One comet, one life.

The gods had chosen a young mortal, Wayne, to be their great hero. But Wayne was no ordinary adolescent as he could see and hear the gods from his world. When the gods approached him, he was hesitant and refused to be their champion.

The gods were desperate for him to accept his role and so they sent down a divine messenger in the form of a comet hurtling down toward Earth to try and convince him.

The mythical being spoke to him of great power and glory that would come with being a hero, but Wayne was unconvinced. The entity resorted to using some of his whimsical power to persuade him.

An illusion seemed to form out of nowhere and entered Wayne's vision, while the creature's booming voice thundered in the background.

"Eons ago, at the darkest hour, was the unfateful day."

There were countless devils, demons, and unholy creatures rising from the underworld, charging at Olympus as one.

The gods could be seen defending their sacred land. Their numbers were in the hundreds. Wayne had never seen that many gods before in his life.

But the devils were in thousands.

"They kept coming and coming. The person who freed them and their reason for doing so remains a mystery. "

It appeared to him that all the gods had gathered together to protect their home.

Of course, that left the human world vulnerable. Some of the demons changed course and headed down to Earth, yet the gods were oblivious, much too preoccupied with preventing the hordes of devils from destroying their sanctuary.

Though few, the demons on Earth did considerable damage.

"Your kind suffered immensely because of our foolishness."

Cries of the people resonated in Wayne's eardrums as he witnessed how the demons would torture his fellow people in unimaginable ways.

"We have learned from our grave mistakes. We now know that we must train a few special mortals annually to protect Earth in case of a repeat.. of the unfateful day. This is why you must join us. To prevent any further dehumanization of your people. To safeguard families, children, and loved ones. "

At the mysterious entity's words, Wayne envisioned his mother. His lovely mother who loved him with all of her heart. He didn't want it to stop beating. Ever.

He also thought of his friends, the days he spent playing football with them and chasing each other around a lush paddy field.

He decided to agree to the mission.

Perched on top of the creature's back, he was carried to the campus where he would begin his training.

People on the campus grounds looked up, and their eyes widened.

"It's a shooting star!"

"No, it's a fireball!"

"A meteor! Death is upon us!*

Their screams were silenced as they studied the creature soaring above them. Then it dawned on them and they all yelled at the same time, satisfied that they had the answer, but disappointed once they realized that everybody else had already figured it out too.

"A phoenix!"

The ball of fire hurtled down towards the camp and the mortals there. They screamed and scrambled out of the way as the phoenix scorched everything in its path with its searing heat.

The phoenix landed gracefully. The surrounding humans peered curiously at the mythical bird. Then, their attention shifted to the rider, Wayne.

"This is your new schoolmate, Wayne." The Phoenix opened its beak, and the voice that trickled out was as sweet as honey but as intimidating as thunder.

------

After a few weeks, Wayne was adjusting to the academic life again, after having been kicked out of his previous school because he couldn't afford the hefty fees.

His roommate was a girl with a horrible attitude. Whenever Wayne had tried to start a conversation with her, she had replied with a snarky insult.

Another fact about her was that she was extremely competitive. Whatever class they had together, be it archery, stealth, or fencing, she had to be better than him. Without fail, she always found a chance to rub it in his face.

In between the countless arguments they had, there was a rare occasion that they could have a normal conversation. From their brief talk, Wayne learned that the girl's name was Anila.

On his third week, another student entered the camp. Another latecomer, just like Wayne.

She was pessimistic about everything, including herself. Wayne found himself helping her with even the simplest tasks because her negative thoughts made even completing her classes a daunting mission for her. She was shunned by her peers as she was always a burden to them.

Fortunately, Wayne met her and aided her whenever she needed help. Through their many interactions, Wayne learned of her name, Sophie.

She had violet eyes and long black hair, resembling his mother's features, not only in appearances, as they had similar personalities as well. Because of this, he felt drawn to her.

As the days passed, Wayne found himself helping her with greater frequency and for longer periods of time. Since they spent so much time together, they started to get to know each other and develop a relationship.

One day, while Wayne was bickering with Anila, like he often was, he learnt that he could be a descendant of Asgore, the god of trickery and deception, who happened to have the ability to shapeshift.

Eager to know more about his father, Wayne decided to do some research and investigate.

After digging around, he learnt the truth; his father was the phoenix that brought him to the campus. He probably didn't recognize Wayne, since he never came to visit him or his mother. Seems like gods aren't good parents.

He very much wanted to have a talk with his absent father figure. He had many questions, like "How did you meet my mother?" and "Aren't you rich? Can't you fund my normal education?".

He decided to comb the campus grounds for his father.

