Second-Hand Wiseguy

  Prologue:

  “Deuce, hurry up man we don’t got much longer ‘fore the fuzz show up!” Larry yelled across the bank from where he had both security guards that kept watch over the front of the bank disarmed and, on the ground, a gun in either hand, one pointed at each of their heads. The OLED screen mask he wore, portraying the visage of a past president of the United States that had blonde hair and orange-ish skin didn’t so much as muffle his words, instead the masks completely altered the voice of the person wearing it.

  “And shut that fucking kid up, bitch!” He snapped at a woman holding her crying daughter in a tight hug.

  “Waaaaahhhhhhaaaa” the little girl cried at the top of her lungs, huddled in her mother’s arms in the corner near where Larry had the guards pinned down.

  “Deuce, bro, we got less than four minutes before the blues hit Main Street.” Curly’s voice came over the IEM earphone in Donny’s ear.

  “Sir, p-p-please d-don’t hurt me, I g-g-g-got k-”

  “WAAAAAAAH” the girl in the lobby continued to cry.

  “You got kids and a pet dog and a grandmother, and a loving fucking wife at home, I KNOW! I’m a bank robber dude, If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that I’d have like… twelve dollars… you know, never fucking mind that I need you to shut the hell up before I shove this C4 up your ass and see if you got any coins in you instead o’ this fault, eh.” Donny growled, holding a wire with his teeth that was attached to a small round tube about as wide and long as a pencil.

  “WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH”, was that fucking girl getting louder or something?

  “I’m so fucking done with this shit, I’m out after this I swear to god” Donny thought to himself as he tried and failed to block out the cacophony of sounds around him, sweat drenching his back as nerves and anxiety swelled within him.

  The sharp sound of the diamond bit drill he was using to pierce the vault finally stuttered and he lurched forward from the sudden disappearance of resistance against him. Pulling out the drill and throwing it into the large duffel bag at his feet, he slid the tube of explosives into the hole, stepped to the side and pressed the switch at the other end of the wire. There was loud POP, and the keypad that was glowing white beneath the dial of the safe door winked out.

  Turning the large dial, Donny pulled the door open with some effort. He smiled at the sight of so much wealth that lay beyond.

  “Now that is a beautiful sight my friends” He said over their comms channel as he threw a small emp device into the vault, disabling any further security measures that were hiding in the dark space within. “Ok Curly get the truck ready, what’s our clock look like?” Donny asked as he began filling the bag that was now slung across his chest with gold, silver and diamonds. There was no point in grabbing any cash, that would just create a literal paper-trail, and in this day and age almost all currency was digital and only the one percent used tendered cash, it’d be too much of a smoking gun.

  “WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAAAA”, how could he hear that little girl’s voice even from in the safe he wondered.

  “Lady I swear if you don’t silence that little skin-goblin of yours I’m going come over there and- hey, what the f- ” two high-pitched pops whistled in the lobby, “Aww man, now look what you went and made me do”, Larrys furious voice rang out behind two muffled shots from the silenced pistols in the man’s hands.

  “Larry what the fuck is going on man, you couldn’t keep your trigger-happy fucking dick in your pants or what?”

  Donny grilled his subordinate as he came running out from the security door by the bank counter, the bag feeling way too heavy on his back as it jarred him in the spine with each step. As the lobby came into view, he paled, disturbed by what he saw. Both guards were dead, blood still pouring from the holes in their heads. No matter the amount of death he’d seen either from his own hands or others, he never got used to the sight. Larry’s eyes had gone red, wild with rage and hate. He had both pistols aimed right at the girl who couldn’t have been older than four or five, and though her mother hovered over, trying to shield the girl with her own body, Donny knew it wouldn’t help much at all.

  “Shit.” Donny hissed, swinging the bag off his shoulder and dropping it as he ran across the lobby, diving forward right as Larry let loose both pistols, firing akimbo with a psychotic grin on his face. Pew, pew, pew, the sound of the gun shots sounded muted, and time seemed to slow as Donny was peppered with round after round from the dual pistols.

  “Shit, NO! Donny, I-you-I didn’t mean to Donny, I swear…” Donny couldn’t even feel Larry pull him into his lap as his entire world, went dark.

  Chapter 1

  Donny lay there, the feeling of the cold floor on his back, head pounding as he stared at the image of the blue text box that was somehow plastered to the inside of his eyelids. He lay there and read the words in the box slowly, wondering what was going on.

  “Why the hell Is my name written out like a court document? And what the fuck are attributes?” Donny grumbled to himself and was shocked when the words actually came out of his mouth.

