18

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Hello everyone, thanks for the support. And Cerberus6548, I curse you to be hunted by a pack of wild kitten cubs and die of cuteness for rating the story with 4 stars. 

Also, I see many Jinx fans reading the story, but no Rek'Sai fans. 

I also had the idea for a fanfic where a man turns into a dwarf and travels the multiverse forging weapons for the protagonists. Imagine Goblin Slayer with an LMG—it's so cool. 

Good chapter and thanks for the support. 

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Mark put on his mask and quickly returned to the mages' camp. He immediately noticed that the number of people in the camp had drastically increased. "What happened?" he wondered and soon found Riven entering the camp with other refugees. 

"You rescued them on your own?" Mark asked her in surprise. Riven, noticing his return, nodded. "Actually, Katarina did most of the work. She actively patrols and attacks mage hunters and small bases, freeing mages." 

"Katarina? Why? Did she get bored?" Mark was surprised by his companion's behavior. Riven gave a brief smile at his tone. "Why don't you go see her? She's changed a bit since a week ago," she said, pointing to a more distant area of the camp. 

Heading in that direction, Mark soon began to hear the sound of children laughing and playing. Reaching a grove near the camp, he saw Katarina playing with the children and wearing a crown of leaves. 

At that moment, he froze and stood still, stunned by the scene. His heart skipped a beat, and the image of the brutal assassin began to melt in his mind. 

"So she has a side like this too," Mark thought. At that moment, Katarina noticed him and waved. If Mark could see through his mask, he would have seen her giving him a warm smile upon seeing him. 

Carefully, she dismissed the children and approached him, still standing there, admiring her. "What's wrong? Is there something on my mask?" Katarina asked, confused, seeing Mark staring at her intently. 

"Oh, no, I'm just a bit surprised," he said while observing the aura emanating from Katarina. She still carried the air of a fierce warrior, but as Mark would describe it, "You seem more human now." 

The two stood in silence for a moment, looking at each other as the wind rustled through the trees, scattering leaves around them. 

"Hey, you two!" At that moment, Tara's voice broke the mood, and both of them awkwardly looked away. They turned to see the old woman, who seemed to realize she had interrupted something. "Ah, sorry about that, but some important news just arrived!" she apologized with a smile, holding a paper containing a royal decree. 

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*(I, Jarvan III, King of Demacia, order all mage-hunting activities to cease until further notice. Anyone who dares to disobey this decree will be judged in court.)* 

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Now inside Tara's tent, Mark read the decree with a smile on his face and quickly turned to the rest of the group, who looked confused about why the King had made such a declaration. 

"This was your doing, wasn't it?" Katarina asked, noticing Mark didn't seem surprised by the current situation. 

"Well, you could say that. Now, gather our things—we're going to the capital," he said without preamble. Tara still wore a face full of confusion. 

Everything was happening so fast. She had heard that Mark was a powerful mage, but that wouldn't be enough to make the King of Demacia comply with his demands. "Maybe he's a noble?" This was Tara's first thought, but she quickly shook her head in denial. 

In the end, she could only nod while listening to Mark tell her to prepare properly to either accommodate a crowd of people or attack the Demacian capital. 

"Do you really think we have the power to overthrow the capital?" she asked uncertainly, but Mark nodded confidently. 

"Trust me. If everything goes as I think, we might not even need to fight. But I fear there might be some worrisome enemies in the capital," he said. 

Thus, after a day of preparation and bidding farewell to everyone in the camp, the group of three moved through the forest, guided by the winds. 

"Hey Mark, you said this wind guiding us is a blessing from Janna. Could you tell me more about her?" Katarina's voice rang out as they walked. Mark froze for a moment before looking at her and activating his Sharingan. 

Sensing Mark's tension, she quickly scanned the surroundings for any enemies but found none. However, when she turned to question Mark, she saw he was already walking again. 

"It's really not an illusion. Besides, I probed her heart with Morgana's power—she truly is changing." Mark's thoughts raced. For a brief moment, he almost thought Katarina had been replaced by an impostor, but to his surprise, it was really her. 

Probing her heart, he realized that her soul, once blood-red and covered in an aura of pride and bloodlust, now bore a light of hope and righteousness. 

"If she keeps this up, I might end up falling for her," Mark joked to himself. In his past life, he would probably have already pursued a relationship with Katarina, even if her character wasn't his type. 

