Lightning Is the Only Way

Gravis wasn't sure how he should feel right now.

Joyce had definitely become someone that couldn't be saved anymore, and her actions were more than enough to kill her.

Yet, Gravis just couldn't forget the young girl he had met back then.

Joyce had traveled the lower world to hand out gifts for eventual repayment.

When Gravis had met Joyce again in her Clan, their start had been rough, but Joyce had even managed to convince Gravis somewhat that he was running away from his emotions.

Joyce had been a very kind girl back then, and she even had issues accepting when anyone died in front of her. She saw these deaths as unnecessary.

However, this was exactly one of the things that had drawn Gravis to her.

Gravis had been in a dark place back then, and he had acted like a cynical teenager. He had constantly told everyone how difficult he had it and how many bad things had happened to him.

In a sense, Joyce had been a pure and innocent light in a world of oppressive darkness for Gravis. Joyce had had something that Gravis had lost.

They had even promised each other that they would be together when they reached the highest world.

Sadly, they had both changed severely, and they were no longer compatible.

Mortis shared these same memories, and maybe that was also one of the reasons why he was even attracted to Joyce.

If Joyce and Mortis hadn't met each other before, they might not have ended up together. They weren't even truly that compatible.

'Maybe her extreme purity back then resulted in her becoming the other extreme,' Gravis thought with a sigh. 'Her innocence couldn't possibly have survived until now, even if she tried to preserve it.'

Joyce's death made Gravis think, but he didn't have any great emotional reaction to her death.

It was like Gravis had long accepted that Joyce would eventually die like this.

Because of that, Gravis' mind quickly went back to the deaths of his other friends.

Liam, Styr, Sary, Skye, Yi Lu, Siral.

them

Gravis. "They made

in the distance. "Everyone believes that they won't die. After all, it hasn't happened before. We know in our

death that it has become normal. Being close to death is so normal that it doesn't feel as dangerous anymore. We've gone

have fought if they

Aris didn't answer.

is survival and power," Gravis added. "I have no problems with risking my life for any of you, but if I had to sacrifice my life, I don't know if I could do

Gravis looked at Aris.

sacrifice your life

and

Aris felt guilty when he

shoulder. "Don't feel guilty. We are Cultivators, and we chase power so that we can survive. I don't

pain and have lived for so long that we can't give up now. The more we survive,

Cultivators that can sacrifice their lives for someone else are the ones that have given up on the path to power,"

to Gravis' words,

feel guilty for feeling exactly like everyone else was

silence passed in which Aris was only thinking about Gravis'

age difference is negligible by now, you are still able to teach me such things?" Aris asked with a

someone inferior. A Forger can teach an Alchemist about forging,

different things in their lives, and they learned different lessons. In our case, I just know a lot about Sentience and, by extension, intelligent life itself. That is simply my

Aris asked with

didn't have the ability to just directly absorb Heavenly Lightning, you would know more about lightning than me.

was a bit surprised when he heard that, but

how Gravis had shown Aris how to use lightning properly,

weren't for that ability, Aris would be superior to Gravis right now

a sense, Aris had overtaken Gravis in

had realized that he

overtaken his father in one of his strongest

the end, Battle-Strength was

new positions in the Sect?" Gravis asked, changing the topic. "Liam died. Do you have

Walker," he said. "Broad Walker is still more powerful than me since he knows two level seven Laws, and he's

"Makes sense," Gravis commented.