The First Domain.

It was a complete mess. Although we were given plenty of time to prepare, due to the Grand god's ceremony, some didn't react when the race began.

People were scrambling on their vessels to open their sails or start their engines.

"Let the sails down!"

"It's done, Captain!"

"Full speed ahead!"

A powerful breeze created by a wind god was constantly blowing towards our goal. Perhaps it was the god's blessing on our voyage.

We speed past countless contestants who were still trying to get started. Soon, we were in the front pack.

"Captain, everything is stable."

I nodded and clamped down the turquoise copper steering wheel. The first leg of the journey is a straight course toward the dimensional gate to the first domain. The channel was large enough to fit several million participants so colliding with anyone isn't a problem unless they do it on purpose.

"Good job crew!" I smiled. "We got to prepare the Sinclair Jr. for inter-dimensional travel. Jobs, what's our status?"

Jobs was our handyman. He was kicked out of the shipyard at Carcia for having too many wild and insane ideas. They were so insane that it almost killed several of his co-workers. Of course, I needed a repairman and Jobs fit the bill perfectly.

"Captain, I appreciate you asking me, but can you stop calling me by my nickname?"

"Oops, a force of habit. Sorry, Jacob."

Jacob was a man of many ideas. More often than not, those ideas got us into trouble. But hey, at least we all survived thus far.

He scowled and rubbed his nose.

"Anyways I need to go secure my lab before the transfer." He said while walking downstairs. "Try not to break anything."

We all nodded sheepishly.

"Ok crew, go make sure your belongings won't fly all over the place." I waved my hand nonchalantly. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me. We meet up on deck by nightfall."

The crew separated. Egg followed me to my cabin.

"Hey Captain, you sure about this?" He asked me hesitantly. "I know your father participated in this race but the race is always changing. Nothing will be the same."

"Melanzana my dearest friend, you know my mind as well as I do. You know how I feel about this." I sighed softly and patted Egg's back. "I remember watching the race on the sidelines while my father died. I hoped and prayed that the gods would let me go help him but it was to no avail."

"Then what are you doing now?" Egg glared at me. "Is this for revenge? Because, as a friend, I will not let you jump into such a spiraling hellhole."

"Don't worry my friend," I reassured him. "I'm just completing my father's dream."

Egg looked at me for a while longer before finally giving up. He left for his room and gently closed the door behind him.

"It's my dream as well," I said quietly to myself as if trying to convince my conscience that my decision was correct.

I look at the voice recorder on my desk. It was labeled ‘Race’. It was the most important thing my father had left me along with his tattered ship.

I pressed play and the familiar voice sounded out.

“Captain’s log, Day 1. The first day of the Race of gods has started. I already miss my son…”

A tear fell from my eyes.

______

Countless billions of people came to watch the race. Countless numbers of people gathered in the Gods Realm to view this spectacular event. It was a once in a lifetime moment since it was held once every ten thousand years.

No one was worried about their homes though. Due to the hard work of the God of time, the Gods Realm currently is fixed in time. Everything that occurs outside is frozen in static animation. Only the realms where the race will go through have their time run normally. Even then, the racers don’t stay too long within each realm.

The race ran an average of 15 years long. It was a very long race to some short-lived species but to the gods, it was just a brisk afternoon enjoyment. The extended families of all millions of the racers were watching.

It was the same spot Charles was in years ago when his father participated.

Ten thousand years have passed in the universe. Due to the protection of their Goddess, Carcia had its time slowed. But the Goddess was not enough. Her powers are limited and a majority of it was used to slow time. Charles’ father fell in love with the Goddess and wanted to help her. He joined the race to become a god.

The results were devastating. Charles hated the Goddess for taking his father away from him. He never had a mother figure in his life. His mother died after childbirth. Never once did he accept the Goddess as his mother, regardless of the feelings his father had for her.

This time, he knows the Goddess is watching. He will show her he could complete what his father had failed to accomplish and rub it in her face. Perhaps he is acting childish but it was something he knew he must do.

______

Night fell in the Gods Realm. The god Sol grew tired and walked back to his humble abode. From the opposite side, the goddess Luna rubbed her eyes and yawned. She stumbled her way to her position in the sky.

I woke up from my short nap and put on my Captain’s hat.

I walked out of my room and saw my entire crew already prepared. They were waiting for my command now.

“Good evening crew, it’s time for the most dangerous moment for our beloved Sinclair Jr.” I looked toward Jobs. “Will she survive the journey?”

“I helped reinforced her personally.” Jobs gloated. “She can take on an Eldritch God and still stay afloat.”

“Is everything secure and fastened down? The trip will be very rough.”

“Yes, Captain.” Everyone replied.

“Good, then let’s enter the portal to the unknown and begin a new adventure!”

