Meeting
“Hm, that is indeed a good idea! But…” Baelin had nodded, but then felt a little guilty.
He had only left behind a letter when he took Jenny away, not even wishing the man goodbye. It was slightly irrational, and even ungrateful.
This had always been a thorn in his heart. However, he had been impulsive as a teenager, and his worry for Jenny’s safety had led him to go through with what he had done.
He had planned to wait until things got better and he managed to make something of himself. He would return as a successful man with a reputation. If he then begged for Leylin’s apology, he believed he would be forgiven.
“Lord Leylin might even make an exception and acknowledge me as his disciple!” Baelin occasionally dreamed of such.
However, the timing was still not right. He was a poor, penniless youngster who was even being chased by the dark elves. If he were to head over now, he would even need to rely on Leylin for help.
Blood rushed to Baelin’s head, and his cheeks flushed.
“What’s wrong?” Memphis asked.
“Oh, nothing, it’s nothing. You have a great idea. Let’s do it!”
“I don’t recommend you do that.” At this moment, a cold female voice sounded beside them.
“Who is it?”Baelin immediately jumped a distance away, his cloak fluttering open. His Bio Boosting Armour, comprising of countless eyes, fused with his body and the Underground Winder Spider Emperor on his shoulder hopped off as it expanded from the size of a fist to that of a two-storeyed building. It turned towards the voice, a translucent liquid dripping from its white teeth.
On the other side, Memphis started to prepare his spells as well, his body glowing. The relentless pursuit they had escaped from until now had made them paranoid, and they were easily startled.
Red flashing lights revealed the source of the voice to be a female Magus.
This woman wore a large white robe; her charming eyebrows were long and narrow, and the lines on her face were soft and exquisite. She could be considered a rare beauty.
What made her stand out was the five-coloured gemstone bracelet on her pale neck. Energy fluctuations that did not lose out to that of an official Magus emanated from her body.
“Who are you?” Baelin asked guardedly.
This human Magus seemed to be proficient in stealth techniques. She had been able to come close without being noticed, closer than even the dark elven forces that had chased them could get!
“I have no bad intentions.” The female Magus smiled good-naturedly, and then spread her arms.
“My name is Vinas, and I’m a wandering Magus. I’m here to give you some advice” The female Magus’ voice was very calm, and there was a mysterious aura about her. It was an aura found only on the erudite and wise, like elders who had long since learned the ways of the world.
‘No, not erudite! She’s confident, as if the entire world is a toy in her hands!’ Memphis was secretly shocked. This confidence was seldom seen even among matriarchs. This conclusion drove him to further shock, and he went on high alert.
This sort of person was bound to have unfathomable strength or a special ability. It was best if he and Baelin did not do anything that they were not sure would go well.
“Alright! Well then, Ms Vinas, what would you like to tell us?” Memphis had stealthily retreated a few steps, and was using his right sleeve to conceal his actions as he took hold of a simple magic scroll.
“You don’t have to be so wary. I’m a friend who is here to help you!”
Vinas smiled wryly, and without waiting for Memphis to enquire, she began to narrate, “There’s a traitor among the upper ranks of Twilight Zone’s Magi who has colluded with the dark elves. I don’t know this person’s identity yet, but I know he’s shrouded by the fog of destiny. However, he might have a guardian, be it the guild leader of a large-scale guild, or even the Magus Leylin you spoke of! If you enter their hands, the consequences will be dire.”
“There’s a traitor among the higher-ups of Magi?” Baelin cried out, “Where did you get that news?”
“The guidance of destiny lets me see this, just as it lets me see your futures.” A pious expression appeared on Vinas’ face as she walked forward, focusing on Baelin’s face.
“You will become a hero in the future, and I shall be your most loyal subordinate and assistant.” As she said this, she actually half-knelt and performed the rites to vow her loyalty and devotion to him.
“I- I- I’ll become a hero?” Baelin seemed to turn a little stupid, but Memphis had zoned in on the main points of her speech.
“A prophecy? Could you be the legendary witch of destiny, capable of peering into someone’s entire life?”
“Under the guidance of destiny, nothing can be hidden!” Vinas nodded and confirmed her identity.
“A female Magus that can predict the future! So cool!” Baelin cheered.
