A goal to aim for (remade)

My son, Saulian Reilan Arscheen, was the product of one of my earliest experiments with Souls. I had tested with numerous other Souls before, ensuring that the operation was safe to do, and split my own afterwards. It was a small piece, since splitting more than 50% of the entire Soul would mean that I'm only at half all the time.

The separated Soul piece of mine was put into a Homunculi, built by yours truly through alchemy. At first, I placed him in a place hidden away from the public. He was supposed to be my vessel for which, if I did die, I would be transported to Saulian's Homunculi body.

However, at a certain point, I decided to test something. I let him out of his eternal sarcophagus and gave him orders, trained him, molded him. And the result was a Warrior King character with the purpose of being a gatekeeper, separating the potentials with the wastes.

Now, he stands before me, a vengeful and hatred driven monster that no longer has his Homunculi flesh. He swung his Spirit Sword, the Ryukachi, a greatsword, with the sole intent of killing me. His eyes, now hollow with only the left possessing the spark of hatred in the form of an orb.

"Son! Saulian! Stop this instant!"

"DIIEEEEE!!"

He did not listen, he did not care. These things pushed me towards the edge. I was someone who could control his emotions, but now it seems like my emotional side is getting more hold over me.

"Lightning Rod!"

My left hand materialized a rod of lightning, sparkling and oozing electricity with every second. I tossed it into the air and continued to run. I am preparing for the conflict that's soon to come.

"Lightning: Tesla Coil!"

While I materialized the Lightning Rods, I repelled him using another Spell. An azure Magic Eye appeared in my right palm and shot out bolts of lightning in a sort of shotgun-like pulse. It temporarily repels Saulian and gives me time to set up the final Lightning Rod.

"Gravity Point!"

Multiple ring Magic Eyes appeared at a distance and formed a black ball. This ball provided gravitational pull and Saulian was pulled towards it. Naturally, the caster also suffers the same fate but, I had my plans.

"Mana Link, activate!"

Small, blue threads of Mana were connected from the seven Lightning Rods, six on the ground and one directly above the gravity ball, and shone brightly before creating my plan.

"Mach Wind!"

I canceled the Spell and used the tier 5th, Mach Wind, Spell to punch him into the cage I made in a hurry. Once it was up, I poured every ounce of Mana I had to charge the field up to eleven. The inside was targeted, and lightning bolts soon bombarded Saulian and forced him to roar in anguish.

"Graahhhhhhh!!"

"Submit, son. I do not want you to suffer."

Of course, my words fell on deaf ears. He didn't listen, and only acted on blind, inexplicable rage. He shouldn't be like this, but who knows how long I must've been gone for, and what experiences Saulian has been through to harbor such malice.

"Son, please, do not make me-"

"Shut up! SHUT UP! DIE DIE DIEEEEEE!!"

He no longer had any words to say other than malice and rage. He charged through even though lightning continuously discharges and fries his bones to charcoal. I watch in disbelief and anger as my son's defiance towards me continues. It influenced me, badly.

"Enough!"

I dispelled the cage and, as the remnants of my son rushed towards me, grabbed him by the neck suspended in the air. He roared, cursed my name, and violently clawed at me in the air. My rage was also boiling, influenced by my son's rage for my demise.

"Son, speak to me about the reason you would do this. Fighting and dying by my hand isn't the outcome you would desire, right? Do you wish for your life to be in vain? What did I build you for? Filled your head with? Snap out of it!"

"Don't! Speak such words to me, traitor! I waited, waited, waited,waited,waited,waitedwaitedwaited and yet you never came back! You, who have turned your back to me and my sisters and brothers, you deserve to die! DIE!! Rot in Hell! The darkest of the Abyss! Be purged and scorched by divine sunlight! Suffer fate worse than Death!!"

"...Just how long have I been gone for?"

This question was the centerpiece of what I wanted to know. Just how long have I been away from this World?

'Wait… then, my darling.'

I remember her face, the beautiful, most enchanting face of anything living and dead. She was the darkness that cloaks me, that warms me from the coldness I exude.

'Charlotte Von Arshal Sanguise… my beloved, do you still remember me?'