It was a Saturday, hence there were no lessons. Wayne explored the school he hadn't really taken a good look at yet, having been so preoccupied with Anila and Sophie.

There was a cobblestone shrine settled at the outskirts of the camp, perched atop a small hill. He climbed up, boots sloshing in the wet dirt, as it had been raining about ten minutes before he set off and he was too impatient to wait for the land to dry.

When he reached the top, he felt a gust of wind mess up his hair. Just like his mother used to do. He shook off the nostalgia and entered the shrine, if only to be out of the wind, mud, and memories.

If someone wanted to camp out in the shrine for warmth, they would've been disappointed. Wayne started shivering as he closed the shrine's doors behind him. He didn't turn back, he couldn't. He wanted, no he needed to find his father.

Reaching into his sling bag, he fished out a flashlight, batteries recently replaced. The click echoed throughout the shrine and Wayne hesitated. Eventually, his curiosity won over his fear and he ventured further into the shrine, using his flashlight to illuminate the walls, floor, and ceiling, eyes darting around for clues.

"The first place a god would be at would be a shrine, right? You would rather stay at the place where you're treated like a hero than where you're treated horribly." Wayne muttered to himself.

He tripped over a stick, falling to the ground painfully. He groaned and got up slowly, tilting his head upwards. That's when he saw it. The phoenix, staring at him.

"Mocking me?" Wayne snapped, and a bubbling anger and deep hatred for his absent father figure resonated in his chest.

He recalled all the times he went hungry during the winter because he couldn't afford the expensive meat while his father was relaxing in his private apartment in Olympus. How he didn't lift a finger to help him or his mother for his entire life. How he dared to come down and face him after neglecting him, his own child, for 15 years.

He ignored the fact that Asgore was probably living in that shrine.

The phoenix peered over his beak and widened its eyes.

"You found out." The voice resonated throughout the shrine, reverberating against the stone walls. It sounded out of this world, completely ethereal. But Wayne knew better than to be fooled by the god's elegant disguise. He knew that they were all selfish and greedy inside, no matter how hard they tried to cover up, Wayne would always see through their petty acts.

And so he found out that his father was a god, which made him a half-blood. His father had a prophecy for him to fulfill; help him defeat his nemesis, Aym. And Wayne's answer? No.

-----

He spent the next few weeks bonding with Anila and Sophie, for he feared that those fleeting moments with them would be his last. You're not supposed to impolitely deny a god a favour, even if you don't want to help him.

For it would be the death of you.

He slept with one eye open for a week.

Months passed by, exams were tested, scores were returned, laughs were laughed, tears were shed. All seemed to go back to normal.

Yes, I did say seemed.

It was one of those nights where Wayne could actually fall asleep. To his dismay, he was woken up by a shrill scream that sounded a lot like Sophie's. Was somebody bullying her? Did she have a nightmare? Did she fall off her bed?

Groggy with sleep, Wayne stumbled out of bed and wobbled over to Sophie's room, which was quite far away from his. He nearly got lost trying to navigate his way in such a dreamlike state.

He inserted the key into the lock and turned, which took him several tries and then threw himself against the door. It creaked open with a hollow sound.

He thought he was dreaming. Was he? It would've been considered his worst nightmare.

Sophie was strewn across her own bed, blood seeping out of her body from multiple stab wounds. Her eyes were wide open in shock, but her pupils were dilated.

Wayne rushed over and cradled her cold and motionless body in his hands. He sobbed, into her hair, her long beautiful black hair that cascaded down her back like a river of toxins and waste.

Suddenly, the body in his embrace stirred to life. Shocked, his arms hung limply around Sophie. He stumbled backwards in fear.

She started screaming in agony, clawing at her head, where moments later, two barbed red horns jutted out. She opened her eyes and they shone a furious red. Her nails unsheathed and they turned into razor-sharp claws. Her gaze settled upon Wayne's terrified face and her eyes burned with hate.

"Your father did this to me. He made me hideous, putrid, horrible, it's all because of him. I was an angel, but he turned me into this.. this.. disgusting thing! Wayne, you must avenge me!" Her voice sounded distorted and nothing like how he remembered it.

But he did remember one thing; how much he hated his father, now more than ever.

He agreed to help Sophie get her revenge.

-----

For the next few weeks, Wayne did everything Sophie told him to do. Collect herbs, practice his attacks, kidnap innocent students, he was a mindless hound obeying his master.

Once he had a whole variety of herbs, neatly stored in glass jars atop a stone table, and three captives in the shrine, he alerted Sophie.

"Good, good. We can now commence Part 2; the summoning."

Wayne watched as Sophie dipped her once pale and elegant hand, now blood red and haggard, into each glass jar, then rub some of the herbs onto the face of each captive. They squirmed in discomfort, but were bound too tightly to dodge Sophie's hand.

