and rhythmic crash of steel on steel. It grew louder and louder with each step they took, a triumphant applause that built to a crescendo as they stepped into the light.

  They were standing in a forest glade, a stunning waterfall cascading down the side of the mountain and into a stream that split and encircled four large golden chests resting on white pedestals in the middle of the glade. Along the mountain on either side of the waterfall, a dozen statues, twins to the pair that stood at the Arena’s entrance, collided spear and shield to celebrate their victory.

  Milly took a moment to breathe it all in. They had won! They had confronted the danger and triumphed. Milly thought back on the little girl she had been when she was hiding in that closet, scared and alone, and, for a moment, felt as though it had happened to her a lifetime ago.

  “Shall we?” asked Rain, beaming.

  “Absolutely!” shouted Calista, leaping into the air with joy.

  Milly stared at them with a massive grin. Her friends had both changed in the Arena. They seemed free of spirit, as if the Contest were resting a little less heavy on their shoulders. Calista practically bounced with giddiness as she ran over to the golden chests, and Rain followed close behind, eyes sparkling with the thrill of discovery.

  Milly wished she felt the same. She felt the weight of the Contest pressing down upon her more than ever, the secrets she needed to keep hidden added to the burden. She fell behind her friends as they dashed forward, contemplating.

  Luna was built… no…she was born to guide the Contest to victory. But if Luna was right, and there was a puppet master manipulating events from the shadows, the thirteenth God Contest will be doomed to fail just like all the others. It does not matter how well we play if the contest is rigged.

  She didn't know what to do. It all felt so hopeless. Impossible odds stacked on top of impossible odds.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” came Calista’s angry shout, breaking through Milly’s thoughts. “That bastard tried to take all our prizes.”

  Milly saw what had gotten Calista angry. The chest on the far right, the one for Xavier, was open and its contents emptied. The other three boxes had deep slashes across their locks, as if someone had tried to break them open with a blade, though they remained firmly shut.

  “It was not enough that he left us behind," Calista fumed. "He thought he would help himself to our rewards? What a complete, narcissistic, grade-A asshole.”

  “Calista, calm down,” Milly said, placing her hand on Calista’s forearm. “He didn't manage get them.”

  “No, but it looks like he was desperate to,” Rain said, inspecting the damage. “Look how deep these cuts are. He went all out. The Contest must have safeguards to prevent victors from claiming another's prize. Well, now I am even more curious as to what is inside”

  Rain pressed her palm against the nearest unopened chest, and they heard a whirl of gears inside. The chest popped open, releasing a cloud of celebratory sparkles and lights.

  “You know, it is the little touches that I’m learning to appreciate in the Contest,” remarked Rain, watching the pretty lights with fascination. “Now, let’s see what we have here.”

  Rain pulled out a journal that resembled the one from the goblin encampment where she had received her Alchemy talent. Instead of leather, this one's cover was fashioned from gold and silver, interlaced with decorative jewels. The left side was filled with plants and animals as the Alchemy skill journal had been, but the right side depicted the five basic elements - fire, water, earth, wood, metal, and earth - flowing between the plants and animals before filling a glass bottle.

  “It’s gorgeous,” whispered Rain. Her fingers shook as she held it. “I can feel the power it contains.”

  “What is it?” asked Milly.

  Rain focused and the description popped up.

  “Yes!” Rain shouted with excitement, startling Milly, who had not even finished reading the description. The words inside the journal started tearing themselves off the pages, hovering for a moment before floating into Rain’s eyes. Rain shivered as the information imbedded itself into her mind and a few moments later the book was empty of its knowledge, a gorgeous journal filled with blank pages.

  “Oh. My. Gosh,” Rain exclaimed. “This… this is incredible! I have so many ideas. So much to try. I need more ingredients. Milly, we need to head into the wilderness to gather some. I need to take some new talents to use some but... oh, I got a talent when we defeated that centipede. My mind is spinning with the possibilities. Oh. My. Gosh. Oh. My. Gosh. Oh. My. Gosh!”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Rain was spinning in place, eyes flashing with creative spark. Milly had never seen her so excited and couldn't help but laugh at her friend’s delight.

  “Okay, Calista, open yours," Rain said excitedly. "I want to get back to Rain On My Parade and start brewing!”

  Calista laughed and pressed her palm to the next chest. The same whirl and click sounded, and the chest’s lid popped open. Calista pulled out her own golden journal, this one decorated with a woman’s silhouette that glowed a faint green across its edges.

  Calista stared at the description, reading it through multiple times, appearing overwhelmed.

  Rain looked over her shoulder and giggled.

  “You had better love me enough to give me a shield, Calista,” Rain said, then added in a whisper and a sly smile. "I know Milly will get one.”

  “Rain!” Calista whispered back, shoving her away playfully and try to cover her growing blush. “You’re definitely not getting a shield.”

  “What are you whispering about?” asked Milly.

  “Nothing,” Calista and Rain said in unison.

  Milly gave them a suspicious glance.

  “I will accept Pinga’s Redeeming Protector,” Calista said, eager to move on from the conversation.

  The journal's words and images lifted off the page and came together to form a single symbol – a rounded shield decorated with a simple pink heart at its centre – which came to rest on her right shoulder. Calista hissed as it embedded itself beneath the surface of her skin, a permanent mark of the power.

  “What? Why do I get a tattoo?” complained Calista. “Rain didn’t have to get a tattoo.”

  Rain laughed. “You’ll have to start wearing an actual shirt again if you want to hide it.”

