In the heart of a city surrounding an imposing mountain, the nightlife unfolded in all its splendor.

Narrow streets were illuminated by lanterns that cast golden glimmers upon worn cobblestones, creating a magical path of light.

The hustle and bustle filled the air as the crowd hurried in its frantic comings and goings, creating a chaotic and thrilling symphony.

Night markets came to life, showcasing a wide variety of products: vibrant fabrics, artisanal crafts, and exquisite delicacies.

Intoxicating aromas of culinary delights tempted curious passersby, inviting them to explore the exotic flavors emanating from each stall.

As the ego-swords candidates roamed the bustling streets, they could feel the electricity in the air, vibrant anticipation that hung like an invisible veil.

Rumors and whispers about the upcoming gathering at the Sacred Temple spread throughout the city, generating an aura of expectation and excitement.

The reaction of the inhabitants, who could witness the transformation of some of the swords with their own eyes, was one of awe and admiration. They were living legends, safeguarding the city.

The buildings lining the streets were adorned with symbols and emblems that reminded me of the presence and power of the sacred swords' lineage.

Walls covered in blooming vines and balconies adorned with elegant fabrics stood as a testament to a subtle yet undeniable opulence.

The architectural design, with its elaborate arches and intricate details, bestowed upon the city an air of ancient charm and mystery.

However, in the distance, the imposing peak of the mountain rose, shrouded in mist.

It was in that sacred place where the ego-swords, assuming human form, ascended to the highest point, leaving their candidates behind in the city.

The mountain, guarded by ancient trees and seemingly harmless creatures, formed part of the upward path to the Sacred Temple.

As the ego-swords ascended the steep trail toward the Sacred Temple, several of their candidates chose to stay in bars or wander the streets, avoiding recognition by the people.

The city pulsed with a special energy that night as if it were imbued with the gathered presence of all the ego-swords.

"Damn, they should make the stairs lower," whispered one of the ego-swords as she leaned against a tree to rest.

"What? Are you tired?" asked the ego-sword ahead of her, looking at her curiously.

It was strange for her sister to feel tired from something like this.

"No! But carrying this barrel is... bothersome," frustratedly responded the ego-sword.

Among the walking ego-swords, one of them carried a large barrel on her shoulders. The object appeared cumbersome, but the ego-sword struggled to maintain her balance.

"Need any help?" asked the ego-sword walking ahead, her smile filled with pride.

"I'm fine," responded the other ego-sword without hesitation.

"Are you sure?" she asked again, maintaining her smile.

"Of course, it's not the first time I've carried something like this," she confidently affirmed.

Despite the strange atmosphere between them, they continued walking together.

"And why do you look so tired?" one of the ego-swords curiously questioned.

"Could you stop asking so many questions!?" snapped the other ego-sword, annoyed.

"They say that while you converse, time passes faster. Let's keep going."

As they progressed, they drew closer to the entrance of the Sacred Temple.

"How's everything going with your candidate?"

"Good, he's a good guy. We haven't failed a single mission. And you, are you still bossy?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"Come on, Rhiannon. You're bitter and always like to give orders to others. Are you still the one taking charge of your candidate's decisions?"

Rhiannon was surprised by the way her younger sister was speaking to her now.

Had it only been 10 years since they last saw each other at the reunion, and she had changed so much?

Rhiannon tried to recollect her memories and remembered certain hints of the disrespectful vocabulary her sister now used without any fear.

"Nion, each of us decides how to assist our candidates. My candidate has no complaints," Rhiannon responded in a dry tone.

Nion noticed Rhiannon's superior gaze for a few seconds, which annoyed her even more.

Why is it so difficult for her to pronounce my name correctly? Nion thought, irritated, as she said, "My name is Fion, not Nion! Do you seriously confuse me with Niam?"

Fion pointed back, gesturing toward the place where Niam and Cerys were.

Unlike Rhiannon and Fion, who were smoothly progressing on the steep terrain, their counterparts Niam and Cerys were several meters behind due to the difficulties they encountered while climbing. In fact, their faces were covered in sweat.

"You're going to drop it if you keep fooling around," warned Rhiannon.

The ego-sword carrying the barrel focused on maintaining balance as she successfully maneuvered the obstacles in her path. It wasn't an easy task, as the barrel she carried was special.

"Aren't you leading the way, War Queen?"

Fion deliberately used one of the nicknames they called Rhiannon.

Before they knew it, both of them stood before the white stairs leading upward.

The stairs weren't in perfect condition, but it was more comfortable to ascend the mountain using them.

"That was fast," Fion said incredulously, as she swore that just a few seconds ago those stairs weren't there.

