Viviane was trembling.
She was afraid.
That copy could use her powers to their absolute limit, while Viviane herself was temporarily unfocused, her mind in disarray.
Take my place? Old? Dante? Mom and Dad?
Those thoughts crashed into her mind like hammers.
She feared the future.
Yes—Dante would move forward while she withered away, and the same would happen to her mother.
Would this cursed cycle never end?
I just wanted to be normal… Viviane thought.
To live in peace. To meet Dante at the same age.
To not have her parents' expectations weighing so heavily on her shoulders.
To be happy together.
Her mind began to waver.
—
"I really love you."
"Will you marry me?"
"You look beautiful, my daughter… a beautiful woman."
"Little Viviane, if Dante bullies you, tell me—your father will teach him a lesson."
"Look, Viviane, isn't Grandpa's beard funny?"
"Viviane, you're a mage just like my mother. Your grandmother is extremely proud of you."
"Lady Viviane, you are the pride of our village."
"I hope my daughter will be like you."
"Long live Viviane and Dante, the next leaders!"
—
Countless memories flooded her mind.
Her parents.
Dante.
Her grandparents.
The people of the village.
She could not let anyone take her place.
Yes.
This was her place.
Suddenly, her aura intensified.
Runic patterns began to draw themselves across her body, and a heavy pressure spread through the surroundings.
Her realm rose to the peak of the Nine Stars, just a thread of mana away from the quasi–Level 2.
Strange chants spilled from her mouth:
£‽₩』ÆĞƁƐÞȚŸ』
Then, a spirit appeared at her side.
The spirit seemed extremely lively, spinning around Viviane excitedly until it finally spoke:
— Hello! I am Air, the freest spirit among all spirits! I am so free that when the wind blows, it only affects me if I want to go with it!
— Hahahaha!
— Get it? Get it?
He burst into laughter at his own strange joke.
Without a doubt, he was a very friendly spirit.
Viviane was surprised.
She had intended to use runic abilities to temporarily raise her cultivation… so why had a spirit appeared?
As if reading her thoughts, Air immediately began speaking nonstop:
— Nice to meet you, contractor! I was freely wandering with the wind when I felt your intense love and your will to fight!
— So I thought, wow, you are without a doubt the one I will choose as my great partner!
— From now on, we are partners of freedom!
He lightly tapped Viviane's hand and remained suspended in the air, as if he had accomplished something truly incredible.
The alternative, however, reacted with hatred.
— See? You monopolize everything… but I can do that too.
She summoned another spirit.
Completely different from Air, this one was entirely black and silent, emanating a sense of absolute obedience and discipline.
The moment Air saw it, his expression turned fierce.
— You are not free… — he said coldly. — You're nothing more than a dog on a leash.
— I, Air, will destroy you. My freedom is restricted by your disgusting aura.
He charged forward, dragging the black spirit into another dimension.
Before disappearing, he spoke once more:
— Do not worry, Lady Freedom. You are not monopolizing anything—you deserve to be chosen.
— I can feel the love directed toward you. Do not listen to the words of this reflection.
— After all… he chose you from the heart, from the very beginning.
With that, Air vanished.
Both Vivianes were left confused.
The real Viviane did not fully understand what had happened, but she felt something the alternative never could.
Her parents were waiting to see her grow and become better and better.
And Dante… Dante was waiting for her at home.
— Time to go back — she said, feeling her happiness return.
---
At the training field, another situation unfolded.
Wufeng Hai and Tu Sheng looked at Tyler, who lay on the ground completely exhausted, yet wearing a long smile.
— What happened, little Ty? — Ancestor Hai asked gently.
Tyler's voice sounded vigorous, renewed:
— I understand now, Ancestor… yes, I understand how wrong I was.
— It is not possible to place all hope on a single person.
— No pillar can support the heavens alone. Only many pillars together can do so.
— And those pillars… are the human race as a whole.
He took a deep breath.
— The strong and the geniuses merely raise the pillar first, to give hope.
— Just like the first village leader, and all those who came after him… they, and I, were only great steps so that the village could exist.
— But even without us, someone would rise to lift that pillar.
— Because it is not merely a symbol of strength, but a will that is inherited.
— The human race inherits the will to survive… to prosper.
— That is why we are still alive.
— Not because of a few individuals… but because this feeling crossed generations.
— A truly immortal human feeling.
As his words ended, Tyler felt his cultivation improving rapidly.
— Little Ty, hurry to the center of the spiritual vein! — Ancestor Hai said. — You are having an epiphany!
In an instant, Tyler vanished.
— It seems he has freed himself from those thoughts about the village's fate — Tu Sheng said with a smile.
— It seems our little birds have had their wings painted with such a beautiful color — Ancestor Hai concluded, smiling simply, yet joyfully.