An hour earlier

"Ok, useless goddesses, we just got reported about some lost guy during the world merging," the badger said as she dispassionately dragged the tied-up goddess down the inclined pathway. "We will launch ourselves there using a flight pad, so prepare yourself."

Epithet aside, the goddess looked far from useless. She resembled a homely tanned girl wearing a green sun-dress fastened with the yellow sashes. Her sunflower-yellow hair stretched straight with an erratic bang, fanning to her right over a pair of round earth-color eyes. Despite her ordinariness, she held herself with remarkable gentle posture even when getting carried off like a sack of potatoes.

Unlike what her down-to-earth beauty may suggest, she was determined. The thought about giving up struggling never crossed her mind, even when being embarrassingly pulled down the stair.

Around them, joyous cheers from the forest animals and people resounded. Several rabbits and rats waved many colorful flags in celebration.

In the background, the elderlies adoringly cheered, wishing happiness for the distressed girl. A group of children puts up the sign read 'Be Well Cytortia' while another group hoisted a banner wrote: 'Have a Good Journey! We are waiting to hear from you!' The encouragements were loaded with optimism, even though their goddess was being carried away against her will.

"Cytortia, please take care of yourself!"

"Please write back!"

"We are waiting to hear from you!"

"Crush LinLey and Tie Hua like a piece of chocolate, lady Cy," shouted a girl, waving her green flags.

Despite all the support, the girl receiving them was anything but grateful.

“Help me!” The girl screamed ungracefully. “Aunty Artio! The badger will kill me! Please reconsider this?! Why are you guys sending me to a chopping block? Stop cheering like some stupid mortals! Anybody help!”

On the podium above, a massive bear conversed with a man in a Chinese robe. The picturesque scenery of the mountainous forest stood as a background for the sandstone balcony. The bear and the man oversaw the majestic garden packed to the brim with the forest denizen. Mellow sunlight filtered past the canopy, lighting up the carving of flowers stretching across the behemoth of an abode. The bear nostalgically witnessed the path linking her to the goddess slowly lengthened.

"Do you think it is a good idea?" The man in a royal-blue Chinese robe asked. "She is already on the losing end of the war between Heavenly Daughters. Steel and Earth are gearing up for their conflict with Fire. The forces they gathers are enough to warrant Odin's attention. Ra has even shown an interest in LinLey. Meanwhile, Cytortia has nothing on her."

The bear looked wistfully at the beautiful and forever bright sky, then at her beloved niece getting hauled onto the stone podium overlooking the glorious mountains.

"What about the Ultimate One?"

The assistant paled.

The bear gave him a chastised look. Down on the distant stadium, the badger threw the goddess onto a mountain bike parked over the vast, misty, mountainous forest. Several assistants came out of the crowd to help the badger tied the trantrumming goddess to the vehicle.

"Traitors!" The goddess looked accusingly at several assistants in green uniforms. "What had I done to you? Are you helping this stupid badger skewer me with a spear too?!"

"No lady Cytortia," The female assistant in lush green cloth tightened the knot as she gave the goddess an apologetic smile. "It is the least we could have done to repay you."

"What have I done to deserve this!?"

The badger frowned with concern.

"Are you sure about this?" The honey badger asked the women in a plaided green uniform.

"Yes," the young woman bowed toward the girl. It was a gesture of gratitude. "A year ago, you saved my son's life. I will never forget what you did for us! Thank you for all these years! W-We, all of us here, will pray for your victory!"

The woman could not hold her tears any longer.

"Why are you crying?" Cytortia replied, bitterly blinking back her feeling. "Why are you all so eager to get rid of me? What have I done to any of you?"

"You helped us," the female assistant wiped her moist eyes with her sleeve and stepped off the podium. "You treated us the best you could during this past two years, but after your master's decrees, you can't afford to do that anymore."

Tears of gratitude trickled down the assistant's cheek despite her best attempt to stop it. She hurriedly wiped it away and gave the helpless girl the biggest smile possible. The dawn broke through the misty mountain, bathing the forest and the cheering crowd in the blessing of light.

