CHAPTER ONE

Interview with a Magical Goddess

One of my favorite quotes of all time actually comes from a superhero movie. “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” I didn’t believe this at all, I had seen so many stories of men and women going their whole lives as a force for good. In my mind, you are either a good guy or a bad guy, you have morals, or you don’t. Maybe I’m an optimist.

My tale starts with a text message from a goddess. It was one of those texts that I would normally have ignored, likely being some kind of spam. The only thing that made me pay attention was that they used my full name and knew things about me that I wouldn’t have told anyone. Not to mention, I was at a real low point in my life. My job was going nowhere, I had no girlfriend, no money, and no prospects. I was out of shape and was starting to think nothing would ever change.

A single text would change my life forever.

Mr. Erik Reeves, I have a proposition for you. What if I told you that your life could change forever, that you aren’t stuck in a dead end job like you believe? What if I could turn you into the very thing you crave? You could become someone special, and accomplish something beyond your wildest dreams. I’ll give you a chance, an opportunity to do great things! Meet me at 115 Beach Lane in Wainscott tonight at midnight. You won’t regret it.

Xoxo, Mythra

I tried texting back, but the message was undeliverable. That address was on the really fancy side of town, I had never been invited anywhere that nice before. “Who is Mythra and why does she want to see me?!”

“Why you asking me?” Chuck retorted. “I don’t know nobody in Wainscott. Probably some rich bitch looking to slum it up!”

I looked over at my friend, much like me, he was overweight and unkempt. We both worked at the local hardware depot. I had met him several years ago, and we had bonded over a common interest in video games and books. Chuck was chortling at his ill-conceived joke, but I considered whether he might be right.

Despite my deepest desires, there was nothing really special about me. I wasn’t exactly the smartest guy in the world, and I sure as hell wasn’t the prettiest. My only real quality of any worth was that I was a nice guy who got along with others really well. You know what they say about nice guys, though.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Who am I to deny a lady a good time though?” I shot back

“You wish, ya virgin! More like a massive disappointment!” Chuck sprayed soda down his blue shirt as he laughed even louder.

I shook my head ruefully. “It’s quitting time, I’m heading home.”

“Gotta go get prettied up for your big date?” He pantomimed throwing locks of hair back stylishly as though he were prince charming. “Don’t forget to put on your big girl panties!”

“I will, I made sure to borrow a pair from you earlier.” I rolled my eyes and walked away, Chuck could keep up his tirade for hours if you let him. Behind me, Chuck was making smooching noises and pretending to make out with himself.

Contrary to his antics, Chuck may be right, this invitation could be some sick trick or demeaning party. Despite that, I was honestly just desperate enough to go anyway. I needed something new in my life. Something exciting, an opportunity to do something other than the endless grind that was my life right now.

Even though I was 20 years old, I had never been in a relationship. Eric, the zero sex appeal wonder. It was no wonder I was still a virgin. I didn’t work out or try to stay in shape, I just couldn’t find the motivation. I wasn’t tall and no matter what I did with my short brown hair it looked greasy and stuck out in every direction.

My feet carried me towards the break room automatically. I was running on autopilot. I left my neon work vest in my locker and grabbed my jacket. Checking my watch, it was just after 8 pm. I had 4 hours to kill before heading to Wainscott.

“Hey Erik, I need someone to stay late and unload the truck tonight.” Seth, the assistant store manager, was standing near the exit of the break room. Seth, simply put, was a dick. He always seemed to be able to ruin my day.

“I have plans tonight, I can’t!” I protested, I could feel my face scrunching up in distaste.

“I already put you on the schedule for it. It's not that big of a truck! Only 1500 pieces or so.” Seth replied while walking away. He didn’t even wait for my response or care.

I groaned loudly, a truck that size would take me hours to unload. There was no way I could do that and still have time to meet my mysterious messenger tonight. Sighing and rolling my eyes, “Fuck him. Not my fault if they get shafted in the morning.”

I made my way to the parking lot and got in my beat up, old Honda. The engine started squealing loudly after I cranked it up. There was a belt or something that needed replacing. I’d get around to fixing it eventually.

The drive home was relaxing. One of my favorite songs came on the radio and I blasted it with the window’s rolled down. “Well mama told meee, when I was young…” For those five minutes, I felt happy and just sang along.

