by Unknown
“Yes, lord.” Davis said.
Housekeeper Troy also bowed respectfully and departed. After Davis also left the pavilion, once again, the only person left remaining was Alistair.
….
Within Mathias’s bedroom.
Due to Mathias’s head injury, Troy had instructed everybody not to bother Mathias and to let him get some rest. While Comox township was a whirlwind of activity, Mathias’s bedroom was peaceful and quiet. Mathias himself had been drawn deeply into a world of dreams.
“Ding!”
A gentle, chime-like sound could be heard as rays of light began to leak out from Mathias’s chest area. And then, a cage of light surrounded the pitch-black Red Demon ring, which slowly flew out from under Mathias’s pajamas and began to hover roughly ten centimeters away from him.
The ring began trembling more strongly, and the glow from the Red Demon ring began to grow as well.
Fortunately, there was no one in Mathias’s bedroom right now. Anyone entering the room would have been stunned. Mathias, however, was still blissfully asleep, and didn’t notice at all that the Red Demon ring was now floating.
“Ting!” The glow surrounding the Red Demon ring suddenly began to contract rapidly, and then a single ray of hazy light flew out from within the ring. Descending next to Mathias’s bed, it transformed into a person’s image.
The image was of an amiable looking old gentleman with moon-white robes and a long white beard.
At this point in time, the Red Demon ring directly fell back onto Mathias’s chest, powerless. Mathias’s eyelids flickered, and then slowly opened. Upon seeing an old man whom he had never met before at the head of his bed, he couldn’t help but feel shocked. “You…who are you?!”
“Hello, kiddo. My name is Vitus Caecilian. I am a Guru-level Grand Magician of the Fabia Empire!” The amiable looking old man said with a smile.
Mathias’s eyes suddenly turned round. “You…you are a Guru-level magician instructor?”
The white-haired old man nodded confidently.
“No way. Gramps, you just said you are from the Fabia Empire. The Fabia Empire that was eradicated over five thousand years ago?” Mathias was quite familiar with the history of the world, and he knew very well that the Fabia Empire had ceased to exist before his own clan had even came to be. In the modern era, the Fabia Empire was not one of the four great empires of the world.
Chapter 19 – The Red Demon Spirit (part 2)
The Fabia Empire had lasted for an extremely long period of time, and had been erected over eight thousand years ago. The entire Fabia Empire had lasted for three thousand years, but in the end, it was still destroyed. The domain which the Fabia Empire had previously held sway over was approximately the combined borders of the Light Union and the Dark Alliance.
In other words…
The entire Cliff Range of Magical Creatures, the twelve kingdoms, and the thirty-two duchies all once belonged to the Fabia Empire. From this alone, one could tell what a vast empire it had been.
But the Fabia Empire had been destroyed long ago!
“Over five thousand years ago?” The white-haired old man was momentarily stunned, and then let out a sigh. “There’s no way for me to sense the passing of time from within the Star Ring. I didn’t expect that by the time I left the Star Ring, over five thousand years would have passed since the destruction of my country.”
“Gramps, what are you talking about? I’m confused.”
Mathias felt as though his entire mind had been turned muddy. This old grandpa had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and claimed that he was a Grand Magician from the era of the Fabia Empire, which had been destroyed five thousand years ago. What could be more ridiculous than this?
Mathias even wondered if he was in a dream!
“Kid.” The white-haired old man looked at Mathias. Smiling, he said, “The ring you wear next to your chest is the Divine artifact I once used – the Star Ring!”
“Wait, wait, wait!”
Mathias immediately peered up at him and said, “What ‘Star Ring’? This ring around my chest was left behind by elders of my ancestral clan. Its name is the ‘Red Demon Ring’!”
“Red Demon Ring? It was originally named the Red Demon Ring?” The old man said in surprise.
Mathias was stunned.
“Original name? What do you mean, original name?” Mathias looked questioningly at the old man.
Only now did the old man begin to laugh. “Oh, ‘Red Demon Ring’ must be the name you gave it. Or perhaps the name an elder of yours gave it. When I originally discovered this ring, I searched through all sorts of documents but couldn’t find any information about it. Thus I gave myself the authority to title it the Star Ring. But as to what it was originally called, even I have no idea.”
