(September 16th, 2017)

Justin

"Justin?" I heard Mia's voice call to me as I slowly opened my eyes. "Justin? Thank goodness! You're okay!"

"Dad..." I muttered. "Dad..."

"Mia?" Alex said after opening the door to the room that they placed me inside. "Oh, Justin... You're up..."

"Alex... At least you're okay, too." I got off the bed and tried to walk, only to tumble forward before being grabbed by both Alex and Mia. They sat me back on the bed and Mia gave me some water.

"Who made it?" I asked.

"Ethan, dozens of soldiers, Zack, us, and his majesty's royal advisors," Alex stated.

"What about him?" I asked. The entire room fell silent for a moment as neither of them was able to conjure up any words to state the obvious. The king's passing hurts them as well, but not as much as it hurts me. No one is as hurt as I am, and no one can understand the pain of losing someone so close like the way I lost my father figure... No, my father.

"Justin..." Mia spoke. "We... We tried everything. Potions, healing spells... But he has passed."

I did not respond. Instead, I looked at my hands and clenched them into fists, unable to stomach the truth. Tears began to fall from my eyes and onto my hands as I started to break down. My two friends did not waste any moment, and wrapped their arms around me, hugging me as I let my emotions get the best of me. Soon, as if my mind wanted to torture me even further, I began to recall all the happy moments he and I spent throughout my entire life. I could not help but remember the times when he held me and allowed me to bury my crying face into his chest. I also began to remember the times when he told me stories about his ancestors, only now having joined them in the afterlife. I have always thought of the king as my father, but I was unable to muster the courage to call him that, not even to myself. But now that he is taken away from me, I regret not calling him 'Dad' to his face.

"I always wanted a father, you know that?" I stated. "And when I got what I wanted, I..."

"We understand," Mia replied.

"Where... Where is he?"

"Top floor. His bedroom. Zack is there beside him," Alex answered.

I got off the bed and walked to the door. Mia tried to stop me, but Alex held her back. I left the room and walked the brightly lit hallways of the citadel, heading to the elevator. As I walked, I watched the soldiers around me. I noticed the melancholic expressions on their faces as they sat around in the hallways, having just lost their king. Some of them could not bottle up their emotions and expressed their grief with their tears. I always knew that king Leon meant a lot to his soldiers. Still, I never truly understood until I saw the mighty protectors of our kingdom on their knees, showing their vulnerability, fear, and grief. His majesty was a beacon of hope and pride for his troops. He treated all of them as people, not as expendable livestock. He trusted them enough that he gave away my identity to them, and they respected and adored him so much that they kept it a secret. Of course, not every member of all royal organizations knows of my secret. Still, nearly everyone who serves at the citadel and in the castle knows my face and name.

"We're doomed..." A soldier spoke. "We are all going to perish..."

"Calm down, Ralph! Of course, we're not!"

"His majesty is gone, Tamara! What can we do about it?!"

I passed everyone and made it to the elevator, feeling deep remorse because of my inability to save their king and do my job. I felt like an insect compared to the dark warrior, and when he took me out with ease, I felt like I got the insect treatment. He was strong enough to strike fear into everyone in the citadel with his presence alone. His tall figure, towering over every living thing on the premises. Even Mia, a demonic entity, froze in fear at the sight of this unholy figure. An all-powerful creature from ancient times foretold to bring death and despair onto the world stood before us and murdered our king right before their eyes. The god that was foretold to ascend and defeat the creature failed miserably and was beaten with no effort. I can see why they would be scared, and I do not fault them for it.

"A victory with no king to celebrate it with is no victory at all!" A soldier said as she wept while sitting on the ground, her knees covering her face. I totally agreed with her on that statement.

