The Way Forward: Will Returns

A seemingly impatient Modus spoke up, "We have a lot to do Will but there isn't much time, so what rewards do you want?"

Will did not hesitate this time and spoke up, "I want the Pure Yang Seed and Hela's key."

Everyone in the room smiled wryly because they all had the same thought, 'Modus predicted it!'

Few people expected Will to make this choice because these things would not give Will immediate benefits and carried risks. The Pure yang Seed needed to be processed to make it into something a Yin Type user like Will could use, while Hela's Key was filled with uncertainties.

Will had no intention of focusing on the mage's path, thus most expected him to choose the Life Force Dan and the Elixir of Water's Embrace. He desperately needed Life Force and he could use the improvement in his water affinity. Being a Water Meister, there was no need to mention the benefits of this.

Modus laughed once again, "See? I told you that no one understands my disciple better than me. Great choice boy. You have made the best choice, trust me."

Adelda also nodded in approval. She understood the logic behind Will's choice.

'The Lifeforce Dan and the Elixir of Water's Embrace might improve his personal power, but the Pure Yang Seed and Hela's Key will assist greatly in the bigger picture.'

"If I'm not mistaken there is one last reward the boy should have no?" said Odin with a cheeky grin.

Will's eyes sparkled in delight.

'My Kiss!'

Before he could confront Adelda about it, the latter spoke, "I will hand you your reward after we finish dealing with the important matters at hand."

Will was not depressed and nodded like a chicken pecking corn. He did not doubt his future wife. She didn't seem like the sort to make such promises lightly. Will took the matter of his first kiss seriously. While he did desire it, now did not feel like the right occasion for such an act.

'She is going to be my future wife! Our first kiss has to be legendary!'

Modus slung an arm around Will's neck casually and said, "Now then, let's discuss the way forward."

The higher beings and Will had an hour-long discussion. It was mainly to ratify what they were doing, who would benefit from what and what Will was required to do. Will was happy that he was allowed to see this discussion because Modus could have simply told him the results. But Modus had insisted that Will had earned the right to at least understand what he gave up his lifespan for.

The discussion resulted in the following. First Will would activate his Centralized Tripartite Partition with Alice, Letty and Duke. Then he would sign a Contract of Equals with Narcissus, Thor and Jingsung Ha. Due to Will's affinity with Metal, Space, Water, Negative Energy, Perspective, Madness and Lightning, Thor was the perfect deity for him. He would still be able to use Odin's Armaments through his connection with Thor as the latter was The Odinson.

Narcissus was a water deity with dominion over nature, beauty, pride, archery, success, power and envy. Son of the River God Cephisus and a Nymph, he was always in tune with nature. Zeus had adopted him as a son and had given him a seat on the high table, due to his overwhelming talent in Intent, but he had not used his talents well at all.

Despite this, his divinities suited Will very well, because Narcissus was a natural hunter blessed with a powerful set of vessels. His body, soul and mind were all quite powerful, which was rare because deities heavily leaned toward one or two vessels. But Narcissus was the closest to being a jack of all trades and master of all in terms of vessels. Which was why his lack of usage of his potential greatly disturbed the other gods.

Jingsung Ha was a former Water Meister, A Solitary Sword Sovereign and a Master of Intent, thus there was no need to explain why he was beneficial for Will. His skill in intent alone surpassed everyone present. All members of the House of Ha had a unique trait, they were both immortals and deities!

Thus although Jingsung Ha was an immortal, he was also a deity. Only the Ha and a few select clans had this ability. Jingsung leaned more toward the immortal path but he still had divinity within him. Will still needed someone to teach him the way of the sword. And few could do so as well as Jingsung Ha.

The next step was his training under the different deities. Hou Yi, Hercules, Odysseus, Athena and Adelda were also going to be involved at future junctions in his learning.

Adelda was no different from being Will's nanny, mentally and physically, thus it was no shock that she would be asked to teach him something. The surprise to her was that it was something shocking. She was tasked with being his moral compass. She didn't understand her duties because she and Will came from different cultures with completely different values. But Modus had insisted that she teach him right from wrong. This was a great responsibility. But there was a problem.

