Self freedom

Nick's thoughts echoed with the truths that elder sun had said and his mind warred with itself over what to make of it leaving him dazed in place. one part of his mind told him that perhaps he should accept the goddess while another said that it was too soon the decide , then of course there was the part that stubbornly held on to the thought of remaining alone forever since he was to make many enemies in the future. nick didn't realize it but his experiences after being reborn had created a fear of growing attached to people as he has lost his family and been betrayed by another girl he was growing close to all while being surrounded by women who wish to posses him like some sort of object. nick looked at the goddess who was playing happily with azdra and felt a pain in his chest like he was being stabbed and he knew that while he was conflicted about her she was precisely as elder sun said and that knowledge hurt him. it was not a physical wound but one caused by the conflicts in his mind knowing that despite all of his efforts to prevent it he had grown fond of the girl in his vision.

It was in this moment when he acknowledged his fondness that the conflicting thoughts ceased and all that remained was a single question , what now? nick was freed from his hidden heart demon giving him a sense of freedom unlike any he had felt before all while his cultivation skyrocketed five whole levels in an instant because his hidden heart demon had been suppressing his progress this entire time while the only reason he hadn't stopped advancing was because the talent contained in his body was so massive that it brute forced his cultivation upwards like a beast trying to escape a cage. once the heart demon was solved it was like the cage had broken so the beast rampaged in exhilaration. the sudden spike in cultivation caused a great disturbance in the surroundings that drew the goddess's attention who looked at nick concerned what smiled when her senses told her that nick had shed one of his shackles letting him spread his wings just a little higher. nick stabilized his cultivation at void chasing tier 8 before stretching his body with a series of thunderous pops.

Unknown to nick the bloodlines he has start to dissolve into his marrow while the fiend energy that comes from his body cultivation fuses with the dissolving bloodlines to create something new though of course the progress of this is so small that it is completely undetectable. nick walked over to the goddess who was still smiling and took her hand. "i have been running from you this entire time and i am sorry can you forgive me?" he asked honestly.