I dreamed of the jungle again, with men coming there, always alone, dressed in a variety of garments, including those worn many centuries ago, as if the Life Spheres remembered every single one who ever visited this place in search of power. I saw them fighting, chasing, or hiding from different animals, birds, fish, and giant insects, all these creatures sharing constant detail: a ring on their limb or other body part. It was only the colors of stones in these rings that varied.

I saw hundreds of wanderers. Each of them, like a greed-driven fool, rushed toward the boat laden with gold and treasures. One managed to reach it, but instead of riches, they found only rocks and clumps of dried clay inside the rotten boat. Another, failing to resist the current, was swept away, disappearing in the waterfall. And yet another was devoured by water monsters as he attempted to swim back to the bank.

Among all these unfortunates, I only saw one man who made the same choice as me: rescuing the animal over seizing the treasure. He was a tall, lean, and sinewy young man in an old, crumpled set of bamboo armor, holding a plain infantry spear. He had no military signs on his clothes; I felt like he had removed them deliberately, but their absence couldn’t prevent him from coming across as a skilled warrior. His dignified posture, and a steel gleam of his bright-red eyes under a mane of golden-light hair tied with a dirty strip of cloth, betrayed a strong personality.

But it was not his choice drawing caught my attention. I recognized him as the young Zer, which made me observe him carefully.

The young emperor was running along the bank to where the familiar lizard was at its daily job: biting and dragging into the water a desperately resisting honey badger. I’d seen this scene so many times it began to look like a well-rehearsed play, but even with this change, I couldn’t stand seeing the animals’ pain-contorted muzzles.

Once Zer came within striking distance, he swung his spear. It whistled through the air like an arrow, deeply penetrating the reptile’s skull. For a moment, it froze, as though stunned; then its lifeless body slowly sunk into the water, the dead jaws still clenching its unfortunate prey. Sliding up, Zer dug his fingers into the dead predator’s jaws. The veins on his face bulged from strain, his eyes looked like they were on the brink of explosion while the reptile’s body was pulled deeper into the water by the current.

Time seemed to freeze as I watched this incredible, captivating scene. Zer’s lean body was home to incredible strength. I couldn’t help but remember his words about the perilous, painstaking path he’d walked down to become the strongest man in the Dark World.

Zer was waist-deep in water when the predator’s jaws finally gave way and the released honey badger frantically paddled along, struggling for the dry land. The young man watched his spear, stuck in the dead reptile’s skull, disappeared into the dark waters. Deciding not to risk his life for an old weapon, he gathered his last strength and, narrowly missing the waterfall, swam back to the shore. Crawling out on his fours, he caught his breath and stood up, then looked around and, spotting a log, headed toward it.

A few steps short of reaching the log, he stopped. Coming out of the jungle were various animals, birds, and snakes, all flocking toward him. Seeing this crowd, Zer put his hand on the hilt of the curved copper knife under his belt.

However, the animals showed no aggression. Soon they stopped, holding a golden ring with a red stone on a wide green leaf. Hesitating for a moment, Zer approached it and, seeing no reaction from the animals, took the offering and put it on his finger.

The crowd bowed as though greeting their new king. A voice that seemed to come from all around at once said: “And you shall be a great warrior and unite the continent under your rule. You shall live a long life and father many sons until the guardians call you to the Hall of Peace.”

“I will be ready,” the young man said, clenching his left hand into a fist and watching the light reflect off the red stone of power.

What?! Why didn’t he get hit? I mentally protested at such an unfair turn of events.

The light dimmed, and I found myself back in the mental world. But this time, the violet sphere with a sparkling core inside was right behind me.

“It’s all about doubt, fool,” a cold voice said, bringing over me a wave of foreboding. “For when I was young, I knew the value of wealth and the value of life.”

Zer stepped out of the darkness. Seeing his face, I understood everything. The feeling of anxiety that never left me since our first meeting was now ringing an alarm bell. I’d been right all the way.

This place. This world. This is where we fought for the first time. He had lied to me. He no longer wanted to remain a mere observer; he’d been waiting for the right moment. This proud, arrogant warrior wanted to take over my body. This time our fight would be very different.

I had the Ring of Agility, glowing green on my left hand, but Zer also had the red ring he’d obtained in the Sphere on his finger.

