Kai flew through the air toward Veralt with many thoughts in his mind.

He had managed to obtain three elemental cores, now safely stored in his bag, but the preparations for the ritual were far from complete. As he flew, he went through every detail again in his head, making sure he had not overlooked anything.

After killing the fire elemental, Kai had returned to the Valkyrie Tower and spent hours carefully sketching the entire ritual onto parchment. He wrote every step in detail, from how the array would be formed to how the mana would be directed, and even what actions they would take once they stepped into the space between realms.

The core themselves were only one part of it.

Along with the elemental cores, the ritual required pure essence and a Shadow Mage to stabilize the transition. There were also smaller requirements—special chalk for the array and beast blood to anchor the ritual’s structure. Kai had no doubt the Watchers would have already secured them.

The real concern was the Shadow Mage and the people he would be bringing with him to the Earth plane.

Elder Caelith had already agreed to come. Killian would be there as well, and Claire had asked to join them too. But even with those three, Kai felt the group was still too small.

If resources were not a limitation, he would have assembled a much larger force—Enforcers and Mages alike.

But every additional person inside the ritual meant more calculations, more energy, and greater strain on the entire process. It also meant more people he would have to watch over once they crossed realms.

Kai preferred to keep the group small. That was why Elias was important and hopefully he would agree to join them.

Otherwise, Kai would be entering the Earth plane with far less firepower than he would like. Killian was capable of handling many situations, but even if the man did not fully realize it yet, he was more suited to command than raw combat.

And in elemental realms, Enforcers rarely performed well on their own.

Most spirits were beings that could easily manipulate their surroundings. Fighting them meant dealing with shifting terrain, sudden eruptions of power, and attacks that could come from any direction. Getting close to them was difficult, and that naturally put Enforcers at a disadvantage in direct combat.

Still, Kai hoped Killian’s lightning speed would compensate for some of that weakness.

The other concern was the Shadow Mage.

As Kai flew closer and closer to Veralt, he knew he would soon have his answer. A part of him hoped Francis had somehow found a solution. Another, more realistic part of him doubted it. Even Kai knew there was a severe lack of Shadow Mages in Lancephil.

The best possible outcome would be Francis finding one in another kingdom—someone they could borrow for the ritual.

That came with its own risks and diplomatic complications, but Kai had little choice if it came to that.

Fortunately, he did not have to dwell on the thought for long. Veralt soon appeared in the distance.

Kai slowed slightly and smiled. For a moment, he simply hovered above the city, looking down.

Compared to the day he had first taken control of it, the city had changed drastically. From the sky, he could see new buildings rising across multiple districts. Construction sites filled entire streets, while older roads were being rebuilt with fresh stone and brick.

Carriages moved constantly through the streets. People walked everywhere. The city felt alive.

But Kai knew this was only the beginning.

Within a year, the goal was to turn Veralt into the greatest capital in the world, and one that would be nearly impossible to conquer.

His eyes drifted toward the outer walls.

Even from above, he could see sections being rebuilt with mage arrays in mind. Defensive structures were being integrated directly into the stonework, while hidden traps were being placed along the approaches.

Satisfied, Kai finally descended.

He moved toward the castle and entered it the same way he always did; through the balcony windows and walked toward Francis’s office.

When he reached the room and pushed the door open, he immediately noticed something strange.

Francis was alone.

The apprentices who were usually busy around him were nowhere to be seen. The old man sat behind his desk with a deep frown on his face, staring down at a stack of documents.

Kai paused slightly. The frown disappeared the moment Francis noticed him, and he immediately stood up.

“Lord Arzan, you are here.”

Kai nodded as he stepped further inside.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Where is everyone? And why do you look so serious? Is everything okay?”

Francis glanced around the room for a moment before answering.

“My apprentices are busy with a few project inspections,” he said. “Some of them are also helping the Watchers with their work.” He straightened slightly. “And everything else is going well, your majesty.”

Kai saw through the clear lie. “Then why were you frowning?”

Francis sighed and lowered his head. “It’s related to what you asked of me, Lord Arzan.”

