Revelation

by Sisa, Michael

  The moment the rumbling stopped, and the cloud of dust receded, Jaraxus looked behind her and saw the hundreds of scorched monster corpses struck by the spell. The monsters must have come after hearing the screech of the high-ranking nest killed by the intruder.

  “Are you really the master of this dungeon?” The intruder looked in the direction of the breeding ground. “It is faint, but I can feel the presence of someone far stronger than you.”

  It must be Kel’ Vual, the current leader of the Arzomos tribe. The only Arzomos that could rival Agreas in terms of might.

  “And those high-ranking nests. They’re modified parasitic demons, correct?”

  Spot on.

  Jaraxus wondered how this human knew all of this.

  “Interesting,” the intruder mumbled. “They must have been born in this dungeon, for them to obey the orders of someone not from the parasitic demon race.”

  The intruder gazed in the direction of the large tunnel connecting the second area to the breeding ground. He said, “Don’t you think so too?”

  Footsteps were heard.

  Jaraxus turned around and was surprised to see the members of the Arzomos tribe coming out of the tunnel. They all wore grim faces. Kel’ Vual, in particular, looked as though he’d seen the Demon Lord Barkuvara once again.

  The tribe leader stared intently at the armor the intruder was wearing.

  “Where did you get that armor?” said Kel’ Vual. He sounded really angry. He snarled, “Disrespectful scum! Where did you steal that treasure?”

  Just as Jaraxus thought, the armor was an artifact. An incredible treasure recognized even by Kel’ Vual.

  “Father, that armor…” said Luvart, wondering why his father seemed so angry to see the intruder wearing it. As though his father found it incredibly rude.

  “It’s the armor of a deceased friend of mine,” said Kel’ Vual in a low voice. “You wouldn’t understand. You weren’t even born at that time.” Kel’ Vual gnashed his teeth. “Damn thief. Where did you steal it?”

  Like a slime, the helm covering the head of the intruder receded, revealing his youthful face. Short silver hair, blue eyes, and a frail-looking face.

  A human. A very young one at that.

  “Steal it? It was mine to begin with,” said the human.

  Jaraxus found it strange. There was no longer hostility within the human’s voice. Instead, she could feel a hint of longing within it.

  “You said that it used to belong to a friend of yours,” said the human. “Tell me. Did that friend of yours live fifteen hundred years ago?”

  The armor the human was wearing morphed into a beautiful white sword. Seeing this, Kel’ Vual froze. He croaked, “It can’t be! That’s right… It’s been so long that I almost forgot. O-Only one person should be capable of using it!”

  Tears started forming at the corner of Kel’ Vual’s eyes. Jaraxus and the other members of the Arzomos tribe were stunned. The almighty Kel’ Vual, the protector of the Great Cavern, and one of the demons who sealed the Immortal Demon, was crying?

  The sword turned into a bracer. The human smiled and longingly gazed at the Arzomos tribe leader. Without hesitation, he briskly walked toward the leader of the Arzomos and hugged him tight.

  “It’s been a while,” said the human. “You are that kid. Kel, right?”

  Kel’ Vual wrapped his arms around the human’s body. His entire body was shaking as tears streamed down his eyes. “You’re… you’re alive!”

  Jaraxus and the other members of the Arzomos tribe were bewildered at the sudden turn of events.

  When they first met, they were sure that the two would be trying to kill each other. But for some strange reason, the moment the tribe leader saw the white sword, his hostility vanished, and he started gazing at the human as though he was a friend he hadn’t seen for a very long time.

  And now, the tribe leader was crying while hugging the human.

  It was a truly surreal sight.

  “When we heard of your death,” said Kel’ Vual, his body still quivering. “We tried to visit the capital several times. But the Emperor shunned and barred us at the gates and told us to go back.”

  “How benevolent of him,” chuckled the human.

  Under normal circumstances, any demons that entered the territory of the Magic Empire would have been killed instantly. No questions asked. Even Kel’ Vual knew that the Emperor was being merciful that time, since he didn’t order his magicians to kill the two young members of the Arzomos tribe.