“You!” I couldn’t contain my anger. “Are you doing it again? We had an agreement! Is an emperor’s word worth no more than roadside mud?”

“Nothing personal, Rhys. When your very existence is at stake, a given word is just an empty sound. You’re a nice guy. Under different circumstances, I might’ve even allowed you into my personal guard, but I have no time to train you. I’m tired of you resisting my orders every time we face danger. Don’t worry. Your disappearance won’t hurt. I’ll do my best to keep it pain-free.”

“Shut up!” I bellowed.

Yes, I expected him to stab me in the back, but some part of me still believed in a better outcome. I hoped we could co-exist in this body and eventually help each other, but…

“You’re just a pathetic ghost trembling for your pathetic life. A commoner drafted to war is braver than you. Do you want to send me to the Hall of Peace? You’re welcome to try, bastard!”

To my surprise, Zer heard out my speech full of anger and pain. Then he sighed, shook his head, and replied:

“That’s a risk I can’t take, Rhys. You can’t go to the Hall of Peace where your shadow might reveal my whereabouts. You must disappear without a trace.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

His body began to cover in steel armor, long blades appearing from his knuckles. In this transformation, I recognized the animal he’d rescued. A bipedal, armored, red-eyed honey badger stared at me without malice. I realized my opponent had no wish to kill me but was forced to do it out of necessity.

No way! I decided, looking at Zer’s animal form. He’s somehow summoned his animal. I must be able to do the same.

Summoning the baboon’s image in my mind, I called out to this creature that gave me the ring. The image filled with life; soon I sensed my body begin a transformation. My arms became longer. My body covered with light brown fur, feeling so weightless I felt like I could soar into the air.

Protect the sphere for three minutes or defeat your opponent, a strange voice said in my head. Replaying my past battle against Zer in my mind, I remembered he’d also been protecting the sphere from me.

“Uaaah!” I yelled and took some stance, without even realizing what I was doing, then flashed at the emperor my middle finger adorned with the green ring.

Zer lunged at me. Using my long arms, I pushed off the ground and took several big leaps toward the opponent. The blades on the emperor’s right hand sliced the air, missing my body by a hair’s breadth. Taken aback, he spun around on his right foot and struck a reverse kick with his left one, also equipped with protruding steel knives.

The blow caught me in the air. Obeying my instinct, I curled up, raising my right elbow and crossing my arms for a block.

The knives cut through my shirt, but, surprisingly, no scratch appeared on my fur-covered skin.

The fight was swift. Every moment could become the last for one of us.

Zer attempted a run toward the unprotected sphere, but my long tail moved out of its own accord to coil around his legs and drop him to the ground, dragging him toward me. The emperor preserved his composure and, rolling onto his back, began flailing his blade-equipped arms and legs to shred me. Reluctant to push my luck, I rounded Zer and took a defensive stance.

“Not bad, ape,” he said and, standing up, took a strange stance. “But here’s your first and last lesson from me: always finish your enemy off!”

“You’ve lived in my shadow for quite a while,” I said, “but you still don’t know me at all. I’m not a bloodthirsty monster. When there’s a non-violent solution, I will use it. And I’m not sure your death won’t affect my mind. After our first battle, you said that our minds are now linked in some way.”

I kept my voice calm, but being in a monkey form, I felt an urge to hope and make faces. I held it in check, remembering that I remained human.

“What an idiot you are. You haven’t figured out that I was just buying time so you wouldn’t finish me off,” Zer replied and lunged at me again.

This time he delivered a series of five incredibly fast hand strikes, which I narrowly avoided by swift dodging. A thought rang in my mind like a bell: Don’t think! Trust your totem animal! Open yourself to the air style!

I took advice; it couldn’t get any worse, after all. Stepping aside, I tripped the emperor up, catching on his armor and sending him into a spin and fall. Obeying my gut feeling, I clapped my hands, and the mental room transformed into an ancient castle with many floors and halls, corridors and basements, where my totem animal hid the sphere from the enemy.

“Argh! I offered you a painless death, and you! I will tear your hut down, piece by piece!” Zer shouted and, springing up, stomped on the stone floor. The impact shook the walls like a giant hammer.

A loud crash came from the outside as the partitions began to collapse, stairs to fall, and floors to fold. That was when I realized we were high above the ground.

