---

---

He could feel it.

His time was ending.

Soon he would be consumed and this world left godless.

Strutting off his floating lordly throne, the red-suit Gospel waltz off on to the floor of exquisite pure white marble like that of his mask. And like his mask, the floor was beginning to chip and crack, an ever impending sign of death as this reign would be ending soon.

"Ruruli," Gospel called for his wolf-eared assistant who loyally hopped to his side.

"Hihi master?" the little wolf-loli stood at rapt attention, putting on her best serious face, "What is it do you need?"

"I do believe that all the players have received their Diaries have they?" Gospel asked Ruruli who responed with an energetic nod, "Then, I do believe it is time to summon forth all the players."

Once again, Ruruli nodded before clasping herself to Gospel's leg as he stood meters tall right now. And with a flip of a cape, the two where gone from the throne room like a magician and his assistant. When the cape dissapeared into nothingness again, they have moved to the new area, the Colosseum.

13 spots total, one for each one of the 12 players and one for himself. The entire area was a regal, illustrious structure, suspended in an endless ocean sky with puffy clouds; at night it would be an endless horizon of dark violet silk inlaid with millions of crystals. Beauty at its finest.

"Summon the players." Gospel stood with perfect stillness with his hands behind his back as Ruruli quickly summoned out all of the players. Within seconds, a flurry of sparkles marked the appearance of all 12 of the players, all standing on their platforms. Gospel could see each and everyone of them, but through their eyes, they could only see him and 11 black figures.

"Greetings Players!" Gospel raised his voice to boom that resonated throughout the Colosseum, "As you all know, I am Gospel, the God of this world. You are all here today as you have been enlisted into the Survival Game and your reward shall be my spot. The basic rules are that you must kill off all other players and survive to be the last one standing. In return, you shall become a God. Simple, no? If you have question, you know where you can find me.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let the games begin! Maybe fortunate be ever in your favor!"

It was the mile long jog from the house to the gym that always got Mizu thirsty enough for the Green Tea Smoothies that were sold next door, one of which she held as she walked into the large building. As the sliding doors opened the scents of body odor and adrenaline filled her nostrils, giving her the second wind she needed to work out.

Walking over to a treadmill, Mizu noticed a few of the regulars who waved at her just to receive a glare in return. Once at the treadmill, she placed her smoothie in the cup holder and proceeded to run yet again. After a few minutes, she heard a familiar voice in her head. "Fucking great timing, Gospel. I just got here," she thought, taking a step off the treadmill. She seated herself just outside the women's locker room, where people often sat for short breaks.

A few minutes later, she found herself standing on a pedestal with 11 dark figures who seemed to be transported there at the same time as her, each on their own pedestal, equidistant from each other. Two spots to the right of Mizu stood the tall imposing figure of the God himself.

"Greetings Players!" Gospel boomed, clearly either intimidating them or thinking the room was too large, "As you all know, I am Gospel, the God of this world. You are all here today as you have been enlisted into the Survival Game and your reward shall be my spot. The basic rules are that you must kill off all other players and survive to be the last one standing. In return, you shall become a God. Simple, no? If you have question, you know where you can find me. Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let the games begin! Maybe fortunate be ever in your favor!"

"Totally not the most fucking random thing you've said. Great way to ruin my Monday," Mizu's thoughts probably were heard by the god, but she couldn't care less. For effect, she gave a menacing smile to the other competitors then allowed Gospel to transport her away to the real world.

Mizu popped back into the gym, exactly as she was before, nothing having changed. She still wore a devious smile on her face from her display before disappearing from Gospel's realm. She climbed back on the treadmill, impulsively reaching for the phone in her pocket that gave her the diary entries that told the future.

Saturday had been, as they always had been, an uneventfully boring day. Despite usually being a day of freedom, Matsuta always managed to waste it away mindlessly searching the net. Watching youtube, scanning through Imgur, looking through various sites selling Otaku goods and the like. It was all he ever did on a day of freedom, and it was decidedly sad. He didn't leave the apartment, didn't call up and talk to friends. Essentially, he did nothing of note.

That is, if you don't count speaking with Gospel occasionally. The God of the world, or something, Gospel; his own imaginary friend. His therapist had said it was probably a fictional delusion created by his mind to deal with the depression, but it didn't exactly fit. Now that the depression was more or less gone, shouldn't Gospel have gone with it?

Glancing up at the clock, a groan escaped the boys lips. It was already 3pm, and he hadn't eaten yet. Pushing up from the desk, he stood - grabbing his phone - and made his way over to the kitchen. Not that it was actually a kitchen. Just a place with some basic cooking crap and a fridge. It wasn't like he used the oven, anyway, since the microwave was a godsend. Make decent tasting food without actually having to prepare it before hand? What kind of an idiot wouldn't use such a device over cooking?!

