(September 14th, 2017)

Justin

I sat on my couch, pondering about how close the ascension adventure is to start. I have prepared for this moment for eight years, but I still cannot shake the thought of what might happen along the journey. When I complete everything and free the dragons that lay dormant, will I be able to return home? Will I be able to see my friends again? I have no clue about anything at all, and that's the thing that I fear the most. Will I ever be able to live with the sacrifices that might be forced upon me? The thoughts only strengthened throughout the years, making me feel even more anxious and afraid. 

Most of the time, I keep a cheerful attitude around everyone to make them think that I'm very confident. But in reality, I am afraid. I can't show anyone my weakness, because if I do, they will all feel hopeless and depressed. Everyone that I know has sacrificed time and energy to make me ready. People like Ethan, who trained me day and night to make me prepared to face anyone and anything. King Leon, who set me on the proper path and taught me about life, people, and the world around me. My friends: Mia and Alex who have supported me throughout this whole ordeal. But at the times where I showed my true thoughts about y fate, I have gotten nothing but support from everyone, meaning the deity business is not the true blessing, but having everyone around me is.

I owe it to them to be confident, but I'm also afraid that I'll never get to see them again. I could not help but stare at myself through the reflection on my phone. I saw nothing but the image of a broken child, afraid to lose everything he has. But at the same time, I saw a man carrying the responsibility for everyone's wellbeing. The latter always brings me joy, knowing that everyone is counting on me to do the right thing, I get so happy that I drain the former thoughts completely. I always wish to be the symbol of peace and the light of hope that everyone needs, but I cannot help but feel anxious.

"You don't look too good," Mia asked as she sat next to me in the living room. Finally being able to after refusing her advances for so long.

"How can I at times like this?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"It's nearly time for us... to depart... right?" I asked.

Mia paused and looked away from me for a brief moment. "Yes, it is. There's not much time left."

"When we go, what will we be leaving behind?" I asked.

"I... I don't understand."

"Let's face it. It's gonna be a long trek. Can I afford to lose anything or anyone?"

The devil grabbed my shoulder supportively. "Of course not! We're doing this because it's the right thing! It's your calling to become a god, and we cannot just ignore that! Think of all the lives at stake!"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking about, Mia!" I barked. "You, Alex, Ethan and everyone else are all that I have! Understand?"

She looked away from me once again, her gaze fixed on the floor. Even though I yelled at her, I have a feeling she's sadder that I may be correct. I sighed and looked away briefly to gather my thoughts before saying anything that I'd regret.

"I get it. You're all that I have as well. I just can't help it either, you know. I feel like it might be too much for me to handle. If you... When you leave, I'll be alone again. I can't enjoy humanity without the person who made me feel welcome here... without the one who made me feel human."

"I don't have another choice, do I?" I asked. "I'm gonna leave and possibly never return."

"Is that what's bothering you?" Alex asked as he leaned on the wall nearby. The bitterness in his voice caught me off guard.

"Huh?"

"You're afraid you're gonna leave and never return, but you're not afraid of the consequences that will happen if you don't?" He barked, sounding annoyed and hostile.

"It's not-"

"Do you prefer to protect us and make everyone you ever loved live happy lives, or do you wanna be there to see us perish and suffer?!" He yelled. Then he walked towards me and stood in front of me like a parent scolding his child. "You're a coward."

Hearing him say that made me get off the couch and stare him in the eyes saying: "Excuse me?!"

"It's all about you, huh? About what you will lose. About how you're so sad, right? Have you ever stopped to wonder what others want? What others fear and lose?"

"What's it to you?! You can never understand what I'm going through! You're not the one who's forced to leave everything behind!"

Mia got up and tried to separate us, but I pushed her aside.

