A Guide to Kingdom Building

The memories flowed and the moments came and went. Oyue and 132-X stood behind the pillar as everything suddenly moved faster. Every interaction, every conversation and every action moved like glimpses of an entire timeline.

"W-what's going on?" 132-X closed his eyes to avoid from vomiting at the nauseating spectacle.

"Sorry," Oyue sighed. "It's your memory fast-forwarding to your 4th reincarnation."

"Fast-for—" 132-X surprised by her terminology. "How did you know?! Oh wait!"

He realized Oyue saw it from his memory. He pouted his lips in frustration, all the while, asking her to stop prying inside his head. The goddess gave a verbal nod in agreement.

"I-is this going to take this long?" He complained.

"You can open your eyes if you want," Oyue answered. "But I doubt you won't feel nauseous after."

132-X didn't answer. He sat down on the floor and waited until finally the goddess patted him on the back.

"I think this is it." She spoke.

132-X opened his eyes to a familiar scene. He saw his mimic being welcomed with raining golden petals, fresh from his return from his 3rd reincarnation. This was the time he defeated the undead Dragon of Enedor that enslaved an entire race of humanoid beings.

The golden petals were just a small part of a grand celebration. The thunderous cheers of the gods rumbled the hall. His mimic was met with kisses from the goddesses and as he met the High Chancellor, he was given another ability in his arsenal, Silver Tongue.

"The Silver Tongue." 132-X recalled. "The ability for me to convince everyone to do my bidding. It was quite a skill I was reluctant in using, but the gods told me to use it anyway." He told Oyue.

"And where did that get you?" The goddess asked.

He looked at her in the eyes and sighed, "I think you know what it is."

Oyue nodded, "But there's more to that death than what you saw."

"Really now?" He crossed his arms.

"Yes." She snapped her fingers and suddenly they were transferred to the 4th world.

"I hate this place!" He spat on the ground. "This is shit!"

In contrast to his reaction, the place he was talking to was picturesque at least and otherworldly at best. The tall odd-looking trees kissing the orange-tinged sky looked mesmerizing as it swayed from cool breeze.

"Are you sure?" Oyue looked around the scenic place. "This place is—"

"Beautiful, I know. But that's not my point!" 132-X pointed at his mimic walking across a black swamp along with his humanoid companions.

"You know, I'm going to die here." He stated blandly as he walked across the grass-filled landscape. "It's only a matter of time before I go bye—"

Suddenly the memory fizzled and become hazy. A loud scream echoed and disrupted the images. 132-X covered his ears as the voices rang and blasted his ears. The noise became clearer and it became certain who the voices were.

"Is that…" 132-X soon came to realize. "What's going on? There in trouble…"

"Indeed, they are." Oyue calmly stated. "What are you going to do about it?"

The question baffled 132-X. He was right indeed, gods are eccentric, selfish and would never care for those they ruled over. Those were true from the deities he served from before and it couldn't be anymore truer today.

"W-what do you mean by that?" He answered. "T-they need help. T-they need MY help!"

"Your help?" The goddess eyed him head to foot. "They can hold it off for now."

132-X fumed at the goddess' insensitive answer, "Can ho—ld?!" he fumbled for words as his anger overcame him.

"You're a deity! A goddess! An overpowered being and you won't even help?!" 132-X grabbed the goddess by the arm, squeezing it tightly. "What good of a god are you?!" He spat.

Oyue's warm and gentle aura faded for a moment, revealing an angry shadow lurking behind her. 132-X immediately loosen his grip and moved back as quickly as he can. He knew that was a dangerous side that peeped out from nowhere.

Her terrifying appearance disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Oyue sighed as she messed with his hair.

"You are still a kid after all." Oyue smiled and messed with his hair more. "As a deity, I should have faith in my people that they can overcome hardships because I have given them my blessing."

132-X couldn't get it and it showed on his face. His eyebrows furrowed, his eyes squinted and his mouth gaping, looking for answers to what she just said.

"You do know you look dumb with that look of yours, right now?" Oyue pointed out. "But I get it. They never trusted you since day one."

"What do you mean by that?" 132-X took a slight of the comment. "Y-you this is no time and place to—"

"To argue?" Oyue butted in. "Tell me now, what would you do to help them when you wake up?"

He stood looking at the goddess in the eyes. He's trying to look for answers from within, looking at the memories he had. 132-X wanted to come up with a solution on his own. A solution that doesn't need involvement of a higher power. He clenched his fist and stomp his foot in frustration, he doesn't have an answer to that question. But his pride didn't want him to admit his lacking.

"I…will fig…ure something out!" 132-X tried to keep his train of thought. "I-I always find a way out with or with—"

Oyue didn't let him finish. The goddess chopped his head with her hand (nothing fatal).

"Ow!" 132-X shielded his head with his hands, afraid of another relentless chop. "What was that for?"

Oyue sighed as she glanced at the cocky mortal child at overestimating himself. "You really don't get it do you?"

"Get what?!" He asked while still caressing his throbbing crown.

"You know what," the goddess gave up on explaining to him everything he did wrong. "You'll see."

Oyue was about to snap her fingers when 132-X grabbed her hand.

"Don't you pity them?" 132-X squeezed her hand tight to plead. "They are your children and at the time of need, you're neglecting them?"

"Adlaw-on, I am not abandoning them." Oyue reiterated. "I told you this before, they can cover it for you."

"But they're not like—" He tried to argue.

"You?" Oyue raised her eyebrow. "What is so special about you? You being the hero? You being a transmigrator? You the champion of the gods?"

132-X did not answer. He knew the goddess was mocking him. He wanted to shout at her or fight her to submission. But he knew he had no power to even match her normal strength.

He clenched his fist once more, he decided he wanted to punch her and thus he shall. He didn't care anymore at that point.

"Before you take a swing at me, Adlaw-on," Oyue said. "Tell me, how did you earn your victories from your past? I'm asking you this because you're so oblivious at your deeds. You forgot where your powers came from!"

"And one more thing," Oyue added. "You only did everything you did for recognition. That's the bottomline. They knew it and the gods used it to their advantage!"

"I am not like that!" He exploded in anger. "I am a hero from before—"

"A hero? Or a child who died because of his hubris?" Oyue interrupted again, "Answer me."

"T-that thing I witnessed earlier…that wasn't true! I was a he—" 132-X tried to defend himself.

"I wish it wasn't true, Adlaw-on but it is." The goddess stated a poignant truth.

132-X dropped his knees to the ground still in an array of disbelief. Everything he saw earlier, he wanted to just pass on as a lie. He wanted to feel that what he remembered was his truth. But now it's becoming more apparent.

The truth has completely unraveled him.