“Where did you hide it?!” Zer yelled, approaching me.

Don’t think about the sphere. Hide your thoughts, a voice whispered inside my head.

“You think I’m that dumb?” I smirked. Standing on one leg, I stretched my arms to the sides and, unexpectedly for myself, stuck out at him a long red tongue. “Ua-ah!”

“I will kill you, you filthy monkey!” Zer yelled and lunged his right hand, aiming at my face. It shot out three spikes, controlled by thin, tendon-like wires.

The ape in me was faster, once again. Grabbing at the wires, I pulled them in and leaped at the emperor, aiming my feet at his chest. Zer, as if anticipating that, released a blade from his left hand to pierce me through, but I knocked his hand down and wrapped my legs around his body.

Realizing he couldn’t move his arms, the emperor screamed and jumped with all his might. Feeling the floor collapse beneath us, I used his own spike wires I still clutched in my hand.

As I entangled my adversary with his own tendons, stopping all his attempts to slice me along with the bonds, we finally hit the ground. The impact knocked the breath out of us.

We—I and Zer immobilized by his own tendons—crashed down on the castle ruins. A moment’s hesitation could cost us lives, so, regaining consciousness, we tried to stand up at once, but it wasn’t easy.

The purple sphere was behind me. The castle remains were melting away slowly, turning this world into an empty space.

Groaning, I managed to sit up, facing Zer and trying to estimate how long we’d been fighting. Three minutes could’ve hardly passed that quickly.

“Why won’t you finish me off?” Zer roared. “You pathetic monkey! Didn’t I tell you not to spare your enemies?”

“I got it. I got it,” I nodded, looking at the emperor. “You were a great warrior, but you’ve made a poor teacher. I’m going to learn only the best part of your teachings, not your idiotic rules or lack of honor.”

“I underestimated you, ape. I expected the Sphere to kill you so this body would be mine. When you returned with the Ring of Agility, I realized it was now or never.” Zer suddenly relaxed, looking at the dark void over our heads.

“You should have a snake or a scorpion as your spirit animal, not a honey badger,” I chuckled.

“You should fear yourself over any snake, you stupid monkey. Now you are connected to the Sphere System. That exposes you to even more unscrupulous and ruthless fighters than me.”

“But how’s that possible? Isn’t the river trial supposed to be a barrier keeping such types off?” I wondered.

“I brought you to the strongest and the fairest of all Spheres. It’s high up in the mountains, on a summit that few can reach, and only a few among those will choose an animal’s life over gold. But there are different Spheres. Some are found in cemeteries, in foul pits, in torture chambers. If anyone with a seed of gift falls asleep in a place like that and completes their trial, they become the likes of that Eye. And now, Rhys, all these rogues will sense the awakened Qi inside you and try to defeat you to take your ring.”

“Oh. What should I do?”

“I...” Zer heaved a sigh, accepting his fate. “I will teach you to fight. In return, you will have to absorb the symbols of their Spheres so I can put the seal of my army on their bodies.”

“A seal?”

“Yes. I will mark their bodies so I can summon them to our side as my shadow army when time comes.”

It was the first time he said our. I wondered what that could mean. Had I finally earned his respect? Or was it another trick to put me off guard?

The emperor sighed. “Oh, calm down, Rhys. It’s over. Regrettably, you now hold our fates in your hands. You defeated me. Now untie me.”

“Thank you for your kind words, teacher,” I mocked him. “But it’s not yet the time to untie you. I will wait for the three minutes to expire.”

Zer laughed. “You’re getting smarter, monkey!”

Immediately after that, I woke up on the plateau and met Blik’s astonished gaze in the night.

Blik looked into my eyes. “Have you succeeded, Emperor?”

“Back to sleep, jester!” the familiar voice came from aside.

“Ha, ha, that’s my friend Rhys!” Blik rejoiced.

“I’m not surprised you’re siding with him,” I said, leaning my head on my bag.

“Don’t get me wrong, Rhys. I was against that. You’re still my friend and all that it means,” Blik whispered in a voice too low for Zer to hear.

I smiled. “So you did your best to talk him out of it?”

Blik was astonished. “How did you know? Well, no hard feelings, right?”

“Get. Out,” I whispered, closing my eyes, and smiled to myself at realizing I had just become much stronger than I’d been yesterday.