Legacy of the Dark Sage

While Ames assisted in removing Raya's seal so his innate magic would be amplified by the Dragon magic energy, True Void and the rest who came with them were gathered inside the ship's meeting room.

It went without saying, but True Void and some of Kyran's Servants did not want to stay in Somuli. Servants with important positions in Armakea had to stay behind, however, and ensure the transition of a Triad between the three big nations in Somuli, Armakea, Land of the Eidums, and The Kingdom of Cretea would be smooth.

Akim and Kesiah initially wanted to have one of them join the search. But because their father did not know about them becoming Kyran's Servants, they were given huge responsibilities, preventing them from leaving their post.

Gael also had to stay behind even if he wanted to come. Their Master left him the task of finding Gage and bridging the gap between the beast-likes and the complete beings to ensure the unity of all inhabitants in Somuli and did not want to disappoint him by putting the task on hold. Besides this task was very imporant.

After all, if both sides were united, Nachum would not have to worry about the internal affairs in Somuli because they could avoid unnecessary conflicts that might lead to an all-out war between them.

If the internal affairs of Somuli were peaceful, then Nachum would be free to focus on strengthening the defenses of the plane against outsiders. Kyran chose Somuli as something like a 'base,' so if it remained protected, then he could focus on other things without having to worry about it.

Kyran also wanted to address the so-called curse of the complete beings who could not harm the beast-likes— at least, within the Kingdom of Cretea. Apparently, it was connected to the mystery of how pacts made in Somuli were binding. In any case, the task of investigating this was left to Jita.

Those were only a few things Kyran had his Servants deal with. And while they were all worried about him, they wanted to accomplish those tasks as well.

Ultimately, the Servants who had to stay in Somuli could only leave searching for their Master to the others. In any case, their Mistress would be there. With her connection with their Master, they believed it would only be a matter of time before they found him.

Moreover, Lady Ames, their Master's great x50 grandmother, was there and even mobilized the Regis Elite. With The Coven also there to provide intel they were quite optimistic about their Master's situation.

But as time passed, their optimism was slowly shrouded by skepticism.

Even their Mistress, who kept calling out for their Master's name while holding on to the token he gave her, looked despondent as time went by.

True Void looked at Cyneah and sighed inwardly. Although she wore a calm expression, the light in her mirror-like eyes seemed to have lost their life. He could hear her muttering Kyran's name like a sacred mantra while tightly holding the token as if her life depended on it.

He wanted to give her a word of comfort. Unfortunately, he could not because he also needed one. His connection with Kyran was far stronger than the others.

It was true that the Servants were beings reborn from the Void and technically would have had a strong bond with Kyran, but True Void was the sentient of the weapon forged by the previous Void Master, who was forced to stay inside the Void core until it was passed onto Kyran. His connection with the latter could not be explained in a few words.

Alastor, Axil, Loar, and Wings were also inside the meeting room and silently observed True Void and the others while studying the intel of The Coven's other members.

"Judging from the direction they were moving, they might have truly entered the Land of Desolation," Alastor told them with a thoughtful expression.

The Land of Desolation was said to be located between the perimeter of the Lower Realm and Higher Realm. It was rumored to be another way for one in the Lower Realm to enter the Higher Realm. Unfortunately, no one had ever succeeded because the Land of Desolation was, as its name suggested, a desolate land. Having no life in that area, any living being would be hard-pressed to stay alive.

"I don't think The Emperor is stupid enough to enter such a place," Axil voiced her doubts.

"True," Alastor agreed with a sigh. "Which is why our young friend would definitely want to go there."

"So he could get away from The Emperor, huh?" Loar stated with furrowed brows. "Kyran has always been good at using his surroundings to his advantage... so entering the Land of Desolation to get away from The Emperor is indeed possible."

Cyneah, Kyran's Servants, and True Void obviously heard the exchange between them. As for the Land of Desolation, they were only made aware of it.

Hearing that The Emperor would not enter such a place was enough for them to understand that it was a place that should not be entered— a forbidden place.

As Loar had said, and with them having a better understanding of Kyran's way of thinking, they also believed he would have hidden in that place if it meant escaping The Emperor's pursuit.

But...

"... Would The Emperor really stay put just because he entered the Land of Desolation?" Wings suddenly asked the same question that crossed Cyneah and the others' minds.

Alastor, Axil, and Loar looked at Wings with grim expressions. She shrugged off their gaze and added, "Well, The Emperor wants the Heart of the Cosmos. Not only that, Kyran also possesses one of the Four Ancient Magic Cores. Would The Emperor really let him off just because he entered the Land of Desolation?"

"I get what you mean... but... The Emperor is a very cautious person. Even if he wanted what our young friend possessed, he would not put his life in danger."

"If I were The Emperor, I would probably lie low and wait outside until Kyran leaves the Land of Desolation," Axil also gave her insight after Alastor shared his understanding of The Emperor's character.

"That is possible," Wings agreed with Axil's reasoning. "But the question is, will Kyran have a way to leave the Land of Desolation? As far as the rumors go, anyone who enters that place will lose their sense of direction."

"Kyran should be fine," Loar told her. "If he is a normal mage with one magic core and does not possess the Heart of the Cosmos, he might get lost there. But did you forget? He is the Void Master, besides being the Dragon Lord. Space... distance...

those things do not really matter with him."

"Yet, he could not outrun The Emperor."

"That is probably because he does not want The Emperor to see him use Void magic."

The one to answer Wings's counter was True Void.

The four looked at True Void. Or at least they looked at Neo, who was wearing True Void-like armor.

Axil, Loar, and Wings knew the one speaking was True Void, the armor. However, Alastor still believed the one speaking was Neo. No one bothered to explain anything to him. Not because they did not trust him completely but because True Void did not want to reveal himself.

"But if Kyran enters the Land of Desolation... maybe he can warp out of there..." True Void added. Unfortunately, when he said this, he did not sound convinced.

Wings shook her head, "From what I heard, the Land of Desolation prevents mages from using their magic. If Kyran indeed entered that place, he would not be able to use his magic."

Cyneah closed her eyes as Wings's words were like a knife that pierced through her heart.

"You mean that place is deprived of magic energy?" She could not help but voice her question as well.

"Well..." Wings looked at Alastor's direction as if wanting to seek his help in answering that particular question. After all, compared to the 'rumors' she heard about that place, The Coven, with its large intelligence network, would have more reliable information about it.

"Yes and no," Alastor replied.

He did not refute Wings when she voiced what she knew about the Land of Desolation because they were true. Losing one's sense of direction would be a bane to anyone who entered unknown places like the Land of Desolation.

"One would be deprived of their magic energy inside that place. This is true. However, that is only when they pass through certain points," Alastor explained.

Cyneah opened her eyes and turned toward Alastor's direction.

The moment she looked at him, he flinched inwardly. He was not intimidated by her, per se. His reaction had more to do with her mirror-like eyes that seemed to be capable of seeing right through his soul.

No one there knew about Cyneah possessing the Macabre Glacier or her ability to use Soul magic. They only knew she was the Young Mistress of the Regis Family.

"You seemed familiar with that place. Have you been there before?" Cyneah asked Alastor. Although she sounded respectful, there was something about how she asked that question that made all of them feel they were being questioned by someone with a higher position than them.

This surprised all of them, especially Alastor, who was originally from the Higher Realm.

In the end, Alastor suppressed the urge to cower before Cyneah and answered truthfully, "As a matter of fact, I have, albeit briefly and miraculously, managed to leave it. However, I arrived in the Lower Realm when I came out from there."