章 15: 15
**Hello, everyone. For those who didn't understand in the last chapter, Mark didn't present himself as Batman as a name, but rather as if it were a title or a profession.**
**Remember to rate the story and leave your Power Stones.**
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**Later that day.**
Mark, Katarina, and Riven regrouped in the forest along with the fugitives, with Riven bringing a glass container holding a gleaming black feather. Hesbeth had escaped her through an entrance, and she was unable to pursue him.
Mark wasn't too concerned about Hesbeth's escape. He could capture him again later; the alchemist, despite his twisted mind, could prove to be of great help in the future.
Thus, the group slowly ventured deeper into the forest, searching for a camp. During the journey, Katarina couldn't help but question Mark as she walked beside him.
"Hey, Mark, tell me, how do you just *know* things?" she asked curiously. Mark looked at her for a moment before continuing to walk.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me, but you can trust me," he said, smiling under his mask. Katarina frowned at his response but refrained from pressing further. She felt that Mark was always hiding something, and at some point, it began to bother her.
Unaware of his companion's concerns, Mark continued to walk through the forest, guided by Janna's winds. This was, in fact, a divine ability for people with poor direction sense.
All he had to do was think about where he wanted to go, and the winds would guide him.
"Thank you, Goddess Janna. I'll make an offering later," Mark whispered a small prayer and heard the sound of a bird chirping near his ear.
As they walked through the forest, the group arrived near a camp filled with people who were startled by their arrival.
"Who are you?!" a middle-aged mage stepped forward from the camp and confronted them.
Tara was the mage guardian of this camp. Seeing a group of various people suddenly arrive at her camp, she quickly led a team to confront them.
Looking at the figure at the front—shirtless, wearing a mask, with fresh wounds visible on his body—she narrowed her eyes slightly and waited for a response.
"Well, hello. I'm Mark, a mage, and I've come to liberate Demacia's mages," Mark spoke casually, stunning the crowd momentarily as they struggled to comprehend what he was saying.
"By the way, all these people are mages I rescued," he added and walked into the camp.
Soon, the small crowd was welcomed, and Mark, along with his companions, followed Tara to the main tent, where they engaged in casual conversation.
After being treated by Katarina—who insisted on tending to his wounds—Mark found new clothes and a hooded cloak.
"I don't know why, but if I had a hidden blade right now, I could call myself an Assassin," he thought as he examined the mage's cloak he received from Tara.
Thus, the trio conversed with the camp leader. Mark explained that he planned to liberate all mages from Demacia and then eliminate the mage hunters. Tara listened intently but incredulously.
"And just how do you plan to do that?" she asked. Mark pointed to the container holding the black feather.
"Do you know the Veiled Lady? My initial plan is to find her. What I do next depends on what I can achieve with her," Mark declared. Under Tara's incredulous gaze, he prepared to leave.
"You two stay at the camp. Morgana isn't exactly a sociable woman. Besides, if you hear explosions or see flames rising somewhere in the forest, don't worry," he said to Riven and Katarina, leaving them at the camp with the refugees.
"He seems to know this Morgana very well," Katarina muttered to Riven after Mark left. Riven listened intently.
"Also, why does he have to meet her alone? Aren't we strong enough to go with him?" she added, as Riven began maintaining her equipment.
"I believe Master Mark has his reasons for going alone. Besides, I think what you're feeling isn't a lack of trust, Miss Katarina, but rather jealousy," Riven replied bluntly. Katarina looked at her as if she had said something outrageous.
"Jealous? Of him?" she exclaimed. Seeing Riven nod in affirmation, Katarina reluctantly gave up trying to convince her otherwise.
"Is it that obvious?" she asked, and once again was answered with a nod, making her sigh.
"You know, this is the first time I've felt something like this. Do you think he's noticed?" she asked with a melancholic tone. Riven paused sharpening her blade at that moment. Having guarded together for some time, the two had unconsciously become good friends, thanks largely to Mark, who constantly paired them on missions.
"I believe Master Mark has noticed, but it seems he's purposely pretending not to so he doesn't have to confront you," Riven said directly, and the two fell silent for a moment.
"Do you think he doesn't…" Katarina didn't dare finish the sentence, feeling a pang in her heart. The idea of rejection seemed quite distressing and would drive most people—whether men or women—to flee from such a possibility.
But Katarina was different. When faced with a problem, she sought to solve it. Soon, the melancholy left her face, replaced by a determined look, and she stood up.
"I'll go after him. I want to resolve this as quickly as possible," she declared. Without waiting for Riven's response, she leapt into a tree and set off after Mark.