“Oh, gramps, you chose the name for it yourself as well. But now it belongs to me, and I named it the Red Demon Ring.” Mathias was quite stubborn.
“Fine, fine, call it the Red Demon Ring if you wish.” The old man chuckled, not wanting to debate with Mathias.
“Gramps, can you tell me why you just appeared from within the Red Demon Ring?” Mathias questioned.
The old man smiled. “In year 4280 of the Lemuria calendar, I-“
Upon hearing this, Mathias was secretly shocked. “Year 4280? This year is year 9990!”
“In year 4280 of the Lemuria calendar, I encountered an old foe of mine, a Guru-level Grand Magician named Hamelin, and the two of us began to fight. I didn’t expect yet a second Guru-level combatant to ambush me and sneak attack me. In the end, I was defeated, and my body was destroyed. I didn’t wish for my spirit to be captured and tortured by my enemy, Hamelin, so I sealed myself within this ring, ahem, this Red Demon Ring.” The old man explained what had happened in the past.
“The Red Demon Ring is an extremely amazing object. It doesn’t appear to emanate any magical aura, but in usefulness it can even compare with Divine artifacts. When I sealed my soul within the ring, Hamelin and the other searched a long time for me, but weren’t able to find me. This, too, is thanks to the Red Demon Ring.” The old man smiled as he spoke.
Mathias secretly nodded.
The Red Demon Ring, by appearances, really did look quite plain. As the member of an ancient clan, Mathias had a rather appraising eye.
Normally, precious items would have at least some sort of elemental aura. But this Red Demon Ring seemed like nothing more than plain, inert wood.
“Gramps, you said that five thousand years ago, you were ambushed by a Guru-level Grand Magician and a Guru-level combatant, and then you were self-sealed within this ring? And that this ring is an artifact which is comparable in power to a Divine artifact?” Mathias finally said.
“Right.” Seeing that Mathias understood, the old man couldn’t help but smile and nod.
“Then Gramps, how is it that you appeared from within the ring just now?” Mathias looked doubtfully at the old man.
Laughing, the old man explained, “Actually, when I sealed my spirit within the Red Demon Ring, I interwove my very existence into the Red Demon Ring. Only when a person becomes the new owner of the ring would I be allowed to depart it.”
“Becomes the new owner of the ring?”
“Right. Through dripping blood onto the Red Demon Ring.” The old man laughed.
Mathias frowned while mumbling, “Dripping blood onto the ring?” Frowning as he tried to recollect when that had happened, Mathias suddenly remembered that when the rock had cut his head open, fresh blood had suffused his clothes and his chest. Most likely, it was around then that the blood had dripped onto the ring.
“Oh. Then that makes me the owner of the Red Demon Ring.” Mathias nodded.
“Right. Only now, after you became the owner of the Red Demon Ring, am I able to depart the ring and once more experience the air of the Lemuria continent.” A hint of a smile was on the old man’s face. “Right. Kid. I just told you my name, but what is yours?”
M
athias smiled brightly. “My name is Mathias! Mathias Tulare!”
“Mathias, a fine name.” The old man smiled.
“Gramps, are you going to be forever bound to the ring and unable to ever regain your freedom?” Mathias felt rather bad for him.
The old man smiled and nodded. “Mathias, you must know that when most people die, their spirits will enter the Nether Realm! But because I was a Guru-level Grand Magician at the time of my death, my mental energy had obtained physical form. That was the only reason why I could temporarily resist the call of the Nether Realm and seal myself within the Red Demon Ring. Right now, there is only one way for me to leave this ring – exhaust all of my remaining mental energy.”
“Exhaust all your remaining mental energy?” Mathias didn’t quite understand.
“What men called mental energy, ghosts might call ‘spiritual energy’. When a person’s mental energy was utterly exhausted, his soul would naturally dissipate. In other words, when my soul dissipates, it will leave the confines of this Red Demon Ring.” The old man said calmly. “But the current situation is fine also. Although I am confined by the Red Demon Ring, preventing me from ranging more than three meters away from it, this isn’t too bad.”
