The Path of Ascension 5: A LitRPG Adventure

39

He met Matt’s eyes and nodded slightly to him, and Matt thought he understood.

Either as Emmanuel, Liz’s uncle, or the Emperor, he would ensure that Matt was well taken care of going forward.

That was a worry off Matt’s shoulders, but Emmanuel, and with the man’s frankness and caring tone, Matt was finally able to see him as such, leaned forward. “But note that being carried up the Tiers comes with issues as well. For you, being carried would most likely result in you being weaker in combat than your peers. Not exactly an issue here in this realm, but one that could come back to bite you if you intend to ascend. The combat portion of that is a fixable issue with enough time to grow your skills, and with time spent in combat. Even if it’s while being watched over by someone. The larger and much harder issue to solve from that plan is your Aspect.”

As Emmanuel said that, he sighed so deeply, it sounded to Matt like the man was personally holding the weight of the sky, and someone had dumped another world on his shoulders with no warning.

Considering the man’s power, that was a stomach-churning proposition.

“Domains are inherently about the self. In a civilized society, people give up things to have protections and such, but cultivation is the opposite. We have laws that say you can’t just go and kill someone who steals from you. We have laws that limit the acceptable amount of power and influence that a higher Tier individual can have over mortals, laws that protect the privacy of those who could never achieve it on their own. They are all affectations of the people on high. There is nothing physically stopping a Tier 45 from going around and killing all my weakest dukes who are only Tier 35. The only thing that stops them is the greater threat of myself. We accept the restrictions that laws place on us personally because they also protect us and those around us.”

The Emperor tapped the table twice to emphasize his point. “That is directly contradictory to a cultivator’s individual growth. That growth is all about personal power and progressing through said power. Domains, specifically a Concept, an Intent and, finally, an Aspect, are about the self. Understanding yourself. Seeing yourself and how you interact with the world around you. A Concept, for all the difficulty you might have had in making it, is the foundation of everything that comes after it. Whether you hone yourself down to a single idea, like Duke Waters, or you take the other path. One of expanding and broadening yourself and the scope of your power. Even still, you could take a more personal and varied approach. In the end, it’s about how you see yourself fitting into the world as a whole. And a cultivator who wants to walk their unique path needs to experience the ups and downs of life. The victories and losses of a battle. Gain and lose love, experience life and death. We cannot lock ourselves up in a rift and expect to grow. To grow, we must experience. Some people can grow with protection and help, but others are inherently limited by it. Therein lies the problem. If I have you carried to even Tier 49, there is a real chance you would stall out while trying to find your Aspect. Especially without the challenge and journeys you would have experienced while moving through the Tiers on your own merit.”

Matt still felt like Emmanuel was working up to try and get him to accept the offer of being carried to Tier 49 despite him explaining how it would hinder him, but the older man’s next words caught him off guard.

Emmanuel laughed. “Matt, I believe in self-sacrifice. It’s what my Domain is centered around. But the core part, the fundamental lynchpin that the whole idea is built off of, is the fact it must be willing and selflessly given. I am not a tyrant. I don’t ask that others give up their personal paths for myself, or even the Empire. To that end, I don’t believe that you are best served by taking either of those options. From everything I’ve seen about you, I don’t think you would ever be truly satisfied by taking the easy way out. Personally, I’d be relieved if you took the vow of non-interference, as I believe you could live a full and meaningful life. Even with the restrictions of the Vow. But, in the end, you need to decide what you want to do personally, by asking where your heart leads you.”

With a circling finger that seemed to encompass the table and everyone else at it, he added, “The other option is to continue your current path. Finish The Path of Ascension and show the world we have another pair of Ascenders ready and willing to protect the Empire. Fight, bleed, and experience. Show our enemies that our system works, and will continue to work, even if they try to take us out at the knees.”

Matt clicked his mouth shut and looked to Liz and Aster.

They already had this conversation long ago, and from the quick glances, neither had changed their mind.

There was a look in the older man’s eyes that clearly wished they would step off The Path, for their own safety if nothing else.

Liz shook her head and said, “We’ve heard all of that before from Luna and others. We don’t want to step off The Path simply because it’s dangerous.”

Aster growled an addition, “Why should we pay in blood because the other Great Powers are afraid? If they want to fight, they shouldn’t expect us to lay down and take it.”

Matt felt the need to add, “We are willing to fight to protect the Empire and ourselves. None of us are willing to be in the position to do something and waste our power by faltering. That would be worse than failure.”

Feeling like that wasn’t enough, he added, “I recognize that because of my Talent, I’d ideally be in the backline of society, churning out mana to keep everything running. But I don’t think I could ever feel content to just sit around and charge mana, while being as strong as wet tissue paper. I enjoy a good fight like anyone else, but I don’t enjoy killing.”

Looking to his bond, he ruffled her tail as he said, “As Aster said, I can’t sit still and watch others trying to hinder our hard work, simply because they’re afraid of what we’ve done. Besides, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to rest easy if I can’t even protect myself. I’d feel even worse if I can’t protect those that matter to me.”