ã€ŠUnrivaled Divinityã€‹


 Prologue and Chapter 1

    A young woman runs across barren and cracked earth, panting heavily. Her legs whip back and forth incessantly as if they had a life of their own, driving her deeper into a treacherous and callous unknown.

    With reckless abandon she struggles surreptitiously, daring only to pass momentary glances over her shoulder, dreading the thought of her pursuers gaining on her.

    There was no uncertainty in her mind, she knew that a life as fragile as hers would be easily snuffed by these wayward foes in swift pursuit.

    ¡°This may be the outlands, but I must escape.¡±

    For an instant, she thought about where it was that she was headed, but soon her thoughts were swept up in a hurricane of emotions that spurred her on. There was little time before her strength waned and if she were to collapse there, she could only hope for a swift death.

    ¡°I can¡¯t hold on much longer¡­¡±

    Sounds of screeching from a distant creature drifted along a calming wind reminding the young and hapless woman of the terror lurking all around her. Even in broad daylight only a brave, and foolish few, would dare venture into the ¡®Outlands¡¯.

    It was a place where the veil between the dead and the living was paper thin. A single breath was all that was needed to bring about one¡¯s death in this forlorn place.

    However, what choice did she have?

    <hr>

    ***

    <hr>

    Memories clouded her vision. Blood, nothing more than blood. Dripping and sliding across the dark floor.

    ¡°Mother, where are you¡­¡±

    It was not necessary to step lightly within her own home, but she felt sudden fear and immediately quieted her steps. The quiet and silence observed by others were for her own benefit and so if it were she who broke that silence, there would be no repercussions.

    Her slippers scampered along the vast expanse of her bedroom as she made her way towards the bedroom door. A strange sound had startled her while she lay in her bed. So much so that she dared not call out because she was afraid.

    Having reached what was considered to be the age of adulthood, she was no longer a child, but she sometimes felt as if she still were. Her immaturity would occasionally rear its ugly head, and now was one of those times. There was no such thing as a monster that hid within the palace walls and hungered after young girls, but then she wondered what could have made that sound.

    Reaching the door took mere moments even if her bedroom was enormous, enough so that dozens of bedrooms could fit with room to spare. Her hand reached out to grab the doorknob, but she was forced to steady herself and couldn¡¯t gather the strength to turn it. Steeling her nerves proved to be a difficult task, but she eventually found enough strength to open her door.

    There was no light in the hallway and this limited her visibility. Shuffling her way out of her bedroom, her feet suddenly felt wet and warm. This sensation caused her to involuntarily step back.

    ¡°Did someone spill something on the floor?¡± She thought while crouching and stretching her finger towards the area where her slippers were a moment ago.

    ¡°Hmm, what is this¡­. It is somewhat thick and warm...¡± She touched her finger to her tongue and the liquid had a metallic taste.

    She had tasted this before¡­. It tasted like blood.

    Realization dawned on her and she fell back in shock as her fear returned, gripping her in its embrace.

    ¡°Mother¡­..¡±

    <hr>

    ***

    <hr>

    The young woman lost her balance having become fixated on recent memories and tumbled forward sending her body skittering across the rocky surface.

    Her legs refused to cooperate and she struggled to lift her weary body.

    ¡°Krrrrk Krrrrk.¡±

    An unrecognizable screeching echoed from somewhere nearby.

    ¡°No.. I can¡¯t die here. Mother give me strength..¡±

    Lifting herself up was no small feat, but the screeching sounds were coming closer. If she didn¡¯t hurry, her suffering would worsen.

    When she stood, the fearful young woman noticed something peculiar on a rock face not far from where she fell.

    It appeared to be a large circular metal door which was partially damaged and because of the damage it was slightly ajar.

    She approached the metal door in shock, not expecting to have found such a thing within this barren mountainous valley where once a million souls were extinguished in an instant. A place that only the defiled could call home.

    ¡°Krrrk Krrrrk.¡±

    The screeching was even closer now and she nervously looked back over her shoulder. She thought she could see movement, although it was difficult making anything out with just the dim light of the moon.

    A pebble from somewhere nearby suddenly bounced towards her and her fear immediately surged. It was closer than she thought.

    Without anymore hesitation, she put all her strength into opening the large metal door and it slowly but surely swung open. There was no way to know what was within, but she knew that something dangerous was swiftly closing the distance between them.

    Once the door had opened enough for her body to squeeze through, she struggled and wiggled her body into the dark and foreboding tunnel. It was just in time because as soon as she entered the dark tunnel that was behind the door, something crashed right into the metal door with a loud ¡®thunk¡¯.

    After the initial crash, it became eerily quiet. The young woman had fallen on her rear when she squeezed through the door and she finally stood up, brushing dirt from her clothing. There was no way for her to know what was going on beyond the door without sticking her head out and she had no intention of doing that.

    With no other recourse, she plunged into the depths of the tunnel.

    <hr>

    ***

    <hr>

    In a time long forgotten...

    Across a vast plain, two colossal armies clashed, their magic shattering the very earth the armies tread.

    Thundering drums beat across the windswept valley and the march of boots shook the gravel, sending rocks sputtering across the plain.

    Enormous defensive domes spread out encompassing the marching soldiers, protecting them from a deadly barrage of magic which crashed into the powerful defensive barriers before dissipating.

    Illustrious mages poured their might into spells that raged as the elements were molded into fearsome magic, cascading onto the barriers, in a valiant attempt to break the powerful protective domes.

    Hundreds of mages of each respective army struggled to maintain their army¡¯s barrier, while others exerted their strength to tear open their opponent¡¯s. Over two thousand Magic Casters were participating in this conflict. One that would determine the fate of an entire continent for a thousand years.

    However, even with all the mages present, they made up only a small part of the military might of each of these empires. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, marched across the battlefield, under the protection of their respective domes, ready to engage in gruesome close quarter combat.In the skies above, darting between the falling spells, dragon riders were locked in combat with gryphon riders as both sides were struggling to gain air superiority.

    Eventually, the barriers would fall, and so would begin, an indelible bloodbath of Human lives.

    A red and white banner fluttered in the breeze. At its center was the symbol of a grasping golden-beaked Gryphon with a jewel encrusted crown on its head. It rose proudly above an encampment on a raised plateau. From here, one could see the battle stretching forth to the horizon clearly.

    A tall man with bright blond hair, clear sky blue eyes, and pale features stood, pointing towards the enemy left flank. He was covered from neck to toe in silver colored steel plate armor, with luxurious gold and silver embellishments throughout.

    It was armor that cost an incredible fortune and was not something which could easily be crafted or bought, armor befitting only an emperor. This was no ordinary armor. It had powerful enchantments cast on it which made it lighter and more maneuverable than it seemed, not to mention its enhanced sturdiness and magical defensive properties.

    This man wore no helmet, instead on his head was a delicate crown of simple, yet beautiful, craftsmanship. In every way, he bore the regal majesty of a ruler befitting his place atop the world.

    ¡°General Jerll, the enemy''s left flank appears vulnerable, perhaps we should send our heavy cavalry to strike there first. What say you?¡±

    Another man stood besides the emperor arrayed in shining full plate armor. He was a man in his latter years, much older than the current emperor, and had even served his father. If not for the magically enhanced suit of armor he wore, he would not have the strength to wear full plate anymore.

    His armor was nothing like the armor worn by the emperor but it was still magically enhanced armor. A shapely moustache graced his face and his dark brown hair had already been turning gray, signalling his age. Of course he still had many years left in him, but it was becoming more and more difficult to fulfil his military responsibilities.

    Worry lines now creased his face and his once vibrant green eyes no longer shone fiercely. Years of duty had caused his once pristine visage to be overcome with exhaustion.

    ¡°Your majesty, it may be a trap to lure us in. I would suggest that once our armies are in range and after the barriers collapse, we use our light cavalry to test the enemy¡¯s strength. If successful then this would expose their flank to our heavy cavalry.

    The young man considered the other¡¯s advice, gently pulling at his lower lip with his right hand. After a moment of thought he acquiesced, ¡°what you say has merit, so be it. We shall use our light cavalry as a feint and see how they respond. If the flank is indeed vulnerable, order the knights to charge.¡±

    These particular knights he mentioned were the greatest war potential he possessed among his ground forces. They were the bravest and strongest of his soldiers, fully clad in heavy plate mail and riding powerful Land Dragons.

    Their main weapon was the lance, but they also carried a sword as a last resort should they be entrenched in combat and unable to swiftly regroup and charge. Of course the dragons themselves were also mighty weapons that could rend the flesh of a man easily, even through heavy armor.

    Their enemy possessed an equally powerful unit which had not made an appearance yet, and this was what they were concerned about. Scorpion Riders were what they were weary about, while a single giant scorpion could not match the strength of a land dragon, the scorpion possessed the ability to tunnel beneath the earth and could strike at a dragon¡¯s most vulnerable point. Without knowing their location it would be foolish to commit their Land Dragons.

    While the emperor continued to survey the battlefield below, a subordinate came running towards the king and lowered himself on one knee before getting too close.

    ¡°My Liege, the barriers will soon fall. What are your orders Sire?¡±

    The Emperor calmly turned towards his subordinate, ¡°Order the mages to bombard the center of the enemy formation as soon as the barrier goes down. Once our forces engage with theirs, order them to then change their focus to the rear of the opposing army. We will have our light horse cavalry charge the left flank as a feint to provoke them. Is there any word from our Dragon Riders?¡±

    ¡°No my Emperor, our Dragon Riders are having difficulty establishing dominance in the skies. The enemy Gryphon Riders are proving to be more formidable than we anticipated.¡± The subordinate reported.

    ¡°Hmmm..¡± The Emperor considered his subordinate¡¯s words while stroking his well trimmed goatee. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped then. Relay my orders and report if the circumstances change.¡±

    With his orders relayed, his subordinate rises, salutes and then runs to execute them. The Emperor turns back to his view of the battlefield and continues to observe as the magic barriers which had surrounded both armies begin to falter.

    General Jerll moves to stand beside the Emperor and whispers, ¡°and so begins the slaughter.¡±

    Not far from the vast plain where two massive armies clash, a lone figure watches from a high cliff in solitude. His brittle bones barely hold up his frame and he struggles to scrawl strange symbols along the surface of the cliff with a red chalk-like object. This chalk is a type of magic tool created from his own blood, mixed with other alchemic materials, and is indispensable in various magic rituals or even in a variety of different large scale spells. Stolen novel; please report.

    A series of connecting circles and glyphs have already been drawn in a wide area around the aged man. While it is normally a simple matter for a mage to draw magic formations with chalk, for a man in his advanced years it can be a laborious process. Despite the man¡¯s difficulty, he continues his work with determination.

    He knows that if his experiment is unsuccessful, that his life will soon come to an end and that this will be his defining moment. With his formation finally complete, he observes the battle in the valley below one last time. With the fall of the magical barriers that defend the two armies, they were now engaged in close quarter combat. To his eyes, it appeared only as a huge mass of people. He couldn¡¯t make out faces, or any individual traits, just two behemoth sized columns crashing against each other.

    With a look of irritation, the old man spits in disgust towards the men that look like ants from up above and grumbles to himself as an old man would, ¡°scorned¡­. mocked¡­ let your lives be a testament to the truth.¡±

    The old and haggard mage looked once more at the magic formation that took many years of his life to construct and cackled insanely to himself. His sanity was hanging by a single thread. His many years of seclusion in his workshop under the mountain while researching the secrets behind the mana veins had consumed him. He had fled from civilization and chose to come to this barren wasteland to live in solitude after he was laughed out of the academy, and driven from his own family.

    With one last look over the battle below, he turned back to the magic formation. Channeling his magic power into the formation, it began to glow an ominous red color which soon expanded and extended into a pillar that touched the heavens. As his magic activated, the man¡¯s body disappeared into the earth leaving naught but a pillar of immense magic pouring into the sky above.

    Those who were watching the battle from the safety of their command posts, overlooking the valley where the two armies clashed, were the first to see the strange pillar of magic stretching high into the clouds. Those in the midst of battle could not afford to look away from combat and were oblivious to the ill omen that now illuminated the sky.

    The sky then began to darken and all within the valley could sense a dark foreboding, but there was very little they could do. With their magic barriers exhausted and with the battle having already commenced, they were helpless against their coming doom.

    There was a stillness that seemed to last an eternity despite the thousands engaged in mortal combat. Even the din of the battle could not mask the forlorn solemnity of an existence bound to be snuffed by a woeful tide.

    A raging inferno of destruction rained upon the battlefield as the sky opened its gaping maw and unleashed fury upon the hapless mortals below.

    The heavens above began to weep, but it was not tears wrested from its brow. Instead, a torrent of ice and stone coated in fire cascaded downwards tearing up the very earth that the armies stood on

    <hr>

    ***

    <hr>

    A dream¡­..

