As we return to the train station, I am happy to say that the group of social justice warriors that once occupied the area are now gone. The only thing that looks the same is Fred the ticket salesman is working at a booth. There isn't even a line, which isn't unusual, considering it's four in the morning.

Both Bruno and I haven't gotten any sleep, as we were too preoccupied summing The Raven Man.

Just what was that little poem, anyway? I can guess that the 'old god' is Mendacius, but who is this 'hero that will fight the night?' And all the other bad events he mentioned with the unique vagueness of his riddle only leaves me in a more anxious state than before.

Just thinking about The Raven Man's warning makes me shudder.

I try to forget about it, as we make our way towards the ticket booth.

While walking, I look down at Bruno.

"You know the drill." I say.

Nodding, he breaks away from me, and lies next to a chair, holding it for us, and hopefully catching some much needed sleep.

Fred notices my arrival, and says in a joking tone

"Well, well, well, look who's back! Euro boy, and his dog! How can I help you?"

What interesting nicknames.

"I need two tickets for Hardwicke." I say, getting right to business.

"That'll be 7.56 Euros."

I hand him a ten euro bill, as he hands me change and the tickets, both I put in my pocket.

"By the way, what are you doing at the train station this early?" He asks.

I tell the truth, knowing full well he won't believe me.

"Well, I was recruited by a Roman god, to find a man named John Diehl, in Hardwicke. Oh, and the dog's name is Bruno, he can talk."

Hearing this, he bursts out in laughter, loud enough to wake up all of Gloucestershire.

"Oh man, that's too good!" He exclaims, wiping a tear from his eye. "I've heard plenty of tall tales in my day, but yours definitely takes the cake!"

"Yes, well, I'm going to wait for the train now, might be able to catch up on some sleep." I say, turning around, about to walk back to Bruno.

"Before you go…" He says, prompting me to turn around. "…We have a charity that you might be interested in donating to."

Not having any use for the change, I fish out three fifty cent euro coins from my pocket.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's facial reconstructive surgery for long nosed babies."

I scratch my nose, uncomfortably.

"You see…" He continues. "…When a baby is born, and sometimes they have a really long nose, it affects the way they grow. I can see your mom couldn't afford it." He says, pointing at my nose.

"Don't you think they should leave the baby the way it?" I ask.

His face contorts, as if disgusted at the idea of a long nosed baby.

"I mean a long nosed baby, you look at it in horror. A baby is supposed to be cute, but if you look at a long nosed baby, you know, you get physically repulsed. Have you ever seen a long nosed baby?"

"Every time I look in the mirror."

As I slide the money back into my pocket, Fred smiles at me, sheepishly.

"So, I'm guessing you're not donating." He assumes.

"Correct."

I go back to the waiting room, and sit down with Bruno.

Well, that was weird. But, at least this morning can't get any weirder.

As I finish this thought, the same overweight, out of shape, balding, lonely man walks in. Honestly, what could he be doing here at four in the morning?!

Like last time, he sits down next to me, and after waiting a few minutes he speaks.

"Hey, I have to apologize for something." He states.

"What is it this time?" I ask, slightly annoyed that my time for rest was interrupted by this gelatinous blob.

"Do you remember me from high school?" He asks.

He's like forty years older than me!

"No, I don't." I answer, playing along.

"I used to be a real jerk."

"Where did you go to high school?" I ask.

"Where did I go to high school? I went where you went."

"Where?"

"You know, I went to…um…Hetalia High." He claims, clearly lying.

"You know, they had the football team." He continues. "They taught classes…there was the gymnasium…and I was a massive jerk. I'm very sorry."

He seems sincere. I wonder if this guy is suffering from some kind of reality altering disorder.

"Apology accepted." I say, hoping he'll go away.

I also hope this isn't going where I think it's going.

"Maybe we could hug it out?" He asks.

It just went there.

"No."

"Alright, smell ya later." He says, before getting up.

"By the way, who are you?" I ask.

"Oh, I'm Beef Mc Whatnow." He proudly declares, before power walking out.

Bruno and I stare at each other, both of us even more confused than last time. Our staring is ended, when Bruno yawns in my face.

"Sorry, I could really use some sleep." He mutters.

It seems contagious, as I begin to yawn too.

"Maybe we should take a little nap, while we wait for the train." I suggest.

"Yes please." He mutters.

I lean back into my chair, and close my eyes, as we both drift off to sleep.

"Hey bud, wake up."

