Chapter 0.1

"How?" Adam tried to bring the memory to mind, but nothing came. Still, a vague feeling in his chest told him something was wrong.

"I don't know. I wasn't there."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm Tellus, the Earth God."

As Adam heard the words, he thought it was a joke. Thinking rationally about it, it couldn't be real—but he wasn't smart enough to make all of that up.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked, letting go of the fear as angst rose in his chest.

"You were chosen to take my place," the man answered casually.

Suddenly, after forgetting about the darkness, the world lit up around Adam, making the boy flinch.

As his eyes adjusted to the light behind his eyelids, Adam tried to open them. In the flashes he saw as he blinked to get used to the outside world, the boy saw darkness—but a different kind of it.

He saw white, luminous spots. As he raised his arms to rub his eyes, Adam was startled when he realized he had moved.

Widening his eyes, the boy looked at his hands and wiggled his legs. He wasn't paralyzed anymore.

But then something even stranger happened—Adam felt himself light as a feather.

Looking down, the boy saw no ground and got the feeling he was falling. His heart jumped, and he flailed his arms, trying to get a grip, but there was nothing around.

"Help!" he called out to the voice.

As the seconds passed and nothing happened, Adam noticed he wasn't moving. Looking down again, he saw the luminous dots that spread all around him.

Bringing his eyes up, Adam met an infinite darkness.

"Am I in space?" His voice was a mumble of shock.

"Yes. Where everything began."

Adam turned around, floating in the emptiness. Behind him, a tall figure startled him.

"Tellus?"

Everything that was happening was so crazy, Adam still didn't believe it wasn't a dream.

"Why am I here?" the boy asked, as the man didn't say anything.

"You have a mission, Adam. One only you can complete."

The man had a strong presence, as if he knew so much more than Adam would ever know.

"I don't want any mission. I want to know where my mother is." Another fragment of his memory appeared in his mind. "I know she was with me before I came here."

Adam didn't know what they were doing, but he remembered hearing her voice calling him desperately.

"Adam, the power you will inherit will shape your world and many others."

"I don't care!" While the man talked, Adam regained some of his memory. His mother had been telling him not to give up.

"You will when the world your mother is in gets erased."

Tellus' voice finally penetrated the boy's mind. Looking up beyond the gray beard, Adam met the man's eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Elements shape the planet. Without them, there is no life. What I am offering you is to become the New Earth God."

"I said I don't want it! Just send me back."

Trapped in the conversation, hearing about things he didn't give a damn about while his mother could be in danger seemed ridiculous.

"There's no going back. You either accept the powers, or your soul will be sent to oblivion."

Tellus didn't change his expression or tone for even a minute while talking about the boy's soul. He sounded like a human robot.

"You said you chose me. Why?"

The first thing that made it all seem like a dream was the fact that anyone would ever choose Adam to do anything.

The boy never had any responsibilities. His mother, Helena, was always asking him to find something to do—anything besides partying and getting into trouble.

"Because you are stubborn enough to fight and not give up."

Adam looked at the man's serious expression and cracked a laugh.

"Bro, you couldn't be more mistaken. I give up on everything—literally."

Watching Tellus' severe expression made the laugh disappear from Adam's lips just as fast as it had appeared.

"If you do, you will condemn countless dimensions—and your mother's. Without the power of the Elements, the Universe can't exist." Adam was silent; Tellus didn't seem like the kind of guy who liked to joke around. "You were chosen for a reason, but you can refuse and let others carry this burden. However, I know your mother didn't raise you like that."

"What did you say?"

How could he know anything about his mother?

"Choose."

Without saying anything else, Tellus disappeared into the void of space, leaving Adam alone in the dark.

Left with nothing but a fragmented memory and a confusing prophecy, Adam tried to make sense of what the man had said—but the boy was confronted with a new sight.

The planet Earth.

The view was so magnificent, it took the air out of his lungs and the thoughts out of his head. He was consumed by the immensity of the planet. Even tilting his head up and down, the human eye was not capable of capturing Earth in its totality. Adam could only see a fraction of it at a time, like he was watching the biggest IMAX screen ever.

Directly in front of him was a big piece of land that ended in the sea. White, fluffy clouds floated over it, creating a contrast with the ochre coloration of the view. Roughly guessing, Adam thought it could be the Sahara Desert.

It was so vivid and overpowering, the boy reached out to touch it. He was being drawn into it, like Earth was calling him.

If he remembered Tellus' words correctly, it was either become a God or get sent to whatever the hell oblivion was.

Adam forced his memory one more time, trying to remember what had happened before he ended up there. He had to know his mother was okay.