Guys we have reached the end of Volume 1 of this long journey sorry its been so long since I've updated ive been working on my own books you can read but thank you for the love so far.
Regular text
Venom talking
(Thoughts)
[System]
ON TO THE CHAPTER
Oliver Pov.
The castle was buzzing with celebration as the party went on into the night. The soldiers, who Godrick had left to die, were especially happy, their laughter and cheers filling the halls. Even the merchants, like Kale, who usually stuck to their shops, joined in the fun, their faces lit up with joy at this first big win against the Golden Order.
Meanwhile, I'd left Nicole and my clone with clear instructions to start the portal and move the castle, keeping everyone inside safe as the night went on. With that important task taken care of, I went to my bedroom, which was conveniently connected to the throne room. The room was comfy, and I especially loved the soft mattress – a welcome break after the day's craziness.
As I lay on the bed, my body instantly relaxed, my muscles unclenching, and my mind calming down. The room was filled with a soft, warm glow from a single candle, casting dancing shadows on the walls and creating a peaceful mood. My eyelids got heavy, and I slowly drifted off to sleep.
But my rest didn't last long. Barely a minute had passed when I was suddenly and roughly pulled from my bed, my peaceful sleep shattered by something or someone I didn't know and definitely didn't want there.
Opening up my eyes the room has somehow turned into a mountain top. In the center laid a table with tea sitting with a person that looked like a monkey sitting there drinking from a cup.
"Are you going to join me for tea or are you going to keep looking at me", the monkey man yelled out to me.
I remember that annoying voice from when I first arrived in the Lands Between. He also called me his heir. It has to be Wukong.
"Am I dreaming? How did I even get here" I asked myself, but the mountain air felt too real.
"Dreaming? No, no, no, my dear boy. This is as real as it gets," the monkey man chuckled, taking another sip of his tea. "Though I suppose for you, it might feel like a dream. A very long, strange dream."
I looked around. The mountaintop was covered in snow, and the wind howled like a beast. The stars above were bright and unfamiliar. "Where am I?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"Where? Oh, you're in a place between places, a little pocket dimension I like to call my waiting room," he explained casually. "Now come sit." As he gestured at the spot in front of him on the other side of the table.
I quickly walked to the spot and sat on the pillow in front of him. The Monkey man poured me a cup of tea as I just looked at him.
"Why am I here?", I asked.
The monkey man, Wukong I think his name is, smiled at me. "Patience, my boy. All in good time. First, tell me, how has my gift been treating you?"
"Your gift?" I echoed, confused.
"Yes, yes! The power, the potential. How have you been using it? Have you been honing your skills, or have you been squandering them?" His eyes twinkled with an almost mischievous curiosity
"So you really are Wukong", I replied completely ignoring everything else he said.
"Hweaww-HEEE-hee-height", He laughed out. " My foolish heir of course I'm Wukong, welp I should say an aspect of him but the details don't really matter". Finishing with a huge smile at me.
My eye began to twitch as I felt my annoyance grow. "Right, well what is the point of me being here", I asked once again.
"Ugh fine, fine I just wanted to check on ya since you finally completed your first big quest."
Wukong answered.
"My first big quest?" I echoed, a bitter taste in my mouth. "You make it sound like some game. I had to… I had to kill a lot of people, Wukong. And for what? To move a castle? To survive?"
Wukong's playful demeanor shifted, just a fraction, replaced by something akin to seriousness. "Survival is a powerful motivator, Oliver. And you've shown you have what it takes. I see the changes in you. Some of your mental fortitude has been restored, yes? Since your first… setback?" He gestured vaguely, referring to my earlier death and the loss of some soldiers. "But I also see the pain. It weighs on you, doesn't it?"
I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "It does," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I never wanted this. To be a killer. To be dragged into this… this war."
Wukong sighed, the sound carrying a surprising weight. "You weren't just 'dragged' here, Oliver. You were chosen. Specifically. By Markia."
My head snapped up. "Markia? You know her?"
Wukong nodded slowly. "I do now. I understand much more than I did before. There are forces at play, Oliver, greater than even I comprehended at first. Markia's prayer to me saved your life. When Radagon took the system from you it would've ended your entire soul."
The revelation hit me like a physical blow. Markia's prayer… saved me? But why? "What do you mean, Radgaon took the system?" I asked, my mind reeling.
Wukong paused, the steam rising from his teacup mirroring the tension in the room. He took a deliberate sip, his eyes holding mine with a weight that spoke volumes. "Radagon," he began, his voice laced with a solemn understanding, "is not evil. Heck at point he was one of the pillars of justice in that world.
My mind raced as he began telling me more information I've been missing. Honestly wished that Venom was here so he could give me input but oddly he's been very quiet. I focused again on the words Wukong was saying so I don't miss anything important.
However," he continued, his tone hardening, "he is now corrupted, by the very God he used to serve. Forced to do any actions they dem is right even if he wants to go against them,"
He leaned forward, his gaze unwavering. "In this specific instance," he explained, "it was his fear of you that led to you almost dying. He used Markia's access to the system to crush every little bit of power given to you. Due to the enhancements I gave them, it being bonded to your soul and not your finger maiden caused your soul to be crushed.
I gulped as this is the most serious I've ever seen of Wukong. My mind racing at the fact that I could've easily been dead if it wasn't for this deity sitting right in front of me. Oliver Pov.
My mind raced as Wukong spoke of Radagon and Markia. "How did Radagon access Markia's power?" I blurted out, the question burning in my mind.