The green light charged up the podium, blasting the shining emerald tower into the sky. Sensing the uncertian future, the badger swallowed her doubt and hopped on the mountain bike to perform her duty.

"Wait! You don't have to do this! I-I don't need any of your encouragement. You don't know what they will do if they found out! Wait!"

The green lights slowly engulfed the two and launched them toward the horizon.

On that stone manor, the bear looked down at the assistant from the altar she lazily watched on.

"You lot are trying to pretend the Olympus End Incident never happened," the bear said roughly. "Do you think she cares about four little girls fighting pointlessly for marginal rule over Phantasia? No! We both know her aim and who among the Heavenly Daughter is her favorite."

The assistant looked at the golden dawn with an ill omen.

"That shouldn't be possible," the old man replied in denial. "Why would someone so mighty bet on Cytortia? Against Chuang and Tie Hua, she is ordinary in every sense."

The bear smiled with pride. The man couldn't help but feel insulted. The carnage he witnessed when the Olympian fell stump any retort he had. No matter what he did, the image of a beaten and broken king of the gods dangling from the hand of that Armageddon incarnated would scar his mind for the rest of eternity.

"Look at the people below," the bear said. "Do they look like a toy of an uncaring god or a grateful community united to bid farewell to their benefactor and friend?"

The man gave no replies as the emerald comet rocketed away. He tried to wrap this foreign concept of power around his head. A miraculous scene where people treated a goddess not as superior, but a guide and a friend made little sense in his mind. The cheer didn’t stem from reverence or terror, but the closeness and genuine love.

"They know her," the bear explained. "They know their goddess is flawed, but they also see her caring side. They understand and accept who she is, and she cherishes that bond. In this savage world, that phenomenon is quite a rare treasure, don't you think?"

The old man looked toward the bright horizon as the goddess flew toward her new beginning.

He couldn't help but dread the war between the daughter of Heavens. Cytortia didn't have a hope to win, but the existence of the Ultimate One changed everything.

The mere hour of that carnages remained the gravest crisis the gods ever experience. Olympus End Crisis would have surpassed the severity of Ragnarok or the full unleashing of Apophis if the Ultimate One didn't settle for negotiation. If the Ultimate One had a plan for Cytortia, all the gods would burn in a fire.

He was right for the wrong reason.

...

And that was how the goddess crash-landed.

“I see,” the honey badger said, plucking up the square dices and throwing them onto the board. “Kid these days got it rough too, huh?”

"Yeah," Rem answered, looking at his deed.

"I lost," the goddess sobbed. "You two are demons... monsters. You heartless beast."

The trio sat around a small but cozy little table amid the sizzling desert. The sun was beating hard, but the beach umbrella and cold drinks made the heat irreverent. On the table was a game of monopoly. This ridiculous turn of the event began after a few minutes of conversations spiraled unpredictably.

It began when the honey badger declared her boredom. The boy, out of total sarcasm, suggested they play a game. The goddess's protest went unheard as the honey badger combed her satchel and discovered two games.

A) Go Fish B) Phantasia Monopoly

The decision was cast by voting. The boy threw his lot with the money game, while the goddess picked Go Fish. Finally, the tie-breaking badger siding with Rem to maximize the goddess suffering.

Rem stayed silent throughout the game. The badger was a dangerous opponent. She packed her moves with an intense desire for blood, and her luck was too good. The only reason he lasted this long was that the badger spent most of the war destroying Cytortia's asset over his.

Rem smiled perniciously; time to spring the reverse-card.

"Hey, badger," Rem called. "Don't you find it strange that you never land on a rent that costs you more than $200?"

The badger's jaw dropped, and her eyes bulged like an over-inflated balloon. Both her ears stood up on end and quivered like jelly. Despite being a wild animal, her breath smelled like tulips and eucalyptus.

“Are you claiming that I cheat?” The badger replied. “Kid, maybe I am only having a lucky day.”

“Not with those throws,” the boy said. “And your method acting is terrible.”

The badger smiled.

“You can’t prove that.”

