After visiting each of the human fortress borders surrounding the human domain, all the tier-one human paragons gathered together.
They hovered in the air, awaiting Atticus' words.
"I suggest we take this somewhere secure."
The gazes of the paragons flickered in unison.
"I concur," Oberon added.
Discussing their plans in the open skies was nothing short of foolish. However, leaving the Vampyros borders unguarded was another mistake the human paragons had no intention of making.
They headed back to the peak where Fort Echohelm once stood. As they arrived, Oberon hovered forward, his hands a blur as he engraved words into the air.
The runes lit up with a golden glow before shooting downward, encompassing the entire mountain. In the next instant, translucent structures began forming, solidifying until the image of an expansive citadel took shape.
Atticus watched silently as the citadel materialized. It resembled the Enigmalnk's citadel, simple in structure, yet covered in flickering runes that made its security abundantly clear.
The citadel was tall and imposing, standing high above the border, overlooking everything.
Oberon nodded to the others as it finished forming, and a golden glow expanded from him, enveloping the entire group.
In the next second, Atticus found himself seated on one of the circular thrones within the citadel.
'Interesting.'
He observed his surroundings. Although Atticus had anticipated different reactions to his sudden rise in power, he was somewhat relieved to see that the other paragons were accepting reality without resistance.
'Of course.' Ozeroth's voice echoed in his mind. 'Power is everything. When you have it, others have no choice but to bow before you.'
'Not everyone,' Atticus countered. 'Some would rather die than bow.'
Atticus' remark sounded pointed, but Ozeroth seemed not to catch the implication.
'Tch.' Ozeroth scoffed. 'Point them in my direction, and I will show them what it means to have absolute power.'
'Get a mirror.'
Ozeroth, who had been about to speak, paused.
'What do you mean, bond?'
'The Spirit King was stronger than you, right? Why didn't you bow?'
'That's different! The Spirit King is evil incarnate. He doesn't deserve the bow of the great Ozeroth!'
'Of course, of course.'
Atticus tuned out Ozeroth's ranting and instead focused on the hall. One detail stood out to him: he was seated on a large throne. Not just any throne, but one at the highest elevation in the hall.
The same row where the paragons of humanity were seated.
The meaning was clear, they saw him as an equal.
All eyes were on him, the hall falling into an oppressive silence.
Atticus maintained his calm demeanor as he began addressing the paragons.
"After visiting each fortress, I concluded that the Vampyros and Dimensari imposters are using the same technique."
A ripple passed through the paragons as they shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Their minds spun, dreading the implications of the Vampyros and Dimensari working together.
They had just earned the ire of the former. If the latter also involved themselves in this matter, then their downfall was assured.
"Are you suggesting they're working together, or have they simply stumbled upon the same method?" Oberon suddenly asked.
Atticus shook his head.
"I don't know if they're colluding or not, but the technique is identical." He let that sink in before continuing.
"What do you all know about mana signatures?"
The hall froze. The human paragons exchanged narrowed gazes.
Mana signatures weren't often discussed, not because they were unimportant, but because their control over them was so insignificant that they couldn't be bothered with them.
Dealing with mana signatures was incredibly difficult and a monumental endeavor. Even paragons like them had only managed to replicate them for barriers or enchantments, certainly not alter them.
But that wasn't even the most shocking part.
If they understood Atticus correctly, he was referring to the mana signatures of living beings. Even barriers required immense effort, and for them, replicating or altering the mana signature of a living being was an impossibility.
It was Thorne who finally broke the silence. "A mana signature is what defines us. It is what makes a race what they are. What gives us our powers," he explained.
Atticus nodded. "Exactly. And that is the technique they're using. They have found a way to change their mana signatures to that of humans."
This time, there were no whispers, just pure, stunned silence. The implications were terrifying.
A Vampyros or Dimensari could be posing as a human, and none of them would have any idea? It was inconceivable.
"That's impossible. A mana signature is tied to one's very existence. It's not something you can just… change." Octavius' voice was loud, as though he was hoping Atticus was wrong. Because if he was right, they were screwed.
He continued before Atticus could respond.
"Even if this were true, how did you detect them? If what you say is correct, even we could not sense the difference."
Atticus remained impassive. He had expected this question.
"Because I have something unique to me, spiritual energy."
"But Seraphi—"
"It's unique to my spirit," Atticus interrupted, cutting off Octavius before he could finish speaking. It was obvious the latter was about to point out that Seraphina also possessed spiritual energy yet hadn't noticed anything.
As the human paragons turned to Seraphina, she nodded, confirming the possibility of his words.
"The abilities of spirits vary, and it could be anything. I believe him," she said.
A heavy silence followed as the weight of the situation settled over the room.
"A solution."
The paragons turned to Magnus, who had just spoken. His expression was serious. The man hardly ever spoke in meetings, but it was clear the silence of the paragons was frustrating him.
They should be searching for a solution, not brooding.
"Magnus is right," Oberon said. "We should be searching for solutions to this crisis rather than wasting time."
The expressions of the other paragons hardened before they nodded in agreement.
"What do you think?" Oberon turned to Atticus and asked.
All eyes focused on him once again.
"The only solution here would be searching for a way to differentiate the imposters," Atticus explained.