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Chapter Text

Standing on the stage alongside the other members of the Chinese Glory National Team, the smile on Ye Xiu's lips was small but no less bright. 

All of them had done it. 

It had been far from a easy feat to accomplish, the tournament one of the hardest that any of them had ever participated in; That was to be expected, after all, all the other teams that participated consisting of nothing but the best from their respective countries. 

In the end, they were the ones to triumph, the highest possible honor – glory – belonging to them. 

"Ye Xiu!" Su Mucheng threw herself at him, brown eyes reflecting the happiness that was mirrored in the others', "We did it, Ye Xiu!"

The sudden action caught him off-guard but he quickly stabilized, looking down at the woman hugging his arm. 

"Mm, we did," He responded, a flicker within his own eyes as something within him seemed to shift –

The remaining members of their team weren't to be outdone and even the usually more reserved of them pitched in with their own jubilant cries, their voices joining and merging together with that of the audience into a nigh cacophonous sound akin to white noise. 

All the while, the odd feeling in him never ceased, seeming to grow instead. 

“– Xiu!”

He was drawn back to the present as something was thrust against him. He grabbed it out of instinct, the large object cool to the touch and heavy in its weight. 

He blinked, looking down at the trophy he now held, gaze drawn for a moment to the familiar logo etched upon it before he lifted his head to look around him. 

There was the faintest of aches within his chest, an unexplainable sense of sadness rising as he looked from one person to the next; His gaze lingered as if to record each of them into his memory, not wanting to allow himself to forget this moment. 

Unwilling to allow himself to forget them.

The corners of his eyes stung. 

"Old Ye, are you crying?" 

Fang Rui was the first to notice the change in their team leader, his question causing everyone else to look towards him. 

At his question, Ye Xiu became aware of the moisture tracking a path down his cheeks. 

"Ah?" He shifted the trophy to one arm, raising his freed hand to brush against his face, fingers touching the traces of tears lingering there, "I –" 

He couldn't finish, words he considered speaking dying at the ominous feeling that rose in his chest. 

It was oddly familiar, reminiscent of one he felt before (when?).

Dread. 

Crack. 

Crack, crack.

That feeling of something shifting stopped, instead replaced as something broke. 

Invisible shackles shattered within him, both in body and mind, a sudden heat flaring within his veins and seeming to sear upon his skin; In his mind, memories of his other lives flooded in, freed at last from the blocks upon them. 

His time is fleeting, it's running out. 

His head hurt from overload of reassimilating memories, his heart aching with the realization of an impending loss. 

Damn Gods.

The stadium shook under the force of a sudden, unknown impact, causing all sound within to die as thousands upon thousands looked around them with a dawning fear. 

"Ye Xiu," Su Mucheng grabbed his arm, a slight tremble of her fingers as the stadium shook once more, this time from what sounded like some form of explosion, "Come, we should leave –“

"No, it's too late," Ye Xiu whispered, freeing his arm from the other's grip and handing her the trophy he held. 

"Mucheng," He began, staring at her for what he knew would be the last time, "It's not safe to attempt leaving right now, but it'll be okay, I promise."

He gave her a smile, one reassuring but full of unspoken sadness. 

"Nothing will ever harm you," He looked to the remainder of their team, tone firm, "Nothing will harm any of you."

There was so much more he wanted to say to them but he didn't have time, so he left them with two final words:

"Thank you."

His eye twitched and he turned around, leaving his back to them as he stepped forward. 

Tap. 

Tap. 

Tap. 

He stopped, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. 

Haaa, and to think after all this I was going to go home and finally be able to relax.

His lips pressed together as he gave an idle flick of his hands before raising them. 

Well, in a way, I guess I'm still going home. 

His eyes gleamed, the golden color set aglow as streaks of light burst forth from his hands, broadening and encompassing the entirety of the stadium's interior in a transparent dome that shone a faint silver. 

It was just in time, another explosion impacting and collapsing the building's dome ceiling, its shattered remnants falling down upon and bouncing off the shield below. 

'Are you going to sacrifice yourself?' He imagined being asked, as if their voices accompanied him here in more than the presence of the powers he once more held.

Despite himself and the current situation, he laughed, the sound short and a bit bitter as he stared up into the now exposed night above them. 

There was a loud roar, the stadium shaking as whatever was outside threw itself against it again, causing more of the building to break and fall uselessly against the shield. 

