Wizard’s Journal (1)

Scanning correction: MRX

MRX’s no-responsibility bullshit section.

I’m sorry to start rambling again, but I’ve been playing the Japanese H-Game “Crazy KnuckleII” (The Legend of Crazy Knuckle II Memory Resurrection) secretly for the past two days, and in addition to appreciating the beautiful girls in the game and its unique fighting style, I also found the storyline in the game to be very poignant, and I was struck by a sudden whim that this Chinese RPG novel was serialized in Taiwan’s New Game Times magazine for 5 issues between October 1996 and February 1997, and the two writing styles are quite a contrast. Between the sudden whim, remembered the Taiwan New Game Times magazine in October 1996 to February 1997 between the serial publication of five issues of the RPG novel, the two sides of the writing method is quite a reflection of the wonderful, the author of this article Mr. Chen Huanzhao is really able to write the love of the hand, with the RPG magic space, giving people a kind of shocking bleak beauty, and then scanned up to the netizens.

This article is not erotic fiction, but the word description of love is very unique, I think, in this version should not be too ….. ^_^….

There are 5 articles in this paper.

first article

summertime

The third full moon partners were in the midst of resting after a fierce battle, so it seemed that I would be left alone to keep watch this night. When the moon is full, the stirrings of magic are especially strong. I think this magical forest with its mysterious power somehow echoes with the depths of my blood, especially when the full moon magical senses are at their strongest.

It hadn’t been this bloodthirsty since the final battle with the Black Dragon King. I stretched my back and cast the most basic of spells on the dying fire, and all at once the flames flourished again, reflecting my partner’s tired and sweet sleeping form. An owl flew by, and in the distance there seemed to be the stirring of a monster infestation. I raised my hands, responding to a spell deep in my memory, and let the light from the defense magic array fall in droves around the camp; that way, even if I got too caught up in my memories, the monsters wouldn’t disturb my partner’s rest.

I don’t think that any of the monsters in this forest can get near this magic formation. And before my partner wakes up, it will naturally combine with the first light of the morning ask to become part of the magical forest and disappear into the morning mist. In fact, I have never shown this type of great spell in front of my partner, nor do I think, that they can tell what I am truly capable of.

It would be because of Aimee that I would be traveling with this group of mates to Harborport. She was the one who hooked me up at the bar in Kembeth City and tricked me into this journey with a glass of good ale. To be honest, I was kinda willing to be tricked, she reminded me of Katharine. When she approached me in the bar, for a moment I mistook it for the light of thirty years ago; at every celebration after a battle, Katharine would always attempt to get me drunk on ale, then secretly cast an antidote spell of her own to spar with me. When she couldn’t do it, she dragged the rest of her friends into the sea with her, and every time, we would make such a mess that the bar owner would close the store early.

After the fight against the Black Dragon King, all of my companions died and scattered, and have long since become legends in the songs of the bards. Only I, still invisible as a weak magician wandering silently, occasionally joining some teams to earn some mercenary money, while helping small villages to solve insignificant small monsters. Following this group of young men on their wanderings brought back some of the ambitions of my youth.

Recalling these old memories, I can’t help but look towards my sleeping partners. Being young was their greatest asset. Ryu is a pretty good swordsman, Aimee is a priestess who specializes in healing, and Bill is a nimble thief. Their skills are not bad for their age and experience; Ryu’s swordsmanship can only deal with some not-so-tough monsters, and when he encounters a vulture, he will be caught in a hard battle, but he always stands at the front of the team, using his huge and thick body to withstand every attack of the enemy; Bill always plays some strange tricks, and puts cold arrows from time to time to give the enemy an unexpected threat; Emi owns a bunch of small magic spells, which aren’t too practical but have a lot of tricks, and each attack is not very effective. Aimee, on the other hand, possessed a small set of not too practical, but a lot of fancy magic, the effect of each attack was not outstanding, but the results were not bad, and she only had the healing magic more effective. I, on the other hand, focused on playing my role as a small wizard, releasing small magic missile spells in times of crisis, taking care not to let them really get hit hard. In fact, if I were to play for real, all the enemies I’ve encountered so far would only be drowned in magical ashes as long as I extend my little finger.

