Chapter 226 - 226 – The Way Forward
Gravis thought about the best method to come clean with them. Was he attracted to them? He was a teenager, so of course, there was some attraction to the opposite sex, but that was not the issue. He knew that he wouldn’t remain in this lower world for long, and creating any kind of romantic relationship would be troublesome. He was not interested in some short-term ecstasy if he knew that it wouldn’t last.
Gravis sighed and wanted to say something, but his back shivered as a soft hand touched him and traveled down. "Why are you not saying anything?" he heard Lena say. "Am I not beautiful?" she asked with a sad voice that would elicit pity in any man’s heart.
And just like that, all the plans and words, that Gravis had, went out the window. This whole thing had thrown all his plans to the wind. He turned around and tried to remove the hand, but then froze when he saw the still naked Lena. Like this, he froze again.
The two women giggled again. "So, you actually are interested," Lena said while walking closer. Gravis took a deep breath and took a step back.
Gravis closed his eyes to regain his bearings. "Yes, you are beautiful," he said, eliciting a smile from the two women, "but I’m not interested."
The two women furrowed their brows. This was not what they had expected.
Before they could answer, Gravis continued. "I am only interested in power for now." Gravis took another deep breath. "Yes, I am attracted to you, but, and this might sound rude, it’s only physically," Gravis said directly without hiding anything. Being direct and honest was the best option in his mind.
"Listen," Gravis said, now opening his eyes and looking into Lena’s eyes. His eyes were focused, not swaying downward. He had managed to regain his bearings. "I’m not interested in any romantic relationship at the moment. My goal is the peak, and a romantic relationship would keep me bound to this world. You guys know that I am from a higher world. Anything that keeps me from reaching my goal is not something that I want. Sadly, that includes romantic relationships. So, I’m really sorry, but I can’t accept this."
Lena and Lory lifted an eyebrow and looked at each other. Then they turned to Gravis at the same time and spoke simultaneously. "So?"
Now, Gravis’ plans were thrown into disarray again. He quickly shook his head. "What do you mean with, so?" he asked.
Lena crossed her arms, pushing her sizable chest upwards. "This was never intended to be romantic," she said with a smile.
Now, Gravis was confused again. "Then why all this?" he said, widely gesturing to his surroundings.
This time, it was Lory that spoke up. "We also don’t want a romantic relationship," she said, walking closer. "Just consider this... a trade. You make us feel good, and in exchange," Lory walked closer again and moved a finger down Gravis’ chest, "we make you feel good."
Now, Gravis understood. "So, this is all just about sex?" he asked with a lifted eyebrow.
Lena ruffled her hair in frustration. "You really make it hard to keep the mood going," she groaned. "Yes, this is all just about sex! We are all adults here. Not every flick needs romance," she said in frustration.
Gravis looked unamused at her. "I’m 17, you know?" he said directly.
The eyes of the twins widened in shock. "How are you 17?" Lena asked in shock. Gravis was pretty strong and had a powerful body. His white hair and strange eyes also added some mystery to him. They had expected him to be in his 20’s, at least. It was hard to tell the age of cultivators since their bodies aged way slower. Someone that looked like 20 could be in their 50’s.
Gravis looked with confusion at them. "What’s so strange about that? How old are you?" he asked.
The brows of Lena and Lory furrowed. "Don’t you know it’s rude to ask women their age?" Lory said.
Gravis sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, sorry. I forgot," he said.
Yet, surprisingly, the two giggled. "We’re just messing with you," said Lena with a cute smile. "We’re both 35. Though I have to say, you are way younger than we thought. You have reached such strength while only being 17. We didn’t even consider that."
Gravis didn’t try to understand the situation. The mood of the two women jumped around. First, they were playful, then frustrated, then playful again, then angry, and now playful again.
"Anyway," Gravis said after a while. "I’m also not interested in a momentary flick," Gravis said.
