Rivers of the Night

Looking at these two branching paths, Theron wasn't actually sure of what to do.

One side pulled him to follow what was before him.

Another path pulled him to use it as a template and fix it to his own tastes.

He knew where both of them came from. One was a familiar cooling sensation, the other was an oppressive heat.

For a moment, Theron forgot that he was on a time crunch, and the world slowed around him.

When was he going to be honest with himself?

The question came from a depth of Theron's soul that surprised even him. It was a part of him that had been changing ever since he stepped into this world—a part that knew there was still a tiny sliver of himself that was selfish.

Was he not living for himself? That much was true. He had subjected himself to untold humiliation, untold hardship, untold horrors just for the sake of scraping up one more ounce of strength, striving for the day he would get his revenge.

But in that time, he started finding pride in something else.

He kept finding that he loved the thrill of battle. He strived for absolute control. He was addicted to the feeling of growing stronger.

Right now, the choice was obvious. Follow the path laid out before him, and he would progress with shocking speed. With his intelligence and comprehension talent, following a path that was designed for him and the blood in him would most definitely crush everything in his path.

To make any other choice right now would be the pinnacle of foolishness. The fact that he even wanted to was a sign that that selfish part of him—that arrogant part he had been reining in time and time again—was only growing stronger.

Theron closed his eyes.

Flashes of his mother's face came to mind, then his father's, then his little sister's.

Maybe if he chose to take his own path, he would be able to surpass this template—able to step beyond what limitations existed in his bloodline and leave it far behind.

Or maybe taking that path would slow his progress so much that he would die for his arrogance.

But there was one thing that was guaranteed: if he followed this template as is… he was confident the Seijin wouldn't stand a chance.

The trouble was that Theron was too intelligent—so intelligent that rather than being blinded by what sat right in front of him, he forced himself to ask the obvious question.

If such power was in his bloodline, if such strength was hidden in this world, then why in the world was his family so weak? If they had had this power, then why?

Theron opened his eyes slowly, looking at his palm.

The truth? The answer to that question didn't matter at all. Whatever secrets his bloodline had, they weren't responsible for the deaths of his family—at least not directly.

The ones he couldn't allow to live—the ones he refused to give a chance to breathe in this world…

Were the Seijin.

Theron made his decision, his gaze sharp and indifferent.

A cooling breath came from his lips as his ego was stamped out to a finely ground dust.

Theron focused on the two branches. He changed nothing at all. He would follow the template as is.

'I was wrong… they are part of it… just differently…'

These two paths were all perfectly laid out for Theron. Each one was formed of nine Bronze Laws, three Silver Laws, and one Gold Law. Then, they would form together into a Mandate Path.

What Theron didn't know was just how shocking this was. In fact, it was surprising in far more ways than one.

First, Raan had over a dozen Bronze Laws comprehended, yet he still hadn't managed to form a Silver Law. But with this path, you only needed nine Bronze Laws.

Second, these paths actually incorporated a Gold Law into their Mandate, when in reality most would never touch a Gold Law in their lives, let alone have it as part of a Mandate.

Third, there were only nine Gold Water Laws… and yet this bloodline had two of them in its Mandates. Just what sort of bloodline was this?

'This cooling path… the Law of Vibration, the Law of Reflection, the Law of Density, the Law of Preservation, the Law of Stillness, the Law of Repression, the Law of Control, the Law of Balance, and… the Law of Inhibition…

'The heated path… the Law of Vibration, the Law of Expansion, the Law of Density, the Law of Reflection, the Law of Intensity, the Law of Pressure, the Law of Release, the Law of Flow, the Law of Friction…'

Maybe it was a coincidence… but Theron saw that all four of his starting Laws weren't just part of the skill tree here, but were part of both of them in equal measure.

Because he had already grasped them, it only took Theron a single glance to shift his perspectives on all four. He shifted them, and suddenly his four Laws comprehended became akin to twelve that he had grasped.

That was when Theron realized that maybe Raan hadn't comprehended over a dozen Laws at all… maybe he just comprehended similar Laws several different ways.

But Theron—he was on another level. Despite only having a small sliver of time remaining in this mysterious state, he grasped the next steps.

In the cooling path, he grasped the Law of Preservation. For the heated path, he grasped the Law of Intensity.

They were Laws that seemed to be right at the root of what made these two Mandates so special. So, Theron didn't hesitate to immerse himself in them, knowing that the next time he entered the slab… he would be able to grasp all 18 Laws.

There was a reason he had picked this path. It was easy, while also stroking his ego at the same time. The comprehension was all his own—it was just that he was following a curriculum written by someone else.

It wasn't exactly what he wanted to do. But…

He wasn't living for himself. He couldn't just say that—he had to mean it. His family… they deserved that much.

Stuck in enemy territory, he didn't have the luxury of slowly growing at his own pace.

When his next challenge came, he would be tens of times more powerful. Raan wouldn't last a single exchange.