Game of the Destiny

Decision making.

The innkeeper was very surprised when he found Dante who was unconscious right on the edge of the fish pond in front of his inn. Not only that, he was even more surprised when he found that the pond now only left a little boiling water, while the fish in it died like gravy.

     The innkeeper immediately called his wife and children who were there, he didn't dare touch Dante because the man seemed to be emitting smoke.

     "Geez, what happened to this guy?" said the innkeeper as he ruffled his gray-white hair.

     Meanwhile, his wife and children also seem confused by what happened to Dante.

      It was a very clear day, there was no way the man had been struck by lightning in broad daylight.

     "Did you hear the explosion?" the innkeeper asked his wife and children.

     "I'm not sure, I think I heard it!" replied the wife.

      "But what caused it?" asked the innkeeper's son. They didn't understand what had happened.

     The innkeeper tried to touch Dante's body, he was surprised to feel the heat from the man's skin.

     "Quickly give me a wet towel, this man is not fine!" said the innkeeper.

******

     Waking up from his stupor, Dante sat pensively on one of the chairs in front of the inn. He didn't understand why such a strange thing had happened to him, how could a human spit fire from his hands? Dante couldn't take his mind off what he had just experienced.

     From a distance, two familiar men approached him. It was agents J and R. Now Dante understood that what the two men were saying wasn't bullshit.

     "How are you?" ask agent J

     Dante didn't answer the man's question, he just kept staring at his palm.

     "Looks like George didn't pick the wrong person!" said agen J.

     "You have experienced something beyond common sense! Am I right?" ask agent J

     Dante nodded his head. He never thought a human could spit fire from his palm.

     "Can you explain this in more detail!" said Dante.

     "Why should I be the one who represents the human race?" asked Dante.

     "This makes no sense to me!" he says.

     Agent J took a deep breath, looks like he needs to explain this better.

    "We are agents belonging to a Parliamentary organization!" agent J explained.

     "We're in the division dealing with external threats. Covering mystique, unexplained natural anomalies, and the like!" agent J added.

     "Mystical stuff?" asked Dante, confused.

     "You know there's a lot of mythology circulating in this world! So do you think it's just a fairy tale?" asked agent J.

     "Another dimension, a parallel world, all of those things are completely real!" said agent J confirmed.

     "In this world, there are many other dimensions inhabited by races other than the human race!" now agent R started to talk.

     "Each dimension has its place, they are not connected, but there are times when the dimensions leak and can connect!" agent R explained.

     "There is a powerful entity that seems to be the ruler of all those dimensions. He is Nidhug, a mystical dragon who inhabits a land called Niflheim." agent J was now sitting next to Dante.

    "There are times when Nidhug feels bored. As a powerful entity that stands alone, he has power over all the dimensions that exist in this world!" said agent R.

     "So what do you do when you're bored?" Agent J asked Dante.

     Dante could only frown, he didn't understand the meaning of Agent J's question at that time.

     "The answer is to play!" said agent J answering his question.

     Feeling that Dante could not understand what he was explaining, agent J began to tell the origin of the Game of the Destiny that Dante had to play.

    Agent J said that in the past Nidhug used to vent his boredom by destroying the dimensions that exist in this world. Agent J likens Nidhug to a God, he rules over every dimension in this world.

    Destruction befell every dimension, be it the world inhabited by the human race or any other race. Looking for a solution to this, the race leaders from each dimension gathered and tried to plead with Nidhug not to do that. But the problem lies in the boredom that the mystical dragon is experiencing. Until finally created a game that we now call the Game of the Destiny. A game made to overcome the boredom that Nidhug feels.

     Dante, who still didn't believe it, could only stay silent and listen to the explanation given by agent J. He felt that it was like a fairy tale for children.

     "Then did Nidhug grant it?" Dante asked skeptically.

     "Yes, but with very burdensome rules!" replied agent J.

     "What's that?" asked Dante.

    "Like the name given to the game. This is a game that will decide the fate of every race that participates in it!" said agent J. The man glared at Dante.

     Dante could only swallow his saliva.

