The mont Adam heard his na leave the hermit’s mouth, his heart turned cold. In that mont, only one thought echoed inside his mind:
The Cult of Bones!
That was the only conclusion he could arrive at after witnessing the elderly man erect a barrier and casting anti-divination magic.
Adam’s lips curled into a predatory grin, and his heart was engulfed in madness. "So you’ve finally shown yourself, despicable cultist!"
The next mont, he had already arrived before the hermit, his hands tightly clasping the daggers as he viciously brought them down.
Crash!
Instead of reaching the target, however, the daggers struck a defensive barrier in front of the old man. A mont later, the daggers shattered into pieces.
The hermit helplessly sighed. "I do not wish to fight you."
However, Adam was seemingly incapable of hearing those words. He quickly circled around the elderly man, purposely dragging his feet behind him and causing dust to rise into the air, creating a hazy curtain.
One after another, he struck the elderly man’s defensive barriers. But no matter how hard he tried, the barrier just wouldn’t give in.
By now, the dust was enough to hide Adam’s movents, if only a little.
After having destroyed all the daggers on his person, he finally retrieved his true weapon from the depths of his spirit sea.
Staff of Calamity!
Adam gripped the staff so tightly that the veins in his forearms started to bulge and throb. Then, with all his might, he hamred it right on the man’s head.
BAM!
The hermit’s eyes flashed for a brief mont when he noticed his defensive spell croak under the mysterious staff’s pressure.
"Most fascinating," he murmured, his gaze scrutinizing the runes etched on the black staff.
Adam, in a state of utter fury, prepared for another strike with his staff. He was fairly certain that the next one was going to completely obliterate the defensive barrier around the elderly man.
But only a mont before he could even attack, the hermit’s tired voice echoed in his ears:
"Enough."
Then, at a speed that was nearly impossible for even Adam to track, the hermit’s hand turned into a shadowy blur, and he pressed a few points on the youth’s shoulders.
Following that, Adam’s arms trembled and a mont later... the Staff of Calamity slipped from his grasp.
With wide eyes, he quickly retreated. Then he ntally commanded the staff to return to his spirit sea, lest the mysterious hermit seize it.
"A soul-bound artifact!" The hermit marveled.
He then turned to Adam, who was breathing heavily, not from exhaustion, but from anger. The hermit couldn’t help but sigh.
"I expected better of you," he murmured. "A man who allows his emotions to cloud his judgnt is a man forever enslaved by them."
"Who are you?!" Adam barked. "A filthy wretch from the Inner Circle?"
The hermit deeply looked at the youth, then answered in a low voice. "You are mistaken, young Magus."
Adam’s eyes narrowed.
Is he lying? Just who the hell is he?
After a long pause, the hermit finally introduced himself:
"I am the Sect Leader of the Shadow Sect."
"You..." Adam’s pupils constricted. "You’re not from the Cult of Bones?!"
"That is what I’ve been trying to tell you." The hermit sighed helplessly.
Adam burst into a crazed fit of laughter. A few monts later, he abruptly stopped. With a grave look on his face, he couldn’t help but ask:
"Then why didn’t you say so earlier?!"
The hermit was a little speechless upon seeing Adam’s strange deanor. "They said you were mad. I assud it was a... figure of speech."
Adam’s raging emotions gradually died down. He inhaled deeply, trying hard to suppress the ravings of the Faceless Mask. His senses settled on the mysterious lantern the hermit was holding. He couldn’t help but ask:
"Why did you cast anti-divination magic?"
"Hoho!" The hermit was slightly surprised. "You can tell the enchantnts on this Artifact just from its mana fluctuations?"
He paused for a mont, then continued, "I do not wish for anyone to scry upon our words. Besides..."
The hermit paused again. "You don’t want others to learn you’re pretending to be a mute, do you?"
He chuckled in a aningful manner.
Adam couldn’t help but grimace. He clutched at his head for a few monts, then finally cupped his fists and apologised.
"I’m sorry for my behavior earlier. It’s just... Ah, forget it. I have no excuses."
The hermit deeply looked at Adam, then said, "It would appear that your enmity with the Cult of Bones runs deep."
"Deep?" Adam blurted out. "I will not rest until I’ve erased every last one of them from this planet!"
The hermit sighed. Then, he asked in an even voice:
"Would it please you to know that the Cult has withdrawn its secret forces from our realm?"
Adam frowned. "What? The Cultists are no longer in Yen-Lu? How?"
"I do not know." The hermit shook his head. "Most of my divination attempts relating to the Cult of Bones turn out to be futile. But I do know one thing..."
"What is it?" Adam pressed.
"The Cult withdrew its forces shortly after your visit to Yuanshi."
"Since my visit to the Arcane Alliance headquarters..." Adam’s frown deepened.
Suddenly, he seed to have recalled sothing, and his shoulders loosened. "Ah, I see."
The hermit deeply looked at him. A few monts later, he stated matter-of-factly, "My attempts to divine your nature have yielded nothing as well. In truth, they are even more fruitless than trying to scry upon the Cult of Bones."
"...I suppose." Adam shrugged.
He then quickly changed the subject. "What did you wish to talk to about, Sect Leader?"
The hermit remained silent for a long ti. At last, he began:
"The Shadow Sect has walked in the darkness for thousands of years, guiding and protecting the people of this realm. Now with the Fourth Great War upon us, we must act with even greater vigilance.
"But before we set our plans into motion, I need to know more about those who stand at the center of this Great War. Two n, to be precise. You..."
The hermit paused, his words turning solemn.
"...and the Heavenly Demon."
User Comments
0 comments from readers