Only after he opened the fridge, mind you, was it that he realised his monumental mistake. There was hardly anything there. Matsuta's mind snapped backwards, remember that, indeed, he had forgotten to go shopping. A small chuckle followed by a sigh of desperation emanated from him as he looked backwards towards his desk. Yesterday's clothes were strewn around, so he wouldn't have to dig through the washing to find some clothes. It'd only be a quick pop over to grab some stuff to eat.

Except, instead of leaving, he sort of just... Stood there. Like he was waiting for something. A minute passed. Then probably a second. And a thir-

Bzzzz bzzzz

The phone idly sat on the counter began to vibrate. Someone had texted him...

---

He should be at school. Then again, what time even was it? Knowing his luck, school was already over. No point in trying to get there, right? Of course, why the hell would he go? It wasn't like his imaginary friend Gospel had given him the equivalent of the red pill or anything. And so, for the past... What, 2 days, he had been ignoring his phone. It was still sat on the floor where he had left it. He wouldn't call it shock, but whatever it was, Matsuta wasn't sure.

For years, he had thought Gospel was a simple mental fuse. Something to stop a depression relapse or something. Never in his wildest dreams could he have anticipated Gospel being the God of fucking everything or some shit. Actually, no. He knew that Gospel was the God of the world. The God had told him so. But how could anyone have guessed that he was the GOD for REAL?! Of course, that left him with one question.

If Gospel was God, was Matsuta the only one who knew.

It'd make sense for others to be aware of his existence. Hell, for them to even be fucking friends. So did that mean others had phones that could tell the fucking future? If so, wasn't that just perfect. How many nutjobs were there running around with the future in their goddy pocket?! For some reason, it seemed like Gospel hadn't exactly thought this through too well. Unless everyone who had one was in the same boat as him...

Questioning existence itself and still in education. Maybe this was a good time to start doing Philosophy. Wait, did that mean that religions weren't wrong?! Well... Which one was right? Gospel didn't exactly seem like Allah, nor God. He was too much of a dick to be either of those. So, what, he had his own cult following? Was the guy behind the mask fucking Cthulhu or something?!

Mastuta had seen enough hentai to realise where this might go...

And that feeling was only strengthened by a tug. Gospel was summoning him.
"Gospel, fuck off a bit... I'm busy contemplating the mind fuckery your already gave me!" Matsuta blurted out, completely unaware of what was happening. It was true, though. At this point in time he didn't feel like talking to God.

Most likely due to the lack of sleep the last 2 nights, he felt himself slipping. His head went fuzzy, and his eyes began to droop closed. Except, when he opened them, he wasn't asleep. Or, this was a dream. Because as his eyes fell upon the area surrounding him, his vertigo came back.
"FuckfuckfuckFUCK! FUCK YOU, GOSPEL, FUCKING WHAT THE FU-" his impromptu burst of anger was cut short by the notice of 11 dark figures, completely indistinguishable, standing around on similar podiums to his own. So he was right, eh?

There were more people.

"Greetings Players!" boy, this guy could shout, "As you all know, I am Gospel, the God of this world. You are all here today as you have been enlisted into the Survival Game and your reward shall be my spot. The basic rules are that you must kill off all other players and survive to be the last one standing. In return, you shall become a God. Simple, no? If you have question, you know where you can find me.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let the games begin! Maybe fortunate be ever in your favor!"

And, without being able to say another word, he was dropped back into reality. Did Gospel actually just say that..? I'm losing my fucking mind... Matsuta thought, wide eyed at the notion of this Survival Game. Kill off the other players? Become God?! Now he was certain of two things:

A) Gospel was a mad man who wanted a psychopath on the throne.
B) The God must have been off his rocker on some kind of drug.

Why the fuck enlist 12 people to KILL each other, just to decide a God? Why not just... Make a perfect being, and give them your powers? Did Gospel even think this thing through, or did he just pull the idea out of his ass like most things?

Without even realising it, though, Matsuta had gotten up. In his hand, a phone; its back covered in a case he had bought, based of one from the anime No Game No Life. And on it, his texts were open, and he was staring at his own Future Diary...

Karin was walking from her school on Monday and while in class she notice that one of her classmate was not there...again, So she though she can bring his homework to his house but she heard a voice that is so familiar to her. Karin sign because she is busy with something but she guess it could wait.

Karin walk to the park to find a park bench, she seat down and close her eyes, She open her eyes and found herself standing on a pedestal with 11 dark figures.

"Greetings Players!" When Gospel spoke with a booming Karin jump a little, "As you all know, I am Gospel, the God of this world. You are all here today as you have been enlisted into the Survival Game and your reward shall be my spot. The basic rules are that you must kill off all other players and survive to be the last one standing. In return, you shall become a God. Simple, no? If you have question, you know where you can find me.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let the games begin! Maybe fortunate be ever in your favor!"

