No matter how much you satisfy a man's needs, it is impossible to satisfy his greed. However, this seemingly repulsive attribute of a man makes the world progress. This never-ending thirst for "wanting more" is what drives humans in their quest for fulfillment.

The planet of Zar'Goth has experienced tremendous changes over the years. The advent of prana, a mysterious energy flow capable of strengthening body and spirit, changed the perception of power and wealth. The ability to transcend the limits of the human body to achieve enlightenment to prolong our lives is a fatal attraction to many.

One can imagine what this meant to humans. Humanity found its ultimate calling: people embarked on a quest for immortality. However, very few people knew what this power represented and the responsibilities that come with it. At the end of the day, while humans still live in ignorance, the advent of prana opened the door to a whole new reality.

The academy of judgment is one of the 5 major academies of thought. They recruit students from all around the world to start their journey of cultivation at the age of 16. In a world full of geniuses, many strive to fulfill the expectations others place on them, rather than trying to achieve their own goals.

Rhys Adler was the same: he wanted to make his grandfather proud. Since he was a child, Rhys knew that he was different from others; he always felt like an outsider. He never understood his purpose in life, but making his grandfather proud seemed rather fulfilling to him.

Nevertheless, sometimes all it takes is a small incident to turn your life upside down.

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Rhys never knew his parents. To be precise, his memories of his childhood are all blurry. Since the day he became aware of his surroundings, his grandfather was the only one he knew. They lived a simple life in the city of Hestin. Hestin is a small city in the western part of the continent.

The world united after the advent of prana to facilitate monitoring cultivators. The federation of Zar'Goth oversees the planet and restricts cultivators from killing wantonly. It is the reason the law has some meaning in this new world.

Rhys's grandfather is a retired soldier living on his pension and a house provided by the federation. Rhys was a bright child since his childhood. At the age of 16, the academy of judgment recruited Rhys to pursue cultivation. Until the age of 17, he was one of the best students to have reached the middle stage of the body tempering realm along with his swordsmanship at the unity realm. He happened to be a genius.

However, this beautiful reality collapsed one day. Rhys's grandpa had died from a chronic illness suffered due to years of over exhaustion and injuries afflicted during the war.

The academy of judgment is in the city of Jupiter in the south of the federation. Hestin is a western city, far from Jupiter. The journey was long and made him reflect on the fragility of life.

His grandfather was all the family he had. They depended on each other to survive. Rhys could never imagine a day without his pillar of support in this unfamiliar world.

Rhys reached Hestin by the afternoon and went directly to the hospital.

Rhys is a handsome young man with a cold exterior. He was never the one to socialize and make friends. To him, his grandfather was all that mattered in this world. Rhys started tearing up as he looked at the frail old man lying peacefully on the hospital bed. He seemed to realize that he lost his only intimate connection to the world.

Rhys stood in a daze during the entire funeral. He was not paying attention to others or people consoling him. His grandfather's death made him realize the feeling of loneliness. Every kid craves parental love, his grandpa's existence filled at least a few of his cravings.

After the funeral, he stayed looking at his grandfather's grave until midnight. Slowly he made his way to the apartment. They lived in a 2-bedroom apartment near the outskirts of the city. It was not luxurious, but it was enough for both.

As Rhys made his way to the apartment, he could hear someone shouting from the apartment right opposite to theirs. Then, he remembered something that made him smile a little. In one of their conversations, his grandfather told him about how the lady living opposite their apartment kicked her husband out for flirting with a co-worker. You might think it was an overreaction, but can you blame her when she realized that it was a man. Rhys stood in front of his door with a small smile on his face.

As he opened the door, it started creaking due to rust. He could see that the door was unused for a long time. Looking at the familiar yet distant hall, he started reminiscing about life with his grandfather.

He was a strict man, something you would expect from a soldier. He taught everything that a man needs to know to survive in this world. Rhys could tell that he has been through many things in his life, but he never revealed any details. His grandpa prepared him to face many challenges in life. When he knew that Rhys had a talent for cultivation, Rhys could feel that his grandfather's emotions were rather complicated than happy. Yet, he never stopped him from cultivating.

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Rhys happened to pass by his grandfather's study on the way to his room. He could see a neatly folded paper on his desk: a letter with "to Rhys" written on it. For some unknown reason, Rhys's heart started beating very fast. He slowly opened the neatly folded letter.

"Hey, Rhys,

If by any chance you are reading this letter, I should be dead by now. I lived a rather fulfilling life with you and my comrades in it. It pains me to leave you alone, but I am happy that I get to meet my friends in the other world. Rhys, I know that you have always been distant and disconnected from others around you. However, I know that you have a kind heart and care for others. I do not know if you will blame me after reading the rest of my letter, but I want you to know that I have always loved you.

