(The next day after acquiring the god armor)

Justin

"Justin! Where are you?" Ethan shouted from the ground floor, waiting for me to come out of my apartment. Having arrived earlier than I expected, I hurried over to the door and left my apartment after locking the doors and leaving the window slightly ajar for Mia to enter and eat whatever she wants while I'm gone. I slid down the stair's handrails and quickly made it to the apartment's door, passing the apartment door to one of the building's many addicts. An unbearable smell came out of his door as I ran past it, making me throw up in my mouth.

"Here!" I said as I came running down the stairs from my apartment and stopped moments before I would crash into the teenage boy.

"Whoa! Hey! Are we gonna train today?" I asked, feeling indifferent about the unusual thing that I am about to do. Every day, I used to wake up and go to every shop in town and ask for what little work I can do in exchange for what little food I can get. Today, however, it all changed. I am supposed to go to the royal castle and meet a professional trainer that will help me practice for years to come and teach me the best techniques of self-defense and martial arts combat. At least that's what I recalled, as I was paying little to no attention.

As someone ascending into godhood, it is expected of me that I will be very skilled in martial arts, with melee weapons and probably even guns. As everyone who knows my identity knows quite well that I am very powerful but very unskilled. Untrained and lacking any sort of combat experience, I am the equivalent of 'a wrecking ball with two tiny legs and an adorable face' as a woman known as commander Astralis put it when she saw me, claiming that she and his majesty were the ones who put me in that orphanage. In addition to that, I have yet to conjure my armor. In the only two times where I ever fought, I either punched as hard as I could with no training or swung my sword wildly.

I remember watching royal soldiers training in special rooms around the castle and having Ethan show me videos of them practicing and using their weapons and magic. Using what little I recollected from them, I managed to kill a monster alongside king LeoDivinus and Ethan. I was very fascinated by their training and now, getting the chance to experience it makes me feel very excited. But with that said, I did not feel as excited as I hoped I would be. I had just woken up with nothing inside my stomach but some cereal and a little bit of milk that barely filled the bowl.

"Yes, bro. We are. And it's gonna be so much fun!" Ethan replied as we headed into the high-end, black, 4-door car. Courtesy of the king himself. In Ethan's voice, I sensed the feeling of anxiety, as if there is something that he dreaded or feared.

"Are you skilled in martial arts?" I asked the young adolescent.

"Honestly, I only watched trainers and their pupils and watched my father train next to our pool sometimes as well. But I didn't get into the whole thing myself."

"Why's that?"

"I just didn't feel like it at the time. But now I guess we both have to learn for the sake of our future." Ethan explained, sounding oddly apprehensive about the whole thing, which was not something I was used to seeing or hearing.

The driver took us directly to the castle. On our way there, Ethan and I started a conversation about what's going to happen in the training classes. Ethan kept speaking in an anxious tone, sounding displeased at the idea of training and martial arts. If I had to describe it, I'd say it is similar to how I feel when working long jobs that require a lot of effort, knowing full well that I will not get properly compensated for my hard work. A feeling of annoyance and discontent.

"So in what form of martial arts..." I trailed off. "... am I gonna train in?"

"Probably some Karate, Kung fu, Jujutsu, Taekwondo... that sort of thing, I guess. We'll see once we get there." The teenager seemed as if he did not want to answer any more questions, but I was too curious to stop asking.

"Well. That's great, I think. I'm sure it will be fun." I opined.

"And tiring. And painful. And long. And painful. Did I say how painful it might be?" Ethan said, swallowing his saliva. Because of his anxious manner of speaking, I started to feel what little enthusiasm and excitement I had for training start to fade away.

"I'm starting to think you don't want to do this."

"Well, I mean yea, but no..." He stated, pausing for a second. "Okay, you got me. I don't wanna train. But if it is what's best for you, then I don't mind."

We arrived at the castle entrance, where a retainer opened the door for us and welcomed us inside. Once we made it inside, we were not greeted by the king, but by a man in white robes. He was tall with black hair, his face was cleanly shaved and his hair seemed to be recently cut. He wore a black belt around his waist, suggesting he's a master of his craft. The man seemed even more apprehensive and afraid than Ethan was, making the situation very awkward and uncomfortable. It was not hard for me to put two and two together and realize that the man was uncomfortable because of me.

"My lord." He said, kneeling.

I immediately felt a little awkward for some reason. I was not used to going from being spat on in the streets to being kneeled for by everyone overnight. It is hard getting used to it and it felt pretty forced. I sometimes look at those who kneel for me and rather than seeing respect or admiration, I see fear. Do they fear me because of who I am? Are they afraid of his majesty's wrath? I had no clue. The only people who I felt comfortable in their presence were Ethan, commander Astralis, king LeoDivinus, and my other two friends. Everyone else made me feel awkward and embarrassed to the point where I have to ask each person individually not to kneel in front of me.

