Chapter 15: A New Otherworldly Star Takes The Stage
...
When the Silver Demigod came to, he awoke to find himself in an unknown space he was unfamiliar with. It was nothing, pure and simple. 'What...Where am I?' He questioned internally, finding it impossible to speak.
It was dark. Absolute absence as far as they can see.
It was neither hot nor cold. There was no source of light as far as the eye could see as he felt himself floating in this wasteland of nothing. The sheer silence was unusually perfect, which that in itself was scary. Thankfully he wasn't so easily afraid.
'Did I go through the wormhole?' The thought crossed his mind but held no recollection of the moment after the bright light blinded the vicinity. 'It's the only thing that makes any sense.'
No answers. Just questions... along with a growing unease.
He then realized something. 'Wait… why can't I speak?' He thought, immediately reaching for his mouth—only to realize there was nothing there, alongside a hand to grab with. '!!!'
He scanned himself over to look for what was wrong with him, only to find out that his body was no longer there. '…No…' The word echoed inside his mind as he stared at the state of himself. 'I was... destroyed in the aftermath.'
Instead of his body, what was left was his raw divine power, magic, chi—everything mystical he was either born with or learned... it was all there, floating in a mass of silver stardust in the dark.
To describe it better, it was like looking at a celestial cloud of a silver-colored nebula. The divine power that was with him since day one glowed brightly in radiance, but compared to the emptiness that encompassed everything, it was minuscule at best.
'No way...' He whispered, feeling panic begin to rise as his mind raced to make sense of everything. Only to come to one cold, dreadful conclusion. 'This... this is the Dimensional Gap.'
His body was no more, having long since deteriorated due to the influence of the Dimensional Gap upon first arrival through the wormhole. To put it simply, he was dead.
In truth, no mortal or deity should be capable of even lasting so long in a place like this. This was the freaking Dimensional Gap. It was like dipping headfirst into Chaos itself. One inside their souls would be erased out of existence entirely.
However, it was because of Percy's divine spirit that he was barely able to remain conscious without fading to oblivion immediately. It was the only reason he hadn't faded into nothing… yet. The situation was dire, even if it wasn't the first time he'd been through something similar, so he would be ok...for now.
'Grandfather? Grandfather? I need you?!' He called out at the top of his nonexistent lungs for the Titan. 'Anyone!' The son of Poseidon roared again, but the only response he got was silence. Not even a whisper.
There was not a trace of anyone in this cursed abyss. He was completely and utterly alone. He wanted to grit or clench his fist in anger, but that was futile. The only thing he could do was float in place, incapable of doing anything. 'I can't believe this. Stuck in the frickin Dimensional Gap, and nobody knows where I am.'
He didn't even know if it were possible for his people to rescue him. The wormhole most likely closed up, keeping their world safe from these outside threats, so a rescue mission was out of the question, not to mention he was only a soul now, so it's not like he could return like this. 'It's not like they can prepare me a vessel anyway. I took all my research into my treasury. And even if I used that magic, I'd need physical bodily contact.' He paused. '...Fuck.'
He wanted to smash his head on a table, but as always, it was impossible. It's awful. He couldn't taste, smell, hear, or feel anything at all.
He was literally just a cloud of divine power floating in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. 'RAAAAGH!' The Silver Demigod shouted as his divine spirit answered to his emotions.
The silver nebula shook and thrashed against the silence like a caged beast.
For a while he went on a rampage, trying to do everything in his power to get out of his situation but found it impossible to wield his power properly here. He couldn't teleport or even move from his spot at all. The best he could manage to do in his position was move in place. And his treasury was inaccessible, so accessing his technology was useless.
Perseus tried to call his weapon many times, but it was fruitless. The chaos weapon couldn't get a read on his location.
He didn't know how long he was doing this, but after what felt like weeks, he eventually finally ceased his actions due to boredom and accepted the inevitability. 'This is my hell, isn't it? The price for my revenge.' The words echoed silently in his mind, heavy with regret and bitter acceptance.
And so, the strongest demigod of the modern age—Perseus Silba Jackson—accepted his fate in this void. There was no escape. No last-minute miracle. He was trapped here until his end, so he waited patiently. Time didn't really exist here, but his mind needed to keep itself busy. So, he counted. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. They all ticked by in his head nonstop until Chaos knows how long he's spent here.
However, he wouldn't remain here forever, and Perseus knew it. No matter how strong a soul was, they couldn't withstand the burden the Dimensional Gap placed on them, not forever. This entire time his power had been sustaining him, keeping him safe from erasure, but he was slowly being eroded little by little.