I lived in the bad part of the city. As I got closer to my apartment, I rolled my windows up and turned down the music. My apartment building was a worn brick affair. There was graffiti all over the walls of the first floor. The elevator was always broken, so I took the drab gray concrete stairs up to the fourth floor where I lived. Linoleum covered the hallway floors and often had chips out of it or was lifting at the corners.

The doors were sturdy, ugly steel monstrosities. They seemed really secure until you realized the walls were so thin someone could probably walk through them easier than breaking your door down. For the most part, my neighbors all kept to themselves. The thin walls meant that I knew it every time my neighbors were having sex or watching TV, but the place was mine. I didn’t have any roommates to worry about or argue with.

My first order of business was food. I was starving after spending all day at work. My body composition is what you would call skinny fat. I had very little muscle or bulk, but I carried a lot of weight in my stomach, and my less than healthy diet probably contributed to that. I had a choice between ramen noodles tonight or a frozen dinner. Ramen it was.

My tiny studio apartment didn’t even have a stove, I only had a microwave and a toaster oven. Popping my ramen cup into the microwave, I started thinking about how I should prepare for the meeting tonight. A shower and change of clothes was a must. I looked around my apartment. Clothes were strewn everywhere, and empty food containers were stacked on the table next to my couch.

After I slurped up the spicy “beef” noodles, I wandered over to the shower while stripping and throwing my clothes on a pile next to the bathroom. I spent as long as I could under the water of the shower before it started to get cold.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“They really need to upgrade the water heaters in this building!” I sighed and toweled myself off.

Heading over to the dresser, I started searching for something nice to wear. I realized, before I even started, I would be unlikely to find anything. Most of the contents of the dresser were jeans, shorts, and graphic t-shirts with anime characters on them. Not exactly suave material.

I settled on a plain black t-shirt and some blue jeans. Figuring it looked casual and with my jacket should be okay. Checking my watch again, it was still only around 10 pm. The drive to Wainscott was going to take me around half an hour and I didn’t want to show up too early. I set an alarm so I wouldn’t lose track of time.

Sitting at my desk, I decided to play a game while I waited. Time passed quickly as I defeated monsters and bad guys in the virtual world. The whole time I was wondering about the message I received. Fantasies of glory and romance flowed through my mind as I played. What the heck was I getting myself into tonight?

Beep beep beep!

I immediately paused my game, my heart was trying to gallop out of my chest in anticipation. Grabbing my keys, I raced out of the apartment, locking it behind me. When I got to the parking lot, I jumped behind the wheel. I turned the ignition and my car started, then immediately sputtered out.

“Not now, you piece of junk! Not tonight!” I pounded on the steering wheel and tried to start it again. It turned over several times before finally roaring to life with the regular screaming of the engine belt. “Thank you Jesus!”

I probably drove a little faster than I should have, and before I knew it I was cruising down fancy, clean streets of an uptown neighborhood. The address I had been directed to had a huge house on it, with giant glass walls facing the street. Designer furniture and bright lights shown through the windows.

There were no vehicles in the driveway, so I parked in front of the 4-car garage. I’m flooded with relief when I can finally shut my engine off and stop the raucous sound coming from my car. The front of the house is lit up brightly with spotlights shining down from the corners of the walls. The entrance has a beautiful French double door with artistic renditions of lions for knockers. Despite the cool weather, I start to sweat profusely in anxiety. So much for showering.

I use the knocker to tap the door 3 times and wait for a response. In only a few moments, I hear the door handle turn and the right door swings open. In the frame of the door is the strangest looking woman I have even seen in my life. She doesn’t look real. It was as though someone was photoshopping my eyes in real time. No hair of her platinum locks was out of place. Her eyes shown like sapphires and the whites of her eyes were spotless without a single flaw. Her skin looked as soft as silk, and she was wearing a white dress that flowed as though it was gossamer.

“Welcome, Eric, come in.” She smiled at me, her face and teeth all perfect and symmetrical.

For several long moments, I just stood there with my jaw hanging open, unable to speak. Sweat was pouring down my back in rivers. I sputtered a response, “H-how d-do you know me? Why me?”

“All your questions will be answered. Simply come with me.” She followed this up by turning and walking further into the giant house. She left the door open and me staring after her on the front step.

I hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow her, shutting the door behind me. Even from behind, this woman looked flawless. Her hair hung in a shining sheet down her back. She moved with grace and had curves that were generous without being outrageous.

