The wind brushed against Adam's face as he soared high above the sea of clouds. Sitting atop Valerian's back, he looked in a daze around the scenery.
Valerian had transford into an enormous black panther with feathered wings. He flapped his wings and flew in the direction of Saratoga Castle.
"Brother, are you okay? You've been awfully quiet ever since we left the city," he said.
Adam snapped out of his daze, his hands involuntarily patting the young dragon's back. "Yeah... I'm just thinking about the old man."
Valerian flapped his wings again, traversing dozens of ters in the sky in a split second. "Don't worry about Old Man Berger. He is strong."
Adam's lips curled up into a smile. "That he is."
Adam had a lot to think about after his discussion with the Twilight Warden, Rank 3 - Mana Vortex Magus, Krummor Grimriver.
Before leaving, the dwarf had promised Adam and Daneli that he would send reinforcents when he returned to Europa. Upon asking why he was leaving so early, the dwarf simply stated that he had urgent business to tend to and did not explain further.
However, Adam and Deneli did hope that the Rank 3 dwarf would help them with their situation in Ravenfell. But there was nothing they could do about it. The situation in the city hadn't escalated to such a degree.
Krummor and the other dwarf, Thalren, were going to leave for Europa at sunrise. Adam saw no point in staying behind in the city and thus chose to head to Saratoga.
Before leaving, however, Thalren did sothing that greatly amused Adam. The young dwarf had asked him for an autograph.
It was only then that Adam realized how greatly the young Magi of the Brotherhood looked up to him after his legendary feat of defeating a Magus who was one entire rank above him.
Thinking about how excited the young dwarf looked when Adam signed his na with mana on a small rectangular marble plate, he couldn't help but chuckle.
He took a deep breath and looked ahead. In the near distance, he could already see the silhouette of the grand Saratoga Castle. It was far late into the night and the ethereal light of Selene and Luna had covered the lands in a silvery glow.
Lights from a dozen or so windows in the castle could be seen through the sea of clouds. Gazing at the majestic building, its towers, and turrets, Adam fell into deep thought once again.
A lot had happened in the last couple of days, only now did he have ti for a little introspection.
So that bastard Alvertos turned out to be a spy for the Umbra Thieves, after all. Can't say I'm surprised, Adam wondered.
That man always did give a bad feeling. Whenever I t him, he would always display sinister and cruel intentions towards no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
But what truly surprised was him being the son of one of the leaders of the Umbra Thieves. Hmm... Kissinger, was it? Heh, what kind of father would allow his child to infiltrate his enemy's ho knowing the great dangers it involved?
This just goes on to show how vicious Kissinger really is, and how deep his hatred for Brigham truly runs. Damn it, I hate being involved in all this life-threatening drama, yet I find myself involved in the middle of the shitstorm every damn ti!
Adam took a few deep breaths to calm down the frustration in his heart. He truly despised the situation he now found himself in.
The alliance between the Flynn Family and the Brotherhood is more or less confird. Once the Flynn Family acts on the intel given by Lord Krummor, they'll realize just how beneficial this alliance will be for them.
If Lord Brigham is smart enough and plays his cards right, he will leverage this opportunity and strengthen his family to never-before-seen heights. But that also cos with great risks...
Adam's expression turned extrely solemn as he wondered, The conflict between the Flynns and the Umbra Thieves has reached a tipping point with the death of Alvertos. It's only a matter of ti before a full-scale war erupts.
But still... that should take about anywhere from a few months to, at most, a year. The Brotherhood's alliance with the Flynn Family is secretive in nature. I bet Lord Brigham will ally with other families in the city council to get rid of the Umbra Thieves.
All of this will take ti... and during that ti I must do whatever I can to increase my strength!
The youth's mind quickly arrived at two options that would allow him to beco stronger in a short ti period. Firstly, he could choose to consu the expert's soul that he had been eyeing for all these years.
Secondly, he could participate in the final trial of the Raven Inheritance!
Both options would provide him with great strength. For the soul, all he had to do was assimilate with the expert's mories and practice whatever he found in them. On the other hand, the Raven Inheritance's final trial would prove to be slightly more difficult.
Just as he was thinking about the final trial of the inheritance, a small round object inside his robes radiated a warm glow for a brief mont. Following that, Adam and Valerian felt as if they had passed through an invisible mbrane.
Valerian thought nothing of it, he was already used to it and so was Adam. The youth reached for that round object from his inner robes. It was the dallion of Saratoga Castle given to all students and faculty mbers.
Without it, they would not be able to pass through the protective barrier that surrounded not only the grand and ancient castle but also the lands around it.
The dallion could only be activated by a student or faculty mber of Saratoga through their mana that had already been recorded. aning, that if an outsider got their hands on such a dallion, they would still never be able to pass through the protective barrier. Not unless they were a Magus at the Mana Core Rank. Even then, they would have to expend a great deal of strength to break through the barrier. The protective sphere surrounding Saratoga was laid down by its founder. Needless to say, it was very strong.
"Brother, are we entering the castle?" Valerian's voice drifted into the youth's ears.
"No, Val," Adam answered. "Let's go to the cottage."
"Got it!" Valerian flapped his wings, flying past the towering castle and towards the valley in the near distance.
This vibrant valley-also within the protective barrier-housed several cottages that were given to the professors of Saratoga. The Magi of this organization believed that only by living close to nature could they deepen their understanding of magic.
That is why many of them chose to live in these countryside cottages near the grand castle, instead of the bustling city of Ravenfell.
After a few minutes of flight, the pair descended toward a cottage that was nestled beside a small pond. Adam got off Valerian's back and said, "I'm planning to sleep outside for the
night."
"Okay, too!" Valerian hurriedly replied.
Adam couldn't help but fondly rub his familiar's cheeks. Even though the young dragon was far weaker than Adam, his instinct to always be around him and protect him never diminished.
They walked toward the edge of the pond, the cottage directly behind them. Valerian, still in his winged-panther form, laid down in a comfortable position while also making sure to leave space for Adam.
Adam sat down and laid against the young dragon's torso. Valerian adjusted his body in a protective manner around the youth before closing his eyes.
The youth looked at the sky full of stars reflected on the surface of the pond. With a heart full
of anticipation, he took a deep breath and finally closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived inside the mysterious space of the white lotus, levitating before a multi-colored orb of light.
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