As we walked towards the swirling vortex of eternal doom, Zubu swung me like l was hoping she would, except it was actually just her lifting me into her arms in a playful manner.

“You don’t like the void right?” She asked.

I closed my eyes shaking my head. This caused Yukio to laugh. I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment. She held me as we walked through the scary hole in reality. I hid my face in her shoulder to prevent myself from seeing infinity.

“You are such a baby. You’re like a toddler on an elevator.” She jabbed while laughing at me.

“Am not! You didn’t see what I saw! There’s a big scary monster out there eating entire universes!” I responded.

She snorted, “I don’t see nothing.” most likely, thinking it was only my imagination, but I knew it was real. I remembered what I saw within Cosmo. It was big and scary. With like thousands of teeth riddled with gingivitis.

What if it sees me and starts heading this way. I'm not brushing all those nasty teeth! There’s probably cavity monsters hiding in there!

After what felt like forever, Zubu said, “Hey, piss baby. We’re here.”

“Really? Your not trying to trick me right?” I asked.

“No. Why would I do that?” She asked a bit annoyed.

“Because you’re mean and you’re always trying to scare me with that rumor about a ghost, that roams the halls at night.” I nearly cried.

“That’s only so you’ll be too scared to sleep by yourself and have to spend every night with me, my little cozy aspect farm.” She said before kissing me on the top of my head.

“Gross!” I yelled. I couldn’t get away because I didn’t want to fly off into the void so I had no choice but to curl in disgust.

“Kid she’s not kidding, we’re here.” Said Mr. Brutus.

Pulling my head away from Zubu I opened my eyes only to see her upset face. “What? Are you mad at me?” I asked.

“Why do you trust him more than me!? He made you fight a bear, remember?” She said before lifting me into the air and throwing Snowball and I at Mr. Brutus like a javelin.

“Nice throw. She’s very aerodynamic.” Said Lorie now standing besides Zubu.

I shrieked as I flew like a dart while Snowball simply started complaining about feeling nauseous. Mr. Brutus reached out and caught Snowball and I like an American football.

I was afraid he’d get carried away and spike us into the ground, but he didn't. he was a lot nicer than Zubu and that was pretty crazy considering he had me fight breakfast.

Instead he sat me down gently on his shoulder then gave my head a pat with the same arm. That’s when I noticed the insane scenery around us. I knew there was something strange about the odd colors, but this was beyond what I thought might have been a sunset.

It looked like a grassy field. There were hills and a few trees around. Farther away was what looked like a large lake and even some mountains in the background. The mountains were completely covered in icy blankets of fluffy snow. That was odd.

I could see a few windmills dotted around the landscape though… they didn’t really look like windmills…. and… why are the mountains moving? Was that! “Holy shit! Is that a flying rock!” I yelled as what I thought was a mountain in the far distance was actually a massive floating rock formation.

There were several of them floating about. I turned to take in more of my surroundings and realized we were standing on a floating island! An actual honest to Cosmo skyland!

Beyond the edge was nothing but a dense fog of multi colored clouds. Each one hummed with electrical currents like static over a fuzzy blanket.

The most surprising thing was the sky. It wasn’t exactly blue. It was more like a reddish purple. Also there was a lot of black things floating up there. Like satellites only a bit too close for comfort. The sun also looked kind of strange.

I couldn't really call it “Sun” since that was just the name of the star my home planet orbited, but it was basically this planets main source of light. The color was a bit off, it might actually be a little darker than what am used too.

The most interesting part was the massive lite blue planet that covered 30% of the sky. It was only halfway visible as the rest of its body was hidden by the horizon.

“This is so cool! Why can’t Cosmo make cool worlds like this!” I yelled in excitement.

Mr. Brutus laughed at my reaction. “That’s because custom worlds like this one are hard to plan out. Our goddess is too lazy and hates to take risks, so she just goes with the default seed just about every single time. Welcome to Drakeyard.” As soon as he said it a big black dragon flew out of the swirling electrical clouds and up over our heads. It’s body was covered in black shiny scales and long fluffy black feathers. I saw it’s black eye look down on us. At its sender was a glowing red diamond shaped pupil.

I’d never seen anything so big in my life. Science says something that big couldn’t exist since it’s body would collapse under its own weight. Even if it didn’t collapse, the amount of food needed for it to survive was beyond any reasonable ecosystem can provide.

“That’s so cool!” I yelled in excitement almost falling off of Mr. Brutus’s shoulder. “Mr. Brutus I wanna ride it!” I begged as I held onto his head with both hands and shook him back and forth.