"Please. Don't kneel. I... I don't like it," I stated. I already feel out of place enough. And having people be afraid of you - when you plan on befriending them and growing to become their divine protector one day - is not a great way to go.

"Apologies, my lord. My name is Brian Williams and I am your personal martial arts trainer. I have been chosen by his majesty to teach you the many arts of self-defense and combat in order to help you fight in your journey to ascension." He explained while still on one knee.

"Okay... Brian. You don't mind if I call you that?" I asked.

"Of course not, my lord."

"Listen, Brian. I can already sense that you feel uncomfortable in my presence," I stated. "I don't want you to think that I am a divine force ready to snap and destroy you at any second if you make a mistake. Now get back on your feet." When he got back up, I gave him a genuine bright smile and extended my hand for him to shake. This sudden ability to speak my mind and talk to people gently was not something I have expected to do, but it came out naturally as if I was born with the talent to ease people using words. In the end, I was speaking my mind and being honest, so I paid this development no mind at all.

"For now, I'm just a kid living in a rusty apartment in one of the poorest city outskirts. Please, call me Justin from now on." Ethan looked at me with a bewildered expression, surprised at the maturity that emanated from within me when I spoke.

"Alright... Justin... As you wish. Shall we proceed to the Dojo?" Brian asked, easing the tension that he had built himself. It was then that I realized that I should try to present myself as a friendly kid and not as the king's spoiled child that may doom them to an eternity in the underworld with a single stare.

"Yes. Yes, we shall." I replied with a smile, seeing that I brought relief onto Brian's soul.

"When did you get so mature?" Ethan whispered to my ear.

"Divine ascensions call for quick maturation, I guess."

"Follow me please," Brian said before we followed him to the dojo.

"Um, excuse me. Before we arrive, what are you gonna train us in?" I asked.

"I will begin training you with simple close quarters combat techniques. Very basic and will not take too long to master. Then later, we will start with advanced martial arts styles. We will begin with all the basics of combat and steadily move to more difficult techniques the more time you practice and the more you perfect everything that I trained you," He said.

"Ok, sure," I replied.

We arrived at the dojo that seemed to be a part of the training rooms of the castle. The training areas are reserved for soldiers of the nation, the King's Noble Guard, the Royal Glaive, the Knights, the Crown Secret Service, and now, me and my friends.

We spent a significant amount of time "Learning The Basics" that Brian had to teach us. Those "basics" of his didn't come as easy as they seemed. After the training, Ethan and I felt destroyed. Every part of our body was aching of pain and we couldn't move. Even with my improved physical state, I still felt weak and beaten to a pulp. His beatings were so bad that I had forgotten I was a deity and felt like I was being manhandled and abused.
I asked him why he was hard on us, he replied by saying that that's what the king wanted.

But despite how hard the training is, the one good thing that truly came of it was the fact that Brian was warming up to us, and the same could be said for me. He started to express more enthusiasm the better I got. Even the other trainers were very proud of us and gave us moral support. However, that was not enough to make me forget about being pummelled nearly to death.

"I am merely following the king's orders," Brian said. "He wants to ensure that the chosen one will be willing and able to ascend. We all do!"

"Well, I guess my ascension training can wait. We will resume... wait. When are we gonna resume?"

"As per the order of his majesty, we will resume tomorrow," Brian replied.

"Tomorrow?!" Ethan and I exclaimed at the same time.

"I can barely walk!" Ethan stated.

"And my entire body is in extreme agony!" I added.

"I apologize for this schedule, but I believe his majesty wants you to learn as much as possible. Your journey will be something none of us will ever be strong enough to undertake," He explained.

"But I'm still a kid!" I stated.

"Maybe his highness thought that you being who you are can easily learn and master these moves. I think he probably expects you to learn everything in one week's time." Ethan informed.

"Possibly. But now I know I have my limits." I stated.

"His majesty was very laid-back about the issue. I assume because a man of your caliber wouldn't feel much pain from human physical training. You know... looking back at it, I think his majesty was more concerned for my safety, rather than yours." Brian stated.

"Whatever it was, it doesn't matter. We'll come back tomorrow. Goodbye for now." I said as Ethan and I exited the dojo. "Oh, and please try and adjust the training to not destroy a child's mind and body, thanks."

We were barely able to walk to a nearby bench in the castle gardens where we sat, nay, collapsed onto the bench and tried to catch our breaths. I felt my body healing from the pain quickly and relaxing me, however, Ethan has to deal with the pain and swollenness for some time. I stretched my body as I sat on the bench and cracked my neck and fingers. One look at Ethan made me feel sympathy for the miserable state he was in. He looked like a dead body tossed carelessly onto the bench.

