Standing on a familiar cliff, Lucas looked over the Underground for a final time. He had spent long enough here. There was nothing else to get in this place, his Rank had increased, his physical strength had grown a ton and his spells had developed plenty.
Going back up to the world above meant that he would have to fight against Simon's family, but staying down here also didn't sit well with him. Getting rid of the assassins, he knew that they wouldn't stop coming until he got rid of the beacon inside him.
He had tried to get rid of it during the final trial, but failed due to his emotional instability. Well aware of the risk, Lucas still wanted to return, not that he didn't have any plans of course. He would have to face them eventually, so it was time to stop hiding.
They might send more after him, but running away was starting to feel extremely tiring. He had gained a lot of experience in the Underground, it was time for him to resurface and when he gained enough power, push that family back.
Not that he expected for it to happen right away, he was still quite weak in the world of mages.
Looking at his hand, he had the ring of Selicia, which contained a lot of different items he had no knowledge off. And for once, he had some money, in the form of crystals, gained through stealing from the temples in the Empire, Selicia, and selling her off. He was quite indebted to her in a way.
'Still a shame that you used that crystal for that.'
'It was never ours to begin with. This way we repaid our debts to them. Depending on how they use it, they can win a war in a matter of seconds.'
'Fine, fine, let's just get the hell out of here.'
Lucas slightly nodded to himself as he glanced at the Underground for the final time. The Stars in the sky were still as comforting as ever, but now he turned away from them, not looking back once.
Entering the slight crack in the wall, Lucas ventured down a narrow dark path. He had already walked through this place once, but now, he felt a lot more confident.
Reaching a larger circular room, Lucas found the same array he copied so long ago. Standing here, he looked up. There was nothing but darkness ahead, but Lucas stood courageous as he gathered his mana to activate his flight spell.
Flying straight upwards, Lucas had it easy. The only issue was that it was quite boring, because after flying for some time, nothing had changed except when he looked down. Instead of the ground with an array, it was simply darkness.
Lucas worried for a moment if he would have enough mana since flight costed quite a bit. At a certain point, Lucas flew closer to the walls and created a little indent, forming a small cavity.
Resting there until he regained his mana, he started to fly again. Lucas knew that the Underground was pretty deep, but flying for such a long time certainly reconfirmed his beliefs.
'Well, if this place is underneath the surface, it has to be below the oceans, and the depth of those are... well, I don't know, actually.'
'Uh, we have a memory of a book where it's mentioned that the tallest mountain would not be visible on the surface if placed in the deepest parts of the ocean.'
'That's.. pretty deep.'
Lucas tried to entertain himself by listing random facts about the Underground or researching some spells, but flying took a lot of his attention. While it may have seemed obvious, Lucas was afraid of losing control of his flight and falling down. He knew that the array at the bottom ensured a safe travel, but it certainly didn't keep the fears in his mind at bay.
Eventually he started to see a ceiling, the exit now in reach if he flew for just a bit longer. Landing on the edge, Lucas took a step forward before looking back at the massive hole. It went so deep, yet was hidden behind the bookcase of Elam.
There were a lot of questions in his mind, but this wasn't the time for them. He had reached the surface again, the people he had missed for some time would be near, but also the ones that wanted to end his life.
Walking into the cave he found the stairs leading back up, yet this time, there was rubble blocking the exit. The wheels in Lucas's mind started to turn. Was this intentional? Why would a mage block the entrance with some rubble? It would be easily cleared out.
Was it not intentional and did the ceiling just collapse? That seemed like the most natural explanation, but it still felt off. Removing the rubble away with simple magic, Lucas went up the stairs. With each rock he compressed and moved to the side, more appeared.
Making his way up, the stairs suddenly cut off, like it had lost a bunch of steps. Where a door should've been, there was nothing but more rubble. Making his way out, rays of sunshine broke through the gaps, blinding Lucas for a moment.
Letting his eyes adjust, he removed the remaining rocks in the way for him to step outside. What should've been a cabin hidden in a blizzard was replaced by a small valley. There were a few hills around him, but nothing made sense.
'Where is the cabin?'
'Where the fuck is the mountain?'
Questions popped up one after another. In this small valley, nature had taken over, yet as far as Lucas knew there was nothing close to such splendid nature on the mountain.
Spreading his willpower he found the nearby town Avesta like he left it. So why did this place change so much?
Not knowing what to do, the first question he had was about the whereabouts of Elam. He was a powerful mage that had an entire blizzard to control. No simple mage could stand a chance against him, Lucas had only recently fought against him and knew that quite well.
Seeing no better option, Lucas covered his face with his clothing. It only hid the bottom half, yet it would be enough for now. He had left this place for quite a long time, chances of people recognizing him should be slim.
Walking into the town, Lucas was hit with a small hint of nostalgia. It hadn't really been that long in the grand scheme of things, yet the city felt like an old friend. Familiar smells from the local shops. There was but one thing that bothered him, the people.
In the slums and poor areas the people were happy and in the rich places the people looked miserable.
Such a mismatch didn't make any sense in his mind. Finding a random man begging on the street, Lucas pulled out a gold coin before tossing it to him. The glint in his eyes changed as he caught the coin midair, quickly tucking it in inside his clothing.
