Seven years passed. 2000 a.d (after Dao's birth) and Lilith with Gray were inseparable. Gray was no longer an immature kid. Instead of entering the teen phase. He was also no longer clumsy like a kid. He became strong and confident.
However, all these years, he hid his powers from everyone except Lilith. The two of them joined the public school. However, Lilith's cultivation talent was so great that she was accepted to one of the most prestigious sects in the world, the Blue Wing sect.
Lilith was still the kind little girl from seven years ago. However, she became powerful as her cultivation increased by leaps and bounds. Her power increased exponentially due to the many cores she absorbed, and with Gray's skill, she gained many other resources like cultivation techniques or pills.
Unlike Gray, who had all the freedom to do whatever he wanted in his free time, Kudo Makoto was constantly pressured by their mother to practice; however, after reaching the elemental realm, he was stuck and couldn't break through anymore.
Lilith visited Gray daily unless the sect gave her missions. During those days, Gray shut himself in his room, watching cartoons, anime, movies or reading books with novels. During the years, Lilith realized how his powers work and noticed that sometimes abilities gained from movies affect his body or surroundings and his personality. So depending on what he watched, he could have turned into a psychopath or a goofball. Therefore she pressured him to promise he would never watch horror movies again.
However, Gray refused and still watched horror movies whenever Lilith was away from the city.
One Friday evening, Gray's family went to the festival. Gray was also invited; however, he refused and got into a fight with his mom. To spite Gray, she turned off the internet in the house, making Gray have nothing but the TV to watch. This made Gray mad, as Lilith was away on the mission, so he had nothing to do except watch old movies.
On this particular day, it rained heavily. The water dripped down from the roof as thunder boomed above. Gray decided it was the perfect time to grab something from the middle of silver lake. It was the bloodstone. A person or a demon can strengthen their body by putting it in the bath.
He knew there wouldn't be many people outside, so he spun and formed a small tornado. After he stopped, he was wearing a raincoat and carrying an umbrella. He walked towards the door but stopped and looked at the umbrella for one moment. He dropped it on the bed and then ran out of the house.
Gray looked around him. His neighborhood was empty, just as he suspected. He stretched a couple of times before starting to run towards the forest. He felt the air and electricity all around him. He loved the tingly feeling that comes with every small electric shock he felt while moving at a super speed. He smiled as he started running as fast as light itself. He felt the energy flow through his veins, almost like it was alive, and he liked that very much. This sensation made him feel excited.
However, the next thing he knew, he was already at his destination, with large rocks at the bottom of the lake and a single wooden bridge across the whole lake. Gray walked toward the middle of the bridge.
Gray was carefully paying attention to his surroundings. He knew what he was about to do, was not something any cultivator could. So unlike his speed, which can be passed as a high cultivation rank, he had to be so careful that no one would see him. After carefully observing the area, he knew no one was around him. He sat down and took out a weird-looking fruit from his pocket. He stared at it for a minute and took a big bite.
"Like in that movie! hehe!~" Gray giggled. As he ate the fruit, he started feeling weird and burning his stomach. He groaned in pain but patiently endured.
"Sorry Lilith, horror movies are my favorites!~"
After eating the fruit, he closed his eyes and waited for changes. Soon, his body turned into a mist, and every inch of the water turned black. The mist continuously produced arms that spread in the lake like a web. Suddenly, one arm grabbed ta weird-looking red stone from the bottom of the lake and pulled it out. The mist started gathering in a single point and soon formed the Gray's body, still holding the red stone. Gray put the stone into his pocket.
"Can I control it the way the villain did in the movie?" Gray wondered. He stood up and looked at his hand once more. He focused, and the hand started turning to a black mist. Once again, within the fog, there slowly showed small hands seemingly trying to grab everything around them.
"Angel fruits are awesome! Can't wait to show this to Lilith!~"
Gray was amazed at his power to turn his body into the nightmare mist, which can bring out the people's worst fears. Or create ghost-like hands. As long as he is focused, the person can shape and expand the mist at his will. Even better, he can travel instantly inside the mist.
"On second thought..." He remembered Lilith would nag him for watching a horror movie, so he decided not to show it to her. "Maybe, I will keep this my little secret."
He continued walking on the bridge and wholly ignored the rain. The water dripped from his body onto the floor, making small puddles around his feet.
He slowly walked towards his home, even though it was about 20 kilometers away from his current place. He wasn't in a rush, as there was nothing to do at home, except for maybe watching some old cartoons on the computer.
When he returned home, it was already past midnight. He checked his phone and saw that his mother had called him over twenty-eight times. Still angry at his mother that she turned off the internet, he decided to pretended that the phone was on silent mode and he wanted to tell her that he had forgotten the phone because it had no internet.
He opened his bedroom door and heard noises coming from downstairs. When he reached the first step, someone yelled at him.
"Where were you, young man?!" His mom yelled as she pointed at the clock.
"It's past midnight! Look at yourself, all soaked!" She then glared at him. "What's going on with you? You become such a troublemaker whenever Lilith is away from the city!"
Gray stared at her in disbelief, as she was not supposed to be home for an entire weekend.
"Mum, why are you here?" Gray nervously asked after realizing his punishment might grow. "You were literally on the other side of the world!"
His mum sighed. "Don't try to change the subject, Gray," she said. "And if you still don't understand, I took a flying sword and returned after maybe the tenth call you ignored!"
Gray often forgot that his mother was actually a powerful cultivator too.
"Oh... Sorry, I was bored without the internet, so I went outside," Grayapologized but continued talking. "Are you going back to the festival?"
"Yes, since you're alive and well, I will be taking my leave." Shiro Makoto answered as she began to pack her things and was about to leave an apartment. But suddenly, she heard a question that startled her.
"Hey, mom? Has your cultivation increased?"
Shiro stopped walking and turned to look at her son, who was staring at her with interest. She raised her eyebrows when she noticed his eyes which were full of joy and admiration.
"Well, yes! I had a breakthrough recently." she nodded proudly. "But how did you notice?"
She knew well that Gray couldn't sense the Ki.
"I don't know," Gray admitted, scratching his head. "I guess it's because you've gotten much prettier."
His mother blushed as she tried hard not to smile. After going to her room and placing the internet back on, she quickly left the apartment and hurried back to the festival. Gray returned to his room and turned on the computer to see the internet back on.
"Hehe!~" he giggled. "Looks like compliments are still her weakness! ~"
He sat on the bed and played with the game console, looking forward to her coming home. He didn't mind being stuck in his room, especially after watching horror movies and watching his favorite cartoon series.
In the meanwhile, Lilith returned to the sect after the successful mission. After checking on her family and friends. Unlike Gray, who continued being a loner, except when she was around, she found herself many friends within the sect who appreciated her talent in cultivation. She went to her room to rest and relax. She was exhausted after fighting two demonic cultivators she had encountered on her last mission to eradicate the monster's nest in the forest.