Legacy of the Dark Sage

On a floating fortress, Lucian stood at the edge of what appeared to be a platform atop a very tall tower. The floor was made of black marble, resembling the blackness of the night sky. It also gave one a vague illusion that Lucian was standing on nothing.

The space behind him shifted. However, whatever or whoever made that movement did not appear and, instead, seemed to blend into the night.

"I don't want to hear any excuses."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

A female voice responded from behind.

The one who had spoken was none other than Midnight.

After Lucian followed Ruin and the 'Void Master's' trace, he called his few trusted elites and ordered them to search for the latter two as well.

Thus far, the only one who had returned to make a report had been Midnight.

"We found some discrepancy in the locations where the Void energy traces were found."

"Meaning?"

"We have reasons to believe that the Void Master is sending random traces to make us go on a wild goose chase."

Lucian's expression distorted as he said, "And the locations where those energies were found?"

"It is still too early to make a proper judgment. However, we did notice that the appearance of the Void energies may be avoiding locations close to the Dragon Plane."

A sinister smile appeared at the corner of Lucian's lips as his eyes flashed malevolently, "...Interesting. Keep an eye on the Dragon Plane."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

*

Deus hovered on the periphery of an unnamed plane while using his Divine Sense to scan its surface. With a wave of his hand, the space behind him crackled, and soon after, several automatons in white robes with four metallic silver and gold wings on their backs kneeled on one knee and respectfully greeted Deus: "We are at your service, Lord Deus."

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"I've marked several areas below with unidentified auras. Go down and check them. If you sensed this energy, capture it."

Deus raised his hand, and a whiff of a faint purple energy swirled on his palm. It was a sample magic energy of the Void that The Emperor shared to assist them with their search.

"Understood."

The automatons recorded the magic signature from the energy swirling above Deus's hand. They left immediately to do as they were ordered.

The moment they left, the dark sky shifted, and two glowing eyes appeared, and they peered at Deus.

"His Majesty ordered to keep an eye on the Dragon Plane."

The owner of those eyes spoke.

Deus recognized it immediately as Midnight and replied, slightly frowning, "You told him about what we found without even providing enough evidence?"

"He went directly to my plane. I had to report something, at least. Otherwise, our fates will not be far off from what happened to the Blade Dancer Clan," Midnight replied. The space where she blended her body shifted slightly when she shrugged.

Dues's frown deepened as he thought of the Blade Dancer Clan. Unlike rumors about what happened around the Higher Realm, Deus and Midnight knew the truth, especially on how the Blade Dancer Clan had been planning on amassing their own resources behind The Emperor's back, so leaving his faction and becoming independent would be easy.

If not rebelling against The Emperor, what was the Blade Dancer Clan's motive for wanting to become independent? Thus, The Emperor decided to eradicate them by using the appearance of Ruin and the Void Master in the Blade Dancer plane.

"...Did His Majesty appoint anyone specifically to watch the Dragon Plane?" Deus asked after contemplating for a few seconds.

"No one. He only ordered us to keep watch. We can assign who gets to watch over them by ourselves."

"Then I nominate Raelia."

Midnight's eyes widened in surprise, "Raelia? Why her?"

"She is currently searching for traces of Ruin and the Void Master close to the periphery of the realm leading to the Land of Desolation, right?"

"That's right. Since The Emperor ordered her to investigate the rebel group's hideout discovered in that part of the realm, she offered to trace Ruin and the Void Master's track there."

"Among the others searching for traces, she is closer to the Dragon Plane, so it is only wise to send her there."

"I know that," Midnight replied. Judging from the tone of her voice, she was a little annoyed at Deus's matter-of-fact response to her question. "But is that really the only reason you want her to go there?"

Deus did not reply. Instead, he gazed at the unconquered plane below, deep in thought.

