Lucian walked through the halls of his palace with an extrely dark expression on his face.
Everywhere he went, the maids, the servants, and the Magi bowed in deference. They also trembled in horror. The very aura being radiated by their Emperor at the mont caused their hearts to turn cold.
They couldn’t help but wonder just what could have happened. Like the Emperor Eritus, Lucian was also known to be a stoic ruler. Seemingly nothing in the world could faze him.
But today... sothing undoubtedly had.
Those damned cultists... just what are they planning?!
He thought with a dark scowl on his handso face. The contents of the letter—or rather, the feather—from his father caused his heart to churn with tumultuous waves.
Lucian knew that the Cult was planning sothing heinous for the Grand Magus Tournant to deal a blow to the Empire. And for that reason, he had made several preparations.
But nothing could have prepared him for what the Cult was truly plotting.
Six portals across six continents?
There’s one in the Southern Federation as well!
But more importantly... the cultists have allied with the devils of Nine Hells, helping them invade Tron?!
The audacity!
If it wasn’t for the letter being personally written by his father, Lucian would never have believed a word of it.
But the strangest thing was, all of this crucial information had co from the youth he had been keeping an eye on for a long ti.
The Dark King... how was he able to uncover this sinister plot? He thought, perplexed.
But more importantly, Father said he’s aware of the secrets of the Greater Universe!
His eyes narrowed. Now more than ever, the figure of the Dark King seed to be shrouded in a deep layer of profound mysteries.
Lucian couldn’t help but wonder:
Just who is Adam Constantine?
On his way to the Grand Throne Room, his piercing gaze landed on a Mana Vortex Magus, a court Magus, who was walking down the corridor.
The mont the court Magus felt the Emperor’s gaze land on him, he involuntarily shivered. The next mont, without knowing it, he collapsed on the marble floor, kneeling in fear with his head lowered.
Lucian harrumphed. "Summon Old Ani this instant!"
With that said, he walked past him. Suddenly, he slowed his footsteps and turned around, glancing at the court Magus with a deep frown.
"What’re you waiting for?! Go make yourself useful, you fool!" he roared, then turned back around and walked away.
anwhile, the court Magus was drenched in cold sweat from head to toe. He hurriedly got to his feet and ran towards the eastern wing of the palace.
Oh no! His Majesty is in an extrely bad mood today! Are we... all dood?!
He thought to himself as he quickened his pace and vanished into the corridors.
***
Minutes later, an elderly woman made her way through the halls of the royal palace.
She had a head full of white hair and silver eyes that seed to contain heavenly secrets. She was slightly hunched and moved at a slow pace. She was weak, frail, and nearing the end of her lifespan.
Yet despite her outer appearance, she was still a formidable Mana Core Magus!
Her role in the Acadian Empire was a unique one.
Much like the elven Magus, renowned as one of the greatest seers in the legendary city of Feypore, who guided their magical civilization through turmoils and calamity, she, too, served a similar purpose.
Old Ani was a Magus gifted in the School of Divination.
She was born during the reign of the Founding Emperor, Arnold Acadia, and was now the oldest living Magus in the Empire.
Most likely, she was the only person to have witnessed the rule of all three Acadian Emperors!
Taking support of her staff—which was, in fact, a high-grade artifact—Old Ani slowly made her way to the Grand Throne Room.
The Magi around her were in a state of panic. The Emperor’s mood had cast a heavy shadow over the palace.
After all, even when Lucian was displeased, his expression always remained stoic. For his expression to twist into a dark scowl ant that sothing was truly amiss.
When these Magi saw Old Ani pass by, they hurriedly bowed, offering the sa respect that was perhaps reserved for the Emperor himself.
It was a clear reflection of the status she held, not just within the palace, but also throughout the Empire.
The elderly woman finally arrived before the towering golden gates guarded by dozens of Magi on each side.
Every one of them was a powerful Mana Vortex Magus.
At the sight of Old Ani, the guards silently stepped aside and opened the doors for her. With a deep, echoing creak that echoed throughout the dimly lit throne room, the towering doors slowly swung open.
Old Ani’s eyes narrowed as she took in the scene within the throne room.
It was empty.
Only one person stood inside. He was pacing back and forth at the base of the staircase leading to the golden throne at the far end of the vast, shadowed hall.
Sothing’s wrong, thought the elderly woman as she stepped inside.
As the doors shut behind her, completely and magically sealing the Grand Throne Room from the rest of the world, she slowly approached the tensed Emperor.
Lucian turned to look at her and offered a faint, weary smile, "Old Ani, forgive for calling you at such a late hour."
The elderly woman waved her hand slowly and dismissively. "Your Majesty, please tell , how may I be of service?" She asked, her voice soft, yet unmistakably firm and resolute.
Lucian’s expression turned solemn. "Very well, I shall get to the point."
The following mont, he conjured a to from his space-type storage artifact.
This was the knowledge of the mana-gathering formation that Adam had recorded and given to Gerald Acadia in exchange for the founder’s journals.
Lucian pushed the to towards Old Ani and said solemnly, "Please, perform a divination on the one who penned these words. First, find out how they ca about this knowledge."
The elderly woman nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."
She grabbed the to, then placed it down before her on the ground. Sitting cross-legged, she opened the book to a random page that contained Adam’s handwriting.
Then, she began constructing a complex ritual, carefully inscribing the model component of the spell around the to.
One by one, she sacrificed five Grade 4 magical ingredients, each releasing a faint mystical power.
Finally, she lit up five incense sticks, crafted from the sacred wood of a thousand-year-old Gebi tree, their curling smoke adding a solemn and mystical weight to the air.
If the Emperor had requested a divination, it could only an one thing...
This matter was of grave importance, likely tied to the fate of the Empire itself!
Knowing this, she approached her work with unwavering focus, every motion deliberate, and every detail executed with ticulous care.
Finally, after all preparations were complete, she began weaving complicated hand seals that took her several minutes to finish.
A mysterious aura filled the Grand Throne Room the mont the spell was ready to cast.
Old Ani’s eyes flashed with a brilliant, silver light.
She repeated a single question under her breath:
"By what ans did the bearer of this hand co upon this knowledge?"
The spell model carved around the to lit up with a blinding light. A powerful gust of wind arose from nowehere, sweeping through the throne room, whipping up the air and sending pages of the book fluttering wildly.
In the next mont, the elderly woman’s body trembled. A deep frown appeared on her face as she mumbled, "Impossible..."
She had received a revelation from the River of Fate, yet it was nothing like she had anticipated. It defied all her expectations.
"What did you discover?!" Lucian demanded, stepping forward as the spell’s glow faded.
Old Ani turned toward him, her face visibly pale. After a long mont of heavy silence, she finally spoke, her voice laced with disbelief and doubt:
"The one who recorded this book... is no one."
She paused, her silver eyes flickering with unease and even hints of fear.
"No presence. No origin. It’s as if... they do not exist in this world."
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