Chapter 33: The Final Glass
Third Person – Narrative View
The garden grew quiet again—soft wind rustling the leaves of silver ferns, the sky above still glowing in warm gold-white brilliance. Oliver wandered slightly, his footsteps heavy across the marble.
A gentle tap-tap of clawed feet echoed nearby.
From between floating vines and crystalline columns emerged a female tortoise, her shell a dark, mossy green patterned with natural carvings, like tree rings or ancient stone. She carried a slender glass cup, the liquid inside fizzing faintly—an orange glow bubbling like magma trapped in soda.
She offered it to Oliver without a word.
Then, to demonstrate, she walked to a nearby rock pedestal, dipped a single drop from the glass using a crystal dropper, and—
Shhhhhhhh—
Sssst.
The stone hissed, blackened, and dissolved on contact, reduced to dust and smoke within seconds.
Oliver stumbled back, wide-eyed.
> "W-what the hell is that?"
The Black Tortoise stepped forward, calm and steady, his serpent stirring lazily across his back.
> "It is a symbolic drink," he said. "Pure Vita in a hyper-concentrated, catalytic form. Acid to the weak. Elixir to the chosen."
Oliver looked at the fizzing liquid in the glass again. The glow danced. It looked like it was alive.
> "Drink it," said the Black Tortoise. "If you truly wish to pass into this world, to cross beyond return, this is your key."
Oliver stood still.
The air around him was warm, but his body felt cold. He gripped the glass in both hands, fingers trembling.
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First Person – Oliver Reed
I thought I could just do it. That it'd be easy.
Just drink and move on.
But my mom's laugh hit my head.
My dad's old advice, his jokes during football games, the way he fell asleep on the couch holding the remote—like muscle memory.
They worked hard.
They sacrificed so much.
And me?
I barely held jobs. I drowned in screens. I played games and checked out from life. But they never gave up on me.
And now I'm just… gone?
Part of me said this was a selfish escape. Another part said this was fate. A bigger world. A new meaning.
> "I can't just disappear," I said, quietly. "They'll worry. They'll search for me. But... I won't make their lives better by staying either."
I looked up at the Black Tortoise.
> "Can you erase my identity? Make it so I never existed... but don't erase their memories. Let them remember me. Just... let them move on."
The tortoise tilted his head, eyes distant—searching.
> "It is a painful magic. A deep one. But it can be done. They will remember a son they loved… but not one who vanished. It will be like a life dreamed… and then let go."
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Third Person – Narrative View
Oliver nodded slowly. Still unsure. Still guilty. But he knew deep down—
He didn't belong in that world anymore.
Not because he was unworthy.
But because his story was meant for somewhere else.
He looked down at the glowing glass.
The fizzing slowed.
The choice was now.
The weight of two worlds pressed on his shoulders.
And still—there was more in his heart. Not just guilt.
What else?
> The fear of failure again.
The thought: What if I disappoint this world too?
What if this new world has no place for me either?
But beneath the guilt… beneath the doubt…
was something deeper still.
Hope.
A quiet, flickering flame he hadn't felt since childhood. The kind that says maybe this time... I become someone.
---
Oliver brought the glass to his lips.
He whispered a quiet apology to his parents.
And then—he drank.
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Chapter 34: The Regression
Third Person – Narrative View
Oliver licked his lips slowly.
He had prepared himself for a shock—acid burning his throat, visions of space cracking open, light bursting through his spine…
But instead?
> It tasted like… water.
Cool. Neutral. Clean. Almost anticlimactic.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, confused. "Was that it?"
The Black Tortoise nodded knowingly, staff tapping the ground.
> "Indeed. The liquid responds to choice. To certainty. Because you truly committed, it recognized your will—and transformed to match the most natural essence: water."
> "You were ready. So it did not resist you."
Before Oliver could respond—
The tortoise raised his jade staff.
The garden trembled.
And from the sky above—a roaring mass of water descended.
WHOOSH!!!
A primordial sea, as vast as oceans and as ancient as the stars, came crashing down from the air like an inverted waterfall. The sheer volume of it should've flattened mountains.
