(October 2nd, 2017)

Justin

The ocean... I never would have imagined that I would be traveling on a yacht alongside my allies to save the world. A road trip was something that I could barely come to accept as part of my journey to ascension, but to have to leave the mainland and travel to the sea in hopes of communing with an oracle is something I could never have thought of. Especially considering that we are traveling there on a mere hunch. There is no guarantee that I would be able to awaken the hundreds of thousands of dragons that lay dormant throughout the planet. There is absolutely no guarantee for anything and if it all failed, we would have wasted precious time and resources. A few hours ago, we've received a report that demon sightings have increased dramatically over the past month. Most of the world has fallen into a state of despair and no one can do anything except prayer to a god nobody knows and a small portion of the entire world believes in. And that is only another desperate measure that these people took to cling to any semblance of hope.

"What's wrong?" My childhood friend Mia asked me when she saw me aimlessly gazing at the ocean. "You don't seem like you're having the best of times."

I did not even bother to look at her when I responded: "I feel less certain of this new objective than I was with our aimless road trip. At first, our objective was clear. Find all the dormant dragons and obtain the powers of the dragon god. It was a simple mission with guaranteed results. Right now, though? I'm not so sure." The demon girl wrapped her arms around my left arm as I spoke and rested her head on my shoulder. "We're going to try and ask an oracle to complete an impossible task. There is no guarantee that it will work."

"But her voiced reached you once before, did it not?" She asked. "You told me so. It was a few years ago, but it happened, didn't it?"

I nodded my head so she continued. "But I know there is something else bothering you, isn't it?"

"Can I ask you a serious question?" I asked, making her raise her head and stare at me with eyes that glimmered with curiosity. "What will you do after? I mean... after this is over."

"Huh? That came out of nowhere," she responded. "Well... I was planning on finishing high school and continue working as a chef until then. After I graduate, I want to work alongside Zack. I want to fulfill your wish and help peace reign throughout the world. It is my way of giving back to a world that has been so generous to me. But... why are you asking this?"

For a moment, I did not respond and stood silently. After looking at her for one second, I shifted my vision back towards the ocean and said: "I want to make sure everyone will be okay before I leave. I want everyone to live on, living happy lives, and fulfilling their dreams."

The demon girl looked away upon hearing my response. The thoughts of our eventual separation returned to her head at a mere instant. It is a thought that neither of us could ever come to terms with. There was nothing I could do about it, that much is obvious. The least I could do is make sure the love of my life would live with no lingering sorrow in her heart. My hope is for Mia to remember me with fond memories filled with joy instead of pain and grief. "I..." She paused. "I want that as well. Anyway, I came here to tell you that Zack and the others are waiting for us."

Before we left to see the rest of the team, I held Mia's face in my hands and kissed her forehead before holding her hand and walking alongside her as the pain in her eyes disappeared. We walked to the back of the giant yacht on the upper deck and found the entire group sitting together in front of two separate tables. Alex waved his hand to welcome us as we approached and said: "What's up leader? Enjoying the vast blue ocean?"

"Leader?" Ian asked. "I thought Zack was the leader of the group, seeing how he is the highest-ranking member."

With his hands resting behind his head, Zack chuckled and replied: "It might not seem like it, but pretty boy over here has exceptional leadership skills."

Ethan concurred and said: "All thanks to my and commander Astralis' guidance. He's improved drastically from the days where he could barely swing a sword."

"Oh yeah?" I replied. "As far as I remember, you did nothing to teach me how to lead a team. It was all captain Astralis."

Outraged, Ethan got off the sofa. "What?!"

Mia laughed at the knight and said: "I remember when I visited once and found you slacking off while leaving Justin to fight against a dummy. You just like boasting in front of the team, don't you?"

"H-Hey! Did you forget who actually trained the two of you and taught you how to drive? Or does that amount to nothing anymore?"

"Ah, geez. Calm it, you three," Zack ordered. "Anyway, how long until we arrive?"

"A couple of days at the most. Definitely less than a week," Alpha-One replied to the young king.

Zack rolled his eyes and said: "Can we slow down? I don't want this cruise to end."