  “Well, I think it is cute,” Milly said, leaning forward to gaze at Calista’s shoulder. She gently traced a healing finger over it, in case it hurt.

  “I mean…I guess it could be worse,” Calista mumbled, her blush growing brighter at Milly's touch.

  “Hey Calista, let's test it out,” Rain shouted.

  Calista turned just as Rain hurled at small stone at Calista’s chest. There was a flash of pink, and the stone fell at Calista's feet.

  “Hey!” Calista protested.

  “Did it strike you?” Rain asked.

  “No, but don’t throw rocks at me.”

  “Fascinating,” Rain said, elated. “I wonder how many hits your shield can take without breaking?”

  “Just one, but... hey, put that down!” Calista objected as she saw Rain searching for another stone. “Milly, you're next and... why are you holding?”

  Milly let the tiny stone drop out of her hand.

  “Why should Rain have all the fun?” Milly laughed as she headed over to the final unopened chest.

  Will there be anything in here? I didn't complete my challenge.

  She pressed her palm to the chest and it slowly opened. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her own golden journal inside, engraved with a simple witch’s hat surrounded by flames.

  I'm hardly a hardly a champion of the downtrodden. A week ago I had no friends. No family. I was content to let life toss me aside. Is this really for me?

  Rain and Calista peaked over Milly’s shoulders to read the description, and nodded to each other.

  “Makes perfect sense,” Rain said. “You were the first person to give me comfort when we arrived here.”

  “And you’ve helped me to become a better person,” Calista added.

  “And you defended Billy and the others on the beach,” Rain continued.

  “And saved me from the centipede,” Calista expanded.

  “And let’s not forget that the CEOs really don't like you. That's a point in your favor. I mean, this talent was practically made to counteract their influence,” Rain said.

  Milly’s mind went to the CEOs, and she could not dispute Rain’s observation. Yet as tempting as it was to draw the connection to the CEOs, there was another enemy that she knew this was meant for.

  "The best I can do is try to counter the puppet master and help the players in small and subtle ways." That was what Luna said. Did she design this talent for me? Is this one of her ways of helping us?

  Milly gave silent thanks to Luna and accepted the talent.

  The entire journal lifted into the air and hovered for a moment before dissolving into a fine, golden dust. Milly gasped, and as she did so the dust surged i down her throat. It entered her blood and flooded into every corner of her body.

  “Are you alright, Mils?” Rain asked.

  Milly gave a weak thumbs up and she bent over and violently coughed.

  “Never better,” she said sarcastically.

  Calista led a coughing Milly over to a fallen tree and sat down. Rain pulled a water bottle from her inventory and handed it to Milly, who gulped it down until it was empty.

  “Thanks, Rain,” she said gratefully, handing the bottle back with a final, feeble cough.

  As her new power settled into the fabric of her being - dormant until it was called upon - a three-tone chime rang out. In the evening sky, above the Castle of Glass far in the distance, a giant screen with golden lettering appeared.

  The three friends looked at each other with apprehension.

  Phase two of the God Contest. We've defeated its first arena.

  “Congratulations everyone!” came the voice of Tutoria, booming across the world from the sky above. “I am thrilled to announce that four of you have just completed The Arena of Choice, marking the end of the Tutorial Phase of The God Contest. It took you just nine days and fifty-two lives to achieve this goal - one of the fastest completion rates in God Contest history.”

  Fifty-two people died during a tutorial? What are we in for?

  “Relish your success, players. You have survived! You have found food and shelter. You built friendships and alliances. You faced tragedy and sorrow. And you came out the other end with the spark of hope. As we enter Phase Two of the God Contest, hold onto those victories, as you will need them now more than ever.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Calista murmured.

  “I’m sure you're all wondering what exciting adventures are in store for you as we enter this next phase. Well, I won't spoil it for you, but I do advise anyone currently in the lobby of the Castle of Glass to vacate immediately. I need to do some quick renovations.”

  “Don't you dare touch Rain On My Parade, Tutoria,” Rain shouted up at the sky.

  She's putting on a brave face, but I can see the worry in her eyes. Rain On My Parade is her dream, and it could disappear in an instant.

  “There are seven hundred and fifty-five players remaining," Tutorai concluded with a flourish. "Good luck to each and every one of you.”

  With that, Tutoria’s voice faded away, and the message in the sky vanished.

  “We'd better get back to the Castle,” Milly said, just as another screen popped up in front of each of them.

  “Good timing,” Calista said, “Yes, we want to go back.”

  The ground beneath rumbled and knocked them off their feet. The empty chests and the pillars on which they rested vanished one by one, and where they once stood, erupted an obsidian obelisk twenty feet wide and forty feet high.

  “That’s handy,” Calista said, heading over to the pillar. “It will save us a ton of time when we can find more of these things.”

  ““But if these are necessary, it means this world is big" Rain commented, staring up at the giant obelisk. "Really big.”

  “Thanks Rain,” Calista said sarcastically. “It’s nice to know every rose has a thorn.”

  “Oh, I should try to find some rose thorns," Rain exclaimed, ignoring Calista's sarcasm. "They are integral in at least a half dozen potions I want to try out.”

  Milly placed her palm on the obelisk as Calista rolled her eyes, and a selection screen appeared.

  She looked over at Calista and Rain, who nodded.

  “Take us to the Castle of Glass,” she said, bracing herself.

  An instant later, she was hurling down the kaleidoscope tunnel, trying to keep her lunch down.

  The Non-Canonical Aftermath: