Chapter 37 - Meaning Of Power

My foot stepped down in the room. There was a carpet and rows of chairs to the sides. There was a desk at the end of the room and there was a young lady sitting behind it.

The lady was resting her head on her hand. Her long blonde hair was scattered across the desk and her eyes were closed while her eyelids were fluttering.

I walked up to the desk.

"Um, hello?"

The lady jumped with a start.

"Mm... ah yes?"

One of her eyes had been half open while the other was closed. She began to stretch her arms and yawned. My index finger scratched the side of my head.

"Um... I was told I could meet the Earth Emperor here?"

The lady was mostly awake now.

"Oh, yes just wait and you can meet him."

My eyebrow raised.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

The lady cleared her throat.

"If the Earth Emperor allows you to see him, a door will naturally form."

...I'm sorry, what?

"So... I just wait?"

The lady nodded.

"Yeah, why do you want to visit the Earth Emperor anyway?"

My shoulders shrugged.

"I guess it's to ask about how he made such a nice village."

The lady chuckled.

"Oh really? I suppose it is a pretty nice village."

A smile lingered on her lips as her eyes started to close once again.

Shortly after, the chairs to my left suddenly melted. The ground rose and there was a large spiral staircase up the pillar. The lady peeked through one of her eyes.

"You can go now."

I nodded and began heading up the stairs. There was a wall in front of me when my foot was set on the steps. Whenever my feet would take a step, the wall would recede, clearing the way.

The staircase soon stopped forming and a room that was filled with stone slowly receded away. What was left was a large room and... a big white ball?

After walking a few steps closer the ball suddenly split in two and the halves melded into the ground.

A young looking man was revealed from within. He had white robes and a modestly toned figure. His hand was holding onto a staff that was as high as him. The staff itself had a large bulbous top that gradually led to a flat tip at the bottom.

His eyes were closed and he was looking to the right.

His brown hair was a little long for a guy and his mouth was in a small frown. Thankfully the frown didn't seem to be of displeasure, but his neutral face.

My mouth opened, then closed. The man opened his eyes, which shone a bright green.

"Hello, my name is Leon. What is yours?"

My hand scratched the back of my head.

"Uh, Jay, the name's Jay."

Leon turned to face me.

"Hi Jay, why did you wish to see me?"

My mouth dried up.

"Uh... Well... I came here from my own village a little far away."

Leon sighed.

"And?"

The corner of my lip twitched.

"And... and..."

The answer was right in front of me.

Next thing I knew my knees were on the ground.

I was scared.

My hand clutched onto my head, trying to dig into my scalp.

I don't know why, but I didn't want to hear the answer.

Leon closed his eyes.

"There is no rush, take your time."

My breaths started to calm.

...I had to get the answer. There was no turning back here.

"How..."

My voice was shaking.

"How did you get rid of the evil?"

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"What is this evil you speak of?"

My hand was covering my face.

"The village... is so peaceful. People aren't trying to capture each other or kill each other for a piece of food. How... how did you do it?"

Leon opened his eyes again and had a long look at me.

"You wish to know how to create peace?"

I nodded.

"Yes..."

Leon's voice deepened.

"To start, you must ask yourself why does evil happen?"

Leon began pacing around the room, using his staff as a cane.

"People naturally have the desire to survive. When this is threatened one will attempt to protect it. Especially when it comes to survival, there are few that can care for others before their own needs are found. As such, they will take the selfish route."

Leon paused and looked at the floor.

"This route entails doing what they believe will help them. This tends to lead to stealing, killing, and simply sabotaging others if it has a chance of benefiting them."

Leon's free hand opened in front of him and his eyes looked deeply into it.

"Even if it is ironically reducing their chances of survival, few can actually see the greater picture. In the end, after seeing someone else steal or kill, they will soon do the same. People are simply foolish like that. They simply are unable to think to an extent that is logical."

My body was sprawled on the floor. Leon clenched his hand.

"So the first avenue most think is to go feed them, give them the necessities they need so that their own stupidity does not kill themselves. This does prevent some from acting out, however, you will see more problems."

The walls started to melt, and the only thing left were pillars that supported the roof. Leon stared off into the sky.

"Living simply isn't enough for most. Humans are incomparably greedy, trying to get whatever they possibly can. This means they will attempt to seize power and use that power to take advantage of others. Not necessarily even because they wish to, but just to bask in the idea they can."

Leon's fist released.

"So how do you control these people? People, who are so willing to use their power to ruin and kill others?"

A smirk was forming on Leon's face.

"You must go back to their desire to survive. For those that act out of line, show them the threat of death. Only when true helplessness and fear is in every cell of their body will their greed calm."

My brows were furrowed.

"How could I do that?"

Leon paused. The words only came out after a few moments.

"Power"

My brows furrowed harder.

"Power?"

Leon laughed.

"I have the ability to give all these people shelter, food, and safety. Yet, on a whim, I could kill every single person here and they would not even know they were dead. Not to mention, if I so desired, my magic could trap every person underground, giving me the choice to let them suffocate or slowly starve to death."

Chills were sent down my spine. Leon turned to face me.

"That is power."

Tears started to fall down my face.

Perhaps it's because I already knew the answer.

Leon's staff tapped the floor.

"Power is choice. Choice over your own fate as well as others. If you are willing to protect it, you can create your own peace. This is the meaning of power."

My hand clenched.

"But... How do I become powerful?"

Leon's expression became neutral.

"You must be willing to break yourself. To open your mind, foregoing temptation and grasping a goal. To challenge what you fear and fight it head on."

Leon puffed out his chest.

"When I encounter enemies I do not hide or back down. I let them find me and while I show them why they should be afraid. To be right in front of me, yet helpless to do anything."

A small smile appeared on Leon's face.

"And you have already been doing that haven't you? Just your coat made by your prey shows that, while your eyes show you have been through even more."

A bitter smile appeared on my face.

There were never shortcuts. No easy way to accomplish things.

Deep in my heart, I knew that. That nothing could come by easily.

I guess I just needed someone to tell me that.

"Thanks, this is for the advice."

My hand took out and tossed the translucent gemstone that came from a demon.

Leon deftly caught it.

"What is this?"

My finger scratched the side of my head.

"That I do not know, but it came out of a demon with two horns so there should be some value in it."

Leon's eyebrow raised.

"A demon? Are you killing demons? We are at peace with them, no?"

My head slowly shook.

"Apparently the Demon King died and now demons are coming for humans... Oh right, there are some demons that look like they want to attack the village."

Leon furrowed his brows. Leon tapped the ground with his staff.

"Alright, hold on for a moment."

Suddenly, my face smacked into the platform. There was a strong force pushing me to the ground and my hands were desperately trying to keep me up.

Did Leon cast a gravity spell?

What did I do to him?

The force started to lessen and my lungs were heaving, trying to get in oxygen.

...But it was really hard to breathe, the air was thin.

My eyes looked up, to see very tiny specks of snow covered trees.

Ah, it wasn't something pushing me down, but something pushing up...

The roof above us melted, as did the small pillars, leaving us standing on a bare platform.

Snow was gently falling and the sky darkened.

My eyes landed on Leon's fearless back as meteors began to blot out the sky.