This worrisome feeling made me more hasty in my decisions. I decided that for now, stabilizing my son and then I should go look for her.

'The room was unchanged from the last time I saw it… but I should still check on her to be safe.'

As I think of that sliver of possibility, my son had already grown too furious and too out of control. His Aura leaked out his skeletal body in the form of tendrils and whips, crushing and smashing the surroundings.

"Tch, stop for a moment, Saulian."

I cast a Blessing, something that is very unusual for an Undead to use, and especially strange considering I'm a God of Death.

"Blessing of Silent Penance."

It is a Blessing with the unique Debuff of Sealed, rendering any Aura, Mana, Ki and Special Resource activation useless. However, since it is technically a Blessing, it also boosts Physical Damage by a whole 120% and gives a decent amount of Damage Resistance.

"Be quiet, boy."

"GRRAAHHHH!!"

Though it's called the Blessing of Silent Penance, it actually doesn't render the target unable to utter any words.

"Son, listen to me closely. I do not know whether you will believe nor recover from what I'm about to say, but I'm sorry. Deeply, for my abandonment of you and your brothers and sisters. But for now, set aside your grudge for me. Help me, I need to know your pain in order to properly heal it."

"NO! STAY AWAY! TRAITOR!!"

Though he said that, his face showed signs of wavering, his one eye to be precise since you know.

"Son, please, I just want to help. I do not ask you to forgive, I just require your guidance. Give me that, and I shall honor anything you wish to be inflicted upon me."

"Grahh… hahh… FUCK!"

He cursed, and went limp.

"Fine… I agree to your terms."

Finally, he calmed down. I set him down onto the floor, where he looked at me menacingly with his one eye. He didn't rush at me while staring, thankfully.

"What is it that you require of me?"

"Information, how long have I been gone for?"

"Too long… last I checked, it was a couple of hundreds of years, and then I lost track due to the constant invasions I have to deal with. Your pawns, they raided this place in search of you, for vengeance or something along those lines, they said."

His voice contained sadness, melancholy and something surprising, guilt.

"My pawns… the Humans?"

"Not just them… The Elves, Beastkin, Demonkin, Angelics, and even some of the Grand Devils and young Divines came to raid this place. They had different purposes and motives, and I couldn't manage to fend off their assaults all on my own."

"...You did good then, my son."

"Don't…! I, am not your son. Not at this moment. I am Saulian Reilan Arscheen, the Immortal."

"...Alright, then, what of your brothers and sisters? What became of them while I was gone?"

"I… do not know. It's been, a long time since any of them visited me. Even that rotten child Kokio didn't visit me to restore my flesh. She once regularly checks up on me, and helped me to repel the invaders, but it's been so long since she came back. The others, I do not know of their current conditions. They might as well be like me, for all I know."

"Was… it that bad?"

"Of course, so many and with so little time to recuperate. It's been… too harsh, too difficult. I couldn't hold on for much longer, but still I stood. I stood because I hoped, I had hoped that you'll one day return. But… that fleeting hope has died long, long ago."

"Son…"

I couldn't muster up any words to turn the conversation. I just stared as Saulian's head turned downward little by little as he spoke of his struggles. I wanted to comfort him, but my touch would undoubtedly sour the relationship further.

"Then… what became of your mother? Charlotte… is she-"

"She should still be waiting for you… the only one who hasn't lost all hope yet."

His words reassured me, I just needed that one sentence. However, his next words plummeted my reassurance into a pit of darkness.

"But, I would digress from meeting her. Especially you. She would undoubtedly try and maul you for your blood, she hasn't been able to satiate her thirst for much from the many invaders."

"Oh… right."

I had a bad feeling about committing to it, but it's still much better than meeting with the others and being forced into fighting them. Some of them I can't even restrain properly like with Saulian.

"Thank you, Saulian. This much information is enough."

"So… what're your goals moving forward now?"

"Your mother… she is the one I must confront first.''

"Then, I wish you luck on your endeavor. If you're a dried up corpse the next time I visit mother's chambers, then I would be most glad."

"..."

I could only shake my head at his hostility. I don't deserve this since it was out of my control, the time skipping, but all I can do now is fix the damages and restore balance. I said my goodbyes, even though it's unnecessary since he doesn't care, and left the Boss chamber.

