POV: Tian

I stared silently at the imposing gates of the Cavan clan -my clan. To be honest, I wasn't certain what to feel right now. It'd been eleven years since the last time I was here, meaning I missed the date of the fight I was supposed to have with the Young Lord. Somewhere along the line I realized that it had been a joke for me to fight the Young Lord, but until the day I turned twenty and found myself stuck running from a sect of devil cultivators, unable to return, I had been fooling myself with the notion that it had been a serious challenge. It had all been a joke.

I was born into a clan of cultivators, yet couldn't cultivate. Then, I was kicked out of my clan to 'temper myself,' under the promise that if I returned in ten years and could defeat the Young Lord then my training would be considered complete. After that, I got hopelessly lost in a forest for four years, worked as a mercenary cultivator for two, and somehow ended up travelling all over this part of Pangea. Then for five whole years it was one hell after another, from fighting with cultivators to falling in love with a devil-woman that wound up not only breaking my heart but also robbing me blind. As if to add insult to injury, I ended up saving her from a group of devil cultivators before cutting off all ties to her. Then I was blamed for those evil cultivators' crimes and chased around the entire province, until I ran into some more devil cultivators, smashed their 'sacred treasure,' and found myself on the run from them as well. Thankfully I managed to clear up any misunderstanding I had with the normal cultivators in the end, and together we wiped out the devil cultivators.

At some point, I just stopped being angry at it all and couldn't help but laugh. If my shit luck isn't funny, then what is? This was only driven home when the two gate guards at the clan started asking if there really was a clan member named Tian, as if they had completely forgotten about me.

"Look, guys, I just want to pay my respects, and then I'm going to leave." I said to the two guards, a complicated feeling rising up in my heart. Was that really why I was here, to pay my respects? For ten years I had been chasing something I knew was a joke, something not to be taken seriously, and yet it had been my focus, my reason for struggling. Now I didn't have that goal. So what was I really looking for? Closure?

"Shut up!" One of the guards snapped, obviously feeling superior because he couldn't sense any cultivation from me. Even though I could fight on-par with those monsters in the Dao Forming stage, the cultivation level one stage away from the Immortal stages, I didn't seem to have any noticable cultivation. Obviously I could use some sort of power, though I had no idea what it was, but I was still a mortal. None of the sects would accept me and teach me, and the libraries for cultivators were cut off to mortals...so I had no real idea as to what this power was, and no way to find out. But that's beside the point.

"Look, my name is Tian Cavan. I was sent out to temper myself eleven years ago, and was supposed to return one year ago. Back then I was just a little kid with one broken horn that couldn't cultivate. Do you seriously not recognize me?" I asked. I may have been considered trash, but at least trash is memorable. Don't tell me they forgot...?

"...Sounds familiar, actually." One of the guards relented, peering at my two broken horns. "Go get the captain." He told his companion. The other guard glared for a moment before leaving, and I let out a relieved sigh. Finally, we were getting somewhere. Not but a minute later, the guard came back with an old man I recognized in tow. My eyes widened at the sight, and I couldn't help but let out a small voice.

"Dad...?" I muttered. The question didn't go unnoticed by the old man, and he fixated his gaze upon me. After a few moments the head guard's eyebrows rose up in recognition, his brown eyes filled with confusion. Without a doubt, this man was my father. Since when was he the head of the guards...?

"T-Tian?" He questioned, looking me up and down. "Is it really you?" For a moment I just stared at him, and then smiled bitterly. What was with this concern? When I was kicked out he hadn't raised a hand in protest.

"Yeah. Tian Cavan's back a year late." I said, steeling my voice. Father paused, visibly restraining himself before turning towards the guards. "Since when are you the head of the guards?" I asked. He turned and looked at me for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to the guards.

"Go tell the Clan Head that the time has come. My son has returned." He said a little forcefully. The guards blanched a little and took off running through the gates, leaving Dad and me alone together. "Come on, Tian."

"What's going on?" I asked, my hand tightening around my spear. I'd had it for four years and it was on the brink of breaking, but I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away. It may be just a normal hunting spear with an ashwood shaft and a steel tip, but it had gotten me out of many sticky situations, just like my only true companion; Fenri, the Skyshatter Wolf. Currently Fenri (I had renamed her at that one village girl's request...she was the only person I had been unable to repay for her kindness) was off in the surrounding forest, playing around and generally having a grand old time, unless I called for help. With the strange connection we shared, she would be here in a matter of seconds, and wipe the entire Cavan Clan off the face of Pangea if I asked.

That's loyalty.

"We're going to test how well you've tempered yourself." Dad said, his voice quivering slightly, and I felt my entire body tense.

"What?" I hissed, narrowing my eyes. Was this some kind of joke?

