He had a bitter look in his eyes as he carefully touched the left side of his face. His skin was smooth and somewhat cool, and there was no pain at all. His face was also not swollen, and the injury in his mouth was healed. There were no marks left of his loss, just the memories and the bitterness.

"Lya." Amon called with a weak voice. He was feeling disappointment on himself, and incredibly regretful.

"Yes?" Lya asked in a gentle tone. She certainly knew what Amon was feeling.

"Was I arrogant?" He asked her, still in a daze. He couldn't accept Erin's words. He refused to be called arrogant by the likes of Erin Drey.

"You were." Lya's answer was simple, and it cut through Amon like a sharp knife.

"It was for nothing more than a moment, but you were arrogant." She explained calmly, her voice serene. "You started counting on victory before it was certain, and that made you lower your guard to what Erin might do."

"You lost because of it." She concluded her explanation.

There was no need to point out when that had happened. Amon knew it was in that final clash, when he realized Erin's sword would break. Indeed, he had been counting on his victory. He left his cunning on the side for a split-second, but it had been enough.

That split-second on which he counted on victory were an opening that Erin made use. Their battle, like a proper battle, ended the moment one of them showed an opening.

Amon sighed as unwillingness showed in his face, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't change time. That single mistake, that single moment, had cost him everything he had fought for the past days.

As he was sulking, the air in front of his bed distorted, slowly condensing into Lya's figure. She had a gentle expression on her face as she approached Amon. Amon was surprised seeing her showing herself like this. She usually avoided leaving the interspatial ring when Amon was not on his own home.

Lya extended a pale hand to Amon, lightly caressing his chin with the tips of her slender fingers. Amon felt as if a soft breeze was blowing there, making him feel a bit awkward, but comfortable at the same time.

Lya sent Amon a deep glance with her blue eyes, a glance filled with meaning.

"You are still alive, aren't you?" She asked in a soft and comforting voice.

Amon nodded slightly, still feeling bitter inside. Even if he was alive, even if his life had not been at stake, he lost his chance to make life easier to his mother. He lost his chance to make her feel proud of him. All because he had been arrogant.

He was still alive, but all that did was leave him facing the consequences of what he had done.

Lya's gaze turned even more intense, while still being incredibly soft as she looked at Amon.

"So long as you live to learn from your mistakes, it will be worth it." She said to him with a sad smile on her face. "You just have to make sure to never repeat them again."

They had a similar conversation before. Nevertheless, speaking of what could happen and experiencing it were completely different situations. Like combat training, one would only truly absorb the knowledge and lessons about life when they failed and survived to learn from such mistakes.

Amon needed to make as many mistakes as possible now that his life was not in danger so he would not repeat them when the stakes were real. In the end, he was still a thirteen-year-old boy. Expecting him to do exactly as he was told and not committing mistakes was a ridiculous idea. There was no such thing as a perfect person, even more so when they haven't experienced enough to grow.

"Even if I learn from it, the mistake was still made." Amon's expression didn't turn any better after he heard Lya's words. "The consequences are still there."

"Then you deal with them." Lya's eyes shone as her expression turned grave. "You take responsibilities for what you did. Own your actions, for who you are now was defined by them."

"What you must never do is to feel guilt." Lya slowly shook her head, making her black hair wave behind her back. "Learning from your mistakes and letting guilt take over you are completely different matters."

"You might recognize a mistake you made, but you should not let it weight down on you." She looked at Amon with a meaningful glance. "That is especially true for Soul Cultivators."

Guilt was a dangerous feeling. Guilt led to remorse, and having remorse was no different than shackling yourself to the past. A cultivator that was stuck in the past would never be able to reach the future. Their growth would be stranded, and their minds would be tormented by the demons of their own making.

This world was ruled by strength. You could do anything as long as you were strong enough, but you may never betray your beliefs, for this would be your own undoing. One should walk steadfast, never taking your eyes from what lies ahead, and never lose faith in the path you chose.

"I understand." Amon said, but his mood didn't seem to have improved one bit. Lya only sighed before dispersing in the air again. All she could do was give him time to sulk and get over it.

Amon slowly got up, and washed his face on the water basin of the Medical Center one last time. He quietly left the room, walking to the waiting hall. To his surprise, it was not empty. The Third Elder Richard Layn was there, looking at the platforms on the other side of the golden gates like on the previous day.

"I see you recovered well." Richard said with his serene voice. He turned to face Amon with his dark eyes, sparkling with both interest and pity.

"I did." Amon answered as he gave s polite bow before turning quiet again.

"I believe the results of the Promotion Compet.i.tion are of your interest." Richard slightly rose a brow as he spoke. Amon gave him a light nod, confirming his interest.

"Erin Drey managed to get one of the slots for the Inner Sect promotion." Richard looked back at the platforms, turning his back to Amon. "And, even if people don't know his name, Daniel Meyer became the ultimate champion."

"That is great." Amon said, giving a sincere smile. He didn't even mind knowing that Erin had been promoted to the Inner Sect. For a moment, all his worries and regrets were gone. He felt really happy for Daniel.

"Daniel will be busy in the coming days, so he asked me to tell you to not wait for him." Richard said, looking very satisfied with Amon's reaction. Amon nodded once before turning silent again.

Richard gave a long sigh as he slowly approached Amon. He gently placed a shriveled hand on Amon's shoulder and a comforting smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

"You did a good job." Richard said, before and slowly walking away.

"Thank you." Amon said in a low voice. Without turning back, Richard gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Amon left h.e.l.l's Keeper Arena, walking with no hurry and enjoying the view. He looked for a long time at the building where he and Daniel had drank wine and chatted for almost a whole night.

"What do we do now, Lya?" Amon asked absent-mindedly as he looked at the distant Ashen Heart Tree.

"You said it yourself, didn't you?" Lya spoke with an almost scornful voice, as if his question had been incredibly foolish.

"We keep working hard."