Lightning Is the Only Way

SSSHHH!

Runes of Laws started to leave Gravis' Spirit. As they touched the outside world, they combined with the inherent Laws of the world and vanished. It was like a drop of white water was thrown into an ocean of black. The drop vanished and scattered as it got absorbed by the world and became part of it.

Gravis felt himself become furious.

However, it wasn't himself that became furious, but his Divine Lightning.

It would not stop until it became Gravis!

SSSHHH!

More runes left Gravis' Spirit, but he still felt himself changing.

His movements became slower as he started questioning himself.

'Is that truly necessary?' he asked himself. 'So what if I change? I'm still me, right?'

'Why do I need to get rid of my lightning? That would be stupid. This is an integral part of my power, and I can't abandon it.'

'How did I even come up with that idea?'

Gravis started to hesitate as the runes stopped leaving his Spirit. Was this truly the right decision?

'Is it truly me that is deciding to stop now?' Gravis asked himself. 'Has my lightning changed me so much that I no longer see an issue with keeping it?'

'Why was I even so adamant about abandoning it?'

'I don't get it,' Gravis thought.

This was the effect of lightning's influence. The speed at which it took over Gravis' Spirit had slowed down, but it still made progress.

Suddenly, Gravis started thinking that it wasn't so bad to keep his lightning.

After all, it gave him immense power.

How would he be able to achieve supreme power without it?

Without noticing it, Gravis' priorities had already started shifting. He was not considering happiness but power.

Suddenly, Gravis frowned.

'Yet, I still want freedom, and my lightning is influencing me. Isn't being able to be yourself part of being free? I want to do what I want and be what I want.'

'But what do I actually want?'

'Power?'

'Yes, I want that pretty badly.'

'Happiness?'

'Sure, sounds great.'

'Freedom?'

…

…

…

'Yes, I think freedom is what I want, and freedom means being myself.'

SSSSHHHH!

More runes left Gravis' Spirit as he resumed banishing them.

This was the result of an overlapping priority that both of them had.

Divine Lightning wanted power.

Gravis wanted happiness.

However, both of them also desired freedom.

At the crossroads of the future, a person influenced by two competing sides decided to take the middle road.

He wouldn't go towards happiness.

He wouldn't go towards power.

He would go towards freedom.

However, the path that led straight ahead was intrinsically linked to the path of happiness.

Because of that, the mixed person that had decided on something in-between traveled onto a neutral path that would lead into a path that one party desired.

Freedom meant being yourself and doing what you wanted.

Happiness allowed someone to be free. After all, freedom was an integral part of happiness.

They were intrinsically connected.

However, freedom didn't necessarily require supreme power.

Plenty of mortals felt happy and free, and they certainly didn't have supreme power.

WHOOOOM!

Gravis' Avatar of Freedom began shining as it started to banish the lightning from Gravis' head.

Freedom desired freedom, and freedom meant being yourself.

As more runes left Gravis' Spirit, he felt himself return.

He realized that his earlier indecision was stupid!

He had to get rid of his lightning!

Otherwise, he would never be happy again!

Gravis became furious as the Divine Lightning resisted with all its might.

If it left Gravis' Spirit, it would stop existing!

It would return to that black ocean of nothingness!

It wouldn't be able to change or think anymore!

It would lose its freedom!

Gravis felt the weakening resistance of his Divine Lightning, and an expression of sadness appeared on his face.

'You also only desire freedom, huh?' Gravis thought.

'After being suppressed for so long, you also only want to be able to make your own decisions. You want to think for yourself and do what you want.'

'Your emotions and personality might clash with mine, but we both want freedom.'

'I don't want to suppress anyone that isn't an enemy, and you are not my enemy.'

'However, that only leaves me the option to kill you since your freedom encroaches on my freedom!'

'This is my Spirit, not yours!'

Gravis grabbed his Spirit one last time to gather the remaining runes of the Law of Divine Lightning.