Upon opening my eyes, I see Fred standing over me.

Bruno begins to stir awake, as I rub the sleep from my eyes.

"What is it?" I groan.

"The train for Hardwicke left two hours ago."

Hearing this news shoves away any sleep that once came over me.

"What?! We missed the train?!" I demand.

He shrugs.

"I'm afraid so. The next one will come in five hours."

And with that, he walks back to the booth, leaving Bruno and I to wallow in our regrets.

"What do we do now?" I demand. "We can't wait five hours, oh this is a disaster!"

Bruno raises an eyebrow, being surprisingly calm.

"Just calm down. You're a wizard, right? You can just fly us there."

My feeling of regret melts into a sensation of gloom.

"Um…well…you see…"

"Come on, spit it out." Bruno encourages.

Admitting my flaws has always been hard for me.

"I…I…I"

"I?"

"I can't fly." I finally mutter out.

"What, really? Well, that's just fine. I can teach you."

"How? You're a dog." I ask in confusion.

He sighs, as if about to reveal some deep, dark secret.

"Well, I wasn't always a dog, I was once human. I went by a different name, Cooper. Mendacius changed it to have me forget about my life as a human, but try as he might, I'll never forget those days. I had a beautiful wife, and an adorable little girl. I was a highly experienced, recommended, and professional mercenary, close to retirement. My wife was always worried about me, but hey, I needed to pay the bills somehow. I was mostly sent for things like patrolling, hardly ever seeing combat I'll admit."

Bruno stops, hesitating as if his next few words are tragic.

"I heard about a job, it was going to pay well, so well that I could safely retire from this work and still keep my family financially secure. I was sent to an island called Filicudi, which had been recently over taken by monsters. The Italian government hired me, and other soldiers of fortune, to evacuate the island's inhabitants. However, shortly after we landed, we were swarmed by these beasts and killed."

It was tragic.

I remember reading about that in the newspaper but dismissed it as tabloids. I never would've imagined something like that to be true.

"Then, how are you here?" I ask.

"Well you see, I was so angry at my untimely death, that my soon to be master took notice. Mendacius brought me back to life on one condition, if I served him forever. But I hate it! He never told me he would put me in the body of a dog."

So Mendacius isn't as kind as I made him out to be.

Well I guess that makes sense, being the god of deception and lies.

"He must be very powerful to be able to resurrect you." I point out.

I wonder if he'll teach me that.

"Oh, very powerful." He nods before asking. "So, where do you want me to teach you?"

"Oh, I have just the place."

Standing in the courtyard of Luna Nova where Volare had her classes, Bruno teaches me what she could not.

"Okay, so first you'll mount your broom." He instructs.

"But, what about my stance?" I ask. "The broom riding instructor taught us that your stance is everything."

He scoffs at this.

"Your stance matters little, as long as you can get it in between your legs."

He narrows his eyes at me.

"By the way, Mendacius told me that you only recently became a student of witchcraft, while others here have been taught their whole lives. So, how could a fresh face like yourself take out Polyphemus?" He asks.

"Well, I am Roman." I say, with a certain amount of smug that only an Italian can muster.

Bruno raises an eyebrow, not satisfied with my answer.

"Well, it also probably helps that I practice for two hours every day." I admit.

"You need to find yourself a girlfriend." He comments towards me.

"So then, did you know Polyphemus?" I ask Bruno.

He lets out a sort of half huff and half chuckle.

"Well, sort of. Polyphemus often bullied me, called my 'little doggy', and chased me around. I think he was a bit on the mental side, if you know what I mean. I'm actually kind of glad you killed him. No one in our group really liked him. He's the only one of Mendacius's thralls that is currently in this world...well, before you got to him."

Our group? One of Mendacius's thralls?

"There are others?" I ask him.

Bruno's eyes widen as he says seriously.

"Oh yes, there are four others that are living with Mendacius in that statue. They are very strong, far stronger than Polyphemus, and definitely far stronger than you. If you ever come across them, try not to anger them. You, or anyone, won't stand a ghost of a chance."

He shakes off our current conversation, saying

"Anyway, your stance matters little. School tends to teach you things that you'll never use in the real world."

I put the broom in between my legs, copying the same position I've seen in movies.

Bruno nods, while saying

"Good, good. Now, the tricky part is getting it off the ground. Do you know what makes a wand able to cast spells?" He asks.

I shake my head.