He coughed, the sensation of blood welling up in his throat both foreign and familiar; This body of his was unaccustomed to – not meant to handle – such an inhuman strain upon it.

'Sob, sob, you can't die!'

He laughed again, more bitter than the first. 

Somehow, he knew that his ending was to die, but damn if he was going to allow it to be the one that everyone else faced. 

And why were they involved?

The cause of all the destruction showed itself, perching on the jagged edge of the destroyed roof as it stared down at all the smaller beings trapped within the building. 

Ye Xiu swore, anger burning bright within his eyes even as his arms shook. 

He coughed again, the sound ragged and wet, dark crimson staining his uniform and the floor beneath his feet and continuously dripping from the corner of his mouth. 

He hated to admit it, but he didn't know how much more he could last, already doing the impossible in a world and body that should disallow it. 

But that monster, hunger in its eyes as it prepared to jump down –

He could hear Mucheng's frightened cries among all the others.

His sister, his friends, all the people that he loved, not to mention all the innocents whose only crime was being here at the wrong place and time. 

He hated the Gods so much, didn't understand nor care what the meaning behind this bullshit was.

All he knew was that he couldn't allow them to win. 

Soft laughter rang in his ear, warmth wrapping around him as all around them time seemed to stop. 

There is another option, Ye Xiu ne Cale Henituse ne Kim Rok Soo. 

His eyes widened, pupils shaking at the unseen being's words. 

Your actions as Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo have long since brought you to the cusp. 

All your pain, suffering...

The tests and trials you underwent whether knowingly or not. 

The faith and belief you've gained even though you denied it. 

There was a pause. 

And, here in this world, while not quite the same, the faith and belief people hold for you here can be just as meaningful. 

And after your actions here tonight... 

Ye Xiu closed his eyes, understanding all that the other said but at the same time unable to shake his utter abhorrance to the idea. 

"I don't want to be a God," He said, "How can I become something I hate so much?"

Laughter. 

Yet haven't you claimed to love me? 

"..."

For a moment he didn't know how to respond, before he came to a conclusion for in all his lives there was only ever one God(dess) he claimed to 'love'. 

"... Glory?"

Ye Xiu, My Champion, My Beloved, all I would ever want for you is your happiness. 

You might not want to become a God but it will happen eventually whether you wish it or not. 

We are just letting you have that choice now –

Take control of your Fate and deny that choice to their whims.

Another bout of laughter, softer than before. 

Besides, as powerful as you can be as a mortal, as a God you would be even moreso.

Ye Xiu sighed, his eyes narrowing; He didn't want to admit it aloud but he knew what he would choose. 

He just regretted everything he had ever felt the need to do that led to this point. 

But if given the chance, he would still do it all over again, because...

His silence spoke more than his words could and Glory's laughter echoed around him. 

Then as a welcome gift to a new God, leave that monster to me and return to your home world in peace. 

Against his volition, Ye Xiu closed his eyes, unhearing of Glory's next words. 

Other gifts will come to you there, Ye Xiu. 

Or, I suppose it will once more he Cale Henituse. 

In the outside world, time started to run again. 

The Indestructible Shield shattered into falling miniscule particles of silver-white light, its wielder disappearing amongst them. 

Chapter Text

1.

The war had ended in two years, its victory a hard fought one that should've been wrought in celebrations. 

It wasn't – at least, not for those who most closely participated on the battlefield itself. 

How could they when the one man who had helped them most in securing the end had fallen in a pool of his own blood, with his skin far too pale and breath too faint.

Cale Henituse, the Supreme Commander of their allied forces.

Their family, their friend, their home, their light –

2.

[ Cale Henituse is dying. ]

The God of Death’s message to Cage had been callous, blunt, but for once His former priestess couldn’t bring herself to respond in her usual manner.

[ His body can be saved, but his soul… ]

She heard Him sigh, fingers curling into her palms and leaving indents.

[ We owe him, but to intervene would require something from all of you in turn. ]

She scoffed, but otherwise remained silent, wishing that the God would stop beating around the bush.

The Gods wanted them to give something up in order to ensure that the man they all loved would survive?

The number of people who would be willing to give up their own lives could be counted beyond just her hands.

[ Time. ]

“What? Time?”

[ Three hundred and sixty-four days, twelve calendar months, one year. ]

“...”

