by : BlackbeardtheBear
Erik Flameheart's face was filled with fury. He stared at Cassian Dragos, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Erik Flameheart!" Cassian shouted in shock, turning to face him with disbelief.
Erik remained silent, raising his hand with a purple flame still flickering around him. His demeanor spoke of confidence and a deadly resolve to kill Cassian on the spot.
"… Why are you doing this?" Erik demanded, his face etched with serious anger.
Cassian, seeing Erik's formidable presence, reluctantly lowered the storm he was about to unleash. He knew that he couldn't fight Erik in his current state.
"To create a new world, of course! A world where the Seraphil Cult reigns supreme!" Cassian roared madly.
"… Haven't you fallen yet?" Erik's voice was filled with astonishment as he conjured a burst of purple flame to attack.
Cassian was forced to retreat and vanished in a flash of magical teleportation, leaving behind only devastation and eerie silence in the Moonwood Forest.
Erik turned to Astra and Largas, who were behind him. He offered Astra a gentle smile, though his eyes still showed concern.
"You're safe now. I'm sorry I arrived too late," Erik said, his voice laced with warmth and regret.
Astra could only breathe a sigh of relief. She approached Largas, who lay on the ground, and checked his condition.
"Largas… Wake up," Astra whispered softly, gently touching his face.
Largas's eyes slowly opened. His gaze returned to normal, but his hair remained white, and snowflakes still drifted from the sky.
"Astra… Syrus… Myla…" Largas murmured weakly.
Astra wept with a mix of relief and pain as Erik helped Largas sit up.
"We need to get out of here," Erik said, glancing at their battered bodies.
They had to flee because Erik anticipated that the Seraphil Cult would surely frame them for the chaos.
Erik led Astra and Largas to a nearby cave they had not yet explored, preparing to tend to their wounds.
Inside the cave, Erik began administering first aid to Largas with healing potions to aid his swift recovery, while Astra turned her attention to Myla and Syrus's bodies.
"Myla… Syrus…" Astra whispered, tears streaming down her face as she looked at her fallen friends.
Erik turned to Astra and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Princess, you must move past this. Hold onto your sorrow deep inside, so one day you can release it after taking down Cassian."
Astra nodded, trembling slightly, while Erik continued to pour potions onto Largas's wounds.
Largas opened his eyes and saw Erik administering healing potions and Astra sitting beside him, crying.
"… What happened?" Largas asked in a faint voice.
"Syrus… Myla… They're dead," Astra said through her sobs.
"… I see," Largas replied, his expression remaining stoic and unreadable.
"Aren't you sad, Largas?" Erik asked, puzzled by Largas's demeanor.
"I don't know…" Largas said, his voice cold.
"I want to feel sadness, but I can't. What's happening to me?" Largas wondered aloud, questioning the state of his emotions.
Erik paused his healing and looked at Largas with concern. "Largas, what you're experiencing might be a result of the psychological trauma and stress you've endured. It may take some time before you can feel normally again."
Astra began to wipe her tears and nodded softly. "Largas… We have to come to terms with this. This might just be a difficult moment, but we need to get through it."
Largas sat quietly, staring at the ground, trying to search for the emotions that felt blocked within him. He could only sense emptiness, pondering if this was the price to pay for making a pact with Verdian.
In the continent of Silveria, on the towering peaks of Silverclaw, a region known for its dragon inhabitants, the area was a forbidden zone only accessible to Grand Mages of level 7 or Swordmasters.
But even for a Grand Mage or Swordmaster, survival was not guaranteed due to the presence of the most dangerous creatures: dragons.
However, if one witnessed the scene unfolding now, they might think it was a fabrication, as there were dozens of dragon corpses scattered around. Each dragon was a fully grown specimen, no less than 40 meters long.
The one responsible for this carnage was a woman with black hair and piercing red eyes, clad in black armor adorned with red accents, and with a mana-driven prosthetic arm. She was Assel Nightross, a renowned Grand Mage of level 8 known for her ruthlessness and formidable magical power.
"Oh… so they've started moving, have they?" Assel mused, reading a newspaper.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar filled the air, and a massive dragon, over 60 meters in length, descended from the sky. Its golden eyes burned with rage as it confronted Assel.
In an instant, the dragon was cut into pieces by something unseen, its body torn apart gruesomely.
"I suppose it's time to welcome my beloved student," Assel said with a terrifying smile before rising and walking away, leaving the dragon corpses behind.
The Golden Tower, located at the heart of Silveria, was a colossal structure built by the three Grand Mages of level 10 and was once held by the former saintess. After her death, the tower remained unoccupied.
The tower was like a separate world, isolated from the outside and had its own cycle of nature. Thousands of mages frequented the tower to study its unique life forms and nature.
Many mages had settled within the tower and established a city, including Roman Vieran, a Grand Mage of level 8, who governed the magical city within the tower and also the nearby city of Acadia.
Because of this, he and his beautiful wife, Assel, were separated, each ruling their respective magical domains. Roman, with his long white hair and once-bright blue eyes, wore a beautifully adorned white cloak.
"Sigh… I wish I could resign from this position," Roman said while reading documents, or more accurately, feeling the text through a special mana-sensitive paper.
Despite being blind, Roman remained a formidable Grand Mage, and his blindness did not weaken him in the slightest.
As Roman was reviewing the documents, he paused. "What's this? An appointment from Kronos?"
A figure in a black cloak appeared in Roman's office.
"… It's time," Kronos said coldly before disappearing.
Roman, upon hearing this, remained seated, lost in thought.
"Sigh… I wonder if I can resign now," Roman said, placing his right hand on his forehead.
Prologue End