Legacy of the Dark Sage

There were three places Kyran thought of when thinking of a safe location.

First was the Tower of Tribulation. Of course, this was subjective since most people who entered the tower would disagree with him. But the reason why Kyran believed it was safe was that only 'righteous people' could find and enter it. The second one was the Regis Estate. While it was true that the estate was surrounded by the Royal Family's people and the army brought by the outsiders, the fact that they could not destroy its Defensive Array spoke volumes.

However, going to these two locations was impossible, and Kyran could not warp there. In the first place, if he could warp back to the Regis Estate, he would have done so and tried to warp his people to the Tower of Tribulation and avoid the Royal Family and the outsiders' pursuit.

For this reason, Kyran could only consider the third option.

The Chaos Palace— or to be precise, the place outside the palace, the Misty Forest.

Unlike the first two options, Kyran could warp in the Misty Forest.

The mist around the forest was harmful, true, but with Kyran's Array knowledge, he now had a better understanding of how the mist works. And if he were right about Azaloth's magic having the same feeling as the mist, then it would be easier.

Even if Kyran failed, he could ask Azaloth to lift a portion of the mist where Kyran planned on 'placing' the cottage.

That was right. Kyran would not waste his time building a new cottage from scratch. He'd warp the whole cottage— land, trees and all— and place it in the Misty Forest.

Before he did that, though, Kyran had to find the perfect spot. If possible, a spot in the forest close to the Chaos Palace.

That was where Kyran went after leaving the island.

"This brings back memories..." True Void sighed as he surveyed the scene before them.

Kyran had warped at the ravine's edge, the first time where his magic cores went out of control.

He looked at the floating Chaos Palace and felt his Void core hum softly within him.

'Yeah, I know...' Kyran thought, responding to his Void core. 'I know you also want to enter that place again. But not yet. I've got other things to take care of first.'

True Void, in his miniature Void armor form, sat on Kyran's right shoulder and said, "So this is where you plan to hide your godmother and mistress?"

Kyran's brow twitched as he gave him a sidelong glance.

True Void looked back at him and shrugged, "You don't seem to mind others calling that little girl your mistress. Why are you giving me that look?"

True Void had not personally met the people Kyran knew before he was unsealed. But he had been conscious from time to time and learned about them.

During their days in the Tower of Tribulations, Kyran would also tell True Void stories about himself, albeit in passing only.

In any case, True Void knew almost every person Kyran had met before coming to the tower. But after returning, True Void had been fully asleep. Thus, he had little knowledge of what Kyran had been up to after returning to the Human plane or his new acquaintances.

"She's not my mistress," Kyran told True Void with a sigh.

Lately, he felt like some invisible force had been paying close attention to his 'personal life' and kept throwing curveballs. First was meeting Millie again and then Stella's confession. Then there was also Cyneah— which Kyran wondered why she kept getting added to the mix— who Zephyr insisted on calling Kyran's mistress.

"She's my godmother's disciple, and... I— we are the closest to a family she has right now," Kyran explained.

"Ha... I've heard my master say the same thing about that whore. Look what happened."

Kyran's brow furrowed, "Neah is not the same as that woman."

"Don't get me wrong, Void Halfling. I didn't say she is. I'm not an expert when it comes to human emotions cause duh, I'm a weapon spirit. But what I know for sure, is that blindly protecting someone, will do you no good," True Void said, his voice full of melancholy. He sighed and looked at the Chaos Palace before adding, "My master did that and ended up dead in the very same hands as the one he was trying to protect."

Kyran fell silent.

What True Void had said was probably something he was not supposed to tell. But it did not matter to Kyran because he had already guessed as much.

The previous Soul Emperor, Layla— if Kyran remembered correctly— was probably not a bad person. Something might have changed her, and Caelan, Kyran's predecessor, believed he could save her. But the more he tried to save her, the more Kyran's ancestor, the previous Dragon Lord, Zane, and the first Time Keeper, Stella, believed Caelan had gone evil.

At least, that was how Kyran understood what happened.

There were still things he did not understand to which he knew Azaloth and True Void had the answers. Except, Kyran knew Caelan probably told them not to tell him anything unless it was the 'right time.'

"I won't end up like your master," Kyran said after a short pause. "But you're right... I... do want to protect Neah but not because she's special to me or anything like that. I want to protect her because I think she's the person Ruin is looking for."

True Void looked at him, the Void armor's head with its limited facial feature contorted slightly to show his confusion.

"Ruin, that guy is looking for someone? What for?"

True Void had been far when Kyran interrogated Savagery, so he did not hear what they spoke of.

"Savagery said, the person he's looking for can make the novitiate complete."

True Void's eyes narrowed, its dark purplish glow dimmed slightly, "When you say the novitiate did you mean...?"

