56 Zebra's Dao; Regret

The bolts of lightning fell to the earth far below the mountain, wreaking havoc on the landscape. Multiple wild animals and beasts were sent running, scared silly despite their massive size.

When Cyrus looked to the sky again, he saw that the clouds had all gone. All that remained was a clear night sky, devoid of the endless downpour of snow. It was still a bit cold, but there was a large difference in the temperature that made Cyrus relax.

Zebra was standing tall, still breathing a bit oddly, but much better than before. It seemed that, after that release of power, his body had started to warm up. After all, he had been 'chilling out' in that pile of snow. Cyrus saw him in a new, excellent light, and quickly flashed a smile.

"So ...Zebra, was it? Awesome name! I happen to really like zebras- and the way they taste ...er... um..." Cyrus only then realized that he might offend Zebra by saying this, and so he stopped in order to gauge his reaction.

Zebra had not yet looked away from his handiwork in the sky, so Cyrus was sure he was in the clear.

"Anyway, about that fighting stuff, I was just kidding- you know? Heh heh heh..."

Zebra finally shifted his gaze from the clear night sky. In the moonlight, the dark shadows around his eyes seemed less intimidating and enabled Cyrus to fear him just a little less.

"Your thoughts ...are noisy again," Zebra grinned, "calm down, Cyrus." With his unique mouth, a grin was most unsettling. Even so, Cyrus found comfort in that grin and was able to calm down somewhat.

"You mentioned Dao earlier. Are you hear to speak with me? To learn?" Zebra seemed completely serious- even more so than usual. His eyes were dead set on Cyrus', causing the boy to instinctively put some distance between them.

"I am. I am here in search of my own Dao; my master sent me."

Zebra took a breath as he nodded, then stretched a bit. With every movement, he brandished the deadly weapons that were his muscly limbs and left Cyrus in both amazement and terror. The image of Zebra using his voice to conjure thunder and blast away the weather was eye-opening-- to say the least.

"What do you know of the Infinite Expanses, Cyrus?"

Wide-eyes, Cyrus sat on a mound of snow and said, "I've heard only a little in rumors and stuff..."

"The Infinite Expanses," Zebra stopped stretching and sat down, folding his arms and shutting his eyes. All natural sound atop the mountain suddenly quietened, making his voice more loud and clear than anything else.

"That is how the Sovereign Gods referred to space at the center of the Omniverse. It is the place that holds all multiverses. We- you and I- are from the multiverse known as 'Mythos Mysterium.' It houses an almost endless number of realities, some of which you cannot even imagine."

"I am from one of those realities. A place where power abounds in the food we eat. The stronger the food, the greater the benefit- and so we all sought the best meals we could find. I was amongst those that searched even further than most others. We traversed the stars and explored the bounds of our reality, wreaking havoc and consuming untold powers along the way. I was the first to find a trace of the divine; a type of food we could only call 'God.' My power grew, and so did my potential."

"Sadly, my vision did not." Cyrus saw Zebra fall into a state of melancholy, but it was far too brief for him to notice anything much.

"I grew too powerful. Powerful enough to sense the realms that existed beyond my universe, and powerful enough to break free of it and travel beyond. I fought hard, long battles everyday, and found new sources of power that I could use to bolster my own strength."

"I got cocky."

From here, Zebra recounted the details of some of his most horrifying moments.

Cyrus focused entirely on his words and the pictures they painted, reeling in shock from some of the things he heard. Zebra had come across terrifying figures, beings capable of wiping out universes with the least amount of effort and monsters with the hunger to swallow a multiverse.

His courage was tried and, when it was found lacking, he had no choice but to run at times. Even so, he never allowed himself to stray from what he felt was his path. Though he was from another reality where cultures were vastly different, he still had his own understanding of the 'Dao' even if he didn't call it that.

He dubbed it, the Way of the Voice, and his life was his own personal Dao that was in line with this Way.

"The Way of the Voice relies on every source of strength. Your mind, will, energy and strength needs to superimpose on your voice, and your voice must embody the aspects of those things that fuel it. It must cease to be a voice, and only then will it step upon the Way. Only then is it the Way of the Voice."

Eventually, Zebra talked of his arrival to the Mythical Realm, which was the highest point within Mythos Mysterium. It was the domain of the Ultimate Beings, those dubbed 'Myths' within their universes. They were the absolute powers within the multiverse, hailing from every Void. It was here that Zebra finally came to learn that he was initially from the Seventh Void, which Gluttony also hailed from.

Thanks to a number of people seeing his potential, and also due to the fact that the United Sect accepted everyone with open arms, he joined the number one sect in all the multiverse.

