Ban returned to the headquarters, followed by John, Don, Des, and Novan. He informed them that they were on the brink of war between Croco and Korva. At first, no one believed him, and a heated discussion broke out between Des and Ban:
— Des: "How do you expect us to believe you? This all sounds impossible!"
— Ban: "I'm not lying! The villagers saw me and heard Morth's voice… the threat is real!"
— Des: "This seems like a clever lie… maybe you just want to scare us!"
— Novan: "Enough arguing! We need to focus on reality… if what he says is true, every second of delay could cost us our lives!"
The discussion continued until Des was convinced. The group left Morgan's house, which was hidden deep in the Croco forest.
When they arrived, they saw Morgan above them, looking down with a calm smile, and said:
— "Welcome… I know you came with hearts weighed down by doubt and fear, but to know the truth, you must first trust yourselves before you trust me. Your true strength lies in what you can control, not in what I can give you."
Everyone stood in awe of his presence and mysterious calm.
Novan, unable to wait, shouted:
— "Morgan! Why did you give me the leaps?"
Morgan smiled and replied:
— "The leaps? I gave them to you to gain an advantage, to prepare you for this day. Every step, every leap, was designed to ready you for the battle between Croco and Korva."
— Novan: "But… I had no idea I would reach this stage!"
— Morgan: "No one reaches this stage without a test… The anger you've gained will not be just power, it will be the key to surpassing your enemies."
They entered the house, but it moved and changed shape with every second they blinked.
— Don (whispering to John): "Is this normal? I feel like there's a trap here… maybe he wants to kill us!"
— John: "Calm down, let's see where this leads… everything seems strange but it's real."
Novan noticed that the villagers outside had seen them and heard Morth's voice, realizing that everything was real and that war was indeed coming.
Then they heard Morgan's voice, deep and commanding:
— "If you reach the top of this house where I am, you will all learn the ability of Time Reading—twice."
Everyone froze in place.
— John: "Time Reading twice?! That's an incredibly powerful psychic ability… is this real?"
— Des: "If we learn it, it could play a major role in defending Croco… but how will we control it?"
— Novan: "I won't let anyone threaten our land… I will master this ability no matter what it takes."
— Ban: "This is what I've always meant… true power comes from controlling yourself before anything else."
They began climbing the house step by step, each speaking to themselves, anticipating what awaited them above, while the house trembled and shifted around them.
— Don (watching the moving floor): "If something happens… no one blames anyone… just stick to the plan."
— John: "The plan is to survive, which means learning Time Reading quickly before the enemies attack."
They reached the middle of the house, where the psychic energy began to manifest strongly, and each of them felt the subtle pressure of the powers they would soon acquire.
— Morgan (voice from above): "Prepare yourselves… this is not just a power, but your key to changing Croco's fate… and the task will not be easy."
Suddenly, the floor shook violently, and the walls distorted. Strange creatures appeared before them, unlike anything they had ever seen.
— Novan (shocked): "What… are these creatures?!"
— Ban: "They don't seem entirely real… they are… psychic constructs!"
The Psychic Beasts, created by Morgan himself, were designed to test them and force them to face their inner fears. Each beast reflected a weakness of one of them—their doubts, anger, or painful memories.
— Des (trembling): "These beasts… they aren't real, but it feels like… they reflect us!"
— John: "If we want to reach the top, we have to overcome them… not just with strength, but with mental control."
Novan took a deep breath, focusing on the anger within him, trying to channel his psychic energy in a controlled way instead of letting it explode randomly. His power began to glow, and the beasts slowly retreated from him.
— Novan: "I won't let anything stop us… this is our land!"
Ban, Don, and John moved together, each focusing on their own psychic strength to face the beasts, using the strategies from their recent training. Every strike, every concentrated burst of energy made the beasts retreat slightly, as if measuring the team's power.
— Ban: "This is just the beginning… every step upward strengthens us, and every encounter teaches us greater control over ourselves."
— Morgan (voice from above): "Remember… these beasts are your test. If you overcome them, you will be stronger and better prepared for what awaits in the real battle between Croco and Korva."
After a tough fight with the Psychic Beasts, the team finally reached the top of the house, exhausted but focused on their goal.
But what they saw next left them frozen in shock:
Before them appeared what seemed to be 100 Morgans, each identical. The copies stood around them in perfect formation, waiting for a wrong move.
— Novan (shocked): "What… all of this?! Is this possible?"
— Des (trembling): "They are… 100 Morgans?! How…?"
Ban smiled:
— "Don't panic… it's an illusion. Every copy is fake; only one real Morgan is waiting for us."
John added:
— "If this is a trick, that means the real one is somewhere else… we have to find him."
Suddenly, the real Morgan appeared on a secret upper floor, watching them silently. The illusory copies vanished instantly when the team tried to touch or attack them.
— Morgan (voice from the secret floor): "Well done for overcoming the Psychic Beasts and reaching here… but this final test is one of intelligence and mental control."
— Novan (panting): "We almost wasted our time on illusions… now we understand… everything was a test!"
— Morgan: "Exactly… that's the point. True power doesn't come only from physical or psychic strength, but from the mind's ability to discern and control amid deception and illusions."
Despite their exhaustion, the team began preparing for the final step: facing the real Morgan and training in Time Reading—twice, a power that would determine Croco's fate in the upcoming war against Korva.