    No, it was not a dream...

    A memory¡­

    ¡°Beep, Beep¡±

    A red light flashes momentarily, lighting up the darkness as it continuously beeps.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ my eyes¡­¡±

    There was finally movement in a place that hadn¡¯t seen any in a very long time, other than the quiet breathing of one who was not quite yet dead.

    A shadowy figure slowly rose from a sleeping position in order to sit, but had difficulty rising due to grogginess. The person moaned and rubbed eyes that were expected to be rough and wrinkled, but were instead smooth and soft.

    ¡°....lights¡­¡±

    Though with some trouble, the individual managed to utter a command. There was a growing noise, the sound of something powering up. Glaring lights brightened up the room where the person slept, illuminating the darkness and causing quite a bit of pain for the one who had been shrouded in darkness.

    ¡°Welcome back master¡­.¡±

    A familiar voice filled the empty silence. It was a woman¡¯s voice, but the voice was unnatural as if belonging to a spirit and not one of flesh. Its owner was in fact not among the living, but a soul who had been trapped by the one it called master.

    ¡°Mmm¡­ yes¡­ I..¡±

    It was difficult to speak, but the more words spoken, the easier it became.

    ¡°Ah.. I need¡­ water.¡±

    A thirst that felt unquenchable assailed the one called master. Who knew how long it had been since a cool liquid had flowed down the master¡¯s dry throat.

    ¡°Unfortunately I can¡¯t comply master. I do not have a physical body as you know.¡±

    Ah, that¡¯s right.

    Rising from the bed was a chore, but soon the master was finally standing on two feet, although walking was still difficult. Using whatever was in the vicinity to walk, the tired figure made its way to a large mirror at the corner of the sealed room.

    ¡°Show.. yourself.. Mariam..¡±

    Those words were forced, it still took much effort to speak.

    ¡°Yes master. I am here.¡±

    ¡°¡­ so the mirror of souls still functions does it? Good, Good!¡­. Now, let me see myself.¡±

    The mirror swirled as the soul within it dissipated and in its place stood a young man. He looked at the mirror in shock as he began to gently pat his now supple and smooth skin.

    ¡°What.. is this?¡±

    Reflected in the mirror was a young handsome man somewhere around the age of twenty, with pristine pale skin, bright hazel eyes, and dark brown hair. He still wore the same robes that he had on before his long slumber.

    How many years has it been? He thought as he continued to touch his unfamiliar body.

    Before casting the ritual, time had caught up to him and death was following suit. If the war had not started when it did, then he would have surely encountered man¡¯s oldest friend before he could accomplish his aspirations.

    ¡°Could it be that I slept for almost sixty years¡­¡±

    There was no way for him to be certain about the number of years that he had been unconscious for. Yet despite the unknown amount of time, his body had rejuvenated to a more pristine form.

    ¡°Mariam.. How long was I asleep for?¡±

    At his question, the mirror swirled once again and on its crystal surface now stood a ghostly yet beautiful and voluptuous woman.

    ¡°Apologies master, I am unable to answer your question.¡± She replied emotionless.

    ¡°What!? What do you mean you are unable? You were instructed to monitor this facility and record all data regarding the mana well!¡±

    His emotions temporarily exploded forth uncontrollably, causing his body to rock back and forth with dizziness from a sudden headache.

    ¡°There was an unexpected anomaly that caused the facility to lose power from its mana source rapidly. I was forced to shut down most of the facilities functions and enter a low consciousness state, otherwise your life would have been in danger.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­I¡¯m sorry for my outburst. Do you know what was the cause of the anomaly?¡±

    ¡°It was caused by an unknown outside source.¡±

    This was indeed a troublesome situation. I could have very well lost my life if not for the quick actions of Mariam.

    He considered the implications of what happened, but was soon interrupted.

    ¡°Master.. Now that I have restored power to the magical detection array, there appears to be an intruder within the facility.¡±

    ¡°An intruder? Grant all administrative authorization to me, activate the enchanted golems but keep them in reserve. Let us first see who this intruder is.¡±

    Even without sufficient power, the door should not have been able to be unsealed.

    ¡°Show me.¡±

    At his order the mirror swirled once more and what was shown on its surface was a dark tunnel.

    ¡°Did you only localize the power to this area Mariam? It seems the lights in the entry tunnel have no magical energy to power them.¡±

    ¡°Until the mana within the facility is restored, the most I am able to power is this room.¡±

    ¡°Well.. at least some of the defenses are still functioning. So be it, can you at least tell me what has intruded into my sanctuary?¡± He said growing impatient.

    ¡°Detecting Human lifeform. Female. Threat level is low.¡± Mariam chimed in her disembodied voice.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ then let¡¯s pay our little trespasser a visit. All other matters can wait.¡±

    Having to deal with an unknown element as soon as he awoke was certainly an encumbrance to him.

    ¡°Hmm.. ¡°

    Before leaving the stasis chamber where he slumbered, he grabbed a cup of water from a preservation device he created to store fresh water. The water felt cool and refreshing as if he had just drank from a clear spring. After his drink, he walked slowly towards the entry tunnel where the Human female had began to roam around in.

    While he walked, he looked down at his hand and wiggled his fingers while considering his physical and spiritual condition.

    I can feel immense power flowing within me, but my body has not been properly attuned to it. It is imperative that I meditate to align my spiritual form with my physical body...

    It seems my body had to undergo extreme regression and transmutation in order to become a proper vessel for the enormous mana within the mana well. My body may be containing the energy well for now, but the power is chaotic and unruly. I won¡¯t be able to use it like this¡­.

    It had been a long time since he was a novice, but in order to control his newfound power he would need to spend time once again developing his body and spirit from the beginning.

    He attempted to channel the energy within his body to summon a simple ball of light. Surprisingly he was successful, but still had difficulty maintaining the shape of his creation. It felt as if the mana was being obstructed and it moved like molasses through the spiritual passageways throughout his body causing visible instability in his orb.

    Fortunately for him and despite the form, the orb served its function and provided a source of light which aided him greatly with navigating the darkened laboratory. This particular facility was of moderate size and also hosted most of his workspaces, such as his alchemical workspace as well as his research space for spells, spell formations, and runic lore. He had spent decades in constructing this place and it had proved quite difficult since he had to build it under a mountain.

    While he wanted to check the status of the different sections, he had a guest that needed entertaining, thus he headed straight towards the entry tunnel which also functioned as a trap to deter enemies. It had the form of a small maze and without knowing the proper sequence of pathways, you would struggle to find the entrance to his lab.

    The seemingly young man made his way into the dark tunnel and towards where the young woman desperately wandered around in the dark. He could hear the sound of a woman crying coming from the opposite end of the tunnel he was in and he canceled the light ball while he slowly approached.

    ¡°You seem to be lost.¡± He said into the dark.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± A frantic and fearful womanly voice cried out.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s what I should be asking you, seeing how you are trespassing in my sanctuary.¡±

    There was no response for several moments, but he heard the sound of shuffling feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ I was being chased, please help me..¡± She said while sniffling.

    ¡°And why should I do that? Perhaps where you come from, all it takes are some tears and someone will come running to your aid.¡± Said the young master while moving closer.

    ¡°I know I¡¯ve trespassed in your¡­ home, but I had no choice. I would have died, and I didn¡¯t know anyone was here. There was an open door¡­¡­ where are you?¡± As she spoke, she became more fearful of the unfamiliar voice.

    ¡°Hmm, well I suppose that you may be of some use to me, but you will do as I say while here in my sanctuary, is that clear?¡±

    ¡°Of course.. Thank you, thank you!¡±

    She still couldn¡¯t see who the owner of the voice was, but a sudden light appeared revealing a young man around the same age as herself. The young man laid eyes on her and with the light of his magic, he caught a clear glimpse of her appearance.

    Her age was similar to the current body that he possessed and she was clearly a peerless beauty despite her current rugged appearance. No doubt, constant travel and wear had dirtied and exhausted her body, but it didn¡¯t detract much from her beauty in his eyes. He noticed her uniquely colored hair, which was a deep burgundy and reached well down her back. Her crystalline blue eyes stared up at him in fear, and her perfectly proportioned face was covered in tears.

    ¡°You.. how¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Come along, follow closely otherwise you will be lost in here.¡±

    He didn¡¯t wait for her response, didn¡¯t even bother to look at her, but just turned and began walking down the tunnel. She quickly followed him, but she was still in a state of shock. Many thoughts muddled her mind.

    ¡°Past this point is my sanctuary, do not touch anything.¡±

    As he said that, she saw him reach for something and heard a clicking sound. A door that wasn¡¯t there before opened and they walked into a dimly lit room.

    She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. It was a complete surprise to find a hidden facility like this at the base of a mountain. The greatest shock was that the one leading her through the facility was no older than herself.

    ¡°Where is your master?¡± She asked cautiously.

    ¡°Master, what are you talking about? He replied.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this your master¡¯s facility? Aren¡¯t you an apprentice, or maybe a novice?¡±

    ¡°I live here alone.¡±

    He turned and looked at her. It was the first time she had seen his face well enough to get a sense of what he looked like. He was a young handsome man with brown hair and bright hazel eyes.

    His skin was flawless without any imperfections, but it was pale as if he had never been in the sun. Because he was wearing robes, she couldn¡¯t see much of his physique, but she felt that his body was somewhat muscular and well toned. Most likely because she was staring at him, he looked at her awkwardly and when he did, she felt his eyes pierce through her and it sent shivers down her spine.

    Even within her sheltered life of luxury, she had never seen a man with such radiance, but also with such darkness.

    ¡°I¡¯m just surprised because you are so young. And this place is, amazing! You have so many devices I have never seen before!¡± She swung her arm around as she spoke with slight excitement.

    For a moment, she had forgotten where she was or why as she stared in amazement at all the strange things in front of her.

    ¡°For someone who was just begging for help, you sure do seem carefree.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that!?¡±

    Before she even finished her sentence she had run over to a piece of equipment and started touching it.

    ¡°What are you doing! I told you not to touch anything! You are going to ruin the alignment. I specifically adjusted it to my specifications.¡±

    While he yelled at her and frantically returned his device to its proper place, she had already moved onto another piece of equipment.

    ¡°Oh! Is this a magiscope? But it looks so archaic¡­. What¡¯s this thing?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t keep up with her as she moved excitedly from one piece of equipment to another.

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    She was startled by his outburst and turned towards him apologetically.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ You¡¯re just like an old man¡­. I was just curious..¡±

    Calming himself, he once again addressed the young woman.

    ¡°I will not tell you again, the next time you touch my equipment I will throw you out. Is that understood?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright¡­. I¡¯m sorry okay. I just was excited. What is all this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not something you need to concern yourself with. Now, you are going to answer some of my questions. Come sit.¡±

    The two sat down on wooden chairs that were in peak condition despite the fact that they had been in his lab for a considerably long time.

    ¡°First, I need to know something. What is the year?¡±

    ¡°The year? How do you not know¡­ It is 575 A.E.¡±

    ¡°575!? I can¡¯t believe this¡­¡±

    It had not been only sixty or so years that had passed, but close to four hundred.

    His calculations had been way off and now he sat in his chair looking downcast and holding his head while mumbling.

    ¡°Um.. well maybe we should introduce ourselves? I¡¯m Lisanna, or Lia for short. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    He didn¡¯t answer straight away and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward as she watched the young man looking dejected. The awkward atmosphere lasted for a few minutes until he finally looked up at her with his radiant eyes.

    ¡°My name, is Shen.¡±

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t his real name.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Shen? That¡¯s a strange name..¡± Lia said while testing his name on her tongue.

    ¡°Yes, well.. My master gave me that name. I was an orphan at a young age, living on the streets. I never knew my parents or where I came from. I have no memories of that time, just that my master found me and raised me from when I was very young. I didn¡¯t have a name that I remembered either, and he gave me that one. It was supposedly the name of an ancient hero named Shen Long.¡±

    Although his words sounded convincing, it was in fact a story he had fabricated without very little thought. There was some truth in it, however. While he may not have been separated from his parents while he was young, he had in fact been disowned by his family and chosen to exile himself out in the wilderness. As for the name Shen, it was indeed the name of a mythological hero, it just wasn¡¯t his real name.

    ¡°Shen Long you say?¡± Lia began, ¡±I don¡¯t recall ever hearing that name before, although a lot of history has been lost since the great event.¡±

    She paused for a moment, lost in thought, ¡°well what you have said does makes a bit of sense, but I thought you said that you didn¡¯t have a master and that this place was yours,¡± A small grin was now visible on her face.

    ¡°My master is ¡­ no longer here, only I am left now.¡± Shen had never considered himself to be much of an actor, but as he answered he looked down and spoke in a soft miserable tone.