[You have reclaimed the Black Castle]

[It will now serve as your main Hub]

'Huh?'

Upon exiting the Boss chamber, returning to the Entrance Room, I received a notification. It spoke of my 'reclamation' of the Black Castle.

'...This isn't some sort of Quest now, is it?'

And, as soon as I thought of that, reality came knocking.

[A Quest has been generated]

[Questline {Reclaim your Home} has been generated]

{Reclaim your Home}

[Type: Questline]

[Quest Information: After learning of your disappearance from time and space, you are now tasked with resettling order within your Home, the Dark Celestial Palace]

[Quest Completion Requirement:

+Reclaim the First Floor, the Bone Mausoleum [0/1]

+Reclaim the Second Floor, the Aquatic Realm [0/1]

+Reclaim the Third Floor, the Reanimated Caverns [0/1]

+Reclaim the Fourth Floor, the Wilderness [0/1]

+Reclaim the Fifth Floor, the Peaceful Forest [0/1]

+Reclaim the Sixth Floor, the Angelic Refuge [0/1]

+Reclaim the Seventh Floor, the Daemon's Lairs [0/1]

+Reclaim the Eighth Floor, the Apex Mountain [0/1]

+Reclaim the Ninth Floor, the Dreamer's Bliss [0/1]

+Reclaim the Shrouded Room on the Tenth Floor [0/1]

[Quest Completion Reward: The full authority of the Dungeon, regain control over the World, access to new Systems]

[Quest Failure Conditions: Death]

'They chose that name?'

I first looked at the Quest Information, and I saw what my Dungeon was called by the System. It was the name most commonly used to refer to my Dungeon by both Players and the Named NPCs of my World.

'The place where God and his wife and children stay. A dark, desolate, and impossible mission of guaranteed doom awaits any and all that dares to intrude upon the sacred land of Death.'

It was a famous line written by the many Players to express how grand of a task it is to conquer my Dungeon. An impossibility that has only a sliver of hope when the strongest of Players banded together. But, even so, it is just a small sliver of hope.

'But… Now that I've skipped time drastically, I don't know how the others have developed. For all I know, I'm in uncharted waters that can claim my life with even the slightest of mishaps. If I were to be unprepared, I would be doomed.'

Still, this is a worthy challenge to start my future days off. Adventuring through the Floors similar to how the other Players were doing, facing possible unknown hardships, and reaching the end goal of completing the entire 'goal' of every Player who once played World Saga Online.

'The conquest of the Dark Celestial Palace.'

The wish of probably every Player in the game. I will demonstrate how to deal with each Floors, but… a singular thought crossed my mind.

'Oh… I'm no longer inside the game…'

It was a thought that suddenly gave me a realization. A realization that, I might've just killed off every Player during Ragnarok. That sudden realization gave me a tinge of sadness, but that didn't discourage me much.

'...I should start planning.'

So starts the days of planning and making out my routes. Which one should I aim for first? After taking care of my wife, of course.

'I think… the pair should be the first starting point.'

...

But first, I can't slack on outside surveillance. Even though I highly doubt there'll be anymore invaders like Saulian had said, I still did it out of safety. I don't want some unwanted challengers who will interrupt my odds and plans.

The nearest sign of civilization was a village filled with elves. They were Wood Elves from the looks of it, utilizing all sorts of nature-related Spells to build their homes. Some of them even possess low level Sprites and Forest Spirits.

The four kids, however, were a more troubling nuisance than I thought.

"Hey, want to go there again?"

"Are you out of your mind, Manu? The elder said that it's unwise to go outside for now, and only the warriors can go out now. Don't be stupid."

The four were in a secluded part of the forest, but still near the village. They whispered, but with all of them opposing the suggestion. Manu, the map boy who explored and found my Dungeon's entrance, was the one who offered the death wish to the others.

"Yeah, it's really dangerous last time. If another demon were to appear…''

"Don't worry Genna. I'm sure he'll turn up again!"

"What makes you so sure about that? Manu, don't tempt fate. It's always bad to test your luck. Let's not talk about this again, alright?"

