A flicker of surprise crossed Ian’s eyes, then smoothed into a calm smile. He pulled down his hood. "What a coincidence."
Malena hurried over, her pretty eyes looking Ian up and down.
She focused on the naturally flowing Energy Force Field of an Official Wizard surrounding him, and the faint silver light deep within his calm eyes.
Her shock was barely concealed. "It really is you... Ian Marcus."
Her voice was filled with sheer disbelief!
"I heard you’d been promoted to High Level Apprentice, and I already thought that was incredible. I never imagined... you’d actually make it this far."
She paused, her tone complex. "How long has it been? It hasn’t even been two years since we parted ways in Nightfall Town, has it? When I left, you had only just broken through to Middle Level Apprentice."
Ian looked at his old friend, a ripple of emotion stirring in his heart.
’The sanctuary of the Star Leaf Magic Pharmacy, the aroma of Fairy Flower Honey Tea...’
’And at the critical mont, how she had crushed the Rune without a second thought to summon Alevia Wizard.’
’It was only as a favor to Malena that Alevia had erased the fatal mark for him...’ The mories were all crystal clear.
The warmth of this friendship, offered in his darkest hour, was one of the few comforting mories he had from his days on the run, a ti of wandering and constant life-and-death struggle.
"I got lucky, ran into so opportunities, and I’ve been through a lot."
Ian’s tone was even, without a hint of showing off, carrying only the serene detachnt of soone who had experienced much.
He noticed that the star emblem on Malena’s robes was different from that of a High Level Apprentice.
"Congratulations, Malena. Alevia Wizard must be very pleased."
Malena waved her hand, her smile growing much more genuine.
"Compared to a monster like you, my little bit of progress is nothing. But still, it’s really good to see you here."
Her gaze swept over Ian’s plain gray robe, which bore no mark of Shadow Moon.
"Are you... an Independent Wizard now? Or did you join another organization?"
"I’m acting alone for now. It’s more convenient," Ian said, not elaborating, and instead asked:
"How is Alevia Wizard? And everyone at Star Leaf? Clayton, Harvey?"
"My ntor is well; she ca this ti, too. As for the pharmacy..." Malena’s eyes darkened.
"A lot has changed since the war with the Deep Red broke out. Clayton returned to his family to fight, and Harvey... he was seriously injured in an earlier conflict and spent a long ti recovering. Life is so unpredictable."
They fell into silence.
The low, rhythmic heartbeat from the Abyssal Rift seed to provide a somber accompanint to their lant over how much had changed.
Thinking back now, those relatively peaceful days in the Star Leaf Magic Pharmacy in Nightfall Town, days spent focusing on Magic Potions and Cultivation, felt as distant as a past life.
"You’ve changed so much, Ian."
Malena said softly, her gaze falling on his unnervingly calm eyes.
The Ian of the past had been cautious, but his eyes still held the sharp edge and slight unease of youth.
Now, they were as deep as a still pool, their depths unreadable.
"People always change. You have too."
Ian smiled. "We both made it here alive, didn’t we?"
"Yeah. At least we’re still alive."
Malena took a deep breath, suppressing a surge of emotion, and her tone grew serious.
"What are your plans after this? Once the Demon Hunting War is over, the political landscape of the continent is bound to shift. With your current strength and Talent in Magic Potion Science, many organizations will be eager to recruit you."
Ian gazed toward the area in the Ring-shaped Fortress where the Wizards from Shadow Moon Tower were gathered.
A sea of deep blue robes filled the space. He remained silent for a mont.
"I’m going back to Shadow Moon Tower."
Malena was a little surprised. "I thought after what you went through at the ’Furnace’ camp..."
She didn’t finish, but her aning was clear.
Sterling’s petty sches, along with Murphy’s pursuit and the blockades set up to intercept him, were hardly a secret.
"There are so old scores that need to be settled."
Ian’s tone was casual, but it held an unshakeable determination.
"Besides, my family is still over there. I have to go back and get them settled properly."
’They were his roots in this world, even if he felt no real emotional attachnt to them.’
’But when he thought of the Magic Stones his father sent punctually every month, his heart still felt a little heavy.’
’These were worldly ties he had to sever.’
