Dao Divinity Book 1

by Bruce Sentar

  Copyright (c) 2021 Bruce Sentar

  Cover by Yanaidraws

  All entities in the story are figments of my imagination. Any relation or resemblance to actual events or people is entirely coincidental.

  Before you dive into it, this story is fiction geared towards adults and it may contain elements not suitable for people under the age of 18.

  There are sexual and harem elements. If that makes you uncomfortable, please turn back now and ask Amazon for a refund.

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Author’s Note

  Other Works

  Chapter 1

  The windshield wipers worked in overdrive as the rain pounded down. Most people would have pulled over and waited for it to pass, but a month away from home had been long enough. This wasn’t going to stop Dar.

  He was about to have two weeks with Lily, and then the wedding after that. It almost felt like he was tempting heaven to screw this one up, like everything else, but this time, things were finally coming together.

  Dar took a deep breath, working to convince himself that the fluttering in his stomach was just nerves. He had nothing to worry about.

  If you had asked him a few years ago, he would have said that there was no way in hell that he would ever get married. At that point, he had barely stayed in one town for more than half a year.

  The nomad life had appealed to him, and he had grown into a jack of all trades thanks to his adventures. It kept life interesting, and really, there was never a compelling reason to stay. Of course, there were more than a few times that he had left in order to avoid something rather than seeking the next great adventure.

  But then he had met Lily, and it had been like being struck by lightning.

  The way she laughed and made a joke of it when Dar had inevitably put his foot in his mouth, or how she would celebrate the small things with that overly loud laugh of hers… Lily was just easy to be with. Something he hadn’t known he needed until he found it.

  Up until that moment, he’d been a wild stallion, enjoying nothing more than picking up and taking off to the next adventure whenever it suited him. But something in him had changed when he had met her.

  He was currently coming back from an oil drilling job, and he felt comfortable with the idea of settling down and sticking to a single woman for the rest of his life. And that baffled him.

  He had never imagined dedicating his life to one other person. Relationships had never stuck like that for him; he had always craved starting new relationships, sticking to one woman had always been difficult. Although, based on some pillow talk, he had a feeling they may have some visitors in their bed from time to time to spice things up.

  She was a firecracker—one that had tamed his wild heart. She was the missing puzzle piece that kept him grounded.

  Womp womp womp

  The windshield wipers ground against the glass, bringing Dar back to the present problem. This damn storm was so thick that he could barely see.

  He hunched over the wheel of his truck, peering into the rain, going far under the speed limit on the highway. There weren’t many other cars on the road; brighter people had the good sense not to keep driving.

  But damn it. He couldn’t wait it out in a hotel for the night. It would only be one more hour in the storm before he reached Lily’s place, which he had to admit he’d already started calling home.

  A truck’s lights came up behind him, horn blaring at his slow pace. He rolled his eyes.

  “Go around, idiot.” He waved to the side and slid to the right, giving the truck ample room. “Stupid truck thinks that he can plow through this weather.”

  The truck roared past, carrying a load of freshly cut timber.

  Dar couldn’t help but give the load a quick glance. He had tied enough loads in his lifetime to see the signs of a good tight strap, and the truck’s load was indeed secure.

  It still didn’t forgive the truck’s driving, though Dar had experienced the lash of the driving companies in one of his jobs. They were pretty strict on delivery timing.

  Womp womp—

  The wiper blades were suddenly cut off by the sound of metal tearing, followed by deep thuds.

  Oh crap, he just flipped.

  It didn’t matter how tight the straps were anymore.

  Dar swerved on instinct as a log cut right past his driver's side door. The breaks locked up as he tried to stop. Turning the wheel, he tried to right himself, but his wheels glided on the wet road as he spun out. The last thing he saw was the butt end of a log flying towards his driver’s side window.

  Panic filled him as a sense of dread and mourning followed. He had messed up again.

  Lily’s face was the last thing he saw in his mind before everything went black.

  ***

  He felt someone grab his hand and haul him to his feet soaking wet.

  He sucked in a deep breath like he hadn’t breathed in ages.

  “What?” Dar was confused. It felt like someone had just pulled him out of a river, but he’d been surrounded by forests on the road. Had his car really travelled that far off the road?

  He leaned into the stranger, glancing weakly behind him. Sure enough, there was an eerie stream winding behind him. Something about it made him shiver as thin, silvery strands flowed along the bottom.

  Dar turned back to the one who had pulled him from the stream, and his mouth flapped open and closed. She was the most beautiful angel he’d ever seen. Looking at the ethereal beauty, he then wondered if he had died and this was the afterlife.

  Her silver eyes bore back into him, intensity within them.

  No, not an angel. She was covered in bronze armor; her hands were calloused, and her gaze held the intensity of a fighter. A valkyrie seemed like a more apt description.

