Lyon POV:

“Focus on the Mark while visualizing the roar of a panther to release the stored Ki.”

I closed my eyes and swiftly followed Zane’s instructions. My focus shifted to my left arm where the Mark of a Pantheon was located.

‘A panther’s roar?...’

I pictured various feline animals roaring, but nothing happened. None of them felt right.

I pondered for a while, repeating those three words over and over again in my head when I abruptly remembered my dream.

That otherwordly being I had encountered slowly drifted to the forefront of my mind, forming a concrete image of its fierce roar that had shaken my very existence.

‘!’

My eyes flashed open, and I felt a surge of power burst out from my arm, spreading all over my body in the blink of an eye. I looked down at my hands and examined the extremely thin veil-like energy that covered me whole. It wasn’t uncomfortable; it felt natural.

‘So this is what Ki feels like...’

I bent my fingers inwards slowly as they formed tight fists. A constant feeling of strength pulsated throughout my body, reassuring me of the limitless possibilities that had now become available.

“Good. Your current Ki Reserves aren’t bad either.”

Zane picked up a stick and flicked it towards my chest. It accurately hit its mark, forcing me to stagger back slightly as a sharp, stinging pain emanated from the middle of my sternum.

“Now imagine stacking layers of Ki on top of one another in order to increase your defence. This is called Ki Armour, and it is the first thing a practitioner learns once they can use Ki.

There are many factors that can affect the density of one’s Ki Armour, even if both practitioners are at the same Ki Stage. Though it can’t protect you from everything, it’s something that should be kept active at all times.”

I nodded my head while the density of Ki around my whole body increased. I pushed it to my current limit, but it didn’t impede my movements in any way; I just felt more sturdy.

“Well done.”

Zane threw another stick at my chest, but this time there was only a slight, stinging sensation as it bounced off.

“Starting with the Offensive Stance, let’s revisit what you’ve been practicing for the past month. You should be able to feel it now.”

I had made it a habit to review the stances in the morning before I met up with Zane. I practised switching through them in a cycle, recalling every note I had made on Zane’s movements.

Even without Ki, the intense training made my body more stable. My muscles were starting to develop and adapt specifically towards my needs.

I shifted my feet forward slowly while I entered the Offensive Stance. My strength sharply rose by such a drastic amount; l was unable to quantify just how much force I could unleash due to the sudden change.

“Woah...”

I immediately switched to the Defensive Stance. The powerful feeling abruptly vanished and was replaced with a much more sturdy one. It almost felt like I was wearing a suit of armour.

Zane threw another stick toward my chest. If it wasn’t for me paying attention to his movements, I wouldn’t have even noticed the stick tap against it and fall to the ground.

“Incredible...”

The feeling vanished the moment I left the stance. I stared at my open hands while wondering just what kind of interesting effects Ghost would have.

“It’s time for you to learn about the Flow of Ki.”

“Flow of Ki?”

It was my first time hearing of such a term. My gaze shifted to the ground as familiar diagrams began to form, signalling the start of Zane’s explanation.

“There are two types of Flow of Ki: standard and unique. The standard flow refers to Ki coursing through a practitioner’s body normally. Reaching higher Ki Stages naturally increases the efficiency of your Ki Flow by a small amount, hence the reason why this topic isn’t taught in-depth in schools.”

‘Schools...’

I had never been to one before. My mother and father taught me everything themselves, and that was enough for me.

“Refinement.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly confused, but before I could ask Zane for an explanation, he had already angled the stick towards the second type of Flow of Ki.

“A unique Flow of Ki contains special characteristics that make it flow through your body in a unique way. This flow cannot be replicated, unless that individual goes through the same process to acquire it.”

My gaze shifted to the Mark on my left arm. Without it, even if I could use Ki right now, I wouldn’t be able to access the Pantheon Style.

“This is why you can feel the drastic changes between each stance when the Mark is activated. Once you complete your Ki Center, this effect will be multiplied.”

‘Multiplied?!’

My eyes widened as I tried to calculate how much that multiplication would be.

‘Would it be based on my Ki Stage? Or were there other factors that would affect this growth once my Ki Center was complete? Just how strong am I going to become?’

The corners of my mouth rose while I continued to imagine the strength I would gain within the next 3 years.

“It’s time you understand Ghost.”

Zane stood back up and folded his arms.

“The basic level of Ghost is being able to see the optimal lines of attack. A lion's roar can paralyze its target with fear, but a panther’s glare can project their intent onto the target without moving. Give it a try.”

“Yes, Master!”

I jumped to my feet, quickly getting into the Ghost Stance I had practised countless times already.

‘!’

My senses drastically rose, and everything within my field of view abruptly became much clearer. I took a few moments to take in the new world around me before resting my gaze on Zane.

“Huh?”

I squinted my eyes and even wiped them a few times, but I couldn’t see anything. There were no optimal lines to be seen, and I also had no idea how I was supposed to project my intent either.

Zane’s lips curved into a slight smile when dozens of red lines flickered into view. They appeared as faint paths that connected the two of us together without obstructing my vision.

I spent the next couple of minutes glaring at Zane before my Ki ran out. I collapsed to the ground exhausted, unable to achieve any projection along the paths I had seen.

