Vast Ocean
Three days later.
Fan Lin was looking at the two of them. He felt ashamed and weak once again. He felt that he was useless even though he had the strength to be stronger than anyone else in the world.
He had already taken care of all the human forces. He didn't kill them but just destroyed all the armouries and equipments.
If he did kill now then he would be a hypocrite. He himself said that he would not harm innocents and he himself was going to destroy a city with more than 15 million people in it.
Rage really makes a person blind to the obvious. He could have just killed Qiangu Dongfeng a long time ago. He should have...
"Don't worry bro, I am fine, the Deep Seahorse king is also fine. We will be able to exert our full strength in just a few days. Don't make a sad face like that 🥺."
"Exactly whom did you learn to act cute like that from."
"From the prison guard. She was asking for something from the other prison guard and then they went to a corner and started striping and stroking and making all those weird noises. It was funny to watch."
"...(?・・)σ hmm; So that's why the Barracuda Queen is that far away from you."
"Did I do something bad?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Then what was that thing that the humans were doing?"
"Nothing. It was also nothing at all. They must be trying some training techniques specific to humans. Who knows?"
"Have you also done that bro?"
"Deep Seahorse king, how did you guys get in the grasp of humans?"
"Oh, I will tell bro, a strong human who can control ocean suddenly came and captured us. It was three to four days after you came to deliver the energy cube as a gift."
"Ohh, were you fine? Did the humans do anything to you, like casting some kind of bind or curse or machinery."
"No, there was none of that Fan Lin. The only purpose of that human was to use us as a bait and lure you into the trap or to use us as a way to force you. He would have casted a bind or curse on us in case you were dead though. The only reason why he did not do that was because he was scared of you."
"Ok. They will not try this thing again and if they do then I won't mind becoming a little selfish for my sake. "
"Bro, how was your time in the Extreme North? You look happier than before, as if you finally found your purpose or something."
"Am I? Well I did see my dream becoming a reality. A world where everyone is born free. Everyone only contained Soul beasts though."
"Then congratulations to your achievements bro. I know that you will succeed."
"Thanks."
This was the conversation happening between the Octopus King and Fan Lin while the Deep Seahorse king was also getting a few words of its own between them.
They were currently in the Boundless Ocean and all of them were under 20,000 metres below the sea level. They were talking about random stuff with different things in mind.
The Octopus King felt like he was weak and he let down Fan Lin even after Fan Lin gave him so many of the special spirit fruits and herbs which he hadn't used till now. He wanted to prove that he was worthy of Fan Lin's praise.
The Deep Seahorse king was feeling sorrow and self-loathing. It was the one that sent Fan Lin to the Extreme North and that was the reason that the humans dared to attack them. It now knew of the extent of the fear that the humans felt for Fan Lin and it felt a little stupid.
Fan Lin was their lucky charm and human repellent, till the time he was there, no human would even think of trying to get near them. In a sense, Fan Lin was the one that was protecting them from the humans and other dangers and it sent Fan Lin to the Extreme North.
The Extreme North prospered but they were captured. Is that karma?
Fan Lin was the one who thought that he let down his responsibilities because he was too hasty to become a god. Too hasty that he missed many things that were happening around him.
Be it his school life or his personal life. He didn't have a single person that he could fully trust until a year ago and he also ignored them due to his desire, his greed.
'Isn't that how Di Tian lost the soul beasts to the humans?'
Fan Lin internally debated. He was right, too. Di Tian also wanted to become a god and have a divine realm and on his desire, he didn't care about the other things, before he knew it, humans have taken most of the things around him.
"I am not the same as him but would me saying it change anything... It won't. I have neglected a lot of things due to my thinking. Be it her or my guard mates or my friends or family in there or people in this life. This world isn't rotten to its core. Only a small part of it is bad, the other part is still pure and untainted. I could have made a acquaintances or maybe friends with many of them. Huh( smiles) I haven't met Xing Mo's relatives till now. I also haven't grown any plants in Wulin's former, my new house. Let's do it one by one."
Fan Lin whispered to himself. Oblivious to himself, everyday he was changing to his former self, not to the Gloomy forest but the self that foolishly went to help a woman in need and got knocked out instead.
He was like a rock that was being sculpted, each stroke, each strike was perfecting the sculpture. He too was changing slowly like that.
To smile, to laugh and to become happy and cheerful. To always be like that. To be always like that.
Many things led to this, many more will continue to as well. He met Octopus King and he met Huo Yun...
"Haah."
He finally realised it. He was wrong all along. He had choices in every part of his life... lots of them as well.
He had learned to make medicine far before he started to make poisons. He could have made medicine in this world along with poison for emergencies.
He could have sold medicine, earned money from that.
If he can make poisons than can harm even Soul Douluos then he could have also made medicine to heal them as well. He could have made concoction and medicine for his body. Spirit herbs would have been a great addition to his expertise.
He didn't need to full on massacre just to earn money. He had thousands of ways yo do just that. He could have sold medicines, he could have opened a small shop of his own. He could have auctioned his medication to many places.
He didn't need to be alone. He could have stopped Qiangu Dongfeng as the mysterious gang would have never existed to begin with.
He should have opened up to the surroundings. He should have opened up to his classmates or teachers in Shrek or even Tang Sect or Spirit Pagoda.
He could have hundreds of ways to stop the destruction of Shrek. He could have changed Qiangu Dongfeng's mind or he could have plotted with Leng Yaozhu and got him fired from his position.
He could have...
If he had just opened up to them, to any of them, be it Shrek Academy or Tang Sect, they would have listened to him and did something about the destruction plan or ...
...
...
...
Maybe he would have been like Wulin too, surrounded by people who trust and believe in him.
It was enviable.
Fan Lin stared towards the skies.
Infinite possibilities were present before him. All of those that he never thought or looked towards. His mind was full of all the things that he could have done instead of the stupid things that he did.
"I am a fool, you gave me the right name Captain, I am the Gloomy forest, I make my surroundings Gloomy on my own. Even though the sun was shining, the birds chirping and the animals roaming, I was the only one that felt like being sad."
Fan Lin said towards the sky. The water around him was still unable to hide the tears falling from his eyes.
He was repenting till now. He was just blaming the world and taking his anger on it.
The Planar Ruler was also right in its decision as Fan Lin or should we say Surya Jayavardhan would really have destroyed the world if the Planar Ruler didn't intervene.
The Planar Ruler intervened, it caused him to not able to increase his strength, he hid in the Vast Ocean, met the Octopus King and took the first step. He opened up to a soul beast. All the emotions that were hidden underneath came rushing yet they were stopped time and time again.
In the meantime, he met different people, fake god artifact's and all those weird things.
Then he went to the Deep North. Met Huo Yun and finally able to take the second step.
To not control and detain his emotions. In the Deep North, he finally started to change and accept things and finally during the clash in the Bright City stadium.
He met Know it all. He was not that happy to meet him but what he was happy were the memory fragments of all the others of his rag tag group except one. He missed him.
That was the final step.
He was finally able to think straight, not like some cult freak but like a person who can think rationally while still retaining the emotional side.
He was Fan Lin. The former member of _______. He will still adhere to the rules and regulations of his organisation.
For now, he needs to fulfill many things and to also take some stupid revenge. Just because the Planar Ruler was right doesn't mean that it can look down on him.
It really does not mean that.