Chapter 4: The Master of Morvius

After the incident with the bandits, thankfully, the journey towards the City of Lankan was met without much hitch and strife. They passed through the monster-infested Forest of Sierra, then through the Anolian Red River, eventually arriving at the outskirts of Lankan after more than a week of travel.

Yuan sat on top of a cart, his gaze fixated at the city looming before them. The grasses on the ground swayed westward with the wind, and not far from them, a cobbled path leading towards the gate of the city was seen. Judging by the winding path that strayed away from the adjacent forest, the road was probably connected to a nearby city.

“Young man,” called out Kelman from the bowfront of the barouche. “Get down here. We’ll be passing through the checkpoint soon.”

Though he wanted to stay on top of the cart more, Yuan complied and went down. He went inside the cart. Kelman’s wife warmly smiled upon meeting his gaze, but Yuan simply brushed it aside. He would part ways with them soon. There was no need for mere pleasantries.

“Sir Magician.” The kid sitting on the lap of Kelman’s wife squeaked. “You’re going to the city too?”

Yuan looked at the kid’s untainted eyes. It was saucer-like, pure and innocent. He would have simply ignored the question if it came from the adults.

“Yes,” he replied.

“That’s great!” said the child in glee. Yuan thought that she was smart for a kid her age. “Papa said that we’ll start a new—” she looked at her mother. “—new..”

“—business,” completed the woman.

“Business! That’s right!” squeaked the child. “We’ll be selling vegetables, mister! Lots of vegetables!”

Yuan was sure that the child was referring to the miracle herbs inside the cargo. For some reason he could not fully understand, he smiled. He liked how pure and innocent little kids were.

Now that he thought about it, he could not remember much about his childhood. According to his foster father, the Master of Morvius, he was an abandoned child. The old man refused to tell him where he got Yuan from, and after a few years of trying to squeeze even the tiniest information out, he eventually gave up trying to find out.

What mattered was now. Yuan had someone he could call family. And that was everything he need.

Their caravan traversed the cobbled path, and they eventually reached the gate of the city. There was a small wall enclosing the entirety of Lankan. Judging by the size, it was probably meant to block illegal immigrants rather than monster attacks.

The guards were about to inspect what was inside of the carts when Kelman called out the one who seemed to be their leader. He whispered something to the soldier, then handed him a small pouch. After that, they were allowed to pass through the checkpoint with ease.

‘As expected. They don’t want the news about Opilas Herbs be found out by the merchant’s guild, huh?’ thought Yuan.

If the news about those miracle herbs reached the ears of the city’s officials, including those from the merchant’s guild, catastrophe would envelope Kelman and his men. They would be lucky enough to share half the profit. At worst, everything could be taken away. After all, they were no citizens of this Kingdom. It would be an easy task to silence mere merchants.

Furthermore, had the guards checked the carts, they would have seen the dead bodies of the mercenaries. Only one out of the five had survived the attack of the bandits, and the surviving one was still recuperating.

After entering the gate, an underdeveloped city immediately greeted them. It reeked of the word poverty. Numerous wooden shacks were haphazardly placed left and right, and a broken statue of some warrior ornamented the Central Plaza.

Yuan wondered why the Kingdom bothered building a wall around the city. He was sure that the money spent on the walls could have been better used to develop the city itself instead.

Well, maybe, this city would sometimes experience monster attacks? Yuan was not sure. And he had no intention of finding out.

After they passed by the Central Plaza, Yuan decided to part ways with the group. He told Kelman that he’ll be separating ways with them here, and for some reason, the merchants that heard it wore crestfallen faces.

“So, this is where we part, huh?” said Kelman. His previously arrogant attitude when he first met Yuan was gone. Instead, there was uncanny fondness within his voice, like what one would normally hear from a father and son.

“Yes,” said Yuan. His cloak covered his entire body. “I wish you luck. Farewell.”

Kelman and his men exchanged glances. “Before that… can I ask you something?”

