A whisper was all that he uttered as sweat covered his forehead. Shen Ling leaned closer to hear him say.

“M-My wounds, they ache.”

****

In a realm far detached from any other, standing aloft beyond the clouds, a palace of a quintessential nature.

It was as if sculpted of gold, with windows of crystal hewn and panes carved from silver. Every pattern was lined with precious stones, whilst runes of power adorned the doors.

These elements altogether would normally appear lurid and garish, overflowing with vanity. Yet here, instead, it was abundant with a divine harmony and bereft of mortal flaws.

Deep within, in what appeared to be a meeting room, were several figures discussing an issue that created a tense atmosphere.

“Must such measures be taken just to handle a child?”

“Need I remind you that paramount is the only way to describe this matter!”

“This is the soul discovered from before, correct?”

The figures speaking currently were all of varying ages and forms.

The first voice of dissent came from a figure whose age fluctuated between a child filled with vitality and curiosity, a young person smug in their ignorance of thinking they’ve seen all there is, and a doddering elder whose eyes were dimmed with the buffering of the ages.

Whilst the age kept rotating among these three extremes, this phenomenon somehow made it appear as if all three were currently existing at the same time. It was a strange sight for anyone else but those around this table. This figure was known as the God of Time and Perpetuity.

“I simply do not believe that the intervention of all of us elder gods is necessary for a common soul,” explained the God of Time and Perpetuity.

“He has survived the Omni Severance tribulation,” another being advised with graveness. This figure constantly shifted between hard and soft; male and female, light and dark, and even heaven and earth. This being was known as Yin and Yang.

“Impossible!” When the God of Time and Perpetuity heard this, it emulated something akin to shock.

“It is true. His soul has yet to enter reincarnation. The Anima Palace has been bereft of his presence ever since his first arrival,” The character who spoke this time was one who miraculously appeared in all places and none at the same time, whilst its presence would disappear and reappear at irregular intervals. This was the God of Space and Actuality.

“It was all due to an interference put forth by that same troublemaker from several eras ago.” Yin and Yang commented.

“Ah, yes. He did go the farthest. The young emperor,” God of Time and Perpetuity reminisced.

“Mina does play a large part in this problem if we’re being honest.” The one who spoke this time around was a seemingly harmless elder. Yet he possessed power well beyond those who were now present.

The other gods stared at him as if in awe. This was not because of his power, but rather who he served directly, the leader of the holy realm. This alone, beyond his massive power, granted him an authority that the others here could only look up to. He went only by the title of The Messenger and nothing else.

“Then again, she is young. It’s the only reason why we banished her to retrieve the gifts bestowed on… him, rather than destroy her. But of course, the main issue lies with the fact that we were unable to sense his first arrival to begin with,” The Messenger explained offhandedly, dancing around the possibility of Mina’s death as if it was nothing.

“About that. Why were we unable to sense him?” Yin and Yang asked.

“He was being hidden from our perception,” The Messenger advised.

“Excuse my disrespect, Royal Messenger,” The God of Time and Perpetuity interjected. “But the only one able to shield him from our divine senses would be a fellow elder god. And I believe none of us here would dare do such a thing.”

“You forgot a rare variable,” The Messenger smilingly advised, appearing like a gentle grandpa.

“Y-You don’t mean…”

The Messenger waved to another one of the elder gods to answer God of Time and Perpetuity’s concern, “God of Space and Actuality, if you would please,” he gestured to the being who while being everywhere and nowhere flickered in and out of existence.

“Understood.” God of Space and Actuality made a small gesture and instantly a figure bound by several runic chains glowing with a chilling dark light appeared, kneeling before them.

It was a woman who embodied what it meant to be beautiful. Her bearing was magnificent and beyond the divine. The presence she radiated made it appear as if every single one of her actions was meant to be whatever it was. For every breath that was taken, it appeared as if from the dawn of time, that breath was meant to be taken at that time, no earlier, nor later. It was a strange and captivating air that one would find themselves unable to extricate themselves from if carelessness was employed.

“Hello everyone,” her elegant voice drifted out, affecting everyone here. It was not the seductive quality that moved them. Rather, it was the destined nature of her actions. There was a supreme rhythm branded deep within her bones that not even the god suppressing bondage could erase.

“Goddess of Destiny and Fate,” The Messenger called out. “You helped Mina with the child’s reincarnation. On top of your present sentence regarding your crime of harming our Lord, why would you do such a thing?” he asked.

