Chapter 416 I Value Freedom...
Soon after this, Lyrian and Jue, along with the other two Black Petal Sect members, made their way up the hill that this part of the city was built on.
As they traveled up, more and more big buildings began to appear.
Finally, at the very top of the hill was a large Edo-period Japanese-style building that had many connecting buildings near it.
It was blocked off by a large gate, and within this estate were several smaller versions of the same building.
At the start of the gate was a large courtyard that connected all of these buildings.
Jue led Lyrian to the one in the middle, the largest one. It had a small 2 case flight elevating the building's porch a foot off of the ground.
Here, Jue's two acquaintances stood beside the doorway and allowed Jue and Lyrian to enter alone.
As soon as Lyrian entered he was met with an expansive interior.
Several rooms existed to the sides filled with many workers completing paperwork.
In the middle was a large quarter where many young women and men walked around.
This quarter also connected to almost all of the other buildings, almost like a large hallway in a school.
Lyrian looked at these young men and women walking past with intrigue.
'Trainees? This place isn't messing around if they have entire institutes like this...' He realized the sheer scale of how the sect was moving.
Finally, Jue led Lyrian upstairs to a balcony that overlooked the city that Lyrian had just walked through minutes earlier.
Winds came out of seemingly nowhere, blowing against Lyrian's hair as he and Jue faced the magnificent, beautiful scenery in front of them.
Windmills on a farm in the hilly sides of the giant underground chamber were automatically causing the wind to exist, giving life to the breeze.
The scene was breathtaking, and as Lyrian admired it for a second, Jue turned toward him.
"Boy... you have immense potential. I will have you work under my own squadron in the future, understand?"
Lyrian nodded.
"Good. Then, come with me."
They walked into the room attached to the balcony that had its wide doors fully open with draped curtains flying in the wind.
Only about 2 feet inside was a pedestal with what seemed to be a piece of Dark Ore with inscriptions on it.
"This Dark Ore connects to the Dark Core." As Jue said this, Lyrian looked at him with a slightly curious expression donning his face.
"Ah... you will learn about that later on--as long as you become a member that passes societal expectations, of course."
Lyrian had no clue what the old man meant by this and shrugged it off.
"Place your hand here. Your name will then forever be connected to the Dark Core, and your soul will be permanently bonded to it."
As Jue said this, Lyrian felt his heart skip a beat.
His eyes wanted to widen in shock, but he purposefully stopped himself.
'What is he saying? My soul will be permanently...' His eyes looked at the peripheral of his vision.
'I can't do anything. If I try to fight here and give up on my plan of hiding within the Black Petal Sect, I will surely die, even with my beasts. I have no other choice.'
Lyrian's mind traveled at a million miles per hour, trying to figure out the best option in this scenario.
"But, before you place your hand on it, I will let you understand the implications, as that is a must for a high-potential cadet like yourself." Jue walked back out onto the edge of the balcony as he spoke.
Lyrian stayed still, his mind still racing.
'If I place my hand here, my soul will be bound. They will be able to control my every move, and no matter how powerful I get, they will still be able to control me.'
"When one places his hand upon a Dark Ore, his very mana, the building block of reality, is stolen from him. But when one places his hand on the Dark Core, even more is taken. His soul, the creator of his Life Essense is stolen from his being, and put under a seal."
Jue spoke as though his words were of a great man.
"However, this does not mean that you become a slave, but rather, you become a soldier. A warrior that stands for something. A man who will give up anything to repair this world and bring justice to it. Don't you think?" Jue seemed to talk about his own personal thoughts here.
'He's venting away to me since he thinks I am barely conscious and under control, but his false sense of safety is foolish for a person of his standing. Still, what he says is wrong.'
Up until this point, Lyrian had seen nothing wrong with the Black Petal Sect mindset as of yet.
Of course, what others had told him made the sect out to be evil, and he believed that they were.
Still, his own experiences had led him to create a small train of thought that piled only good things.
However, with those words from Jue, his mindset finally shifted.
'A man who stands for something willingly is a solider. He has a choice to falter, yet he continues to trudge through the pain for what he believes. But... a man who does it out of a forceful nature is only a puppet. A slave.'
Just hearing this word was enough to make Lyrian seethe with anger.
'A slave...' His body began to shake slightly, not out of fear, but anger.
'The most caged being in the world. I promised that I would not be so caged... I promised to be the most free. Yet, I have no choice right now but to become a slave.'
He looked at Jue, who was smiling right now after his speech. Lyrian's inner mind torched in anger.
He turned, placing his hand on the Dark Ore. 'I will get my revenge...' He hadn't felt such anger in far too long.
'More than pleasure...' He began to say to himself, his voice a low growl that seemed to echo in his mind in the stillness of the moment. 'More than friends... more than family... even more than power. Above all of these things,'
Lyrian's back was turned to Jue, but his eyes were wide open, twin orbs filled with red cracks of rage that seemed to fracture his very soul. The intensity in his gaze was more profound than ever before.
'I value freedom.' he finally finished his thoughts, the words dripping with a raw, unbridled passion that hung heavily in the air.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