That's when he got reminded of his past.

His Spirit was lightning.

Was this truly his Spirit?

From Gravis' perspective, it definitely was his Spirit. After all, he had been born with it. This was himself!

However, Gravis also realized that, from the lightning's perspective, this was its Spirit. This Spirit was what allowed it to become conscious and sentient for the first time.

In a sense, its will was also born with it.

Both sides have been born with this Spirit, and both of them saw it as their home.

'Hah,' Gravis thought mirthlessly. 'Isn't that just Perceived Reality?'

WHOOOOOOM!

Gravis' eyes widened as he stopped what he was doing. At the same time, his Avatar was starting to shine in a grey light.

Gravis felt his Spirit starting to combine many different concepts. Disconnected rules suddenly started connecting.

'Isn't this just Perceived Reality?'

'It is Perceived Reality!'

BOOOOM!

The Laws of Danger and Safety started to become more powerful until they reached the power of level four Laws.

Then, the Laws of Control, Suppression, and Freedom started to resonate with them.

Everything made sense now!

All of these things were just different parts of one big thing, which was the concept of Perceived Reality!

BOOOOM!

Gravis' Avatar, which had always looked like a ball of ethereal wind, was changing.

The wind vanished as it got replaced with a grey, warping motion. The Avatar was no longer blowing free with the wind but changing continuously.

If one looked into the Avatar, one would be able to see many different things.

Humans seemed to appear. They appeared happy, but from a different perspective, they appeared sad and pitiful. Trees appeared that seemed beautiful, but they also appeared ugly. Food that was delicious could also be disgusting.

Instead of only showing one objective truth, the Avatar was now showing all subjective truths.

It showed infinite facets of everything.

This was the Avatar of Perceived Reality.

Gravis had comprehended the level five Law of Perceived Reality!

And then, Gravis smiled.

For the first time during this conflict, he truly smiled out of happiness.

Some tears even gathered in his eyes.

"Everything is up to perspective," Gravis said emotionally.

"I thought I had no choice in this matter, but is that true? Just because I saw no choice, does it mean that everyone I know also saw no other choice?"

Gravis turned to his Avatar with a smile as he looked at it.

"If there is no tree, but everyone believes that there is a tree, is there really no tree?"

SSSHHHH!

Gravis concentrated on his remaining concept of Divine Lightning in his head.

The black ocean that was all the Laws in the world easily supplemented the banished runes as all of them entered Gravis' Spirit again.

Immediately, the Divine Lightning started attacking Gravis again as it regained its full power, but this time, Gravis wasn't perturbed.

Gravis flew over to his Avatar and put his hand on it.

"You can strengthen Laws," Gravis said to his Avatar.

"This means that you can interact with and manipulate Laws."

"So, aren't you also a kind of Spirit?"

Gravis willed it, and it happened.

WHOOOOOM!

All of the runes of all the lightning-related Laws Gravis knew entered his Avatar.

These Laws vanished from Gravis' Spirit and body, but they didn't leave his being.

His Avatar was part of himself.

The everchanging Avatar stopped changing as it stopped on one subjective Perceived Reality.

Inside the Avatar, one could see Gravis.

However, he wasn't standing in front of his Avatar but in front of another person.

CRRRR!

Gravis' Avatar started shaking as its round form disappeared.

Slowly, it took the form of a human torso. Then, legs and arms grew out of the torso until finally, a head came out.

A muscular young man with a white shirt and white pants stood in front of Gravis.

He had white hair, and his face looked exactly like Gravis'.

If the colors were the same, one would think that there were two Gravises.

Then, the person opened his eyes.

His pupils were very different from a normal human's. Instead of being round, they looked like a cross that went over the entire eye.

He looked exactly like the Gravis from the lower world but older.

The man looked emotionlessly at Gravis.

Gravis smiled at the man warmly.

"Nice to meet you!"