One's Path

With both his cultivation and health restored, Minos felt like it was about time to leave this small city behind and venture into the real world.

Fortunately the Chess Grandmaster was here to guide him, so he felt like the journey would be much smoother than his usual ones.

…

A few days later, as Minos was cultivating cross-legged on his bed, a knock came from his door, waking him from his concentration.

"Come in." He said.

As the door opened, a familiar face came into sight, the face Minos had been waiting to see these past few days.

"Is it finally time to go?"

"That's right, I've got the carriage ready and everything. I'll be waiting outside, take your time."

Nodding, Minos watched as the Chess Grandmaster left the room again, his sharp ears allowing him to hear soft breathing from beside the doorway.

"No need to spy, you can come in."

"Are you leaving?" Jena asked, her tone low, clearly depressed at the thought.

"My stop here was always a temporary one, so it's about time I left." Minos answered honestly.

"Do you really have to go? You can stay here with us, besides my grandpa may not act like it, but you've become his best friend these past few days." Jena said between sniffles.

"Have I? I guess he's too shy to tell me himself." Minos said with a smile, though his words seemed to strike a cord in Old Man Joyata, who he knew was also spying.

"Hmph, who's too shy? And my granddaughter's just covering for herself, the truth is she's the one who can't let go." Old Man Joyata quickly said, appearing from the side.

"No way, you'll definitely miss him more!"

"Wrong."

"Right!"

"Wrong!"

"It's not a competition, I'm sure neither of you will miss me." Minos laughed, interrupting the two's squabble.

"That's not what I meant!" Jena quickly said, her fingers fiddling for a moment before finally finding the courage to speak.

"The truth is, I'll miss you a lot! Despite your age, I've always felt like you were young in spirit, reminding me that hope doesn't end at any age, and that determination will follow you forever, no matter where you go!"

"Even when you were at your weakest, you still held a smile on your face, but I could see it, I could see the sadness you were hiding, and while I don't know your story, I hope that no matter how low you feel, you never forget how special you are."

"The world needs people like you, so never give up, because for every million villains, there's only one hero, and I believe you're one of them!"

Hearing her words, Minos couldn't help but give pause, shocked that the usually simple Jena was holding so much in her heart.

Despite how strong Minos was, her words struck a chord in him, his Heart Path unconsciously activating as he glimpsed into the past.

From the loss of his parents, to his first meeting with Tinka, to the birth of Rinka, to the moment where he lost everything, it all came to him, so vividly that it felt like he was reliving it all first-hand.

Finally was the most pivotal moment, the time when he was holding Tinka's weak body in that cold humid cave, her final words once again traveling into his ears, adding a splash of light to his otherwise dark world.

'No matter where I go, the world will always feel like a cage as long as I'm missing your touch, because you are my freedom Minos, you always were'

'Freedom…'

Hearing this word again, Minos couldn't help but freeze. The first time he was overcome with so much grief that he couldn't focus, but this time was different.

As he heard them, he couldn't help but be reminded of the 'Path's' Potin had explained to him all the years ago, his words once again passing through his mind.

'A Path, for a lack of a better word, is a belief. It is the values in which you live your life, the morals you stand for, and most importantly, the things you believe in. My Path is one of strength and courage.'

While he had never forgotten those words, his life had become so hectic afterwards that they were thrown to the back of his mind, but as all his past memories flooded over him, he immediately remembered them.

'Path… I felt like I had understood myself back then, but I was just arrogant, a toad in a well, believing that the small stretch of sky I saw encompassed the whole world.'

'How could one ever truly understand themselves without sufficient suffering? It's only through pain, regret, defeat, and sorrow does anything become apparent.'

'Just like a double-edged sword, to know oneself completely requires destroying everything you hold dearest, so maybe for others, it's better to forever live in ignorance.'

'But I'm tired of living in ignorance, and I'm tired of letting the heaven's dictate my life! I want my wife back, I want my daughter back, I want my parents back, I want my life back! Just like Tinka said, I am her freedom, but more than that, I am freedom, this is my path!'

'Rest assured Tinka, not only will I bring Rinka back, but I'll do anything and everything to bring you back as well, along with everyone else that I love.'

'No more living in depression, no more walking this planet like a soulless husk, I will live, I will survive, I will prosper, and I will achieve freedom, and more than anything, I'll use my own two hands to create my own paradise!'

As his final words echoed in his mind, Minos suddenly felt like a spark had gone off, soon turning into a wildfire.

As the fire spread, the darkness in Minos's mind was replaced by a bright light, the entire space shifting from dark to light, night to day.

In the center of this space floated a familiar face, yet one that also seemed slightly foreign.

As the phantom-like body slowly shifted towards him, Minos finally saw its face, shocked to find that it was his own, just when he was still in his twenties.

With their eyes connecting, the phantom-figure and himself seemed to instantly be instantly attracted to each other, colliding like two stars.

Just like the collision of stars, the impact was so strong that the two were instantly fused together, causing a massive explosion which traveled throughout the white realm, once again causing it to collapse.

But this time, as the space fractured and the white walls surrounding him broke apart, they slowly revealed a new space, one that was like the stars up above.

Floating in the center of this massive space, Minos couldn't help but look around with wonder at the seemingly endless stars that surrounded him, each with their own unique color and intensity.

"Where am I?" Minos pondered in confusion, having never read about anything like this before.

"Where are you? What a pointless question, after all, this is you!" An intimate voice said, causing Minos to spin around.

"You again? I didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon..." Minos said, familiar with this phantom-figure that always seemed to pop up when he was most confused.

"Hey, I thought the same, but who knew you'd achieve this…" The man said, seemingly also shocked at Minos's accomplishment.

"What even is this?" Minos asked, still confused.

"Before I answer, you're aware of the realm that comes after Inner Heaven, right?"

"Of course, the Aperture Opening Realm."

"Good, then you should also know why one needs to awaken their Path before they can progress through the Aperture Opening Realm."

"Are you saying these are my Apertures?" Minos asked, understanding his point instantly.

"That's right, but I've never seen something like this before…"

"What's wrong? Are my apertures any different from normal ones?"

"No, your apertures are normal, what isn't is this place itself… Normally, the amount of 'stars' you see is dependent on how far you've traveled down your Path, along with the strength of the Path itself.'

"Someone who only has a shallow understanding of their own Path, even if they do awaken, they will only be able to see a couple dozen stars, maybe a hundred at most."

"On the other hand, even if your understanding is deep, if your Path itself is weaker, it won't have the strength to ignite your entire space, leaving expanses of darkness."

"For example, some people pursue the Path of Shadows, which requires them to embody darkness in order to progress, and others pursue the Path of Warriors, which requires strength and courage."

"But both those paths are only considered bottom to middle-tier, and they wouldn't have the strength to ignite this entire space even at full understanding."

"But on the other hand, a Path that is too hard to embody becomes impossible to travel, no matter how talented one is."

"Your Path must be something special, because despite just awakening it, you've already lit up all your apertures… If you don't mind me asking, what is it anyways?"

"Freedom." Minos replied with a smile, causing the man to freeze, his eyes blank for a moment before he let out uproarious laughter.