Lyon POV:

A scene floated to the forefront of my mind.

“The Pantheons used to be the temple protectors in Vidris, and just like the temple we protected, our bodies were a vessel that needed to be honed and cleaned.”

He placed the stick on the ground and moved into a stance I was unfamiliar with.

“Though we no longer take on that role since we left Vidris milennia ago, the act of awakening one's spirit is still passed down to this day. It is a part of us.”

‘Awakening one's spirit?’

I didn’t understand what he meant. How could the spirit be awakened? I put my thoughts aside and watched him carefully as he began to move.

It was difficult to describe the movement as a form of martial art; it was more like a dance. My Master moved gracefully in a large circular motion, but then the tempo suddenly increased.

His hands flickered, and the movement became more intense as he reached the midpoint of the circle. His feet blurred, covering a quarter of the distance remaining before his tempo rapidly decreased as he approached his starting point.

My eyes widened as I watched his hands come together as if he was praying — he bowed his head, and the wind descended down, exploding outward from him.

‘!’

The surrounding air shook the trees as they swayed violently back and forth. He raised his head and opened his eyes slowly while I noticed a flash of light reside within them briefly before disappearing.

“You won’t understand it now, but remember this. The mind strengthens the heart, but it is the spirit that supports and refines both.”

The scene slowly faded to black as I watched my Master fold his arms and smile contently at me. The voices rushed back into my head, followed by sharp pains that left me feeling disorientated.

I ignored the blood flowing more violently out of my nose and ears, instead choosing to keep my eyes closed as I got to my feet.

“Foo...”

A deep breath slowly flowed out of my pursed lips while I shifted my body into the same stance and began to follow my Master’s movements.

Graceful and slow. Sharp and fast. I traced the large circle I had envisioned as my feet flickered. I saw myself overlap with my Master’s figure while my tempo quickened; my body moved by itself as if it understood what it needed to do.

“Yes. That’s the way, my disciple.”

His voice guided me. It elevated me, and once I reached the end of the circle, I faced the hundreds of voices crying out my name.

My two hands lightly rested against each other as I bowed my head. I straightened my back, and my eyes opened slowly.

“Pantheon Style: Awakening.”

I roared as the Mark of a Pantheon wrapped around my arm, reaching the middle of my palm. The flash of golden light split the massive slab of rock in half, and the scene in front of me began to shatter like glass.

I observed the faces of Len and Marina, my mother and father, old man Jor, the villagers, and even Mike disappear as the fragmented pieces of darkness continued to fall.

‘!’

A silhouette flashed in front of me. His arms were folded, and he looked at me out of the corner of his eye as he spoke.

“Did you forget my words already?”

‘Keo Yeboah?!’

He disappeared along with the rest of the darkness before I could react, and my surroundings returned.

The candles that had lit the dark room began to disappear. I saw Copycat's outstretched hand peel away like a lie. Len and Marina’s faces distorted before fading along with Brunaulf into thin air; they vanished like a puff of smoke as I dropped to the floor panting heavily.

‘...’

Sweat poured down my face while I wiped the blood away from my nose. A faint light from outside shone in, revealing a hooded man sitting on a tall chair embedded against the wall.

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“Not bad. You have the qualification of a King.”

“Copycat!!”

I roared as I struggled to get to my feet. I took a step forward while he leaned toward me and smiled.

“Don’t move, or Len will die.”

“You think I’ll fall for your tricks again?”

He had fooled me twice already. He had the ability to create illusions on such a high leve—my feet stopped abruptly.

That meant that the Copycat sitting in front of me might also be fake.

“Exactly. What you saw before was indeed an illusion, but what I’m telling you now is the undeniable truth. Take another step, and Len will truly die.”

‘He’s not lying...’

I clenched my fists as my body shook with rage. I could tell from his words that he was telling the truth. I was at his mercy—unable to do anything in front of him.

Be bold? Call his bluff? And what if I’m wrong? I had no way to contact Jasmine to confirm whether Len and Marina were safe or not.

My eyebrows curved inwards as I bit my trembling lip and glared at Copycat.

“Why?... Why are you doing this to me?!”

My body shook violently while I felt myself losing more and more of my composure.

“Surely you didn’t think after overcoming some mere illusions that you’d beat me up and walk away the winner? This is real life, not some fairy tale book.”

My heart sank, and I became desperate after hearing his response. He was right—I thought we would just trade blows, and I would win...

