Chains rattled in rhythm with wooden wheels bumping against the grooves of the white stone street. Gasps filled the air as the residents of the town surrounding the Tower of Seekers witnessed an ominous procession of Protectors.

Knights clad in white armour walked around a carriage drawn by a powerful grey behemoth with their hands on the pommels of their blades, ready for action at the slightest hint of a mishap. Powerful cables of muscles strained under the grey fur of the creature pulling the carriage along.

The carriage itself was open at the top with two thick pillars rising high on both sides, fitted with at least a dozen chains wreathed in white holy magic, pulled taut as they bound the hands, legs, torso and neck of a powerful villain.

Transporting Darth had been an easy task at first but it soon became clear that his unconscious state was the only reason for that illusive peace. Even with an eye open, the fiend was already ten times more dangerous.

And so, countless spells were used to keep the man asleep for the lion’s share of their journey back to the Tower of Seekers. Even then, the mages tasked with keeping him at bay ran out of aether one after the other, suffering severe backlash from Aether Depletion.

On top of that, the Stone Rank Mercenary was a lot heavier than he looked. Weighing several times the average human, his body proved too big a task for the stingray guardians that took turns carrying him.

In the end, aerial transport proved too cumbersome and a carriage was been designed a few kilometres from the village where the unconscious bandit was secured moments before the magic keeping him unconscious was let down.

His gaze, which could barely be seen through a thin visor, was chilling to the bone, almost as though he was capable of staring into the depths of someone’s soul.

In the end, however, he was safely transported and secured in one of the Tower’s strongest dungeons bound by a multitude of chains that left no part of his body exposed.

The process of locking him up was quiet, eerie and painfully slow, each passing second reminding the Protectors of the risks they were taking by even breathing the same air as a Flame Viper of the Stone Rank.

Eventually, however, he was left alone in a dark cell bound by enough chains to keep him suspended high in the air.

He could feel more inhibiting enchantments on him than he could count. His voice had been taken from him, his muscles were frozen still, his mind was slow, the aether in his body wouldn’t flow and yet, all of that paled in comparison to the silence of the non-existent bond with his guardian.

Not even the blaring pain of his severed arm could compare to the loss he felt after losing his guardian. The face of a certain aspirant flashed through his mind, haunting him like a beacon of darkness.

He wanted to make the boy pay for what he had done… and yet, he knew there was no chance in hell that he could defeat the Black knight protecting him. Not even someone of a Temper Rank as high as his would dare think of crossing that guardian.

‘What was that thing? I’ve never seen a guardian so strong… even for an S-class guardian,’ he thought to himself.

Before he could continue, however, a sound caught his attention. It sounded much like a heavy sigh of disappointment, bouncing off the walls of the dungeon-like an ominous echo.

“So this is all you could achieve with that power I granted you. Time in the dungeon of the Tower of Seekers. What a let-down!”

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Darth’s paralysed body went still, shivering against the magic spells that kept it still, in fear of the voice that invaded his mind… or was it something in the wind? Darth couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from.

That didn’t matter though. What he feared was much more than the direction of the voice but rather its owner. He’d heard this voice before…

‘Master Jafar!!!’ his eyes widened in horror, ‘How?’

“Surprised, are we?”

‘Of course… wait, can he hear me?’

“I can hear your thoughts just fine, Darth. My, look what they’ve done to you… After you even took the time to make sure measly Wood Rank nobodies faced off against a horde of demons. I’m thoroughly disappointed, I must say,” Jafar’s voice rumbled.

Due to fear of the man’s voice, Darth hadn’t noticed when the room turned pitch-black, adding to the chilling atmosphere. The mercenary shivered even more…

‘You weren’t there,’ Darth muttered to himself.

“What’s that? You’ll have to think louder,” the Dark Mage egged him on.

‘I said you weren’t there. You didn’t see a thing. The Sound Knight… You said he was a weak wannabe adventurer yet he took down that horde of demons before I even had the chance to see him struggle,’ the man continued.

“Tch!” the Dark mage scoffed, “Is that all you have for me? Excuses. What else are you going to say? A fifteen-year-old boy cut off your arm? I didn’t come here to hear any of that.”

‘Then why are you here?’

“The Flame Vipers had a mission and you blew it. It’s my responsibility to make sure you stay quiet… I had high hopes for you, Darth. You’re one of the few that managed to stand up to their guardian without dark magic… The others will be disappointed to hear of your passing. But don’t worry; we will succeed where you fail. The Emperor’s Bane will not be given a chance to grow.”

………………………

Meanwhile, at the Village Chief’s manor in Jack’s Fall, Alaric and his partners in crime went to sleep shortly after discussing their plans for the future.

There was a lot of information they were lacking and since they’d never been to the Elite Guard Academy, they didn’t know what to expect.

What they did know, however, was that Alaric was more inclined now to join the Tower of Seekers as the information they possessed was too precious to pass up.

The night passed by in a blur and before anyone knew it, they were up at dawn, packed and ready to depart, their expressions solemn and serious.

Darla double-checked the items in Alaric’s bracelet, quickly learning how the magic item worked.

With her guardian now awakened, she was able to access aether which was essential for the use of most magic items.

As it turned out, she was a quick study in the ways of manipulating aether and managed to tinker with the storage item in a matter of minutes.

While this didn’t mean she could cast a spell, it did imply there was a high chance she was capable of learning basic spells quickly. Seeing as her guardian was Apollo of Concept, Alaric guessed she would be a natural at anything she set her mind to.

A large stingray floated outside the manor as the old village chief came to meet up with them. Walking behind him was Hail, dressed in less opulent clothing but exuding a regal aura nonetheless.

“Aiden?” Alaric asked the approaching pair. Master Jill’s eyes were clouded with an inscrutable emotion Alaric couldn’t decipher.

“He’s gone into stasis. He asked to handle his body’s recovery together with his Awakening ritual. Another reckless decision as a result of meeting you,” Master Jill furrowed his brows with mild frustration.

“I didn’t ask him to do that,” Alaric tried.

“You didn’t have to. Hail, what were Aiden’s last words?” Master Jill asked the old butler beside him.

“I believe the young man’s last words were, ‘The next time we meet, I’ll be strong enough to stand by your side,’” Hail echoed with pride.

“But I…”

Master Jill raised his hand quickly, “It’s alright. Observing you inspired that kid. Something I haven’t been able to do since he was born. For that, I thank you… But I’ll also ask that you keep him safe. I have no doubt that he’ll follow you to the ends of the world,” Master Jill’s voice echoed with sadness.

“I will protect him. I always protect my friends,” Alaric said sternly.

The knights gave the boy an odd expression, almost stunned by his words. Hearing them from anyone else would have sounded arrogant… but Alaric had proved this already.

“I believe you,” Master Jill replied, “I heard you were offered patronage by the Tower of Seekers. I know old Gregory. He’s a good man. So accept it… and if you ever need a helping hand, you can always rely on Jack’s Fall,” the man spoke up, “Hail.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Hail bowed, then walked forward.

Approaching Darla, he gingerly pointed at the bracelet she was checking. The girl hesitated before handing it over. Hail connected a golden ring to the bracelet for a little moment before giving it back.

When Darla next gave the item a look, her face paled.