Morning arrived quietly over the Land of the Sun People.
Golden light poured through the enormous windows of the residence, spreading across the floor and illuminating the sleeping members of the Black Sun Syndicate.
For several moments, nothing disturbed the peaceful atmosphere. Then Kaelus opened one eye. He stared blankly at the ceiling before stretching both arms above his head.
A long yawn escaped him.
"Ahhhhh…"
Rein's eyes immediately opened. His expression was irritated.
"Kaelus, you're too loud. Damn it."
Kaelus slowly turned his head toward him.
"I just woke up."
Rein:
"You wake up too loud."
Darius suddenly sat upright.
"Hey, what's with the noise, y'all?"
That was enough. One after another, the remaining members began waking. Eryndor opened his eyes and stretched his arms.
Stellar quietly sat up, silver hair falling over her shoulders. Alucard rubbed his eyes and Dova yawned. Isly adjusted her hair. Tina quietly looked around the room.
Within a few moments, everyone was awake. Then footsteps approached. The door opened. A man stepped through.
"It seems everyone is awake. That's good."
Eryndor looked toward him.
"Sir Feral?"
The man nodded.
"Yes. It's me."
Feral glanced across the Black Sun Syndicate. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It seems you don't need my training, just like Var said."
Everyone exchanged glances.
Feral continued, "You can go directly to David. You won't need Uriel's training either."
Eryndor looked at the others. Then nodded.
"Okay."
Kaelus scratched his head.
"So this is the last training?"
Darius stood and rolled his shoulders.
"Seems so."
Stellar rose as well.
"It's the real deal now, so y'all better be ready."
Isly and Tina stood.
Dova rose next, stretching his arms above his head.
"Well, let's get going then."
Alucard stepped forward.
"Yeah… we're going to get our asses beat for sure."
Eryndor laughed.
"Facts."
He shook his head.
"But the way you said it kinda stings, man."
The others laughed. Even Feral smiled. Not long afterward, the Black Sun Syndicate left the residence and began moving through the forest.
The enormous trees towered over them, their golden leaves filtering the sunlight into scattered patterns across the ground. For several minutes, everything remained peaceful. Too peaceful. Darius eventually slowed down. He looked around.
"It's too silent."
His eyes narrowed.
"Something's up."
Eryndor stopped as well.
"Yeah."
His expression became serious.
"I sensed it too."
Kaelus raised his hand.
"I'll check."
Wind gathered around him. It spread through the surrounding forest, slipping between trees and moving across the earth. Kaelus closed his eyes. Nothing.
He opened them.
"I can't sense anything."
Eryndor's eyes narrowed.
"Stay on guard."
No one answered. Eryndor frowned. He turned around. His expression immediately changed. Everyone was gone.
Rein, Kaelus, Darius, Stellar, Alucard, Dova ,Isly and Tina…All of them.
Eryndor immediately launched himself into the sky. The forest stretched endlessly beneath him. He looked in every direction. Nothing.
Not a single member of the Syndicate. He descended slowly. His feet touched the ground. Eryndor closed his eyes.
He released his soul power. The world became transparent.The physical forest faded behind layers of invisible structure. Then something moved.M behind him Fast.
Eryndor's eyes snapped open. He turned. A fist was already approaching his face. His own face stared back at him, another Eryndor..Smiling.
Eryndor raised his right hand. BOOM! His palm caught the punch. The force drove his feet into the ground. The earth cracked beneath him.
Eryndor immediately pulled the attacking arm toward his right. At the same time, he kicked off the ground. His body launched upward.
The momentum sent the other Eryndor flying into the sky. Eryndor landed. His eyes followed his double.
"Divine Lightning Bolt."
Lightning descended from the heavens. A brilliant bolt struck the airborne Eryndor.
BOOM! The impact created a massive crater below.
Dust surged into the air. Eryndor stared. Then the dust shifted. His double stood. Its body regenerated almost instantly.
Eryndor narrowed his eyes.
"So…"
He smiled slightly.
"Is this the last test?"
The other Eryndor disappeared.
Eryndor's instincts screamed. He moved but it was too late. His double appeared above him.
"Divine Lightning Bolt."
The sky flashed. Lightning descended toward the real Eryndor.
"Lightning Barrier."
A barrier appeared around him. The divine lightning collided with it.
BOOM!
The two forces canceled one another. Eryndor pushed through the fading energy and launched himself toward his double. His fist accelerated.
He expected the impact. Instead his fist slammed into something solid. A lightning barrier. Eryndor slid backward across the earth. His eyes narrowed.
"So you can copy my moves…"
The fake Eryndor remained silent.
"…and adapt."
The other Eryndor smiled. Eryndor's expression became serious and he released his soul power.
"You can copy my moves…"
His aura expanded.
"…but you're not me."
The two figures vanished simultaneously. The battlefield exploded into motion. Lightning tore across the forest. Wind screamed between the trees.
Black currents of darkness intertwined with Eryndor's Storm energy. The two fought with identical techniques. Every movement was answered. Every attack was mirrored.
Eryndor launched a storm-infused strike. His double countered with the same technique. The double disappeared into the wind.
Eryndor followed. Their fists collided. The shockwave shattered trees for hundreds of meters. Neither gave ground Yet Eryndor understood something almost immediately.
The creature wasn't simply copying him. It was learning, Adapting and Predicting. Every time Eryndor changed his rhythm, the other changed with him.
And somewhere else within the Lost Forest the same thing was happening. Rein was fighting another Rein, Kaelus was fighting another Kaelus. Darius battled a copy of himself surrounded by darkness, Stellar faced another Frost Queen whose ice responded to every technique she created, Alucard fought a beastlike reflection capable of transforming alongside him, Dova exchanged blows with an identical master of entropy, isly's opponent wielded Chaos Nirvana.
Tina faced a reflection capable of using soul magic. The Lost Forest had become a battlefield of reflections. Each copy possessed their opponent's techniques. Each one adapted. Each one learned.
And every member of the Black Sun Syndicate was being forced to confront the most difficult opponent imaginable….Themselves.
Far away from the battlefields, Sera walked alone.
Her footsteps were quiet. She eventually reached an enormous tree whose trunk was so wide that several buildings could have been constructed around it. Sera stopped.
She smiled. Then stepped forward. Her body passed directly through the bark. The inside of the tree was completely different.
A vast chamber existed within it. Golden light illuminated the walls and at the center sat a man in a chair. David - The First God of the Sun…The Freer.
He sat comfortably, one leg crossed over the other. A golden orb floated before him. Inside the orb were countless moving images. Sera walked closer. She looked into the orb.
The Black Sun Syndicate appeared across its surface.
Eryndor fighting his reflection. Rein battling his own copy. Kaelus clashing against another version of himself. The others engaged in their own battles throughout the Lost Forest.
Sera smiled.
"It's fun watching them, isn't it… David?"
David glanced toward her. Then looked back at the golden orb. A quiet smile crossed his face.
"I can't help it."
His golden eyes reflected the images.
"They're an interesting bunch."
Sera folded her arms as she continued watching. The orb flickered. Eryndor and his reflection collided once again. Lightning illuminated the Lost Forest. David's smile widened slightly. The final training had begun.