Murky Mountains, Ulier Continent.
Deep within the danger-filled jungles of this vast stretch of land, a gno lived in seclusion.
A narrow cave remained hidden among twisted roots and hanging vines. Inside, the gno silently worked, surrounded by bundles of dried herbs, stone bowls, and crystal vials.
He crushed leaves and seeds with precision that he had honed after centuries of practice. A dicinal fragrance drifted in the cave as he brewed potions and tinctures by hand.
At the mouth of a cave, a black wolf lay sprawled across its entrance. His body appeared relaxed, his eyes closed as if he were asleep. Yet, his ears twitched ever so slightly from ti to ti, and the muscles underneath his dark fur coiled.
Though slumbering, the wolf remained alert, guarding the cave against anyone who dared approach.
In the last few years, both Berger and Blackie had been hunted down by the agents of the Twilight Brotherhood. Of course, all those who were foolish enough to confront them had died terrible deaths.
However, the frequency of attacks had increased so much that it had beco annoying. Additionally, because of the constant attacks, Edward, too, was affected. It was good training for him, but still, Berger felt like he was posing unnecessary dangers to the youth.
So, in the end, the gno chose to relocate to a safer location. After secretly delivering Edward to the Tower of Daybreak, Berger and Blackie withdrew into the Murky Mountains. Since then, they have been living in complete seclusion in this region.
No matter how tirelessly the agents of the Brotherhood searched for them, their efforts proved futile.
Still, being hunted by the very organization that he and his ntor once belonged to dealt a stinging blow to Berger.
Suddenly, Blackie’s eyes snapped open, and he looked in a particular spot within the cave. A mont later, Berger’s senses stirred, and he paused what he was doing. A few seconds later, the space beside him tore open, and a tiny portal was ford.
From the portal, a little serpent erged, carrying a letter in its jaw.
The mont Berger and Blackie saw the serpent, they were astonished.
After all, they only knew one person who used serpents as ssengers!
Blackie rushed towards Berger, his dark eyes flashing with anticipation. Berger put away the vials in his hand and quickly retrieved the letter.
The serpent tilted its head in an adorable manner as it stared at the two. Having fulfilled its duties, it returned to the Coil.
anwhile, the gno intensely glanced at the letter in his hands.
Blackie couldn’t help but urge, "Go ahead, open it!"
They already knew who it was from. Still, they couldn’t help but be surprised. After all, a long ti had passed since they’d heard any word from this person.
The gno eagerly opened the letter, but...
"It won’t open," he murmured with a frown.
A mont later, he realized sothing and infused a bit of mana into the letter.
Then, a startling change took place within the cave.
The instant the gno infused the letter with his mana, a ripple of energy spread outward from the parchnt. Under Berger and Blackie’s astonished gaze, a barrier was ford around them, concealing everything that happened within from prying eyes.
However, it wasn’t this quirky magic spell that surprised them.
No, it was sothing else.
"This mana fluctuation..." Blackie muttered with wide eyes.
Berger nodded in amazent. "Mana Core Rank!"
"Adam really has beco a Mana Core Magus!" Blackie was delighted, his tone infused with shock.
Berger, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel overwheld by emotions.
So much ti had passed since Adam fell in the Battle of Ravenfell. At tis, he desperately hoped that the youth was alive and well. But at other tis, darker thoughts crept in. He couldn’t help but wonder whether sothing terrible had happened to Adam.
But now that he had finally received a letter from him and also learned that the snotty brat who used to dig his nose as a child had finally attained the legendary Mana Core Rank, pride swelled in his heart.
After the magic bound to the letter activated and an invisible barrier ford around Berger and Blackie, the letter slipped away from the gno’s hand and rose into the air, hovering steadily.
Then it began to change. The parchnt folded on itself, crumpling and reshaping until it ford the lower half of a human face, its edges softening into lips. A mont later, those lips curved into a familiar smirk, one that Berger and Blackie recognized instantly.
At last, the lips parted, and Adam’s voice echoed through the barrier.
"Dear old man, I hope you’re doing well. I know it’s been a long ti since I last spoke to you. I’m not trying to make any excuses, but know that I was simply unable to..."
When Berger and Blackie heard Adam’s words, they were ecstatic. They were curious as to what he had been up to in these past few years. Noticing how he did not wish to speak about his experiences in the letter, they assud that it must have been very distressing.
But judging by how cheerful the youth sounded, they believed that everything was now fine with him. They were glad to know that he had recovered from the injuries he had sustained.
However, there was one thing that they could not understand...
Why was it that Adam didn’t know how much ti had passed since the Battle of Ravenfell?
The only reasonable conclusion they could co to was that he must have entered seclusion in order to ascend to the Mana Core Rank. And as a result, he must have lost track of how much ti had passed.
They were shocked to learn that he had taken care of the portals in Mabi and Yen-Lu. They couldn’t even begin to imagine the things he must have had to go through to be able to pull off such a feat.
After the parchnt had finished narrating Adam’s words, it burned to ashes before removing all traces of itself. Imdiately after, the barrier surrounding Berger and Blackie also dissipated.
The two remained standing there for a long ti, digesting the newfound information.
Blackie was the first one to speak up. "I cannot believe he ventured to Mabi and succeeded!"
Berger sighed. "This brat..."
He massaged his temples and murmured. "I’m just glad he’s alive."
The giant wolf nodded. He then turned to the gno and said, "To be able to beco a Mana Core Magus even before Edward... he’s truly a monster!"
Ti had lost all aning to Adam the mont he entered the Dark Valley.
To him, it felt as though the passage of ti had stretched on into infinity while also remaining frozen in place.
But in reality...
Twenty years had passed!
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