ã€ŠPower and Desireã€‹


 Chapter 1

    The dwarves were said to be a race of warriors, feared and respected for their bravery, stubbornness and pride. Yet, on this autumn night, a certain dwarf exhibited none of these qualities.

    This said dwarf was on his knees in a glade. Like most dwarves, his skin was so pale that it looked uncanny. His black hair and beard were both long enough to reach past his waist.

    ¡°W-wait, I have information! Information about Seifer Nox¡± he said softly, struggling to speak. He fixed the others in the clearing with a pleading look but their golden masks betrayed no emotion.

    It was an eerie sight, a frightened dwarf begging for mercy from the five masked men wearing hooded white robes. They seemed disinclined to show him any, one of them just laughed.

    ¡°What a surprise to see the great Midas Stone in such a state¡± he said.

    ¡°I know where he is! I can bring you to him!¡± shouted the dwarf, coughing afterwards from the strain on his throat.

    ¡°Why would we go to him? Just tell us where he is or die!¡± said the man coldly. He pointed his sword to Midas'' chest but the dwarf simply looked past him, as though he was a mere insect. There was no sign of his previous terror.

    Unsettled by the abrupt change, the five masked men turned around and instantly forgot about Midas Stone when they saw the man who had appeared on the edge of the clearing.

    He was tall and muscular with black hair and fair skin. His features were handsome but the first thing you noticed about him wasn¡¯t his looks but his eyes, one of which was a pale blue and the other, a brilliant silver.

    The masked men braced themselves as he approached but none of them believed they could actually fight him. The silver eyed man walked right past them, leaving the five in a state of confusion.

    Before they could wonder, they were all seized by an invisible force, making them float several feet off the ground. Just a second later, their mangled bodies hit the ground, looking as though they were crushed by a boulder.

    ¡°Why would you offer to take them to me?¡± asked man with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Well Seifer, you just told me to act desperate and I know desperate people say stupid things¡± said Midas with a small smile.

    ¡°That explains it. All this time you were just desperate¡± said Seifer teasingly.

    Midas opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, a blinding light flashed all around him. For a second, all he could see was white. When his sight returned, he found himself and Seifer floating hundreds of feet in the air.

    Seifer stared down at what used to be a clearing in the thick woods. But now, nothing remained of it. There was only a deep pit that was over a thousand feet in diameter.

    ¡°You should retreat¡± he said.

    Midas nodded and a beautiful purple gemstone appeared in his hand. He crushed the gemstone within his fist and it shattered into a purple mist that enveloped him completely. A second later, the mist was gone and so was the dwarf.

    For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, from within the darkness, dozens of figures emerged from the pit. They flew up towards Seifer but all but one kept a fair distance from him. Seifer sneered at the one man who dared get close to him.

    ¡°Your end is near, Lord Scourge. We have an insurmountable advantage, soon the Dark Order will be no more¡± declared the man, his blonde hair fluttering in the breeze.

    ¡°Overconfident as always, Gabriel¡± said Seifer.

    Gabriel spread his arms wide and a translucent red barrier appeared around all of them. Seifer simply smiled mockingly.

    ¡°You are trapped here, Seifer Nox.¡± said Gabriel warily, he knew better than anyone that the man in front of him had a gift for doing the impossible.

    ¡°Oh yes. But my friends will have time to escape.¡± said Seifer serenely.

    ¡°How very noble of you, Lord Scourge¡± said Gabriel, the amount of disgust he had managed to infuse into his voice was quite impressive.

    ¡°All the things I¡¯ve done and it is sacrifice that angers you?¡±

    ¡°You are capable of love yet choose to be a monster¡± said Gabriel.

    ¡°We are both monsters, Gabriel. Just to different people¡± he returned.

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    ¡°Soon, you won¡¯t be a monster to anyone.¡± said Gabriel coldly. He looked back at the dozens of men behind him, they were the best of his Order and they were all determined to end this demon¡¯s life.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t. But how many of you will have the privilege of celebrating my fall¡± said Seifer and right as he spoke, everyone within the barrier could not help but gaze upon his eyes, becoming entranced by the blue and silver.

    ¡°Look away!¡± roared Gabriel, but the damage had already been done. Fearful expressions coated the faces of his men. None retained the conviction they once had.

    ¡°Tell me, Gabriel. What is it that you plan to do, what is worth sacrificing so much in this war?¡± asked Seifer.

    Gabriel scoffed at the blatant attempt to stall for time but his hands were tied. His men needed time to shake off the demon¡¯s spell. He couldn¡¯t make them fight at the moment without huge casualties.

    If he was going to allow Seifer Nox to stall for time, Gabriel hoped to at least help his men regain their former conviction by speaking of their cause and what they stood to gain.

    ¡°It begins with the First Ones. The three brothers Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer who created the human race. After the first humans were born, they created a power to rule over them, to ensure that they acted virtuously.¡± he said after a few seconds of silence had passed.

    ¡°They called this power Justice. It would punish all sinners at once. Thieves would lose their own wealth, murderers lost their own lives. In the elder days, the entirety of the human race lived in peace¡± he continued with a fond smile, as though he himself had seen those days.

    ¡°That all changed when Lucifer betrayed his brothers. He was the first demon, the first to be free of justice, free to do as he pleased. After his betrayal, Justice was forever damaged¡± said Gabriel, his tone changing into one of anger.

    ¡°Now, the force that was once justice is known as Karma. It simply brings misfortune to sinners, not instant punishment. There are ways to negate the effects of Karma, not to mentions the demons who are entirely unbound by it¡±

    ¡°Without Justice, the world continues to be plagued by sin but soon, that will no longer be the case. For eons, the Hand of Justice has sacrificed much into the Sphere of Serenity¡± said Gabriel, the fond smile returning to his face.

    ¡°That is the purpose of the Sphere, the greatest source of energy in the world. It will turn Karma back into Justice?¡± asked Seifer, appearing to be grave but something felt off to Gabriel.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to bring back Justice. The Sphere has the power to affect the entire world, it will cleanse the evil from every being in existence, leaving none who are not righteous.¡± said Gabriel, ignoring his slight suspicion.

    ¡°So you will take away the free will of all beings. Mass brainwashing has always been a villainous move, you know?¡± said Seifer with a laugh.

    ¡°As you said, we are both monsters to different people. But after this, there will be no more monsters.¡± said Gabriel, his voice shaking slightly. He felt many emotions, joy, pride and guilt.

    ¡°There is one thing you should know, Gabriel¡± began Seifer. He noticed the faces of his enemies no longer showed fear, their previous conviction had returned and it seemed to be even stronger.

    ¡°I already knew all of this¡± he said.

    ¡°That means nothing now, Lord Scourge. You are going to die and the Sphere will cleanse this world of evil. I would offer you the chance to repent for your sins but we both know you are beyond guilt¡± said Gabriel.

    ¡°You could not be more wrong, Gabriel. It means everything¡± said Seifer and then, shocking everyone, he disappeared on the spot.

    Right as Seifer left, Gabriel sensed a powerful energy begin to awaken. It felt like a sleeping dragon who had yet to be aroused. He looked up, seeing the darkened sky with golden lights flashing across it and instantly knew what was happening.

    The Sphere of Serenity is awakening? But it¡¯s not time yet! thought Gabriel, all color draining from his face.

    Meanwhile, Seifer had appeared billions of miles away, in a massive windowless room. The floors and walls were the same dull white, the only interesting part of the room was the golden sphere floating in the center.

    Seifer looked like an ant in front of a boulder while he inspected the various patterns and inscriptions on the giant sphere.

    A few seconds later, he sensed another person appear in the desolate room. She was dressed entirely in black which was a sharp contrast to her silky white hair and pale skin.

    ¡°Is it done, Morgana?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°It will take a few more minutes to fully activate¡± she said softly. Seifer felt her hands slip into his as they waited. He smiled as he brought her hand up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on it.

    ¡°Next time, I will not have you be a spy. I want you to be at my side always.¡± he said. His wife smiled radiantly, throwing her arms around him. She seemed to hesitate for a while and then spoke.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you¡± she said.

    Unfortunately, she never got the chance to tell him. As she opened her mouth, a figure dashed at them with incredible speed. Gabriel roared with rage as he ran into an invisible barrier.

    Seifer had never seen him in such a state. A face contorted with ungodly rage, eyes that were bloodshot and gleaming with madness, Gabriel looked more like a demon than Seifer ever had.

    Letting go of Morgana, he stabilized the barrier, feeding more energy into it. Gabriel just kept attacking, shouting like a madman. The rest of the Hand of Justice arrived soon after but they were too afraid to approach him.

    ¡°It is too late, Gabriel. We have been corrupting the Sphere for centuries. As you said, it has enough power to alter the whole world but you didn¡¯t realize it could be used for a purpose other than your own¡± said Seifer.

    His words meant nothing and for the next five minutes, Gabriel did not stop his assault. Seifer realized that deep down, Gabriel understood that it was too late. He wasn¡¯t even using his strongest attacks, he just punched the barrier, mad with rage.

    ¡°It¡¯s time¡± said Morgana at last. Seifer let out a sigh of relief. The five minutes had felt more like years as he held of Gabriel¡¯s assault.

    A second later, everything and everyone around him was as still as statues. Seifer looked away from Gabriel, who was now frozen in a state of insanity and wondered what was going on.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is my doing not yours¡± said a deep voice from behind him. It was not loud in the slightest, yet it radiated power. Seifer realized that it sounded almost exactly like his own.

    When he turned around, he couldn¡¯t help but gasp at what he saw. That face and the long white hair that framed it, anyone in the Dark Order would recognize it instantly. Eyes as dark as the abyss itself met the blue and silver.

    ¡°Lucifer...¡±

 Chapter 2

    ¡°They say you had been destroyed¡± said Seifer, reverting to his usual calm.

    ¡°I am but a shell of my former self¡± agreed Lucifer. Suddenly, the two of them were in a forest. Lucifer started to walk and Seifer followed him, a bit surprised that the legendary figure wore such simple white robes.

    ¡°I am rarely able to interact with the real world. I do try and savor the brief moments I am afforded¡± said Lucifer softly, as he pressed a hand to the bark of an oak tree.

    ¡°What allowed you to do it now?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°We are both demons, you and I are connected as are all other demons. Every time a demon does something truly exceptional, I am able to appear in the physical world¡± said Lucifer.

    ¡°And it really is quite impressive what you¡¯ve managed to do. Corrupting the Sphere of Serenity for your own purposes. It is the only source of energy that could power what you are attempting¡± he continued.

    ¡°Reversing time across the entire world. I never thought it was possible until I learned of the Sphere. It was lucky that the Light didn¡¯t realize it could be used for any purpose, not just their own.¡± replied Seifer.

    ¡°And only you and your wife would keep the memories of this life. It¡¯s quite the advantage, perhaps in your next last life you shall reach past the twelfth step¡± said Lucifer and right as he did, they were on top on a snowy mountain.

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    ¡°So there is something beyond the twelfth step?¡± asked Seifer, watching incredulously as the greatest of demons began to make a snowman.

    ¡°Of course, but you already knew that. The way you people grow stronger is rather strange, you know? My brothers and I don¡¯t have a spirit gate or whatever it is that you call it¡± said Lucifer.

    ¡°How do you gather ether without a Spirit Gate?¡± asked Seifer curiously, this could be an opportunity to obtain the most precious knowledge he had ever gained.

    ¡°Tell me, what is a spirit gate?¡± said Lucifer.

    ¡°I would call it an opening in the soul for lack of a better phrase. When you ¡°open the gate¡± ether can be drawn in through the soul strengthening both the soul and the body¡± replied Seifer, wondering where the old demon was going with this.

    ¡°Ether is infinite, it is everywhere and in everything, why would you need an opening in the Soul to collect it when your Soul is already contains an infinite amount of ether within it?¡± asked Lucifer.

    ¡°Because the ether within your soul has an aspect of yourself, it is not the pure ether which is needed to strengthen yourself?¡± said Seifer, starting to see what Lucifer meant.

    ¡°I see you are beginning to understand. Indeed, my brothers and I were born of the Ether itself, the ether within us is as pure as can be¡± said Lucifer. His snowman was almost done, it just needed a nose.

    ¡°Being of pure ether? Is that related to reaching past the twelfth step?¡± asked Seifer.

    Lucifer simply smiled at him. Seifer sighed in annoyance, but couldn¡¯t be too upset when he also did things like this. It was very entertaining to give cryptic advice to your juniors.

    The first demon conjured a carrot and offered it to Seifer. He drove it into the snowman¡¯s head, finally giving it a nose. When he looked back at Lucifer, he saw no one there.