"But don't you wanna see your beloved Oracle, your majesty?" Kevin asked before taking a sip of a glass of soda he had on the table in front of him.

Staring at the ocean, I sighed and said: "I definitely wish the same, Zack."

After a few minutes, the entire team dispersed and I was left alone. After entering my room, I took off my jacket and wore a pair of swimming shorts before returning to the top deck, where I found Alex sitting on his lonesome, reading the scroll that contained Leoniros' runes. "O-Oh, Justin," He spoke when he saw me. I sat beside him as he continued. "This reminds me of back in the day when I used lightning runes."

"Wait, what?" I asked, utterly surprised. "You used runes before?"

Alex nodded and said: "I didn't want to talk to anyone about it because that'd make everyone concerned. But a year ago, one kid called Darius and I ended up fighting some shadow monster. He was a rune user and he placed a lightning rune on me so I can help. It was my first time using magic."

"It was when you were on vacation with your parents, yes?"

Alex nodded again. "You know, Justin?" He asked. "He reminds me of you a lot."

"He does?"

"Well, he looks somewhat similar to you, I guess."

'Someone that looks similar to me?' I thought. 'Would I sense a connection to him as I do for the rest of the Astralis members?'

That train of thought did not last long, as Rox called me over to her. She was accompanied by Jessie and Selena when I walked over to them. The three women appeared very excited to see me. All of them wore bikinis and were heading to the pool. "Hey, Justin," Rox spoke. "Wanna come with us?"

"Have you seen Mia?"

"She headed there before us. Come," Selena replied. I nodded and followed the girls to the pool. There, I found Mia sitting with A1 and Nova.

Mia waved her hand and called me over, her sheer excitement at seeing me was clear as day. But before I stepped into the water, I felt the yacht shaking. This put an abrupt end to the sense of fun and excitement that everyone felt. The yacht immediately stopped in its tracks and The three girls got out of the pool. "What's happening?" Mia asked.

"Did we hit something?" Selena asked.

Roxanna doubted this, saying: "In the middle of the ocean? I doubt it."

Immediately after this, I received a message on my watch. Upon reading it, it was a message from Zack, saying: "We're not alone on this boat anymore. I need you at the bridge."

I hurried to the bridge, passing multiple soldiers and staff who were checking the ship for any damages and preparing for intruders. When I arrived at the bridge, I was greeted with the sight of Ethan, Zack, and the captain. They stood together in front of the controls that contained multiple screens displaying different kinds of navigation and ship maintenance software.

"There are multiple holes in the hull, your majesty," The captain explained. "If we don't do anything about them, the yacht is sure to sink."

"Backup will take too long to get to us at this point," Added Ethan.

Zack sighed and shook his head upon hearing the news. When he saw me, he approached me and instantly asked: "Are you any good at swimming, Justin?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good. I'm gonna need you and Alex to swim down to the hull and fix the damages. I've contacted him and he's ready to do this. Meet up with him on the double." Zack's anxiety and stress were apparent. He was visibly shaken by what happened, but I could sense that there was more to it. There is something else on his mind that was bothering him.

I nodded and exited the bridge before returning to where Alex was sitting. I found him readying himself for a long dive. He stretched his legs and arms before walking up to me. "I'm afraid we're being attacked, Justin. Do you think it's the empire?"

"I'm not sure. Be ready for anything, though. Whoever did this is probably still lurking down there, waiting to finish us off," I replied. And as soon as I said that, the yacht shook once more and caused more panic on our deck. Everyone in our team hurried to their rooms to get their battle gears and Mia walked towards us.

"Are you two going underwater? I wanna come," She asked with a voice of concern and anxiety.

"I'm gonna need you to provide support for Zack and the others, Mia." I took off my shirt and walked alongside Alex to the edge of the boat.

"B-But!"

"It's fine!" I laughed. "It's us we're talking about here!"