I entered the elevator and took it to the king's room, feeling increasingly angry and bitter, knowing that I am inching closer to the remains of my father. My hands began to shake uncontrollably when I arrived at the top floor and watched the elevator doors slide open. A powerful feeling made me want to close the elevator doors and leave the floor, but I forced myself through it and walked through the door, my heart throbbing with fear and my breath increasing in speed and intensity. The closer I walked, the heavier my legs began to feel. Soon, I spotted commander Astralis and the advisors near in the corridor that leads to the room. She ran towards me and embraced me in a hug before breaking down into tears. I continued walking towards the room but was stopped by the commander, who had a firm grip on my shoulder.

"Justin... Don't go there..."

"Let go of me, commander."

Slowly and hesitantly, she released her grip on me and allowed me to continue walking towards his majesty's room. At the door, Ethan stood with his head facing the ground. He kept his knight stance, performing his duty even through his grief. His hands shook, and his lips did too. I watched as tears fell down his cheeks, and he did not do anything about it. I walked to the door, unable to say a single word to him, but before I opened the door, I managed to say: "Well done, great knight. You did your kingdom a great service. You made your king proud." Hearing that made him completely break down as I opened the door and walked inside to hear the crying bellows of Zack drown out those of Ethan's. When I saw his body on the bed, my knees gave way. I fell on the ground, watching my tears drip down to the floor. I felt powerless against my own emotions and did nothing, as my own body, overwhelmed with grief, failed to get up.

'Get up, you weakling! He would not want you to kneel to no one!' I internally yelled at myself and powered through to get back on my feet and walked to the bed, sitting beside the grieving prince.

I watched as Zack, a boy who despised his father, was on his knees crying in front of his deceased old man. I wrapped my arms around him and offered my shoulder for him to cry on. I watched as he did not hesitate to rest his head on me and continue crying for his old man. I looked at our father, holding on to the slightest slither of hope for him to wake up, but to no avail. I held on to Zack's hands tightly and allowed the tears to fall down.

"Zack, hold your head high, for he does not want you to feel weak."

"Huh?"

"He did what he could so that we could see the light of day. As much as I hate to say this, but he and I knew that this day would come. I did not... I... I did not want to see it..." I continued to speak as Zack cried while listening. "He did not want you to bear the burden of this kingdom, but he did what he must. I told him that he should do what he thinks is best for you. I pushed him on to take action. He was fine with the kingdom ending and him being the last king just to see you live a long and happy life, free from worry. But I pushed him to make everything he needed to do to get you to succeed him as the next king. I promised him that I would watch over you and keep you safe from harm even after I ascend. Don't blame him for the burden you shoulder. Blame me, instead. He loved you like any father would love his son. And I, Justin, the dragon god, intend to keep my promise to the very end."

I got up and walked to the window, unable to keep myself closer to the king's lifeless body.

"Justin," Zack spoke after walking behind me. I turned around to see his a happy expression through his tears of grief.

"You knew him longer than I did. He raised you. He loved you and cared for you as one of his own. You're my brother. You are my father's son as much as I am. Don't you ever forget that, alright?"

"Yes, brother." He embraced me in a tight hug and cried calmly on my shoulder as I did the same.

Soon enough, retainers arrived to place the king in his coffin and carry him to the royal hearse. Alex and Mia came along with them to watch as Zack, and I placed our father inside. They walked towards us. Us four, the four warriors the king watched over from the cradle carried the coffin to his grave. Ethan broke down the second he saw the coffin exit the room. All the soldiers outside the room gave their salute as we walked by. We made our way to the lobby, where dozens upon dozens of soldiers were saluting from the bottom of their hearts, watching their king being taken away to be placed in his final resting place. Some of them were visibly shedding tears and shaking, barely managing to keep their salute while we walked past. We exited the lobby and placed the coffin inside the hearse.