  The two separated and smiled broadly.

  “You’ve grown really old. If not for that large scar on your face, I wouldn’t have recognized you,” said the human.

  “I’ll be two thousand years old a few years from now.” The tribe leader laughed heartily. “I’m no longer the kid that followed you back then.”

  “Father, this human is?” said Luvart.

  “Kel’ Vual’s son?” said the human. He gazed fondly at Luvart.

  Kel’ Vual placed his hand on Luvart’s head. “That man is a friend of mine.” There was an indescribable sense of pride within his voice. “You’ve heard of the Elder’s stories before, right? The stories of the magician who we used to follow around when we were young.”

  The eyes of Luvart and the other members of the Arzomos tribe widened. They’d heard of the same story from Elder Agreas numerous times before. The story of a human who was once feared by all demons.

  “Although his body has changed, there’s no doubt about it. That man is Evander Alaester, the strongest magician of the Magic Empire, the magician feared even by the Demon Lord Barkuvara.”

  VOLUME 7: CHAPTER 5

  “Evander, that body,” said Kel’ Vual. “What happened?”

  When they last met, Evander was a rough-looking middle-aged man with tinges of white hair. It was a stark contrast to his current body – a fragile-looking kid.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. Even I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. More importantly, I heard that it’s been several hundred years since demons were last seen on this land. I didn’t expect the Arzomos to be living in this dungeon.”

  “We just arrived here a few hours ago,” said Kel’ Vual.

  “I see,” said Lark. “So, you were the ones who entered through the portal, and it’s somehow connected to the Demon Realm. But, Kel, how did you manage to close a portal that big?”

  “It’s a long story,” said Kel’ Vual. “We have a nice little village deep within the dungeon. Jaraxus has been keeping centuries-old wines in the cellars. How about it…” He smiled, “Wouldn’t it be better to listen to each other’s story over wine?”

  Lark liked the sound of it. He grinned. “The centuries-old wine sounds enticing.”

  Kel’ Vual chuckled. “I knew you’d say that.”

  “But before that,” Lark gazed at the humanoid silver wolf with missing arms. “Your name’s Jaraxus?”

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  To Lark’s surprise, the silver wolf acted subserviently to him, a human.

  “I’m sorry for cutting off your arms,” said Lark. “Let me fix them for you.”

  He pointed his index finger at her and started gathering mana at its tip.

  Jaraxus’ ears twitched, and she shook her head. “There’s no need for that, Lord Evander.”

  Silver threads shot out of Jaraxus’ body and latched onto the severed arms. Using the silver threads, the severed arms reattached themselves. Jaraxus moved her fingers.

  Lark cancelled his magic as he looked at the humanoid wolf with interest.

  “I see. So, you merged with a parasitic nest.”

  “That’s correct, Lord Evander. Even if you cut off my head, it should be possible for me to regenerate as long as my core isn’t destroyed.”

  “Agreas implanted the core of a parasitic nest when he created Jaraxus. The monsters guarding the dungeon wouldn’t listen to her, otherwise. He’s also the one who created this dungeon for our tribe,” sa
id Kel’ Vual.

  “Agreas, that cheeky demon who tried to kill me in my sleep back then.” Lark smiled as he reminisced. “I can’t believe he created a dungeon like this. Impressive.” He looked at the members of the Arzomos tribe standing behind Kel’ Vual. “He didn’t come with you?”

  Kel’ Vual slowly shook his head. There was a hint of sadness and regret within his eyes. “No. He stayed behind. I’ll tell you the full story once we’ve reached the village. Come.”

  With Jaraxus at the lead, Lark and the members of the Arzomos tribe went deeper into the dungeon. They passed through the breeding ground—a massive chamber that housed over a hundred parasitic nests and tens of thousands of monsters.

  The humanoid wolf touched the mother nest—the origin of all the parasitic demons—latched on the wall. It screeched, and Jaraxus’ eyes widened, as though she understood what the creature conveyed.

  “Two are missing?” said Jaraxus. She hesitantly said to Lark, “Lord Evander, y-you said before that the monsters attacked a human settlement near here.”