Wukong's smile softened. "Ah, yes. That is the crux of it, isn't it?" He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Oliver, Markia and Radagon... they are two halves of a whole. Two aspects of the same being, split into separate entities. Markia is the divine feminine, the compassionate heart, while Radagon is the martial might, the disciplined will. When Radagon took control, he could access Markia's inherent connection to the system, the very system that governs your powers."
My head swam with this new information. It was almost too much to take in. "So they're the same person?" I asked, struggling to wrap my mind around the concept.
Wukong nodded. "In a way. Think of it as two sides of the same coin. Each with their own will and desires, but ultimately, connected. And Markia, she was the one who pleaded with me. She begged me to send you away, to grant you the power to protect yourself from the Golden Order. That's why I sent you to Danmachi. To learn, to grow stronger, to develop a more streamlined system better suited for future battles.
Understanding dawned on me. "So that's why Venom knew about the quests?"
"Yes," Wukong confirmed. "I gave him that information before you, well, before you passed out."
"This is alot to take in, honestly I feel very overwhelmed", I admitted.
He smiled, a warm, genuine smile. "I'm very proud so far of what you have accomplished. Building an army and changing the fate of some of the characters in The Lands Betweens is no small feat. You have done a good job with little you had.
"Thank you", I whispered my head down as I didn't know what else to say.
He chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Its funny you didn't join my famila in the Danmachi world. I have to admit, its been funny watching you deal with the Hestia Familia. Bell's jealousy have been hilarious!"
I felt a surge of annoyance. "WAIT YOU COULD'VE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE I HAD NO CHOICE SINCE VENOM AND I ONLY HAD THOSE QUESTS TO FOLLOW!"
Wukong shrugged, a playful smirk on his face. "Actually, it's not true you don't have to complete any quest. You can deny or even fail a quest and the only thing that'll happen is you lose a reward.
I felt like I wanted to strangle this annoying person in front of me. Just think a moment ago I was happy he said he was proud of me. He could've told me any of this before when he sent notes yet he kept it secret from me. The urge to cry out and punch the ground grew the more I saw him sipping his tea.
"So the entire time, I wouldn't have faced a huge penalty", I asked, my voice weary from the conversation so far.
Wukong quickly replied, " Welp I don't know about before but since you gained a connection to the gods version of a system I took control of what was left over. Before Marika was the one choosing quest and rewards. Now I help with quests and give rewards based on that. I actually reward you more based on thinking outside the box and changing people's fates. The better you do the more abilities and Gacha spins you gain from what you do."
I was taken aback. "I was talking to Marika the entire time" I asked, shocked.
Wukong burst into laughter. "Yes my dear boy. Who else would be in charge. She gave you the system and you didn't have a finger maiden. I'm actually shocked you just figured it out".
I sighed. It made sense because of the way it kept addressing me as tarnished. I really felt dumb as hell right now.
"Why don't people ever comment on my skills? Only thing people see is Venom and my magic Oh and also my stand.", I asked. This was the last thing on my mind because I'm done dealing with this mess right now.
Wukong's expression turned serious. "That was my doing, Oliver. I made it so that people would forget about the abilities you display. If people remembered everything, especially with how powerful you have gotten, you would have more people trying to capture you, kill you, or use you for their own means."
"I guess, I owe you my thanks", I replied.
"No thanks needed, I'm just looking out for my heir. Though I got bad news to tell you", He stated.
I let out a heavy sigh as my tiredness dripped into my tone. "What is it now?", I asked.
Ugh my heir don't be like that", Wukong lectured his voice taking on a more teaching tone. "It's not that bad, just going forward quest will only be giving out gacha spins and no more abilities. I feel like you need to learn the powers you already have before gaining more. I also recommended to save all your gacha spins for the next few missions in turn I'll make your first 3 spins something special including a new companion and a power you will need"
"Okay, that's fine, anything else you want to drop on me or can I leave already", I questioned.
"Yes, last thing I swear", Wukong cried out fake tears coming out his eyes. "Darkness I switched out for another tank that'll be better for you instead of her for future battles. Also you won't be able to access Skullduggery for a while. He is on a mission with his student and um it's not going well for him. Soon I'll send a mission for you to help him but you don't need to worry about that for a while.
"Anything else?". I stated not caring anymore.
"Nope, just know I'm proud of what you've done so far", He said with a wave of his hand.
I found myself back in my room, the soft glow of the candle still casting dancing shadows. It was as if I had never left. I looked around, half expecting Wukong to pop back in, but the room was still. I let out a long, shaky breath. So much had happened. So much to process.
I closed my eyes, and almost instantly, sleep claimed me. I was exhausted, mentally and emotionally. I just wanted to forget everything and sleep.I woke up to a prodding at my side. "Oliver? Oliver, wake up." Venom's voice was in my head, laced with concern.
I groaned and rolled over, trying to bury my face in the pillow. "Go away, Venom."
"But… but I was asleep, and then suddenly you were gone, and then you were back, and I could feel… something. A shift. What happened?"
I didn't answer. I just wanted to sleep. I was so tired of it all. Tired of the fighting, tired of the choices, tired of the gods and their schemes.
Venom persisted. "Oliver, please. I'm worried. You were gone for a long time. I… I thought something bad had happened."
I sighed heavily. "Nothing happened, Venom. Nothing that I want to talk about right now."
"But…"
"Just… just let me sleep, okay?" I turned my back to him, hoping he would get the hint.
After a moment of silence, Venom's voice softened. "Okay. But… but if you need anything… anything at all… just let me know."
I didn't reply. I just closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep, the weight of Wukong's revelations and my own exhaustion pulling me under. I needed time. Time to process everything, time to decide what to do next. And for now, all I wanted was sleep.