And with that Karin come back to reality "...A Survival Game" Karin say, what on earth kind of game is that? Karin thinking was cut short when she remember she have homework to give to Matsuta.

---

---

“Honoka!” Miye smiles brightly as she spots the back of a petite woman that had beautifully unique hair and scars covering her body. She had on a white dress. Pure, just like her. A simple dress for a wonderful angel.

Miye began to run towards her but for some reason, the angel ignored her outbursts and continued walking away from her. Miye trips over air and falls onto her knees, her two hands slamming hard on the ground which was growing darker and darker. Then, she sees the angel’s head begin to turn towards her and Miye’s face lights up as she smiles.

But her smile doesn’t last. The angel’s face was cold and expressionless, her dark eyes appearing dull.

“You’re… DISGUSTING." she says cruelly as a look of shock appears on Miye's face. Why was this happening? What was happening? Honoka begins to walk away and just as Miye reaches her hand out, she sees something. Blood is now covered on her hand as Miye's eyes go wide with horror. What is this? What is this? Why is there blood? Why is there blood on my hands?! She began to pant, coughing up blood as it fell onto the now charcoal colored segment beneath her. “H-Honoka! Y-You can’t leave me!” she cries aloud, tears falling down her face. “P-please…” the words silent and unheard as she realizes that no one was there.

Soon, she hears whispering as Miye is pulled into where Gospel is. A demon or an angel, she’ll never know but he had uttered the name Honoka before so there was no way that she could ignore him any longer.

A survival game? What type of useless things was this man trying to pull her into? Being a god? What good is that? Miye looks around her to see shadows of other people around her. Who they were? She was too irritated to actually try and see if she knew any of them.

God dang it Gospel. Why must he do this? Oh well. Whatever. If anyone tries to kill me, I don’t know what will happen... I've never killed anyone and violence isn't my forte... Oh god. This is going to be troublesome.

After his speech, Gospel returned them to their world slowly, Miye sighing as she begins to open her eyes.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A loud alarm goes off in her modern apartment just as she opens her eyes. A boring place that a lot of people would be jealous of. However, she didn't see what was so good about it. Her "mother" had bought it for her, not wanting anyone to see her daughter as financially troubled. Bland black and white interior everywhere.

She would have thought more about the survival game but right now, she had no time for that.

Miye groans, shutting it off as she slowly sits up on her bed with a yawn, extending her arms for a stretch. She looks down and thought about what he had mentioned. She had completely forgotten about her dream right now. Miye never remembered her dreams. She used to but not anymore. She doesn’t need to remember such things.

She pulls her left leg out of the covers, shifting herself and sitting on the right side of her bed. Quickly, Miye’s mood brightens up as she realizes that it was spectacular Monday. A day where she could finally see Honoka after more than 24 hours of not being able to actually see her face to face, having to deal with just photos of her. Well, she did see her sometimes but Miye meant interaction. Not just watching her from time to time.

Her cute pink phone with a lilac phone case chimed as she turned it on. Miye looks at her cellphone which had Honoka and herself set to the wallpaper. She hated photos of most other people including herself, but it included Honoka so she absolutely loved it. A gentle smile formed as she admired the beautiful image of her with an adorable smile and a little peace sign. It was like a person’s cup of coffee for the morning to wake themselves up. For her, it was this image.

Miye leaps out of her bed and gleefully walks over to her closet, pulling out her outfit for the day. The dress was made with nice fabric and covered her assets well. Miye applies some makeup to her scars on her arm and a few on her legs as she hums. Before she was finally ready to go, she puts on some light lip gloss and smiles. “Yay! I’m ready!” she says as she throws her keys in the air and catches it in her other hand, snatching it and throwing it in her purse.

Finally, she waters her lilacs that she had in front of a large window. She smiles, gently lifting them and taking a whiff. Mmmm~ With that, she finally leaves the extravagant apartment with a perky smile on her face.

---

Walking to school was no trouble for Miye. She even had a little skip to her walk. Miye paid no attention to the things around her. Looking like a star as she walked forward with her new vintage shades covering her bright red eyes. The people were not important in her eyes whatsoever. Miye made sure not to make any eye contact for the first part and hoped that no one came up to speak to her.

Soon, she could feel a guys eyes on her as she shivered, turning her head to see a boy that she had seen about one time in her class. Uwaaa~ I don’t like you! Hehe, you piece of human garbage, stop looking at me please~

Miye smiled at them, giving him a quick wave so that they could feel embarrassed and look away. She exhaled, glad that it was Monday and that nothing could bring her high hopes down. Once that was done, she took out her phone at the entrance and began texting Honoka.

