Whatever power the branch manager used to keep me silent stopped functioning as things got heated. Fortunately, he managed to keep Lucas muted and out of my hair.

“I can’t express in words how sorry I am,” the branch manager said. “If it were just our agent, this likely wouldn’t have happened. It’s no excuse, but the client got impatient and sent her herald into the mix. Believe me, they’ll both suffer penalties, but there’s nothing I can do to help you. Our budget is stretched as it is.”

“Then it’s your client who owes me reparations! Who is she?” The manager tapped the sheet on his desk. Three words in big, bold letters stood out to me. “Tracy the Devourer? What kind of name is that?”

“Not one you want to utter—”

The air in the non-descript office crackled, making me jump. My eyes shot to a wisp of white energy by the far wall. The energy expanded, forming a long rectangle against the surface. Finally, the white dissolved the wall, revealing blackness like the felin’s cloak. The minuscule dots of orange, yellow, and blue twinkled beyond.

“Stars.” I staggered away from the door, realising it was the void of space that lay beyond. If we still had physical bodies—or so I assumed—the proximity would’ve likely killed us for sure.

"Careful with her," the branch manager whispered. "She's quick to anger."

"I'm dead already. Can she hurt me while here?"

He shook his head, leaning closer. "You're untouchable while in this pocket dimension. I think. If you do go to Arena Disk, she can't hurt you either due to the council's rules. However, Tracy might find a way to make your life more difficult. She aways does."

I had a hundred more questions, but before I could ask them, a blinding light appeared just beyond the doorway. Due to my lack of a physical body—or so I assumed—looking at the figure didn't hurt. Instead, I watched it and let my eyes adjust. The energy took the shape of a woman made of pure light. Strands of plasma danced off her body as she walked into the office, swaying her hips slowly. The luminosity lessened, and shadows fell upon her head, showing an unnervingly human face.

Her brows furrowed. "Why is he frozen?" She asked, flicking her finger. Time resumed for Lucas once again.

"Please, mate. Don't let me go into the afterlife like this—" Lucas's mouth fell agape as he saw Tracy. The shadows didn't just outline her face but a gorgeous naked form too. He swallowed audibly, devouring her with his eyes. "What's going on here?"

"Hello, Lucas." Tracy smiled. Unlike her initial words, she used an almost musical tone while speaking. "I'm Tracy the Devourer, your patron and saviour.” She closed in on Lucas and traced a finger along the side of his face. “Serve me well, and I'll make you one of the richest and most powerful organisms in this three-dimensional universe."

"Excuse me?" I spoke up, interrupting her creepy caress. "Can either of you enlighten me of what the hell is going on here? Why do you need this big oaf? What cause is so important that you have to kill people on their homeworlds?"

The branch manager looked at me horrified, and Tracy's smile faded. She turned her attention to the manager. "This is highly unusual. You awaken this…" She glanced at me with her nostrils flared. Her luminosity made it hard to tell, but I assumed it was disgust. "...impudent thing and not my Champion, and not brief him on what we're doing. I assume he's here because you thought he might be a better candidate?"

"No, Tracy," the manager said, his voice quivering. "You involved your herald, Miss Boots, without warning us. She caused this. I'm afraid there will be penalties for this. The council will demand it."

"So, you can make this out to be my fault?" Her light flared, enveloping the room in violent white. Then the cat meowed, and she dimmed once again. "You're such an arsehole, Miss Boots." She sighed. "Fine. You're going to take on the penalty for screwing up. I don't have time for a full briefing. Give them the cliff notes, please."

I glanced at Lucas, and the urge to punch him in the face reared its head. First, he slept with Samantha. Now he was staring at this woman, eyes full of lust and worship. I didn't care whether she had alien pheromones or technology which made charming someone possible. Lucas was supposed to be my friend, yet he ruined something dear to me. Now, he wanted to jump onto someone else. Life—or the afterlife—intended to reward him with power and riches for it.

"Instead of destroying entire solar systems while settling their disputes, the Cosmics and other four-dimensional beings came up with the idea of the Arena Disk. It is one of the largest realms in Diskverse where their champions seek each other out and defeat them: physically, socially, financially or however, they please.”

“Hold on a second,” I interrupted. “What the hell is Diskverse?”

“It’s what we call this Universe,” the branch manager answered. “Unlike where you were born, nature didn’t shape the planets and life here. Instead, cosmic deities shaped it using their Arcana. Aether, essence, mana—the force has countless names. It governs this universe and holds it together. We live on disks instead of planets. They float freely or are connected by land and sea bridges. In some cases, cosmic entities like Yggdrasil the world tree holds them together in massive networks.”

Tracy cleared her throat, making the branch manager stiffen. “Anyway. When a champion defeats another, they get to absorb a fragment of the enemy's artifact and grow in power. The winning patron also absorbs a part of the loser's growing in power. This helps them field another champion and endow the winner with greater prizes."

