Chapter 201 - Disownment

"What if I told you that a world existed where everything was wonderful? Another world where your wildest dreams were fulfilled? That anything was possible, so long as you wished for it?" 

Isca held her tongue for a moment before she cautiously said, "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but... are you high? Or is the part of some elaborate ruse?" 

She wasn't even sure if it was even possible for someone like Reed to be affected by drugs or poison, but there was no other way for her to explain what had come out of his mouth. What could have possibly driven him to utter such nonsense? 

"Do you find it a... strange concept? A world of eternal happiness?  Is it truly such a ridiculous idea that anyone would d.e.s.i.r.e a world where they were the happiest? A perfect world devoid of suffering, tragedy, and pain? " said Reed as he toyed with a small piece of chocolate in his hands. 

It was a curious sight to behold for Isca, as she had held one of the chocolate pieces that Reed had in his hand. The slightest amount of heat would begin to melt them, such that you could scarcely hold them in your hands for more than a couple of seconds.

And yet, the piece of chocolate in Reed's hands had not melted at all since he had picked it up...

"It's positively ridiculous — who in their right mind would ever d.e.s.i.r.e something like that?" said Isca as she picked up another chocolate for herself. The longer she held on to it, the more it continued to melt as it turned back into a vicious little puddle in hands. 

"You'd be surprised," said Reed, offering Isca a handkerchief and added, "People are frail creatures. Seeking warmth and comfort in a particularly cruel world is not a sin, I think." 

Isca snorted in disdain and took the handkerchief before she said, "There's a huge difference between seeking comfort from pain and wanting to live in perpetual bliss by ignoring the world around them. What you're talking about is nothing more than escapism at its finest..." 

If only there were more people like you, willing to stare down the uncertain world in front of them and take a stand for themselves. Unfortunately, the majority has ruled otherwise...

All was well with the world. 

It was placid up above on the surface, without so much as a single incident to speak since the beginning of the year. And that was precisely why Reed scarcely left his home at the bottom of the sea. 

The surface was for mortals to enjoy, and it had no room to spare for outsiders that did not fit the mold. 

"Escapism is what she described it when I told her about it in passing as a 'joke'. Should've seen the expression on her face when she called me out," said Reed with a half-grin. 

"Oh? It must have been something rather terrifying. So, what did you reply back with?" 

"I asked her if she was willing to go down that path in our little debate. To willingly be the advocate for all the world's suffering just for the sake of her personal beliefs." 

"Ouch. That must have stung a bit for what was supposed to have been a friendly debate. Wasn't that a little too harsh? Wouldn't want to scare her off, now..." 

Reed couldn't help but chuckle when he heard that and said, "She's a tough girl, gramps. Even if she's someone else, it seems that she's still the same in some aspects. Not that it's that surprising — one's genes determine their personality to a certain degree, after all..." 

Velvund frowned.

What Velvund feared most these days was indifference. Not hatred or love, but rather the cold detachment of one's feelings from something.

In this particular case, it was the growing indifference towards Mulia and its inhabitants. 

Reed was still determined to protect Mulia, but Velvund did not know how long that feeling would last. Perhaps another couple thousand years if he was committed to his beliefs, or just a few centuries if he felt like it was not worth it anymore. 

I do not doubt his feelings about protecting Mulia, but that flame is destined to go out one day. There will come a day when he simply will not care about Mulia anymore. He will grow tired of the endless struggle to protect it. 

It is only natural. Though he is a God in flesh, his spirit is all too human...

His lingering emotions as a human, as a mortal person were intrinsically tied to the people that he knew before he became a God. Reed was being tied down by everyone who he cherished, but they were destined to die at some point in time. 

And once they were all gone, what would remain to anchor him to the peoples of Mulia? 

Will anything remain to give him enough cause to guard Mulia after we are all dead? 

Once upon a time, a perfect solution for this problem existed but after she disappeared, Velvund realized that nothing would ever work. 

He had already begun to notice subtle changes in Reed's general mannerisms, appearance, and manner of speech. Most concerning of all was that Velvund could no longer perceive Reed's soul anymore. 

There's nothing there... Or rather, there's an empty void in its place. How did he manage to do something like this?

"Please, my dear son... this cannot go on any further," said Velvund, staring at him in the eyes as he searched for something within them...

Reed smiled and warmly said, "What cannot go on any further? Is something troubling you, grandpapa?" 

Trying to find the last spark of humanity within his grandson's deep almond eyes, Velvund continued on and said, "You're teetering on the edge, my son. Between one side and the other — I know you understand what I'm talking about, yes?" 

And then the temperature in the room dropped three hundred degrees in an instant. 

Velvund sighed and said, "You are at the precipice of something I cannot even begin to fathom, my son. I fear that no one can understand where you are now. But I do know that if you continue down this ruinous path of... self-neglect, emotional detachment, and denial  it will only end in tragedy for everyone." 

"I will be fine. I am perfectly fine. Why is it that everyone must criticize me at every turn and corner, no matter what I do! I hold up the sky and breathe life into the land every morning, only to be scrutinized by the very people under my protection!" said Reed in a dangerously erratic tone that betrayed the content of his rebuttal. 

Had he not done enough already?

He had cured them of their illnesses, ended inequality in its many forms, granted them an endless supply of wealth, and was even planning on bringing back their loved ones from the dead! 

It was still not enough. 

Reed had not accounted for the fact that the average person was weak. 

Both in body and mind, the average person lacked the strength to act and to be. 

