Lightning Is the Only Way

"So, what do you guys plan to do next?" Gravis asked Stella and Liam.

Stella went over to Gravis and leaned her head on his shoulder. Gravis smiled warmly at Stella and stroked her head.

"I will go wherever you go," she said peacefully. "You are my home, and I will follow you to the ends of the earth. No matter what you decide to do, I will forever be by your side."

Gravis' heart warmed as he heard her, and he kissed Stella lovingly. "I don't know what I have done to deserve someone as wonderful as you," he said.

Stella's eyes became blurry as she felt the deep love Gravis held for her. "That's what I'm asking myself every day," she said quietly.

"Urgh, get a room," Liam gagged from the side. "That's my sister. I really don't need to see that!"

Gravis chuckled and looked at Liam. "So, what's your plan?"

This question made Liam shut up as he took a deep breath.

Stella and Gravis both looked at him with concern. Judging by Liam's actions, he was probably making an important decision right now.

Some seconds later, Liam closed his eyes and released a deep breath.

Then, he opened his eyes and looked at Stella with conviction.

"I can't always lag behind you," Liam said.

"What do you mean?" Stella asked. She felt like Liam was about to say something that she wouldn't like.

"You both know the Law of Empathy, and Gravis knows far too many level four Laws," Liam said. "Just by being with Gravis, your Battle-Strength is destined to reach legendary powers. Fighting three levels above yourself will no longer be impossible."

"I'm far outclassed in that category," Liam said as he took another deep breath.

"As long as I remain with you, I will always lag behind. I'm bound to watch on as you reach impossible heights of power, leaving me behind."

Liam's eyes became compassionate as he looked at Stella. "Eventually, your power will grow so vast that you will leave me behind."

"Liam," Stella said with a worried voice as she went over to hug him. "You know exactly that I would never leave you behind. You and Gravis are the most important people in my life. I would never want to lose you."

Liam took another deep breath, but he didn't return Stella's embrace. Instead, his fists curled in frustration. "I know that," Liam said. "However, Gravis won't stop. If I don't become far more powerful, you would have to choose between us, and I will never want you to do that. Such a choice would be far too cruel!"

Liam gently pushed Stella away from him and looked into her eyes with conviction.

"Happiness is our main priority, but strength immediately comes after that," Liam said slowly. "I want to be part of your life, but I also want to become powerful."

"You have always been the Holy Maiden of the Nine Elements Sect, but what have I been? I didn't even manage to become a Holy Son Candidate. I was only a mere Core Disciple my entire life."

"The gulf between us is too large, and it will only grow wider with time if things remain as they are."

"I can't always chase after your footsteps. I don't have the talent to reach the heights of Battle-Strength that you will reach."

Stella's insides shook as she listened to Liam. She had expected that Liam was feeling like this, but she couldn't have been sure since Liam had never truly shared these feelings with her.

Was this truly how Liam felt?

Had he always felt inferior to her?

Had he always feared that Stella would leave him behind and that he wouldn't be able to keep up anymore?

"Liam, you know exactly that I would never leave you behind," Stella said with sad eyes. "You have been with me for my entire life, and I don't want to lose you, ever."

"I know," Liam said with a nod. "And that's why I can't stop you. I know that you love me, but exactly that is the reason why I can't put you before such a cruel choice."

Liam's eyes steeled. "I might not reach your levels of Battle-Strength, but I can, at least, reach a level of Battle-Strength that allows me to jump two levels. Then, I only need to increase my Realm. As long as I don't try to push my Battle-Strength too much, my Realm can still keep up with yours. In fact, my Realm might even progress faster."

"As long as my longevity isn't lower than yours, we will still be in the same world. Life will continue as it always has."

"However," Liam said with a steely voice, "first, I need to reach that level. For that, I need to go through hell and temper myself. I can't be distracted by you anymore if I want to grow powerful."

"In the Nine Elements Sect, I was always afraid that something would happen to you. I was always scared that you would have died while I was in Law Comprehension."

"My Realm and Battle-Strength have stagnated during that time because of my worry for you, while your Battle-Strength increased due to the mandatory tournaments. I had nearly no tempering, while you had plenty."

"I don't want you to leave me behind, which is why I need to push my everything into Cultivation!"

Stella and Liam looked at each other while Gravis kept himself out. 

After some seconds, Liam released a deep breath as he shot a complex glance at Gravis. "I was against your relationship with Gravis, but I can't deny that this relationship has come with more positive than negative things," Liam said slowly.

For the first time, Liam was not speaking to Gravis with a distant tone.

"The most positive outcome is not all the resources he has granted me, but the fact that I don't need to worry about your safety anymore, Stella," Liam said as he turned to Stella again. 

"I might not be the biggest fan of Gravis, but I know that he truly loves you and that he will never allow anyone to hurt you."

"If Gravis can't stop someone from hurting you, I most certainly can't do any better. You don't need my help anymore."