His divine spirit and strong willpower slowed down the Gap's influence much like how his grandfather endured Tartarus for millennia, but it was only a matter of time. He was going to fade sometime soon.
'Pan… I wonder if this is how you felt back then.' He thought of his first and final meetings with the Nature God. He didn't have a good opinion of the old goat man or his kin, but he did respect him to a marginal degree.
When he got tired of counting, he thought of other things to busy himself with. There was nothing to do here, no music to zone out to, books to read, or even food, so he had to go off from memory. He did his best to stay on those topics, which was easier said than done.
Memories of his life flooded his mind. His mom, his dad, his brother, the people he brought into his cause, the bloody battles, the terror he caused towards those who rightfully deserved it, the hardship his subordinates had to be put under to become capable. Tears that had fallen onto his shoulder. Names. So many names. Names he had failed. Names he had a bone to pick.
With the amount of time he spent and the overwhelming memories of life, it was all enough to go insane, but he didn't—couldn't. His divine spirit prevented that from happening, at least not for long. He only responded with silence as he relived those days.
Soon enough, he felt his divine spirit wane, leaving room for the Dimensional Gap to creep up on him.
'...Mom.' The word broke the silence.
His soul trembled, unraveling thread by thread. 'I'm sorry… I never came back. I promised I would get you back, but I didn't stop fighting. I stopped looking for you. I'm so sorry you had to get stuck with a worthless son like me.' His voice cracked inside his own mind.
His thoughts then drifted on to his younger brother. 'Tyson, I'm sorry for being such a useless older brother. You always looked up to me, but I always thought your admiration was wasted on me. I don't know if you're in the same boat as me or if you survived... but I hope you're okay.'
Then onto his father. 'I wish I went back and talked with you, you stupid old man, instead of making life hell for you.'
Then onto his lovers. 'Hecate, Bast, Calypso. I'm sorry to all three of you. I should've stopped. Should've chosen you. Should've walked away when I had the chance.' He said with ache in his heart.
Perseus S. Jackson continued apologizing for the people precious to him. The ones who mattered, all the while the realm between dimensions ate away at his soul. 'I'm sorry…' His divine spirit, its size once spanning like a nebula, now barely the size of a door. 'I'm so sorry.'
He closed his eyes, or at least what felt like closing his eyes in resolution of his demise, as the final traces of his being were devoured into oblivion.
Silence claimed him.
...
High above the heavens floated a magnificent and dazzling palace, surpassing even Olympus—before its ruination. Its walls shimmered not with gold or marble, but with the fresh serenity of the sea. The sun had set, replaced with the soft light of the moon, displaying more of its grandeur.
The area was slightly misty with the scent of a refreshing sea breeze.
At its peak stood a lone figure, quietly gazing from his spot on the balcony, looking into the vast distance as a nearby tree swayed its crystal blue leaves harmoniously in the wind.
The person was male with water-blue hair cascading down his shoulders like a waterfall. He was adorned in a luxurious blue robe with a fish-scale design and golden lining over his well-defined and lean physique. He equally had a handsome and refined face of someone in his twenties. The gaze of his azure-colored eyes appeared empty at first, but it in fact held unfathomable power as it encompassed everything.
This man was none other than the founding ancestor of the Tang Sect and reigning Asura and Sea God. The Supreme God King of the Divine Realm, Tang San.
Tang San was a name known throughout every corner of the Douluo Continent. His heroic accomplishments, along with the efforts of the rest of his team/friends, the Shreck Seven Devils, were hailed as nothing short of legend by the people forever to be remembered.
A flicker of violet passed through his eyes, and they widened in both shock and disbelief at what he had gleaned. As the highest-tier god in the Divine Realm, holding both the Sea God and Asura God positions, he had the ability to see events come to pass. The power to see the future. This ability wasn't to the extent of seeing absolutely everything with pinpoint precision, but even with that, he still managed to learn enough to know that what he saw was not mundane, not in the least.
The future events were of many things, but the one that gained his absolute interest was the one of him standing face-to-face against a terrifyingly powerful opponent unlike any he's ever met before. Cold silver eyes staring back at him in not fear but challenge, with the promise of giving him the fight of his life.
"...Incredible." He breathed out, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face. Even after reaching godhood, the world… still managed to surprise him. This excited him.
"Third Brother..." A voice belonging to a woman broke through the silence. She stepped down from the steps and made her way to his side, gently slipping her arms into his taking his arm.
If the man called Tang San was handsome, then this woman would undoubtedly give goddesses of Venus rage envy with her heart dropping beauty without any effort at all.