  Then, remembering he’d just been made into Swiss cheese by his own goon he sat up, eyes widening with horror. “I’m fucking dead ain’t I? Aww man I’m dead I can’t believe it’s over just like that” He shouted internally, before freezing at what he saw.

  There was a bone-white desk, with an equally white chair in front of it, in an all-white, otherwise empty room.

  “Aw, yes, you are awake. I was wondering how long you were going to lay there on my floor, I thought I might’ve been too late.” Came a deep, smooth voice with an almost British accent.

  “Who the fu-” Donny’s words cut short as he stood and laid eyes on the person speaking, jaw dropping.

  On the other side of the desk sat a man wearing a top-hat with glasses. He had an angular face, with a mustache and goatee, and was wearing a very fine-looking suit. All completely normal things. Except for the fact that the top-hat was three feet tall. His head was literally an upside-down triangle, face protruding from what looked like a traffic sign made of smooth flesh. His mustache stood out a foot to either side of his face with the left-side curling up, and the right-side curling down like someone had laid an S on its side and stretched it out. And finally, the man’s suit seemed to contain every shade of every color in every sheen, flowing around the suit like glitter in a snow globe. The man was a complete contrast to the the pale and empty room.

  “Yo, what kinda devil are you, my man?” Donny asked, shocked by the sheer bizarreness of the situation.

  “Firstly, I am no devil, though I am what your species would consider male so I suppose man would be accurate. But please do not insult me after I went through all this work to bring you here, Donald.” The odd being said with a hint of teasing in his words, then extended a hand towards Donny, “I go by Pheros, I am what you would consider to be a god, it’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Cook”, the person introduced themselves as Donny shook the strange man’s Hand.

  “Please. Have a seat, Donald.” Pheros said, gesturing towards the seat behind Donny.

  “Uh… Ok. And please Just call me Donny. Most do, ‘Cept my friends who call me deuce, at least when we’re on a job… on account o’ me being the second and all.” Donny rambled off lamely as he sat in the surprisingly soft chair, thick, New York accent sounding rough compared to Pheros’ meticulous manner of speech.

  “Not to be rude or anything man, but what the hell is going on? How am I not six feet under, or at least in the ICU, matter fact, where even are we?” Donny’s voice pitched a high note as he rapid-fired questions at the strange being.

  “We are currently in a pocket dimension that the system uses for the orientation of reborn souls. As for what’s…going on… as you so elegantly put it, I have brought you here to request your assistance with a certain matter.” Pheros replied, drawing out the sentence as if trying to find the right words.

  “Re-reborn, you say?” Donny muttered with incredulity, “B-but I got my memories, I’m a grown man, this don’t make no sense, y’heard? For fucks sake I’m wearing the same clothes I had on before I got snuffed out by that psycho Larry!” He continued, voice starting to rise.

  “Hmm, yes. That is quite the oddity for those in the river of reincarnation.” Pheros said, handing Donny a drink that the man had no idea where it came from. “But if you’d respectfully ‘slow your soup coolers’; oh I do enjoy the phrases you humans of Earth come up with; anyways if you’d allow me to speak for a moment, I can indeed aid in clearing up some of the confusion for you.” The yield-sign-faced man said with a chuckle at his usage of the burnt-out phrase Donny’s father had used growing up when he’d get too excited and vomit words at a hundred miles an hour.

  Taking a sip of his own drink, Pheros leaned back in his seat and stared at Donny pointedly. Donny sniffed the liquid of the cup in his hand, blinking at the familiar scent of WoodFord Reserve whiskey that he knew all too well. He downed the half-full glass, the cold burn of his favorite whiskey spreading throughout his chest as he took a deep breath, letting his mind settle.

  “Thank you, I guess I needed that.” Donny nodded at the man in the colorful suit. Setting his glass down on a coaster that definitely was not there before he’d taken his drink he sighed, “Ok, I’ll shut up and listen, I apologize for the disrespect. This is all…”

  “A lot. Yes. I know, and it should be me apologizing to you, I seem to have forgotten how shocking this all can be for mortals, especially those from worlds not yet integrated into the system.” Pheros said apologetically.

  “To put it all… what’s the saying? Ah yes, to put it all inside of a nutshell”, Pheros started as Donny visibly winced at the butchered phrase, “The universe is extremely vast and is comprised of many, many worlds with many different races and species both sentient and otherwise. Many many…MANY years ago a group of supreme beings worked together to create the system which would eventually go on to spread throughout the universe, connecting galaxies and races and developing a uniformed progression system that allowed any and all forms of life to become sentient and develop powers and abilities beyond your imagination,” Pheros explained, leaning over the table and steepling his hands.

