In a place between worlds, outside a large purple planet, two entities are arguing over a delivery.

“Take the soul!” Del yelled as he pointed at the back of his truck, annoyed he had to argue over giving someone what they ordered.

Perendi, the God ruling the world, yelled back twice as loud, and twice as annoyed just because he could. “No, I didn't order this.”

Gritting his teeth, he pointed and said through them, “One of your gods did.”

Perendi’s voice rose in true anger at this little man’s accusation. He had been the singular god of this planet since the creatures drew their first breaths, something that was a bit of a sore spot for him, always wishing for some form of a companion to share the burden of life. He had tried with the mortals, but they quickly passed from old age or disease or became arrogant with a God by their side. His voice was cold when he spoke, “I am the only god this world has, and I did not request a Hero.”

Del stopped for a minute seeing the genuine anger on the God's face and pulled out his clipboard thinking he might have made a mistake. It wouldn’t have been the first time that had happened. Looking over the information he found that this was indeed the planet and that a God had already used a significant amount of power to get a Hero here with the blessing already upon them. “Not what the paperwork says.” Why would he not want the Hero he already paid for?

Perendi sneered at the little man and his clipboard, “I don't care. Take them to another world, or send it back.”

This only confused Del more. He had already given away a lot of power for her, and he couldn’t take the Hero to a different world even if he wanted. Her fate was already tied to this one, and if he were to rip it away, so soon after, Earth. The soul could easily be destroyed. “We both know it doesn't work like that.” Del said angrily at the God’s callousness, before adding “You will take this Hero.”

Perendi’s eyes narrowed, as his voice became ice, “We don't need another Hero.”

“Another?” That through him off, he hadn’t brought a Hero here before. Maybe he means a champion or summoned on his own? He reasoned.

The genuine confusion in Del’s voice surprised Perendi, certain the man was just making trouble for him. So he took a different tack. “Take the Hero away. I don't have the power to bless another.”

“She will be delivered.”Del’s eyes pleaded for him to understand. “The deal was already struck, she already has a blessing, and neither of us can stop this.” Despite everything, Del could feel the God’s power building, the air growing thick.

“Not with me.”

“Well, some God did.”

“I said I was the only God of this world. So no one else could have done the deal. I'm tired of this.” The God, Perendi, moved his hand his will encompassing the place between.

Causality shifted cracking time, reality, and unreality, in a place that is everything and nothing. The sheer will of the god flung in his domain, shattering chaos itself. Throwing the delivery man out of his dimension, and back to where ever he came from. At least, that was what was supposed to happen.

Instead, Perendi watched as the shattering began everything, to stop. The cracks he formed, mending, and the between moving back in the sink to as it was before, as though nothing had happened. Perendi was completely gob-smacked not understanding what was going on when Del spoke.

“Sorry, but she will be delivered.” Del reached out with his own power ripping open a door to Perendi's world. He had enough of this, and with the God’s attack, he decided to take the matter into his own hands. A sliver of light floated out of his truck, towards the portal he open, which lay on a beautiful little meadow, not too far from a city, but just the right amount of distance for one to realize they were no longer on Earth. The perfect spot for a Hero to begin.

“No!” Perendi shouted running to close the tare into his world, slamming against the man and forcing the portal closed, and flinging Del across his domain. Perendi, watched Del, murder in his eyes as he saw Del getting back up.

“Ow, that hurt,” Del said indignantly.

A bolt of lighting was his answer. Perendi was beyond speaking now. How dare this creature impart his will on MY WORLD! Del just stepped out of the way, as he started to open another portal into his world. Perendi wasn’t going to allow this as he began to throw magic, to stop the man from delivering the unwanted Hero. Blades of chaotic wind, fireballs, earth spikes, and plasma flew toward the man to tear him asunder.

Del looked up narrowing his eyes, as he began to step between each blade, extinguishing each fire, stepping through the spikes and catching the ball of plasma, and tossing it away, as though it was nothing. Not even the man’s clothes were damaged, from the attack. Seeing all this, Perendi knew he was outmatched, but he didn’t need to defeat him, he only needed to stop him.

Perendi, began a wide area spell, only for the man to pull from the primordial chaos and threw it over Perendi’s face, cutting off all of his senses, and his world. Perendi panicked never having been cut off from his world, everything was quiet and he began ripping away the chaos.