“I grew up in an orphanage. The Bishop there was a kind man and looked after us well. Whenever we had a problem, he always used to tell us this: Challenges are present in this life to prove our faith. If we never experienced any difficulty, can you truly say that you believe? Can you truly say that you have faith?”

He got up from the chair and peered down at me while his lips curved into a thin smile.

“I thought to myself, is it not the same with growth too? If you’re always comfortable, how will you know if you’re growing?”

He pointed to the Mark of a Pantheon on my arm.

“Did you not grow because of the challenge I put you under?”

My eyes shook as I stared at him. This man...

He was dangerous.

I felt it clearer than ever after listening to him speak. I...I also couldn’t deny his words, but still...

“Who gives you the right to pull the strings in my life?!”

He cocked his head to the side and smiled.

“Man was given free will. If you don’t like it, stop me. Ah, that’s right, you can’t.”

My heartbeat raced as I cursed at my inability to do anything. I abruptly recalled the ‘older Marina’ I met on my first day here, and then everything clicked.

‘!’

He had marked me from the beginning. All this time, I had been dancing in the palm of his hand. I had thought everything was within my calculations—I had thought that I could solve everything whenever I was ready.

The sudden shock of realization almost made my legs give out as I stared at him in utter disbelief.

“It can’t be...”

His lips curved upwards as he smirked and pointed towards the door far behind me.

“I’m going to walk out that door behind you, and you’re going to watch without moving a muscle. Move and Len dies.”

He took his hood off, revealing his dark red hair and pale skin. He looked to be in his late teens or early 20s; I wasn’t sure.

Copycat walked down the steps leading up to the tall chair and approached me. He deliberately walked slower, making each step feel like an eternity.

“Why?!!”

I bit my lip hard enough for blood to flow as I screamed at him. He smirked again and stopped a few meters in front of me.

“Helplessness. It is also a part of life. What matters is how you act in those situations—those actions in turn show your true character.”

He tapped my shoulder lightly as I stood there helplessly, unable to lift a finger. My thoughts dispersed, and my mind went blank.

“Ah, right. The district leader position is yours.”

He pointed to the chair with his thumb as he brushed past my shoulder. His footsteps gradually grew quieter and quieter.

“As for Len, she’ll survive barely.”

The door slammed shut after he spoke while I stood there without moving. I glanced at the tall chair, and my legs moved on their own accord. I climbed the steps and sat down on it.

My hood draped over my head as I interlocked my fingers, leaned forward and placed it under my lips. I stared at the large empty space before me.

‘!’

I heard the door swing open with a large bang. The sound of feet rushing entered my ears. Not long after, hundreds of people appeared in front of me yelling something. I saw the Watchers stand behind the Vices, and a tall man stood at the head of the gathering.

“That seat doesn’t belong to you.”

He spoke with authority, but his words had no effect on me. I watched him say something to the others, and they raised their hands and prepared to charge forward. My lips parted ever so slightly as I spoke to myself.

“Ghost.”

Hundreds of thin violet lines entered my vision, and my intent travelled along them at a speed incomparable to the past. One by one, two by two, dozen by dozen; they fell before me.

The Watchers took a step forward, but they too fell as their consciousness was severed from their bodies. The Vices took two steps forward before succumbing to the same fate as the others.

The district leader rushed in with a large grin on his face. I glanced at him with unfocused eyes, and his shoulder abruptly popped back. However, he was unfazed by the attack. His Ki swelled up around him as the distance between us closed rapidly.

“!”

His head snapped back, but he slammed his foot into the floor to stabilize himself; his short hair sprouting out from the force of the blow.

“Heuk!”

The District Leader's stomach sunk inwards, and his eyes finally rolled back into his head as the impact launched him into the pile of unconscious people behind him. I stared indifferently at the countless bodies laid out on the floor.

I moved my hands away from my chin and stood up. I walked past them, slammed the door shut and glanced to my right. Brunaulf stood guard by the entrance. He panicked when he saw me, throwing his hands in front of his face to protect himself as he shook like a leaf.

‘The real one...’

“Brunaulf, let everyone in District Four know that there’s a new leader.”

“Y-yes...”

He looked at me meekly while nodding his head. His eyes were full of fear whenever I made the slightest movement, yet there were times when his gaze seemed to look past me. That infamous laughter of his was also nowhere to be found.

“Get this place cleaned up. If anyone’s unhappy with the new change, tell them we can talk when I come back.”

“U-understood...”

I descended the stairs and disappeared into the night.