  “While your planet has yet to be integrated into the system, it has come within range of system-controlled space, allowing souls from your solar system to flow into the river of reincarnation within the system, which is how I found you.” Pheros said, taking another sip of his drink and waiving his hand towards Donny’s glass, which was now filled perfectly to the halfway point once again.

  “I have a family, well, descendants anyways, who still live on my home planet from which I ascended. And according to the prayers I’ve been receiving for the last hundred years or so my Descendants are on the decline. They have become overtaken with greed and pride, and I’m afraid they won’t last another millennium if someone does not reign them in.” Pheros sighed in regret.

  “Well, why haven’t you gone and helped them out, bro?” Donny couldn’t help but ask before flinching in apology at the look photos shot at him running his fingers over his lips as if zipping them closed, dropping the non-existent key onto the ground and then kicking it away he sipped his whiskey.

  Looking at Donny with a amusement at his theatrics, Pheros continued. “See, I am currently the river’s warden, have been for ten thousand years, and due to certain… restrictions in place, I cannot leave my post for another twenty thousand years. And by then I fear it will be too late.” He shook his head, “While the system isn’t necessarily fair and just, there is no reneging when a bargain is struck, and no shirking one’s dues, whether mortal or Divine being. I have but one option left, to choose a champion.”

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  Standing up, Pheros crossed hands behind his back and began to pace. Donny’s eyes bulged and he nearly spit his whiskey all over the desk when over six feet of long, well-dressed legs extended from the man’s completely normal-sized upper body. The multi-colored, flowing pants led to tightly creased cuffs above brilliantly polished dress shoes that were equally disproportionate.

  Donny glanced up at the now nine-foot-tall Pheros in embarrassment, grateful the man hadn’t seemed to have noticed the lack of decorum.

  “Divine beings are allowed to choose a single champion, whom to which they bestow their divine blessing. If the champion ascends of their own accord without further influence of their deity, we divine gain a major boon and may choose another, but, if they fail either through early death or lack of talent, or if we step in to help them avoid death, we not only lose the right to choose champions; but forfeit a portion of our divine essence, our very soul and being to the system.” Pheros turned to look Donny.

  Arching down, almost hovering over Donny, Pheros smiled grimly. “I have been forced into a bitter predicament, Donny. I have never taken a champion, my boy. And though my aptitude for cultivation has brought me to the pinnacle of divinity, I have waited. Though I have many descendants and lineages spread through the cosmos, I’ve always cherished my roots, my original home and the clan that birthed and raised me and I in return brought to new heights. I have waited so many generations for one of my original line to be qualified to earn my blessing, but sadly, it is my own fault that none of such aptitude has appeared.”

  Donny was completely entranced at this point, enraptured by the story he was hearing. But his mind was still almost shattered when Pheros sat back down, impossibly returning to his earlier position, his hands now flat on the desk. Donny sat his glass down, head pounding and eyes crossed from the visual phenomenon he’d just witnessed.

  The man picked up his monologue without a hitch.

  “I pampered and protected them for too long. Without struggle and strife, they have no need for such talent. There is no reason to gain such power when they can live in comfort and bliss, worry free and without fear or want” Pheros threw his hands up in exasperation.

  “And so, the system began to pressure me. Offering missions with lucrative rewards at first, for crowning a champion. Then when I continued to ignore those prompts it tried to offer missions to others. While the system does not truly get directly involved it has an unimaginable ability to control the flow of fate to keep us in check. It continuously used every method it could throw at me to get me to claim a champion. And not for my own sake, but because it is afraid that since I’m near the very pinnacle of power, it believes I’m waiting to use the push from a champion ascending to surpass my bottleneck and usurp the influence of the system.” The god stood up again and by now Donny felt close to vomiting and it was not from the whiskey.

  “Donny, my boy, the system had given a mission for a treacherous and destructive race, the Fellkings, a hive-mind species of invertebrates that only destroy, they do not build to conquer my home planet. In my anger I completely eradicated the entire hive, including their divine queen, causing the extinction of the entire race of tentacled terrors. But in the haste of my fury and anger I had disregarded a crucial piece of information,” Pheros said morosely, hanging his head.

