Azekiel returned to the entrance of the tower, which was still closed for now. He gazed back toward the city once more, which was impossible to see from this place.
The world was completely abandoned, and soon, all the beasts were going to kill each other. The world was nothing now.
"One more world is ruined...." He muttered before pushing the door open.
Following a gentle push from him, the door opened.
He entered the Tower, returning where he started. He was back to Floor Zero, but something was different now. It was as if his personality was slightly more serious yet, at the same time, more lax now. It was as if all the memories he received gave him a better view of the world that he had never received before. It made him mature faster.
The massive doors of the tower opened, which attracted the citizen's attention as well. They all looked in his direction.
Not only did Azekiel leave the tower, but he was also back safely. The world outside was slightly safer for now, and if he wanted, he could've allowed all the people here to leave and live their lives outside. It was unlikely that any more monsters were going to come to the city, but he didn't. The door behind him closed.
Everyone was curious about where Azekiel went or what he did, but none dared to question him. Azekiel was strong enough to kill them with a simple flick of his fingers after all.
They just watched him like he was a god who was walking amongst men.
Azekiel also observed the expressions of all these people, which wasn't surprising. He had seen such expressions many times.
"Everyone is the same. They treat you like a god when you have strength, but treat you like a trash if you don't have strength or anything to offer them," he commented. "You know Raphael; this observation isn't just limited to humans."
"It will apply to almost everyone in this universe, from the strongest species to the Weakest species. Everyone cares about their one benefits first, and then about their family. If they have some time left, then maybe about others which is rarely the case."
"I don't agree," Raphael shook his head. "My people were different. Even though they respected the strong, they never disrespected the weak either. At least not to that extent."
"As the stronger ones, it was our responsibility to protect the weak, not the other way around," he explained. "We weren't superior because we were stronger. Instead, we had to be more responsible if we were stronger."
"If only that were true, but that's just what you see with your bias. The strong always see them as savior. It's nothing new. I'm not saying that everyone is bad, but that's the collective consciousness. Just ask yourself one question."
"Why was only you selected out of all the orphans to be trained? It wasn't because the others cared for the weak. It was because you showed your worth. It was because you showed your talent and made them believe that you could be of use to them. If you didn't have that talent, let alone taking you as a disciple, the old man wouldn't even look at you."
"The weak are often tossed aside. If one wants respect, they must gain that strength first. If they want respect, they must get that respect with their own hands. If it's not taken, it isn't respect but a handout that will always hold you back."
"Though I don't blame you. You saw everything from the perspective of a privileged. You were taken out of the orphanage when you were young. You were taken to a different level, where you forced others to give you respect with your talent, but what about the ones who were left behind?"
"What happened to them? How did they live their life? Do you think they were treated well? They were content with their lives, living at the mercy of others, whereas you chose to carve a path for yourself."
"That's how one must be. Don't wait for a handout; get everything you want with your own hands. Get that strength, and then watch the ones who gave up in their lives treat you like gods!"
"How can you say that these people gave up?" Raphael asked in return. "Who is to know what they were in their real life outside? Inside this tower, they weren't given a system. They were kept back. I don't believe it's their fault for being weak. The Kings and Lords received the system and an opportunity to climb up, but these people received nothing."
"It would be quite wrong to say that they gave up. One can't force the tower to give them a system, can they? And without the help of the tower, they couldn't even get stronger. I'm sure there must be many who tried to go up and died after touching the Barrier. You are saying they didn't try?"
Azekiel only smiled in response. "You don't understand what I'm trying to say. How do you think the Tower selected the people who will be given the systems? It wasn't luck... It wasn't a coincidence..."
"How did it select people then?" Raphael asked.
"The tower only selected the ones that had the mindset to go up. It only selected the people who had the right thinking. The ones who were willing to do anything to achieve their goals... The ones who were willing to even commit sins to get what they wanted."
"They had a goal, and those people worked for that goal, not thinking what others were going to say or how what they were doing was wrong. When I say these people gave up, I didn't mean in this tower. They gave up even before getting here. They were always held back by their morals, fear, and hesitation."
"They were always scared to do what was needed to get to their goal, just because the world considered it wrong. They were always holding themselves back. The ones who held themselves back, why would the Tower give them anything instead of selecting the ones who had the right mindset?"
