Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran had a foreboding the moment he heard the being within the black mist refer to the Shaiha as if it were the name of a person rather than an item. He missed it the first time, but thinking back on it, the being within the black mist's exact words when mentioning the Shaiha were:

'Your fate is still tied with me… Shaiha.'

Your, and Shaiha. Just from these two, one would be able to glean something was amiss.

Kyran had felt it before, but he found the Shaiha a little strange, especially when it conveyed messages to his subconscious.

Nonetheless, he knew the Shaiha was not a living being. At least, not originally.

That only left one other possibility. Could the Shaiha be a relic of some sort that produced its own Sentient? And for some reason, its fate was tied to the being within the black mist?

If this was true, then Kyran could only think of one reason their fate was tied:

The Shaiha belonged to the being within the black mist.

But if this was the case, then the being was not the Dark Sage. As far as Caelan's story goes, the Dark Sage became who he was after the Higher Being and his subjects attacked the Land of the Ancients.

This was another reason Kyran considered the being within the black mist as the Dark Sage because what the latter did after the Higher Being attacked the Land of the Ancients caused the fall of The Realm.

From this, it could also be said that the Dark Sage was a survivor of the Land of the Ancients— probably the last surviving living Ancient.

Kyran's use of the word 'living' to describe the Dark Sage was not wrong.

The Dark Sage was, indeed, still living. To be more accurate, his body lived on because Caelan sealed it inside the Macabre Glacier. No one knew about this, of course. Not even Layla, True Void, Stella, and Zane.

Caelan never told Kyran what happened to the Dark Sage's soul, but he guessed that his soul could be hidden somewhere since the body was intact. This thought was another reason that Kyran considered the being within the black mist to be the Dark Sage. Since the latter did not have a physical body, he could be the wandering 'soul' of the Dark Sage.

However, everything that had been said thus far made Kyran think otherwise. If he had to guess, the being within the black mist could be another surviving Ancient or someone from the opposition who attacked them.

If Kyran had to choose, he preferred being within the black mist to being the former. If he was the latter, then Kyran could be in grave danger, especially after what the being within the black mist had said about him possessing the body of an Ancient.

But what was the body of an Ancient, anyway? How was it related to the Shaiha choosing him? What was the Shaiha?

In the end, the questions that swirled in his head brought him back to the question of what the Shaiha was. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to know the answer to that at that moment.

Unless the being within the black mist was generous enough to tell him.

'He did say he will tell me what I want to know... does that include the Shaiha's origin?' Kyran wondered. But he did not ask the question and only remained seated cross-legged on the ground. He wanted to hear what other things the being within the black mist had to say first.

The being within the black mist did not disappoint, as he indeed continued to speak.

"You don't seem surprised at what I have said. Were you aware of you possessing the body of an Ancient?"

"I came from the Human plane," Kyran replied indifferently.

Although Kyran did not elaborate on his answer, the being within the black mist understood what he meant.

The Human plane was a remnant of the Land of the Ancients. It was not impossible for other Ancients to survive the Higher Being and his subjects' attack and live on the Human plane.

However, after several years, the blood of the Ancients on humans had gotten thin, and only after fulfilling some requirements could one possess the body of an Ancient.

"You have the idea. However, that is not the case," the being within the black mist told Kyran as if reading through his thoughts.

Kyran did not hide his displeasure at having his thoughts read and frowned at the being within the black mist. Although he could not confirm whether the latter could read minds or sense them in another way, the fact that he was seen through did not sit well with him.

"I don't read minds, but I can read expressions," the being within the black mist told Kyran, forcing the latter out of his reverie.

"You might think it was the same, but it is not. Reading minds could be considered innate, and not everyone could do this. However, reading another person's expressions and confirming their thoughts from them could only be attained after years of practice and staying alive."

The being within the black mist paused for a moment before continuing as if they had not been interrupted earlier.

"If you saw what an Ancient looks like, you will know why I said what I did. But since we have no one to compare to, and I don't think you will agree to look into my 'memories' and see them for yourself, let us leave it at that.

"What we should focus on instead is what Shaiha is, and I suppose you also want to know how our fates are connected."

Kyran remained silent, neither agreeing nor confirming what the being within the black mist had guessed. Because of this, the latter continued to speak his mind.

"Shaiha, as you have already noticed, is not a relic nor a magic weapon with a sentient. It is not artificially made. Rather, it came into existence the same way as The Realm came to be."

The being within the black mist had only said a few things, but Kyran already managed to glean a lot from them.

"That's right," the being within the black mist agreed after seeing the look of understanding in Kyran's eyes. "Shaiha is The Realm's core."

It took a lot from Kyran not to close his eyes in exasperation. Not when he was in front of someone he did not trust. Still, the foreboding that he sensed earlier being confirmed like this truly vexed him.

It was one thing to know that the Shaiha had capabilities that other powerful mages coveted but to think that it was actually the core of The Realm...

Kyran never asked for this. If he could go back to the time he first saw the Shaiha, he would have avoided triggering it.

Of course, Kyran was only saying this. After all, he already knew that besides having the body of the Ancient, the other reason the Shaiha came to him was that he possessed one— actually, make that— two of the Four Ancient Magic Cores.

"When The Realm fell, its core was lost, and thus, the two realms, the Lower Realm and the Higher Realm, were born. Now, the real reason that nutjob wanted Shaiha is because he knew that only after he received its Inheritance can he truly become the Higher Being."

"... what?"

After hearing that last bit, Kyran could not remain silent.

"You heard me right," the being within the black mist said. "There is no longer a Higher Being that presides over the two realms. Because of this, the Fates could do as they please."

"Wait," Kyran frowned and slightly shook his head. "I don't understand what you're trying to say here."

"'There is no longer a Higher Being'? How can that be? No, back up a little... you... You said the Shaiha's fate is connected with yours... If the Shaiha is truly what you said it is...

then you..."

The being within the black mist cackled in amusement. Without waiting for Kyran to continue, he replied, "Yes. I was the Higher Being that ordered the attack on the Land of the Ancients."

*

After receiving some updates from his colleagues, Alastor gave Loar the coordinates where Kyran and The Emperor were presumed to have been seen last.

Currently, they were on board Loar's ship, and they were venturing throughout the Lower Realm. Fortunately, Loar was very knowledgeable about Array, and since he was a Sovereign, his Array Creations were also powerful. For this reason, creating a long-range transportation array on his ship was not a problem.

Using this array, they managed to travel a great distance in a short amount of time. The only downside was the amount of spirit stones that they had to consume each time they activated it.

Fortunately, Kyran's automatons managed to mine plenty of exquisite spirit stones in Somuli. They only hoped that the stones in their possession would last.

When they arrived at the coordinates provided by Alastor's colleague, Ames immediately asked one of the Regis Elites to check the surroundings.

The one she asked was none other than Raya, who could recreate scenes that happened on a location.