“Alright, alright kid. Calm down. I’m sure Ribdena will take you for a loop around the skyland if you ask nicely enough. Just remember to show respect. She’s a dragon goddess not a toy.” Said Mr. Brutus.

“Dragon… Goddess…” I let out an unintelligible sound nearly fainting at the amazing words coming out of Mr. Brutus’s magnificently bearded face.

The dragon circled the skyland. Then flapped it’s wings as it slowly descended upon us. Each flap creating gusts of wind that nearly knocked me off. I gave into the current and fell back performing a backflip and landing on my feet. Then ran away from Mr. Brutus to go see Zubu.

“Zubu! Zubu! Zubu!” I called to her as a Qi pulse blasted me forward. I head-butted her in the guts causing her to let out an, “oof!” she was knocked off her feet and fell on her back. My body rolled forward in the air, my bottom landing on top of her guts for a two hit combo.

“What the hell! That really hurt, piss baby!” She looked like she was about to slap me. She couldn’t though, since my knees were on her hands, pinning them to the ground. Lorie found my playful assault funny causing her to laugh.

“Zubu! Hey!” I said excitedly while bouncing my butt on her tummy. She made funny noises every time I bounced on her internal organs, causing me to giggle and do it even more. Sitting on her was very comfortable. Like a squishy pillow.

I guess she wasn’t as comfortable as I was, because she let out a war cry lifting me by the knees and tossing me back over her head. I flew through the air both Snowball and I shrieking as we watched the ground and sky trade places several times. I landed on my back hitting my head on a rock. “Owy!” I cried in pain holding what felt like a skull fracture.

“That fucking hurt! Just what the hell do you want! Haven’t you hurt me enough!” She yelled causing me to feel a little bad, but only for a second, as I became excited again ignoring both pain and verbal assaults.

“But Zubu! I wanna ride the dragon with you! Come on! It’ll be so much fun!” I said.

“You’re gonna ride that thing! That’s super dangerous! What if it eats you!?” She yelled.

Lorie waved her hand giving both of us a quick heal. “I’ll be fine. Mr. Brutus says her names Ribdena! She’s a dragon goddess! Isn’t that super duper cool!” I said.

“Ribdena? Really? You trust something with a name like that? Even if it’s a god, it’s still a stranger. This is just like the candy incident all over again!” Zubu scolded.

“I told you I thought it was apology candy! Geez! If I knew you were gonna use my past against me I wouldn’t have told you about it.” I said feeling betrayed. I puffed my cheeks and hugged Snowball in a pout.

“That’s just how most women are.” Said Lorie as she helped me to my feet. I thanked her for the assistance then glared as Zubu. Snowball glared to but you couldn’t tell.

“Ride it with me!” I whined stomping my right foot into the ground and causing a small dent in the grassy dirt.

Zubu got to her feet then said, “Okay, okay. I’ll ride it with you.” She smiled as she pinched and pulled one of my cheeks. I grumbled in response and tried to bite her, but she pulled her hand away and went for the other cheek. So annoying!

That was when the dragon landed with a loud, earthquakey “Bam!” The ground shook slightly, causing Zubu to hold on to me. I’d like to think she was protecting me, but something told me she was only trying to keep herself from falling.

As soon as the dragon’s wings folded, I noticed there were people on her back. It looked like Cosmo and a couple of kids—one boy and two girls. The goddess seemed to be in a chipper mood. Most likely because she had a weird thing for kids. Not in a creepy way, but more like a kindergarten teacher surrounded by adorable and loving children sort of way.

The dragon lowered its head giving everyone a ramp to climb down. I could see Cosmo happily instructing her flock on safety and leading them off the dragon. Each kid hopped off the dragons nose one at a time. The boy however did a flip. The kids all gathered up like a school of fish. Well, like a trio.

Seeing them interact with one another caused me to realize they were all cultivators. The way they talked didn't sound like the noisy banter of children. It was more like a proper conversation. I got a little nervous seeing so many new people at once and my hopes of riding a dragon on a cool new alien planet vanished. It was now replaced by the sudden urge to hide and be as quiet as possible.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Instead of rushing over and saying hello to Cosmo, I hugged Snowball in my left arm and hid behind Zubu wrapping my other arm around her leg. My anxiety made itself known as it writhed in my gut like an angry kitten.

It was almost suffocating the way it wrapped itself around my lungs and throat. The way it curled around my eyes and obstructed my vision. I had to calm myself by taking a deep breath and sinking into the hole.

