Sovereign of the Ashes

“Who knows how long it’ll be until we meet again. Until then, take care!” Sein said to Grimm as they stood at the floating port.

Grimm wore a striking magic mask, half red with fiery flames and half blue with icy patterns, perfectly symbolizing the dual elemental energy he had mastered.

In Sein’s eyes, it was an exceptional piece of equipment for a Rank Two mage.

Perched on Grimm’s shoulder was his ever-foul-mouthed green parrot, its shifty gaze constantly darting about.

The parrot’s boisterous and unruly nature stood in stark contrast to Grimm’s typically calm and composed demeanor, leaving one to wonder how such polar opposites had come to coexist as companions.

On Sein’s shoulder was Sev, the owl who had joined him of its own accord this time.

Despite their differences, Sev and Grimm’s parrot had somehow become friends without them noticing.

The parrot’s potty mouth had caused Sev to beat it up once, but over time, the owl seemed to have gotten used to it.

Whenever the parrot launched into one of its vulgar tirades, Sev would simply ignore it and treat it like background noises.

It was a wonder the quiet owl and the foul-mouthed parrot could even become each other’s friends.

“Yeah, I hope the next time we meet, we’ll still be fighting side by side on an interplanar battlefield,” Grimm replied, his voice heavy with emotion.

The Magus World was simply too vast. Even Rank Four mages only crossed paths with each other occasionally during the Magus Alliance Conference.

For Rank Two mages like Sein and Grimm, it was not uncommon for this to be the last time they saw each other.

Having built a strong bond since their time as initiates, both were somber and reflective as they faced the possibility of such a fate.

While Sein and Grimm conversed, a smaller figure behind Grimm watched them with wide-eyed curiosity.

The young girl, dressed in a vibrant red magic robe, was Grimm’s junior and Archimedes’ youngest apprentice. Compared to Grimm and Sein, both well into their centuries, she was undeniably “young”.

At barely thirty years old, she had already reached the status of Quasi Mage—a level of progress so rapid that even Sein could not help but take notice.

Master Archimedes had his reasons for taking the young girl as his apprentice.

Although she only placed fifth in the individual score rankings, she was the youngest among the Quasi Mages participating in the academy war.

Seeing the girl reminded Sein of his younger self.

The Magus Civilization was never short of geniuses or promising juniors, and from what Grimm had shared, this girl also showed exceptional talent in alchemy.

When praised by her senior in front of others, the girl blushed shyly and quickly hid behind another gray-haired Rank Two female mage.

That elderly woman was Master Archimedes’ wife, a figure well-known within the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring for her kind and gentle character.

The departure of both the dean and his wife left a profound sense of loss, felt by everyone from Tower Master Lorianne to the lowest-ranking mage.

Sein stood watching as the airship carrying Grimm and the others flew farther and farther away.

***

“Are you really planning another journey?” On the top floor of the divine tower, Lorianne looked at her apprentice.

“Yes, not just within the Magus World. If opportunity arises, I’d also like to use the teleportation arrays of the major divine towers and knightly orders to visit and explore the foreign planes they’ve conquered or allied with” Sein replied respectfully.

Sein’s plans had been set in stone for a long time, and nothing short of extraordinary circumstances could dissuade him.

Lorianne, knowing her apprentice’s personality well, sighed in exasperation. For a brief moment, her composed expression faltered as she muttered unhappily, “Go on, then. Leave, just like everyone else!”

Her frustration, however, was not caused by Sein alone.

The recent departure of Master Archimedes, her trusted right-hand man, had left a noticeable void. Now, her sole apprentice was preparing to leave on his own journey.

Despite the bustling growth of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and the increasing number of registered mages, Lorianne could not shake a growing sense of isolation.

In the past, before establishing the tower, she had always been able to lean on the guidance and protection of her mentor and seniors.

Now, as the leader of her own divine tower, she shouldered the immense weight of responsibility alone.

Deep down, Lorianne wondered if she was truly suited to establish and lead a divine tower.

Still, as a Rank Four mage, her ability to manage her emotions was exceptional.

The momentary lapse in composure passed quickly. Before Sein could respond to her earlier remark, Lorianne’s tone shifted to a calmer, more measured one.

“How long do you plan to travel this time?” she asked.

Sein hesitated for a moment before replying, “It could be decades, or perhaps even centuries. If the journey is too short, it won’t serve its purpose. I plan to visit Sky City and parts of the West Coast this time.”

This journey, meticulously planned, had always included the possibility of lasting as long as a thousand years.

The star domains ruled and conquered by the Magus Civilization and Magus Alliance were simply too vast.

With countless allied planes and powerful civilizations to explore, even several millennia might not suffice for Sein to visit all of them.

Under such circumstances, spending thousands of years traveling and gaining insight was not uncommon for a mage.

However, seeing his mentor’s earlier reaction, Sein refrained from mentioning the possibility of his travels spanning millennia.

After all, he was only a little over two hundred years old.

Even though he left it unsaid, Lorianne was perceptive enough to anticipate the likelihood of such a timeline.

With pyro elemental magic and body tempering outside her areas of expertise, she understood that she had little to offer him in terms of guidance for the path he had chosen.

While Sein belonged to a faction, true cultivation and mastery ultimately depended on the individual.

His future growth would rest solely on his own efforts.

Realizing this, Lorianne let out a soft sigh and said, “Before you leave, come by my place again. I’ve ripened another batch of Viridescent Seeds since the last war. You can take a few for backup.”

“Regarding the mixed poison body tempering technique you mentioned before, I’ve spent years compiling knowledge on plant toxins. Take the notes with you—it might prove useful,” she added.

Lorianne addressed Sein with the diligence and warmth of a devoted mentor, her words brimming with care.

“Yes, Master Lorianne,” Sein replied respectfully, bowing his head to his sole mentor.

Two months later, Sein departed from the floating port of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

For now, his sole companion was Reina, who was also at a critical bottleneck as she prepared to break through to Rank Three.