" A dark era had formed, leading groups of people were killed. Wars were waged and poverty struck the planet. The magnificent development they had done were torn down, all by my hands!" she raised her voice as if arguing with herself. 

"and what happened to Zynx?" I ask. That is where the point is, I still have so many questions I couldn't believe it.

"He was punished for his deeds. But there wasn't much of a point when people began worshipping death, evil came as a natural part of it. Crimes were being committed and by the end of a single human year, I and Zynx were the strongest deities. Slowly the people began recovering, I used what power I had gained to give blessings to the people of the other three's worshippers. Thus, heroes were born." 

My eyes widened at her words. Heroes, the people said to have been blessed a very large amount. She was the one who gave them the power? 

...No.

It made sense. With the level of power, she could've achieved, this would've been a fairly easy task.

"Now, the world has been repaired more. But the scars in the people's hearts still remain. The evil worshippers aren't done, they are harassing almost every nation. I took it upon myself to help them. It was time to move, so that the evil cult can be destroyed." The resolution in her eyes was genuine, she truly wanted to achieve this goal. But one question that remained...

"why me?" I ask. I am probably the worst person to choose, I choose my own way of thinking, if she wanted a devoted follower she could've gone for anyone but me. 

Despite all the tears she sacrificed or her rampant emotions, she still broke a smile. Something wide and hopeful towards me, as if to say 'I knew you would ask that.'

"Because it had to be you. The one 'crazy' person, who even though was treated like a social outcast, still chose to continue believing in his own thoughts. You didn't conform to society, you held your ground and did what you believed was right. So, tell me what is your take on all of this?" She asked with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Truly, deities I swear.

"Cliche."

Although I didn't find it funny she in fact somehow found it very amusing, immediately having a giggle fit. I can't tell whether the tears are because of her regrets or for her laughing her ass off. 

"See? I wasn't wrong." She replied. 

Asterios's POV

I wasn't wrong. Even in the presence of a divine being, he is capable of saying these things, I really wasn't wrong. 

"Alright enough laughing. I must say, you are a good one. Anyways, I better make my proposition now, Will you help me?" 

I ask, trying not to sound as if I was begging. I regret all my actions, but unlike the mortals here, even if I pray, I will not be heard.

Not by Them.

"What's in it for me?" 

The guy has the audacity to ask me that, like excuse you? I literally brought you here. I am literally your God.

Ugh, mortals, I swear.

"I'll give you power as long as you don't abuse it of course, you can live a fulfilling life. As long as you want, it'll all be up to you." I offer him. Honestly, it's a deal that isn't too fulfilling. If it's him, he can just train for power and have a fulfilling life anyways.

Yet the smirk on his face remains. What may he be thinking? From next time on, I'll summon him in his astral body. 

"Fine, may as well." He shrugs. That is not the right attitude to have, should I be worried?

Oh God.

Wait...that's me!

"A-are you sure? If you choose this, then your life will be bound to mine, and if I die, you die."

Curse my stutter. Now, it makes me sound like a damned teenage girl.

"You realised you're the one proposing this, also what the hell do you mean by our lives being connected? You realised the reckless situations I will be in, and you just tie your life to mine?" He shouted with anger evident in his voice.

Suprising, not even the other Gods ever shouted at me.

"It's fine. If I die, it'll be a sort of atonement. Don't worry death won't just...disappear, it'll be replaced. Or rather I will, but that's a story for another day." 

Normal POV

Asterios began sweating profusely as she realised her error. She really didn't know how to talk to a skeptic. Especially the one she is literally depending on.

Ryu took it in stride, honestly he didn't care enough yet to be concerned about her issues. He picked up on them, and was formulating several hypothesis about what they could mean but acted upon none.

"Well can I go back now?" He asked slightly impatient. He feels like he spent a little too much time there, but still whatever was convenient. He did learn a lot.

"Ah before you go, I Asterios, Goddess of the afterlife and destruction, hereby formally dub thy my messenger. Make allies, relay my words and fulfill thine purpose. I bless thy with my blessing, go and guide people to death and destroy all those that get in your way." 

She chanted, Ryu was about to quip back but suddenly an overwhelming feeling of power overtook Ryu, his blood felt like it was boiling and freezing at the same time. His muscles being torn apart repeatedly and repairing within an instant.

He let out a bloodcurdling scream, filled with agony and his entire body quite literally being destroyed and repaired time and time again. His eyes shook with rapid speed as his consciousness faded in and out. 

"bare with it child, this is required to purify your body. You're going to be the prophet of destruction, no way are you allowed to go back normal right?" She whispered, but it was impossible for him to hear.

His ear drums kept being destroyed and fixed, it was an internal war that was ensuing his evolution. 

Meanwhile in the outside world,

The Skyborne family were waiting with the preistess outside the church. Waiting for their youngest child to come out.

"Alright that's it. It has been 30 whole minutes and he hasn't come out, I'm going on." the eldest daughter said as she was about to charge right in, but in her path to see what in the world was going on with her brother's body, she was intercepted.

"You mustn't go, it is a holy process, one must come out first. If you go in, you will interrupt the process." the preistess begged. During the first offering, it was a 1 to 1. A lost lamb and a God, no one was allowed to interrupt no matter what.

"you're telling me, hearing my brother's scream from outside and him being in a room by himself for 30 mins instead of the usual 2 mins, a holy process?" she retorted. It should be mentioned Ayame had been hearing the screams of her brother even from outside, and all of them as seasoned soldiers except their mother, could only imagine how much excrutiating pain one has to go through to scream like that.

"Please give it a few more minutes, something just might-" the preistess tried to beg but it seemed her pleads were no longer necessary. 

As she was about to grab onto Ayame, her vision became slightly blurred. A massive beam of light descended from the skies into the church.

"RYU!" Ayame screamed as she watched the beam fall into the building. Her baby brother! At no point in time she never once cared less about herself as much as now, if there was even a single speck of chance that her brother survived, she would sell her soul to the devil to save him.

As she was about to charge in, her foot caught on something and she tripped. She turned back with a hiss and a raging flame in her ruby eyes which threatened to destroy whatever it was that stopped her at that moment. She would've ended anyone who dared to get in her way.

But her glare transformed into a wide eyed stare. Her father looked at her, no through her, with an expression she hadn't seen in a lot of time. The stare of absolute concentration, during combat. 

However, it couldn't be called hostile, far from it. It seemed to be assessing something. As if checking the genuinity of it.

"your brother isn't as weak as you think." was all he told her.

Ayame felt her feet freeze in place, it wasn't the fear of disobeying her father's order which done that, but rather at the realisation that she hadn't considered to even look at her surroundings.

Her older brother stood besides their mother, stopping her from flying off from the shockwave. Her mother not even having a panic attack like she would expect but her expression was laced with only the small amount of concern.

"N-no way...."  voice intruded. Suddenly breaking her chain of thoughts as she searched for this somewhat exasperated voice.

Her eyes landed upon the preistess, who was sitting on the ground as if her legs no longer carried the strength to lift her up.

"One has descended... after so long..." The preistess whispered. Ayame's head whipped back to the pillar of light. 

Ayame POV

It couldn't be... I mean I knew he was talented but seriously? No, we don't know who responded. It's been so long, it doesn't mean that.

Right?

He won't be burdened with such duties right?

"A Prophet."