Midnight did not rush him. She had known him for so long now that she knew that if he did not want to share his thoughts with her, he would have told her to stop asking questions and leave. Since he did nothing of the sort, it meant he was just sorting his thoughts and wanting to decide how much or what he should tell her.

"Has anyone told Raelia about what happened to her clan yet?"

"..."

Midnight was taken aback at Deus's seemingly out-of-the-blue question. Nevertheless, she still racked her memory, wondering if the topic of what happened to the Blade Dancer Clan had ever been brought up in front of Raellia. In the end, she could not remember anything about that happening and shook her head.

"I don't think so," she replied, shaking her head. As she did, the space where she blended into shifted as well. "The rumor of what happened to them is rampant enough, so assuming that she is already aware of it may not be wrong."

"She is very loyal to The Emperor yet also holds great regard for her roots. Can she still follow The Emperor's order without hesitation if she knew what happened to her clan?"

"If you already have an opinion, why do you even bother asking for mine?" Midnight felt somewhat displeased with Deus's attitude.

"Because I can't say for sure if I am correct. In any case, having her go to the Dragon Plane will help us assess her thoughts."

"... Why do we need to assess her thoughts?"

Deus finally turned to look at Midnight. Although her eyes were the only things that confirmed she was standing there, he was able to sense her presence well.

"She can become a potential threat to us and The Emperor," he answered her question with a serious expression. "Raelia and Ames might be rivals, but as far as we are concerned, Raelia never harbored any hostility towards Ames or the Dragon Clan. Considering this, she would not contact the Dragon Clan if she remained unaware of her clan's situation.

However, if she made contact with them and managed to learn something, she might do something that could potentially harm The Emperor."

"The Emperor is the most powerful mage and possesses absolute authority in the Higher Realm; how can a pseudo-Overlord like Raelia threaten him?"

"There are other ways of harming someone powerful without inflicting physical damage."

"Are you referring to a mental attack?"

"That is only another possibility," Deus replied with a curt nod. "In any case, we have to determine Raelia's position at this point so we can nip the bud on its tip before it blossoms into something dangerous."

"Very well. I will tell her about it and will also keep watch on her activity."

"You do that," Deus nodded and prepared to descend on the plane below.

"Where are you going?"

Seeing Deus's movement piqued Midnight's curiosity, and they asked.

"One of my automatons found an entrance to an underground stronghold below. I want to check it."

"An underground stronghold in an unconquered plane."

From the tone of Midnight's voice, it was obvious that her interest was not only piqued by what Deus said but also excited her.

"Can I come with you?"

"So long as you do your job well in providing updates to the other mages searching for our targets, it is fine."

Because of Midnight's innate magic and ability, she was the best one to serve as the messenger for all the other elites, who were assisting The Emperor in looking for Ruin and the Void Master.

"Let's go."

*

On a floating patch of land that fleeted next to the periphery of the Higher Realm and the Land of Desolation, a woman with hovering glowing swords spiraling behind her faced a black mist that emitted a very ominous aura.

The woman was none other than Raelia. As for the black mist, if Kyran had been there, he would have recognized it as the being that called himself 'The One That Caused The Fall.'

"You have such a sinister magic aura," Raelia remarked with a frown while looking at the mist that fleeted around the being's body like a huge cloak.

What could be considered as the black mist's mouth lifted into a huge grin as he said, "You have a very conditioned body... a feat that a mage of old would have trouble having."

Raelia frowned at the black mist's strange way of speaking. The latter continued before she could say anything, "I wouldn't want to kill such a promising mage, so I would ask you to leave this land and go on your way."

"..."

Instead of responding, the spiraling swords behind Raelia spun crazily, and in the next moment, she was already closing in on the black mist. She raised her hand, and the spiraling swords attacked the black mist one after another in a coordinated pattern.

"Alas."

The black mist around the being expanded, engulfing the first few swords in one fell swoop.

"!"

"They say there is a very thin line between bravery and recklessness. The way I see it, you are just a reckless fool."