Legacy of the Dark Sage

"The King of the Ancients, however, refused the Higher Being's demand, resulting in a devastating war."

Kairos's statements thus far were mostly things Kyran figured out after combining the information he had on hand. Still, Kairos was able to fill some of the holes in Kyran's theory, allowing him to have a better glimpse of the events of the past.

Kyran's insatiable curiosity was piqued by the existence of a Deity that created The Realm, the Fates, the Rules, and Magic.

He had always wondered why everyone feared the Fates no matter which realm they resided in. He even felt that The Emperor was not an exception, even when he was considered the most powerful being in existence in their time. Now that he was aware that the Fates were created by an existence incomparable to The Emperor, it all made sense.

The existence of the Four Greatest Minds also intrigued Kyran. They were mentioned a few times in the history recorded on the tablet, and Caelan also shared the things he learned about them. But that information was not enough to satiate Kyran's curiosity.

In fact, there was something Kyran was curious about that he had yet to find someone willing to disclose it.

What inspired the Four Greatest Minds of the Ancients to create artificial Ancient Magic Cores?

"The Realm Scion."

Kyran was surprised at the unexpected change in their conversation's direction. Kairos's remark came out of nowhere that Kyran was momentarily confused because he could not connect it with the former's last statement.

But then Kyran remembered that Kairos could see through his thoughts and inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

'All you need to do is ask.'

When Kairos first said this and emphasized it once more, Kyran still had his reservations. But now, he finally believed that the former could truly give him the answers.

"How much do you know about the Realm Scion?" Kairos asked Kyran.

Again, Kyran was taken aback at the unexpected question. Then again, Kairos probably did not want to mention things Kyran already knew, which was why he asked that question.

"I... don't really know much..." Kyran replied, his voice trailing off at the end of his statement because he knew that was not true. He shook his head and sighed before admitting, "Actually, I'm not sure myself."

The moment those words came out of his lips, he knew how odd he sounded. But there were no other words that best describe what he understood about the Realm Scion.

Kairos smiled wryly at Kyran's response. His reaction was not because he found it odd. It was actually the opposite. He understood Kyran's doubts and somehow empathized with him.

"As the Realm Scion, you will inherit The Realm," Kairos started by stating the most obvious fact of being the Realm Scion.

Kyran did not react because that was something he already gleaned just by the title alone.

"Unfortunately, since The Realm got divided, inheriting it will be a little tricky."

"Tricky, but not impossible, is what you mean."

"Yes."

Kyran sighed.

The way to inherit The Realm was to fix it first, but that in itself was close to impossible. This was already obvious.

"I see that you are already wondering how you can accomplish it."

"I'm not," Kyran replied with a deadpan expression.

Kairos only chuckled in response.

Kyran frowned but did pursue the matter.

As Kairos said, he did start to wonder how he could fix The Realm. But he did so instinctively. If he had a choice, he could not be bothered. Nevertheless, the reason he started wondering how he could fix it was because of the Void magic's nature.

Caelan once said that Void was not all about destruction, and Kyran already realized this fact— Void could be used to create something out of nothing. Considering the nature of the Void, he wondered if it was possible to create a bridge of some sort that would connect the two realms and form The Realm.

When this thought crossed Kyran's mind, he pushed it to the back of his mind at once. He still had a lot of things to deal with and did not want to add any more to it, especially when there were a lot of things he had to consider.

"While we are on the topic, what do you think is needed for you to fix The Realm?"

Kyran scowled. He disliked how Kairos's question referred to him as if it was a given. In the end, he did not refute the latter and answered, "Magic."

He chose to answer in general rather than specifically mention the Void.

"True. You cannot fix The Realm with Void magic alone. You will need Magic, and you will also need the Rules."

The moment Kairos said this, Kyran's expression turned grim. He was beginning to understand what Kairos was getting at and dreaded the thought.

"May I remind you that it was you who wanted to know the truth?" Kairos said, but his gentle voice suddenly sounded cold to Kyran.

"I wanted to know the truth of what happened in the past, not the Realm Scion," Kyran replied, giving Kairos a hard look.

"It is part of the truth."

"What...?"

Even as the question formed in Kyran's mind, he stopped midway saying it out loud because he was hit with a realization.

Why did Karios bring up the Realm Scion in their conversation?

It was when Kyran wondered what inspired the Four Greatest Minds of the Ancients to create artificial Ancient Magic Cores.

Kairos nodded slowly, sensing not only Kyran's thoughts but the myriad of emotions that followed.

"You know how the Ancients were responsible for a lot of breakthroughs in Magic knowledge, as well as the creation of several powerful and unconventional magic items," he started once more. "Those breakthroughs gave birth to different branches of Magic, and those magic items are now considered relics or treasures.

"One of the powerful and fearsome treasures that the Ancients created that can be found here in the Tower of the Ancients is called the Looking Glass."

Kairos's expression turned solemn as he looked at Kyran meaningfully.

"Can you guess what it can do?"

Kyran furrowed his brows and chose not to answer. He did not have to since Kairos would know it regardless if he said it out loud or only thought of it.

"One of the Four Greatest Minds accidentally saw something in the Looking Glass," Kairos continued as if he had never asked a question. "He contemplated what to do of what he had seen. In the end, he chose to tell it to the other three. That was how their thoughts started to wonder if it was possible to produce the Ancient Magic Cores."

"What did he see?" Kyran asked. He resolved to hear Kairos first before asking questions. But this time, he could not stop himself from asking.

"You already know the answer to that."

"..."

Kyran fell silent. Sometimes, he disliked how he could grasp things so easily. Even more so when the things he grasped were correct.

The Ancients saw that The Realm would fall and wanted to find a way to prevent it. But if that was the case, and they knew what caused it, should they not have gone through with their research? Or could it be that it was because they did not know what caused it that was why they went through with their research and ended up causing The Fall?

Wait.

Something did not seem right.

Could it be that there was another reason that caused The Fall?

"Yes," Kairos answered with a bitter smile. "The Four Greatest Minds' research was only one of the things that caused The Fall."

Kyran opened his mouth, intending to ask what other factors caused The Fall. But then he stopped because he had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

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"You are on the right track, Void Master."

Kyran looked at Kairos and could not help but say, "Somehow... you reminded me of Caelan."

Kairos chuckled, "Because I don't give out a straight answer? Or is it because I can see through your thoughts?"

Kyran frowned, "I did not know you could also look through my memories."

"I can't," Kairos admitted. "I only managed to glean the reasons because you momentarily thought of Caelan."

"Right."

"It is the Fates, isn't it?" Kyran suddenly asked with a pained expression.

"Why do you have such a pained expression? It is not like you can do anything about it."

"I..." Kyran paused as he recalled his encounter with the Fates. "When I met the Fates back in the Lower Realm, the way they talked... gave me an impression that they are different from what I first imagined them to be."

"What do you think they are?"

"..."

"It is fine. As I said, they will not be able to intervene in this place. Not that you have to worry about that."

"Because I am immune to them."

"Yes."

"..."

A brief silence ensued after that because Kyran took a deep breath and said, "You said it yourself. The Deity created the Fates. But unlike The Realm, the Rules, and the Magic, which were abstract, they possessed a form. They can even communicate and appear before others."

"Yes."

"From the way they speak... I was reminded of a puppet... or an automaton that had yet to form their own sentient."