Ryu suddenly rolled over and seemed to be pressing on his wound. He had said he would watch for me for the rest of the night, but I thought it would be better if I didn’t wake him up and let him rest to regain his strength! Thinking about the intensity of today’s battle, I took out my grimoire and found a seldom-used enhancement spell to speed up the recovery in the magic formation. That way, they should feel like brand new again when they wake up tomorrow. This is one of the few spells I can do for them without revealing my strength.

Dawn would arrive in two hours. The elves in the forest were already busy preparing the morning dew around the area, and I had re-sealed my magical power. This sealing magic was taught to me by Katharine to hide my true abilities, and was originally used to minimize the enemy’s alertness in the early stages of a battle, and to retain my strength. Without this magic, a random priest would be able to detect the powerful magical power hidden within me.

I closed my magical journal and stowed it away in the magical pocket of my robes. It was a rare treat to sit in silence and wait for dawn. They had traveled all the way from the eastern part of the continent, through the mountains and forests, just to get to the harbor of Hobbes, and then find a ship to sail to the Misty Bird, to look for the “Legendary Swordsman”, Mycis, in the hope that they could become his heirs. When did this guy, Mathis, play this game, asking for a successor?

Not to mention the Misty Bird, which I had long ago familiarized myself with to the point where I could come and go with an instantaneous movement spell. Still, I accompanied them across the continent, after their original wizard died in battle.

Just because, I like to take risks.

Elves of the Magic Forest

The dawn after a full moon has always been particularly active for the elves of the forest. The elves by this campsite had not even ducked back into the shade of the lush forest before the sun shone.

It was no wonder that I had dedicated all the mana of the magic array to them after sunrise, and it was inevitable that they would rely on me and refuse to stay away.

Devotion to nature spirits like this is a must for adventurers. Many people don’t realize that being assisted by various nature spirits can be an unspeakable aid to the adventuring process; take the elves of the Magic Forest, from their morning questioning dances I already know that the next three days of travel will be a sunny and unchallenging calm. But three days later there would be a storm, a violent summer storm. Even a wizard such as myself would not want to face such a summer storm without defense. I thanked the elves for the warning, and took their advice to travel to the gnome caves in three days to seek shielding. The elves also promised to say hello to the gnomes for me first.

“You, stayed up all night, huh?” Aimee rubbed her hooded eyes, interrupting my mind chatter with the elf.

“What? Had enough rest, huh? I cooked some food, have some.” I pointed to the stove on the fire and greeted her to enjoy it. “Eat first, I’ll get them both up.”

“Let them sleep more?” Aimee donned her priestly garb and took the ladle from my hand, nonchalantly scooping up the food in the oven. “Yesterday’s battle was so violent that they shouldn’t have recovered from their injuries so quickly, even under the care of my powerful restorative magic.”

“But we’re leaving soon.” I just laughed at her suggestion and went to shake Ryu and Bill awake anyway.

“We have to make it to the Gnome Cave in three days. In these three days, I’m afraid we can’t rest much, after all, it’s a not-so-short journey.”

“Why do you want to make a five-day journey in three days?”

Bill, who had heard our last conversation and was still nestled in his sleeping bag, snapped. “Wow, I’ve been awake for a while. Amy, ladle me a bowl of soup, what is this? The aroma is so strong.”

“Greedy.” Amy shook her head and scared Bill with a look that said, “Oh my God! You’re making soup with lizard tails again? Ambrosious, can’t you wizards cook with normal food?

”

“Trying to trick me?” Playing on his thief’s swiftness, Bill snatched the spoon from Aimee’s hand in a flash and wolfed it down. “I know Little Ann’s a foodie, he might use lizard tails with his magic, but the only thing he eats is more elaborate than I am, and it won’t be wacky. Don’t you think so, Ann?”

“Hey! Save some for Ryu.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him eating. Hurriedly, I grabbed another spoon and left a big bowl full for Ryu so that breakfast wouldn’t be divided up among the others in his slow getting up maneuvers to avoid touching his wounds.

“Ryu, come on, don’t keep failing to get your morning charm, I don’t have that many lizard tails to cook another pot.

”

“Thanks.” Ryu took the soup I left for him with both hands, apologizing as he did so, “I’m sorry, I said I was going to stand guard for the rest of the night last night, but I can’t believe I fell asleep and didn’t get up. Why didn’t you call me too?”

“I see you need more rest than I do, and I’m okay with that, so I’ll simply keep watch until dawn.” I waved him off, telling him not to mind, “It’s important to build up some stamina, there’s a road to cover in the next three days. I just spoke to Aimee, we have to make it to the Gnome Caves in three days.”