As soon as Alex and I jumped down to the cold salty water of the ocean, the giant holes in the ship became visible. Multiple holes across both sides of the vessel allowed water to enter the massive ship, coming in all shapes and sizes. I immediately came to the conclusion that this was not a single entity or weapon that caused this type of damage to the hull. If it were the case, it would not have left holes of varying sizes. I determined that the work was done by creatures of different sizes. Alex and I were unable to communicate underwater, meaning I could not inform him of that. As Alex began to work, I looked around me and saw that there was not a single creature in this blue water void. But that did not last long, as I heard a shot being fired. When I turned around, I saw an unnatural-looking shark attacking Alex. It possessed three extremely sharp dorsal fins and two long and equally as sharp pectoral fins. It was over seven meters in length, which enough on its own can put the fear oceans in a man. Its grills glowed in an unnatural red color. But the weirdest thing about it was that it was fitted with a gold armor on its head, fins, and tail.

I charged at the creature and punched it so hard that it got propelled to the surface, where it was sent flying. I followed after it and jumped in the air before laying down my divine series of punches, damaging its armor. It fell into the ocean and I dove after it. But that is when I saw that another identical shark emerged out of nowhere and attacked me. I quickly slowed time to a crawl and dodged its massive jaw before getting bitten in half and retaliated by kicking it in the face. As if two sharks were not enough, more and more started to appear and surround us. Three sharks chased Alex out of the water, leaving his job unfinished. However, when Alex emerged with the monsters behind him, the soldiers on the ship unleashed their firepower upon the sea creatures, killing them. A shark charged at me with its mouth open, leaving me with no option but to fight back. I summoned my spear and placed it vertically in the monster's mouth before summoning my sword and stabbing it in the eye.

Little did I know that I was limited when fighting underwater, not to mention my finite lung capacity. Despite being a deity, there were still limits to what I can accomplish. And with little oxygen left for me to breathe after exhausting myself, I swam back to the surface and gasped loudly, taking in more fresh air. Then, I heard Jessie yelling my name, prompting me to look back underwater to see that there were two additional sharks swimming in my direction. I dove back down after breathing in and conjured my sword before dashing forward and slashing one of the sharks' dorsal fins. I then swam towards the other shark and punched it with my punch multiplier before swimming back towards Alex. The golden-armed boy climbed back to the ship after finishing the repairs and I followed suit. Using my flight ability, I returned to the top of the ship. There, I found myself alone and Alex was nowhere to be found. But to my surprise, I started to hear the sounds of gunshots throughout the entire vessel alongside the screaming of people. I ran inside the ship and to my shock, I found a staff member on the ground, shooting a human-like creature.

The blue creature was five feet and seven inches tall and possessed fins on the side of its neck and sharp teeth. Its eyes were shockingly similar to human eyes, but it reminded me of fish eyes at the same time. The staff member shot through the golden shoulder pad it wore on its right shoulder while the left was already battle-damaged. It also wore golden wristguards and leggings that matched the shoulder pads. The monster also held a golden spear that looked nothing out of the ordinary except for the mermaid adorned on its blade. It raised its weapon at the defenseless human on the ground and got ready to strike before I shot the spear out of its hand with my crossbow, the Bolt of Dignity. Flabbergasted, the creature looked at me and screeched before running towards me and leaping in the air. With its sharp claws, it tried to slice at me, but I ducked and shot it again. The bolt hit its back before the monster landed on the ground outside and writhed in pain. As it tried to get back on its feet, a bullet flew through the air and shot the monster in the head, killing it. I got out of the room and looked at the source of the gunshot to find Ethan walking towards the creature with a pistol in his hand.

"Sea creatures, huh?" I asked. "How many are there?"

Ethan shook his head. "Too many. They came out of nowhere, but I doubt that they attacked us randomly." Ethan kicked the dead monster once before putting his pistol away, relieved that it was dead.

"Goddammed suckers don't die easily," He stated. "We're getting outmatched, Justin. We need to do something quickly. We're on borrowed time enough as it is."

As soon as the knight said that, a thought crossed my mind. "Time, you say?" I asked, making Ethan look at me curiously. "I can borrow as much time as I want!"

With that, time decelerated and I sprinted as fast as I can throughout the deck, killing a total of fifteen monsters before the time was up. When I stopped, I found myself at the pool area, where Jessie and Kevin were finishing off three of the creatures. "Justin!" The blue-haired girl exclaimed as I approached her and she wrapped her arms around me passionately.