[ That is how much time the entirety of your would need to give up. ]

[ Cale Henituse is dying, and We need an answer before it’s Too Late. ]

The God of Death fell silent but Cage could still feel His presence lingering in her mind.

She turned towards Jack, the other looking towards her at the same time, his eyes reflecting the same emotions she felt.

“Time?”

Both asked in unison, a spoken confirmation that the Goddess of the Sun had, more or less, told Jack the same that the God of Death had to Cage.


3.

It was inevitable, something that was bound to happen.

In the end, the deal the Gods and Goddesses offered was taken.

Time is fleeting. 

Time is always running out. 

So what did it matter if time was something they needed to give, when the alternative was allowing Cale to die. 

(Time, it turned out, was how long it would be until Cale would once more rise and walk among them.)

4.

Cale Henituse laid upon his bed within the Super Rock Villa with no sign of injuries present upon his skin. 

One would think he was just sleeping but there was no rise or fall of his chest, the sole indication that he wasn't dead being the slightest warmth his skin held if touched. 

It was a stasis spell, one that the God of Death himself placed upon the redhead; Once the needed time had passed, then the spell would fall and Cale would awaken as if from a very long sleep. 

Until then, he would continue to lie, silent and still. 

5.

One year.

One year is how long They claimed it would take.

Cale's soul, the very essence of his being, had been both as strong and as fragile as his plate had been.

It had managed to persevere under all trials and tribulations, a little bit damaged but still whole.

Since he had went from being Kim Rok Soo to Cale Henituse, though, things began to change. 

The Ancient Powers, for as much as they relied on one's plate, were also tied to a person's soul; Each time that Cale overdrafted their use, his soul also suffered backlash. 

His soul held on, over and over, until the final battle proved to be too much. 

One year, that's how long a soul as broken as Cale's would need.

His soul that would be sent to be reborn – all abilities and memories sealed – and allowed to grow up in another world free from the dangers he experienced before.

He would grow once more from a child to a man.

His soul would grow with him and it would mend, free at last from the burdens that it carried before.

One year, that's how long it would take for Cale's soul to heal, for it to piece itself back together and then he would return back to the world where he truly belonged. 

He would return to them, stronger than before. 


(Or, so did the God of Death claimed.)


6.

Earth 529, a modern world. 

It was one of multiple worlds kept under the watchful gaze of Glory.

Glory, considering Themself as neither God or Goddess, was a being whose powers could be said to be stronger than even those of Death. 

Their existence was one that prevailed throughout the multiverse. 

No matter the world, dimension or even universe, Their presence could be felt even if just as a lingering thought or aspiration; the concept that all sought, whether knowingly or not. 

Their manner of active gathering of 'faith' and 'belief' was different from other Gods and Goddesses, taking a more modern approach of appeal – and it worked, for across the multiple worlds in which Glory was considered just a game, it was one that was loved by a countless number of people. 

Glory was loved by many, and Glory Themself loved a few of them. 

Them all being the same person – Ye Xiu. 

Glory knew the moment the Ye Xiu born in World 529 had died and had been ready to mourn his loss.

Until Cale Henituse's soul, a foreign one that didn't belong, had been thrust into Their world. 

The soul that was broken into pieces akin to shattered glass, but at the core lied its essence that was familiar. 

In the end, they personally guided that soul to a destination. 

Within the hospital room and beneath the startled cries of the doctor and nurses, the thought to be dead infant cried. 


7.

Ye Xiu, no matter the world in which their presence resided in, held the vested interest of Glory. 

Cale Henituse who had been reborn as Ye Xiu was no exception.


It was interesting, the manner in which fate played out, the life which Earth 529's Ye Xiu lived not too dissimilar from other versions of himself who had never been replaced by another's soul.

Then again, there was a reason Glory found Cale Henituse's soul to be familiar, so They supposed it wasn't too much of a surprise that there lied similarities in their personalities and manner of handling things.

They had managed to find out more about the origin of the soul They came across over two decades ago, learning of the men the now-Ye Xiu had been before and the reason their soul had been sent to Their world.

None of what was learned made Them love him any less and, if anything, it made Them love him even more.


From everything those other gods and goddesses had done to help him, They assumed that he was just was loved by them, but –

Their so-called plan to have Cale reborn in another world and then once he as meant to return, the manner in which it would happen –

One, did they forget Their existence? How dare they consider messing around in Their world?

Two, for all their claims to care for Cale, the method in retrieving his soul back would be far from the smartest and had it gone as intended...