Kai immediately understood what he meant. “The Shadow Mage?” he asked. “Did you find one?”

Francis slowly nodded. That answer surprised Kai.

He had not expected success so quickly. But even as he looked at Francis’s face, he could tell something was wrong. Whoever the man had found clearly came with complications. So he waited for the man to speak.

“I did manage to find someone. But I had no idea how to tell you the news, Lord Arzan. It’s… very complicated.” He paused before adding, “But it was the only option I could see.”

Kai exhaled slowly, already disliking the tone of the conversation. “Who did you find?” he asked directly.

Francis looked down at the chair across from his desk. “Why don’t you sit down first,” he said. “Then I will explain everything, your majesty.”

***

Elias frowned as he stepped into his room inside the royal castle of Vanderfall. Calling it a castle was generous.

In truth, it was nothing more than the largest surviving mansion left in the kingdom after the catastrophe that had turned much of Vanderfall into plague lands. The actual royal castle—the one that had once stood at the heart of the capital—was long gone.

Now it was little more than a nest for mana weavers roaming through the plague lands.

Since that place was uninhabitable, the royal family had simply claimed this mansion instead and begun calling it the royal residence.

When Elias had returned from his work in the plague lands, they had given him a room here as a gesture of appreciation. At least that was how they described it.

In reality, his work there was far from finished.

The operations had merely stalled for now.

Large portions of the land were still choked with dead mana, and Elias had every intention of purifying them sooner or later. But while he thought about the long-term future of the land, the royal family seemed to be thinking about something else entirely.

They were already planning their return.

Planning to rebuild the “great kingdom of Vanderfall.”

The princes had even begun making speeches about it—standing before crowds and proudly declaring that they had preserved the kingdom through its darkest days. They spoke about welcoming migrants back and promised that everyone would have their homes returned to them.

If only the people knew the truth. Most of those homes no longer existed.

Entire districts had collapsed under the plague and the chaos that followed. Rebuilding them would cost an enormous amount of resources.

And the Vanderfall royal family had no intention of paying for it from their own pockets.

The fact that commoners were even allowed to return at all was already considered generous by them.

Elias had returned to the capital hoping to speak to the princes about doing things properly. He had even planned to use Lancephil as an example—how Arzan had taken responsibility for the people of his kingdom and earned loyalty by actually helping them rebuild.

But that hope had not lasted long.

After a single meeting filled with empty praise for his achievements and polite compliments about his power, the princes had quickly changed the topic. They offered to host a grand ball in his honor instead, something Elias had declined immediately.

After that, they left the meeting.

It was clear they had no intention of listening to him.

And even less intention of giving Lancephil any credit for purifying the lands in the first place.

So Elias had tried another route.

If the princes would not listen to him, then perhaps the king would.

The old king had grown frail over the years and was rarely seen outside his chambers anymore. Most of his time was spent inside a room saturated with mana, surrounded by alchemists and healers who worked endlessly to prolong his life. Elias had heard the stories and seen enough to know they were mostly true.

Still, the king was the king.

If there was anyone in Vanderfall who could overrule the princes and force real change, it would be him.

At least, Elias hoped so.

The princes were not openly fighting among themselves, but that hardly made things better. Instead of rivalry, they had formed something worse—a group that schemed together, each one trying to secure more influence while pretending to act for the kingdom.

It was a dangerous situation for Vanderfall. But Elias could do little about it. He had no royal blood, no official authority in the court, and all he could do was request an audience and wait.

And so he had.

Two hours had already passed since he sent his request for a meeting with the king.

No answer had come.

Elias paced slowly around the room, his frown deepening with every passing minute.

Then finally, there was a knock on the door. He moved to it immediately and opened it.

A knight stood outside. The man began to bow formally, but Elias cut him off before he could finish.

“Tell me what the king said,” Elias said bluntly. “Don’t waste time with greetings.”

The knight stiffened slightly. “His majesty denied the request, Magus Elias.” Elias’ expression hardened. “He said you should listen to the princes.”

The knight hesitated before continuing.

“He… appreciates what you did for the kingdom, but he wants you to stay out of politics.”

