Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran lowered his head and, with shaking hands, touched the young girl's arm wrapped around his waist.

As if sensing his agitation, the young girl shifted and held Kyran's hand in her comfortingly.

"It's okay. I am here," the young girl's soft voice said.

Kyran's head dipped further as he ground his teeth.

Warm. The young girl's hands were warm.

"Nar? Are you still there?" Cyneah suddenly asked, prompting Kyran to lift his head and look at her.

Cyneah, with her mirror-like eyes that seemed to reflect all colors in the surroundings, was looking back at him. She was no longer kneeling on the ground but was standing. The blood from the mutilated corpses around her flowed like a river, dying the hem of her clothes in red.

Kyran did not respond but simply looked at Cyneah. She lifted her right hand and began to walk toward him, her every movement sending ripples in the pool of blood on her feet. Using her hand, she tried to feel her way to him.

Subconsciously, Kyran raised his left hand and reached for Cyneah's when she was only five feet away. And as his fingertips touched hers, a familiar warmth coursed through him.

Cyneah smiled, and she said, "Found you."

"Hm?" The young girl behind Kyran peered at Cyneah and said with a hint of displeasure, "Who is she? Did you get a girlfriend after leaving us? Didn't you promise to wait for me until I grow up?"

From hearing the young girl's complaint, Kyran could vividly imagine the pout on her cute elven face, and he could not help but smile bitterly.

That was right.

The young girl was not a human but a Vateeh, an elf race in the Vates plane. Vateehs' body were similar to humans, except their skin glow vibrantly even in the dark. They also possessed powerful magic and had strong affinity to light magic. The young girl was even more special among the Vateehs. Because she had the gift of foresight. She was revered as the reincarnation of Rhiima, the Vateehs' goddess of future. Thus, she was well-loved, and every saw her bright future. She was meant to become their great spiritual leader and lead them to triumph over their enemies, the Gaduquar, another elf race in the Vates plane except they embraced the dark magic.

Nevertheless, even with the disagreements, and at times, skirmishes the Vateehs had with the Gaduquar, all of them were able to live well.

Until that tragedy happened. And it all happened because Kyran came to that plane. To be precise, because he had been reckless and misjudged the situation the young girl....

Kyran closed his eyes. He lowered his hand, which still held Cyneah's and said in an almost inaudible voice, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" The young girl repeated in confusion. "Why are you sorry? Because you're cheating on me? We can easily remedy this. Just let go of her and come back."

Kyran opened his eyes, and was once again greeted by Cyneah's mirror-like eyes. She had not uttered a word and only looked at him with a gentle smile. As if she could see him, and was aware of the myriad of emotions that did not quite show in his expression, but was reflected intensely in his eyes.

"Come back, Kyran," the young girl repeated and her arms tightened on his waist.

The surroundings seemed to shrink, as the blood on the ground rose. At first, it was only about half an inch high, but it had rapidly reached Kyran's ankle.

Cyneah's hand also tightened around Kyran's hand as she said, "Let's go home, Nar."

In a matter of a few seconds, the blood had reached Kyran's knee. At the same time, the whole place shrank even further, making the land and the dark-red skies seemed within reach.

"Master!"

Suddenly, Zephyr's voice echoed once more from the distance.

However, this time, Cyneah did not react to it. Nor did the young girl. Their hold on Kyran only tightened, as if afraid that he would escape from them.

By this time, the blood had already risen to Kyran's waist.

*

Deception looked at Kyran's unmoving figure. Her red eyes flickered as she materialized ten meters away from him.

"Such a fragile heart," she muttered and walked, her hips swaying seductively, toward him. "But I am surprised. I never expected to find clues about the little lamb on you."

Rawrgh!

Hisss!

From the tall building, the chimera and the female mutated basilisk, growled and hissed at Deception from within the rift. It was unfortunate that they were unable to step out of the rift without their master's approval. Apart from this, the manticore and the male mutated basilisk could not return, because more army officers had arrived.

Deception stood half a feet before Kyran and smiled. She looked deep in his reddish-purple eyes that still flickered malevolently and yet, his overall expression was devoid with emotion.

"Now then," she said in a very alluring voice that could make most men tremble in anticipation. On tiptoes, she leaned at Kyran's ear, her hand slid up his face, and whispered, "Show me where you hid my things—."

BAM!

"—UGH!"

Even before Deception could finish her words, a powerful force slammed on her stomach, sending her flying backward for several meters. She spat out a mouthful of blood as she slammed on building wall upon building wall. Finally, after slamming on the sixth building she slid down on the ground as the broken wall fell on her.

"AAAAARGH!" Deception's magic aura exploded sending the rubbles flying. She stood up and looked at Kyran.

"W-Wha—?" She frowned seeing that he did not seem to have any intentions of following up on his sneak attack.

No.

To be precise, Kyran remained unmoving. As if the force that slammed on to her was not made by him!

'Impossible—!'

Just as she was thinking of this, Kyran's unmoving figure disappeared.

From Deception's perspective, time seemed to have slowed. Her eyes widened and instinctively, her magic sense spread out, and at the same time, her magic and physical defenses increased to protect herself from any sudden ambush. She could turn her whole body into mist, but that required an enormous amount of magic energy.

Still.

BAM! CRACK!

"Guah!" Deception spat out a mouthful of blood as another powerful force slammed on her back, breaking her spinal cord. She slammed face first on the ground and almost lost consciousness from the pain.

Sensing danger coming down to her back once more, Deception's red eyes flickered, and in an instant, her whole body seemed to turn into mist, no longer concerned about her magic energy consumption.

BAM!

Kyran's fist landed on the ground, destroying the ground in an instant. Pieces of rubble and dirt flew everywhere. A small piece flew toward his face, but he simply tilted his head to the right to avoid it.

Deception materialized on one of the nearby empty buildings and fell on her knees. She spat out a mouthful of blood and immediately circulated her magic energy to heal some of her internal injuries.

'Impossible!' She thought, her mind reeling at how she was unable to defend herself from not one but two sneak attacks from Kyran. She knew he could warp, but she did not even sense any ripple of magic energy in her surrounding before he appeared. It was simply impossible. Apart from this, she did not expect his physical strength to be this powerful. He actually destroyed her magic and physical defenses, not to mention her clothes' enchantment!

Deception gritted her teeth as Haylee's impish smile crossed her mind. She did not tell them anything about the boy's monstrous strength!

No. Kyran's physical ability was not as simple as having monstrous strength. If he could destroy magic and physical defenses, not to mention, enchantments, then his attack was inflicted with 'magic.'

BOOM!

Deception snapped out of her reverie, as the wall to her right exploded. She raised her hand to block the bits and pieces of debris that came at her and without trying to look at what or who destroyed the wall, she turned into mist.

Only when her mist form started to dissipate into the air, did she took a glance at the destroyed wall.

There a huge boulder was embedded on the hole. Deception guessed, Kyran had thrown that boulder with the intention of hitting her. Alas, he miscalculated. After all, the boulder was too huge and might have destroyed the wall, but failed to penetrate through it.

Crackle!

The air where Deception's body had just started to blend to, suddenly crackle as purple colored mist blend in. These mist touched a portion of her mist-form and in an instant, she felt as if her whole body was on fire.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

Deception's whole body sizzled and at she immediately materialized. Her red dress was now riddled with holes and scorched patches. Her pale jade-like skin were swollen, with burnt patches of skin, showing flesh underneath.

Suddenly, Deception felt her scalp go numb.

Above her, Kyran had appeared with his leg aimed at her head.