    Lia was mortified, she had thought that he was playing her for a fool but how he reacted convinced her, that he had indeed been speaking for the most part truthfully.

    ¡°Shen, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean ... I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± There was a moment of silence for a brief while, but Lia felt compelled to break it ¡±Shen, thank you again for allowing me to stay here, but is this facility safe? Just because you haven''t been outside, doesn¡¯t mean that the things out there will not try to get in. I think I may have brought unwanted attention to this place and I don¡¯t think it will remain safe for long.¡±

    Lia¡¯s voice held a certain amount of urgency and slight fear as she spoke. She had momentarily forgotten her plight due to the strange circumstance she found herself in. Shen on the other hand was only slightly troubled about the entrance to his sanctuary having become unsealed, due to the fact that he was awake, however he was still curious as to what lurked outside.

    ¡°The Mana within the facility will soon be fully restored now that I am¡­ now that I am aware of the problem. Once power is fully restored, the entrance can be sealed again¡­.¡±

    He had almost slipped and mentioned his awakening, but caught himself without her being any the wiser.

    If there is danger outside this facility, I need to know, but how do I go about asking her without drawing too much suspicion? Well, I suppose I could mention my master was a recluse and I know nothing about the outside world. She seems somewhat gullible¡­

    ¡°Uh, Lia. I know this may sound strange, but you see¡­ my master was a recluse. He never allowed me to leave this place, so I don¡¯t know anything about the outside world¡­ Nothing at all actually..¡± Shen said awkwardly.

    Shen didn¡¯t have a master, but he himself was in fact a recluse. The day he chose to abandon society and civilization, he never turned back. Even when he was young, he spent much of his time pursuing his studies. He had more contact with books than he had with people.

    No, that¡¯s not entirely true. There is also Mariam and the other spirits that kept me company in my solitude.

    Lia¡¯s reaction to Shen was expected.

    ¡°Wait.. you can¡¯t mean that you don¡¯t know that this place is in the Outlands? It¡¯s infested with the Defiled! It¡¯s impossible to live here.. How can you not know this?¡±

    Nothing Lia said made sense to Shen and he listened to her indifferently. Lia, noticing this, gave a resigned sigh.

    ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe this¡­.¡±

    She was completely dumbfounded.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry for my ignorance.¡± Shen replied with a bit of sarcasm.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have acted like that. It¡¯s just unbelievable.¡±

    It was at that time that a strange disembodied voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

    ¡°Master, the mana core lacks sufficient mana to restore full functionality to the facility, your instructions?¡±

    Lia jumped when she heard the voice which seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

    ¡°Who was that!?¡± She said excitedly.

    ¡°Ah.. that was Mariam.¡±

    ¡°Oh.. who is Mariam? Was that magic!? Why was the voice so strange¡­..¡±

    Her curiosity was piqued and she began to continuously ask question after question. All Shen wanted to hear from her, was what exactly did she mean by ¡®Outlands¡¯, and what were the ¡®Defiled¡¯, but much to his frustration, Lia was an annoyingly curious person.

    ¡°Just calm down! Before you ask me anything else, I need to know about the situation outside. Mariam, please wait for further instructions, until I have finished speaking with Lia.¡± Shen said rather flustered as Lia leaned in a bit too close.

    ¡°Awaiting instructions.¡± Mariam¡¯s voice replied.

    After hearing Mariam¡¯s acknowledgement, Shen turned to Lia who had backed off a bit but was watching Shen with keen interest.

    ¡°So, now tell me. What is this ¡®Outlands¡¯ as you call it, and what do you mean ¡®infested by Defiled¡¯?¡±

    "Hmm¡­ how do I explain?¡±

    It looked as if she were struggling with how to explain something which was common sense. While she collected her thoughts, Shen watched her carefully. He hadn¡¯t been this close to a woman in a very long time and especially none who were as beautiful as Lia.

    He had of course seen beautiful women from a distance, but when he was in the academy and even after that when he was a researcher, he had very little contact with women in general. It wasn¡¯t as if he intentionally avoided them, it was just that he spent so much time on his studies and research that he had so little time to socialize.

    He did remember one particular woman who was a fellow researcher like him. They had often shared theories and commented on each other¡¯s research papers. Shen had considered her to be something like a friend, but even she had turned her back on him once he became ostracized for his research on the relationship between the soul and mana.

    ¡°You see, this area here is part of what we call the ¡®Outlands¡¯. I was trying to think of the best way to explain it to you, but no one really knows what exactly the ¡®Outlands¡¯ is or how it came to be. The thing is, most of our historical records only recount the past few hundred years, and none of them hold an explanation as to how this area appeared when put to scrutiny. There are traces of things here and there, and recently many scholars have begun to discover more and more of our lost past by undertaking dangerous expeditions into this area. For now, all that we know is that the ¡®Outlands¡¯ is a place that shouldn¡¯t exist in our world. It is an extremely dangerous place where monstrous creatures known as the ¡®Defiled¡¯ live. Well, some areas of the ¡®Outlands¡¯ are worse than others¡­ ¡°

    Shen, who had been reminiscing, was brought back to the present by Lia¡¯s melodic voice and as she spoke, his expression changed from one of lax attention to one of serious concern.

    ¡°As for the ¡®Defiled¡¯, they came into existence some 400 years ago, we do not know what created them, but whatever did caused great damage to the two warring empires. After the initial phenomenon which is believed to have wiped out most of their armies, instead of brokering peace, they begun a war of attrition with their remaining forces. Unfortunately for them, when the defiled emerged from the outlands, neither side were able to put up much resistance. The Empire that used to exist to the west of this valley was completely destroyed by the initial wave of ¡®Defiled¡¯, and since then the lands have been uninhabitable. As for the Eastern empire, while they did not suffer an immediate incursion into their territory by the defiled, the loss of their armies caused the empire to plunge into civil chaos. Quickly after the fall of the Eastern empire, many small countries such as my own, the Kingdom of Cal¡¯An emerged. ¡°

    When she finished her explanation, Shen was at a loss for words. He knew which Empires Lia was talking about, in fact he knew a lot more about the war between them than anyone living in this time. Afterall, he was their undoing, but it was necessary in order for him to achieve his ambitions. He needed the Mana Well to be stimulated by an enormous influence of souls. He had dedicated decades of his life to his research and had spent many years in preparing the proper spell formations necessary for his ritual..

    Thinking back, he started to feel some regret for his actions. There was a point in the past, where he had lost his mind and had become obsessed with the potential power held within the Mana Well. And while he had successfully completed his objective of absorbing the source of limitless Mana, he had taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocents. Not directly, those who set forth on the battlefield on that fateful day would have likely died regardless of his actions, but the demise of the empires and civil strife it caused was not intended. But, such foresight was impossible seeing that back then he was only driven by madness.

    Somehow, his mind had been healed through the process of absorbing the Mana Well and subsequent transformation of his body and soul. He was no longer the insane old man that he once had been. And while he could remember everything, what he felt back then, what his thought process was, it now seemed so irrational to the present Shen.

    Why had he sought such power? No, that was simple, his anger and rage had been stimulated by his madness and he had thought he could achieve some form of revenge. However, It was too late to change the past, and all he could do was move forward with these feelings of regret. He had been filled with such hatred towards those who had scorned him and ruined his life, but now he just felt loneliness for all that he had lost.

    ¡°Um¡­.. are you okay?¡± Lia asked, feeling uncomfortable with Shen¡¯s strange silence.

    Shen shook his head and collected himself as best he could, ¡°Uh, yes, sorry about that. Anyway, that is a lot to take in. I wasn¡¯t aware of any of it. Well, for now, you are safe here. Mariam, you may use my mana to fuel the mana core, activate the remaining facilities and bring the defense system online.¡±

    ¡°Command acknowledged, absorbing mana¡­..¡±

    Only one accustomed to magic and who had gained the ability ¡®Mana Sight¡¯ could see the movements of Mana within the environment. It was even more difficult to see the Mana circulating throughout a person¡¯s body. Lia had no such skill, so to her, it was as if nothing were happening at first, but soon the mana became thick enough that even she could feel the power that began to circulate throughout the facility.

    Lights which had been dim while running on low power, became brighter. Sounds from various machines, devices, and other strange contraptions mingled together to form a continuous stream of hums and beeps. It sounded to Lia as if an enormous monster were waking from its slumber. She was mesmerized by all the lights and sounds which hadn¡¯t been there a moment ago. She had seen wizard labs and other facilities before, but none with such a variety of gadgets and devices of unknown purpose.

    But most of all, she was amazed by something else.

    ¡°Is Mariam a Genie!?!?¡± She practically shouted.

    ¡°A Genie?¡±

    Shen looked at her with a strange expression. He had no idea what she was talking about.

    ¡°Yes, a Genie. You know, a Genie!¡±

    ¡°Even if you say that, I have no idea what you are talking about.¡±

    Lia gave Shen an even more perplexed expression, just how ignorant is this guy, she thought. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    It was difficult for her to imagine that there was such a person so out of touch with common knowledge, and sense, as him. Of course, she was only beginning to get to know him, but his way of speaking, mannerisms and peculiar behavior was foreign to her. In her rational mind, she could only imagine it as being a product of his strange environment.

    Just who was this ¡®master¡¯ that had taken him in? She could only shake her head at the thought.

    ¡°A Genie is a being constructed from magic and can be used to enchant various things. Wizards use them for enchanting armor, creating undead, etc. The most famous use of Genies are in Magitabs! Everyone knows this, how is it that you don¡¯t know this even though you seem to have a Genie managing this facility? Although¡­ it is quite amazing to have a Genie running a facility like this, only the greatest wizards can afford something like that¡­ Your master must have been a famous wizard, but I can¡¯t understand why he didn¡¯t explain any of this to you..¡±

    As Lia rambled on about Genies, Shen smacked himself in the head, causing her to look at him as if he were a complete idiot, and then groaned.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this, even in this time these idiot wizards still do not understand¡­..¡± Shen mumbled.

    He let out a sigh, before shaking his head.

    ¡°Did you say something Shen?¡± Lia asked.

    ¡°No.. not really. Anyway, I understand what you are talking about. I just wasn¡¯t familiar with the term Genie, Mariam is¡­ something like what you describe.¡±

    Shen felt no need to explain Lia¡¯s misunderstanding. She wouldn¡¯t believe him anyway. It seemed the world still hadn¡¯t accepted the reality that was right in front of their eyes.

    Even after 400 years, do the so called gods still hold such influence over people? It looks like I won''t be able to stay cooped up here. I need to find out the situation of the world, and also what caused this area to become the way it is.

    Although Shen thought that, he was anxious about once again entering society.

    ¡° ¡­ Mariam is it? Your Genie is quite amazing to be able to run a facility like this¡­ let alone being able to absorb a person¡¯s mana. There are way too many weird things here¡­ Just what is this place?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave that to one side for a bit. While I now have a better understanding of what is going on, I still know very little about you. If this area is so dangerous, why is it that a young woman such as you, came here all by yourself? How did you even make it here alive?¡±

    Shen leaned closer to Lia in interest without realizing what he was doing. His gaze was intimidating, but he wasn¡¯t aware of it. Lia felt uncomfortable as he stared at her with such an intense gaze and she was also at a loss for what to say. There was a mysterious power in his eyes that she couldn¡¯t understand, and she wasn¡¯t sure that she could trust someone she had just met even if he had shown nothing but hospitality to her.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t as if I wanted to come here, but I had no choice. There were¡­ people chasing me. I was forced to escape into the ¡®Outlands¡¯ and I ... wasn¡¯t originally by myself. I was the only one who made it, though¡­¡± Lia said knowing full well there were many holes in her story.

    He leaned back in his chair and listened thoughtfully. While he wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the woman¡¯s origins, he could imagine it had something to do with a power struggle.

    She must be the daughter of a noble family or some other influential house. Was her family wiped out?

    Shen could see through such things as he had himself once belonged to a noble house. In his first lifetime, most noble families were powerful clans of wizards. He did not know if this was still the case, but he could sense great magic potential within Lia. She hadn¡¯t yet manifested her power, but he had the ability to see the flow of Mana within her. Her spiritual nodes were somewhat active. With time, she could become a relatively powerful mage.

    ¡°I see¡­..¡±

    This could be troublesome, do I really want to get involved in another¡¯s struggle again?

    Shen had no particular interest in getting involved in power struggles, but a part of him also didn¡¯t necessarily want to abandon a helpless woman. He had heartlessly already caused the deaths of so many, and he knew that some of those who died were probably even old acquaintances. At that time, he hadn¡¯t even felt an ounce of guilt due to his madness, but now that his mind was clear his thoughts had changed.

    The truth is¡­ I committed a horrible atrocity. Can I even call myself Human anymore? No, I must regain my Humanity. And so with those thoughts, he had gained some determination. He wouldn¡¯t abandon this woman who had called out to him for help so callously. At least, not until he knew more of her situation. He was well aware that in politics, things weren¡¯t always so black and white. For all he knew, her family could have been the villains of this story.