"Hey man. You okay?" I asked.

"Yes..." he replied, still breathing heavily from exhaustion and wiping the sweat off his face.
"I need some water..." he said, not even moving a muscle.

As I tried to get Ethan up, we started hearing the sound of humming coming from further inside the gardens. The sound of humming sounded like it was produced by a young girl. The voice was sweet and tender. Simply listening to the voice made my body relax and eased the pain. It felt like a massage from the most talented people on earth while sitting in a ventilated room. I looked at Ethan and realized that he, too, felt the same way and appeared to be relaxing and unwinding with a sigh of relief and relaxation. I got up and helped Ethan get on his feet. Then I wrapped his hand around my neck and helped him walk with me to the source of the sound. The humming became louder and louder, the closer we got to the source and the feelings of relaxation intensified with every step. We then found the source of the sweet feminine humming. Ethan and I found ourselves staring at the back of a lady with long black hair, wearing a formal white and gold dress along with shawls and long heels. Standing in an area overlooking the ocean. Although the directions of the humming came from the direction of the woman, she didn't seem to be the person behind it.

"The human who was chosen by the light is destined to become the new god of dragons." The woman said in a calm manner, without turning around to face us. My suspicions that she was not the humming girl were confirmed.

"Uh... yea... and you are?" I asked.

She turned around and looked at me with her turquoise eyes and a small smile, hinting that she was peaceful, but I kept myself alerted and didn't decide to fully warm up to her, despite her alluring beauty. Ethan's gaze was directly fixed on the woman, mouth agape and eyes wide open. It was obvious that he got lost in her beauty and forgot that she was a stranger in the king's gardens.

"My name is NeomaFlora. I am the goddess of the Night." She said.

"And though you appear before us in broad daylight," I replied.

"Shh. Watch your language, Justin!" Ethan commented.

"By our approval and blessings will the new chosen god complete his ascension," Neoma stated as I raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? What blessings?" I asked.

"When the harbinger of darkness threatened the world millennia ago, Zanoktryus prohibited us from intervening. He did not want us to share his fate. He died at the hands of the harbinger, leaving me heartbroken. I still mourn his loss to this day." She continued.

"What do you mean by 'I'? Are you the only one still mourning him, or..." I asked.

"Indeed. Though the other gods moved on, I cannot forget my lover." She explained, much to our shock.

"Whoa... That wasn't written in any religious books." Ethan said jokingly.

"Shh. Watch your language, Ethan!" I replied, mocking him for not following his own advice.

"And why are you here now?" I asked.

"I stand before you now as I have finally understood. My lover was aware of his destiny. He knew full well his defeat was soon to be and fought to the last breath, knowing that one day another god will ascend and take his place. The least I could do to honor Zanoktryus' memory and guide you on this journey, o' chosen one."

"And what must I do?"

"Many dragons fell while holding back the darkness. Many more lie dormant all around the world, waiting for the day that they would reawaken and lend the chosen deity their strength. It is your task to find and liberate them, acquire their power and blessings, and thwart the darkness. Once you are satisfactorily powerful, the path to the heavens will be cleared for you," She explained.

Neoma started to slowly fade away into nothingness before our very eyes. We could not have expected such an incident to occur at all, and we stood in awe at the sight of the goddess disappearing. Ethan and I were left bewildered by everything that had to do with her, from her looks to her message. Suddenly, I started to hear Neoma's voice inside my head.

"O chosen, fulfill the prophecy and bring deliverance, for the fate of all-creation depends on it."

Later that day, I returned to my apartment, still thinking about what that goddess has told me. But finally meeting a goddess on its own is a moment that words will fail to describe. Even with the full knowledge that I will one day walk beside her and her kind, at that moment, I felt extremely inferior to her. I would not be lying if I said that I was somewhat afraid of her. And then it clicked inside my head.

"Is this how everyone views me?" I asked myself out loud as I lied on my bed at 8:30 PM. "Am I that menacing to everyone?"

The thought of being next to someone so powerful and revered feels pretty depressing. And the fact that people around the castle have to deal with someone like this every day is very sad. I have never been able to picture myself from their point of view before. But now, I started to feel very uneasy about myself and the whole god situation. I failed to imagine how I would become strong enough to ascend to godhood when I can barely make it out of a dojo with my body intact. That's when sudden feelings of fear and despair hit me like a truck.

"If the previous god - who has been at this for millennia - failed to stop the darkness, then how do they expect me to do better?! HOW?!" I yelled at myself with tears rolling down my cheeks and slamming my fist against the bed. "I am nothing! No one! I don't even know who my parents are! I am nothing but a pathetic dweeb!"

