Lightning Is the Only Way

Mortis had already expected something like this, but he still became nervous when he heard the words.

Break up with Joyce.

It sounded like the right decision, but for some reason, Mortis didn't want to.

Mortis had seen Joyce's Emotional Laws.

He knew that she could recover.

He knew that there was a good core inside of her.

He only had to find a way to make that core resurface.

"You saw her Emotional Laws," Mortis said to Gravis and Arc. "You know that there is a good core inside of her. You know that she is actually a good person. The way she acts, this isn't her."

Arc and Gravis nodded. "You're right," Gravis said. "There is a genuinely good core inside of her, but that core is suppressed under an avalanche of murky chaos."

"Yes, so we should search for a method to help her return to her true self," Mortis said.

Gravis sighed.

"Mortis," he said slowly. "It doesn't matter if she has a good core or not. Right now, she lacks the ability to have a normal relationship."

"Elaborate," Mortis said absentmindedly. He wanted to absorb Gravis' words while thinking about the information.

"You could say that Joyce has a good heart. However, she wears a mask," Arc said. "You could say that everyone has a real personality and a mask. Everyone puts up their mask when they are with others. After all, if we wear our emotions on our sleeve, we would constantly explode on everyone that says something that could annoy us."

Mortis nodded.

"Yet, that is only that, a mask. It is not our true personality," Arc continued. "Joyce's case is a bit special. Usually, people put on a mask to seem more likable and friendlier than they actually are, but in Joyce's case, she does the opposite. She tries to appear as cold and aggressive as possible."

"Another problem is the fact that Joyce has never taken off her mask in her entire life. Ever since she reached the Unity Realm, she tried to become ruthless and cold-hearted. It was definitely very difficult for her to prove to herself that she could be cruel."

"It has probably happened several times that she committed an act of cruelty simply for the fact to prove to herself that she could do it. I'm sure that, during all of these acts, Joyce felt immense pain inside of herself. Her Emotions were running rampant with guilt, self-loathing, pity, and several other kinds of empathetic emotions."

"However, if a person tries to change into someone else for long enough, they will be able to make the unfitting fit. Joyce's desired personality is incompatible with her real personality, but after hundreds of thousands of years, she managed to basically weld her mask onto her face."

"Joyce hasn't seen her true face in many, many years, and by now, she probably truly believes that the mask she sees every day is her genuine face."

deep breath. "So, in a sense, Joyce's current personality is her real personality. The old core still exists, but it's impossible to wake it. It has been

had become darker and darker the more he

of sense, and Mortis could see exactly what

way, one could say

make it very difficult for

only thing that could wake

for

saw how Mortis still thought about the topic

"Mortis," Gravis said slowly.

Mortis looked at Gravis.

not your responsibility," Gravis

looked to the side

together," Gravis continued. "What was the thing that you wanted to do when

Mortis didn't say anything.

So, it's only natural that you want to make her happy. Maybe give her a gift. Maybe

how she feels. You don't want her to be miserable since that would also make you miserable. You want her to feel great! When

love works, Mortis," Gravis said. "I want Stella to have the best life imaginable, and I would do anything for her, and I

more love for her, and I know that she also feels these same feelings when she

Mortis," Gravis said. "Mortis, you want to make Joyce happy in a similar way to how I want to make Stella happy. That's

Joyce want

Silence.

thought back to

be dominated by someone more powerful

need to feel these things even forced her to attack Mortis with

incredibly important

she think

Mortis was great!

able to make Joyce feel things

if Mortis said that he wouldn't want to do these things to her

What would Joyce think?

think that Mortis was a weak-willed pussy. In Joyce's mind, Mortis

only someone with

all boils down to

care how

cared about how he made

couldn't make her feel anything,