Gravis hadn't expected that things would turn out this way. He had just expected Narcissus and Meadow to get to know each other more. After all, they were fellow plants.
He hadn't expected that they would just directly mate and have children.
Most of the humans in the Myriad Sect were confused, but the beasts explained to the humans what had happened.
After that, the humans nodded in understanding.
So it was just sex.
Okay.
Narcissus let Meadow go again, and her roots slowly moved around in the underground.
"If you're hogging the entire seat, let me at least sit on your lap," she said in a quiet voice with a bit of annoyance.
Gravis was surprised when he heard Meadow's voice.
Was this still the Meadow he knew?
She almost sounded like an innocent maiden that talked cutely to her boyfriend.
Meadow's roots slowly curled around Narcissus' roots, and in the end, both of them shared the underground of the Myriad Sect. The territories weren't split 50/50, but the two of them shared the space.
Narcissus didn't answer Meadow, and he only kept his roots steady so that she could curl around him.
He was full-on acting like the typical, strong, stoic boyfriend.
"Give them some time for themselves," Azure said to Gravis and Manuel. "We can put the plan into motion when Meadow's settled in."
Manuel nodded with a peaceful smile. "To think that we would get our own forest full of plants that can Cultivate. In the future, these plants will help us immensely. We can lead them to our Law Comprehension Areas, and they will eventually be willing to trade for their fruits."
Gravis nodded. "This is a very good thing for everyone. Meadow and Narcissus benefit, and we benefit."
When Mortis had seen Meadow and Narcissus interact with each other, he involuntarily got reminded of his time with Joyce.
Why?
Because Meadow and Narcissus had also battled each other, but they had eventually also gotten together.
The initial fight had been exciting and burning hot, but the time after that was tranquil and peaceful.
The two of them were only with each other and didn't talk much.
It seemed like they simply enjoyed each other's company now.
One would think that this would wake bad memories inside Mortis regarding Joyce. Yet, ironically, the opposite was true.
After seeing how a similar relationship to his own had ended in happiness, Mortis knew that Joyce hadn't been the correct person for him.
Mortis had been attracted to Joyce, but it had only been a physical attraction. Due to her actions, Mortis had emotionally distanced himself from Joyce.
Yet, Mortis only wanted to sigh.
He had seen how happy Gravis was with Stella.
He had seen how happy Yersi was with Jake.
And now, he had even seen how happy Meadow was with Narcissus.
Why couldn't he have something like that?
Eventually, Mortis just silently left. He didn't want to be around anyone right now.
Gravis had noticed when Mortis left, and he could also only sigh. Gravis knew Mortis very well, and he could take a pretty good guess at what Mortis was currently feeling and thinking.
'Give it time, Mortis,' Gravis thought. 'You'll also eventually have a partner.'
Mortis teleported into the distance and stopped above a big cliff overlooking a forest.
No Cultivator was around here, and Mortis had all the time to think about his life.
He longed for something more, but he just didn't know how to approach it.
Mortis spent some time alone, but his alone-time was cut short just a couple of minutes later.
SHING!
Someone arrived behind Mortis.
The other person walked to the place beside Mortis and looked at him with a bit of confusion.
Mortis didn't engage the new person.
"I don't get you," Azure said.
"What don't you get?" Mortis asked, not looking at Azure.
"You are basically made of Gravis, right?" Azure asked.
"Yes, so?" Mortis answered.
"What makes it so hard for you to achieve what you humans desire that much?" Azure asked. "Gravis did it. Why can't you?"
"You don't understand because you're not a human," Mortis answered evenly, not looking at her.
"I know," Azure answered. "That's why I'm asking. I genuinely don't get it, and I want to understand more."
Mortis was reminded of when "he" had met Azure back then.
As a beast, Azure didn't have these romantic feelings that humans had. Even her children were unimportant to her.
Mortis cared deeply for his three children.
Yes, Mortis still saw Aris, Cera, and Yersi as his children. After all, he and Gravis had been the same person back then. Mortis had also watched how the three of them became adults.
However, Mortis had kept himself away from them.
He didn't want his three kids to be confused about who their father was.
In Mortis' mind, Gravis was a better father anyway.
In Mortis' mind, Mortis was only a cruel and selfish person that only chased power. He wasn't cut out to be a father, boyfriend, husband, or whatever.
He was a power-hungry guy that only chased the higher Realms.
He could never be as good of a father or husband as Gravis.
For that reason, it was better for Gravis to take care of his children.
So, even though Mortis desired to have a connection with his three children, he kept himself out of their life. He had decided to only watch them from a distance.
However, as a beast, Azure wasn't like that.
Azure didn't care about her children. Whenever Azure saw Aris, for example, there was not a shred of emotion to be seen in her Laws.
She genuinely didn't see the three of them any different from the other members of the Myriad Sect.
They were simply companions of the same Sect to her.
One might think that Azure was cold-hearted, but it just couldn't be helped. She was a pure beast, and she simply didn't feel these emotions.
This was a natural difference between beasts and humans.
Azure had always wrestled with these feelings after having come into contact with Gravis. Seeing how Gravis had cared so much about their children, Azure had become confused.
How could someone care so much about their offspring? Was there something she was missing?
However, when Azure had gone through Samsara, she had realized that her worries were unfounded.
She simply didn't have these feelings, and she didn't need to regret not having them.
Yet, Azure was still interested in how humans perceived relationships. It intrigued her how humans could feel things she couldn't feel.
This was also why she had come to Mortis.
"Why don't you just search for someone you find attractive and grab them?" Azure asked.
"That's considered sexual assault for humans, and we aren't fans of that," Mortis answered. "Love is something like giving more to the other person. You could call it a selfless alliance, where both sides want to help the other side almost even more than their own."
"And what stops one side from taking advantage of the other?" Azure asked.
"Nothing," Mortis answered. "That's the reason why love is so difficult. You can only have this kind of relationship when both sides are willing to give their everything to the other side."
Azure looked into the distance in thought.
"And what stops you from finding someone like that?" she asked.