Liam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Because of that, I will leave you two and will join the Purist Sect."

Gravis nodded. Love and Cultivation were always opposed to each other. It was incredibly difficult to have both of them at once. The only way one could have both was when both parties grew in power at a similar rate. In Gravis' mind, Liam was making the correct decision.

Stella also knew this, but it was still difficult for her to accept. Liam and Stella had always been together ever since they were born. They had only been apart from each other when they were comprehending Laws.

Stella had to sigh. 

She knew that Liam's power couldn't reach her own. Yet, Liam still felt like it was his duty to protect her. Stella couldn't imagine how frustrating it must have been for Liam, knowing that he was too weak to protect the most important person in his life.

It must have been hard for Liam.

"I understand," Stella said. 

"Thank you," Liam said quietly as he embraced Stella. "In order for us to stay together, I must leave you now. I don't know when I will return, but it will probably be many, many years."

Stella nodded. "I know," she said.

"I'm sorry," Liam said quietly.

"It's fine," Stella said. "I understand where you're coming from."

While Liam and Stella were talking with each other, Gravis left.

He didn't want to intrude on their last moments together. 

Gravis knew that he was important to Stella, but he also knew that Liam was just as important to her.

He wouldn't interrupt them because of some idiotic feeling like jealousy.

While Liam and Stella said their goodbyes, Gravis talked with Mortis. Gravis wanted to plan which Laws they should each focus on. 

Gravis was also giving Mortis a heads-up that he might be assaulted by a ton of loving feelings for thousands of years.

Surprisingly, Mortis had no problems with that.

In fact, the opposite was true.

Mortis didn't want to feel stuff like happiness and love since he believed that these feelings would only make him weaker. Mortis believed that he had to cut off all emotions to reach supreme power. After all, every connection meant one more weakness that an enemy could exploit.

So, Mortis actually saw the assault of these loving feelings as a form of tempering. 

Whenever Mortis felt these feelings, he would try to dissociate and isolate himself from them. 

With enough "emotional tempering", Mortis would be able to fully control these feelings. Then, they would no longer have any value, and Mortis could finally reach the perfect mindset for Cultivation he always wanted.

Gravis didn't know what he should think about that.

Such a mindset was dangerous.

However, Gravis also felt like he wouldn't need to feel guilty for feeling these feelings anymore. After all, Mortis had no problem with them.

'Well, he is he, and I am I. If that's the path he wants to follow, he can follow it. It doesn't matter if I think that his path is a dead-end or not. It's his path, his choice, and his freedom.'

A week later, Liam left, and Stella returned to Gravis with a lowered head.

Gravis quickly embraced her and stroked her hair lovingly.

It was difficult for Stella to say goodbye to the person that had been with her for her entire life, but she wasn't weak-willed. She knew that this was the correct decision.

"Have you finished the Major Law of Cold?" Gravis asked.

Stella looked at Gravis, surprised that he asked such a question in such a situation.

"Not entirely. I'm still missing a bit."

Gravis smirked. "Then, let's go."

BOOOM!

Gravis pulled Stella along in his embrace as he shot towards the sky with his full speed. 

The wind hit Stella's face as she looked at the sky, which was slowly turning from blue to black.

In some seconds, the wind vanished since there was no more air around them.

Now, Stella and Gravis floated in the nothingness of space.

Below them was the higher world, filled with life, while above them was the vast nothingness of space. 

Gravis let Stella go and looked at her slightly from above, with a happy smile on his face.

Stella had been in space for a long time. The sight of space and the world was no longer something special to her.

However, when she looked at Gravis as the stars illuminated his back, she was stunned for a second.

When she had been in space, it was simply another place for Cultivation for her.

Yet, with Gravis, it felt different.

It was like an endless, isolated place where only the two of them existed.

The feeling was completely different from before.

Gravis also looked at Stella as the stars shone on her face. He was just as stunned by her beauty.

Gravis slowly came closer.

Pack!

Then, he lightly shoved Stella. 

"You're it!"

Whoop!

Then, Gravis used his Law of Shadow's Subtlety to hide as he flew away. 

Stella was taken aback for a second.

She was it?

After some seconds, a face appeared on one of the stars.

It was the face of a shadow rabbit.

Obviously, this was Gravis playing tricks.

"Mortal woman, you can never catch this supreme lord of hide and seek," the rabbit said with a high voice. "Give up and serve this lordship for the remainder of your natural life!"

Stella looked with surprise at the face of the rabbit.

Then, she had to laugh.

The voice just didn't fit the words it spoke.

"Oh?" she uttered with a cocky smirk.

After that, Stella charged at the star as she also activated her Laws to track Gravis.

In a star-filled sky, one man and one woman were playing hide and seek like two happy kids.

This day, space was filled with happy laughter as the two of them played happily.

All the worries were forgotten.

Only two lovers remained.