Oliver screamed.
The tidal wall struck them—not painfully, but with sheer force, like being pulled into the gravity of something beyond comprehension. Down, down, down—it rushed like a divine elevator.
Through color and depth:
> Dark Blue.
Cobalt Blue.
Ocean Blue.
Turquoise.
Each shade felt like a layer of existence peeling back.
And at the center of it all, calm as stone, floated the Black Tortoise—eyes closed, staff glowing, guiding the current through dimensions.
Then—
Silence.
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Third Person – Arrival at the Threshold
Oliver blinked, coughing.
His lungs worked. He gasped in air—pink light overhead, a sky like cotton stretched across a sunset. He looked around in disbelief, water dripping from his hair and sleeves.
He was at the threshold of the Celestial Realm.
Soaked but whole.
But something was… wrong.
Very wrong.
His clothes didn't fit. His shirt sleeves were loose and sliding off his shoulders. His pants were gone—replaced by black shorts. He looked down—
> Tiny hands.
Skinny arms.
No gut.
Oliver gasped and stumbled backwards.
A faint reflection in a silver puddle confirmed it:
He was a child.
Brown hair, medium length. Bright, wide eyes. Skinny frame. He looked barely six years old—first grade age.
His voice cracked when he spoke.
> "Wha… what happened to me?!"
The Black Tortoise floated gently to the ground beside him, totally dry despite the ocean having just swallowed them whole.
> "You were too old, Oliver Reed," the Tortoise said without cruelty. "This world does not grant new paths to stagnant bones."
> "To truly walk Eloria as one who grows… you must begin again."
> "You are still yourself… but younger. Smaller. Reset. So that you may learn. Fight. Struggle. And rise again."
Oliver touched his face. His cheek was smooth. His limbs were light. He didn't feel weak. He felt…
> Strangely free.
His old world was behind him now.
No more job markets.
No more hot pockets.
No more doomscrolling TikToks in a dark room.
Now, a new world awaited. A vast world. With cities and mountains, floating continents and ancient powers. With Vita.
And a second chance.
[End Summary: Regression]
End Summary:
[And so it begins—Oliver Reed, once a weary 28-year-old man burdened by the weight of a stagnant life, has been reduced to a small 6-year-old child by the divine will of the Black Tortoise within the celestial realm. His past washed away by the tides of the Primordial Sea, Oliver now stands at the edge of a new beginning, his body reborn and his fate rewritten. What awaits him in this second life—within a world shaped by gods, spirits, and untold mysteries—will challenge not just his strength, but the very core of who he is. The journey forward begins not with power, but with purity. A child's body. A soul awakened. A destiny rekindled.]
Third-Person Summary:
After his transformation by the Black Tortoise, Oliver was teleported into a modern, blue-walled room—calm, clean, and unfamiliar. A massive bed dominated the space, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the crushing weight he always carried—physically and emotionally—was gone. No longer obese, he was now in the small, fragile body of a 6-year-old child. The strangeness of it all lingered heavily, but there was no time to dwell.
The door creaked open.
A man entered—brown-haired, clean-shaven, looking to be in his early thirties. Around 5'10" in height, he carried a gentle but uncertain energy. This was Liam Woods, Oliver's apparent adoptive father in this new life. Following behind him was Martha, Liam's wife, her red hair striking and her dress flowing with streaks of white like clouds on fire.
Liam smiled warmly and said, "There's my boy," before lifting the small Oliver into his arms. Despite the unfamiliar affection, Oliver said nothing—his mind still the same as the 28-year-old man he once was on Earth. He didn't resist, didn't question aloud. He simply observed, letting the moment pass quietly. Confused, yes—but something told him this was only the beginning. So, for now... he played along.
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Chapter 35: New Name, New Home [Chapter version]
Third Person – Narrative View
Oliver blinked against soft white light as he appeared—no, was placed—inside a large, high-ceilinged bedroom.
The walls were painted a calm modern sky blue, trimmed with white. A plush navy carpet lined the floor. The massive bed behind him was perfectly made with soft covers tucked at the corners, and he sank into it slightly, his tiny legs dangling off the edge.