Six black SUVs were prepared to accompany the hearse and see it to the royal grave in the castle. They were armored, with tinted bulletproof glass forming the windshield and the windows. I decided to take my car instead and watched as the other three silently accompanied me to the vehicle. I suggested that Zack go with the convoy, but he refused. I did not force him to do anything and watched as he came along for the ride. We drove past the convoy and to the castle, arriving earlier than everyone else. The entire ride was silent, except for the radio, which announced the passing of the king to the entire kingdom. When we arrived, we parked our car inside the secluded parking space where it would not interrupt the hearse convoy or be in its way. The entire castle was already prepared by the time we arrived at the event, having prepared the seats and everything else. We watched as the convoy arrived, and then we took the coffin to where it was properly placed at the front of the castle entrance. I, along with the other three, sat in the front seats alongside his majesty's advisors and the leaders of all military organizations of the kingdom. Also attending the funeral were the rest of the Astralis family members, including Benjamin Astralis and Jason Astralis, Ethan's family, Alex's family, and many others. The rest of the seats were filled by secret service operatives and glaives.

I watched as Ethan gave a speech, followed by commander Astralis and the royal advisors. But to my surprise, I did not expect Zack himself to go up and deliver a speech. In fact, no one expected him to. But Ethan and commander Astralis flanked him from behind alongside a couple of knights.

"I... I know most of you present here at this funeral do not know who I am, or why I am speaking while being flanked by officers and knights. I am not known for making formal speeches, so allow me to speak freely. A few years ago, seventeen years, in fact, his majesty's castle was attacked by roman assassins. I'm sure most of you already know this, but the queen was murdered by those monsters. What you may not know is that... while her majesty passed, her son, however, did not. His majesty took it upon himself to hide the young prince and shield him from all who may harm him. Flash forward to a few days ago, when the entire city was raided by one man."

Everyone present at the funeral who was not these past few days was perplexed and surprised by Zack and his statements. I grinned as I finally watched the man who grew to resent his heritage finally begin to embrace it and announce himself as the true heir to the throne.

"That man that everyone labeled a terrorist and an anarchist, well... that man was me," Zack revealed, much to the people's shock. The gasps and bewildered reactions were a joy to see. Mia took her camera out and secretly took a photo of the entire funeral and the attendees.

"Before you draw your weapons and try to shoot me, let me explain. We live in a time of great divide. The people of our great kingdom grow evermore weary and frightened of the future that awaits us. A prophecy so old that it became a fairy tale in the eyes of many has come to pass. A mortal among us ascended and became the fabled god of dragons. That suggests that dark times are upon us, as the darkness will soon rise to battle the new deity. That, alongside the much more dreaded empire assault that is happening as we speak, made the entire kingdom panic. I, a simple boy from a tiny farm, saw what his majesty wanted our enemies to see. An unprepared king, basking in the shadow of a deity. At first, I wanted to confront him and forcefully make him listen to the fears and frustrations of the people. I wanted him to hear the cries and the begging that kept falling on deaf ears. I was tired of seeing injustice around me and the rich getting rewarded for the poor's suffering. I did not toil hard my entire life so that some rich businessman comes and forcefully make me sell the land I strived hard to grow my crops on. I wanted the kingdom to divert its attention towards the empire, not keep parading a king for witnessing the ascension of a god who we did not even know his name. Little did I know how wrong and idiotic I was until the truth was revealed to me. His Majesty knew of all the problems I wanted him to see, but he had his fair share of problems to deal with, as well. As you can see, the empire is far stronger than we ever could have imagined, and we have lost so many great lives to its evil schemes. When I arrived, I realized why my father hid me away and made me live a normal life. It was not because he abandoned me, it's so that the kingdom may survive and have a worthy monarch to rule long after our king's passing. He wanted a monarch that truly knows what the people need and how the people think and feel. And amid a heated battle, the crusader of the darkness arrived and took our king away from our hands before I could... before... before I could proudly call him my father!"

Mia held my hand, feeling proud of what Zack had said and what he would become in the future. She whispered in my ear: "See this guy up there? He's your brother."