"Kings lived and died for this. Countless warriors and brave heroes throughout centuries sacrificed everything for you. I tried to keep you cheerful and brave, and you're just gonna throw all of that aside because you're afraid you'll not see us again?" He yelled, grabbing my shirt collar. "How much longer do you expect everyone to tie your shoes and hold your hands? It's all revolving around you, and you've yet to grow up and take responsibility!"

"ALRIGHT, I GET IT!!" I yelled, pushing his hand away and taking it off my collar.

"Enough, Alex! Just stop it already! He's your best friend! Why are you yelling at him like this?! You know how much Justin suffers daily. He trains for hours on end, he collects every piece of information he can, and when he fails his training or misses his research, he beats himself over it a lot! Such responsibility is too much for anyone to bear, let alone your friend! You of all people should realize that!" Mia said as tears starting to flow down her face.

"All I see is that the universe chose wrong," He replied.

"I guess we can agree on that," I stated. "But there's nothing I can do about it."

"Do you really want to see him go?" Mia asked Alex, who decided to head for the door.

"Of course not. But the world is cruel."

I heard his voice cracking clear as day. I understood his frustration, and I can feel myself sharing his anger towards me. He is right, after all. If I do not man up, everyone will suffer and die. I know for a fact that I cannot live with myself if that happened. I still don't know what the dragons, the gods, or whoever it is, sees in me, but I know for a fact that there is no time to doubt my calling. I clenched my fist at the thought of breaking my friendship with everyone because of my cowardice, knowing full well the consequences of my inactions. I would not be able to look anyone in the eye if I failed. But then again, if I failed, no one would be around to see it. I took a gander at Mia and saw that she sat on the couch, weeping after what just happened. Nothing is more important to her than Alex and me. She could not take seeing us fighting, and I could not bear seeing her crying like that. I immediately rushed to her side and grabbed her, wiping the tears.

"It's okay, it's okay. Let him vent a little. Everyone has pent up emotions, and we need to understand that."

"He's your buddy! You two shouldn't be fighting like that! Without you two, I have no one else, do you understand? The thought of losing you is painful enough. To think that I would lose you both?"

"No, no. It'll be fine. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong if it will cost us our friendship. Listen, I'll go talk to Alex and try to settle things. Alright?" Before I could do anything else, my phone started to ring. I picked it off the table and saw that I'm getting a call from Ethan.

"So, did everything go well in-"

"Justin! You and Mia head to the citadel right now! We're gonna get attacked!" He shouted, startling me enough to get me off the couch. Alarmed, Mia's gaze locked on me to see my horrified face.

"Attacked?! Who's attacking us?" I asked.

"Head to the citadel at this instant! I'll talk to you once we're there!" He said before hanging up.

"What attack?" Mia asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I replied. "Let's go!"

Mia and I jumped off the balcony. She conjured her wings and flew us to the parking building where we got inside my car and drove to the citadel. Mia tried to reach out to Alex, but with no luck. She gritted her teeth and tried again, failing once more. She then tried calling Zack who answered immediately.

"What's happening?" She asked Zack, with the call being put on speakerphone.

"The Roman Empire grew stronger than ever and is launching an attack as we speak. They'll be here soon."

"Zack, you earned a free 'I told you so' my friend," I stated mid chuckle.

"I know. Now get to the citadel. My father is aware of this and is preparing for a nationwide attack."

"We need to start evacuating the city!" I replied.

"Once you get to the citadel. For now, we need the situation under control."

"Who informed you about this?" Mia asked.

"It's that weird guy Ethan, and you two encountered years ago when you acquired your armor, according to Ethan over here," Zack informed, much to my shock.

"Alright, then. Can you get in touch with Alex? We had a fight a few moments ago, and he's not answering his phone."

"Of all the times..." Zack sighed. "Alright. I'll try."

We continued driving to the citadel while watching the glaives and the police try to set up emergency defenses. They cleared the road for us, making me able to speed as much as I want to get to the citadel as soon as possible. The people on the streets were understandably confused and nervous at the sight of anti-air defense cannons and the soldiers running around, redirecting traffic and blocking roads. Then it all started.