"What's going on?" She asked. "What are these creatures?"

"Trust me, I want to know the same thing," I replied and let her go. "I believe they and the sharks below are part of the same team. But what I am sure of is that we are playing on their home turf."

Kevin approached me and said: "They keep coming, Justin. With each one we kill, two or more take its place. Everyone is spread all over the yacht, trying their best to take them down, but they just keep emerging. They only seem to emerge from the lower areas, perhaps even from the engine room. I believe Lady Mia and Roxanna are there as we speak."

Upon hearing that, a sense of urgency overwhelmed me. "Are they alone?" I asked the vampire who stood under direct sunlight. He shook his head and turned around to fire at a creature that tried to sneak up on us.

"How did you hear that?!" Asked an astonished Jessie. "I couldn't even see it, let alone hear it!"

"Vampiric powers," He replied. "They come in handy once in a while."

I left the two and tried to make it to the engine room. Before I made it there, I encountered Alex and Nova. The two stylishly took out the enemies while complimenting each other's moves. With Nova dual-wielding pistols and Alex with his LMG, they took out the enemies with style. But when one enemy descended from a higher area at them, they did not notice, leaving me to kill it in their stead. It fell on the ground with a bolt in the head and two in the chest. The siblings turned around to see me walking towards them, both of them seemed equally happy to see me. It was then that I noticed how similar their smiles were. Alex's new form made him look drastically different, but seeing how the two of them act together and behave with each other, there was no mistaking that they were siblings.

"You took off without me," I stated.

"Sorry about that," Alex replied. "I heard gunshots and rushed over quickly."

"How many casualties are there?"

"None as far as I'm aware. I'm moving around the ship and helping as many people as I possibly can, but these guys keep making it harder."

I sighed and asked him about Mia and Rox, only to hear the same thing. After the exchange, I continued toward my destination and descended down some stairs, getting closer to the engine room. Before I arrived there, I encountered a group of sea creatures attacking Ian, Alpha-One, and Selena. Werewolf Ian grabbed a creature and smashed it against a wall before punching its head. A1 stylishly slashed every enemy in her path with her long white katana while Selena jumped over her and kicked a creature to the werewolf, who proceeded to smack it down.

"Man, if I sell all of these weapons, I can become a millionaire in an instant," Ian stated after turning back to his human form.

Selena laughed. "And who would buy tons of golden spears in an instant?" She asked. "One alone can cost in the hundreds of thousands. And besides, I want my share."

"How about you put them at an auction?" I asked as I approached the three.

A1 approached me as she sheathed her sword, making it disappear completely. "Developed a liking to fishing?" The cyborg asked with a smile that naturally drew itself on her face, like the human that she's supposed to be. "Are we having sushi tonight?"

"Ask Mia," I replied. "I'm going to see her now. Any injured staff or soldiers around here?"

"No," Ian replied. "We're here alone. Mia and Roxanna ordered us to guard here in case any of the monsters come."

"It seems that they made it inside through the holes in the ship," Selena added.

I sighed, knowing it had to have been the case. "Of course they did..." I sighed in utter frustration at this news. I passed the three and went down the stairs without sharing any other word with them and headed towards the two girls in the engine room. As I approached their location, the sounds of their battle cries and weapons became within earshot. When I finally reached them, I found the two girls fighting furiously against the monsters. Unlike Rox, who came prepared with her armor, Mia changed to another outfit. Hers consisted of a white tank top over a sports bra, a pleated skirt with a tactical belt and suspenders carrying gun holsters. She also donned tactical fingerless gloves and black stockings that compliment the red and black tactical shoes she decided to wear. I also took notice of the bracer she wore on her right arm that appeared to be a part of her demon armor. She dual-wielded guns and fired at monsters as they approached her while Rox sliced away at them with her sword and her limited light magic.

I jumped in the air and sliced one of the monsters before it could attack the girls, landing myself between the two. Both of them exclaimed "Justin!" Simultaneously out of utter joy and surprise.

"That's my name," I replied before readying myself for another fight. "Let's make sure these monsters remember it!"

