Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran appeared inside the room he stayed in when he was in the Tower of Conclave.

He wandered his eyes and found the place looking the same as he had last seen it, five years ago.

'Right,' he paused his train of thought. 'In real-time, only a few weeks had passed since then.'

Not even a minute had passed, the door to the room burst open and Stella, wearing a flowing white dress flew in, in a rush.

"Kyran!" She called, her face was full of smiles.

Kyran turned to look at her.

Though it had only been a few weeks in real-time since they last saw each other, Stella's expression appeared otherwise. To her, not knowing about Kyran's whereabouts for weeks felt like years. Truth be told, the reason why some of the council members were not present was because she had asked them to personally look for any traces of Kyran. She would not have resorted to this if Nolan just told her.

Good thing Nolan, whether it was the real one or his essence, was not around. Because if he was, and he noticed Stella's expression, he would have teased her for becoming a certified stalker.

Without caring for her image as the Lord of the Tower, Stella wrapped her arms around Kyran's neck as soon as she was close enough to do so.

If this happened before Kyran went to the tower, he would have evaded Stella or even flat-out stopped her approach by pressing his hand on her head. This time, however, he did nothing to stop or push her away.

Truth be told, Kyran felt a little comfort after seeing her. It was as if her presence assured him that he had really returned to the Human plane.

Apart from this, he actually missed Stella's excessive and unsolicited concern. Because for the past few years he had stayed in the Tower of Tribulation and experienced a lot of things, one thing he lacked was someone asking how he was.

Kyran was not alone in his training. True Void had recovered after almost two years, but he was not someone who would ask Kyran's well-being. Besides, they were together all the time so asking how Kyran was, was needless.

As for the people he met along the way, well….

"Nolan said he'd take you somewhere to train but did not tell me where and he refused to say anything more," Stella said as she tightened her arms around Kyran.

"Knowing him... I know it is a dangerous place. But then a few days ago he returned without you..." her voice faltered. As if holding Kyran close to her was not enough, Stella also buried her face in his chest. "But all of that did not matter. I'm glad you came back safe and sound."

Kyran remained silent while she spoke. He could feel her body trembling, as if trying her best to control the torrent emotions she was currently feeling.

Subconsciously, Kyran lifted his arms to comfort her, but when his eyes caught sight of his hands, all of the sudden, a scene seemed to overlap from his field of view.

His visions blurred and the next moment, he saw his hands full of blood.

Then, the previously well-lit room, also overlapped with another scene. It was a land painted in red, where mutilated corpses could be seen scattered everywhere. The sky was also red, and what appeared to be either the moon or the sun, was actually black. From a distance, there was a wide plain filled with thick long stakes impaled with mangled bodies that resembled humans, and human-like beasts.

Hovering above the plain of stakes was a huge black figure cloaked with what appeared to be a cloud of black smoke. Its red eyes, though hidden under the cloak of black smoke glowed menacingly as it stared at Kyran.

"You brought this calamity... the legacy which you hold will only attract chaos…"

Kyran abruptly closed his eyes, dissolving the scene before him in darkness. However, he knew that closing his eyes would not really make a difference. Even if his physical eyes could no longer see that scene, it would forever be imprinted in his mind's eye.

Because that scene happened, and what the huge black figure had said, was true.

The past five years he had experienced in the Tower of Tribulation, was indeed a tribulation to him, especially after understanding more about his magic. It even gave him an idea as to why his predecessor ended up dead.

As Kyran opened his eyes, he saw his hands which were about to touch Stella, suspended midway. They no longer appeared bloody. But after recalling that scene, instead of holding her, he lowered them again.

Kyran had no thoughts about feeling 'unclean.' He was not an emotional nor a sentimental person. In the past, he did act out of sorts when it came to his family, but that was different matter. The reason he stopped himself from touching Stella was because he did not want to comfort her half-heartedly.

Besides, Kyran knew Stella had misgivings about being the new Time Keeper. It was for this reason, she would decide things which would be favorable to him. Not to mention, her feelings of 'attachment' toward him.

Nevertheless, even if Stella's feelings might be influenced by the previous Time Keeper's memories, and was not really directed to him, Kyran still felt grateful for her concern and wanted to somehow repay her.

In the end, he decided to repay her in the most direct and simple way.

Taking a slow deep breath, Kyran leaned a little closer at Stella's ears and said in an almost inaudible whisper, "Thank you."