"I told you. It's a good method," Rhiannon replied.

Both of them began ascending the stairs as they continued their conversation.

"How many lineages have you encountered this time?" Rhiannon asked curiously, based on certain assumptions she had in her head.

"I don't know... I usually don't pay attention to them," Fion responded as she moved to stand right next to Rhiannon.

As always, Fion had shattered all of Rhiannon's hopes of getting useful information from her.

"But do you have an approximate idea?"

"Why do you want to know that? Aren't we going to discuss it soon at the reunion?" Fion questioned reluctantly.

"It's about the method."

"Oh, come on, Rhiannon, I think you take the words of..." Fion stopped before finishing her sentence, as calling her 'that' would also be an attack on herself. So, she decided to counter with a question!

"And you, how many lineages have you encountered?"

"It's hard to answer that..."

"Then why are you asking me that!?"

"I thought you were intelligent."

That counterattack was deadly for Fion.

As Fion struggled to find words to respond, she fell silent.

Fortunately, in a few minutes, both of them reached the entrance of the Sacred Temple.

They were met with a breathtaking view. In the center of the temple stood a majestic stone fountain, whose crystal-clear waters flowed with a hypnotic gentleness. The fountain radiated a mystical glow and whispered ancient melodies.

"Did Eirlys modify this?" Fion asked, surprised, as she placed the barrel on the ground.

"I don't know," Rhiannon replied.

Although Rhiannon appeared impassive on the outside, she was amazed that Fion had noticed that small detail instantly.

Fion began washing her face with the fountain water, and soon the footsteps of the lagging ego swords could be heard.

Upon stepping onto the final step, Niam and Cerys were exhausted.

"You've improved," Rhiannon commented as she applauded them.

"A pleasure to see you again, elder sister," Niam greeted courteously with a gesture of her hand.

"Thank you for your kind words, elder sister!" Cerys said cheerfully, smiling.

"It's still some time until midnight. Take the opportunity to wash your faces in the fountain and..." Rhiannon was left speechless as she saw Fion sitting near the fountain and drinking water from it as if there was no tomorrow.

"Fion!" Niam exclaimed, annoyed.

"What?" Fion responded as she continued drinking water, using her hands.

"You're hogging all the purity of the fountain!"

"So what?"

"That's unfair!"

"I don't hear any whining. Become stronger, and then we can discuss it."

Niam clenched her fist and approached the fountain to start drinking water almost in the same manner as Fion.

Some scratches on Niam's forearm disappeared as she drank the water from the fountain.

"Aren't you going?" Rhiannon asked, turning her gaze to Cerys.

"Yes!"

They all began drinking from the fountain, except for Rhiannon, who ventured further into the temple.

The temple walls were adorned with golden symbols and bas-relief engravings that depicted stories lost in time.

The atmosphere in the temple was serene and filled with ancient power.

◇◆◇

Rhiannon was searching for someone, but she couldn't find her.

Finally, midnight arrived, and all the ego-swords sat at a rather luxurious dining table.

The wooden table was enormous and had a red cloth where the food dishes were placed.

The barrel that Fion brought contained a drink that they all poured into their glasses.

Each one took their seat around the table, but the central spot remained empty.

After several minutes of silence, the last ego-sword finally entered. She had a downcast look but exuded an aura that made the other ego-swords tense.

She seemed to search for someone with her gaze but didn't find what she was looking for.

The other ego-swords saw this, and upon realizing she didn't come accompanied, almost all of them had the same thought.

She's not here.

Some thought it with regret, while others believed there must be a reason for her absence. However, one of them saw this as an opportunity.

Sitting in her seat, the ego-sword asked, "What news do you have?"

Rhiannon was the first to stand up and detail how other lineages were expanding. Then she spoke about the appearance of abnormal creatures.

Fion also stood up and recounted some fights she had with candidates from other lineages, describing the abilities they had demonstrated.

Then, Niam and Cerys stood up to tell about their encounter with an ice dragon and how they had strategically withdrawn.

"You did well to retreat. Only Rhiannon and Nion can stand against those creatures. Good job."

"I appreciate your words, elder sister," Niam said formally as she resumed her seat.

"Thank you very much, Eirlys!" Cerys said cheerfully, and for a moment, they all froze at her words.

Was Cerys starting to be like Fion?

Why did she address Eirlys like that?

The most impressed by this attitude was Rhiannon.

Eirlys, coughing intentionally, decided to address the matter as she noticed everyone's reaction.

"It's okay. We're all sisters, so it's no problem if you call me by my name," she affirmed, trying to maintain a sense of camaraderie among them.

Rhiannon was astonished to hear Eirlys' words.

She couldn't believe Eirlys had said that.

