Chương 97: Omega Treasure

Joe blurred through the shattered remains of Castle Zool Von Gareth, the stones trembling beneath each thunderous roar from overhead. The sound alone rattled the marrow in his bones. Why was he here? This was madness. He could still see it in his mind. The mountain-sized dragon staring down at him when the Trial began. That was the Omega Treasure. That was the prize worth one million points. And now he understood perfectly why no one had ever claimed it.

How was anyone supposed to kill a dragon the size of a mountain? Fine. Let someone else chase that prize. If they managed to pull it off, they deserved the win. For his part, Joe was content with scraps. He pressed himself behind a crumbling pillar as one of the red dragonkin lumbered past, claws scraping stone. These weren't particularly dangerous, but they travelled in packs. Where there was one, five or six more would be close behind.

He waited until its footsteps faded, then he darted through a half-destroyed corridor, slipping deeper into the ruined castle. He had no clear goal beyond 'find something worth points.' His eyes scanned broken doors, shattered furniture, and collapsed walls. Anything that might hint at value. Most of it was rubble, nothing worth his time. As he dashed deeper, past endless corridors, he soon came across a set of obscure staircases.

The first three he passed without much thought, all three plunged into the darkness below. But at the fourth, he stopped. A faint flickering glow licked along the stone. Shadows stretched and twisted across the wall in strange, almost deliberate patterns. Against his better judgment, curiosity tugged him forward. So he turned and descended into the unseen darkness. The sounds of battle faded behind him as he went deeper.

By the time he cleared the last step, the clash of combat was little more than a muffled echo above. He found himself in a narrow tunnel slanting steadily down, walls damp with trickling water. The candlelight ahead guttered weakly, just bright enough to outline the jagged stone. Each step brought him closer to a faint clicking sound, like the steady rhythm of an ancient clock. Was there treasure ahead? He doubted that as he crept along the dank, stale-smelling tunnel that seemingly stretched without end.

Yet something compelled him to keep moving. Curiosity, perhaps, or something else gnawing at him from the dark. The candlelight finally fell away behind him, leaving only darkness. Still, he walked, guided only by the sound of dripping water and the scrape of his boots against old stone. After a while, the passage ended. A pile of rubble lay ahead, beyond which stood two massive doors. Each door bore an iron hoop, and above each hoop an inscription carved into the stones. Walk away. Joe walked back up the tunnel.

What a waste of time. How long had he spent trudging down this dark passage just to find nothing at the end? He paused. Wait… what just happened? His feet felt rooted to the ground, and a wave of confusion hit him like a sledgehammer. Why was he walking back up? He clutched his head, trying to piece the memory together. He remembered rubble. He remembered reaching the end. But what else? What had been beside it? Heart pounding, he spun and sprinted back down.

The shadows warped and swayed as he tore through the tunnel, confusion still clouding his thoughts. The rubble loomed ahead once more, flanked by two massive stone doors. He didn't remember these doors. Each door bore a hoop nailed into the centre, and carved above both was a simple inscription. Walk away. Joe blinked as he walked back along the tunnel, approaching the staircase leading back to where he had come from. His gut twisted with an almost palpable sense of deja vu. He staggered, dropping to his knees.

What the hell was going on? He remembered walking down and seeing rubble. But… no, that wasn't right. Was it? Had there even been any rubble? His thoughts tangled, slipping from his grasp like water through his fingers. He forced himself to turn and run again. He had to know. He had to see. The rubble. The doors. The hoops. The words… Walk away.

'Gessa! Val lora!' The voice. She was back. She had been quiet for days, but now she was back as she shouted in his mind. Joe chuckled in relief. He stared at the doors.

'Gessa! Val lora!'

"Gessa?" he echoed aloud. He faltered, realization dawning. The voice wasn't random. She was trying to tell him something. He snapped his gaze away from the doors, and the voice surged again.

'Gessa!' Stop. She was warning him.

"Don't look at the doors?" Joe asked, voice tight.

'Cheeta!' The response was sharper, brighter, almost jubilant.

"Gessa means stop? Cheeta means yes?"

'Yes!' That single word nearly floored him. His knees buckled as the weight of it sank in. His heart hammered. He had understood her. For the first time, he had understood.

"I understood you! Can you understand me?"

'Yes.' Excitement flared in his chest, burning away the haze of confusion. He had forgotten where he was, forgotten the Trial, forgotten the danger. All that mattered was that he now had a bridge to this mysterious voice. She spoke again, urgent and insistent.

