Eight months had passed since Hale and the four children went missing.
In those months, the world moved forward, but for some, time had seemingly stopped.
Rena had changed. She had always been strong-willed, but after Hale's disappearance, something inside her had hardened, sharpened, as if she had lost the right to be weak. She pushed herself to the limit, training day and night, desperate to reach a strength she never had before. Eventually, her relentless will bore fruit.
A magic circle formed in her heart—proof of her awakening as a 1st Circle Mage. Now, she could wield magic, controlling the elements with her will. Fire, water, and wind—all were at her command, albeit at a basic level. But even the smallest step was still progress, and she knew that this power was only the beginning.
[( Magic Circle Levels:
• 1st Circle Mage – Can use basic elemental spells like fireballs, water bullets, or wind blades.
• 2nd Circle Mage – Spells become stronger and more refined, capable of minor area effects.
• 3rd Circle Mage – Can use multi-element magic and defensive barriers.
• 4th Circle Mage – Greater control over mana, allowing enhanced spell combinations and stronger shields.
• 5th Circle Mage – Can alter the environment, summon stronger magical constructs, and use high-level attack spells.
• 6th Circle Mage – Masters of advanced magic, able to cast large-scale spells that affect entire battlefields.
• 7th Circle Mage – Capable of casting high-tier magic that can alter weather, create golems, or destroy fortresses.
• 8th Circle Mage – Can manipulate time slightly, use forbidden spells, or bend mana freely.
• 9th Circle Mage – Legendary beings, capable of rewriting reality on a smaller scale.
• 10th Circle Mage – A mythical existence; their magic can reshape worlds, summon divine entities, or bend the laws of nature. )]
Meanwhile, Joan had also changed, though in a different way. His journey was not one of rapid growth but of patient endurance.
He had taken his first step into the path of aura. Though his abilities were still at their infancy, he had become an Initiate Aura User, barely able to sense aura with only minimal physical enhancement.
[( Aura User Ranks:
• Initiate Aura User – Can barely sense aura; minimal physical enhancement.
• Novice Aura User – Can slightly reinforce the body and weapons.
• Apprentice Aura User – More control over aura, capable of basic attacks and minor durability boosts.
• Expert Aura User – Can coat weapons in aura, increasing attack power. Slight external aura projection.
• Master Aura User – Able to release aura outward, launching ranged attacks and forming barriers.
• Grandmaster Aura User – Can manipulate aura freely, shaping it into weapons or defensive walls.
• Aura Knight – A warrior-level aura user who can battle dozens alone, using advanced aura techniques.
• Aura Lord – Commands powerful aura abilities, strong enough to alter the battlefield significantly.
• Aura King – Near-legendary, capable of massive aura projection, affecting an entire city.
• Aura Emperor – A near-invincible existence, their aura can crush weaker beings with sheer presence.
• Transcendent Aura Being – Breaks the limits of mortal aura usage, bordering on divine power. )]
—---
Far from the prison, in another part of the world, Sir Edran was a man drowning in quiet despair. He had lost something precious—someone he never thought he would care for so deeply.
Hale.
The boy was supposed to be just another orphan, just another street rat struggling to survive. And yet, somewhere along the way, Edran had grown attached, watching over him with a silent sense of responsibility. But now, Hale was gone, and in his absence, a hollow ache settled in Edran's heart.
Whenever he had a free moment, he would take out a small diary—Hale's diary. The worn-out pages were filled with the boy's thoughts, written in careful strokes. Edran would read them over and over, memorizing each word, each emotion buried within the lines.
Hale had written about him.
And not just him—he had written about others, about people he found important in his life.
The more Edran read, the more he realized something terrifying. Hale wasn't just some ordinary orphan. He wasn't just a clever kid trying to survive. He was something far, far more.
And yet, he was still gone.
—---
In the prison, Hale's world had shrunk to the size of a single cell. Days blurred into nights, and time lost its meaning.
But within this confinement, he found an unexpected companion—a spider.
At first, he had ignored it, treating it as just another part of the dark, damp prison. But over time, he had begun observing it closely, as he did with everything around him.
There was something odd about this spider.
Spiders were supposed to eat insects. Meat, at most. But this one? It ate bread.
The first time Hale saw it, he had simply raised an eyebrow. But when it happened again and again, he knew it was something unnatural.
But it doesn't matter because venom was the only companion for Hale in the dark void. After spending 8 months together. Venom become so much closer to Hale.
Then, one night, the world shifted.
Crrrk.
A deep, unnatural sound echoed through the prison cell.
Hale's eyes snapped open.
The floor beneath him cracked.
For a brief second, everything was still. Then, without warning—
Boom!
The stone beneath his feet split open with a sudden force. Dust and debris shot into the air, and Hale instinctively braced himself, his mind racing to process what was happening.
As the ground gave way, the spider that had been resting near him reacted in an instant, scurrying up his leg and vanishing into his clothes.
Hale barely had time to register this before the gaping hole beneath him yawned open, revealing a dark tunnel leading downward.
Then, before he could react—
Clank!
A metal door swung open beneath him.
A gust of cold, stagnant air rushed out, sending shivers down his spine. The passage below was eerily silent, save for the faint flickering of half-baked light at the end of the tunnel. It was dim, uneven, as if someone had attempted to create illumination but failed to do so completely.
Hale took a deep breath. His heartbeat remained steady, but his instincts screamed that something was wrong.
His body moved before his mind could stop him.
Step.
One step forward. Then another.
The ground was rough, damp, and uneven, as if it hadn't been walked upon in years. The air was thick with the scent of earth and something else—something metallic.
As he walked, the light grew brighter because of the mana stones that glowing. Sudden light , because of that his eyes look like burning but not much.
---