A Sense of Dissonance
A strange feeling. A discomfort caused by an unfamiliar atmosphere or presence.
Vera was feeling it.
His rational mind told him that it was simply because he had been away from Mount Suncrest Sect for so long.
But his instincts warned him—sothing was about to happen.
The problem was, no one knew when it would unfold... or worse, if it had already happened.
That night, after receiving his first lesson from Great Master Thorne, Vera returned to Blooming Peak Pavilion.
Though Dylan had already succumbed to exhaustion and fallen asleep...
Vera sat by the open wooden window, gazing up at the night sky.
"…This is strange."
Sothing was definitely off.
When did it begin?
That eerie resonance that ca from the depths of Mount Suncrest at dawn?
It must have been around that ti.
He looked up at the stars, but unfortunately, Vera had never learned how to read celestial patterns.
There were those who could predict fate and foresee danger through the movents of the stars.
Vera let out a deep sigh, regretting that he lacked such abilities.
"At a ti like this…"
A figure suddenly flashed through his mind.
A mory surfaced because he had been dwelling on this sense of dissonance.
It was…
The face of Aetheris, who had stood in his way alongside Aiden.
"…He definitely wasn't acting normal."
Clutching the Falling Blossom Sword in his embrace, Vera sank into deep thought.
Aetheris was the senior disciple among the second-generation disciples.
He was also the disciple of Magnus, the future Sect Leader.
That ant he was both powerful and carried great influence.
Very few within Mount Suncrest Sect could pose a threat to him.
At most, perhaps Great Master Thorne or so of the other elders.
But even they wouldn't go out of their way to antagonize him—he had Elder Gideon backing him.
So if this change wasn't due to so external sche…
And if no one had been targeting him…
Then why?
Why would Aetheris change so drastically on his own?
Sothing wasn't adding up.
Vera stood up.
Sitting around and thinking about it wouldn't lead to any answers.
He had to confirm things for himself.
He had to investigate all the strange and suspicious signs.
Whether it was Aetheris's quarters…
Or the place where that eerie sound had originated—the Southern Peak.
With a swift movent, Vera leapt out the window, heading towards Mount Suncrest's Southern Peak.
The surroundings blurred at his speed.
Feeling the delicate touch of branches against his feet, Vera realized sothing.
His inner strength had grown significantly since the battle against Dark Emperor.
A heavy weight settled in his heart.
His power had increased... but at what cost?
It was paid for with his master's life.
That thought made his shoulders feel unbearably heavy.
"…He said it was fine."
Muttering to himself, Vera pushed forward.
Upon reaching the base of the Southern Peak, a peculiar sensation washed over him.
"…Demonic energyi?"
There was a faint trace of Demonic energy lingering in the air.
Elder Gideon had believed that all Demonic energy had vanished instantly.
But that was only because he had been standing in the center of its density.
For soone with keen senses, the traces of Demonic energy still remained.
Sharpening his focus, Vera followed the lingering remnants.
Like footprints left in the snow, the traces ford a clear path.
"As if a Demonic Cultist passed through here…"
Logically, that was impossible.
There shouldn't be anything related to the Demonic Cult in Mount Suncrest Sect.
No artifacts, no people.
Yet, as he followed the fading remnants of Demonic energy, he finally stumbled upon sothing.
A large cave, nestled at the base of the Southern Peak.
"…What is this…?"
From inside, he could feel a dense, lingering presence.
It was far weaker compared to the Demonic Cultists and Demonic Beasts he had faced before…
But it was unmistakably Demonic energy.
Even if it was faint, even if it was hidden, it couldn't escape Vera's trained senses.
For a long mont, Vera hesitated.
Should he go inside?
Or should he turn back?
There would be no imdiate issue if he retreated.
If he told Great Master Thorne and Aiden, they would surely handle it.
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Logically, stepping away was the right choice.
Logically.
But instead, Vera took a step forward.
Into the cave.
Was it re reckless curiosity?
Or was it the pull of fate leading him toward an inescapable destiny?
No one could say
Won't You Stop Him?
Jace glanced sideways at Marcus.
For the first ti, the two were having a sincere conversation.