"...I'll explain everything later. I know I have no right to say this, but for now, please trust me." Dad said. Anger flared up in the pit of my stomach, and I ground my teeth. I wanted to know exactly what was going on. What kind of game was he playing 'testing how well I've tempered myself?' And again, since when is he the head of the clan guards! What the hell's going on?! But I swallowed my protests and narrowed my eyes, silently observing as my clan ran about, and was incredibly respectful towards me. My suspicion only continued to grow, especially considering the way Dad was trying his hardest to hide his trembling.

The answer came about twenty minutes later, while I stood in the middle of the training grounds, supposedly waiting for the Young Lord to arrive. There weren't any barriers around the grounds, so I wasn't worried about escaping. A few people from the clan had arrived not too long ago, including my mother, who couldn't even look at me, so I spread out my power, covering the entirety of the clan compound. I hadn't done so before simply because...well, I thought it would be rude, but upon doing so I saw myself as nothing but a fool. Three great cultivators were within the compound, each one on the cusp of immortality. (That's another thing, no one could hide their cultivation base from me...this power of mine was very strange.) They were talking with the clan head, and as soon as I noticed them, one of them noticed me. From him I could sense ripples of power very similar to my own.

Don't be alarmed. A voice sounded out in my head. We mean no harm. I ground my teeth, cursing myself for being so foolish. There was no way I'd be able to escape those old monsters, no matter how skilled I am. But now, at least, I have my answer. Those old monsters are the reason everyone's acting so strangely. But why are they here? After another minute or so, the clan head began to move, leading the Young Lord, or who I assumed was the Young Lord (I didn't know, it's been so long since I'd sensed him) to the training ground where I stood.

"...I don't understand why I have to fight him! He's just trash! I hardly even remember him!" The Young Lord shouted as he emerged from the Main House, the tall oaken doors swinging open wide and revealing the Clan Head and the three old monsters. One I sort-of recognized. I talked to him a bit after fighting the devil cultivators..."See, even now he has no cultivation base! I could mop the floor with him!" The Young Lord continued to protest.

I stared at him for a moment, and snorted coldly. Fool. With how strong I am now, he wouldn't even be worth the mud on my shoes as an opponent. In fact, the only people in the entire clan who really pose a threat to me are the three old monsters, that's how strong I am...

Wait. My brows furrowed and I looked at my spear. I'm strong. Yes, that's right. I'm strong, incredibly so for someone who allegedly doesn't cultivate...Huh. This is the first time I've really thought of myself as strong. Before, I was running so much and constantly having to fight against those who were much stronger than I, but now I can truly call myself strong, even if I am not at the peak. I looked back up at the Clan Head as he chastized his son for being so disrespectful in front of the Seniors, and felt my world view slowly beginning to shift.

Once again I looked around at the collected people. Then who were the old monsters here for? It couldn't be for anyone in the clan besides...me. I did mention that my name was Tian Cavan, so they probably traced me back here, which is therefore why the clan is acting like it is. They're trying to please those old monsters. Once again I focused my attention on the Young Lord, my anger towards the boy just draining away. He had been my goal for the longest time, I had constantly improved myself so that I could beat him, only to find that I had long since surpassed him in every way.

I sighed, and looked around the crowd for the last time, fully intent on saying my goodbyes and leaving the Cavan Clan for all eternity (I was just so done with all of this), when my gaze landed on her. Inesa, that little village girl. She was staring at me, expertly hiding her emotions, and although her outward appearance had changed I still knew it was her. Her soul hadn't changed at all. Funny, how now I could sense souls...

Like a puzzle piece, everything I had ever thought about the unfairness of my life just shifted. And I started to laugh.

POV CHANGE: Statera Luotian

Tian had finally reached the stage of enlightenment his soul was ready for. He was by no means prepared to create the first true dao path, or anything that came after that, but simply seeing Inesa at the Cavan Clan had shocked him enough to alter his mindset from 'life was out to get me,' to 'life was building me up.' Though it was more along the lines of 'beating the iron while its hot.' From here, everything would slow down a great degree, it would be at least a century before Tian's next big breakthrough (he'd already extended his lifespan through his strength in soulpower and heartpower), but...for now, I'm just playing around with him a bit. He did good, and deserves a bit of a break.

"Father." Elvira asked, suddenly appearing next to me. She looked a little unsure of herself, and I smirked inwardly. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Playing matchmaker." I giggled, watching Tian move towards Inesa, completely ignoring the attacks of the Cavan Clan's Young Lord and still laughing his head off.

"I...see." Elvira said slowly. I turned to look at her, a smile on my face. "I take it you already know?" She asked looking at me with a strange expression. Of course, she was talking about Gilles' proposal. After five years of preparation he had finally popped the question.

