Chapter 30
"Love is a game, huh," came from Blake's mouth.
It was not a strong statement, but a quiet and doubtful question.
He spoke them just as their feet landed on the rough, rocky ground of their destination.
A cool, steady wind swept across the wide and barren landing area.
It tugged at their clothes and made the loose dust on the ground swirl.
Lucas saw the clear conflict on Blake's face a mix of deep thought and mild confusion, like he was puzzling over a difficult riddle.
He decided to ask him about it directly.
"What's on your mind?" Lucas questioned.
As he spoke, his Mana eyes glowed with a soft, pale light behind the dark lenses of his glasses.
He was secretly using them to scan their surroundings, checking every shadow and rock for any hidden threats or signs of nearby life.
Blake was silent for a long moment.
He looked out at the distant, jagged mountains under the vast, pale sky.
"Well, I understand what you are trying to say," he began slowly, choosing his words with care.
"But still, isn't the whole purpose to find someone you truly want and who truly wants you back? Isn't real Love the same as the Love my father has for me?" A small, warm smile touched his lips as he thought of his family, a private happy memory.
"No matter how much I support the City's decisions, which makes my Father very angry, he has never hated me for it. Instead, he has always tried to pull me toward his side, to talk and explain. And sometimes, he has even understood my reasoning and acted accordingly. So, to me, Love is the deep affection one person has for another a strong feeling that cannot be stopped or easily broken."
Lucas stopped looking around and let out a long, tired sigh.
The sound was heavy with the memory of his past life and all the hard, painful lessons he had learned then.
Old memories flashed quickly through his mind, pictures from his earliest days as a small child to his final moments as an old man.
All these experiences had left him very cautious and careful.
He took a deep breath of the crisp, cold air before answering.
"What you say is both true and wrong at the same time," Lucas said, his voice calm,
"at least from my point of view. What most people call Love is often a feeling that fades away with time. You can love someone very much today and stop loving them tomorrow. Women often want men who are better than them men who can provide, protect, and who are stronger in mind and heart. Even in this cultivation world, have you ever seen a woman truly fall in love with someone weaker? Or do they look down on them, or perhaps charm them just for fun until they grow bored and leave?"
Lucas turned his body to face Blake more directly. "I know you are young, but among all the youth in the Hidden City, you are the sharpest and most observant. So, you must see this truth. Your father loves your mother because she is beautiful, because she meets his high standards. She listens to him, she improves his status in the eyes of others, and she respects him. And she does all this because, through that respect and affection, she gains control over everything your father has and controls."
He spread his hands slightly, a simple gesture of empty honesty. "In the end, it is all a mind game. Men want power and to be treated as powerful. Women often want control and to be treated like Queens. Both sides get something they desire from the other. I am not always right I might be completely wrong about this. But what is Love without these conditions? I have not found an answer to that question. Because anything that exists without any conditions will, sooner or later, betray you, kill you, or destroy you."
Lucas's voice grew quieter, almost lost in the wind. "Your father's Love for you is good and true. But if you did not have your great skill and talent at this young age, do you think your father would bother trying to talk you to his side? Or would he simply banish you from the clan to avoid shame? He may not want to do it because of the attention he pays to what is his, but that does not mean it could not happen. A person's attention can be removed and replaced very easily, like changing clothes."
The wind blew strongly between them, carrying tiny bits of dust and a heavy silence.
"So, yes," Lucas finished,
"that is why I said what you believe is true, but also wrong."
He stood there perfectly still, waiting patiently for Blake's answer, his figure unmoving against the wide, open landscape of rocks and sky.
Blake closed his mouth, thinking hard of something, and then said, "Then Love isn't real at all."
"No, it is real," Lucas said, moving closer.
"You just have to understand people and stop taking things so personally. It makes sure you remove hate from your life, as it's a useless emotion that just stops you from becoming who you are meant to be. A brother can become your most loyal partner or your worst enemy. Lovers become ex-lovers. Friends become enemies. Lovers become people you can't live without. Friends become Your Loyal Brothers. In any case, the result is always one of two ways, depending on who you are, and who you choose to be. But if the result is good or bad, it is your fault you should have chosen better." Lucas said this with a gentle smile as he moved closer to Blake and softly petted his head.
"In truth, just don't take life too seriously," Lucas continued, his voice kind.
"Just understand it and live. If you miss someone, go and talk to them. If you want someone, go and talk to them. If you want to achieve your Goal, just find a way to do it and go for it. You're afraid? It's okay to be afraid just go and let the fear teach you as you move forward. You want to help someone? Then help them. Don't think about what everyone says. Become the full version of yourself until the last day of your life." Lucas finished with a wide, warm smile as Blake looked into his glasses.
Even though Lucas looked to be only 16 years old, Blake felt like he was looking at an old man who had lived a very long life.
A life filled with complicated things, with denying himself or focusing too much on what other people wanted or how to please them all of which ended in failure.
But something even harder had destroyed him before he reforged himself back together, to finally see what he had been missing all along.
Blake was only 10 years old.
For him to reach some understanding of the harsh world was because he was forced to be involved in the war and politics of the hidden City of Sky.
He was pushed into this as his father was the patriarch of one of their great Clans, and Blake himself was the Heir.
Lucas wasn't like him, and Blake's respect for Lucas was greatly increased because of it.
On the other end, Lucas respected Blake so deeply, more than he even realized.
From the Novel he had read, this child whom he calls a man was the most outstanding person he had ever seen.
He was just a child, but even if not yet fully grown, he was possibly the wisest person in this whole World.
A person who knew his death was coming and accepted it calmly.
A person who knew the terrible outcome and still pushed it forward, just to save his little brothers from the darkness growing within him.
He did not do it for fame or for anyone else.
He just wanted to protect and see his family and friends happy.
Looking at Blake, Lucas thought to himself, 'I should not let him die in the future. I will create an unknown future, a better one, which I wish for with all my heart.'