The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the estate grounds as Fenix and Soren descended the mountain path together. For the past year, the man walking beside him had been nothing more than "Ghost" to everyone below – a mysterious figure who appeared and disappeared like morning mist.
Today, that would change.
Soren walked with his head held high, no longer bothering to suppress the overwhelming presence that had always marked him as something beyond ordinary comprehension. His aura, usually kept locked away behind layers of careful control, now radiated freely – a Grandmaster+ signature that made the very air around them feel heavy with contained power.
They hadn't even reached the main courtyard before the whispers started.
"Is that... is that really him?"
"No way. He disappeared during the war. People said he was dead."
"Look at that aura pressure. Sweet heavens, he's gotten stronger."