Mathias’s heart trembled.
Suddenly, in his heart, Mathias felt some pity for this old man.
“Heh heh, Mathias, I’m already very satisfied. You don’t know this, but…if my spirit had been captured by Hamelin, it would have been a fate worse than death.” The old man sighed.
“Gramps, you said your name is VITUS Caecilian? Can I address you as Grandpa Vitus?” Mathias suddenly said.
VITUS Caecilian was a mighty Grand Magician of the Fabia Empire, and thus had an extremely high personal status. Back then, he would have graded amongst the top five personages in the Lemuria continent. He fell only because he had been despicably ambushed by Grand Magician Hamelin and another Guru-level combatant.
However, …
VITUS Caecilian had never had a child, nor grand youngsters. Upon hearing Mathias address him as Grandpa Vitus, VITUS Caecilian’s heart, which had been lonely for thousands of years, suddenly felt warm.
“Yes, yes.” VITUS Caecilian felt extremely happy.
A look of excitement suddenly appeared in Mathias’s eyes. “Grandpa Vitus, just now, you said that you are a Guru-level Grand Magician. Then, can you teach me how to use magic?” Mathias’s heart was frantically pounding. The person in front of him was a five-thousand-year old Guru-level Grand Magician.
In Mathias’s mind, the huge body of the Purple Demon, the terrifying spectacle of the Dance of the Fire Serpents, and the countless boulders falling from the sky began to play over and over again, along with the spectacle of that proud man who stood on top of the Black Demon.
He deeply desired that one day…
He, too, would step on top of the head of a Black Demon and make the heavens tremble.
VITUS Caecilian stroked his white beard. His eyes shining, he said, “Of course I can! Your Grandpa VITUS is a Guru-level Grand Magician of the almighty earth style…and amongst all of the elements, the element of earth is the mightiest of them all!” As he began to discuss magic, VITUS Caecilian began to get excited.
Chapter 20 – Earth-Style Magic (part 1)
Mathias’s anticipation was about to erupt like a volcano as he immediately became suffused with excitement.
“Grandpa Vitus, can you really teach me to become a magician?” Mathias excitedly looked up at old man Vitus.
VITUS Caecilian, seeing the state Mathias was in, stroked his white beard. “Mathias, your Grandpa VITUS is a Guru-level Grand Magician. Even if you don’t have much natural talent, I can still teach you magic. Of course…if your talent is low, your accomplishments will be low as well.”
If any other magician had been present and heard his words, they would have been astonished.
Amongst the society of magi, the most important thing is talent. No talent meant no possibility of becoming a magician. Many people believed this!
But VITUS Caecilian dared to claim that even if his student’s talent was poor, he still had the ability to make a magician out of the student. If anyone else had made this claim, they would be viewed as just wildly boasting…but the man who said these words was a five-thousand-year-old Guru-level Grand Magician!
“Low talent, low accomplishments?” Mathias felt his heart tremble.
The reason he wanted to become a magician was because he wanted to restore glory to the Tulare clan. Even if he couldn’t accomplish this, he hoped to at least accomplish the one task which generations of clan elders had strove to achieve for centuries – reclaiming their ancestral heirloom. If he could accomplish this, it would be enough.
But to do so, power was an important component.
“Mathias, don’t be worried. Your aptitude for magic hasn’t even been assessed yet. Who knows if it will be high or low? Perhaps you will have a tremendous talent for magic.” VITUS Caecilian stroked his white beard as he smiled.
Grandpa Vitus’s tranquility brought calm to Mathias as well.
“Grandpa Vitus, how does one test for magical aptitude?” Mathias couldn’t help but grow eager.
“It is actually quite easy to test for magical aptitude.” Just as VITUS Caecilian spoke, suddenly –
Footsteps could be heard from outside the door. Hearing them, Mathias immediately grew nervous. He quickly said to VITUS Caecilian, “Grandpa Vitus, quick, hide. Someone is coming.” If this five-thousand-year-old Guru-level Grand Magician of the bygone Fabia Empire was discovered, it could be disastrous.
VITUS Caecilian only smiled, not moving at all.
“Grandpa Vitus!” Mathias was beginning to grow impatient.