All the other disciples were already asleep... or at least pretending to be.
But since it wasn't a conversation they weren't supposed to hear, he didn't care much.
What he did care about, however, was why Marcus was letting Vera go, even after watching him leap across the training grounds and head toward the Southern Peak.
"You're not going to stop him?"
"That's right. I won't stop him."
"Can I ask why?"
Normally, Marcus was a man of principle.
His motto was simple—if you follow the rules, nothing goes wrong.
And he had adhered to that philosophy for years within Mount Suncrest Sect.
But lately, sothing had changed.
To be precise, it started after he returned from Eastern Mountain's Fiery Blade clan with Vera.
Of course, Aiden and Great Master Thorne were never ones to be overly strict about principles in the first place.
Grandmaster Damien was a bit of an exception…
But that only made it harder for soone like Marcus, caught between two extres.
Given the kind of masters they had, it wasn't surprising that their disciples turned out this way.
Still, sothing told Jace that this shift in Marcus was because of Vera.
"What's the point in stopping him? It's not like I could, even if I tried."
"You know that's not true. Vera isn't the kind of person to just ignore you."
"…I know that."
Jace was right.
If Marcus, as the Senior Brother, stood in Vera's way and told him not to go…
Vera wouldn't force his way through with strength.
But lately, Marcus had started to question whether stopping him was really the right choice.
Especially after learning about Reverse Heaven Unity from Aiden.
Vera was the sword of Reverse Heaven Unity.
Thanks to Aiden, Marcus now knew.
Great Master Thorne, Grandmaster Damien, Aiden, the Everstone Clan, and even unknown warriors from the shadows…
A significant number of people were secretly resisting the rule of the Sword Sovereign and the Alliance.
The scale of it all was beyond anything he had ever imagined.
And his master—along with a young woman from the Everstone Clan, barely older than himself—were spearheading the effort without hesitation.
Vera was no different.
Though his path was separate from theirs, he was still soone who transcended the limits of talent.
"And besides, I already know that he is soone far beyond what I could ever comprehend."
"…I see."
"If he acts, it's because there is a reason behind it. If he had to ask for my permission every ti he wanted to move, wouldn't that be frustrating for him? For all of you?"
Even though Ethan and Noah had their eyes closed, their bodies flinched.
Not missing their reactions, Marcus and Jace exchanged a smirk before turning their eyes back to the window.
"Indeed. That makes sense."
"It does, doesn't it?"
"I understand now."
Though he said he understood, Jace probably hadn't grasped everything yet.
There was still too much he didn't know.
He had no idea what had transpired between Great Master Thorne and Vera.
Nor did he know about Reverse Heaven Unity.
But Marcus had his suspicions.
Aiden had been gathering potential mbers for Reverse Heaven Unity.
And the ones he sought out were…
Disciples like them.
The criteria?
Innate talent.
And a strong resistance against the Alliance's rule.
If Marcus's assumptions were correct…
It was only a matter of ti before Aiden extended his hand to Jace and Dylan as well.
To recruit them.
To invite them into the great rebellion.
To ask them to beco the wheels of revolution.
And they probably wouldn't refuse.
After all, they owed their lives to Aiden.
"Senior Brother."
"What is it?"
"There's sothing else I want to ask."
Marcus turned to look at Jace.
His hand was gripping his sword scabbard so tightly it looked like it might shatter.
And in his eyes…
There was an undeniable sense of unease.
"As fellow disciples… We won't be the ones holding him back, will we?"
We.
Not I, but we.
That ant that even Jace acknowledged it.
That Vera's talent and skill had already surpassed them all.
Even with his Senior Brother standing right before him, he still phrased it that way.
Because deep down, everyone knew it was true.
Even if they didn't say it out loud.
Jace had noticed the change.
Even before visiting the Everstone Clan, Vera had been a force beyond reckoning.
It was never a question of how to win against him.
It was a question of how long they could survive before losing.
But after returning from the Everstone Clan…
It wasn't just difficult to asure his strength.
It was impossible.
Marcus saw the anxiety in Jace's eyes.
He reached out and patted him on the back.
Then, with a bitter smile, he answered.
"…We'll have to do our best."
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