Zack was on the verge of bursting into a smirk but managed to rein it in just in time.
He knew he owed the wizards of the lightning tower an apology for dropping the prophecy bombshell out of nowhere. He hadn't mentioned his plan to them before the meeting. The original idea was just to have Gandril and Mystara swear their oaths with no mention of prophecy.
Thing is, when he first got wind of the chosen babies, he didn't know about the surge in magical beast attacks. So, he figured the upheaval would be similar to last time – a power struggle between the three big factions in the continent: the Tribal Alliance, Holy Empire, and Fulminar Empire. He didn't think much about the magic towers bickering among themselves.
During the last upheaval, there was some infighting – like when the grand paladin went after the Fulminar Empire's royal family, and the other towers just watched. But Zack sorted that out easily. Now, facing off against a horde of magical beasts was a whole different ball game. Sure, he could handle it despite the tower infighting, thanks to his cloning ability. He could be in multiple places at once, handling both the beasts and keeping an eye on the other towers. But that would be way too exhausting.
He needed the magic towers to unite, so he didn't have to babysit them and could get some help monitoring the beasts. The thing was, the beasts' territory wasn't limited to just the Forest of Death. They could be anywhere – in the sea, volcanoes, prairies, you name it. And the Forest of Death itself was massive, taking up nearly a quarter of the continent's landmass. So, he dropped the prophecy bomb to emphasize not only the importance of the chosen babies but also the necessity of unity among the towers.
But the stunned expressions on the wizards in the meeting hall were absolutely priceless. Who would've thought that the dignified masters of the tower would have their jaws hanging so wide open that you could fit an egg in there? After a brief struggle to stifle his laughter, Zack managed to regain his composure.
After the lightning tower's disciple dropped that jaw-dropping prophecy and the other disciple stormed off, the meeting hall fell into a heavy silence. Then, Lady Evangeline took charge once more, diving into the details of the rescue operation for the chosen babies and the plan to exterminate the magical beasts.
After wrapping up the meeting, Zack made a quick exit. Blinking his eyes open, he found himself back in the sleeping pod. He popped open the hatch and stepped out into the room, where the three wizards from the lightning tower were waiting for him.
"We wish you a pleasant journey, Sir Zack. Remember, you can always contact us if you need anything while you're out. Here in the Fulminar Empire, our lightning tower can fulfill almost any request," Lady Evangeline conveyed respectfully, her gaze fixed on Sir Zack.
Before her stood the individual responsible for the lightning tower's restoration to its former glory. Sir Cedric and Sir Archibald echoed her sentiment, offering words of encouragement to Zack.
After exchanging pleasantries, they went their separate ways, and Zack made his way to his floor. He'd already packed everything he needed for his journey – food from the cafeteria under self-preservation spells, spellbooks and formation knowledge from the library, robes, clothes, and of course, his trusty mask. Plus, he'd dispatched a hundred clones outside as backup.
Inside his bedroom, he took a moment to look around and sighed. "Gonna miss you, buddy," he muttered.
From behind him, Fannie chimed in, her voice playful. "Hahaha, teacher, it's not like we won't be able to come back anytime we want."
"Yeah, I guess," Zack replied, as Fannie joined him by his side. Then Fannie suddenly said, "Well, after all these years in the tower, it kinda feels like home. Of course, we're gonna miss it a bit."
"It's not just 'like' our home, it is our home. And we'll have to swing back eventually. Your teacher – aka me – is practically a big shot around here," Zack said with a grin, messing up Fannie's hair.
"Ugh, right after I got it just right," Fannie grumbled, fixing his hair.
Zack and Fannie made their way to the teleportation hall, selecting the circle that would whisk them off to Tormentaheim.
Taking one last glance around the bustling hall, with wizards buzzing about, Zack squeezed Fannie's hand and activated his badge. Fannie followed suit, activating his own badge. Instantly, the teleportation circle sparked to life, and they vanished in a flash of bright light.
As Zack opened his eyes, he found himself in the barren land outside what used to be Tormentaheim – or more accurately, the "former place" of Tormentaheim. Thanks to the aftermath of his battle with the grand paladin and the pope, the area surrounding Tormentaheim was now inhospitable. The air crackled with his lightning mana residue.
This wasn't your typical lightning – it was lightning mana residue, distinct from ordinary lightning particles. Mana residue lingered after casting a spell, its characteristics influenced by the spell itself. While Zack had blown up his clone rather than casting a spell, the explosion's violent nature imbued the lightning particles released with the same intensity. Anyone or anything absorbing these violent particles risked facing a backlash of uncontrolled mana. Consequently, any vegetation or animals attempting to thrive after the explosion swiftly perished upon inhaling the lightning residue.
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After five years, only a handful of plants tough enough to handle the extreme conditions had begun to sprout. But there weren't any animals in sight. For regular folks, this place would be a death trap, but for lightning wizards like Zack and Fannie, it was like their own backyard.
Fannie sighed contentedly, inhaling deeply. "Haaaah... the area around here is even better than inside the tower."
But her satisfaction was short-lived as she quickly began coughing violently. "Cough, cough... I take back what I said. So this is what happens when a massive amount of mana residue permeates the surroundings," she wheezed, struggling to catch her breath after inadvertently absorbing some of the lingering lightning residue.
She was taken aback by the surroundings. Her own mana residue after casting spells couldn't hold a candle to the boundless energy permeating this area. No wonder it was considered forbidden territory. It was moments like these that made her truly grasp the extent of her usually goofy teacher's power.
