The Opposer and the Black Magnate sat in front of each other. One would think that the Opposer would be the one in control over everything, but that wasn't the case. Surprisingly, it also wasn't the Black Magnate in control of the situation.
It was awkwardness.
Supreme awkwardness dominated the atmosphere.
Both of them didn't talk much and felt uncomfortable. Yet, the Black Magnate wouldn't give up just because of that. He finally saw an opportunity to see some light in his life again, and he wouldn't be stopped by some awkwardness.
Sadly, this was a foe he couldn't defeat.
After some minutes, Gravis' mother couldn't watch this travesty anymore. Just looking at this situation made her frustrated beyond belief!
So, Gravis' mother joined them and started talking about random stuff. After some minutes of talking, she steered the topic to Gravis, and then the awkwardness started to vanish.
Both the Opposer and the Black Magnate had watched Gravis, and this was something they could both talk about. Usually, the Opposer wouldn't have talked much, but he trusted his wife. If she said that it was worth it to make a friend, he would at least try.
After talking about Gravis for a while, the topic changed to other children the two of them had had over the years. The Black Magnate told several stories about a lot of his children and how they acted, which also made the Opposer open up about some of his long-dead children. Of course, this topic had to be started by his wife first to give him an initial push.
The Opposer might be the most powerful being, but he was clueless when it came to social interactions. He had always been alone until he finally decided to get together with his wife.
Then, finally, after hours of awkwardness, the Opposer was talking out of his own regard, without having to be goaded into saying something. When Gravis' mother saw that, she smiled brightly.
The Black Magnate found conversing with the Opposer very intriguing. Instead of always being negative and complaining about the world, the Opposer actually saw hope in the world again. Ever since Gravis had attuned his Spirit to Destruction Lightning, the Opposer had been as confused as nearly never before.
His 50 billion years of greyness had changed into a confusing mess of emotions. Of course, he preferred this over the everlasting, never-changing greyness.
Surprisingly for the Opposer, the Black Magnate had many similar opinions to the Opposer, which was something he hadn't truly experienced before. The Opposer had always been alone in his room with his wife, and his wife disagreed with him on nearly everything.
Talking with someone that agreed with a lot of his points without being related to him felt weird to the Opposer. Because of these things, the two of them actually continued talking, even when Gravis' mother left.
"Well done, Gravis!" his mother transmitted to him. "The Black Magnate is perfect for getting your father to open up more."
Gravis chuckled a bit as he drank some tea at a table. "That's good," Gravis transmitted back.
"Oh?" the person in front of Gravis said with a smirk. "Something interesting happened?"
Gravis smiled at the person in front of him.
Orpheus.
Talking with the Black Magnate had triggered Gravis' extroverted aspect. Instead of waiting for a couple more days, Gravis directly decided to visit Orpheus. By now, they had been talking for several hours.
"I met the Black Magnate and told him to find some friends that are not bitter and miserable grandpas. So, I sent him over to father," Gravis said.
Orpheus was shocked by several words Gravis said.
"I gotta hear this!" Orpheus said with a wide smile.
So, Gravis told Orpheus what happened, and Orpheus had to sigh. "That's one of the reasons why I stopped cultivating, but not the main one," he said. "My main reason is still that I don't want to lose my family."
Orpheus finished his tea and leaned back in his chair. "But man, it's still surprising that someone as powerful as the Black Magnate has such problems. Every Cultivator believes that they will be happy when they reach supreme power, but that just isn't the case."
"Yet, how many Cultivators would actually accept getting their dream of happiness destroyed? Instead of accepting the reality, they would just find a reason to continue anyway."
"Sounds like me," Gravis said with a smirk.
"Not entirely," Orpheus said. "Your goal is not simply just power, is it?"
Gravis nodded. "My goal is happiness and freedom," Gravis said. "Happiness has nothing to do with power, which is why I'm giving my best to feel it right now. I'm walking around, talking to people. I like spending time with my daughter and Orthar. I feel good when talking to you. All of these things make me feel like it's good to be alive."
Orpheus chuckled a bit. "You can't believe how happy I am to hear this," he said. "But for freedom, you still need power, right?"
