Book 8, Chapter 55 (1/2)
Those Who Were Left Behind
“Stonelord? What is that?” Praton asked in confusion.
“… Nothing.”
Sharon shook her head and calmed down, but anyone could tell that the stonelord wasn’t just a trivial thing. As an astute man, Praton immediately wiped away the traces of annoyance and forced a smile, “Then you’d be willing to explore the plane with me?”
To his surprise, Sharon just caressed her belly while muttering to herself, not giving him a response. His eyebrows lifted and he gathered all of his determination, “If you’re willing to go with me, I’ll give you 60% of all loot and give you first pick!”
These conditions were quite surprising for Sharon and finally got her to nod. It was clear that the stonelord was the target of her attention; her eyes still hadn’t left the figure of the little creature that seemed to be a sort of earth elemental.
Praton heaved a long sigh, “Then make your preparations, we can leave in three days.”
“That long? No need, let’s go tonight.”
The old mage smiled with glee, agreeing immediately. Sharon was known to be a fickle person, and he didn’t want to risk her changing her mind. As night fell, two beams of light shot out from the Deepblue into the endless void.
……
Elsewhere in the void, at the core of the tremendous energy storm, an old mage dressed in grey robes was looking over the millennia-old Soremburg Castle from its balcony. This castle was far older than any Norlandic history recorded; even few Scholars knew that Soremburg himself had only found the place, not built it. The key to its stability in the void was an ancient spell formation deep underneath, but not one of the extremely talented Scholars of each generation had managed to unlock its secrets.
In the face of the energy storm all around, any so-called power was just a joke. The architecture and longevity of this ancient castle was awe-inspiring, prompting a gentle sigh from the old man before he continued to flip through the pages of the book before him. On the page he flipped to was the image of an elf-like earth elemental, labelled a stonelord.
The old mage carefully read through the description that had already been burned into his memory, chuckling softly as he muttered to himself, “Ah, Sharon… If you really are what I think you are, these should jog your memory. Will you be able to withstand the temptation of your favourite food? The meal that will bring you to your next evolution?”
He suddenly went quiet as urgent footsteps sounded from the balcony, closing his book and looking at a pretty young woman who was walking up to him. The young lady that looked to be fourteen or fifteen years of age had a magical parchment with her that she placed on the table, “My Lord, this news just came from the mirror.”
The old mage picked up the parchment and read through the information carefully, only putting it down a few minutes later, “You did well; being the one to receive this news is a form of destiny. How about this— head over to Grand Scholar Rhodey; if you can pass his test, he will take you under his wing.”
“The Grand Scholar?” the apprentice went giddy with delight, “I… I understand! I will not let you down!”
The young lady immediately sprinted away. As he watched her departing back, the old mage sighed heavily, “Destiny…”
However, the girl suddenly returned, a hint of uneasiness in her tone, “My Lord, I just remembered. The Grand Scholar left the castle this morning, and he will only return in a month.”
“Rhodey isn’t around?” a trace of emotion crept onto the old man’s face, “It cannot be… This destiny…”
He sighed and pointed upwards, forming an elaborate teleportation circle on the ground, “Since Rhodey is not available, allow me to complete your test myself. You will find your task at the other end of this portal, and you will be inducted once you return. Come, brave child, seize your destiny!”
The young lady blushed with emotion, shaking her head hard to steady herself before running to the portal. Light flashed and her figure disappeared in an instant, reappearing only ten kilometres away.
Seeing a full view of the castle in front of her, the girl’s eyes suddenly went wide in disbelief. Without the protection of the castle’s defences, a passing wave of energy turned her into ashes before she even had the chance to scream. The acting lord of the castle sighed deeply, a few more wrinkles seemingly added to his face as he stood up and headed towards the meeting room.
……