“Why the rush?” They asked almost in unison.

“There’s Mida Lancia in three days.” I replied simply.

“That summer storm in the interior of the continent?” Aimee’s face turned white as she stood up and said in a surprised and slightly trembling tone, “No way! Mida Lancia doesn’t only occur in the open plains, how could the Magic Forest…?”

“That’s why I said to hurry.” I pointed around at the forest elves they couldn’t see and said, “I have a feeling that if we don’t make it to the gnome caves in time to escape this storm, we’re going to be in deep shit. The Mida Lancia in the open is certainly scary, but in the forested areas, it will really bring about a completely unpredictable destruction. I’m sure you’ve all heard about what the forest Mida Lancia did to the Tal Forest last time, right?

Although these storms don’t happen very often, only once every few years.”

“How do you know it’s exactly three days from now there?” Bill was still a little upset and youthfully tried to argue back with me. Ron glared at him and Bill retracted what he was trying to say and silently ate the last bit of food in his bowl.

Each time I always wondered what Ryu was using to make Bill so obedient and submissive.

“Then we should get going.” Ryu finished his breakfast in one bite, put on his armor, and got ready to hit the road.

“Eh.” I started packing up the dishes and putting the guys all in the magic backpack. Aimee silently started packing up the campground as well, leaving Bill still struggling with his bowl of overstuffed breakfast.

“Hurry up! Bill, or you’ll be hungry next time.” Aimee scared Bill viciously.

“Alright, alright, done eating.” Bill dunked the bowl in one gulp and picked up the little leftover scraps with his hand, “What’s this? It’s quite tasty, put more next time.” After saying that, he even put a bite into his mouth and chewed contentedly.

“Didn’t Aimee already tell you, lizard tails!” Just watching Bill’s face suddenly turn green and busily spit out what he had just eaten made the morning’s culinary endeavor worthwhile. The three of us, just standing in the brilliant sunshine, watched Bill scream and throw up, then want to curse me, but not dare to, and dutifully carry his bags and walk weakly to the end of the line.

Cave of the Pygmies

Our group made it to the Gnome Cave in time before the storm raged to the extreme.

Mida Lancia came about an hour later than expected, which should be considered our luck! Even with the assistance of the forest elves, the journey was still a grueling one. When we were about a mile away from the Gnome Cave, Midaranthia descended in a frenzy. If I hadn’t already been here before, it would have been nearly impossible for me to find the right direction in the middle of a storm like that. I’m glad we did.

After getting soaked to the bone, all you want is a warm fire and a pot of steaming hot food, which is really the best treat.

And all this, the gnomes had prepared for us. While we were still searching for the correct entrance to the cave in the stormy weather, the gnomes took the initiative to remove the boulders shielding us from the wind and rain and guided us into the warm and dry cave, where the gnomes offered their friends the best hospitality. Ryu and the three of them watched in awe, unable to believe that the gnomes, who had never had much dealings with humans, would put on such a feast for strange human travelers.

Only I know that all this is for me.

An elderly gnome greeted us in their language, and I politely replied with our gratitude. It was clear to me from the looks on the faces of Lon, Amy, or Bill that they did not long for Gnomish, which also meant that they could not hear the pronouns by which the Elder Gnomes referred to me, a title seldom used in the Gnomish language to refer to a legendary god or a legendary figure who had done great service to the entire Gnomish race.

“You know gnome language, huh? What does it say?” Aimee asked in a whisper, tugging on the corner of my shirt.

“He, correct your name,” I shook out my soaked cloak and found a seat by the fire, “He welcomed us to his presence and invited us to share their food. Let’s all sit down, roast the fire, and eat.” I greeted the rest of my companions who stood hesitantly, asking them to feel free to accept the gnome’s hospitality. I didn’t intend for them to know about my past relationship with the gnomes, but I didn’t want to lie either. Avoiding the obvious was probably a good way to go.

I sat down and drank a bowl of steaming porridge by the light of the fire. The gnomes sat around the fire as well, looking at me with curious eyes tinged with reverence. The fire was strong, but the unique way that gnomes have always built fires in their caves kept it from smoldering at all. Gnomes themselves don’t need the light of a fire to see in the dark, and they also have an innate sense of direction for these kinds of misplaced and complex underground channels. The Gnome Cave, the largest entrance to the channel in the Magic Forest, was also the largest metal pit in the center of the continent. Over the years, many greedy humans have attempted to break into the underground world of the gnomes and seize all kinds of minerals, but none of them have succeeded, and they have only increased the tension between humans and gnomes.

