Chapter 14: 14.
Chapter 14: 14.
The sun was about to take a rest for the day and Chen Kai sent off the last of his subordinate. Standing on the marble platform of his front stairs, he wiggled his bare toes on the warm rock and took in the view before him.
The Villa was built on the only hill in the district. He can view the surrounding villas and amenities ahead of him. They looked like doll houses he can simply pick up to see inside. He chuckled at his childish thought and ambled down the stairs, toward the one of few things that triggered an emotional upheaval during the tour earlier.
The limestone driveway gleamed under the lowering sun and the slowly glowing outdoor lanterns. The stone was quite warm under his feet from the hot day.
Chen Kai looked over his shoulder to glimpse at his estate.
It was truly magnificent.
The architect mixed the traditional style of Chinese Courtyard homes, modern playrooms, and upgradeable technology to create this masterpiece he now called his home.
Browns, golds, and creams were the main colors to tamper with the luxurious feel and to place a touch of warmth. The estate catered to everything.
The right-wing was a modern courtyard for the master of the house. It was dubbed the Master's Courtyard.
The wing had its visitor's lounge area, personal bath suite attached to the master's bedroom and private lounge, indoor pool, garden, office, private kitchenette, designated pathways to and from the main wing and outdoor, and personalized gym/training area.
The Guest/Relative Courtyard had six rooms with both a private lounge and bath suite. Designated pathways were made and a garden was also made into the design.
The Main Courtyard which is attached by wide halls to each wing consisted of a formal guest lounge, formal dining area, guest bathrooms, causal main lounge, casual dining area, and the main kitchen.
The first or main floor of the estate can hold three large Courtyard homes. The entire space had nature incorporated beautifully, starting from the main gate/door. Entering the estate, one will be taken back to nature with the man-made Koi pond surrounded by local plants and healthy green grassy lawns. Trees that were on the hill weren't removed but were now part of the estate. In random spots, five trees can be seen and were carefully pruned.
Three stone bridges were built over the pond to traverse any of the three courtyards.
The scent of fresh earth was heavy in that area along with the fresh water beneath one's feet.
As the estate was built on a hill, it was designed to have three floors.
The first floor was an ode to the homeland.
The second floor was modern.
Two four-car garages on either side and accessible from outside. A specifically made recreation area was created. Movie theater. Spa. Lounge/Gaming area. Infinity Pool.
The third floor catered to the facilities around the estate.
Another kitchen and barbeque area was built for the outdoor pool, a large garden, and a man-made lake. A few feet from the estate were the basketball court, baseball, and tennis facilities. A Martial Arts Dojo was built near those facilities for the master of the estate and his personal guards to train.
Hidden away from eyes were a small manor for the estate's staff and a building for upkeep necessities.
The lake had a boat house that had a fishing boat and two jet skis. Local fishes were bred for the lake and have been multiplying since inception.
"It's truly fit for a king," Chen Kai muttered.
He turned his attention back to the object in front of him.
This was a monument or landmark for the estate.
Nestled on a piece of natural land of twenty to thirty feet, surrounded by the limestone driveway was a sleeping golden dragon.
Just like the name of the villa/estate, a sleeping dragon was artistically and realistically made out of gold and positioned to sleep, circling the miniature model of the estate on the hill.
Moving closer, his emotions once again began to fluctuate.
"Hello, old friend," he whispered into the night.
He crouched beside the statue and reached out to touch the golden scales that were hued with red. He can feel the invisible power the artiste made this object to have. Nostalgia filled him when he felt this.
Tears he didn't know he held fell from his dark eyes when he touched its head.
The dragon before him was of the same image that is depicted in Eastern folk stories and history. One of the many things an Eastern Dragon was heavily depicted as - was an Emperor's Fate. An imposing dragon was commonly seen on the Emperor's Seal to show its highest/absolute authority.
Chen Kai's first transmigrated life was in a world of sword and magic but it held similarities of the Western and Eastern Continent and also of the South and North. He was a young crown prince and the only one to lead his people of mixed races and cultures to prosperity. Due to his heritage, he formed his own Fate Dragon with every bloom of prosperity. It grew to the color of gold which was recorded as the highest.
The dragon was proof of his duties being fulfilled. He brought his people from a life of poverty and hopelessness with his eccentric plans. The smiles of his people gave him confidence. The death of those who sacrificed themselves for him made him resolute. The enemies who sought to cut him down made him stronger.
