"Dreams?" Alaric asked, frowning. "Elaborate."
Liam began explaining everything that had happened during his evolution, back when he was fighting the Tyrant accidentally created by Dani Moonstar. He made sure not to leave out a single detail, noticing Alaric's frown deepening as he listened.
"And then, finally last night," Liam said, finishing his explanation, "I saw a part of the Tyrant's life again before watching a man fight off hordes of beasts in my dream. In between the two dreams, I vaguely remember hearing strange whispers."
Silence filled the space between them. Liam waited, hoping for an answer from Alaric, who seemed lost in thought. Every now and then, Liam could hear Alaric mumble something softly.
After a minute or two, Alaric finally spoke.
"So, you're telling me you have visions of the Tyrant's life in your dreams?" Alaric asked, his tone serious.
Liam nodded.
"I've never seen or heard of that happening with anyone else," Alaric admitted. "I can't help you with that one. I have an assumption, but I can't talk about it."
''Why not?'' Liam asked.
Alaric remained silent, showing a helpless expression on his face.
'There could be multiple reasons for this.' Liam thought. 'But his silence even now...'
"What about the other dream?" Liam pressed, somewhat understanding the reason Alaric's silence.
"That one I can explain," Alaric said, his serious expression softening into a somber one.
"As you already guessed, the man you described was one of Incursio's previous users," Alaric explained. "He was one of the two people who sacrificed themselves and gave all their energy to you."
"It seems that the energy that entered your body carried some of his life experiences with it," Alaric continued. "It's too early to say for sure, but it's highly likely you'll have more dreams like that."
Seeing Alaric's somber expression, Liam couldn't help but feel a mixture of pain, sadness, and guilt. Despite not knowing the people who had sacrificed themselves for him personally, he understood the depth of their actions.
'Sacrificing yourself, most likely permanently, for someone you don't even know...' Liam thought. 'That kind of selflessness, that strength of will—it's far beyond anything I could ever even put into words.'
"I'll try to learn as much as possible from any dreams I have in the future," Liam promised Alaric.
"Good. Don't waste what they've given you," Alaric responded, seeming satisfied with Liam's resolve.
"Now, onto the last and most serious part of your question," Alaric said, his tone changing. "The whispers."
"These whispers aren't just something random, but I can't talk too much about it," Alaric said. "Use your head and be careful."
"Incursio's ability to evolve isn't as simple as it seems," Alaric added before the particles in his hands began to scatter into the air.
"What's going on?" Liam asked, a little worried as he noticed Alaric's body starting to dissipate.
"Don't worry about it. My energy is just a little low," Alaric explained with a reassuring smile. "Come back in a few weeks, and by then, everyone will have regenerated their energy. We can continue talking then."
"All right," Liam said, smiling back in relief. "Thank you for all the answers you've given me."
Alaric's body transformed into a cloud of white particles, which slowly drifted back to his statue. Once he had disappeared, silence filled the dome again.
Liam sank into thought, confirming some of his questions with the information Alaric had provided while creating new theories on others.
With everything that had happened to him so far, Liam had long known that Incursio wasn't as simple as it seems. Alaric's warning was clear to him, he knew he needed to put a lot more time in studying the precise effects Incursio had on his body.
'But these dreams of the previous user—they could be immensely useful,' Liam thought, starting to walk through the dome. 'If they continue, they can teach me techniques and allow me to experience more battles.'
Liam decided to approach his own pedestal to confirm a theory he had. Upon arriving, he saw that it now held three differently colored teardrop-shaped gems.
'I can probably safely assume the number represents the evolutions I've gone through,' Liam thought. 'But I still can't figure out the reason for the different colors.'
After staying around for a while longer, Liam decided it was time to return to his room.
'There's nothing more to see here,' he thought, stepping through the white rift.
'Alaric said I should return in a few weeks. That's when I'll probably meet all the other previous holders as well,' he thought, already looking forward to the moment. 'My future plans remain the same for now, I need to stick to my training and make a trip to Wakanda.'
'For now, though, I need to test my own body,' he decided, opening a portal with his sling ring to a remote area.
Arriving in a grassy field with a large mountainside that pretty much rose hundreds of feet straight up from the ground, Liam looked down at his arms. The reason for his test was them—or rather, his changed arm. He had noticed a significant difference in strength between his two arms while performing basic tasks, like grabbing a door handle.
'Which is why I need to test the difference,' he thought with a grin. 'And what better way than to punch a mountain and see which arm leaves more damage?'
He decided to start with his normal left arm. Pulling it back as far as he could and standing firmly on the ground, he swung with all his strength.
His fist connected with the mountain wall, sending cracks spreading 30 feet in all directions. Dust filled the air as a decent portion of the mountainside crumbled around his fist. Liam stepped back, inspecting the seven-foot spherical crater he had created.
Liam nodded, satisfied with the result.
'This is already much and much stronger than Captain America,' he thought. 'But it's nowhere near Hulk's level or Thor's divine body.'
"Luckily, I don't need to fistfight either of them with my normal body."
Liam walked over to a different part of the mountain, needing an undamaged section to test his transformed arm.
Once far enough away, he stood still and looked at his arm. He was curious about how much Incursio's modifications would affect his strength.
"It did reshape my entire arm into something non-human," Liam thought as he opened and closed his hand a few times.