Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran went back inside because he sensed Tritus and his magic weapon's advancement had been completed. He did not warp to their location to avoid affecting the space, where the two were isolated, with the nature of his magic. If not, he might disrupt how they consolidated their newfound strength.

He still remembered Mannick's exhortation when he thought of going to where his father was.

Besides, Kyran also noticed Mannick with them; judging by the latter's aura, his mage level actually dropped by a few.

He recalled what Jared said about the Sovereigns' descent because the Human plane's cradle had already stopped working and how Nolan was forced to advance and become the plane's new Sovereign.

Honestly, Kyran had considered a scenario where Nolan ascends. But it was part of his worst-case scenario. After all, he had wanted Nolan's help to keep Haylee and her army at bay when the time to activate the Regis's Grand Array came.

Unfortunately, it was no longer possible.

Now that Nolan had become the new Human plane's Sovereign, Azaloth was likely on his last legs. Mannick's condition was proof of that.

But Kyran would not let him go just like that. He might have only met Azaloth's essence and had not met him personally, but he had already considered him one of his people. This sentiment was his own and was not influenced by Caelan's memories of him inside the Void core.

Kyran also felt that True Void did not want Azaloth to go yet. At the very least, he probably wanted to meet him again.

How would Kyran keep Azaloth from kicking the bucket? To be honest, Kyran did not know either. He just felt that as long as he could keep the latter's essence, Mannick, alive, he could find a way to help Azaloth recover fully.

If Azaloth did recover, would it affect Nolan's new status as the new Sovereign?

Kyran decided to think about the answer to that question when it happened. In the meantime, he had to focus on keeping Mannick alive and helping Tritus and his magic weapon complete their strength consolidation first.

Aron and Jared joined Kyran, and while they were on the way, he told them about Cyneah. He also told them his guess as to how she and Haylee came to be.

Kyran did not claim his guess as the truth because he did not have solid proof. He only gleaned his own assumption from the information he had and his own understanding.

Basically, the Spirit that attacked Cyneah when she was still a little girl had no intentions of killing her. The Spirits only wanted to place a curse on her to the point she would be bedridden. It was part of White Lily's ploy to get someone— a human who worked with the Spirits— to present a way to cure her.

Kyran had reasons to believe the person working with the Spirits was the person Cyneah thought as her 'mother.' Whether that mother was the previous 'Empress' or not, Kyran did not know. He would only know the truth from White Lily.

During Cyneah's treatment, they performed a rite, creating an essence that would replace her as the Crown Princess, while the original would then be taken far away.

Kyran did not know whether White Lily intended to let Cyneah 'die' in the hands of humans, but it was likely. From the environment she lived in and the treatment she grew up with, it was impossible for her to live past her teens.

However, Cyneah's 'mother' did it— until her death, that is.

In any case, White Lily did not want to kill Cyneah simply because Haylee, as her essence, would also be affected, and the Royal Family would realize something was wrong and might learn of the truth. After all, locating someone's original body using their essence was not hard.

Only when Cyneah died a natural death would the plan to get rid of the most suitable body Layla could return to succeed.

This was the assumption Kyran had, which he told Aron and Jared.

When the two heard it, they felt mixed emotions.

They somehow understood why the Spirits would do such a thing. Sacrificing someone to prevent a greater calamity from happening was common in survival, after all.

However, they also understood why Kyran chose to save Cyneah and keep her under his wing, even after learning about the truth of her identity.

Killing Cyneah to prevent Layla's return was a good move. But to Aron, he believed keeping Cyneah alive was a wise move.

His thoughts were likely the same as Kyran's.

If Cyneah were killed, it would only delay Layla's return because there would come a time when a new body would be born suitable for Layla. When that happened, who would stop her return then?

If they kept the current body alive and had Layla return, albeit incomplete, they could find a way to deal with her once and for all. Besides, in the present, there was a new Void Master that could suppress her.

Aron, Jared and Kyran arrived at the location where Tritus and his magic weapon, along with Mannick, were.

After confirming Mannick was still lucid, Kyran sent him to his Void World. Then he activated his Sigil to boost Tritus's abilities, helping him consolidate his strength faster.

Aron and Jared kept a straight face while watching Kyran work. But inwardly, they were still shocked by the fact Kyran had a human Sigil.

While they waited for Tritus and his magic weapon to complete their consolidation, Aron, Jared and Kyran connected with the Regis Elders and discussed their course of action.

It did not take long for them to come to a consensus. At the same time,  Tritus and his magic weapon also completed their consolidation.

After the Regis Special Forces completed binding the enemy forces, they gathered inside the estate's Outer Walls.

Aron, the rest of the Regis Special Forces, and Tritus would go to the Lumley Family Residence to provide reinforcements. At the same time, Kyran would go to the Tower of Conclave alone. He decided not to take Tritus with him to let the latter get used to his strength as a Legendary by fighting against Grand Masters.

Besides, even if Tritus went with Kyran to the Tower of Conclave, he and Osric were Water mages. They would only end up in a stalemate. Osric might even find an opportunity to rob Tritus of his power.

Tritus did it, so why couldn't Osric?

Aron also sent a message to the squad of Regis Special Force dispatched in Noser to rendezvous with them in the Lumley Residence once the situation in Noser was resolved.

This way, the Solum Tribe could tend to the wounded members of the Courtenay and Lumley Families.

After that, Aron would lead a few Special Forces members to locate the Archmagus who led the attack in Lumley, while the rest would go to the Montgomeray Secret Residence and wait for further instructions.

Aron also sent a message to their people in Ravenpass to alert them of any development between White Lily and the Crown Princess's confrontation.

When Eleanor selected the members who would stay and guard the estate, Kyran warped Aron and the rest of the Special Forces to a location close to the Lumley Ancestral Hall.

He did not warp them directly inside the hall in case the Void nature of his warp would destroy the barrier around it, which the enemies could take advantage of.

Kyran then added an additional protection formula in Jared's array formation to ensure the estate would hold if a sneak attack happened.

Once done, Kyran warped directly inside the Tower of Conclave.

Before, he would normally warp in the temporary room he had in the training ground building. But since he left Cyneah in the room originally prepared for him at the tower near the main entrance, he warped there instead.

As soon as Kyran appeared in the room, his expression darkened, and his eyes widened.

The room he had appeared in was wrecked; the ceiling was destroyed, and the floor and walls were riddled with holes. There was a massive hole in the wall leading to the hall, and from where he was standing, he could see that the windows along the hall were also destroyed.

From the scene he could view beyond the destroyed windows, Kyran saw nothing but destruction. Moreover, the sounds of explosions outside, which should have been filtered by the defensive array he created around the tower, could be heard loud and clear.

Kyran's heart sank as another scene overlapped with the destruction before him.

The ground was filled with blood, and the mutilated bodies of the people he knew were scattered everywhere. These 'people' had elfish features. However, it was soon replaced by human faces.

Faces of individuals Kyran knew and whom he already considered his people.

The Conclave, Montgomeray, Solum Tribe, etc.

Finally, a few familiar faces appeared among the mutilated bodies he held dear, and that was when a subtle yet crisp sound echoed in his head.

SNAP!