Tiflos and Noor advanced into the heart of the illusion-filled city. Each step was a test of consciousness; every shadow held a voice from the past, every reflection a touch upon the soul. The path was laden with traps both visible and invisible—the screams of Orion's past, the echoes of the Seventh Squad, even whispers of the old Resistance—all interwoven into a single fantastical tapestry.
In a foggy corner, several men and children appeared in a pitiable state; some had severed limbs, others cradled their heads in their hands. Tiflos looked at them, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. His limbs trembled, and he lowered his head to the ground.
Noor approached him and saw the scene."Who are they? Why are they in this state?" She placed her hand over her mouth, horrified, but Tiflos's words increased her dread even more.
"They are my sins...the ones I killed with my own hands." His voice was heavy with guilt, yet he knew that feeling guilty would not change their state or bring them back. Tiflos moved toward them with excruciating slowness; his steps were steady but their impact heavy.
"Isn't this too much?"Noor tried to grab Tiflos's arm, but he did not turn to her. He was heading toward the illusion before him until he stopped and raised his head to them.
"I know you are illusions,but... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was selfish and didn't choose to find a way other than killing you... I want to tell you I won't repeat it, but I know myself. If hatred returns and I'm forced to choose between you and those I love, I will choose those I love. And I will bear your guilt... I will always be the guilty one..." Tiflos smiled grimly. "So rest in peace." He extended his hand and released a sonic wave, dispelling the illusion, then turned back to Noor, who stood beside the golden thread. Her gaze was complex, expressing that she didn't want him to return to that state, but the resolve in Tiflos's eyes was not of someone regretting their guilt—it was of someone who knows their guilt and is prepared to bear it, and to repeat it if necessary.
As they continued their path, in a narrow alley, an illusory copy of Phoenix appeared, his eyes gleaming with anger mixed with disappointment. "Tiflos..." he roared, his voice echoing through the city's alleys, "Do you know what you're doing? Do you know what awaits you?"
Tiflos felt the weight of each word as if it referred to everything he had said before, but he turned his back to the copy and continued, saying to Noor: "None of this is real. So let's continue our way."
Noor nodded, and the duo raised their arms together. Spectra shot toward the copies, and a sonic wave erupted, causing the illusory version to dissolve into thick mist, scattering with the wind. "Reality is not measured by what we see, but by what we choose to believe," Tiflos whispered, his voice filling the empty space behind them.
As they neared the heart of the golden thread, the environment began to change again—buildings intersected, roads twisted, and the fog grew denser, as if trying to swallow them. But Tiflos, aware of Cain's game, employed a new sense: focusing on the flow of energy, not on the shadows. "Every illusion needs fuel, and the fuel is our perception. Everything we feel, everything we believe, gives it life—as if his illusion feeds on our belief in it. The more you believe what's before you is real, the stronger the illusion becomes."
Noor turned to him. "So, all we need is not to believe and not to fear?"
Tiflos smiled. "Not merely disbelieving the illusion and not fearing, but understanding that everything before us is merely an illusion. Understanding fear, confronting it, knowing it is part of us, and not something external that can control us."
Suddenly, the ground before them trembled, and shadowy forms exploded in every direction, but they did not strike them. Orion appeared, his body glowing with blue flames, as if all the deception had left him stronger than before. "Stop here," he said, his voice carrying strength and rage, "You will not pass this point."
Tiflos looked at him with sorrow, but calmly: "Brother, I am here to bring you back, not to fight you."
Orion laughed a grim laugh. "The one you want to bring back is dead. I am here to learn the language of true power—the power of survival."
Noor raised her hand. "Killing and stealing are not power; they are the path to darkness."
Orion shook his head. "The whole world is darkness, and there is no light. Either you become stronger than the darkness to be your own light, or you vanish into its depths."
Tiflos felt the weight of his brother's words, but he realized this was not the end. "We will not fear. We will not surrender. We will face the deception to understand it, and I will bring you back, no matter the cost."
Orion's copy vanished, and the battle began—but not between ordinary enemies. It was between shadows and reality, between truth and illusion. Every movement was a lesson for Tiflos with himself, and every sonic strike was a realization. Tiflos and Noor were the heart of the Resistance, assessing every step, testing every illusion, and understanding every feeling, because understanding oneself is humanity's greatest weapon against deception.
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On the other side, the real Orion, amidst the battle, began to notice something strange: every illusory copy of Cain was gradually disappearing, orders were conflicting, and the real version had yet to appear. He realized that everything he had witnessed so far was part of a test, and that true power lies in understanding the game, not merely in controlling power.
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Tiflos, with a half-hidden smile, whispered to Noor: "Cain was never here; everything we saw was a copy of him. They lost themselves in their own illusions."
Noor grasped the meaning. "So all of this was a lesson?"
"Our lesson that deception is only broken by understanding it, and that true power is not in the ability to attack, but in the deep awareness of the self."
The fog began to dissipate; the golden threads became clear. The path to the city's heart was visible for the first time. The battle of shadows had ended, but the greater challenge still awaited them, and the lesson was clear: understanding is stronger than power, and awareness is stronger than deception.
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And in the final moment, the Dragon appeared far in the sky, watching them in silence, as if observing their steps, knowing that the journey had truly begun. Tiflos raised his head. "The true center of the confrontation is now before us. And everything we've learned so far is merely the beginning."