Lightning Is the Only Way

Gravis looked at the Law Comprehension Area for the different kinds of fire. Its appearance could only be described with the word apocalyptic.

Volcanoes exploded every couple of seconds, shooting an unreal amount of different kinds of toxic and black gasses into the atmosphere. Other places had some violently burning kinds of trees, which just didn't seem to stop burning. It was almost like these trees could burn forever. Brutal storms of fire raged over the mountains while rivers of lava ran in the crevices.

Gravis could only "see" the Law Comprehension Area's true appearance with his Spirit since everything was just filled with black gas. There were even some kinds of different yellow and purple gasses. Eyes basically became useless in this area.

Some spots were brightly illuminated by the firestorms, while others were utterly dark compared to the bright spots. Gravis guessed that any kind of beast weaker than a Lord would probably not be able to survive in there for more than some seconds.

"Finally, some fire!" Ferris shouted with excitement as his tail wagged crazily.

Gravis smiled. "So? Do you see a difference after learning a lot of other Laws?"

Ferris remained silent for some seconds as he looked closely at the Law Comprehension Area. "A little bit. There are some things that haven't made sense to me before. A good example would be the gasses. Previously, I didn't know enough about wind or air to accurately judge what these gasses do."

"Great!" Gravis said, "So, get to it!"

"Sure thing!" Ferris shouted as he charged into the Law Comprehension Area. It was almost like he was a child in a toy store, which made Gravis smile. Ferris was just too genuine.

Gravis also flew to the first area, which was a volcano at the edge of the Law Comprehension Area. Instead of flying right into it, Gravis only looked at it as he was lost in nostalgia.

"This reminds me of the time when I entered the lower world for the first time," Gravis said to himself with a sigh. "The start of my journey in the lower world was one of the worst times in my life. I had been constantly suppressed. Yet, when I see this volcano, I somehow miss that time."

Gravis thought back to his adventures in the lower world. Heaven had constantly schemed against him, trying to stop him from getting any enemies, trying to kill him, and many different kinds of hidden schemes.

His memories also made Gravis think back to a person he hadn't thought about in a long time.

"Gorn," Gravis said to himself.

Gravis was now over a hundred years old, and he had learned much more. The situation with Gorn was not as simple as it had appeared at that time. Yes, Gorn had given him nearly everything, but he also hadn't truly cared if Gravis remained who he was.

He had used all his resources to allow Gravis to increase his power but also hadn't seemed to care about the lightning changing him. This showed that Gorn hadn't cared about Gravis for Gravis, but because of his potential and power.

Yet, Gorn had still done a lot of things for him. He had provided a lot of help to Gravis while risking his life. Were the intentions behind an action more important than the action itself? If Gravis were younger, he would have said yes, but now, he saw that it wasn't that simple.

Gravis thought about what had happened and also thought about what he was feeling.

Then, Gravis looked at the sky. "If you hadn't known about the temperament of lightning, I would still regret your death heavily. Yet, you knew about the dangers of the temperament of lightning. You knew what could happen and have decided to take the risk."

"You have committed to that bet, fully knowing what could happen. Because of that, I don't regret your death, but I regret that it was me doing it," Gravis said to himself.

Gravis thought some more about what he had gone through in the lower world. After some minutes, he also took out the pictures that his mother had gifted him on his birthday.

He looked at the pictures of his old friends for a long while. Yet, his emotions weren't nearly as strong as before.

Time was kind and cruel at the same time. Time allowed people to heal emotional scars, but it also made connections appear more obscure. Gravis had last seen his friends from the lower world when he had been 23. Now, he was around 110 years old.

He still remembered them, but it felt less like they were still alive and more like they were dead. They hadn't been a part of his life forever.

"I have changed drastically," Gravis said as he looked at the pictures and also at his new, inhuman appearance. "I'm not that cold and emotionless husk anymore. I even have three beautiful children now. You have probably also all changed tremendously. I wonder if we are still compatible, or have you become scheming people that I would despise?"

Gravis narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't matter," he said. "The you from the past doesn't exist anymore. If we ever see each other again, we can get to know each other again. Until then, I will remember you as you were back then."

Of course, Gravis wasn't referring to everyone when he said that. The reason for that was that not all of his friends had been young and impressionable. Joyce, Nero, and Manuel had been relatively young, and their personalities could still change drastically.

Meanwhile, Aion and Old Man Lightning had already lived for long enough that their personalities were basically set in stone. Those two wouldn't change much, and Gravis was sure that if he met those two, it would be like nearly no time had passed.

Skye probably also wouldn't have changed since she was a beast. Beasts were very straightforward in general. Meeting her again would probably also be like they had never left each other's side.

Suddenly, Gravis chuckled a bit. 'Well, it's not like I don't have any friends in this world,' Gravis thought as he looked at Ferris, who was currently sniffing the air with curiosity. Gravis also thought about the Empress, the Grand Elder, and Meadow. These were four close friends that Gravis could meet whenever he wanted.

Then there were Orthar and Silva. Gravis didn't know if Silva was still alive, but Gravis hoped he was. Orthar was probably having the time of his life right now. Was he also understanding Laws like crazy due to Gravis' influence?

Of course, Gravis also wouldn't forget about his three kids, Aris, Cera, and Yersi. As soon as Gravis would be done with his Realm-Stop, he would search for them. He couldn't wait until he could meet them again!

Yet, Gravis didn't only feel good emotions. As he continued thinking about his friends and family in this world, he started thinking about the time he would leave this world. He had stayed in this world for over 80% of his entire life! His emotions told him that this world felt more like home than his actual home.

His homeworld and his original family just felt so distant to him. Gravis had felt like he was a father to children longer than feeling like a child to two parents. The last time he had talked to his father, Gravis felt more like he was still a young child, but now, he felt like an adult.

Back then, he could empathize way more with his friends and other young people, but now, he could empathize way more with his brother Orpheus. Orpheus felt much closer to Gravis now, mainly because he was also a father and had decided to put family before his cultivation.

When he had last talked with Orpheus, Gravis couldn't have imagined himself stopping his cultivation for any reason. Yet, hadn't he paused his cultivation because of his children? Due to these experiences, Gravis felt like he was closer to Orpheus than ever before.

'I want to talk to Orpheus more when I return,' Gravis thought.

Gravis continued thinking about his family and friends and about how everything had probably dramatically changed by now. His old life appeared so distant and unrelated to him. Returning to that life almost felt like it would never happen.

Suddenly, Gravis violently shook his head. 'Alright! Enough of this sentimental shit!'

Then, Gravis looked at the volcano below him.

'I've got Laws to comprehend!'