"Val, did you feel that?"
Seated at the base of a tree near the edge of the wide clearing where the House of Cards stood, Anna frowned slightly.
She had felt it too.
On her lap, Valerian lay sprawled lazily, his furry tail gently swaying back and forth.
"Myu," he muttered, blinking sleepily. "I think that was an earthquake or sothing"
"Seed more than just an earthquake to ," Anna murmured, her gaze glued to the entrance of the grand structure.
She couldn't help but wonder, Did he succeed?
***
Inside the House of Cards.
Adam and Nilek walked side by side as they exited the Great Vault. The youth turned to the flamboyant spirit and solemnly asked, "Are you sure?"
The Joker shrugged. "Just making an educated guess."
The pair walked toward the Grand Library, their footsteps echoing faintly through the vast hall.
The Joker spoke as he walked, "Based on my understanding, and by that I an my master's calculations, there are enough mana crystals here to sustain at least two journeys."
Adam still couldn't believe it.
All this while, the key to reaching the Greater Universe had been hidden in a remote region of the Ulier Continent.
And yet...
Before him, no one had discovered it.
"If you knew about this, why didn't you say so?" Adam couldn't help but ask. "There must have been countless Magi before who wanted to journey to the Greater Universe, but couldn't, because the planetary alignnt was still too far away for them."
Nielk snorted. "Why should I care about their plight?"
Adam was dumbfounded. "You can't be serious!"
"I am." The Joker shrugged. "They didn't pass the test; you did. They didn't inherit this secret plane; you did. They couldn't go to the Greater Universe. They weren't fated, but you are."
Adam's mind was a ss. He couldn't help but think of Aldo Wagner.
If sohow he had co across the Soaring River Secret Plane and unraveled its secrets back then... would he still have chosen the sa path?
Would he have beco a lich?
Would the world have descended into the chaos it now endures?
The Joker turned to him and said in a solemn voice, "The problems of this world are not mine, lad. And traveling to the Greater Universe requires more than just talent or skill."
He deeply looked at the youth.
"It requires fortune. The people who ca before you simply were not
fortunate enough. That is all I can say."
The pair silently entered the Grand Library.
Adam's mind churned with all kinds of thoughts. He couldn't alter the past, but
he did have power over the present. And that... could affect the future.
He exhaled a heavy sigh. "I understand."
There were still fifty-five years left until the planetary alignnt.
But the sudden discovery of the mana crystals changed everything!
Adam no longer had to wait.
With enough energy to charge the lunar portal himself, he could leave Tron far earlier than he had ever planned.
But he still had to deal with Wagner and his Cult.
The Joker's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"My work here has concluded," he said with a sigh. "Now that my master's
legacy is in good hands, I can finally go ho."
Adam turned to him and said in a solemn voice, "The spirit world is a dangerous place. When you leave this secret plane, your powers will have greatly
diminished."
"So what?" Nielk grinned. "Does that an I should give up?"
Adam remained silent for a while and then shook his head with a smile. "No... of
course, not."
He paused for a mont, then said softly, "Don't you want to say your final goodbyes to the Four Great Guardians?"
Nielk nodded with a gentle smile.
"Yes," he said quietly. "Let's go."
***
In a vast plain sowhere in the secret plane, the four colossal beasts had
gathered, their moods crestfallen.
Before them, the Joker stood with a gentle smile.
"It is ti for to leave," he said in a soft voice. "The lad is the new owner of
the secret plane, so listen to whatever he has to say, okay?"
Adam, who was working on the runic formation nearby, waved his hand dismissively. "You can all go to the Murky Mountains. There's not much work
for you here, anyway."
Nielk's eyes narrowed as he turned to the raven-haired youth. "What if soone like you forcefully enters the secret plane in the future? What then?" Adam snorted, resuming his work. "There's no one like ." He paused briefly, then added. "Besides, the golems in the vault are more than enough to deal with trespassers. You're just too paranoid."
The Joker remained silent for a while, then shrugged. "Fine."
The four beasts had spent their entire lives within the confines of the secret
plane. They had guarded it faithfully, never once stepping beyond its borders. Nielk believed they, too, deserved the chance to see the outside world, just as
he now would.
Besides, Adam was right. The golems were more than enough to deal with any intruders in the future.
Several hours later, Adam had finished carving the last stroke on the formation. The Joker had bid farewell to the four magical beasts. It was finally ti for him
to leave.
He stood at the center of the formation, an eager smile on his painted face.
He turned to Adam and said sincerely, "You must honor my master's final
wishes, Adam. I leave everything in your hands."
"I will stay true to my word, my friend." Adam smiled.
With that said, he weaved a series of hand seals and activated the formation. A
tear split the void above the formation, and a portal to the spirit world was
ford.
Seeing the multicolored skies of the otherworldly dinsion stretch endlessly,
the Joker was overwheld with emotion.
The ti had co, at last.
He turned to the four beasts and smiled softly, "Goodbye."
Then he faced Adam and said from the bottom of his heart:
"Thank you."
The next mont, Nielk the Joker shot upward and passed through the portal.
Finally... he went ho.
Adam willed the portal to close, and a few monts later, the space stabilized. He turned to the Great Guardians and said with a faint smile,
"I hope you can wait a few more years before leaving the secret plane. Things outside are about to get a little chaotic now..."
The four beasts had lived here for many years. They didn't see why they couldn't wait a few more years. And thus, they agreed.
Two months later, the portal to the Soaring River Secret Plane opened once
more, allowing the young Magi to return to the outside world.
And as Adam had anticipated, several Mana Core Magi, accompanied by dozens of Mana Vortex Magi, were already waiting outside for him...
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