"Yes. I knew five years ago, when he approached me for my blessing on the matter." I replied with a soft smile. Elvira almost immediately relaxed after I said that, and I placed one hand on her shoulder. "You have my blessing, Elvira, if this is what you want."

"Thank you." She said, smiling at me and nodding. Nothing more needed to be said between us, and we lapsed into momentary silence. "Now...tell me what you're doing again?"

"Playing with the mortals," I said, looking down at Tian, "and playing matchmaker." Though currently Tian was talking with the three cultivators on the cusp of attempting their Immortal Tribulations, not talking to Inesa. As the single most powerful soul and heartpower cultivator in the Four Realms, of course those three are interested in Tian, so he had to postpone his talk with Inesa. Anything that would help those old three to grow more powerful and help them overcome their Tribulation is good in their eyes, hence why they sought Tian out at the Cavan Clan, and are willing to allow Tian a bit of freedom in return for his help.

"I...see. I thought you were going to focus on expanding the Four Realms?" Elvira asked.

"This is! When the first Dao Path is made, the growth rate of the Four Realms will increase exponentially!" I protested. Elvira just smiled a little, showing she was just messing with me, before turning and vanishing again. With a small huff I looked back down at the Mortal Realm and shook my head, before vanishing and returning to my Palace.

Later, I learned that Elvira and Gilles were planning on having the wedding in approximately a thousand years, on top of the Life-Giving Tree. There was absolutely no reason to rush such an event, and as deities we have all the time in the world. Technically speaking a thousand years wasn't that long of a time-frame anyways, but that was nit-picking, really. Thinking on it now...a thousand years sure seems like a long time, especially considering the events contained in the last twelve thousand. Seriously, everything happened! At least things are starting to calm down now that the storm's passed...we should only feel the aftershocks from hereon out, but still! These last twelve millennia have been wild!

It was five hundred years after Gilles proposed to Elvira when the Four Realms itself gave birth to a sentient race, without the aid of of any deities. In fact, it was created from one of the trees in my palace, no doubt the process having sped up due to my influence. I named them Dryads -beings of the Trees. To call myself shocked at having witnessed one of these beings crawl out of my garden of trees while I sat enjoying the peace and quite was an understatement. It had been one of the last things I had been expecting that day. She was a lovely looking female, with green skin, dark green hair, and shining eyes. Leaves and vines sprouted from various parts of her body, wrapping around her like clothes. She also had this funny ability to merge with any and all trees -so long as they were the same or similar species to the one she was born from. Needless to say, I immediately spread them out across the entirety of the Four Realms.

This event increased the expansion rate of the Four Realms, which confused me until Mr. Blue Boxes explained it.

Creation! First Natural-Born Sentient Race!

Without your intervention, the Dryad race would have been the first sentient race in the Four Realms. Naturally created by the environment of the Four Realms and designed with heavy influence from the Life-Giving Tree, the Dryad race has a natural affinity for all plant-life and will actively protect places where plant-life flourishes. As the first natural-born sentient race, the Dryads will be a major template for all natural-born races that follow.

Rewards:

For the first natural-born sentient race appearing in the Four Realms, expansion rate has increased by .0005%.

I guess Mr. Blue Boxes mentioned the rewards bit because I actually asked for it. Beyond that, right up until ten years before Elvira's scheduled wedding, it was life as usual. Then something very...interesting happened.

I was simply trimming my garden, enjoying some small talk with Inesa as she paid me a visit (she had visited a few times to talk over the past millennia, apparently overcoming her hesitation regarding me) when I felt something rip the walls of the Four Realms. It wasn't like the Paradox, where something entered my universe with the intent to destroy it, but more like...well, it felt like someone created a passage from one place to another, and that passage just happened to meet with my Realm, by blowing a hole through the wall.

The moment it happened I stiffened and vanished, reappearing in the Mortal Realm, where the hole had been ripped open. The hole itself was a shifting, swirling mass of purple and white energy, the edges looking very much like the very fabric of the Realm shattered, with cracks stretching outwards and everything. On the other side I could sense some very peculiar fluctuations, however what caught my attention the most was the being standing just outside of that circle. It wasn't a being from my Four Realms, but thankfully it seemed to be capable of surviving in the atmosphere on Pangea.

The being itself was very humanoid, like all sentient races in my Realms, and was dressed in brown robes, held a gnarled wooden staff, and was looking around with wide green eyes, the green iris completely covering the eyes themselves. Its four pointed, Fae-like ears twitched at all the new sounds and sights, as it began to mumble to itself in a language I didn't understand.