His soul would return, yes. He would be alive, yes, but broken.

That was something They couldn't – wouldn't – allow to happen.


(And, really, how had none of them realised that forcing him to watch as everyone including the ones he had grown to care for and love died before he, himself, died was the stupidest idea ever?)


He might've once been Kim Rok Soo.

He might still be Cale Henituse, but right now he was Ye Xiu.


8.

The same evening that the first Glory International Tournament concluded with China's team as its victors was the same evening when Ye Xiu was meant to 'die'.

Glory was pissed at the audacity of these other gods and goddesses to use such a momentous event of Their world to execute their agenda.

They were even angrier that, had it been successful, Ye Xiu – Cale – would once more be subject to his greatest fear.

It was unacceptable.

So They interfered, and it was Them who pushed to have the blocks those other deities had placed on Ye Xiu to seal his abilities and memories of his other lives to break.

Ye Xiu, Cale Henituse, deserved to be able to make his own decisions on how his final moments in Their world would go.

He didn't disappoint Them in what he chose to do, and when he was on the verge of failing, They interfered once more.


9.

Glory hadn't bothered to check the state of Cale's soul after he'd been reborn as Ye Xiu.

Now, however, with the other brought into Their domain as time froze in the world outside, They did just that.


Ye Xiu, Cale Henituse's, soul had underwent a transformative change since They last saw it.

Far bigger than what They assumed it would look once whole and, while they had been certain it would be beautiful, it turned out to be even more than expected.

It also shined bright, a pure white core surrounded in a pulsating light of shifting, soft prismatic colors.

Interwoven among that light were translucent, thread-like filaments of pure gold that were countless in number but far from solid.

Divinity.

That gold were traces of Divinity that continued to increase in number with each passing second but Cale, whether consciously or subconsciously, denied.

They shouldn't be surprised.

From all that Cale had done, whether as Kim Rok Soo or Cale Henituse, it was undeniable that he would manage to garner the faith and devotion of others.

He had also managed to do the same as Ye Xiu whether he acknowledged it or not.

Regardless, They smiled at the sight of Cale's soul and thought that, perhaps, this interaction could end with far more being achieved as Their presence to the other was made known.


[ There is another option, Ye Xiu ne Cale Henituse ne Kim Rok Soo. ]


When all was said and done, Glory mourned the loss of Their Champion and Beloved, Ye Xiu.

Their mourning was brief and didn't last too long, for there was still the aftermath of his departure that They needed to take care of.

Vanquishing the monster that should never have appeared in Their world, restoring the stadium and other destroyed buildings to their original state...

Then there were the memories that, while They could alter, to do so would be a daunting task – There had been hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, watching.

They considered, then decided to leave those memories untouched.

Those were the final moments that Ye Xiu would ever appear before them, and he deserved to be remembered for the actions he took.

If it helped him gain even more Divinity as They were certain it would, then even better.

Once everything was taken care of and They took care of the remaining gifts owed to Cale, They should pay a visit to those gods and goddesses to have a 'chat'; Perhaps after that, a visit to Cale would also be in order.


10.

On the Roan continent and within the Super Rock Villa, all was silent within the room that the young man rested.

For him, time was frozen, but it continued to pass around him, seconds turning into minutes that turned into hours; Hours turned into days and days into months.

Three months, six months, nine months.

Tenth, eleventh, twelfth –

The time had almost come, the moment one that found him alone without any of those who would normally keep vigil.

Time waits for no one and continued to flow, the seconds counting down –


Ten.

Nine.

...

Three.

Two.

One.


The stasis spell dissipated, another spell that had been tied into it sending off an alert to certain keyed individuals.

The one on the bed was unaware of all that was happening around him, the slight rise and fall of his chest the sole indication that his life had resumed even though his eyes remained closed.

Invisible to mortal eyes, a large, glowing mass hovered above him before sinking down into his chest.


One.

Two.


Three seconds passed and he gasped, fingers twitching before curling, clutching at the sheets beneath him as a soft, keening noise fell from his lips.

Pain, all he could feel was pain.

He hated pain but at the current moment, pain was all that he could feel.


Cale Henituse was a mortal but his soul once returned was not and from the moment it reintegrated into his body, nothing could stop it from forcing change –


(The monitoring orb that had been situated on the wall flashed red as it turned on, set to do so whenever the slightest movement was detected within the room.)