Aranal, Haynam Empire.
The colosseum in Aranal was a massive stone structure, with tiered seats rising high above the central sand pit.
The air was roaring with the cheers of the crowd, thousands of citizens of the Haynam Empire shouting and jeering as the matches unfolded below. Colored banners of the Empire hung from the walls, fluttering in the dry wind.
On the arena floor, the Magi of the Empire displayed their might as flaming spheres erupted, lightning arcs, and shards of ice tore through the air. Their opponents, captured warriors from the Soveregin Union, fought with utter desperation.
Blood stained the sand, and the clash of steel, arcane spells, and the wretched screams of the wounded echoed across the stands. The audience cheered louder with every kill, hungry for spectacle.
But beneath the chaos, far below the stone colosseum, lay a hidden chamber.
The air there was cold, heavy, and eerie, humming with unstable energy. At its center, a vast circular portal glowed faintly, with mysterious runes inscribed into the surrounding floor, thrumming like a beating heart.
The portal’s surface rippled constantly as if it were alive, an ominous reminder that the bloody gas taking place above were nothing more than a distraction from sothing far more dangerous slumbering below.
Dozens of cultists lined the walls of the chamber, so taking notes, others repairing the stonework, while a few carried magical ores and alloys to help their fellow Magi in reinforcing the portal chamber.
At the center of it all, standing before the massive pulsing portal, were two figures. They were the Elders of the Inner Circle, Marden Benton and Leland Haynam.
The Emperor of the Haynam Empire glanced at the portal with a fascinated look on his face. Through its dark, shimring surface, he could almost glimpse the higher realm that lay on the other side of the portal.
"Nine Hells of Inferno," he murmured. "I wonder what kind of realm it is. If the mana leaking through the portal is already this dense, how overwhelming must the true mana of that world be?"
As a Magus, he contained boundless curiosity for the higher arcane arts. And as soone at the Mana Core Rank, he was naturally privy to the higher worlds beyond Tron. He dread of one day leaving this world and venturing into the Greater Universe to pursue the mysteries of arcana.
Marden, who was crouched on the ground and reinforcing the mysterious runes around the portal, answered without looking up, "The Nine Hells are a plane of oppressive order and tornt, each layer more hostile and dangerous than the last.
"From scorched battlefields and cities of iron, to rotting swamps, volcanic wastelands, and frozen seas, crumbling mountains, ruined empires, glacial voids, and finally a realm where fire and ice intertwine, the Hells embody every extre of suffering.
"It is a Plane of Reality bound by rigid hierarchy and ruled by ancient archdevils. It is a place where ambition is both the highest currency and the surest path to eternal damnation. Trust , Leland, the Inferno isn’t a place you’d want to visit."
Leland nodded absentmindedly. But suddenly... his brows wrinkled into a slight knot. He turned to Marden and asked with an inquisitive gaze, "How do you know so much about the Nine Hells?"
Marden’s hand froze for the briefest of monts before he resud strengthening the runes on the ground. He replied in a calm voice, "Did you forget that I recently paid a visit to the Lord’s personal vault? I happened to pick up so interesting books there."
"Ah, yes." Leland nodded, smiling faintly. "Of course."
He turned back to the portal, his gaze distant and unreadable. "Are there more Planes of Reality? Other than the Nine Hells of Inferno?"
"I suppose there are," said Marden vaguely. "At least, that’s what the book claims. I don’t know where the Lord acquired those books from, but they do have quite fascinating information in them."
Leland’s interest was piqued. He waved his hand, conjuring an invisible barrier around them that prevented any sound from getting out. He then asked in an eager voice, "Go on then, tell what you found."
Marden couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. Whenever the topic of arcane mysteries was brought up, his friend Leland beca a little child who had found a new toy, a stark contrast to the other Elders, whose cold indifference seed untouched by anything in this world.
"You already know planets in the Outer Universe are categorized into different tiers according to the density of mana in each planet. The sa is true for planets in the Greater Universe," Marden began, his attention still on the runes on the ground.
"However, beyond even the highest-tier planets in the Greater Universe lie the Planes of Reality, realms with mana more abundant and dense than anywhere else in existence. The Nine Hells of Inferno is one of them. The texts also speak of a plane ruled by only magical beasts.
"Then there is a plane that serves as the domain of the ancient giants. There are many such planes, all overflowing with mana. My point is, as we are now, should we set foot into a Plane of Reality like the Nine Hells, we’d find ourselves at the bottom of the hierarchy. For us, it would an certain death."
"...I see." Leland stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"That is why the Magi of the Outer Universe advance in stages. They rise to the peak of the arcane ranks within their own worlds, then move on to the Greater Universe. They repeat the sa process—if they’re capable enough—then head to the Planes of Reality."
"Yes, sothing like that," Marden murmured, his gaze carefully scrutinizing every little detail on the runes inscribed on the ground.
He suddenly recalled sothing and casually added, "Oh, I almost forgot. The ranking system we use here in the Outer Universe is different from the one in the Greater Universe. The arcane titles are the sa, but the numbering differs."
Leland frowned. "How so?"
Marden then went on to explain that in the Greater Universe, Ranks 1 through 3—Mana Foundation to Mana Vortex—are considered as Rank 0, while Rank 4, Mana Core, is regarded as the true starting point at Rank 1.
Leland remained silent for a long ti, his eyes flickering with conflicting emotions. At long last, he nodded with a heavy sigh. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense."
He suddenly thought of sothing, a solemn look on his face. He turned to Marden and asked in a low voice, "Do you think the Lord got all this knowledge from the devils?"
Marden paused what he was doing, his eyes gleaming with a peculiar light. Then, he muttered under his breath, his voice barely a whisper:
"...What if he brought all this knowledge with him?"
Leland couldn’t help but frown intensely. He deeply looked at Marden and asked, "Are you implying... the Lord isn’t from Tron?"
Marden resud working on the runes again, his lips curling into an imperceptible smirk.
"Food for thought."
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