"Yep, even though I don't agree with her much, this time I can't help but align myself with her. Don't take it so hard, Manu."

"Awwww!"

Manu, who got a total rejection, was voicing his dissatisfaction. He couldn't refuse their words though, he knew that it was dangerous. Yet, something was tempting him in, like a moth to a flame.

'Hmm… maybe, I could use them in my upcoming plan.'

I observed through all four of their perspectives and viewed their thoughts. I decided to use them for my upcoming plan, and adjusted it slightly to maximize the odds.

'Now, let's take it into action.'

Since there's already one, Manu who made the suggestion, now I just needed one more to shift them towards agreeing.

'Lily… she'll work just fine.'

From what I've observed, only the other boy Charles would find it hard to understand why she made the upcoming decision, but ultimately it should lead to them agreeing to go under some conditions, maybe.

"...You know, maybe visiting the forest again isn't so bad."

"Huh? Lily, didn't you just rebuke his suggestion? Why are you suddenly saying it's a possibility?"

"He's able to kill a Demon with some sort of Spell, maybe… we could encounter him again?"

"And what? Make him teach us or something? Lily, you're being strangely… indecisive."

"It's just… I'm curious, that's all."

"Hmm… really?"

Charles looked suspiciously at me, who had taken control over Lily through her consciousness. I suppressed her own consciousness underneath mine, kept it in a trance-like state while every word can still be heard and understood by her. She couldn't reply, so I did it for her, and in the end she'll believe that she was the one who made the decision.

"Yeah, I… kind of find him interesting."

"Ohhh, really now? Is this what they call love at first sight? It's my first time seeing it~."

"Tch, stupid. Are you going or not?"

"Sure, I should be there to prevent your dumb shenanigans. So, when are we going to go?"

"Nighttime should suffice, let's meet at the edge of the village and head out. Manu, do you still have the map?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, I still have it in my room. I'll go get it when we head out."

"Alright, then let's disband for now."

"Umm, is it a good idea to go?"

"You can stay home if you want, Genna. It'll be fine since we three have each other."

"Uh, n-no. I'll also go."

"Alright then, let's go our separate ways for now.''

With that, they disbanded for the time being. And so, this puts my plans into motion.

...…

There are various things when considering one's strength within the game known as World Saga Online. Their practicality in PvP, and their strengths while minimizing any weaknesses. I took into account various things and what role that would have the most impact depending on what's given, maximizing its strengths but also avoiding and covering for its weaknesses, when building the Floor Guardians from the ground up.

All of them came from the lowest of the lows, but with a special origin or growth potential, and now became the apex of their respective fields. One of them is a pair of Undeads. A Spectre, the lowest mob monster from the poltergeist category of Undeads, and the other was a Skeleton made from a structure of a large land monster.

They were originally some pawns meant to be fodder to wear down invaders, but these two made themselves stand out apart from their kins. Their cooperation to ensure each other's survival made them stand out.

'They fought with tactics and strategy, not along with the numbers.'

And so, I decide to save them from their untimely demise on the battlefield. I brought them under my cloak, and nourished them to become the pair Floor Guardians known as the Undead Twins. Suriel and Khan were their respective names, one a maiden with an ethereal appearance, the other a massive hulking beast made of thick bones that rival metals.

They're the first targets, and the first floor also houses one important place that I need to visit.

'It's called the Bone Mausoleum for a reason.'

In the first floor there's a separate room that leads into a mausoleum-like structure. Inside it houses the finest of Death Knights and Liches that I don't need to turn into Shadows. They will be the fodder for my subsequent raids.

'Now… let's go inside.'

But first and foremost, I wanted to make sure my beloved was still of sane and of stable mind. I'm worried, but seeing the familiar red cloud of a door unchanged made me feel somewhat at ease.

'Let's hope for the best…'

But, I don't even know what best would look like. Something like Saulian? Able to reason with and come to terms? Or something milder, like lost and empty.

'I shouldn't speculate when the answer can be found in front of me.'

So, I pressed forward and passed through the door.

"...!!"

And immediately, a darkness dawned on me that covered everything within my vision.

"...Welcome home, my dear husband."