Yuan stared at him for a moment, wondering what the merchant was going to ask. “What is it?”

“That magic before,” said Kelman. He referred to the black lightning sphere that instantly vaporized a portion of the forest. “Are you…” He paused, looked at his men, then sighed. “Nevermind. It’s nothing. Thank you for everything, young man.”

Yuan frowned, but he nodded regardless. Somehow, he knew that these people probably had an idea of who he was. But they refused to ask him directly, probably out of fear, or maybe out of respect, Yuan was not sure.

“Bye bye, mister magician!” said the daughter of Kelman. The three-year old kid was broadly smiling, and Yuan’s lips slowly curled into an arch after seeing that.

Without another word, Yuan turned around, blended with the passersby, and disappeared from sight.

***

Yuan entered the only temple within the city. Unlike the one in the Capital of Altair, its walls were made of wood, and if not for the dilapidated signage outside, he would have mistaken it for a run-down inn.

For a moment, Yuan was worried that there would be no teleportation device in this place.

“Hello,” said Yuan the moment he met the gaze of the priest inside. “I wish to use the teleportation device.”

The priest, while holding an unfolded scroll in his hand, scrutinized Yuan from head to toe. He read some words in the scroll, then jotted down some notes using a quill pen. He then nodded in satisfaction.

“Teleportation device?” he said. “That’ll be fifteen gold coins.”

It was a bit overpriced compared to Altair, higher by about two gold coins, but Yuan was too tired to haggle.

He took out fifteen coins from his pouch, then handed it to the priest. A normal individual would never use a teleportation device during the course of his entire life. It was far too expensive, a device available usually for the nobility.

“Thank you for your patronage,” said the Priest. “All profit will proceed to charity.”

Yuan did not believe him.

“This way, please,” said the Priest. And he led Yuan inside a small wooden room. There was nothing inside save for the dimly glowing magic circle engraved on the ground and four small stone pillars.

“So, which city is it?”

“Palamesh.”

For a moment, the priest stiffened. That city had been written in innumerable history books. It was the city called ‘Utopia of Magicians.’ The city where Morvius, the most powerful association of magicians, reside. According to scholars, that city alone held enough power to rival several Empires. It was the only city in the entire continent that remained untouched by warring Kingdoms and Empires. An autonomous region ruled by magicians.

“You’re a member of Morvius?” nervously asked the Priest.

Yuan immediately understood the reason why the Priest turned pallid all of a sudden. Morvius held enough authority to shake even Kings and Emperors. A magician belonging to that organization could wield power tantamount to that, depending on his position.

The Priest was overcharging his clients. If this got out, he would surely be banished from the city. Worse, he would be stripped off his title as Priest.

“Just a messenger,” lied Yuan. He just wanted everything to be over with.

“Thank God,” breathed the Priest. Color started to return to his face. “J-Just a messenger, huh? Then, I’ll start. Please get inside the magic circle.”

Yuan did as he was told. The priest chanted his magic, and the stones placed on top of the surrounding pillars glowed crimson. Slowly, the runes engraved on the ground blazed into life. They span around Yuan, amalgamating into unknown letters and numbers, before dissipating into particles of light.

“It seems there’s a barrier protecting the city,” said the Priest. He touched one of the pillars, and channeled mana through it. “Direct teleportation is impossible. But I can take you to the nearby forest.”

Yuan nodded in understanding. Indeed, it was impossible to directly teleport to the city. The barrier created by Morvius hinders any form of mana from getting inside the city. Even simple telepathic messages would be impossible to get in.

A buzzing sound echoed in his ears. Moments after, his surroundings distorted, and he found himself in an entirely different place.

The wooden walls of the temple were gone. In their stead, trees of various sizes surrounded Yuan. Birds chirped, and not farm from him, Yuan could hear the flowing water of a stream. It was a familiar forest. And it felt good to finally be back home.

