By the time Dorian and Sun turned back around, the grin was wiped from their faces. Dorian put up a quizzical brow. Sun simply blinked wide-eyed, like a newborn fawn. “Wait,” said Meng once more. She dithered for a second. Then she shook her head, sighed again, cleared her throat. “I’ve got a gift for you too, child.”

Dorian grinned. “You do?”

“Not you. Just a moment.”

The air about Meng went slack, the fabric of reality loosening, and she slipped right out of it as though out of an ill-fitting coat. She was gone.

Then it hit him. “So that’s where she keeps the fruits!”

Sun cocked her head at him.

“It’s here.” He gestured to the plantlife around them, this firework of colors. “I’d never found the entrance to her Dao garden. But it was right here. We’re standing in the middle of it! Only it’s in her mirror dimension, sealed off.”

“Ahh, funky!” said Sun. “What an awfully convenient skill.”

“But not one either of us are likely to ever achieve.” Dorian gestured. “Meng has a special relationship with this space. It’s her Domain. You can only cultivate such a bond after millennia caring for this land. It’s practically a part of you.”

“So that’s why you didn’t want to steal from her. Or fight her.” “Precisely.” Dorian nodded his approval. “She’d feel it and know instantly. And fighting her? Here? You’d need to be a Top Ranker among Empyreans to even consider it.”

Sun scratched her head. “Top Ranker?’ I guess the term’s pretty self-explanatory...”

“How in the Nine Hells do you not—” Dorian sighed. “Nevermind. I forget you lived in a pocket dimension almost all your life. Put it this way. You’d need to be a top zero-point-one-percent Empyrean to even consider it. You’d need to be equal to a weaker Godking, in other words.”

“Really.” Sun whistled. “She’s got a whole Interspatial cupboard stuffed full of dragon’s flesh, y’know. Good thing I didn’t act on any—err—instincts while y’all were gone.”

Dorian grunted. “No shenanigans ‘till I say so.”

“Yessir!” She put up a mock salute.

Right then there was a ripple in the air, and Meng stepped back from nothing. In her hands were two fruits that had the vague shape of peaches, except they were both perfectly black—so black you couldn’t make out any depth on them. There was no contours to the naked eye, no gradients. They looked like total voids.

The smell was unmistakable, so sweet it should’ve been nauseating. Even a whiff of it had him salivating. There was no aura to it. No qi. Nothing to distinguish it from any other fruit. But one look, and he knew.

Meng smiled kindly at Sun. “Do you know what these are?”

“No…but they sure smell good…” said Sun softly. She was back in fawning girl mode. She stared at the Fruit like she was held in deep hypnosis. Dorian wasn’t sure she was faking it.

“These are a special Fruit you’ll find nowhere else in the Multiverse. I call them my Dao Fruit. I want you to have them.”

“Really? Are—are you sure?”

“Take them. They’re yours.”

Sun pretended to hesitate. Then, gently, she held them in her hands. Eyes watering, she bowed deep. “Thank you, Granny Meng! This little one isn’t worthy!”

“Mm. Seldom in the past millennium have I had as pleasant a guest as you, child. I hope these Fruits bring you as much joy as they do for me. Take good care of them.”

“I will!”

“And one more thing.” Dorian sensed a disturbing shift in her tone, and somehow he knew exactly what was going to happen even before Meng pointed a crooked finger at him.

“They’re yours, you hear? Heed this lesson, girl. Don’t let this one—nor anyone else—take what ought to be yours.” Meng pursed her lips, then squinted at Dorian. “Matter of fact, I want you to swear it to me.”

Dorian grinned sardonically. Of course. He’d known there would be strings attached. For Meng, giving him a fruit would be like gifting a baby piglet to the local butcher.

“Eh?” Sun froze. “But Dorian’s my friend. And he’s helped me come all this way. He’s even sworn to protect me! Shouldn’t he get one too?”

“He doesn’t deserve one. Really, girl.” Meng sighed. “He’s a nasty little scoundrel. Take it from me—and from him, matter of fact!”

She looked at him, and he shrugged. “Guilty as charged.”

“This gift is for you,” said Meng.

Sun’s mouth set in a hard line. “Nah. We’re a team! If he doesn’t get one I can’t take one either. It just wouldn’t be right.”

What?!

Meng frowned. “Come now, girl.”

“‘Snot what Grandpa taught me. Grandpa always said to do the right thing.”

Dorian stifled a groan. He tried to catch Sun’s gaze. Just when he was starting to warm to the girl, she pulled some rank foolishness like this! Even if she was sworn not to give them to him—and the thought truly pained him—just having her consume them would give her a fantastic boost to her cloaking and Jingu Bang mastery. It’d benefit them both greatly. Worst case, they could pawn them off at auction. Heavens knew they still had immense value.

Now they might well walk out with nothing!

Then Sun met his eyes and winked. She had a knowing quirk to her lips, like a gambler who’d gone all-in, having read her opponent perfectly.

“Fine.” Meng shook her head, a slow smile spreading across her aged face. “Fine! Have it your way.”

“Awesome!”

Dorian shook his head, bemused. You owe me, Sun mouthed. He snorted.

“You’ve got to be one of the luckiest bastards in the Multiverse,” Meng grumbled.

“Oh, believe me. I know.”

“Blegh!” Meng snorted.

For a second they all stood there blinking at each other, stuck somewhere between coming and going.

Then—“Say…” Meng scratched at an armpit. Then she shrugged. “You two aren’t in any great rush, are you?”