It was one of the lives that impacted him greatly.
Life as the emperor of the Maison Empire molded his thinking for the other lives he lived. It's clear how the buried memories affected him harshly earlier and now.
[Warning! Please run a full diagnostic check.]
Chen Kai was lost in memories causing his hold on his emotions to shake. The system being one to keep its host body healthy will alert him of any problems.
[Warning! Please run a full diagnostic check.]
[Warning! Please run a full diagnostic check.]
"Alright!" he yelled.
He couldn't grasp the strand that led to a state of calm. Things he wished to forget were coming at him like a flood. All sorts of emotions surged through him. He made his way back into the estate in angry strides.
[Commencing Full Diagnostic Check on host - Chen Kai of Star E2341...
.....Physical Evaluation ...... Mental Evaluation .... Soul Evaluation ......
...... Results have been collected. Please inhabit a safe space.]
Chen Kai entered the Main Courtyard and sat in the formal lounge. The seat he took was parallel to the seat of the master.
The room mimicked the meeting area in the Emperor's palace. Four brocade sofas surrounded a single dragon-themed brocade single chair. It looked more like a gilded throne than a chair to be comfortable in.
A sad smile was on his face when he looked at the chair.
He closed his eyes and commanded the system to give him the result.
[Chen Kai
Age: 23
Date of Birth: October 1st
Blood Type: A
Physical Body - 100% Assimilation. Health - Optimum
Soul - 100% Assimilation. Status - Perfect.
Mental Faculties - 70% Assimilation. Status - Unstable.
Do you wish for clarification?]
Chen Kai didn't answer. He already knew what was wrong. He didn't need the system to tell him.
Having good mental health was imperative to have a healthy lifestyle and a steady social life but.... he was scared to go through what was needed for this.
He opened his eyes and looked around the room once more. The entire main floor was like this. It was filled with history in the décor or design. He felt the familiarity of everything around him but there was a barrier preventing him from enjoying it all.
[Host, do you wish for clarification?]
"Are you making a path for me to confront my demons, system?" he asked aloud with a tired but sad smile on his face.
[Yes. Your health is a top priority.]
He clutched at the soft covered cushion and tried to relax himself.
"Proceed."
[Clarification of host's low mental faculties are as follows - seal on the Amygdala of the brain which caters to one's emotions and emotional behavior has weakened due to the 100% compatibility with the new body. It is imperative that the host release this seal to recover one's, mental faculties.]
"A seal? Didn't I use a simple meditation technique to regulate my emotions back then?"
[You did, dear host but you have been strengthening it unconsciously over the years creating a seal. It has helped you with each transmigration in order to adapt to your missions but it is now affecting your health. Please remove the seal, dear host.]
"System, this... this ..."
Chen Kai held his head in his hands. He didn't want to go through it all again. But. If he keeps it, his mental instability will affect his life.
[Dear host, you are no longer a Son Of Destiny. You are no longer tasked with fulfilling missions. This is your retirement.]
"Retirement," he mumbled. Nervously, he clenched his fists and took deep breaths to calm himself but it worked for a moment.
He thought of the people he met so far on this Earth and the life he began to plan for.
"I can have friends without the guilt of leaving them unwillingly. My time here isn't limited. Family.... yes! I can have a family here."
Moving to the center of the room, he slid the heavily carved coffee table to the side and sat directly on the floor, crossed-legged.
Chen Kai was still apprehensive about confronting his past. There were memories he didn't want to see.
But.
The system was right.
He no longer had to finish someone else's destined path to stabilize that home star. He was given his own path.
Raising his head, he focused on the single Brocade chair before him. Palms facing the sky and seated in an upright posture, he changed his natural breathing to a breathing technique he will never forget.
Each breath he took calmed his mind.
The sounds around him disappeared.
His focus was on the gold designs of the chair before him, the yellow vines on the red satin, stood out. Every object around him disappeared as his eyes slowly came to a close.
[Entering meditative state..... safety protocols established. Detecting The Jade Emperor Heavenly Scripture..... Host is in a meditative state. Nine Dragon Breathing Technique Detected. Host is in a peak meditative state. Heavens' Son Sealing Technique Detected.]
[Bonded cultivation techniques of Emperor Vincent Deluge have been retrieved.]
[...... Please Hold....]
[....... Please Hold....]
[Warning! Mental Faculties are unstable.]
[Please Hold....]
[Heavens' Son Seal has been removed.]