“Finally,” he mumbled. He channeled mana to his feet, and lightning started to crackle violently.

He looked at the sun above. It was probably noon.

Without another word, Yuan ran through the forest, his speed unimaginable. He would have appeared as nothing but a blur even to war-veteran warriors.

This speed magic was three times faster than a Malak running at full speed, and the reason why Yuan did not use this was because of the strain it would give the body after prolonged use. He would need to rest every now and then had he travelled by foot towards the city.

Furthermore, this magic eats away at his mana, and he was not confident enough to last an entire week of continuous travel with that.

He ran through innumerable trees, boulders, and shrubberies. Eventually, he reached the outskirts of the city. Even from a distance, the gargantuan walls enclosing Palamesh was visible. The enclosing walls towered great heights, probably more than a hundred meters in height. The black metallic gates reeked of the word sturdy, and it could probably survive an onslaught of a hundred ogres.

According to some history books, this city was considered as one of the safest place in the entire continent. More than half of the city’s residents were magicians.

Yuan wore his mask, donned his silver crest, then approached the gates. The guards stared at his crest for a moment, and they immediately made a salute.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Lord Magician, welcome back!”

“Welcome back!”

Yuan nodded while wearing his mask. The guards issued orders to open the gates, and moments after, the colossal slab of iron slowly creaked outward. It created an ample space for Yuan to go through.

Yuan entered, and the view of the city immediately greeted him. Towering houses, which could be mistaken for high-class inns, decorated the outer zone of Palamesh. The streets were bustling with life, and numerous stalls filled with magical items were set up here and there. The air was filled with the scent of prosperity.

This was just the Outer District, and it was actually more than grand enough to shame even the Noble’s District of most Kingdoms and Empires.

Yuan saw some youths gawking at the sight. They were probably new in the city.

The buzzes and murmurs that filled the air as merchants haggled with customers stopped the moment Yuan started walking through the streets. Everyone that saw him stopped and stared, particularly at the insignia he wore on his shoulders. The silver symbol of Morvius was an eye-catching sight.

“W-Woah, look. That one’s one of the Grayas!”

“Seriously?! It’s the real thing! Look at the crest on his shoulders!”

“I want to try talking to him!”

Such conversations were heard as Yuan passed through the Commoner’s District.

The Grayas were the absolute top of Morvius, next only to the Master. It was a long-accepted fact that a single one of those magicians held enough power topple an entire Kingdom. They were the city’s trump card.

In the entire continent, there were only nine S Rank magicians, and the four Grayas of Morvius held four of those spots. It was too much power concentrated in a single city, considering the fact that there were dozens of Kingdoms and Empires.

Yuan would have preferred not to wear his crest, since it attracted too much attention, but he needed it in order to easily access the city’s gates and the Inner District. It would be a pain in the ass to explain himself to the guards every time, otherwise.

“A celebrity, as always,” a familiar voice spoke to him.

Yuan turned to his left and saw a fat woman smiling at him. Her lips were bulbous, and she would somehow remind one of an overly bloated pig. She waved her stubby hands.

“You’re late,” she grinned. “The Master and the others have been waiting for days already.”

Yuan frowned under his mask. As expected, those guys took track of the time for him to complete his mission. This was one of the reasons why he hated being late in delivering results.

“The teleportation device in Altair broke—”

“—Sure, sure,” interjected the woman.

Yuan almost glared at her mocking face.

“That’s not enough excuse, you know?” she chuckled mischievously. “Really, more than a week just to retrieve a fragment? It’s just a retrieval mission, kid.”

“Don’t call me a kid.” Yuan was annoyed. “I’ve finished the coming of age ceremony three years ago.”

“Sure you have!” the woman’s eyes were smiling. “But with that height,” she scrutinized him from head to toe, “I can’t help but mistake you for a child.”

By this time, Yuan’s stare was murderous, and the woman could feel it despite the mask. But this seemed to further intensify her glee.

