Just by looking at them, Arthur could feel the wide range of emotions that were cycling through the minds of his "friends" and teammates. The combat uses of Emotion Laws at the early stages were quite low, especially in comparison to Wood Laws, but in terms of usefulness outside of battle....
It was an extremely valuable asset for Fae Masters.
A Fae Master could only comprehend three different Laws in their entire lifetime. Three Law Images within three Origin Essence Seas. The advantage of Sovereign Boundary Physiques, which possessed a single Law image with two Attributes, was by far the greatest boon a Fae Master could possibly have.
Glancing at Nyssa and Parvan, he could feel "worry" and "slight jealousy" coming from the two respectively.
It was obvious that Nyssa was feeling slightly worried about Arthur, seeing that some of the others had had the seeds of distrust sowed within their minds, the young woman was naturally concerned about the future relationships of her loved one and their friends.
Parvan on the other hand-.
'He feels slightly inferior? Or perhaps jealous that I was "selected" as the next Boundless Forest Yearning wielder?....'.
That was the natural conclusion that most people would come to. Considering that only thirty three people at any given moment in time can possess a Sovereign Boundary Physique, and that the number of Humans within Human Heaven exceeded a hundred billion, their chance of a person awakening such a Physique would be....
Infinitesimally small.
Not to mention, that the population of Humanity within the entire Thirty Three Heavens was.... uncountable. Other than perhaps the Grave Race, or the spirit beasts, Humanity was the most plentiful Race within the Thirty Three Heavens.
"I'm sure that you all have questions. But before we get into the specifics, please understand something. Both my Father and Elder Vova knew about the fact that I awakened the Boundless Forest Yearning. After I left the inside of the Monster, they saw the Law Image within my Origin Essence Sea. They requested that I keep it a secret from everyone. Not even Dominic, Chensa or my Mother knew about it".
Arthur paused for a moment, letting out a long sigh.
"Sovereign Boundary Physiques choose their hosts randomly, and the criteria for selecting a host is completely non-existent. I don't know why or how I was chosen, and as much as I'd like to say that it was Andrea who helped pick me, I can't say that with absolute confidence".
"They both said that I shouldn't tell anyone, at least until we leave the Winter Rain Mountains. After that, I should change my name and then find the other half of this Wolf Medallion my Father gave me. With a Sovereign Boundary Physique in addition to this, I would be accepted practically anywhere, and there would be no connection between a tiny Clan in the middle of nowhere, and the next Boundless Forest Yearning".
"They said that I should only come back, once I either become a Rank 5 Fae Master, or if I ever succeed in Ascension and become a Fae Immortal. The false-Bloodline of a Rank 5 Fae Master is much worse than a proper Bloodline, but its connection to the Boundless Forest Yearning would allow our Clan to grow and become prosperous".
Arthur clenched his fist tightly, causing the skin to become white and a faint cracking sound to echo throughout the area.
"But now that the Kovacs Clan is gone.... things had to change".
Arthur glanced at the other nine Fae Masters, his expression tranquil and his breathing slow. For a single moment, in the eyes of Nyssa, Parvan, Henrik, Milena and the others, Arthur seemed.... tired.
His expression made it seem as though he was much older than what he actually looked like, and his posture was slightly hunched. Not too much, but enough to make a noticeable difference.
The seventeen year old brushed his green hair back, his eyes clear with perfect clarity as he shrugged his shoulders and made a gesture.
"That's just what I wanted to say beforehand. I understand that you all feel upset, possibly even betrayed that I didn't tell you all but.... yeah, that's everything".
"If you still want to leave after we reach White Corpse City then I understand. Maybe even join the White Dominion Sect at their next annual Fae Master recruitment? You could travel the Azure Envy Continent, visit the other Fae Grounds that exist here, or even go adventuring and try your hand at exploring ancient ruins while looking for forgotten Inheritances. Your destiny is completely in your hands right now....".
Arthur leaned back against one of the carriages, letting out a huge sigh as he gently closed his eyes. He could feel the differing emotions within every single one of them, but surprisingly, the first one to speak was-.
"Fuck.... I can't believe that I was jealous of you....".
Parvan chuckled, showing a self-depreciating smile as he just lightly shook his head.
Arthur could feel foolishness sprouting within Parvan's mind, in addition to a small amount of jealousy. Arthur couldn't discern specific emotions, only ones that existed on the surface of a persons mind, but he could amplify the emotions of what Parvan was currently feeling right now.
He wouldn't try and amplify his jealous and with his current attainment of Emotion Laws, only targeting "foolishness" wouldn't be possible.
The second level of Emotion Laws allowed Arthur to use the first level to such a degree of finesse.
Parvan turned towards Arthur, still shaking his head.
"I know that its unreasonable. You have had a lot on your plate this last year or so, and that being the possessor of the Boundless Forest Yearning is something I can understand keeping secret. In fact, I don't particularly care that you kept it from us anymore. I just can't help but feel.... slightly inferior to you Arthur. Your strength, your perception, your comprehension, the only thing I thought I could match you in was in terms of talent. But now....".
Eric, who was abnormally sober right now, nodded as well.
"It's like we reached the top of a mountain, only to realise that there was another one behind it all along. One whose peak pierced the clouds, reaching heights we originally thought were.... impossible....".
Helga and Zlatanna glanced at Eric, slightly surprised by the metaphor.
The sixteen year old young man just shrugged his shoulders, taking out a bottle of wine from his Storage Fae, and sipping on it slowly. It was a relatively expensive wine from the Empty Region they had passed through, and its taste was quite exquisite.
Milena and Iryna nodded as well.
"I always thought that I could create some sort of Corpse that could defeat you Arthur. It's not an understatement to say that you are a genius when it comes to fighting, but now that you possess a Sovereign Boundary Physique, so long as you have enough time, the bare minimum cultivation you'll reach is Rank 5. Our collective talents, might help us to reach Rank 4 if we are lucky....".
Arthur opened his eyes, peering at them slightly.
He opened his mouth to speak, but paused for a moment smiling gently.
"So you all still want to become strong then? Strong enough to even rival a Sovereign Boundary Physique?".
All of them, without question nodded vigorously. The resolute expressions on their faces matched the firmness of will within their minds.
If it was one thing they all knew, it was that strength was the only thing they could rely on in this world. Fae Master Tournaments.... Beast Tides.... Monster and mutants.... the destruction of their entire Village.... the deaths of all their friends and family....
They could've stopped it all if they had more strength!
Arthur nodded slowly, hiding a grin behind his calm persona.
"The only thing I can ask you to do, is keep following me then. I don't have the right to force you all to follow me, not after everything we've all been through. But if you'll have me, I lead you all to the apex of this World".
The demon had finally pulled out his contract, and these unknowing Fae Masters, had just signed the dotted line.
Things were finally starting to seem.... interesting.