Lightning Is the Only Way

"Little brother?" Gravis asked, quite confused. He never met his siblings. He wasn't even sure if he had siblings.

The man just grinned. "Yeah, you're my little brother, and I am one of your older brothers." He stood up, walked around the desk, and patted Gravis on the shoulder. "You can call me Brother Orpheus." Seeing that Gravis still looked unsure, Orpheus laughed. "Man, this brings me back. I had the same look you have when I met my first sibling."

Gravis looked dejectedly at the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had siblings. Father and mother never talked about their other children." Gravis realized what he said and quickly tried to correct himself. He didn't want to give his newly met brother the feeling that his parents didn't care about him. "No, no! They probably did, but I didn't notice." Gravis rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, sorry."

Seeing this, Orpheus laughed loudly. "Haha, don't worry!" Orpheus patted Gravis' shoulder again, showing that he didn't mind. "Maybe you didn't notice, but our siblings are forbidden to talk to the center child until their way has been established."

Now, Gravis was confused again. "What do you mean with center child?"

"The center child is the newest born child from father and mother." Orpheus pointed at Gravis. "So, right now, that is you."

Gravis furrowed his brows. "Okay, but why? Also, what did you mean with 'established way'?"

Orpheus sat back down on his chair and beckoned Gravis to sit too. Gravis did just that. "This practice comes from father. He cares very much about us and wants us to find our own way in the world, without outside influence. Only a heart and will born out of itself is the strongest. If, for example, I persuaded you to start cultivating, you might not truly have the heart for it. This would be an obsession implanted by others and not born by yourself. There's a difference in that."

path to take in life. Some choose a quiet life. Some want to cultivate, and some want parts of both. When father sees what his child has decided to do with their

"How are you so sure that is what

so he just laughed again and continued. "Father has chosen the hardest path for you. Even if it doesn't seem like it, he cares for all of

by that. Couldn't he just grant me

multiple major realms above that, and if you didn't forge your path with blood, calamity, and setbacks, you wouldn't have the experience or will to get much further

emperor sounded very strong. Probably stronger than he could imagine. Yet, not even that was the end. He also remembered that his father shouted the word

How many siblings do we have? Give me

sure, but he knew that his parents had been alive for a long time. "Don't know, maybe

Orpheus laughed loudly again. "There

floor. "Thousands? I have thousands of brothers and

"Yeah, and imagine that. All those siblings have

head around the fact that he had thousands of brothers

took out a canteen and another cup. He filled it with coffee, and the cup moved to Gravis by itself. He beckoned Gravis to drink, and Gravis took a gulp. He had tasted coffee before, but this cup tasted like crap.

red with shame. He didn't want to disrespect his brother. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Orpheus waved his hand. "Don't worry. As

had only goodwill. Though, he was still unused to the fact that he

You truly are my younger brother." He drank from his own cup and also emptied it. "Now,