Sovereign of the Ashes

Being an intermediate initiate was a significant achievement in the Black Magic Academy of Mystralora City.

In an environment where senior initiates and Quasi Mages rarely appeared before the junior and fresh initiates, intermediates seniors were regarded as superior among more than eighty percent of the initiates in the academy.

The unidentified intermediate initiate, now reduced to a desiccated corpse, left behind some valuable items for Sein.

Among them were two basic magic items with their elemental energy completely depleted, making them of little value.

However, the true windfall came in the form of several magic beast cores, varying in quality from basic to intermediate, and a slightly worn magic book concealed within the initiate’s black robe.

It appeared that the magic beast cores could store elemental energy far more efficiently than standard magical items.

Or it could be that the alchemist who had crafted those magic items for the initiate was lacking in skill and expertise.

Not only were these items far inferior to Sein’s Pale Mask, but they also paled in comparison to his own alchemical creations.

Therefore, Sein did not give the two basic magic items more than a passing glance.

“Basic Guide to Magic Plant Care?” Sein’s amazement grew when he took a look at the partially damaged magic book that had endured the harsh conditions of the Sand World.

“This guy seemed to have been an intermediate initiate specializing in dendro magic spells. This book includes the spell model of an intermediate magic spell known as ‘Binding Vines’. Unfortunately, the harsh environment of the Sand World is far from ideal for a dendro-type mage,” Sein muttered with a sigh.

Though he searched the initiate’s body, Sein found no other valuable items.

Normally, initiates specializing in dendro magic would carry rare and exotic plant seeds, but Sein had a good idea of where those seeds had gone, judging by the initiate’s withered appearance.

Sein stowed his meager haul in his space ring and gazed out over the endless expanse of yellow sand.

As he continued his journey, he remembered another item he had obtained from the deceased initiate.

It was an elemental bead that looked exactly like the one in Sein’s possession.

Considering the heat emanating from it and the relatively dense elemental aura, it was evident that the energy depletion rate of this item was even slower than that of a magic beast core.

Sein was not surprised, given the fact they were provided by Vice Dean Martin.

He remembered the advice Master Morsidor had given him before he left, and carefully stowed away the elemental bead.

The two elemental beads and their warmth reassured Sein that he was getting closer to finding the larger group of initiates.

***

On the twelfth day of his stay in the Sand World, Sein experienced night for the first time.

It was a unique experience, as he did not know the exact pattern of day and night in this world. Even during the night, the searing heat persisted, though the temperature was somewhat lower than during the day.

This night lasted for a total of one day.

When the brilliant sunlight reappeared at the horizon, Sein resumed his journey.

Umbra magic spells are challenging to wield in this world since the umbra element particles are more active during the night.

On the other hand, pyro, lumen, and geo magic spells seem easier to conjure. Nevertheless, due to the overall lower elemental concentration here compared to Gloomhaven, these spells require more focus and mana points to cast.

I wonder how Leena is faring right now...

As Sein continued his journey through the vast desert, he summed up his observations and experiences during his time in the Sand World.

On the sixteenth day, the two elemental beads in his possession grew increasingly warm.

Sein finally encountered two black magic initiates, both of whom were still alive.

To his surprise, Sein recognized them.

“Marlon, wake up! Don’t scare me like this! I shouldn’t have eaten most of our food and water. Open your eyes, please!”

A muffled, sorrowful sob echoed from behind one of the dunes.

The voice came from a burly man, standing nearly two meters tall, with a dark complexion and well-defined muscles that indicated his considerable physical strength.

In front of him, lying in the depression of the dune, was a younger initiate, standing at just 1.7 meters with fair skin.

The two initiates were the gay couple who had been staying next to Sein and Leena’s dormitory quarters.

Sein had initially suspected that their relationship might have been coerced by Stenson, the more powerful senior initiate.

Coercive relationships were not uncommon in the Black Magic Academy of Mystralora City, but it was now apparent that this was not the case.

The dune depression where the young initiate, Marlon, lay appeared to have been intentionally excavated.

Not all initiates possessed space rings that could store tools like Sein.

Even from a distance, Sein could observe the sand between the burly initiate’s fingers and the traces of dried blood, thanks to the enhanced vision provided by his Pale Mask.

Marlon appeared to make an attempt to reach out and touch Stenson’s cheek, but his weakened body prevented him from lifting his hand any further.

As an intermediate initiate, Marlon had not met his demise at the hands of a powerful magic beast or other initiates.

Instead, he seemed destined to succumb to hunger and the harsh environment, which was quite an ironic fate for an initiate like him.

Drip... drip... drip...

Blood trickled from the burly initiate’s wrist.

In a desperate attempt to save his beloved, the man had resorted to cutting his own wrist with his sharp nails.

Leena had previously informed Sein that Stenson possessed a rare bloodline magic, which seemed to be the result of an experiment conducted by a full-fledged mage.

Although Stenson had escaped death through the dark transformation process, it was rumored that his mind was somewhat impaired, possibly due to the aftereffects of the unorthodox bloodline magic.

Scarlet blood dripped from Stenson’s wrist and flowed into Marlon’s mouth.

Marlon seemed to regain some strength after consuming Stenson’s blood. Sein even observed a faint swallow as the blood flowed down his throat.

However, Marlon quickly shook his head, denying Stenson’s selfless act.

Given their current situation, if one of them were to survive, it would undoubtedly be Stenson, with his formidable physique and strength as a senior initiate.

Although Sein initially had no intention of getting involved, he believed that these two initiates might possess crucial information about their situation.

Stenson had likely been in the Sand World for a much longer time, and Sein decided that it was worth offering some of his limited food and potions in exchange for information.