     Agent J explains that if Nidhug had taken a portion of every race in every dimension to be stationed in Niflheim, there each of those races would never have aged one bit. He did this just for fun.

     "Then?" asked Dante, now he was getting interested in the story.

     Agent J continues his explanation. In the future Game of the Destiny will be held once every 500 years, and each race must choose its representative to fight with another race in the world called Niflheim. By sanctioning whoever loses the game, Nidhug will destroy his original world.

    "That's why it's called Game of the Destiny!" said agent J.

     "And this time you are the chosen one to represent the human race on this earth. You will fight alongside the other human races that Nidhug had previously transferred to Niflheim!" agent J looked at Dante very seriously.

     "You mean, I have to fight against other races to determine the destiny of our world?" asked Dante, the man's face in disbelief. However, it was a very heavy thing for him.

     "Yes, you have been chosen as the Prince of fire!" replied agent J.

     "Haven't you experienced it yourself!" agent J added.

     

     "You have the power of fire within you!" explained agent J.

    Dante looked at the palm of his right hand, he had just experienced something unnatural. How can a human being emit a jet of fire from his hand?

     "You must accept your destiny!" said agent R

    "You were the bloodline of the previous Fire Prince!" explained agent R.

     Dante ruffled his hair. He wanted not to believe the words of the two people, but on the other hand, he experienced the absurd incident. Just a moment ago he had just made a burst of fire from his right palm, and it was insane.

     "This may be hard to believe, but that's the way it is, we don't want this world to end up in Nidhug's hands!" said agent J

     "Think about it, you still have two days before the match starts. Are you going to participate, or are you going to run and destroy this world indirectly!" agent J stood up from his seat.

     "I presume you have received money from us?" guess agent J before he leaves.

     "We can give more than that. We will take care of those homeless children, and they will get a decent life. That will happen if you obey and participate in this game!" said agent J, before finally he and agent R left Dante alone.

******

     "Are you sure Dante will accept this responsibility?" asked agent R from the George.

     Grandpa George just smiled. He did not immediately answer the question asked by agent R at that time.

     "Are you sure he's the right person?" now it was agent J's turn to ask George.

    "My eyes are never wrong. It is clear that he is descended from that person!" George answered with certainty.

     "He is a direct descendant of the previous fire prince!" said George.

     "Even the pendant knows who its master is. It vibrates very strongly when the man is near it!" said George.

******

    Dante sat looking at Rose, Mikel, Anna, and Richard who were fast asleep in the bed of the inn he had rented. The man is happy because now he can provide a decent life for four homeless children. But before that, they were just homeless bums.

    Dante reached into the plastic bag he had hidden under the mattress where the four children were fast asleep. There was still money in his bag that he could use for the next few months, with that money he could even send Rose and her sisters to school.

     But Dante knew that the money wouldn't be enough to support them, while he was just an 18-year-old man without a job.

     Suddenly Dante was surprised by Rose who suddenly woke up from his sleep.

    "Thank you, Dante!" said Rose half-consciously.

     Dante just smiled at the little girl, he told Rose to go back to sleep.

     For a moment Dante thought, he could have run away from the two agents, but on the other hand, he also began to believe what the two agents said. What if the fate of the world was indeed in his hands, then what would happen if he ran away, would this world be destroyed as they say?

     Dante has been through something crazy. He couldn't think what the two agents were saying was nonsense.

     Now the decision is in his hands as to whether he should believe the absurd and decide to participate in Game of the Destiny as the two agents wish. Of course, in exchange, the four children would have a decent life.

     Dante reached for the locket he kept in his pocket. He continued to stare at her very intently. He felt the heat spread throughout his body again.

     "What's your decision?" said Rose who suddenly asked him. Dante thought the girl had fallen back asleep.

    Dante was very surprised. Did the girl know about what she was going through back then?

     "Rose, did you know about this?" asked Dante.

     "I secretly heard it!" Rose answered with a bit of hesitation.

     "I want you to have a decent life!" said Dante, his eyes fixed on the ceiling of their inn.