  A second person caught his eye, and he pivoted to take them in. The second his eyes focused, he almost fell to his knees.

  “Lil.” His love stood there, dressed like she was ready to go out as a witch for Halloween.

  Had she died too? What was happening?

  But as he took a step forward, he realized his feelings for Lily felt distant, like they were a lifetime away. He knew he had loved Lily, but the memories were foggy. This woman, while beautiful and sharing the same face, was different to him.

  “Impossible,” Lily, or at least the woman who could have been her twin, muttered, turning to the valkyrie.

  The winged woman just shrugged. “I would have thought so too, but here he stands, pulled fresh from the River of Souls.”

  Lily looked back at him with a smile, tilting her head as she studied him. As she did, it felt like an icepick was stabbed into his brain. He winced, clutching at his head.

  “Ah. Lily,” she said the name with disappointment; there was a tired, ageless tone to her that made it clear she wasn’t his Lily.

  “I’m not your Lily, I’m afraid. But I’m happy to see there’s a chance we
will one day be something meaningful to each other again.” She did a small curtsey. “I am Lilith, the First Witch and among the first of all the ancient races.” As she said that, she straightened her back, and her presence seemed to grow heavy with power and authority.

  “Look, I don’t know what all this is, and you guys seem great, but I’d like to go back the way I came. Can you tell me how to do that?” Dar looked over to the river, feeling oddly distant from his old life, which was concerning.

  Was this some sort of head trauma or coma? Everything felt off, but deep inside he knew he had wanted a life with Lily. He just needed to get back to her.

  The valkyrie shook her head, her eyes continuing to bore into him.

  “You took a tumble through the River of Souls, which I just pulled you out of. Part of your old life has been washed out of your soul. But, even if that hadn’t happened, there’s no way to bring you back to your old life at the moment you left,” the valkyrie explained.

  Dar nodded, not sure he quite bought that, but for now, these were the only guides he had.

  “You two seem to know me?” He frowned, looking at the two women.

  “Yes. You are Darius Yigg,” Lilith said without question, almost as though if it hadn’t been his name before, it would be now. “Your destiny was cut short by the Mo. I held their worshipers off as long as I could, Dar.” Her voice softened. “Even with your strength still at my side, I couldn’t hold it off longer.”

  Still by her side? What does that mean?

  There was a sad shake of her head. “But the only hope we have is to reignite the wick of your destiny. And I can only do that past the gates of life.”

  “Wait. You are dropping a lot on me all at once, and I am definitely not following. What do you mean still by your side?”

  She blushed, and the valkyrie snorted. Lilith’s head snapped to the side to fix her with a glare.

  “She turned your body into a golem of sorts—enchanted the crap out of you.”

  “Wait, I was like a zombie?” Dar put two and two together, but what he came up with made no sense.

  He looked between them, trying to figure out what they were talking about. Maybe this was all just some sort of bad dream. Maybe he was lying unconscious in the car, with rescue teams finding him right now to bring him back to Lily.

  Lilith seemed embarrassed by his question but continued. “Which,” she snapped at the valkyrie, “will be nothing but a massive benefit for him, as he takes up the mantle of his destiny once again.”

  Her form wavered a bit, heavier to the side that faced the stream. It almost looked like she was being drawn into the stream, but the valkyrie put her hand on Lilith’s shoulder and stabilized her.

  “But isn’t that my past life?” he asked. It didn’t make sense, unless he was going back in time too.

  “Death is beyond time,” the valkyrie said, as if that actually answered anything for him.

  “So, what’s this destiny?” Dar had so many questions, but it looked like time was growing short to ask them.

  He’d have to ignore the fact that they’d done something with his body. If he was dead, it wouldn’t matter much anyway.

  Dar had lived a life of rolling with the punches, sometimes literally. For now, he just needed enough information to figure out his next steps.

  Both women shared a look, frowning.

  “Oh, come on, at least give me a hint.”

  “Your soul, even now, is blindingly bright with the will of creation, but I’ve never been able to divine your future, nor has Lilith,” the valkyrie explained.

  “So, my soul is sparkly, and that means I have some important destiny?” It seemed like they had gone to an awful lot of trouble over something they didn’t have much detail on.

  “No…” Lilith paused. “It just gave me… us... hope that you’d be able to fight back against the Mo and their devils. The only people who I’ve been unable to divine their destiny have in time, surpassed my power. You are one of three that have ever done that, and we had hoped in time you would stop the Mo.”

  “Got it, sparkly soul good. Mo and devils bad. And somehow I’m supposed to take on these things I know nothing about.”

  Lilith’s eyes narrowed. “Even after several reincarnations, you still have the annoying habit of understatement.”

  He gave her his biggest grin.

  Lily had always said the same thing. But to him, life was pretty simple. Figure out what people need, do it, and then use what you earn to do what you want. Everyone else always over-complicated it.