But in this life, Mark had been more responsible, and if Katarina truly was changing, he wouldn't mind a relationship with her. They already knew each other, and she had saved his life before. 

"In reality, it's impressive that nothing has happened yet. I feel like if this story were like other reincarnation tales from my past life, something would've happened in the first week," he thought. 

Katarina, seeing Mark lost in thought, didn't bother him for a while. But soon he spoke to her, "Hey Kat, would you and Riven like to be my apostles?" 

His question hung in the air as the two women looked at him in confusion. 

"Well, it might sound incredible, but during my journey over the past few days, I discovered that I'm almost a demigod," Mark declared awkwardly. There was a moment of silence before Riven spoke. 

"That explains a lot," she said, a little surprised. 

"But what do you mean by apostles?" Katarina asked shortly after, still sounding surprised by Mark's sudden declaration. They were still processing it. 

"I kind of learned how to grant part of my power to other people. However, I don't know how it will affect your personalities because I'm not sure what my authority is," he explained, and there was a brief moment of silence. 

Any power bestowed upon someone, if they didn't have a strong will, would slowly affect the original personality of mortal beings—or at least influence it. 

An example would be Mihira, the Aspect of Justice, who completely lost her humanity after receiving power beyond her limits. 

"So, isn't it just a matter of discovering your authority?" Riven asked directly. 

"Well, that's the problem. Normally, the authority of the Aspects is tied to actions they usually take or a feeling they embody. And apart from promoting rebellions and coups, I don't know what else I might represent," Mark explained, and there was a moment of silence. 

"Really, you're quite good at staging coups," Katarina said, and Riven nodded in agreement. Mark just sighed in frustration. 

"I think your authority is probably hope," Riven suddenly said, and Mark stopped in his tracks. Something inside him seemed to react at that moment. 

"Why do you think that?" he asked, and Riven quickly responded. 

"It's the feeling I see you bring. I've heard your stories, and from what I've seen, you brought hope to the gladiators in the Arena, hope to the slaves in Shurima, hope to hundreds, if not thousands, of orphans and beggars in every city we've passed through, and finally, hope to the mages in Demacia. Honestly, I think you're like a flame burning in the darkness, pushing the shadows away." 

Her words resonated deeply with Mark, and he stopped walking. 

In the next moment, he began to glow, startling Katarina and Riven, who took a step back. Mark started to float in the air, shining intensely as flames erupted from his body. 

"I am the flame of hope, the sun that rises to drive away the darkness and herald a new day, the warmth that protects the weak, and the fire that burns the wicked!" His words echoed directly in the minds of the two women. 

At that moment, a fiery tattoo grew on Mark's right arm, spreading across his entire right side and connecting with the marks of Morgana and Janna, causing them to shine as well. 

Slowly, the glow diminished, and he stopped floating, landing softly on the ground. 

"That was strange," he said, his first words after returning to normal. 

Katarina and Riven were momentarily speechless, staring at him as if he were a bomb about to explode. Then, Katarina stepped forward. 

"Is that proposal to become an apostle still on the table?" she asked, and Mark couldn't help but smile behind his mask as he extended his hand to her. 

Katarina hesitated for a moment before taking Mark's hand. It might seem odd, but it was the first time they truly held hands. Warmth coursed through their palms as they gazed at each other for a moment. 

*Ahem!* 

Riven cleared her throat, snapping them out of their daze. Mark awkwardly composed himself before following the words that came naturally to his heart. 

"In the brightest day, in the darkest night, evil shall be extinguished by my light. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power—Green Lantern's light!" (Just kidding, author's note.) 

--> "Do you swear to bring hope to the people and, like the sun, drive away the darkness of evil from this world?" he asked Katarina. His words seemed to carry great weight, and at that moment, flames ignited from Mark's hand. 

She felt a gentle warmth emanating from his hand and nodded. "I swear," she said. At that moment, Mark's flames began to climb up Katarina's arm, forming a long tattoo of flames that extended to her chest. 

Mark was surprised. From what he understood, the more compatible someone's will was, the larger the mark would manifest. 

"It seems she truly is determined to change," Mark thought, smiling internally. 

Next, it was Riven's turn to receive the blessing. Her process was less dramatic, and the flames formed a tattoo up to her elbow. 

"It looks like I'll have to spend the rest of my life helping you," Riven said, observing the tattoo and giving a faint smile. 

Thus, the trio continued their journey toward the capital. 

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