She was dressed in a silky pink dress with white reminiscent of a wedding dress that hugged and accentuated her alluring, queen-like figure. Her eyes were red, much like a rabbit, but exuded power in them that were proof that she was neither frail nor weak like the animal, and her brown hair cascaded down behind her was tied into a scorpion braid that magically coiled around Tang San's blue hair playfully.
This lady was, of course, Xiao Wu, the Rabbit Goddess and wife of Tang San.
Xiao Wu smiled a faint, yet affectionate smile at him, receiving an indulgent smile in return.
"Oh, you. Still so playful, even after becoming a mother." He teased, to which his wife pouted, cheeks flushed lightly.
"And what if I am? Can't I be spoiled?" She replied, receiving a smiling huff from Tang Sang. Even after so many years together, she remained headstrong as ever. "After you became a law enforcer of the divine world, the Sea God, you're still called Tang San, aren't you? Still my third brother?" She spoke cutely.
He let out a low laugh and pulled her into a warm embrace. Xiao Wu's smile deepened, bright and tender like the Rabbit Goddess she was.
Tang San let out a low laugh before pulling her into an embrace, causing the smile on the Rabbit Goddess to deepen. "Of course you can. Anything for my dearest Xiao Wu. If I can't even do that, then what good are my god titles for?" That got an amused snort from her. "Let's just make sure our precious daughter doesn't see us. Otherwise, she might get jealous."
Hearing Tang San mention their daughter, Xiao Wu's eyes softened. "That child is way too clingy. We only get to spend time when she's asleep. I wonder where she gets it from." She said, earning a wry smile from her husband.
"Well, you know how kids can be. Hehe." Tang San chose not to point out the obvious so as to not end up getting a swift kick to the rear. Better safe than sorry.
Changing topics, Xiao Wu lifted her gaze to meet Tang San's eyes, a more serious question forming on her lips. "Third brother, I've noticed you've been unusually tense lately. And just now… you looked like you saw something big. Is it about Soul Land again?"
Tang San sighed softly, admitting silently that she had hit the nail on the head. A woman's instincts were sharp indeed.
Nodding, Tang San turned his gaze back to the night sky. "A day in the Divine Realm equals a year in the mortal world. It's the same in almost every plane. Initially, I wanted to spend more time in Soul Land." He sighed irritably as he continued, "But because of the wager between the God King of Kindness and the God King of Evil, I had to abandon all that to oversee the bigger picture. I ended up spending twenty years in the Divine Realm while ten thousand years passed in Soul Land, alongside the decline of the Tang Sect." His fist clenched tightly.
As a disciple raised with the principles and teachings of the Tang Sect's it held a special place in his heart. To see it fall into such a state was akin to having a knife drilling through his chest.
Xiao Wu gently placed her hand on his clenched fist, her voice laced with equal irritation. "Kindness and Evil, those two cunning rascals. Using the wager as an excuse to entertain themselves. There's a limit to such carelessness. The couple they appointed to replace them have such a tragic past. If you want to go, we could let them handle things for a while."
Tang San shook his head. "It may seem like a God King and a law enforcer of the Divine World can do anything on paper, sadly not everyone is willing to take on the responsibility. And I'm not sure we should even if we got some respite. After ten thousand years of changes, Soul Land isn't what it used to be."
"It has become a bit chaotic. Especially after the continental collision caused by the crustal movement over four thousand years ago. That event more than doubled the size of Soul Land and brought many uncertainties."
"That was when the Tang Sect began to decline, right?" She squeezed his hand lightly. "Third brother, don't blame yourself. In many ways, the Tang Sect's decline is just the natural progress of time." She explained in an attempt to comfort him.
Tang San nodded, not denying the truth of her words. 'You're right, but after all, Tang Sect was created by my own hands, and I can't stand by and watch it just fade away into dust. Because of my enforcer god position, I cannot interfere with the changes of a plane." His eyes then brightened. "However, it seems a new star has recently emerged in Soul Land. He will"
"A new star?" Xiao Wu tilted her head. "Is this about what you saw in the future?" She asked, receiving a happy nod.
"Yes. And this person does not originate from Soul Land. He comes from another world and has accidently stumbled upon ours by accident." Raising his palm, an image of silver nebula hovered above it. "He's extremely skilled, calculating, and more than capable of handling any threat he comes across as well as destructive when angered. At the same time, he doesn't get along with others easily, which might cause some issues." He hummed thoughtfully.
"Can this person be trusted?" Xiao Wu asked. She didn't play nice with others well herself, but she's mostly outgrown that part of her, but this person sounded like a real rebel. She definitely didn't want this person around her adorable daughter.