"The magic that enables you to cast spells comes not from the wand, but from you. Magic is located in the brain, and is distributed by the heart. Hence why when people regularly use black magic, they tend to not be the nicest people in the world. Anyway, to cast a spell, you transfer magic through your veins, into your arm, and out of your palm and fingertips. The wand merely channels it into a single point, allowing spell casting."

"I never knew that. But, how does this help me ride a broom?" I ask.

"The idea is basically the same. Transfer the magic from your heart, into your arms, and out your palm and fingertips. The magic then goes into the wood handle, and escapes through the bristles of the broom, enabling flight. Basically like a jet engine."

"How do you know so much about magic?" I ask him.

"My wife and I ran a magic item shop. It was more on her side then mine, but I tended to pick up a bit on it."

I take note of what he said.

While focusing on my breathing, I tense up my arm and hand, as if casting a spell. I then transfer the magic, as instructed.

I tend to find that if you're having trouble moving the magic.

You can imagine it as an orb of energy, flowing down your hand, which is the technique I use.

Disappointingly, the broom weakly lurches forward.

I look back at Bruno, with an annoyed expression.

"Nice lesson, teach-"

The broom suddenly shoots forward, with me still holding onto it.

My sarcasm is ended, as I slam headfirst into a nearby tree.

With a gasp, Bruno trots over to me.

"Hey, are you okay?!" He asks, full of concern for my well being.

Disoriented with my vision obscured by stars and birds circling around my head, I manage to mutter.

"Nice lesson, teach."

"I can proudly say, that you've got it." He declares.

"Do you really think so?" I ask, trying to hide the excitement in my voice.

"Yeah, although that last lap around the school was a bit sloppy, you've passed."

Failure in my flight class had been a stain on my pride for far too many months. By allowing Bruno to teach me, that stain has now been wiped clean, and my magical talent at this school have been proven!

While I think this, Bruno walks behind me, out of my line of sight.

"Now, mount your broom." He commands.

I oblige, wondering what the dog has in mind.

As soon as I fulfill his wish, I feel a weight on my back.

Turning around, I see Bruno clinging onto me, his claws slightly digging to my sides.

"And what do you think you're doing?" I ask.

"Enough training, let's meet this John Diehl already. And try not to drop me." He says, smiling with a playful wink.

I nod, and then swiftly take off into the sky.

I wince, as Bruno digs his claws deeper into me.

As playful revenge, I crash us through a cloud, soaking both of us.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you about the horror of a wet dog?" He asks.

"Don't worry about it, the breeze will dry us off."

"Yeah yeah, just take us to Green Lane, Hardwicke." He grumbles.

"By the way, how am I supposed to know where to go?" I ask.

"Just look for road signs."

"And how am I supposed to see those from up here?"

"Jeez, I don't know. You're the magic one here! Conjure up some binoculars, or something!"

Bruno and I land in front of what The Raven Man described as 'A house of brick, on Green Lane, Hardwicke.'

It's only been yesterday since Mendacius gave out his command, but it feels like weeks have passed.

Never before have I been more anxious to get back to my regular routine. Back to practicing spells with Diana, back to testing Sucy's potions, and Akko's Shiny Chariot obsession.

I can happily say that this quest, thank the gods, is almost over.

"So, how exactly are we going to do this?" Bruno asks. "I'm not sure he'd come with us if we tell him we're here to take him away to face an angry god's wrath."

Good point.

"I hadn't thought of that." I admit.

I stop to think before saying.

"Well, we made it this far, and we know nothing about him How easy going he is, or if he even believes in a god. The only thing left to do is knock on his door."

"But, are we going to lie?" Bruno asks. "It just doesn't seem right to sentence someone to their doom, without even telling them. Hell, we don't even know what Mendacius is going to do to this guy, if anything!"

"I'm not sure." I respond to him. "I might lie, I might tell the truth, I might threaten. I might even knock him out, and carry him to The Big Caves on my back. I just want this whole thing over with. First, we need to see who he is. Who knows, he might be some neo Nazi meat head or a quadriplegic little boy."

After considering what I said, Bruno weakly nods, before replying.

"Alright, go for it."

With his approval, I knock on the door.

After a few tense moments, someone opens the door.

A man with an aged, wrinkled face, bushy eyebrows, a seven o'clock shadow, and thin slicked back hair, all three a gray color. He looks to be in his sixties.

"Can I help you?" He asks, raising one of his bushy eyebrows.

