"The Sect Master has left the Sect for a meeting and will return in a couple of days."
This sentence appeared in Gravis' mind suddenly as he was talking with Stella. It came from a Peak Immortal that contacted Gravis with his Spirit.
CRACK!
The atmosphere seemingly broke apart as Gravis got the message. The feeling of harmony and peace left the air as Gravis' Spirit returned to normal.
Stella noticed that everything had changed around her and appeared normal now. At the start, she didn't know what was going on, but then she realized it. Without noticing it, she had been captivated in a whirlpool of peace for the last couple of years.
She hadn't really thought about how she had been feeling during this time, which was why she hadn't noticed it when peace occurred. Only when it stopped did she notice how great her time with Gravis had been.
She wished she could go back to this time.
"You were contacted?" Stella asked.
Gravis sighed and nodded.
"Has Liran informed the Sect about the imminent attack?" Gravis asked the voice back.
"What attack?" the voice asked in shock.
Gravis' eyes narrowed in disdain. "So, he hasn't informed the Sect," he answered.
"What are you talking about?" the voice asked nervously.
"Arthur is still out there, and my recent display has also caught the eye of several other Sect Masters," Gravis answered. "They share a goal and will strike at the Sect. Liran is the biggest issue since he is a Sect Master and can inform the Sect Alliance, which is why he will be called away when the attack will happen."
"Nonsense!" the voice answered with indignance. "We are part of the Sect Alliance! No one will dare to attack us!"
"Liran knows that the attack will happen," Gravis said. "That's why you are here, informing me. Why don't you go ask Liran if you should also inform other people? His answer will tell you a lot about his personality."
"I don't need to," the voice said with quiet anger. "I am only supposed to inform you, no one else. However, I will not doubt my Sect Master because of the words of someone that hasn't even truly been in the Sect yet."
Gravis remained silent as he shook his head in disappointment. Some people were simply blind to the truth.
"When the Sect Master returns, I will inform him about your slander! Someone like you doesn't belong in the Unrestrained Sect," the voice said.
Gravis didn't answer the person anymore. What slander? Additionally, the Sect was already on the brink of destruction.
Why did Liran inform Gravis?
Because Liran knew that Gravis would see the attack coming. Gravis was someone that protected his friends, and Liran thought that it was essential to inform Gravis.
Why?
Because of Surem, Liran's son.
Gravis would surely protect Surem from the attackers, and Liran was right. Surem had nearly given his life for Gravis back then, and Gravis couldn't possibly let Surem die because of the errors of his father. The sins of the father should not be the sins of the son.
"It's time," Gravis said as he stood up.
Stella also stood up and looked at Gravis with worry. "Will you be alright?" she asked.
Gravis nodded. "I have increased my Realm to an appropriate level for the incoming enemies," Gravis said.
Stella furrowed her brows as she looked at Gravis. "But you're only an Early Major Circulation Immortal. Are you sure that's enough?" she asked.
Gravis only smiled at Stella. "I know what I'm doing," he said.
Stella was still unsure. No matter how she looked at Gravis, he was still an Early Major Circulation Immortal. However, the enemy force would include at least one Immortal King. That would be a jump of six levels for Gravis, and that was impossible, even for him.
However, after talking with Gravis for so long, she had learned to appreciate and value his insight. If she was able to see all these connections, Gravis should have also noticed them. This was definitely easily inside Gravis' ability to comprehend.
"What should I do in the meantime?" Stella asked.
"Go someplace else," Gravis said. "You can't contend with these enemies right now. If the enemy realizes how close we are, they might use you against me, and I don't want that to happen."
Stella's cheeks flushed in embarrassment when Gravis said that they were close. Were they truly so close that the enemy could influence Gravis' actions because of her?
Deep inside the depths of Stella's mind, she wanted to see how Gravis would react if she were taken hostage, but she would never make him go through something like this. If Gravis died because of her, she wouldn't know what to do with the guilt.
Stella nodded. "Then I will go visit Liam. A round-trip might take a couple of years, but I will return as soon as I can."
Gravis smiled and also nodded. "Sounds good. I'm looking forward to your return."
Then, Gravis looked in the direction of the Unrestrained Sect, and his smile was replaced with a severe expression. "Time for me to get ready," he quietly said.
SHING!
And with that, Gravis teleported away.
Stella felt like their farewell was a bit abrupt, and that Gravis left too quickly. She had wanted to talk a bit more with him and wish him good luck, but he had left before she could say anything.
So, in the end, Stella sighed. Then, she looked around the clearing where they had been sitting for the past couple of years.
All the magic was gone.
The peaceful and magical atmosphere in the surroundings was replaced by calculations of Laws that she already knew. She knew how nearly everything she saw worked, and that held no excitement for her.
How had this area been so magical before?
Stella sighed again.
'Does he not realize my feelings for him?' she thought. 'He probably does, but he doesn't act on them. As far as I can tell, he would be a person that confronts such things. If he also felt these feelings for me, he would have long voiced them. However, he didn't. Does that mean…?'
Stella shook her head. 'No. If he didn't have them, he would have directly told me about it. So, why did he neither confirm nor deny them? This doesn't seem like him.'
Stella sighed again. 'Probably more of his secrets. The only reason I can come up with for his actions is that there is a high likelihood that something will happen to him in the near future. He probably wants to deal with that first before he confesses to me. I can't think of any other reason.'
'Yet, why hesitate so much? The only dangerous things are fights and tempering, and these are constant. If you wait for those to end, you will wait forever. What worries you so much that you are willing to sacrifice happiness?'
Stella was very conflicted, but she had managed to come to the correct conclusion. She knew that Gravis wanted to wait for something, but she didn't know what he was waiting for.
'There's nothing I can do,' Stella thought. 'I hate that, but I need to accept it. The only thing I can do is wait.'
'Till we meet again, Gravis,' she thought as she looked into the direction Gravis had left towards.
SHING!
Then, Stella also teleported away.