"Hard to say to with him. But while his destiny is mostly shrouded in mist, it is intricately linked to the Tang Sect. I believe, despite his faults, he has a good heart." He then frowned as a golden line around the nebula, linking itself like a thorn. "It's this other person I don't trust, however. This golden-eyed man is also linked with that person. He's cruel and will cause trouble one way or another."
Xiao Wu pursed her lips at the sight. She knew what evil looked like from her days as a Soul Master, and just the sight of that dark aura made her eyes narrow with distrust. "Isn't there anything you can do about it? Isn't it better to deal with this before it gets out of hand?"
Tang San shook his head. "That would be the right choice, but for the betterment of Soul Land, I can't. The Star I'm talking about isn't the only otherworlder at our doorsteps. Many visitors have come to our world. Some already had without our notice, and they are not peaceful." His eyes darkened. "A storm is brewing in the mortal world. Powers from another dimension led by a tyrant will threaten the entire planet of Soul Land, and they'll need all the help they can get to prevent its destruction."
"Oh no." Xiao Wu covered her mouth. "Will this person succeed?"
"I don't know the exact details. We can only wait and see. But I have faith he can do it." He answered with full confidence in the one destined to challenge him in the future.
Xiao Wu smiled, feeling her worry ease. If her husband believed so much in this person than that was good enough for her. "If even you call this mysterious figure a new star, he must be the right person for the job. If he can take over your godhood in the future, wouldn't we have time to go out and have fun?"
Tang San flicked her nose affectionately. "You and your games." Xiao Wu giggled and the locked arms as they went on their merry way.
Not far off from where they stood, a person can be seen quietly perched on a thick branch of the tree. The person was a girl about eleven or twelve with adorable pink-blue eyes that sparkled and long blue with pink tips that hung from the bottom.
If one looked closely, they'd see it—they'd notice her features resembled a combination of Tang San and Xiao Wu's. What a coincidence!
"Who is Dad talking about?" The girl hummed, placing a finger on her chin. "They're always talking about Soul Land… I'd love to go! Hehe." She giggled to herself, eyes twinkling with excitement, before quietly vanishing in the mist.
...
"I'm still not gone?!" Perseus mentally cursed. "Stop dicking with me damn it!" Just before he was about to go on another rampage he immediately halted when he felt a sensation he hadn't felt in forever.
Warmth.
Real, actual warmth. It wasn't his imagination, daydreaming, or a memory from his past. The temperature. The sensation. It all felt too real to him. "I'm feeling actual temperature...How...Why?" He questioned but mentally smacked himself because he knew he wouldn't get an answer anytime soon.
Still, he had his own theory's. "I'm obviously no longer in the dimensional gap." He concluded. That place was all nothing—no sound, no color, no feeling. Just isolation on literal god-mode difficulty. But here? It was dark, yeah, but it was warm. That meant something. Something organic. "But if I'm not there then where am I hmm."
He felt himself constrained and unable to move or speak vocally but he knew something had happened to him. He had a physical body again only small and weak way too weak for his liking. He elt like he was inside a jar.
Curius, he attempted to use his divine energy to sense his surrounding only to find a big load of... nothing, not because he was unable to fid anything but because he was unable to channel his power.
"Shit! I can't feel my divine energy anymore! But that shouldn't be possible. It's my soul." He thought, but as much as he tried to think, he couldn't come up with a plausible solution to his situation, which irritated him.
In the state he was, he was basically grounded. fully question was for how long.
"At least I can feel something." The silver demigod mentally sighed.
He still could speak or open his eyes, but he knew that he had a body so that was something. Given his previous circumstances it was a win in his book. "Now if only I had clue as to where in Hades I am and I'll be golden." He grumbled.
Then… voices. Muffled. Incoherent were heard from elsewhere.
"Not alone." He exclaimed, immediately intrigued at the new development but he couldn't call out to them. He knew that was futile so instead he opted to simply listen.
Sometimes the voices were male, others times female but it was mostly female. Gentle. Sometimes humming. Singing, even. Weirdly soothing. All of it happened as time passed. At first it was hard to tell but the more he heard the more immersed he became. It was nice and a great and triggered him to move along.
And so, his days went by like this as He counted. Half the time he'd sleep but aside from that and listening there wasn't much else to do. It went on like until what felt like four months if his math was right which it was. Even though he couldn't comprehend the voices, he noticed that it got easier to make out which led him to believe that he would someday get out of wherever he currently was and into the outside world.