    ¡°It seems you don¡¯t trust me, but that is understandable. We just met and we know very little about each other. I won¡¯t pry too much into your affairs, but then I won¡¯t necessarily help you either. Well, don¡¯t be too worried, I will let you stay here for now. That is, as long as you make yourself of use around here for the time being.¡±

    Lia sighed in relief and thanked Shen profusely. She was overjoyed that he hadn¡¯t asked more of her and taken advantage of her helplessness.

    ¡°Shen, I was wondering¡± Lia said after thanking him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Shen replied.

    ¡°Um¡­ do you plan to stay here forever? I mean, do you have no interest in ever leaving this place?¡±

    Lia had worked up the courage to ask and of course her intentions were quite transparent to Shen. It was obvious that she wanted to return and was hoping Shen would help her do so.

    ¡°Hmm¡­.well, I have everything I need right here, you could also stay here. The two of us could live out our lives in this place!¡±

    Shen felt a sudden urge to tease her and chuckled inwardly as he gave Lia a teasing smile. This behavior was somewhat unlike him, but it seemed that he had regained some of his youthful vigor.

    ¡°Wait, what!? The two of us, living here our entire lives!?¡± She exclaimed once she realized what he meant.

    Lia had become somewhat flustered by his response which brought him a certain amount of amusement. He never would have normally spoken to a woman like this, but for some reason he felt compelled to do so in this situation. He wondered if it had something to do with changes to his mind due to his age reverting. He even felt like teasing her more.

    ¡°Well, you are a beautiful woman... and we are both young and healthy.. I don¡¯t see a problem with it?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would say something like that in this situation! Even if you saved me, that doesn¡¯t mean I am some play thing for you!¡± Lia jumped up from her chair in embarrassment and spoke rapidly.

    Her cheeks reddened and her reaction was cute which only made Shen laugh, while he himself felt that this interaction was strange, surprisingly to him, he somewhat enjoyed it.

    ¡°Sorry! Sorry.. I am only joking. I don¡¯t know what suddenly came over me¡­¡±

    Shen shook his head and thought, I only just woke up not that long ago. There may have been some side effects from the long sleep and extended Mana exposure. Or perhaps it has something to do with my emotions due to chemical changes in my brain.

    While he calmed her down, Mariam¡¯s voice interrupted them.

    ¡°Master, the facility is secure and I am detecting immense Mana reactions throughout the area. There appears to be many lifeforms within a 10 mile radius of the facility. Threat level has been increased to maximum. The facility may come under attack from foreign entities. What are your orders?¡±

    ¡°Ah, those are most likely these creatures called the ¡®Defiled¡¯ that Lia mentioned already. It seems there are quite a lot of them in the surrounding area. How you made it here alive is a mystery Lia.¡± Shen replied while watching Lia¡¯s reaction.

    She hadn¡¯t yet calmed down from his teasing, but she became somewhat depressed.

    ¡°Those who accompanied me protected me¡­. But they¡¯re all gone now¡­¡±

    Shen felt a little bad for her, but there was nothing that could be done about it now.

    ¡°Well, you made it here alive so I am sure they can rest in peace knowing that.¡± Shen said that, but it didn¡¯t seem to help.

    ¡°Mariam, increase the facilities defenses, maximum Mana output. You can decrease output from the research facilities since I won¡¯t be needing them currently. Continue to monitor the immediate vicinity just in case.¡±

    ¡°Command acknowledged.¡± Mariam¡¯s monotone voice replied.

    After instructing Mariam, Shen stood thinking he would retire for a short while to rest, but he suddenly had an interesting thought.

    ¡°Lia, I know I said I wouldn¡¯t pry, however, I have changed my mind. Let me share what I believe has happened to you.¡±

    He watched her briefly after saying that and anxiety once again returned to her face. She looked up at him with an expression that reminded him of a frightened small animal. He didn¡¯t look down on her for that, he actually admired her bravery.

    ¡°Hmm¡­. after being involved in some form of power struggle, perhaps between noble houses or on an even grander scale, you were forced to leave the safety of civilization along with your remaining loyal retainers. Unfortunately, they were all killed while protecting you, and here you are, a lost sheep.¡±

    Shen could tell his words had hit the mark as her face paled..

    ¡°How¡­ how do you know¡­¡± She replied cautiously.

    ¡°Oh come now, don¡¯t look at me like that. It doesn¡¯t take much to see what is going on here. A young woman with no ability to protect herself wandering into the outlands, barely escaping with her life. Comrades willing to die to protect you and being chased by some unseen enemy. It¡¯s such a clich¨¦ that only a moron couldn¡¯t surmise this much at least.¡± Shen said arrogantly while giving Lia a smug smile.

    ¡°How dare you belittle those who gave their lives for me!! How dare you!! So many people died¡­. My friends¡­ my family¡­ Wipe that smug smile off your face!!¡± Lia angrily shouted while abruptly standing and knocking the chair to the floor.

    Shen was surprised by the fire in her voice and her sudden change in temperament. Perhaps I took things too far, he thought to himself, but he had no intention of apologizing.

    ¡°Hmph¡­ Fine, calm yourself and sit!¡±

    Lia was startled by his commanding tone, but her anger had not abated. However, she realized that she was in a precarious situation and that if this man turned her away, she would die. She forced her emotions to calm down and she picked up her chair and sat once more while glaring at Shen.

    Shen hadn¡¯t intended to insult her, but there were still aspects of his personality that had become somewhat cynical and cold due to his lack of contact with other people. After watching Lia¡¯s reaction, he found his own actions regrettable, but he didn¡¯t want to admit it.

    ¡°Good. Now listen well. It seems to me that without my help, you will not survive. I can see that the fire in your eyes has not died down at all. So tell me, what do you plan to do from now? No, let me guess! You were hoping that I would help you? Help you return back to your country so that you could continue whatever nonsense it is that you got yourself into? Am I correct?¡±

    Lia looked as if she might shout again, but she calmed herself quite admirably. Shen didn¡¯t know exactly why he had been as abrasive as he was, but there was a part of him that wanted to see her determination and her anger. She somewhat reminded him of his own former circumstances a long time ago and he wondered if her determination would take a different turn from his.

    ¡°Well, what you said is not wrong¡­.¡± She finally said, although reluctantly.

    ¡°Hahaha¡­. Good. It¡¯s good to see that you can be humble.¡±

    ¡°Tell me everything and I might just agree to help you.¡± Shen said while returning to his seat.

    He had no obligation to help her, but he found that his interest was piqued.

    Lia sighed and then decided told him everything. She could already see that he had no connection to her enemies and that he knew nothing of the circumstances of her kingdom, so what harm would there be in telling him? She was already at his mercy and he could do what he wished with her.

    ¡°I am the only daughter of the former King of Cal¡¯An, and the legitimate heir. My mother and my father had no other children and so I was to eventually be married as a woman cannot inherit Cal¡¯An¡¯s throne by herself. Usually I would have been wed to a some noble¡¯s son, maybe even a foreign prince, who would thus rule through me. However, I have an older half brother. He is a bastard child, born before my parents were married. Before they officially met, my father was in love with another woman, but my great grandfather, the king at that time forbade my father from interacting with this other woman.¡± Lia paused for a moment.

    ¡°But love will always find a way, and unbeknownst to the king, my father and this woman had a child in secret. These events unfolded long before I was born, but because he was illegitimate, even after my grandfather passed away, the succession laws still prevented him from being able to inherit the throne.¡±

    Lia paused for a second time, and rubbed her now red eyes, ¡°A few years ago, my parents were murdered in the night. I would have been killed too, if not for loyal retainers who kept me safe and helped me to flee. My half brother had received the support of many noble families, some of which boasted of the kingdom''s most powerful Wizards as members. During his reign, my father had attempted to centralize power which earned him the ire of many other nobles, who were more than happy to remove him. Although, my half-brother would not have been able to accomplish this if he hadn¡¯t somehow gained the support of the Ard¡¯Rein family¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait!!!¡± Shen unexpectedly interrupted her and a glint of insanity crept into his bright hazel eyes.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Lia shrunk back in fear at his reaction without realizing it. She couldn¡¯t understand why he had reacted in such an extreme way.

    ¡°Umm¡­ My half-brother, he received support from a powerful family of Nobles, the Ard¡¯Rein family. They are one of the most powerful wizard families¡­.¡±

    No, it can¡¯t be!! I can¡¯t believe this. How the hell are they still around!? Even after all this time? Those bastards, I will kill all of them with these hands¡­.

    Shen¡¯s murderous intent leaked out of him unintentionally which only frightened Lia even more, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, continue.¡± Shen had regained his composure.

    His abrupt changes in behavior were quite startling and Lia couldn¡¯t keep up. She considered whether there was some connection between Shen and the Ard¡¯Rein family based on his reaction, but she couldn¡¯t understand how that could be given his background. He had told her that he had never left this facility, but she was beginning to wonder whether he was lying.

    After calming her nerves, she continued.

    ¡°Well, the story is mostly over. I fled the castle and was hunted for almost three years. Those who were loyal to my father, many of them died trying to keep me safe and hide me from my half-brother. We were trying to escape further east and seek asylum from another kingdom, but we were trapped and forced to flee west. That is how I ended up here¡­..¡±

    Before Lia had begun her story, Shen was mostly just curious. With his second chance at life, he wasn¡¯t about to waste it living in this facility forever. He was considering whether he would help this woman, at least until they returned to civilization. If anything, she could provide him basic information about the kingdoms, and other necessary knowledge he would need to assimilate into modern society. With this much, he felt it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a burden to have her tag along with him.

    But now, things were different. He had a new goal in mind.

    Hahaha, who would have thought that my family would still be alive. And not just alive, but even have gained such power, how did that happen? My family was nothing more than a weak wizard house, barely able to keep themselves afloat. They must be my sister¡¯s descendants then, since my parents had no other children.

    ¡°Tell me more about this¡­ Ard¡¯Rein family¡­ How exactly did they gain such power?¡±

 Chapter 3

    Lia¡¯s mentioning of the Ard¡¯Rein family had sent a jolt down Shen¡¯s spine. He had attempted to hide his feelings towards his family name, but Lia was now certain there was some connection. She wasn¡¯t afraid of this connection, though, because she could feel the anger he felt towards them even though he tried to hide it.

    ¡°They are one of the older families within the kingdom, but they weren¡¯t very powerful until about thirty years ago. One of the sons of the current family head invented Magitab technology and with this technology, they have now become one of the most powerful Wizard families on this continent. Not only had it brought them extreme wealth and has revolutionized Magitech, but what¡¯s more, Magitabs has caused our civilization, during the past thirty years, to undergo rapid advancement.¡±

    ¡°You mentioned that object before, Magitabs.. But, what exactly is a Magitab?¡± Shen asked inquisitively.

    ¡°You¡­. Ah, right. I keep forgetting¡­ Well, as I said before, Magitabs are devices which have been enchanted with magical constructs known as Genies. I am not aware of the specifics, but I believe that to function they require a physical device called a tablet and that Mana needs to be infused into it. Magitabs have many functions. They can store immense amounts of data and information, much more than a book can. They can also calculate, record videos and even take pictures. They are truly an amazing device! Their usage has accelerated all kinds of research and the latest versions are even used by many citizens and merchants to facilitate their everyday lives. Certain Magitabs also have different functionalities, in the castle one was recently installed that allowed long distance communication to other countries.¡±

    Lia seemed to be very fond of Magitabs and continued rambling on about their greatness for a bit longer. From Shen¡¯s perspective, it was almost as if she had forgotten where she was. He did however enjoy her innocent curiosity and enthusiasm, it was somewhat refreshing for him. Although, in spite her long expos¨¦ on the subject, he still thought she was a naive and ignorant princess.

    ¡°A Magitab¡­.. wait. Come with me, there¡¯s something I need you to see.¡±

    Shen started to turn,beckoning Lia to follow him. He brought her to the stasis room, the very same room he had spent the last 400 years asleep in. The door to the stasis room slid open and as he entered the lights lit up automatically.

    Lia followed closely behind him, her head constantly whipping back and forth as she quietly stared at all of the devices and Magitech within the facility in awe. She was still angry at some of the things Shen had said, and by his arrogant and aloof demeanor, but she felt respect and a bit of gratitude towards him. This was something she was unwilling to admit to him.

    ¡°What do you make of this? Does this remind you of anything?¡±

    Lia looked where Shen was pointing and saw a large mirror. She looked at it, confused, wondering what exactly she was suppose to see.

    ¡°Uh.. a mirror?¡±

    ¡°Tch¡­ Mariam!¡± Shen said frustrated.

    ¡°Yes Master.¡± A voice replied from the mirror and the mirror began to swirl and what appeared on its surface surprised Lia.

