Banquet Of The Gods (4)

Yasushi's eyes cracked open, his gaze landing on a scene he didn't recognize. Rocky cliffs surrounded him, their jagged edges stretching up high while a sprawling forest stretched below. Just off in the distance, a massive waterfall thundered, sending mist into the air.

"What… Where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself, mind reeling as he tried to piece together how he'd ended up here.

Then, out of nowhere, a voice rang out behind him, loud enough to make his blood freeze. "System start!!!"

He spun around, and there stood a man, maybe in his mid-twenties, hands jammed into his jacket pockets. His lips twisted in a sly grin as he stared down at Yasushi. The guy's face and arms were laced with scars, each one like a slash of his past still carved onto his skin.

"Yo, midget, remember me?" The man's grin deepened, his eyes never leaving Yasushi.

Yasushi didn't even have to think; he'd recognize that face anywhere. "Obviously… I wouldn't forget my own face," he replied, narrowing his eyes at his "older self" — the man he'd been before he'd been reborn into this world.

His past self chuckled, clearly amused. "Well? Spit out our name, dumbass," he taunted, still smirking as if challenging Yasushi to admit who he was, or maybe, who he used to be.

Yasushi sighed, a hint of amusement creeping into his expression as he looked at his past self. "Jack Taylor. You actually thought I'd forget you, you damn sheep shagger?" His words hit, and both of them broke into laughter, the sound echoing over the cliffs.

Jack — his older self — made a quick gesture, and in an instant, a thick log materialized behind them. They both took a seat, silence settling between them for a moment before Jack finally spoke.

"You were dying, but they're patching you up now," Jack said, his tone steady as he let the words sink in.

"Huh? Who's pulling that off?" Yasushi shot back, his mind scrambling to make sense of it.

Jack's grin widened, eyes fixed on him. "The Lord of the Universe himself. One of the strongest gods there is — Lord Shiva."

Yasushi's eyes flew wide, shock hitting him like a hammer. "Why the hell would some god bother saving me?" Disbelief dripped from his words, his mind refusing to piece it together.

Jack gave a shrug, looking entirely unfazed. "Who knows? Maybe he liked the show. I mean, you actually killed that Peter guy with a single punch. It was bloody brutal."

"I… wait, what? I killed Peter?" Yasushi's voice came out almost choked, disbelief thick in his tone as he stared at Jack, his mind still reeling.

Jack lifted an eyebrow, giving him a long look. "You didn't know? I mean… yeah, you were practically half-dead by then, probably just running on fumes. But yeah, you pulled off something straight out of Jujutsu Kaisen — a full-on Black Flash. You punched the life out of him, for real. Didn't notice those white and black sparks flying off your fist?"

"Black Flash? What the hell even happened?" Yasushi asked, feeling his head spin. "I don't remember much of anything," he admitted, the confusion pressing down on him.

Jack raised his hand, his fingers tracing an invisible line, and a screen flickered into view in front of them. On it played the scene from the fight, every moment captured in brutal detail. Yasushi watched as his own fist struck Peter, those strange black and white sparks flashing across the screen. The hit sent Peter flying to the far end of the arena, his body collapsing in a lifeless heap.

Yasushi just sat there, frozen, as he took in the scene. "How…?" The word slipped out, but his mind was blank, no answers forming. He hadn't known he was capable of that — he hadn't even known that he could do anything like that at all.

Jack shrugged, his expression unreadable. "Could be like in JJK, you know? Some rare phenomenon, some freak thing. But if you want answers, maybe ask the gods in your world — maybe one of them knows," he said, pausing for a moment. "Anyway, like I said, Shiva's healing you right now. But you're right about one thing; it probably won't come free. Are you ready for that?"

Yasushi's brow furrowed, a frown crossing his face. The thought of being bound to anything didn't sit right with him. "I don't like the sound of that. Kind of defeats the whole point of being free, doesn't it?" he replied, his tone sharp. Jack's laugh broke through the air, almost too loud against the quiet around them.

"Yeah, well, it's not like you have a choice here. Maybe he's in a generous mood, maybe he'll surprise you. But who knows? Anyway, I think Jingliu would take this deal over watching you die, though." Jack's words hit, and after a beat, Yasushi gave a slight nod.

Jack finally pushed himself up, dusting his hands as he stood. "Well, that's it for me. I can't hang around here forever. Just wanted a quick word with you before I go back under," he said, a look passing between them.

"Why did you come back?" Yasushi asked, his voice low. "You didn't have to do all this…"

Jack laughed again, shaking his head. "Yeah, maybe not. But I wanted to. We both know the old you would pull any crazy stunt for the hell of it, so that's what I'm doing here. Plus, I couldn't just let you win and then die like some kind of coward. That win of yours? It got a few gods' attention," he said, his gaze fixed on Yasushi, eyes glinting with a certain challenge.

"You trying to live as a human now?" Jack asked, grinning wide. "Spent all those years calling ourselves a damned monster—so this time, go live like one. Whatever Shiva throws your way, face it."

Jack's form began to fade, bits of him drifting away like dust caught in the wind, scattering until there was nothing left.

Yasushi stared at the empty space where his other self had stood moments ago, the silence settling over him. He glanced down at his own hand, curling it into a fist. "To be human, huh?"

As he began to dissolve, Yasushi saw it once more — the crackling white and black sparks Jack had called the Black Flash. Whatever power it held was still a mystery to him, and he doubted he'd ever trigger it again. Fighting the supernatural? Not exactly on his list of things to do. He just wanted a normal life, or as close as he could get to one.

But with one of the strongest gods in existence now pulling him back from death's door, he had a feeling "normal" wasn't part of the deal. A sigh escaped as he glanced down, seeing half his body already vanished into nothingness.