  Kel’ Vual and the rest of the Arzomos tribe furrowed their brows. They were aware that the key they used to enter this dungeon opened not just one, but three entrances. And one of those entrances was connected directly to this breeding ground.

  “Did you encounter the nests by any chance?” said Jaraxus.

  “I killed a low-ranking nest on the way here,” said Lark. “Are you telling me that there’s another one?”

  Jaraxus nodded. “Yes. Two low-ranking nests escaped the breeding ground.”

  Lark knitted his brow. “It’ll be extremely hard for the soldiers of this kingdom to kill even one of those monsters,” said Lark. “I should probably go out and hunt it down, before it starts massacring humans.”

  Even the low-ranking parasitic nests were capable of regenerating lost body parts. Average soldiers wouldn’t be able to kill it, unless they used enchanted weapons or magic.

  “That won’t be necessary, Lord Lark. The mother nest told me that it has already lost contact with both of them.”

  There were only three ways for the mother nest to lose contact with its offspring. The first was through death. If the low-ranking nest was dead, its link to the mother nest would cease immediately. The second was if it broke through the maximum distance permitted by the link. And lastly, was through magic interference. Of the three, the first scenario held the greatest probability.

  Someone other than Lark had killed a low-ranking nest.

  Of all the people he’d met in this kingdom, he could count the number of people who could kill one of them on one hand.

  ***

  [Wizzert City]

  Alecto stood on top of the scorched corpse of the low-ranking nest he’d killed just a while ago. The monster’s regenerative ability proved futile when faced with his strongest spell—Hellfire.

  Around him, thousands of monster corpses were scattered. Half of them had been massacred by him, the Master of the City of Magic.

  “This is annoying,” he mumbled.

  After his beloved sister returned to the city, she sought audience with the leader of the Grand Order. The theories and knowledge she imparted that day stunned the entire community of magicians. Even he, one of the strongest magicians of the kingdom, couldn’t believe it when she disproved one of the fundamental teachings of the late Algrove Aria.

  ‘We do not create, we merely alterate.’

  Alecto could still vividly remember his sister’s words when she discussed these theories with the magic community. According to her, it was a misconception that mana acted as a fuel when casting spells. Mana was never consumed; it was simply altered from one form to another. And to prove her theory, she performed various simple magic exercises that pointed to the validity of her claims.

  Moreover, she revealed to the magic community the perfect magic formation. The answer to the centuries-old puzzle of Wizzert. This discovery alone was more than enough for his little sister to be hailed as a Grand Magician.

  But to Alecto’s astonishment, Chryselle revealed that all of her knowledge had been imparted to her by the Lord of Blackstone Town. And with his consent, she revealed this to the magicians of Wizzert. This caused another uproar, since most of the magicians in Wizzert knew that Lark Marcus was the most likely culprit behind last year’s attack on the tower.

  Why did he readily impart all this knowledge to the Fifth Elder?

  What was his relationship to her?

  How could it be possible for someone so young to be so proficient in magic?

  Numerous questions ran through everyone’s minds upon learning of the perfect magic formation’s origins.

  Remembering once again what happened that day, Alecto’s face distorted into a scowl.

  One of the monsters that had managed to survive until now pounced at him. Alecto kicked the monster and sent it flying.

  His ability to amplify his strength using magic had increased severalfold. Moreover, the mana consumption had been greatly reduced, enabling him to use it for a prolonged period of time.

  Although he’d become far stronger after incorporating the perfect magic formation into his spells, the very thought that he was ‘borrowing’ the knowledge from the Lord of Blackstone Town left a bad aftertaste in his mouth.

  The monster that he’d sent flying with a kick tumbled several times, before skidding to a halt. It stood up, roared, and ran toward him in utter rage. Its maws wide as it swiped its claws toward him.

  “How noisy.”

  A flame spear formed in Alecto’s hand. He gripped it, pulled the spear and his shoulder back, then threw it toward the monster, piercing its chest upon impact. The monster stumbled, it’s body quickly engulfed by the flames. It screeched then fell to the ground, scorched and lifeless.