    Light began flowing slowly like water from the extremities of the mirror, as they converged, the figure of a mature and shapely woman could be made out. To Lia, it appeared as if she were looking at a ghost and she shrunk back in surprise.

    ¡°What¡­ is this?¡± Lia asked.

    ¡°When you were explaining to me what a Magitab was, it sounded strangely familiar to me. This device here functions in a similar fashion to those Magitabs.¡±

    Lia walked closer to the device she thought was a mirror and walked around it.

    ¡°I have never seen a Magitab that looked like this before. They do differ in size, but most are relatively small, this however is huge¡­ but I guess if you just consider the crystal screen that covers the front here, it does sort of seem like a very large Magitab, providing it can do what you say.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­.¡± Shen muttered.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, nevermind¡­¡±

    Those bastards¡­ Not only did they disown me.. But to think that they had the audacity to steal my creation as well.. No, it can¡¯t have been them, perhaps one of my sister¡¯s descendants uncovered my work. Regardless this is still infuriating. How dare they use my creation, one that they so gladly mocked me for, to elevate their position. At least it is somewhat ironic that they chose to do so.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a Genie like this before..¡± Lia said while approaching the device which looked much like a mirror.

    She ran her fingers along the surface and checked both the back and the front.

    ¡°I would appreciate it if you stopped touching me.¡± A voice chimed from the mirror.

    It was Mariam¡¯s voice, but it was strangely filled with emotion. The strangely Human-like voice shocked Lia, but what shocked her even more was the fact that it had so directly responded to her actions.

    ¡°How¡­.¡± Lia wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it and backed away from the mirror.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like to be touched by anyone but me.¡±

    Shen realized how that sounded after he said it and chuckled inwardly.

    ¡°What do you mean she doesn¡¯t like to be touched? Genie¡¯s don¡¯t have a will of their own, they are just magical constructs.¡±

    Shen could only shake his head at her ignorance, but he knew it wasn¡¯t her fault.

    ¡°That may be the case, but Mariam is not a Genie; She is a soul that has been enchanted into this device.¡± He tried to explain to her in layman¡¯s terms but he could already see it was a concept that was going to be difficult to accept.

    ¡°A soul? What do you mean a soul?¡±

    He could see that her interest grew to new heights. This was an admirable trait in Shen¡¯s eyes, but he felt it would be too tiring to explain.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave that for another time, there are more pressing concerns. Lia, for now, it is best if you forget about returning to your kingdom. Infact for the foreseeable future, you will remain here with me.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying¡­.¡±

    His words were intended to be sincere, but they were easily misconstrued by his matter of fact tone. To Shen, this was logical, but Lia was somewhat scared. For a young woman like her to be trapped in a mysterious mountain facility with a strange young man, she was wary of his intentions. She was aware that there was nothing she could do in this situation, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy.

    ¡°It seems that you don¡¯t understand your predicament. If you leave this facility, you will die. Even if you somehow survive and make it back to your kingdom, your half-brother will find you just like he did before and will probably make you regret not ending your life by your own terms. But let¡¯s say that you still want to return to your country, without me accompanying you there, you will never make it through these lands alive. And before you ask, I¡¯m not yet ready to leave this place. Hence why I said that It would be in your interest to stay here, at least until I regain some of my strength. What¡¯s more, the longer you spend removed from society, the greater their certainty that you are dead will be. With that said, what will you do? Will you leave, or will you stay?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t necessarily kindness that Shen was acting on. In his own way, there was a certain sense of loneliness that he felt, as well as a bit of humanity, but these were secondary. Shen knew little of the world that he had woken to, and even if this woman before him was a princess, there were many things he could learn from her. He needed to prepare himself if he was going to once again return to civilization.

    It was also quite possible that she could be of use to him in other ways. Lia was hesitant to respond to Shen¡¯s question, but in the end she said, ¡°I will stay.¡±

    <hr>

    ***

    <hr>

    The Grand City of Caelum had been the capital of the Kingdom of Cal¡¯An since it¡¯s founding in the year 255 A.E. It was once the westernmost citadel of the vast and powerful Aur¡¯Mare Empire. Originally it was built on the border between the two great empires, at the edge of a mountainous valley. Now while parts of the valley on the eastern side remained, the city stood alone, like a lighthouse, at the border of the ¡®Outlands¡¯ as a symbol of a once prosperous and ancient civilization.

    It was one of the largest of the Grand Cities on the continent and boasted a population in the millions. The city itself was divided into various districts, which were under the influence of powerful families, or clans. The power of these groups came from their established ¡®Order¡¯ and no clan would be able to grow to any sort of prominence within the city without the power of an ¡®Order¡¯ at their disposal. An ¡®Order¡¯ is a sub-organization of combatants within a clan, and they are their main military might. They are utilized to enforce the will of the clan and are completely subordinated to it.

    Every ¡®Order¡¯ trains in, or develops, their own martial or magic arts which utilize various meditation techniques in order to cultivate. The clans which possess the greatest power are those with the most talented professionals, experts, and exemplaries among their established ¡®Order¡¯. The pool for new talent is somewhat limited, and so there is fierce competition between the clans to show their prowess in order to acquire the best talents.

    While their rivalry did occasionally lead to small skirmishes, clans are important to the economy and stability of the city. They provide training, jobs, missions, quests, and can be commissioned to seek out rare materials. Without the clans, it would be difficult to keep the lands outside the cities safe from the monsters known as ¡®Defiled¡¯.

    Although it was the job of the city¡¯s military to keep the cities themselves safe, as well as protect the nation from foreign attacks, clans were more than willing to take on many subterfuge missions that the most of the military preferred not getting involved with. This meant providing protection to notorious individuals, assassinations, information gathering, and other acts of deception, but these activities were fringe at best. Most of the time, clans were responsible for protecting merchant trade wagons from bandits, hunting the ¡®Defiled¡¯ for their materials, and collecting herbs for pills and medical ointments.

    The royal family themselves were originally a large and powerful clan which required the backing of other clans to retain their power. Because of their power and influence, these clans were heavily embroiled in the conflict of succession.

    -Grand City of Caelum, Flower District-

    A tall and sturdy young man gripped the hilt of his sword in frustration, but did not unsheathe it. He wore his clan¡¯s blue traditional Martial Art outfit decorated with metal buttons, and two snake-like dragon designs coiled down the sides of the outfit.

    Anger was clearly visible on his face as he turned towards another, older man. His dark brown pupils intensely gazed at the man and his long black hair whipped to the side as he turned his head.

    ¡°Father, it is not safe here, you must escape now.¡±

    The older man, upon seeing his son, said angrily, ¡°Where is the princess? You were supposed to be protecting her!¡±

    After hearing the anger in his father¡¯s voice, he hung his head low. His failure was eating at him.

    ¡°We were ambushed, it was if they knew everything about our escape plans father. As I tried to lead her outside the city, they surrounded us and forced us towards the western gate. I stayed back in order to hold off our pursuers and urged her to escape with the rest of my men into the ¡®Outlands¡¯. There was nowhere else to go! I was somehow able to force most of the pursuers to retreat, but I regret that this may be because they had achieved their goal. I don¡¯t know what happened to the princess and her escort, not where they went or if they were able to get away safely. I returned here as soon as I could, but It took me a couple of days to get here as the pursuers have been following me through the slums and sewers. One of them called out my name despite the disguises. Please, father, we must escape now before they send assassins.¡±

    A slap across the young man¡¯s face startled him. His father had hit him, causing his cheek to sting.

    ¡°You dare! Your job was to keep the princess safe. How dare you abandon your mission in order to return here ! You know how dangerous the ¡®Outlands¡¯ are, how could you let this happen!? Everything we worked for is forsaken!¡±

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m sorry... ¡°

    His father raised his hand to slap him a second time, but stopped himself.

    ¡°Jamys, my son, I¡¯m sorry. This is all my fault. The only way they could have known our plans is if there is a spy in our clan. I have been careless!¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be! A spy in our clan? Who?¡±

    Jamys was shocked by his father¡¯s words. He never imagined that any among their clan would betray them. He thought of everyone in his clan as family and every member involved in the mission was carefully chosen for their loyalty.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there isn¡¯t any other explanation. We were very careful in our preparations and yet we were still found out.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Jamys¡¯s father came closer to his son and placed his left on hand on his son¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Jamys, you must¡­.¡± He began to say but was soon interrupted by loud yelling.

    ¡°Master!! Master!! We are under attack!¡±

    The shouts of the servants were accompanied by the sound of steel on steel from somewhere further within.

    ¡°It looks like they¡¯re here¡­¡± Jamy¡¯s father said while looking at his son for what he knew would be the last time.

    ¡°Jamys, here, take my sword.¡±

    Jamys¡¯s father unloosened his blade which was still in its sheathe and held it sideways so that his son would take it.

    ¡°No, father, I can¡¯t take your Seven Star Sword! It is your most precious sword!¡±

    ¡°It is true that this is my most precious sword, but it is you my son, that is most precious to me. Take my sword and leave this place. Find the princess, keep her safe, that is your duty. Hurry!¡±

    The old man shoved his sword into his son¡¯s chest and pushed him to the side, urging him to run. Jamys hesitated, but only for a moment. He gritted his teeth and ran, he couldn¡¯t even shed a single tear or dare look back.

    ¡°How touching.¡± A voice called out from the shadows.

    ¡°So, this is the end¡­¡±

    Recognizing the voice, the old man steeled himself for death, but he had no intentions on going down without a fight. He unsheathed his second sword, which was nowhere near as powerful as the Seven Star Sword but still outshone most blades. He had given his favorite sword to his son in order to protect him, but also so that it would not fall into his enemy¡¯s hands.

    ¡°It looks like you have prepared yourself for death. I wonder if your son has too, after all it won''t be longer before he joins you in the afterlife. That said, while I would enjoy a fight against you, for old time¡¯s sake, if you surrender peacefully, i¡¯ll make your end, and that of your family as swift as possible. You could all stand together holding hand on the gallows, as I release you from this world. How does that sound?¡±

    The voice from the shadows was wicked and cruel, and his laughter reminded the old man of a demon. This was no demon though, he was flesh and blood just like him.

    Mana circulated throughout the old man¡¯s body rapidly, flowing smoothly through his vessels and invigorating them. As he channeled the Mana within him, slowly the blade was also encased in the silvery light of his powerful energy.

    ¡°Show yourself.¡± His voice was calm as he spoke, but the Mana that exuded from his body was raging as if it bore all his anger.

    Wicked laughter and a dense Mana betrayed the man¡¯s location and he soon stepped out into the light. He was a relatively tall man at around 183cm and was garbed in a black traditional martial art outfit, with a bold silver outlining the sides of the outfit. There was a symbol of grasping thorny vines with a blue rose at its head running down each side. His hazel eyes and dark hair soon became visible once he stepped into the light shining from the moon through the window.

    ¡°Corlan Ard¡¯Rein¡­ you came here yourself to offer such a deal to an old man?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I think you belittle yourself too much, Grand Master Graham Lacus. You are a Grand Master after all, and renown for your skill with a sword, and your clan¡¯s meditation technique is nothing to scoff at either! It really is a shame that you gave up your sword. I was looking forward to facing your ¡®Shooting Star¡¯ technique.Although, even with it you couldn¡¯t hope to defeat a Grand Archmagus, especially one as powerful as me.¡±

    Mana began to swell outwards from the body of Corlan and a shimmering layer of Mana covered his body, much like the layer on Graham.

    ¡°Hmph ¡­ You were a fool to come and face me here alone! Even you should know that you cannot defeat me in such close quarters.¡±

    Lacus¡¯s Mana infused body exploded outwards and he flew towards Corlan at an incredible speed, his blade sweeping in a wide arc. Corlan remained motionless as if he were expecting the old man to strike in such a manner.

    Graham¡¯s blade swung closer, aching to taste the blood of its nemesis, but instead of finding flesh, it instead met steel.

    *CLANG*

    A hair¡¯s breath from its target, the blade was stopped by another.

    ¡°Haha, and why would you think I would face you alone! I see time has been cruel to your mind old man.¡±

    Corlan jumped back away from the two men who were now blade locked and pointed his hand towards Graham.

    ¡°Volcanum!¡±

    An intense beam of fire shot out of Corlan¡¯s hand, piercing through Graham¡¯s shoulder. Corlan¡¯s subordinate acted immediately after the magic strike and swung his blade, slicing Graham across the chest. It could have been a fatal strike, but Graham was a powerful Grand Master and had evaded without suffering a fatal blow.

    However, now that he was facing both a Grand Archmagus and a Grand Master, Graham knowing that he was at a huge disadvantage, decided to go all out . Without his legendary blade, and having been injured, it was only a matter of time before his life was taken.