Soon enough, they reached a wall within the city. It was exponentially lower than the one outside, and considering the fact that most residents were magicians, it would be a simple feat to simply jump over it using magic.

This wall was actually meant to clearly demarcate the area between the Outer and the Inner District. Unlike in other kingdoms wherein you need to be a noble to live in the Inner District, in this city, just having an official job alone would be enough to qualify. Though you would still need to pay a higher monthly tax if you decided to live within this area.

The two guards standing near the entrance to the Inner District made a staunch salute the moment they saw Yuan and the fat woman. Particularly, they seemed to be more nervous around the woman.

“You should probably stop doing those weird experiments,” mumbled Yuan after they passed through the gate. “People are starting to see you as a madman.”

“I’m a woman though?”

Yuan looked at her as she blurted out the stupid joke.

“Hahahaha!” She struck Yuan’s back repeatedly using her stubby hands. “Don’t be so stiff, kid! Don’t be so stiff! It’s a joke, see? A joke!”

“I know that. Stop,” said Yuan. “Hey stop. That hurts.”

By the time the woman was finished laughing, Yuan’s back was already aching. He was pretty sure that had this woman struck the ground, it would have formed cracks by now.

“Ah we’re here,” said the woman. “That’s fast, eh.”

Before them was a castle made of black stone. A large tower, probably tall enough to compete with the walls outside, was erected nearby. A red flag with the insignia of a serpent eating its own tail hung near the entrance. It was The Ouroboros, the symbol of eternal strength, the insignia of Morvius.

“The two of you,” a voice echoed from inside the castle. “Come inside. Now.”

As expected, the magicians of Morvius were well aware that he had arrived in the city. He heaved a sigh underneath his mask. The fat woman, on the other hand, lost the smile on her lips. She somehow stiffened after hearing the voice. They both knew who it was from.

The two of them entered the castle, not bothering to return the greeting of the magicians they passed by along the way. After passing through a large corridor then climbing down numerous flights of stairs, they arrived at the underground chamber. There were seven people inside that chamber, and they all looked at Yuan and the fat woman the moment they entered.

“You’re late,” was the first thing Yuan heard upon entering the hidden room.

The one that spoke was a magician with fiery crimson hair. He was missing an eye, and a large scar ran across his face. His body was lean and muscular, and he gave off the impression that he could rip off a large tree using his bare hands. But despite looking like a veteran soldier, he was actually a high-ranking magician. One of the four Graya – Alecto, the Emperor of Fire.

Yuan took off his mask, revealing a youthful face probably in his late teens. His brown hair flowed nicely till the angle of his jaw, his golden eyes proud and filled with life. One thing that stood out was his height. Most women were probably taller than him, a fact that greatly vexed him.

“Leader, I’m sorry. Unexpected things led to another, there’s this lizard I had to kill, then the teleportation device broke and—”

“—Enough excuses,” said Alecto. “The fragment?”

Yuan was annoyed by how the man cut him off, but he steeled himself and did not let it show on his face. In Morvius, it was an ironclad rule that one should respect hierarchy, and Yuan was no exemption. Strong as he was, Yuan would still follow his orders despite the difficulties.

“Here.” Yuan took out a crimson stone from inside his cloak, then handed it to Alecto.

“This one’s big,” said Alecto. He made a satisfied nod. He then turned towards the large tank in the middle of the room. Though the inside was hazy due to the gray fluid that filled it, the figure of an old man was still discernible. His limbs were thin, almost like a twig, and his long ashen beard flowed till the chest. The old man’s eyes were closed, and bubbles would occasionally escape his closed lips.

“Hopefully, the Master will recover with this.”

The other people in the room nodded at that statement. A bead of sweat flowed down Yuan’s cheeks. This was the sixteenth Blood Shard they had collected. According to their research, you would need sixteen Blood Shards in order to activate the magic embedded within the stones.

With these fragments, hopefully, the master will recover from his curse.