And then—
"AAAAAGH!" A female scream sounded, rousing the silver demigod from his sleep.
He felt everything around him shift. The warmth of his cage became noticeably cool. Then something opened beneath him—like a gate or a rift. A hole into the unknown.
"Is that… my way out?" He thought but before he could delve into that two massive hands reached in from outside the rift and grabbed him. He had no time to react.
"HEY!" He tried shouting, but as he was unable to he could growl in contempt as the hands pulled him out. "Ah, my eyes!" His face winced.
Light struck him out of nowhere. Blinding him instantly. But it didn't stop there multiple sensation attacked him too. All of a sudden he could feel himself breath, feel, and smell all at the same time as his body adjusted. "Wow!"
It was a literal breath of fresh air. He felt the cool air tickle his skin, the light hitting his eyes returning to normal. He could feel the air in his lung as he exhaled and inhaled. It was exhilarating.
But before he could get his breathing high his nose picked on something he was quite familiar with blood, but he didn't hear any screams or anything that signified that battle had taken place but counteracting that there was something sweet in the air. "Is that...incense." He briefly wondered but his thoughts turned to something else when he heard the voices becoming more audible and the light not hurting as much.
"Congratulations, Milady. It's a boy." An unknown woman said.
"Milady? Boy?" His mind took a paused. "What the hell did they just say?"
As if to answer his question, a ragged voice answered, "Please… I want to see him." Another woman asked. Her breathing was labored.
He felt himself being moved again carefully this time until he felt myself cradled gently in a pair of soft gentle arms.
"Sniff… "He's beautiful." The woman cried, pride and happiness in her voice.
"Alright now I've got to see this." Now extremely curious he forced his eyes open. it was difficult because he still felt feeble but with some effort he managed to open them to the sight of a beautiful brown-haired woman.
She was beautiful. The lady who held him in her arms was of obvious Asian descent with hazel nut-brown hair and equally brown eyes. Her face glistened with sweat in the soft line, clearly hinting how exhausted she felt and from what his eyes could tell she was wearing a white nightgown. "Judging by the earlier languish it sounds kind of similar to Chinese. Thank god I took a semester to East Asia."
A look of slight surprise appeared on her face when she noticed him analyzing her or oddly looking at her in her mind but, but that surprise quickly turned into a smile. "Aw look at you, you're so curious." She stifled a laugh.
"Oh my god I was just birthed!" He thought in shock before sighing in acceptance. "Yeah, that makes much more sense now that I think about it." He internally mumbled.
Thousands of questions ran through his mind like a bullet train, but he could leave for those later, he was more distracted at the look of the woman who holding him had. "This woman...must be the person who birth me." He thought impassively, not knowing exactly what to feel when it came to this lady.
Don't get him wrong, he held nothing against her, and he was glad to feel being again. The dimensional gap was an awful experience, and he felt relieved to not be in that hell again, but just because he was happy to be alive again through this strange method didn't change anything. They were strangers plain and simple. She wasn't his mother, and he wasn't her son. "I almost forgot this isn't my original body--Wait did I hijack this infant body!" His eyes became cold as the realization sunk in.
Before he could delve too deep into that can of worms, the woman brought her fingers toward him.
His eyes contracted as he internally shouted at her to stop. "No, no—get away from me, lady!" He tried to run away but as a baby wrapped infant he was powerless to do anything. His shouting only came out as baby noises, receiving a resounding aww from the woman. "Get your damn hands away from me! I'm not your son!"
He then felt the back of her hand brush against his cheek softy, which made him hitch involuntarily. "Welcome to the world my little Dai Yuhao. I'm your mama." She welcomed him in a tone that conveyed all the love and warmth she could offer.
Perseus froze. He didn't speak. Couldn't. he could only stare as the warmth of her hand spread through his infant body. "...No... Pl-Please stop!" He tried to put up what remaining bit of resistance he had, only to ultimately fail when the woman pulled him to her chest, and through the haze of the incense, heard her heartbeat.
"Mom..." Tears suddenly fell from and before he could stop them, his tiny hands clutched her nightgown like it was a lifeline. "Waaaah! Waaaah!"
This person truly loved him. Just like his mother. So many thoughts flooded his mind, but all he could do was keep hugging this complete stranger for as long as he could. He just didn't want to let go.
And so, the Silver Demigod, the storm that brought ruin and sorrow to the halls of Olympus cried for the first time in this unfamiliar place. He continued crying through the night until finally falling asleep in his mother's arms.
...
..
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(If your wondering if there are going to be some time skips, the answer is an obvious yes. I'm not going to drag this any longer than I should.)