I rushed at the enemies and sliced them down with ease while Mia shot at them with her guns. When some of them reached Rox, she swung her sword at them and cut them down quickly, and with ease, her silver hair flowing beautifully as she did so. Mia put away her guns and conjured her katana. She used all the skills Ethan taught her in the short amount of time we spent on this ship and the two of us sliced down two enemies. A third one tried to attack me, but Rox hit it with minimal light magic and sent it flying towards the ceiling. As it came crashing down, I shot it with my crossbow five times. With that being the last enemy, the three of us got out of the engine room and proceeded to the pool area, where we regrouped with the rest of the team. Zack also made it after planning and guiding his soldiers around, doing a praiseworthy job as a king. Seeing the smile on his face after successfully protecting the yacht made me see how proud he was with his accomplishment as a leader. It made me feel that there is nothing I need to worry about. I can ascend with my mind at ease, knowing he will adapt to his role soon enough.

"Phew!" Alex exclaimed with his hands behind his head. "That went better than I expected! I was really scared that I couldn't make it, but everyone is healed and the ship is in excellent condition."

"Good job there, Alex," Zack replied, his face showed the stress within him dissipate.

Alex shook his head and said: "Oh, no. That was all you, Zack. You make a great leader. I guess Justin has been rubbing off on you, huh?" He bumped my shoulder.

Everyone's happy moods returned except for Ethan. The knight's face displayed his anxious state with extreme clarity as he pondered about something. None besides me saw him thinking so deeply as everyone started sharing their battle moments with each other, so I approached him. "Anything bothering you?" I asked.

"Ships frequent this course," He said. "However, no one ever reported being attacked by sea monsters like this. It's really odd, don't you think?"

I nodded. "Odd is an understatement," I replied. "It seems that these weren't just random sea creatures, though. They seemed intelligent enough to have armor, plan an attack, and even tame the crazy sharks we saw."

"This isn't normal..."

But the pondering both of us did was cut off by Alex's shouting. "Guys! Ships! Massive flying warships!" After hearing that, we rushed to everyone's side and watched alongside them as what I thought was the empire approaching us, only to freeze in shock at the sight of ancient warships flying through the sky, powered by what appeared to be glowing power sources inside the keels and protruding out. There was not a dozen, not twenty, or thirty, but a hundred. A hundred ships in the ocean following one massive ship in the sky. The ship in the sky was surrounded by six smaller ships that acted as protection. But what took my by surprise was the familiarity of the large flying ship. It had a familiar feel to it, as if I have seen the same ship somewhere before.

"What the?!" Ethan exclaimed. "An ancient royal warship?!"

That's when it hit me. I realized that instant that the ship was no ordinary vessel, but the famous royal warship belonging to king Arakisros the Megalodon. The king who conquered the oceans with an iron fist and claimed many islands in the name of the kingdom by clearing it of invaders or peacefully making the locals agree. He was also a great pirate that was feared throughout the seas, but he kept his identity a secret until long after his retirement. It is said that he disappeared one night without a trace and he was pronounced dead long after.

"They're catching up to us!" Shouted Selena before an explosion shook the yacht in its entirety. Alex immediately went to check the damage without being prompted and Zack began sending orders to soldiers.

"This isn't an armed vessel!" Mia stated loudly as she looked around her, desperately trying to find something to do. It did not take a genius to realize that our unarmed yacht can withstand bombardment from tons of warships. Even with Alex's power, it is hard to tell how long we would survive. With the ships approaching us faster than we could outrun them, it was clear to me that whatever time we have is running out at an alarming rate. My body instinctively made me tap my foot repeatedly on the ground as I stared at the armada, not knowing what to do. It did not matter if Zack armed everyone to fight, enough shots from any one of those ships would bring the yacht down. Flying to the ships and attacking them is also a no-go. Seeing as how they could shoot us down, I doubt even my armor would withstand a barrage of cannonballs flying towards me all at once. There was no doubt that it is a losing battle we do not intend to fight. Water started to fill the ship once more and I could feel it sinking. Not a second after I felt that, two more shots tore through the hull and the ship shook.

