Chapter 284: Purpose

Kael raised his head, his eyes scanning all the texts that he had missed within a few seconds. His sight lingered on the last message Exalon sent.

His mind was soon cleared and the memory flashes stopped happening.

’This is starting to feel like symptoms of PTSD, except it’s not my trauma...’

But Kael was more worried about the last message rather than anything else.

...

Kael: Ibadon is still alive?

Exalon: Yes, he is.

Kael: But how? Isn’t that millions of years since he was born?

Exalon: Yeah, you won’t understand how it works.

There is a level of power you could reach where you would become somewhat immortal as long as you have sustenance. Even if millions of years pass, as long as you have something to feed on, you will never die.

That was the level of power Noel had reached before his death and that is the level of power Ibadon has now. It is reasonable that he is still alive till now.

Kael: I never knew that kind of power could exist.

Exalon: It’s normal, you think you know everything until you leave your home or comfort zone and realize that you really don’t know anything. That kind of power is just scratching the surface of what the universe has to offer.

There’s so much about the universe to explore, so many wonders to enjoy, so many races to rule over.

All you think you know now is just the tip of the iceberg. Get stronger first and all will be revealed to you.

...

Kael sighed, he pushed himself off the body of the tree and took a step on the empty air. Immediately, his body dropped down to the ground and his feet instantly sank into the soil as soon as he landed.

Most of the creatures had already gone and those that were still within his hearing range were already leaving. Zabita and Diane were done and it was time to go.

...

Kael: Getting stronger sounds easy, but it isn’t.

Exalon: I know, but just because something is hard doesn’t mean you should give up.

Kael: I’m not giving up.

Exalon: I’m not saying you’re giving up, but you could slack off without knowing.

Kael: Hmm.

Exalon: Derylia slacked off because she was distracted, she was born at a time when everything was just handed to her, and there was no pressure on her at all.

If not, she wouldn’t have been the first Primordial Lion to die at the claws of her fellow lions.

But look at the others, they all had something to look forward to, a vision, pressure mounting on their shoulders.

Bethel seems like the playful type but he was most probably the most serious-minded Primordial Lion, hehehe. Realizing that your race’s population is low can be very burdensome.

He literally had to take it upon himself to increase our numbers, it’s not easy at all, hahaha.

Kael: Are you being serious?

Exalon: Yes, if Bethel had been born any other time, he would not have even thought of spreading his seed everywhere in such a manner.

Now, every lion can trace their ancestry back to Bethel, incredible right?

Kael: I don’t know.

Exalon: And look at Ishat, the first lioness to become a Primordial Lion. She recognized that if our Lion Race wanted to continue advancing, we had to employ the skills of other creatures.

She’s the one to invent the many enslavement campaign methods we still have today. The reason the rats are still out vassals is because of her as they were the race that she focused on the most back then.

Then we have Silax The Peaceful. Silax was for a fact not peaceful at all. He saw that our race was scattered across many galaxies and knew that we needed a place we could gather, a place we could call home.

So, he found a way to come in contact with a god l, something that is very hard, if not impossible. And it is through that god that Silax was able to lead the lions into a heavenly realm that we claimed for ourselves as the Leonine Heavenly Realm

What about Jin, Jin was extremely paranoid, afraid that someone or something was planning the downfall of him and his lion race.

The lion race was not the top-tier civilization it had been when Derylia was born. During Jin’s time, the lion civilization was still just one of the many races and was just considered fortunate to have their own heaven.

His fear turned into a purge that stained the boundaries of heaven red with blood. The lion race grew in strength because of him.

But his efforts created good times that led to Derylia’s comfort.

Kael: So what are you saying?

Exalon: You need pressure.

Kael: Are you aware that half of the lion civilization plans on killing me?

Exalon: Less than half but yeah, I’m aware.

Kael: Don’t you think that’s enough pressure already?

Exalon: Good point, but it’s not enough.