"Alert! Alert! The kingdom is under attack! For your safety, please remain calm and follow orders!" A voice from every teleprompter around spoke. All billboard screens switched from ads to red-colored screens with the words 'INVASION ALERT!' written on them. The voice started to repeat the alert over and over again, and the people began to panic. All the traffic was redirected outside the city, and the pedestrians began to get escorted to escape buses. 

'How Ironic. Remain calm, huh?'

"This is it! This is it, Justin!" Mia exclaimed in fear.

"Calm down! It's gonna be fine! We need to make it to the citadel and prepare everything!" I replied.

Suddenly, a speeding news van decided it was the best time to make me collide with it. Luckily, I hit the brakes as fast as I could and avoided crashing into the vehicle. When the van drove away, I opened the door and got out of the car to study the area. I noticed that many vehicles are driving recklessly and that they would be a danger to everyone if left unchecked. The situation was even more intense than yesterday despite no attack happening yet. Professional heroes helped in the relief effort and allowed the army. Even mages and wizards started popping up everywhere to aid in defending the city.

"Mia, listen to me. I need you to fly over my car and look out for all the speeding vehicles. If you see one on our path, I need you to stop it and redirect it before it hits us."

She immediately complied and flew overhead as I returned to my car. I drove as fast as I could, dodging every vehicle that was in my way. I still could not believe that what Zack feared came to be, much less this quickly! I instructed Mia to help out with the traffic and help the soldiers set everything up for the invasion to speed up the process before joining me at the citadel. Knowing the lives on the line, she did not object at all and instantly flew away to aid in the evacuation efforts and the preparations. Arriving at the citadel's underground entrance, I parked in my reserved parking spot and took the elevator up to the entrance where the king and his advisors were waiting. I walked up to them immediately, wasting no time.

"Your majesty! What's going on?" I asked.

"The imperial forces are approaching quickly. I don't think we have enough time to evacuate. Where's Mia?"

"She's aiding in the evacuation efforts. Zack and Ethan are on their way," I replied without hesitation.

King Leon looked concerned beyond belief. Seeing him barely able to maintain his composure and calmness sent chills down my spine. "We don't have many options, Justin. We will need you to fight back along with Mia and the rest."

"Most if not all of their army consists of robot troops and drones," An advisor informed. "We're still not sure how they're mass-manufacturing their units or how they're powering them, but it's safe to say that based on the intel we've gathered from allied forces, their strength is mostly in numbers and advanced technology."

"So with our magic, we do stand a chance, correct?" I asked.

"That would be determined by the overall force of this invasion. Their goal is to kill me. If that happens, it will spell our defeat," The king stated.

I clenched "That will not happen!" I replied, gritting my teeth angrily.

"If they want to get inside this place, they're gonna have to go through us!" Zack said as he entered the citadel building.

"Justin, we've called Alex. I've informed him of the situation, and he'll be coming here shortly," Stated Ethan.

"To the roof, everyone!" I exclaimed. "We can see everything from there!" King Leon, Ethan, Zack and I, along with a few secret service ninjas, made our way to the roof to oversee the city.

"Mia? Are you there?" I asked after calling her.

Despite her voice being so warm and calming, I have never felt so relieved to hear it. "Yeah. I'm still evacuating people."

"How's the preparation on your end?"

"Nearly everyone's locked and loaded, but we have too many civilians on our hands to get ready in time." She informed.

"Prioritize the battle preparations now! We can't evacuate everyone regardless!"

Silence on her end set before she replied. "Alright! I'll see to it! Take care." It was painfully clear that she did not want to risk civilian lives, but she knew that there is little choice.