“Well—” In a manner of speaking, yes, but Dorian was curious where this was going. “No. Why?”

“Why don’t you stay a little longer? I’ll grab a third Fruit. Bake a pie of my Dao Fruit for me. We’ll have one pie each, make a picnic of it.” Meng’s eyes twinkled. “And my appetite’s not what it used to be. You two can share the leftovers, if you like.”

Sun didn’t hesitate. She broke into a grin. “‘Course!”

***

Barely an hour later, Sun pulled the third and last pie from out her kiln.

On the outside they were indistinguishable from one another. They were indistinguishable from her carrot pie. But when she gave one a little poke, exposing gooey insides, and a bomb of sweetness went off in the air.

“Isn’t that a treat,” sighed Meng.

They bit into their pies as one.

It was like a bomb of Law went off inside Dorian.

[Level-up!]

[Darkness Law Saturation]

[39% -> 45%]

[Darkness Law Grade: Low]

[Level-up!]

[Fire Law Saturation]

[31% -> 36%]

[Fire Law Grade: Low]

Holy!—

His skull felt like it’d been pumped full of piping hot gas. As he breathed, air seemed to crystallize inside inside his lungs. Suddenly his skin felt shockingly sensitive. Hotness and coldness tickled the hairs. The shadows in the room felt like phantom limbs. The kiln’s fires seemed to snap to attention, just a little.

[Level-up!]

[Darkness Law Saturation]

[45% -> 51% ]

[Darkness Law Grade: Low]

[Level-up!]

[Fire Law Saturation]

[36% -> 41%]

[Fire Law Grade: Low]

He gritted his teeth. No qi this time, just Law, a great deficiency correcting itself at a blistering pace. Up ‘till now his Law had been Demigod level. It was only by sheer force of qi that he could smack down his enemies.

Now he raced toward Godhood like a rocket.

Meng licked her lips. “Mmmm. Delicious. Truly.” She’d finished already?! How much time had passed? She hardly looked fazed at all. To her side, Sun’s face was scrunched up tight. Sweat beaded her brow and her breaths came in ragged gasps. She was taking it worse than Dorian.

“Right!” Meng stood, smiling bright and gap-toothed, burped a little. “Ahh. I’ve had a grand old time, but the ginsengs need watering. I leave you two here! Happy leveling.” She waddled off.

Dorian was hardly listening.

[Level-up!]

[Darkness Law Saturation]

[51% -> 56% ]

[Darkness Law Grade: Low]

[Level-up!]

[Fire Law Saturation]

[41% -> 47%]

[Fire Law Grade: Low]

On and on it went…

…

…

…

At some point he was aware a faint mist, braided with red and black smoke, had begun to rise from his skin.

[Level-up!]

[Darkness Law Saturation]

[78% -> 83%]

[Darkness Law Grade: Low]

[Level-up!]

[Fire Law Saturation]

[76% -> 81%]

[Fire Law Grade: Low]

…

…

He was hiking a volcano. Flakes of ash and fire stung his cheeks. Smog raked his lungs with each breath. He kept climbing. The peak was near. He could see it now, a faint dark outline in the bright mist. Details filled in as he got closer.

At his waist he wore chains. Yama’s Chains. On his hands were gauntlets. And in his throat, coiled like a snake poised to strike, was his dragon’s breath.

All of them felt white-hot. Like water ready to steam.

He drew near.

A gate stood at the peak, proud and mighty, made of fire and brimstone.

[Level-up!]

[Darkness Law Saturation]

[93% -> 98%]

[Darkness Law Grade: Low]

[Level-up!]

[Fire Law Saturation]

[91% -> 94%]

[Fire Law Grade: Low]

It was not two gates but one. A gate like burning coals, seething with bloody reds and bleak blacks both. To gates in one. Two Laws merged to make a synthesis.

For a creature that studied only one Law, it was God where they would gravitate to a specialty. For no creature could encompass all the Heavens. Gods were rulers of bounded castles—and they shared rule over those castles with other Gods who would stake a claim. Empyreans, meanwhile, ruled entire fiefs.

Only Godkings could rule a Kingdom absolutely. And in every Kingdom there could only be one King. There was only one Old Man Fate. There was only one Godking of Time. To seize their Heavenly Dao—or Heavenly Law—you had to kill them.

If Dorian ever became a Godking he would likely become one of Fire, or Darkness, or Destruction. And that Kingdom would be skewed toward his specialty. A specialty he was on the verge of claiming.

[Level-up!]

[Darkness Law Saturation]

[98% -> 100%]

[Darkness Law Grade: Medium]

[Level-up!]

[Fire Law Saturation]

[94% -> 100%]

[Fire Law Grade: Medium]

The gates to true Godhood opened.

[Merging: Fire and Darkness…]

[Options:]

[Great Law of Hellfire]

Requirements:

[Darkness Law Grade: Medium]

[Fire Law Grade: Medium]

[Description: The Fires of Hell devour all, stopping at nothing. Among the Multiverse’s most potent offensive Laws. More Fire than Dark.]

[Great Law of Eruption]

Requirements:

[Darkness Law Grade: Medium]

[Fire Law Grade: Medium]

[Description: Heavy and destructive as an eruption. Equal parts Fire and Darkness, lava and ash, this Law can obliterate one enemy and terraform the world in equal measure.]

[Great Law of the Eclipse]

Requirements:

[Darkness Law Grade: Medium]

[Fire Law Grade: Medium]

[Description: A Law to smother the sun and the moon. This Law snuffs out qi and chokes off breath—a law to end all hope. More Dark than Fire.]