To: Hono-chan <3 @RiverMaiden

Hey, hey! Good morning! I hope you slept well! I’m at school. Are you already here? Or are you still on your way?
❀ ♫ ♬ ♪ ♩ ♪ ❤ ｡◕‿◕｡ ☀ ツ

Typing quickly and with determination. She loved using emojis. They were cute and always seemed to dress up a text nicely. Besides, adding hearts was normal for girls so no one would never think of it as anything weird. Finally, after editing the text about 5 times, she decided on what to say. And… SEND! Miye then put her phone back in her bag."Mmm-mmm~" Miye began humming an adorable song quietly which she had heard before on some sort of website. I can’t wait to see Honoka! Hehe.. Miye giggles cutely for a second before she places her hands together and looks at the school entrance to see if she could perhaps spot Honoka. The scarred young woman that radiated beauty and was extremely sweet.

She had even saved someone like herself from those demons! Honoka was an actual angel that Miye was meant to live for. Survive for. The air she breathed would be pointless without her. Honoka isn't just an angel. She's a guardian that came down for Miye to save and in the end, for Miye to protect. Honoka just doesn't know those exact details. But it's okay. Because i'll do anything for Hono-chan no matter what.

Even if it were to mean ever killing some people or even sacrificing myself~

After an all night shift of nothing really happening, Kaz was ready to get going home; she barely even slept during her shift, she since yesterday morning, she didn't even manage to get a nap in, she was ready for anything to happen, but sadly nothing was happening for her and her partner.

As she was getting her backpack ready to go, she texted her sister, telling her sister to go to school and get her education today, she tried her best to make the text seem friendly and silly instead of something that would seem strict.

When she hit the send button she turned her phone's screen off and shoved her phone into her pocket, Kaz was about to leave with her backpack on her back and other hand in her jacket pocket; she was about to leave the hospital she worked at, but just when her foot exited the door, she heard an alarm go off.

Kaz did a 360 heading back inside and going to the ambulance, she and her partner hopped into their ambulance; the G.P.S in the front told them what, and where the alert was, it was someone having a heart attack, it was a pretty far drive for the two from the hospital as well.

The moment the ambulance turned on it's lights and sirens, the radio sprung to life, and the voice another person on a different radio said they were taking care of the situation, Kaz's partner turned off the ambulance lights and turned the siren off, he backed it into the hospital garage. Kaz hopped out of the ambulance and grabbed her bag again.

She rubbed her head before yawning and leaving, she told everyone that she was done for the day and tired as all hell. Kaz got onto her bicycle and rode it back home; like she thought her sister left after getting the text, the medic didn't care about taking a shower like she usually would when she would get back home, she went to her bed dropped her bag next to it and landed face first into her pillow.

Suddenly when she closed her eyes, she was standing on a platform with a couple other dark figures in the room with her, she looked around wondering what was going on, she wondered if she was now dreaming or not.

"Greetings Players!" Kaz held a finger in one of her ears as his voice blasted into their eardrums "As you all know, I am Gospel, the God of this world. You are all here today as you have been enlisted into the Survival Game and your reward shall be my spot. The basic rules are that you must kill off all other players and survive to be the last one standing. In return, you shall become a God. Simple, no? If you have question, you know where you can find me.

"W-what ? " When he mentioned killing, Kaz became somewhat flummoxed."What kind of game allows you to kill people ?" She asked.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let the games begin! Maybe fortunate be ever in your favor!"

Sadly her question was not answered. Kaz slowly got up from her pillow, she grabbed her cellphone from her jacket before tossing it across the bed room and onto a chair, she rolled onto her back feeling lazy, she just decided to sleep on what she was told; Kill others. Become a god. She didn't like the idea, but it was a survival game, all she would have to do is survive right ? She could just wait the game out Maybe; Kaz soon fell asleep snoring in her room deep asleep.

In a darkened bedroom, eyes of a dark origin hesitantly open to the sight of a star covered ceiling. With only the creaking of the singular queen bed in the room filling the void of silence, Fuyukawa Honoka sits up slowly from her bed, nightgown hanging loosely from her petite form. The young adult wiped any lingering sleep from her eyes, rousing herself from dreamland. School was resuming today. Dark scars from a long time past revealed themselves from beneath her ivory clothing, their owner moved from her bed to gently unveil her empty bedroom to the light of the outside. With slightly narrowed eyes, Honoka started towards her bathroom to absentmindedly go through her regular, morning routine. Take a shower, change clothes, brush teeth. Tying up her hair into it's normal ponytail, she finally reached the best part of her mornings: Daily Tarot Reading.

