Chapter 345: Revealing The Truth To Her

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"They offered to become my masters. I accepted. It feels strange, having the remnants of three dead gods living in my soul, but they seem sincere enough. And they know things about... well, about the bigger world out there... about Authorities and the System. Stuff I never would have figured out on my own," Riven explained.

Elisa’s fingers tightened around his hand, holding on a little firmer than usual. "T-That’s amazing...! But are they here? A-Are they spying on us right now?!"

"Hahah, no, don’t worry, they aren’t here right now," Riven said, shaking his head. His gaze drifted toward the window for a moment as he thought about everything that had been explained to him. The room felt still around them, the only sound the quiet tick of the clock on the wall.

And from what he’d learned earlier that day, the Authorities were born from the power the Precursors released when they died above Earth.

Some of them were still predating on what was left of the Heavenly Kings’ legacies, feeding off scraps of old power that should have faded long ago.

The Poison Master especially seemed bitter about the whole situation, like it still ate at him after all this time.

A faint, almost amused voice echoed inside Riven’s mind then, dry and ancient and unmistakably grumpy.

Very grumpy.

"Bitter is an understatement, brat. Those parasitic concepts stole my poisons and turned them into snake gods and demon lords. Disgraceful."

Riven ignored the internal commentary for now. He also felt annoyed that the guy could read his damn mind apparently, which was going to take some getting used to.

Though it did make sense when he thought about it.

They were technically remnants of psychic power from the original Precursors, so of course they could pick up on his thoughts whenever they felt like it.

After all they were a race known for their incredible psionic abilities, on top of everything else they could develop and cultivate, such as Ki, Magic, Spiritual Arts, and a few other practices that most people outside their circles never even heard of.

Elisa studied his face for a long moment, trying to guess what he was thinking all of a sudden when he fell silent. Her eyes narrowed a little as she searched for any sign of worry or doubt, then she smiled. "Well... if they’re going to help you get stronger, I’m grateful. Just don’t let them push you so hard. You’ve already got your plate full, don’t you?" she sighed, setting the brush down on the dresser.

"I won’t," he said, and leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. The contact lasted a second longer than usual, enough for her to feel the steady beat of his pulse. "Besides, I have you. Can’t go dying and leaving you as a widow, can I?"

She laughed, the sound warm and familiar. Both of them had grown considerably closer over time already, enough that moments like this felt natural instead of rare. "Good. Because next year I’m planning something even bigger for your birthday. And the year after that. You’re stuck with us, Riven. No getting out of it now."

Outside, the night held steady with only a light breeze moving through the trees. Inside the Spirit Dungeon Realm, the newly blessed tribes of Giants, Kobolds, and Mutants continued their cautious first conversations under Ignias’ watchful eye.

She moved between the groups with care, serving as both a mediator between the races and a representative of Riven’s Divine Power, making sure no old grudges flared up while they still learned how to share the same ground.

And deep within Riven’s soul, three ancient fragments of forgotten gods settled into their new roles.

They watched him from that inner place, waiting for the right moment, and prepared their reluctant student for the battles still to come.

Each one carried his own memories of past wars, and none of them planned to let him walk into the next fight unready.

Tomorrow he would begin planning the simultaneous assault on the three Central City dungeons.

And two days after that, Beach City awaited them. But for tonight, at least, Riven simply held his wife’s hand and allowed himself to rest, sleeping soundly by her side after everything that had happened.

Elsewhere, far from the house and the quiet streets, three powerful figures sat together in a dimly lit hall, wine cups in hand as they continued their discussion about the latest reports.

"She’s rapidly regenerating," the Ten Thousand Poison Master said, setting his cup down for a moment. "Her physical remains seem to be used for some kind of genetic experiments by humans, from what we’ve learned from Riven."

"That’s really awful. How can humans do such a thing?" sighed the Asura Blood Sea Emperor, shaking his head slowly. "But I suppose that’s why he received her cells to begin with. It all ties back to those experiments in the end."

"No..." the Divine King of the Cold Star shook his head firmly. "Riven is even more special than those who had been injected with her dormant cells. His mother had them injected when she was a fetus, apparently, and then as she grew up, she had him. Someone who naturally inherited them without anything artificially made. Thus... he’s been perfected, even more than Viviane, who ended up with a very short lifespan because her own body couldn’t take the cells completely, despite managing to purify them. That’s what makes his case different from anyone else’s we’ve seen."

"Huh..." the Ten Thousand Poison Master nodded while drinking another cup of wine, thinking it over. "Well, things are about to get way crazier regardless. We better be prepared for whatever comes next. Her influence is beginning to awaken further, and once it does, there won’t be much time left to react."

"It all depends on him and his decision, and the memories of the future he’s trying to keep hidden from us," sighed the Asura Blood Sea Emperor. "I do wonder though, what does his existence mean? Who sent him to the past? And how did they even manage it...?"

That question lingered on all three of them for a moment longer than it should, but it was indeed the greatest question there was.

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