    ¡°You Ard¡¯Rein are nothing more than lowly scum! Even if I die here, my son will avenge me!¡±

    Throwing away all caution, Graham poured more Mana into his blade. He was prepared to sacrifice his very life to at least take out one of his enemies. Graham held his sword in both hands and raised it, facing the edge of the blade towards his enemies.

    His battle aura spread out, and the aura of the two Grand Master Swordsmen clashed as the two prepared their attacks. Corlan didn¡¯t remain silent as he cast spells to buff the power of his subordinate, increasing his chances of survival. Even though his subordinate had the same rank as Graham, there was a huge difference in their ability as Graham was a peak Grand Master. The buffs would give him a much higher chance of survival.

    The aura of a Grand Master was similar to a dangerous and vicious wind that could tear apart those of weaker stature and the two aura¡¯s violently lashed out at the surroundings, turning the very air into a veritable frenzy of power.

    This will be my last strike, I only hope my son can escape, these were Graham¡¯s last thoughts as he prepared for his last moments. He knew that there was no way he could come out of this situation alive, but he felt no regrets.

    Graham resolved himself and made his move. His aura having filled him with immense power, he burst forth at an incredible speed, bearing down on his opponent. The Grand Master who was Corlan¡¯s subordinate attempted to block the mighty attack with his own power while Corlan prepared one of his most lethal spells.

    Graham had given up his life for one last attack and his mighty blow cleaved his opponent in two, this attack while lethal left the user exposed and Corlan seized this opportunity. He unleashed an intense beam of fire that tore through Graham¡¯s chest, blowing a hole in his center. But the attack did not finish him instantly and while grunting, Graham continued to push his body forward.

    He raised his blade and swung with the last of his Mana, sending a rippling arc of light towards Corlan. If it had connected, then Corlan too would have lost his life but he was able to conjure up a powerful shield which just barely saved him, not without injury though.

    ¡°What a fearsome man¡­.¡± Corlan said while breathing heavily and holding the bloody wound in his side shut with his hands.

    ¡°Ah! And Toren died.. Dammit, what a waste! Kirin, get over here now!¡±

    A third swordsman stepped forward from somewhere down the darkened hallway. He kneeled behind Corlan, ¡°I am here master.¡±

    ¡°Defiled forsake me, Toren is dead. Finish off the rest of the clan and hunt down Jamys! He must not be allowed to escape! Do you understand me?¡±

    ¡°By your will master, it shall be done.¡±

    <hr>

    ***

    <hr>

    ¡°What of my sister?¡± A young looking man dressed in luxurious clothing decorated with golden frills asked another man behind him.

    He didn¡¯t turn to look at his subordinate, but instead looked off into the distance as he stood on a balcony overlooking a vast city. Long blonde hair flowed down his back and flittered in the evening breeze. Being so high up, it was impossible to see the faces of people moving throughout the city below, but the many lights shining brightly showed that the city was very much alive even at this late time.

    ¡°Your highness, it has been a few days now and she has not returned from the ¡®Outlands¡¯. We have people stationed along the outskirts, if she is alive, then we will find her.¡±

    Lia¡¯s half-brother who had been successful in his coup against the former king, his father, turned around and looked down on the subordinate who was kneeling with his head downcast. His normally bright blue eyes were dim in the moonlight and a slight crease in his near perfect skin showed his frustration.

    ¡°That is not good enough, you will continue to search for her until a body is found, whether she be dead.. or alive. Do you understand me? I want her found!!¡±

    While he had no particular love for his sister, she was the last remaining relative who shared his blood. If possible, he wanted her alive so that he could make use of her, but he would not shed any tears if she were dead.

    ¡°I will see it done your majesty!¡± His subordinate replied, his voice shaking in fear.

    The man stood and bowed to his king before leaving in haste to complete his duties. Lia¡¯s brother watched him leave and returned to watching the city below. In his youth, he could look up at the castle in yearning, now he looked down on where he once stood. Though a bastard son, he hoped to one day meet his father, but that had been impossible. At least, until the day he killed him with his own hands.

    His thoughts were soon disturbed by one of his servants.

    ¡°Your highness, Corlan Ard¡¯Rein is waiting in the audience chamber to see you.¡±

    ¡°Bring me to him.¡±

    He followed the servant who guided him towards the audience chamber. The Ard¡¯Rein family had been a powerful backer which had substantially aided him in achieving his ambition, but deep in his heart, he despised them. He knew that unless he could acquire a strong power base of his own, the Ard¡¯Rein Clan would attempt to manipulate him. Until he was strong enough to stand on his own, he would need to move carefully. He could not afford to insult Corlan and so he had to show him respect.

    ¡°I must first develop my own clan further and slowly gain control over the military. As much as I hate it, it is important to show face to the Ard¡¯Rein clan.¡±

    When he arrived at the audience chamber, Corlan was waiting for him and gave him a respectful bow, but he knew there was a bit of contempt mixed in there. He could only grin and bear it for now.

    ¡°Corlan! It is good to see you. I hope you have good news for me?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, Your Highness Arcturius, Graham Lacus is no more, along with rest of his clan. One of the four great clans has been destroyed, the others will undoubtedly follow suit soon enough.¡±

    Arcturius watched Corlan carefully as he spoke and noticed that Corlan was somewhat struggling. He was trying to hide it, but Arcturius could see that things did not go as well as Corlan hoped. It was clear he had been injured by Graham.

    ¡°Hmm.. this is excellent news.. But I heard something disturbing.¡±

    ¡°And what might that be Your Majesty?¡± Corlan snickered as an evil glint momentarily appeared in his eye.

    ¡°It seems that Jamys escaped.¡±

    Arcturius sat down and sipped some tea which had been prepared as he spoke. His eyes never left Corlan and he observed Corlan¡¯s reaction carefully.

    Corlan smiled wickedly and shrugged dismissively.

    ¡°You are well informed. I wonder which little bird told you that? No matter, Jamys is¡­ irrelevant. I already have my men looking for him, he won¡¯t elude us for long. No need to worry about the young heir, he no longer has anything to inherit. And I seem to recall that it was your responsibility to capture the princess¡­ I suppose you and I have some things in common.¡± Corlan said smugly.

    Arcturius flinched in frustration at his own failure, ¡°Indeed. While unfortunate, what¡¯s done is done. My sister is most likely already dead, and I doubt Jamys will last long on the run. There are other matters to attend to. There are many rebels who have gone into hiding, we must root them out and kill all of them. I can trust you to take care of this?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Replied Corlan while bowing his head slightly and then continued, ¡°Do not forget what you promised us, my sister is looking forward to seeing you again.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. I will take your sister as my wife and the territory that was under the Lacus clan from this day forth now belongs to you.¡±

    ¡°Your generosity knows no bounds, Your Highness. I take my leave.¡±

    Corlan gave Arcturius a halfhearted bow and left the room. After a minute, Arcturius grabbed the cup he had been drinking tea from and threw it violently against the wall, smashing the cup.

    ¡°That fucking bastard¡­ how dare he treat me in such a way. You will soon get what is coming to you¡­.¡±

    <hr>

    ***

    <hr>

    A few days had passed since Lia had taken shelter in Shen¡¯s sanctuary and she had slowly acclimated herself to her new surroundings. Shen was still a mystery to her, and his words and actions were strange over the past few days. At times he seemed to act his age, and then, at others, he reminded her of an old man. She couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it, but the more she became acquainted with Shen, the more mysterious he seemed.

    Lia watched Shen carefully through the window of what he called a stasis chamber. There were many strange things in the facility that she didn¡¯t fully understand. What shen called a stasis chamber, just looked like a bare white room to her. There wasn¡¯t much in it, other than a bed, the mirror and some other things.

    What was even more confusing to her were Shen¡¯s actions. He was sitting cross legged on the bed shirtless, with only white pants on. He appeared to be meditating, but what was strange, was a floating triangular crystal that hummed and vibrated as he meditated. She had never seen anything like it. She was familiar with cultivating techniques and the need to meditate of course, but the way in which Shen meditated was strange to her.

    She did not possess ¡®Mana Sight¡¯ and therefore she couldn¡¯t see how much power Shen possessed. She also did not have the ability to feel Aura, unless a powerful Aura was materialised. Lia could feel nothing from him currently and so decided to simply observe him mostly out of curiosity.

    His body was much more muscular and well toned than she first thought. It was surprising to see how extremely well defined his body was. It was if he had trained it diligently over many years. Whenever she looked at him for a long time, it caused her cheeks to flush She would normally be rather embarrassed by this, but since no one else was watching her, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from looking .

    Lia could only hope that Shen wasn¡¯t aware of her lingering gaze, as she thought he might find her strange. However, there wasn¡¯t much else she could do in this place since Shen had forbidden her from touching anything. She had already wandered around in the areas Shen allowed her to, and seen everything there was to see. The only interesting thing left for her to do was to watch him. For someone with such curiosity, her current state of affairs were a complete bore.

    As she watched Shen meditate, an idea came to her. I wonder if Shen would be willing to teach me how to use magic? If I am to seek revenge for the death of my parents and overthrow my half brother, I will need more power. Also, will he help me? I would feel much more at ease if he would.

    Even though it had been years since her parents had been killed, she still felt their loss strongly in her heart. After her parent¡¯s death, she had escaped from the palace with the help of her loyal retainers and had sought refuge from her own clan members and allies who helped her fight against her half brother. While they were able to keep her hidden from those who wished her harm, in the end her location was compromised and she was forced to flee the capital.

    Her thoughts momentarily drifted towards her father¡¯s good friend, Graham Lacus. His clan had supported her and helped her in the resistance against her half brother. They had lost many of their warriors and wizards in the fighting which had caused their power to weaken considerably. She tried not to think about it, much with how the events of her escape played out, she could only imagine that, by now, Graham had most likely been killed and she felt regret in her heart. To Lia, Graham was like an uncle, and his son Jamys, was her close companion and friend.

    While she was deep in her thoughts, she heard the sound of a sliding door and realized that Shen had finished his meditation and was approaching her. Lia quickly moved away from the window and settled her nerves. It was important for her to dig deep for the courage to ask Shen for his aid in teaching her. He had already done much for her, by letting her stay in his sanctuary and she felt a pang of guilt at the thought of asking him for more.

    Gathering her courage, she walked over to Shen with determination in her step.

    Shen eyed her suspiciously and wiped his upper body with a towel. Cultivating was a strenuous activity which was a huge strain on the body since Mana would be constantly circulated throughout.

    ¡°Shen¡­ Please, teach me how to use Mana. I want¡­ No, I need to grow stronger.¡± Lia bravely asked Shen as he cautiously observed her.

    Shen thought over her words as he quietly wiped the sweat off his body. The silence made Lia nervous, but she waited patiently. In Shen¡¯s mind, he was weighing the benefits of Lia¡¯s request.

    ¡°Hmm.. if I train her it would be easier for me if she can protect herself while traversing the ¡®Outlands¡¯, after all she could be of more use to me once we reach civilization. If I leave most of the guidance to Mariam then it shouldn¡¯t impede my own cultivation and training¡­.¡± Shen considered her request and came to a decision.

    ¡°Fine, I will train you, but I hope you are prepared for it.¡±

 Chapter 4

    Lia panted heavily as she sat with her legs crossed and focused her concentration on circulating the Mana through the meridians in her body. Cultivating, is as strenuous on the body as a full body workout, perhaps even more so.

    Having been at it for a couple of hours, she was now drenched in sweat and a light hot mist was being expelled from her body continuously, hovering just above the surface of her skin and then dissipating. Lia, no longer able to maintain her concentration, opened her eyes slowly. As she did so, beads of sweat poured down her face, stinging her eyes with the salt.

    Rubbing her eyes and regaining focus, Lia glanced around the bare and dreary white room. Across from her, Shen was still deep in meditation. Having gained some training and experience in circulating her own Mana, she was now more sensitive to the flow of Mana in the environment as well as in others, and while it was nowhere near an advanced level, she was beginning to feel an immense pressure being emitted from Shen.

    Although it was possible to hide one¡¯s own Mana Aura, Shen felt no need to do so while in the safety of his own sanctuary. It wasn¡¯t as if Lia was capable of fully discerning the amount of absurd Mana that existed within his body. She was still too much of a novice to truly grasp the depths of his power.

    Having now caught her breath, Lia rose slowly and stretched her body. She took a nearby towel and wiped some of the sweat off her face and then wrapped her hair in the towel to prevent too much sweat from dripping on the floor.

    While wrapping her hair, she observed Shen who had his eyes closed and was breathing evenly. He was still an enigma to her even though they had now lived within this sanctuary together for a few months.

    She had been hesitant at first, and was afraid that he might do something to her, but it was a risk she was willing to take. But, not only did he not harm her in anyway, he even trained her. There was still the occasional look of condescension that would cross his face, and there was some awkwardness in their conversations and interactions, but it wasn¡¯t an unpleasant experience for her.

