Lightning Is the Only Way

Gravis stood beside the still Grand Lake as he felt the death of a world.

How many beings were able to experience the death of an entire world?

How many beings could feel the feeling of absolute isolation that such a situation gave one?

Gravis took in the feeling for half an hour as he stood completely still.

"It's time, Heaven," Gravis said, his voice the only sound in this world.

"Don't be impatient," a genderless voice said as someone appeared close to Gravis.

Gravis was shocked.

Heaven had answered him?

Gravis looked to his left, where he saw a human looking silently at the Grand Lake.

This was Heaven.

Heaven looked like a young and thin person, its gender indiscernible. Yet, there was one major difference. This human had seven eyes instead of only two, all their eyes arranged in a circle.

"Take in the feeling of a dead world, Gravis," Heaven said, not looking at him. "This is a rare opportunity, and you shouldn't waste it."

Gravis didn't want to follow what Heaven said, but he also felt like Heaven wouldn't use such a trick to attack him. The highest Heaven wanted Gravis to become powerful, and this Heaven followed its ancestor's commands and teachings.

Gravis also looked at the Grand Lake as he started to lose himself in the stillness of nothingness.

His mind wandered as incomprehensible thoughts shot through it. He had no idea what he was thinking, and as time passed, he started to forget everything in the stillness.

Nothing moved.

Not even Gravis moved.

His body, mind, soul, and being stilled as he became one with the world.

BOOOOOM!

Gravis' head suddenly shot up as consciousness returned to him. He was pulled out of the feeling of stillness as he had just comprehended a Law.

"This is the Law of Minor Death, Gravis," Heaven said from beside Gravis. "You have remained on this spot for 50 years just now."

Gravis' eyes widened. "50 years!?" he said with shock.

"Time has lost its meaning, Gravis," Heaven said. "When there is no meaning to time, eons might pass in a second, and a second might pass in an eon. You have experienced this feeling once before. Do you remember?"

Gravis' mind raced. He had experienced this feeling once before?

Then, it hit him.

"When I was waiting for a new body!" Gravis said. "When I left for this world, I also felt this stillness."

"Yes," Heaven said, still looking at the Grand Lake. "Back then, you had waited for your new body for 200 years."

Gravis almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. "200 years?" he asked.

"Yes," Heaven answered. "This was also the reason why you managed to learn the Laws of Life so quickly. Without knowing, you had been staring at this strange organism inside your ring for 200 years. You think you are 1,000 years old, but you're actually 1300 years old. Without noticing it, nothingness has taken 300 years from your life."

Gravis had no idea how he should feel right now. He had just heard that he was actually 30% older than he had believed. Was this good? Was this bad? Should he be thankful? Should he be angry? Gravis wasn't sure.

"The Law of Minor Death is something only a select few beings can experience," Heaven said. "This is a Law not even I had known until now. It can increase the power of many of your Laws. Your Composition Laws and your Law of Elements can make use of this Law."

Gravis looked back at the Grand Lake. "It sounds powerful."

"It is," Heaven answered.

Silence.

"Why have you allowed me to comprehend it?" Gravis asked.

"Because you need to become more powerful," Heaven said.

"What's my power got to do with you?" Gravis asked.

Silence.

Heaven didn't answer for a while.

"Did you know that us Heavens also have emotions, just like you humans?" Heaven asked as it suddenly changed the topic.

This time, Gravis was the silent one.

"We also feel love, hate, happiness, wonder, rage, sadness, grief, pressure, frustration, elation, relief, and all other emotions. We have been modeled after our Ancestor."

"As are humans."

Gravis remained silent as he thought about Heaven's words. Humans had been modeled after the highest Heaven, and the Heavens were too. This meant that the Heavens could feel the same things that humans could feel. Did that make them any different from humans?

"I love this world, Gravis," Heaven said, its genderless even voice resonating with the world. "I have seen its birth. I have seen its rise. I have seen the birth of all living beings, but I have not seen the death of all beings."

"This world is like my child," Heaven said. "Slowly seeing it deteriorating into nothingness has pained me more than anything I have ever felt. If you were not here, this world would still be alive. My child would still be alive."

"Why are you telling me this?" Gravis said with a cold voice. "You know exactly that I don't care about you."

For the first time, Heaven turned to Gravis and looked at him.

"I'm showing you my resolve," Heaven said. "My ancestor is the Cosmos. My ancestor is everything. This world is his. I am his. You are his. Time is his. Space is his. Destiny is his. Life is his. Death is his."

'His?' Gravis thought. So, it was not only his father that assigned a gender to the highest Heaven.

"Because my ancestor is everything, my actions are also his. Therefore, my unending hate towards your existence is not something I can relieve. I am my ancestor, and my ancestor wants to give you a chance to win against me," Heaven said emotionlessly.

"Are you saying that I'm not able to win against you without this Law of Minor Death?" Gravis asked with skepticism.

Heaven looked into Gravis' eyes. "No."

"I'm saying that you are still not able to win against me."

Gravis narrowed his eyes, but deep inside, he felt nervous.

But that couldn't be true!

Gravis was already as powerful as it was possible for this world. Heaven might be as powerful as him but so much more powerful that Gravis couldn't even resist?

"You only know a small part of the Laws, Gravis," Heaven said. "Your base of weaker Laws is good, but you have not truly experienced the powerful Laws."

"You are still weak, Gravis."

Gravis felt anger well up inside of him. Gravis knew that there were still many Laws he hadn't comprehended but calling him weak felt insulting. He was able to battle four levels above himself!

"You do not accept my assessment," Heaven commented.

Gravis narrowed his eyes. "Of course I-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Gravis stopped talking as his entire being was shaken.

Space was destroyed.

Time was destroyed.

Gravis' body was nearly destroyed.

SSSSHHH!

From the husk of a body, Gravis managed to regrow himself, but his eyes were widely opened in shock and terror.

Time and space had returned.

Heaven still stood in front of him, but its finger pointed to the area behind Gravis.

Gravis slowly turned around as he looked at what was behind him.

Nothing.

The entire world behind Gravis had vanished.

20% of the entire world had vanished, and Gravis no longer stood in the middle of the world.

Right now, Gravis stood at the edge of the world as the old center became the new edge.

"W-what?" Gravis stammered.

"If I hadn't unleashed my attack at the edge of the world, you would be dead now."

"This is the power of a level five Law, Gravis."