I believe that the forest elves must have informed the gnomes of my true identity, which is why they made such a grand display. If I’m not mistaken, the gnome elder who just welcomed me should be one of the seven great elders of the gnome race. Thirty years ago, when Catherine and I sought their help, we had a meeting. At that time, it was the time when the Black Dragon King was wreaking havoc on the continent, and its minions broke through the gnomes’ defenses and invaded the Chamber of Life Stones in the heart of the entire continent. The Stone of Life is the vital source that sustains the creatures, minerals, and all vitality of the entire gnome world, and it also has an incredible influence on the order of the entire continent. Katharine and I joined forces with the gnomes to prevent the expansion of the Black Dragon King’s power, and fought a bloody battle in the Chamber of Life Stone. After the deadly battle, at the request of the gnomes, I cast a powerful sealing spell, sealing the channel leading to the Stone of Life so tightly that any creature wishing to pass through in any form would have to pay with their lives as a source of energy for the Stone of Life.

At that time, it should be considered the time when all races on the continent got along most harmoniously. When there was a unanimous enemy, the Black Dragon King, everyone could abandon their preconceived notions, contribute all the resources together, and unite all the forces just for a free and safe environment to live in. But what about now? There has been no major war for thirty years, but minor wars have been going on, between humans and gnomes, between humans and humans, between humans and other races… This is one of the reasons why I won’t settle down, because I don’t want to be another accomplice in this unnecessary war.

“Why are they treating us like this?” Aimee asked, interrupting my memories after returning a bit of warmth, “I’ve never heard of gnomes being so friendly.”

“This…” I was momentarily speechless, not knowing what excuse to make.

“Yeah, yeah, why?” Bill joined in the questioning. I could see the same question in Ryu’s eyes, just not put into words. I coughed dryly and was pondering how to answer when a sudden gust of wind hit me. The boulder that shielded the cave entrance from the elements was pushed aside by several strange human figures.

“Ah! So there’s already such rich, warm food in there!” A few of the men who came in, obviously not very aware of the proper manners for adventuring, rushed in, still dripping with water, and grabbed the food. The gnomes were visibly upset, but because of my presence, there was no military confrontation. The gnome elder rebuked their rudeness in a stern tone while still generously entertaining the Midalancian asylum seekers. These people clearly didn’t understand the gnome language either, and were completely oblivious to the gnome’s unpleasant reaction.

“Hey! Do you guys have any manners at all?” Ryu couldn’t help but stand up and reprimand them, “This is a gnome’s place, and you guys come in here and waltz in and enjoy their food without the slightest indication. What is this?”

“What’s the matter? You want to be polite to this bunch of barbarians?”

A guy who buried his head into the pot and nonchalantly ate profusely raised his head fiercely, “What are you, daring to meddle in my business? Take advantage of the fact that I’m in a good mood and don’t want to bother with you, get the hell away from me.”

“You…” agitated Ryu almost drew his sword, but I stopped him just in time. Measuring the opponent’s armament, I knew it would be a tough fight. In the territory of the gnomes, it should also be up to them to decide whether to fight or make peace. “Forget it, let’s go. Let’s just leave this place to these villains.” I nodded my head in gesture, and Ryu also realized that the gnomes had all gone away at some point, leaving only the Elder at the entrance to one of the tunnels, silently waiting for us to follow. The four of us packed up a little and followed the gnome into the deeper cavern, leaving the place to the insolent intruders.

Fighting in the Dark

“Ann, Ann,” Bill gently shook the sleeping me, “I thought I heard a fight.”

“What’s wrong?” I rubbed my eyes, which still wanted to sleep, while putting on my cloak, “Fighting? From which direction?”

“Deep in the cave, but it doesn’t seem far from here.” Apparently Bill’s thieving instincts were more aware of movement around him than the others, “Should we go check it out?”

“Good.” I stood up, “Weapons at the ready, might be a bit of a pain in the ass.” Bill nodded and took the dagger in his hand.

“What are you two doing?” The sound of our movements apparently startled Ryu and Aimee, who grumbled in a sleepy voice.