'Foora, fo go tui duis tyrei,'"Sorry, you're right. There is little time. Focus up!" he slapped his cheeks, forcing clarity into his spinning thoughts. He turned back to the pile of rubble and squinted. Something was wrong. His vision blurred whenever he tried to focus on it. He strained, forcing his eyes to stay on the heap. The world lurched. His stomach flipped as his centre of gravity shifted, and suddenly up was down and down was up. He flipped, landing feet-first on what had just been the ceiling.

He staggered, arms flung out to steady himself, and stared at the new door now revealed above the rubble. A single hoop was nailed to its centre. Above it, faint glowing words shimmered into view. The devourer slumbers. Time froze. The voice inside Joe's head fell silent as everything went white. His vision snapped back. The air before him cracked and shattered as it tore apart, and the void yawned open.

It looked like the crack he had once foolishly ripped into being, the same abyss that had given him the swirling black vortex in his arm. But this time, he hadn't been the one to open the tear. Inside floated a single, titanic eye. Shut. Slumbering. Its sheer size defied comprehension. Panic surged as Joe hurled his will, his entire being at the crack, ripping at space with his mind. Close it! Close it now! His fingers bled and cracked as he reached out, trying to force the tear shut.

He grasped at something he could not see, and with an ear-shattering screech, he pulled the tear shut, sealing the void just as suddenly as it had appeared.

'Galax ah, gooh togui kilti tui?' The voice shrieked frantically in his head. He understood none of what it said. Pain radiated from his fingers, blood dripping. He had forcefully closed a rift that should not have been opened. His vision flashed crimson. Anomaly. What did you do? He froze. Was… the system asking him a question?

"I… I closed the tear," Joe said hoarsely. What did you see? A terror unlike anything he had ever felt crushed him. His mind screamed danger, every instinct told him not to answer. The voice inside him shouted endlessly, frantic. He knew… knew… that to tell the truth would be death itself. But something compelled him. A force wound around his mind, squeezing the words from his throat.

"I saw the void. Sparkles," he gasped. What else? The pressure dug deeper, scraping into his soul like claws.

"I SAW IT!! I SAW IT!!" Joe screamed, his voice raw, bracing for death. Silence fell. His chest heaved. The voice inside him quieted too. But death did not come… Forget what you saw. You… are still needed. LEAVE THIS PLACE NOW!!! With the force of a bomb, Joe slammed into the ground, the impact ripping the air from his lungs. He was alive. He was alive! He laughed so loudly it brought tears to his eyes. He pulled himself upright, chest heaving. The Trial was gone. He was back in a clearing. Five minutes remained.

He quickly pulled up the Treasure Hunt leaderboard. He was still in first, but only by a margin of one thousand points. He exhaled shakily and sat in the crater he had made, waiting for the timer to tick down to zero. Congratulations. You have placed first in the Treasure Hunt and been awarded 750, 000 integration. Well done. Forget what you saw. Joe shut his eyes as the system's cold words echoed in his mind. A moment later, his body dissolved into light, and he was pulled back down to Thropia.

__ Corel gasped as the bond across her chest finally stopped thrumming with fear. She bolted upright, eyes flashing, and sprinted for the teleportation array.

"Cor! Wait! What was that!" Varaiya called after her, but Corel didn't slow. She burst into the chamber that housed the teleportation array, voice sharp with desperation.

"I need to go to Landradad now!" she shouted at the two Voldura guards. They scrambled to set the coordinates as fast as they could while she stamped her feet in impatience, pulsing through the bond: I'm coming! Varaiya rushed in just as the array lit up. She shouted something, words Corel couldn't spare the time to hear, before she leapt into the activating array and vanished toward home. __ Rose lay sprawled on her bed, head cradled in Daisy's lap, agony burning through her chest.

Something unthinkable was happening. The bond was writhing in pain, and through it, she felt him. He was being crushed, tortured by the system itself. Her scream tore through the room, raw and visceral. Daisy's face went pale as she clutched her mistress.

"Help! I don't know what to do! Help!!!" Catalina appeared in a rush of mana, instantly kneeling at her daughter's side. She reached out, trying to pull Rose into her domain… but the attempt was rebuffed, rejected outright. The shock of something impossible happening froze her for a heartbeat, then fury erupted across her face as her Aura ignited, shaking the air. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"What do you think you are doing!" Catalina roared.

"I am a god! How dare you hurt my daughter! Stop this at once!" A small orb shimmered into existence before her, glowing with detached authority. It spoke a single word.

