~💀~

"On this festive, enchanted day, families bring food and offerings to the altars of their beloved."

"It's like a hundred birthday parties!"

"Yes, it is! And on this particular Day Of The Dead, after centuries of being banished, Xiabalba had had enough."

Xibalba rose up from an abandoned grave of a man who had no relatives to remember him by.

He clutched onto his snake staff with a bored look as he looked around the cemetery, typical mortals.

La Muerte on the other hand, rose up from a brightly lit grave which was decorated with flowers and offerings.

Her face was hidden with her large hat and her hands were on her hip. From under her hat, she smiled at all the people laughing and celebrating.

(I love La Muerte so much you guys have no idea.)

"Really, my dear. You have no idea how cold and vile the Land Of The Forgotten has become." Xibalba spoke with a shutter as he stepped out of the grave.

La Muerte lifted her head, revealing her beautiful face. She chuckled at her husband. "Just like your heart, Xiabalba." She teased. "Just like your heart..."

As Xibalba walked past a a couple and their daughter praying over a grave. Xibalba smirked and with a flick of his wrist, each candle was blown out. The mother and daughter didn't seem to notice, but the father did.

La Muerte then waved her hand over the candles, lighting them back up. The husband gasped, he looked at the bottle he was holding then back to the grave

La Muerte chuckled, before turning back to her ranting husband.

"Why must I rule a bleak wasteland, while you enjoy the endless fiesta in the Land Of The Remembered?" Xibalba complained. "It's simply unfair!"

Xibalba then noticed a withering old man leaning over a grave. The god smirked and leaned his inky black hand out.

"Xibalba!" La Muerte scolded as she slapped Xibalba's hand before he could lay a finger on the old man.

"What? It's his time?" Xibalba shrugged. "More or less."

"Uh-uh, not today, my love." La Muerte simply stated.

"Come on, my dear! Trade lands with me!" Xibalba pleaded. "I beg you!"

La Muerte placed her hand on her collarbone. "Oh, you're so cute when you beg." She cocked her head slightly, with a mocking pout on her face.

(See what I mean? I'm on my knees for this woman 😩)

"I'm serious! I hate it down there!"

"Hey, you're there because you CHEATED!" La Muerte reminded, petals beginning to fall out of her hat as her anger slowly arose. "You made your bed with that wager!"

Xibalba opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind. He nervously clutched onto his staff.

"You're not the man I fell in love with over centuries ago." La Muerte crossed her arms, a disappointed scowl on her face.

"Let's...not dwell in the past, mi amor." Xibalba smiled assuringly.

La Muerte let out a frustrated growl, letting her husband know her anger with him.

"Anyway, uh, I was thinking...how about another little wager?" Xibalba suggested.

"You think you can calm the flames of my anger with another bet?!" La Muerte fumed, fire in her eyes.

Xibalba just gave La Muerte a smile.

La Muerte looked down. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

Xibalba let out an evil chuckle, the two gods zipped away to the top of the town's main tower

"Let's look at the venue for today, shall we?" Xibalba suggested smugly, looking around the graveyard.

La Muerte just let out an annoyed hum, looking at her fingernails.

"Ah, look there, my love, classic mortal dilemma." Xibalba pointed over to three children playing at a grave. La Muerte smiled at the children.

Two girls were trying to impress a boy with brown hair, sitting on a tombstone in front of them.

The girl with (hair color) hair was playing guitar, while the girl with shoulder-length brunette hair was playing with her sword, trying to look tough in front of the boy.

"Two girls, best friends, no less." Xibalba observed.

La Muerte shook her head and sighed. "In love with the same boy."

(Name) strummed on her guitar, she looked up at the boy with lovestruck eyes. She opened her mouth to sing, before the brunette girl cut in front of her.

"Fear not señor! Your hero has arrived!" Joaquina proclaimed.

"Is that so?" Mario asked teasingly.

"How dare you interrupt a Guitarrista!" (Name) bellowed, strumming her guitar.

Joaquina kept trying to attack (Name) with her sword, but the (hair color) girl kept dodging her.

She looked up at Mario with a smile, who laughed as he watched the two girls fight.

Joaquina and (Name) kept fighting, (Name) using her guitar as a weapon.

"The boy is mine!" Joaquina proclaimed.

"Never! He is mine!" (Name) said with a soft tone.

Mario then shoved the two girls apart. "I belong to no one!" He declared, crossing his arms to his chest.

"Whoa..." (Name) and Joaquina stared at the boy with wide eyes, both falling more in love with him.

"Well, I believe we have our wager." Xibalba stated as La Muerte smiled fondly at the children. "Which girl will marry him?"

"Very well." La Muerte nodded as the two gods floated off the tower. "We will each choose one of these girls as our champion."

The two gods zipped to the cemetery, both now in disguises of old people.

"Let's go wish them luck." Xibalba said as La Muerte took his arm, his voice older in his disguise.

~💀~

"Mario, weren't you grounded?" (Name) asked Mario while Joaquina did some tricks with her sword.

Mario rolled his eyes. "My father is overreacting. How was I supposed to know that chickens don't like baths?" He jumped when he heard a chicken jumping by, bubbles surrounding it.

"Don't worry, he knows a real woman is protecting you tonight." Joaquina smirked.

"You're not even close!" Mario teased.

"But I have fabulous hair!"

"It's not even that long!" (Name) teased as she shoved Joaquina.

"It'll grow! Eventually..." Joaquina flipped her short hair back, making (Name) and Mario laugh. Joaquina began to laugh along with them.