  “The reason the Fellkings had not been destroyed already was because they always carried with them a paragon seed. They would harvest the energy of stars and incubate the seed within the core of these stars and planets to birth unique treasures that the system absorbs and uses to further spread its influence as well as power its functions. Then they would hibernate until the queen birthed another seed and so on and so forth. They were a protected species, and if not for my immense power I would not have been able to eliminate such beings so completely.” The tall figure seemed ancient and lonely at this point.

  “W-why didn’t you just move them to another planet?” Donny’s voice was a bit hoarse from having remained silent so long, but unable to hold back the question though he felt he could already guess the answer.

  “THAT PLANET IS MY HOME!” Pheros snapped at Donny, a dense pressure suddenly filling the room like someone had turned up the gravity in the room, causing his shoulders to drop, head smashing into the table that didn’t so much as budge from the impact of Donny’s face abruptly smacking into it.

  Then something inside him, from deep within his being pushed back. A refusal to be cowed developed in Donny’s mind, growing stronger and permeating within as if telling him he could not allow such an a-front to his person, whether divine or mortal. Then, as a feeling of coolness spread through his body and mind fighting against the heat of the gods aura, reassuring Donny as he fought back against the immense pressure, lifting his head inch by he gave a ferocious shout as he trembled from the strain, he finally was able to straighten his spine for a brief second and glare at the god.

  Just as he felt that he would collapse beneath the pressure suddenly dropped, Pheros staring in disbelief at Donny.

  “How did you?” Pheros made to say but was drowned out by a pinging in Donny’s mind.

  Though he tried to ignore it, a sort of flashing of his vision brought his attention to a red-orange triangle with an exclamation mark, demanding his attention. Although Donny had a feeling he could ignore it temporarily he decided to quell his curiosity and, not really knowing how everything worked, he glanced at the symbol floating in his peripheral vision, It was a an exclamation mark that hovered in his periphery.

  Focusing in on the strange object in his vision a screen like the one from earlier popped up:

  Donny read the message, not quite understanding what he was reading or why the system seemed slightly antagonistic towards him. And what did the process of reincarnation mean?

  “I take it you earned a title” Pheros’ voice cut through Donny’s stupor, startling him out of the trance he was in.

  “No, don’t tell me actually, it’s better you hold your cards on your chest”, The god swamped another earthen quote as he once again sat down.

  “I really wish you would stop doing that, man”, Donny said as he held two fingers to each temple and shut eyes, trying not to add the color of bile to the already numerous colors flowing through the suit.

  “Or does he already have that color?” Donny mused internally with a small smile, the mental quip helping to diffuse the tension in his mind.

  Looking up, it was as if Pheros had read the man’s mind as he scowled saying “I apologize for the slip up, this is all a touchy subject for me. And though I’m sure the title you earned is incomparable, I must compensate you whether you accept my offer or not, but you must decide my boy.” The god completely ignored the jab at his mind-bending antics.

  “If you choose to be my champion you get my divine blessing as well as a boon in recompense for my earlier lack of decorum.” He told Donny, looking at him expectantly.

  “Look man, I’m not one to usually read the fine print, but be straight with me, what is it exactly that you want from me. What am I supposed to do, what’s in it for me, and most importantly what’s the catch?” Donny stared right back at Pheros, gaze locking with the gods, “Because as crazy as it sounds to me right now it seems like you coulda just commanded me to do whatever you wanted, and I’d have been powerless to deny you. But you didn’t do that which means I have to agree with it which means there’s something deeper you haven’t told me yet.”

  When Donny saw the brief squint of acknowledgement in Pheros’ eyes he knew he on to something.

  “Firstly we both benefit if you manage ascend the ranks of cultivation to divinity, but if you fail what I’ll lose will all but cripple me, whereas you’ll just die and go on to be reincarnated again. Second, while my boon would aid your growth, your raw talent would at least see you to demigod status or beyond if you do not die early even if you don’t accept my offer, so don’t assume you must accept my offer to reach the heights of what our universe have to offer. Third, while you would still have to go through the process of reincarnation, you would retain your previous memories and I would ensure you’re born on Krieg, my home planet, and within my lineage as opposed to being sent to some unknown world where you be reborn as a frog or a lichworm. And beyond those things an old friend will help you train-”

  “Woah, woah, woah, hold up there”, Donny interrupted, slamming his hands on the table and standing up. “Not to diss you man, but I am perfectly content being a normal human with a normal face and normal sized legs and while I don’t wanna become a frog or lichworm, whatever that is, I don’t want to turn into a walking acid trip either!”