    Lia had been sheltered within a palace since birth. Her parents had tried to shield her from the harshness of life and so, her ignorance and naivety couldn¡¯t be helped. It wasn¡¯t as if she was denying it, she knew it all too well. The past few years had been harsh and unforgiving after the death of her parents. Her main priority now became one of constant survival with danger looming around every corner.

    She was no longer a princess locked away in a tower.

    ¡°If your meditation is complete, you may proceed to the shower to cleanse yourself.¡± Mariam¡¯s voice chimed from within the ¡®Mirror of Souls¡¯.

    ¡®Mirror of Souls¡¯ was the name that Shen had given the device, as to why he chose such a name, was something Lia still hadn¡¯t figured out.

    ¡°Oh, Mariam! Thanks, and your guidance was helpful as usual. I would not have been able to train as efficiently and control the flow of Mana this well without your help over these past few months. You really are amazing! When I first came here, I never would have thought that Magitabs were capable of adjusting the flow of Mana in a person¡¯s body. At least, none of the ones I was aware of were capable of that.¡±

    ¡°There is no need to thank me, I only did as my master instructed of me.¡±

    Mariam was always like that. Towards Shen, she was always polite and did whatever he asked, but when it came to interacting with Lia, she seemed colder.

    ¡®Well, she¡¯s just an artificial being after all, it¡¯s not like she can fully think on her own. Although¡­ sometimes she really surprises me¡­.¡¯

    ¡°Even still, thank you. I will go take a shower now.¡±

    Mariam watched Lia leave silently and then her eyes turned towards Shen.

    ¡°She has left master. Have you completed your cultivation?¡±

    Just as what happened to Lia, a light steam was expelled from Shen¡¯s body and he opened his eyes.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s enough for now.¡±

    Shen rose and wiped his body with a towel. He was sweating, but he had not perspired nearly as much as Lia had.

    ¡°Mariam, when I awoke from my long slumber, the status of my body had returned to a more basic state. Let¡¯s see how my status has changed. Scan my body and calculate my status in regards to the scans of my previous self, before the long sleep, and daily changes over the last few months.¡±

    Mariam had many functions and one of those functions was the ability to assess the status of a Human being as a numerical value. It wasn¡¯t as detailed as Shen would like, but it was a good means to measure his growth and abilities.

    ¡°Scanning¡­..¡±

    A faint blue light emanated from the ¡®Mirror of Souls¡¯ scanning Shen from top to bottom.

    ¡°Calculating and comparing data¡­.¡±

    The ¡®Mirror of Souls¡¯ hummed faintly and the crystalline surface began shimmering.

    ¡°How should I present your status? Would you prefer a table format?¡°

    Shen considered for a moment before coming to a decision.

    ¡°No, there is no need. Keep it simple.¡±

    Complying to his request, the crystalline surface revealed Shen¡¯s status.

    [Raidus Ard¡¯Rein. Race: Human, Rank 7 Adept Wizard. Strength: 8. Agility: 9. Constitution: 12. Spirit: 7. Spirit Potential: ¡Þ. Characteristics: Mana enhanced perfect body (Increased sturdiness, Greater Constitution growth, Greater Strength growth, Greater Agility growth, Greater Mana resistance)]

    ¡°Is that all the information?¡±

    Shen was surprised at how little information Mariam displayed. This couldn¡¯t possibly be all of it. There were no indicators for attributes such as intelligence for example.

    ¡°My apologies, master, but this is all of the information I am able to quantify. Attributes such as intelligence or determining how much luck you possess, there is no way to objectively measure them in the form of data. As for your physical attributes, I am able to process them numerically based on the data I have backed up on your profile. As for your spirit, since I am a spiritual being, I am also able to calculate and display your spiritual data.¡±

    Mariam was clearly disappointed in her limited analysis. Her only purpose was to be of use to her master.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine Mariam. I was being unreasonable and expecting too much. Hmm, if I am to understand this correctly, before I slept I was a Rank 10 Magus, and because of the changes in my body due to Mana exposure over hundreds of years, my body regressed to almost that of a normal person. So in the last few months, I have risen to Rank 7, and while I still have some way to go until I return to my former rank, my physique has grown exponentially and my body is much stronger than it ever was. Am I understanding this correctly Mariam?¡±

    ¡°That is correct. In addition, your body has gone through massive changes due to the Mana exposure. Your former power will return more quickly and advancement will also be easier. Lastly, your spiritual growth potential is limitless. You have already experienced the benefits of your enhanced body.¡±

    Shen nodded thoughtfully. Not only was his cultivation technique providing more benefits for his advancement than it had in his previous life, but his potential for growth was immeasurable. There had been no growth left for him and he had sadly reached his peak after breaking through to the rank of Magus before he slept, but now he would soar to unknown heights.

    What was even better was the fact that his body had become much stronger and more durable than his expectations. He even possessed the qualities of a rank 9 mid-rank expert warrior and would continue to strengthen his already powerful body over time.

    He expected that his spirit would progress at a more rapid pace and would eventually outstrip his other attributes in the near future. This was simply because he was only required to cultivate at this time to increase his spirit, at least until he returned to his former rank.

    As for the other attributes, they were more difficult to raise than his spirit. Up until now; he had been supplementing their growth with potions created from some of the rare ingredients that he had hoarded in his previous life, but these had almost run out.

    ¡°Mariam, from now on, only display my alias, do not display my real name. Also, falsify my spirit potential.¡±

    ¡°Confirmed.¡±

    ¡°By the way, did you successfully scan Lia without her knowledge?¡±

    ¡°Yes, her body was successfully scanned. The data has been collated.¡±

    ¡°Good, display her status.¡±

    [Lisanna Cal¡¯An. Race: Human, Rank 3 Novice Wizard. Strength: 2. Agility: 2. Constitution: 3. Spirit: 3. Spirit Potential: 26. Characteristics: Noble Lineage (Higher Spirit Potential from birth]

    ¡°Impressive, her Spirit Potential is high, she could one day achieve the rank of Sacred Magus. If it was my past self, I would have envied her greatly. Thank you Mariam.¡±

    Shen turned away from the Mirror of Souls and placed a finger on his chin thoughtfully.

    ¡°I had unfortunately reached my peak at only a Magus rank. Thankfully, that¡¯s all in the past. Otherwise, she is slightly stronger than the average person, most wizards are physically weak so this is to be expected. I have been giving her some of my weaker potions that are of no use to me, and they seem to be supplementing her development well. My advancement is abnormal so there is no comparison¡±

    After considering Lia¡¯s potential, Shen turned towards Mariam once more and said, ¡°I will shower now, make sure Lia doesn¡¯t touch anything she shouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ***

    -Grand City of Caelum, Dusk District-

    Skulking through alleys in the dark of night and hidden from prying eyes, Jamys quickly glanced around a corner.

    ¡°Someone is following me¡­¡± He whispers to the cool night air, his breath releasing a warm mist.

    Jamys hugged his hood closer to his face to hide his features and stepped out of the alleyway. He quickly made his way across the street, heading towards the brothel he had found employment at. There weren¡¯t many opportunities for him to work given that he needed to keep a low profile, but the brothel provided him a sense of security due to the confidential nature of the business.

    He had bitterly failed his mission and the princess was nowhere to be found. His life was now a mish mash of moans from the brothel house, and the blood of rowdy customers. There were also occasional nights like this to deal with.

    Only, was it just local the riffraff out to cause him problems, or was it someone more sinister seeking his life?

    ¡®Since I¡¯ve already caught on, they can¡¯t be anything special. I am a Grandmaster Swordsman and I possess the Seven Star Sword. If the king and his cronies were to send someone after me, it would have to be someone at least at my rank if not higher. These local thugs bring their own troubles though¡­ If they discovered my identity, I wouldn¡¯t be safe even in this shithole district.¡¯

    Feeling relieved, Jamys allowed himself to be seen walking into another dark alley and pretended to be oblivious to the several men he sensed following him. Gone were the days of wearing luxurious clothing and living in comfort. Now he dressed much like a commoner, slightly better than the paupers living in the district, and most likely these thugs had marked him as a target.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you picked the wrong target¡­¡±

    Walking towards the end of the alley which was a dead end, he hugged the wall, blending into the shadows so he would not be visible from the entrance. Jamys stilled his breathing and unsheathed a short sword from his side that he had hidden under his heavy cloak.

    He did not bother unsheathing the Seven Star Sword, it was too recognizable. Only if his life was seriously in danger would he dare unsheathe it.

    ¡°Where¡¯d he go!?¡±

    ¡°I saw him walk into this alley!¡±

    ¡®Hmph, for someone who is supposed to be hunting prey, they are awfully loud¡¯ Jamys thought.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go check, he must be hiding in there!¡±

    Jamys hugged the wall low to the ground and his dark cloak helping him blend in. There were no lights in the alley, but one of the street thugs was carrying a torch.

    ¡°This alley is just a dead end, where is he? I can barely see anything!¡±

    Not waiting any longer, Jamys moved swiftly, keeping low to the ground, and slashed out, slicing the knees of the thugs closest to him. They dropped to the garbage littered ground with screams of agony and because of the tight space in the alley, it was difficult for the other thugs in the rear to realize what was going on before it was too late. It wouldn¡¯t have mattered either way, for the fight was over before it even truly began.

    Jamys made quick work of them as he moved from one to another, slashing vital points and ending their lives with agile grace. He didn¡¯t even need to use his Aura and killed them only with his skill with a blade. A skill he had mastered over many years of strict training under his father and the other masters of his clan. None of them were alive anymore, but as long as he lived, his clan would live on through him and one day, may yet regain its status.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    After ensuring all of the thugs were dead, he wiped the blood off of his blade on the clothes of one of the dead men and sheathed his sword. He checked the bodies for any valuables, finding nothing much of value on them, just a few small coins he pocketed.

    Jamys walked back towards the main street, carefully observing his surroundings. He couldn¡¯t sense anyone else following him, but he made sure to conceal his movements as much as possible until he made it back to the brothel.

    On a rooftop not far from the alley where the thugs were killed, another man concealed in a thick dark hood and cloak crouched down and watched the bloody affair from above.

    ¡®Hmm¡­ just a normal blade and I didn¡¯t sense any Aura¡­ It¡¯s still too early to confirm whether that is him or not. Even an expert warrior could have easily taken care of those thugs. It looks like I will need to take more drastic measures hehehe.

    The man cloaked in shadows laughed wickedly from his perch and observed the man below until he left his sight.

    ¡®A brothel huh... Looks like I¡¯ll be able to take my time and savor every moment¡­ hehehehe¡¯¡®

    In his twisted mind he carefully planned his next move.

    Jamys entered the establishment and was immediately engulfed in a haze of incense and smoke. Loud raucous laughter and merriment filled his ears from every direction. A faint hint of lust rose to his nose as he walked further in. It was a packed night and every available prostitute was busy serving customers.

    The experience wasn¡¯t only about the sex, each woman was trained in a variety of ways in order to serve every need of their clients. They were skilled dancers, artists, singers, listeners, drinking companions, whatever might be required of them.

    Everywhere Jamys looked, there were beautiful women in seductive clothing accompanying clients. Just a few months ago, Jamys would have looked down on such a place as being beneath him. If he wanted women, he would have been provided a young virgin or anything else he desired. Of course, he had never been such a lustful person who indulged in concupiscence.

    ¡®What irony, to think that such a place would be my sanctuary. I once looked down on such women with judgemental eyes, and yet not only did they take me in when I had nowhere to go, they have even treated me with sincere kindness.¡¯ Jamys still couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in amazement.

    As he neared the stairway leading up towards the second floor, Jamys removed the hood which hid his face and was greeted by a warm smile.

    ¡°Jamys!¡± A pleasant and young excitable voice called out to him before he could take his first step up the stairs.

    ¡°Serina.. How is it tonight?¡±

    Out of all the girls in the establishment, Serina seemed to have a special fondness for him and always showed him a special smile she gave to no one else. Not only was she extremely beautiful and quite popular among the customers, but she was also one of the few girls who could choose her clients. Not to mention that her services were extremely expensive.

    He had never seen her once take on a client while he had been living in the brothel. She would often flirt with him, but not only did he not possess the funds to pay for her services, he still in his heart, could not accept such a woman. He knew it was an unjust prejudice and he truly did enjoy her company, but nothing could come of it and so he never fully responded to her flirtation.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the busiest days in a while! Every girl is busy tonight, I¡¯m the only one free¡­¡±

    Serina¡¯s eyes looked longingly towards Jamys and she leaned forward slightly, just enough to tease him with her ample breasts. Her garments barely covered her voluptuous form and Jamys lost his breath for a moment before dragging his eyes away from her.

    ¡°I will be in my room until my shift starts in case anyone needs me¡­¡± He said despite his suddenly dry throat.