The three friends wrapped their arms around each other as they continued laughing.

Their fun was interrupted when Mario and (Name)'s fathers called for them.

"Mario!"

"(Name)!"

(Name) and Mario immediately ran off to their respective parents, leaving Joaquina alone. She sighed.

~💀~

(Name) ran past a couple of graves until she found her father Carlos and her great-Abuela Anita standing at two brightly lit up and decorated graves.

(If you have a different skin color or race, then you have the option to be adopted)

"Come, Mija." Carlos called his daughter over. "Your mother and brother would be so proud of you."

(Name) stepped towards the two graves, she gazed up at the photos of her deceased mother Carmen and older brother Manolo, both of whom had been killed by Chakal.

"You think they will come back tonight?" She asked.

"Carmen and Manolo are here." Anita whispered.

"But it's more like a warm feeling you get when loved ones are with you." Carlos corrected as he leaned next to his daughter.

He gestured to all of the people kneeling at their loved one's graves. No one could see it, but their mourned one's ghosts were standing right with all of them.

"All of these families have lost someone. But as long as we remember them...We can feel their presence with us for one night each year."

"I just thought...I might see them one more time." (Name) sighed as she played with one of the marigolds.

"Mamá always smelled like flowers, and Manolo always hugged me when I was scared. I remember Mamá singing and Manolo playing on his guitar." She began to tear up as she remembered her beloved mother and brother.

"They were good people, those two." Anita nodded sadly.

"I miss them...so much." (Name) sniffed.

Carlos placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Just be still, and you can feel it.Your mother and brother are here, along with all our ancestors." He explained.

"As long as we remember them, they are with us. The moment we forget them, they are truly gone."

(Name) closed her eyes, as for a moment, she could feel her mother and brother hugging her, and all of her ancestors standing beside her.

(Name) opened her eyes. "I can feel them." She smiled.

La Muerte, in her elderly disguise, then approached the family. "Kind people, may I please have some of your bread? I am so hungry."

(Name) smiled and picked up a piece of bread from the grave and held it towards the woman.

"I'm sure Mamá and Manolo would want you to have it." She smiled as she handed the old woman the bread. (Name) then turned to her father. "Right, Papá?"

Carlos nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, my dear." The Old Woman smiled. "In return, you have my blessings. May your heart be always pure and courageous."

(Name) smiled up at the Old Woman.

"What do we say, (Name)?" Carlos asked.

"Thank you, Señora! Thank you." (Name) smiled.

From another graveyard, Joaquina shook her head at (Name). "Ah, (Name). Always giving away free stuff. Right, dad?"

"Joaquina's father, Captain Mondragon, had passed away fighting the fearsome bandit king known as Chakal."

Joaquina saluted at the statue of her father, standing in the shadow of the statue.

Just then, Joaquina heard an evil chuckle. She gasped and jumped to where she had heard the laugh, gripping onto the sheathe of her sword.

"Who's in there?" She asked into the darkness.

She gasped when Xibalba, in his Old Man disguise, emerged out of the shadows.

"Young lady, may I please have some of your bread? I'm so hungry." The Old Man pleaded.

Joaquina smirked and put her sword into one of the breads, holding it tauntingly at the Old Man.

"This bread is for my father, and it's delicious."

"Perhaps, would you consider a trade?" The Old Man pulled out a glowing green medal with a skull in the center of it.

"An old medal? Please." Joaquina scoffed as she took a bite out of the bread.

"Oh, this is no ordinary medal, my dear. As long as you wear it, you cannot be hurt." The Old Man placed the medal in Joaquina's hand. "And it will give you immeasurable courage."

"Really? Deal!" Joaquina tossed the bread to the Old Man, making him chuckle evilly.

"But, keep it hidden. There is a bandit king who would stop at nothing to get it back!" The Old Man warned.

"Bandit king?" Joaquina asked as she stared at the medal. She let out a gasp. "You mean Chakal?"

When Joaquina looked up, she realized the Old Man had vanished.

"Where did he go?"

~💀~

On top of the tower, La Muerte played with one of the flowers that were in her hair. An annoyed look came upon her face when she heard Xibalba's laughter.

"So, if my girl marries the boy, I will finally rule the Land Of The Remembered!" Xibalba stated as he came to La Muerte's side.

"And if my girl marries the boy, you will..." La Muerte smirked, pulling Xibalba's face to her gently and stroking it. Xibalba melted under her touch with a lovestruck look.

La Muerte suddenly pulled Xibalba down by his beard. "YOU WILL STOP INTERFERING WITH THE AFFAIRS OF MAN!"

"WHAT?!"

The two gods zipped to another tower.

"I can't do that!" Xibalba complained. "Come on! It's the only fun I ever get!"

"Then the bet is off." La Muerte shrugged before zipping away.

Xibalba grunted, but a sly smile came on his face. He zipped away next to La Muerte on another tower.

"Very well, my dear. Then by the agent rules," Xibalba held out his inky black hand to La Muerte, who accepted it.

"The wager is set."

The two gods shook hands, thunder booming in the distance.

~💀~

"And so, the greatest wager in history began!" Mary Beth said, putting a figurine of Mario in between figurines of (Name) and Joaquina.

"(Name) versus Joaquina for the hand of Mario!"

Luka looked up at Mary Beth. "Wait, so these ancient gods picked these three little kids to..."

"Represent the whole world?" Sanjay finished.

Mary Beth nodded. "Yeah, pretty crazy right?"

"Yeah! Keep going, lady!" Luka smiled, leaning his arms on the table.

~💀~