Divine Beast Ascension

Chapter 514: The Fifth

“There’s no need to be surprised,” Dominus’s booming laugh almost echoed within Oli’s skull.

“What do you mean-”

“Calm down and breathe. I’m sure you can do that much considering everything Eeole has told me about you,” reasoned Dominus, waiting for Oli to stop being so frantic. “... Can we talk now?”

Blinking and nodding slowly, Oli replied, “... Yeah. We can. It’s an honor to speak with you... Dominus.”

“DOMINUS!?!” Zelsh’s legs momentarily gave out, landing him on the floor. “What’s going on?!”

“Shhh,” Eeole teased and raised a silent formation around him and Zelsh. “Let them talk in peace. After everything is completed and we’ve accomplished our goals, then you all will get to meet him.”

While Eeole deescalated Zelsh’s wild thoughts, Oli did his best to shake off the tone of nervous surprise in his voice.

.....

“You’re fine, Oli. I understand why you’d be like this,” commented Dominus. “I’ve been meaning to speak with you for a few months now, or as you call them moons, but I’ve just been too busy to get around to it. I heard you survived Azar’s ludicrous formation. Congratulations!”

“Th-thank you. Can I ask why you wanted to talk to me? And why you wanted me as a partner?” Oli questioned, using bluntness to carve through his own nerves.

“Simple. Our plan involves the revival of Azar and the restructuring of the world. Who better to work with than a world-breaking ape?” Dominus matter-of-factly stated. “It worked great the first time, so why not try it again?”

“... Revival of Azar?”

“Yes. That’s the main point of my plan,” clarified Dominus. “He’s my greatest friend and he only ended up in his current condition because he helped me. Despite him hiding that fact until it was too late to save him, the least I can do now is push to revive him. And since to do that I would first need to clear the trash out of the planet, we’ve planned to accomplish both goals at once.”

Squinting, Oli asked, “Clear out the trash? You want me to-”

“For now I can’t tell you. Since you’ve still got to appear before Kartzal’s faction, we can’t load you up with any information that could potentially get you killed if they decide to probe your mind.”

“But wouldn’t knowing that I work for you be a red flag?”

“Not necessarily,” Dominus replied, confusing Oli. “We’ll be giving you an item to help shield you from mental probes. But we can’t give you anything stronger than what’s available in that world, so it can only blur and partially shield you from the most powerful people currently on the planet. Sadly, if we gave you an item from the void to do the same thing, it would be too suspicious and blow your cover.

“So knowing who I am and ‘hoping’ to work with me isn’t a problem since it’s a common folktale kids learn growing up. But that means you’ll only be informed of the real details after you’re a divine beast, after you visit Devil’s Canyon for yourself.”

“... What is Devil’s Canyon, exactly?”

Sighing, Dominus answered, “That’s... a loaded question. There are many things in Devil’s Canyon that can turn the world upside down. That’s why I sealed it to keep the world from plummeting into chaos. But I’m sure Eeole can tell you more after the global exhibition when you no longer need to appear in front of Kartzal.”

“Okay...” Oli accepted that answer, at least getting some new information and a guarantee to learn more when it’s safer. “... So it was you that promised to help save my father?”

“Yes. And since we’re already negotiating a deal with Daruun to revive Azar, adding your father into the deal isn’t too difficult.”

“So you’ve already made the deal?!” asked Oli.

“Not yet. We’re still negotiating some of the more complicated details. But that’s fine. It will take you years to accomplish what we need. By then, the deal will be finalized and I’ll be taking you to meet Daruun,” explained Dominus.

All of Oli’s nerves faded away, replaced with overwhelming relief and relaxation. “That’s... so relieving to hear...”

“You’ve become a partner of mine, Oli. I’m expecting a lot from you but I won’t be as helpful as you think, at least not until you can help us with our world control problem.”

“World control problem? What do you mean?”

“For the sake of your safety, this is all I can say for now. We need to upset the quadrant system and change everything. Everything... After you’ve accomplished that, then we can get to actual business.”

Oli paused while trying to think of something else to ask that likely wouldn’t compromise his journey through the Mortal Championship. “... I can’t ask why you don’t come personally fight them, can I?”

“You’ve guessed correctly,” chuckled Dominus.

“... From how it sounds, Azar is indeed dead?”

“Yes,” Dominus answered frankly. “Azar is dead.”

“I see... Is there anything important that I’m allowed to know now?”

Laughing some more, Dominus replied, “I’m not sure, to be honest. It’s better to play it safe, so I can’t suggest anything else... But do know that I’m glad to have your help.

“Oh... There’s one more thing I can say but it’s only to compliment you and your tenacity,” added Dominus. “You’re the fifth reincarnate that we’ve created in an attempt to move ahead with our plans.”

“The FIFTH?!!”

“Yes. But that’s for multiple reasons. The main reason was for Eeole to get more practice with the transmigration of souls. The other reasons involved the reincarnations either not amounting to much or not trying to grow beyond what was necessary to live day-to-day life,” explained Dominus. “In your case, Eeole took his time selecting you specifically, applying what he had learned about reincarnates to consider what sort of person we truly needed.

“When he found you and made sure you’d fit what we needed, he then took his time preparing your host family and surroundings while your soul was in stasis. In other words, your path was the most set out and you were the most outstanding of anyone we’ve reincarnated. In the end, you’re also the only one that Eeole showed himself to because the others weren’t worth our time or resources. If I’m not mistaken, they’ve all died of old age after only barely becoming perennials or remaining elders their entire lives.”