  “I’ll have you know this form is a shrunken version of my figure to fit the room, the legs are just a bit…trickier to shrink”, The god protested, sounding surprisingly embarrassed.

  “Wait a minute… You don’t know how to shrink your legs do you” Donny asked with a grin, pointing a finger at the divine being whose triangular face was glowing a bright shade of yellow.

  “HAHAHA, Big all powerful god can’t even shrink his legs, walking around like a living yield sign with those tall ass legs, y’heard!” Donny roared in laughter, finger pointing at Pheros as he slapped the table in glee.

  The god’s aura leaked out a little bit, this time feeling more like a dense humidity rather than gravity being multiplied. Donny’s laughter faltered and for a second he though the Deity might smite him with a bolt of thunder when suddenly the God burst out into laughter along with him.

  “BAHAHAHAHA, you should have seen your face, I bet you were wondering if I was about to smite you or something, your face was like, UAGH!” And then Pheros’ head changed, becoming a perfect copy of Donny’s face, with an utterly terrified look and tears welling in the doppelganger’s eyes.

  “Oh, come on, you’re exaggerating now, get outa here”, it was Donny’s turn to blush now as he waved his hand in mock nonchalance.

  They both laughed for a long moment, pointing and jeering like two pals that had known each other their whole lives. Finally, as they both sipped their drinks, letting the excitement of the moment pass, Pheros spoke.

  “Ah, but no my descendants have evolved over the years to be very similar in nature to your race, what are called “Celestial Humans” a sort of human race that are all born with affinity for the mystic arts, so unfortunately I can’t promise that you’ll end up nearly as good looking as I.” The god chuckled, wiping a glowing tear from one eye.

  “And to continue what I was saying before you interrupted so rudely”, Pheros went on jokingly, “There will be some caveats. For one the system will most likely be a bit… antagonistic towards you. And top it off, well, see the thing is I have a deal with the system. If you cannot ascend within a thousand years it will count it as your failure. Whether you ascend after that or not, and even if you yet live, I will pay its price for failure twofold. But if you can somehow achieve the impossible, it will leave me be to my own devices and hinder me no further, allowing me to take my planet of Krieg and leave its influence.” The god said as the mood turned slightly grim.

  “As well, while the system protects you until level twenty, after that all other gods will be able to identify you as my champion, both ally and enemy alike. And as my chosen there will be certain…requirements. But that won’t be an issue until you’re stronger, I can assure you that as long as you don’t go around starting wars other champions shouldn’t come looking for you until you become powerful enough to be worth their time. All I ask is that you straighten out those pesky, unfilial descendants of mine and help them to become strong of their own accord” Pheros finished, leaving Donny to contemplate.

  “So let me get this straight, If I say yes, I’ll get your divine blessing, which will help me a bunch as I train and make my already amazing and peerless talent even better. I’ll get to keep my memories and be sent to live with this family of yours. But in the meantime, I gotta put up with a bitchy system and possibly might have to kick some sense into a bunch of disrespectful assholes besmirching your good name. Does that about sum it all up?” Donny asked.

  “In a sense…yes, that would be an adequate way to phrase things.” Pheros replied, raising an eyebrow shaped like a Nike symbol.

  “Why me?” Donny asked.

  “Excuse me?” The god repeated, as though he hadn’t quite heard the man correctly.

  “You heard me, why me? You’ve got to know my past, who I was. The things I did. Why a wise guy like me?” Donny truly couldn’t figure out this part, it seemed odd to him. Heck he wasn’t much of a churchgoer like most his family, but he still figured he’d be going to hell if there was one, much less being summoned by an all-powerful entity and being asked to play Hercules like some kind of fantasy novel.

  “Yes, I do know about you. Donald B. Cook II, son of Donald B. Cook, head of the Cook Family, the most profitable and notoriously dangerous mob family in New York, who took over from his uncle Eric the dab-hand Barber Cook, you were born in the year 2098. I know that you have taken 279 lives. I know that you have robbed over seven billion dollars in your planets different forms of currency. I know that you have committed arson, sold drugs, and had four illegitimate children in three different countries.”

  The god looked like he was resisting the urge to stand as his voice grew more intense as he spoke. Donny was grateful for that as he was once again stunned by the words spoken by the god.

  “I also know”, Pheros said as he gave in to the urge to stand, causing Donny to Groan loudly and tilt his head back to look at the ceiling and avoid the visual discomfort of watching the nonsensical phenomenon.