    Did I just make a snowman with Lucifer? thought Seifer as he felt the flow of time return to normal and the Sphere of Serenity fully awaken.

 Chapter 3

    The Veruvian Mountain range was known to be an uninhabitable region, home to countless monsters. Mortals dared not venture into these mountains, if the cold did not kill them, the frost drakes would.

    It was here, on the highest peak in the Veruvian Mountains that you could find the entrance to the City of Nox. It was a dark city, a haven for those who were hated by the rest of the world.

    At the very heart of the city, sat a massive castle. Thousands of people had gathered around the castle, many were laying down mats to sit on as they spoke excitedly of what was to come.

    Inside the castle, things were much calmer. Around a hundred people stood inside the great hall, watching as dozens of children stepped into a slightly elevated circle at the center of the hall.

    ¡°So all these kids have had their first kill, Marcus?¡± asked a blonde man.

    ¡°Yes, the ritual of acceptance is done after a child¡¯s first kill, it just strengthens them slightly and heals any diseases or defects.¡± said the black haired man next to him.

    ¡°You told me there was another one, didn¡¯t you?¡± said the blonde man.

    ¡°Yes, the ritual of awakening. That is done after a Nox turns twenty to awaken their spirit gate and make them a Transcendent. It also has the potential to awaken the Inheritance of House Nox.¡± said Marcus.

    ¡°Of course, most people are unable to awaken it. Those that do awaken it are usually closely related to the highest-ranking members of the family.¡± he continued.

    Right as he said this, his eyes were drawn to his own grandson. Marcus noticed that he seemed a bit dazed, making him wonder if the illness had returned at the worst possible time.

    The man in question was currently swaying slightly, as though he was about to faint but a few seconds later, the dazed look was gone and he stood straight up. Though, there seemed to be something different about him.

    This is the awakening ceremony! It worked! thought Seifer. The children twitching in discomfort from the ritual, the worried looks on the faces of his aunt and grandfather, it was exactly as he remembered.

    Soon the children left the circle and a long haired man stepped forward. His entire being radiated power, he effortlessly commanded the attention of everyone in the hall when he spoke.

    ¡°It is today, on Tyris that the first demon was born. It is today that we reaffirm our conviction to fight against the Light Order, the Hand of Justice and Karma itself. Let us now begin the Ritual of Awakening and hope that one day, a new demon will be born from our youth!¡±

    Seifer joined eight other people in stepping into the circle. Unlike with the children, all nine of them lay down with their hands on their chest and a few seconds later, they were all unconscious.

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    Marcus looked on with a mask of absolute calm, but his true feelings were anything but. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. A woman with long black hair looked at him in concern and he faked a small smile for her sake.

    ¡°Do you really think there¡¯s no hope for him?¡± she asked sadly.

    ¡°I wish I could say there was, Anna. His talent is more than sufficient but he fell ill so recently. If he had a few more months to heal there wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± he said with a deep frown.

    ¡°What is it that happened to the young man?¡± asked the blonde man curiously.

    ¡°A bout of the Draconian plague. He recovered just a week ago, his body is still weakened. As you know, a powerful body is a huge help for rituals of this nature. I doubt he will awaken the Inheritance, Arcturus¡± said Marcus with a sigh.

    ¡°And you cannot postpone the ritual?¡± asked Arcturus.

    ¡°It needs to be done on the first Tyris after the twentieth birthday. If it is not awakened then, he will need to wait for it awaken naturally when he reaches the fourth step¡± said Anna with a sigh.

    Meanwhile, Seifer found himself in a dark landscape. He walked by several figures, they all had one common attribute. One of their eyes was a pale blue and the other, a gleaming silver.

    As soon as he had been transported here, he had felt a distinct sense of comfort and belonging, which was to be expected. This was the inheritance ground of his family, the Most Venerable House of Nox.

    At last, he came across a figure that looked exactly like him except this figure had one silver eye. This clone of his was expressionless, revealing no emotion and simply offered his hand to Seifer.

    Last time, he had been unable to awaken the inheritance due to the sheer bad luck of having contracted the Draconian plague right before the ritual, making it difficult for him to rise through the ranks of the family.

    But last time doesn¡¯t matter thought Seifer with a wide grin as he clasped his other self¡¯s hand.

    The second they touched, a sharp pain spread throughout his body, a pain that was intensified by his weakened state. In his last life, he could only bear a few seconds of it but now he endured it like it was nothing.

    Half a minute later, his eyes flew open. Seifer felt the shocked stares of everyone in the hall as he stood up. He was the first to do so, the others were still unconscious. Even the Patriarch was startled, momentarily forgetting his duties before he spoke.

    ¡°Congratulations, young Seifer. You awakened the Silver Eye despite your illness. I look forward to your future achievements¡± he said sincerely, Seifer had genuinely peaked his interest.

    ¡°You will now begin your Trial of solitude. Please make your way out of the hall.¡± continued the Patriarch.

    Marcus watched Seifer leave with pride and he could tell that Anna was using up every ounce of self-control she had to stop herself from enveloping Seifer in a tight hug. Strangely, the blonde man next to them seemed just as happy.

    Seifer heard fireworks go off as he walked to his quarters. Each year, The House of Nox provided a brilliant fireworks show above the Castle for Tyris.

    He was in a good mood as he walked, humming merrily. This new life had started off well, with him successfully awakening the Silver Eye. Not that it mattered at the moment, he couldn¡¯t use its powers until he reached the third step.

    Before long, he had reached his quarters. It was more like an apartment within the Castle. The massive doors opened on their own, and he stepped into his luxurious living room.

    He smiled slightly at the familiar sight and plopped down on his favorite armchair, right in front of the merrily crackling fire. The ritual of awakening was exhausting, he needed to catch his breath.

    A few minutes later, Seifer walked out on to his balcony and right as he did, the full moon came out from behind the clouds. In his last life, he had watched the moon here just like he was doing now and vowed to become the next Patriarch of the House of Nox but things were different now.

    The position of Patriarch no longer tempts me, my sights are set on greater goals. In this life, I shall be even better than I was in the last. In my last life, I was the moon but in this life, I will be the Sun!

 Chapter 4

    That night, Seifer did nothing but plan. He spent the entire night on the armchair in front of the fireplace, thinking about his next move. He intended to take full advantage of his knowledge of the future.

    Time flew by, before he knew it, the sky was light and he was finally done planning. Before Seifer reversed time, he had done thorough research about all the opportunities and dangers that he ought to be aware of.

    However, he hadn¡¯t been sure exactly how far back in time he would be sent. In truth, he had intended to reverse time to a point that was several decades after this but he had long foreseen that he could end up in a time that was earlier or later than his first choice.

    Anyway, since I ended up all the way here there is only one right course of action he thought. At the edge of the vast forests that surrounded the Veruvian Mountains was a city called Ceres.

    It was the closest large city to the Nox city, there was even a portal between Nox city and Ceres. Having spent a long time there in his last life, Seifer had a deep understanding of Ceres. It would be the perfect place to grow his strength.

    But I am far too weak now, before I do anything serious, I must reach the upper stage of the second step he thought.

    The ritual had awakened his spirit gate and turned him into a Transcendent, one who had taken the first step on the path to power. First step Transcendents simply took in ether to strengthen their souls and physiques.

    The only thing separating Transcendents in the first step from ordinary mortals was their powerful bodies. They couldn¡¯t control their Ether to fly or do anything else because they possessed such miniscule amounts of it.

    Only once they accumulated a large amount of Ether would they gain the ability to control it. At this point, they would be considered Second Step Transcendents and from here on out, the various steps on the path to power were divided into the Upper and Lower stages.

    Seifer was no longer a demon, right now he was heavily restricted by Karma. Only once he reached the Upper Stage of Second step could he make use of the various methods of negating Karma.

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    The House of Nox possessed many resources that could help him reach the required level of power but they wouldn¡¯t be handed out just like that. As soon as he became a Transcendent, his Trial of Solitude began.

    The family wanted each generation to be capable and independent and so, every new Transcendent would have a period of 300 days where they were not allowed to interact with any other Nox.

    During the trial, it was forbidden for anyone to help the young scions, they had to find their own path. This rule ensured that the next generation would grow the power and influence of the family rather than squander their resources.

    As such, severe punishments were dished out if one was caught in the act. Even Seifer¡¯s aunt, one of highest ranking family Elders couldn¡¯t get away with it, as much as she would have liked to spoil him.

    Seifer¡¯s first opportunity to receive the family¡¯s gifts was right around the corner. In less than two months, the winter tournament would be held and a great performance in the tournament would be followed by great rewards.

    Right now, all he needed to do was get strong enough to perform well in the tournament. He walked into his office and found a pitch black ring resting on the desk.

    This was all he owned now, his wealth and resources had been confiscated for the trial. Seifer ran his fingers over the ring, feeling the cracks and crevices on its surface. This may look like an ordinary metallic ring but it was far from it. This ring was made from the scales of a Tulak snake.

    It was connected to a space of five cubic meters, granting him a storage space that was entirely weightless and fit right on his finger. This ample space contained nothing but a metallic white card, the lowest ranking bank card of the esteemed Noctus Bank.

    On the back of the card, was the number 1000 printed in black letters. A thousand credits, this was all that was left of his once vast wealth. Although, much of that wealth would have been useless now.

    The Kingdom of Altara where Nox City was located used a currency called Keter. Transcendents, however, had no use for mortal currencies. Instead, each important city had its own Trade Hall where all sorts of precious resources were sold, and the various Trade Halls had their own currencies.

    It was only the Noctus Bank¡¯s currency, Noctus Credits, more commonly referred to as just credits, that every Trade Hall could convert into their own currency.

    Look at what the Lord Scourge has become, a pauper in the first step with only a thousand credits to his name thought Seifer in amusement. But he could not be more happy. There was nothing he enjoyed more than the pursuit of power, he couldn''t wait to see how quickly he would reach the top with 700,000 years of experience.

 Chapter 5

    Without any more dilly-dallying, Seifer left the castle and walked out onto the city streets. Like most cities in the Aurum region, the architecture in Nox City feautured elaborate roof lines, towers and turrets.

    The roads were made of a beautiful cobblestone and there were lots of trees and colorful flower beds.

    Looking at this scenery, one might not realize the sinister truth of the Nox city.

    Within these walls, there were none who allowed Karma to bind them. Just by walking around for a few minutes, Seifer had spotted dozens of things that would have you executed if you revealed them to the Light Order.

    The Hand of Justice had created the concept of Dark and Light Orders to further the hatred towards those who tried to escape Karma. Those who believed in following the will of Karma were considered to be of the Light Order and the opposite types of people were considered to be of the Dark Order.

    There were also the neutrals but most neutrals were just Dark Transcendents, after all you couldn¡¯t openly call yourself a Dark Transcendent without having hordes of ¡°heroes¡± come after you.

    A while later, he had reached a building with a bronze dome on top and walls of pure white marble. This was the portal building, the one that could take you all the way to Ceres.

    The queue was unusually short and soon, Seifer had paid the fee of two credits and was allowed to approach the large podium made entirely of draconian steel.

    With a loud pop, Seifer appeared in a drab basement with just a set of stairs in sight. He quickly walked up the stairs, right into a cozy pub.

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    The Sinister Snake, the pub built right over the portal to Nox City. It really didn¡¯t seem sinister at all with the warm orange lights and wooden floors ceilings.

    A strong wave of Nostalgia hit Seifer as he remembered the time his grandfather had brought him here for his fourteenth birthday and how his aunt had burst through the door being dramatic about them leaving her out.

    Seifer decided he may as well have a quick glass of whiskey for old time¡¯s sake. The old bartender smiled cheerily when he handed him his drink. He didn¡¯t waste too much time, leaving the pub twenty minutes later.

    Ceres looked almost exactly like the Nox City did, further highlighting the Dark influence on it. Seifer walked for a minute before he spotted a black carriage and signaled for it.

    The inside of the carriage was quite comfortable with the ample space and red leather seats and yet, he let out a heavy sigh.

    Seifer was not looking forward to riding carriages again, the stygian horses that pulled it may be rather fast but it was still nowhere near as quick as he once was.

    It was obviously not allowed to just run around with incredible speed. Second Step Transcendents could fly but only Third Step Transcendents or those even stronger were allowed to fly over Ceres so he would be stuck with carriages for a while.

    An hour later, Seifer was dropped off at his destination. The massive white building had crowds of people around it, constantly leaving and entering. That was to be expected, the Potions Guild was one of the most important locations in Ceres.

    Few professions were more respected in the Transcendent world than Potions making. Being a great potioneer could allow you to acquire vast wealth and useful connections, it was a very beneficial position to be in.

    Unfortunately, First step Transcendents rarely became potioneers as they couldn¡¯t control their ether but thanks to his experience, Seifer was still good enough of a potioneer to join the Guild.

