The family of four, along with Benny, had dinner together. It was a jolly atmosphere that reminded Donald of the illusion he was in. He couldn't help but sigh when he thought of that.
After dinner, the children played with Benny for a long time before sleeping. When everyone in the house had finally fallen asleep, Donald came to the living room and sat down on the couch, deep in thought.
Benny, who had just managed to escape from the arms of the already-asleep Amelia, came to the living room and sat down beside Donald on the couch. He began to lick his paw as he spoke mentally, 'Thinking about the impermanence of life?'
Donald was taken aback. He looked at Benny and faintly smiled. "You're quite the wise one, aren't you, little Benny?"
Benny cocked his head and arrogantly spoke, "Hmph! Of course, I, the great Benjamin Lombardi, am the wisest."
Seeing Benny act this way, Donald couldn't help but chuckle. A few moments later, his smile turned bitter. "But yes, I am indeed thinking about how fragile life can be."
After living a lifetime inside the illusion, he had begun to contemplate a lot of things. Especially, after witnessing the passing of his wife due to old age, he couldn't help but wonder if being a Transcendent was what he really wanted.
That would mean watching his loved ones grow old and perish, after all. Meanwhile, he would still remain.
"I've experienced a lot of things in that illusion. The passing of my wife was the most painful one. But at the same time, I also felt happy that she died peacefully and without any regrets," he said.
Benny remained silent as he continued to listen to Donald. He was still a kid, after all. He might act playful and arrogant on the surface, but deep down he still didn't know a lot of things, especially about humans and their emotions.
Donald continued, "I'm not sure if I can take it…. What I mean is—"
'I know what you mean,' Benny interrupted, 'instead of debating whether to become a Transcendent or not, shouldn't you be thinking about cherishing your loved ones even more?'
Donald didn't know how to reply. In fact, he was quite taken aback because what Benny just said was actually true.
'Even high and mighty Transcendents will one day perish and turn to dust. Does that mean we should give up on everything and stop living?' Benny added.
Once again Donald was rendered speechless. He pondered on the wise cat's words for a long time. Benny gazed at the full moon partially hidden behind the clouds with a reminiscent look in his eyes. 'I remember, a long time ago Bryan had asked his teacher 'But can't the Gods live forever?''
He turned to look back at Donald and asked, 'Do you know what his teacher said?'
Donald shook his head. Benny continued, 'The Gods yearn for the lives we live. Because we are mortal. Any moment could be our last, and that's what makes life so wonderful.'
Involuntarily, Donald's eyes reddened a little. He had never heard something so profound and… beautiful. It took a long time for him to come to his senses. He wiped his tears and smiled. "Master's teacher seems like a wise man."
Benny nodded. 'Indeed he was. He passed away more than a year ago.'
"I'm… sorry to hear that. Was he very close to master?" Donald asked.
'He was to Bryan what Bryan is to me: a father figure and… family.' Benny replied, feeling gloomy about the death of Detective Watson. He then looked at Donald and said, 'Anyway, I've said my piece. What you decide is ultimately up to you.'
With that, he jumped onto the window railing. He turned to look at Donald and solemnly added, 'Choose wisely, Donald.' He then turned around and leaped off the building.
Donald looked at the empty window sill for a long time. In the end, he faintly smiled and mumbled, "Thank you, little Benny."
…
Ron walked into a car manufacturing factory on the outskirts of Nadir in a very gloomy mood. It took him all the strength he had just to control his anger and not lash out.
He had just come back from his fiancee's funeral and right after that, he was told by his subordinate, Rick, that Alfredo might have had a hand in Celine's death. How could he not be angry?
But he knew better than to act recklessly. One reason was that Alfredo was also a Rank 2 Transcendent just like him. And he also served his teacher. Thus, he had to talk things through with him first and find out if what Rick claimed was actually the truth.
If Alfredo was weaker than him, he would have instantly killed him without asking any questions. After all, if both parties were of similar strength, parlay took precedence.
