Heaven's Gift

Rokas was sunbathing in the paradise of his creation within James's inner world. His body was practically embedded in the golden, soft sand, and his face did not shy away from the sun's radiance. He hadn't moved an inch in ages… nor had any desire to. 

Yun Wuxin approached, floating above him.

"How typical… lazing around as usual."

"... Are you so bored that you've approached me?" Rokas questioned, keeping his eyes closed. "Or are you curious?"

"From the information that I could gather, you might be the person who has the answers that I seek."

"What gives you that impression?"

"First of all, the System acknowledged you as the Strongest."

"A jest," Rokas remarked.

"Second of all, you are a 'loan', and James has no authority over you. In a way, that would suggest that you are above even the System. Perhaps you are the one who created it in the first place."

"Now, that is one wild accusation. I suppose I'll be nice and entertain you." Rokas took a deep, relaxed, breath. "So… what are your questions?"

"Is there a way that I could return home?"

"Yeah, it is possible."

"How?"

"Theoretically, I could tear through space and make it happen." Rokas chuckled. "But… that's no fun."

"No fun? It seems all this is just a game to you." Yun Wuxin had a tone of anger in her voice.

"Bullseye." Rokas smiled slightly. "James wouldn't forgive me either, even if I gave your more capable father in exchange. Though… if I did… who would protect your universe? You? You are far too weak in many aspects."

"How about not playing your game at all?"

"Heh… believe it or not, I have nothing against you or your family. If anything, I am slightly grateful to good ol' Scum Che. He paved quite the road for me." Rokas opened his eyes, which had changed colour to purple. "So… I will pave a road for you. You see, should things have continued, you would've been sheltered for the rest of your life. As good as your father's intentions were, he would've kept you from being your own person."

"Not at all." Yun Wuxin denied it.

"While I won't ever do it myself… James will have the option to see other worlds in the future. That includes the one you came from." Rokas smiled slightly, ignoring her remark. "He's the one who 'stole' you and the only one who can return you."

"I see… so the only way I can have what I want is by kissing up to him? Is that how it is?"

"You don't have to, necessarily." Rokas chuckled. "There is a good chance he'd go there anyway. Besides that… isn't there a part of you that longs for him?"

"... What are you talking about?" Yun Wuxin had a defensive tone. "There's hardly anything good about a person like him."

"Hardly… yet when he speaks, your ears open wide and seek out every word. When you see him, your eyes shine so brilliantly and your heart pounds faster. Whenever he touches you, your body quivers… hoping-"

"Shut up!" Yun Wuxin's eyes lit up red. "None of that is true!"

Just as she was about to strike, she was suppressed by a terrifying aura and couldn't move in the slightest. She even lost her footing and fell on the floor.

"Don't raise your voice, young lady. I'm trying to enjoy the sun here." Rokas sighed. "All I gave were answers, and you were on the verge of hitting me. I suppose… this irrational, reckless violence runs in your bloodline."

"Answers?" Yun Wuxin questioned. "All you gave were lies."

"And why would a being like me lie about such things?" Rokas chuckled. "I haven't lied in so long… the art is lost on me. You see, sometimes, the truth truly is bitter. Sometimes it is beautiful. Sometimes we don't like it, other times we do. Either way, the truth doesn't care about your feelings… it just is."

"Whether we try to deny it or not, it remains as such."

"..." Yun Wuxin tried to move yet could not. "Let me go."

"In one ear and out the other, you're quite like your father. Sometimes you can be clever… other times not so much." Rokas chuckled, slowly rising from the sand. "Since you disturbed my rest, it'll be much harder to get back into the mood."

"Poor you."

"Yes, poor me." Rokas sighed, shaking his head. "Alas, being the great mentor that I am, your lack of strength truly is… disturbing. If you realised your potential, you could be so much more."

"To whose benefit?" Yun Wuxin questioned with a frown. "Your best friend, James?"

"Best friend is a bit of a stretch." Rokas shook his head, and all the sand that had covered his body fell off like running water. "Though, I do find his company refreshing."

Rokas clicked his fingers, and a replica of Zangetsu he had created appeared in his left hand. He tossed it towards her, to which the blade landed right before her… embedded into the ground. 

"You want me to fight you again?"

"Rise and shine; it's time to grind." A sword that was the exact same appeared in his hand. "Do I need to show you the memory of how I ate your father again to get you going?"

"... I refuse."

"Could you imagine how proud your father would be to see his daughter possess strength that rivalled his?"

"..." Yun Wuxin's expression softened slightly.

"I'd imagine that he would be elated." Rokas chuckled. "More so, you could certainly impress James if you were diligent… there's nothing he loves more than a competitive spirit and the ambition to strive for more."

She got up on her feet and grasped the hilt.

