Lightning Is the Only Way

The four of them perked up. They had just now entered the highest world, and everyone but Orthar was uncertain about their future paths. The three children wanted to know what their grandfather would tell them.

By now, all three of them knew fully well that they sat on the same table as one of the most powerful beings in all the worlds. The wise words from such a being were worth more than gold.

"Cera, I will start with you," the Opposer said as he looked at her.

Cera felt nervous. Why was she first?

"Your current circumstances are damaging to you," the Opposer said.

Everyone at the table but Gravis' mother was surprised about this. Even Gravis was a little surprised. What was damaging about Cera's circumstance?

"You see your siblings, and you see that they feel things that you don't," Gravis' father said. "You see how Yersi is happy when she sees Gravis, and you see the bond between Aris and Gravis. Yet, you do not feel these things and try to adapt."

"You try to find these feelings that your siblings have to not feel left out, but you just can't. If you continue like this, eventually, you will succeed, but is that truly who you are? Is it correct to adapt yourself to the others around you when it means that you will be someone you are not?" the Opposer said.

Aris and Yersi were quite surprised as they looked at Cera. Was this true? They knew that Cera acted far more like a typical beast in comparison to them. Yet, was she genuinely trying to find these feelings inside her? She always seemed so sure of herself.

After a while, the present people and beasts understood. Cera probably felt left out and different, making her feel like someone else had something that she didn't. This could even result in feelings of inferiority.

"Don't," the Opposer said. "You are you, and being more beast than human is not worse than being more human than beast. Don't try to change who you are. Accept yourself as you are and concentrate on your own growth and power."

At first, Cera didn't want to acknowledge that she strived to have something that her siblings had. Acknowledging this would mean acknowledging that she felt inferior. Yet, as time passed, she slowly accepted it, even if it felt horrible.

Running away from these feelings was easy, but confronting them was hard. If she wanted to progress, she needed to confront these feelings. Fortunately, Cera was old and experienced enough to see the truth with her current circumstances and managed to accept it.

"What should I do, grandfather?" Cera asked. Calling the Opposer grandfather felt unnatural, but she wanted to do it anyway.

"The best way is to split you three up and send you to different worlds according to your personalities," the Opposer said, his words hanging heavily in the air.

Yersi felt shaken, while Aris felt uncomfortable. Gravis also felt terrible for them, but he knew where his father was going with this. Family was great and all, but for their own good, the three of them should be split up. Up to now, they had always stayed together and progressed together. The problem with that is that they didn't truly grow by themselves but together.

The three of them had to learn to live by themselves, without the help of their family. One always had to find compromises with themselves when constantly being with someone else. Yet, with supreme power as a goal, this was not optimal. One needed to be able to rely on themselves.

The three of them looked at each other with hesitation and reluctance. Even though Cera was more beast than human, she still saw the other two as her closest companions. They had been together for over a thousand years, nearly ever since they were born. The siblings had been a constant in each other's life.

"If your wish is not to reach real power, you can stay together," the Opposer said. "No one forces you into the path to power. It is your decision. What I have said is also only a suggestion. In the end, it is up to you to decide your futures."

The three looked at each other in uncertainty, and they didn't know what each other wanted. Aris wanted to reach supreme power really badly, but he wasn't sure if his siblings also wanted that. If they didn't want to reach supreme power, leaving them for his own future felt like a betrayal.

Due to her mindset, Cera could accept this. Beasts always put their own power above feelings of companionship.

Surprisingly, it was Yersi that wasn't as hellbent on achieving supreme power as her siblings. She liked growing more powerful, but she preferred the companionship of her siblings more. She would rather stay with them than go her own way.

Gravis had to sigh. It felt horrible to see his three little kids getting separated, but he knew that it was for the best.

"I want power!" Cera said with motivation.

Aris heard Cera and felt relieved. He glanced at Yersi once and then also looked at the Opposer. "I want power!"

Yersi felt a sting in her mind. Her two siblings were willing to separate for supreme power. She didn't want to leave them, but she also felt happy for them. It was their own path, and she wouldn't stay in their way. "I also want power," she said.