"Thank you kind sir.", giving a copper or bronze coin would've been more than enough, but Lucas tossed a gold coin without even thinking twice. The beggar looked at Lucas expectantly, as if he was serving him. "What would you like to know?"
"What makes you think I want to know anything?"
"Giving someone like me a gold coin only means that you're either a mage or someone of Royalty."
Lucas disagreed, there were a ton more options, but he understood what the man was trying to say. Given the high position of mages and nobility, helping the poor was rarely out of compassion and selflessness.
"Fine, why are all the people here so happy yet the nobles so miserable?"
"Ah, I see sir, you must've been away for a long time!", the man's expression became elated. As his breath reached Lucas, he couldn't help but frown at how foul it smelled, not that he could've expected much more than that. One of the few times Lucas dislikes his heightened senses.
"Some time ago there was a fight between mages. The Storm God had fought the Mountain God, but their battle was so fierce that our city was almost destroyed. So a Holy Man, a priest called Micheal protected us all! He's a Saint, an apostle of the Goddess above. He said that we poor ones should be aided in these times."
"I see, thank you. One last question. When you said Mountain God, does it have to do something with the Sabertooth mountain?"
"Yes, yes! The mountain came alive and fought against the Storm God.", Lucas was shocked, but hid it perfectly before nodded and throwing another coin in the air. The man's eyes fixated on the piece of gold as his arms sprung into action, catching it immediately. By the time he put it in his worn down jacket, there was nobody in front of him.
'For the entire mountain to move can only mean that he either has an array that was prepared beforehand.'
'Or that that lazy son of a bitch created the entire mountain himself.'
Lucas stared in the direction of where the mountain should've been. 'A Storm God, must be someone of Simon's family, they are proficient in wind related elements.'
'Wait, hold on, are you telling me that couch potato actually fought?'
'There's no other conclusion.'
'What about that guest teacher? How does he fit in the picture?'
'He either fought with him or left Elam alone.'
'Or he fought the Storm God and Elam left him.'
Lucas knew he was mostly deluding himself. He clicked his tongue, criticizing himself for not asking the homeless man who won that fight.
Venturing towards the academy, Lucas tried to stay calm. For all he knew Elam was alive and well, he wasn't one to fight in the first place. Staring at the academy in the distance, Lucas remembered his time here. It wasn't even that long ago, but his time in the Underground had to have been at least a year or more.
It was hard to grasp time after a while. As a mage, he skipped most nights, making him lose track of the days. Enough days passed that they bled into months before blending into years.
With his current Rank as a mage, the academy had absolutely nothing left to offer to him. Perhaps a few basic mana controlling or meditation techniques, but someone of his standing couldn't ask for such a basic thing. Part of him couldn't allow it, it would've been too shameful, while the other part of Lucas didn't see the problem.
Scanning the school with his willpower, he was looking for someone similar to Elam, yet couldn't find him immediately.
'Where did that lazy ass go?'
Just as Lucas was about to respond to himself, he felt someone else's willpower scan him. There were multiple different ones analyzing him, but he had grown strong enough to ward them off.
The gates opened, and an older man appeared not far ahead. "Welcome back, Conrad, my precious student. I don't suppose you're here to join us at the academy again?", the old man might've looked frail, but he was still a Rank 3 mage. But he did seem a lot more tired than his previous appearances.
Lucas might've given his thoughts away as the principal chuckled slightly, "Don't mind this old man's looks, thanks to you, I was able to rub it in those youngsters faces, hahaha, you should've seen their faces when they realized that our academy got not only first place, but also second!", the man laughed loudly, but Lucas barely even knew him.
He acted friendly and nice, but Lucas had only seen the man twice, and never really interacted with him, not that he would let this opportunity pass of course.
"Does Elam still work for you? And I don't suppose I can get my reward now?"
Dean looked at Lucas with a strange look, "I wasn't here when the fight happened, but.. I guess I shouldn't come to a conclusion like that.", the old man shook his head. "As for your reward, someone else has already received it."
Lucas smiled as he thanked the old man before turning around. He had given Elam the reward, and someone else got it. It either meant Elam received it or the person who fought with him got it. But that would only work if the attacker knew exactly what they were looking for.
Since that's not likely, the chances of Elam's survival shot through the roof. There was a hint of relief and happiness in his heart. Just as he was about to leave, the principal called out to him.
"Conrad, some advice before you leave. Don't recklessly spread your willpower. Not only does it void any kind of privacy, but it can also be seen as a challenge, so be careful with how you use it. In this case, I knew who you were, but if you were to do that near the laboratory of some high ranking mage, you won't get out of it alive."
While his words were harsh, it reflected reality pretty well. Lucas thanked him a final time before leaving. Knowing that Elam is most likely alive and kicking, he could start searching for him, but that would take too long.
Now that he felt somewhat certain that Elam was still around, he moved on to the first part of his plan.
'It won't be long before they'll come after us, get a move on man.'
'I know, I know, I was just hoping to meet him, but it seems our luck ran out.'
'Just get in contact with that burly dude asap.'