Suddenly, a blinding light flashed from the horizon. When I looked at the west, I was mortified by the sight of a colossal flying ship, surrounded by an armada of smaller battleships. There were dozens upon dozens of them, being over one hundred ships and counting, similar to bees emerging from a hive all at once. I witnessed in fear as the massive ship started firing laser beams at random buildings while many smaller aircraft drones began flying around the city, firing at everything in their path. The medium-sized ships that were surrounding the colossal one started to slowly approach the land. When they arrived, they launched even smaller ships that appeared to be troop carriers. The dropships started dropping their robot armies down to the streets where they began firing on both civilians and military forces with heroes, hunters, adventurers, and the military forces combating them.

Some dropships approached the citadel and tried to fire at us with their small machine guns, but everyone inside the citadel started firing their weapons and fighting back. The dropships started to drop troops on the side of the buildings and make them rappel down the building to try and enter. I decided to take action and jumped off the roof, slicing the enemy robots and cutting their ropes as they rappelled down the structure. The altitude was high, but killing enemies while falling was a thrilling experience. The robot soldiers looked like ancient Romans with a futuristic aesthetic. They carried machine guns, assault rifles, and swords. Some carried shields with their weapons while others did not. Some of them tried to shoot me, but I started to jump from one side of the wall to the other and using the bodies of other soldiers as robot shields as I descended and impaled them with my sword. As I was having fun falling and killing enemies, I witnessed a beam of lightning charge past me. I immediately realized that it was Ethan, and I instantly chased after him.

I conjured my wings to give myself a boost of speed while descending and enlarged my sword to cut faster and stronger. Ethan's lightning dash alone sufficed to kill enemy robots as he dropped. I took it as a personal challenge and started to fall faster. I knew that I could win this challenge if I killed more since I can easily cut ropes and I had a head start, but I also wanted to reach the ground first. With a higher kill count, I knew that victory was within my grasp. And finally, having only a few feet between me and the ground, I raised my sword and struck the floor of the entrance with force, sending all the robots in the vicinity flying in all directions.

"Nice job," Ethan said, realizing he lost the race.

"And I killed more!" I replied.

As more troops started entering the citadel, Ethan dashed with his blades and struck the units, cutting many of them down as he whizzed past. I started cutting down all the soldiers that appeared in front of me as I sauntered down the stairs, making sure that none of them set foot near the door. More dropships appeared and started releasing giant bipedal robots with machine guns and rockets. One started firing at Ethan, so I immediately jumped in front of it and blocked its fire with my enlarged blade. As I was fighting, my mind started to think about Alex and his whereabouts, fearing for his safety.

Ethan used his lightning daggers to dash past me and strike one machine on its left leg, allowing me a chance to run towards it and jump to its head. While on there, I directed the troopers fire at me, making them hit their bipedal weapon in the process. I then used my sword to destroy the missile launcher that was on top of it. Ethan started to whiz past the troops, slicing them down to pieces. The other bipedal machine started firing at me, but I immediately jumped off its ally's head and ran towards its legs while using my large glaive to block gunfire. I then slid under it as it fired guided missiles at me, slashing at its legs and making it trip down.

As Ethan and I were battling the many troopers that appeared, a massive amount of spears started flying in the directions of the enemy robots. Zack appeared, throwing one of his signature tornado bombs at a group of robots, sending them flying away. He strolled down, declaring his strength and presenting himself as a force to be reckoned with. Soldiers ran past him to his left and right, making him look even cooler.

"So, Justin. I heard that Zanoktryus was also the god of war. Don't tarnish his reputation and fight like a god!" Zack said, giving me words of encouragement.

Zack and I started using our swords while Ethan used his katana. We were able to cut down a large number of them, but more were coming from every direction. The situation was getting less and less under control as time went on. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, the robots that were surrounding us got cut in half as a silhouette moved through them, clearing the way. We watched in awe as the soldiers fell on the ground, not one of them intact. The silhouette finally was in view. I was shocked beyond belief to find out that our cat friend, Selena, was the one who cleared the enemies for us. She wore advance black tactical gear and gloves fitted with sharp claws that looked magical in origin. The silver pauldrons on her shoulders looked very distinct and unique, giving them a robotic look. The knee guards and boots also looked futuristic and robotic.