    All he had to do was join the Guild and start brewing potions until he earned enough credits to purchase the resources needed to grow strong enough to perform well in the tournament and perhaps even win it.

    It truly was boring when compared to the elaborate plans and cunning schemes of his last life. But there was a time for risky plans and being so weak that most Transcendents could kill you with a single slap was not that time.

 Chapter 6

    The inside of the Guild made the outside look like a ghost town. The marble floors could barely be seen with all the people standing on top of it. Seifer quickly approached one of the counters, having no desire to be in the crowd longer than he had to.

    ¡°I would like to take the Journeyman Test¡± he said.

    "Very well, sir. Please follow me" replied the blonde man at the desk and leading him to a room at the opposite end of the first floor, away from the crowds.The guild employee knocked at the door and left immediately.

    ¡°Enter¡± said a gravelly voice from inside the room and Seifer walked in, making the man inside raise an eyebrow.

    ¡°Greetings Adjudicator, I am Seifer Nox¡± he said with a bow to the Second Step Transcendent, a black haired, green eyed man with high cheekbones and a strong jaw.

    ¡°Have a seat. My name is Noah Graves¡± he said, gesturing to one of the leather seats.

    ¡°Are you aware that if your score is too low then you will be fined for wasting the Guild¡¯s time? It is very rare for first step Transcendents to become Potions Journeymen.¡± continued Noah once Seifer had sat down.

    ¡°I am confident, Lord Graves¡± said Seifer simply.

    ¡°Very well, it will cost 500 credits to take the test, but you will not need to pay if you are invited to join the Guild. We will begin with an oral theory test that is worth 50 points and then the Practical will be worth 100¡±.

    ¡°I understand¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°What is the most important element for potions making?¡± asked Noah, if Seifer did not answer this he would slap him across the face.

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    ¡°Water, the universal solvent, no potions can be made without water to aid in combining the various ingredients¡± replied Seifer, unaware of Noah''s violent thoughts.

    This went on for half an hour, the questions getting harder with time. Seifer answered most of the questions correctly but made sure to slip up occasionally. He knew all the answers but did not want to perform too well on this test.

    After all, a first step cultivator that was as young as him becoming a qualified Potioneer was already exceptional and an excellent performance on top of that would be far too attention catching.

    He had no intention of suppressing himself and appearing to be average. Being perceived as a prodigy would allow him to grasp the most opportunities. Appearing too exceptional, though, had no real benefits and could potentially lead him to danger.

    Not as much danger as appearing average though. Grandfather would kill me he thought.

    ¡°You have scored 38 on the theory examination. Excellent work, Seifer!¡± said Noah, faking a smile. Inwardly, he was beyond upset that he had no excuse to slap the silver eyed man in front of him.

    ¡°It is time for the practical exam.¡± said Noah, walking to a metallic door at the corner of the room. On the other side of the door was a large laboratory filled with dozens of vials, beakers and machines.

    For nearly three hours, Noah had Seifer make potions or perform certain procedures that were necessary for potion making. Seifer did the easiest ones perfectly and did well on the harder ones, occasionally faking minor mistakes.

    ¡°You have scored 80 points, bringing your total to 118 points. Henceforth, you are a Journeyman of Potions. You will receive an official certificate from the Ceres Potions Guild, as a proof of your skill.¡± said Noah sadly when the practical came to an end.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Graves¡± replied Seifer, wondering what was wrong with this Adjudicator.

    ¡°Seifer Nox, you possess exceptional talent for potions. It is my honor to invite you to become a registered member of the Ceres Potions Guild.¡± said Noah.

    ¡°I gladly accept.¡± replied Seifer.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t have the excitement of someone who has achieved something so difficult¡± said Noah with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°It was within my expectations, Lord Graves¡± he said simply.

    A few minutes later, Seifer left the guild clutching his cheek, cursing the Lord Graves who had slapped him for being arrogant.

    "What arrogance? This is confidence! Have you built a snowman with Lucifer? No, of course not, Noah! Not with your stupid mortal sounding name" he muttered as he made his way back home.

 Chapter 7

    Inside a large laboratory, a strange copper device furiously emitted a light blue mist, slowly covering the entire room. A second later, Seifer Nox walked in, knowing that it was safe to enter.

    For the last six weeks, he¡¯d been working tirelessly. He took on client after client, making so many potions, the latest one was for a deadly poison that needed him to purify the air in his lab.

    Without even a small break, Seifer sat down on the floor, crossing his legs. He had taken to training in his lab right after he finished his Potions making. Slowly, he opened his spirit gate, allowing the infinite ether to enter his body and soul.

    The amount drawn in was miniscule, it was only once you reached the Second step that you could draw in a decent amount of ether. Two hours later, he got up from the floor and went over to the desk in front of the large windows.

    The only thing on top of this desk was a steel cylindrical device with a black screen on one end. This was the one device that every Transcendent owned, the Spirit Reader. As he placed it on his wrist, the screen lit up with the number 14.

    The six weeks of grueling training had only brought Seifer''s spirit level from 1 to 14. He had a long way to go before he reached the spirit level of 1000 that would make him a Second Step Transcendent.

    But the training didn¡¯t really matter, he had just done that to prepare his spirit gate for what was to come today. Locking up his lab, Seifer left the Guild and took a carriage to the Ceres Trade Hall.

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    It was an enormous glass building that towered over the rest of the city. As the most important location in Ceres, Seifer was made to go through half an hour of security checks before he could even enter the building.

    The interior was far simpler, with plain blacks floors that seemed to be made of obsidian. The walls were a pure white although you didn''t see much of them due to the hundreds of mirrors.

    Seifer walked over to one of the mirrors and instantly, a screen appeared where his reflection had been a second ago. All he had to do was type in what he was looking for and as soon as he did, he was able to see the hundreds of sunfruits that were on sale.

    Even the cheapest one cost 14,000 credits. Seifer pressed his bank card, now a light grey color onto the mirror, smiling wryly as it instantly turned back white.

    Three minutes later, the screen flashed off and the mirror swung open. The sunfruit was resting in a small space covered in white leather behind the mirror. It looked more like a yellow marble than a fruit.

    Seifer popped the small fruit into his mouth and swallowed it whole. Immediately, a warm sensation spread across his entire body and his limbs grew numb. A few seconds later, he was halfway to the Second Step.

    The tournament is in two weeks he thought, savoring the sharp rise in power.

    Last time, the Patriarch had gifted the strongest First step Transcendent an Ascension Potion, a potion made for the sole purpose of helping Transcendents reach the next step. Unlike most other potions with such drastic results, they had no side effects.

    If Seifer received an Ascension Potion, he could reach the Upper stage of the Second step instantly. At that point, he would no longer have to rely on the family and could use his knowledge of the future to grasp brilliant opportunites.

 Chapter 8

    The two weeks flew by and now it was the morning before the Winter Tournament. Seifer smiled as he watched the sun rise over the city of Nox, he had just finished performing a few drills with his new sword on the balcony.

    The pitch black blade with a few golden streaks had been bought at the Trade Hall a few days ago, right after he recovered from the bankruptcy the sunfruit had put him in. Of course, after buying the Draconian steel blade of 90 percent purity, Seifer was once again a pauper.

    He had a few hours left, the tournament would only begin at noon. Any First step Transcendent under the age of 25 could participate, with the best 10 being rewarded and the champion would personally be rewarded by the patriarch.

    While thinking about the tournament from his last life, Seifer was startled by someone appearing right next to him. The figure reached out to him but he had already struck the attacker¡¯s neck.

    The mountain breeze inflicted more damage to the pine trees than his blade did to the ¡°attacker¡±. Seifer let out a heavy sigh, it seemed that his actions were already changing things, this hadn¡¯t happened last time.

    ¡°Ahem, why are you sighing like you don¡¯t want to see me and not hugging your awesome aunt¡± said a very annoyed Annalise Nox.

    ¡°Why are you here? You know there¡¯s another 244 days before you can see me?¡± said Seifer casually as he hugged her, giving no signs of his emotions after not feeling her embrace for thousands of years.

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving you any resources so it isn¡¯t that bad. Besides, they won¡¯t find out¡± she said, surprised yet happy to see that Seifer hadn¡¯t let go of her in two seconds like he usually did.

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    ¡°Grandfather wouldn¡¯t be happy¡±

    ¡°Well no one¡¯s going to tell him¡± Annalise said, flicking his forehead.

    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m here because someone has been keeping secrets from me. Look at you, secretly being a potions prodigy¡± she said with a mock glare.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s not even close to being the biggest secret¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°What else, did you meet Lucifer?¡± she asked with a laugh.

    ¡°Yes, we made a snowman¡±

    An hour later, Annalise left, leaving him alone on the balcony. Seifer stared out at the city, deep in thought.

    It was only now that he fully understood what it was like to have his aunt back. In his last life, his aunt and grandfather had died in his youth, while he was only a thousand years of age. Over the hundreds of thousands of years, he had fully come to terms with it and had essentially forgotten them.

    Seifer thought about these feelings until noon, at which point made his way to the Castle Arena with the rest of House Nox. Thousands of people were seated around the ring, split into various ¡°circles¡±. The higher their rank, the higher up they were seated.

    In the highest circle, the seats were more akin to thrones for the Elders and the Patriarch. Also in the highest circle, sat the honored guests of the House of Nox like Arcturus Harkes.

    Seifer was seated in the second circle, just above the mortals. He felt the stares from the stronger Transcendents in the arena, they could sense the dramatic increase in his power.

    The Patriarch Augustus Nox smiled, his interest in Seifer grew further. He glanced at Marcus, noticing that the usually stoic Marcus was shooting smug looks to the other elders, especially Octavian.

    Octavian and Marcus were the two most powerful Elders in the House of Nox, they had a fierce rivalry. Augustus also recalled that a young Seifer Nox had once defeated Octavian¡¯s grandson, also called Octavian in a duel with ease despite being three years younger than him.

    A few seconds later, Augustus stood up. The chatter in the arena died down as the whole family looked to the Patriarch. He extended his palm outwards and a single drop of blood left his body.

    The crimson droplet slowly reached all the way to the ring before it splattered to the pure white floor and spread out from where it landed, dying the entire floor red. With that, a loud cheer rang out from the stands. The winter tournament had begun.

 Chapter 9

    The first few matches were nothing special, most people were a bit bored since fights between First step Transcendents were hardly spectacular.

    Each time, a voice would come out of nowhere and call out two names. The two would spar until one of them yielded or were knocked unconscious. Killing was prohibited although it was allowed in the finals.

    Seifer watched the matches with interest, trying to see what changes he had brought about. For the most part, everyone¡¯s strengths were the same as in his last life. Soon, his own name was called by the voice.

    ¡°Seifer and Diana Nox!¡±

    When he stepped into the ring, his opponent tensed up. He vaguely knew the petite brown haired girl, she was one of his second cousins. Her father was Annalise¡¯s cousin if Seifer remembered correctly.

    Once they were both in the ring, a chime sounded to begin the match. Annalise leaned forward with anticipation while Markus and Augustus allowed slight hints of interest to appear on their faces.

    Seifer appeared before her faster than she could react and placed his blade on her neck. A drop of blood was drawn and Diana yielded at once. He returned to his seat after the very short battle but Diana¡¯s name was called once more.

    Seifer perked up when the next name was called. Octavian Nox, his former rival and the only real competition he had. He was a bit surprised to see Octavian stepping into the ring with a murderous glare.

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    Interesting¡­ last time he just sneered at me he thought. Octavian may have used his humiliating defeat at Seifer¡¯s hands to push himself towards greatness but he had also developed an unhealthy obsession with proving himself better than his rival.

    The battle began and Octavian threw his sword aside, rushing at Diana bare handed. Once again, she could not react but Octavian was not as merciful as Seifer was. His fist connected with Diana¡¯s jaw, completely shattering it.

    She stumbled around for a few seconds, her blood gushing out with no end in sight. A few of the mortals let out screams at the gruesome sight. Soon, Diana dropped to the floor, unconscious.

    A profound silence had gripped the arena, Octavian¡¯s heavy breathing was almost deafening in comparison. No one had expected him to go to such extents, just to try and show he was better than Seifer.

    Diana was Octavian¡¯s cousin, the daughter of his mother¡¯s twin. Seifer looked up to see tears pool in the eyes of two identical women sitting in the third circle. But all the way at the top of the stadium, Elder Octavian smiled approvingly.

    After Diana was taken to the healers, the matches continued. Each time Seifer was called, he defeated his opponent with ease. Meanwhile, people had taken to yielding fights with Octavian without even stepping into the ring.