Upon hearing Kyran speak close to her ears, Stella's ears tingled and her cheeks instantly turned red. She belatedly realized how tightly she was holding on to him and stepped back at once.

Stella was not feeling self-conscious of what she was doing, alright. She stepped back because her heart had begun to pound loudly in her chest, she was afraid Kyran would hear it.

Wait, wasn't that the same as feeling self-concious?

"I... I know you already warned me to be mindful of my actions so no one else will misunderstand... Uhm... I... I am just happy to see you are okay. Ahaha... T-That hug just now was… had n-no special meaning. A-Anyway, there are no other people here so t-there's no one else who would misunderstand," she explained.

"I know, don't worry about it," Kyran replied, somehow amused at how she was explaining herself by pointing out something so obvious. Besides, he was not misunderstanding her actions because he already knew why she was acting this way.

As Kyran listened to Stella's stuttering, he was suddenly reminded of Cyneah, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Just a few seconds ago, he had been feeling a little out of sorts after remembering a very bad experience he had in the tower, but now, he admitted Stella's attempt to mask her embarrassment somehow improved his mood.

Apart from this, remembering Cyneah also inadvertently made Kyran think of Zephyr and his promise to protect the Shaiha.

Thinking of this, Kyran resolved to take care of things here in Starhorn as soon as possible so he could go back and fulfill his promise.

Pushing all unnecessary thoughts at the back of his mind, Kyran's expression turned serious. He lowered his hood and removed the cloth covering half of his face, before taking off the face-altering mask.

Then he started to get down to business, "I've more or less understood the current situation. But I think there is a much-pressing matter right now."

Seeing Kyran changed the subject so soon, Stella could not help but pout.

'Typical Kyran,' she thought and sighed inwardly.

However, Stella did not want Kyran to think she was acting unreasonable and decided to swallow any retort of discontent she was about to say. Besides, Kyran  was right. There was a much-pressing matter they had to deal with right now.

Stella adjusted her mindset as she looked at Kyran. Nodding her head to acknowledge what he had just said she replied, "You're right."

"How much time do we have?" He asked once again.

Stella sighed, "We just received the letter yesterday. Although its only for formality and we already know when they normally arrive. Anyway, it said they will come here next week but..."

She paused for a second in hesitation.

"…but that doesn't mean they will not start the inspection ahead of time," Kyran guessed, while looking at Stella's expression.

"… Yes," she finally replied after a few seconds.

Kyran slowly nodded his head, "Did the letter say when and who will arrive at Starhorn?"

"No, but previously it will always be at least a Lt. General," Stella replied.

"Not this time," Kyran told her with a slight shake of his head.

Stella looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Instead of answering her, Kyran asked her a question, "I heard the leaders of all factions in the empire went to the palace. Are they still there?"

"They already left a couple of days ago."

"Did anything else happened after they left?"

Stella thought for a moment and shook her head, "Nothing note worthy. I guess, if you think the Emperor meeting with the Grand Marshal and the Deputy Marshals is suspicious, then it is worth taking note of."

Kyran nodded, and made his way to the door, "I'll help reinforce the tower's defensive array. After that, make sure the rest of the council members are in Starhorn. As for Malek, make sure to have him close to you."

Stella's eyes narrowed at Kyran's words. For some reasons, she felt as if he knew something they did not and it was making her feel nervous.

"Kyran," she called.

Kyran paused and looked back at her.

"Do you know something?" Stella asked straightaway. At this point, she would not beat around the bush, after all, it had something to do with the Conclave.

Kyran stared at her for a few seconds, contemplating how much he should tell her.

The truth, Stella's suspicion was on point. Kyran did know something. And the only reason why he knew it was because, right now, he had control over the magic detector of the army in Starhorn.

After a short pause, Kyran finally replied, "A couple of hours before I arrived, there is a record of someone with a powerful background entering Starhorn."

Stella's eyes widened in shock, "Do you know who?"

She did not ask how Kyran knew because she already sensed a change in him. Although she had not pinpoint what changes occured to him, she more or less guessed, one of it was his mastery over his magic. After all, he entered Starhorn without triggering its improved magic detector.

Kyran hesitated for a moment. But then he recalled how True Void had said that Stella's predecessor was also his predecessor's friend, and felt it was better for her to be prepared.

Aside from this, the person with the powerful background was connected to the person who manipulated the truth about the previous Void Master.

"It's the Crown Princess," Kyran replied.