The alley stretched before me, enveloped in the lonely, depressed darkness that only 3 am could provide. Forlorn, yet blessedly empty. Looking about to ensure I truly was alone, I dropped to my knees on the cruel, unforgiving cement.

My hair was short and scraggly, matted with blood and body fluids. What little clothing I had left hung in tatters about my thin, bruised shoulders. With trembling fingers, I rummaged through the rags about my waist, growing ever more frantic until I felt the touch of cold steel. Sighing in relief, I withdrew a slender needle, tilting it until it caught the shattered starlight seeping through the polluted sky.

How exactly was I supposed to use this? The dealer seemed more interested in using our time together to take his pleasure from me than explaining its uses. Fortunately, I'd seen enough hollow-eyed druggies to know the basics.

After a moment of hesitation, I placed the point against my arm, centered within a splotchy bruise. This one was fresh, a final parting gift from the man who sold me the needle.

Perhaps sold was too strong a word; money wasn't so easy for one like myself to come by. Bartered, or perhaps extorted, would be more fitting, but it was far from the first time circumstances had forced sacrifice my body for something so simple. I raised my eyes to the stars once more and uttered a silent prayer to whatever god happened to be listening. It wasn't the first, but please, please let it be the last.

A sense of sadness washed over me, a bitter realization that all my suffering led to no joyful conclusion. Perhaps this was the only fitting for a life as lost and miserable as mine. If it could even be called a life. I'd certainly had the chance to live it.

With a shaky hand, I forced the needle in. It slid easily into my flesh, sending prickly tingles racing up my arm. A small trickle of blood oozed out of the jagged puncture, but I didn't care. Compared to what I'd suffered, this final pinch was nothing.

I gasped, my eyes flashing wide as scorching ice raced through my veins, seizing my mind in an instant. I'd never bothered to learn the name of the drug, or its real effects, just that it worked. Every heartbeat drove it deeper into my system, and slowly, my strength left me. I slumped against the wall, blinking lazily, as everything grew hazy.

The dealer had called it a hallucinogen, which explained the way the shadows curled around my slumped body, grasping toward me like foul tentacles. The alley darkness took on the shapes of men and women I'd known throughout life, giving them phantasmal forms with glowing red eyes. They swung at me with clenched fists and shouted and screamed, but their violence fell like the passing breeze upon my face.

As the line of tormentors grew, they swirled about and combined in an irrational display of color and shapes, a blotchy circus of color. The spectacle continued as I teetered on the edge of consciousness, only fading away as my eyes closed for the last time. The needle dropped from limp fingers that no longer felt like my own, rolling out of the alley. My chest rose and fell once more, exhaling a mixture of bitterness and relief. At last, no more pain, no more people. No one could hurt me again.

The darkness came quickly, but not as conclusive as I hoped. If anything, my mind cleared, shaking off the haze and racing from thought to thought. A strange prickling sensation raced through my body, followed by an audible pop.

And then I was weightless. The sensation was so new and unexpected, that I couldn't help open my eyes. Blinking a bit, my vision cleared, and I immediately screwed them shut again.

Whatever that was definitely hadn't been real. But weren't hallucinogens supposed to wear off after death? Had the dealer given me the wrong drug?

No, that couldn't be right, I had died. The dealer promised! Yet I couldn't do anything about the creeping doubt, a feeling driven by the weight of countless eyes. Still in denial, I pried my eyes open to try again. Unfortunately, the hundreds of impossibly huge people didn't disappear but seemed even more substantial this time. No one should be that big. No one.

Somehow, beyond all belief, I stood in the middle of a colosseum many times bigger than that of Rome. Nine other regularly sized people stood beside me in a semicircle, spaced a few dozen feet apart. My placement was at the tip, giving me a view of the giants standing behind each of them. Thousands of other huge beings stood in disorderly rows about the colosseum staring at us intently. Each one seemed to have some sort of motif, represented by different symbols and objects they carried.

In the center of the arena, a particularly large and muscular man sat on a gilded throne. He held a scepter and had long flowing robes with golden embroidery. A heavy gold crown rested on flowing white hair, and a feeling of might and majesty seemed to ooze from every fiber of his being. When he spoke, his booming voice rocked the ground, making my ears ring.

"Fate, present your champion."

The eyes of the giants shifted onto me, filling me with paralyzing fear. Fate? Just what was going on?

A feminine voice, clear and beautiful as a ringing bell, sounded behind me. "I give you Rachel, a human of Earth. She just recently departed for the cycle and happened to end up in my hands."

The woman's voice flowed over, stilling the turmoil in my heart and mind. Her warmth radiated behind me, beckoning me to turn and face her. Unable to resist, I turned slowly, and my mouth dropped open in shock.

A beautiful woman, wearing a dress made from the night sky itself, dark yet twinkling with stars, stood serenely behind me. The fabric of her gown was without line or seam and filled with glistening points of light. The hems faded off into nothingness, having no beginning or end. Soft starlight emanated from her eyes, but an unsettling shiver ran down my spine as they pierced my very being. In the space of a heartbeat, my entire life flashed before my eyes, from my birth to the moment my mother abandoned me on the streets, culminating in the pitiful, intentional overdose in the alley.