"Obviously," Gravis said with a nod. "I don't just want one or the other. I want both. So, in reality, I only have one goal, which is freedom, because happiness is something I can already have."
"You really changed, Gravis," Orpheus said. "The first time I met you, you were very insecure and confused. Then, after training, you became cold, bitter, and angsty. After you returned from the lower world, you were emotionally very confused. But now, you seem to have a grip on your life."
Gravis looked out of the window. "That is a very recent development, actually," Gravis said.
"Your Avatar, right?" Orpheus asked.
"Yes," Gravis nodded. "I always looked into the future and my power, and I rarely looked at the present. Comprehending the Law of Freedom has helped me in seeing my actual path. When I decided to take the Law of Freedom as my Avatar over the Law of the Dead World, I realized that I don't need to have supreme power to feel something of my future goal right now."
"I'm not powerful enough to have true freedom, but I have more freedom than before. The highest Heaven obviously is not even the slightest fan of my decisions, and that's what I like. I'm not antagonistic towards it, but if it tries to force me into its own path, things like this will continue to happen."
"In the lower world, defying the highest Heaven wasn't even something I had considered would be possible without having supreme power," Gravis said but chuckled a bit. "Of course, without father, I would probably already have long died."
"Sounds good to me," Orpheus said with a smile. "But honestly, Gravis, there's something else that impresses me about your life."
"What is it?" Gravis asked.
"All your three children are in the Law Comprehension Realm," Orpheus said. "Do you actually know how incredible that is?"
Gravis thought about it. "I think it should be, but I'm not entirely sure."
"I can give you my children as an example," he said. "Over the years, I've had over 5,000 children."
Gravis took a deep breath. "I know that number probably makes sense with your age, but it still shocks me."
Orpheus laughed a bit. "I'm teaching my children differently from our father. One could say that I am even more reluctant to allow them to cultivate. So, I forbid them from cultivating."
Gravis raised an eyebrow. He was not the biggest fan of something like this. Gravis was an advocate of freedom, and such a rule definitely didn't conform to freedom.
Instead, Orpheus only smiled. "But I don't forbid them from leaving," he said. "As you have already realized, if you don't want power with all of your heart, it's better to not cultivate."
Gravis nodded. When he had been younger, he couldn't fathom why he wasn't allowed to cultivate, but now he realized that it wasn't that simple. Seeing friends continually dying. Being constantly forced into a life and death crisis. Seeing their own power ruining the lives of others. Feeling the constant pressure of danger.
All of this was normal for Cultivators. Only if someone was willing to become a destroyer of lives and dreams would they be able to reach a sufficient amount of power. Not everyone could deal with the emotional impact one would feel when one of their attacks against an opponent killed several cities of mortals on accident.
Guilt, rage, nervousness, fear, a Cultivator had to confront these feelings constantly in their life.
In Gravis' mind, being a farmer's boy, marrying someone, and having children was a far better life. Just like the power of the Black Magnate had crippled his ability to feel anything from the world, so had the path of slaughter crippled the ability of Cultivators to appreciate the value of life.
"So, how do you handle this?" Gravis asked.
"If they want to cultivate so badly that they are willing to leave our family, I will grant them a good start," Orpheus answered. "I will give them some weapons, directions, techniques, and a bit of wealth. Of course, I will also explain to them why I did all of this. Yet, if they decide to forgive me or not is still on them."
"It hurts when my kids don't forgive me, but I'd rather be hated by them instead of having them embark on this path without enough conviction. The love of a parent is selfless. You already know that, Gravis," Orpheus said.
Gravis nodded. Gravis didn't want Aris and Cera to leave, but for their sakes, he was willing to bear the pain. He gained nothing out of it. It was all for their good.
The same thing had happened with the Opposer. The Opposer had told Gravis that there would be a rule that would devastate him in the middle world. Gravis' father said this to give Gravis a scapegoat. If Gravis felt like it, he could blame his father and say that he knew what would be waiting for him but still allowed him to feel this pain.
Just like Gravis and Orpheus, the Opposer was willing to bear the hatred of his child to make the life of his child easier.
This was how good parents acted.
