Fate's Reversal: The Divines Return

…. 

Entering the Master Suite, Kaiden caught wind of a slightly weird sight. Sitting on the large bed was a conversing Lattahya and Gentle Whisper. Their smiles were radiant as they held each other's hands. In response, a warm smile appeared on Kaiden's cheek before approaching them.

"Ah, and what could you two possibly be talking about?" chuckled Kaiden whilst taking a seat on the edge of the bed. It was a much-needed change of pace after an extended period of nonstop battle. It weighed heavily upon one's mind. 

"Hun! You're finally back. Ugh, you've been gone so long and you left me all alone. Do you know what I had to do? Train! You're bad… soo bad! Never do that again. You have to take me along with you anywhere you go next time. Pleasee~" whɨnėd Lattahya as she inched closer on all fours toward Kaiden.

Raising his hand and ċȧrėssing her cheeks, Kaiden gave in and nodded, "Sure, but you'll be required to train. After all, how can I know you'll remain safe if you neglect it?"

Glancing at Gentle Whisper, Lattahya's cheeks flushed before her voice fell to a murmur, "B-but, Hun...I have you-... Okay I'll train. I promise but only if you can accompany me," conceded Lattahya as halfway through Kaiden's smoldering gaze overpowered her.

"That's not hard to accomplish. Although, I see you two are bonding. I guessed you missed each other," chuckled Kaiden as he ċȧrėssed both their chin with a loving expression. The atmosphere was enjoyable as both the girls' cheeks held a faint tinge of red. Furthermore, a loving expression appeared in their eyes.

"Yeah! It's true. I missed Lattahya, she's so fun to get along with and she's relatable. Although I've been with you this past couple of days, it wasn't...fulfilling. Oh, I have a question, did you receive a Legendary Treasure Chest Key?"

"I did," replied Kaiden with a slightly peculiar gaze. 

"Oh, I didn't. But instead, I was awarded 2 Epic Treasure Chest. It seems only the present Team Leaders got Legendary Treasure Chests. I'm not complaining, but the fact the system withheld information, it's kind of jarring," mumbled Gentle Whisper.

"Yeah, I believe it's famous for doing that," agreed Kaiden as he began recounting past events. 'It seems SIGMA is still the same old SIGMA. Always adding last-minute additions and conditions.'

"Well, I don't know if you've taken a look but the true blessing we've received is to pick an item from that Sanctoria Domain Treasury. I haven't picked one but the choices are endless. Regrettably, my choices are slightly limited. My piece of the Experience Pool was only 1%. Supposedly, it was a high amount in retrospect to the others."

"I believe it is. After all, there were over 90,000 people who entered the raid. If it was all fair distribution then everyone would only get .1% of the Experience Pool. This way, you get what you contributed. I actually support this. That fact you get 1% means your importance was 10 times that of the average person," responded Kaiden as he softly patted Gentle Whisper's head before continuing.

"You were the single most potent healer and you made me proud. They'll soon come to realize we aren't just some nameless bunch. My Ethereal Conviction will also possess a standing with the so-called peak of the world. My sights rest beyond those Eight," smiled Kaiden.

It must be known, after the completion of the current raid, the end number of the experience pool was determined. It was astounding, to say the least. It surpassed expectations and concluded with a value of 1.12 trillion. Of course, the experience couldn't be used for their character levels. 

Instead, it was used to exchange for items within the earlier mentioned Sanctoria Domain Treasury. It was as it sounded, it was a special treasury accessible to users which possessed a variety of items. The range was virtually endless as was the potential of the world.

"Hmm, now that you've mentioned it; I'm slightly curious about it," chuckled Kaiden as he opened the interface menu. For now, there existed a new tab that read "Sanctoria Domain Treasury (3)". In other words, until he exhausted his redemption chances, the tab would remain active.

As it opened, the layout was similar to when you browse the Auction House menu. The only difference was this one contained infinitely more. The were brackets symbolizing rarity and then there were distinguished sections dealing with item level, ranking, type, and more. To condense it, you were given the choice to limit it within your parameters. Naturally, even then it remained expansive; completely exploring the contents would take countless hours.

Nevertheless, Kaiden remained intrigued as he nodded, 'I see, so rather than level. The obtained experience value limits the available rank to choose from; a pretty neat feature. Based on my own contribution, my limit remains at Mythical items. However, I'm guessing just one item from there will utterly exhaust my points. I'll save this for another time. At the moment, there's nothing I require. It'd be a waste to use my chances now.'