“Something’s not right. Bill and I will go over and check it out first, and you guys equip your weapons and come afterward.”

I cast a small illumination spell so Ryu & Aimee, who didn’t see as well in the dark, could easily dress, “There might be a fight, so be a little prepared first.”

“Good. We’ll be there later.” Ryu didn’t waste any time, pulling his armor over him and starting to put it on, “Be careful, and wait as long as possible until we arrive before you do anything.”

“Eh.” Without much ado, I followed Bill through a dark tunnel and ran toward the source of the metallic pounding. After skirting a few forks in the road, Bill led me to exactly where the battle had taken place, a very large cavern. Someone had built a fire in this cavern, and the light from the fire shone off the highly mineralized rock surrounding it, the light and reflective metallic hues illuminating the place in a somewhat dreamlike fashion. As I stared, in the center of the room, apparently the same group that had broken into the Gnome’s cave later last night, were fighting with a few gnomes. And from the disheveled clothing of the gnomes, and the invaders’ all-around preparedness, it was obvious to know that this was a premeditated action to take advantage of the gnomes’ unpreparedness.

“What are you doing!” Bill yelled while I was still judging the situation. The gnomes, hearing his voice, were taken aback, thinking that the number of enemies had increased again, but upon seeing me, a look of excitement was evident on their faces. The invaders had gained the upper hand, and the leather armor on the gnomes was dripping blood from the scratches.

“Mind your own business!” The intruder who had viciously grabbed the food earlier in the day let slip a word in our direction.

As soon as Bill heard that he wanted to rush over and join the fray, and I was quick to pull him back.

“You are no match for them. If you go down there, you’ll just add to the burden of the gnomes.” Under the wavering light, I could already see that the invaders’ attacks were strong, plus they came prepared, so even the warlike gnomes had no choice but to take a defensive stance in the absence of defense. I gestured for Bill to follow me around to the back of the gnomes to assist in defending the tunnel that was clearly the intruder’s target.

“You guys!” While exchanging situations with the gnomes who were injured and out of the battle, I heard Ryu’s voice. He didn’t hesitate at all to join the gnomes, while Aimee saw us and ran towards us. The battle was slightly vocalized by Ryu’s joining in, but the invaders’ advantage was already established, so I’m afraid that we still have no choice but to retreat. From the gnomes’ mouths, I knew that the invaders’ goal was the gnome race’s treasure. To them, it was just an act of courage to fight monsters and get the treasure, but to the gnomes, they were savage and greedy invaders.

“Retreat!” I weighed the situation and decided to send the wounded deeper into the cave to recuperate before the injuries worsened to the point where retreat was impossible.

I yelled once in Gnome, and then once more to Ryu in human language. “Aimee, Bill, you help the gnomes get the wounded out of here, they’ll tell you where to go. The rest of you retreat as you defend, I’ll take the rear.” I commanded the crowd to retreat. I saw a resigned look on the gnomes’ faces and I smiled, telling them to rest assured that I wouldn’t let the intruders take one more step deeper into the cave. The gnomes didn’t say much, only trusting me, the legendary wizard, one hundred percent.

“I’ll break off with you.” After the gnomes had all returned to the tunnel, Ryu stood beside me, refusing to go. “You can’t block them alone, they’re too strong. I’ll help you, and blocking them more will also give the gnomes an advantage in the next wave of defense.”

“No need.” I looked at Ryu’s young and heroic face in the light of the fire and said gently, “I’ll be fine on my own. You go and help Aimee and the others to help the gnomes to heal their wounds, you are more needed over there. I, alone, will be enough to take care of this group of intruders.”

“You… can’t possibly, can you?” Ryu thought I wanted him to leave and said big words to comfort him, “Don’t say more.

I’m not leaving.”

“What did you forget?” I looked into his eyes, straight into the depths of his mind, “You said that trusting your partner one hundred percent is the true meaning of adventure?”

“Good!” Ryu blinked and made a decision that was not easy to make, “I’ll go. But you have to promise not to get hurt. If you can’t block it, you can block it again in the next wave, don’t gamble all your strength right here.”

“I promise.” I watched Ryu walk away and recalled my youth. I turned back and took up a defensive stance to face the gradually approaching intruder.

“Have you finished your act yet?” The intruder said provocatively, “If you’re done, let us pass, and I’ll spare your life. It’s a shame for a human to help a dwarf fight a human. It’s not too late for you to reform, we can make you a minor wizard in the team.”