"What happens to the loser?" Lucas asked, showing he wasn't all testosterone and no brain, after all.

"They're left weakened and have one fewer champion than before," the manager answered.

"And this is good enough reason to abduct someone from their homes?" I asked. "It's selfish and pathetic."

Tracy waved her hand, and a translucent screen appeared in the air. "Of course, someone with no gifts would think that." She sneered. "A cook versus an athlete. Who do you think divinity would rather pick?"

"I'm sorry, mate," Lucas said, turning to me. "I don't know whether this will help, but you can punch me in the face. I deserve it."

"Why? So I bruise my knuckles on your chiselled fucking jaw? Women throw themselves at you all the time, but you went for the one I liked. I can accept such betrayal from someone I've known for less than a year, but not you, Lucas. We've known each other since we were kids.” Venom crept into my voice, and I didn’t hold back. “I was there when you lost your little brother. When your first girlfriend dumped you, who took you out for drinks? Bloody hell, man, I came to my second-choice Uni because you were too scared to move to a city alone. But this is how you reciprocate everything I did for you. You disgust me, Lucas. I'd be fine never seeing you again. Good luck with Tracy. I hope she gives you everything you want, and then you choke on it."

"I knew it." Tracy laughed. "You're a coward."

"Don't get me started on you," I said. "You’re just as vile. These abductions weren't bad enough. You’re one of those horrid people that meddle and screw things up then refuse to own up to your mistakes."

"How dare you speak to me that way?!" She screeched, sounding like an entitled child more than a cosmic deity.

"What are you going to do? Kill me again? Your idiocy led to my murder. I would've lived just fine if you just killed Lucas." His shoulders dropped as the words left my mouth. I wanted to hurt him, and the sentiment appeared to have done it. "Now, you’re going to either send me home or provide reparations. You owe me, Tracy. If I don't get what I want, my life's mission will be to find you and make your existence miserable."

The branch manager covered his eyes as the cosmic entity's light enveloped everything in white. I couldn't see my hands anymore, but the source remained visible.

"No mortal speaks to me that way.” The world around me hummed as she spoke. “I've lived through the birth of your Universe. I am eternal while you're nothing more than a glimmer in the endless sea of time." She raised her hand, and for the first time since starting my current existence, I felt pain. It blossomed deep in my solar plexus and consumed my body. "Do not think that I've marked you with the Coward's Brand because I fear you! On the contrary, it is to remind you of who you slighted. Whether you have the wit to end your existence now or suffer through a miserable life wherever the manager sends you, I want you to remember."

Coward's Brand

The thought of combat terrifies a coward. If they dare partake in battle, all of their aspects will be cut in half.

All spells, skills and masteries related to combat—offensives and defensive—will grow half as fast as standard regardless of racial bonuses.

All spells, skills and masteries not related to combat will grow twice as fast as standard on top of racial bonuses.

My eyes widened as I read the informaiton on the game-like screen. Tracy likely intended it as a curse, but to me, it didn't feel that way. Avoiding fights doesn't make someone as a coward. Lying down and letting someone with more power shaft you does. The light dimmed, revealing the cowering forms of the other two men. Tracy glanced at the manager. "I'll leave this mess to you. Boots shall remain with you as compensation for the next century."

"I'll remember, Tracy. I don't care what you've marked me with. I'm coming for you."

She laughed, marching towards the door. "I'll give you a moment to get your thoughts together, Lucas. After that, follow me, and we'll discuss the best form for your future and then distribute your attributes. You're lucky. As a fifth-level patron, I can start you off with twenty-five!"

Then she was gone.

“Please don’t end yourself,” Lucas said, his voice barely a whisper. He hesitantly looked between me and the doorway. “I don’t know how this works but come find me. No matter what it takes, I’ll make it up to you. If it weren’t for me, none of this would’ve happened to you. Let me share these prizes—”

“The next time you see me, Lucas, I’ll be bringing your patron down with your defeat,” I said, steeling myself. “Until then, it’s for the best if we don’t exist to one another.”

Lucas’s fists and jaw clenched. He glanced at the manager and me, sighed and then followed Tracy into the void. The door closed, and all signs of him and the cosmic entity disappeared.

“Well, that wasn’t smart,” the manager said. “That was one of the most powerful entities in Diskverse.”

I shrugged. “What more can she do to me? I’m dead.”

“I could’ve sent you to Arena Disk or one of its neighbours, and you could’ve started afresh. But, instead, the Coward’s Brand has essentially crippled you, making all your possible futures bleak.”

“What does it do?”

“See for yourself. Clear your mind, and think ‘Status’.”

I did as instructed, and a translucent screen appeared before my eyes. “This is the mother of all cliches.” An exasperated sigh escaped my lips. The floating information resembled something out of a game. “Why did I have to be transmigrated to another dimension by a truck of all things?”