Everything felt so… quiet.
So light.
Like the weight—all of it—his body, his doubts, the hot pockets, the scrolling despair... had been lifted clean off his chest.
He looked down at his small arms again. So thin. So alien.
He wasn't used to this body. The strength was gone. The gravity was different. Even blinking felt strange, like there wasn't enough eyelid anymore.
Then—the door creaked open.
In stepped a man. Early 30s.
Brown hair, clean-cut, neatly dressed in a simple gray tunic with black accents—modern in design, slightly foreign in texture. No beard, clean skin, about 5'10", with calm, soft eyes and a careful smile.
He looked relieved. Familiar.
Behind him, a red-haired woman entered, her long curls tied up in a twist. She wore a red and white dress with ribboned details. She was soft-eyed, glowing, calm like a spring afternoon.
> "There he is!" the man said warmly, voice rich with joy. "There's our boy."
Before Oliver could react, he was scooped up.
Lifted like a feather.
His breath caught in surprise.
First Person – Oliver Reed
Liam Woods.
Apparently… my new adoptive father?
This world works fast.
I'm still me. My memories, my thoughts, everything—still inside. Still 28. Still jobless. Still half-traumatized from watching the Black Tortoise flood the garden with an ocean.
And now… I'm in a new house. A new family. A new life.
My chest felt tight for a second, not from pain—just confusion. Emotion. Guilt again. Sadness. Gratitude. All swirling into one overwhelming fog I didn't know how to clear.
But I didn't say a word.
I just looked at him.
Liam smiled like he'd waited for me for years.
And for a moment…
> I didn't want to ruin it.
So I said nothing.
I just watched.
Let them think I was their real son.
Maybe I am now.
---
Third Person – Narrative View
Martha came closer, gently brushing Oliver's hair with her hand. Her smile was gentle, but her eyes searched his face with motherly precision.
> "You must be tired, sweetheart," she said quietly.
Oliver only nodded.
Not because he was tired.
But because he didn't trust his voice to hold steady.
Something new was beginning.
And for the first time in a long time…
Oliver didn't feel completely lost.
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[Facts]
Here is a summary of the accuracy of information surrounding the Black Tortoise (玄武, Xuánwǔ) in Chinese folklore:
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✅ Accurate Information About the Black Tortoise (玄武):
1. One of the Four Symbols (四象, Sì Xiàng):
The Black Tortoise is one of the Four Symbols of Chinese constellations, representing the north and the winter season. The others are the Azure Dragon (east), White Tiger (west), and Vermillion Bird (south).
2. Associated Animal Form:
The Black Tortoise is often depicted as a tortoise entwined with a snake. This symbolizes a combination of endurance (tortoise) and flexibility or transformation (snake).
3. Elemental Correspondence:
The Black Tortoise is associated with the water element in the Five Elements (五行, Wǔxíng) theory, reinforcing its ties to winter and the north.
4. Daoist Influence:
In Daoism, Xuánwǔ is sometimes worshiped as a divine warrior deity who achieved immortality through purification. In this context, he is sometimes referred to as Zhenwu Dadi (真武大帝).
5. Protective Symbolism:
The Black Tortoise is considered a guardian figure, especially in architecture and burial customs, often placed in the north to ward off evil and ensure protection.
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❌ Common Misconceptions or Inaccuracies:
1. Not Just a Tortoise:
Many depictions leave out the snake, showing only a tortoise. However, the entwined snake is an essential part of the traditional symbolism.
2. Not a Western Zodiac Creature:
Some modern interpretations confuse the Four Symbols with Western zodiac signs or astrology. The Four Symbols are distinctly East Asian, rooted in ancient Chinese star lore.
3. Not a Single Entity Across All Myths:
In some stories, Xuánwǔ is a mythical beast, and in others, a deified human. Mixing the celestial beast with the Daoist warrior god can be misleading if context is not clarified.
4. Not Evil or Demonic:
Despite its dark coloration and snake-like association, Xuánwǔ is not considered malevolent in traditional Chinese belief — in fact, it's a protective and noble force.
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