After the trial ended, Elyra turned to Levi with curiosity.
"You've only told me about three spirit senses so far. What are the other two?" she asked.
Levi's expression turned serious. "Before that, you need to be careful. You must keep your identity as an Anchor or Echo a secret."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "You still don't know how to wield Shattered Veil Aura, how to use it to protect yourself or harm others."
"If you expose yourself too soon, they'll start questioning you… and they might even search your memories."
Levi exhaled,"Give me some time to establish my foothold in Zul'vharra. Once I've solidified my roots, we'll expand our plans and work together on a much larger scale."
Elrya blinked, realization dawning on her. "Oh sorry! I got caught up in the excitement and forgot," she admitted with a sheepish grin.
Dorian snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Levi's words.
"Wait… do I have to hide as well?" he asked, adjusting his golden glasses.
Levi smirked. "No need. You can reveal yourself freely," he said. "If that boy who duplicated you at the Temple of Erytheia showed an Echo talent, then why wouldn't you?"
Dorian's brows furrowed. "Duplicate? What duplicate?" he repeated, his fingers sliding along the rim of his glasses.
Levi's smile didn't fade. "Did you really think you could vanish from the Temple of Erytheia without anyone noticing? How naive."
Dorian's eyes darkened. "I checked everything three times. There was no way anyone could detect my absence."
Levi let out a quiet chuckle. "Your family's butler, your servants, your teachers… they're all Echoes. Even some Order 6 Soulflayers were among them."
He leaned in slightly. "Do you really think no one would notice if a wealthy noble and a journalist disappeared from the trial? Eyes are always on you two."
Levi's tone turned colder. "Anderson, on the other hand… No one cares if he vanishes. Except for himself."
Anderson chuckled, leaning back with one hand resting behind his head. "Well, now that you've already solved this problem... what were you saying about duplicates?"
Levi met his eyes with a smirk. "I contacted someone, someone who can alter their form into another person. They might have created duplicates of us so no one would notice our absence."
He turned to Dorian, his expression sharpening. "But here's the real problem. Those duplicates will have to take the trial in our place."
Dorian's eyes narrowed. "And what talents will they display? That will decide our future, won't it?"
A flicker of unease crossed his face before he demanded, "Wait, what if they fail? What if they don't show any talent at all? And who are they, anyway? How can they duplicate someone without the teachers noticing?"
Levi remained unfazed. "If they fail the trial while posing as us… then that failure will become our future."
His voice lowered, carrying a weight of certainty. "As for how they can deceive the teachers? They possess a Soul flayer Echo Memory, an ability that allows them to alter their form at a fundamental level."
He leaned back slightly, eyes gleaming. "They're professionals. They've survived for nearly five centuries by using this ability to remain hidden."
"Oh, Levi… To pull this off, you must have been preparing for at least two or three years," Dorian said, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "So, you always knew you'd become the Sovereign. You started laying the groundwork long ago, didn't you?"
He let out a low chuckle. "Very impressive. And on top of that, you even unearthed a fossil, someone who has been hiding from the world for five centuries."
Dorian's mind raced, piecing together every move Levi had made. "That's why you barely left your house. You spent all that time locked away in your library, preparing for this moment."
As he spoke, his thoughts spiraled, forming judgments and theories about Levi's long-term planning.
But what he didn't know, what he couldn't even begin to suspect, was that Levi had orchestrated all of this in just one hour.
Dorian's excitement was palpable. But while he was brimming with admiration, Elrya remained silent, her expression unreadable.
She was puzzled, surprised, and deep down, a little excited.
"This boy… He's playing with people like they're mere puppets on a stage, while he stands behind the curtain, writing the script."
Dorian was younger, still full of youthful enthusiasm. But Elrya, older and more seasoned, was a writer and columnist, someone who had learned to dig deeper, to see beyond the surface.
She understood the weight of what Levi had done.
"He's on the path to becoming a Sovereign, yet he moves like a commoner, all while forcing an ancient force out of the shadows to act on his behalf. Either he's a masterful actor… or he himself is a puppet, controlled by something unseen."
Her instincts dismissed the latter, someone like Levi wouldn't allow himself to be controlled. But one thing was certain: this boy was dangerous.
"Very few in this world are born with both power and wisdom in perfect balance, body and soul. And yet, despite all of this, he doesn't show even the slightest emotion, just that same, unreadable smile."
A chill ran through her. "My instincts are screaming at me, never to stand against him."
She exhaled, a small smile forming on her lips. "A new era is coming. I have seen with my own eyes the birth of a Sovereign."
But regardless of who he was or what his hidden agendas might be, she had already made up her mind.
"As long as he speaks for the common people, I will stand by his side."
She knew what came next, whenever a Sovereign rose, blood would follow like rivers.
But she was ready. She steeled her nerves, prepared her resolve. She had longed for a guiding light, and now she had found it.
Now, she would shine like a gemstone in its brilliance.
Anderson, who had been quietly enjoying the conversation, suddenly spoke up.
"But what is this place? We know about the Temple of Erytheia, but we had no idea that another temple exists in the Dream Realm one where all the Pillars of Life appear."
He frowned, deep in thought. "At the Temple of Erytheia, only a single gate manifests, the one shaped by our collective consciousness when entering the Dream Realm. But here…"
Dorian's eyes narrowed as he looked around. "Yes, Anderson, I hadn't noticed it before either. This black castle… these seven ancient gates… Why can't others enter this place like we did? From the way it feels, it seems even more real, more profound than the Temple of.."
Before he could finish his thought, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Shh."
"Stop now."
Levi's tone was cold, almost unforgiving.
"Sometimes, not knowing is a blessing."
His eyes darkened as he continued. "Forget this thought. Erase it from your mind because if you don't… you'll disappear from this world as if you never existed in the first place."
Dorian, struck by fear, clamped his mouth shut as if a single word could seal his fate.
"I'm more curious about this place than you might think," Levi muttered, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed their surroundings. "But I do know one thing, it's another temple."
He paused, deep in thought. "But why do people flock to the Temple of Erytheia? Why hasn't the being known as the Lord of the Dream Realm, done anything about it?"
Hiss voice grew more contemplative. "From what I can see, the other Sovereigns didn't get trapped in the Dream Realm like I did. Why? Is there something special about me that the others lack?"
Levi wasn't the type to believe the world revolved around him.
Back in his earlier years, he might have entertained such thoughts, but the Dream Realm had cleansed his mind, leaving it as clear as crystal water.
Now, his perception was different, he could see the path ahead more clearly than most.
He understood that all humans were, at their core, equal. The only thing that set them apart was the effort one put in to create a difference, to push beyond the boundaries of ordinary existence.
His eyes darkened as suspicion grew. "Maybe he wants to use me as nothing more than a shield or a weapon to further his own agenda."
He let out a long breath, his gaze sharp and calculating. "A being who can trap you in a dream for eternity, it's as if you've already lost before the fight even begins."
"I can only hope I'm overthinking this."
But his expression remained unfazed, because deep down, Levi wasn't truly worried.
In this vast universe, nothing is ever truly invincible. Every object, every force, has a counterbalance. Nature thrives on balance.
"A predator is always prey to someone," he thought, his resolve hardening.