Both raised an eyebrow at the same time. Sure enough, they were twins, and even their facial expressions were synchronized. "Why not?" Lory asked.
Gravis looked into her eyes. "Because if I give in to my urges, I build a connection with my current situation," he said, confusing the two. "If I indulge too much, I run the risk of becoming happy with my current situation. This could have an impact on my drive forward. While I still have not achieved my goal, I can’t risk becoming complacent."
Before the two could answer, Gravis continued. "I have not indulged in something like this, so I have no idea how I will act in such a situation. Yes, one quick flick won’t damage my will, but as soon as I do it once, the threshold of acceptance gets lowered. One time could create a second time, and a second time could easily create a third time. Indulging in my current situation could be a slippery slope."
Gravis sighed again. "Maybe I am too careful about this, but I don’t want to risk losing the focus on my goal. Yes, I am attracted to you, but my goal is more important to me." Gravis slightly nodded his head in apology. "I hope you understand."
The two twins looked at each other.
Whoosh!
A robe appeared around Lena. Yet, instead of answering, they still looked at each other unsurely. Gravis watched them in silence, not sure why they were looking at each other like that. There probably was something that he didn’t know about.
"Were we wrong?" Lena asked Lory.
Lory was also unsure and looked at the ground. "I don’t know."
After a while, Lory turned to Gravis. "Gravis, I have a question," she said, sounding normal again. There was no more huskiness, playfulness, or frustration in her voice anymore.
Gravis nodded. "Ask," he said.
"Why are you so hellbent on achieving your goal, even if it means giving up happiness?" she asked.
Gravis looked at her. "Because I know that if I become complacent in my current situation, I might be happy, but I will have regrets. I want to achieve true freedom, and I can’t do that without sufficient power. If I find a lover or even create a family, I would be happy, but in the back of my mind, I would regret giving up on my goal. As soon as I stop on my path forward, I run the risk of falling behind. One of my brothers fell victim to this."
Lory and Lena looked at each other again, and both sighed. "Is that the reason why it is so difficult for us to progress? Are we too preoccupied with momentary happiness?" Lory asked Lena.
Gravis lifted an eyebrow. "Why? You are both still young and are even a stage higher than me."
Lena sighed. "Yes, we are still kind of young, but we have actually reached the Seed Stage over seven years ago, and we didn’t make much progress in that time. We always remained stuck in that realm. We know that it’s because of our Will-Auras."
Gravis lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "So? Just go temper your will," he said.
Lory and Lena groaned in frustration. "We know that!" Lory said, slight anger in her voice. "We always plan on tempering our wills, but every time we plan on leaving for a fight, we kind of don’t go through with it. We have lots of time, so why do it right now? Tomorrow is another day." Lory looked at the sky. "That’s how it’s been for seven years."
Gravis now also sighed. This was precisely the situation that he wanted to avoid. If he procrastinated once, he would run the danger of procrastinating again. As soon as he did it once, the second time would become even easier.
Though one shouldn’t forget that both twins had a Will-Aura. Their wills were incredibly powerful, but it was still difficult to jump into a situation that had a real possibility of death. As Gravis looked at them, he got the thought that they were probably not afraid of dying but afraid of the other person dying.
Maybe it was their desire to protect each other, which made it hard for them to seek danger. Gravis couldn’t imagine how close their bond was. The only sibling he ever got to know was Orpheus, and they hadn’t grown up together. Losing someone that always stayed at one’s side was a harrowing thought.
"Gravis, I’m sorry, but could you leave us?" asked Lory carefully. "Lena and I need to talk. I’m sorry for bringing you into this situation."
Gravis nodded solemnly. "No problem. Take care," he said and then left for the campsite.
Lena and Lory looked at each other with uncertainty and a little bit of guilt. They stayed silent for a while.
"What have we been doing for the last seven years?" Lena asked Lory.
Lory was unsure and looked at the ground.
They had a lot to talk and think about.