Chapter 65 | Dream OR Ideals? – 1
[Aiden’s POV]
’That is a bit unexpected,’ my thoughts churned as I left the room with my ’Aunt Verrisa.’
For a moment, I was worried when I also sensed Damien reaching for his weapon as Aunt Verrisa neared; she noticed it too.
But thank the stars that she didn’t mind; otherwise, the situation would have been different.
’Now system tell me, why did you stop me from using the insight eye in there?’
[All the lords and the chancellor were at least of Sovereign rank if not Celestial rank.]
[At that rank, one starts to interact with the law, so they would have felt your Insight eye if you used it on them. So keep them in mind for next time.]
’Ohh...kay, noted.’
"Why are you so silent, Aiden? I know I didn’t use to talk to you much whenever I visited. But you do know me, so talk," she insisted.
"It’s nothing, Aunt; I was just thinking, and thanks for speaking on my behalf. I probably didn’t have to answer many difficult questions because of you." I showed appreciation for her support.
"Don’t worry about it," she responded.
Soon we reached a different loaction; as soon as I entered, I felt myself energized as Mana concentration increased in the surroundings.
"You felt that, good. Your mana sensitivity is better," she commented.
I looked at her a bit questioningly.
"What? Are you thinking, "Why do I have a mana gathering array in my stay?" She asked as she looked at me; I nodded in response.
"Demonic mana is not abundant in nature, and at our stage even this much mana is nothing but a wisp. So I need a huge amount of mana if I want to easily convert it into demonic mana," she explained.
"That makes sense," I stated.
After walking for a few more steps, we reached a room, where two female vampires were standing guard.
"Bring food for tw-three people, one for a human," she ordered. Both vampires nodded and left to comply.
She pointed for me to sit on the sofa as she sat in front of it.
"So, Aiden, do you still want to follow your dream of establishing your own city?" she asked, like she knew all along.
I was flustered and alarmed. ’How did she know?’ my thoughts started running wild.
"How?" the word escaped my lips.
"Don’t look so shocked; your mother used to talk about you a lot," she shared.
"I am not sure if you are talking about my mother, Aunt. Because for my mother, I was nothing but a disgrace, and she never missed a chance to let me know that," I smiled bitterly as the painful memories of being abandoned by my mother resurfaced.
"What? How’s that possible? That’s how I knew you had such a dream, she shared it with me." She looked a bit confused hearing my words.
"I didn’t know about your family situations, so I can’t say much, but I can say this with 100% responsibility: that she cared for you," she added.
Her words only scratched my wounds deep, as far as I tried to remember. I only had the memories of me getting avoided by my mother. This was a very weird situation; I didn’t know how to even react to this.
"Sorry if my words brought any painful memories. But answer my question?" Her words brought me out of my stupor.
"No, it’s okay. Thank you for your words; I suddenly felt I am not alone again," I responded.
’Damien, is she an ancient like you or royal?’ I asked mentally, though I was sure she wasn’t an ancient, but it never hurts to be sure.
’She is royal; all 4 vampires present there were royal, Master,’ he confirmed my suspicion.
"Yes, Aunt. I still have that dream, and that’s also one of the reasons I participated in this tournament," I answered.
Technically, I didn’t want anyone, especially lords, to know about my intentions until they were bound with the rules.
However, she seemed a bit caring, and she was a vampire, so I relaxed a bit.
"Ohh... I get it now why you didn’t state your demands in front of the council; that was wise. But tell me, Aiden, do you think yourself suitable for that role?" She asked.
Her question seemed simple and yet complex at the same time.
"I mean, I do have the necessary knowledge. I am also gathering strong people beside getting my cultivation level raised. As for experience, you and other lords will be role models for me," I answered.
"Wrong, that is not the qualification, many people have that. Again, do you think you deserve to be a ruler?" she reiterated.
This time I stayed silent, because I was sure whatever my answer was, it wasn’t the right one.
"Okay, another question: what should be the most basic need for a good ruler? I am not talking about strength or wisdom, something fundamental," she changed her question.
"Being able to make tough decisions necessary for people under his rule?" I hesitantly answered.
"That is correct. Now answer me, would you be able to make a decision that goes against your ideals?" She asked further.
Lines formed on my brain as I thought of an answer.
"If you are taking this much time, then you won’t be able to make a decision, at least at the right time."
"A good ruler needs to be able to make split-second decisions; for cultivators like us, even that moment is big enough," she explained.
I nodded positively; I knew she was right.
"Again, a basic question. If you have to choose one, what will you choose between your dreams and ideal?" She asked.
"Can’t I choose both?" I asked in return.
"Not if you want to be a ruler," she stated.
Now I was stumped. Since I was 8 years old, I have done all I could do to make myself eligible to be able to complete my dream. I had studied the past, politics, and many other boring things by teenagers’ standards.
However, I never thought about making any decision that goes against my ideals. One thing that was different about me from the rest of my family was my ideals.
If I do the same things they did, then how would I be any different? While I was debating my entire life, those two vampires came back with food.
"Think hard about this, Aiden, because let me tell you one thing. You are still bound by your ideals; I saw the hesitation in you when you killed those cultivators."
"It is good that you are taking a step towards that, but if I saw this, then everyone else in that room saw that too. So if you win, which I think you will, I am changing my bet tomorrow."
"As I was saying, even if you get the council to approve your demand, you will never be a true ruler to the people who will live in your city."
"Because you will be bound by your ideals, and sooner or later, due to that, you will make a decision that will hurt your establishment."
"So decide first, do you want to complete your dream or follow your ideals? Because you can’t do both," she finished her explanation, and I felt like I had a new clarity in my thoughts.
"Let’s eat; I want that answer the next time you stand before the council. I also want to talk to your peculiar bodyguard here, but not yet. First win this tournament; everything else comes later," she added.
I nodded and started eating the food, but my entire focus was on her question as a battle started in my mind.
Should I cling to my ideals or focus only on completing my dream?