Gravis, his mother, and his father noticed the lie. With their power, seeing through such a lie wasn't difficult. Yet, none of the three exposed the lie.

"Good," the Opposer said. "Then I will tell you now which worlds would be best for you."

"Cera," the Opposer said, and Cera nodded. "You need to be apart from humans. Accept that you are a real and pure beast. Don't be ashamed of your different emotions and priorities. In here, you feel like a stranger, but among beasts, you feel at home."

"Because of that, I would suggest sending you to a higher natural world. There will be no humans in this world, and you can fully mature into yourself," the Opposer said.

Cera felt a little uncertain. "But I'm not an Immortal yet," she said.

"Sending you to a middle world is also possible, but you will have a minimal number of enemies there," the Opposer said. "There are plenty of Law Comprehension Beasts in a higher world. It doesn't matter that you have come from a middle world."

Cera thought about this for a while and nodded. "I accept that suggestion."

The Opposer nodded to her and turned to Aris. "Aris," he said.

Aris felt a little nervous, but his greed for power was stronger. He wanted to know what his grandfather would tell him.

"In comparison to Cera, you have it more difficult with your mindset," the Opposer said. "Half of you is thinking like a beast, and half of you is thinking like a human. When you see Yersi feeling for her father, you can understand, but you also feel that it is unnatural. When you see Cera not feeling for her father, you can understand, but you also feel that it is unnatural."

"No matter what you see, you feel that it is not entirely right. The entire world feels unnatural to you," the Opposer said.

Cera and Yersi looked with shock at Aris. Was that true? Did their brother have such intense feelings of isolation?

Aris' body shook slightly. He had grown used to feeling unnatural about everything and had put it in the back of his head. Yet, when these feelings were confronted like that, he couldn't ignore them. These feelings were hurting him more than he wanted them to.

"Don't try to fully fit into one side. That won't work," the Opposer said. "Accept that you will have mixed feelings about everything. Being human and being a beast are not mutually exclusive. You can be both at once. Simply follow what feels right for you without thinking what someone else would do."

Aris took a deep breath and nodded. Of course, he couldn't immediately change himself just like that. This would take time and effort.

"Because of that, I would suggest sending you to a mixed higher world where humans and beasts live together without any differences," the Opposer said.

"That exists?" Gravis asked in surprise. "I thought most worlds would find the closest and best reason to go to war, which would be the difference in their beings."

The Opposer looked at Gravis. "You have only seen two worlds. Don't expect that all worlds are like that."

Gravis groaned, but his father was probably right. One more thing he didn't know.

"There are worlds where beasts and humans live in as much harmony as possible," the Opposer said. "The tempering and war in these worlds come from organizations, not race or species. Sects, Clans, Guilds, and many different kinds of organizations accept both beasts and humans in their ranks to kill their enemies. In these worlds, loyalty doesn't lie with their race, but with their organization or country."

"Aris, in these worlds, you will see how humans and beasts can live together without much conflict. Both sides accept the mindset of the other side and accommodate it. Instead of feeling like an outsider on both sides, you will feel belonging to both sides. This is the perfect world for you," the Opposer said.

Aris imagined such a world and felt it to be too good to be true. Yet, would his grandfather lie? Probably not. Aris just couldn't imagine how it would be to not feel left out.

"I accept," Aris said.

The Opposer nodded at Aris and turned to Yersi. "Yersi," he said.

Yersi still felt nervous. She had decided to sacrifice her wish for companionship for her sibling's wish for power. Of course, she still wanted to become powerful, but that wasn't her most important goal. She mainly just tagged along with her siblings.

"You are basically like Gravis, a human inside a beast's body," the Opposer said. "This makes it hard to find a fitting world for you."

"When you go to a natural world, you will feel alienated. When you go to a human world, you will be hunted down because of your body. When you go to a similar world as Aris, you will feel alienated by beasts but will also feel not fully accepted by humans. After all, except for Gravis, you are unique in your mindset."

"You need a world where no one cares about if you are a beast or human. You need a world where there is basically no difference between beasts or humans, a world where there are so many unique beings that being unique is just normal."

"Because of that, I would suggest for you to stay in the highest world."