When Gravis heard Aris speak, he felt like he was meeting someone completely new.
Aris had always had inner conflicts. Some parts of human psychology and beast psychology battled in his mind. One side told him that he should get into contact with others more and join a group, while another part of himself told him that he didn't need all that. He only needed power.
Gravis knew of all these inner conflicts, but when he saw Aris again, he felt that the conflicts had been resolved.
The Opposer had told Aris that he should go into a world where the tempering was organization-based, not species-based. In that world, humans and beasts joined the same powers, and they lived in relative harmony with each other. The enemies were not the ones that didn't look like them, but the ones belonging to other powers.
Apparently, living in such a world for such a long time had done a lot to shape Aris' personality.
Well, that and time. After all, Aris had spent nearly 200,000 years in that world.
"Aris," Gravis said with a smile on his face as he came closer. Then, Gravis looked Aris up and down. "Honestly, when I just saw you, I thought that I saw another version of myself. You really resemble me."
Aris smiled slightly.
Pack!
Gravis' eyes widened as Aris pulled him into a hug.
"I missed you, father," Aris said.
Gravis was taken aback as he heard Aris' words.
Without noticing it, Gravis' feelings were going wild.
Gravis had always told himself that his children were beasts and that it was normal for them to not want to spend any time with him. He knew that, and that was why he always gave them their free space.
However, this didn't mean that Gravis didn't wish for a deep connection with his son.
After all, Aris was his son!
Even if they hadn't met for a long time, Aris was still one of the most important beings in his life.
Gravis returned the hug and embraced his son.
This was the first time that Aris had hugged him of his own volition.
"Sorry for being such a burden back then," Aris said.
"Don't say that," Gravis answered as he gently pushed Aris away. "As your father, it was my duty to help you on your way. I've never seen you as a burden."
Gravis and Aris looked into each other's eyes.
"If I didn't know that you were an honest person, I would have doubted these words," Aris said with a smile. "When I joined my Sect, I saw how hard it was for human parents to let go of their children. I also saw how difficult it was for them to allow their children to temper themselves."
"I saw so many parents break down when their children left for a fight, and whenever I saw that, I was reminded of you. Was this how you felt when we left?" he asked.
Gravis sighed with a bitter smile. "It was difficult. It was hard to see you guys growing up in the wilds while constantly having to fight off other beasts. It was hard to see you guys leave for the Tribes to temper yourselves, but the hardest part was watching you guys leave for the higher world."
"The chances were not high for you to return alive, and we wouldn't see each other for a long time."
Then, Gravis smiled as he put his arms on Aris' shoulders. "But here you are! You've grown up as a person!"
Aris smiled. "I have matured, and I now realize how much of a burden I must have been back then."
"Don't say that," Gravis repeated. "You've never been a burden."
"I'm not just saying that," Aris said with a more serious voice. "Even now, I am riding on your power."
Gravis looked at Aris, and he saw that Aris fully meant everything he said.
"In my time in the higher world, I have been saved by sheer luck a couple of times," Aris said. "For Heaven, I count as a beast, and I shouldn't have any Karmic Luck. Yet, if I didn't have Karmic Luck, I wouldn't be saved by luck several times."
"The reason why I am still alive is precisely because I am your son. Even when you were not there, you protected my life."
"You are probably working really hard to stay important to Heaven so that we don't die."
Gravis listened to Aris, and an awkward smile appeared on his face.
"Ehm, about that," Gravis said awkwardly. "I didn't really work that hard, you know?"
Gravis remembered the tens of thousands of years he had spent with Stella, doing absolutely nothing.
Working hard?
Eeehhhh.
"I know," Aris said with a reassuring smile as he put his hand on Gravis' shoulder. "You're human, just like half of all beings. You can't work yourself to the bone at all times, and you need your breaks. I understand that. But I don't want you to undervalue yourself. Without you, most of us would probably already be dead."
"It is rare for anyone without Karmic Luck to reach the highest world. Even with the inclusion of all the natural worlds, only one beast arrives for every two humans. Humans don't have worlds where only humans are, but beasts have worlds where only beasts are. If there were no natural worlds, not even one in a hundred Ascenders would be beasts."
"This is the power of Karmic Luck. It is the force that tips the scales when an outcome is uncertain. When two parties have the same power, it's all down to luck, and the party with less luck will die."
"You saved my life several times while not even being there. In a sense, it hurts my pride, but I also know that luck shouldn't be a deciding factor in fights."
"You have supported us in the middle world while we all looked down on you time and time again, forcing you to prove your power to us. You could have just abandoned us for our unthankful conduct, and you would have done nothing wrong."
"I learned a lot about humans, and the fact that you were willing to help us so much is not something many people would have done."
"We were born of an exchange. You would get the chance to reach the Nascent Nourishing Realm, and we would get the gift of life. Our mother abandoned us, and there was nothing to it. I'm partially a beast, and I realize that there is nothing wrong with that."
"We were beasts with mindsets completely unlike human mindsets. We didn't feel any love for you, and we only saw you as a more powerful beast of our race. We didn't think about your survival, and we didn't care."
"You knew all of these things, but you still never stopped loving us. You helped us time and time again, even though we were neutral towards you, at best."
"Most people would have simply cut contact. After all, you also have to think about your own power and Cultivation."
"Yet, you didn't. You stuck by us and helped us out several times."
"I wanted to tell you these things for a long time, and I'm happy that I finally have the opportunity to do so."
"From now on, I am truly your son, and I'm proud and happy to have you as my dad."
Tears had already gathered in Gravis' eyes.
Was this a dream?
Was this truly his son?
Gravis had interacted with his three kids for only a minority of their life, and he had often blamed himself for not being there for them.
They had grown powerful all on their own, and Gravis felt like he hadn't done much for them.
Gravis felt like he was a failure as a father.
It was more like Gravis had looked at them while they were kids, and then they all already started living on their own.
It was like they had never needed him.
It was like they achieved everything themselves.
It was easier with Yersi since Gravis had spent a lot of time with her, but it was different with Aris and Cera.
Gravis had wanted to help Aris resolve his inner conflicts for a long time, but he had never been able to help.
Aris had done all of this on his own.
"Thank you, dad," Aris said as he embraced Gravis.
"No," Gravis said with teary eyes. "No, thank you. I'm so proud of you, my son."
"I'm so incredibly proud of you."