"King LeoDivinus presented his strength and stood his ground against all the odds. He sacrificed everything so that all of his kingdom and its people can witness a better tomorrow and look forward to a great future. That is why we should not remember him with grief in our hearts, but feel pride in ourselves and honored to have had a legendary king to have ruled over this great nation. Every king before him has had a moniker to commemorate his rule and his great accomplishments towards this kingdom. On my honor as the one hundred and twentieth monarch, I, Prince Zachary Angelus Drakionis, I shalt dub thee: 'The Lion'!" The entire funeral began applauding Zack and his announcement. After the burial, we went inside the castle and headed to the throne room.

I stood under the throne with my sword in my hand, the sun's light shining through to the room and illuminating everything, making the entire scenery evermore beautiful. My armor materialized around me without my will to conjure it. Zack, wearing a new expensive kingly raiment, kneeled in front of me while the commanders and advisors watched.

"On this day, a new monarch shalt claim the throne of the glorious kingdom of RaynoDrakionis. Zachary Angelus Drakionis, the gods have bestowed upon thee the honor to claim the throne and reign as the one hundred and twentieth king. Answer my questions and speaketh naught but the truth." I held my sword over his head and asked my questions.

"As a monarch, thy duties shalt be to whom?"

"My duties shall be to the gods, the people, and the kingdom."

"What is it that thee desire from thy position as a sovereign?"

"I desire Change. I want to advance the sciences and technologies and change the laws of the lands to be more humane as they are just. I want to fight alongside my friends against the darkness and safeguard the light."

"What is it that thee fear?"

"I fear that one day, I might be all alone, and no one will hear my pleas of help."

"What wilt thee doth with thy fortune?"

"Use it for good. Help the poor. Fund progress, feed the hungry, and heal the sick."

"Who shalt thy heart belong to?"

"The woman who is to become my queen."

"Upon another mortal's success, what shalt thee doth?"

"Congratulate them and never feel jealous."

"What shalt wrongdoers suffer?"

"All wrongdoers shall suffer a fair and just punishment."

"Thy tasks wilt beest daunting. They shalt bringeth thee fatigue. What shalt thee doth?"

"I shall perform my duties with vigor, and I shall not let inertia sway me from my obligations."

"You have proven yourself worthy, let it thus be decreed. I, Juxtynoktrios, hereby grant you the title of the king." I placed the tip of my sword on one shoulder before moving it to the next. "Go forth, o' monarch. Rest on your throne and claim your crown. May the gods watch over you."

And with that, we concluded our coronation, and Zack is now the official king of RaynoDrakionis.

My armor vanished once again, leaving me in my regular attire. I descended from my position and hugged Zack, the new king. Mia and Alex soon jumped in for a group hug while Ethan, commander Astralis and the rest applauded.

"How's it feel, your majesty?" Alex asked.

"It feels a little weird. Oh, and being coronated by a god is even weirder. And let us not forget that until the end of this whole adventure, I am still Zack, okay? No calling me 'your majesty' or 'your highness' by you three!" Zack exclaimed.

"Got it!" Alex replied.

"I won't call you that, but don't expect others not to," I stated.

"I agree with Justin," Mia added.

"All hail the king!" Ethan shouted, making everyone chant it again and again.

I smiled, knowing Zack has finally accepted who he is and is going to be a king. Donning the crown at such a young age is going to take its toll on Zack, but knowing king Leon, he must have planned something for him to get him ready. For now, our mission is to find the nearest dragon lair and unleash it to obtain more power. We made sure that the only people to attend the coronation are the most trusted soldiers and knights alongside the Astralis family, the Millers, and the Silvers, meaning that the identity of the new king will remain a secret until the time is right. Before the Astralis family would split up and each of them would leave for their jobs, I wanted to speak with them, because such a family piqued my interest.

"Mr. Benjamin Astralis?" I called. He is an old man with white hair, built like a fighter and over six feet tall. He had worn a black suit for this event, which showed off his wealth.

"Oh, hello, young one," He said. "Fancy meeting you here, Justin, the dragon god."

"Still surprised that I am who I am?" I asked.

"Indeed. Who knew that a young boy would become a god at eight years old? Did you expect this to happen?" He asked.