"Hello, Justin! Or should I say, my lord?" She said jokingly, much to my shock.

As we were in the middle of the battlefield, I decided not to continue the conversation. "Justin will suffice."

"Who's this cat-girl friend of yours?" Zack asked.

"A friend."

"We need to go to the nearest evac location. The imperial troops are targeting civilians as well as our soldiers," Ethan stated. "Heroes will soon feel outnumbered."

We made our way to the nearest evacuation center, killing any foe that stood in our way. Ethan was pretty thrilled to see his teammates alive and breathing and sprinted to support them. Selena started to help load people onto evac buses while Zack and I defended them

"So you're a hunter?" I asked Selena.

"Yeah. Been so for quite some time. Aiming to be a pro hero soon."

"We joined the guild of hunters today."

"Nice!"

Zack took a vantage point and started sniping any trooper that approached while also taking down some of their bipedal weapons. Ethan decided to go with his teammates and block some entrances with military vehicles. Finally, Selena and I were tasked with wiping out all remaining enemy units close to the evac area.

"Who is that knockout with the sniper rifle?" She asked.

"Do you have to drool over guys all the time?"

"Aww!" She replied, making my cheeks blush. "Are you jelly?"

"Of course not." I sighed. "Anyway, that's Prince Zachary."

Selena stopped to recollect her thoughts. She looked directly at me as I looked for enemies. "What? Isn't he supposed to be dead?" She asked.

"Long story."

As we were wiping down enemies, Ethan called us to regroup. He tasked his teammates with assisting more evac centers while the rest of us continue taking down the enemy numbers and making them focus on us. We kept walking down the streets, destroying robots and saving more and more evac points. I tried to get my eyes off the dead civilians that lay on the ground, lifeless and cold. A feeling of intense guilt overtook me as I realized that these lives could have been saved. Alex's words struck me like a truck as I gazed at the bodies, feeling so disturbed and also unable to stop looking. I froze in place for a minute, unable to take my eyes off of the deceased people. My hands shook as I felt like collapsing on the ground and eject all the tears from my eyes like fountains.

"Justin. We need to go," Zack said, not eyeing the bodies. "Look, it's not your fault. You didn't kill these people. The empire did. Focus your rage on them."

"You're right." I walked past many of the lifeless bodies, making my way towards the next wave of imperial robots. "Come at me, tin cans!"

I started cutting my way through dozens of robots and enemies, killing them all swiftly. Alex's words kept repeating themselves inside my mind, fueling me with more anger as I realized how right he was and how stupid I felt for being such a coward. Zack started helping me by throwing his tornado bombs and taking down as many as he could while Ethan and Selena helped evacuate.

"Let's go, champ!" A man screamed from inside a bus. All the civilians around us started cheering for me as they watched me kill more and more robots. Even heroes who were on site started to cheer me on as they fought with their unique and wonderful powers. Some had super strength, others relied on speed, and some used elemental attacks and magic.

Hearing the words of encouragement drowned out the thoughts and feelings of guilt I had and gave me the boost of confidence I needed. Zack himself started clapping as he killed more robots as well, seeing that I began to feel much better because of it. I clenched my fist in joy and realized how great it feels to be an inspiration to everyone.

"Yeah! Let's go, blondie!" Ethan cheered, feeling inspired as well.

As the last bus left, I started to look around, seeing all the robots I killed and feeling happy with the knowledge that I can still stand a chance. And hearing the people cheer made me feel even stronger than before and more confident in my abilities.

"I see now," I said. "I'm not weak, and I shouldn't be afraid."

"That's right!" Selena exclaimed.

"Seeing the hope in those people's eyes is something I will cherish and fight for. I will ascend as the new dragon god, I will bring deliverance to my people, and no empire will stand in my way!"

