As the team exits, they quickly find themselves in a dark alley. With the portal blocked behind them, the only way is forward. Mira summons a fireball in her palm, lighting up the area. At her current strength, she feels nothing but the warmth from the fire.

  “I see a way out!” Yu exclaims.

  “This is…Olympics?” Mira says.

  “I’m sure it’s Olympia,” Wyn interjects.

  “It’s actually Olympus!” David corrects.

  The team steps into the first layer of Olympus, greeted by a quiet, eerie landscape. The sky above is dark, illuminated only by the constant drizzle of ambrosia that pours from the heavens, its faint golden glow casting a soft, ethereal light over the land.

  The area feels almost deserted, with no souls to be seen outside. Sacred groves and flowing rivers stretch out before them, their beauty untouched yet somber in the dim light. Grand marble structures rise from the earth, their ancient columns towering in silent testament to the city's former vibrancy. Above, hidden behind the clouds, lies the second layer of Olympus – the celestial realm of the gods. Golden palaces and celestial gardens once gleamed with divine brilliance, but now, with the passing of Zeus, their light has faded, leaving the heavenly realm shrouded in a melancholic gloom.

  The souls, it seems, are safely tucked away in their shelters, leaving the land below steeped in an unsettling stillness.

  “Why is it so quiet?” David remarks, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

  “If this is Zeus’ and Poseidon’s level, it should be guardian-free…but why didn’t the portal close and reopen so we could advance to the next one?” Wyn mutters.

  “Should we summon a moderator, Mister Wyn? Just in case someone else has become a new guardian here, like Luce?” Lisa suggests hesitantly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

  With three more levels to go and four moderators left to summon, the team unanimously agrees. Wyn steps into an open area and calls upon Greed. The mechanical moderator materializes with a sharp hiss of electricity, every movement accompanied by a grating creak that echoes unnervingly in the silent atmosphere.

  Wyn, visibly irritated, mutters, “You need an oil change?”

  Greed, unable to speak, narrows the glowing eyes on the faceplate directed at Wyn, staring intently with an expression that can only be described as irritated anger. Wyn, half-joking about eliminating him now that he “believes” his team is stronger than the moderator, gives the finger. In response, Greed spins his body in frustration, mechanical arms flailing wildly, the motion loud and clunky. Deep down, the moderator knows all too well that Wyn’s claim is indeed true.

  “Calm down, jeez! You’re just making even more noise!” Wyn scolds.

  Suddenly, a faint creak catches their attention. A soul peeks out from a nearby shelter, pressing a finger to their lips in a frantic “shhh” gesture before quickly retreating inside, the door shutting softly behind them and cutting off any chance for the team to respond.

  It is then that Yu notices an Alsatian strolling cautiously down the deserted street, its ears perked in curiosity, drawn by the commotion. The moment the dog catches sight of Greed’s towering, mechanical form, it yelps in fear, its tail tucking tightly against its rear as it hesitates, uncertain whether to flee or stay frozen in place.

  Its attempt to flee is short-lived as Yu quickly summons a stream of water, blocking its escape. The gentle current guides the reluctant dog toward the group, its paws skidding slightly against the ground as it’s brought closer.

  “Talk, or these girls will eat you,” Yu threatens, earning an incredulous “what the fuck” glare from the sisters.

  The dog stammers out shaky barks, its tail trembling as it does its best to explain.

  It recounts how, when Zeus and Poseidon departed with the gods, the souls on this level celebrated their absence alongside some of the gods who had stayed behind – Dionysus and Aphrodite, who remained on the first layer. However, when Zeus and Poseidon passed, the palaces above automatically lost their shine. This sudden change brought Hera down in a fury. She threatened to punish all who had celebrated their absence and forcibly brought Dionysus and Aphrodite back to Mount Olympus, where the gods began their period of mourning.

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  The dog explains that, in their grief, the gods mourn by pouring ambrosia down from the sky – a symbolic act of renouncing their vibrant, indulgent nature as they anxiously await the arrival of the next guardian destined to replace this level.

  “So, still no guardian…Do we have to kill the remaining gods in order to proceed?” Wyn asks.

  “Let me check with the nerds,” David responds.

  “How about we have some fun anyway?” Mira interjects, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Let’s go up and take them all out!”

  Her enthusiasm is echoed by Lisa, who nods eagerly.

