Mark relived every single one of Thaddeus's memories, from his innocent childhood to his transformation into a corrupted soul. Yet, he had been powerless to intervene. He couldn't re-educate that foolish boy. He couldn't convey the gravity of his father's final warning before the Academy. He couldn't scream that the bond with Anastasia was fraying due to his own negligence. He couldn't explain that Colin wasn't a villain, and that a single honest conversation could have resolved almost everything. He simply watched. He suffered alongside him.
It felt less like viewing someone else's memories and more like recollecting his own past, drowning in his own regrets. Mark chuckled inwardly. 'I suppose I really am Thaddeus now.' At that thought, the vision shifted. He was still in a world of color, but something was different this time—he could move of his own volition. Surveying his surroundings, he found himself in a fragmented house. More accurately, it was a surreal fusion of Mark Miller's childhood home and the Lightborn manor where Thaddeus had grown up.
Mark realized the truth: this was his Inner World.
In essence, the Inner World is a remarkably simple concept. It is merely an environment that the user finds most comfortable—a sanctuary that can always provide a sense of calm. However, even this sanctuary has its boundaries.
If a mage is so consumed by rage that they cannot even perform basic meditation, how could they possibly hope to enter their Inner World and find peace? Thaddeus was the ultimate cautionary tale. Had he managed to calm himself after his defeat in the duel and found a way to enter his Inner World, his situation might never have turned so dire. The primary purpose of the Inner World is, after all, tranquility.
Entering the Inner World is, in itself, the most potent form of meditation. It facilitates mana recovery and aids in expanding one's overall mana capacity. Furthermore, the spiritual form that enters the Inner World possesses the same system of Mana Veins as the physical body. This makes the Inner World an ideal and highly efficient space for training and refining one's internal energy.
Using Mana Sense, Mark began to inspect his mana veins. Everything seemed to be in order, except for one major difference: the specialized ocular channels that had once granted Thaddeus his legendary talent were completely gone. He tried to query the System for confirmation, but perhaps because he was within the Inner World, the System remained silent.
As he contemplated leaving the Inner World, a thought struck him, and he began searching for a mirror. His spiritual form was no longer the old Thaddeus, nor was it the former Mark. Upon finding a mirror, he stood before it and froze for a moment. Reflected there was a figure clad in black leather with stark grey hair. By the beauty standards of Mark's past life, his face could be described as "average," but compared to Thaddeus's former aristocratic handsomeness, it appeared hideous. Why was his hair grey? Had the System altered his appearance during the reconstruction of his body?
Mark realized why his face felt so strange: he had heard that human beauty is rooted in symmetry. In the mirror, that very symmetry was fractured in numerous places, and his skin was neither clear nor smooth. If these defects were corrected, he might have resembled Thaddeus again. However, what truly made this visage terrifying were his eyes—they were entirely bloodshot, a solid, deep crimson.
After observing his reflection, Mark decided to depart from the Inner World. Yet, something gnawed at him. Due to the Inner World's inherent calming effect, even though he could sense the part of his psyche he called "Thaddeus" weeping in a corner of his mind, he had the strength to ignore it for now. Mark knew he would eventually have to face this sorrow, but with a lingering hesitation, he finally exited the Inner World.
Returning to absolute darkness after the vivid colors of the Inner World was a jarring adjustment for Mark. Moreover, uncontrollable emotions began to surge through his body: despair, rage, and a burning hatred. He hated Colin—as if Colin himself had shattered his entire world. He was furious with Anastasia—convinced she had trampled upon their love and engagement. He loathed his family—who, instead of helping him when he fell, had cast him out and replaced him with Colin. He resented his father—whose affection he had craved since childhood, only to be met with nothing but stoic indifference.
Drowning in this whirlpool of negativity, Mark took a deep breath and began to speak to the Thaddeus within him—or rather, to himself:
"Why do you hate Colin? Your world was already rotting long before he arrived; you just refused to see it. What is the reason for your hatred? Is it because he spoke to Anastasia? Because she looked at him with an expression she never once gave to you? It was a simple conversation. Anastasia was just speaking to a new student and, for a moment, let go of her tension. Weren't you the one who kept her under constant, suffocating stress? Did you ever stop to think how she felt while you were chasing other women?
Hatred for your family? You should have known their laws by heart. You always flaunted your talent before them; once that talent was gone, who did you expect to care? And stop hating your father—he is a stoic, incapable of showing emotion. That first caramel candy and that final talk before the Academy were the absolute limits of his affection. Do you remember the family motto, 'Duty Alone'? To you, they were just words, but to your father, they were a way of life. He trusted you to pull yourself out of that mire. And after the duel, no one forced you to fuse Mana and Ki. From start to finish—that choice was yours alone!"
The internal dialogue had only succeeded in dulling the edges of his fury and resentment. But as his mind drifted toward Lucas Lightborn, Mark froze completely. Having read The Great Hero, he knew the grim truth: his father was likely already dead.
According to the original plot, a massive demonic invasion was set to erupt roughly two months after Thaddeus's attempted suicide. Although Colin was talented, he was still far too young to be a decisive factor in a war of this magnitude. In that harrowing battle, Lucas Lightborn would confront the Demon King himself. At the cost of his life, Lucas would inflict a lingering, soul-searing wound upon the demon king—a sacrifice that would ultimately force the demonic legions to retreat.
Calculating the timeline—two months of peace followed by a month-long war—Mark came to a chilling realization. If the wheels of fate were turning as written, the funeral for his father was probably being held at this very moment.