Caelus stopped his final stroke, then turned the notebook around and handed the open page to Otto in front of him, saying, "Is the person you described this appearance?"
Otto looked at the likeness of Kallen drawn in the notebook and was momentarily lost in thought. It was more than just similar, it was as if it were a photo from the past, imprinted on the page.
Looking at the pure Saint in the drawing, wearing a nun's habit, standing among golden wheat ears and smiling at him, Otto's thoughts could not help but trace back 500 years.
It was a spring morning. He, unloved by anyone, met you who had climbed over the wall.
She smiled and greeted him, inviting him to play with her, and in that moment, the young boy received the salvation of his life.
Otto lowered his eyes, as if not wanting anyone to see what emotions were contained in them at this moment. When he looked up again, he had returned to the smiling appearance from before and pushed the book back to Caelus.
"Your drawing skill is truly praiseworthy. With just my few words, you perfectly restored her appearance, exactly the same as she was in my memory."
Caelus took back his book. He looked at Otto, who wore a polite and affable smile on his face. Just a moment ago, he could perceive the complex emotions surging within the other person's heart, love, guilt, hatred, and unwillingness.
"Do you want to see her?" Caelus asked.
"Of course I want to, and I am working toward that."
"I mean now. Although what you see will not be the real her, but only a puppet purely created based on your memories, she can at least respond to some of your words and bring you some comfort."
Otto remained calm. He sipped the coffee in his cup and said, appearing very indifferent, "No need. If this were a long time ago, I might have been overjoyed, and perhaps I would have been impatient to see her, even if it were just a phantom. But now, I would not. A fake existence is fake after all. The answers and responses obtained from her are also fake."
"If I were only chasing a fake shadow, I would have already fulfilled my wish. What I pursue is only that her, only that her who died 500 years ago."
"But thank you for your kindness, Mr. Caelus."
Caelus did not speak with Otto again, but once more picked up his notebook and began to draw.
After politely saying goodbye, Otto also left.
After a while, Caelus stopped the drawing motion in his hand, then tore off a page from the notebook and placed it on the table. He stood up and left.
Just after Caelus left the shop, a waiter walked over and picked up the piece of paper left on the table.
What was drawn on that paper were two children sleeping while leaning against each other under a tree.
A little boy with blond hair and a little girl with white hair.
The two leaned against each other. In the world of the painting, they had only each other, peaceful and beautiful, yet silent.
Not long after, Otto received this painting. He looked at the scene on the page. The smile on his face disappeared, and there was no mirth left in his eyes, replaced by a rare silence.
After staring blankly at the painting for a long time, Otto took a deep breath and instructed his secretary, Amber, who was standing to the side, "Help me preserve this painting well and place it on my desk."
"Understood, Lord Bishop."
When Amber left with the painting, Otto leaned back in his office chair. He slowly let out a breath and softly murmured that name.
"Kallen…"
Caelus was currently on the legendary Mount Taixuan, where immortals were said to have lived in ancient times. He stood on the mountain peak, watching the clouds and mist swirling in the distance, and suddenly asked, "Is that love?"
No one answered him.
"I thought for a long time after parting with Otto. I could feel the burning passion and persistence in his heart. I felt that was what is called love. But is love truly this persistent? In these two years of travel, I have also seen some people who loved each other, but I could not feel the so called love from those so called people in love. Perhaps now that I have clearly felt something I think can be called love, I have become hesitant."
"If one must have such emotions to be called love, is that not a bit too demanding?"
[System: Love is something that everyone understands differently. Some believe that giving everything for their lover is love, while others believe that mutual understanding and tolerance between both parties is love. Still others feel that so called love is merely a false, momentary impulse that will soon be extinguished, leaving only the mundanity of life between two people.]
[System: It is good that you have begun to think and speculate on the existence of love. It proves that IX has not further consumed you, and that you are gradually finding existence and emotion within the Nihility. The man named Otto Apocalypse, his love is extreme, or rather, it is an existence on a higher level called faith.]
[System: He treats Kallen Kaslana as his goddess, his only savior. Perhaps in the past, the young Otto truly loved the woman named Kallen, but by now, through 500 years of erosion and his own repeated contemplation, this love has transformed into an obsession, a faith.]
[System: From the bottom of his heart, he wants to give everything for his goddess, to save the Kallen who died because of the mistakes he committed.]
[System: And if you wish to comprehend what so called love actually is, then you need to continue walking your own journey. As you see more people and experience more things, you will understand the love you wish to pursue. No one else can give you the answer to this question. You need to find your own unique solution.]
"So, can so called love really conquer all?"
[System: Love can provide a powerful driving force, allowing people to squeeze out their potential and talent. When you achieve something you thought impossible, you look back and marvel at the great power love gave you. But in reality, it only squeezed out the power you were already capable of using yourself.]
[System: In certain worlds where emotional power can indeed be manifested, love can truly bring about miracles and greater strength, because in the objective conditions of that universe, love as an emotional driver can actually affect the outcome of events.]
[System: But in most universes, love is merely a catalyst, a push that makes you more determined to do what you want to do. Therefore, do not believe that love can conquer all. Instead, believe that you yourself can achieve many things. Love is only one of the driving forces that keeps you moving forward.]
"Thank you. Only now do I understand why Angra Mainyu willingly bore all the world's evil."
"Because of love. He loved the people of the world, he loved this world, and so because of love, he bore the evil."
"Just like that man named Otto."
Caelus's first realization of love, so called love is neither positive nor negative. It is an extreme emotion, a chaotic and extreme emotion that can tilt you toward any side.
This realization gave him a unique understanding of the malice contained within that Light Cone.
Perhaps to others, comprehending what love is might just be a nonsensical philosophical question. But for Caelus, who truly mastered the power of emotions, this realization indeed brought growth to his power.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)