An abrupt pressure slammed into me, dispersing the dreamlike sequence. Black dots spun across my vision and I nearly fell to my knees. Managing to raise my head, I saw another giant in the lineup glowering at me. The giant wore heavy armor and carried a two-handed sword strapped to his back. His eyes glowed brightly, forcing me to turn away.

"Sun, restrain yourself," the woman behind me said. "These are just mortals, after all." Although her works were harsh, her tone was one of absolute tranquility.

The male giant, Sun, crossed his arms and snorted derisively. "She's the one? What'd you do, pull randomly and hope to get lucky?"

"Indeed," Fate murmured, smiling faintly. "Though whether I'm lucky shall be proven by this mortal."

A surprised murmur ran throughout the assembled giants, growing louder until the man on the throne slammed his hand onto the armrest, creating an echoing boom that cut all conversation short.

"Enough. Fate is aware this is her last chance, and the choice has been made. Discussing or criticizing her further will yield nothing." He turned from the giants and swept his eyes over us. "Mortals, we've called you here for a very special purpose. The world of Enusia falls under the shadow of invasion and needs heroes to be their light. You ten have been chosen to travel there, gain strength, and drive off the demon armies that will soon plague the land."

It was insanity. Demons? Words? Was I actually hallucinating after all? The other 'mortals' looked the same as I felt, peering about with expressions a mixture of fear and curiosity.

The giant on the throne continued. "The one with the most contribution shall be given godhood and ascend to join us in the high heavens. As for the rest of you, you have all been taken at the moment of your death, so you have no world to return to. Thus, in the scenario you survive, you may continue living on Enusia with whatever life you've chosen to build."

A giant on the far side of the semicircle suddenly raised a hand. "Contribution as in influence on the intelligent species, right?"

A small smile played across the seated giant's lips "Correct, Life. Unlike last time, we expect to see more than rampant forests from your hero." The smile faded and he cleared his throat. "Now no more interruptions. Heroes, our magic shall place you in the bodies of the young of various species randomly around the world. Our servants are preparing even now for your arrival and shall welcome you as you awaken as heroes. Find the nearest clergy and they will guide you to the place you may train in safety. Now, with that said, we will move on to the blessings. Patrons, instruct your mortals."

I flinched as a hand fell on my shoulder, turning me around. The woman, who had shrunken down to my size, smiled gently at my reaction.

"Please don't touch me," I whispered, casting my eyes down. Over the years, there had been few times someone made contact without the desire to harm. This woman might be different, but the instinct was ingrained within me.

"Forgive me if I make you uncomfortable, but there is truly no need for caution. I am your goddess, after all."

I shrugged off her hand, "What does that even mean? And where are we?"

"It appears you're still confused, so allow me to offer some information. This is the council of gods, who rule over all the cosmos. You may call me Fate. The one on the throne is known as King, the god of godhood. We, as a council, are in favor of protecting the order and lives of the various worlds of the cosmos, but some forces seek their destruction. Those are called demons. They search out planets to consume, and, when they do, we dispatch heroes to protect them. As much as it pains me to say this, this has turned into a bit of a game between the higher powers of their side and ours."

I nodded slowly. A game for the fate of worlds? At this point, I was ready to accept about anything. "If you're really gods, then why don't you do it yourselves?"

"If we were to get involved, those opposed to us would as well. A clash between individuals of our power levels would end up annihilating whatever world we fought on, leaving both sides unsatisfied. Thus, we abide by a strict noninterference policy.

So there were rules. What other--

"There are no other rules," the goddess said. "Victory can be obtained through any means, as long as we gods do not interfere directly. Guidance and blessings are allowed."

Mind reading, too? I shied away and did my best to hide the several disrespectful thoughts that jumped into my mind.

Her laughter danced through the air. "To label a goddess a creep takes a bold spirit," she said in amusement. "But I'll ignore it for now. As a hero, you are given powerful abilities and blessings. I am allowed to grant you one thing of my choosing, although that doesn't have to be now. The abilities are generated randomly upon your arrival, and will likely match your background and species."

"So there's a chance I won't be human?" I asked cautiously.

She nodded. "Indeed, and that's even more likely, perhaps. About half the population is nonhuman in Enusia. Oh, it looks like we're running out of time."

As I turned, she suddenly placed her hands on my shoulders. "I grant you a blessing. As the goddess of Fate, I bestow the blessing of Potential. Make good use of it."

Potential? Before I could ask what that meant, a light appeared from above. I watched in fascination as it curled down and surrounded me. A blossoming warmth spread from my chest, permeating my being and bringing an unexpected lightness to my body.

King's voice reverberated, resonating with a sense of anticipation. "Now that you've given your blessings, let the true fun begin. Are there any patrons eager to cast a curse?"