This helped and gave me the opportunity to create a one layer aura of apathy. This apathy was born out of the need to make the world stop and thus making it immune to Zubu’s touch.

I didn’t want to completely shut out my emotions. I just wanted to turn them down a little, like fiddling with a thermostat. Dialing it down to a much more manageable level. Just enough so that I wouldn’t start blasting everyone with fireballs.

I hadn’t felt this way in a while. That was strange, why was that? Being here on this world everything felt off. The serenity of flower mountain was gone. All I had now was the comfort of Zubu and Snowball. I felt like I’d stepped way out of my comfort zone.

“What’s wrong? Where’d all that excitement go?” Asked Zubu in concern.

I didn’t answer. Instead I clung to her and buried my face into her side. Had I not changed? Why was I still so weak? It shouldn’t be this way. I was a powerful cultivator now. Not that scared little kid trapped in his mother’s basement.

Both Aku and I felt nervous. Our minds synced up perfectly. Her excitement was gone. So was mine. We both sunk into our child-like selves. Or as I liked to call it, defense mode.

I peeked over to the crowd and noticed the dragon was glowing a dark purple. Her body turned into what looked like a giant aura. It shrunk down revealing a dark skinned woman with black eyes and black horns. She almost looked like a demon the way her horns curled. The woman quickly joined the group greeting Mr. Brutus.

“Its nice to see you again Ribdena.” Said Mr. Brutus.

“I don’t suppose you’ve put any thought into joining my religion. It’s such a waste to see such a fine strong man be bossed around by such a weak goddess.” Flirted Ribdena. She gave Mr. Brutus’s muscles a gentle squeeze, though he didn’t really react.

“Quit your shameless flirting! I’m right here!” Yelled Cosmo.

The dragon paid Cosmo no mind as she kept her flirty eyes fixed on Mr. Brutus. He smiled in return. Then answered, “Yeah, I’m good where I am. Sorry to disappoint, but I guess I enjoy being yelled at all the time, and threatened constantly with being reincarnated into a toilet.”

“That’s too bad. Just know the door to my den is always open. Both literally and metaphorically.” Flirted the dragon goddess, as she gave Mr. Brutus a wink.

This made Brutus laugh while Cosmo simmered. He then turned to the children and jumped right into sargent mode. “Alright maggots! Today you’ll be going up against one of your fellow disciples in a 3 on 1 match.” Said Mr. Brutus, his voice booming.

3 on 1? I thought I was going to fight Mr. Brutus? Was he trying to make me fight that trio over there?

One of the girls with green hair and blue eyes raised her hand like a 1st grader needing to use the restroom. She wore a green dress and looked like she could be Lories daughter.

Mr. Brutus pointed at her. “Isn’t a 3 on 1 kind of unfair? Also I vote for Ron to be the 1.”

“I’m down. I’ll fight everyone at once. Including master gorilla.” Said the only boy in the group. His hair a short spiky black while his eyes were a deep crimson. He wore a red bandana on his head, black shirt and a pair of grey overalls.

“You're an idiot.” said the last of the three. Her hair was blonde and fixed into a braid. Her eyes a vibrant green.

They all looked a little bigger than me. Like actual 10 year Olds. I was jealous they got to be taller. Too bad I left Cindy’s iron sword back in the new world. Otherwise, I’d take Snowball’s advice and cut off their legs.

“Knock it off you three. Brutus why don’t you stop them?” Asked Cosmo.

“A little anger is good for the soul. Let them fight. Competition is a good thing.” He said.

“He’s right little goddess. That’s how many of my whelps grow stronger.” Said Ribdena.

“Most of your whelps are dead.” Retorted Cosmo.

“Only the strong have the right to live. Unlike you, I do not coddle my children.” Countered Ribdena.

“You two should go introduce yourselves.” Said Lorie pushing us forward.

I didn’t want to go, but Zubu was walking towards them. All I could do was hold on to her as we got closer.

“Stooges, I want you to meet your fellow disciples. They’re my best.” Said Mr. Brutus.

The three children eyed us up and down clearly sizing us up. I don't think they really like that we were called his best.

“Hi. I’m Yukio. I’m a lower spirit cultivator.” Said Zubu.

I didn’t really budge from my spot choosing to assimilate myself into Zubu’s butt.

“Isaac, sweetie. Come on. Introduce yourself.” Encouraged Cosmo.

That was when Zubu grabbed me from behind and pulled me off of her. “No, I don’t want to!” I cried.