"No." __ Joe fell to his knees as a pair of cosmic eyes appeared before him. Blood poured from his own eyes, ears, and mouth as an Aura unlike anything he could comprehend crushed him to the ground. His insides felt liquefied. One truth seared through his soul: this was not the seedling running the integration. For the first time, the system itself had arrived, in all its ruthless glory. He tried to scream, but no sound escaped. He couldn't move. He couldn't think. There was only pain.

He had no idea how long those eyes hovered over him, watching, unblinking. Eventually, the agony dulled to a low hum, just enough for his vision to clear. He saw it then: a small orb floating between him and those colossal eyes. The seedling. It was speaking, but Joe's mind couldn't hear any words. Everything slipped through his senses like water in a cracked bucket. He felt Corel's presence nearby, and panic tore through him once more. No! Run! Stay away!

He tried to send out warning pulses, but he couldn't even form a coherent thought. What had he done? Why had he gone down that cursed tunnel? Those fractured words tumbled through his broken mind as he coughed, blood spilling from his lips. With a desperate effort, he rolled onto his side. Agonizingly slow, he pushed himself into a sitting position. His head tilted upward, both the system's eyes and the seedling were fixed on him. Then a voice came, ripping straight into his soul.

If you want to live, you have only one choice. You will become the fulcrum, the harbinger of demise. You will be the one who awakens the devourer. If you agree, nod. Otherwise die. Joe's eyes blurred with tears as he nodded, not fully grasping what he was agreeing to. He turned toward the seedling, catching what looked like sorrow in its gaze. A flash, and both were gone. No eyes, no orb. Nothing, as if they had never been there. Joe collapsed face-first into the mud and blacked out.

When he awoke, muffled voices pulled him back to awareness. He blinked and raised a trembling hand to his head, regretting not just accepting death. Someone caught his hand and pressed a pill into his mouth.

"ahmmm mmumm," he tried to mumble a thank you.

"Shush," Corel whispered, pressing a finger against his lips. He let his eyes fall shut again, resting as the pill's effect started to work"Come back to Relashra with me, stop this foolishness, Cor," Varaiya's voice cut sharply through the air.

"Rai! I told you to stop. This is not the time for this."

"You saw what he did! He angered the system! It is not safe around him; he is a walking apocalypse!" Joe winced. She wasn't wrong. A harbinger of Demise… a magnet for disaster.

"I told you to stop! I will discuss this with him; you are not a part of my decision. Am I clear?" Corel's voice was firm as she stared her cousin down.

"We don't even know what that was about."

"We don't need to. Look at him… He almost died," Varaiya took a sharp breath before her tone hardened again.

"Fine. Discuss it together for all I care. I'm only your family. He is not!" She stormed out like a thundercloud, and Corel's eyes followed her, anger and sadness flickering in their depths.

"I'm sorry," Joe apologized.

"She's probably right. It might be safer to stay away from me." The moment the words left his lips, he regretted them. Corel's gaze lingered on him.

"Where would you be without your Seeker?" Corel said lightly. Joe almost chuckled.

"Stop talking. Heal. We can discuss it later. Rai is just scared… and worried. She'll calm down." Joe nodded as Corel gently wiped blood from his face.

"You know," she said softly, "even after all of that, you still look handsome covered in blood." Joe let out a laugh before it turned into a violent cough, forcing up another mouthful of blood. It took three full days for Joe to recover from the system's assault. His internal injuries ran deep, and not even pills could speed the healing. Still, his recovery skills were strong, and eventually he returned to full strength. Now he sat across from an annoyed Corel and a simmering Varaiya.

"Are you going to explain what that was about?" Varaiya demanded. Joe drew in a long breath before answering.

"I don't think I can. Can we just pretend nothing happened?"

"Are you crazy!"

"Rai! Calm down. You promised," Corel interjected sharply. Varaiya scowled and crossed her arms, but she held her tongue. Joe felt like a child caught between two parents, questioning every choice that had led him here.

"But seriously," he continued, "It's a… small problem I will solve. But that is all I can say, so let's put it behind us and look forward. No one is in danger… at least I don't think…" Varaiya shook her head and threw up her hands.

"Humans!" Neither pressed any further, but Joe knew this wasn't the last he'd hear about it.

"While you were healing, the… kids went into the training gate near Heliopolis," Corel said.

"They seemed a bit lost, and I thought it would be good for them to level up instead of wasting time."

"Crap, I keep forgetting about the brats. I have absolutely no idea what to do with them."