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Unaware of the problems that would soon confront him, Mark ventured into the forest, wandering aimlessly for a time before stopping.
"I know you're watching me. I'd like to meet her, please," he called out loudly. At that moment, a purple glow appeared on the ground before him, forming a long path.
Mark took a deep breath and removed his mask before starting to walk through the forest. He knew Morgana's story, which made him feel a certain pressure about meeting her.
Who knew how many millennia ago Morgana had lost her father in a fight with her sister, Kayle, due to ideological disagreements? Mark couldn't even imagine the pain she must have felt when her sister abandoned her and her father died in her arms.
Afterward, she wandered the earth, feeling the pain of mortals and offering refuge and redemption to those who sought it for many years. She had seen it all, yet she still had faith in mortals.
Mark knew he couldn't do the same. At the first sight of a heinous act, the criminal would be lucky to survive in his hands.
Even now, he knew that if he entered one of the mage hunters' prisons and saw something that violated his moral standards, he wouldn't stop until the last mage hunter was burned alive.
"I still have a long way to go," he thought to himself. Acknowledging his own shortcomings was the first step to becoming stronger.
Step by step, he crossed the forest, arriving at the Sacred Grove. Apart from a few magical creatures he had to face along the way, the journey posed little difficulty.
In Mark's opinion, the forest was beautiful. Running his hand along the trees and plants, he could feel the rich flow of magic coursing through every part of the land as if it were alive.
Strangely, he felt no urgency and walked step by step, following the flow of dark magic that guided him, occasionally making small detours to observe his surroundings.
For the first time in months, Mark felt relaxed, at peace. Since arriving in this world, he had always been rushing from one problem to the next, worrying about the end of the world.
But today, he felt a bit of serenity. Despite the somewhat wild environment, Mark could sense the calm before the storm.
At a distance, Katarina observed him from the top of a tree, beyond his perception. She noticed all these changes in Mark. For the first time, she realized that he was carrying a heavy burden alone, yet he insisted on taking on more weight himself.
At that moment, she felt a moral conflict once again. "Have I been living the wrong way?" she asked herself as she watched Mark peacefully walking, analyzing him.
"He doesn't seem to be chasing honor and glory. Any wealth he has, he immediately uses for the benefit of others. What's the point of a life like that?" she wondered. Then, putting herself in his shoes, something inside her cracked.
"That's not the question. The question is why I value merit and glory so much. Glory doesn't feed me or do me any good, but I'm constantly chasing it. Why?" she asked herself.
At that moment, it was as if chains had been broken within Katarina. She questioned everything she had never dared to before in her heart. Why was giving her life for Noxus considered noble? Why was living as an assassin under her father's orders her destiny? Did she really want all this, or had she simply been forced into these ideals?
All these questions sent Katarina into deep contemplation. For a moment, she decided to stop following Mark and return to the camp. Without needing someone to give her the answer, she understood why Mark was keeping her at a distance.
Unaware of everything his brief moment of relaxation had caused, Mark soon traversed a winding path and found himself approaching some sort of refuge.
Ahead of him now was a large cave illuminated by purple crystals and adorned with symbols carved into the stones and walls. Walking a bit further, he finally found the one he was looking for.
"So, you have come, Aspect." Morgana's voice resonated in the air, carrying a hint of hostility. Mark immediately grew alarmed at her words.
"Wait, wait! I'm not an Aspect! I'm just an ordinary person with above-average abilities," he hurriedly explained. At that moment, he caught sight of her.
In his view was a beautiful woman with black hair, clothes, and wings, standing as she rose from the ground to face him. Her eyes gleamed like black diamonds, exuding power, and chains bound her wings, adding a symbolic weight to her presence.
"You claim not to be an Aspect, yet I see the divine power emanating from you. I also cannot discern your sins or crimes," she said as her hands began to radiate a dark, magical glow, alarming Mark.
"Please, calm down! Look at this!" he quickly tried to explain and showed her his left arm, marked with Janna's tattoo.
"I am an oracle of Janna. That's why there's divine power," he said, and Morgana's eyes narrowed for a moment. Her voice resounded again.
"You truly do not know, or are you merely pretending not to? Well, it doesn't matter. I will judge you myself!" she declared.
Mark noticed her hostility decrease slightly, but at that moment, abundant dark energy radiated from Morgana, filling the entire place.
"Come and face me!" she ordered. Mark could only give a weak smile as he ignited his fists and prepared himself.
"Well, it's not like I wasn't expecting this," he thought, and without hesitation, he charged forward.
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