Alecto placed the Blood Shard at one of the innumerable small pillars surrounding the tank. The magic circle imbued on the ground glowed for a moment, and the runes carved started to spin around.

“Do it,” ordered Alecto to the magicians inside the room. They nodded in understanding, and began channeling their mana to activate the healing magic.

A buzzing sound, almost deafening to the ears, resounded. The walls of the underground chamber shook, and dust started falling down the ceiling. The magical circle surrounding the tank glowed brightly, its azure light slowly turning crimson by each passing second. Eventually, the light dissipated along with the buzzing sound.

Alecto’s face was grim. The magicians that performed the magic were frowning as they shook their heads.

“It’s not enough, huh?” said Alecto.

Yuan was well-versed in magic. He knew that the magic had just failed. He felt frustrated that they could not lift the curse inflicted on their Master.

“Damn it,” he mumbled as he stared at the old man floating inside the tank.

That man was Master Olifer, the absolute ruler of Morvius. Also called the strongest magician alive. Well, that title should not be accurate anymore. Right now, the health of their Master had deteriorated to the point that he would need to sleep inside a medical tank in order to keep himself alive. This procedure alone would take eleven hours a day, and the organization had to consume vast amounts of medicinal herbs in order to see even a minute effect.

As though sensing the frustration from the magicians inside the chamber, the old man within the tank opened his eyes, then spoke, “What’s with the long faces? This old man had been giving the young ones a hard time, huh?”

The voice of their Master was gentle, definitely soothing.

Yuan immediately approached the tank after realizing that the Master was awake.

“Master!” he exclaimed. “How are you feeling? The magic… The magic’s—”

“—It’s fine,” said the Master. His smile was soft and assuring. “This curse is inflicted by the Demon Lord after all. There’s no way it’ll be easily removed. Don’t blame yourself, Yuan.”

Forty years ago, the world entered the Great War. During that time, when Master Olifer was still in his prime, the humans fought with the demons. Kingdoms were destroyed, and millions of humans succumbed to their bane. The world was enveloped in unending strife. But eventually, Master Olifer succeeded in defeating the Demon Lord. But in exchange, a curse was inflicted on his body. A normal magician would have died immediately, and it took Olifer everything just to halt the progress of the curse. But now that he had gained much on age, the curse had deteriorated his body and soul. It was only a matter time before he entered eternal slumber. Everyone knew.

Master Olifer touched the glass tank, and his body slowly passed through towards the outside. His feet touched the ground.

“Master, your clothes,” said one of the magicians present. He handed the naked old man a silver robe.

After donning his clothes, Master Olifer smiled. “Thank you for retrieving the sixteenth fragment, Yuan.”

Yuan was still crestfallen, but he nodded regardless. To him, the Master was like his father. Being unable to cure the curse was frustrating, and it ached him like a stake piercing the heart.

“But as expected, sixteen isn’t enough,” said Master Olifer. He stroked his long ashen beard. “Then, son, could you retrieve another one for me? Maybe seventeen of these things will do the trick.”

Yuan’s face lit up upon hearing it. He looked at the Master, then at Alecto, then back. “There’s another one? I thought there’re only sixteen of them?!”

Yuan’s usual calm and arrogance was gone. He was always a gentle person when it came to his family, and these guys knew that.

Master Olifer chuckled. “Where did you hear that from?” And Yuan looked at the fat woman from before. “There’re eighteen of them in total, son. And I know the location of the two remaining Blood Shards.”

Yuan could not hide the excitement within his face. If it was for his Master, he would gladly wage war with a country just to obtain those shards.

“Where is it?” he said, ready to go toward that place at any time.

“Hmm… let’s see. The first one is in the Rulan Region, deep within the Demon Continent,” said the Master. The other magicians that heard it stiffened. That was a place swarming with high-ranking demons. Contrary, Yuan nodded, blatantly showing his eagerness to go to that dangerous place despite the risks. “The second one is in the Sky Academy. Located above the Empire of Travis.”