Kyran nodded. He continued their talk while looking for a good spot to relocate the cottage and started walking around the ravine.

"Yes. When Azaloth referred to the Crown Princess as the Anima Novitiate, I thought that was his codename for her. But Savagery also talked of a novitiate. They're likely referring to the same person."

"But there is also a chance they're different."

"...True. But let's not talk about that."

"Right. Go on. Why do you think they're looking for the mistress?"

Kyran paused at how True Void still addressed Cyneah as 'mistress.' In the end, he ignored it and continued, "You've also felt Neah's magic."

"Yes. It is without a doubt, Soul magic. Yet it also felt a little different from that whore's magic."

Kyran nodded, "I think so too. My theory is, what if, there are two sides of Soul magic? What if, the reason why the Crown Princess has yet to become the new Soul Emperor because, she only awakened 'half' of it?"

True Void's eyes widened, "You don't mean... You think mistress has the other half?"

Kyran did not answer his question; instead, he said, "More than a decade ago, a Spirit attacked the Crown Princess and she almost died. I have a feeling that the person who got attacked had been Neah. And somehow, she ended up leaving the palace, and a new 'Crown Princess' took her place."

"Whoa, hold it right there Void Halfling. That's some messed up idea."

"Not really. The Queen of the Faes, White Lily, warned me about Neah and that I should not keep her by my side."

True Void's jaw dropped literally as he gaped at Kyran.

"Wait just a moment. WAIT JUST A MOMENT! What do you mean the Queen of the Faes? Y-You already met her?"

"Ah, right. You were still asleep when we met. Yes, I already did. She even saw Neah at the cottage."

"A-And you are fine with that?"

"What do you mean?"

"W-Well..."

Somehow True Void's cheeks seemed to have gone a shade of red.

"Didn't she tell you that..."

"She's Caelan's wife? She did. Err... indirectly. But yes."

True Void's jaw dropped once more. "Y-You! D-Did you just say m-master's name..."

"Ah, Caelan? Yeah. I actually know his name way back. At least Stella said it before but I didn't know it was his name."

"Ha...." True Void sighed. His energy seemingly dropped to a very dangerous level, and he limped on Kyran's shoulder.

"My goodness! And I mean my goodness! Just what happened while I was asleep?"

"I'll tell you everything later," Kyran told him with a slight smile. "Going back on topic."

"Ah right, right," True Void straightened his back. "I suppose, it kind of make sense, your theory that is. Now the question is, who is the 'new' Crown Princess exactly?"

"She's Neah's twin. At least, that's what I think. Honestly, with how much they look alike, I can't think of another possible connection they have."

True Void fell silent. He had not met the new Crown Princess but to say that the two looked so much alike was a little suspicious.

"Void Halfling."

"What?"

"They don't look 100% the same, right? I mean, they should have some slight differences, right? Like, one had a slightly uplifted nose, and the other had smaller breasts."

Kyran gave him a dull sidelong glance, "Just what in hell are you trying to say?"

"I mean, they can't have the same look even if they are twins! There had to be some differences."

"They have different eye color."

"Eye color?" True Void repeated.

Kyran nodded, "Neah's eyes... well... her eye color is too complex. I mean, they seemed to reflect all colors. Even in the dark, they seem to sparkle."

"Listen to you. You sound like a lovestruck young man describing the love of his life."

"..."

True Void snickered at Kyran's silence. Deciding not to tease him too much, he continued, "And? The new Crown Princess?"

"Blue."

"Uwa... such a huge difference in the description there. Tsk. Tsk. I say you had it bad with the mistress, Void Halfling. Really bad."

"..."

"BAHAHAHA! You're face!"

"Glad you found this amusing."

"BAHAHAHA!"

"They have different eye color, is that enough of a difference you're looking for?"

"Nah."

Kyran's eyes furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"If it is any other mage, then I'll probably think its enough. But we are talking about the Anima Novitiate here."

Then it hit Kyran.

Something Zephyr had once told him.

"Are you aware that each great magic corresponds to a human body part? The Time corresponds to the brain, Draconic corresponds to the heart, while the Soul corresponds to the eyes. If someone took her eyes, it meant someone took her magic. No wonder I feel her magic doesn't belong to her."

Then Savagery's words flashed through his mind.

"All I know is the novitiate will not be complete without that person's sacrifice!"

"You mean Neah and the Crown Princess is..."

True Void sighed, "I think the Spirits tried to remove the mistress' magic but ended up separating only a portion of it. We are talking about ancient magic here, not to mention its 'Soul magic.' Since it got separated from its host, it manifested into another form which is similar to the original one. So there is a high chance that the new Crown Princess is not the mistress' twin but..."

"Neah's essence..." Kyran completed with a grim expression.

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