"We... We can't take any more of this..." Zack spoke. "At this rate, Alex's mana will deplete and we would sink..." I looked at Zack and watched as his breathing intensified and his sweat dripped profusely. Seeing him like this was not usual. Even in the city siege, he remained cool-headed and focused.

Not even a minute after the second attack, Zack and I watched in horror as twelve projectiles flew from the flying main ship down towards our yacht. As we braced for impact, we realized that the objects were not in fact objects, but were pirates sent down to kill us. Once they landed, they got on their feet and unsheathed their pirate swords. Their faces were covered by metal helmets, but the dark aura exuding from within them was all too apparent. A dark and tainted aura that would bring a man to his knees and would decay the lands it walks on. This is the exact aura of the harbinger of darkness, so that was proof enough that he was involved. The pirates wore ancient armor enhanced by magic and ancient technology. Their attires appear to have been well-preserved for their age. Regular pirate gear with some enhancing armor to go along with it. I am tempted to remove the helmets off one of them, but I believe the horrors behind the masks would never escape my mind. I could only imagine what these pirates went through as they desperately fought to escape the grasp of the harbinger, only to be made slaves to his diabolic will.

Since we were the only two near the pool, Zack and I conjured our swords and prepared to clash with the pirates. "You and I fighting alone again, huh?" Zack asked, making me laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "Let's make it a fight to remember!"

We ran at them and clashed swords with the royal pirates, fighting back against the evilness that tainted their hearts. They fought like well-trained soldiers, but they lacked a soul. They are nothing but soulless husks wielding swords, but they were powerful. After dispatching two of them, they fell on the ground silently and disintegrated into particles of dark energy just like the servants of the harbinger, but with less intensity. Zack was taken aback by their strength and struggled to shake off three of them until I shot two down and he kicked away the third before stabbing him. Suddenly, more pirates appeared, making the total fifteen. After that, Jessie appeared and tried to shoot one down, only to be tackled down by another. After that, three others came in and jumped on her, forcing me to run to her aid and kick them off of her. I reached my hand out to her and pulled her back to her feet, seeing those glimmering eyes of hers stare at mine passionately.

"My hero!" She exclaimed. Her joyful moment was cut off by Zack's yelling.

"Let go of me you sons of-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was pulled away into the sky by what appeared to be an anchor which the king was wrapped on it with chains. I watched in horror as he screamed angrily while getting further away, leaving a screaming Jessie and me alone to deal with the pirates.

"Oh, gods... Once again, I'm a damsel in distress," Zack spoke through the earpiece.

"Zack!" Jessie exclaimed with a cracked voice and eyes dripping tears like waterfalls.

"Sorry to ask this of you, but can you save me?"

Soon enough, Alex, Ethan, Mia, and the rest arrived and helped deal with the pirates. After we were done, Mia conjured her wings and tried to fly, only for me to stand with my back against her. Looking at the giant ship. My mind has been set on focusing on the man I call my brother. Losing a friend once was more than enough to make me paranoid about losing anyone else. Our father was a man I could not save and I still hold the guilt of that moment inside me to this day. There was absolutely no way I was going to lose someone else. Not a chance.

"Kidnapping the king, huh? Smart move. I commend you for it," I spoke. "But this doesn't end here."

"Justin?" Mia spoke.

"Zack. You tried your hardest to keep everyone safe here today. There is no way I'm going to turn your efforts into a sacrifice. Just wait until I play my cards!" With that, I summoned my armor and heard the gasps and astonished exclamations of the people who did not see my armor before or know my real identity. I flew towards the ship immediately, flying fast enough to avoid any projectile with my HUD warning me of any. When I reached the ship, I landed on the deck and dematerialized my armor. There, I saw Zack on the ground, unable to move. The capturing of him was not exactly safe, to begin with. With my heart pounding with full force, I raced to the wounded king. But before I could reach him, I was stopped by pirates pointing their blades and rifles at him. I could slow time and move Zack away, but there's the chance that it would cause further injury or complicate the situation. So I stood still and waited to see their next move.

"What do you want with him?" I asked. The pirates did not answer, but a voice came from the upper deck.