Zubu plopped me down in front of the other kids. “Don’t be rude! They’re your fellow disciples!” Yelled Zubu. I hugged Snowball using her like a shield.

“Your best? This whelp wouldn’t survive a day among my kind.” Said Ribdena sending a chill down my spine as her eyes looked deep into my very being. I felt like she could easily scatter the particles that made up both my body and soul with only a thought. She was much stronger than Cosmo. I could feel it in my phantom balls.

“Don't bully my baby!” Yelled Cosmo. This seemed to get Ribdena to back off.

“What’s with this girl?” Asked the blonde.

“Introduce yourself stupid!” Commanded Zubu, as she smack me in the back of the head.

“Um… Hello! My name’s Isaac! I’m a lower spirit cultivator. I hate carrots and I like candy. My favorite flavor is cherry, but I also like blue raspberry. Chocolate is nice too, but not dark chocolate. I like coffee too, but I don't know if I like it anymore… Oh! This is my friend Snowball. She’s a nudist. We're working on it though.” I said. My heart was beating so fast and I wasn’t sure if I messed up or not. I just wanted the spotlight to be gone.

“Good job baby!” Said Cosmo before petting my head. Ribdena seemed to disagree with the positive reinforcement. I probably won't be getting that ride today. The dragon lady was a bit scary anyway.

I held onto Snowball for dear life. She was my only lifeline now. For all I knew these people were about to make fun of me for being strange.

“Aww, I like her! She’s cute!” Said the blonde girl.

“Your name’s Isaac?” Asked the green haired girl. Lucky for me it seemed like all that extra stuff was ignored.

I nodded watching the gears in her head turn. It was actually Ron that came to the conclusion.

“You picked a girl avatar? I don't get it. Why are there so many dudes that play as girls?” Asked Ron.

“It’s for the smaller hit box. Also, who wants to stare at a generic guy character through a whole ass game. Besides, there’s so many more ascetically pleasing outfits when you play as a girl.” Said the blonde girl.

All the gamers in the group seemed to agree nodding there heads. That included Cosmo, Yukio, the not a blonde girl, the green haired girl, and me. Ron, Mr. Brutus, and Ribdena being the exception.

“All I’m saying is it makes it hard to find a girlfriend.” Said Ron.

“Yeah sure, what girl would be into you. Your balls haven't even dropped yet.” Said the green haired girl before breaking out into laughter.

“I’ll be your girlfriend. All you have to do is give me lots of good gear, and tell me I’m pretty.” Teased the not blonde girl as she put her left arm over Ron’s shoulders.

Ron scrambled away. “I’ll pass. I'm not into people who used to be dudes, and besides I like girls with more… assets.” Said Ron. He said that last part while salivating and staring at Ribdena’s ample chest.

“In you dreams little boy. Maybe in a hundred years I’ll let you sacrifice your soul to me as a snack.” Said the dragon goddess eyeing him with hunger fueled eye’s. Ron trembled with fear before fixing his eyes permanently to the ground.

Both the girls laughed as I continued to feel uncomfortable. It was like they forgot I was here. That was until they turned their attention back on me.

“Hi, My names Brad, but you can call me Pez. I'm a lower spirit cultivator.” said the not blonde girl.

I reached out and gave him a handshake. It was odd meeting someone else in a similar situation. Though, I noticed he wore actual boy clothes. Unlike me.

“I’m Yolanda but I go by Riza now. I'm also a lower spirit cultivator.” Said the green haired girl. I shook her hand too and started to feel less uncomfortable. Though, not enough to stop hugging Snowball.

“I'm Ron. A lower spirit cultivator.” Said Ron before asking, “How old are you?”

Before I could answer Pez butted in. “Why are you asked her that, you creep! Can't you tell their obviously a little kid!”

It was then that I realized from there perspective I’d been acting like a child. I was so nervous that I couldn't even correct them. I tried but my voice wasn't there.

“I wasn’t trying to be a creep. I was just wondering since he seemed different from us.” Said Ron.

“Um… actually… I’m…” They all looked over for my response only for me to choke. In the end telling them my actual age was too embarrassing. Especially with the way I'd been acting, so I went with a lie. “I’m 9… and a half.”

Zubu laughed. I figured since I looked like a five year old, 9 was probably the right age for a lower spirit cultivator. It wasn't really a lie.

“I can't hold back!” Yelled Cosmo before scooping me up in a hug. “You’re so cute! I’m so proud of you for making new friends!” She said as she spun me around in her arms.