Here, he came to learn of key truths that would greatly benefit his Way of the Voice. He learned of the existence of spiritual power, qi energies and embodied will.

"Of course, I only saw newer and newer ways to empower my Way of the Voice. My one-track-mindedness led me to force all of my potential toward that focal point, and cement my fate without me even realizing."

Zebra clearly lamented the fact that he had done this, but Cyrus could not understand it.

"The Mythical Realm would eventually fall into chaos, and so the United Sect was taken apart, bit by bit, until none of it remained. I was put here to live within this unimaginably large world, alone. My life since then has been nothing but constant searching. To find the greater Way of the Voice, I gave no thought to my safety ...or my sanity."

"However... there is no point... there was no point."

Cyrus frown and sat up straight, "what do you mean 'there was no point?' You got way stronger, didn't you? You no longer had to run away in the face of danger, right? You could stand tall and reclaim your dignity and honor!"

Zebra shifted; Cyrus ceased talking.

Zebra sighed through his teeth, which caused a steady release of steam into the air. Cyrus watched as the hulking figure shifted his sitting position in order to rest his arms on his knees, quiet as a lamb.

"I have always searched for the Way of the Voice; that is why the Raging Voice Demon was born. All my knowledge was used to fuel the one aspect of myself that I deemed superior to all others."

"Like I said ...I got cocky. As much as I hate to admit it... I got cocky."

Zebra gnashed his teeth in rage, "I realized too late that by doing that, I was actually limiting myself. I was driving my potential into a funnel, preventing it from bringing me to a true evolution. Instead, I tethered myself to a single line of Dao, which was the Way of the Voice."

Zebra then took another deep breath and looked at Cyrus, an inquisitive light in his eyes.

"I have to ask, Cyrus, why did you choose to come here? Why did you choose me?"

Thinking back a bit, Cyrus recalled the very first thing that came to his head when he saw the name on the mirror back at the Cloud Dragon's Firmament. He remembered his fight with Ling Jian'er and how he had released a kind of power through his voice. It was enough to convince him that his power was of a kind that could be likened unto that of the Raging Voice Demon.

However, he had also felt the intrigue of his soul, as if his very existence was being called. It was definitely not as powerful as Haogui's calling, but Cyrus had felt it as well.

Cyrus told Zebra his thoughts, and also recounted the details, then Zebra shook his head which the slightest trace of a smile on his face. It seemed derisive, but it also seemed ...relieved.

"The power you wield is nothing like mine. It is something far greater than just the Way of the Voice."

Cyrus body jerked and he sat up straight, "Huh?"

"I neglected the advancement of my spirit, so I do not have much experience walking that path. Even so, I have experienced far too much of what exists on the path leading to the true Way of the Voice. I know that you do not only walk that path, but a number of other paths. Perhaps you were called to me because of my own experience. I had forsaken my future for the sake of advancing in one Way, so I can help guide you."

"Your potential is far greater. You must not limit it ...like I did."

Cyrus and Zebra then began to talk about their individual experiences regarding the Dao and the Way. Zebra shared many more stories, causing Cyrus to laugh at times, then get angry at other times.

Still, he was amazed throughout.

"I was very young when it happened," Cyrus started explaining and Zebra listened closely and attentively.

"My father, Emperor Proud Heaven, Jue Haotian, fears me. I remember the day of my birth very well. I remember the look on his face as he held me- a newborn. I cannot forget it."

"The skies were illuminated with images of glowing golden dragons, mighty and matchless as they slithered freely in the air. He thought it an auspicious sign, and celebrated. However, the images suddenly changed. A tiny white serpent appeared to devour the dragons and take their place in the sky. It, even as the tiniest of them all, became the sole ruler of the skies. It became the proud ruler of the heavens."

"He saw that as a sign that I, his son, would take his place as King. He feared me ever since that day. I was lucky that Heaven blessed me with great mental fortitude so that, even as a child, I was able to be vigilant and recognize the signs. Sadly, as a child, I could do very little."

"That was why I could not warn my mother about the way he glared at her when she wasn't looking. I couldn't tell her to watch her back, and I couldn't stop him from snatching her soul right out of her body."

This was when Cyrus' face contorted in sorrow and pain, and his head fell. He clasped his hands and squeezed them together tightly, fighting the bitterness but losing badly. "I could not stop him ...from taking away her memory..."

"I cannot remember what she looked like... He took her away from me, so that I would hate him for as long as I lived. Then he left me in the wilderness, a helpless child..."

Zebra frowned and said nothing. What could he say? Cyrus' early life- no- entire life, was nothing but horrible.