"Do you really see yourself as a weak little kid?" I heard Mia's voice as she entered through the open window. "Do you really think you're that weak?!"

She jumped on top of me and pinned me to the bed. I looked at her face and saw the sheer anger in her eyes as she glared at me with intense rage, her teeth gritted inside her mouth and her eyes fueled by the burning passion of a thousand suns. I was taken aback by the sight of Mia this angry. It was a first for her.

"If the light chose you to carry the duty of a freaking literal god, then it must see something in you that you fail to see! Some of us are weak. Some of us can't even stand for ourselves. And some of us don't even belong in this world! That doesn't mean that we should just give up and do nothing about it! Yes, you're right about being weak and pathetic. But the darkness is approaching and everyone is counting on you to rise up to the occasion and fight for everything and everyone!" She yelled.

"Yeah, but-"

"Shut up!" She cut me off.

"What happened to that kid who stood up for me when I was bullied? What happened to the hero who I always look up to?! What happened to the boy who gave me... I can't bear to see you cry like this..." She said while slowly tearing up herself. "You were there for me when no one was. You were the one to extend your arm and help me get on my feet. I understand that this responsibility is too much for anyone to bear, let alone you. And that's exactly why I will never leave your side!"

She then pulled me up, making us both sit on the bed and facing one another. She then wrapped her arms around me and wiped my tears while shedding tears of her own. Her words of encouragement felt like a bombshell being dropped. The sound of Mia weeping filled my heart with emotions that I cannot describe. I felt obligated to protect her as hearing her cry was something I never wanted to hear again.

"The path you will walk on is long and arduous, Justin, but never forget that I will be beside you always and help you carry your hardships. Don't be afraid to let me share the load."

I pushed her off of me and wiped her tears and saw the frown on her face disappear with a smile taking its place. "Demon or not, I will always count on you to stand alongside me. I will always count on you to aid me, and in turn, please count on me be there for you, just like you always do."

"Mhm!" She nodded at me and gave me a smile before embracing me with a warm hug.

"I'm so sorry I spied on you like this, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to know what's bothering you but for some reason, I thought that if you saw me, you might refrain from talking to me with a hundred percent honesty."

"I promise you that I will not hide anything from you," I replied.

A few minutes later, we were sitting on the roof and enjoying the moonlit sky with a bag full of chocolate and sweets that Mia brought with her that she bought with money earned through sheer hard work. I started telling her about what happened and how we got to meet the goddess, much to her shock.

"So you two didn't tell anyone about the goddess that talked to you, told you explicitly what you need to do, and exposited everything about Zanoktryus? Seriously? No one? Not even the king?"

Hearing her say that, I suddenly remembered that the king was oddly absent from his castle today. I didn't pay much attention to it as I was busy training with Ethan, Brian and the rest. I caressed my chin with my thumb and index finger.

"Hmm... come to think of it, the king wasn't in the castle today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He was acting strange when we last saw him yesterday." I noted.

"It was something about his son, wasn't it?"

"Exactly. I feel really bad for him. And I also feel somewhat guilty, too."

That statement seemed to make her feel confused. "What? Why?" Mia asked.

"It was because of me that he had to send his son away."

Before I could say anything else, Mia cut me off. "Lemme stop you there and remind you that it's not your fault. It was a bunch of evil assassins who took the life of the queen and separated the king from his son."

"Can't argue with that logic," I said as I looked at the time and saw that it was nearing 10 PM.

"It's getting late," I stated.

"Do... do you mind i-if I... sleep here for the night?" Mia asked with her cheeks turning red as she asked the question.

"Of course not! Just try not to bite my neck at night, ms. vampire!" I said jokingly as I descended to the apartment, laughing while doing so. Taken aback, the demon girl chased after me with a joyous laugh.

"Oh, I might if you keep joking like this!" She said chuckling as she followed me inside.

I took off my clothes and switched to a pajama that his majesty gave me to keep me warm in the night. As I was getting on the bed, Mia stopped me and asked politely that I take my top off. As my cheeks turned as red as her hair, I unbuttoned the top and watched as she poked my abs with a cheeky smile on her face. "You look so different!" She stated, eyeing me with her red eyes that glimmered every time she looked in my direction. I started to realize that Mia really likes to look at me for some reason. As if I was a work of art or a beautiful view of nature. For the longest time, I paid it no mind and went about my days, working hard and stealing to make do for the two of us. But it was until I saw her tears of sorrow that I understood her joy in admiring me. I still did not understand why, but I knew that if she's happy looking at me, then she can look to her heart's content.