Elias scowled immediately. “How is wanting what’s best for the people politics?”

The knight swallowed before answering. “He said the nobles don’t want that.” He paused, then forced himself to continue. “They have already lost a great deal of money due to the plague. They wish to rebuild themselves first… before the commoners. The king said the common people are used to hard times.”

After delivering the message, the knight bowed once more. Then he turned and left without another word.

Elias remained standing at the doorway long after the knight had left.

For a brief moment, something close to hatred surged through him. Not for Vanderfall itself. But for the royal family ruling it.

He knew the plague had been a disaster for everyone. Entire regions had collapsed, trade had died, and noble houses had lost fortunes.

But simply discarding the majority of the population like they were animals… That was unforgivable.

For a fleeting second, Elias even considered marching straight to the king’s chamber and forcing the man to listen.

He had the strength to do it.

He knew that very well.

There were no people in Vanderfall who could stop him if he truly decided to act.

But he also had oaths to keep.

Breaking them would not solve anything. It would only turn him into a target and ignite a conflict that would harm the very people he was trying to protect.

The royal family already treated him like a tool. A loyal pet would be useful and powerful, but one that occasionally bared its fangs would need to be taken care of.

That perception would have to change someday. But not today.

Elias exhaled slowly and closed the door. He walked back into the room and sat down heavily in a chair.

From the way things were developing, he suspected the royal family would soon restrict him from helping the common people as well. If he began openly aiding them while the princes refused to, it would make the royal family look incompetent.

And that was something they would not tolerate.

Which meant he might be forced to sit here and do nothing. The thought made him sigh.

For a moment, he considered simply going to sleep before the frustration turned into a headache. But then something else came to mind.

A letter.

Two days earlier, one of Arzan’s drones had arrived carrying it.

Elias had barely looked at it. At the time he had been in a hurry to meet the princes, hoping to convince them to change their approach toward rebuilding the kingdom.

He had only read the first few lines, but he recalled it had contained a request. Elias frowned slightly.

He had no idea what Arzan could possibly want from him. The debt between them had already been settled during the civil war.

Which meant Arzan would only ask for something if the situation was truly urgent.

Elias immediately reached into his robes and pulled out the parchment.

He unfolded it and began reading properly this time. The letter was longer than he had expected. And it wasn’t written like a personal message.

At the top of the parchment was the seal of Arzan’s house, stamped cleanly in wax. That alone told Elias this was a formal request, not a casual exchange between two Mages.

That made him focus harder. His eyes moved across the lines quickly, then slower as he reached the middle of it. And the further he read, the wider his eyes became.

Although the letter was written in the tone of a request, it was clear that it was closer to a warning.

During the months Elias had spent purifying the plague lands, he had barely paid attention to the rest of the world. His focus had been entirely on cleansing the dead mana and stabilizing the land.

Even the civil war had only mattered to him because Arzan had been involved. But now—Now the letter described things he hadn’t even known were happening.

Elias did not doubt a single word. Arzan was not the type to exaggerate or lie. Which meant only one thing—the entire world might be in danger.

Elias slowly folded the parchment and put it back into his robes.

Without hesitation, he stood and walked toward the door. Whatever was happening, he needed to reach Lancephil immediately.

There was no time to waste. But the moment he opened the door and stepped outside, he stopped.

Several knights were already standing in the hallway. Elias raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t you all have babysitting duties with the princes?” he asked flatly.

One of the knights shifted slightly before answering. “We received orders, Magus Elias.”

“What orders?”

“To not allow you to leave your room for a while.”

Elias stared at them. “I don’t really care,” he said calmly.

The knight swallowed. “These are our orders, sir.”

Elias stood there for a moment. Inside his mind, the voice that wanted to crush everything grew louder. This time, he did not suppress it.

“You should all know,” Elias said slowly, “how many men I’ve killed in my life.” The knights stiffened. “If you don’t know,” he continued and noticed that his voice had turned cold, “it’s over a thousand.”

He took a step forward.

“And if you don’t get out of my way right now, you’ll become numbers on that list.”

His gaze swept across them.

“Move,” Elias said. “I have somewhere important to be.”

***

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