    Two hours later, the finals began, with Seifer and Octavian competing to win the tournament. There was a tension in the air, which was rare for something as trivial as a Tournament for First Step Transcendents.

    Killing was allowed for the finals of the Winter Tournament although it almost never happened. But Octavian had already displayed his violent nature, people were fully expecting a death today.

    Both men were determined to win, although one for much more pragmatic reasons than the other. Annalise was literally squirming with worry as she considered the possibility of Seifer¡¯s death.

 Chapter 10

    As soon as the chime rang out, Octavian rushed at his opponent with a roar. Seifer gracefully stepped aside and almost beheaded him. Having just barely escaped, Octavian continued his assault in a more careful manner but it was clear who the inferior combatant was.

    Seifer kept dodging all of Octavian¡¯s attacks, occasionally stabbing at him at just the right moments. This went on for several minutes, Octavian¡¯s fury grew even further as he was reminded of his last battle with Seifer Nox.

    Over the next twenty minutes, Octavian was covered in superficial cuts and bruises whereas Seifer was entirely unscathed. Cheers rang out in the arena at the sight of Seifer dodging every attack as though he could see the future.

    Suddenly, Octavian stopped his assault and retreated by a few feet. The two men looked at each other, one as calm as can be and the other, the epitome of rage.

    Seifer smirked at Octavian mockingly, for no reason other than to make him even more reckless. Octavian gnashed his teeth and then, shocking everyone in the arena, struck at his own heart.

    For the first time in this new life, Seifer was shocked. Gasps spread through the arena and in the highest circle, Elder Octavian paled as he realized the extent of his grandson¡¯s madness.

    First step Transcendents couldn¡¯t control their ether but they still had one technique at their disposal. With a precise strike, the strongest first step Transcendents could make their heart beat faster, drastically increasing their strength.

    It would only last a minute or two and afterwards their heart would stop for several seconds, with a chance of them dying. Even if they didn¡¯t die, their spirit level would drop significantly.

    Octavian roared in rage and bloodlust. His appearance had turned truly monstrous with his veins extending out of his skin and his muscles expanding to ridiculous proportions.

    He looked at Seifer with bloodshot eyes, a triumphant smile on his lips as though he hadn¡¯t just sacrificed much of his power and laid his life on the line.

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    ¡°I yield¡± said Seifer casually, he didn¡¯t hesitate to give up the Patriarch¡¯s reward to save his life. There was no chance of him defeating Octavian in his enhanced state, his death was guaranteed.

    In the highest circle, Marcus and Annalise let out a sigh of relief and for some reason, so did Arcturus Harkes. Elder Octavian sighed as well, except his was a sigh of profound disappointment.

    Down at the ring, Octavian did not seem to process what had just happened. He lunged at Seifer, hitting a transparent barrier that had formed as soon as Seifer yielded.

    Octavian roared, striking the barrier again and again. He reminded Seifer of Gabriel, just a far more pathetic version who had no reason to be so mad with rage.

    ¡°How can you give up?! How can you let your rival win without a fight?!¡± he yelled.

    ¡°In your obsession to defeat me, you gave up the power you worked so hard for and brutalized someone you were meant to protect. You are neither a winner, nor worthy of being my rival¡± said Seifer with a sneer.

    He walked towards his seat, leaving Octavian screaming in rage for a few more seconds before the Elder Octavian appeared behind him and knocked him out. Seifer had almost left the ring when the Patriarch spoke.

    ¡°Stay where you are, Seifer Nox. Unless you don¡¯t want your reward¡± said Augustus.

    ¡°What do you mean? He yielded, my grandson won the tournament!¡± shouted Elder Octavian with a deep scowl. As disappointed as he was in his grandson, he still wanted him to have the reward so that he may regain his former strength.

    ¡°Of course he did. But why does that matter?¡± Augustus said calmly.

    Marcus looked on in glee, Annalise was shocked to see a wide grin on her father¡¯s face instead of the usual polite expression. A small smile appeared on Seifer¡¯s face as he realized what the Patriarch meant.

    ¡°The Family Constitution states that the winner of the Tournament is to be rewarded by the Patriarch¡± said Elder Octavian with shaking hands.

    ¡°No, it says that the best Transcendent is to be rewarded by the Patriarch. As Seifer so astutely stated, your grandson is far from being the best.¡± replied Augustus.

    The Elder Octavian said no more as he grabbed his unconscious grandson and left the arena in a rage. Augustus watched him leave for a few seconds before looking down to Seifer.

    ¡°Seifer Nox, as your reward the House will gift an Ascension potion to you. Use it well¡± said Augustus, making a small vial filled with amber liquid appear above his hand and float towards Seifer.

    Seifer put the potion in his tulak ring and bowed to Augustus. He walked out with his head held high and for the first time, Marcus appeared to be even happier than his daughter.

    The other Elders looked at him strangely but Marcus couldn¡¯t bring himself to care, this was almost a perfect day. If only Octavian had stayed a bit longer so that he could make a snide remark.

 Chapter 11

    While Marcus and Annalise celebrated Seifer¡¯s victory, he was back at his personal laboratory in the Ceres Potions Guild. Without hesitation, he brought out the Ascension Potion and downed it in one go.

    For the next ten minutes, he felt waves of power wash over him, each one putting the sunfruit to shame. At last, he was struck by a wave that felt more like a Tsunami, the potion had finished its work.

    Seifer floated off the ground, using his ether to propel him towards his desk. He grinned as he checked his Spirit level, 2689. As expected, the Patriarch¡¯s gift had allowed him to reach the Upper Stage of the Second Step at once.

    Now the real fun begins thought Seifer, not bothering to land. He floated to the largest of the many stations in his lab. The time he had spent under the clutches of Karma had been short but not short enough.

    At last, he could begin to negate the effects of Karma and progress in the way that a former demon should. His first order of business was to simply brew a basic Karma negation potion.

    This one was called the Eres Draught, it made use of common ingredients that he already had, unlike the higher level potions which would have sent him on a wild goose chase for vampire fangs or elf placentas.

    This would suffice for a few murders and thefts but anything more and he would need higher level Potions or certain Rituals.

    While waiting for the distilled water to reach the appropriate temperature, Seifer brought out the grotesque looking ingredients, making them float with his ether.

    If Marcus could see his grandson use his ether so precisely as soon as he reached the Second step, he would have forgiven Octavian''s early departure and agreed that this was indeed a perfect day.

    Half an hour later, Seifer held a vial of light purple liquid in his hands. Perfectly brewed Eres Draught, the bane of the Light. Any Second Step Transcendent could get their hands on this, though if you weren¡¯t in the Upper Stage, it would just get you sick.

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    Seifer drank the potion, feeling a slight warmth rise up from his stomach and spread to his fingertips. Despite it not being an ingredient, He noticed that the Eres Draught did have a very strong taste of elf placenta.

    And now, I can do what I intended to do as soon as I realized which time I had been sent back to. Ceres won¡¯t know what hit it thought Seifer with a sinister smile.

    Unfortunately, it seemed like his plans would have to wait. As soon as he walked out onto the cobblestone streets, he felt a piece of parchment being pressed into his hand. It wasn¡¯t signed but judging by the amount of hearts drawn on it, it was certainly sent by his Aunt.

    Come back to your quarters, we need to talk

    ¡°So grandfather and you will be gone for 6 months?¡±

    ¡°Why do I not see any tears?! Can¡¯t you at least pretend to be upset?!¡± whined Annalise. Seifer¡¯s face contorted into the perfect image of depression, making his aunt recoil in surprise.

    ¡°When the hell did you learn to do that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the many secrets I keep from you¡± said Seifer, making Annalise scowl.

    ¡°Why are you doing this all of a sudden? This mission seems to have come out of nowhere¡± he asked, changing the topic.

    ¡°You know Arcturus Harkes, right?¡± she said.

    ¡°Yes, he has some sort of alliance with grandfather and the Patriarch, doesn¡¯t he? I think he provides high level dark potions¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°Well, one of his contacts in the Obis Islands needs a high-level Karma Immunity Ritual, the kind that works for dozens of people. He connected him with us, it¡¯ll be really time consuming but we are being compensated very well¡± said Annalise.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s why you can¡¯t contact anyone during the mission, you might be traced by Light Order¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°I still think it would have been fine to leave you a call stone or something but father didn¡¯t let me, I don¡¯t know why¡± said Annalise with a sigh.

    ¡°You should have learned by now that grandfather lets you do anything that won¡¯t kill you¡± said Seifer with a laugh.

    Half an hour later, Annalise was gone. He poured himself another cup of tea, pondering the latest change in his new life. This mission that had both Marcus and Annalise sent away had not happened in his last life.

    A few hours later, Seifer still had no idea why he felt so uneasy about this change. He decided to take a walk in the castle gardens to clear his head but that had the opposite result of what he intended. Almost immediately, he was approached by a certain blue eyed and blonde haired man.

 Chapter 12

    ¡°Congratulations on becoming a true Transcendent, Lord Nox¡± said Arcturus Harkes, emphasizing his new title.

    ¡°Your excellency¡± replied Seifer politely.

    ¡°Your performance in the Tournament was most impressive¡±

    ¡°Thank you, your excellency¡± said Seifer, faking a proud smile.

    ¡°Tell me, how do you plan on reaching the third step?¡± asked Arcturus.

    ¡°I must admit that I don¡¯t really know¡± lied Seifer, having no intentions of sharing his plans with Arcturus. The way he had been involved in sending both Marcus and Annalise away before approaching him all of a sudden invoked suspicion in his heart.

    ¡°You are an exceptional talent, I¡¯m sure you would reach the third step with incredible speed¡± said Arcturus.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Harkes, I certainly hope so¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°To be honest, I approached you because I have an offer for you. Do you know of Obsidian swamps?¡± asked Arcturus.

    ¡°I have only heard that they are extremely dangerous due to the highly acidic fluid in them.¡± replied Seifer, intrigued despite himself.

    ¡°Indeed, you would need a vessel made out of pure Draconian Steel to resist the harsh acidity. But risk and reward go hand in hand, it is only in Obsidian swamps that the Obsidian Lotus grows.¡± said Arcturus.

    ¡°An Obsidian lotus can raise your spirit level by a huge margin. But to use it in this way, it needs to be dissolved in the same acid from which it grew in exactly the right way¡± he continued.

    ¡°My son and his team will be venturing into an Obsidian swamp but of course, they would need a skilled Potioneer to actually prepare the Obsidian Lotuses. I would like to offer you the job, you would be given the lion¡¯s share as the most important party¡± finished Arcturus with a kind smile.

    ¡°Why me, Lord Harkes? I¡¯m sure you would find better qualified potioneers than myself for such a mission.¡± said Seifer, his suspicion growing.

    ¡°I admit that you are not the perfect candidate but I believe you will become a very powerful Transcendent one day. I am simply doing you a favor in hopes that one day it is repaid¡± said Arcturus.

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    Seifer smiled widely, as though flattered by Arcturus¡¯ words. Inwardly, he was even more apprehensive. The practice of helping out weaker transcendent in hopes that their goodwill would be useful someday was quite common but not like this.

    Finding an Obsidian swamp was beyond difficult and the fact that Arcturus¡¯ would hire an underqualified Potioneer, taking vast profits away from his son was not just a mere favor.

    ¡°I¡¯m honored, Lord Harkes. I apologize for the inconvenience but I will need some time to think about this¡± said Seifer, perfectly playing the part of the flattered yet nervous youth.

    ¡°Consider it well but try not to keep me waiting for too long¡± said Arcturus, he did a good job of hiding his annoyance but Seifer¡¯s keen eyes had caught the brief flash of anger.

    What is he plotting? thought Seifer as he watched Arcturus walk away. He was almost certain the man was up to something. He had to find out what it was, lest he end up dead for Arcturus¡¯ benefit.

    Hopefully, Arcturus did not place too much value on him and would leave him alone if he just refused to go to the mission. But without knowing exactly what he wanted, Seifer had no way to be sure.

    If Arcturus stood to gain huge benefits from whatever he was planning, then even if he declined to join the mission Arcturus would come after him in some other way.

    The Lord Harkes had planned this well, not only did he have Markus and Annalise sent away for half a year, they were on a mission that didn¡¯t allow any contact between them and Seifer.

    He was on his own for this since the trial of solitude had yet to end. If Seifer was truly in danger, Markus and Annalise would have stepped in but the rest of the family would let him die for the Trial.

    Instead of panicking about his potential death, Seifer just sighed in annoyance. All his carefully laid schemes to reach the third step had gone up in smoke because of Arcturus.

    Now, his focus had shifted to surviving the next six months. Already, the beginnings of a plan were brewing in the back of Seifer¡¯s mind.

