They were different than Aliere and it wasn’t a matter of personality. They were unlike Aliera as “Deities”. I could discern their divine presence and divine power but it was way different than what I felt from Aliera and Zephyrian when Lily used his divine power. Hmm. I wasn’t even sure what divine power was. So coming up with theories was hard.

But it was possible that difference was caused by their “origin” and “nature”. From what I gathered, the Ancestors were originally super powerful mythical beasts who acquired divinity—whatever that entailed remained unknown. They were also revered differently than Stars. Considering belief held power… Hmm. What a clusterfuck.

“I am Poyraz Karabulut. Champion of Aliera and an Outworlder. It is an honor to be in your presence.”

Even though they surely knew all about me through Morrigan and Ama, being formal and proper in front of Gods was the better choice.

Fox beastkin raised her hand gently.

“We know who are you, human. First things first. I should inform you that the eyes of your patron cannot see here. “

She locked eyes with me. Hmm. Did she say that as a threat or to make me feel comfortable? Maybe both. Escaping her constant oversight was a nice feeling but dealing with Gods who can manipulate souls without her help felt like I was stripped of a safety net. I opened my mouth to ask what she meant but she raised her hand to air, stopping me.

“Second things second. We would like to thank you. You helped our children and even purified their souls, allowing them to return back to us. None of the Ancestors will forget what you have done.”

I nodded silently. She probably had more to say and I didn’t want to cut her off.

“Shame I didn’t get to kick demon ass.”

Jaguar smacked his fists together with a smile.

“That would have caused even bigger problems.”

Fox sighed before continuing.

“Third things third. We didn’t call you here as the Champion of Aliera. We don’t like them nor we do want to interact with them. We only care about you as a person and not your relationships with them.”

The tone she used when speaking about Stars made it clear that she didn’t like them. Okay, that was a little bit surprising. Honestly, one of my first thoughts when I heard about Ancestors wanting to speak with me was they wanted to form some kind of alliance with the Stars. But that clearly wasn’t the case.

“Blah, blah, blah. Are you done speaking with him?”

The jaguar stood up and cracked his knuckles. The fox gave him a silent nod and his smile grew larger.

“Okay, kiddo. Here is a tip: Don’t die soon.”

Morrigan tried to step in front of me but she froze as soon as she took a step towards me. My instincts screamed for me to dodge. The jaguar Ancestor moved with blinding speed, closing the distance between us in an instant. I barely had time to react, my instincts driving me to leap to the side. His fist grazed past me, the sheer force of his strike creating a shockwave that sent me sprawling on the ground.

"You're quick," The Jaguar said, his grin widening. "But you'll need more than speed to survive."

I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding as my armor formed around me. He swiped his hand in the air, four shadow blades flying towards me as they tore through the ground. I summoned my sacred sword to block them, their momentum pushing me back. My senses searched for any sign of him while I held on but he was nowhere to be found. How? His presence was massive, how could he disappear-

“Heyo.”

His voice rang behind me and something heavy sent me flying not a split second later.

“You threw yourself to mitigate the damage. Not bad. But you have to strike back.”

I am trying!

I took a deep breath as I channeled mana into my sword. This was some kind of test. It was clear that he wasn’t using all of his power. Was he testing my fighting capabilities?

“There goes nothing.”

I swung my sword, firing mana arcs with Mana Erupt. He dodged all of them, literally creating afterimages as he closed the distance between us. His grinning face was in my face before I could recover from his last hit. My sword clashed against his claws. I minimized my movements, predicting his wide on-purpose swings. Our clash sent sparks flying but I was overwhelmed by his speed after 14 strikes. I fell on my knees as a brutal punch hit my liver.

“Not bad. Do you want some tips?”

He asked while walking away from me. It was clear that he wasn’t done with me.

“I can… Use some.”

I answered with gritted teeth.

“Hah. Look at your body. What do you see?”

I looked down. My armor was just as I remembered except it had a fist mark on my liver level.

“What do I have to look for?”

I looked at the Jaguar and he looked a little bit lost. He turned to Fox.

“Ugh, can you explain the kid?”

The fox beastkin, Aeloria, shook her head slightly, a small smile playing on her lips. She stepped forward, her movements graceful and deliberate.

“Where are we, human?”

I took my breathing under control, using the moment to recover before answering.

“In a mindspace?”

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I answered a little bit hesitantly. The answer was obvious so a part of me thought that it was a trick question. Yet she nodded approvingly.

