Chapter 1316: Freedom

Gravis sat in front of his father. Two cups of coffee stood between the two of them.

For a while, the two of them only silently sat like this.

"A lot of time has passed," Gravis said.

"Yes," the Opposer answered. "Even when you were small, you always enjoyed the coffee."

Gravis nodded as a profound feeling of disconnection washed through him.

When he had just been a kid, he had also sat in front of his father like this, drinking the same coffee.

Back then, Gravis had been nervous in front of his father. After all, Gravis had never felt any true love coming from his father. As a child, one might not realize why one was feeling this way, but subconsciously, the children would feel nervous.

Gravis hadn't acted like the Opposer was his father but rather a stranger he needed to please.

There had always been a certain distance between them.

That was also why Gravis addressed the Opposer as father.

In comparison, Gravis had always been close with his mother, which was also why he had been addressing her as mom.

Only when Gravis had become older did he truly understand his father's trouble. Additionally, his father had also changed quite a bit.

Gravis had already heard that he had once had a younger sister called Artemis. From what he had heard, she had decided not to cultivate. So, in the end, the Opposer made her an Immortal Emperor, and she died when it was time for her tribulation.

Ever since then, the Opposer and his wife hadn't had any additional children.

At this moment, the Opposer only had three living children.

Zero's Essence, Orpheus, and Gravis.

Everyone else had already died.

Gravis was the youngest living child of the Opposer.

When Gravis' mind went to these thoughts, a cold feeling of oppression came over him.

He hoped his father would be able to have more children in the future.

However, it wasn't a certainty.

"How do you feel about everything?" Gravis asked silently as he looked at his coffee.

The Opposer remained quiet for a while, which was very rare. The Opposer's answers often came very quickly or not at all.

"It's difficult," he said slowly.

Gravis only looked at his father.

"I would be lying if I said that I've only fathered children because I wanted a family. Obviously, one of my main motivators has been the creation of someone that I can train and back without any issues," he explained.

"There are certain unspoken rules of conduct between the old bastard and me. As long as none of us go too far, we don't fight. If I were to grab a random talented child off the street and back them with everything, the old bastard would kill them. However, if they are my own child, I can defend my actions. After all, I am their father."

"It's been 50 billion years," the Opposer said slowly. "I've fathered thousands of children, but none of them had ever shown anything that might break the mold. Yes, there have been some that have shown talent befitting of a Heaven's Magnate, but I needed more than that."

"I needed something that no one has ever achieved before. Something that throws the old bastard's plan to the side, even if only for a moment. I needed someone that can be pushed past the Heaven's Magnate Realm without incurring any attack by the old bastard."

The Opposer looked at his son. "You've come very far, Gravis, but there is one thing you can't forget."

"The old bastard can still decide to kill you. He can do it now, and I wouldn't be able to properly defend you since I would be busier with protecting myself."

"When you create your Cosmos, he can still do it."

"When he is strengthening you in the Heaven Breaker Realm, he can still do it."

"If you truly want to achieve your goal, you have to keep that in mind," the Opposer said with a heavy voice. "You can only achieve your goal if you go all the way."

"Emotional attachments will result in you either aborting the process or dying."

Gravis took a deep breath.

"And you are fine with that?" Gravis asked.

Silence.

"It's difficult," the Opposer said again. "If you had asked that question ten million years ago, I would have answered in no time. I wouldn't have cared about the price."

"But now, things are different," the Opposer said as he put his cup of coffee down. "There are two choices, and I'm not fine with either of them."

"You must understand, Gravis. I have been in this situation for far too long. Even my tenacity has a limit. At some point, my Cosmos will kill me," the Opposer said heavily.

Gravis lightly nodded. "I understand, father. I know that it has been extremely difficult for all of you."

Silence.

For a while, none of the two spoke.

"What if I don't go through with it?" Gravis asked.

"I would still support you," the Opposer said. "Never forget that this is your life. I never forced you into anything, and I have always supported your choices. That didn't change, and it won't change."

"If you don't want to do it, you don't have to. As I've said previously, my enemies don't need to be your enemies. My fight is not your responsibility."

"I'm certain that I can get eternal life for your immediate family without a problem. As long as you don't attempt to reach the next Realm, the old bastard won't make it too difficult."

"You can spend an eternity in this Cosmos with your family. If you decide to do so, I won't fault you."

"However, all of that doesn't matter. After all, this isn't what you want."

Gravis only looked to the side with a distant expression.

"I don't know what I want anymore," he said. "I want to see the wider world, and I want to see new things. I want to go out with Stella to look through all the Cosmoses. However, I also want you and mom not to worry."

"In the past, I might not have seen the second option as something bad. However, as I am now, I realize how horrible it is to be confined to this Cosmos, and you two have been imprisoned here for such a long time."

"Would I be fine with leaving you behind in this cage while I leave?"

"Of course not."

Silence.

"I have to try," Gravis said. "I don't see any way of success, but I have to try at least."

The Opposer looked at his son. "Even if you have to pay the ultimate price?"

Gravis sighed. "I don't want to pay the price. I really don't. If there were anything I could do to avoid it, I would."

Gravis' brows furrowed.

"Yet, the choice is not up to me."

For a while, Gravis only remained silent.

"Father, do you think our dream can become a reality?" Gravis asked.

"I wish it could," the Opposer answered. "I would be fine with letting the old bastard survive if it meant that you wouldn't have to pay the price."

"Sadly, this is only a dream."

"We four have been living in a dream for over nine million years now, and we have all collectively acted like the dream is reality."

"Yet, no matter how much we act like it is reality, it isn't."

Gravis only looked to the side while his father talked.

"I don't want to," Gravis said.

"I know," the Opposer answered.

"But I have to," Gravis said.

"You don't have to," the Opposer answered.

Gravis sighed.

"Orthar's definition of freedom is not my definition of freedom," Gravis slowly said. "I think Manuel was right. Freedom is not doing what you want but being able to choose which choice you are going to make."

"In the end, freedom is not a concept that one person decides the meaning of. The meaning of freedom is what we decide."

"And in my definition of freedom, I can make whatever choice I want."

"Even if I don't want to make it."

Silence.

The Opposer didn't answer Gravis.

"I won't run anymore," Gravis said.

"The sooner we get this over with, the better."

As Gravis said that, his surroundings shook with a reverberation of Laws.

Gravis just comprehended the Law of the Cosmos.