“Practice hard and in time, you’ll improve. The last thing I will be teaching you today is Stanceless.”

I wiped the sweat away from my forehead while looking up at Zane.

“As a beginner, you practice the stances while verbalizing them in order to create a concrete image in your mind.

At higher levels, this is no longer necessary. Your intent alone will allow you to switch through the stances motionlessly. However, there are still times when we deliberately show our stances to the opponent.”

“Why? Wouldn’t that put you at a disadvantage?”

I cocked my head to the side while I thought it over. As one of the top 5 families in Efros, the Pantheons were well-known throughout the Empire, so it was natural to assume that many people knew of their fighting style.

“Disadvantage?”

Zane’s smile widened slightly as he briefly closed his eyes. I quickly remembered that these were the Pantheons I was talking about.

“Ah...”

I scratched the back of my head, slightly embarrassed by what I had just said.

“I can understand your line of thinking, however, there’s another reason that you will come to understand in time as long as you continue forward.”

Zane crouched down and gently tapped my shoulder.

“Take a break for the rest of today.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I heard the word ‘break.’ I couldn’t explain this uneasy feeling slowly growing while I tried to convince Zane that breaks weren’t necessary.

‘...’

In the end, I couldn’t convince him. However, the silver lining was that we spoke about a variety of different topics.

One thing that surprised me the most was his age. Zane was only 2 years older than me, meaning he was 15 years old, yet I had no idea how to scale his strength.

I also found out why I could never feel any pressure from him; it was because he was deliberately suppressing himself. He explained that the pressure of his Ki alone would have killed me instantly if not controlled, and I believed him.

It made me realize just how much Keo Yeboah was holding back when his presence alone instantly made everyone prostrate themselves before him.

‘The Superman...’

My lips curved upwards as I continued to enjoy talking with Zane. He was a strict teacher, but there were times when he felt like a great friend.

***

Tobias POV:

“You’re here again? This is so unlike you, Toby.”

A sigh escaped my mouth as I slumped down on a stool in front of the bar. Ginny was right. I wasn’t a drinker, nor was I particularly fond of the taste of alcohol; I couldn’t stand it at all actually.

Ginny slid a small jug in front of me while my hand rested against my cheek. I stared into the dark liquid, barely making out some of my facial features before looking away.

“Still worried, huh?”

“...Yeah.”

How could I not be worried? One day, he just ran off saying something about training, and how he wasn’t sure when he’d be back.

“You know, you did refuse to train him.”

“...”

My gaze shifted back down to the intricate design carved into the mahogany countertop. It had a light reddish-brown colour that matched Ginny’s warm temperament.

“I had my reasons, Ginny.”

“So you keep saying.”

Ginny walked off, giving me some time to stew over my thoughts as I often did. I had taken Lyon in three years ago when I saw him eating scraps in a back alley.

I remembered it vividly.

He had piercing blue eyes that left me unable to grasp the depth they contained. I recalled the moment he told me he got his first job, yet behind that ecstatic smile; I caught a brief glimpse of something else.

It didn’t take long before he took on more and more work. Only then did I realize it was a distraction. He kept himself busy to keep his mind off the past he was still running away from.

My eyes narrowed as the surface of the liquid in the jug rippled.

If I had taught him at that time... He would have charged straight into a dungeon or monster horde and got himself killed. It hurt me to see the pain and frustration in his eyes when I told him no, but what else could I do?

I'm a soldier.

I didn’t have the luxury of being able to always watch over him. If I got deployed somewhere far away from him, and he did something stupid; I wouldn’t be able to make it in time. Thankfully, my reputation helped discourage anyone else he asked, leaving him no other option but to push those dangerous thoughts aside.

“Ha... Yet somehow he’s off training now, huh.”

I took a small sip out of the jug and instantly regretted it. My body began to reject the foreign liquid in my mouth, urging me to spit it out, but Ginny met my gaze and narrowed her eyes.

‘...’

With no other option, I reluctantly swallowed the alcohol. I stuck my tongue out in disgust before coughing to the side.

“It’ll be alright, Tobias. I’m sure he’s in good hands.”

Ginny stood in front of me while leaning forward. She placed her hand on top of mine as the freckles, spread across her cheeks and nose, rose; followed by her lips widening into a bright smile.

I observed her vibrant red hair that was exemplified further by her almost glowing aquatic eyes. Her large breasts hung over the countertop as the distance between our faces slowly decreased.

I met Ginny around 15 years ago. I knew her character well, and she was loved by her customers who always complimented her mermaid-like features as well as her bubbly and positive attitude.

However, unlike them, I had seen Ginny at her lowest points in life and supported her through it. In short, we were close. Close friends.

“I hope so, Ginny.”

I smiled back while placing my other hand on top of hers. We gazed into each other’s eyes as Ginny slightly tilted her hea—

“No way! Tobias is finally hitting it off with Ginny!”

“Woo! He's trying to get ahead of the competition, boys!”

“Damn it... At least Ginny gives out free hugs occassionally.”

“...That’s just sad, man.”

A bright shade of red rippled across her face as she quickly moved back, separating our hands in the process. I turned my head to the side and coughed.

Ha... These guys were really too much sometimes.