She circled back and approached Wayne. She gestured towards the captives.

"Stab them.* Sophie let out an inhumane smile as she surveyed the fear on the captives' faces. She seemed to feed on the fear.

"Don't worry," she said, mockery dripping with her every word. "It'll only be once."

This time, they squirmed in fear.

----

After they were sacrificed, Sophie sent Wayne to go look for his father and kill him. With reluctance, he did so.

He spent hours trudging through the muddy landscape, searching high and low for the familiar glow of the phoenix. When he finally reached the outskirts of the camp, he saw a strange figure with fiery red hair and eyes, resembling a phoenix. The air seemed to pulse with heat.

That was him.

Without hesitation, Wayne lunged at him with a dagger, tipped with poison strong enough to kill a god. Unfortunately, his father anticipated his attack.

Asgore flicked his hand and Wayne smashed into an invisible barrier, sending him crashing into a wall.

He stumbled to his feet and charged at Asgore once again. However, Asgore turned into a beetle and scurried across the grass. Wayne hit air.

Once the beetle was out of harm's way, Asgore transformed into a phoenix and took to the skies.

Wayne didn't give up, taking out his bow and nocking an arrow. He aimed and pulled back the bowstring, letting the arrow slice through the wind towards its target.

The phoenix saw this and conjured a fireball that seared the arrow. Burnt to a crisp, it fell to the ground, lifeless, when just a few moments ago it was sailing through the sky.

How a life can change with just a moment.

Before Wayne could react, Asgore conjured a second fireball and sent it flying towards him. He was stunned by the impact and his clothes were disintegrated. Embarrassed by his failure and nakedness, he ran back to Sophie with his tail tucked between his legs.

-----

Sophie arched an eyebrow when she was met with a naked Wayne, curled up protectively and hitting his head repetitively whilst muttering to himself.

"What on Earth are you doing?" Sophie sounded exasperated, like she was fed up with him.

Wayne stammered, but he didn't get up from his position. Sophie stared at him, long and hard.

"I ask you to do one simple task, and you fail. After that, I run all over campus, nearly risking exile, and ask you one simple question. You don't answer. Then tell me, what are you good for?" Silence encased the room. Wayne timidly looked up at Sophie, both shocked and scared. Afraid. His fear boosted her confidence.

"Useless, worthless bastard!" She laughed.

Silence.

Then Wayne felt a bubbling anger and hatred grow inside his heart, tie a knot in his stomach, and burst out of his mouth. The words came out like a burst pipe. A pipe that had endured crushing pressure and lingered on its breaking point for decades.

In this case, it was for weeks.

"I'm tired of playing your games."

"I'm done with you. Let's see how you do without me."

With that, he stormed out, still naked.

-----

Now dressed, Wayne ventured back to the shrine where he had "first" met his father.

As expected, Asgore was there in his humanoid form.

Unexpectly, he stayed silent, motionless even when Wayne's heavy boots clanked against the cold floor.

As he neared, Wayne felt an ominous silence overwhelm him. He paulsed and opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

At this moment, Asgore turned around. His torso was soaked with blood, the wounds, if any, were obscured by his crystal blue robes, now stained dark red.

"Father." Wayne finally found his voice.

"You no longer have any right to call me that."

Confused, Wayne tilted his head to the side.

"Since the day you denied my request."

"I changed my mind."

Curious, Asgore straightened up. He was interested.

"What made you?"

"Why do you care?"

Asgore considered this for a moment, then dismissed it with a shake of his head. He gestured for Wayne to follow him.

Wayne and Asgore arrived in a place that had gems that glowed and pulsed with life. Life as strong and meaningful as their own.

"I've been meaning to ask you, where'd you get the blood from?"

"Oh a shop in the central district. A special blend; a mix of my own and others'. "

Asgore led Wayne down a neverending spiral staircase, which ended before an altar. They both entered and inside, there was a large vault. Asgore inserted a key into the lock and turned. It didn't work.

He cursed under his breath.

"Must be the wrong one."

Wayne stifled a laugh.

He took a second one, tried it. Didn't work.

Watching his almighty father, a literal god, struggling to even use a key, was more than a little amusing.

Third one, it finally worked.

The room trembled as the vault rumbled open. What lay hidden behind the heavy metal doors was an arrow.

"An arrow that always finds its target, so you'll never miss again."

Asgore turned to face him, and looked him up and down.

"Because it seems like you're not skilled with a bow. " Wayne's face burned with embarrassment.

"In today's world, you must know both the dagger and the bow."

"Maybe try learning how to be a good father first. "

A smile of amusement crossed Asgore's face. He realized they needed some long due father-and-son interactions, instead of god-and-student.