Chương 17: 17
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Another chapter today because I'm off work, thank you very much for your incredible support.
Also, I had an idea recently, what would the fight between Robocop and Adam Smasher from Cyberpunk be like?
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While all things were happening with Mark and his friends in the forest.
In the Demacian capital, at the royal castle, a meeting was taking place at that moment. "One of the mage hunters' bases was attacked by a powerful mage named Mark." Eldred read a report to King Jarvan III, the prince, and Garen, the captain of the royal guard.
"He proclaimed himself as Batman and said he wouldn't rest until he burned the kingdom and freed all mages. I think we should take this threat seriously and start new measures to contain the mages." Eldred continued while observing the reactions of the other members at the table.
"I don't agree with that. This situation only happened because we went too far in the hunt for mages." Jarvan III sighed and immediately opposed Eldred. For a long time, he had disagreed with the mage hunters' policies and knew it had to end.
With an entire headquarters being destroyed and dozens of victims, he knew this would only be the beginning of a larger rebellion that would bring suffering to the people.
However, despite being the king, he seemed to be the only sensible one at the table. Both his son, Jarvan IV, and Garen immediately disagreed with his statement. "Father, this man threatened the kingdom's authority, he threatened us. Agreeing to his two demands would make us look weak!" Jarvan IV said, and Garen nodded beside him.
"Also, he said he was Batman. Though I don't know what that means, it's probably something bad." Garen said, and Jarvan and Eldred agreed with him.
The king could only sigh inwardly for a moment while the three of them discussed plans to end the newly formed rebellion. At one point, Jarvan III couldn't help but raise his voice.
"I think you've forgotten who holds the authority here, especially you, Eldred!" the king spoke with an authoritative tone, and the table fell silent for a moment before he continued. "I gave you power and authority to ensure the kingdom's safety, and look what you've brought to my attention!" Jarvan said, throwing a pile of papers describing Hesbeth's human experiments on the table.
(Courtesy of Mark.)
"I can explain." Eldred tried to defend himself, but Jarvan roared with anger at him. "Explain? Do you have any idea the chaos that would ensue if this went public? You're lucky this revolutionary wants to negotiate." Jarvan said, throwing a letter on the table with Mark's handwriting, citing terms to end the mage persecution.
Instantly, Eldred's face soured when he saw the letter, and he immediately wondered how Jarvan III had gotten access to the letter and documents without him knowing.
Four days earlier, right after the attack, Mark had improvised a simple balloon for transport with a basket and a piece of cloth, placing the documents and the letter inside before asking Janna's divine wind to carry them to Jarvan.
And indeed, it happened. As Mark had said, Janna's blessing was extremely useful. About a day later, the basket entered Jarvan III's chamber, and he read everything that was written.
"He said he would come in a month to talk to me and see if we can resolve this situation. He also requested that we stop the mage hunt during this period, and that's what we will do!" the king said, and everyone at the table fell silent at these two statements.
Eldred could only clench his teeth and leave the room with long strides, while Jarvan IV and Garen read the documents, horrified. Outside the hall, hidden, a blonde-haired girl who was secretly listening to the meeting couldn't help but quickly run away when she heard Eldred leaving the room.
Lux hid behind a pillar as Eldred walked out angrily, and couldn't help but exclaim, "How powerful must this mage named Batman be?" she said with a hint of admiration in her voice before running away.
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Back to Mark.
At this moment, inside Morgana's stronghold, he was sitting with his back against a stone while Morgana placed her hands on his back. "Breathe in and out, control the flames you possess, and try to visualize them in your mind," she said, and Mark inhaled and exhaled slowly.
He had woken up two days ago, completely exhausted, and Morgana had recommended he rest before anything else. So, he stayed under Morgana's care during his recovery.
Strangely, Mark felt like Morgana was a mother figure to him. She exuded a very strong and comforting maternal aura, and he couldn't help but lower his guard and relax.