“You have gone too far.” My gradually rising tone began to reveal my anger, “Every race on this continent should respect the right of other races to exist, not only did you guys break into the gnome caves, not thanking them for providing a place to shield Mida Lancia, and eating their food, but you also tried to seize their treasures. You guys, no longer deserve to be adventurers.”

“Are we done talking?” The intruder showed no remorse at all, “I’ve changed my mind, I can’t let you live. Along with the other three brats, I’ll clean them up one by one later. You, awaken!” After saying that, he raised his weapon and approached me step by step.

“It’s you who should realize, isn’t it.” I raised my hands and a whirlwind began to blow from my side. After flickering for a while, the fire went out. The intruder, apparently a little flustered by the darkness, paused in his steps for a moment.

“You think that’s enough to stop us?” The provocative voice from the darkness was as unaware as ever.

“No, this is just the beginning.” I exploded an ancient incantation in my head, letting the magic coalesce between my hands, “Ever order dark magic? One of the most powerful of these magics can give the recipient an irresistible fear of darkness for the rest of his or her life. I think it would be a fitting punishment for the guy who covets the treasure in the gnome’s cave.”

“Fear of the Dark Spell?” The voice coming from the darkness was already permeated with panic, “That’s just a legendary spell, isn’t it? Legend has it that only the dragon slayer Enlis could cast it, how did you…? No! It’s impossible…”

“Then you’ll just have to count yourselves unlucky.” With the magic between my hands already merging with the darkness around me, I muttered the last incantation, letting the air of magic envelop the entire cavern, “It’s not everyone’s chance to withstand the magic of legends.”

“No!” After the mournful cries, the sound of panicked fleeing footsteps began. I kind of pitied them for their needless struggle, after all, under this kind of dark magic shroud, even gnomes who could see in the dark couldn’t see anything, let alone humans. If they couldn’t escape this cave, it wouldn’t take long for them to die naturally from their fear of darkness.

Even if they managed to escape, they would not be able to face the darkness again for the rest of their lives, because even the slightest amount of darkness can be fatal.

After the footsteps, screams, and all other noises had subsided, I quietly withdrew this magic and headed in the direction of my partner deeper in the cavern.

Muddy Magic Forest

In all my years of adventuring, the strongest enemy I’ve encountered is, of course, the Black Dragon King. But the toughest enemy, I’ve always thought, is human beings. The Black Dragon King is very strong, but the battle against it is purely a war of strength, courage and intelligence; it’s purely an open and honest battle, with no chance at all, but with the power of the Black Dragon King. The Black Dragon King is very strong, but the battle against it is purely a war of strength, courage and intelligence; it’s purely an open and honest battle, with no chance at all, and no need to put in extra effort on any extra bits and pieces. However, against human beings, the evil that is the result of cunning, betrayal, greed, etc., is much more difficult to deal with than the strength of the Black Dragon King.

I always think that it must be human cunning that will one day defeat me.

After the battle in the Gnome Cave, we only stayed in the cave for one more night, and immediately went on our way after Midaranthia passed. The damage to the gnomes was fairly minor, but I complied with their request and set up a magic formation at the entrance to the gnome cave, sealing the cave under magical defense. There will be a period of time where the entrance to this magical forest will be inaccessible until the next person with the ability to break this magic formation appears. From the gnomes’ hurt eyes, I could see the regret of their inability to live in peace with humans, as well as a sad pity. I believe this pity is for humans. Many humans are too stupid to understand why all races in this world, are supposed to cooperate for mutual benefit and coexistence.

They only know what way is best for them and what way they can get the most out of squeezing other races.

After bidding farewell to the gnomes, my companions and I continued on our journey. After the summer storm, the Magic Forest was covered in mud and fallen trees. The elves around us were busy restoring the original environment, but I thought that it would be impossible to restore the forest to its original state in a short time; perhaps, it would never be able to return to the way it was before. In fact, not only the Magic Forest, but also the gnomes and their companions who have experienced this event, can never be the same as before.

Everything that happens, more or less, leaves an imprint on our minds and changes the way we think, and the way we live our lives.