"I did not. No one did."

"So, big bro! I wanted to talk to you at the funeral, but that was not the best time, was it?" Jason Astralis said as he walked towards us.

"Oh, Justin. Let me introduce you to my younger brother, Jason," Benjamin said as his brother arrived.

"Oh, hello, my lord. It's an honor to finally meet you," Jason stated.

"Honor's all mine, sir."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Justin. Elizabeth told me his majesty was like a father to you," Benjamin spoke.

"Of course he was," Jason said. "He practically raised the kid!"

"Anyway, so how's Liz been treating ya, huh?" Benjamin asked. "Hopefully, she was not running after you throughout the entire castle for all those years!"

"She's quite nice, actually."

"She is, indeed. But she must have been madly obsessed with taking care of you, right?"

"How so?"

"Don't get me wrong, she can be a one-woman army if she wanted to," Ben stated.

"She does have that cute girl that will kick your ass kind of look if you think about it," Jason added.

"But she is a very young girl at heart. She likes kittens, babies, pink, you name it," Ben continued.

"BEEEN! What are you telling Justin?!" Commander Astralis said as she approached us with a deathly glare.

"See how they bounce, Justin?" Jason whispered. "Those are real."

"Isn't she... your sister?" I asked.

"Buddy, I am a married man with three kids. I am thirty-seven. She's a year older than me and still single. She's doomed, my guy."

"Justin!" She shouted. "Whatever he tells you, do not believe him!"

I placed my hands behind my back and walked outside the throne room to see the rest of the people I know before leaving. I walked to the cemetery where some soldiers were still sitting on chairs near the grave of their king, their faces looking down either in silence or while lamenting with tears. I moved my eyes from them and towards the knight who stood alone, paying respect to his king. That noble knight was none other than Ethan. He was shedding tears in silence. His face was still showing no emotion except for the visible grief through his tears.

"Thank you, your majesty. For everything. I promise you that your sons are in safe hands. Rest in peace," Ethan spoke.

"Ethan."

"Justin? Oh, I did not see you there," He said before wiping his tears with his hand. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm just here to say that we will be leaving in a few minutes."

"Oh..." His voice was showing evident blues towards what I just said. "Alright... I guess it's time, anyways."

"Yes..." I responded. The other three arrived and stood behind me.

"Before you go, I want you to have this." Ethan summoned his lightning daggers and held them in front of me.

"Are you?"

"The Storm Bringers. I want you to have them. Remember me whenever you use them, Justin." I took the daggers from him and watched as they bonded to me, allowing me to freely use them as I see fit.

"Thank you, Ethan," I said before hugging him.

"Ethan, take care of yourself... please," Mia said as she walked towards him and hugged her guardian while on the verge of tears.

"Don't forget to keep in touch, okay?" Alex spoke before hugging his friend.

"You're a good man, Ethan," Zack said as he approached the knight. "I am honored to have you on our side. Keep the kingdom safe."

After saying our goodbyes to Ethan and seeing Alex's parents after that, we headed for the car. Before we entered, we were stopped by Selena, who seemed very sad to see us go.

"So... You're leaving."

"Yes. We have a mission to accomplish," I replied.

"Will... Will you be back?" She asked me.

"I... I can't say I am, Selena. This is goodbye."

"Alright, then... please be safe, you guys."

"You too, Selena," Mia replied.

"O-Okay..." She said before she hugged me and then the rest of the group, even Zack.

"Guys," I called the group. "This is the moment our lives have been leading up towards. We will face many dangers along the way. We will fight, we will make sacrifices... but in the end, I want to remember that we are nothing without each other. As of today, we shall be called: The Dragon Crusaders!"

With that said, we got inside the car and headed towards the unknown, leaving many people behind to protect our kingdom. They will all cheer for us. They will all pray for our success. It is our job to honor those who fought and died to make this journey possible. Without the sacrifices from all the brave souls who are and are not with us today, us four would not be here to make their sacrifices worth something.

