Sovereign of the Ashes

“I haven’t been on many academy quests lately. My mentor has applied for a four-month break for me, so I don’t have any magic beast core crystals or flesh to offer you for the time being,” Sein explained.

“But I do have a leftover energy crystal from today’s experiment. Its elemental energy has been depleted, though. Are you still interested in it?”

Sein reached into his pocket and produced a transparent energy crystal that had once pulsed with abundant elemental energy.

Now, only faint, nearly imperceptible yellow intricate elemental lines remained, hinting at the presence of residual energy.

Seven was not picky, but rather, in this case, beggars could not be choosers.

With a flick of its brown beak, Seven effortlessly plucked the crystal from Sein’s hand and devoured it.

The once hard crystal was reduced to fragments within moments.

This was not the first time Seven had left Sein astounded by the strength of its bite.

Seven’s hoots broke the silence before saying, “Becoming the apprentice of a full-fledged black mage is certainly a promising journey, especially when your mentor is as esteemed as Master Morsidor. I highly doubt there’s another black mage in the entire Black Magic Academy with a more substantial collection of energy crystals than Master Morsidor.”

The crystal Sein had given Seven had once been an advanced geo-attribute energy crystal.

In Master Morsidor’s laboratory, this energy crystal was considered high grade, though Sein had seen even rarer Grade One Energy Essence on a few occasions.

Seven’s eating speed was impressive.

In a single gulp, the fist-sized blank crystal that Sein had been holding disappeared into Seven’s belly.

After a brief exchange with Seven, Sein located a tree stump bearing signs of previous use and took a seat.

He closed his eyes and fully immersed himself in his meditation.

Three years ago, Sein had discovered that White Raven Forest, with its serene ambiance, offered a higher elemental concentration than most other places, making it an ideal location for an initiate to meditate.

In fact, the outcome of meditating here surpassed the effectiveness of meditating in the small side room with the energy-gathering magic array at Master Morsidor’s residence.

As Sein entered his meditative state, Seven left him in peace.

It departed silently, making no disruptive sounds or movements. Sein did not even notice its departure.

The forest remained quiet, except for the faint chirping of birds and insects, along with the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze.

When Sein concluded his meditation, it was already evening, according to the academy’s schedule.

Seven was nowhere to be seen. Being an academy overseer could be quite demanding, and it was likely that he was occupied with his duties and other responsibilities.

After shaking the robe, which had become slightly damp from the forest dew, Sein slowly made his way out of the White Raven Forest.

The White Raven Forest was illuminated by faint white lights at this time.

The name of the forest was actually derived from these specks of white lights.

According to Sein’s research, the source of these white lights was a thumb-sized white bug that naturally emitted light from its tail after extracting sap from the trees at a specific time during the day.

Sein’s figure gradually blended into the brilliant and beautiful specks of white light.

While this sight had once captivated him, it had now become a familiar aspect of his visits to White Raven Forest.

As he gazed at these white lights scattered throughout the forest, they stirred memories deep within him, reminding him of the radiant expanse of stars in the night sky of the surface world.

***

When Sein got back to the dormitory, Leena arrived at nearly the same time.

She appeared somewhat fatigued, likely due to her participation in one of Master Fareena’s experiments involving an umbra magic spell.

However, when she noticed Sein bustling about in the kitchen, she summoned the energy to join him and assist in preparing their dinner.

Over the years, Leena’s culinary skills had improved, and she could now handle cooking without creating a mess. In fact, she could even prepare simple dishes on her own now.

Seeing Leena standing beside him, helping with the cooking, brought a warm feeling to Sein’s heart.

Spending time with Leena each day offered a respite from the perils of the Underworld and the pressure of their magic studies.

Sein believed that Leena felt the same way, as over time, he had sensed the deep connection that had grown between them through their many years together.

However, the only source of discomfort and unease Sein had experienced today stemmed from a request made by Faye earlier in the day.

He was not sure whether fulfilling Faye’s request would be deemed a betrayal, and he was equally unsure whether he should discuss it with Leena.

Knowing Leena’s character well, Sein knew that bringing up the matter might lead to a direct confrontation between her and Faye, potentially resulting in conflict.

Both women had played significant roles in Sein’s growth, and he did not wish to see any unpleasant conflicts between them.

Observing Sein’s disconcerted state, Leena, who had lived with him for over a decade, quickly picked up on his mood but refrained from asking about it. She respected his decision to not speak about it.

To others, Leena might have appeared as a “crazy bitch” due to her past actions and fearless demeanor.

Yet, Sein knew that beneath her bold exterior, Leena was a composed individual.

Every time she did something impulsive, she had already considered the potential consequences and whether she could bear them.

Leena’s reputation as a “crazy bitch” had spread far and wide, yet she not only survived but also thrived.

If she were truly irrational or foolish, she would not have been able to advance to the rank of a senior initiate, let alone become the apprentice of a full-fledged black mage.

A few years ago, the Leena of the past might have promptly asked Sein about his unusual behavior, but not now.

She knew that Sein would confide in her if he wanted to, and she would not push him if he did not want to share.

Leena herself did not know when she had begun to care about Sein’s feelings.

Together, they prepared a dinner that would have been considered luxurious by the standards of other junior initiates.

Sein remained silent throughout dinner. As usual, he was immersed in a magic tome while eating his meal.

Although he had read the “Annotations of Enthildor” more than twenty times, it somehow grew more flavorful with each reading.

Some of the detailed notes within it offered Sein fresh insights every time he read them.

Sein suspected that its author, Master Enthildor, was no ordinary full-fledged mage.

He appeared to be a more formidable figure than his mentor, potentially as powerful as the Dean of the Black Magic Academy.

A sentence from the tome caught Sein’s attention. “Magi are the source of all spellcasters’ professions in the Magus World. They do not rigidly partition the knowledge and content they study. As long as it benefits magi, they are eager to master it.”

Sein strongly agreed with this statement.

Beyond his formal studies as a pyromancer and alchemist in training, he also delved into the umbra element and apothecary knowledge.

It was not that Sein was greedy for knowledge; he was genuinely interested in those fields.

While his understanding might be shallow in those areas, the diverse knowledge greatly benefited him.

Besides, there were no rules dictating that Sein, who had higher affinity for the pyro, lumen and umbra elements, should limit himself to learning magic spells of these three elements.

Whether it was dendro, geo, hydro, aero or even the rarer electro element, poison, secret or summoning spells, that he might come across in the future, as long as a subject interested him, Sein was eager to delve into it.

After all, the pursuit of knowledge and the exploration of the mysteries of magic elements were the driving forces for mages to continuously grow stronger.

Using his magic quill, Sein carefully jotted a note in one corner of the “Annotations of Enthildor” before closing the tome.

He then looked at Leena, who had also finished her meal and suggested, “Let’s skip cleaning up tonight and get some rest.”