She turned to look at the Messenger once he was done and flashed him a smile in return. Instantly the room of light dimmed in comparison, such was the extent of her beauty, “My dear Messenger, I only wanted my children to thrive and he refused, so naturally, our differing stances bore grave consequences.”

“You shielded him from our divine senses. Are you intending to let what you fated back then to come to pass?” The Messenger asked.

“I did not fate anything. I am not Fate, nor Destiny, just like none of you,” she referred to all the gods here with a smile on her face, “are what you think you are.”

“Blasphemy!” The Gods here expressed rage for the first time in a long time. It was only their contemporary that was capable of this.

“Gods pretending to be the very things they are supposedly the gods of. You are all children playing make-believe.”

“Silence!” Even the Messenger could take no more of this, inciting the God Suppressing Bondage to contain her.

The chains glowed with dark light and a shrilling sound that bore deep into the soul.

Tssss…

“Ah…” the bondage burned into her divinity, causing a cry of pain to escape her lips, but even this appeared destined. After all, it was her whose power came infinitely close to their lord, trumping even the Messenger himself.

After some time, the burning ceased, and the chains’ lights dimmed, returning to their previous state.

“Now speak!” The Messenger roared at her. “You informed all of us long ago that the Lord himself would encounter a tragedy. Of course, we doubted it. Even the Lord who favoured you at the time had trouble believing it, but because it was you and only you, he paid attention to it. The seed of reincarnation that exists in that boy caused a change to well up in our Lord. You are the reason he is like this!”

“Like… what?” An aged voice echoed out, one that existed since before time came to be.

“My Lord Primordial!” All the gods present vacated their seats to execute a bow. The Messenger was no different.

A figure appeared at the head of the table. As if he was always there, this was their Lord Primordial.

It was a middle-aged man that looked no different from anyone else on the street of a mortal town. He was average in every aspect, average in height, race, looks and even bearing. He was average to the point where he was no longer average, a staggering contradiction that he bore naturally.

“Well, messenger,” he lazily called out to this messenger. “What am I like now?”

The Messenger shivered when their Lord addressed him, but he didn’t dare to continue this subject.

The Lord Primordial decided against making it hard on his subordinate and turned his attention to the prisoner before him, “Your betrayal wounds me, Goddess of Fate and Destiny.”

“You are a disgrace,” she said with a smile on her face. “You travelled to earth to kill a mortal child’s parents. Then you took him unto yourself and broke him, scarring his soul so that he may never come to harm you. You’re a coward and an embarrassment, less than a mortal, less than nothing.”

“You little slu-”

Bam!

A blow struck the Messenger, who was the only able to temporarily resist the suppression of their lord’s presence to berate the Goddess of Fate and Destiny.

He crashed into the wall of the palace. The walls were fine, but the Messenger discovered cracks spreading all over his body.

“Who said you could speak?” the calm voice of Lord Primordial drifted out. He had his eyes closed as a smile appeared on his face. “The destiny and fate suffused in your every action are as alluring as ever. A pleasure to listen to.”

“You’ve already driven him into quiet insanity on earth and now you won’t even allow him peace in his next life?” The Goddess of Fate and Destiny asked.

“Naturally,” Lord Primordial said matter-of-factly. This was the man who scarred Long Di back on earth. The man who the latter called Uncle.

“He found death with that cat of his before my work was done on them both. I can’t allow all that to be wasted. In addition, those parents of his…” he opened his eyes and stared at the goddess once more. “You’ve been quite busy. Oh, and that little one he is travelling with. What are you up to, I wonder?”

“Leave the child be,” the Goddess pleaded.

“His very existence is an affront to me, and you were right to warn me when you were still loyal. The cultivation world is quite fluid, very different from earth,” he said, talking to himself. “I think it’s about to take root, so he is of no use to me anymore. Had you not made a blunder back then with those accursed children of yours, we could have avoided all this. Back to imprisonment with you,” Lord Primordial waved his hand, sending her back whence she came.

He retracted his suppression on the elder gods here before saying, “Never summon her without my permission again.” His countenance was dark and chilling.

The Messenger fell to his knees, still wounded, “This one knows where he was wrong, Milord!”

Lord Primordial nodded to accept his servitude and fear. He then issued a shocking command, “Prepare for me a trip. I need to go visit my nephew.”