Between the desire for oblivion and the life of existence stood the last holy knight of Arkan's capital, Akriod, gazing into the mirror, contemplating the path to the future he had stepped into.
"The sacred tool... worked."
Akriod appeared as a mature young man, well-built and handsome, with fair skin and silver hair flowing in the breeze from an open window, veiled by a sheer curtain dancing with the air.
The reflection of a wardrobe was visible in the mirror behind him as he sat on a white chair, wearing an open white shirt and black trousers, with a gray belt resting below his waist.
Although it was not a real body, but a copy of the original form of a person who had been alive in the past.
Inar, the son of Dysar, one of the great Dysars.
His morals were far from exemplary, but he had placed his trust in Akriod, who had assumed his form after killing him.
Akriod copied Inar's appearance using his sacred tool, "Senshu", the Life Copier.
The form Akriod had taken was a future version of the deceased Inar, transported from the past.
Akriod had relied on the sacred tool "Uru," which he had taken from Arkan's capital. It was one of the treasures of the Sacred Capital, allowing transportation to the future.
This tool also enabled him to transport a copy of Inar to the future by linking it to Inar's future thoughts, simulating his personality and how he would act throughout the copy's time in the future.
However, the copy's simulation ends upon the arrival of the Master Controller, who sent the copy, and that Master Controller was none other than Akriod.
And this was because no one else could accomplish such a feat; the tool that enabled Akriod to send the copy to the future was his sacred tool, "Senshu", the Life Copier.
However, Akriod remained entirely uncertain about the exact duration the copy had lived, spanning from the initial point in the past to this current point in the future where he now stood.
This uncertainty arose from his own move to the future one day after the copied version of the deceased Inar had been sent.
One full day in the past translated to an uncertain duration in the future.
Akriod's original intention had been to travel to the future, but this had become a backup plan in case of unforeseen events—just as it had occurred with the Star Sect aboard the flying ship when he had experienced a sudden pain in his chest.
He slowly got up, turning slightly and raising his fist to inspect the form, surprised to find that it had worked.
He had successfully transformed into the future version of Inar, and this was different from his usual method, which involved directly copying with the sacred tool "Senshu", that allowed him to copy the forms of people he killed, including their physical and vocal traits.
As he moved, Akriod pondered the simplicity of the room he found himself in, consisting of only a bed and a four-door closet. "How long has it been?" he wondered.
One thing Akriod knew was that this copying method had a clear weakness—not preserving the lived memories of the copy.
It was a copy in form but empty inside, determined only to follow orders and imitate the original.
This type of copy was dangerous, as it was designed to replicate the decisions Inar was expected to make in the future.
The danger lay in the fact that Akriod didn't know what awaited him in the future.
This was due to the risky sacrifice inherent in the copy itself, which could place Akriod in a dangerous situation.
But he had been forced to take this path due to the sect besieging him, a situation he could not face due to the pain in his chest.
A loud noise shook the place. Akriod turned to the window, and an astonishing sight unfolded before his eyes.
A large square surrounded by three massive walls, within which thousands of men, shirtless, were crowded.
Their harmonious voices rang out as they practiced martial arts with coordinated movements, like snakes.
These movements were familiar to him. Having been a Holy Knight and one of the hundred masters of the Edylis martial arts, Akriod could immediately assess their skill level and the type of training these trainees were undergoing, which was typical for beginners.
"Is this a training camp?" he muttered.
His ears caught the sound of a door opening.
He quickly lowered the veil and placed his hands on his head, pretending to have a headache, awaiting the mysterious person who was about to enter.
An old man wearing a white sling and a peculiar green traditional costume appeared before him.
With a pale face and a curly beard, the man said calmly, "Mr. Inar, the elders have gathered."
Akriod didn't understand what he meant. Since he didn't know who the man was, he replied with the only word he could find to fit the situation: "Yes."