Sirens. Everywhere. Shaking. Numb. The sounds around me were slowly drowned out by the revelation. ‘I am fucking useless.’ I thought as a man walked over to me. My thoughts distorted his voice. I flinched as I felt his cold hands gently touch my shoulder. He looked at me and backed away from me calmly. There was only a smile on his face. Not a grin, a smile.

“Hey kid, what’s your name?” I looked the man up and down and saw a police uniform and black pants. “Peter Lửa, sir,” I said as I noticed the disgustingly clean badge on his chest shining in the car light. “I’m gonna stop by the station wanna hitch a ride?” He asked, opening the cop car door. I nodded and got in slowly. 

‘I can’t help anyone if I can’t get off this roadway, but how can I help them?’ I wondered as the cop got in and started the car. “So you got any family I can call?” I took a deep breath. “No, sir.” His grey eyes questioned me annoyingly. “A home?” I closed my eyes. “No, Sir.” I heard him mumble something. “Where you been staying then?” He asked as he turned the radio up to a low seven. “In abandoned buildings, sir.” I lied. ‘What if he’s in her pocket?’ Suddenly he gripped the steering wheel harder. A voice came from a walkie-talkie near the gear shift. “Diaz-Diaz Where are you-you going?” Diaz grabbed the device. “Hey, change of plans we’re going to my place okay?” I nodded slowly as he pressed a button on it.

“I’m going home and I don’t care, take it off my pay.” He turned the walkie-talkie off. “What’s your favorite song?”  “Sir Beloved by Nick Rotgomary, sir.” He closed his eyes, cringing. “Hey, can you just call me Paul?” He opened his eyes and held out a hand to me. I shook his hand as he drove. He seemed different. As he found the song I looked out the window. “So, where are you from?” I looked back at Paul. “Arlington Texas why?”  “Same here.” I looked at the floor. “Why did you blow off that guy Paul?” I heard him chuckle. “Can’t leave a kid to the dungeons, you know?” My eyes widened. “Oh sorry, that’s my nickname for orphanages.” We get on a bridge and I see a weird giant metal orb in the water. “What’s that?” Paul looks out the window. “Oh, that’s a factory apparently.” That wasn’t here last time I checked.

Suddenly a loud whistling invaded my ears. Time almost seemed to slow down. I saw an explosion come from the water as pieces of metal flew. Paul swerved as a piece of metal headed toward us. Suddenly a body covered mine and I panicked. Suddenly the car stopped and my hood was flipped up. I felt sudden warmth as Paul tried to cover me with his body. The warmth only got more intense. Suddenly I was on a driveway. “Where are w- Peter!” Paul screamed as my vision blackened. I was now in a weird spotless mansion. “You can not stay out of trouble for one minute can you?” A beautiful lady walked down gold stairs. Her eyes had a weird light to them that I could never describe, but it gave me something odd. Hope. “Where am I? Where is Paul? Who are you?”

“First, You are in my domain. Second, Paul Diaz is safe on the human plane. Lastly, I am Jowangshin Goddess of the flame, hearth, and the home.” I look around the gold and marble. “Am I dead? Is this heaven?” Her orange dress swayed as she went down the last few steps. “You are not dead.” She was like the sun but in a comforting way. Her skin was a shining gold. “So not to be rude or anything but why exactly am I here?” She smiled brightly at me. “You are not being rude, my child. You are here because of me and,” She took a long sigh, “Igneous thought it was time we met in person.” Suddenly the stairs start turning to specks. “It seems Igneous really is eager to meet you.” She started to look like a light fading. “Well, I guess our time is up. Remember don’t let Igneous take full control ever ok?” I looked at her, fading, as the mansion faded to specks of light around me. “Who is Igneous?!?!” 

The dust seems to form into a gray haunting room with two chairs. One chair had cuffs slowly forming on it and out of the darkness of the seat a figure appeared. His body was a blood red color. His clothes smelt like ashes. Reminded me of my father. “That would be… Me. Personally, don't listen to that old hag. I ain’t making no deals for your soul.” His eyes had a shadow like anger in them. He had a painted smile across his face but I could feel his rage like a chain dragging me down. “You don’t seem like the Gohangsin lady. What’s your deal?” He sighed or was it a chuckle? I couldn’t tell. “Her name is JowangShin it’d be good if you remembered that. People know me as the angry Fire God Igneous, But just Call me Neo ok?”

He looked at me with a smile that almost seemed sad. “Ok Neo, why am I seeing you and Jowangshin now?” He tapped his leg with the cuffed hand. “About a year ago we discovered that people had found Kleidite which holds connection to us gods and several gods have chosen sides. Jowangshin wants the people to stop mining for it. To give a slight idea of the mineral's potential, imagine a bomb that could leave all of the Americas as craters and the power is highly addictive to most.” I blinked while holding my head with my left hand pressed against my forehead. “Wait, you said gods were choosing sides right? What side are you on?”  He laid back in his chair. “Yours kiD,” Suddenly the area faded to ash in almost a second. All that was left was Neo. “See you again, Pete.”

I woke as a light shone in my eyes. I grunted trying to get up as I felt a pain in my side. “Kid you're awake for a minute you had me worried.” He came through a door frame that my parents never put a door on. “How you feelin’?” I want to tell him I'm fine but I have to be honest. “I feel like I’m in deep crap right now.”