Lightning Is the Only Way

"Gravis, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't see the problem," Jake said. "Isn't being happy the goal of all of us? So what if I have to follow someone else's orders to become happy? I feel like this is a worthwhile trade. I don't see it as a form of suppression, but like the guidance of a parent figure."

"Older, more experienced beings know more about the world than us, and when they help us in achieving what makes us happy, what's the problem with that?" Jake asked.

Yersi was undecided on this issue. Both things seemingly had a good and a bad side.

Gravis sighed. "I know, and that's a valid opinion. This is not something black and white. Following Heaven isn't even a detriment for many peoples, while having a better life is a great reward. As I've said, it's a net positive."

"Then why are you so angry about that?" Jake asked. He wasn't trying to anger Gravis but was genuinely confused. In his mind, he saw no problems with that. Happiness was happiness, right? It didn't matter where this happiness came from.

"Because happiness is only part of my goal," Gravis said. "My other goal is freedom because if I can't have freedom, I can't guarantee the longevity of my happiness. I want to be in control of my life, not someone else. I'm chasing freedom to be free of suppression."

"How are you certain that you need freedom?" Jake asked. "I don't get your chase for freedom. If you want to be free, you need to be stronger than Heaven, and that's impossible. Also, are you sure that you even need freedom to reach great power? What if following Heaven is the only way to become powerful?"

Gravis looked at Jake. "Jake, you're an Immortal Emperor, and you know a lot more about Laws than me, but in regards to these things, I can tell you with absolute certainty that I know something you don't."

Jake furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"You know what Laws you need to become a Heaven's Magnate?" Gravis asked.

Jake hesitated a little. Nearly no one knew anything about the Heaven's Magnates. It was even a general consensus that they actually didn't exist. No one ever saw them, and no one heard about meeting one for millions of years. One had to remember that Jake hadn't been involved with the peak powers until he met Yersi.

"The legends say that you need the Law of the True World," Jake said with a bit of uncertainty.

Gravis nodded. "Correct. What categories is the True World comprised of?" Gravis asked.

Jake wasn't sure since he had never gotten any conclusive info about that topic. These power levels were simply too far away from him. "I think it should be the Dead World and True Life, right?" he asked.

Gravis nodded, "Yes, but you also need the Pure Emotional Laws and the Laws of Perceived Reality," Gravis said.

Jake furrowed his brows. "I get the Emotional Laws, but what do you mean with Perceived Reality?" he asked.

Gravis was a bit surprised when he heard that. Not even Jake knew of the category of Perceived Reality? Gravis was sure that Jake knew some Laws inside of that category. After all, they had once talked about them before.

"We talked about them before. They are the Situational Laws," Gravis said.

"Oh, them," Jake said as he remembered. "You need those to create a True World?" he asked.

Gravis nodded. "The Laws of Perceived Reality are the last step to becoming a Heaven's Magnate most of the time. As far as I know, there should be five of them, danger, safety, suppression, freedom, and control. Without all five of them, you can't create the Law of the True World."

Jake scratched the side of his head. "I know of danger, suppression, and control, but I don't know of the other two. Are you sure that the Law of Freedom even exists? It seems like a very abstract concept."

Whooom!

Gravis summoned his Avatar. "Look at it," Gravis said.

Jake hadn't seen Gravis' Avatar before, and when he inspected it, he became shocked. He didn't recognize this Law at all!

"This is the Law of Freedom?" Jake asked.

Gravis nodded. "This is the High-Tier variant of the Law of Freedom. You also know that I know the Law of the Dead World. Yet, are you not surprised that the Law of the Dead World is not my Avatar?" Gravis asked.

Jake's eyes widened. Right! Gravis knew the Law of the Dead World! Why wasn't the Law of the Dead World his Avatar!?

"This shows my dedication to freedom," Gravis said. "This is how important freedom is to me. It's so important to me that I would rather choose freedom over pure power, and this Avatar also symbolizes the first time I ever managed to escape out of Heaven's grasp."

"By abandoning the path that Heaven had chosen for me, even if it was the best path, I have managed to taste freedom. That is why I can't ignore Heaven's schemes."