"They're still set on staying here. Once they're stronger… I have a few ideas," Corel's smile was cunning, and Joe was honestly grateful. He didn't think he was the best role model to guide them right now. He already had too much on his plate, gathering Integration points, untangling this mess with the system, and he still needed to visit New Eden and Rarohenga. There was a faint tug in the back of his mind, the call of the World Tree. He had been away too long and still hadn't assigned its title.

A decision formed in his mind.

"Corel, Varaiya. Would either of you be interested in a bloodline?"

"Bloodline? What is a bloodline?" Varaiya asked, while Corel seemed to stare off at something distant. Joe quickly gave Varaiya a rundown of what he knew, keeping it simple. When he finished, her face scrunched like she couldn't decide whether to be intrigued or horrified.

"Cor? What about you? I don't think I'm… comfortable gaining a bloodline. It sounds like nothing but trouble," Varaiya said.

"It's not that bad. A couple of my friends have them, and they don't attract any of the madness I do," Joe tried to reassure her, though even to his ears it sounded weak. Varaiya rolled her eyes.

"No," Corel said at last, shaking her head.

"You should pick someone else. If you gave that title to a Voldura right now, it would cause nothing but problems. Do you think no one would complain?" She had a point. Tensions between the two races were still far from settled, and he hadn't considered the political fallout. Joe gave a sheepish grin.

"See, this is why I need Rel with me. She's the brains, and I'm…"

"The handsome disaster?" Varaiya muttered with a sigh.

"Oh, so you also think I'm handsome," Joe's eyebrows wiggled in amusement.

"Cor, I'm going to slap him," Varaiya said flatly. Then she did. Joe laughed as he rubbed his chin.

"Okay, I give up. But if neither of you wants it, I'll need to find a candidate soon. It's been itching at the back of my neck for a while now." Joe felt a sudden urge to move.

"Hey, I just had the best idea," he said as he scooped up Corel and gently set her on his shoulders. She relaxed with ease, patting his head as she settled into place.

"Oh, Rai, come with us. I'm pretty sure something amazing is about to happen," Corel said as Joe started toward the teleportation array.

"Just like that? How do you put up with this?" Varaiya said, falling in step beside him.

"We are bonded," Joe answered simply. Through the bond, he felt a flicker of Corel's embarrassment before she quickly reigned it in. As they walked, Joe pulled out one of his communicators but paused when he noticed six flashing tokens buried in his storage. The tokens from his first Empire Meeting over a year ago. Curious, he drew one out and fed a trickle of mana into it.

"Feormere. This is Lola Veil of the Visect Void. We urgently request a meeting to discuss a world transfer. My people need you. Please reply as soon as you receive this message." Lola Veil… that name was familiar, though he couldn't quite place the low, sultry voice. Great, this was all he needed. It seemed six worlds were clamouring for his attention.

"Who was that?" Corel asked.

"One of the other integration worlds," Joe replied. That must mean five years had passed. He shook his head. Had it really been five years? His two years lost in limbo had dishevelled his mind. But that could only mean that Integration world transfers were now permitted.

"Sounds like they are hoping to transfer here." Joe tucked the token away and turned back to the communicator he originally pulled out, tapping it twice. After a pause, Sarah's voice answered.

"Hey, everything okay?"

"Sarah, you busy? I need a massive favour," Joe asked.

"Nope, what is it?" she replied after a beat.

"Great. Me, Corel, and Varaiya are on our way. Meet at your place?"

"Why am I not surprised?" Sarah sighed.

"You vanish for months, and now you just spontaneously call?... I'll meet you there in ten."

"Thanks, Sarah. You're the best."

"You better bring food," Sarah added.

"Of course. I always have food." Ten minutes later, the trio were seated just outside Sarah and Kai's house, petting one of the unicorns that had wandered over to greet them.

"Are you some kind of whisperer?" Sarah asked as she teleported in with a flash.

"They never come near anyone but me." She raised a hand to stroke the unicorn as it nibbled nuts from Joe's palm.

"What can I say? I have a gift," he said with his best smile before wrapping her in a hug.

"God, I missed you both. Come here, Corel," Sarah said, pulling her into a giant hug.

"So? What's this favour you need?"

"Actually, it's two favours," Joe admitted sheepishly.

"Go ahead," Sarah encouraged as they all settled on the soft grass.

"First, can you send a message to Rarohenga? Tell them I'm coming today to check on the world tree."

"Today? That's not much notice, I'll get Ralph to send the message now." Sarah's eyes unfocused briefly as she relayed it, then she turned back.