“Creak.” The bedroom door swung open, and Housekeeper Troy stuck his head inside. Seeing that Mathias was awake, he couldn’t help but smile. “Young master Mathias, I didn’t expect that you would have already awoken. How do you feel, young master?”
Mathias immediately forced out a smile. Nodding, he said, “Thank you for asking, Uncle Troy. I’m much better now.”
Mathias felt extremely agitated. He couldn’t help but turn to look in the direction of VITUS Caecilian, but VITUS Caecilian was still standing there, grinning. “What’s going on with Grandpa Vitus? Ugh. We’re about to get discovered. It’s going to be so annoying to have to explain.”
“Young master Mathias, it’s time for dinner. Since you are already awake, come eat dinner with us.” Uncle Troy smiled as he spoke.
“Oh. Got it.” Mathias snuck another peek at VITUS Caecilian, his heart filled with questions. “What’s going on. From Uncle Troy’s expression, it seems as though he can’t see Grandpa VITUS at all.”
Seeing Mathias constantly glance at the corner of his bed, Uncle Troy asked curiously, “Young master Mathias, why are you staring at the side of your bed? Did you drop something? I can help you look for it.”
“No-, nothing.” Mathias immediately crawled out of bed. “Uncle Troy, let’s go eat dinner.”
Although he found Mathias’s reaction to be a bit odd, Uncle Troy didn’t think too much of it, just nodding and smiling. Mathias dressed himself, but still couldn’t help but sneak a peek at VITUS Caecilian. But just as he did so, VITUS Caecilian, who was still grinning at him, suddenly disappeared from Mathias’s field of vision.
“He entered the Red Demon Ring.” Mathias could now clearly feel that a spirit was now residing within the Red Demon Ring.
Unlike in the past, Mathias had now soul bound the ring with his own blood, giving him a deeper level of understanding.
“Mathias, no need to speak aloud. Just speak to me mentally. As the master of the Red Demon Ring, you can directly engage in spiritual communication with me, as I am a spirit within the ring.” VITUS Caecilian’s voice rang out in Mathias’s mind.
This greatly surprised Mathias.
“Grandpa Vitus?” Mathias tested the mental link.
“I hear you.”
VITUS Caecilian’s voice rang out in Mathias’s mind as well.
Mathias’s heart was immediately filled with joy. But as he engaged in conversation with VITUSCaecilian, he didn’t pay attention to where he walked, and he tripped over the doorway. Uncle Troy, walking ahead of him, turned and laughed. “Young master Mathias, watch where you walk.”
“Got it, Uncle Troy,” Mathias laughed in reply.
While excitedly engaging in mental conversation with VITUSCaecilian, Mathias entered the dining room and sat down. Today’s dinner was actually quite sumptuous, including a fragrant smelling roasted sheep. Alistair glanced at Mathias. Smiling, he said, “Mathias, have some.” As he spoke, Alistair personally tore off a strip of meat from the sheep’s lower hind legs for Mathias.
“Thank you, father.”
Mathias felt quite surprised. His family was in poor economic straits, so normally their dinner was quite spartan. But today, they even had roast sheep?
What Mathias didn’t know was…when the rain of stones descended on the town, aside from men and women, even many animals were killed. The Tulare clan aside, even some poor families who rarely ate meat were enjoying an extravagant meal today.
“Grandpa Vitus, why didn’t Uncle Troy see you just then?” Mathias mentally asked VITUSCaecilian.
“Mathias, I must inform you that aside from you, nobody can see me. Because right now, I’m just a spiritual projection, which has no matter. I’m invisible to the eye. Only you, as the master of the Red Demon Ring, can see me.” VITUSCaecilian explained in detail.
Mathias suddenly understood.
Previously, Grandpa VITUS had said that he had died long ago, and only his spirit now remained.
“Grandpa Vitus, in the future, doesn’t that mean you can always appear by my side?” Mathias felt extremely happy.
Just as Mathias spoke, he saw that next to him, a white-haired old man suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was VITUSCaecilian. But Alistair, Housekeeper Troy, and his younger brother Gabe still continued to eat and chat, not noticing VITUS Caecilian’s existence in the slightest.