    If Arcturus has much to gain, he is certainly having me followed. Inside my quarters, the powerful bloodline spells of House Nox will protect me but outside, all my movements might be reported to Arcturus. But I can use this to my advantage thought Seifer.

    This mission was being led by Arcturus¡¯ son, Orion Harkes. Based on what he had seen in his last life, Arcturus used Orion to handle all his dirty work for him. And so, it was very likely that Arcturus would use Orion to get to Seifer as well.

    Orion was heavily involved with the Ceres War Guild and on most evenings, he would come to the Golden Dragon Bar with his friends from the Guild.

    Seifer had been to the Golden Dragon Bar several times in his last life. It was very popular amongst Second and Third Step Transcendents due to its high level spells that prevented spying, allowing you to discuss confidential information.

    That night, Seifer would to go to the Golden Dragon so that this information would reach Arcturus¡¯ ears. At that point, he would ask Orion to approach him at the Golden Dragon to try and convince him to join the mission.

    That would be Seifer¡¯s opportunity to learn more about Arcturus¡¯ plot. Of course, Orion was no fool, he would be careful not to reveal the true nature of the mission but Seifer had a way around that.

    I suppose I have a letter to write

 Chapter 13

    A few days later, Seifer was back at the Potions Guild. Instead of going to his personal lab as usual, he went all the way to tenth floor, where the highest ranking Guild members had their labs and offices.

    A particular set of bronze plated doors stood out from the rest, a carving of a Lion was displayed on them. Seifer knocked lightly and a few seconds later, an elegant voice permitted his entry.

    He walked into the opulent office and bowed deeply to the black haired man who sat inside. Lord Cyrus Black, Guild Master of the Ceres Potions Guild smiled at him.

    ¡°Seifer Nox, the new prodigy of my guild. It¡¯s good to finally meet you¡± said Cyrus, a twinkle in his blue eyes. He gestured to the seats in front of him and Seifer took a seat before relying.

    ¡°You flatter me, Your Excellency¡± said Seifer. Cyrus chuckled and poured Seifer a cup of tea with his own hands, as though he was an equal. For a few seconds he just looked at Seifer, who was unfazed by his probing.

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed by your guts, Lord Nox. Never before has someone sent me a letter asking me to take them on as a disciple, you even made it sound like it would be my honor to be your Master¡± said Cyrus.

    ¡°It would have been impolite if I did not show that I was worth your time, Your Excellency.¡± replied Seifer.

    ¡°You did a good job of it, Lord Nox. I will gladly accept you as my disciple¡± said Cyrus.

    ¡°Thank you, Master¡± said Seifer with a grin, glad that it had all worked out.

    ¡°We will have your first lesson in two days, how does that sound?¡± asked Cyrus.

    "I was hoping that you could help me with something right now, Master. It won''t take long at all" said Seifer.

    "When I was a disciple, I used to live in constant fear of inconveniencing my master. I am envious of you, Lord Nox" said Cyrus with an amused smile.

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    "I am envious of you too, Master." said Seifer, Cyrus Black didn''t have to ride carriages like a common mortal.

    "So what bothers you?" asked Cyrus.

    ¡°It has to do with Diffusion Crystals. I am unable to make one of large enough size¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°I see¡± said Cyrus, rising from his throne like chair. He led Seifer into the personal laboratory that was attached to his office and towards a station atop which a large metallic device with two bronze antenna like protrusions sat.

    ¡°What is a Diffusion Crystal? I mean in the literal sense, not its function.¡± asked Cyrus.

    ¡°A crystal made purely out of ice with intricate passageways on the inside.¡± replied Seifer.

    ¡°Exactly. Usually, you use water to dissolve the various ingredients in a potion but certain high level potions need to have all their elements combined with even more thoroughness. In such instances, we use Diffusion Crystals¡± said Cyrus.

    "The potion slowly passes through the intricate tunnels, with just the right amount of water melting into the potion at just the right times" continued Cyrus.

    ¡°The creation of a Diffusion Crystal is almost entirely dependent on your ability to control ether. Let¡¯s see you try¡± said Cyrus, gesturing to the device in front of them.

    Seifer nodded and poured a vial of distilled water into the tube on top of the device. Then, placing his fingertips atop the bronze antennae, he guided his ether into the machine as it began to move the water around and slowly freeze it.

    Cyrus watched through glass section of the device carefully, impressed at how well a mere Second Step Transcendent could control his ether, until a small crystal was formed. He picked it up with a set of tweezers, inspecting the tiny passageways and the openings on each side of the crystal.

    ¡°It¡¯s a functional Diffusion Crystal even though it isn¡¯t large enough to be used in more complex potions. There is no flaw in your technique, Lord Nox. It has to do with your power, once you reach the Third Step you will be able to make perfect crystals¡± said Cyrus.

    ¡°Could you show me how you make Diffusion Crystals, Master?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°I doubt that would help but why not?¡± muttered Cyrus and repeated the whole process. This time, the crystal that was produced was several times larger.

    ¡°The patterns are different to mine¡± said Seifer after peering at the crystal for a few seconds.

    ¡°Indeed, the bigger you make the crystals the more intricate the passageways become¡± said Cyrus.

    ¡°Can I have this Diffusion Crystal? If I slowly melted each layer of ice to study the next set of patterns then perhaps I would have a better idea of how to control my ether to form larger crystals¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°You can certainly try¡± replied Cyrus, he was quite interested in the outcome.

    An hour later, Seifer walked out of the Guild Master¡¯s Office with the Diffusion crystal safely stored in a temperature controlled box.

 Chapter 14

    Once he was back in his personal laboratories, Seifer grinned widely. Access to a Diffusion Crystal had been the only thing stopping him from making his move.

    He intended to brew a potion called the Careless Concoction. It put people in a trancelike state, making them more honest and less cautious. With this, Seifer could coax information out of Orion that he would never have revealed if he was in his right senses.

    Cyrus did not suspect him at all when he said he was just studying the Diffusion Crystal. Regardless of his talent, he shouldn¡¯t already be able to brew potions complex enough to require Diffusion crystals.

    Indeed, no amount of talent could have allowed him to do this, only the years of experience could. Unfortunately, the vast knowledge and experience could not replace power, which was why he needed Cyrus to create the crystal for him.

    Seifer placed the crystal on another table before beginning the brewing process. Unlike the Eres Draught, this potion used far from common ingredients. It had been quite hard to get his hands on Elf placenta.

    The hours flew by as Seifer carefully brewed the Careless Concoction, smirking when he realized the irony.

    Right as the sun was starting to set, the potion was ready. Now, it just needed to be run through the Diffusion Crystal. Seifer poured the vial of Careless Concoction into a silver plated device on the other side of the lab.

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    He placed the Diffusion Crystal on a stand next to that very device before inserting the extremely narrow tube attached to the device into the opening on the Diffusion Crystal.

    Slowly, the colourless potion was passed through the Diffusion Crystal little by little until it dripped out of the opening at the other end and into a smaller vial. Ten minutes later, Seifer held a vial of perfectly made Careless Concoction in his hands.

    Now I just have to go on to the bar thought Seifer as he fixed a spray nozzle onto the vial and sprayed it on his neck, wearing it like perfume. This way, it wouldn¡¯t activate until he guided his own ether into the potion.

    The Members section of the Guild was well protected, he wouldn¡¯t be followed there but now that he was out, whoever was following him would tell Arcturus and Orion would be sent to the bar.

    The spy would only be able to see him enter the Bar. The Golden Dragon was well protected although not to the extent of the Potions Guild or the House of Nox. Either way, Seifer doubted that Arcturus¡¯ spy could negate the Bar¡¯s spells.

    The main selling point of the Golden Dragon was their privacy and security, any stealth spells or potions that the spy was using would be negated at once.

    Each patron also had the option to make it so only the person on the seat next to them could hear them speak. Anyone else would hear nothing and also see a blur on the person¡¯s lips, making lip reading impossible as well.

    This was why he had chosen to meet Orion at the Golden Dragon, it was lucky that Orion frequented the bar anyway. Though that was to be expected, practically every Second and Third Step Transcendent in Ceres frequented the Golden Dragon.

 Chapter 15

    Arriving at the bar, Seifer sat down and ordered a whiskey. An hour later, he smiled slightly as he saw Orion entering the bar. He looked just like his father except he had green eyes not blue.

    Orion Harkes wasn¡¯t a bad actor, he simply sat down a few seats away from Seifer and ordered a drink. For a while he just drank his beer until he pretended to suddenly recognize Seifer and moved to the seat right next to him.

    ¡°Seifer Nox, right? My father¡¯s told me about you¡± said Orion.

    ¡°Yes and you are Orion Harkes?¡± said Seifer while activating the Careless Concoction.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. So, have you decided to join the mission?¡± asked Orion

    ¡°I¡¯ll have an answer for your father by tomorrow. Although I must admit that I am leaning towards a no¡± replied Seifer, making Orion furrow his brows.

    ¡°May I ask why? This is a brilliant opportunity¡± he said.

    ¡°Indeed but it is also a dangerous opportunity. Just a few months ago, I was a mortal. I don¡¯t think I should do something like this without gaining more experience¡± replied Seifer.

    ¡°There is always an element of risk to being a Transcendent, Lord Nox. With great risks come great rewards!¡± said Orion passionately. Being of the War Guild, he didn¡¯t have to fake that belief.

    ¡°I understand, but I still think I should gain more experience¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°You will have three and a half months before the mission begins. In that time, you could gain all the experience you need by joining the War Guild¡± said Orion.

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    "You are a member of the War Guild, Lord Harkes?¡± asked Seifer and with that, he had turned the topic of the conversation from the mission to Orion¡¯s experiences in the War Guild.

    It hadn¡¯t been difficult to get Orion to start talking about something he was so passionate about. Seifer¡¯s conversation skills and the Careless Concoction worked their magic and a few minutes later, Orion had forgotten his initial goal.

    ¡°Exploring Dungeons with your team is one of the most thrilling things you can do, Seifer! And the benefits are plentiful!¡± said Orion excitedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering, how is it that you are okay with sacrificing a good chunk of your profits in the Obsidian swamps just to establish good relations with me?¡± asked Seifer, changing the topic once he felt that the potion had taken effect.

    ¡°As if father cares about my profits. He loses nothing and gains everything, you and I are the ones pulling the short end of the stick¡± Orion said with a snort.

    Seifer smirked at Orion¡¯s reply. Ominous as it was, it did show the efficacy of the potion. An Orion with his wits about him would never have said that, especially the part about Seifer being unlucky as well.

    ¡°I understand. My father and I have also had our problems¡± lied Seifer. In truth, he had never known his parents and had always considered his Aunt Anna to be his mother.

    Orion then went on a long tangent about his father. Seifer was a bit surprised because in his last life, Arctuturus Harkes had sacrificed his own life to save Orion.

    ¡°Is he that bad? He was so polite when he approached me¡± said Seifer, choosing the best phrase to make Orion reveal even more.

    ¡°Bah, he has a silver tongue whenever he needs to make use of someone. They get swept up in his charm and don¡¯t live to regret it¡± muttered Orion.

    ¡°With the way you describe him, I half expect him to kill you for some ritual¡± said Seifer, just throwing out a wild guess.

    ¡°Ironic that you would say that¡± said Orion with a laugh.

    How clich¨¦ Lord Harkes thought Seifer with a wide grin, a grin that was truly unbefitting of someone who had just discovered that they might be murdered for a dark ritual.

    Two hours later, Seifer left the Golden Dragon and went back to the Nox Castle. Orion would not remember anything he had said under the influence of the potion, but he would assume it was simply due to the alcohol. Arcturus would be none the wiser to the fact that Seifer was aware of his plot.

 Chapter 16

    Now that Seifer had confirmed what Arcturus wanted to do, he just had to make a plan of action. The fact that it was a ritual, told him that he wouldn¡¯t be let off so easily.

    Most rituals that involved murder required the death of someone with very specific qualities as well as a certain compatibility with the beneficiary. If Seifer was the ideal candidate for whatever ritual Arcturus wanted to do, he would find a way to get to him even if he didn¡¯t join the mission.

    If he knew exactly which ritual Arcturus was attempting, it would be for the best but all the probing he had done to Orion had revealed nothing. Orion hadn¡¯t been given any details by his father.

    Hopefully, I won¡¯t even need to know thought Seifer. In his last life, a dozen years from this point in time, there had been a vampire attack on Ceres, something which killed both Arcturus and the Viscount of Ceres, Lord Algery. After that, it had been discovered that Arcturus Harkes had been sheltering that vampire the entire time.