"So, what exactly are you planning for me, Mr. Lord of the Universe?" he asked, the last of him fading from sight.

+-+

Yasushi's eyes opened to find Jingliu, Yinhaie, Xinyi, and Yunxue all looking down at him, tears streaming down their faces.

"Did someone die?" he asked, making Xinyi laugh while Jingliu shot him a look that could cut steel.

"At least your sense of humor survived," a voice cut in, making Yasushi glance over.

He stared at the man standing nearby — short dark hair, parted bangs, yellow eyes, wearing a black suit streaked with gold.

"You… Lord Shiva, right? You saved me?" Yasushi asked, still trying to make sense of everything.

The man nodded. "That, I did. You fought hard. Managed to pull off something very rare — enough to catch my attention," he explained, watching Yasushi take it all in.

Yasushi considered him for a moment. "So, what's the catch? You planning to make me a slave or something because you saved my life?"

Shiva paused, visibly caught off guard, then nodded, realizing. "Ah, right, you're thinking about gods and their favors. But no, I'm not enslaving you. That's not why I stepped in. Still, what I've done… might not be something you'd thank me for."

Yasushi took a few seconds, staring at the man, before finally getting up with Jingliu's steadying hand on his arm. He took a quick look at himself — every injury, every missing piece of flesh, every trace of damage wiped clean. And around them, more gods had started gathering, drawn to the scene, their eyes all on him and Shiva.

"What did you do to me?" Yasushi asked, his voice cutting through the thick silence.

Shiva only shrugged, like he'd barely done anything at all. "You'll live longer than the usual human lifespan. But considering what your parents have been up to, this might not feel so out of the ordinary as time goes on," he replied.

Xinyi's eyes widened, a nervous question slipping out. "You…know our parents, Lord Shiva?"

"Know them?" Shiva chuckled. "We approached them first, warned them about their work. Then struck a deal to let them keep going with it. So, yeah, you could say I know them pretty well." He gave a pointed look to each of them. "But I wonder — have any of you learned the true story of humankind?"

The question hung there, heavy, and all of them shook their heads.

Shiva took a deep breath, his expression shifting as he spoke. "When humanity reaches a certain point with their technology, we show up and propose a choice. If they refuse to cooperate, we eliminate them — wiping out every trace, making them start over with no memory of their progress."

He paused, letting that sink in, then continued with a small grin. "But this time, your parents showed some brains, which is why we let them keep pushing forward. Their advancements benefit both humans and us gods."

Yasushi and his friends stared, caught off guard. They hadn't imagined any of this. But somehow, it all began to fall into place — the weird patterns they'd noticed, the hidden tech, pieces that seemed out of time, now revealed to be remnants of lost eras, only to be erased and forgotten each time humanity overstepped.

Shiva broke their thoughts. "They've been watching you the entire time," he said, snapping his fingers. In a flash, their parents appeared beside him.

Before he had time to react, Yasushi found himself pulled into a crushing hug by both his mother and father. Disoriented, it took him a moment to realize what was happening. "What the hell!?" he blurted out, shock coloring his words.

"Reckless idiot!" both parents shouted, tightening their hold until Yasushi's ribs felt like they'd crack. He spotted Jingliu's and Xinyi's parents nearby, speaking quietly to their daughters. His own parents, however, seemed hell-bent on squeezing the life out of him while Shiva chuckled behind them.

"Mom…Dad…you're killing me here," he managed, breathless. They let go just a bit, enough for him to catch his breath, though his mother, Kohana, immediately pulled him back into her arms. He exhaled, resigned, accepting the suffocating warmth.

Shiva clapped his hands, drawing their attention. "As touching as this reunion is, I'd like to discuss the future."

Yasushi looked at him, his mind shifting to whatever Shiva had planned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shiva crossed his arms. "The Yang, Cheng, and Futakao families have been at the forefront of research on a project we're about to unveil — something that, if successful, will push humanity forward by a thousand years. That's our hope. But recently, your parents requested that their children be involved in the process. We're open to it, so…"

Shiva paused, glancing toward Jingliu's father, Liang Yang, who gave a nod. "We'll hold off on revealing the pieces we've put together for now. There's work left — revisions that need to be made. Meanwhile, the three of you should focus on your studies, finish up at the universities and colleges you're about to start. Once that's done, Yasushi, being the first to step into the working world, will join us in bringing these to life."

"So… what exactly is it?" Xinyi finally asked the question lingering in all their minds.

Liang Yang's lips pulled into a small smile as he answered, "We've been working with materials and objects gods have left behind over time, as well as techniques passed down by our ancestors—especially those used to create the wonders around the world. We're dealing with quantum technology, alongside metals and minerals from outer space and planets far beyond our reach."

He motioned to Yasushi and Jingliu. "The two of them each received a prototype — a storage device, disguised as a sweatband for Yasushi and a necklace for Jingliu. But those were older models; since then, we've come far. Those first versions are obsolete now — we're nearly fifteen generations beyond them, each upgrade more advanced than the last."

"Wait, quantum? Are you serious? I thought that was just sci-fi nonsense!" Xinyi blurted, her disbelief clear.

Shiva chuckled. "Surprised? After everything you've seen — the gods, the supernatural forces you've met—you're telling me you didn't think there could be life beyond Earth? There's more out there, far beyond this world. It's not intelligent life as we know it — yet. It's mostly microbial. But life? It's out there."

Shiva turned, casting his gaze over the three of them — Yasushi, Jingliu, and Xinyi. "Together, with you three, your families, and the powers of the gods and the supernatural, we're going to push humanity to where it should have been ages ago. The future you see in movies? We're making it real."

Everyone went quiet, caught in the weight of what this meant — how it could reshape their world, altering everything they had ever known.