My mouth felt dry as I continued to stare, I barely noticed the rooms we passed through or anything else about the house. We went down some stairs and I found myself in a large basement. A large black curtain blocked sight of half the space. The woman sat in a recliner, and I followed her lead and sat in the one across from her. There was a table between us with food and various items neatly laid across it.

“Let us begin with your questions. I’m sure you have many for me.” The woman said while smiling softly at me.

I swallowed hard and tried to produce some moisture in my mouth to speak clearly. I noticed there was a glass on my side of the table with a dark liquid inside. “Can I have something to drink real quick?” I asked in a raspy voice.

“Of course! I have prepared some wine for us.” She gestured to the glass.

I took up the fancy glass and gulped more than was probably polite. I immediately started firing questions off, “Who are you? Why did you ask me to come here to see you? What did you mean by an opportunity in the text?”

“Patience, child, we have plenty of time. As for your questions, you may call me Mythra, I believe you may be the kind of person I am looking for, and I have a task that I need assistance with.” She giggled, and I felt goosebumps form all over my skin from the beauty of the sound.

“How do you know what kind of person I am?” I asked nervously. “I would know if I had met you before.”

“I have resources that have led me to believe certain things about you. I will have to test you in order to be sure, of course.” Mythra shifted, tucking her legs under her in the chair. She continued to look at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher, but her smile never slipped.

“What kind of test?”

“I have questions that I will need you to answer honestly. Your answers will determine whether we move forward with more. I have means to know if someone is lying to me, so I would ask that you please be as truthful as you can. If you lie, I will be forced to send you away.” Her smile fell a little at this and her brow knitted cutely.

“I don’t really have anything to hide.” I answered earnestly. “You said you could change my life… I am willing to do a lot if it means I can have a chance at that.”

“Do you desire money? Is it greed that drives you to look for a change in your life?” She probed me with one eyebrow raised.

“I mean, I’m not going to lie, money would be nice. I honestly have no idea what I would do if I was rich. I wouldn’t say that money is what motivates me. Not only that, but I would give up my riches just to have a family or friends I could count on.” I hung my head, embarrassed.

“Do you carry hate in your heart for those who treat you poorly, Erik?”

“That’s a strange way to put it… but no, not really? I can’t think of anyone I hate. My boss can be kind of a dick to me, I’m not sure why, but mostly I just let it go.” In my mind, I was a nice guy who just wanted to get along with people. I did my best to make friends, but I was socially awkward and got rejected most of the time.

“If you were given power over your boss, what would you do? If you were in charge, and he was your employee, how would you treat him?” Her face went flat and serious. I could feel my stomach sinking at the sight of it.

I thought about lying, her words about being able to sense lies were echoing in my head. “I honestly don’t know. I’ve never had authority over anyone. If he treated me like he does now, I would most likely give him a taste of his own medicine. If I could, I would want to show him the right way to treat people.” I cringed, thinking I may have failed her test.

“Justice is a noble endeavor to seek, you must be wary, though. An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind in the end.” She started smiling again, and I felt extreme relief flood me. “For my final question… Would you fight if innocents were threatened? Would you protect someone if they were in need of it?”

I started stammering again, “I mean if I could, I would, but I’m not much of a fighter! I’ve never fought in my life!”

“I’m not looking for battle hardened veterans, Erik. I am looking for a man with his heart in the right place. I would not put you in a situation had you not the tools to handle it.” I was slightly perplexed by the way she spoke, while also feeling immense relief again. This conversation was turning into a rollercoaster of emotions for me.

“I’m glad to hear that, otherwise I would have already failed this test!” I wiped sweat off my brow.

“I feel more sure of choosing you at this point. There are only a few more things to get out of the way.” She pursed her lips and tapped one elegant finger against her lips. “I would like to make you my champion and send you to another world, of course you will have to agree for this to be successful.”

And… the roller coaster hit another dip. Just when I was feeling good about this whole meeting, I find out this beautiful woman is crazy. “Uh… you mean you are going to fly me to another country?” I tried to smile, but my face was pinched up in disbelief.

“No, Erik. I am going to imbue you with my divine power and send you to a different planet in a magical universe.”

I tried to hold in my laughter but a small chuckle escaped me, “So… you are a goddess? And magic is real? Maybe I should head home, it's getting late, and I have work in the morning.”

She huffs out a sigh, “I always forget how skeptical humans are in this world. I will give you a simple demonstration to give you a little faith.” Following her words, her entire body started to glow softly.