After my retirement, I did not know what to do with my life. My entire squad had died during the war. You might be thinking about which war when humanity is ushering in a period of peace. Well, I cannot divulge these secrets, but you will get to know more of these secrets as you continue cultivating. One day, I visited the Idoshire forest in the south of the continent. As I made my way into the forest, I saw a 5 to 7-year-old boy sleeping inside a tree trunk with a blanket wrapped around him and a pendant hanging from his neck. The boy was sleeping peacefully and looked sedated. As I took him into my arms, I saw something written on the blanket: Rhys Adler. Yes, I found you in a tree trunk. When you woke up, your gaze was blank and a little lost. To this day, I smile when I remember that moment. As time went by, we started depending on each other: I found a reason to continue living. I knew that I would have to tell you someday, but I kept on delaying it as I feared your reaction.

Rhys, my grandson, you will always be my only real family. You were the pride of my life. I cannot tell you how to live your life, but I hope that you will find your purpose and happiness in this life just like I found you.

Goodbye, my grandson, I hope you live a happy and fulfilling life.

With love,

Anthony Wraso (my real name)

Captain of the 13th squad, 3rd void domain"

As Rhys finished reading the letter, he found it hard to express his emotions. However, he would never blame his grandfather: he's the only one who ever cared for him.

Rhys could see a pink cloth and a weird pendant on the desk. The pink cloth was very soft and comfortable, and he noticed his name sewn on it with some unknown material. After Rhys put the blanket aside, he started looking at the pendant. The pendant was made from some unknown material and seemed rather ancient.

He could see some mysterious lines across its surface, all he could make out was a symbol resembling a vast sky full of stars interconnected with some dotted lines. While looking at it, he could feel his inner consciousness trembling: he longed for it. It took Rhys some time to free himself. Rhys recalled hearing about some artifacts that could charm and control others. Yet, he strangely felt connected to the pendant.

He accepted that life is full of ups and downs, but he realized that it takes quite a toll on you psychologically. As for whether Rhys can find his happiness like his grandfather, he did not know because Rhys found it hard to integrate into human society. It is hard to put this sentiment into words, but he always felt distant from other humans except for his grandfather.

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The past year has been hard on Rhys. He found himself without a purpose. Like his grandfather said, he was still searching for his calling in life.

Rhys did not have any motivation to continue cultivating. Before, he was rather excited to talk to his grandpa about his accomplishments. However, nothing excited him anymore.

The reality seems even crueler when he realized that he would have to spend his 18th birthday all by himself. Rhys still remembers the days when his grandpa used to get drunk and lament about Rhys getting older. Now, those days seem like nothing but a fleeting moment of happiness.

After the classes, he made his way over to the dorms.

"Hey, Rhys wait for me," someone shouted.

Conor is the only one in their class who tries talking to him even though Rhys made it clear that he did not want to talk to him. He made himself Rhys's only friend.

Rhys looked back at him but said nothing. He just resumed walking.

"Rhys, what are you going to do today?"

Conor lived in optimism and seemed to enjoy every moment of his life. He happened to be the opposite of Rhys.

"Nothing."

Then, Rhys picked up his pace and left for the men's dormitory.

"Rhys, Rhys, wait for me."

Rhys could hear Conor screaming. However, he just kept on walking.

Rhys found it hard to blend in with others. He never understood if it was his fault for not putting in the effort or if they were just different from him.

His room had a simple decor with a bed, a study table, and a cupboard. The entire dormitory had a Prana gathering formation to help students cultivate.

Rhys lied down on his bed to get some sleep: he looked like he just wanted to escape from reality. However, he found it hard to sleep, so he stayed wide awake until midnight.

When he looked outside through the window, he happened to notice a light drifting across the sky. For some reason, he wished to be that light, escape from everything, and go on an exciting ride along the starry sky.

At midnight, his room started glowing for some reason. He got up to see what is causing this and realized that his pink blanket was glowing. Rhys always kept the blanket close to him. One might think that he would not care about his parents for abandoning him, but for some reason, Rhys found it hard to let go of his past, it hurt him whenever he thought of throwing away the blanket. As he opened it, he realized that the weird pendant was glowing. Rhys could see that the mysterious lines on the surface were all glowing like the stars in the sky. For some reason, he felt like every cell in his body was alive and excited.

Suddenly, the pendant shattered with a mysterious sphere taking its place. Rhys felt a force pulling him inside: he found it extremely hard to resist. Rhys took the blanket with him before getting sucked inside the portal.

While all of this was happening, he thought of something his grandpa said in his letter.

"… I hope you find your purpose and happiness in this life…"