“I can’t,” Rem admitted without blinking, then stoically pointed at the goddess.

“Then let her make your throw if you are so innocent.”

“Heh, you know she will try to make me lose, right?” The badger replied.

“Already way ahead of you,” Rem crossed his arms with confidence. “Why don’t we put a blindfold on her?”

The badger looked at him with fascination before she burst out laughing.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

The badger wiped her tears.

“Go ahead, kid. With the amount of money you lost so far, there is no way you could change the situation by only replacing the roller.”

Rem didn’t reply. He just gave the badger the spiked candy for Halloween. Now, he only had to wait for the cute little animal to take the L.

...

Ten turns later.

“$380,” Rem said. “Pay up.”

“Eh,” the goddess cried. She looked around pointlessly, but the black cloth tied across her eyes guaranteed she wouldn't see a thing.

“Scathach got screwed again? But isn’t this the fifth time this last ten minutes?”

“Ahhh,” Rem stroked his chin in consideration. “So you are a warrior’s maid of Ulster and teacher of Cu Cuchulain; Scathach of the Isle of Shadow. I should be surprised, but given that Athena is real, I guess other myths are also valid.”

Rem smiled at Scathach. His lifeless eyes were as empty of mercy as nothingness itself.

Scathach, the honey badger, shivered. When did a game of monopoly turn this creepy?

“Now, what’s your plan?” Rem gave her the devil's whisper. “You are losing so badly. Ninety percent of your deeds already ate the mortgage. But maybe you might have a fighting chance, assuming you reach [Go]. But that would take a roll of twelve. Can you do it?”

Scathach looked at her monies, wondering how was this happening. Last she checked, there were enough bills to build a mountain. Rem ate lost after lost, yet he mysteriously dangled on the game despite losing as terribly as Cytortia.

Scathach reached for a $100 orange bill but only found a ten. The yellow bill was now orange. She curiously ran her fingers over the paper and felt the grain of the coarse, brown desert's sand darkening the note orange.

A flash of lightning struck as the revelation shone the truth into her face in the most painful way imaginable.

“You cheated!” Scathach screeched. “All this time, you have been forking the $10 bills you disguised as $100! You fucking cheater!”

“Oh, I won't deny or accept that.” Rem said without a hint of remorse. “You never take the game seriously. Maybe you underestimate a pitiful human from Earth way too much. Don’t you know that human is one of the most bloodthirsty and crafty animals ever exist?”

“Give me what you owe!” The badger demanded.

“I can’t,” Rem stated politely. “The rule of monopoly emphasizes on the fact that you manage your own money. You can’t complain over spilled milk, Ms. Scathach. And where is my $380?”

Scathach gritted her teeth as she shoved her bills to Rem, who continue rolling with no repercussions.

She could get out alive. She only needed to score 12, 8, 7, 5, and 2. The badger did a quick calculation.

Those odds were exactly-

“17 out of 36, around 50/50,” Rem said coldly with an emotionlessly coy smile. “Not a bad odd for gambling, isn’t it?”

Scathach gritted her teeth.

“Cytortia! Toss it!”

The two cubes flew into the air and suspended by hope and expectation before rattling down on the board. They clattered. One die ultimately rested on the face with six dots. The second dice bounced a few more times before it rested at... five.

“Wow,” Rem said. “That's a grand total of eleven. You landed on Mt. Olympus and had to pay me $900. Game over, Scathach. Even I am surprised. That dice is the worse roll out of 6 possibilities.”

Silence

“Scathach?” The goddess took off her blindfold. “Are you-”

“Cheated then beaten by a brat,” ominous red aura steamed as the honey badger's fur stood up. She rose like a zombie out for brains. Her razor blade teeth opened up for a bite.

“Kid, you won’t get away that easily!” Scathach of the Ulster cycle declared to the sky. “You are now one of my students! I will have to thrash you to erase this humiliation.”

Scathach lept on top of Rem and began wrangling him furiously.

“You will either become a legend deserving of outsmarting me or die! I will beat that legendries quality into you physically if I have to!”

At that moment, realization dawned on Rem.

He fucked up.