Josh

"Wow, that is a lot to take in. I've never been a religious man, but I guess there must be a bit of truth to it with the son of God sitting right in front of me." Matt says dumbfounded.

"Well we can talk freely here, this shop belongs to our organization. And the whole son of God thing is a misconception." Josh says.

"You mean you're not the son of God? But that's one of the biggest claims of the bible." Matt says.

"It also claims I am God, but aside from my friends most didn't know anything about me or my life. I won't deny I am God, but it's not quite how the book put it. I wasn't born of God, but created the persona to do good in the world. It is like the Judgement you created. If people created a religion around Judgement and called you by that name instead of Matt how would that make you feel?" Josh says with a bit of irritation.

"So how did you become God then? And how long have you been alive?" Matt asks.

"Times were different back when I was growing up. There were many Gods over the ages. The concentration of magic on Earth was much higher, allowing for people like me to grow in power quite easily. Nowadays I can feel it coming back, which is strange because it was sealed very thoroughly a few hundred years ago and there are very few with the knowledge to unseal it. I was born as a human under unusual circumstances. My mother was Mary and my father was Joseph, obviously I am not my own father. Neither of my parents were virgins obviously since I was born. The unusual circumstances being the manger I was placed in after my birth contained what my mother at the time thought was water for the animals." Josh says before taking a sip of his coffee.

"So the manger story was true?" Matt asks quietly.

"They were different times back then, and we were not a wealthy family. The 'water' was put in there because the owners of that barn thought it looked dirty and wasn't fit for humans. It wasn't actually water. It was 'God's Breath,' the powers of a dying God that had left their body on their final breath. It contains an inheritance of sorts from that God and even though the animals drank it, it chose a human host to pass its knowledge." Josh explains.

"So then a baby with no knowledge is given memories of a God? How can you be sure that you aren't a reincarnation of that God and that you are Josh instead?" Matt asks.

"I've long made peace with that. I have his memories, billions of years of them in fact. But that doesn't change the fact that I was born and raised with my parents. They will always be my parents and I still visit them from time to time." Josh says.

"So your parents are immortal like you? Can you grant people immortality?" Matt asks.

"No, I may have reached immortality but they haven't. I created a dimension for them to relax in their old age. I believe you have some experience with alternate dimensions right? This dimension has everything they need and is unaffected by the passage of time. I have sent many of my friends and family members there over the years. Unless they still wish to keep up the fight." Josh explains.

"Is that dimension called Heaven? And what do you mean by that last sentence?" Matt continues his barrage of questions.

"Well, I originally used a slightly different name but with the changing of times it fits. I've been running this organization for a long time and had many warriors who were unable to break through to the immortal stage. So when they are no longer able to perform at their peak I give them a choice. They can either retire from this life, or they can be sent to another dimension to train and hopefully reach immortality. That dimension also is cut off from time, but it is quite chaotic. The whole brimstone and hellfire design of the place works really well for tempering our warriors. The creatures there seem never ending and are a perfect source of combat training for us. Even though we won the war against the previous owners of that dimension, it would still give us a lot of trouble if we didn't keep the residents' numbers down." Josh seems to be a bit tired of the conversation at this point. "Did you have any more questions for me? It is getting pretty late and I could go on for a few years about the things I have seen and experienced. Here is my number. Try not to use it too much though. I'm expecting great things from you."

"Ah, it is getting pretty dark out. Thank you for being patient." Matt says before leaving the coffee shop.

After Matt leaves the shop.

"He's an interesting kid, he seems more inclined to the light than most of his siblings." Josh says to someone who has taken up Matt's seat.

"Well, I did watch him grow up and his mom raised him well. I'm real proud of him as his older brother." A familiar figure says.

"How long have we known each other Carl? A few millennium now probably. You've had your ups and downs, I hope you don't let him make the same mistakes as you." Josh

"Of course not, but I haven't told him anything yet. It's good to let him stumble a bit before he learns to run." Carl says before leaving as well.