The god, Gospel, had bestowed upon her a gift only a few days ago. The Prophet Diary, which gave her the unprecedented ability to accurately predict the future... for anyone and anything besides herself. However, this did not mean that the young adult would start to misemploy her longtime companions. Her tarot cards had guided her throughout her admittedly short life, sending her down paths she would have never even contemplated without them. They were Honoka's silent friends in the dark, keeping her company when no one else could. To be quite honest, when her mother left the house for the last time, those first days of solitude without her were quite nerve wracking, only the constant, subtle presence of her cards kept Honoka calm and collected as she usually was. The dark-haired woman reached for the cabinet by her bed, and pulled out the deck tarot cards she held dear.

She slowly started to shuffle the deck, clearing the "residual energies" of her last reading. The cards are prone to keeping latent memories of previous dealings, so it was best to clear them for the most accurate readings. Kneeling on to the floor, Honoka finished her current shuffle and closed her eyes, her right hand tensely gripped the deck and her left hand gently covered it. 'What do you have in store for me today?' She mentally asked, fixating the question in her mind as she set the deck onto the floor, perfectly cutting the deck with her left hand, and placing the top half away from her. With a practiced hand, she gently drew the tarot card for her reading from the top of the closest deck, placing the card face up in front of her with an unnatural display of confusion.

The Fool. Number Zero. The Beginning of Everything. Independence and Freedom. God's trickery and sense of humor. Humanity's dealings with God: Adoration or Hinderance.

She had only drawn this card once before, and it was during her first tarot card reading. When she first met the god, Gospel, and when everything she knew became part of a greater whole. It was one of the Major Arcana, meaning that the reading connotated a significtant happening. What exactly it would be, she didn't know, but Honoka knew that it would change her life, and potentially the lives of those around her. Suddenly, as if the card had called upon the deity, she felt a subtle tug within her soul, notifying her that Gospel wished to bring her into his dimension. With no resistance on her part, the dark haired lady closed her eyes only for a moment, reopening them to the grand stature of the Colosseum.

What once was a dark ceiling with bright stars within it become the backdrop of a beautiful, expansive sky. Twelve, thirteen if she counted herself, platforms were situated within the realm, with one of them elevated above the rest. The elevated platform supported the stature of the god of the world, while the lower ones held the silhouettes of fellow humans, eleven in total, each of them with varying body structures. One of which, she noticed, possessed the height and presence of a child. Why would Gospel summon such a gathering? The answer to the unvoiced question within Honoka's mind came from the loud, boisterous tone of previously mentioned god.

"Greetings Players!" Gospel raised his voice to boom that resonated throughout the Colosseum, "As you all know, I am Gospel, the God of this world. You are all here today as you have been enlisted into the Survival Game-" Already, the scarred female regretted answering his call so willingly. A Survival Game? Honoka knew that Gospel was different. He was god, after all. No mere mortal would truly be within his league when it came to being... Him. But... "-and your reward shall be my spot. The basic rules are that you must kill off all other players and survive to be the last one standing. In return, you shall become a God." Her charcoal eyes ignited with an innate fury, barely compressed emotion focused onto the masked being high above.

Why, of all times, must his personality make him so difficult?

"Simple, no? If you have question, you know where you can find me." No, never simple. Nothing, when it came to dealing with god, was simple. A thousand questions, unable to be voiced without a notable outburst, blurred through Honoka's mind, her expression slowly slipping further and further from her usual apathy. Why would he be giving up his position of power? What could possibly cause such a drastic measure from the confusing deity? She usually took most of Gospel's shenanigans at face value, but a game of killing and death? With a child involved?

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let the games begin! Maybe fortunate be ever in your favor!"

At once, the young adult was forcibly pushed from Gospel's dimension, eyes unable to focus as the scenery changed back to her dark bedroom, The Fool still central within her sight. Near instantly after she had regained her normal 20/20 vision, Honoka irritably shoved the Major Arcana back onto her deck, taking both cuts and shuffling them back together. She took a deep, calming breath, allowing an old tune unearth itself from within her psyche, relaxing as it enveloped her within a void of soothing, haunting melodies.

This would not be the first time that her practiced indifference was shattered by an event in life. Many of these events were the witnessing of others in danger, and this was no different, except that she would be apart of this danger. She let out a long exhale, standing up to finish her preparations for the day. Eat breakfast, pack needed materials, leave the house. Mundane tasks she executed to cool down her unusually heated heart. The uneasy stares and sneers pointed her way were ignored or unseen, the tune circulating throughout her being and returning her emotions to an equilibrium. This "survival game" would be carried out, regardless of her feelings about it, so she would just have to soldier through it, and win with the least amount of death possible. Her reasoning may seem harsh to others, but to her nothing else mattered except those whom had acknowledged her, and whom she had acknowledged as well. She had already accepted that her soul may become tarnished by her actions, permanently scarred like her body was, but she would carry on as she always did, for the sake of her friends and family.