Closing the interface, Kaiden laid back for a moment. Closing his eyes, he began organizing his thoughts while also contemplating his next course of action. Without proper planning, things wouldn't fall into place as they should.

'I wonder how we should go about enacting the introduction of the kingdom's main quest. On top of that, is it a continued quest or a single event one? Frankly speaking, I hope it's the former, in any game, the rewards of chained quest outshine those finished after completing a single task. But before that…' .

As his thoughts trailed, he turned towards Gentle Whisper smiling, "How does moving into a Guild Residence in our world sound?"

"W-wait… like you mean all of us?" mumbled Gentle Whisper as she gleamed with an enlivened expression.

"Yes. It's not supposed to be a surprise. I'm sure I've mentioned it before but I'm not exactly certain how much I've disclosed. We'll be relocating to Minence City if you're interested. Of course, this offer is only extended to the Core and Main members. After all, their contracts are the ones which will be contributing to the guild. It's only right I take care of their wellbeing as well."

"Mhm! Of course, I'm coming. Although… I'll have to clear it with my parents," slightly frowned Gentle Whisper.

"Hmm? You're not 18 yet?" questioned Kaiden. As far as he knew, he could've sworn Gentle Whisper was at least his age.

"I just turned 19. But… age isn't the issue here. Remember when I told you my family deals with the chain of restaurants? Well, they also expect other things from me although I've told them numerous times; I don't want to," responded Gentle Whisper with a grimacing expression.

'If I recall, I think Isabella's family is the Rosario's. Although they're not extremely high-class, they're a reputable family within the culinary and gourmet world. Perhaps I'll have to seek an audience with them when the time is right.'

"I see, when the time comes, we'll deal with it. On another note, I'll need to log out for a while. You should do the same, we've been here slightly too long."

The logout process began as Kaiden's body began disintegrating.

….

The whirring noise of the GRVIPs emission sounded within Kaiden's room. As his eyes opened. Only as he appeared from the pod, his body wasn't what it used to be. After all, while inside the game he made large strides with his cultivation. More importantly, this was the first time he had exited the game to take a look at it.

As he sat up, his dark brown hair hung below his face causing him to move it out of the way. Now that his body was becoming stronger, the processes of it were being accelerated. In other words, hair growth, digestion, recovery; everything was hastening. 

"Hm? Why do I have an urge to fight?" muttered Kaiden as he glanced down at his hands. Walking into the bathroom, he glanced into the mirror taking in the changes in his appearance. His jawline sharpened, while his eyes intensified. Within the hazel color was a budding crimson. 

During his encounter, he had triggered his bloodline. He just didn't understand what he stimulated. Hence, he continued to inspect himself while carefully shifting his face. 'Hmm, not that I think of it, unlike last time, I don't sense any impurities being expelled from my body. But… I don't need to do some things.'

Closing the door, plops were heard followed by the continued pitter-patter of water hitting the ceramic bathtub. Taking care of his human needs and personal hygiene, he exited the bathroom refreshed. 

Afterward, heading downstairs he searched for his parents. More specifically, his father. However, their presence was unable to be found. Curious as to how much he improved, he closed his eyes deploying his Sphere of Influence. 

Surprisingly, when doing so he realized something he had previously overlooked or rather couldn't sense. "Isn't this atmosphere…"

Opening his eyes, he began contemplating some things when the sound of jingling keys against the front door happened next. Appearing through it, was the smiling expression of his parents with excessive amounts of bags. However, what appalled Kaiden was their actions.

"Ugh, gross. If you're going to do that. Wait till you're in your room," muttered Kaiden while grimacing as he held his stomach dry heaving. His parents were in a heated makeout session as they entered the door.

"Damn! Why do you choose to exit your game now? It's like kids were made to ruin EVERYTHING!" scowled Michael while frustratedly waving his hands threatening to tear the house apart.

 "Oh boo hoo Dad, I have something I need to ask you but I'll let you enjoy yourself first," blankly replied Kaiden before striding back up to his room. 

"Tch, damn kid," scoffed Michael.

"Aye, watch your mouth. Don't talk about my baby like that," glared Christine as she cupped Michael's cheeks. While enjoying themselves, Kaiden took it upon himself to do something else.