“History has given birth to many legendary figures like the Lion King and John the Golden Knight. Each of them had a wise and powerful Magus aiding them, one with the power to see the future. Only with this aid did they become the masters of their generations!”
The stream of fortuitous meetings, as well as having the witch of destiny standing on his side made him feel slightly complacent. “Perhaps… I really am destined to be a hero!” These thoughts could not be contained as they took root in Baelin’s mind, a seed that kept growing.
“Baelin, wake up!” Memphis was a little speechless.
They hadn’t even ascertained whether this person was friend or foe, or whether her prophecy was real, yet he had already begun to daydream…?
“My Lady Magus, can you prophesize the conspiracy stirring amongst the dark elves?” Memphis asked what he was most concerned about.
“I’m afraid not! The current of destiny is far too powerful, and I can only see certain images, of specific times and places.” Vinas smoothed her long hair at the back, laughing wryly.
“Also, the dark elves seem to have a helper that is the same as me, able to predict the future.”
“What?” Baelin and Memphis involuntarily cried out at the same time.
Since when did terrifying Magi who could predict the future become so commonplace that they could be found everywhere?
“Alright! Looks like I wasn’t the only one. Well then, Vinas, are you willing to become our companion and adventure with us?” Baelin laughed, stretching his arm towards Vinas.
“It would be my honour!” Vinas’ voice revealed a tinge of emotion. However, the moment their hands touched, her expression changed.
A white circle spread from the centers of her eyes, turning her pupils pure white.
In her line of sight, a young Magus with a black ring was rapidly rushing in their direction. That person also looked in this direction; as if through the power of destiny; they had also noticed her existence.
“This is bad!” Red light flashed from her body, and she quickly turned to leave.
“Don’t even think of running!” On the other end, Aaron now knew the reason why he had been hurrying his journey and feeling so restless.
Another person training in Sacred Flame had already rushed ahead of him and arrived first.
*Boom! Boom!*
Two rays streaked through the horizon, causing Baelin and Memphis to be unable to make heads or tails of the situation.
“Is she the other Magus?” Aaron’s expression was dark as he asked in his mind.
“Yes. I can feel the aura of another magic artifact I forged on her!” Merlin’s voice was low as he answered quickly.
*Rumble!*
The two rays clashed, and quickly separated.
However, with that attack, Aaron and Vinas could now see each other clearly.
It was a beautiful female Magus, Aaron judged, but immediately after, a powerful desire exploded from the depths of his heart. This was a violent surge that could not be stopped.
‘Devour her! Devour her! Devour her!’
“What’s going on?” Aaron pressed his hand to his heart, looking ashen. He asked Merlin, “Why do I feel like I need to kill this woman to be whole?”
“Sigh…” Merlin huffed out a long breath, “It looks like the necklace contains a memory fragment of mine, and it has imparted Sacred Flame to her as well!”
“Sacred Flame is an exclusive high-grade meditation technique. In other words, only one Magus in a generation can successfully train in it. The rest might not die, but they won’t be able to attain a higher level in their meditation technique. My apologies…”
“Don’t worry.” Aaron was now a lot more mature, “If not for Sacred Flame, I might have died countless times. Why would I care about that?”
“But does that mean I’m enemies with that female Magus?”
“Yes! Only one person will be able to have the last laugh between you two, and I hope that will be you,” Merlin’s voice travelled, “Don’t worry, I will do all I can to support you!”
……
“Everyone has gathered. The show is about to start!”
Leylin occupied the central tent in Nature’s Alliance’s temporary encampment, and it was the most luxurious.
Through the A.I. Chip, he was now checking up on his guinea pigs and their progress in Sacred Flame.
By distributing the old grandpas and his modified technique, he obtained not only a lot of experimental data but also the high-grade meditation techniques that he’d had them steal.
These high-grade meditation techniques were normally only passed on to guild members. However, with an unwitting spy amongst their ranks, obtaining them was very easy.
“Looks like I’ve managed to successfully modify prophecies!” Leylin scratched his chin.
That prediction of a traitor had been a cock and bull story he had conjured up, but it had successfully deceived Vinas. This allowed Leylin to be even more confident in his future plans.
“But that last guinea pig is really exceeding my expectations! He actually chose to side with the dark elves. How daring!”