Skalain had finished his hunt and was about to go back to Red Copper Town. He felt something was not right, and then all of his senses screamed danger as he looked at the right side of himself.

Skalain's eyes widened with surprise as he spotted the two figures hurtling toward him. Their black robes billowed in the wind, their faces etched with pain and determination.

It was Alvin and Alice—the very same individuals he had encountered earlier in Red Copper Town. But something seemed amiss.

Without a moment's hesitation, Alvin and Alice lunged at Skalain, their movements fueled by desperation. Skalain's mind raced, trying to make sense of the sudden turn of events.

Why were they attacking him? What had transpired in the time since their previous encounter?

"I don't think I offended anybody in such a short time."

Skalain thought.

As the duo closed in, Skalain's instincts kicked in, and he swiftly summoned his three faithful skeletons to his side. The skeletal sentinels have materialized, ready to defend and attack targets.

"Stop!" Skalain shouted, "What is the meaning of this? Why are you attacking me?"

Skalain thought.

"I don't know them, and killing mindlessly in a world of magic is not a good thing."

Alvin, his face contorted with pain and his voice strained, looked at Skalain and the three skeletons as he thought.

"A dark mage, necromancer apprentice most likely. If he knew who we were, Alice and myself in this state would lose to him. Not to mention we are being hunted."

Alvin then started to speak between labored breaths. "You don't understand," he gasped. "We have no choice. They will kill us if we don't."

Skalain's brow furrowed with concern. It seemed that Alvin and Alice were acting under duress, forced into this confrontation against their will.

"What were they doing anyway?" They both have burn marks on their bodies. It is clear that they were in a magic battle."

Skalain thought and then kept his attention on Alvin.

His heart wavered between suspicion and anger.

He knew that the world of magic was fraught with deception and hidden agendas, and that appearances could be deceiving.

With a firm resolve, Skalain raised his hand, signaling his skeletons to hold their ground.

Skeletons stopped but were still ready to defend their master or launch a counterattack if necessary.

"Tell me the truth," Skalain asked.

"Who is threatening you?"

Alice understood the motive and words of Alvin. The fact that they are in an intimate relationship made them understand each other's intentions without too much of a problem.

Alice's eyes were filled with some sort of hope. She then started speaking in a kind voice.

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"It's the Secret Light," she whispered.

"They discovered our allegiance to the Light Zone. They want the gemstone staff, and they will stop at nothing to get it."

Skalain's mind raced as he processed the information. The Secret Light, the organization that destroyed the Dark Archive Organization

It is true that he had no connection or emotional bond with the organization itself, but the fact that it was his first place to see and he was the inheritor of the palace itself made him feel some sort of animosity towards the Secret Light Organization.

Lowering his hand, Skalain addressed Alvin and Alice with a calm voice.

Listen carefully," he said. "I can help you. Together, we can find a way to escape the clutches of the Secret Light."

Of course, Skalain had no reason to help them. He was just making sure that they trusted him so that he could kill them with ease.

Alvin and Alice exchanged glances.

Skalain noticed that both of them became more calm and easy. They started walking close.

Skalain smiled, and then his eyes changed as he whispered.

"Dark Burst!"

"Boooooooooooom !!"

With the words of Skalain, Alvin, who was in front of himself, turned into a smithereen as blood and organs burned as it exploded on the ground.

Skalain's smile widened.

"They thought that they would be able to trick me into trusting them."

"They are really naive, aren't they?"

Skalain thought as he laughed soundly for a bit.

He approached Alice, who stood frozen in shock, her eyes locked on the remains of Alvin. The realization dawned upon her that Skalain had seen through their trick.

"You thought you could deceive me," Skalain said, his voice laced with a hint of amusement. "

"But I saw that you guys cast light magic to heal yourself out."

"Which shows that you are on good terms with light magic."

"Considering all of these things, it is clear you guys are light mages."

Alice's expression shifted from fear to acceptance.

She took a step back, her voice trembling with a hint of desperation. "You may have figured it out, but you don't understand the gravity of our situation. The Secret Light will stop at nothing to obtain the gemstone staff, and now that you've interfered..."

Skalain cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The Secret Light, the Dark Archive, light magic, dark magic—they are all just pawns in a greater game. And I am no pawn. I am Skalain; I will not be manipulated."

Alice gulped and whispered.

"Dark Archive, that name..."

"That name should not exist in the history of magic anymore."

Skalain just smiled and nodded. "I learned a new thing."

He took a deliberate step forward, his gaze piercing into Alice's soul.

"There is no need for you to keep talking anymore. I believe no dark mage would create a problem for me by killing you. Am I wrong?"

The eyes of Alice changed as she lost all courage and turned her back to Skalain.

With a swift gesture, Skalain whispered, "Dark Burst."

His hands crackled with black sparks. He unleashed a surge of dark energy, sending a burst of destructive force toward Alice. The blast engulfed her, consuming her in a vortex of shadowy power.

Alice's cries echoed through the air as she was overcome by the dark energy, her body convulsing before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

"So, I can manipulate dark magic to cause harm in a different way despite my power being weaker."

Skalain stood amidst the aftermath,

As the lingering echoes of the confrontation between Skalain, Alvin, and Alice settled, a chilling silence hung in the air.

Four dark figures on horseback emerged through the shadows, their presence emanating an aura of darkness and power.

The dark mages rode with an air of confidence, their black robes billowing behind them.

Among them was a man with a commanding presence, distinguished by the black glasses he wore, which added an air of charisma to his appearance.

Without a word, the dark mages dismounted their horses and approached the scene where Alvin and Alice lay lifeless. The man with the black glasses, seemingly the leader, examined the scene with a calculating gaze. His eyes darted from the disintegrated remains of Alvin to the lifeless form of Alice.

After a moment, the dark mage walked over to Skalain, his footsteps measured and deliberate. He stood at Skalain's side.

With a voice that carried an air of authority, he introduced himself as a dark mage from the Tower of the Black Sun.

"A fellow dark mage having fun with the kids of light, I see."

The dark mage spoke, his voice smooth and tinged with a hint of intrigue. "I am Jareth, a practitioner of the dark magic from the Tower of the Black Sun. It seems we have arrived just in time to witness the aftermath of a rather eventful encounter."

Skalain kept his silence as his eyes searched the dark mage's face for any sign of hidden motives.

He thought of a simple fact.

"What I say here matters a lot."