The Married Life Of Immortals

Onyx moved toward Bane, but the small boy put up his hand. "Hold on. This is about as safe as spaces go, so I think that we should have a talk. Also, don't you want to talk to this dork I caught? He seems to know who you are, or at least what you are, Mr. Rogue Exile."

Onyx's metallic voice hummed with a mix of intrigue and suspicion as he addressed Daigatz. "Well, well, well, Daigatz. I never expected to see you brought so low. A Supreme One, reduced to a prisoner in his own domain."

Daigatz snarled, but there was no strength behind it. "Onyx, is it really you? I thought you might be one of the other Supreme ones pretending to be you, but there is no mistaking your code. You always were a thorn in the side of those who sought true power. How did you end up using this child as a vessel?"

Onyx floated closer, the black sphere pulsating with an eerie light. "This 'child' has more potential than you ever realized, Daigatz. He’s not just a vessel; he's the harbinger of change. And as for how I ended up here, well, let’s just say fate has a funny way of aligning the stars."

Bane watched the exchange with mild interest. "Alright, Onyx, spill. Why exactly did you choose me? And what’s your endgame here?"

Onyx's sphere turned into a featureless floating face that narrowed it's eyes on me. "I am pretty sure that you stole me from the person I was being held by previously, right? How could I make you steal me? I didn't just get out of my sealed container either, that girl from the future, your guide Eve did. The fact that I met you was pure chance, but it is turning out to be a good one."

Daigatz’s eyes flickered with a mix of anger and grudging respect. "So, this child is your chosen champion? Interesting. But I wonder, Onyx, do you truly believe this boy can survive the trials that lie ahead? Guardian is nothing like me. She will hunt him down the moment she senses you."

Onyx’s face morphed into a confident grin. "Survival is only part of the equation. Bane will not just survive; he will dominate. Every trial, every enemy will only make him stronger. And with the knowledge and power he gained over the next two and a half years of training, and then his time in the dungeon, there's little that can stand in his way."

Bane, feeling a surge of determination, turned his attention back to the transparent menu floating before him. "If this place is a prison meant to break the wills of strong beings, then it's also a perfect training ground. I'll use it to refine my skills and master the energies here."

Onyx shook his head. "Not yet. When you go back, I will be crippling you cultivation, and destroying your spirit base. Your mana base and demonic energy core are fine because they don't emit their energy, unlike spiritual energy."

Bane had assumed that much, but he still frowned. "Does that mean I am going to lose all my divine energy?"

"No. I will absorb it all before that and store it again like before."

Daigatz's expression twisted in a mixture of fear and admiration. "You truly are a strange one, Bane. To see opportunity in such a cursed place... It's almost admirable. But do not think for a moment that this will be easy."

Bane only gave Daigatz a sideways look. "I never expected it to be easy. Nothing worth achieving ever is. But first," he glanced at Onyx, "we need to clear some things up. Onyx, what exactly is your role in all this, and what are you doing with my body currently in the outside world?"

Onyx didn't even blink. "Creating chaos and disorder, and that is what I am doing with your body in the outside world. I have been keeping Guardian very busy by waging an ad campaign war against War of Dominion Online. No matter what I do, the world merger is still going to happen, but the less people that join the game before that, the better. Players will think that dying is fine, but each time they die, a mark will form inside their body. If they die too many times, they will be transported to Guardian's Prime World, becoming part of her eternal army. even then, anyone that has died more than three times will immediately switch sides when the Supreme Tribulation comes."

Bane frowned, the weight of Onyx's words settling heavily on him. "So, you're saying that every player who dies in the game gets marked, and eventually, they'll become part of Guardian's army? That's... horrifying."

Onyx's face nodded. "That is why you need to go back and learn more from the heroes in the village. I placed you there because it is the perfect place for you and your guide to absorb all the information and knowledge. Once you reach the day before the three year mark, you are going to enter the dungeon on the island. There you will spend countless years delving deeper until you have mastered everything that you have learned."

Banes eyebrows shot up. "Just how many years are we talking?"

"12000 years, or more, depending on how fast you learn and master everything. Like in your Sea of Consciousness, and here, time follows its own path. No matter how long you are there for, time in Dominion will stand still, but you will lose connection with Eve and I during that time. While Eve will be gone, you will retain her abilities and her information will become your own. This is the only way that I can give you enough time to become strong enough," Onyx explained, and Bane sat down for a moment to think about all of this.

The years that he would spend alone in the dungeon would be the same as the time that Lysia had been alive, and alone. Bane felt like this was almost like he was following in her footsteps, embarking on a solitary journey of immense difficulty and growth. Yet, he felt ready. The fifty years in his head had gone by much faster than he could have imagined, but he always pictured Lysia's face, and remembered how something like this would be trivial in her eyes. Every trial, every hardship would forge him into the warrior he needed to be, and help him achieve his goal.