Before Fafnir's Grave Will was just a talented mortal. He had broken records such as being the youngest user to apply a concept and had impressive talents such as having fused Empyrean Intents. But he was still a weak mortal with no backing. Adelda had no idea how long Will would survive under Modus. Due to his mad mind, Modus had led all his previous disciples to madness and death. Thus Will's future, despite his many talents and Modus' own backing, seemed bleak. It became even worse when considering the fact that Modus was one of the most hated immortals with enemies as numerous as stars in the night sky.

After Will had added most deities to his list of enemies and had lost lifespan, things seemed even bleaker. Now however things were different. Jingsung Ha, Hou Yi, Hercules, Athena, Odysseus and Narcissus had an interest in Will. In terms of status, Adelda had no right to be in the same room as these characters. Just Odin by himself was enough to cast a shadow even her clan feared. But all these characters and other earth-shattering names such as Thor had invested themselves in this young mortal. While this was a shock, the even greater shock was that she was elected as his moral compass and was his love interest.

Adelda felt grateful for this rise in station but was also weighed by a heavy responsibility. If she did something wrong and led Will down the wrong path, she could gain the ire of everyone there. Including Modus himself.

She wanted to reject, but Modus had refused. Saying that there was no room for debate. Modus owned her, thus her opinion didn't matter. She was his slave and had no choice in the matter. But Will gave her hope. She felt the heavy burden of responsibility, but Will was in a worse situation. Yet he still went with his best foot forward, even having the courage to make puns along the way. If a mortal child like him could make laugh in the face of death, how could she cower in the face of responsibility? This wasn't just a burden, but also a chance! Given to the trusted!

Everyone present only had one request, that Will get stronger. They explained that their requirements needed him to be much stronger than needed and that their future actions were all steps to make him stronger.

Hercules handed Will some useful information and told him that Narcissus would accompany him on the journey disguised as a mortal user. Will was also told that he could bring in two helpers along the journey. Other factions had many members in their groups but Will was restricted to having two.

"It's not good for a Solitary Sword Sovereign to travel with large crowds." Stated Jingsung Ha. Since his entire clan were Solitary Sword Sovereigns of the highest tier, his words were as heavy as a mountain on this topic.

As the leader of the expedition among the users, Will had many rights. The leader of the local troops under Olympus was Odysseus. He would take a group of locals Olympus had recruited into their army and bring them along on the expedition.

"Odysseus is an expert on expeditions and he can also teach you a thing or two. He will also make sure Narcissus doesn't do anything stupid. But keep in mind, only Truthseekers are guaranteed to survive in that place. Thus tread carefully. To be honest I never thought I would find a Solitary Sword Sovereign Truthseeker, because that was exactly what I was looking for. I also happened to need someone to help develop Narcissus' talent in perspective so I appreciate this. I don't want you to die, so act with caution, trust no other mortals and you will survive…probably." Said Hercules as he flexed.

After the discussion, Hercules handed Will his prizes and opened a portal for Will's crew. Will stepped through the portal and left the divinities in the room.

Once Will was gone, Adelda took the chance to ask Modus a question, "Lord Modus, Will's Unbound Vector improved greatly, but it still seems incomplete. What else could he possibly do to improve it?"

Unbound Vector already had countless components to it and it was extremely complex. Adelda wasn't sure how an ordinary mortal could complete such an intricate skill.

Modus snickered, "He doesn't need to add or change anything. It will be complete at the right moment as it is!"

Narcissus tilted his head in confusion and said, "If he doesn't change anything, the technique will remain incomplete."

"No, he can still complete it without changing a thing." Interjected Odin.

"How? Doing the same thing over and over under the same conditions while expecting a different outcome is just-"Before Narcissus could complete his words, Athena interrupted, "Madness. It's madness!"

Narcissus' eyes flickered with a light of understanding. He looked at Modus' countenance and fearfully gulped. He truly pitied Will.

'Being a disciple of The Mad One. What a cruel fate.'