Legacy of the Dark Sage

Only those with first-hand experience of the existence of other planes and Sovereigns could see the golden net covering the sky. Logically speaking, Tritus should not have the ability to see them too. However, after becoming Kyran's Sigil, they shared a bond and enabled Tritus to utilize the latter's abilities.

It was one of the advantages of becoming a Sigil. Of course, Tritus could only share Kyran's abilities if the latter was nearby. If their connection was too far, it was useless.

In any case, now that Tritus could see the golden net, he knew Kyran was near. He focused on his Sigil's mark and faintly sensed Kyran's location.

But he did not change course. Instead, he continued toward the massive hole.

At the same time, Kyran also noticed Tritus's presence, but he did not try to contact him because it was unnecessary. A few hours ago, when the Sovereign's Cradle activated while he was still in Tracomill, he sent messages to all his Sigils. Because of this, Max and Reuben returned from the Valley of Morte and rendezvous with Kyran. As for Tritus, Kyran asked him to head toward the Regis Estate, assess the situation, and act accordingly.

Kyran continued to lead his group.

Although it would have been easier to warp directly in Meliora— preferably a town near the Regis Estate— Kyran did not do so. He did not want the teams dispatched by the other factions to know of their movement. For all they knew, the Conclave and the Royal Army had not yet made any movements about investigating the anomaly. Everyone with Kyran was already dressed differently, but there was no telling if others would recognize them. After all, the people with Kyran could be considered top mages.

As Kyran and his group successfully entered Meliora, a loud explosion erupted from the jagged hole. It was then followed by massive shockwaves that swept through the land below.

Trees were uprooted, and the ground was riddled with deep crevices. If the heart of the explosion had been close to a town, that town would have already been turned to dust.

The Conclave and the soldiers with Kyran paled as soon as the shockwave's aftershock swept past them. If they had been any closer, they would have been blown away or even died from it.

"Not good," Mannick said as he looked at the jagged. "The explosion just now affected the cradle."

When Reuben, standing behind Mannick and Kyran, heard the former's words, he could not help but size him up before looking at the sky again. On the other hand, Max's expression turned grim.

Like Tritus, Max and Reuben could see the golden net because of Kyran.

Kyran did not respond to Mannick's comment. He was more concerned about who caused that massive explosion. But their current situation prevented him from pondering over this question. He had to focus on getting to their destination as stealthily as possible.

Max's eyes narrowed as he stepped in front of Kyran suddenly.

A huge shield that looked like a turtle's shell, except it appeared to be made of scales, appeared on Max's forearm, shielding Kyran from above.

Whoosh! Bam!

A powerful gust of wind circled them, followed by an invisible object that fell from above.

Instantly, more than half of the people with Kyran fell to their knees and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Those who managed to stay upright did not escape unscathed. Most of them felt a huge weight on their shoulders, and their bones creaked in protest. Their magic barriers could barely protect them.

Max gritted his teeth. His feet sank a few inches on the ground as he bore most of the brunt of the impact. Every bone in his body creaked, but he endured.

Mannick grabbed the hilt of the greatsword strapped on his back. His eyes glowed as he brandished the weapon upward. A blade beam formed from magic energy slashed out and collided with the invisible object.

Glass shattering sounds reverberated above, and a powerful suction force whirled at them, pulling most of them upward.

Before any of them got pulled up, Kyran raised his hand, his eyes darkened, turning a deep purple and a similarly invisible force enveloped the whirling force. Crackling sounds reverberated and the air distorted. Soon, the whirling suction force disappeared, and everyone affected by it regained their bearings.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Impressive."

A male voice filled with arrogance spoke amidst the clapping sounds.

Kyran, Mannick, and the others looked up and saw a figure in a dark red hooded robe holding a black and gold staff hovering above. His robe fluttered gently with the wind as he looked down at them. They could not see the person's appearance because it was hidden under his oversized hood. However, from the sound of his voice, they more or less guessed that he was a middle-aged man.

"I have been told to come here because he said I will meet someone interesting," the man continued speaking in a very relaxed way. "I never expected to find more capable humans."

Mannick and Max's expressions turned solemn upon hearing the man's words.

From how he addressed them as humans, it was obvious he was not from the Human plane. They also noticed the man's unfathomable mage level. Apart from this, his relaxed attitude spoke volumes. It might appear as if he was looking down on them and did not bother putting up his guard. But the truth, he showed no openings.

Proof of this was Reuben not making any move. The truth was he had already hidden his presence in the dark and was waiting for the moment the enemy showed himself to deliver a lethal strike. Unfortunately, when the man appeared, Reuben failed to find an opening for him to exploit.

Kyran observed the man. Though his expression remained indifferent, he was actually shocked. After encountering different things during his training, few things could shock him. But this man indeed shocked Kyran because he did not sense his arrival. As a matter of fact, he still could not sense the man's presence. And if the man had not openly addressed them as 'humans,' Kyran would have thought the man was human. But if this was the case, could he be an essence by one of the Sovereigns outside? More importantly, how did he enter without Mannick sensing it?

The rest of the people with Kyran, who managed to regain their bearings, were also reeling at the man's words and attitude. First of all, to these people, existences like Malek, Hugh and even Gael were the pinnacle of all combat mages and pure mages alike. Even without flaunting their magic pressure, these three had an imposing aura about them. However, the man before them was different. He had this unfathomable aura about him, making him equally or far more scarier than Malek, Hugh and Gael.

Secondly, the man calling them 'humans' shook them to the core. As far as they were concerned, non-human existences but had the appearance of one could be found among the Spirits. There was another cause that only appeared in legends. A legendary beast achieving a certain level of their evolution and could change their appearance. But the latter was impossible. Because for a legendary beast to achieve that level, they had to be at least a thousand years old.

It was quite easy for these people to think this way. After all, they had no knowledge of other planes, which made it hard for them to understand the concept of other non-human having human appearances.

The man's gaze swept at Mannick, then to Max before finally landing on Kyran.

"You managed to counter my magic attack without exerting any aura. Do you have it, too?"

Kyran did not respond. He only looked at the man without showing any emotions.

But that did not mean he was not considering the man's question.

What did he mean by 'having' it, too? If Kyran considered what the man said before asking that question, it was easy to understand that he was talking about the ability of making one's aura invisible- or to be precise, undetectable- but Kyran was not doing it on purpose. It was all thanks to the Shaiha that his magic attack and his presence did not emit any aura.

A thought crossed Kyran's mind and he frowned slightly.

The man was not talking about the Shaiha, was he? That should not be the case, because Kyran already had the Shaiha.

Kyran recalled something he had read about mages in other planes trying to replicate what the Shaiha could do. Could this man possess something like that?

Kyran felt an incoming headache. Unexpected things kept happening that he could barely keep up.

All he wanted was to save his clan, why were there so many things cropping up each time, making such a simple thing turn into a complicated and complex matter?

The man chuckled after failing to incite a reaction on Kyran. He then said, "No need to worry your little head. If I really wanted to kill, all of you would have died from that strike. I only came here for one thing."

The man's voice turner solemn as he continued, "New Dark Sage, are you interested in making a deal?"