To fight against a powerful foe, one required a honed body fit for battle and a sharp, focused mind. It did not have to be a physical enemy; it could be a spiritual enemy too, such as depression, addiction, or even one's fears and vices. 

Unfortunately, the average person was woefully incompetent — they were untrained, undisciplined, and entirely indulgent in the very things that made them weak. 

Every day, they prayed to him wanting more. They always wanted more. There seemed to be no limits when it came to their d.e.s.i.r.es, to Reed's dismay. 

To Reed, what Mulia was like now would've been paradise to him as a child. He would have done anything to be allowed in a land full of endless opportunities like Mulia but to the inhabitants of this new paradise, it still had not been enough. 

Every time Reed closed his eyes, he could hear all of them out there, praying for the happiness that he had promised them. 

What do they WANT? What more can I GIVE THEM? Is what I have given them NOT ENOUGH? 

Reed took a deep, tired breath as he wondered where everything had gone so wrong.

Nothing was as it should have been. He had expected them to be different. He had imagined they would have wanted to fight and struggle and aspire to rise up against the formidable odds that awaited them beyond the Heavenly Barrier. 

"...Why won't they stand up for themselves, gramps? I wish I had been born earlier, back when the First Generation had been alive. The Otherworlders who fought in the Great Barrier War would not have been so spineless and indolent as the sheep-folk of today." 

The thought of an entire continent full of determined people like the Otherworlders would have allowed Reed to accomplish feats that not even Ancient Mulians could have matched in their prime. 

Reed had enormous ambitions, far outstripping what anyone could imagine, but he lacked the manpower to do what he wanted. The Nuedo were promising, but even they were not enough for what Reed wanted to do. 

If Reed had what he needed, he would have already made a legitimate effort to retake what laid outside the Heavenly Barrier. 

Reed would have taken Mu back from the Infestation, one continent at a time until they had complete control of the planet. He would have covered the entire planet in a Heavenly Barrier given enough time, giving them an entire planet to own. 

He would have gradually healed the wounds inflicted by the Infestation, purifying the blackened seas and lifeless continents of Mu until they burgeoned an abundance of life and joy for all to enjoy in peace. 

And then, he would have f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y restored the island domain of Citlai back into the reborn Mu just to make them witness what he had accomplished while they had been rotting away in their little city. 

And all of this would have only been the first step in his plan. 

Reed's ambitions stretched outward into the stars, but even he could not make his dreams come true by himself. Though powerful in Mulia, his strength was still not enough to fight the Outsiders, not by a long shot. 

He, too, wanted more but it certainly wasn't to spend his life idly sitting on his a.s.s. 

When Velvund saw the fire in his eyes, he knew that there was still a chance.

Not everything was lost yet. All he needed was to be pushed in the right direction. 

"If you want to light a fire in these people, then you're going to have to make them understand. You need to show them that there is more out for them to obtain by joining your cause compared to doing nothing. You need to inspire them into acting," said Velvund with a crooked smile as his mind began putting a plan together. 

Even without an Alma, the Silver Reaper was a terrifying mastermind who had lived and ruled an empire for more than five thousand years. To him, not even retirement was enough to stop him from causing trouble and now that an opportunity had arisen in front of his eyes, nothing was going to stop him now...

"Inspire them into acting? If I had someone with my abilities on my side back in my youth, I would have already tried to take over the world, goddamnit! How are they not inspired already?!" 

Velvund cackled when he heard his grandson's outraged reply. The poor fool thought that his power alone was enough to compensate for his lack of charisma. Though he had all the power in the world and an incredible reputation, it still could not make up for his diplomatic abilities. 

He looked around and thought to himself, this brat wants to inspire an entire continent and yet he lives in a tomb at the bottom of the goddamned sea like a monster from a myth!

The hilarity of it all was too much to handle as he held his gut in pain from the laughter. 

As Velvund wiped the tears from his eyes, he said, "And you wonder why she was your better half, you silly boy. Do you remember who did all the talking back then? Was it you or was it her, hm? It would not be a lie for me to say that she was even better than me when it came to the art of speechcraft, persuasion, and diplomacy." 

Reed grumbled and said, "You make it sound like I have stage fright or something..." 

"What I'm saying is that one of you had to practice making speeches for a week before he was allowed to take interviews and come to formal events. And the other one was the person writing your speeches, haha!" said Velvund as he chuckled gleefully at Reed's expense. 

Velvund patted his overgrown grandchild's head and said, "You've been operating at half-power and you know it. If you want to make your big dreams come true, then you're going to need the help of the best. But the truth is that I just want to see my granddaughter already... and my grandchildren, too." 

Reed snorted coldly and said, "You already have half a dozen grandchildren, you old fart. Just how many more do you need?" 

"Another one or... perhaps three more might make me satisfied. Are you taking notes?" 

This old bastard's beyond help...

"In any case, the Goldentree Clan has no cowards in its bloodline. If you will not obey your grandpapa's request, then I will order you as your Clan Patriarch — you are to bring your fiance back home as soon as possible. This order must be carried out effective immediately. If you choose to disobey or fail in completing this order, I will strip you of your title and erase your name from the family tree, am I clear?" 

"W-wait, slow down! That's not possible right now. I have important busi..." said Reed as slowly lost his confidence underneath Velvund's deathly serious expression. 

He wasn't joking at all. If Reed didn't bring her back, he really would disown him. 

Ah, f.u.c.k. 

It was time to pay his other family a visit that was long overdue...