"Hey big boy, it’s been a while now", Kayden began to pet Cerberus as the giant dog jumped at high speed on him, once again he had a moment of nostalgia when he saw how easily he could hold back the advance of the animal.
"Cerberus! I already told you that you have to be fierce, you soft ass", David fought with the dog that had its belly up for Kayden to scratch. "Hello, Kayden, and who would that be?" David’s voice was shaky and strange.
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"I’m Heimer, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. David", the boy’s speech seemed mechanized, but Kayden didn’t care, he couldn’t care about small details like that anymore and ignored them. To him, it just seemed like a shame.
The three entered and, as Kayden had previously communicated about the visit, the scientist had prepared a hearty meal with different foods and drinks. The table was perfectly balanced and Kayden, with his big appetite, wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.
"It brings back memories of when you came here years ago, the situation was completely different," the scientist commented in a nostalgic tone, and soon the three began talking about memories together.
In a way, it was just memories between Kayden and David or Kayden and Heimer. David even cried at times, while Heimer looked somber. This time, even Kayden noticed their strange behavior. He didn’t understand and he didn’t care either. Sometimes people need to vent.
Lunch went on for two hours as they continued telling stories and reminiscing about old times. In a way, Kayden was remembering his entire life practically through this conversation. It made him realize how quickly time passed.
"Why didn’t you say you got five lightning bolts, Kayden?" Heimer asked normally.
"I just didn’t think it was something that mattered," that was the truth. Kayden didn’t think it was important. He didn’t even tell David, who was his closest friend, or Han, whom he considered a father. Even though they have grown apart over the years.
After another hour, the penny slowly started to sink in for Kayden. He kept smiling and talking and snacking on some desserts now and then. His lines became a bit robotic. He hadn’t been able to process what was happening.
" Why? Just why ?" Kayden finally let go after a long silence between the three of them. Again a silence perpetuated between the three. At that moment, the tears and the sad atmosphere made sense.
"Eden... is an organization that controls the entire world and causes wars and traumatic moments throughout humanity so that it..." David was interrupted by Heimer.
"He can’t know about this," David’s response was energetic and showed how unbalanced he was at the moment.
"SCREW IT! I owe him that, that’s the least." The scientist needed a few seconds of silence to reorganize his thoughts. "Your torture was orchestrated by Eden so that you would have accelerated development, but Kevin exaggerated and ended up resulting in all of this."
Kayden finally understood why the scientist had so much knowledge and even though he was poor, he always had the best equipment and resources. Furthermore, David, at the time they went to propose to the king, the scientist was calm, almost as if he already knew the result.
"You’ve been part of this organization for years, haven’t you?" Kayden asked with no emotion in his voice.
"Yes, for a few reasons..." Another pause. "We cannot recruit you and have been ordered by the master of the organization to eliminate you at any cost without arousing suspicion. I fought this decision, but my voice wasn’t enough."
This time the three remained silent for long minutes. Kayden was unable to utilize even the smallest amount of mana. Whatever drug he consumed made him look identical to an ordinary person who had never cultivated.
"You guys know I have two bodyguards in the fourth realm, right?" Kayden commented as if commenting on the weather.
"They have already been taken care of and should be dead at this point," Heimer responded this time, but without looking Kayden in the eye. The envy and jealousy that had been building for years was being erased when faced with the true decision he had made.
"Why does Eden cause these wars and events?" Kayden asked. They knew he wasn’t trying to buy time. The drug he took was absurdly strong and no one would come after him to see his safety. It was meaningless when he had two extremely strong bodyguards.
"Accelerating the development of humanity to deal with the breaking of the bubble that protects our world in a few centuries, causing wars and traumatic events in geniuses causes their development to be accelerated by the sea of emotions, especially when it is deep and lasts for years. Logically, it should only be done to the right extent, so that the person is in a state of alert at all times."
Kayden could understand that in a way. The sense of urgency and imminent danger made people treat their individual development more seriously. One of the great mysteries of his life was solved in this conversation, why the Ashford family was so weak and still at the top. In the end, they were just a mass of maneuvering by the powerful.
"Can we just get this over with?" Kayden asked calmly. He had already accepted his death and the betrayal of those he considered brothers. Anyone could kick and scream, but he had already been through enough.
In the end, his life would end one way or another. It wasn’t what he expected, but there wasn’t much he could do. His bodyguards were two kingdoms above him and were easily decimated without even making a sound.
"We can’t do that, sorry Kayden. I consider you a true brother and I would exchange my life for yours right now, but unfortunately, it is not possible and the organization comes first", David cried with every word of his sentence. This, without a doubt, was the most difficult decision he had ever made in his life.
Kayden got up and, as if he was just going to the bathroom, headed towards the exit of the house under their gaze. Before passing through the doorframe, he said without looking back:
"You two are pathetic. Please don’t come to my funeral. You are not part of my family." Kayden’s speech was like a knife in both of their hearts and reality finally hit when Kayden walked out the door. That phrase would forever be etched in their minds.
As soon as Kayden walked out the door, he breathed in the fresh country air and took in his surroundings with the eyes of someone who had never paid attention to the little, insignificant things in life. Even the passing of the wind over his body had an inexplicable emotion.
Kayden began to remember every second of his second life, from when he woke up and discovered magic to the day he got six lightning bolts in the challenge of the heavens. Little by little peace began to appear within him. He did his best. It was a fun and lively life according to his principles.
"Are you accepting your death yet, boy?" a voice Kayden never expected to hear appeared at his side. As soon as he turned around, he saw Han beside him.
"Father?" Before Kayden could react, he heard Han say:
"I order you to stop." AND...
Time stopped in time for Kayden to see three people appearing in the sky. They simply stood frozen, floating above them. Kayden could no longer feel the wind passing through his skin. Before he could react, a voice appeared, carrying an air of age, it seemed to be older than time itself.
"Do you know you will have to pay the price for your actions?" Han replied without bothering.
"Yes, I will pay after I finish here", then he turned to Kayden, who was completely paralyzed by the situation. "I don’t have much time, so just take out this notebook and know that I love you, son. Just come down and trust me." Kayden didn’t understand anything and his vision just went black.
As soon as the light returned, he found himself above the abyss. ’Abyss?’ Kayden recognized the places around him. That’s where he auditioned his sophomore year. The amount of information and the decision that was in front of him was very sudden, but Kayden trusted Han. He easily understood that the old man sacrificed himself for him. That voice could not be faked.
Then, Kayden began to descend the chasm. There were many rumors about how the abyss was a pit of death and that nothing could come out of it alive. The fear of the abyss was rooted in different realms. Kayden was going to get out of it alive. He had complete confidence in himself.
"Everyone fears the abyss, but they will learn to fear the one who came out of it alive", Kayden began to free fall and the last shred of humanity and morality that existed within him was broken forever.