Legacy of the Dark Sage

The moment Kyran stepped through the portal, he felt a similar sensation whenever he warped. It was not only concerning but downright puzzling.

The portal, as he understood it, was a more sophisticated transportation array created by the Ancients. Yet, the magic energy that circulated within it was eerily similar to Void magic.

If one analyzed this with an open mind, the idea of the Ancients using Void magic was unsurprising. Others might even consider it as a given, especially since they succeeded in creating the Void core. One could say that they would not have succeeded in its creation if they were unfamiliar with it. Thus, it was not farfetched to think that the Ancients' innate magic was Void magic.

Of course, Kyran had these thoughts after discovering that there were beings that possessed Ancient magic, namely the Dragons, the High Elves, and the Spirits. These three possessed three of the Ancient magic, yet there was no record of beings possessing the Void. This led Kyran to consider the possibility that the Ancients possessed it.

Ultimately, Kyran's theory was tested when he witnessed real Ancients, with Diara as the first one, using their magic. Their innate magic was pretty diverse, giving the illusion of it possessing Void properties. But as a mage possessing the Void core itself, Kyran confirmed that their innate magic was not Void.

In fact, he had this uncomfortable feeling that their innate magic was more similar to Azaloth's— which had to do with the Magic Energy itself. This was why their magic looked very diverse.

Considering all these, Kyran felt complex feelings now that he sensed Void magic energy circulating within the portal.

All these thoughts crossed Kyran's mind in but a heartbeat. After that, the scene before him changed from looking at the raw magic energy-filled portal to looking at a room with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with ancient-looking books.

Square lanterns floated around the room, providing just enough light for one to see.

In the middle of the room was a circular platform where a single wooden chair was visible.

Kyran's expression turned solemn as a middle-aged man in a white robe, whose face was hidden under its oversized hood, suddenly appeared sitting on the chair. Kyran did not blink, but the latter just appeared without even causing a magic fluctuation.

At that moment, Kyran knew the identity of the middle-aged man.

'The Tower's sentient.'

The middle-aged man raised his head slightly, revealing a gentle smile underneath its hood.

"I believe this is the first time we will be meeting in person," the middle-aged man greeted.

The moment Kyran heard the middle-aged man's voice, his eyes widened because he recognized it from somewhere.

"That voice...es."

"That is correct, Void Master. I am the Tower that oversees all Towers in existence."

That was right. The middle-aged man's voice was a blend of several voices, making it hard to distinguish his gender. It was the same voice that talked to Kyran when he was training in the Tower of Tribulations.

As this thought entered Kyran's mind, he belatedly made sense of the middle-aged man's words and was almost rendered speechless. He managed to recover in an instant and regained his composure as he said, "All Towers in existence... I have always wondered who created the Tower of the Tribulations. I should have known that among the many clans in The Realm, only one had the capability to do so."

"That is correct. Like the Tower of the Tribulations, this Tower of the Ancients was created by the Ancients. To be more specific, the ones who designed these towers were the Ancient's Four Greatest Minds."

Kyran remained indifferent, but the cogwheels in his mind seemed to whir in motion as he recalled hearing and reading about the Four Greatest Minds.

Caelan mentioned them before, and Kyran also read something about them in the tablets he borrowed from Axil back in the Lower Realm.

The Four Greatest Minds were the most intelligent and talented mages of the Ancients. They invented many groundbreaking magic items that are now considered relics or treasures. They were also the ones who researched and formed new branches of magic, such as Array, Runes, Smithing, and more.

They introduced so many conventional and unconventional ideas on magic that some viewed them as geniuses, while others saw them as monsters.

Ultimately, one of their creation triggered The Fall.

Kyran did not know it before, but prior to coming to the Higher Realm, he already knew that it was the Ancient Magic Cores.

"Your thoughts are on the right track," the middle-aged man, who called himself the Tower, commented as if reading Kyran's mind.

Kyran frowned. Before he could say anything, the Tower continued, "Fret not. The only reason I am able to see through your thoughts is because of our connection. If not, how will I comply with your requests?"

"My requests..." Kyran smiled wryly at him and added, "I was right then."

"Yes," a sliver of a smile appeared on Tower's face once more as he replied to Kyran's words. "Since you did not want to deal with those participants, I had them go to another area and face a different challenge.

"It is the same with the portal. You did not want to leave anyone from your group and the rest of the participants and trainees in the seventh level. Thus, I made it so they can pass through the portal as well."

"But they can't come here."

"And here I thought you have forgotten about them."

"They are not recognized by the Tower. Even if I asked for it, you will not be able to grant it." Read the latest novel on M-VL-em|p,yr

"That is correct. However, rest assured that the Young Mistress is safe. The same goes with your people. I have taken them to a... reception room so they can relax while they await your return. As for the rest...

I have to keep them in check for now. After all, you do not consider all of them as your people."

Kyran did not know how to respond to the Tower's words. He guessed that his connection with him was probably similar to Shaiha in that he was able to learn things about him without having to explain himself. He was pretty obvious about how he treated the people around him, but he did not expect the Tower to understand how he valued each and every one of them.

Only if the Tower were aware of his inner thoughts and emotions could he have known all of it.

In any case, when the Tower mentioned Kyran's people, he only referred to Auto-one and Aki. As for Ladon and Thorn, Kyran never considered them as such, even if they were from the Dragon Clan, because they barely knew each other. The same went with Diara and the other Ancients. Kyran did not see them as his people, even if they sort of swore allegiance to him, given his identity as the Realm Scion.

But this was actually the reason Kyran did not consider them as his people because he had not accepted his new identity completely.

If Kyran felt this way with Diara and the Ancients, who only followed him because of his Realm Scion identity, then it was the same with Leif, Shiloh, Uilleam, and the unconscious Solis representative.

"Ah. Before anything else," the Tower suddenly said before Kyran could ask any question. "Do not worry about the participants you have killed in the Arena. The Arena is created in a way that anyone killed within its circle would be destroyed completely. Any spell akin to life preservation or forewarning that would alert someone from their respective clans of their death is invalidated."

Kyran raised his brows in response to the Tower's words. He was convinced he was not worried about what Shaiha said regarding a mark or a seal on the Solis representatives that could have alerted someone from their clan upon death. But after the Tower brought it up, Kyran admitted that it had been on his mind but did not want to dwell on it at the moment.

Besides, once the tower closed, he would exit through the Dragon Clan's portal so he did not have to worry about anything else.

"It also went without saying, but the Tower of the Ancients itself is cut off from the Higher Realm. Thus, any communication within is impossible."

Now that the Tower said this, Kyran was reminded of something similar that Leif and Oceanus had said.

"You have questions, and I would love to answer them. However, forgive me if my answers are limited. Don't get me wrong," the Tower hastily added after sensing Kyran's expression darkened. "It is not because I am not allowed to speak but because my knowledge is already outdated."

"Since you can sense my thoughts," Kyran started, not interested in beating around the bush. "I'm sure you are aware of the things that I want to know."

"I do."

"How much can you tell me?"

The Tower did not answer immediately. Instead, he seemed to be observing Kyran for a while before finally answering, "I can tell you everything. All you need to do is ask"