"So this is the 120th monarch of my beloved kingdom? A little boy? After all these years, they leave the lands of the dragon god at the hands of a child? What a disgrace." The silhouette behind the voice emerged on the upper deck, revealing the pirate captain. The helmet he wore hid his face like the rest of his crew, but I noticed that it was the royal pattern. It was awfully similar to Zack and his father's armors. There was no mistaking it. The pirate captain is none other than the late Megalodon. "Tell me, little one. What have you done to contribute to our home?"

Zack turned his face and stared at the captain, saying: "You don't know what we've been through. My age is irrelevant to all of this. I am the current king, and it is my mission to save my country alongside the new dragon god."

"Is that so?" The captain asked. "Then you are nothing but a weak excuse of a king. Your father died so that you could succeed him and this is what I come to find? A weak and powerless adolescent who did not want to take the throne in the first place? What has my royal bloodline come to?"

The pirate's words made Zack's blood boil. Insulting his father, calling him weak, and making a mockery of everything Zack fought for was too much for the young king to handle. "Shut up!" He yelled. "You know nothing about our struggles! You weren't there when I lost my father! I'll send you back to hell where you belong, you bastard!"

Interested in Zack's rage, the captain ordered his men to stand clear of him. Zack mustered the power to stand back on his feet and pointed his finger at his ancestor. "You're nothing but a puppet for a man who wants to destroy your kingdom. You try to kill the current monarch and his allies. You exude evil aura, and you're calling ME names?! Stop hiding behind your men and face me with all your power! I'll prove to you that I'm a king!"

The captain pirate jumped in the air and landed back on the ground with his 9-feet-tall royal armor, sporting a pirate sword, two cannons on his shoulders, and a hook on his wrist. Zack charged at the pirate king and struck him with his sword, but the latter did not even flinch. Angered, Zack attacked again and again to the point where he forgot to breathe, but the pirate simply swept his sword and made Zack jump back. The weakened Zack fell on his knee and started gasping for air while the pirate looked down at him with contempt. The current king summoned his armor and flew towards the pirate, only for the latter to fire his shoulder cannons at him. Zack dodged swiftly and struck the pirate's helmet with enough force to make him react, but that was not enough to be considerable damage. Enraged, even more, Zack roared and attacked the pirate once more, targeting his legs. The pirate once again did not even flinch, so Zack conjured his sniper rifle and fired at him, only for the latter to dodge swiftly. He tried to attack Zack with his sword and managed to slice just an inch away from the current king, but Zack was lucky. That luck did not last long, however, as the pirate punched Zack and propelled him towards a wall.

The current king screamed in pain as his back did not withstand the damage. Zack puked blood out of his mouth and could barely manage to get himself on his feet before collapsing. But not willing to be defeated, he summoned his spectral spears and sent them at the pirate. This time, he managed to damage the pirate to make him lose his balance. However, the pirate took it as a negligible and futile attempt before raising his sword at Zack, who used his dome shield to protect himself. When Arakisros landed his hit, a crack appeared on the dome. The more he attacked, the bigger the crack got; until finally, the dome shattered, leaving Zack weakened completely.

"ZACK!" I shouted, but he raised his hand to stop me from interfering.

"I... Can do it..." Zack conjured his sniper rifle and fired it at an extremely short distance, making the pirate tumble backward and cracking his armor. Arakisros raised his sword once more, but Zack rolled out of the way before he could get hit.

"You cannot hold a candle to me, young monarch. You're nothing but a brat who taints the seat of the throne with your presence. You may hold the title of a king, but you shall always remain a peasant playing pretend king." Arakisros kicked Zack away and made him roll on the ground before spitting a massive amount of blood. "A true king rules with an iron fist. You cannot even raise yours anymore."

Zack looked at his hands to see them weak and shaken, utterly powerless. He was defeated. His body failed him. His royal power is no match for that of the pirate king. "Arakisros is the Megalodon, but what am I?" Zack asked himself. "I'm weak, that's what. I tried my hardest to prove to myself that I can be the next king, but who am I kidding? I'm nothing compared to my father, or his father before him. To think that I can lead a nation..."

