Lightning Is the Only Way

Gravis entered the room and saw his mother directly standing in front of the door with a smile. She wore a comfortable white robe that gave her a graceful aura. Her white hair swayed in a nonexistent ethereal breeze. It was almost like her hair was underwater.

"Welcome back, Gravis," she said as she directly hugged him.

Gravis wasn't surprised that she already knew that he was back. After all, the Opposer's wife also had to be powerful. Gravis quickly returned the hug, and he felt some warmth coursing inside of him. He had always been pretty close to his mother. Sadly, she wasn't involved much in his cultivation.

"I'm home, mom," Gravis said. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she said softly as she embraced him. A mother's love was generally more direct than a father's love, and Gravis was really happy about that. The only people he could get close to without having to worry about Heaven were his mother and father.

Joyce, Skye, and all his other friends could die at any moment. None of them were safe. Even if Heaven wanted to increase their power to use them against him in the future, it only increased their Karmic Luck. Even with Karmic Luck, people could still die. After all, every person that Gravis had ever killed had more Karmic Luck than him.

Yet, that didn't hold true for his father and mother. His mother was powerful and was also protected by his father. As long as the highest Heaven didn't manage to kill his father, his mother would also be safe, and if his father died, Gravis would probably also die very quickly. Without his father, there wouldn't be anyone to stop the highest Heaven from just directly annihilating him.

Because of this, he could forget all his worries as he hugged his mother. The fear of the emotional backlash when someone died wasn't there when he was with his parents. Like this, he could ultimately lower his emotional guard.

Though controlling one's emotions was hard. Even though he hugged his mother, he only felt some warmth course through him. Before he had left for the lower world, he had felt happy by her side. Sadly, this feeling of warmth had reduced, even though Gravis didn't want that.

Gravis felt a little guilty when his emotional response to his mother wasn't as strong as it used to be. It almost felt like his love for her had lessened. This caused him some distress.

"You're a man now, Gravis," his mother said.

Gravis slightly nodded. "Mhm," he hummed.

"Look at you," she said in happiness as she broke the hug to look at him. "Your hair color and eyes have changed. You also have a more manly and adult aura now."

She pinched Gravis' cheeks. "The girls must be going crazy for you," she said with a smirk and moved a hand through her hair. "Girls like exotic hair colors."

"Mom," Gravis said with indignance and some embarrassment. "I don't want to start a relationship yet."

His mother raised an eyebrow but still smiled. "Why not?"

too high that my

"So?" she asked.

head a bit in confusion. "What do

slowly shook her head with a smile. "We all die. At some point, your father and I will also die. Shutting yourself away from the feeling of love just because you fear their eventual death is nonsense. What of

released a sigh. "It's different for mortals," he

battle, famine, and

but I'm not required to have a child," Gravis

chin with her slender and long fingers. "That's true," she said, "but people don't get into relationships because they need

shaky sigh. "And what do I get out of love?"

shook her head and walked over to her bed to sit

felt more embarrassed. Sometimes, he thought that his mother got a little too carried away in her role. "Mom, I'm bigger and heavier than you," he

said with a pout. "You were

ten.

mother shook

Whoop!

on his mother's lap. Gravis immediately wanted to shoot up out of embarrassment, but his mother slowly

You don't need to act all tough and prideful in front of me. I'm your mother, and

sigh but let his head

at how dirty your hair is. Aren't cultivators supposed to be clean?" she said with mock frustration as she went through his

talking about.

It's not just dirt that makes something dirty. You have knots in your hair, and it has grown wild without any reason or pattern. It just looks like you didn't touch

as his mother was fixing his hair. "I think I've never touched my new hair

wonder it's this messy! I'm going to fix it in no

that? Looking good doesn't really help

not, but it feels good to look good. It has something to do with self-confidence and having self-respect. After all, it's your body, and it's a part of you. You

will help me in cultivation. Looking good doesn't

snipped off a lot of hair with her fingernails. A scissor or blade wasn't necessary. As

away his embarrassment, he started to feel way calmer. There was something inside of him that radiated a calm energy, like the gentle