Wizard Kavest soon supposedly left after that.
With the command I had given him, my intention was obviously creating a formidable force capable of countering any advances by the humans, namely Adventurers.
I was very sure of the reason I presented to Kavest. Unless they are stupid, they are going to take the best attempt at conquering the dungeon now. In fact, they are on their way to do that. Why else would they send two spies after me yesterday?
I believed my logic followed and I made a wise decision. How kingly of me.
Despite perhaps being the weakest creature in Astagha at the moment, evident since I am resisting my urge to fall asleep again, I am ruling over them. Its so fun to be an Arcane! I hoped so it stayed fun, though.
I leaned over my throne slowly. Taking a long breathe, I fell asleep. I believed tomorrow would be an interesting day.
---
"Dispatch! Dispatch the Arcane of Yesterday!" thundered the voice of a well-built man. As seen from the symbol of a serpent wearing a crown in his majestically fashioned robe, he was a general.
"Sir the monsters are breaking out already! There's no time!"
"Do what I told you, you moron!"
Pushing the soldier aside as though he was a mere plaything for Merlin, he moved forward taking out a shiny bluish sword from his back. It was magical, and it felt as though his body had blended in with the sword. His red hair mysteriously floated and his triumphant walk turned into a rush against the monster in front of him.
"Go or I will kill you myself! I am defending this area until you dispatch the Arcane!" Merlin's face turned red as he shouted once again.
The soldier no longer dared to wait and ran towards the forbidden cage.
It was a monster farm, where Merlin was. The civilians, even most of the royalties of the nation do not know about this. Its a hidden project to cultivate Arcanes from monsters continually. It is thanks to the recent success of this that Fourth Sea has grown into power.
There was only one risk however. Sometimes, though the chance is insignificant, a monster might bear an Arcane of an entirely different category than their parent Monster.
And that is what had happened. A fourty seventh generation of monster was born with the Arcane of Shadow category. It looked like a tree, originally, but then it took form. Once it began to look like a lizard, it grew eyes.
Eventually, using its powers he had manipulated the hundreds of monsters kept in captivity inside the farm, to rebel.
Today, they broke out, chanting a strange folly. Merlin could not understand the meaning of that in its entirety, however he grasped the brief of what they meant.
"The Holy King... Has Reborn.. We Must Return.. He is.. Calling us..."
---
A wizard wearing a sinister top hat came out of the palace, which is simply the corpse of the mother tree in Astagha. He was wearing the same robe he had been wearing for years then, a black and blue one, with a thick line of slime juice splattered in an intricate design. It was not unclean at all though, as he can clean the robe with powers of his Arcane anytime.
The sounds of Mar Hast's metallic armor resounded as he returned right in front of the entrance to the palace, earnestly guarding it as though that was his only purpose.
Kavest gazed at the loyal knight for a second, almost as though he was lost in thoughts, but then he wavered back and glared at Ratabat in front of him, who was then in the form a giant spider, guided by unknown motivations.
"Where are you going to live here?"
"I was just thinking of that." Ratabat replied.
"I will not take you to my place. I do not trust with the least. Why don't you go live with the skeletons?"
"Will they eat me?"
"I hope not."
"Alright, where are they?"
"They live in some caves of the northern area."
Ratabat asked no more and moved his eight legs to turn to north, where the forest seemed darker.
"Also, Ratabat.
"Do you feel remorse?"
"None."
Kavest moved his gaze. Without another word, he then floated magically, as the wind took him upwards. He sped up and nearly vanished from the region with a blazing speed.
Moving through the deep and black forest where sunlight barely managed to get in even in the brightest noon, he moved with precision intentionally hitting not even a single leaf as though that was an exercise.
Hardly a minute later, he landed casually upon the top of a small hill. In front of him was a yellow cave, almost hidden by the inconvenient sequence of stones. However, whatever its weight might had been, Kavest lifted the stones to the sides making them work like a door and entered inside.
That is where he lived, the Yellow Cave.
Inside the cave, he did not go to his own room first. Rather, he had constructed a staircase underneath a century ago. He, with daring confidence entered it. He pulled up his palm and it emitted light from unknown origins.
Walking till he reached the lowest surface, he then began passing in between two walls filled with magical symbols. They were all, seals. And behind each piece of wall, there rested an Arcane. None of them were very strong though, but one.
Wizard Kavest finally reached the last point of the underground room.
He was standing before a wall, that had a seal which looked like a solar eclipse. It was the symbol of the Arcane of Sun's Shadow.
He said then, in his old and recognisable voice.
"I am back. It is now officially eight hundred years since you were sealed. Let's celebrate it with something new, shouldn't we? I am asking you, for the two hundreth eighty eight thousandth time, would you please open your Arcane Lock?"
The wall did not reply, naturally. But irrationally, a few seconds later, in big bright, almost blinding colors of white was seen eminating in the wall. It took form as well, writing an old word, "No".
Wizard Kavest faintly smiled at the expected outcome. Then he turned his back to return to the upper room.
He wanted to take a rest before calling everyone in the forest tomorrow. He was given a job by an Arcane of the first generation. To create an army that can resist any human force.
When he was in his bed, finally, before putting his head on the pillow, he tsked in irritation and said slowly,
"Does that stupid apple realize that our population is merely around seven hundred?
"Whatever."