Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"All right, you won… you can call me a weakling as well," Rain said and then raised his arms. "Everyone wants that privilege, right?"

Terra ignored that and then charged to attack Rain's stomach again, but the giant ice palm stopped her. It seems that Rain wasn't going to solve that with words alone. After a long sigh, Rain couldn't help but accept his fate…he canceled the giant ice palm and then assumed his fighting stance.

Without hesitation, Terra charged and then punched Rain, who blocked the attack with his left forearm… the attack pushed Rain away and when he had the chance to look at it, he saw that there was a mark of a fist there. That hurt a bit… After shaking his arm for a bit, Rain assumed his fighting stance again.

The same thing happened again, and Rain blocked the next punch with his other arm. The same thing repeated itself hundreds of times… one couldn't help but wonder how Rain endured all that… It was simple. He suffered the pain, but the damage didn't last. The previous punch in his stomach didn't make him cough even a bit of blood.

Terra had become a superb healer to the point that she could heal all the damage that she had caused instantly as well.

As Terra continued to assault Rain with her fists, a moment of clarity seemed to emerge amidst the chaos. Gradually, the familiar light of recognition returned to her eyes, dispelling the clouded and aggressive state she had been in. In that fleeting instant, it was as if a glimmer of understanding broke through the intense emotions that had consumed her.

The relentless barrage of punches slowly lost its vigor as Terra's gaze softened, revealing a mix of anguish and sorrow. Tears welled up in her eyes, trickling down her cheeks. At first, the tears flowed slowly, almost hesitantly, but soon, their pace quickened, streaming down her face in a torrential cascade.

In that moment, as her fists weakened and her tears flowed freely, Terra's emotions appeared to overflow, revealing the depth of her inner turmoil and pain. Her outpouring of tears seemed to mirror the storm of emotions that had gripped her, signaling a release of pent-up anguish, regret, and grief that had been building within her. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"You are late! You idiot!" Terra said while sobbing on Rain's chest.

"Sorry… I am truly sorry," Rain said while patting Terra's head.

"Do you have any idea how much we waited? How hard it was to have faith for one hundred years?" Terra asked while hitting his chest slightly.

"... I couldn't even imagine," Rain said.

In that emotional moment with Terra, Rain experienced a new realization. He came to understand the depth of his own suffering but also acknowledged that his pain wasn't the only one. Witnessing Terra's anguish and realizing the depth of emotions that others might have gone through during his absence, Rain recognized his own self-centered egotistic nature.

He understood that while he had endured his own struggles and hardships, others, including his family and friends, had experienced their own profound levels of pain, sorrow, and despair in his absence. Rain began to comprehend that their suffering, borne in their physical bodies and emotional turmoil, surpassed his own in its depth and impact.

Reflecting on this, Rain started to see his own suffering in a different light, realizing that in the grand scheme of things, his personal struggles paled in comparison to the immense pain and difficulties faced by those he cared about. This understanding humbled him and prompted a shift in his perspective toward a more empathetic and compassionate outlook.

"Let's leave this place… after that, I will apologize to everyone as much as they need," Rain said when he sensed the beast queen's bloodlust rising in the atmosphere.

As Rain and Terra shared that emotional moment, the sheer exhaustion of her physical and emotional outpouring overtook her. Her body, drained by the intense turmoil and pent-up emotions, succumbed to fatigue, causing her to collapse into Rain's arms.

In that instant, with Terra resting against him, Rain decided to move. Realizing that Terra needed rest and recovery, Rain carefully lifted her and began to levitate, carrying her weightlessly in his arms.

With Terra nestled in his embrace, Rain swiftly navigated through the dungeon, his sole focus directed toward reaching the exit. His determination to bring Terra to safety was evident as he swiftly maneuvered through the challenges of the dungeon, completely smashing the monsters that tried to get in his way.

Two hours later, they reached the end of the dungeon, and then Rain wondered what he should do… there was nothing around, and he wanted to ask Terra where he could find the others, his parents, his sisters, his kids… In the end, he created a shelter made out of earth magic in front of the dungeon. The temperature was just right, thanks to the cold of the storm and the heat of the dungeon.

After he put Terra on an earth bed, Rain realized that despite the fact that she remained in that hellhole for a while, she still looked clean. A bit messy but clean… probably because she learned his technique to get rid of the dirt and dead cells by transpiring water through his pores.

After reuniting with Terra and experiencing the vast discrepancy in their strengths, Rain's emotions were a mixture of relief and determination. Despite the joy of finding her, the glaring gap in their abilities served as a clear reminder of the arduous journey ahead. Acknowledging this, Rain found a moment to meditate, centering himself amidst the thoughts whirling in his mind.

As he meditated, Rain focused on honing and leveling up his skills. Through introspection, he evaluated the next steps necessary to enhance his strength. Contemplating the daunting task ahead, he plotted a course of action, mapping out strategies to improve his abilities, augment his skills, and increase his overall power.

"I need to reach them and eventually surpass them…" Rain thought. "I can't protect them while being weak."