CHAPTER 157: CHAPTER 157: LISTEN

Chapter 157 – Listen

Stagnation... evolution...

These words echoed loudly inside Kaden’s brain as, immediately and without any reason whatsoever, he thought of his family.

He didn’t know why. But he did.

His family had been known for one single thing... war.

Go to Waverith and ask a random person about the Warborns, and all they will say is that it’s a bunch of people who only care about war, battle, and death. But they will also add that they are loyal and worthy of respect.

Yes, they will say all that.

But do you know what else they will say?

They are foolish.

And honestly, we cannot argue with this point.

The Warborns were truly... foolish, or very close to that level. Because how can you think that in this world, only pure strength will help you prevail?

It might have worked before. But now, with beings like the Cerveau all around the world, relying only on your strength and not your mind will get you killed and enslaved.

Because let’s not forget... the greatest strength of a human is not his physical power... it’s his mind. His cognitive abilities.

Strip him of that, and he is no different than a chimpanzee.

And those beasts never live long... or even gloriously.

Kaden’s mind suddenly expanded as all these thoughts coursed through him.

Asael was looking at him, seeing his hazy eyes, and stayed silent, a soft smile on his lips.

’I already knew... I already knew we needed to change. But this feeling has never been this strong before,’ Kaden thought.

Because right now, he had just realized something.

The Cerveau... are looking for a way to evolve. There must be something that drove them to attack the Warborns like this so relentlessly.

And according to Kaden, the reasons were obvious.

’They want our strength. They want our physical power and our knowledge of wars and battle.’

And if they succeeded in obtaining them — coupled with their terrifying intelligence...

Then the whole Waverith would be in their hands without a single doubt.

’Fucking hell,’ Kaden cursed in his mind as he truly realized how dangerous things were after Asael’s words.

Because if this smiling, weird bastard was correct, then it meant nature itself favored the one who sought evolution.

And isn’t that right? If Kaden hadn’t been here to stop his parents from acting mindlessly, only the gods knew what would have happened to the Warborns by now.

They would either be weakened... or totally destroyed.

The first option was more plausible — after all, the Warborns were not weak — but still... it was not a situation Kaden could afford to let happen.

Sighing again for the nth time, Kaden’s eyes cleared as he looked at Asael sitting in front of him, playing affectionately with his necklace while smiling at him.

"How was it, did I teach you something enlightening? If yes, don’t worry that’s what friends do," he said.

Kaden stayed silent for a moment before slowly nodding his head. "Yes. It was, honestly. It was not my first time hearing the term, but it was my first time... actually hearing it."

It was true — his system, Death, also had the habit of saying the word evolution or some variation of it.

He wondered why, even now... he had never really questioned it or even been curious about it.

’Ah... I have a long way to go,’ he added in his mind.

"That’s great! Now, my friend, you know the importance of evolution alongside the importance of... listening."

"Do you want me to go full wise mode on this subject too?" Asael said with a grin, eager to show off his extensive knowledge about life in general.

Or maybe... his own perception of life.

Kaden’s lips twitched at his words, and he shook his head vehemently.

"No, I think I’ll be fine. I know the importance of listening. After all, it’s one of the first important perceptions for humans, and it can be used in a very versatile manner," he said, trying to show he understood.

Asael nodded, accepting his words, but—

"I was principally thinking that it’s the best way to understand someone."

He paused, then smiled melancholically.

"Listen, Kaden. Listen to everything — to the strangers outside, to your loved ones, to the beasts, and even to the very world... listen. Just do it and let your senses guide you.

"...You will see the world has many things to say, and only those who give it their attention will hear it. And I assure you...it’s a delightful feeling. Because you can only understand something...after listening to it."

After that, he stopped, before his face regained its usual foolish and unserious expression.

"Now, Kaden, my dear friend, how about we listen to what those strange lines out there are telling us? It might be our way out of this nightmarish dungeon," he said brightly, clapping his hands excitedly.

Meanwhile, Kaden was just there, his expression drained.

’I want to listen to everything... except you, you fucking lunatic.’

Dealing with Asael was just so damn taxing.

...

Fokay — Celestial Empire — Royal Castle.

Inside the royal castle of the Asterion, in a luxurious chamber painted in celestial gold and starry silver, a young girl was sitting at her desk, her expression slightly frowning.

Sora Asterion.

After waiting for days without Kaden showing up, she could no longer stay there as her parents had called her back.

They had investigated the person responsible for the state of their forest — needless to say, they found it was Kaden.

No surprise. There was hardly anything that could escape their gaze inside their domain if they truly wished to know.

But that was not the reason Sora was frowning. She knew from her parents that they wanted to capture him for a matter related to Kaden’s brother.

A matter that strangely concerned her. Something very important for her future if she wanted to reach a higher stage.

"An artifact... a Warborn stole an artifact from us?" Sora frowned at the thought.

She didn’t know much about the Warborns, but they were known for their straightforward attitude.

A person like that... stealing from them?

It was hard to believe.

But when her mind drifted to Kaden and how he had acted with her, she clicked her tongue in irritation.

"Yes. They can definitely steal," she concluded, and stopped at that.

In any case, their fate was sealed. Because no one could escape the Celestial Empire if it wished to capture you.

Not even the Warborns.

And that meant only one thing—

’I will soon get hold of that bastard. But first, I have to make sure he won’t say anything to my parents about me singing if he gets caught,’ Sora thought inwardly, her mind already searching for ways to solve this.

After some time, tired and stressed by it all, she decided to go back to the golden castle in the Forest of Eternal Sunshine.

’Sing... I want to sing...’

’...and I think I’m ready to create my own song, right?’

At this thought, all stress and hardship vanished from her mind as Sora became excited and eager to write her own song and sing it.

It was addicting.

It was just like how a seasoned reader would feel when finally about to start their journey into writing.

A special feeling.

A wondrous one, even.

One... everyone should — at least — try once.

—End of Chapter 157—