Kallen slowly raised his head and looked up.
Facing the golden-armored warrior who was trying to assassinate him with the power of a Divine Artifact, he smiled.
For a very long time-no, to be precise, ever since he had opened his eyes and first seen this world-he had felt deeply insecure.
He was like a toddler trying to climb out of a crib, his upper body on the bed and his lower body hanging outside, his toes constantly reaching down in search of somewhere suitable to land, yet never touching anything.
That feeling of hanging in midair was frightening, and being stuck halfway was even more agonizing.
He had once told his grandfather, "The world outside might be wonderful. I want to go and see it." When he said that, he had believed his grandfather and this home would always be there, waiting for him to return. Who could have expected his grandfather to fall into slumber, leaving him to be "driven" out like this?
And the home he cherished had now become a taboo he could neither return to nor even mention publicly.
He had made his way here in trepidation. Looking back, he could almost still see himself sitting beside the bathtub, scorching his soul with the flame of light, and feel the pain of "weaving" his body anew within that pool of pollutants in the underground tunnel.
Although what he possessed now was still not enough, nowhere near enough, he had at least reached a certain height, and at that height was a platform. His feet could finally feel solid ground. Whether he looked up or down, he felt somewhat more secure.
If he voiced these feelings, probably very few people would truly understand. They might even think he was simply finding another way to show off.