    Vampires were classified as a Class 7 dark race by the Hand of Justice, the highest class of ¡°evil races¡±.If Seifer could expose Arcturus for sheltering a vampire under his roof, it would see him executed at once. Not only would the Light Order call for his head, an envoy from the Hand of Justice might be sent as well.

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    All Seifer had to do was give proof of the vampire to the Light Order and make sure it couldn¡¯t be traced back to him. Then, they could just handle his dirty work for him. So, his next course of action was to get his hands on the vampire.

    Arcturus was most likely using the vampire for blood. Vampire blood had many uses, it was an extremely precious commodity, especially in the first few seconds of it leaving the vampire¡¯s body.

    That could be how Arcturus supplied so many high level Dark Potions to the City of Nox. No one would know that he had a vampire in his custody if he rarely provided Potions that needed the blood of a vampire and just used it to replace other ingredients.

    If this vampire was an integral part of Arcturus¡¯ potions operations then he must have at least one other who could access it, he didn''t have enough time to do it all himself.

    Based on what he knew from his last life and everything Orion said, Seifer had deduced that Arcturus loved and trusted his son even if he could be overbearing and not take his feelings into account. He was sure Orion had access to the vampire.

    Seifer needed to build a friendship with Orion as fast as possible. At once, he wrote a letter to Arcturus telling him that he would join the mission but requested Orion¡¯s help in joining the War Guild and gaining experience.

    That night, Arcturus Harkes did not know if he should whoop with joy for Seifer agreeing to join the mission or cry tears of blood because his son had gotten so drunk that he didn¡¯t remember a word from his and Seifer¡¯s conversation.

 Chapter 17

    A week later, Seifer stood in front of the War Guild. It was on the outskirts of the city, an enormous fortress made of dark grey stone. The fields surrounding it were covered in thousands of spears fixed to the ground, their sharp blades extending to the sky.

    It¡¯s so dramatic...I love it thought Seifer with a grin, thinking about the time he had installed a giant Golden Cauldron on top of a Potions Guild during his brief stint as Guild Master in his last life.

    The interior was just as dramatic. The ceiling was over a hundred feet tall and the stone walls were covered with all sorts of weapons. Orion was already there and waved Seifer over.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you said to convince me to drink that much but I don¡¯t remember anything from last week¡± said Orion.

    ¡°Excellent, I would be in a lot of trouble if you did¡± said Seifer honestly.

    Orion laughed, he had been a bit concerned when he sobered up to realize he remembered nothing. But if he had revealed something he shouldn¡¯t have, why would Seifer agree to join the mission and continue to associate with him on top of that?

    ¡°So, are you going to join the Guild?¡± asked Orion.

    ¡°If I am eligible, Lord Harkes¡± replied Seifer.

    ¡°If even half of what father told me about you is true then they¡¯ll be begging you to join, And call me Orion.¡± muttered Orion as the two of them walked over to Assessment wing. At the sight of the Adjudicator, Orion¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°They¡¯re actually letting you work as an Adjudicator, Thaddeus?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± asked the sandy haired man in annoyance. He was of average height and very muscular, with fair skin and blue eyes like most others in this region.

    ¡°Uh, nothing. Anyway, this is my friend Seifer Nox.¡± said Orion.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, bro!¡± said the sandy haired man. Seifer glanced at the ceiling in confusion, not seeing anything unusual. Orion sighed next to him, wondering what Seifer thought of the War Guild at this point.

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    ¡°I extend to you my greetings?¡± tried Thaddeus.

    ¡°Hello¡± replied Seifer. Thaddeus smacked his forehead, wondering why he hadn¡¯t thought of that.

    ¡°So, why did you ask what was up? What did you see above us?¡± asked Seifer curiously.

    ¡°Well actually it¡¯s just a different way of saying hello that I invented. I think it¡¯s going to catch on¡± said Thaddeus proudly, as though he hadn¡¯t just stated the stupidest thing Seifer had ever heard.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just begin the test, alright?¡± interjected Orion.

    ¡°Yeah alright, follow me you two¡± said Thaddeus, leading them to a windowless room. It was entirely lined with draconian steel of 80% purity, making it ideal to test the strength of War Guild applicants.

    ¡°Protocol states that I should give you an introduction to the War Guild but you don¡¯t actually need that, right?¡± asked Thaddeus.

    ¡°Honestly, who did you bribe to get this job¡± muttered Orion.

    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll do things properly!¡± said Thaddeus with a scowl.

    ¡°The War Guild is an organization of warriors, joining our Guild requires one to possess combat skill at a much higher level than the average of whatever step and stage the Transcendent is. Any Transcendent at the second step or higher may join, as long as they pass the combat proficiency test¡± said Thaddeus, robotically.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to change your entire way of speaking, you know?¡± said Orion snidely.

    ¡°What does it take to please you, Orion?!¡± shouted Thaddeus.

    ¡°Can we begin the test?¡± asked Seifer with a sigh.

    ¡°Oh right, you just have to attack me¡± said Thaddeus as he brought out a halberd.

    Seifer nodded and drew his blade, stabbing at Thaddeus who only barely blocked it. For the next few minutes, he casually danced around Thaddeus, dodging each and every one of his attacks. It was like Octavian all over again.

    Thaddeus could barely believe what he was seeing. Normally, he would hold back to test out the applicant but right now he was fighting as hard as he could and still losing. Orion watched it all with a smile, inwardly growing a bit apprehensive.

    Facing an opponent with a higher spirit level, Seifer wasn¡¯t able to fight Thaddeus straight on but could dodge slowly weaken him. Over time, the minor wounds he was able to inflict added up and Thaddeus had enough.

    ¡°What the fuck, I yield! It¡¯s like you know exactly what I¡¯m planning to do. If I didn¡¯t have a higher spirit level you would have won in seconds¡± said Thaddeus.

    ¡°Pass with distinction¡± he announced.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a thing, it¡¯s just pass or fail.¡± said Orion.

    ¡°Shut up, Orion. I¡¯m the Adjudicator¡± said Thaddeus.

    ¡°Whatever. So shall we head out to the Dungeon, Seifer?¡± asked Orion

    ¡°Absolutely¡± replied Seifer.

    ¡°Come talk to me at the Dragon sometime ay Seifer? I know two twats who¡¯d love to meet you¡± said Thaddeus. Seifer didn¡¯t say anything but he knew he wanted to see more of Thaddeus and his antics.

 Chapter 18

    Transcendents who weren¡¯t part of organizations or have special skills like potions making tend to have a lack of credits. One of the best ways for such Transcendents to earn credits was through dungeons.

    These massive cave systems were filled to the brim with monsters and ruled by semi-sentient spirits who could control all of the monsters within the dungeon and even alter its physical form. They were born deep under the earth and over time, would shape the stone around them, creating multiple chambers that lead away from them.

    Soon, monsters were attracted to these chambers and the dungeon spirit put them under its control. Once a monster was bound to a chamber it could not leave and the closer the chambers were to the dungeon spirit, the stronger the monsters inside it would be. This was why Dungeons were so important to Transcendents. Unlike in the wild, there was an assurance that the monsters in each chamber were of a certain strength.They could fight to increase their combat skill and also obtain precious materials from the corpses.

    The Ceres War Guild owned the Ceres Dungeon, though anyone could use the dungeon not just Guild members. However, Guild members only had to pay out three percent of the value of their loot whereas everyone else paid out nine percent.

    Seifer and Orion were able to quickly access the Dungeon since they were Guild Members. As soon as they stepped inside, they were enveloped by the Darkness but as Second Step Transcendents, they were able to perceive their surroundings just fine.

    In a few seconds, their first challenger had arrived. A reptilian monster with deep green scales and beady black eyes reared its head at Seifer and hissed ferociously at him. He kicked it with a fraction of his full strenght and the lizard splattered against the wall.

    ¡°This is just the first chamber, nothing here is a threat to us. Let''s go to the ninth chamber and then see where to go from there¡± said Orion.

    Seifer agreed and a few minutes later, they had killed their way into the ninth chamber. In here, killing the monsters actually required effort on their part though it was still not a true challenge.

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    Initially, each chamber had dozens of monsters but the deeper they went, the fewer monsters each chamber contained. From the tenth chamber onwards, each chamber was occupied by a singular monster. It was right as they entered the twelfth chamber that a real threat appeared. A giant cat like creature lunged out at them, Orion was almost hit by the massive claws. Seifer threw a dagger at it in the nick of time, allowing Orion to escape unscathed.

    The grey furred beast turned its attention to Seifer, lunging at him with its maw wide open. He stepped back slightly, allowing Orion to draw the first blood when he sliced through the monster¡¯s cheek.

    Enraged, the massive beast roared, making them stumble from the sheer volume of it. With a simple nod they communicated the most basic of plans and simultaneously cut at both sides of its neck.

    The two of them fought it for almost half an hour. If Seifer had actually been trying to kill the monster it wouldn¡¯t have taken even half this time to end things but his goal was something else entirely.

    Over the half hour, he carefully arranged for Orion to be in danger multiple times and each time, Seifer saved him. He also allowed Orion to ¡°save¡± him a few times but made sure that he was in a position to escape the danger himself if Orion failed to do so.

    At last, the beast was killed when Orion sliced the back of its head open while it fell down from a stab wound to its feet, a well-timed attack planned by Seifer.

    ¡°I told you we should have stopped with the eleventh one¡± groaned Orion as he plopped down on to the floor.

    ¡°We could have died, huh?¡± replied Seifer as he joined Orion on the ground.

    ¡°That¡¯s just how the War Guild is¡± said Orion as he started chuckling.

    ¡°I suppose some good came out of this, though¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked a confused Orion.

    ¡°The reason I asked you to help me with the War Guild wasn¡¯t just to gain experience but also to get to know you better before the mission. Now I¡¯ve experienced what it¡¯s like to face danger with you¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°Well, we''ve saved each other¡¯s lives now, how much better can you get to know someone?¡± said Orion with a chuckle but Seifer could sense the slight guilt that had appeared in his heart.

    ¡°This is the part where you invite me into your home¡± said Seifer jokingly, or rather pretending to say it jokingly.

    ¡°You know what, I could use a drink. Let¡¯s go¡± said Orion.

    Orion was right, there was no faster way to build friendships than saving each other¡¯s lives. The combination of the ¡°danger¡± he had engineered and the guilt he had caused Orion to feel was what ensured that Seifer would be invited today.

 Chapter 19

    The young Harkes let out a sigh of contentment as he sat down on the balcony with Seifer. The two of them had taken a long bath in the Guild Headquarters before coming here. Seifer looked out at the view of the pool and gardens below.

    ¡°Beautiful place you have, Orion¡± he said honestly.

    ¡°Thanks, this is my favorite spot. Usually father would join me but he¡¯s going to be in the Nox City for the next few hours at the very least¡± said Orion.

    ¡°Oh, what happened?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡° Huge damages to the potions he provides for the partnership between him and your grandfather. He¡¯s investigating with your grandfather¡¯s assistant but there are no traces, seems like an inside job¡± said Orion

    ¡°It¡¯s strange, there were only damages to the potions, no theft. Plus the fact that it seems like an inside job means they need to find the culprit as soon as possible¡± continued Orion, unaware that the culprit was sitting right in front of him.

    ¡°I see.¡± said Seifer, pretending to be deep in thought.

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    ¡°Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter right now, let¡¯s have a few drinks¡± said Orion with a laugh.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been saving this for far too long. What better occasion than almost dying?¡± Seifer said.

    ¡°What, you got a bottle of Redmoon wine or something?¡± asked Orion.

    Seifer simply brought out a bottle of dark pink liquid from his tulak ring.

    ¡°You do have a bottle of Redmoon¡± said Orion with an open mouth, watching Seifer pour a small amount into the two glasses with anticipation.

    ¡°To almost dying over something stupid¡± intoned Seifer.

    ¡°To almost dying over something stupid¡± repeated Orion with a chuckle as he clinked his own glass with Seifer¡¯s.

    For the next hour and a half, they talked and laughed like old friends. The guilt in Orion¡¯s heart grew steadily but he pushed it down, knowing there was no chance that his father would take his feelings into account.

    ¡°Oh by the way, do you work with your father for the Potions he supplies to my grandfather and the Patriarch?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°Yes I do¡± said Orion.

    ¡°Can I see your potions workspace?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°Oh I forgot you were a Potioneer yourself. But I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good idea¡± muttered Orion.

    ¡°Why not?¡± asked Seifer, faking confusion.

    Orion hesitated to let anyone get close to the vampire. Usually only he or his father would work in the Potions Laboratory that was closest to the vampire but he supposed there was no harm in letting Seifer see the laboratories that were further away.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go¡± said Orion.