"They might take a while to reply."

"It's fine, if they don't greet me when I arrive, I'll just force my way in," Joe said bluntly. Sarah looked like she wanted to argue against that, but thought better of it and simply shook her head. She had been shocked enough when she first learned the World Tree was at the city's centre; she understood Joe's concern.

"What else? It can't possibly be anything more annoying than dealing with those fanatics, can it?" she asked. Joe waved a hand, and six flashing tokens appeared before him.

"These are message tokens from six other integration worlds. They all want to discuss transfers and stuff. I thought you might…" Sarah's eyes lit up like suns as she snatched the nearest token.

"Otherworlders? I get to talk to Otherworlders? Oh wow. Yes! Leave these with me!" she all but shouted in excitement. She vanished in a flash, reappearing five seconds later, empty-handed, then scooped up the rest of the tokens.

"I've got my people preparing already. Do you realize how exciting this is? Have you met them all? What do they look like? No! Don't tell me. I'll ask and find out when I meet them." Joe was left flabbergasted. He had expected to spend time convincing her to handle the other worlds on his behalf, but clearly, he was very wrong. Watching her, he started to see just how much she was flourishing in her leadership role.

"Thanks. That takes a big load off my mind and frees me up for my next task," Joe said.

"Oh? What's that?" Sarah asked absently, still focused on the tokens.

"A quick trip to Kunlun to pick up our soon-to-be bloodline owner," Joe replied with a devious smile. Roughly twenty-five minutes later, Joe sprinted through a street in Kunlun toward the teleportation array, a short-haired and utterly indignant Esha slung over his shoulder in an iron grip. She screamed and cursed his very existence the entire way.

"I swear to Vishnu, Farmer, the moment you put me down, I'm going to stab you with my new knife! How dare you do this to me! Explain yourself!"

"No time, Esh, I'll explain when we reach Landradad," Joe huffed as he rounded a corner. Corel and Varaiya came into view, both looking shocked at the sight.

"Tell them to open the array!" he shouted, closing the distance.

"Landradad? Where are you taking me!" Esha shrieked, kicking and twisting furiously. Her struggles were useless; Joe's grip held firm as he jumped onto the array with Corel and Varaiya. A flash of light swallowed them all. Joe ducked as a knife slashed for his throat.

"Esh, calm down!" he laughed, only to be swept off his feet. He hit the ground with a grunt, and Esha pounced, pressing her blade against his neck.

"Why should I? Why couldn't you just ask like a normal person?" she demanded, her laughter betraying her anger as she finally sheathed her knife. A sharp punch drove into his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs.

"Okay… I deserved that," he admitted between gasps. She let him go and dropped down beside him.

"But the look on your face was priceless," Joe added with a grin. Esha slapped him on the back of his head. He decided it had been worth it.

"So, tell me again what we are doing and where we're heading?" They were seated now on Joe's skyboat, gliding swiftly across the snow-covered plains of the northern part of the continent, heading for Rarohenga.

"Like I briefly mentioned. The World Tree is currently sitting in the centre of Rarohenga," Joe began.

"How?" Esha asked sharply.

"I have no idea. Maybe we can get that guy Devotion to tell us, but I'm doubtful. Sarah said the city keeps to itself and is filled with religious fanatics. So she avoids dealing with them as much as possible."

"Religious fanatics?" Corel asked.

"What religion do they follow?" Joe shrugged.

"To be honest, I forgot to ask. Sarah said it's not a pre-system religion, it's something new." Joe was more than curious about the whole thing. Today, he was determined to get answers.

"And you want me to touch the tree and receive the Bloodline?" Esha asked.

"Yep. Who else deserves the Bloodline, than the strongest woman on this world?" Joe smiled broadly.

"I'm not going to forgive you for grabbing my ass just because of a little flattery," Esha shot back, a playful smile tugging her lips as she swatted at him.

"Hey, please don't tarnish my reputation with such slander. I only brushed your ass… twice. Completely by accident," Joe said with a laugh. He felt Corel's stare burning into him. When he met her eyes, she winked. He laughed again, while she shook her head.

"So yes, we shall arrive soon. Force our way in if we have to, and it's time to see what Bloodline you get today, Esh."

"Force our way in? Oh Vishnu… is it too late to turn around?"

"No stopping this train today," Joe replied cheerfully, pulling out a bag of nuts.

"Cashew?" The group snacked and chatted away as the skyboat cut across the snow, carrying them toward Rarohenga, and an event that would, in the smallest of ways, shift the fate of them all.