Chapter 1186 - 1186 – Second Trial: Alternate Path
Gravis and Mortis spent the remaining 10,000 years just talking about random things. It was mostly Gravis talking, while Mortis only said some things from time to time.
By now, Mortis was truly himself again.
Mortis had also gotten a newfound appreciation for when Gravis had used Samsara in the past.
Hearing about Samsara and experiencing it were vastly different experiences.
Now, Mortis truly knew how difficult it was to remain oneself in Samsara, and after having gone through it, Mortis also now knew how Gravis could be so sure of himself.
He's had a lot of time to think about himself.
And now, Mortis also had had the opportunity to experience these things.
In a sense, Mortis felt like he had matured.
His Battle-Strength didn't increase, but his personality had become stronger and stabler. Things that might have thrown him off-track in the past wouldn't have as significant of an impact anymore.
Mortis knew what he wanted, and he would work towards his goal.
When the 10,000 years were up, one of the gates opened on its own, and the two of them looked over.
"Wanna go?" Gravis asked with a smirk.
Mortis nodded with a serious expression.
He didn't know what would await him in the second trial, but he knew that it would probably also be difficult.
Orthar was shaping Gravis and Mortis into beings that could survive an eternity as Heaven Breakers.
If they could survive themselves, they could survive 90% of the danger they would face.
In Mortis' mind, he felt extremely grateful to Orthar and Gravis. Orthar had helped Mortis in realizing what he wanted and who he was, while Gravis was always supporting him from the side.
Gravis and Mortis exited through the gate and quickly made their way through the long hallway.
In just a couple of seconds, they arrived in front of another gate.
This time, Mortis opened the gate.
When the gate opened, the two of them saw another empty, small room.
Apparently, this trial also wouldn't have them fighting.
Mortis wasn't sure if he preferred that or not.
"The first trial was about time and the associated growth that comes along with it," Orthar said from the middle of the room.
"The first trial has made you realize your goals, Mortis," Orthar said. "However, there are still some doubts left in you. This is what the second trial will rectify."
"What? So, it's about Mortis again?" Gravis asked with a frown.
Orthar looked at Gravis. "You can partake in the second trial if you want, but it won't have a significant effect on you."
"Sure, count me in," said Gravis with a smirk. "I'm getting bored."
"What is the second trial?" Mortis asked.
"The second trial won't be a danger to your life. In fact, it's the only trial without any associated danger. However, you might feel pain during and after it," Orthar explained.
Mortis and Gravis didn't answer.
"The second trial is about getting what the previous Mortis wanted," Orthar said. "I will send you into a perceived reality, but you will think of it as objective reality. You will think that everything is real, and your memories will be slightly altered during it."
"You will go through an alternate path of your life, a path the two of you might have considered to take in the past."
"However, you two have only considered taking that path because you haven't been on it before."
"Today, you will tread that path to its end."
Mortis furrowed his brows while Gravis raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, so I get to spend something like a million years with Stella in happiness without any distractions?" Gravis asked.
Orthar nodded.
"What about the emotional impact after we get back our old memories?" Gravis asked. "I could imagine that I would want to regain part of the life I've never had."
"It will feel more like a dream. You will remember everything, but it won't feel real. Even if you believe that perceived reality to be real, the effect won't be even nearly as pronounced as actually being in objective reality," Orthar explained.
"Well, okay," Gravis answered.
Then, Gravis looked at Mortis.
"You ready?" Gravis asked.
Mortis looked at Gravis and then at Orthar.
Mortis had believed that he knew what he wanted, but as soon as he was confronted with actually getting what he wanted, he realized that there was still some hesitation and nervousness remaining.
"We'll begin with you, Gravis," Orthar said.
"Sure," Gravis answered. "Hit me!"
Mortis looked at Gravis while Orthar slowly extended one of his fingers towards Gravis.
WHOOM!