Speaking of friends, her phone's ringtone notified her that one of her few friends had messaged her. Checking the text, a small, unnoticeable smile flashed across her face. Miye, her currently longest lasting friend. The same way that Gospel was associated with The Fool, the bubbly woman was associated with The Three of Chalices, which signified the successes and beauty of relationship. Through thick and thin, Miye had followed her throughout her life, ever since that fateful day where Honoka had saved her from that pack of bullies. Even when her mother had disappeared, her friend was there to brighten her normally dull days with her perpetual happiness. Sometimes, there would be a nearly unnoticeable crack within her aura, just barely seen under the surface, but Honoka knew not to pry. All humans had their secrets and struggles that they wouldn't share with anyone, not even those closest to them. It was just how we were, in our sinful and prideful existences.

Typing out her reply, the scarred lady sent it out as the school came into sight, ready for the start of her now slightly of-course life to resume once more.

It was a rare and much needed day off for Norio. He and his wife had just dropped their daughter, Akemi, to school and were enjoying a nice day at home. He couldn't remember the last time he spent time with his wife alone like this. No work, no kid, no stress. After a few moments of admiring his wife from the couch, he walked up behind her and kissed her gently on the cheek. She was caught a bit off guard and almost dropped the broom that was in her hand. "What was that for, Norio?" she asked, pretending to scold him. "Can't you see that I'm busy sweeping?"

"I can't kiss my beautiful wife?" he replied with a smile. He snatched the broom from her hands and put it to the side. "You work very hard, Manami. Can't we just let the floor be dirty for one day?"

Without giving her anytime to argue, he then led her towards the couch and sat her down. He put an arm around her and used his free hand to turn on the television. She seemed hesitant at first, wanting to go back to her cleaning, but decided that maybe it would be okay to take a break. It wasn't often that her husband was home after all. She snuggled in closer towards him. Their eyes were on the screen but neither were really paying attention to what was going on. "You know, Akemi's painting will be in the school art show next week. It would mean a lot to her if you could go," said Manami. She wasn't really hoping for too much since she was aware of her husband's busy work schedule but it couldn't hurt to ask.

"I'll do my best," Norio replied though he knew he was going to be busy all week.

"You always do."

They did not say anything after that and simply watched some afternoon soap that was on. However, there was still some tension in the room. Norio knew that his wife was still hoping that he would retire from this line of work. He wanted to be there more for his family. But at the same time, there were people that also needed protecting. It was what he did best. He was also recently given a special gift that he would like to use.

His mind began to wander until he heard a familiar, yet unwelcome voice. He was being summoned by that man, if he could call him a man that is. He got up, mumbled something about needing to go to the bathroom, and left the living room. He was still unsure of how the whole thing worked, but he definitely did not want his wife to see him like that.

He suddenly was in an unknown place, standing on some sort of pedestal. There was Gospel as he expected, but there were also eleven other people whom he could not see. So there were more like him out there.

As Norio continued to look around, Gospel began to speak. "Greetings Players!"As you all know, I am Gospel, the God of this world. You are all here today as you have been enlisted into the Survival Game and your reward shall be my spot. The basic rules are that you must kill off all other players and survive to be the last one standing. In return, you shall become a God. Simple, no? If you have question, you know where you can find me.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let the games begin! Maybe fortunate be ever in your favor!"

And then he was back home. He felt a shiver going down his spine as Gospel's words echoed in his head. A survival game with other players targeting him? As if his life wasn't dangerous enough as it was. He went to the bathroom to splash his face with cold water before returning to Manami's side.

Manami glanced over at her husband and felt like something was off. "Is everything alright, honey?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine. So what happened to the fellow who turned out to actually be the girl's brother?"

Fire.

The gift which Prometheus stole from the Gods to give to man and lift them from darkness.

A magic that had cost him his freedom and destroyed his life.

But his sacrifice was worth it, it gave man the ability to create and destroy.

One of which Yui Hanogai loved.

She loved it to such an extent, she had built a bonfire in an old warehouse and was dragging several unfortunate, restrained souls on to it and sweetly hummed as they cried out.

But their desperation fell short to the little girl's ears as she splashed the bonfire with wave upon wave of gasoline, petrol and charcoal.

Oh how they cried and sobbed and cursed, but Yui just kept singing as she tried to start a match.

"What a wonderful day, don't you think criminal-san?~" she sung to one of them men she had tied up, only getting a spat to the face in response.

But her smile persisted as she dropped the matchbox.

Her smile persisted as she walked over to her cute little bag.

Her smile persisted as she drew a long, skinny blade from her cute little bag and walked back to the unlit bonfire.

Her smile persisted as she smiled at the one who spat in her innocent face.