She eventually put me down and kissed my forehead. “Cosmo, don't do that. You’re gonna make Snowball throw up. She’s not like hello kitty, she actually has a mouth.” I whined.

She wasn’t listening and continued to coo at me like my words were no better than baby babble.

“So are we fighting Isaac then?” Asked Pez.

“I don't wanna hurt him.” Said Riza.

“Fighting little kids isn't my style.” Added Ron.

“Oh please, you have no style.” said Riza.

“The kid could wipe the floor with all three of you. No, you'll be fighting the tall one. She’s even stronger than the kid.” Said Mr. Brutus.

“No way. I'm stronger.” I whined.

“In your dreams piss baby! I've been going easy on you!” Retorted Zubu.

“So have I! you haven't even seen my final form! I’ve only been using 1% of my true power!” I responded as my anger overpowered my anxiety. How dare Mr. Brutus call me weaker! I’m so strong that even Snowball and her power to erase universes is afraid of me.

(Authors note: RIP Akira Toriyama. I’m late, but this man gave me my childhood. You were the most influential mangaka in history. Inspiring future creators to make wonderful and entertaining works of art. Even going as far as to ignite my own imagination well into my adulthood.)

“Would you two knock it off! I brought the spoon just so you know!” Yelled Lorie pulling out her wooden spoon from her robe. It dripped with punishment aspects causing both Zubu and I to shut up. There was nothing stronger than her spoon. It’s power level was way over 9,000. Or… was that 8,000.

8,000 in the manga.

“Hey Yukio. You wanna come over here and snuggle with me for old times sake?” Cooed Cosmo releasing me as she opened her arms welcomingly to Zubu.

I used that chance to run over to Mr. Brutus. Lifting both arms, I said, “Upies.”

Mr. Brutus held his hand out low to the ground. I hopped onto it. He raised me into the air allowing me to walk across and sit on his shoulder.

“I said get the hell away from me!” Yelled Zubu as she ran away from Cosmo.

“Come on, you used to love cuddle time!” Yelled the goddess as she chased after Zubu.

“Lies! I've never said such a thing!” yelled Zubu.

“Hey how come you'll let Isaac sit on your shoulders, but when I wanna do the same you throw me hundreds of yards away!?” Complained Riza.

“I wanna sit on your muscular shoulders.” Said Ribdena a bit too musically.

“Me too!” Said Pez.

Lorie tried to muffle her giggle with her palm before saying “You certainly are popular Brutus.”

That’s when Mr. Brutus sighed. He clapped his hands together causing the ground to shake. Everything and I mean everything began to shift around as the ground moved under our feet.

It was fun to ride on Mr. Brutus’s back. By the end of it. Zubu was standing a few feet away from the trio. While Cosmo, Lorie, Mr. Brutus, Ribdena and I were all off to one side.

There was no way I could beat him. Not when he could move the ground under my feet. What was stopping him from opening up the ground and crushing me under miles of rock and dirt.

“Alright kiddies! It’s time for the first match! Yukio! I expect you not to hold back! Begin!” Boomed Mr. Brutus.

“Get’em Zubu! Light em up!” I cheered.

“Yeah! Bully the crap out of them! Make them cry! Rip off their legs, and grind there heads into the ground!” Yelled Snowball in a blood lusty voice. It was almost demonic in tone.

I turned Snowball around to look at her. “Snowball that’s too mean.” I said.

“Its okay as long as she doesn’t do it to me again. Come on let’s cheer her on! It’s gonna be a blood bath! Splash zone! Splash Zone!” Said Snowball, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

All their auras ignited. I couldn’t help, but realize the trio had null auras. Meaning they hadn’t opened their first gate, or maybe their affinities hadn’t manifested yet.

I activated my Qi sight and looked them over. They were very weak compared to Zubu and me. Their dantians were smaller and the flow of Qi and essence was thin and slow. The cores in their chests were much smaller than Zubu’s.

I was right about all their gates being closed. Maybe having mine open was what made me stronger. With it came greater control, so it explained why their Qi moved so slow.

Zubu must have noticed their “farmer with shotgun” power levels, because she held back on her affinity, only using a level 1 aura. So much for not holding back. She was going easy on them.

This was gonna be interesting. Watching Zubu use what she learned on her own against what Mr. Brutus taught his students. If she won then she’d prove she didn't need Cosmo’s assistance. It would be the ultimate defiance of a deity.

Ignoring the grace of god and climbing up a cliff without a hand out. What came next was the fruits of Zubu’s labor. I couldn't wait to watch her wipe the floor with them.

“You three better not lose!” Yelled Cosmo.