Legacy of the Dark Sage

The air around Kyran crackled as he channeled his magic energy into the closest black vortex to his spot. The idea was to inject his magic energy little by little into the black vortex and allow it to adapt to it.

However, the moment his magic energy arrived at the black vortex's edges, a vacuum-like force started to suck them in.

To be honest, Kyran had anticipated the black vortex to react like that. It would not have been dangerous for him to get near it if not for the fact that it would react to the slightest movement of magic energy near it.

Kyran had this in mind when he considered the amount of magic energy he would channel into the black vortex at the start. Alas, it appeared he miscalculated the black vortex's reaction and sensitivity to magic energy, resulting in it sucking his magic energy like a huge glutton.

Its suction force was actually similar to True Void's!

Kyran tried to lower the magic energy he channeled into the black vortex. Otherwise, it would run him dry in less than five minutes.

Alas, the black vortex seemed to have noticed what Kyran intended to do. Thus, the moment he started to lower the magic energy, the black vortex's suction force doubled.

'This...!'

Kyran's brow twitched involuntarily. He now knew what those people he absorbed into the Void felt like— a mixture of desperation and exasperation.

Or maybe, only desperation. The only reason Kyran also felt exasperated was because he was feeling a little ironic at that moment.

'Hm?'

Kyran furrowed his brows as he sensed the Shaiha communicating with him.

Normally, the Shaiha would assist him in controlling his magic energy output. However, even as he lowered them on his own accord, the Shaiha did not make a move. It even felt as if it was preventing him from decreasing his output.

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'What...?'

The Shaiha continued to blink as it communicated its will to Kyran.

Kyran's frown deepened as he realized it was asking him to allow the black vortex to continue absorbing his magic energy without reservation.

The thought of letting the black vortex absorb what little magic energy he had left scared him. If he did what the Shaiha asked him to, he would truly end up dying.

After all, a depleted mage was as good as dead there.

The Shaiha sensed Kyran's hesitation and started to blink hastily as if to tell him there was nothing to worry about.

Kyran found the Shaiha's insistence strange. Actually, he found it even more strange that he could understand what it was trying to say far better than before. This made him recall what the being shrouded in black mist told him about the Shaiha.

That being referred to the Shaiha as if it was a person. But he was not really treating it as one, per se. Rather, he treated it as one would a magic item with a sentient— just like how Kyran treated True Void.

Or, at least, something similar.

To be honest, Kyran never treated True Void as anything else because he first appeared before him as a cutesy furball.

The being shrouded in black mist also referred to the Shaiha as The Realm's— realm as in the noun— core... And possessing the Shaiha would mean having the qualifications for the Inheritance and becoming the Higher Being that presides over The Realm.

Kyran immediately pushed the thought at the back of his head. He would not believe everything the being shrouded in black mist told him since he only had his word to rely on— and the words of someone who reeked of ulterior motives should not be trusted.

But not trusting that being's words did not mean Kyran could not trust the Shaiha.

Thus far, the only time it had failed him was when it went haywire after getting close to the Macabre Glacier. Kyran already guessed why it did that, though. It was likely reacting to what— or, rather— who, Caelan sealed in there rather than being affected by the mirror itself.

The Dark Sage's body.

If this was true... Just what was the Shaiha? And what was the real deal about the Dark Sage?

All these questions fleeted through Kyran's mind in but a flash. Since he could not dwell on them, he put them aside and finally decided to allow the Shaiha control over his magic energy. Besides, he knew the Shaiha would never do anything that would truly harm him. At the very least, he felt its insistence to live.

Fooom!

Kyran sensed The Emperor's sonar-like wave once more. This time, he sensed it nearing him and felt it pass through his body. He would have warped before that wave touched him if this had been earlier. But because he already decided to gamble everything into influencing the black vortex, and now the Shaiha, he did not move.

Soon after The Emperor's sonar-like wave passed through Kyran's body, a realm-shaking laughter reverberated in the air.

"You cannot escape from me again. After I absorb you, I will find that human with the Draconic core and Heart of the Cosmos!"

The Emperor's voice was like thunder that reverberated in the surroundings.

Kyran narrowed his eyes at The Emperor's declaration. At least, the latter still had not caught on him being the same person as the one he referred to as the human. Moreover, this discovery allowed Kyran to know that The Emperor's sonar-like wave likely only resonated with the Void's magic signature rather than differentiating all magic energy it made contact with.

Kyran came to this conclusion because, with the Shaiha occupied at the moment and unable to conceal his aura completely, The Emperor's sonar-like wave should have detected a bit of his Draconic magic energy.

Now Kyran was unaware of The Emperor injecting some of his magic energy into his body through his attacks. The Emperor was also convinced that Kyran was different because he did not sense his magic energy in him.

Unbeknownst to The Emperor, he could not sense his magic energy simply because Kyran's Void magic energy had already neutralized them.

The Void magic energy circulating in Kyran's body had always protected him from foreign magic energy. If The Emperor used a method of injecting his magic energy into Kyran, like Deception, who successfully infiltrated the latter's senses and made him fall under her illusion, then he might have succeeded in making his magic energy stay inside Kyran.

Since this was not the case, then Kyran's Void magic energy could easily remove them.

Kyran could feel The Emperor approaching them at an alarmingly fast pace. Still, he remained where he was and waited for the Shaiha to complete what it was doing.

He did not have to wait long.

In the next five seconds or so, Kyran noticed the black vortex changing its color from deep black to dark purple. After that, the Shaiha sent a message to Kyran, telling him to jump into it.

Kyran did not need to be told twice.

With The Emperor closing in with each passing second, there was little time for Kyran to hesitate. Besides, he had already steeled himself on this do-or-die move.

The Emperor was aware of the cracks in the veil of the Land of Desolation that leaked with magic energies. He was also aware that his target was near one and was even dangerously close to a black vortex.

From this, he more or less guessed what his target had in mind: he wanted to exploit the black vortex, thinking that it possessed a similar nature as his Void magic.

'A foolish notion...' The Emperor could not help but sneer at the thought.

As a person who was once taught by the Higher Being and who possessed most of the Magic knowledge of both realms, The Emperor knew that those black vortexes could not be influenced by others. True, its nature was similar to the Void, but naturally formed vortexes were nothing like those created through magic.

Basically, the vortexes created by Void magic had another 'side,' where everything it absorbed could end up. However, everything absorbed by a naturally formed vortex only had one outcome— destruction.

'Are you planning to get yourself killed, depriving me of absorbing the Void core? Too naive!'

The Emperor waved his right hand and a golden rod, which looked suspiciously similar to a fishing rod appeared in his hand.

"I will not allow you to destroy yourself!" he declared while channeling his magic energy into the golden rod. His magic energy formed into a fine, translucent, thin line, similar to a fishing line. A gold hook formed at the end of the line, which was also made from The Emperor's magic energy.

Without waiting time, he pulled the golden rod before throwing it forward, aiming it in his target's direction.

There was still a good distance between them. As a matter of fact, The Emperor could not see his target yet. However, he already knew where the latter was and gave his relic the target's magic signature. He no longer needed to control the rod, as it would go after his target no matter what.

Fwiiip! Whooosh!

The fine, translucent, thin line soared through the air and went toward Kyran's direction. He could not see it, of course. However, he could sense that something was coming at him from behind.

Kyran did not bother avoiding it. There was no need. After all, he already arrived quite near the now dark purple vortex's edges and was getting sucked in. He did not fight the suction force's pull and simply allowed it to absorb him.