’Only by resolving these lingering attachnts could he proceed, undistracted, on the long road of a Wizard.’
Malena nodded in understanding, her eyes filled with support.
"If you need help, you can co to anyti. I might not be able to help with anything major, but I have a little bit of sway within the High Tower."
"You’ve already helped a lot."
Ian said sincerely, "This kindness... I’ve always rembered it."
"There’s no need for that between friends." Malena smiled and changed the subject.
"Oh, right. This final assault is going to be incredibly dangerous. The things inside the Abyssal Rift are no pushovers. Be careful, especially..."
Her gaze was pointed as she glanced in the direction of the Deep Red Royal Court. "So people, I’m afraid, won’t pass up any opportunity."
"I understand," Ian nodded, his eyes turning cold.
’Murphy, and all the other potential enemies... he’d never forgotten them.’
"Good." Malena took out a small, erald-green, leaf-shaped Rune and handed it to Ian.
"This is my Secret Magic Mark. I hope we can et again at the High Tower after the war is over."
"Take care, Ian. May the stars and moon guide your path."
Ian took the Rune and carefully put it away.
"Take care, Malena. May the stars and moon guide your path."
They shared a smile, a silent understanding passing between them.
Then, Malena turned and walked back toward the Shadow Moon Tower group.
The hem of her deep blue robe traced an arc in the dim light.
Ian watched her go. The warmth in his chest hadn’t faded, but his gaze had already turned sharp and calm again.
He pulled his hood back up, his figure silently lting into the shadows of the fortress like a drop of water into the ocean.
On his shoulder, Gaga gently nuzzled his cheek.
"Ian, that Female Witch is a nice person, gaga."
"Mm. She really is," Ian agreed, his gaze returning to the terrifying maw of the Abyss and the various factions with their simring undercurrents gathered around it.
The warmth from the reunion in his heart gradually settled, transforming into a sharper vigilance and resolve.
Malena’s warning still echoed in his ears, and the image of Murphy was like a poisoned thorn lodged deep in his heart.
Just then, high above the Ring-shaped Fortress, one of the eight figures whose presence felt as vast as the sea and as deep as an abyss—the Level Three Great Wizard from the Silver Ring—slowly raised a hand.
"The seal has reached its limit. Its collapse is accelerating."
"Tomorrow at dawn, the seal will be intentionally released for three breaths of ti as planned. All Level One Wizards and above, you will follow us into the core of the Rift to destroy the Pollution Source."
The low, yet clear voice passed through the Purification Light Curtain, reverberating in the ears of every Wizard.
The mont the command was given, the atmosphere in the fortress grew taut to the breaking point.
Countless Wizards began final checks of their equipnt, adjusted their ntal and physical states, or discussed tactics in hushed tones with their companions.
The air was no longer just thick with pollution, but now also with a potent mix of fighting spirit and anxiety.
Ian silently retreated to a relatively secluded alcove in the rock wall, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to regulate his breath.
On his shoulder, Gaga also fell silent, its heterochromatic eyes vigilantly scanning the area.
Ti trickled by in the oppressive silence.
After so ti, Ian suddenly sensed sothing and opened his eyes.
He didn’t turn his head, but Gaga’s telepathic ssage and his own keen Perception caught a furtive gaze at almost the exact sa mont.
It ca from an inconspicuous corner on the edge of the Shadow Moon Tower camp, diagonally opposite him.
The gaze was cold and probing, like a viper’s tongue, flicking over him for an instant before retracting.
Ian lifted his gaze and saw a slender figure in a standard Deep Blue Wizard Robe, head down, arranging a pack.
’Soone from Shadow Moon Tower? Sterling’s business shouldn’t have been exposed yet, right?’
The person seed perfectly normal, but Ian’s Spiritual Power, enhanced by [Spirit Devourer], was exceptionally sensitive to malice and fluctuations of the Soul.
Beneath that gaunt fra hid a deliberately suppressed, yet still chillingly familiar, aura of death.
’This aura... Are these the thods of the Withered Council?’
Ian’s expression remained unchanged, but his fingertips silently brushed against the Demon Hunting Jade Token in his sleeve.
The Jade Token grew slightly warm, transmitting the final announcent from headquarters.
Ian’s consciousness delved inside, and his pupils slowly contracted...
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