  “That of the 279 lives you’ve taken, only one was an innocent and that was from a stray bullet that had come down after going into the air when you office-popped during a robbery, hitting the hand of a man who was also robbing a couple at gunpoint, causing the man’s hand to jerk and pull the trigger, firing the gun. The bullet then flew past the couple and killed an innocent squirrel who had been sitting on a park bench eating a Cheese-puff.” The god stated matter of fact.

  “That was…oddly specific.” Donny said, staring flatly at his colorful companion. “And why the fuck does a squirrel count anyways?”

  “Never mind that”, Pheros said turning his head, and Donny couldn’t help but feel the god was intentionally leaving something out as he got a bad premonition.

  “It’s just a squirrel, right? And it was an accident anyways.” He reassured himself in his mind, not quite convinced.

  “I also know that of all the money you’ve taken for your cut, you’ve given most of it to the mothers of your children and the needy, only spending money for what was necessary for your own survival on yourself. And I know that the reason you avoided you children and tried to hide them was because you did not want them to be brought into your lifestyle, because you knew if your father found out they would be brought into the family. And finally I know that while you sold drugs, you kept a strict no-kids policy and though it’s no excuse for the lives it did impact the most important thing is…”

  At this point the god bent so unnaturally low, he was almost touching noses with the man.

  “You’re doing this on purpose now, aren’t y-” Donny was cut off as the god spoke with the passion of a motivational speaker at his TedsTalk debut.

  “The most important thing is I know you jumped in front of that scared little girl without a second’s thought for your own life.” Pheros breathed out as he sat in chair with a plop, the disorienting motion not even phasing Donny this time as he gaped, open-mouthed at the divine being.

  Donny stammered, “Y-you…”

  “I know I know, I-” Pheros seemed be particularly impressed with himself before Donny spoke up.

  “You’re a fucking stalker!” Donny erupted, his eyes wide with mirth and a mischievous grin on his face.

  “You creepy fuck, you even watch me when I’m showering?” standing abruptly, Donny staggered back as he knocked the chair over, looking like he was running from a predator in a dark alley.

  “No, Donny I… Ha, ha, very funny” The god said sourly, dark lines appearing over the god’s face like an anime character when he realized Donny was, once again, goading him. He was obviously trying to conceal the glaring yellow glow of his cheeks.

  Donny roared with laughter once again, bending over to slap his knee when the room suddenly shook, vibrating with an abrupt intensity before calming down once again. It felt like the room, wherever it was, was being crushed by immense pressure, like a submarine that was traveling into depths beyond its ability to withstand. Looking at Pheros, he saw the god seemed to be struggling against some unseen force.

  “We don’t have much time. What is your answer?” Pheros stood up to ask as the desk and chairs disappeared, flowing into the ground like water on the desert sand.

  “Well, honestly man”, Donny said, slumping his shoulders in doubt.

  “I see. I won’t push the subject if you want to take your own path”, Pheros said, face drooping.

  And with a shuffling of feet, and the sound of someone spitting, Pheros looked up to see Donny there, a glob of saliva on the palm of his outstretched hand.

  “We got a deal”, Donny said with a shit-eating grin on his face. “So now what?”

  Pheros pulled a napkin out of thin air with a flourish, using it to cover his hand as he delicately shook Donny’s with a look of discomfort. Then he put his thumb to his mouth, biting down and drawing a glowing bead of pearlescent blood to his fingertip. As the deity’s face seemed to pale, he pressed his bleeding thumb to Donny’s forehead, “And now…” the gods voice faded, and Donny thought he heard footsteps walking towards him before consciousness left him as his body started to fade. That was the last thing Donny remembered before his world went dark.

  After a long pause a soft voice spoke from behind Pheros as he stared at the spot Donny had been prior.

  “Are you worried about him?” Said the voice.

  “I am. But I can only trust that this was the right decision.” Pheros whispered.

  “Why didn’t you tell him?” The voice asked after a moment of contemplation.

  “It wouldn’t do the boy any good. If anything, it would only complicate things. Besides, he will find out for himself soon enough, now, won’t he?” Said Pheros with a sad smile.

  “Sigh, it is what it is, don’t let yourself become distraught. Whatever happens, it is for fate to decide now. And did you have to mess with his head like that?”

  “I do not blame myself.” Pheros said, finally turning to face the figure standing in shadows that did not exist. “But I do wish I could do more”.

  “You know, while I can’t wait to see his face when he finds out the boy is my champion, I shiver to think of what he would do should something happen to his grandson.” Pheros chuckled, a wicked grin forming on his face as the two blinked out of existence, the room following shortly after.