"You finally get a taste of how mighty your teacher is, huh?" Zack teased, grinning at Fannie's newfound respect.
"Yeah, yeah, okay, let's get out of this teleportation circle first," Fannie replied.
Once they settled on a direction, Zack activated his [Talaria]. Instantly, a pair of sleek sneakers with blue and white wings enveloped his feet, replacing his old kicks. They crackled with lightning, looking pretty flashy.
"Teacher, isn't that a bit flashy?" Fannie snickered.
"Coming from someone with shoes like yours, that's rich," Zack retorted, rolling his eyes. Fannie quickly followed suit, casting her own [Talaria] spell a tad too late, since it wasn't her innate spell..
But on Fannie’s feet were a pair of luxurious shoes that were all the rage among female wizards in the tower, adorned with two golden wings – the signature of [Talaria]. Fannie snorted, "Hmph."
"Alright, try to keep up with me," Zack said before vanishing from sight. Fannie flickered and then her afterimage disappeared, whisked away by the wind.
After a few minutes of running, Zack came to a stop beside an abandoned house, well within the former borders of Tormentaheim. He'd sensed some human life further in, so he figured this spot would do.
"Huh, seems like there are still folks toughing it out in this harsh environment. Alright, time to change our identities. You know the drill," Zack said, deactivating his [Talaria] and digging through his storage ring.
“Wait a second, teacher, how are you so fast without even breaking a sweat?" Fannie panted, trying to catch her breath. Talaria was one of the fastest speed enhancing spells in the lightning tower, maybe even in the whole wizarding world, but it demanded extreme mana control.
"Well, I've got an advantage since it's part of my innate spell. Now come on, hurry up and change your robe," Zack replied.
"Yeah, yeah, just give me a second. Let me soak in the surroundings for a bit," Fannie said, taking a moment to appreciate the barren landscape they'd traversed. Flat as far as the eye could see, with only a few struggling plants dotting the landscape. And that lingering lightning mana residue, thick as ever even within the confines of the former city.
"Wow, just how powerful are you to alter the landscape of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers?" Fannie marveled, slipping into a new robe and fiddling with a magic artifact resembling a bracelet onto her wrist.
"Well, it was a bit of an accident, to be honest. I didn't anticipate the damage to be this extensive either. That was my first time blowing up a clone, well three clones. But hey, at least I can use it as a reference if I ever need to pull off something similar again. Although, I highly doubt I'll ever have to resort to that, considering the amount of mana I've got now," Zack explained.
After a bit of chatter, Zack and Fannie swapped out their lightning tower robes for more inconspicuous ones. The quality remained top-notch, though. Now that Zack wasn't short on tower points, he could splurge on the highest-quality robes he desired.
With a mere thought, Zack's appearance shifted to that of an ordinary man. His bright blue eyes turned dark brown, and his glimmering silver locks transformed into short, light brown hair.
Meanwhile, Fannie, after channeling a bit of mana into her bracelet, a steady stream flowed out and into her body. Instantly, her face morphed into that of an ordinary woman. Her hair and eyes remained brown, as they always did, even within the tower where she kept her true hair and eye color hidden.
"Alright, now that we're all set, let's head to the closest city from here – the new Tormentaheim!" Zack declared, producing a miniature flying vehicle that resembled an air balloon. With a surge of mana, the small balloon expanded rapidly, transforming into a 50-meter-long vessel hovering gracefully before Zack.
"Hmm, teacher, I'm not sure it's wise to use such a high-level magical artifact. What's the point of changing our identities to ordinary wizards if we're cruising around in this thing?" Fannie argued.
"You goofball, changing our identities was just so we wouldn't be recognized as lightning tower wizards. But that doesn't mean we have to rough it during our little getaway. Besides, you're seriously underestimating what a 100,000-tower-point mana vehicle can do! Let me show you!" Zack exclaimed excitedly, approaching the vehicle.
He'd splurged on this artifact ages ago, once he'd racked up enough points. It was one of the priciest items in the lightning tower's market, but it came with top-tier comfort – maybe even better than a private jet back in his old world. But since he rarely left the tower, he'd never had a chance to use it. The only time he'd ventured out was during the showdown with the grand paladin and the pope, and even then, he'd used his clone. So, he'd never actually put this vehicle to real use. Getting to use it now for travel, and just for the fun of it within the tower, felt entirely different.
Zack signaled the magic vehicle, and instantly it began to fade, becoming more and more transparent until it seamlessly blended with its surroundings, even erasing all magical traces. If Fannie hadn't known there was a vehicle floating in front of Zack, she'd have thought it was just empty air.
"Wow!" Fannie exclaimed, impressed.
"Right?!" Zack grinned, signaling for the vehicle to reappear. "Haha, 100,000 points well spent!" Despite his words, there was a hint of tears in his voice, as he tried to justify his impulse purchase.
Fannie, knowing Zack all too well, suppressed a grin. She didn't want to dent her teacher's pride. Zack quickly regained his composure, bounding excitedly into the vehicle. Fannie shook her head, watching Zack's enthusiasm. ‘Who was it that was hesitant about leaving the tower?’ she thought, following him inside.
Zack steered the vehicle towards the new Tormentaheim in a straight line. With a soft buzzing, the vehicle ascended, gradually becoming transparent. Once fully invisible, all traces of sound, magic, and even the life force of Zack and Fannie vanished. Then, with a swoosh, the vehicle shot off into the horizon.
Unbeknownst to him, along the path he had planned to take to his destination, Zack was on the verge of an earth-shattering revelation that would shake him to his core.