    Serina¡¯s face became one of disappointment, but she didn¡¯t press him. She watched as he climbed the stairs and let out a frustrated sigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Serina? Jamys again?¡± Chuckled her friend, one of the regular prostitutes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who he is, but you should just give up. He doesn¡¯t even look at the girls, maybe he doesn¡¯t like women...¡±

    Serina glared at her friend, but then shrugged with a resigned sigh. She glanced once more longingly up the stairwell before turning away.

    Jamys was unaware of the extent of affection shown by the young woman and continued up the stairway and down a hall on the second floor. The lewd sounds emanating from the various rooms littering the hallway were a minor nuisance to him, but he had learned to block out the noise. It was the only way for him to keep his sanity in his current predicament.

    Jamys was of noble blood after all and as such, these sorts of institutions were beneath him. He had never been one of those lascivious nobles who partook in such debauchery and the irony of his situation was not wasted on him. He had no other choice for the time being, he could only endure.

    Lodging within the brothel was as distant from lavish as could be. It was barely at the level of the standards of a hovel. Jamy¡¯s room was no better and despite his attempts at adjusting to his new lifestyle, it had proven difficult for him to adapt. Having spent his entire life with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had lacked for nothing. Now, the only possessions he had left were the swords his father had left him, and the clothes on his back.

    The room itself was small and bare of anything that could be considered a luxury. The colours were bleak and the only distinguishable feature was a brown straw mat in the center of the room. Even though the mat was uncomfortable to sleep on, nonetheless Jamys was grateful for the kindness shown him, even if a part of his noble blood despised his living conditions.

    Meditation was an important part of time spent in his daily schedule. Only power would be able to help him survive this current ordeal; So he spent as much time as he possibly could in deep cultivation. Whenever he wasn¡¯t working, eating or sleeping, he was cultivating. His strength had showed steady growth, but he was still far from a breakthrough. He lacked the necessary funds to purchase supplements which could support his cultivation development, for now unfortunately he could only rely on meditation.

    This, of course, caused many misunderstandings amongst the prostitutes, not that Jamys was aware of this, and neither would he care if he knew. In their eyes, men were all wolves, so the idea of a man resisting their charms and spending an unhealthy amount of time cooped up in a small room was abnormal.

    Only Serina saw in him a noble character, something which had attracted her to him the instant they met. However, this only brought with it disappointment as her advances had consistently been ignored by Jamys. Being a scion of noble blood, he could never accept her regardless of her feelings.

    Jamys had not given up hope of rebuilding his family and returning to the upper echelons of society. His ambition and desire for revenge was not something which could be easily ignored and there wasn¡¯t a place in his heart for a lowly prostitute with romantic fantasies.

    Ridding his mind of the images aroused by the noise coming from next door, Jamys began his meditation in earnest. He wasn¡¯t sure how long had passed, as he had emptied his mind, but after a while, the smell of burning ash woke him from his meditation.

    ¡°What is going on? Is something burning¡­¡±

    The scent of smoke and burning wood was much more clear as he exited his room. Many doors along the hallway were slightly ajar as worried glances peeked out in concern. Prostitutes and their clients shuffled hurriedly within the rooms and some had already run towards the staircase only half dressed as chaos ensued within this house of pleasure.

    Familiar voices let out harsh screams from the floor below and Jamys hurried his steps throwing caution to the wind. Those were the voices of the prostitutes that he had been hired to protect, the voices of those who had sheltered him when he had nowhere else to turn.

    Unsheathing his secondary blade, Jamys flew down the stairway and was met with a frantic scene of half naked people running for their lives as unknown assailants cut them down. Intense flames burned fiercely increasing the pandemonium.

    Assassins in black tight fit outfits and masks immediately rushed towards Jamys, but he dealt with them in relative ease. These enemies were not even Master rank assassins, how could they possibly deal with a Grandmaster swordsman?

    What is their purpose in attacking a brothel? Have they come for me? Then why are they attacking indiscriminately?

    Jamys attempted to wrap his head around it, but he couldn¡¯t understand the wanton killing that was taking place in front of his eyes. As a noble, death was a constant. Nobles often fought among each other, losing many of their warriors in the process, but those in the brothel were not warriors. And while they might not be the purest of individuals, they were nonetheless innocent and not deserving of being indiscriminately slaughtered.

    Then what is this? Jamys could only shake his head and move to action. He was the only one strong enough to retaliate against the attackers and he owed the prostitutes a huge debt of gratitude.

    Jamys made his way through the building, avoiding the flames and killing any assassins he could find. He knew he could not save everyone and focused on getting the prostitutes to safety, but with the chaotic situation, he was having difficulty locating and protecting them. Everywhere his eyes turned there were either assassins looking to kill him or flames barring his path.

    Some of those from within had already escaped and soon the city guards would arrive, but by then it would be too late. Jamys desperately searched for any survivors and for a fleeting moment an image of Serina formed within the haze of smoke directly in front of him. It soon materialized into a physical body.

    ¡°Serina! Are you okay? We have to get you out of here quickly!¡±

    Serina gasped in relief, her expression soon becoming joyful.

    ¡°Jamys! I was looking for you everywhere! I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re okay.¡±

    ¡°You were looking for me? Why didn¡¯t you escape?¡± Jamys said a little too forcefully.

    ¡°I¡­ No! Jamys, look out!¡±

    Serina noticed the glint of a blade in the light of the fire coming from somewhere within the smoke and rushed towards Jamys, putting herself in the path of the blade. The blade easily penetrated her defenseless back and she looked up at Jamys as she fell helplessly into his arms.

    He had been caught completely unaware and for a moment, stood there dumbfounded. He looked into the eyes of the young woman who had thrown herself into the path of the blade without hesitation and he could see tears glistening on her cheeks.

    ¡°What¡­¡± He could barely mouth the words and his mind became a jumble of incoherent thoughts.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­ how touching.¡± An unfamiliar voice woke him from his shock, but he couldn¡¯t locate the source of the voice.

    ¡°Jamys¡­¡± Serina desperately forced out his name. She was having difficulty breathing, but her eyes were filled with determination.

    ¡°Serina.. Why? I don''t understand¡­¡±

    Serina raised her hand with difficulty and gently touched Jamys''s face. She was filled with longing, but soonher breathing stilled and her eyes became lifeless. He held the young and fragile body of the unfortunate woman in his arms and he shook with rage as he held her corpse.

    ¡°COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU FUCKING COWARD!!¡± He screamed into the smoke and roaring flames.

    The building was beginning to collapse around him, but he didn¡¯t notice it. His thoughts rang with the words that Serina had said and the misfortune of her death. He wanted to rip the life out of the bastard that had taken her life in such a meaningless and dishonorable way.

    Fading laughter was the only response to his challenge and Jamys helplessly clung to the once gentle young woman who had always graced him with an innocent smile and warm encouragement.

    Jamys placed Serina¡¯s body gently on the floor of the brothel. His rage had reached a crescendo, but he still placed her body down with care. The sword that pulsed at his side called out to him and his hands shook with anticipation. He was no longer in the state of mind to control his eager heart which ached to unleash its rage in a torrent of emotions.

    The Seven Star Sword shone brilliantly as it was removed from its sheath. Its aura poured outwardly, suffocating the surroundings with its power. Flames continued to burn in an ever increasing blaze and the brothel walls crumbled around him.

    With a sweep of fury, Jamys unleashed the power of the blade in all directions, an immense hurricane of energy, seeking the target of his fury. However, his target was already long gone, and only an echo of laughter remained.

    Jamys could only fall to his knees, destitute and alone. Nothing remained of the brothel which he had temporarily called his home.

    ***

    *Thwack!*

    ¡°Again. Do it again!¡±

    Lia wasn¡¯t sure how many times now she had be instructed by Shen to correct her stance. He circled around her slowly, hitting her with a stick whenever he noticed a previously corrected mistake. She was frustrated and sweating profusely, but he didn¡¯t let up no matter how much she complained. His image in her mind had become that of a nightmarish devil.

    ¡°How many times do I have to show you? Like this!¡±

    Shen wacked her again and aggressively forced her legs into a proper position.

    ¡°Focus! You¡¯ll never be able to control your mana like this. If you want to be of use, then start taking this seriously!¡±

    *Thwack!*

    ¡°I am taking this seriously!¡± Lia shouted in frustration, losing her focus once more.

    Shen stopped and just stared at her for a moment before saying, ¡°that¡¯s enough for now,¡± and then proceeded to walk out of the training room.

    Lia relaxed her body and breathed heavily. The strain of constant Mana use while training was an immense burden on her.

    ¡°He¡¯s a monster¡­ does he think I¡¯m just playing around?¡± Lia sighed and grabbed her towel, wiping the sweat off her body.

    ¡°Would it hurt him to say something nice¡­¡±

    Her Mana had grown over the past few months that she had spent within the sanctuary, but not even once did Shen acknowledge her.

    ***

    Invisible to her eyes, a spirit hovered slowly near the doorway. Shen was currently watching her through the eyes of the spirit. His face was expressionless, but his eyes shone with interest. He chuckled briefly to himself but a glint of madness flickered from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°No..¡± Shen shook his head, unsure of what it was he was denying, but he denied it nonetheless.

    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­. I won¡¯t... ¡° He shook his head vehemently, and a bout of pain caused him to grab his head with both hands.

    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± The pain had subsided and he continued towards his room as if nothing had happened.

    ***

    After bathing, Lia returned to the room which she had been using as her sleeping quarters. She had carried with her very few possessions when escaping from the city and everything she owned was within the room. It was a sad sight, but at least she had been able to stay alive. Despite the memories which filled her with lingering despair, she held onto the last vestiges of her old life and sighed.

    ¡°Mother.. Father¡­ I will soon be coming home.¡±

    Everything had already been packed and Shen would soon come call for her. The two would make their way back to the city of her birth. Even though he had agreed to travel with her, beyond that he made no other promises.

    ¡°What are his plans¡­¡±

    Lia reflected on the past few months she spent with Shen and couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom his thoughts. She still understood so little about him, even though they had become closer as they spent more time together. He was reliable, intelligent, and knew much more than she had expected, but he exuded a cold distance that she just couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Just who is he?¡± She thought out loud.

    ¡°Lia.¡± A sudden voice startled her.

    ¡°Who.. Oh, Mariam, it¡¯s you. Is it time to leave?¡±

    Mariam appeared on the surface of the wall, something she did often. She was able to move freely on the surface of the walls within the sanctuary. It wasn¡¯t something Lia understood and she could only marvel at the facilities magitech.

    ¡°Yes, Shen is waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡±

    Mariam disappeared from the wall and Lia grabbed her belongings and left the room she had lived in for a short while. Shen was waiting for her near the entrance to the sanctuary, before the maze of traps that guarded the facility.

    He stood there in a dull black colored robe, a hood obscuring his face and only holding what appeared to be a singular hand mirror.

    ¡°I thought you were prepared to leave?¡± She asked, puzzled at the fact that he only carried a hand mirror.

    ¡°I am. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°But, you don¡¯t have any of your belongings¡­ will you just go like that?¡± Lia eyed Shen curiously.

    ¡°Everything I need is right here with me.¡± He answered without hesitation.

    Lia stared at him as if he had lost his mind, ¡°I don¡¯t think you realize how dangerous the outside world is¡­.¡±

    ¡°You misunderstand. This mirror uses a form of space-time compression magic. It also functions as a smaller version of the ¡®Mirror of Souls¡¯. It isn¡¯t quite as spacious within, but it is enough to hold the things I need for this voyage and it will also allow Mariam to function without issue.¡±

    Lia didn¡¯t know what to make of his words. She didn¡¯t fully understand his explanation, but she wasn¡¯t completely unfamiliar with space-time compression magic. She had heard of items called ¡®Space Rings¡¯ which could store items, but most were limited to only being able to store a few items. Just how much capacity did this hand mirror possess?

    The mysteries surrounding Shen were bottomless.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but basically the mirror functions like a storage device and a magitab¡­. Incredible.¡± Lia sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

    ¡°If you understand that much, then it¡¯s fine.¡±

    Shen didn¡¯t waste any more time and began walking through the secret passageway leading through the dangerous maze towards the entrance. Lia followed closely behind him but remained silent and in deep thought.

    ¡°I need to find a way to get Shen to help me.¡± She thought, filled with determination.

    The two stood before the large metal door leading towards the outer world. Surrounding the sanctuary was a dangerous wilderness known as the ¡®Outlands¡¯ where the defiled roamed freely. It was a dangerous and hostile environment, but the two were prepared to enter that environment without looking back.

    As the metal door loudly clanked and grinded till it opened, Shen¡¯s gaze burned feverously. He had spent what felt like an eternity alone and in darkness. It was finally time to be free of the shackles of his past.