Lightning Is the Only Way

"Reality is a strange concept, Gravis," Orthar answered. "The fact that you're asking me about this means that you don't quite grasp its intricacies."

"Okay? Then explain it," Gravis said with interest.

"Reality manifests and changes as it expands," Orthar explained. "At the moment, I have the memories of Mortis entering my perception, but these memories are not as old as they seem to be."

Gravis only raised an eyebrow.

"Objective reality is objective reality, and time isn't a factor for objective reality. There is only one objective reality, and that objective reality only exists at one point in time," Orthar explained.

"We are in objective reality right now. The entire Cosmos is."

"Back when I said that I wasn't sure if Mortis would survive, his Samsara hadn't happened there. Things that haven't happened yet can't happen prematurely."

"What? So you haven't felt Mortis in your perception back then?" Gravis asked.

Orthar nodded. "Correct. Before Mortis entered Samsara, I hadn't felt Mortis in my perception. That is why I said that I wasn't sure if he could survive. After all, I hadn't known yet that he would survive."

Gravis scratched the back of his head as he tried to wrap his head around what Orthar was saying. "But you have Mortis' Samsara now in your memories, right?"

"Yes, I have these memories now."

"But these memories are new?" Gravis asked.

"Correct. These memories have only been added when Mortis went into Samsara," Orthar explained. "Reality has to remain stable, and Samsara has an effect on causality. So, when something gets changed in the past, physical reality changes alongside it."

"Some legends and stories speak of time loops, and in nearly all of them, it is unknown what happened in the first iteration of time and reality. We are currently in the first iteration. Mortis' Samsara hadn't happened yet, but as soon as it did, physical reality adapted."

"I was the only one that could feel Mortis' perception in Samsara, which means that I was the only one that had his memories changed. At the moment, I remember that I have never been worried about Mortis since I knew he would survive."

"However, I also know that these are memories of events that have never happened. In a sense, these things have happened, but they have not happened in physical reality. We only think that they have happened in physical reality," Orthar explained.

Gravis tried to understand what Orthar was telling him. "So, time loops can't exist?" Gravis asked.

"In physical reality, no, in perceived reality, yes," Orthar answered. "Time doesn't revert in physical reality. If you use the True Law of Time to glimpse into the past, you will only see a perceived reality, not physical reality. The best you can do is freeze time for a moment."

"So," Gravis said after some seconds. "You remember that you have felt Mortis' perception enter your perception, but you know that it has actually never happened."

"That's right," Orthar said.

Orthar looked at Mortis for a bit with an evaluating gaze.

has been complete," he said. "Recover for the next 10,000 years. After that, you can

Gravis said as he noticed that Orthar

was only Gravis and Mortis

open for a while. So, it's just like back then. After every trial,

Mortis, who was still confused about the fact that he was back

is always

over at

you remember my first Samsara? It was against some guy from one of the Peak Sects in Arc's world. It had only taken around 10,000 years, but I

I was completely beside myself. I couldn't even use my Form Law, and using my normal Laws also wasn't easy. After all, I hadn't used them for a very long

been?" Gravis asked as he looked

know," Mortis answered

old was the guy before he died?" Gravis

him with a

nodded. "That's quite a long time. I guess you probably went through something like ten million years of Samsara. That's a lot

he should think right

sure," he

go through it, but in the end, you also feel like you're glad you went through it. After all, if you didn't, you wouldn't be

for the same gains,

at Gravis

that sounds

Mortis. Then, Gravis sat down in front of Mortis and took out some coffee, which he had

saw the coffee, old memories reappeared

was just as

took some of the coffee

Gravis and Mortis just silently drank.

the life of the Ancestral

"His life?" Mortis asked.

he have? What Laws did he

hesitation, Mortis began to narrate the life

as soon as the Ancestral God

that the

did he

you think that was the right

you have

how

truly

really think that would

you do