An Illusion of Will

Chapter 66: Prison Days

Time passed on Cesar, and Jin, Agnethe, and Cesar found jobs to fill their days. Yet, there was a persistent void due to the absence of Al, one of their own.

At night, Ellie concealed herself and one of the other three, embarking on covert missions to locate Al. Meanwhile, Al himself strived to seize a way to contact Kesha, who remained unaware of his presence.

Al shared his quarters with Benjamin, a fellow captive whose reputation among cultivators was tarnished. Many perceived him as a kiss-ass and a traitor.

Nonetheless, Al remained indifferent to the opinions of others. He found himself drawn to Benjamin's unconventional teachings, which urged him to see the world from a completely different perspective.

"Look closely, they are lost without their etheric shells. If they only knew that an etheric shell is simply the husk of their overgrown Will, they wouldn't be so attached to it." Benjamin advised, his gaze sweeping across the imprisoned cultivators. Some were engrossed in games of basketball, while others focused on weightlifting. None of them were focused on cultivation.

Al, searching for guidance, ventured a question, "But, Senior, without our etheric shells, how can we free ourselves?"

Benjamin responded with a hint of disappointment, shaking his head slightly. "What's the difference between a cave and a jail cell to a cultivator? We cultivate our Will through the Dao which is everywhere and in everything. Iron bars or rock walls make no difference to us. I am free so long as I am..."

Al absorbed Benjamin's cryptic words, not immediately grasping their full meaning.

"Don't lend an ear to this old geezer!" A fellow inmate chimed in as he strolled over and took a seat beside Al. "This coward's all about defending those idiotic cults. By the way, names Viktor. I heard you've been on the hunt for a way to contact your cultivation partner."

Al's cheeks tinged with a hint of embarrassment before he replied, "We're just friends, but yeah, her name's Kesha Ambrose. If there's any way you could assist me, I'd be grateful."

Viktor grinned, his nod punctuating his words. "Sure thing, I can get you connected with her. Jot down whatever you want to convey, and when we're back from the yard next time, hand it over to me. Only catch is, I'll need a little favor from you in return."

Al raised an intrigued eyebrow, prompting him to ask, "And what might that entail?"

"Nothing to sweat about right now. We'll fill you in. Meanwhile, I'd like you to meet our mentor," Viktor proposed.

Al rose from his spot and accompanied Viktor, leaving Benjamin to meditate in peace. In a corner where some inmates engaged in a basketball match, a towering figure loomed. He appeared notably younger compared to the other imprisoned cultivators, Al included.

As Al walked alongside Viktor, who had struck a deal with him, he eventually departed, leaving Al to converse with the enigmatic youthful looking man.

"My name is Avilius Cato. I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time with young Benjamin," the seemingly youthful man remarked, piquing Al's curiosity.

Al, genuinely intrigued, responded, "Senior, Benjamin is almost 200 hundred years old he possesses profound knowledge about cultivation. Since you refer to him as 'young,' may I ask how old you yourself might be?"

A sly smirk curled on Avilius's lips at Al's reverence for Benjamin. "What he knows about cultivation will lead you astray, as it has led him astray. I should know; I entered the Immortal Chasm centuries ago and have seen many like him lose themselves in false teachings."

While Al didn't doubt Avilius's claim of his age and high cultivation, he struggled to see where Benjamin had faltered in his teachings.

Avilius, as if sensing Al's thoughts, shifted his focus to a small building beyond the prison yard. Without pointing, he revealed, "They store our etheric shells in that building. They're attempting to study what they perceive as 'dark magic,' though they are all mere pawns of the Light Acolytes. Almost a thousand years ago, we could have extinguished their influence, but we chose not to..."