"Why this sword in particular?"

"First of all, it is a heavy sword and would maximise your potential for truly devastating power. Second of all… I love its shape." Rokas shrugged. "Should there be other reasons?"

"It looks like an oversized butter knife."

"... That's what it is." Rokas chuckled. "Come on, strike me."

Yun Wuxin used the Star God's Broken Shadow, dashing towards him.

~

After another strenuous training session leading to the following day, I decided to check up on the rest of my vassals. Everything seemed to be in order. Senjumaru weaved my next outfit, Nautica was chilling in the sea, Yoggy was being hungry (nothing new), Zero was horny as hell (I decided to leave her hanging for a bit), Itachi and Enderman were vibing, Chojiro was enjoying some tea, Circe was cooking for me, Ai Hoshino was practising for a future performance, the Phoenix was being the naive child it is, Eleonora was practising her wind, Saru was rematching Dehya for the 1043rd time… and Beatrice was all over me, as usual.

God… I do have a lot of vassals.

There were two more, however.

I flew to Rokas' private island and saw them sparring rather intensely. Well, Yun Wuxin was sweating all over… while Rokas looked like he was walking on a treadmill at 1m/ph this entire time. 

"Wuxin and Rock-ass, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!-"

"Don't be so childish." Yun Wuxin countered. "It's nothing like that."

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby… in a baby carriage!" I laughed, turning to Rokas. "Don't you remember how embarrassed you were in primary school? I don't think you even liked that girl-"

"I swear I will sing it to you one day." Rokas put away his oversized butter knife. "Anyway, you shouldn't get too jealous. I was simply teaching her a thing or two about fighting."

"Uh-uh." I nodded. "What makes you think I'd get jealous over Yun Wuxin?"

"Now we have two Tsunderes on this little island," Rokas laughed. "Hahahaha…"

"What the fuck is a Tsundere?" I questioned.

"Don't worry about it." Rokas smiled, shaking his head. "Alas, I was finished with what I intended to impart to this young lady."

"Nah, ya'll keep fighting with your large butter knives. I've actually never seen Yun Wuxin train without me forcing her to. It's somewhat refreshing."

"Well, I showed her the path. It's her choice if she wants to walk it or not." Rokas shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, this is a bit above my pay grade. I'm going to go and chill for a bit."

"... Sure." I chuckled, watching him teleport away. "Well, look at you, Wuxin. Are you training to impress me in the future?"

"Not at all." Yun Wuxin put away the sword in a storage ring. "I'm doing it for myself."

"Right." I nodded. "It's nice to see someone striving to be their best, no matter the reason. No matter how dim the world seems-"

"Keep your long inspirational speech to yourself."

Yun Wuxin flashed away.

"... Cold." I chuckled, deciding to continue on. "It shouldn't be an excuse to let ourselves go. I made that mistake and ended up here. Not the worst thing, of course… but if I were stronger… things would've ended differently. I could have achieved anything with my talent, yet I settled for mediocrity because I just didn't have it in me anymore. I didn't 'feel' like it."

"Are you talking to yourself now?" I heard Yun Wuxin's voice.

'And you're still here?'

"So, instead of living up to my ambitions… I was nothing more than a fallen prodigy. Just another loser."

"..."

"Anyway, I'm waffling." I chuckled. "Just keep doing your thing."

I teleported inside of Rokas' crib.

…

He had a massive ass tv screen and an entire banquet of food prepared. He was wearing his favourite team's gear, clad in purple and gold. Meanwhile, on the screen, it looked like a basketball game. The in-season tournament… championship?

I looked at the food on the table… I won't lie; it smelled so good. I definitely wanted a piece of that meat-feast cheese crust pizza, the bolognese, the fish and chips, the English Breakfast... and the chicken... there were also all types of snacks. A box of Celebrations, packets of Wine Gums, all sorts of Cadbury chocolate, Fruit Pastilles, a Forest Gatteu cake... and a fuckton amount of Malteasers.

Drinks? Soda, soda, soda... you wonder how he got fat. 

Honestly, I felt like I was back home. I hadn't seen any of these in forever.

I popped open the Celebrations box and grabbed some Malteasers. 

Rokas suddenly glared at me menacingly as if I had killed his entire family when I ate those Malteasers. 

"It's a box for sharing, isn't it?" I chuckled.

He turned away, and the Malteasers reappeared as if I hadn't eaten them in the first place.

"I'm joking." Rokas smiled. "Have as much as you like."

Honestly, that smile... wasn't reassuring. It made Beatrice's look innocent.

In the blink of an eye, I was flooded by an ocean-worth of them.

"... I don't need that much-" I laughed.

"Chocolate doesn't expire all that quickly. You can always keep more for later." Rokas countered. "Besides, you have the Sky Poison Pearl."

