end of the line

chapter one

Bloodshot eyes and bloodstained hands. Mania's crazed eyes darted side to side, staring at herself in the mirror. Watching her blood drip down her skin. For the past week, she has slept for a total of 4 hours. Not that she wanted to sleep, of course. She had better things to do with her time. It has been a month since she entered the Mortal Realm, but it wasn't a peaceful transition. Being the Goddess of Death, she was used to seeing pain, but the Mortal Realm offered a whole new perspective. Their pain had no peace.

Their lack of peace was evident, seeing that Mania was currently stitching her injuries back up. She had to deal with it. There were no other jobs she could get, and she couldn't risk using her magic as an aid. Mania needed an escape from the other gods and goddesses. Illegal street fighting was the only way she could pay for the surprisingly high cost of living in the Mortal Realm.

"I am going to murder that guy," Mania mumbled to herself while sliding the needle through the skin of her thigh for the final time and tying it off. She threw the sewing needle down on the sink and stumbled her way to the cheap desk that the hotel provided. Slumped into the chair, she turned on the radio and began drawing her city. Out of any planet in the Mortal Realm, Earth was by far the dullest. But that was what made it perfect for hiding. That and living in a dense city like Toronto made it even more difficult.

If it weren't for the pounding at the door Mania would have been lost in her mind for hours. She stood up, wincing at the sudden movement, "This better be worth it."

She slowly began making her way to the door. Whoever was at the door started knocking again, this time louder. Mania swung the door open and squinted at the hooded man, who welcomed himself into the hotel room. Not without colliding his shoulder against Mania's, making her wince again, "Yeah, come on in."

"Nice-"

"Who are you, and what do you want from me?" Mania threatened while slamming the man against the wall and holding her finger towards his neck.

"Initium is not pleased, Mania," he shuffled himself out of her grip and took his hood off. His typically blue skin was covered with sweat and mud.

"Orion..." She whispered, "They've found me?"

"Quite obviously, yes. Mania, you are dealing with the most powerful beings any universe has faced. My stars, woman. What did you expect?"

"Well, quite obviously, not this," Mania muttered while starting to gather her belongings.

"You've betrayed your realm," Orion said, following Mania into the washroom, "How have you managed with this tiny little place? Oh, my-"

"Orion, please. How did you know I was here?" Mania slung her bag over her shoulder while slightly jogging to the door.

"Penn and Justice have been working non-stop to find you," Orion explained as he caught up with Mania, who was getting into the elevator, "They consulted Ember, and she has agreed to start a war with your Realm if you don't agree with their terms. Your fascination with mortals has gone too far, you're going to get yourself killed."

Unlike what most mortals might believe, the universe needs 8 main divisions to function; plants, water, war, music, justice, rules, the dead, and the stars. Each division has a goddess or god in charge, some being more desired than others. Mania was never sincerely liked by the others. She claims that it was because of Penn and Justice, the gods of rules and justice. They are the only gods who were born from the same star. They may have their separate realms, but they work closely together to keep the universe in check. It was Penn's job to develop the rules of the universe and Justice enforced them. Then there was the Goddess of War, Ember. She was a fighter, that one. She was known for her vengeful and cruel acts. The three of them, along with the rest, operated together under the Council of Initium.

"You've got to be kidding me. I am not fascinated with mortals. I am saving them," Mania explained as the elevator doors opened, "And you didn't even answer my- Okay, you know what, forget it. Just leave."

Orion got out of the elevator and stopped in his tracks. He stared at Mania as she walked away, "No, you have got to be out of your mind if you think I'm leaving," he crossed his arms, "You need me."

Mania scoffed and faced Orion with disgust, "You did not just say that to me. I don't need some flimsy, blue man to protect me."

"Man," he repeated with a smile on his face.

"Yes, 'man', Now I will be off," Mania said.

She ignored his calls and stormed to where a woman in a fitted, black dress stood tapping her fingers against her wooden desk. Before the secretary could say anything, Mania was already talking, "Room 613, here's my key and the money. I'm checking out, you can keep whatever change is left. Thank you, have a nice night, ma'am."

"We hope you enjoyed your stay here at Hotel Davidson, safe travels," the woman said after counting the money.

The city air filled her lungs as she walked back to the abandoned warehouse she found to perform her teleportation ritual. Mania gazed at the tall buildings and tall trees all combined in the same place. It was beautiful, but nothing could compare to her realm. The Death Realm was quite grim. The citizens were all lost souls, and it was up to Mania to give them a purpose. She didn't betray them by going to Earth. If anything, Mania was saving more souls. Earth needed her as much as her citizens. They needed her to save their souls. All the other goddesses and gods knew that mortals have succumbed to their wars and politics. Mania, on the other hand, figured they just needed a little pick-me-up.

The abandoned warehouse was finally in sight. The metallic walls rounded at the top to form the ceiling. It was a windowless building that allowed Mania to perform her ritual without anyone seeing it. She stopped at the door and rested her head against the door. Her eyes were starting to close, 'A 10-minute nap never hurt anyone,' she thought to herself as she slid her head, followed by her body, down the door.

Voices flooded her ears as she began falling through a dark hole.

"She is not worthy."

"Worthless girl."

"Pathetic."

"Who does she think she is harming mortals like this?"

"This is the end of the line for her."

"Weak."

"Weak."

"Weak indeed."

She woke up with a gasp. The saltiness of her sweat filled her mouth. Mania wasn't at the abandoned warehouse anymore. She was lying on a couch. In a room that was double the size of the hotel room she stayed at.

"Hello? Are you uh- awake?" A voice nervously asked. It was a woman's voice.

Mania looked to her right and saw a woman standing in the doorway. Her kinky hair was dyed purple, and she was wearing circular glasses. Mania stood up as if the couch were on fire, causing her to stumble over the woman's coffee table. Pain flooded her thigh, but she pulled herself up.

"Yes, I am," Mania said.

The woman's eyebrows were furrowed, and her lips were pursed disgustingly, "You're uh," the woman paused and looked away, "dripping? On my carpet. Bleeding! Yes, you're bleeding on my carpet."

Mania looked down at her thigh and saw blood oozing out. It wasn't a lot, but it bothered the woman.

"Sorry."