That alone told me volumes. I understand everything from my Realms, even if it's just a beast growling, I'll still understand it. I observed the being for a little longer, watching as it panicked when it waved its staff around and nothing happened, a buzzing sound echoing out from the four dragonfly wings on its back. Then, it turned towards the hole it had entered my Realms through, watching as it slowly closed. I, for one, took a moment to scan the being's memories so I could understand its language, before acting.

"Ah, I got that. Don't worry about it." I said, appearing next to the foreign being and waving my hand, forcibly stopping the hole from collapsing. The being was thoroughly shocked to see me appear, but I temporarily ignored it. "Hellooo? Is anyone out there? I've got your...one of your people here!" I shouted, using the being's own language to speak. For a moment there was nothing, and the hole started to collapse again. With a tsk, I forced it to remain open longer, supporting it with my divine energy.

"Wh-who are you?" The being asked me in a beautiful, tinkling voice.

"Hmm. Difficult question to answer. I might tell you later, but first we need to get you home." I responded. "You came through here, right? What's keeping you from jumping right back through?" I asked, using my divine sense to scan the hole. I didn't want to send this being back through, just to have it be shredded and destroyed on the way back.

"My magic isn't working. Without it I can't guarantee that I'll find my way back..." It answered hesitantly. Hm. Does that mean it uses a different sort of energy to use 'magic' than the cultivators of my Realms? Food for thought. "I was testing space-time magic, so I'm not exactly sure how to get back in the first place, though. I'm not even sure what happened, there was just a flash of light and I was here."

"I see." I said. "YO! Answer me! I've got one of your souls here, come pick it up!" I shouted into the hole, driving my divine power through it in an attempt to reach the other side.

"H-hello...?" A tentative voice finally answered me.

"Finally! You the Origin Deity?" I asked, feeling my divine sense brush up against another's. A thousand questions were asked and answered in the moment our divine senses met, and the hole suddenly stabilized, a tunnel of divine power being created through the joint effort of myself and this foreign Origin Deity. "I have one of your people. Want it back?"

"Yes. I seem to have one of yours as well." The voice replied politely. "Let us send each other's through at the same time. I fear this connection will collapse before we can perform both transfers otherwise." I nodded in agreement, turning to the being on my side and grabbing it with one hand, completely ignoring its protests. It didn't really have much room for argument, as my hand had expanded massively to properly grasp the being.

"Right. Ready? One...two...three...now!" I shouted, tossing the being through the hole, and back into its proper universe. I felt the other Origin Deity throw me back my being, watching as the wind Elemental landed on the ground with a puff of air. His semi-transparent form solidified a bit more at having returned to the Four Realms, his green hair falling to his shoulders. "Thanks! I got him back! Uh, see you, then?" I said, watching as the hole collapsed and the space of the Four Realms returned to normal.

"What's going on -oh, I'm back?" The elemental spluttered, looking around at the familiar forests which he had disappeared in. I looked down at him with a frown, pondering.

"How in the world did you end up in an inter-universal wormhole?" I muttered to myself, though the elemental heard it.

"Who the hell're you?" He demanded. I narrowed my eyes and looked into the past, watching the moment where this elemental was sucked into the hole and momentarily left the Four Realms. He had...just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Really? That's it? He wasn't even tampering with space and time somehow? He'd just been cultivating some wind element and then suddenly disappears? How abrupt.

"Statera Luotian." I deadpanned, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose. Mr. Blue Boxes was messing with me, I just know it. He snorted.

"Yeah right. If any of those church fanatics heard you claim to be the Divine Soul they'd crucify you." He retorted. "At least I'm back though..." He murmured, looking down at the ground. By the time he looked back up I was gone.

"I'll have to keep an eye on you." I muttered to myself, staring at both the elemental and the place where the hole had been. There was no evidence of said hole having ever existed, and when I momentarily tried to recreate something similar, I got the feeling that it'd take far too much energy to re-open it. Closing my eyes, I shook my head. "You asshat." I insulted Mr. Blue Boxes. When I opened my eyes I saw one of those boxes floating in front of me.

You're welcome!

Yeah, you just stay smug. I'll get you back eventually, but for now I have to ensure that nothing too damaging happenes. I don't even know what kind of effects this event is going to have...well, at least I have something else to look forward to in that meeting thing that's coming up...eventually. With a sigh I vanished, reappearing back in the Palace, where Inesa was still having some tea, having gotten used to my vanishing acts by now. I looked at her and smiled, portioning off the sections of my mind still running calculations on the event and the part delving into the mysteries of space and time. Thank you, mysterious being, for that hint.

"Now, where was I...?" I asked Inesa.

"You were talking about the Dryads." Inesa answered. I smiled at her in appreciation before diving once more into my musings, bouncing ideas off of the silent Inesa. It felt good to have a conversation partner again.