“That’s right. Then let me ask another question. Why do you have a physical body if we are in a mindspace?”

I touched my chin as I thought to myself. I asked the same question when that sludge monster tried to take over me.

“It is about how we see ourselves?”

Fox nodded approvingly once more.

“Close, but not entirely correct. It’s about perception and the manifestation of your inner self,” Fox explained, her voice calm and measured. “In a mindspace, you project your essence, your soul. The body you see and feel is a reflection of your inner self, your true nature. Do you know what exactly means?”

I processed what she said. Then I shook my head.

“No.”

The Jaguar took a step forward.

“Imagine it like this: When you fight, you have to know your body. Your height, reach, balance, and all other stuff. You have to be aware of them. This is also the same. You need to know and be able to feel your soul and mind.”

I looked back at my body. I had trained my physical body extensively and honed my skills and reflexes, but the notion of perceiving and understanding my soul and mind on such a level was foreign territory. Which wasn’t really surprising considering Earth didn’t have that kind of stuff but…

“Alright,” I said slowly, still trying to wrap my head around it. “But how do I start? How do I become aware of my soul and mind?”

The expression on Fox’s face softened.

“You’ll have to start by grasping the boundary of your soul. It should be easy for you. Normally people have difficulty differentiating their physical body and soul. However, you died once and existed as a soul without a body. You also have a Spark which is the manifestation of your own soul.”

I looked at my hand. I made a fist, feeling how my forearm muscles tensed to make the movement happen. The joints, flesh, and bones felt real. I could feel my pulse beating at a faster normal rate.

Yet, it wasn’t real. Well, technically it was. It just wasn’t my flesh body.

“Ready for round two, kid?”

Jaguar asked with a bright smile. Honestly, I wasn’t. I couldn’t feel the boundary of my soul. But…

“Yeah.”

I tightened my grip. I would figure it out as I go along. Jaguar's grin widened as I readied myself, the anticipation of battle clear in his eyes. This wasn't just a fight; it was a lesson. A brutal one, but a lesson nonetheless. I took a deep breath, focusing on the sensation of my "body" within this mindspace. It was strange, trying to perceive something as intangible as the boundary of my soul, but I had to start somewhere.

He moved with the same blinding speed, but this time I tried to focus on the sensation within me, not just the physical movements. His first strike came in fast, a sweeping claw aimed at my midsection. I dodged, barely, feeling the air part with the force of his swing. My sword clashed with his claws, the impact resonating through me. I tried to sense something beyond the physical clash, some hint of the essence he mentioned.

The battle continued, each exchange pushing me to my limits. Despite his overwhelming power, I began to feel... something. It was like a faint outline, an echo within me that mirrored my movements. The boundary of my soul? It was hard to say, but I latched onto it, trying to become more aware of this sensation.

Jaguar's strikes became more intense, his claws a blur of deadly precision. I parried and dodged, feeling the strain but also something else—a growing awareness of that inner outline. It was like learning a new muscle, one I didn't know I had.

(Skill Unwavering Focus ranked up to D rank. Through relentless training and unwavering determination, you can maintain unparalleled concentration regardless of outside influences.)

"You're getting there."

Jaguar's voice cut through the flurry of blows. I ignored his words, fully focusing on our fight and the new sensation I was about to reach. I focused harder, tuning out the physical and zeroing in on that faint boundary. Each clash of our weapons reverberated not just in my "body" but in that outline as if my soul resonated with each strike. It was strange, disorienting, but also exhilarating.

"Better," Jaguar said, a hint of approval in his voice. "But let's see if you can keep up."

He vanished, reappearing behind me with a speed that defied logic. I spun, blocking his strike just in time, but the force sent me skidding back. The boundary of my soul trembled, the sensation clearer now. It was as if my soul was learning, adapting to the fight.

I raised my sword high, my mana surging into it. And at that moment, it clicked. I felt it—the boundary of my soul. It was almost like finding the last puzzle piece after you have been trying to solve it for years. I swung my sword, releasing all the mana towards the Jaguar. As the mana surged from my sword, it formed into a brilliant arc of energy filled with countless stars, slicing through the air with deadly precision.

“Hahahaha!”

His laugh filled the sky as he extended his right arm casually and slapped my attack to the side. I fell on my knees, exhausted and breathing heavily. At that time the feeling disappeared, making me feel empty as I gasped for breath.

“Not bad. Not bad at all.”