"Happy birthday, Gravis!" his mother shouted as she hugged him.
Currently, they were inside his father's room. It was pretty big and rather empty, something very fitting for a small get together.
"Happy birthday!" Orpheus said as he hit Gravis' shoulder with some force. Gravis felt his shoulder ache a bit, but he only smiled.
"Happy birthday," his father said evenly. For once, he wasn't sitting in the middle of the room but standing.
"Thank you all," Gravis said with a grin.
This was why he wanted to celebrate his birthday before leaving for the middle world. Who knew how long it would take for him to see his family again? He wanted one last memory with all of them together before he resumed his journey.
"23 and already in the Unity Realm while following the Will-Forging Path! That's really impressive, Gravis," Orpheus said as he hit Gravis on the shoulder again. "The earliest that people reach the Unity Realm while following the Will-Forging Path is 26, and that's incredibly rare."
"26, huh?" Gravis commented. "How do they reach the Unity Realm that quickly?"
"Mostly by getting artificial tempering experiences and a lot of pills," Orpheus said. "It's like the practical exam for Research Assistants, just longer and with more powerful opponents."
Gravis nodded. "Yet, they won't be able to learn about situations where they are hopelessly outclassed, even though they went through a lot of life and death dangers, right?" Gravis asked with furrowed brows.
"Right!" Orpheus said, "So, you have an additional advantage over these created geniuses. You went through genuine tempering. That's why I'm so proud of you!"
Gravis only grinned. "Thanks, brother," he said.
"I still remember when we met a little more than a year ago," Orpheus mused. "You just finished your first practical exam. You didn't even have your Will-Aura then. To be honest, I've expected that you wouldn't return from the lower world," Orpheus said with a sad voice.
"But no, you proved me terribly wrong," Orpheus said with a laugh. "You didn't only return, but you also managed to kill a lower Heaven. You have surpassed all my expectations."
"Yes, thank you," Gravis said back. He was a bit embarrassed by Orpheus' praise.
They all stood beside a relatively high table with food and beverages on it. Cultivators didn't need to eat, drink, or breathe, but that didn't mean that they didn't enjoy the occasional food or drink.
"Man, I've really missed your coffee, father," Orpheus said as he drank from his cup with a smile.
"It needs to be rare to be special," their father said with his usual, even tone.
"True that," Orpheus said between sips.
After that, the family started talking about different things. Orpheus was talking about his job and his family most of the time. Apparently, he only had eight children. That wasn't because he didn't want more, but that his wife didn't want more. She first wanted to see what would happen to their current children.
Orpheus knew that Gravis wouldn't be interested in getting to know someone new right now. After all, he had to focus on the middle world. That's why he didn't bring his family with him. The party might feel a bit empty with only four people present, but to Gravis, this was his whole family.
After some hours of talking, his mother clapped into her hands. "Time for presents!" she announced with an excited smile.
Gravis also smiled. He was impressed that his mother could still be so excited after she had lived for such a long time. It was awe-inspiring that she managed to find happiness and meaning in her long life. Wasn't this what everyone wished for?
Whoop!
Some small, rectangular things appeared on the table. Gravis saw them and immediately felt some warmth course through his insides.
"How did you get these?" he asked with surprise and a bit of shock as he looked at his mother.
His mother only smirked happily. She knew that this was the perfect present for Gravis.
"I forced your father to make them," she said as she pointed at his father.
Gravis looked at his father, who just shrugged. "I also thought it was a good idea."
"Yeah, but I came up with it!" his mother interrupted.
"Yes, it was your idea," his father said, seemingly with a helpless tone.
Gravis and Orpheus snickered a bit as they saw that. Even the Opposer had someone that could force him to do stuff.
Gravis grabbed one of the things and looked at it. All of these small things were pictures. Yet, they were not just any pictures. They were all pictures of his friends.
One of them depicted Skye sitting atop a gigantic tree as she overlooked a crowd of bowing beasts. Apparently, Skye had managed to create a circle of friends or underlings.
