The Black Magnate and Gravis talked for over half an hour as the city streets bustled beside them.
"Say, have you actually talked to my mother or father before? As in, more than just some simple phrases," Gravis asked with interest.
"No," the Black Magnate said. "I have never felt the need to. If I were to contact your mother, your father might become displeased, which is not something I want. On top of that, your father is on a different level. I'm not powerful enough to establish a connection between us."
"So, by your words, since mortals mainly rely on wealth regarding power, a rich mortal and a poor mortal can't be friends?" Gravis asked.
"Of course they can," the Black Magnate said, "but in the world of Gods, it's different. Power is everything, and when someone is more powerful, they don't talk with unworthy beings."
Gravis had to chuckle a bit. "Alright. Goodbye," Gravis said.
The Black Magnate was surprised for the first time. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"You are six major Realms above me," Gravis said with a smirk. "I'm unworthy to talk to you. So, goodbye."
The Black Magnate actually felt a bit nervous, which was astounding. The Black Magnate hadn't felt nervous in an eternity. Sadly, he didn't notice it himself. "This is different," he said defensively.
"How is it different?" Gravis asked.
"Because you don't want to- "but the Black Magnate suddenly stopped talking.
"Oh?" Gravis uttered with a smirk. "Come on, finish your sentence. You have stopped talking because you know exactly what I will answer, right?"
For the first time, the Black Magnate actually looked uncomfortable. "Yes, I know."
"Then, say it," Gravis said.
The Black Magnate sighed. "Because you are not talking to me because of my power," he said.
"And my answer would be?" Gravis asked.
"Then why would your father not want to talk to me even though I also wouldn't have any ulterior motives?" the Black Magnate answered with a sigh.
"And your answer to that question?" Gravis asked.
"I don't know," he said slowly as he averted his gaze.
"Just accept that you're wrong," Gravis said. "It's not that you don't know. It's that you don't want to admit that you might have had an unconducive mindset for happiness for millions of years."
"What would that even change?" the Black Magnate asked coldly. "So what if I could talk to your father. How would that change anything about my situation?"
"I think it would help," Gravis said. "Not because of his power, but because of his different mindset."
"Didn't you say that I remind you of your father?" the Black Magnate asked skeptically.
"You do, but you are probably even more similar to the other Magnates," Gravis said. "You said all the other Magnates also feel like this. So, when you talk to them, are you not entering a spiral of negative feedback?"
"Spiral of negative feedback?" the Black Magnate repeated as he looked into the street with furrowed brows.
"All you powerful beings are miserable all the time, so you share your misery with the others, who will then share their misery with you. It's just misery going around and around, intensifying the misery of everyone else," Gravis said.
"Do you think my father felt any different?" Gravis asked. "He's had the same issues as you. The important thing here is, had, as in past tense."
"What changed?" the Black Magnate asked.
"My mother and I," Gravis said. "If it weren't for us, my father would probably still be exactly like you. When you're in a major slump, you might not find the way out by yourself. Sometimes, you need others that can show you the way."
"Think about it," Gravis said as he left the wall and gestured with his hands. "You can't have a proper conversation with anyone weaker than you because you see all their Laws and know what they will do before even they know it. So, the only way to have a proper conversation and connection with somebody is to talk with someone on your power or someone you can't analyze as easily, like me."
"Yet, the only people you always talked to are bitter and miserable grandpas, constantly complaining about everything in the world," Gravis said with a smirk. "When you are constantly seeking companionship from darkness, how will you ever find the light? I know it's cheesy, but I think that sentence is rather accurate."
The Black Magnate remained silent for a while. "What would you suggest I do?" he asked.
Before this day, the Black Magnate would have never believed that he would have sought guidance from a mere Immortal. Immortals were nothing more than ants to him. How could someone that weak know anything he didn't?
"Seek help," Gravis said.
The Black Magnate huffed. "That sounds pathetic."
"Didn't you say that power is everything?" Gravis asked. "I said that I didn't like that I have had so much help in my Cultivation, and you said that it didn't matter. Power is everything. Therefore, the source of my power doesn't matter."
"But now, you are saying that seeking help is pathetic?" Gravis asked. "To use your own words, so what if someone thinks you to be pathetic? In the end, they will be the unhappy ones while you will be happy."
"An unhappy, bitter person doesn't have a trustworthy opinion on happiness," Gravis said with a wide smirk.
The Black Magnate remained silent for some seconds and sighed. "Must you always throw my own words back into my face like this?" he asked.
Gravis had to laugh at that. "I'm only showing you that you already have all the answers yourself. You speak truth without knowing the truth yourself, at least not consciously. You are so powerful, and you know so much. You should be able to find happiness easily."
"Sometimes, it just needs a little nudge," Gravis said. "We Cultivators seek tempering when we can't comprehend a Law on our own. We already know basically everything about the Law, but we just can't make the connection."
"So," Gravis said with a bright smile, "you already know everything about happiness. Yet, you can't make the connection yourself, and if you can't make the connection on your own, you should seek something that can help you. The only difference between this and tempering is that the help you need is not a fight but contact with someone that knows the answer."
The Black Magnate closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A cocktail of mixed emotions swirled in his insides, something that hadn't happened in millions of years. There had always been greyness all around him for so long, but today, he was actually feeling something. He might not feel happiness, but he enjoyed this mixture of feelings. To him, it felt a bit like fighting with someone on his level.
The danger, the excitement, the uncertainty, every emotion that a fight brought with it. The Black Magnate missed all of these things. Yet, today, in front of a mere Immortal, the Black Magnate felt very similar emotions.
He had missed these feelings.
"I must think," the Black Magnate said.
"No," Gravis stopped him.
The Black Magnate frowned at Gravis. "This is not something I can just do like that. I should think about this."
"You are not happy and stuck in your ways," Gravis said. "You have no idea what you should do because if you had any idea, you wouldn't feel like shit right now," Gravis said.
The Black Magnate frowned.
"If brooding in your dark cave would have helped, we wouldn't be talking right now," Gravis said. "Instead of relying on yourself, just listen to me this once. What's the worst thing that could happen? The worst thing would be that my father would say that he has no interest. Then, what's the damage? Nothing."
Gravis walked closer and put his hand on the Black Magnate's shoulder, something no one had dared to do in forever. The Black Magnate only looked into Gravis' eyes, and Gravis looked back with determination.
"Dude," Gravis said. "Just trust me on this. This one time."
The Black Magnate closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and after some seconds, he opened them with conviction.
Meanwhile, in the room of the Opposer, the Opposer and his wife were watching the conversation. A Heaven's Magnate entering the city and talking to their son was something major. They had to keep a close watch over everything.
PACK!
Gravis' mother slapped the shoulder of her husband. "You're going to make a friend today!" she shouted with excitement.
The Opposer narrowed his eyes. Apparently, he was not the biggest fan.
PACK!
Another slap. "Hey!" Gravis' mother shouted strictly. "You are going to make a friend today! You are in the same boat as him! You don't have any friends, and that's not good for you!"
"You WILL make a friend today," Gravis' mother said with a glare.
The Opposer had an uncomfortable expression on his face.
Yet, after a while, he sighed.
"Fine," he said, making his wife clap happily in her hands.
"Might as well try."