Lyon POV:

Dreams were something I distanced myself away from, but that night, I had one. It was a dream so vivid that I could recall it with frightening accuracy.

***

I stood alone on a small patch of grass that glowed faintly; its gentle sway directed my eyes towards a giant tree behind me. Black leaves covered the thick branches, shimmering under the light before joining hands with the darkness.

My gaze shifted to the world beyond this grassy area; a world devoid of light and colour. I furrowed my eyebrows, unaware of what was going on as my lips parted.

“Is anyone there?!”

The darkness sucked in my voice, refusing to offer any reply. I sat down and rested my back against the tree while I pondered over what I should do next.

I looked up at the tree and began counting the number of black leaves on it. This was a dream. I would wake up soon, and so, time passed.

“!”

An ice-cold shiver rippled down my spine, forcing my eyes wide open. Beads of sweat grouped together on my forehead while the thumping of my heart rapidly increased.

It was there.

Two large eyes watching me closely. Its pupils, huge vertical slits highlighted by the vibrant glow of its golden eyes. That golden colour continued around the outer area of the eye, giving off an aura of dignity and authority.

My throat was parched. My tongue dry—robbed of its natural saliva as the two majestic eyes rose. Golden hues outlined its intricate markings before vanishing, only reappearing again to partially reveal the silhouette of its feline body instead.

“You are not of the bloodline whom I watch over.”

I plopped to the ground; my legs giving way as my head instantly lowered. The authority within its deep voice shook me to my core, despite the silky texture that covered it. I briefly caught sight of its pink tongue and dozens of whiskers that became visible when it spoke.

My mind was blank. I couldn’t speak, nor could I move an inch as I watched its eyes slowly fall back down to my level.

“That boy actually took on a disciple. How unexpected.”

I shook like a leaf while it observed me.

“You also do not meet my requirements.”

The pressure abruptly vanished when it turned around. Its body shrank in size, slowly disappearing into the darkness as the gap between us increased.

A portion of my strength returned as I immediately gasped for air. I bit my quivering lip and stretched out my hand towards the fading silhouette.

“Wai—”

Its quiet footsteps came to an abrupt halt. My pupils dilated to the extreme as its face suddenly reappeared metres away from my own; followed by a roar so powerful—so loud, I wet myself instantly.

At that moment, I stared death in the face.

And death answered me.

“Do not forget your place, outsider! You seek power and strength, but what do you have to offer me in return?!”

The intensity of its voice sealed off most of my senses. Its eyes flashed, and my body froze—entering a state of suspended animation, robbed of my free will.

“Tell me, what do they call you?”

“Lyon... Asphalios...”

My lips moved by themselves; my voice croaking out while blood bubbled at the corner of my eyes. Red tears rolled down my cheeks while I remained motionless.

“Pitiful. You have fallen so far.”

Its knowing eyes narrowed, and it spoke as if it were talking to someone else.

“Go.”

It disappeared into the darkness while two black curtains fell over my eyes. Seconds later, I woke up.

I was drenched in sweat—the sheer amount making the earth around me damp. My clothes stuck to my body, while a darker patch around my privates made itself known.

“Heuk!”

I convulsed violently as I gripped my arms with both hands. My teeth chattered away while I repeatedly failed to calm my unstable mind.

I had never felt such pure fear in all my life. I never knew such a realistic dream would have the power to threaten my very existence to such an extent.

I was terrified.

“!”

A hand shot forward, and I screamed. I felt it rest against my shoulder gently, as I mustered up the little courage I could to look ahead.

“Calm down, Lyon. You’re not in any danger. What you just experienced was something much higher than your own understanding.”

I took several deep breaths as Zane’s voice helped me to calm down. He rubbed my shoulder gently while his lips formed a content smile.

“Wash up and get some rest.”

I nodded my head in a daze, still confused by everything that had happened. I hobbled towards the lake and hoped that I would never go through an experience like that again.

***

Morning came, and yesterday night felt like a lie. I observed the rays of the rising sun shoot through the sky, boosting my motivation further.

My body felt refreshed and full of energy as I made my way around the lake. It was almost time to start those gruelling training sessions again, but I felt confident.

Zane meditated beside the bank of the lake when his eyes slowly opened. The corners of his mouth rose as he pointed to his arm. I raised an eyebrow slightly before looking up and down my right arm, but nothing was out of the ordinary.

“!”

It was only when my gaze shifted towards my left arm that I understood. I struggled to hide my wide smile as I examined the head of a roaring panther, imprinted in the same location as Zane’s.

“Plus 5,000 points.”

Zane got to his feet while smiling contently. My score counter was essentially reset, going right back down to zero, and a warm, fuzzy feeling crept up from the pit of my stomach. It spread out to the rest of my body as the morning sun bounced off the lake, lighting up the surrounding area with a warm glow.

“Finally!!”

My hands balled into fists that trembled while I jumped high up into the air, unable to contain this overwhelming feeling of joy and relief. I bounced around the edge of the lake, grinning from ear to ear until I managed to calm myself down.

I quickly looked at Zane, expecting some praise for my achievement and to my surprise, my expectations were met.

“You’ve done well.”

His lips formed a soft smile as he folded his arms. He looked me in the eyes before speaking again.

