Sovereign of the Ashes

The Divine Tower of Verdant Flame felt more imposing than Sein remembered.

Its dark reddish-purple walls radiated intense flame elemental energy, giving off an oppressive aura that could overwhelm low-ranking lifeforms.

The rich volcanic environment surrounding the tower made Sein feel like he had returned to Purgatory once again.

The pyro elemental particles floating in the air were so active that they made his magic robe rustle.

It had only been two hundred years since the last gathering of the Verdant Flame Faction.

The members of this faction had already fought together in several interplanar wars, with the most recent led by the Divine Tower of the Blazing Sword.

Grandmaster Feylis seemed quite pleased with her grandapprentice, Aelid of the Blazing Sword. His exceptional potential had somewhat eased the pain caused by the loss of her fifth and sixth apprentices.

Feylis had publicly stated on several occasions that she would not be taking on any new apprentices.

The future, she said, belonged to the young.

Having lived well over a hundred thousand years, Feylis often joked about being too old, though she certainly did not look it.

In fact, she was just as beautiful as Lorianne, though her charm was more mature and less lively by comparison.

This was a private gathering, so the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame had not been overly decorated.

All members of the Verdant Flame Faction were gathered on the tower’s top floor.

It was a large faction. Among the full-fledged mages present, there were hundreds. Many had brought their younger initiates along, bringing the total headcount to over a thousand.

Compared to the other branches within the faction, Lorianne’s looked quite sparse as she had only ever accepted one apprentice: Sein.

He had attended one of these gatherings long ago, right after advancing to Rank One. At the time, Feylis’ fifth and sixth apprentices had still been alive.

This time, the crowd was much larger. Sein had no idea how many generations the youngest mages here were removed from him.

When he reached the top of the divine tower, Sein looked around and realized there were not many familiar faces. Most of them were strangers to him now.

It was not just Feylis who felt the passage of time—Sein did too.

Ever since Gloria had called him “Grandpa”, he had become acutely aware of how quickly time had passed.

He did not see Selphy, the division member he knew best, and that left him feeling a little disappointed.

Perhaps Selphy was busy with other responsibilities, or maybe, like Sein himself during the last gathering, she simply could not attend this time.

The assembly had not yet begun. For now, it was just a social hour, giving the younger generation a chance to get to know one another.

It was clear that most of the mages in the hall had their eyes on the few Rank Three grand mages present.

Until the Rank Four powerhouses made their appearance, these grand mages remained the center of attention.

Sein had no intention of drawing attention to himself. Wearing the Faceless Mask, he blended in among the crowd on the top floor of the divine tower.

Off to the side, a few fruit trays and drinks were set up. Since this was a private gathering among members of the same faction, the overall atmosphere felt casual rather than formal.

A sudden message from Lorianne prompted Sein to put down the glass of juice in his hand and quietly head toward the back of the hall, entering a long corridor tucked into a diagonal corner.

As he walked, magic wards shimmered to life like layers of curtains, each one dispersing in sequence before him.

With the Faceless Mask’s analysis, the complexity and sophistication of the wards impressed him.

At the end of the corridor stood a white stone door. Before he could lift a hand, the door opened on its own.

At the end of the corridor stood a white stone door. Before he could raise a hand, it opened on its own.

The room beyond was softly lit and warmly decorated, with a distinctly feminine touch.

Inside were only two women—Lorianne and Feylis.

Their relationship felt unusually close. They seemed less like mentor and apprentice, and more like family.

In truth, Feylis treated Lorianne like a daughter.

Lorianne, always well-behaved and thoughtful, had caused far fewer headaches than Feylis’s other apprentices.

She was also the only one who could get away with showing a bit of attitude in front of her.

While Bernice was also a powerful mage, her fiery personality meant she could never mirror Lorianne’s gentle demeanor.

It was no surprise that of all Feylis’s apprentices, Lorianne remained the most favored.

Sein’s entrance brought their quiet conversation to a halt.

It had mostly been Lorianne speaking while Feylis listened with a faint smile.

Sein had a strong feeling that most of what Lorianne had been saying to Feylis before he entered had been about him.

The moment he stepped in, he could feel Feylis’ sharp, discerning gaze quietly sweeping over him, top to bottom.

As a Rank Six being, Feylis’ gaze should have been suffocating, but it was not.

Perhaps it was because she was simply observing him like an elder would, and she kept her full aura restrained.

She did not speak right away, and Sein remained respectfully silent.

After offering a formal greeting to both his mentor and his grandmaster, he stood quietly to the side.

It was a long moment before Feylis finally smiled and said, “You’ve got a good apprentice. Back when you told me he carried a wisp of planar light, I figured he had a solid chance of making it to Rank Three. I just did not expect him to get there so quickly.”

“I heard of the Faceless Mask ages ago, back when I was just making a name for myself in the Magus World, over a hundred thousand years ago. I never imagined that this legendary world-class secret treasure would end up in the hands of my grandapprentice,” she added, sounding genuinely amazed.

Lorianne had already told her mentor about the Faceless Mask. She was certain Feylis would never covet a treasure belonging to her apprentice.

Besides, Feylis had her own world-class secret treasure.

As a long-established Rank Six elite, even Feylis’ personal space fortress had been custom-built by a top-tier heavy industry laboratory in Sky City.

“Lorianne said you still have doubts about forming your lawful body and the qualitative shift of pyro elemental energy. Go ahead, tell me what you’re struggling with. Let’s see if I can help,” Feylis said, turning to face him.

Sein lit up and quickly listed all the experimental bottlenecks and conceptual dead ends he had encountered over the years.

He focused especially on those complex areas that even the knowledge stored within the Faceless Mask had failed to fully cover.

Beyond that, he also hoped to receive insight from his grandmaster on how to tap deeper into the power of the Ashen Flame.

None of the questions he posed were simple.

When he brought up the process of forming a lawful body at Rank Four, even Feylis paused. She turned to glance at Lorianne.

Lorianne only blinked innocently and gave a small shrug.

Feylis pinched the bridge of her nose, then sat up straighter and chuckled wryly.

“You’ve made it this far already, huh? These aren’t the kinds of topics I can explain in just a few sentences,” she said.

“I’m ready to accept your teachings, Grandmaster,” Sein replied respectfully.

At that, Lorianne stood up and chimed in with a smile. “I’ll go get you a glass of water, Master Feylis! Take your time explaining to him!”

“This apprentice of mine might have a few questionable habits in his personal life, but if there’s one thing I can say for sure, it’s that he’s got plenty of patience,” she added.