The Master stroked his beard once again. “I’ll be sending Lark and Gjaves to Rulan.”

The two people the Master mentioned were among the four Graya of Morvius. Everyone understood that if those two worked together, then it would be possible to retrieve the Blood Shard even from that absurdly dangerous place. They were currently not in the city right now, probably out on a highly classified mission.

“Then, for the other one,” said Yuan, as though he knew the words that were going to come out of the Master’s mouth.

“You’ll be tasked to retrieve that one, Yuan,” said the Master, his eyes smiling.

Yuan’s resolve was palpable. He bowed his head and immediately uttered his reply. “Understood. I will retrieve it without delay.”

The Master chuckled. “Before that, remember that this is vastly different from the missions you’ve received before. You can’t just casually storm that place and retrieve the fragment.”

Yuan was puzzled. “What do you mean, Master?”

The Master nodded at Alecto.

“That place is protected by the Eternal Spirit. Furthermore, the Chairman of that place is the second strongest magician of this continent,” said Alecto. “It’ll be suicide to forcefully take away the Blood Shard from that place.”

The Eternal Spirit was a creature that had been mentioned numerous times in history books. It was a spirit that originated way back during the time the Gods still roamed the Mortal Realm. To put in simpler terms, it was an entity stronger than any mortal alive.

Yuan understood the implications. “Then, what should I do?”

The Master opened his palm, and a folded parchment materialized itself. He grabbed it and handed it to Yuan.

Xert Academy

Letter of Application

Yuan Lukas Rein

First Year Student

Yuan’s eyes widened after reading the contents of the parchment. He bewilderedly stared at the Master.

“You want me to disguise myself as a student and infiltrate the academy?” said Yuan.

Master Olifer nodded. “That’s correct. At the end of each year, the Academy holds an annual competition. The ultimate goal of this mission is to join that annual event – and win. You could ask for the Blood Shard as the reward afterward.”

Yuan was momentarily in deep thought. He had never experienced formal education before. All that he knew was taught to him by his Master and the other high-ranking magicians of Morvius.

“I understand,” he eventually said. “As you wish, Master.”

It was decided. He would soon become a student at the Sky Academy.

***

All of the other magicians in the Underground Chamber had left. Alecto and Master Olifer gazed at the tank before them. There were no ripples in the cloudy water inside, and the Blood Shards that floated on top of the pillar surrounding it glowed a dim crimson color.

Alecto broke the silence. “You damn liar.”

Master Olifer chuckled. “As expected. You realized, huh?”

“How could I not?” said Alecto, looking a bit troubled. “Chairman Jakza is your close friend. I’ve met him numerous times before. Had you asked, he’ll immediately give you the Blood Shard. No questions asked.”

Alecto sighed. A high-ranking magician like him could clearly see the flow of mana within the body of the Master. He knew that the old man had not much time left.

“What are you planning, gramps?” said Alecto. “Why did you send the young one to that place? He’s already strong enough to lay waste even to the professors there. I see no point—”

“—Strength isn’t everything,” said Master Olifer. He coughed, and blood dripped down his chin. He wiped it off using the back of his hand. “Yuan… that kid. He doesn’t even have friends his own age. As the one that raised him, I am a failure as a parent.”

Alecto did not know what to reply to that statement. He eventually chose to remain silent.

“Alecto, even if we gather all eighteen fragments, this curse of mine won’t be cured.”

Alecto was stunned speechless by the Master’s declaration. Somehow, he also suspected that such was the case, but he refused to believe his intuition until now. After all, no matter how grumpy the old man was, he was still the Master he respected to much.

“At the very least, before I breathe my last, I want to do something for my family,” said Master Olifer. “At the very least, I want Yuan to experience what normal life is like.”

The Master softly smiled, creating numerous wrinkles on his face. “That is my sincere wish.”