Suddenly, Gravis felt like he had been hit by something, and he jumped up in his bed.
"What? What just happened?" he asked.
"Could you be quiet? I'm reading something."
Gravis looked over, and he saw Stella reading something in a jade token.
"Oh, what are you reading?" Gravis asked.
"Nothing special. It's just some stuff about Formation Arrays. Even though we retreated from the Sect life, I still want to learn more about Formation Arrays," Stella said with a distracted voice.
When Stella said that, memories returned to Gravis' mind.
Orthar had allowed the Opposer to exit the Cosmos. The Opposer had given his promise that he wouldn't attack Orthar. Then, when the Opposer exited the Cosmos, he had kept to his words.
From now on, the Opposer could enter and leave the Cosmos whenever he wanted.
Mortis had become his own being, and he was currently becoming more powerful with Azure.
Meanwhile, Gravis had been freed of all responsibilities.
His friends were close to becoming Ancestral Gods, and they were all already more powerful than him. At the same time, his father and Orthar were no longer enemies.
After the Opposer left Orthar's Cosmos, he quickly entered it again, surprisingly.
The reason was that he wanted to spend more time with Gravis.
The Opposer could now experience the outside world whenever he wanted, but he might not be able to talk with Gravis whenever he wanted. Because of that, the Opposer decided to remain in the Cosmos until Gravis' life ended.
Finally freed of all the pressure and responsibilities, Gravis had felt as relaxed as never before.
He no longer had to put himself in danger.
He no longer had to fear for Stella.
Now, there was only Stella, Gravis, and their family.
Gravis felt at peace, and he happily embraced Stella from behind.
"Hey, I'm reading something!" Stella nearly shouted as she was pulled back.
"You can read whenever you want, honey," Gravis said with a playful voice.
Stella sighed and put the jade token away.
After that, she smiled at Gravis and embraced him back.
And thus, Gravis' life of peace began.
Time passed.
Eventually, Stella and Gravis decided to have children.
In just a couple of years, a couple of small Gravises and Stellas had arrived in the world.
Gravis and Stella watched them and cared for them.
Some of them decided to remain mortals, while others decided to cultivate.
After many years, Gravis' friends had become Ancestral Gods.
Yet, Gravis and Stella were still Star Gods.
Their friends constantly visited, and the two of them experienced one positive thing after the other.
Then, just before it was time for Gravis and Stella to undergo their tribulation, the two of them absorbed enough God Stones to become Ancestral Gods.
Their longevity had increased.
However, their Battle-Strength and Will-Auras had remained stagnant.
Stella and Gravis spent their life in bliss.
Then, when it was time for the next tribulation, the two of them had gotten enough God Stones to become Divine Gods from their friends.
Sadly, this also meant that their Will-Auras and Laws didn't increase.
At the moment, Gravis knew that he couldn't even fight someone on his level. The other person would simply suppress Gravis completely with their Will-Aura.
Eventually, the two of them decided to comprehend some Laws again, for the old time's sake.
However, they wouldn't temper themselves. They didn't want to lose what they had achieved.
And eventually, the fateful day arrived.
It was impossible for Gravis and Stella to become Heaven's Magnates, and it was also impossible for them to survive their tribulation.
The two of them stood in front of all their powerful friends, and they vanished into nothingness together.
Their life was over.
"Huh?" Gravis suddenly said as he opened his eyes.
Then, he looked around the room in confusion.
All his old memories returned, and he realized what had happened.
Gravis thought about his unborn children and how much he loved them, but for some reason, he felt like they weren't connected with him.
His children had never been real.
It was like they had all been the figments of his imagination.
Gravis felt a slight bit uncomfortable, but he felt that it was only natural not to get too emotionally attached to something that wasn't real.
"Huh," Gravis said after a while.
"I should've cultivated."
"That was way too short."
"But it was fun."
Obviously, Gravis hadn't really changed.
He had only dreamed for a bit.