Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran stopped in his tracks and glanced sideways at True Void.

True Void asked, "Do you know why humans panic?"

Before Kyran could reply, True Void continued, "Because they worry… they fear. And after fear they despair. Eventually, their despair would lead to madness..."

Kyran did not know where True Void's talk would lead. But sensing it was necessary, he remained silent.

"Humans who went mad end up doing outrageous and unspeakable things. In the past, when the demons invaded, a lot of humans had gone mad. Some who stayed sane went to war and fought the demons, but most gave in to madness and fell into the hands of the demons.

"Amidst the turmoil, the appearance of rifts worsened.

"You already know this while training in other planes, but rifts appear when a plane's magic law and balance is disturbed."

True Void paused, "... Back then, humans lack a Sovereign, thus the demon's invasion escalated. In the end, the war intensified. The death toll, innumerable. No matter what the humans did, the demon's number never fell. Instead it increased… However, they were not aware they were no longer at war with demons alone. They were at war with other 'outsiders' and… humans."

Kyran furrowed his brows. The way True Void said 'humans' felt as if he was referring to them as a different species.

"You're confused. That's natural," True Void said as if reading Kyran's thoughts. "But when I say they were at war with humans, I don't mean internal fighting.

"No, it is far worse than that. Because they did not know they were fighting their fellow humans. Or at least, fellow humans who had already fallen."

Kyran's eyes widened, finally realizing what True Void was trying to say. He muttered,  "Human souls… The Soul Emperor summoned the souls of the dead and led them to war."

True Void smiled bitterly, "That's right. A mighty army of undying souls... In the First War, humans, because of their ignorance, believed the invading demons were all the same. They thought the increasing number of demons came from the rifts alone. But that was not entirely the case.

"Because the Soul Emperor summoned the souls of the fallen humans and demons alike and led them to war. Using empty vessels modeled in the image of different beasts, she allied herself with the demons and went on a massacre.

"Can you imagine? Those possessed empty vessels that know no pain, marching into war? It was hell back then.

"No matter how many were destroyed, as long as the souls were intact, then the Soul Emperor could place them in new vessels to fight again."

True Void's expression turned hard as if recalling a scene from the past when humans were at war with these so-called demons.

A futile endeavor that drove humans to the verge of extinction.

"Finally, a lone mage possessing the power of the Void appeared, putting an end to the Soul Emperor's reign. Because only a Void mage could return the souls of the dead to the void..."

Kyran had always wondered why the Soul Emperor feared the Void Master. Now, he finally knew why.

As for the vessels of the souls, he guessed they were puppets.

No wonder the Crown Princess was interested in Tyr. Combining her magic with  Tyr's puppetry, she could recreate her undying army. All she needed was a new set of souls.

A thought crossed Kyran's mind, and he said, "Speaking of undying souls... Caelan also had them, too, right? The first time I went to the Misty Forest, I met a lot of remnant souls."

True Void shook his head, "Master could not control the souls of the dead. He could only free them from the Soul Emperor's control, releasing them back to the void. Those remnant souls you spoke of were the ones who decided to stay.

"They were distraught about what they had done, you see. After realizing they were made to kill other humans, destroying innocent lives and even their own families, they decided to help my master. They swore loyalty to him, to help him until he succeeded in destroying the Soul Emperor.

"But well... Obviously, his battle with the Soul Emperor did not go well, which is why the remnant souls never left."

"Caelan failed to destroy Layla."

True Void sighed and nodded in agreement, "Knowing how much my master adored that whore, he probably decided to seal her instead of destroying her completely. Ha.... that insufferable softie. If I had been there, I would have... I would have..."

Unable to think of what he would have done, True Void sighed again. "In the end, my master was the one who died. The Dragon Lord was the one who killed the Soul Emperor but did not kill her whole clan, which was why a new Soul Emperor appeared.

"But I suppose master knew it would end up like that and prepared a backup..."

He looked at Kyran meaningfully.

"You think I'm Caelan's backup?" Kyran responded, returning his gaze.

"Why not? The Royal Family supposedly killed off my master's clan to ensure no mage could inherit the Void core. But here you are. It's all because they did not know about my master's marriage to the Queen of the Faes.

"Honestly, I did not understand why he married her, until now."

Kyran fell silent.

p When True Void mentioned that Caelan had once tried to absorb the Shaiha but failed because of his weak body constitution, a disturbing thought crossed his mind.

It was a thought that someone planned for the next Void Master to possess a stronger body to absorb the Shaiha successfully. And that someone was none other than Caelan.

As this possibility took shape in Kyran's head, he thought of a theory.

Three critical pieces of information supported his theory.

One was how only a male Ashton could possess Void magic; two was that Caelan was an Incantation expert; three was how the Spirits called Rin the Spirit Child.

What if Caelan managed to create his original Incantation, forcing his Ashton lineage to produce only females? What if the condition was his female descendant had to be the Spirit Child? And only when the right conditions were met would the incantation be lifted, allowing his descendants to birth males to inherit his Void core?

So far, this was the only explanation Kyran came up with to answer why Nolan did not inherit the Void core even when he was Caelan's male descendant.

Because Rin and Nolan's mother, Kyran's maternal grandmother, was not the Spirit Child.

"What's wrong, Void Halfling? Are you feeling disheartened by the possibility of you being who you are right now, was due to my master's handiwork?"

"I'm not disheartened. Just pissed off."

True Void snorted, "You look pretty calm for someone whose pissed off. Then again, you are scary like that. Don't let this bother you, though. Whatever is the truth, master was the only one who probably knew it."

Kyran shook his head, "No. There are probably three others who knew the truth."

"Oh? Who?"

With a wry smile, Kyran replied, "White Lily, my ancestor, and the Conclave Founder."

True Void's eyes widened, "Hm... Now that you said that. You might be right."

Kyran had been suspicious about the Conclave Founder's last wish, not to mention 'The List' they followed, which included things about supporting the Regis Clan. As if that person had always known the new Void Master would be a Regis. Which was also the reason Kyran believed his ancestor was aware of it.

There was also the possibility of a Regis and the Spirit Child's union being another condition for the new Void Master to appear. After all, who else in the Human plane could possess a bloodline with a strong body constitution than the Regis Clan— The Clan that birthed the Dragon Lord?

Whether Kyran's ancestor and Caelan planned for the new Void Master to become the new Dragon Lord too was still a question. At least, for now. If he met the Dragon King, he might know the answer. He could summon the King and ask, given he survived the descent of the Veneration Dragons until the King arrived.

As for why Kyran thought White Lily knew Caelan's plan, the reason was simple; she was Caelan's wife. Though, she was probably asked to observe on the sidelines and watch for the coming of the new Soul Emperor and the Spirit Child.

In any case, though all of this was only a theory, he hated the thought of being manipulated.

But instead of rebelling and not following the path Caelan had wanted him to take, he would take it and pass it with flying colors. Doing so was another form of revenge. He'd exceed his predecessor's expectations and shove it in his face.

Besides, Caelan might have prepared the path, but Kyran was the one walking it.

The detours and turns that appeared along the way resulted from his choices. And he could choose to make a detour or create a new path altogether.

The important thing was the result anyway.