"Right..." 

I exited the mountain of wrapped chocolate and walked over to his side. Inevitably, I ended up watching the same basketball game. Football was always my main focus... actually, I had never watched an NBA game. I only played basketball when it was the sport of the half-term during PE.

"What does the eye test say to you?" Rokas questioned, sipping a can of cherry coke. 

Right as he said that, a guy called Obi Toppin made a nice move and scored.

"That guy's pretty good."

"He's alright," Rokas replied, tilting his head.

Some Reddish guy dribbled up the court and fumbled the ball, but number three on the Lakers got it and dunked it in with both hands.

"What about him?" I questioned.

"The person who should be the best player on the team by now..." Rokas grinned slightly. "But Lebron refuses to decline and pass on the torch, while Davis is too timid to take it. It doesn't help that his body is made of glass."

"Gets injured a lot?"

"You can breathe on him the wrong way, and he'd be out for three weeks." Rokas joked. "Though, this season... looks promising."

"That's how you jinx your team, alright." I chuckled. "I find it surprising that you still care about a basketball team."

"Is it? I suppose so... I'm quite a nostalgic person." Rokas admitted, smiling slightly. "My love for the game hasn't faded much in all these years. If anything, I have found myself enjoying it now more than ever."

"So... can you tell me about the Four Great Sacred Grounds? Maybe slide me some advice."

"Well, there's four of them," Rokas remarked.

"No shit, Sherlock."

"There used to be five." He added, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. "Do you know what happened to it?"

"Never heard of a Fifth Sacred Ground, no."

"That was their intention. The Fifth Sacred Ground, the Eternal Night Royal Family, was the tightest-knit of all the Sacred Grounds. They would only recruit outsiders if a man from their family had taken a wife."

"Then they were the weakest," I remarked.

"Indeed, yet the most united." Rokas nodded. "A thousand years ago, the current Sword Master had risen to his position as head of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. He coveted the Sovereign Profound sword that the Eternal Night Royal Family protected, so he tricked the other leaders into believing they were evil... and used the forces of the Four Great Sacred Grounds to exterminate the Eternal Night Royal Family entirely."

"Once they all realised that they had been played like fiddles, the other Sacred Grounds suppressed all knowledge about the Eternal Night Royal Family. That is why you don't even know about it."

What a standout geezer… interesting.

"What is this Sword Master's name?"

"Xuanyuan Wentian." 

"Xuanyuan Wentian, huh…" I nodded, taking note of it. "Still… shouldn't the Sacred Grounds possess quite a few Sovereign Profound artefacts? I imagine the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region would have a sword of that level before those events."

"Not at all," Rokas answered simply. "It is the sole weapon of that rank in the entire world: the so-called Monarch of Swords."

"... Really?" My eyes widened. "Aren't there Sovereign Profound Realm beasts that can be turned into them?"

"..." Rokas chuckled. "Do you think that there has been a craftsman native to the Blue Pole Star that comes even close to my abilities? Yes, despite being rare, Sovereign Profound Realm beasts do exist... but to turn their cores into artefacts? That's a different story. No one is capable - otherwise, they would have done it already."

"Okay, so how many Tyrant Profound Realm artefacts are there?"

"In the Profound Sky Continent? Ten."

"... Ten." I repeated, chuckling. "So, I possess more of those than the rest of the continent combined?"

"... Yeah. Though, the ones I made are low-grade."

"So if I got you a powerful Tyrant Profound Beast core or even a Sovereign Profound one, you could cook up something brilliant?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I could." 

"Bet." I nodded. "Oh... and can you make guns?"

"You want a BOOM stick?" Rokas questioned, turning to me for the first time. His blue eyes flashed purple.

"A BOOM stick? Hell yeah." I chuckled. "Like a flintlock I can just whip out and BANG... bruddha's finished with a massive gaping hole in his chest."

"Heh..." Rokas laughed. "Sure thing, guns are a speciality of mine. By the way - your match is going to start soon. I wouldn't want you to get disqualified."

"Right... I almost forgot."

What was there to be excited about? Since fighting Ling Yun, the only person who might give me a surprise would be Xia Qingyue...

I opened my eyes to the real world and went over to the Sword Discourse Arena.

~

During his match, James quickly folded Shui Wushuang and moved on to the next round. Then he returned to his throneroom and continued his boy's night with Rokas. He showed him Lebron James' performance in 2013 during Game Six against the Celtics, and they had a good time watching the other King James cook.

All the while, Rokas told him more about the Four Great Sacred Grounds. Their leaders, the strength of their forces, where they stood geographically, and everything in between.

"I feel like a recruiter for the Four Great Sacred Grounds at this point." Rokas chuckled. "Since you're asking so many bloody questions, do you plan to join one of them or not?"