Mia. The first person that I have ever met and liked. She was with me since the very beginning. She took care of me when I could not care for myself and helped me become who I am. She gave me her friendship and her love, asking for nothing in return. Despite her origins, she is more human than most of the people I have met in my life. No creature could begin to compare to her unparalleled humanity. I love her as a friend, as family, and as my one and only true love. I could not imagine life without her.

Alex. The best friend who suffered for years and sacrificed so much to see me keep going, and never gave up on me. He stuck beside me in the best and worst of times, helping me persevere and become stronger. He died to see me live, and now he has returned to see this journey with me to its end. To me, he is more than a friend, he is my brother. His perseverance alone is inspiring, making me strive to keep going against all odds and fight for the future. I owe this brave man my life.

Zack. The person who was robbed of his parents and forced to take on duties no one would ever be able to do. I felt the pain and sorrow in his eyes when I saw him and understood how much he and I have in common. He showed me his brotherly love ever since he and I first met, and has never failed me since. He and I have fought together on the battlefield before, so we understand how valuable we are to each other. We share a familial bond through a father that sacrificed his life to see us succeed. This man has earned my gratitude. I am honored to have him by my side.

"Justin, Zack... I-I... I want to apologize," Mia spoke.

"Huh? For what?" I asked as I turned my head around to look at her as I drove.

"If I didn't freeze still at that moment..."

"No, it's not your fault. Who knows what could have happened to you at that moment," Zack replied.

"It's true. His majesty was doing his job. He did what he wanted to do. What needed to be done," I explained. "He... He knew it was over for him. The last thing he would have wanted was to see you perish in his stead." I turned around and focused on the road again. I sighed at what Mia stated and continued driving.

"Speaking of that moment, after you unleashed your powers, I felt something awaken inside of me," Zack stated.

"Yeah, we all did!" Alex added. "It was like a sudden burst of power. Even the glaives, commander Astralis, and Ethan felt it as well."

"I felt it, too. And I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it came from you, Justin," Mia stated.

"Does it have to do with whatever it is you feel inside of me?" I asked, as my curiosity grew.

"I think so."

"When you left to fight the imperial fleet, the general got back to his feet and tried to leave, but Ethan chased after him, and they battled. They made it all the way to the ocean where the mothership was," Said Alex, much to my shock.

"What?! How did that happen?!" I asked.

"They went from dropship to dropship," He replied.

"Two Astralis cyborg brought him back to us. He was weakened by the fight," Zack added. "He claims he felt the power-up within him and used it to defeat the damn general."

"I wish you could have seen what happened when you were off fighting the mothership. A large group of hunters arrived at the city and started helping us fight off what remained of the robots," Mia informed.

"Oh, and Alex over here saved that girl he has a crush on!" Zack added. "What was her name again?"

"Zoey," Mia answered the newly coronated king.

"Could she tell it was you?" I asked.

"Oh! Why you see, Justin. Here is where my great intellect shines! I read in the gauntlet book that you can create wearable accessories to conceal your identity with the gauntlet. I created a mouth mask that hides my identity whenever I summon it," Alex explained his brilliant idea and sounded very proud of it.

"You should have seen the look on her face! She was like a shocked princess being saved by the knight in shining armor!" Mia commented, laughing as she said that. "I think she might have finally fallen for you, Alex!"

"Huh?! You really think so?!" Alex asked with a bright look in his eyes and an excited expression.

"After you left her to continue fighting, she stood there and stared at you in admiration," Mia replied.

"Justin, turn this car around!"

"Not gonna happen, loverboy."

"Can we change the subject please?" Zack asked, getting irritated. "Justin, where are we headed, exactly?"

"If my dragon tracker is correct, there should be one under a dungeon close by in the national forest," I explained before showing him my watch and the dragon icon on the map.

"Alright, then. Now, this is promising!" He exclaimed.

"Our first dragon!" Alex exclaimed.

"Technically, our fifth, but whatever," I corrected him. "And now, the journey truly begins!"