If Kayden allowed the world to follow a completely natural course without any interference on his part, it would likely end with the strongest completely suppressing the weakest with an overwhelming difference that could never be overcome, and this would be against what Kayden preached in his government.
"What is the strongest weapon in rational beings?" Kayden asked Atlas after a lesson on divine mana. The content had no relation to his question, leaving Atlas lost for a few seconds while he thought of a decent answer.
"Hate or love." Atlas’s response wasn’t bad at all; in fact, it was perfect. These two emotions were capable of driving beings to commit immense acts for their goals. Hate could provide strength and fuel to a mind for a very long time, but it eventually ran out. One day, the reason for the hatred would disappear or be killed, revealing that hate was merely a motivation, not a true fuel.
Love was incredible and capable of making people move mountains. A mother could fight with strength that didn’t even exist in her mind to face a threat to her children. An example was everything Yan did to reach Amanda again; the god literally turned entire universes upside down for it. But in the end, Yan was an exception and couldn’t be considered the rule.
When Kayden had to place one of the two feelings as stronger, he would probably choose love because it was more lasting and had stronger motivations, while hatred was fleeting and purposeless.
There was a difference between motivation and fuel. The two were practically the same, but the motivation was more momentary, with its actions ending in themselves once the motivation ended. Fuel, however, was a bit different; it burned and left its marks regardless of what happened.
"Neither. For ordinary beings, hope is the strongest. Give wealth to a man and watch him forget his grief. Beings forget the death of a loved one faster than the loss of wealth." Kayden had known this phrase for a very long time, and his long life only confirmed it in his view. "Hatred is strong, but kill its source and watch it lose its purpose." Revenge without someone to avenge was absolutely nothing. "The only emotion capable of making a rational being step out of their comfort and fight to improve is hope."
This was the reason Kayden always heavily invested in providing opportunities for everyone in his society. Even someone born into the weakest family in the kingdom could develop into a monstrous mage if they worked hard enough.
Moreover, the government always showed that social layers were movable. Kayden never left the same leader in power for long, only if they were truly doing a good job. Otherwise, they would be quickly killed and deposed.
At the slightest sign of hope, people gave their all for days, weeks, months, years, or even decades. But this was still only fuel; it was just more potent and with a much longer duration.
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Only discipline could truly elevate a mage. On bad days, getting out of bed and doing the same as on good days, on days with pain, doing the same as on normal days—this was the mentality that would take a mage to the top. On some days, this was simple. In some months or years, maybe, but to do this for centuries? For millennia?
This was the hardest part. This discipline for that amount of time was incredibly difficult, and it was what Kayden instilled in the minds of the people in his organization. For ordinary people, it was very difficult, and he wasn’t even willing to waste time trying. This mentality was unique to only a few individuals.
Talent could take a person to an absurd level, but it wouldn’t place them at the absolute top. The absolute top was 99% dominated by people with both talent and mentality combined. Only this kind of person could reach the top. But there was that 1% who rose purely on talent, rare exceptions where the universe blessed them from birth.
Usually, some people were able to achieve this discipline, but there was something called success. Unfortunately, the ultimate goal of discipline was also its downfall. People became comfortable with their success and became ordinary again. Perhaps a small degree of success wasn’t enough to change the mind of someone stronger, but over time, it would normalize.
"Why?" Atlas interrupted Kayden’s narrative.
"Your surroundings. Tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are," is one of the most famous phrases in the universe and also one of the truest.
A person with a high level of discipline would achieve success at some point and elevate their social circle. But how many times could they elevate their circle until they were surrounded by people weaker than them? It was at this moment that even the strongest of beings would ruin their mentality and become ordinary—at least in most common cases.
The hope of advancement died along with any emotion strong enough to elevate the mage. They became prisoners of mediocrity due to the lack of external support. Only a minority managed to survive solely with their minds.
*****************
After so much time together, Kayden and Athena had fully accepted each other. Their soulmates resonated when they were together, and anything done as a pair was more pleasurable.
Kayden had never experienced something like this. Throughout his entire life, Kayden had never had a true partner; they were always just tools for him to use, especially when he could gain something in return. But with Athena, there were no ulterior motives—he simply loved her from the bottom of his soul.
Both were feeling true emotions after a long time. In Athena’s case, not as much, since she truly loved her family. But for Kayden, it was the first time in his life since Han that he was able to love another person. That had been a long time, an incredibly long time, in fact.
The mere thought of hurting his beloved made his soul feel unbearable pain. Kayden couldn’t imagine his life without her. At that moment, he understood why Yan did everything just to get Amanda back—it was only to feel complete again.
"Are you ready?" Amanda was beside Kayden in bed. The boy simply put on a kimono from his organization, the one with the man carrying the sun. Amanda’s outfit was identical to his but in the female version.