 Chapter 20

    A few minutes later, they were stood in front of the fireplace in one of the guest rooms. Orion put his palm over the crackling flames, and made a deep cut with his dagger. His blood dripped down on to the flames and a second later, they were extinguished, revealing a dark staircase.

    ¡°From this point onwards, there are dozens of powerful spells that make the detection of the dark arts extremely difficult¡± explained Orion as they climbed down the stairs.

    ¡°Ah¡­like the kind over the Sinister Snake and the Labyrinth?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°Well, not quite as strong as the Labyrinth¡± replied Orion while he opened the door to the first laboratory. This was the biggest one, meant for multiple low level Potioneers to work at. As expected, Seifer didn¡¯t show much interest and so Orion quickly moved on to the more important ones.

    It¡¯s been an hour and 54 minutes, just seven more thought Seifer right as they appeared before a large bronze door. He turned to look at Orion who shook his head, making Seifer raise an eyebrow.

    ¡°This last one is off limits to anyone but myself and father¡± said Orion firmly.

    ¡°But this is the one I¡¯m most curious about. I¡¯ve always wanted to see a super lab that has all the equipment needed to make high level dark potions¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°Sorry but I can¡¯t allow it. You are a prodigious Potioneer, you can have your own super lab like that one day¡± said Orion with an apologetic smile.

    ¡°Who knows if I¡¯ll live long enough to have my own super lab? If I see this is I can die without regrets the next time we overestimate ourselves in the Dungeon¡± said Seifer with a laugh.

    Orion winced at the realization that Seifer would indeed not live long enough to have his own super lab. Seized with guilt, he could not help but decide to let him in.

    ¡°Alright, come on in¡± said Orion with a sigh.

    Seifer immediately noticed a certain silver door when they stepped in but made no mention of it. For the next few minutes, he quietly walked around inspecting the lab and talking about the equipment. Orion was floored by Seifer¡¯s knowledge about all the advanced equipment.

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    A second later, he was floored in the literal sense. Orion gasped on the ground, struggling to breathe. He saw the blurry figure of Seifer approach him and pour something into his mouth before he momentarily lost consciousness.

    When it returned, he felt a lot better although still not good by any means. He opened his mouth to thank Seifer for whatever he did but before he could he was roughly picked up.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the antidote, Orion. It temporarily holds off the effects but makes it even deadlier. Not even the best healer in Ceres could save you now¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°But this could¡± he said as he twirled a small vial of clear liquid in his hands.

    ¡°The antidote to the Draught of Perseus, made from the very same Perseus leaf that the poison was made with.¡± continued Seifer.

    ¡°Why?¡± murmured Orion.

    ¡°Nothing personal, Orion. But some opportunities are too great to ignore¡± said Seifer, not revealing that he knew of the plot to kill him. In case kidnapping the vampire didn¡¯t go as planned, he needed to keep that a secret for his contingency plan.

    ¡°Now, take me to the vampire. Or you¡¯ll die¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°How do I know you won¡¯t let me die anyway? What if that isn¡¯t even the antidote at all?¡± said Orion grimly.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t do as I say, you will die. If you do as I say, you might die. It¡¯s clear what the better choice is¡± said Seifer.

    Orion turned his head, clenching his fists in anger and despair. At the same time, a small part of him felt as though he deserved this. With no other option, he walked over to the other door unsteadily.

    As soon as he pressed his hands to the silver door, it melted away entirely. He walked in first, with Seifer following closely behind. The small room behind it was entirely white with no furniture except a small bed that also entirely white.

    On this bed, a tiny figure was sound asleep. Seifer stepped closer to the vampire, surprised to see that it was a little blonde girl who seemed no older than six.

    He quickly injected her arm with a sleeping potion before bringing out a black leather briefcase out of his tulak ring. Tulak rings couldn¡¯t carry living people inside. This briefcase on the other hand, was also made from the scales of a Tulak Snake and specialized for carrying living people.

    It only had access to two cubic meters compared to the five that his tulak ring could access but it was more than enough to fit this little girl. Seifer gently placed her inside before shutting the briefcase and looking towards Orion.

    ¡°Let me into the Labyrinth, I will give you your antidote before I leave¡±

    Orion sighed with displeasure, but he had no choice. A minute later, they were back in the very first laboratory, in front a massive steel door. This time the Harkes just typed in a code and the door sprung open.

    Seifer flew into the darkness and right as he did, Orion felt a sharp impact on his chest. He picked up the vial that had dropped to the floor and hoped dearly that this would actually save him.

 Chapter 21

    Seifer flew through the enormous passageways as fast as he could. These rock corridors were hundreds of feet wide and even taller. Most people struggled with it at first but once you got the hang of it, there was no better way to travel in secret than the Labyrinth.

    Any city with a large amount of dark activity would have a Labyrinth built deep under the ground. Who said cooperation was only for the Light? The entire Dark Order would come together to build and protect these Labyrinths with hundreds of spells and rituals to make detection from the Light Order or the Hand of Justice nigh impossible.

    Each important location for the Dark Order or even just the homes of powerful Dark Transcendents had their own underground chambers connected to the Labyrinth. It was the only way to transport certain items around the city without having the Light Order instantly detect them.

    Seifer was beyond unlikely to set off dark creature detection spells here. Still, he flew as fast as he could. When in the first step, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to travel all the way from Ceres to Nox City but now he could cover the 90,000 miles in half an hour.

    Once he had reached under the Veruvian Mountains, he passed straight by the chamber connected to the main hall of House Nox and went a little further, into a chamber that was much deeper than the rest.

    A few feet inside this chamber, was a wall of stone but it didn¡¯t block Seifer¡¯s entry. He passed straight through the stone like it wasn¡¯t even there and arrived into an empty room made entirely of pure white marble.

    As soon as he was inside, a spectral figure appeared before him, making a chill spread through the room. The ghostlike shape¡¯s face was too blurry to be sure but it appeared to be male.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± shouted the figure, the voice echoing a few times.

    ¡°I am Seifer V Nox, son of Octavius Nox, grandson of Marcus Nox¡± declared Seifer just as loudly and the phantom was gone.

    This was the chamber connected to Marcus¡¯ private safe house to which only Seifer and Annalise had access. There was no safer place than this to hide the vampire away, even the Patriarch would struggle to break in, let alone Arcturus.

    Unfortunately, the protective enchantments around the Safe House were not permanent. They would not last longer than a month before Marcus recharged them, which was why he couldn¡¯t just hide out here until his grandfather returned.

    Not wanting to stay unprotected any longer, Seifer floated over to one of the plain looking walls and pressed a finger on to it. A second later, the wall disappeared to reveal a marble staircase that led to a luxurious living room.

    I suppose it¡¯s time for introductions thought Seifer once he had entered the safe house.

    He brought the young vampire out of the briefcase and placed her on to the large sofa in the living room. Seifer brought out a vial of golden liquid from his Tulak ring and poured it down her throat. A few seconds later, her scarlet eyes fluttered open.

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    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked curiously, after taking a quick peek at her new surroundings.

    Seifer raised an eyebrow at her lack of fear. All the kids he had kidnapped in his last life had started crying. Although to be fair, he had never kidnapped a vampire child before, only adult vampires.

    ¡°I am Seifer Nox. I¡¯ve kidnapped you¡± said Seifer, deciding to be honest.

    ¡°Forever?¡± she asked with very clear hope in her voice, making Seifer wonder what exactly Arcturus was doing to her. Although, with how depressing her room had been, he was not too surprised.

    ¡°No, just for a while¡± he replied, opting not to mention the part where he would kill her and have her corpse delivered to the Light Order along with enough proof to have Arcturus executed.

    ¡°Why not? I¡¯m a useful pawn, the blonde man said so¡± she whined.

    ¡°Do you even know what that means?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°Not really¡± she said despondently, with tears pooling in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you want some ice cream?¡± asked Seifer, plastering a gentle smile on his face. He wouldn¡¯t get any information out of her if she was bawling her eyes out.

    He handed a bowl of chocolate ice cream to his captive who just kept crying. Soon though, she tried it and her eyes lit up. When she finished the first one, Seifer brought out a second flavor for her, pistachio this time. Still, her tears hadn¡¯t fully faded.

    With a sigh, he got up from the sofa intending to leave her alone for a while so she could calm down. Seifer hoped that by then, she would have a good impression of him and give him some information about Arcturus that could help expose him.

    Right as he passed by her, Seifer felt her fangs sink into his wrist. He was more confused than concerned, she wasn¡¯t strong enough to actually hurt him. But soon, he got his answer as the child fainted and he almost did.

    An overwhelming wave of power washed over him and he instantly understood what was going on. This didn¡¯t feel like the sunfruit or the ascension potion where the power rose up from within him, this felt more like an almighty deity giving him their blessings.

    A few seconds later, Seifer had reached the third step despite it being only half a month since he reached the second step. He stared incredulously at the unconscious vampire. Or rather, his unconscious vampire.

    Oh let¡¯s do something nice for once, surely no harm will come of that! he thought sarcastically, more annoyed than upset.

    Vampires were hated by the Light Order, not just for their dark nature and incredible power, but also because they could be controlled by Dark Transcendents to wreak mass havoc.

    There were many rituals that one could use to enslave a vampire to their will. Although these vampires wouldn¡¯t live long after the ritual, their strength was highly increased until their looming death.

    The reason vampires are far easier to enslave than other races is because their souls are incomplete. But that was also why every vampire could willingly enslave themselves to a Master of their choice. After this, their souls would be whole and they would no longer be so easily enslaved.

    On one hand, this could be very beneficial but on the other hand, I can no longer allow anyone to learn of her existence thought Seifer, not knowing if he should laugh or cry. Now that he was the Master of this vampire, if the Light Order found out about her, he would be hunted down and killed with even more priority than they would have afforded to Arcturus.

    His initial plan had to be scrapped now. Letting out a heavy sigh, Seifer sat down in front of the fireplace. He had truly not wanted to make use of his contingency plan. Soon though, he started to laugh at how interesting things had just become.

    Fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin, I can only make the best out of the hand I''ve been dealt

 Chapter 22

    3 days ago

    Seifer was stood in front of the Potions Guild. It was a cold and rainy day, the thunderclouds above rumbled deeply, as though they were a reflection of his sinister intentions.

    He walked into the Members¡¯ section, making his way over to an office on the second floor and knocked on the dark wooden door. The bronze plaque on it simply stated the word ¡°Manager¡±.

    ¡°Enter¡± said a voice from within. It belonged to a a ginger haired man with a slim physique. He was in the Lower stage of the Second step and so, he bowed slightly when Seifer entered.

    ¡°I am here to inquire about the Dungeon Partnership program, Lord Manager¡± said Seifer simply.

    ¡°Of course, Your Excellency. The Dungeon Partnership program would allow you to make contracts with higher level Dungeon Exploration Teams. You would brew potions for them at a subsidized rate and they would bring you precious materials from the monsters. Especially the kind that need to be used within a few hours of harvesting¡± he said.

    ¡°I see, so the benefit is getting my hands on the sort of materials that are rarely sold or unreasonably expensive if I bought them?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°Yes, it is a very useful perk for a Potion-¡± he was suddenly cut off and dropped to the ground. Seifer stepped over him, it had been easy for him to knock the man out.

    He reached down and hoisted up the unconscious Manager, laying him on the table before he quickly shoved several potions down his throat, ensuring he wouldn¡¯t wake up until the antidotes were administered.

    I only have twenty minutes or so he thought as he shaved the head of his victim. Bringing out a sharp scalpel from his space ring, he made several deep cuts, breaking through the skull and opening up the brain.

    Now, his movements slowed down drastically. Over the next fifteen minutes, he slowly made extremely precise incisions, injecting various potions into the Brain as well as a few tiny needle like objects.

    Before the twenty minute mark, Seifer had completed the surgery. He used a strong healing potion to instantly close the wounds, and a hair regrowth potion to grow back the hair. Finally, he poured a third potion into the man¡¯s mouth.

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    A few seconds later, he woke up in a slight daze. The Manager did not react at all to the fact that he had been unconscious, instead asking Seifer if he would like to join the program.

    Soon, Seifer walked out of the Office. No one would suspect him, He was just a man who spent a little longer than usual questioning the Manager about the Dungeon Partnership program.

    Hopefully, I will never need to use this thought Seifer.

    Present day

    A wooden cupboard creaked loudly as Seifer flung the doors open. The contraption inside looked more like a haphazardly arranged mountain of metal and wires than a functioning machine, which was what happens when one doesn¡¯t exactly have the required materials.

    This here was a sad imitation of a Navigator, a machine that was meant to control a fleet of airships. In classic villainous fashion, Seifer had repurposed it to control a human being as though they were a puppet.