“That is the Mark of a Pantheon. There was no guarantee that you would obtain it, but it was your time. Congratulations, Lyon.”

‘The Mark of a Pantheon...’

His words moved me deeply. Even if it was only a small step forward in the grand scheme of things, I had passed a huge hurdle. I wiped the tears away and hardened my resolve again.

“Thank you, Master!”

”So, you really have been training him~”

I quickly raised my head and spun around at the sound of a sweet, seductive voice that came out of nowhere.

I observed the tall young woman who had her hair tied back in a bun that stuck out like candlesticks. Her skin was flawless, and her fierce eyes exuded a type of playful calmness.

She wore loose clothes, that followed the same black and gold design as Zane’s, but the curves of her body could be clearly seen. Her presence made my heart race, as I unintentionally gulped at the sight of her placing a hand on her hip.

“Sis, you came.”

Zane approached her, and she lightly tapped his chest in response while grinning.

“Of course I did. So...”

Her gaze swept over me, making me suddenly feel embarrassed. I was at a loss as to why I was reacting this way, but rather than try to understand it, I chose to focus on regaining my composure.

‘I wonder where her Mark is...’

Even though her arms were exposed, I couldn’t see the Mark of a Pantheon anywhere.

“Hmm? What’s this? Curious about where my Mark is?~”

Her eyes curved into narrow slits. I blinked, and she suddenly appeared in front of me within that split second; forcing me to stumble backwards as I tripped over my own feet in a panic.

I crashed to the ground and continued to avoid her gaze. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I was left unsure of how to react.

“How cute~”

Her lips curved upwards, forming a mischievous smile similar to that of a cat that had found a new toy to play with. She bent down slightly, drawing my eyes to the two large masses on her chest.

‘This is too much...!’

I immediately stuck my head out to the side, pleading for Zane to help me through the look in my eyes. The corners of his mouth rose, and he stepped forward in response.

“Sis, stop teasing him. Lyon doesn’t have any experience with women.”

‘...Was that last part really necessary?’

My eyebrows twitched. I did... I did have experience with women... Sort of. She saw my reaction to Zane’s statement and giggled cutely.

Once her laughing fit was over, she extended a hand toward me with a warm smile. I grabbed it gently as she pulled me back to my feet with ease.

“I’m Nia, Zane’s older sister.”

“Lyon Asphalios.”

We shook hands once more. By now, I had mostly calmed down, but Nia had this aura around her that seemed to pull me in. I pondered about the situation for a while as I watched the two siblings converse.

‘She is attractive...’

This was the conclusion I had arrived at, yet it still wasn’t a satisfactory answer to the sudden changes in emotion I felt.

Their conversation appeared to be over as Nia turned around and waved toward me. I waved back, and a second later, she vanished into thin air.

‘I wonder if I’ll be able to move that fast soon?’

I recalled all the times I saw Zane move at speeds far beyond my comprehension; at times I flat out thought he was teleporting. He would reassure me that he wasn’t moving fast at all; it was just my cognitive ability was that slow.

In any case, now that I had obtained the qualification to truly learn the Pantheon Style, I was ready to enter the next phase of my training.

“Now that you have obtained the Mark of a Pantheon, the time has come for your training to truly begin.”

Zane folded his arms while standing a few meters away from me.

“One benefit of the Mark of a Pantheon is that it extracts Ki from the scattered Ki fragments all over your body and stores it within itself.

Activating the Mark will allow you to temporarily gain access to Ki, emulating Ki Channels without any side effects. It essentially acts as a pseudo-Ki Center.”

‘That’s extremely useful!’

I watched another diagram form on the ground showing the process of Ki being extracted and stored within the Mark.

“In your case, you will only be able to use Ki for 2 minutes before needing a day to recharge the Mark, but it’s a start.”

I examined my body carefully. 2 minutes wasn’t a lot of time, and that meant I had to be even more efficient whenever I practised with the Mark active.

“Then, what happens once I complete my Ki Center?”

“When the time is right, you will understand. Focus on trying your best, Lyon.”

“Oh... Yes, Master.”

I assumed Zane’s words meant that the main focus of this benefit was to become accustomed with Ki ahead of time, but that led to another question popping into my mind.

“Do Ki Stages apply to this... type of pseudo-Ki Center?”

I struggled to find the words to describe this state of using Ki without actually being able to use Ki, so I referred to the pseudo-Ki Center that Zane mentioned earlier.

Zane observed me quietly as I barely made out a smile flicker across his lips before they parted.

“You’ve become more vocal. Did my sister really energize you that much?”

“Wha?!”

I threw my hands up in the air, covering my face in a fluster as I tried to hide my embarrassment.

“I-It’s not like that, Master. To be honest, I feel really good right now.”

My feelings stabilized while I stared at my clenched fists. I had yet to activate the Mark of a Pantheon, but my body felt... Different.

“Good. Maintain that strength of mind, Lyon. As for your question, you won’t break through any Ki Stages while using the Mark.

However, you will become stronger through constant practice with the Mark active. You’ll understand it once you experience it.”

“Understood, Master.”

I bowed my head while Zane smiled contently.

“Then there’s only one more thing left to discuss before we resume your training.”