With the god incapacitated, Del used this opportunity to open the rift once more, but was finding it harder now. Perendi had decreed against the delivery and his domain was fighting back against him. He ran out of time, barely beginning to open a rift when Perendi, ripped the cloak of chaos away, as the connection to his world reformed, and he could think again. Perendi was already in shock by the man's power but to be able to cut off his connection, while they were in his domain. For the first time, Perendi was scared. He focused his entire will on banishing the man out of this world, to wherever he came from, only to stop when he felt a tiny little hand on his leg. It was such a shock he let go of his will, to turn to whatever was touching him. Why does it feel like home? He thought as he saw a child, holding him back.

The child was a boy, he wasn’t looking at the God, but the delivery man, who was using the lull to open a door into the world. That was until Del noticed the child. He blinked, and let the rift close as he let out a laugh. That explains it.

“Please stop.” The boy said.

“Who are you,” Perendi asked shocked at finding a child in his domain, and even more surprised at the power coming off him, not to mention why he felt like he belonged here.

The boy tilted his head thinking, “My name is Toka. I'm a God...I think.”

“A newborn god?” Del said in awe. He knew that they could form in the between, they were always weak, and confused. This one on the other hand was radiating the power of an Elder God. Something is off.

Toka shook his head, “No just sleeping.”

Perendi stared down feeling the child's strength, and hearing his words he understood who Toka was, "You created this world?"

Del’s eyes widened in shock, “Did you not know?” He asked, looking between the two Gods.

“I thought it was natural when I formed,” Perendi explained still in awe of another God. He wasn’t alone anymore. He was beginning to tear up, when he remembered what the man was here for, and asked Toka, “Why did you summon another Hero?”

“He will not be sufficient, already the taint spreads,” Toka answered tiredly.

Perendi looked down even more confused, thinking about his Hero, “But he's pushing them back.”

“Yes, but that's just one spot. He is only focusing on himself and letting the world fend for itself. Even if he kills the leader there won't be anyone left to fight the small ones.” Toka explained.

Perendi wanted to argue that his people would be able to push them back but felt the strength of his world, and where it was focused. “But…but” He stuttered.

Toka turned, to stare hard, and serious at Perendi. “We need another who can elevate them.”

“But I can do that with messages, to my priests.” Perendi tried to reach for any reason not to take another Hero. Having already made a spectacle of himself, he was reluctant to admit his mistake.

“No, it needs to be different. Divine messages get twisted quickly. We need an entire perspective shift.”

——

In a place between, in the cabin of a truck Ge watched a strange scene of two Gods arguing over where the Hero needed to be, as Del enters the driver side of the vehicle. She had observed the entire encounter, and was dumbstruck by the entire encounter. From when the magic started flying, to when Del fought back. She had no idea he could even do that. Then the child appeared and everything stopped.

“What was that?” Del asked dumbfounding her.

Why would he ask me? How was I supposed to know whatever that was? She gapped at him. Before responding “I have no idea!” Then she asked what she really wanted to know, “Has that ever happened before?”

Del looked to be just as lost as she was. “I don't think so.” In all his years he had never come across a world where the God didn’t know there was a sleeping God, let alone after it had woken up. He didn’t even understand how another God was created while it slept. All the world's power should have been going to the sleeping one. His thoughts were spinning, “I can't believe the world had a sleeping god.”

“I take it that's rare?”

“Yeah, but that’s because they tend to not sleep for long. This one must have slept for millions of years.” He admitted still watching the two Gods argue about what to do with the Hero.

Ge was amused but didn’t understand what a sleeping God was, “Why do they sleep?”

“Supposedly, sleeping Gods want their worlds to evolve on their own. So they set the world up for life, then sleep waiting. Sometimes even speeding or slowing down time while they sleep.” Del said, even to his ears it sounded far-fetched. But that was what the other God said. He honestly thought they took a nap and didn’t realize how long they slept, and refused to admit it.

“Then why was there a different God?”

He stared out at the two for a long time, before finally coming up with a hypothesis, “I think he came about through a collective idea fueled by mana, or a concept the world began to lean on, or just popped from the chaos or worshiped into existence.”

“Half of those sound fake.”

“Hey, it's how gods are born.” He explained putting on his seatbelt and starting up the truck.

“Weird.”

He looked forward his eyes drifted quickly to the woman, then back to the road, “You have no idea.”