Kael: ...

Exalon: If the anti-primordials don’t kill you, someone else will kill you. Ibadon might just be waiting for you to show yourself before he wipes you out in one move.

You should create pressure where there is none...

Kael: But what’s the point of it all?

Exalon: I don’t understand the question.

Kael: What’s the purpose of doing all these things? We’re born, we get stronger, and we die.

That immortality you spoke of is very appealing but it couldn’t save Noel. He got stronger but he still died.

The only reason I’m alive right now is because all the other Primordial Lions died. If I’m just going to be another variable that appeared in history, I don’t see the point of it all.

Exalon: ...

Kael: Don’t get me wrong, I love the feeling of getting stronger, but that’s just for me. In the whole universe, what worth is my existence if I’m going to die one day and be replaced by another?

Exalon: Your thoughts are dangerous, but not meaningless. I understand what you are saying.

Kael: Thank you.

Exalon: But it sounds like you are looking for a reason to not give up, so I’ll assume that.

Let’s look at Ibadon, he has lived long enough that if he was an ordinary being with a mortal mindset, he would have killed himself after finding that there was no meaning to life in general.

But that’s not what’s happening, is it? In the grand meaningless events of the universe, Ibadon was able to find purpose. Nihilism cannot hold him down because he knows what he wants to do.

He said it himself that he wouldn’t die unless he had fulfilled his purpose. To wipe out all lions.

Twisted as it is, that is a purpose worth living for.

Kael: Are you saying that I should be like Ibadon.

Exalon: Yes.

Kael: Oh.

Exalon: Ibadon has a purpose and he is willing to do anything, kill anything, and endure anything to achieve his goals.

Are you like that? Do you know your purpose? If you think being a Primordial Lion is your purpose, then you are wrong.

Are you willing to do anything? Are you willing to kill anything? How much can you endure?

Ibadon is an abomination, an anomaly, he’s privileged from birth with one of the most deadly sets of powers, but he doesn’t make it his identity.

I can assure you that with Ibadon’s will, he would have achieved the same thing, Lion-Dragon hybrid or not.

You need to find your purpose, that thing that makes your heart beat fast, that thing that you never lose interest in, that thing that ignores the fire of passion within you.

Kael: And what if I can’t find this purpose?

Exalon: Then you’ll create one for yourself. Only when you have purpose can you build an unshakable will that cannot be eroded by the river of time.

Kael: I don’t want to die though, I’d rather not.

Exalon: No one wants to die, initially at least, but if Ibadon can do it and still remain alive, you should be able to do it too.

Kael: So, you’re saying I should look up to Ibadon?

Exalon: Why are you doing that?

Kael: Doing what?

Exalon: That thing, you seem to hear only what you want to hear.

Kael: Hmmm, I think I know what I’ll do. Thanks for the history lesson.

Exalon: What’s wrong?

Kael: I have things to attend to, I can’t always be chatting here, even if I want to.

Exalon: Things like what?

Kael: You don’t need to know.

Exalon: Why, don’t you trust me? Hehe.

Kael: No.

Exalon: Wow, we literally just had a moment together.

Kael: Don’t make it sound weird, okay? Bye.

Exalon: I’ll chat with you later, Primordial Lion.

Kael: Okay.

...

Kael dismissed the golden screen in front of him with a cold gaze. Exalon’s words still lived rent-free in his mind.

He was bothered, he wouldn’t lie. But he lied when he implied that he didn’t have a purpose. He didn’t need Exalon to tell him that. He had only asked Exalon about the meaninglessness of everything to understand his own view of things.

Kael already knew what he wanted, it wasn’t a purpose he naturally had but one that he created for himself.

Power.

That was what made his heart race in excitement. The power to dominate, the power to be undying, the power to be invincible, the power to command anything and everything.

He wanted all the power for himself.

His purpose was to be powerful.

’Ibadon...’