[The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart; Though greatly Thalrion failed, more greatly he once soared. One must imagine how happy he was, for as he fell, he laughed.] - Ssarythiel

"What are you so afraid of? You seem very strong, even among the thousands of cultivators around." The man replied, looking confused. The idea that Alaric was afraid seemed to be a foreign concept to him.

Alaric could already tell this was a part of the therapeutic sections that the residents love to give those here for the selection, but are facing their own mental crisis. Being new to these sorts of things, he was hesitant to continue, but he didn’t allow it to show. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

After a second of pause, he replied, "I am not afraid for me. I am afraid for those around me. I am confident I can face every situation I come across head-on, but I can’t guarantee the safety of those around me. With what I have learned about myself so far, I will be attracting a lot of trouble; my luck is just that bad. Those troubles will surely affect those around me. Their lives will constantly be in danger. I also have a fiancée and a partner I need to consider with every reckless decision I make."

The man stroked his chin as if in thought. "So what solutions have you come up with?"

Alaric’s gaze drifted around the open area, his swirling purple eye captivating as it graced every single activity around him. He made sure that he was in the present, not drifting in thoughts like he usually does.

"I am starting to believe companionship isn’t for me. Maybe I should cut off my fiancée for now? I can’t cut off my partner as we are bound for life, but that bond is an assurance of her safety, so that’s settled. What I can do is prevent others from getting too close."

"That’s quite lonely and depressing. Even cultivators need companionship; the heavens even support the notion of Dao companions and sole mates. Some people are just bound by fate; it’s how life works. Anyway, what happens to this partner of yours? Do you prevent them from having other friends and companions as well? Considering you are bound together as you say, wouldn’t those ’troubles’ also affect those around her, too? If so, things would not be very harmonious for long, don’t you think?" The heavy voice came again.

He sighed tiredly. This was what had been making him hesitant for a while now. Eva has already chosen to give her life to him, as he has chosen to give his life to her; it would be unfair to tell her not to have any friends or companions. As for his fiancée, despite having a good impression of her, he knew absolutely nothing about her, so he wasn’t going to lose too much sleep breaking things off. It will surely be a hassle, but it wouldn’t matter as long as things proceed accordingly.

That snake, on the other hand, could only be considered more of a burden to him than a proper companion. Staying in his radar is a reminder that he was walking on eggshells and constantly being monitored. In the end, every person was just a potential pawn. Who knows if this whole conversation was orchestrated by those same entities?

’Sigh, I am just being paranoid again.’

"I can manage to convince her that we can have all that later, when we are strong enough to handle every problem that arises. Otherwise, we will just be waiting for tragedy." He replied to the man softly.

"Later, huh. I wonder how many died of regret while saying that. Later, the meal gets cold, missing some essential taste that makes it what it truly needs to be."

’Huh?’ Alaric felt confused at the analogy.

"Later everybody grows old, later life comes to an end. Who can predict the future? Later often becomes never. If you have a place you want to experience, go there today. If you have a conversation you have been putting off, have it now. You want to make friends who are trustworthy; now’s the right time to start." He paused briefly, allowing every word to sink into the young man’s head.

Then he continued, "Later, later is a lie we tell ourselves to avoid discomfort, but later, it soon becomes too late... You look at how many times, too late, oh that place is destroyed, too late, those people you wished to talk to are dead, too late. You say the problem is that you are weak; then get strong. Make sure your companions are also strong so you don’t need them at every turn. At least give people the choice of whether to be your companions or not."

At that moment, Alaric felt something stir up within him. It was something very foreign to him, a burning desire for something greater, a sense of greed towards absolute power, not just for him, but also for those around him. Right now, it was a seed.

He forced his racing heart to slow as he took a deep breath.

"They say the sensitive man is the weak man, but I strongly disagree with that notion. The numb man is the lowest of men. The man who reaches the top of the mountain and plants his flag. He looks composed, but inside, he feels nothing. The mountain costs him nothing because nothing can; the sensitive man, on the other hand, stands at the same mountain and feels everything: his feet, the height, the weight of his own mortality; he carries the fear of knowing he could fall and the knowledge that he chose to climb anyway."

"That feeling of fear, that weight of mortality, and the myriads of emotions were the only things that made the journey real. A man who has felt nothing is not worth teaching; he is not worth companionship, nor is he worth reaching the peak. He cannot be brave about something that does not hurt him. In this world, to live is to suffer, to survive is to find something worth suffering for.’ He paused again.

"’If you have never grieved, you have never loved anything enough to lose. And if you have never loved anything enough to lose, you were never fully alive to begin with. Always keep in mind that a man who has never lost anything has never risked anything and thus will never reach anything; a man who has never risked anything has never chosen anything.’ This was what the Love Immortal once said at a moment in his life.’

"Thus, the sensitive man is a craftsman, transforming his pain into meaning, and the numb man only knows how to consume because he is scared to feel; he can explain but does not feel. The sensitive man always has something to protect, while the numb man has nothing to lose, therefore nothing to give."

"To be called a sensitive man is an honor, pin it to your chest like a knight bears his crest, it marks what you are willing to die for. Rub sand on your wound and pick up the flag, for there is a mountain waiting to be climbed. This is the true act of a true will cultivator."

Alaric felt that profound feeling intensify greatly. He shut his eyes as he felt the comforting feeling of something consolidating within him. His Dao heart became firm, and the process of nurturing the demon seed intensified, increasing several-fold.

Opening his eyes slowly, he glanced at the mysterious man beside him, now paying attention to him directly. Truthfully, Alaric had the habit of not truly seeing ’people’; he gets so much information from his surroundings that he considers most of it unimportant, and so he automatically filters and ignores it. Unless, of course, you managed to catch his attention. It was a habit he needed to address.

The man seated beside him possessed striking features that seemed carved with deliberate precision. Long dark hair framed a handsome face marked by sharp eyes that held an unsettling depth, as though countless years and untold stories lay hidden behind them. His expression was calm, neither warm nor cold, carrying the quiet confidence of someone who had long since ceased needing to prove himself. There was nothing ostentatious about his appearance, yet he drew attention effortlessly. The closer one looked, the harder it became to form a clear impression, as if some part of him always remained just beyond understanding.

A tranquil aura surrounded him; the noise of the world seemed to dull in his presence, leaving behind an almost comforting stillness. Yet beneath that calm lingered an undercurrent of mystery that stirred unease and curiosity in equal measure. Resting casually on the bench, one of his hands remained visible, revealing an ancient tattoo etched across the back of it. The intricate markings twisted into unfamiliar patterns that seemed older than any known language, carrying a faint sense of forgotten history. It was the sort of symbol that invited questions while warning against seeking answers too deeply.

Alaric stood up unhurriedly, faced the man before bowing deeply, "Thank you for your help, senior. You have cleared the fog that clouded my judgment for years now, for that, I am very grateful."

At this point, he would be foolish if he thought this man was just a normal resident of this city. Clearly, he was someone too profound for his current self to fully comprehend.

The man chuckled softly, "No need for thanks, I am sure you would have come to that conclusion on your own if you took the time to ponder on it."

"May I know who you are, senior?"

"Stop calling me me senior, I consider myself very young."

"Ah, sorry?"

"As for who I am, no need to think too much about that; we will get to know each other in the future." The man said, standing up and walking toward the crowd before disappearing from his senses.

’I just met a final boss in the starter village.’

....

[A/N: Hello everyone, author here. Please leave a comment.]