  One of his men approached him from behind and said, “Master, we’ve killed all of the monsters near the city. As for the ones that managed to escape—”

  “Send a hundred magicians to pursue the monsters that ran away. Make sure none of them leave our territory alive.”

  “Understood!”

  “And clean up these corpses.”

  After relaying his instructions to his men, Alecto returned to the tower, took a bath, donned a new set of clothes, and went to the guest room on the fifth floor of the Magic Academy. Where his sister was currently staying.

  “You’re finally here,” said Chryselle, holding a pile of books in her hands. She placed them on the table with a thud. “I heard that a strong monster appeared among the horde.”

  “Its ability to regenerate is even stronger than a desert troll,” said Alecto. “But it’s incredibly weak to fire magic. A single Hellfire spell was all it took to kill it. The City of Magic will not fall even if two more of those monsters appear.”

  “I see. I was worried for nothing,” she said.

  A grin slowly formed on Alecto’s face. He seemed pleased to hear his little sister was worried about him.

  “There’s nothing to be worried about,” he said confidently. “As long as I’m here, this city will not fall to mere monsters.”

  “How reassuring.” Chryselle smiled, her voice soothing to the ears. “So, brother. That promise of yours. Have you thought about it?”

  Alecto’s grin slid down his face. “What about grandfather?”

  “Grandfather already gave me his approval. You can confirm it with him, if you want.”

  Alecto furrowed his brow.

  When his little sister finally decided to come back to Wizzert, he made a promise to her that he would respect her judgment and allow her to continue being under the tutelage of the Lord of Blackstone Town, if she could prove that he was indeed a competent and worthy master.

  Unfortunately, he’d never expected that she would suddenly reveal the existence of the perfect magic formation. The perfect magic formation was more than enough proof of the Lord of Blackstone Town’s competence. Alecto, the strongest magician in this city, knew this more than a
nyone else. Even he desired to see the perfect magic formation during his lifetime, and the Lord of Blackstone Town was the first to achieve this incredible feat.

  Although Alecto was reluctant, he had to admit defeat.

  Moreover, he knew that if he did not keep his promise with his little sister, the rift between them would deepen even further.

  Although he wanted to go to Blackstone Town and beat the life out of Lark Marcus for the humiliation he’d suffered, he’d decided to take a step back and compromise this time.

  His sister would end up hating him if he went that far. Moreover, the leader of the Grand Order and the current chairman of the Magic Academy—their grandfather—had already given his consent regarding the matter.

  “The magic formation was indeed perfect,” said Alecto. He sighed as though admitting defeat. “But let me ask, just in case.” He looked his little sister straight in the eyes. “You’re not in a relationship with that Marcus brat, are you?”

  Chryselle’s eyelids shook for a moment. It was brief, but Alecto noticed it. She gasped for air before eventually replying, “N-No, of course not!”

  “He’s several years younger than you. Remember that,” said Alecto.

  “O-Of course!”

  He took a ring from his finger and placed it on the table. “This is the key to the treasure room in the tower. Take as much gold as you need. You can also take any of the treasures kept inside. And…” Alecto hesitated. “The perfect magic formation. Tell the Lord of Blackstone Town that I’m grateful that he imparted that knowledge to my beloved sister.”

  Although Alecto still resented Lark Marcus for the humiliation he’d suffered in the tower, he was well aware of the importance of the magic formation he’d imparted to Chryselle. With this magic formation, it should be possible for their magicians to reach far greater heights than before.

  “Thank you, brother,” said Chryselle. “I’ll be sure to tell him.” She smiled mischievously. “My, how wonderful it would be if the two of you became friends one day.”

  “That will never happen,” spat Alecto, disgusted at the very thought of becoming chummy with that brat. “Ah, and you should probably tell him that the Thunder Lord is searching for his whereabouts. I don’t know why Nickolai is combing Daxton City and the Forbidden Region for any information regarding Lark Marcus, but I heard that he’s been on a rampage lately. That buffoon, he should just go straight to Blackstone Town if he wants to meet that Marcus brat. What a fool.”