I took out my rapier and pointed toward the giant black swirl of darkness. The otherworldly feeling was overwhelming. It was the dimension portal to our first domain.

The domain where our race will officially begin. Where the dangers will skyrocket and death shall run rampant.

Several other ships ahead of us already entered the portal. We could hear shouts and screams of panic coming from the other side.

Thankfully, my father recorded his experience about his journey through the dimensional portal. We were ready, we must be.

Slowly, the front of the Sinclair Jr. entered the portal. The boat groaned and creaked but it held steady. The rest of the ship and its crew entered following it.

“Pressure” That was the only word going through my head after we entered. An enormous amount of pressure pressed down on us and the ship. It felt like the gravity had been increased significantly.

My crew got on their knees. I could even see the veins on Egg’s neck pop out as he struggled to stand up. He had to since he needed to keep an eye out in front of the ship. I myself was sitting down. I’m not foolish enough to waste energy standing up.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes, and for what seemed like an entire hour, we endured the heavy pressure. Finally, like being dunked into the cool ocean after a blistering hot day, we were through.

The pressure vanished and was instead replaced by mist.

The mist was everywhere. The stuff was as thick as soup.

“Captain, I can’t get a good view of things.” Egg shouted over the sound of the other participant’s screams. “I think something is out there and it’s attacking the others.”

I frowned. This wasn’t written in my dad’s record but then again, the race changes every time. Nothing remains completely the same.

Suddenly, out of the mist, a shadow slammed into the mast. The boat rocked but the mast was too tough for the collision to scratch it.

The creature landed on the deck convulsing. It looked like a dried up old man with bat wings. In its hands was a trident made of a rusty looking metal. It still had blood dripping from it.

“I don’t know what those things are,” Egg said. “But they remind me of the imps back home.”

“Disgusting little beasts.” Jobs said with a frown. “They keep pestering me while I’m working in my lab.”

The other crew members nodded. It seemed each of them had bad experiences with imps.

“So these are the attackers?” I rubbed my stubble of a beard. “They don’t look too dangerous.”

“It’s the mist, Captain.” Egg replied. “These little buggers catch you by surprise and stab you.”

He picked up the trident from the imp and gave it a good stab. The imp shrieked and vanished into a puff of black smoke.

“These little tricksters can’t be killed by conventional means.” Egg said. “You have to use their own belongings against them.”

The trident in his hands hasn't vanished along with the imp.

“Looks like the imp’s shriek attracted more of his kind.”

I pointed toward the shadowy amorphous blob that was approaching us from the mist.

“BATTLE STATIONS!” I shouted.

The crew got into position-As in they hide behind the barrels and doors. Egg was the only one properly armed and was ready to fight off the horde. I stood next to him with my rapier.

“Captain, you know that’s not going to work.” Egg stared at the rapier.

“Don’t worry about me, just kill these bastards.” I smiled back.

“It’s my JOB to worry about you.” Egg replied as he leaped trident first into the blob.

With his mighty frame, the imps didn’t stand a chance. They shrieked and fell like hailstones. The crew got out from cover and quickly went to take the tridents that dropped onto the deck.

It was a full out skirmish.

My rapier started to hum as I sliced into the imp. They vanished into a puff of smoke and reformed.

“I told you Capt.” Egg said while catching his breath. “It isn’t going to work.”

I frowned but wasn’t dismayed I started hacking at the imp over and over again. It didn’t work. The annoying little thing even managed to knock my rapier out of my hands with his trident. Another imp came and snatched it.

“Give it back!” I shouted at the imp.

Egg quickly took notice and threw his trident at the imp. It impaled it to the mast. I knew his strength was great but to make the trident sink into the heavy wood mast like that-I was honestly shocked.

He yanked the trident from the mast and threw the rapier back to me.

“Should be good now.” Egg smiled. “Since that imp had ownership of your sword for a few seconds, it should work just fine now.”

I tried it by stabbing a few of the imps circling around us. It worked perfectly as the imps screamed in despair as they exploded into a cloud of black smoke.

“Good job!” I praised my sword. (And to some extent, Egg.)

The imps realized they had hit a wall and retreated.

Soon, the mist slowly cleared up. The view shocked and awed us. Countless numbers of broken ships and vessels. The water underneath us flowed red with blood. A sinister looking serpent was currently munching contently on something. We were far away enough to elude its attention but no one dared to make a sound. Even the great I realized just how lucky we were. If we had been a bit faster, we might have faced the serpent ourselves.

Behind the serpent was an enormous tree. Not just any giant tree, this tree was perhaps the size of a small planetoid.

In the sky above, hovered the familiar neon colored words.

[Domain 1. Yggdrasil.]

“Looks like we made it,” I whispered. “Crew, take us far away from that serpent.”

We slowly drifted away from the scene of carnage.