Her smile persisted as she kneed down and gouged out one of his eyes with her blade, the edge cutting its way into the top of eyeball and hitting a bundle of nerve endings and blood teared up.

Her smile persisted as she wiggle and jiggled the skinny knife up and down and all around in the man's eye socked util a light *pop!* and his eyeball was free from its socket as Yui clutched it and yanked it out by the cord, blood gushing out and cascading down the man's face.

Her smile persisted as she scolded the man in a singing voice, spinning the eyeball and its cord around her finger like a bloody toy, droplets of blood flying into her sailor fuku, "That was so mean mister, you need to learn that bad boys are punished in this world~"

Her smile persisted as she listened to not only the now eyeless man, but also all the others cry out in desperation, praying to God that they would be saved. But Yui smiled to the chorus of agony that was music to her ears, for there was no God but Gospel and Gospel was a man nice enough to never interrupt Yui's playtime with her dolls.

Her smile persisted as she felt Gospel tugging at her mentally, signaling she was to meet him soon. Just then Yui chuckled at the thought of how many dolls she must have gone through, at least a few dozen by this point. Man was she an expensive little angel to keep around, but Gospel had always found her more toys to play with.

Her smile persisted as she closed her eyes and an natural air rushed past her, blowing her adorable pink hair in an imaginary breeze until she appeared in the realm of Gospel's Colosseum. Around here were 11 figures of shadows of all shapes and sizes with the King Gospel at the top lording over all of them, towering over all of them with godly hight.

Her smile persisted as she heard Gospel's mighty voice boom in the magical realm. "Greetings Players!" he bombastically announced, "As you all know, I am Gospel, the God of this world. You are all here today as you have been enlisted into the Survival Game and your reward shall be my spot. The basic rules are that you must kill off all other players and survive to be the last one standing. In return, you shall become a God. Simple, no? If you have question, you know where you can find me."

Her smile persisted as she realized what was to come; the Survival Games were upon her. She had long heard of this since she first started accepting Gospel as a fatherly figure. And now, now that Gospel was growing weak and old and frail and senile, it would be her turn to take that beautiful crown of God. After all, it was only natural for a King to bestow his rule on to a princess, if there were no other heirs of course.

Her smile persisted as she plotted on how best to eliminate the other heirs, their bloodied, charred, mangled corpse would be a staircase into her divine rule where she could finally purge the world of all evils, all sins, all injustice and all misdeeds. Yui needed ask no questions, not even on who would win.

Her smile persisted as the magical winds blew once more and the sound of cries of terror drifted into her tiny ears once more. The old, molding warehouse replaced the glittering arena of Gospel, laid upon a beautiful endless horizon.

"Did you know?" Yui gleefully spun around a picked up her matches once again, "I'm going to become a Goddess!~"

"And then I'll be able to watch all of you burn in pain and suffering as I please, desu~"

And so Yui's smile persisted as she lit the match.

Her smile persisted as it landed on the oiled stack of wood and caught ablaze instaneously.

Her smile persisted as the bonfire burned and the men writhed in pain and agaony as their souls were being burned to ashes.

Yui's smile persisted as she thought, This is going to be so much fun!~

Karin was walking to Matsuta apartment complex but still thinking about what Gospel earlier, ...A Survival Game Karin though

what do we do in that game, do we really have to kill each other...no no Karin don't be foolish, it like freeze tag you tag someone and they freeze, sound simple enough.

Karin kept thinking about it finally she made it to Matsuta apartment complex and try to find Matsuta name in the name board until she found his name, Matsuta Okada the name board say. Karin walk up stares and walk around in the halls and finally she saw Matsuta door number.

@Vocab
She knock his door, "um..hi Matsuta, it me Karin..er Karin Hanako, i'm your classmate from math class and you were at school...again, so I bring you some homework"

Kito sat at his desk in his study, going over a case, This is getting out of hand now, why is it there are no leads? And what the hell happened to the witnesses? Every time we go to follow up with one, they wind up becoming the next victim. What kind of game is this killer playing? he thought to himself. Kito sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. It had been just for a moment, but that was long enough for him to be drawn to Gospel's Realm. He stood, listening to the God speak, his arms crossed. He looked at the other shadowed Diary Users, they were his enemies now, each of them all vying for the throne of Godhood. Surprisingly enough, something like that didn't appeal to him, all he wanted was to use his Diary to put away criminals. Of course, having been exposed to Gospel's machinations before, he was more inclined to participate in this Death Game. "I am surprised, Gospel, you've decided not to incite war as per usual. However, I get the feeling that even limiting the number of those involved, there will still be war-like devastation. Of course, such is to be expected from you." the male said with a grin. His Diary was a beneficial one both on it's own, and paired with another who had a goal. Details would prove useful to those who desired a Dead End to go as planned, but of course, he also knew there was a flaw to his Diary as well; there was never any mention of him specifically.