Yersi listened in from the side, letting Jake and Gravis talk. She was glad that the two of them could talk about something serious together.

Jake remained silent for a while and sighed. "Then you are simply different from me," he said. "I don't put as much value in freedom as you, and even if all of this is orchestrated by Heaven, I don't mind."

Jake pulled Yersi closer to him. "If this is orchestrated by Heaven, I should thank it because it has introduced me to my one true love," he said as he looked at Yersi with a warm smile.

Yersi blushed a little and leaned on Jake's shoulders. She was also happy to be with Jake.

"That's alright," Gravis said. "My father told me that his fight is not my fight, and I will tell you that my fight is not your fight. Even if you decide to become faithful worshippers of Heaven, our relationship won't change."

Yersi felt a slight bit of guilt. It was like she was betraying Gravis' feelings by even considering to follow Heaven's path. Yet, she also knew that it was her decision and that she shouldn't feel guilty.

This was not her fight.

Jake looked Gravis in the eyes and nodded deeply in respect. "Thank you, Gravis," he said. "This means a lot to us."

Gravis smiled weakly at them. "Freedom is freedom, even if it means that everyone close to me does things I don't like. I want freedom, so it's just fair that I give everyone else the choice to do what they want."

Yet, when Gravis said that, he got reminded of his lightning. He had just said these grand words, but he was suppressing his lightning at this very moment. Due to that, Gravis felt like he was saying empty words without any meaning behind them.

Gravis kept his problem with his lightning secret since he didn't want to worry either of the two. This was not something they could help with, and knowing about it would not change anything, except for making them more worried about him.

Sure, if they asked him about it, he would tell them, but he wouldn't involve them out of his own volition.

Some seconds in silence passed.

"Man," Jake said, "it's really a shocker that Heaven's Magnates actually exist. Does that mean that your father is a Heaven's Magnate, Gravis?"

Gravis furrowed his brows and looked at Jake in confusion. "How did you come to that conclusion?" he asked.

Jake scratched the back of his neck in confusion. "Well, we only ever hear some news about Divine Gods. Even the Sect Leaders of the Peak Sects are Divine Gods. Since no one has heard of any Heaven's Magnate for millions of years, most people don't believe that they even exist. Because of that, the world thinks that the Opposer is a mighty Divine God."

"A mighty Divine God?" Gravis asked with furrowed brows. "Does that mean that people also think that the Sect Leaders can fight him?"

Jake scratched his chin as he evaluated the question. "Probably only the most powerful ones, but if several of them band together, most people would think that your father would die."

Gravis became more and more skeptical. "And why would he get away with killing every Star God then?" he asked.

"Because the powerful Divine Gods don't want to risk their lives," Jake said. "At least, that's the general consensus."

"Huh," Gravis uttered as he looked at the lake again. "So, even the highest world has a limited horizon. Not everyone knows the power of the world."

"So, is your father a Heaven's Magnate?" Jake asked.

"There are several Heaven's Magnates," Gravis said, surprising Jake quite a bit. "I had even met one just a bit more than a thousand years ago. According to how he phrased it, I think there are at least seven, maybe even ten, but they keep themselves out of everything for a reason I don't want to share right now. I wouldn't feel comfortable talking about these things without permission. After all, it's personal information."

Jake scratched his chin. "But if there are several, why have they not stopped your father yet? No offense," he said.

"Because my father is not a Heaven's Magnate," Gravis said. "As far as I know, father is the only being in existence that can fight Heaven, and Heaven is definitely, at least, a Realm higher than a Heaven's Magnate."

"In front of father and Heaven, there is no difference between an Immortal and a Heaven's Magnate," Gravis said. "They can squash either of them like bugs."

Jake almost couldn't believe these things. "Then, why is there only one Opposer?" he asked.

Gravis chuckled a bit. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "Because if there were a second Opposer, Heaven would already be dead."

"And Heaven won't allow a second Opposer to rise if it is not absolutely certain that they won't go against it in the future."

Gravis furrowed his brows and looked at the ground.

"And that's probably also the reason why it's trying to butter me up as much as possible."