When Gravis saw that, he felt happy for Skye. She had remained lonely for a long time, and now, she was part of an organization. On top of that, she was probably the leader.
Another one showed Manuel levitating inside a massive storm with closed eyes. He sat in a lotus position, and the violent storm that destroyed everything around him didn't seem to affect him. Gravis guessed that Manuel was gaining insight into a Law.
One picture depicted Aion stumbling over some treasure and groaning. When Gravis saw that, he had to laugh a bit. Aion was probably the only human that groaned when stumbling upon a treasure. His luck and laziness were the main reasons for that.
Another picture showed Nero sitting in a circle with many other people beneath a beautiful tree. Judging by the looks of the people, they all had different elements. Yet, they all wore the same robes. Nero was now part of an organization with people of different elements. Gravis also guessed that they were friends, judging by their expressions and calm aura.
The next picture showed Old Man Lightning kicking someone in the dick with a smirk. Gravis laughed again when he saw that. He still remembered the fight between Old Man Lightning and the priest. This really fit his character.
The last photograph was of Joyce, fighting a many-kilometer-tall golem with blood all over her body. Yet, her expression only showed fiery determination to win.
"She won, right?" Gravis asked.
"She did," his father answered. "This was probably the hardest fight of her entire life."
Gravis smiled. "They have become strong, right?" he asked.
His father nodded again. "You are the weakest of all your friends right now."
Instead of growing envious, Gravis was happy for them. They had already continued on their path to power.
"Soon, I'll reach their heights," he said. Then, he put all the pictures into his Spirit Space. "Thanks, mom, father," he said as he embraced his mother.
"Oh, shush!" his mother shouted in a fake-angry voice. "I'm your mother! That's my job!"
Gravis really cherished this present. When he ever felt alone in the future, he could just look at the picture and think about his friends. They have already gone further than him. So, what would stop him from following them?
"Now, I believe it's my turn," Orpheus said as he stepped forward.
Whoop! Plop!
A green ball of slime appeared on the table. Gravis looked at it with surprise. "What's that? Can I touch it?" he asked.
"Go ahead, but be careful that you don't destroy it," Orpheus said.
While Gravis moved his hand towards the glop of slime, his father looked at Orpheus with furrowed brows. Orpheus just looked back with a smile and a roll of his eyes. After that, his father just closed his eyes and shrugged a bit. Apparently, he had accepted the present.
Gravis wasn't able to notice this exchange since they kept it secret and were way more powerful than him. He took up the glop and moved it around on his hands. Just as expected, it felt squishy.
"What is this?" Gravis asked.
"That's a constantly mutating organism or CMO for short," Orpheus explained. "It becomes stronger and weaker second by second. It just changes forms constantly. Sometimes it grows appendages, just for them to die off later. It's the most unstable life form in existence."
Gravis hummed a bit as he moved it around. "What's it good for?" he asked.
Orpheus laughed a bit. "I'm surprised you didn't guess it already. You can watch and understand how living beings change. You can see it get injured and healed. You can see it gaining a weakness to something just for that to become its main attribute in the next minute."
Orpheus pointed at the CMO. "So, by watching it, you can learn about life," Orpheus said.
When Gravis heard that, his eyes widened in shock. Then, he looked at the CMO. "So, this can help me understand Laws related to life?" he asked with shock.
Orpheus laughed a bit and hit Gravis' shoulder again, making him nearly drop the CMO. "Exactly! That thing wasn't cheap, even for me, but if it helps you learn an additional Law, it's worth it!"
"Thank you, brother," Gravis said with an impressed expression. "This is incredibly useful!"
"No problem!" Orpheus said back with a laugh. "You can keep it in your Life Ring. Just keep it separate from everything else living in there. CMOs are very fragile and weak."
Gravis quickly put it away. This thing would be a tremendous help in learning about life. A Law like that surely wasn't weak.
"My present," the Opposer said.
Whoop! Clank!
A black scale appeared on the table. It was only a couple of centimeters big, but Gravis could feel its incredible hardness.
When Orpheus saw the scale, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Sure enough, their father had the best stuff!