Sovereign of the Ashes

After bidding farewell to his mentor, Sein returned to his laboratory and quickly immersed himself in his research.

Sein’s laboratory was situated on the top floor of the Verdant Spring Space Fortress.

Lorianne had shown her only apprentice a certain level of privilege; the top floors of the space fortress were reserved exclusively for them.

Lorianne’s living space was somewhat larger, with a few extra rooms that she had converted into meeting rooms, where the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s Rank Three grand mages could convene to discuss the state of the war.

Over half a year ago, Sein had resolved to complete the crucial energy transformation needed to advance from a Rank Two to a Rank Three Grand Mage by combining various exotic flames.

When he shared his plan with Lorianne, she acknowledged his ambition but also expressed some reservations.

As a Rank Four powerhouse with centuries of experience, Lorianne had unraveled far more truths than Sein, giving her a broader perspective. She could more easily spot the potential pitfalls in his experimental approach.

“There’s nothing wrong with choosing powerful exotic flames but are you certain you’ll be able to refine and fuse them?” Lorianne asked.

“Especially the divine flame you requested—it’s tempered by a creature of Rank Four and above when they ascended the long stairway to godhood. With the power of laws imbued in it, your research may prove even more challenging than you anticipate,” she warned before Sein left.

Sein understood some of Lorianne’s words, though some still eluded him.

Any Rank Two mage who had achieved significant accomplishments over a century—and was considered by other powerful figures in the Magus World to rival the strength of a Rank Three mage—would likely harbor a degree of confidence, perhaps even conceit.

Sein was not conceited, but he possessed an unshakable confidence in his ability to push past barriers and uncover the truths he sought.

Brimming with excitement, he left Lorianne’s conference room with the precious divine flame, oblivious to the subtle, knowing smile on his mentor’s face.

“Ah, he’s still so young. I was once like him. Only by stumbling and encountering the occasional obstacle will he come to understand that the pursuit of truth is a long journey,” Lorianne murmured to herself.

***

A month and a half later in Sein’s laboratory...

Sein stared intently at the flames on his experimental table, his eyes unmoving as he focused with complete concentration.

The ends of his hair was slightly singed and his magic robe was crumpled.

Four different-colored flames—red, green, violet, and blue—danced and merged at the center of the table.

The red and green flames burned the brightest, followed by the violet, with the blue flame appearing the weakest.

As the green and violet flames mingled, fluctuations rippled through them, but they remained within manageable limits.

When the weaker blue flame was added, the fluctuations grew stronger, though still within experimental thresholds.

Four large metallic round columns were positioned around the table.

This was the supplementary equipment Sein had recently acquired at great expense, capable of regulating the surrounding elemental environment and recording experimental data.

The dense magic array patterns etched onto the metal columns indicated that these were highly advanced and sophisticated alchemy tools—entirely different in nature from those Sein typically used in his experiments.

Sein’s expression remained largely unchanged as three of the flames combined with each other.

While he performed some special hand seals with his right hand, streams of white energy shot out from the surface of the metal columns and flowed into the crystal ball suspended above the experimental table.

These white streams of energy represented the most valuable experimental data.

Sein had already gathered a significant amount of data and made extensive preparations before reaching this stage.

At last, he attempted to fuse the red flame.

A faint flicker ignited in the center of the experimental table.

The changes in the flame caused Sein to tense up, his eyelids twitching in anticipation.

When nothing else happened after a moment, he exhaled in relief and continued the fusion process.

BOOM!

Without any warning, a violent explosion erupted from the center of the experimental table.

The blast sent the four metal columns toppling; one even split in half.

Despite being a Rank Two mage, the shockwave threw Sein back across the room.

His laboratory, already somewhat disorganized, now lay in complete disarray, with shattered equipment, broken test tubes, and beakers littering the floor.

The force of the explosion even dented the ceiling of Sein’s laboratory.

Though Sein had reinforced the laboratory several times over the past month, it still failed to withstand the power of this blast fully.

This was the fifth experimental accident in just a month.

Whoosh!

A large amount of water poured from cracks in the ceiling as the explosion triggered the space fortress’ fire suppression system.

Fortunately, Sein had the support of a Rank Four mage; otherwise, the compensation costs for five explosions in a single month would have been astronomical.

Despite the huge commotion they caused, the explosions did not inflict serious harm on Sein.

The previous four had sufficiently prepared him mentally. Other than scorched skin and a slightly tattered magic robe, he appeared to have sustained no significant injuries.

No, there might be a bigger problem with Sein...

The massive explosion had once again wrecked his laboratory table and left Sein looking disheveled.

Yet, instead of showing anger or disappointment, he appeared slightly dazed, mumbling incoherently as he stared at the wreckage.

“Just 0.73% of a Rank Five creature’s divine flame causes such a strong reaction. It’s not the concentration that’s the issue... it seems this flame harbors a higher-level mystery that’s beyond my current reach,” Sein murmured.

Could this be the power of laws? Master Lorianne mentioned that without reaching demigod status, attempting to grasp such a force is like an initiate trying to unravel the truth regarding a Rank Two mage’s Elemental Body... It’s impossible to understand, let alone unraveling the truth behind it.

A bitter smile tugged at Sein’s lips.

Like Sein, anyone would feel challenged when they discover that the path to truth they were pursuing was fraught with obstacles, perhaps even insurmountable.

Interestingly, despite his frequent experiments and explosions over the past month, Lorianne had not shown up even once.

This path, centered on the pyro element, was uniquely his, and though he considered approaching his mentor for guidance, he ultimately decided against doing so.

If he were to seek his mentor’s help at every setback, how would he grow and innovate?

No, he would have produce results first, then approach Lorianne.

At the very least, he could speak to her with his head held high.

Just as he prepared to continue his experiment, the transmission device at his laboratory’s entrance flared to life.

“Sein, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring has issued a full war mobilization. We have a new mission,” came Eileen’s voice.

Such was the reality for a mage in wartime.

After a month of setbacks in his pursuit of the truth, Sein now had to leave his laboratory for the battlefield once again.