And if what Rick had told him turned out to be lies, he would ruthlessly kill him and his whole family. But little did he know, Rick was already dead.
Ron entered the factory and straight away walked toward the administration office. This whole factory was just a front for one of the bases of the Holy Blood Sect in Nadir. However, the majority of the people working here didn't know that.
After entering the office, Ron walked further in and entered a private room that had a platform that led underground. He finally reached the underground area which was the actual base.
One could see dozens of people practicing blood magic. Some were meditating while others were going through strict training drills. In a corner of the base, there was a large caged prison that housed scores of people.
They were not prisoners, but food. Strangely enough, all of them looked to be in good health. Their bodies were healthy and their skin tone was ruddy. After all, they had to be in optimal conditions before being completely drained out of their blood.
As Ron walked past the cages he could hear the men, women, and children inside begging to be set free. However, he didn't cast a single glance at them and walked toward a large office at the other end of the base. This office belonged to Alfredo.
Without evening knocking at the door, Ron Straight away barged in. Alfredo who was going through some paperwork in his office, frowned when he saw Ron enter. He muttered coldly, "Boy, you think you can do anything just because you're master's student?"
Ron didn't reply. Instead, he walked up to Alfredo and stood right across from him. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Tell me, who is this homeless Illusion Path Transcendent that you keep meeting?"
Alfredo was puzzled. "What the hell are you talking—" However, before he could finish his sentence, he saw Ron slam his work table with both fists.
Ron glared at him and spat through gritted teeth, "Don't fucking lie to me. I know you've been meeting that tramp in the slums."
Alfredo's eyes narrowed. He was seething with rage seeing Ron behave in such a manner in front of him. He released his spiritual force pressure and said, "As I said, I don't know what you're talking—"
Once again he was interrupted by Ron as the latter raised his hands and slammed the table, this time breaking it into two. Terrifying killing intent gushed out of him as he screamed at the top of his lungs, "LIES!! I know you've been meeting with the tramp. I know you both plotted to kill Celine."
Alfredo released a bloody and terrifying aura as he got up from his seat. He walked toward Ron and stood right in front of him. He looked down at him and coldly said, "You think you can come in here and say what you want? Who gave you the audacity?"
Ron couldn't take it anymore. Overwhelmed by the loss of his only family, he grabbed Alfredo's collar in rage and roared, "Fucking bastard, I'll kill you!"
Alfredo's lips curled up into a cruel smile as he replied, "I didn't kill Celine but I wish I had. That little whore deserved to die. And now that the bitch is dead, I couldn't be any happier."
Ron's eyes turned blood red as his hand turned into a blood claw. Instantly, he tried to decapitate Alfredo. However, right at the last moment, a figure in a red robe appeared between them and grabbed both their arms with ease.
Not only was Ron trying to kill Alfredo, but the latter had also covertly transformed his hand into a blood claw and was aiming to stab Ron in the heart. Both of them looked at the newcomer and immediately withdrew their auras back.
The red-robed figure looked at both of them and coldly asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Ron withdrew his hand from the person's grasp and replied, "Nothing." With that, he turned around and left. All the while, planning to kill Alfredo when he had the chance. Even if he didn't have a hand in Celine's death, Ron would kill him nonetheless for what he just said about her.
Alfredo looked at Ron's departing back in fury. Normally, he would never have such a reaction. Considering that Ron was his master's student, he would always try to speak amicably.
But for the past few weeks, every couple of days, he'd been having a dream about how Ron and Celine were mocking the death of his grandson. This subconsciously made him detest both of them even though none of them had mocked his deceased family in reality.
This was the power of dreams. They could manipulate people ever so slightly without them even knowing. This is how terrifying they were.
Meanwhile, the red-robed figure that had stopped the both of them from fighting had already disappeared. Alfredo saw the mess in his office and harrumphed. He then stomped out of the place.
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