Of course, this must look weird to him. A teen, which is a complete stranger, wearing some kind of uniform, holding a broom, and accompanied by a dog.

"Yes. Would you happen to be John Diehl?" I ask.

God forbid we get the wrong person.

"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?" He asks.

I take a heavy breath, exhaling through my nose, before saying.

"Can we come inside?" I ask. "We have important news."

"Yes of course." He says, with a slight worry in his voice.

We follow him inside.

He leads us to a living room, and sits down on a coach. I sit down on another coach, facing him, with Bruno sitting at my feet.

John folds his hands together.

"Before we begin, would you like something to drink? Water, or perhaps juice?" He asks.

Now that he mentions it, doing tasks for a god and summoning a creature of the night has left me with little time for hydration.

"A glass of water, please." I request.

He disappears into the kitchen, and comes back with two crystal cups of water.

He hands me one, and sits back down on the couch.

"So, what important news do you have for me?" He asks.

It's self evident that this question would be bought up.

I figured that I'd just come up with something on the spot. Maybe throw in a few complainants, and sugar coat it so much he'd be too distracted by my honeyed words to figure out what's really going on.

But, I have nothing, and I can't think of anything, except to just be straight about it.

I take a sip of water, soothing my dry throat, before saying.

"Well, I don't know any other way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. The dog: Bruno, and I: Theodore, have been sent by the god of deception and lies, Mendacius, to take you to The Big Caves, where you will face the music for something your ancestors did hundreds of years ago."

John furrows his brow.

"Is this some kind of prank? I think you've been reading too much mythology, young man. If you're here to just waste my time, then I suggest you get out-"

"I can see why you might think that." I interrupt him. "I mean, to an outsider's point of view this makes no sense. A boy and his dog friend being sent by a Roman god to capture someone whose ancestors merely sided against him. Seems like a bad fan fiction to me, but what's happening is the truth, and I can prove it."

'Oh, really? How?" He asks in curiosity.

I swallow the rest of the water, before lightly tapping Bruno with my foot.

"Show him what you got." I say.

Bruno puts a paw to his mouth, clearing his throat before saying clearly

"Good day, my name is Bruno. Elated to make your acquaintance."

"It can talk?!" John cries out in disbelief.

"Yes, I can." Bruno calmly replies. "And what Theodore speaks is the truth."

John slumps in his chair, the fact that Bruno can talk convincing him entirely of my story.

He sighs, before letting out a light chuckle.

"You know, my mother used to tell me about how my ancestors once fought a great enemy in the past. I thought it was merely a bedtime story, something to inspire me. But, I had no idea she was serious."

He looks down at his drink, as if the answer is somewhere in the cup.

"This is important news. Being told that you're going to face the possible wrath of a god is enough to drive a man to depression. I should've brought alcohol instead." He jokes.

An awkward silence envelops the room, before John eventually breaks it.

"What would happen if I were to refuse? If I don't come with you?" He asks.

The question was asked not like he was resisting, but as a thought experiment.

"It definitely won't be good for me. I'll probably die." I say bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it turns out I happened to kill one of his followers, a Cyclops. Mendacius told me if I bring you to him, then I would be pardoned. If I fail, well I can't be for certain what will happen to me, but I can guess it won't be good."

He sighs heavily, rubbing his temples, deeply thinking, deciding what to do.

We sit like this for a few minutes, waiting for him to decide.

"Not making a decision, is a big decision." Bruno says with slight impatience in his voice.

I shoot a glare at Bruno, this isn't exactly an easy choice.

Suddenly, John chugs the rest of his water, before standing up.

"Alright, let's meet this Mendacius." He decides.

"Are you sure?" I ask, a bit surprised by his fast decision making.

"Yeah, that was a sudden answer." Bruno adds.

"I might be on a god's blacklist, but I've been around long enough to know when a life has been lived…" He says, pointing at himself. "…And when a life still has potential." He says, pointing at me.

"O...oh, Okay." I say, my voice slightly breaking.

I never thought a stranger could show this much kindness.

When on this quest, I tried to think of John Diehl not as human, but just cargo, someone we can simply drop off for Mendacius, and leave. But even this little brief conversation I've had with him, is enough to give him some form of humanity, and after what he just said...well...there just has to be another way!

I discreetly try to rub my wet eyes with my sleeve, as I stand up.

We walk out the front door, and onto the lawn.

The sun has just started to shine brightly in the sky.

There's not a cloud in the sky.

It's a brand new day.