We walked back to the citadel, feeling pretty proud with our accomplishments. As we walked inside the main gates of the castle, a couple more dropships appeared and dropped an even stronger model of troopers. They had the designation of 'Assalitore' which I did not understand the meaning of. They were an inch or two over seven feet tall, showed no signs of life, and had their 'faces' made out of metal that was formed in the shape of a face. They carried swords and axes. Some dual-wielded axes, swords, some even had an ax in one hand and a sword in another. I sensed the hesitation in Zack and Ethan, so I stepped forward and charged first. More regular troopers appeared as well. While the simple soldiers were more comfortable to deal with, the Assalitore were significantly tougher. It takes a couple of shots from Zack's sniper rifle to take down even a single one of them, and even then, more approach us. 

We were getting overwhelmed by them when suddenly, a live grenade landed in the middle of them. When it exploded, a group of them were destroyed, but more were on their way. Alex then appeared, carrying a machine gun and more grenades. He also wore a body armor that looked quite nice with the black and white outfit he chose to wear. The black ripped jeans with the white chains and black leather straps looked very appealing with the leather vest and white shirt underneath. He kept tossing a grenade in the air and grabbing it while smirking at us.

"It seems like you guys need a hand."

"Alex! Alex, I'm glad you're okay!" I said, running to him. "Look, I understand how frustrated you were with me, and I get it now. I'm an idiot, Alex. I see now that my inactions caused the death of many today and-"

He cut me off by pulling me into a hug.

"You're my brother, Justin. Screw being blood-related and all that. I shouldn't be mad at you. I'm sorry," He replied.

Suddenly, more roman soldiers appeared with the assalitore robots, attacking us from every direction. They started firing their machine guns at us, forcing us to take cover. Zack tried to find some protection, but he got ambushed by two assalitore troops. They pinned him down with their axes as he tried to push them away with his shield. Alex immediately intervened and shot one of them so much that his head was riddled with bullets when he hit the ground.

Alex aimed his rifle at the other one, but when he fired, no bullets came out. He then immediately ditched his gun and ran at the armored robot, jumping on its back and pulling it away. Alex then planted a grenade on its back and jumped off of it, but since he was in close proximity and the robot was in the machine gun troops' line of sight, the assalitore got hit in the back, causing the grenade to explode prematurely, striking Alex and sending him flying on the ground and coughing immense amounts of blood. "ALEX!" I shouted.

I tried running to him, but more assalitore troops started attacking me, forcing me to take more time to reach my injured friend. Alex tried to get up but was too injured to get on his feet properly. Ethan and Selena got cornered as well, leaving Zack alone to try and get to Alex. As Zack ran to his bloodied comrade, his leg got grabbed by a surviving trooper. He tried shaking the robot off, but it had a firm grip, placing Zack in the enemies line of sight. Alex noticed this and powered through his pain to make it to the prince. He managed to kick the robot off his friend, sacrificing himself once more.

The barrage of bullets hit Alex in the chest, piercing through his weakened body armor and taking his life in front of my eyes. Alex fell on the ground once more. The teen started coughing blood as he attempted to crawl towards me, but I could not move. Slowly, he kneeled and coughed more blood. With my left hand free, I desperately reached for him and watched as he tried to reach for me, only for more bullets to fly through his chest. Alex fell one last time on the ground, his body lifeless, and his eyes shedding their final tears as he smiled at me before finally passing away.

"ALEX! NO!" I felt an immense amount of power flow through my fist. I punched one assalitore robot and sent every other trooper close to him flying. I ran to my friend and slid on my knees in front of him, grabbing his body and crying my eyes out.

"No! NO! Talk to me, Alex! Talk to me! Please! Oh, gods! Oh, gods! NO! Not him, not him! Not Alex. Not my friend..." I rocked myself back and forth, holding his right hand in mine. "Wake up! Wake up, you fool! Don't leave me like this! Do you hear me?!"