    What he had done to the Manager at the Potions Guild, was something he doubted anyone but him could have done. Only someone with his experience and knowledge could have perfectly altered something as complex as the human brain whilst being a mere Second Step Transcendent.

    Before the kidnapping, he had made sure to have a contingency plan in place. Seifer knew that if he was unable to expose Arcturus for housing a vampire, he could still expose him for all his other dark activities. Despite the fact that even the Viscount was a Dark Transcendent, he would still be forced to act against Arcturus if it was publicly revealed that he was of the Dark Order.

    The Light Order weren¡¯t idiots, they knew they could not fully prevent the practice of the dark arts but wanted to maintain the illusion that everyone hated the dark to influence as many fools as possible. They would turn a blind eye to most dark activities done in secret, but if the Viscount did not maintain the illusion of being against the Dark, they would act against him.

    If Seifer made it obvious that Arcturus was practicing the dark arts, the Viscount would have Arcturus executed at once to placate the Light Order so they wouldn¡¯t start poking around Ceres and expose even more dark activities, including his own.

    Taking the first steps to make that happen, he slowly infused his ether into the machine, activating the nodes that he had left in the manager¡¯s brain. Thousands of miles away, a ginger haired man¡¯s eyes glazed over for a second. Now, the view from the Manager¡¯s eyes was displayed on the small screen at the very top of the machine and he could also hear the sounds the man could hear. Ignoring all of this, Seifer immediately had his puppet start phrasing a letter.

    I have the vampire, Arcturus Harkes. You will meet my subordinate at the Ceres Potions Guild¡¯s Laboratory 12 for negotiations tomorrow at midnight or you will be exposed.

    Short and sweet thought Seifer, making the Manager mail it to Arcturus through the Confidential Post Service at once. Seifer was sure he would show up, he had no reason to be suspicious.

    From Arcturus¡¯ perspective, Seifer was just a man who kidnapped the vampire for some benefit, not someone who actually wanted him dead. It was good that Seifer had the forethought to refrain from revealing his true motives to Orion. Otherwise, things would have been much harder for him right now.

 Chapter 23

    Right after the letter was sent, he heard some movement from the vampire child. Seifer walked over to the couch he had laid her on and soon, she woke up, letting out a few yawns.

    ¡°Hello¡± she chirped.

    ¡°You know you''ve put me in a lot of trouble¡± said Seifer, flicking her forehead lightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m worth it, I promise!¡± said the little vampire earnestly.

    ¡°I hope you are. What¡¯s your name, anyway?¡± asked Seifer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have one¡± she murmured sadly.

    ¡°Very well. Henceforth, you are¡­Morgana¡± he said. Who better to name her after than his wife? Though, he was sure his aunt would throw a huge fit about not having her name be picked.

    ¡°Do people just give each other names?¡± asked Morgana.

    ¡°Usually parents decide the name of their child¡± explained Seifer.

    ¡°Does that mean you are my parent?¡± she asked, she seemed to have a gift for making Seifer regret being nice to her.

    ¡°No it doesn¡¯t¡± he said curtly.

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    ¡°Ok¡± she said despondently, as though he had told her she was being sent back to Harkes Manor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be dramatic¡± said Seifer in annoyance. He once again lamented the fact that Arcturus decided to target him. Right now, he should have been peacefully trying to reach the third step instead of dealing with a little vampire.

    ¡°Alright, parent¡± said Morgana cheekily.

    ¡°No one says parent like that¡± said Seifer.

    ¡°Alright, daddy?¡±

    ¡°Stop¡±

    Seifer sent Morgana to bed, ignoring her exclamation of how parent-like he was being. For the rest of the night, he went over his plan, making sure there were no flaws that he hadn¡¯t spotted.

    The next day, the time flew by far too quickly for his liking. It was almost midnight, and he was waiting patiently in the safe house living room. Morgana was telling him about all the things she wanted to do now that she was free of Arcturus.

    She did not seem to understand, no matter how many times he explained it to her, that they couldn¡¯t go see penguins and polar bears or fly to the moon before Arcturus was dealt with.

    Speaking of Arcturus, he would meet the Manager very soon. Seifer let out a heavy sigh, he knew that all of this would attract a massive amount of attention. If people dug deeper, they might even find out about his involvement. The initial plan to simply hand over Morgana¡¯s corpse and let the Light Order handle his dirty work for him was far less risky.

    ¡°And then I can ride a polar bear and catch a penguin with it!¡± shouted Morgana, shaking him out of his thoughts. Seifer had no idea what she had been saying up until that point.

    ¡°For the last time, they do not live in the same region¡± he said.

    With that, he finally walked into the other room and activated his altered Navigator. There were only twenty minutes left till midnight. Infusing his ether into the machine, Seifer took control over the manager and directed his puppet towards lab number 12.

    Now, we just have to wait thought Seifer.

 Chapter 24

    Precisely when the clock struck twelve, three knocks were heard on the laboratory door. His puppet opened the door, revealing Lord Harkes.

    Arcturus did not appear to be angry in the slightest. He wore his usual mask of calm, although he was a bit surprised at the fact that Seifer had a trusted subordinate in the Second Step.

    ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve underestimated your Lord¡± said Arcturus coolly. Seifer smiled at that statement, Arcturus didn¡¯t know how true it was.

    ¡°What is it that you want?¡± asked Arcturus when the Manager didn¡¯t reply. The Manager continued to say nothing but extended his hand out towards him as though trying to shake his hand. Arcturus wondered what was going on but not for too long.

    It happened without warning, he had been expecting many things when he set out to meet Seifer¡¯s subordinate but this was not one of them. For a brief second, he saw nothing but a bright white.

    The entirety of Laboratory 12 had been destroyed by the massive explosion. Vials, machines, ingredients, nothing survived the explosion. Nothing except Arcturus Harkes who was covered in cuts and scratches but in a second, they had all closed up, leaving him looking as though nothing had happened.

    He may look as though nothing had happened but he certainly didn¡¯t feel like it. Arcturus made a futile attempt to leave the Potions Guild but the barriers that had been formed when the explosion took place held strong.

    The security spells of the Potions Guild wouldn¡¯t hold him forever but they would last a few minutes at the very least. A few minutes was all it took, soon the Viscount had arrived.

    Cyrus Black was already there, looking at the apparent culprit intently. Arcturus had already realized that this was a set up. Seifer had caused the explosion and with the appearance of the Viscount, he couldn¡¯t even run away.

    Damn it, what the hell are you trying to do he thought in a rage.

    All the way back in the safe house, Seifer smiled slightly. The last thing he saw through the screen was Arcturus¡¯ confused expression.

    The explosion had been achieved by having the Manager take a potion called the Draught of Desolation, a potion that was popular for suicide bombing since it used all the ether within a person to create a very powerful explosion.

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    It also left close to no traces, making it ideal for framing someone. Seifer stepped out of the room, intending to find news about what happened after the explosion and Morgana waved cheerily at him.

    Let¡¯s hope that we¡¯re safe now he thought.

    Thousands of miles away, the city of Ceres was in a somber mood. Over a dozen third and fourth step Transcendents had gathered in the Viscount¡¯s manor, trying to decide on their next course of action.

    Viscount Rubeus Algery had a grave expression on his face as he looked around the table. He had gathered only those who were of the Dark Order to advise him on what to do. A few seconds later, he spoke.

    ¡°Arcturus is being held at the Ceres Prison. I¡¯ve negotiated with the Light Order, they¡¯ve agreed not to interfere but they have him under constant surveillance, none of us are allowed to interact with him¡±

    ¡°We all know Arcturus was a Dark Transcendent but does the Light Order know?¡± asked Rubeus, although he was already sure he wouldn¡¯t like the answer.

    ¡°The explosion may have destroyed all the dark ingredients but the toxic gases it released can be used to tell what ingredients were used. The Light knows for sure that something shady was going on¡± said Cyrus.

    ¡°I thought that might be the case. Any idea what he was doing?¡± asked Rubeus, stroking his dark brown beard.

    ¡°The gases were put through Scanners and the results came back to be the ingredients needed for the first step in brewing the Dragonroot Potion¡± said Cyrus.

    ¡°The Dragonroot potion is a very powerful spirit raising Potion. In addition, the third step of the potion requires the blood of a demon¡± explained Cyrus when he noticed the blank looks in the room.

    ¡°Demon blood? The Light Order won¡¯t let this slide¡± muttered Rubeus. Some people in the room couldn¡¯t help but smile at the implication that the Light Order was usually very understanding.

    ¡°Rubeus, it¡¯s clear what we ought to do. Execute Arcturus, make a huge show out of it. If we don¡¯t, the Light would intervene and if they investigate Arcturus who knows how many of us will also have our dark activities exposed?¡± said Cyrus.

    With that, an argument broke out between most of the room and the minority who had alliances with Arcturus and didn¡¯t want him killed. But eventually, they all realized that it was either him or them and caved in.

    ¡°Very well, we will execute him tomorrow at dawn with a statement that he was investigated and found guilty of being a Dark Transcendent. Obviously, no actual investigation needs to happen¡± said Rubeus.

    The Viscount let out a heavy sigh and nodded to his attendant who brought out a bottle of wine.

    ¡°To Lord Harkes, another fallen to the Light¡± said Rubeus and the whole room joined him in the toast to Arcturus Harkes, who they had just condemned to death.

    <hr><hr><hr><hr>

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 A sneak peek

    ¡°It was within my expectations, Lord Graves¡±

    A smile appeared on Noah¡¯s face. The young man in front of him returned it, unaware of what he had brought upon himself. A second later, a sharp crack echoed through the room, it was like music to Noah¡¯s ears.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be arrogant¡± said the Adjudicator with glee. With that, Noah walked out of his own office. His work as an Adjudicator was far too boring, Seifer Nox had shown him what his heart truly longed for.

    Noah Graves walked with purpose, he knew exactly where to go. He could think of only one profession that would allow him to slap those who deserved it all day and every day. Just an hour later, he was stood in front of a grand building made of white marble.

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    The First Step Transcendents at the entrance bowed to him as he passed. It was an acceptable bow, neither too low nor too deep, their faces would not sting today...

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 Chapter 25

    Seifer sat down in his viewing room with a smile. In just a few minutes, Arcturus Harkes would be executed.

    The Light Order had demanded a public execution in the City Square and so, he had booked a private viewing room to witness the death of his enemy first hand. Arcturus hadn¡¯t revealed anything to the Light Order, not choosing to take down Seifer with him.

    This is why he had spared Orion Harkes. As long as Orion was still alive, Arcturus wouldn¡¯t reveal that Seifer had a vampire in his custody. After all, vampires were taken very seriously by the Light Order.

    If Arcturus did expose Seifer, he would be executed by the Light Order but they would also begin a very thorough investigation. An investigation that would have Orion be executed as well for being involved in Arcturus¡¯ operations.

    Dozens of feet away, Cyrus Black was grinning shamelessly.  He was in a far more opulent viewing room, joined by the Viscount and their friend Caspian Graves, the Guild Master of the Ceres War Guild.

    ¡°Stop smiling! This isn¡¯t a good thing for Ceres¡± said an annoyed Rubeus.

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    ¡°It¡¯s great for me though¡± said Cyrus, making Caspian chuckle. Cyrus had never been discreet about his dislike of Lord Harkes.

    ¡°Unlucky fellow, Arcturus Harkes. If Rubeus had been out of town, he may have escaped¡± said Caspian.

    ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t have. If Rubeus wasn¡¯t around, I would have just allowed him to leave after activating the Guild¡¯s ¡°Hunt and Capture¡± protocol.¡± said Cyrus.

    ¡°The what?¡± asked Caspian in confusion.

    ¡°It would put a powerful tracking spell on him as well as a Curse that would weaken him over time. In half an hour, he would have been weakened enough for me to easily capture him¡± explained Cyrus.

    ¡°I really need to install better spells for the War Guild¡± said Caspian with envy.

    ¡°Yes, that place is nothing compared to the Potions Guild¡± agreed Cyrus.

    ¡°The Potions Guild doesn¡¯t have a dungeon under their control¡± said Caspian.

    ¡°Your own son joined my Guild not yours¡± said Cyrus gloatingly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a field of spears¡± retorted Caspian.

    Cyrus said nothing, he knew he could never compete with the field of spears. But a small smile appeared on his face as he thought of his plan to install a Giant Golden Cauldron on top of the Guild Headquarters.

    The three old friends continued to bicker until all of a sudden, Arthur, The Viscount¡¯s Attendant burst in through the door.

    ¡°Rubeus, I have bad news¡± said Arthur.

    Rubeus and his friends became serious as they noticed that Arthur had called Rubeus by name which showed the severity of the situation. Arthur took a second to catch his breath before he spoke.

    ¡°Lord Harkes has escaped¡±