  “Your time grows short,” the valkyrie reminded Lilith.

  The witch rolled her eyes and looked back at him. “Yes, you are the antithesis of what plagues our world. Many put their hopes on you before you died the first time. Afterwards, I took up the mantle, and I did my best, but I wasn’t nearly as effective as I needed to be. I failed our cause. Bringing you back was the bit of good I could do to try to sway the balance. So yes, shiny soul good.”

  She finished with an eye roll, but she’d spoken with such caring and sadness that he knew that his presence affected her, even if he couldn’t remember the life she spoke about.

  Dar wanted to step forward and comfort her, but he didn’t really know her. His top priority was Lily and finding a way to get back to her.

  “Think you can put me back in my last life?” he tried again; all of this was honestly giving him a headache.

  Lilith sighed, her hands already moving. She was weaving bright characters that hurt his head every time he tried to focus on one.

  “I do love you, Dar, and what you’re saying is tempting. But love isn’t finite, and you’ll find it even without me. I do believe there’s hope yet for us one day in the vastness of time and space. Maybe if you become strong enough to fight the Mo, you could make that a reality. After all, Lily is somewhere out in the vast future.”

  She said the last with an encouraging wink before chains of light wrapped around Dar’s limbs and started to drag him further away from the stream, back towards a bright light like an exit to a cave.

  “I think I’ll look forward to the next life,” Lilith said with a sigh, following the valkyrie into the stream. Her body collapsed into the River of Souls as he was dragged out of the strange realm.

  As his body was dragged into the light, the river vanished before Dar. He felt himself leaving the banks of the River of Souls, his soul dragged into a body. Though where, he did not know.

  It was disorienting to say the least.

  Groaning, he sat up as the bed creaked. It wasn’t more than a pallet with furs laid on top of it, and it definitely wasn’t a hospital bed.

  He really was somewhere else, wasn’t he?

  Dar took stock of his body, not sensing any immediate issues. Throwing his feet over the side, he stood up. The whole room seemed small.

  His feet had dangled off the end of the bed, and his hands seemed just a bit too large for the handles on the bedside drawer. It didn’t seem like this room belonged to his body.

  As he looked at the doorway, he realized he’d need to duck to miss bumping the top of his head. He’d been just a hair over six foot before, but now he felt like he’d gained another foot.

  There was a polished sheet of bronze that was dimpled ever so slightly from being hammered flat nailed to the wall. He wandered over to it.

  Dar’s own face stared back at him as he leaned into it, and he breathed a sigh of relief. At this point, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but having his own face was a good start.

  He looked around the room, and while there were things he recognized, there were oddities as well.

  “I’m not in Kansas anymore, am I?” he couldn’t help but ask aloud, if only to hear his voice for confirmation that he wasn’t nuts.

  He was the same man he’d been, just taller and more muscular.

  Dar pulled up his thin tunic, noting the corded muscle stretching across his abdomen and chest. It wasn’t the soft, round muscle
of someone dedicated to the gym. It was the wiry muscle you saw on fighters.

  But what really caught his attention was a pattern on his chest that held a slowly fading, glowing circle of characters; they looked like the ones the witch had cast. Something told him that this was how his soul had been tied into his body.

  “Well what do you know, she really was a witch.” He rubbed at the characters, watching them fading like dying embers on his chest without feeling a thing.

  Seeing magic, real freaking magic, on his body was the final straw. His mind spun as he stood there, staring at where the characters had been, looking at his body and the space around him. There was really only one explanation.

  “I’m in a new world, and I’m likely never going to see Lily again.” He swallowed the large lump in his throat, trying to keep it together.

  His connection to Lily still felt distant, but it still felt like he’d left a bit of home behind. It was a feeling he was familiar with from leaving one town for another, but usually he already had a plan for what was to come. His plan had been Lily, and now he’d need to regroup.

  Pushing aside the sadness, Dar looked back at himself in the mirror, focusing his mind.

  He took a deep breath, concentrating on everything he was going to miss. He held his breath, packing them all in and letting them all out with his breath, like expelling a mist of longing.

  Dar repeated this several times until his head was clear. This wasn’t the first time he’d have to start anew. Though in his life of wandering, this was the largest change he’d ever made.

  He knew how to start fresh, and there wasn’t any other option at the moment. Once he left this room, he really had no idea what was coming next, and he’d need to address it head on, without distraction.

  He braced himself as he wandered towards the door he hoped would open. For all he knew, there was one of those Mo or devils just beyond the door and he was currently being held captive. However, the room seemed too nice for a prisoner.

  Trying to avoid making much noise, he slowly turned the doorknob. To his relief, it moved in his grasp, clicking unlocked.

  He pulled it open, quickly stepping out of the small room and looking around. He was in a hallway with wooden stairs nearby, leading down. All the doors of the hall were closed, with nobody in sight.