I looked at his eyes and watched as they gazed at nothing. His face was completely devoid of any signs of life. I reached my bloody, shaking hand to his eyes and closed them. Roaring with rage, Zack ran towards us and used his shield to cover us while Selena and Ethan tried to pry my hands off my dead friend. As my tears fell onto his face, I placed my hand on his heart and cried harder when I didn't sense a heartbeat.

"Justin! We have to go!" Pleaded Ethan with a cracking voice.

"Justin... please..." The cat cried. "He's... He..."

"It should have been me! It should have been ME!" I screamed.

I felt the urge to destroy every trooper in the vicinity. I gently placed Alex's body on the ground and walked towards the soldiers who were still firing at us. I conjured my sword, which was now overflowing with the power of my grief and rage. With it, I made a single swiping motion and sent a giant arc of energy horizontally towards the dozens upon dozens of soldiers, destroying them instantly. With no one left in the area, I got on both knees and started crying my eyes out. I began slamming my fist on the ground repeatedly, creating a small crater as the ground shook beneath me with every punch.

Suddenly more soldiers arrived at the scene, along with dropships that released more assalitore troops. I did not have the willpower to get back on my feet and fight. The image of my friend was stuck in my mind. But when I looked at the sky, I saw a giant meteor-like object fall down from the sky and strike the area in front of me.

When the dust cleared, I saw my other friend, Mia. She was wearing her full dark battle armor with crimson red on its edges. She had grown a large pair of demon horns on the side of her head, and her wings grew larger and became red. Her demonic fangs were exposed and very noticeable. She carried in her right hand a giant black and red polearm, which is the one that I've seen depicted in the mural. On her left hand was a large red gauntlet with claws. She offered me her hand, and when I gave it to her, she pulled me off the ground and to her warm embrace where I cried on her shoulder.

"Leave these tin cans to me," She said calmly. "Take his body inside."

I nodded and walked back to Alex's lifeless body, where the other three stood around him. I carried him in my arms and walked to the citadel with Zack, Selena, and Ethan. Trying to contain the rage, I bit my lower lip. The pain was not enough, so I bit harder and harder until I bled. No one noticed that I was bleeding, however. The bleeding did not stop me.

"It's my fault, Alex..." Zack stated with tears flowing down his face. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Zack.," I replied. "You said it yourself, it's the Romans who we should point our swords towards."

When we entered the ground floor, everyone gasped and made way for me. "I'll... I'll prepare him a room," The king said as he saw me carrying Alex in my arms, grief-stricken and disheartened by the sight of a dead child who he once deemed a son. I walked past every injured soldier who was on the ground floor. They all gave a salute as I passed them, but I did not care. Even the king himself saluted with tears falling down his face.

"I failed him..." Ethan cried to himself, punching the closest wall to him. "I failed him, dammit!"

When I finally made it into the room the king assigned, I placed Alex on the bed. I then fell to my knees and cried next to his bed.

"Please... Forgive me. You were not meant to suffer... You were not meant to die like this! I should have heeded you, my brother... Your death is on me, Alex. It's on me. My cowardice got us here. My hubris. If-If I listened to you and fought through my fears, you'd still be here! I never understood or appreciated how much you meant to me until you were taken from me! Now I understand what you wanted most. You tried your hardest to keep me from overtraining, tried to get us to spend more time together, cherish our memories... You knew, didn't you? The day before I was given my powers, you had that look on your face. You knew I will become the next dragon god, right? If it means losing you, to hell with being a god! I took you for granted, and now I'd do anything to bring you back..."

'You're my brother, Justin. Screw being blood-related and all that. I shouldn't be mad at you. I'm sorry.'

"I beg your forgiveness... May you find your way to the heavens, and rest assured that I will see to it that the darkness will be erased. I will see to it that our world is saved. May your soul find repose... brother."