Once the meeting was finished, he remained behind, "I have something I wish to speak to you about, Gospel, if you are not too busy?" he asked. He turned and faced the God on his throne, "It involves my current case. Several months ago, I got a case on my desk concerning a series of grisly deaths in another city, turns out the killer from there matches the same MO as our recent discoveries. I'm certain they're related, but the thing is, each time we follow up with any of our witnesses, they become the new victim. I was stuck on it until just a few minutes ago. Tell me, is this killer I'm searching for, a User?" he asked. It made sense why the killer was always one step ahead, why they were always able to reach the victims before his men could follow up on anything they said, the killer had to have a Dairy! That was the only possible explanation for all of this!

"I do think so," Gospel shrunk a little but still towered over the detective, "Let me guess, fire, ash, semi-desecrated corpses, mostly middle-aged male victims? Some of which have had criminal records?"

Gospel tired of his larger form and could feel the drain on his aging system already. Jump off his grand platform, by the time he landed next to Kito, he was only a few inches taller than he was and executed two flips perfect enough to make gold-medal Olympic gymnasts jealous. He paced around pretending as if he was thinking and pondering upon a myriad number of possible targets and people before coming up on a single person, not that he was actually. Dramatic effect was always a good way to set the scene.

"Ahh yes, there is one person in question..." Gospel trailed his voice off like a fishing line trying to lure Kito's interest, "A small, bright little girl with a dark, horrid past. One so dark that her brightness comes only from the fires of which she burns her victims in, scattering their ashes like grey snow afterwards, burnt so that no machine could ever hope to pick up traces of DNA off of them."

The God stopped pacing around Kito for a second and tilted his mask down a little as it he was grinning under it, "However, I did promise the sweet little thing that I would not interfere with her play time. As such I am going to withhold her name under my own honor."

Gospel twisted his fingers and with a pompous tone pledged, "Scout's honor and such".

With either inhuman strength, negation of the laws of physics or both, the God leaped gracefully back up to his platform, clockwork under it began to whirr about as it unfolded and spun slightly as if it was to move soon.

"I will tell you that you ought to look into your Yakuza friends a bit more, namely that operating under the title of 'Okozaki Adult Entertainment Corporation' and their 'gentlemen clubs' and perhaps you'll find the girl's mother. Or what's left of her, if anything at all."

The platform's mechanics became louder as more complex arms, spheres and shapes of all sorts cropped up around Gospel's platform and they began to spin slowly around Gospel and Ruruli who had appeared from somewhere, grasping to his clothes.

"Ruruli however will help you slightly by enticing and making the owner more... malleable, he happens to have a certain taste which Ruruli can fulfill."

The red-suit being bowed with a formal "ta-ta", as did his animal-eared assistant, as the arms around their platform spun faster and faster, generating a blinding light that had swallowed them whole and would also force Kito out of the Colosseum.

Oh this was going to be interesting indeed.

@Krinos Solstice

---

---

Miye was waiting patiently before she hears a static noise. She had forgotten to check her diary update. Miye quickly whips out her phone once again and checks the diary updates.

May 1 8:10
Honoka has just left her home and is on her way to school. I hope no one follows her and hurts her >:T

May 1 8:33
Honoka receives a text from me after I text her, I wonder what she'd going to say!

May 1 8:35
Honoka replies to the text and is near her college, just getting to the campus, can't wait to see her! w(^∆^)w

A smile forms on Miye's lips as she looks up at the time. 8:34 exactly. Tick tock tick tock. Miye waits for about 20 seconds before the time finally changes and it is exactly 8:35. She waits another 5 seconds before receiving a text from Honoka. Miye smiles and puts the phone into her bag, looking left and right before finally spotting an adorable scarred female in a well suited black dress. She waves at her and starts heading her way, glomping onto Honoka. "Hono! G'morning~ Your first class is humanities, right?" she asks the question so innocently that it would make most breeze over how she knew such a thing. Did she know Honoka's entire schedule? But of course she did. It's general knowledge in Miye's case. Besides, they had known each other for a while so it wouldn't be too weird.

Miye takes a step back and starts walking backwards as her eyes go over to someone that she knew. Please don't talk to me. Please don't talk to me. "Good morning Miye!" the young woman waves at Miye and nearly heads her way but seems to be debating on whether to do so or not. Miye gives a kind wave back along with a smile. "Good morning!" she calls out, turning back to Honoka. Miye had to greet a few others that for whatever reason thought of themselves as her friends. She finally gets a break of that and grabs Honoka's arm. "Let's go!" she says, extending her right arm and heading into the building with Honoka.

@RiverMaiden