  “Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea,” David admits after a pause. “We can get their essence.”

  Though they consider swimming up through the cascading ambrosia, the team opts for Wyn’s mini cyclones to scale Mount Olympus. However, Greed’s considerable weight makes him too cumbersome for the ascent, and they decide to leave him behind at the base.

  “Hello, Mister Gods and Miss Goddesses,” Lisa greets with an evil smirk as they burst into the palace.

  “This is for my friends your ally, Demeter, killed!” David shouts, his anger palpable.

  The gods barely have time to react to the team’s sudden intrusion. Despite their attempts to fend off the attackers, their combined strength proves no match for the intruders. One by one, the gods fall, their essences left behind as the only remnants of their once-mighty existence.

  “So weak. Their essence isn’t even worth much to us, really,” Yu remarks, his disappointment evident.

  “Now, now, Yu. Any chance to make us stronger is always worth it,” David responds, giving him a reassuring pat on the back. “Oh! The nerds have responded!”

  As David reads the email line by line, Wyn’s face progressively turns red with frustration when he reaches the part that reads, “You can always try to enter the very same portal – if you can’t proceed, you’ll pop out on the other side of it.”

  “Jerks! They should’ve shared this info with us earlier,” Wyn mutters. “Well, that reminds me. I’ve always wondered – how do bands work? Don’t they need some kind of power source to operate?”

  “Ah, that.” David replies. “The bands operate by gradually nibbling on our flesh! But since we regenerate faster than they can consume, it doesn’t feel like they have any real impact on our wrists.”

  “Ewww!” Yu exclaims, his face twisting in disgust as he instinctively reaches for the band on his wrist, as if tempted to rip it off.

  “Gross, Mister David!” Lira chimes in, her expression mirroring Yu’s as she extends her band-wearing wrist far away, as though the distance might lessen the revulsion.

  David chuckles, unbothered. “Hey, I didn’t invent these. If you’ve got complaints, take it up with the nerds.” He follows this with a gentle pat on Lisa’s head.

  Mira, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, suddenly chimes in, “I wonder how it would feel if I put the band on my…”

  “Anyhow!” Wyn cuts in swiftly, his voice raised to redirect the conversation. “Did the nerds ask about what happened on the third level?”

  “They did, but I didn’t reply, and that was that!” David replies.

  Deciding it’s best to proceed, the team descends down Wyn’s mini cyclones and regroups with Greed, who appears to be in a sleep mode. Before they wake up the moderator, Wyn turns to David.

  “Hey, David. How many bands are you carrying in your pockets?” he asks. “You have the saliva vials to carry and then your friends’ bands. How about we help offload the bands from you? We’ll wear them on our wrists.”

  David stands frozen, clearly caught off guard by Wyn’s offer. His eyes well up with tears as he pulls out all seven bands, his hands shaking slightly. “The other two I left in my tent,” he mutters, before starting to distribute the bands to the team.

  On Wyn’s other wrist, he’s now wearing Fatima’s band, while Yu wears Eugene’s. As for Mira, she insists on wearing Jesús’ on the same wrist she wears James’. Lisa volunteers to wear Kai’s and Violet’s, mentioning that she’ll keep them forever together. David, clutching tightly to Charlotte’s and Isabella’s, finally breaks down at the sight of his former team’s bands adorning the wrists of his current team. The rest of the team closes in for a group embrace, each unable to control their tears.

  “The five of us will carry everyone with us, always. This includes you too, Anish,” Wyn says softly, his voice thick with emotion.

  Greed, awoken by the crying, is startled by the sight. Not entirely sure of what to do, he awkwardly moves toward the group for a hug as well. The noise his movements generate, however, immediately disrupts the moment.

  “Fuck off, Greed!” Wyn says, half-laughing, half-sighing, as he gestures for the moderator to step back.

  Before the team heads back to the alley, Greed halts and leaves through his own portal. Curious, Wyn checks his band, only to find that Greed will be unavailable for summoning from now on.

  “He didn’t do anything! We’ve been ripped off!” Wyn fumes.

  “It was the sense of security that counts, Mister Wyn,” Lisa chimes in, feeling guilty for suggesting they bring Greed in the first place.

  Together, the five march into the portal, which transports them to a beautiful, lush green landscape with neatly trimmed shortgrass.

  “Erm, I already don’t like this place,” Wyn says.