They talked about random things for a good period of time in the temple. He told her about Katarina, his relationship with Swain, and his actions in Shurima, questioning whether his actions were right.
Morgana listened attentively and never judged him. She only advised him. However, at one point, she asked him something that confused him.
"Although you are not a god, you have the characteristics of an aspect. Tell me, what authority does your flame represent?" she asked him, and Mark looked at her confused at that moment. "Well, I don't know?" he said, and Morgana looked at him incredulously before letting out a sincere laugh.
"This is the first time I've seen an Aspect who doesn't know that they're an Aspect," she said, laughing, and Mark felt embarrassed. He truly had no idea what she was talking about.
So, the two began a training process to discover which Aspect Mark represented, and the first step was to understand what other characteristics Mark's fire had.
To his surprise, he soon realized that his fire wasn't just for burning. Like Morgana, his flames carried many other properties beyond fire, and like Kayle, who could use her flames to heal and bless weapons and followers, Mark realized he could do something similar.
His fire, strengthened by Janna's wind and imbued with his intent to heal, could indeed heal wounds. He also noticed that if he wanted, he could leave a mark on someone or something, allowing them to use his fire, although weakened.
"You are the most interesting mortal I've ever seen. Despite having divine powers, they don't seem to be greatly affecting your original personality. Perhaps your pure heart is helping with that," she said, and at that moment, Mark realized he was very different from his past life.
Although he didn't feel comfortable applying strikes, he never stopped. This had never been a moral issue for him, but since he reincarnated, it had become a major problem.
He constantly saw his past life as an absolute mistake, which scared him for a moment, but soon he understood why. "You can't have this much positive karma and still be a bad person." What was bad became worse, and what was good became better.
This is the general rule of things. Of course, there were exceptions, but nothing too absolute. "Well, this isn't so bad," he thought to himself. At least now he was a good person.
Each passing day would probably affect him more, but he had a clear mind about it. Following this training routine, Mark stayed with Morgana for three more days before feeling ready to return.
In those three days, he learned how to use his fire properly to heal and bless and understood more important aspects that impacted his life. With his renewed determination, he prepared to leave.
"You're leaving already, huh, little one?" Morgana said to him in a sad tone, realizing that Mark had to leave. He could only smile back. "Don't worry, I'll come back to visit you again," he said, and Morgana smiled at him.
"You came for the spell to show the Demacian people your story. Take it." Morgana said, taking one of her feathers, which flew toward Mark and entered his right hand, leaving a tattoo of an eye on his palm. "Thank you," Mark replied, but Morgana wasn't done yet. She approached him and touched his face.
"Over these days, I noticed you can receive and assimilate blessings and powers. Would you be willing to carry my burden with you?" she asked, and Mark hesitated for a moment. On one hand, he would gain a portion of Morgana's powers if he accepted, but on the other hand, he would gain the responsibility of the Redeemer, just as he had gained Janna's responsibility to protect the weak and helpless.
This meant that he would always have to be willing to believe in a fresh start for others, to believe that even people like LeBlanc could have their redemption and second chance.
Believing that as long as the person is willing to change, they can be saved.
He thought for a moment, and soon the doubt disappeared from his eyes. "It would be an honor to bear this duty, even without the powers," he thought to himself before responding resolutely, "I accept." He said, and Morgana looked at him tenderly, as if she were a mother who was very proud of her child.
"You are truly unique, child. Despite knowing the weight of my burden, you still wish to carry it, not to seek power, but out of responsibility," she said, and in the next moment, she infused her power into Mark.
Just like Janna, the mark of black shackles spread across Mark's cheek and down his neck to his heart. "If this continues, I'll probably turn into a punk," Mark couldn't help but think as he felt the mark and laughed inwardly.
Soon, Morgana removed her hand from his face, and the shackles glowed with black energy.
At that moment, Mark knew he could conjure chains just like her.
With a respectful wave, Mark turned and left Morgana's shelter, and she once again found herself alone in her refuge. "I hope this child grows well," she said, smiling as she returned inside.
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