"The Supreme Ocean Palace is pretty tempting," James remarked, shrugging his shoulders. "It's called the Supreme Ocean Palace, has the second highest overall strength, and the leader has the title of 'the Sovereign of the Seas'... come on. You know how the British love naval supremacy. Not to mention that she is a woman."

"A married woman," Rokas added. "To the guild master of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, no less."

"Oh? That's even better." James' blue eyes shined. "I genuinely love the Black Moon Merchant Guild. They've been handy to me from the very beginning, in truth. From possessing the high-quality materials I seek to facilitating and brilliantly marketing the items I've auctioned off. They don't have any agendas to push, they don't judge, don't ask questions... they're just a business. Capitalism at its finest."

"Even so, you have your obligation to the Blue Wind Imperial Family," Rokas remarked. "Don't you?"

"It depends on the opportunities that show themselves. If a Sacred Ground desperately seeks me out, I might indulge them. If not... then I will proceed as I intended."

"I see." Rokas chuckled. "You know, you remind me of someone."

"Who?"

"Qianye Ying'er." 

"Like I'm supposed to know who the hell that is." James smiled. "Let me guess, another wife?"

"Heh." Rokas chuckled. "Ever so ambitious, shamelessly selfish, cunning, someone who keeps their true self hidden..."

"So... a female version of me?"

"To some extent." Rokas nodded. "I'd imagine you two would either get along splendidly... or horribly. No inbetween."

"Tell me about this Qianye Ying'er..." James felt a little curious, stroking his chin. "Is she as beautiful as I am handsome?"

"Nah, bruh, you're ugly as shit." Rokas laughed.

"... That's coming from you?" James chuckled. "You look average as they come."

"Where have you seen a brownie in these parts?" Rokas questioned. "I am the only person in the universe with brown hair... you could even consider me exotic. Besides, this isn't how I really look like."

"Yeah, okay." James laughed. "This woman you speak of doesn't live on this planet... does she?"

"Nah, she's pretty high up in the Realm of the Gods."

"She's irrelevant to me now, in that case." James shrugged. "What about Xia Qingyue? Does she have any special abilities I should be on the lookout for?"

"Hmmm... to tell or not to tell~"

"That means she does have something special. Come on... you can't tell your dear old friend?" James' eyes widened, making them shine like a puppy's. "The one that's been there since the beginning?"

"You're embarrassing." Rokas sighed, putting up one finger. "Very well... first of all, she possesses the Heart of Snow Glazed Ice, which grants her supremely high comprehensive abilities, a powerful soul that grows continuously stronger over time and the ability to see into the heart of all living things."

"Sooo... lying to her is difficult?"

"It's practically impossible, especially when it truly awakens." Rokas shook his head and put up a second finger. "Secondly, she has the Nine Profound Exquisite Body, which grants her a small inner world. This inner world allows her to hold more power than her physical body or cultivation can handle... meaning she could comprehend and use essentially any Profound Art. Even divine profound arts, regardless of whether she has the bloodline."

"... The fuck?" James looked genuinely baffled. "Why couldn't I be born with shit like that?"

"Well... it can be passed onto others through vital yin."

"... Seriously?" James stood up. "You're saying if I shag her once... I can have that power?"

"There is a reason why the Nine Profound Exquisite Body is a physique that even God Emperors of this world would salivate over..." Rokas remained sitting. "Let alone simple rulers of such a small planet."

"Well, those baboons can forget about it." James smiled with supreme confidence as his eyes lit up with a heavenly blue allure. "That Nine Profound Exquisite Body will be mine."

Rokas chuckled. "Now you have another similarity with Ying'er."

"Guess she would want something like that to elevate herself if she were like me. Even so, women can't dual-cultivate... right?"

"About that..." Rokas laughed. "There is an extreme method that can make it work."

"... Honestly, I don't even want to know how that works."

"That would be for the best."

…

After chatting it up with Rocky, I went to sit on my own for a little… and let things sink in. The sky was pitch-black in my throneroom, with not a single star in sight. However, the moon was out in full bloom, its frozen blue colour reminding me of better days.

Silence… when you stop doing a thousand things at once, worrying about the future, seeking every little advantage…

That is when you hear yourself the most.

I always had a vivid memory… which has seemingly become more refined over time. It's a blessing, to be sure. I could learn almost anything with ease, sometimes by only seeing it once. Yet it can also be a curse. I could live through my happiest moments over and over again… in my dreams, during triggers that remind me of those moments, sometimes without any logical reason at all… and it's almost always unwillingly.

"No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you."

I dropped my head into the sand as I repeated her promise.

This heart of mine… is such a broken, useless, moronic thing.

I managed a laugh.

Yet… it might work in my favour for once.