"Are you going to give up?!" I exclaimed, grabbing his attention. "You're not weak, you idiot! You are one of the strongest people I have ever met! But a king isn't just strength! A king is more than that!"

As my words reached Zack, his ancestor even stopped to listen. "A king is wisdom, courage, conviction, hope, all of that! Strength alone cannot rule a kingdom. You cannot do it all on your own, Zack. I swore to our father that I would watch over you, and I still aim to keep that promise!"

Zack chuckled. "Oh, Justin... You can't just sit back and watch me get pummeled, can you?"

"How can you honestly say that? Allow me to help you!"

The king shook his head. "You don't get it. All this 'leadership' and wisdom was learned from you and my old man. But I cannot keep relying on you all. I need to prove myself and rise to the occasion... As a king, dammit!" Tears fell from Zack's eyes at what he believed to be his utter incompetence at doing what he is chosen to do. "I tried. For your sake, for my old man, for Rob and the others... but I can't... I'm not my father. I can never do what he did."

"You're right..." I replied. "You're right! You're not your father! You're your own man! Your father was not alone and neither are you! You can't do everything by yourself, because kings don't do that! You can't carry this weight on your own, Zack. We're a team. We're family."

Zack looked at the ground and chuckled to himself. "You know, you've always been there for me, haven't you? Without you I wouldn't be here today, would I? Despite knowing you for only less than five months, I feel like I've known you my entire life. You don't give up on people, do you? No wonder you're a god and I'm a mortal."

Arakisros left Zack on the ground and walked towards me. "And who are you, little one? Wait... So you're the younger one... Those eyes are a dead giveaway."

"Huh?" I asked with my confusion reaching new heights. "What are you talking about?"

"Does not matter. You shall be the last sight your little king sees before he shares your fate."

The pirate raised his sword and descended it down to strike me, but I summoned my armor and blocked it with my open hand. "Stepping too close to me is your death sentence. King or not, you hurt those that I love and hold dear. Prepare to meet divine judgment." With the bond between Zack and me having grown, I have awakened to a new power.

"O king of war. Bringer of judgment. Creator of hope. Hark to my voice and awake me, the one that resides within thy heart. For thy power is ever-growing, I shalt be the light that smites all of thy enemies and forge the path to thy true ascension. I am the dragon of magic, Naoroluth! I am thy soul that screams for justice!"

The sky shattered and a series of bright lights of myriad colors shone through the air and illuminated the heavens with magic in its purest and most powerful forms. And then... it arrived. The dragon of magic, one of the four who brought me onto this world. It is so massive that it easily dwarfed everything around it, including the massive armada that was enslaved by the harbinger. It revealed its wings and roared, shaking the entire world and causing massive waves that swallowed the enemy armada whole. The ships disintegrated into particles of light, leaving nothing in the ocean except for our own yacht. Then the dragon flapped its wings and released mystical winds that made the ships shake violently until every piece of each of them started to detach itself, making the ships magically disassemble in the air, leaving nothing but the main ship. The captain did not quiver in fear or stand in utter shock, he simply stared at the roaring dragon as it decimated his entire fleet, leaving nothing in its wake.

"So this is the power of the dragon god..." He spoke and trailed off. And to add the finishing touches, I conjured my sword and had it grow to seven feet before striking the enslaved pirate king in the chest.

With him on his last breath, the captain's ship started disintegrating slowly and the dragon vanished in a blinding flash of light as if it was never there, to begin with.

"What did you mean by 'The younger one?'" I asked the disintegrating soul, having been freed from the control of darkness. The entire armor shattered, revealing a handsome young man that did not look too different than Zack.

"That is for you to discover, O chosen deity. But I can assure you that having formed bonds with your allies, you are now close to ascension. That is what the harbinger of darkness told me. I have nothing but gratitude to give for you and the young king." The freed king turned to Zack and continued. "As for you, king Zachary, I apologize for my lack of respect towards you and your late father. You have been truly blessed to be the king to walk beside the chosen god. Always remember that every king learns from experience. It may be an insurmountable mountain to climb, but you shall reach the peak with the help of your allies. Thank you both once again. I pray for your success, O chosen."