While trying to process the situation, Eirlys continued speaking. "And Nion..." she began to say but was interrupted by Fion, who emphatically declared, "I'm Fion!"

Eirlys sighed and calmly replied, "I appreciate your report, Fion, but please pay more attention to the names of those clans. While it's true that a dead enemy can no longer cause problems, they have been gaining a lot of ground in recent years, and that's annoying."

With displeasure, Fion grumbled before sitting down, while Rhiannon observed the scene with a mixture of astonishment and confusion.

Why was Eirlys so compassionate today?

"Rhiannon, you have more information, don't you?"

Eirlys knew Rhiannon well enough to know that she had intentionally omitted information.

"Of course. As Nion said," Rhiannon responded, intentionally emphasizing the last word, "The candidates from the enemy lineages are using special ego-swords."

All the ego-swords turned to look at Rhiannon's face upon hearing this revelation, except for Fion, who had been watching her angrily from the start.

"Can you be more specific?"

"I don't want to jump to hasty conclusions or throw out senseless theories," Rhiannon glanced intentionally at Fion as she said this, "but I can say that they are using a method to recruit more candidates and, consequently, increase their strength to expand their influence."

"What level of threat are we talking about?"

"Niam and Cerys can handle them individually without any problems, but the challenge lies in their numbers. We won't be able to protect everyone," explained Rhiannon.

Eirlys continued questioning, "Do you know where their bases are?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have that information," Rhiannon responded.

All the ego-swords were impressed by the information Rhiannon had gathered in the past ten years and the conclusions she had reached, except for Fion.

For Fion, Rhiannon was still a self-centered and arrogant ego sword.

"Very well, let's move on to suggestions for improving our lineage," Eirlys proposed with a small smile. "We'll start this time with Cerys and Niam's ideas, and then we'll proceed to the others."

"We should create a place for our candidates to rest. It's annoying to dodge all the humans while trying to climb up here," Cerys recommended with a smile.

"An inn?" Eirlys asked.

"Yes!" Cerys replied.

"I think we should include some sort of guards to prevent humans from entering the mountain... they're bothersome if they're not our candidates," Niam said in a serious tone.

"I see..." Eirlys responded as she thought of a solution.

"I propose that we seek out Eleonora. She might have better suggestions and research than Rhiannon," Fion suddenly added, catching everyone off guard.

The pleasant atmosphere that had been building at the table was shattered by Fion's sudden suggestion.

Rhiannon frowned.

Cerys and Niam, who seemed to be silently discussing which dish to choose, fell silent upon seeing the expression on Eirlys' face.

She was completely serious.

Eirlys maintained her composure and calmly responded, "Fion, I appreciate your input in the discussion, but this time I'm seeking the opinions of Cerys and Niam. Your turn will come soon. By the way, I'm only asking for suggestions to improve our lineage."

"Well, it seems like Eleonora isn't important to the lineage. Is that why you easily abandoned her in her grand mission?" Fion said sarcastically, gripping the red fabric of the table tightly.

Fion, with a mixture of determination and fear in her gaze, fell silent, watching Eirlys.

Fion trembled inside, but her need to know Eleonora's true whereabouts was stronger.

Eirlys had said a long time ago that the reason Eleonora didn't attend these meetings was because she was on an important mission.

At first, this sounded believable, but over the decades, this explanation had become flimsy to Fion.

It had several contradictions!

First, if Eleonora went on an important mission, why did she always seem to be waiting for someone whenever she attended these meetings? Was she assigned such a difficult mission that she didn't know when she would return?

Second, Eleonora had never missed more than five consecutive meetings.

"The meetings took place every 10 years. So what was Eleonora doing all that time? Couldn't she have come to report on her progress at least?"

Third, no matter how much she searched on her own, she never heard any news of Eleonora anywhere on the continent. It was as if she and her candidate had vanished from the world.

The worst part was that Eirlys always avoided the topic, saying that she would return soon, but it had been too long already!

Fion wanted an answer.

"Fion, enough already. You can discuss that with Elder Sister Eirlys later," Rhiannon said, wearing a rather serious expression.

Ironically, only after daring to make such a comment did Rhiannon address her by name without confusion.

"Rhiannon, it's fine," Eirlys said in a low but audible tone for everyone.

Fion bit her lip and avoided bringing her hands to her mouth.

She didn't want to show her vulnerable side here.

This chapter took too long... so I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill the daily chapter schedule I had in mind for this work. Unlike my other works, this one usually takes me more time to create.

The marathon will conclude this Sunday, and the chapters will be released every 3 days.

Depending on the support this version receives, I will decide its priority.

Thank you for reading!