Traveling through the mud of the Magic Forest was much more difficult than expected. As we climbed up and down through the broken branches and trunks in silence, I knew my partners had many questions they wanted to ask me, but I never gave them the chance. The closer we got to dusk, and the closer we got to resting and camping, the more I began to think about how I was going to answer the questions they were going to ask. I wasn’t sure how far I could hedge my bets this time, but I still wasn’t willing to lie. In short, I couldn’t tell them all the facts; not yet when they could take it.

As night approached we set up camp on a dry patch of ground in the mud. Bill nimbly hunted around for some food for dinner, Lon gathered firewood, clean-cut Amy did all the work of organizing the camp as usual, and I did the handy cooking.

“We have a lot of questions for you,” Aimee was the first to snap after a hearty dinner, “What are you, really?”

“Wizard Ambrosious.” I calmly beckoned the first question, not lying and not having to, just don’t answer the question other than by myself. “That’s a question you asked back in Kembeth City.” I added playfully, attempting to defuse the starkness a bit.

“I told you you wouldn’t ask questions, I’ll do it!” Bill impatiently snatched up Aimee’s words and turned to me, saying, “The question should be this: how did you get such strong magical power? This is completely different from the impression we had when we thought you were just a beginner magician.”

“Whoa? Do I have strong magical powers?” I threw my head back and laughed, attempting to escape the query. But when Ryuuya opened his mouth, I knew that I was afraid I would have to honestly beckon the question.

“You don’t have to hide it from us.” Ryu’s voice maintained his usual steadiness, slow and resonant. “We’ve discussed it, and last night’s enemies were strong, so strong that gathering the strength of all the gnomes present, plus the three of us, would have been unlikely to stop them. And you killed two of them with just your own strength, and the remaining two apparently fled in extreme fear. That’s not something a normal magician can do. In fact, I haven’t met any magicians who can do it either.”

“Also, you seem to have taken care of all four at the same time.” Aimee followed up on Ryu’s words and continued to state their unanimous conclusion, “I’ve examined the dead foes, and they don’t have any fatal wounds on their bodies, and if they do have any, they’re minor stab wounds from previous battles. There were no signs of any magical attacks that I know of on their bodies, no burns, electrical wounds, or energy damage of any kind. They were just that, dead for no reason. We want to know what kind of wizard is a wizard who can kill like that?”

“Do you guys really want to know that badly?” I sighed, weighing just how much I could say and how much I continued to hide.

“Yes.” I could have dealt with that if it had just come from Aimee or Bill. But Ryu made that request too.

I know that just tonight, the partnership of the past few weeks draws a significant demarcation, destined to be the end of the journey and the time when we part ways.

With another sigh, I slowly removed my cloak and, in the light of the campfire, unlocked the seals that had been placed on myself, allowing magical energy to flow through my entire body again. The campfire around me seemed to resonate with my magical power, and all of a sudden it rose higher, illuminating the night sky of the magical forest with a fiery glow. It’s been a long time since I unleashed all my magical power, because even if I don’t cast any magic, it can still have a great impact on the surrounding environment, especially on the elves and other creatures. Like now, the elves of the Magic Forest were awakened and quickly flew around.

“So, are you guys satisfied?” I said to my partners who were a bit dumbfounded, “That’s right, I didn’t tell the truth at first, but I also never said anything like I’m only a beginner magician. That’s my true strength, and the fact that I used to suppress it and also pick only beginner’s magic to use is what caused you guys to have a false impression of me. Now, you all recognize me. As for the rest, let’s take it as some of my personal secrets! I hope you guys won’t pursue this any further.”

“This…” Ryu was the first one who could recover from the shock, and the only one who could still speak to me, “You… I never thought that we would also have the chance to be partners with such a powerful magician. I… I thought at first that if we arrived at the Isle of Mists, we might also have the chance to see the legendary magician Enlis, and you might be able to worship him as your master. But now… those thoughts seem to be redundant…”

“None of that matters now.” I cloak back on, suppressing my magical powers once more. “Probably tomorrow we’ll be out of the Magic Forest, and Harbor Harbor won’t be far behind. Once we get to Harbor Harbor, that’s when we’ll part ways.”

“This… you don’t have to do this.” Ryu stammered a little, “We can still have adventures together, go to the Isle of Mists together. Our partnership is exactly the same as before…”

“It can’t be the same.” I waved my hand to lessen the intensity of the campfire, “Before you asked me to disclose these secrets, perhaps you should have thought that once a secret is a secret, there must be a reason for it. There must be some price to pay for wanting to know secrets.”

“Sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” I turned away, not wanting to face the look of dismay on their faces. I lay down on the bed Aimee had prepared, and I could vaguely hear that they hadn’t slept very well all night.

Part II

Dawn in Port Haber

Sometimes I often wonder if my life lost its purpose after I defeated the Black Dragon King.

After that, except for the first few years, I hadn’t stayed in the same place for a year, hadn’t ventured out with the same companions for more than half a year, and hadn’t seriously put my best foot forward in any of them. I thought this from the hills outside Harbor, overlooking Harbor in the dawn.

After traveling with little rest, we arrived in Port Haber half a day earlier than expected. Upon seeing Harbor under the rising sun, it was obvious to my partners that the night of stargazing had paid off. It was only the shadow cast between them and me that night that dampened the joy of reaching our destination. For reaching our destination was also a sign of separation between us.

“That’s as far as it goes.” I said quietly, “It’s been a pleasure traveling this journey with you guys. You’ve been great company and I’m going to miss you.”

“Wait!” Aimee’s agitated voice interrupted my goodbye, “Isn’t there any room for maneuver? Do we have to separate? We can…”

“We can go to the Isle of Mists together!” Bill took over from Aimee, who was too choked up to continue, and finished what she had meant to say. “We promise we won’t ask one more question about your past, and it makes absolutely no difference to us if you’re a Super Wizard, or a Junior Wizard. We can continue to think of you as a comparable partner, adventuring and continuing our journey together…”

“Stop saying that.” I looked down at Aimee, who was crying, and Catherine’s face came back to me. In the early morning sunlight, I began to be unable to tell the difference between the two of them. They looked too much alike! Even the way they cried was exactly the same. I resolutely cut myself off from the excess of memories, and ruthlessly refused. “It’s useless to say any more. I’ve already made up my mind. Maybe we’ll have a chance to meet again in the future, and when we do, maybe we can still be great companions. But for now, it is time to part.”

“Ann, I’m sorry things have come to this.” Ryu hid his true feelings and said in his usual calm tone, “If there really is no such thing as an unbroken banquet, then I can only wish you well. Goodbye, see you again.”

“Ryu, why do you say that!”

Bill yelled right back at Ryu. This is the first time I’ve heard Bill rebut Ryu, and I felt a little surprised in my mind.

“Ann, I’m not going to let you go, and if you do, beat me first.” Bill drew his dagger and took up a defensive stance, seemingly with the look of a man who wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted.

“Bill, stop fooling around!”

Ryu pulled Bill out of the way with one hand, clearing a path for me, and turned to me, “I’m sorry. And thank you for the care you’ve given us on this journey. I know that it has been your quiet watch over us that allowed us to make it safely from Kembeth City to Harbor Harbor. You were a great companion, and I will always remember you.”

Out of the corner of Ryu’s eye, a clear tear escaped, and he hastened to blink it away as hard as he could before anyone noticed. But I didn’t miss these tiny melt-downs on his face.

“Thanks.” Somehow, the corners of my eyes actually started to moisten as well.

“Ron, Bill, and Amy, I’ll see you later. You guys were one of the best buddies I’ve ever met. See ya.

“I turned around and slowly walked away. “Ann, tell me,” Aimee called out from behind me in a choked voice, “Will we, will we ever meet again?”

“Will do.” I didn’t turn around, but answered in a very sure voice. “Will. I will be waiting for you at the Isle of Mists. Don’t let me down, you guys have to reach the Island of Mist safely for me no matter what method you use.” “Good! We will!” Ryu promised me instead of Aimee. I walked towards the Harbor of Harper in the morning sunlight with warmth in my heart.

pubs

“Enlis, have you really decided to go to the Isle of Mists?” Katharine asked worriedly.

“I have no choice left, do I?” I took another drink of ale and looked out the dirty bar window at the choppy sea of oblivion, “If there was a secret book in hell that could defeat the Black Dragon King, I’d break into it. Not to mention it’s just the Isle of Mists.”

“What’s the difference between the Isle of Mists and Hell!” Catherine shook her head in an attempt to negate my decision, “No one has ever been able to cross the Sea of Oblivion, reach the Isle of Mists and come back alive. At least there are no tales of any success in all of Harborport. Not to mention the Isle of Mists, even the Sea of Oblivion in winter, no captain would sail there in that season. Please, don’t even think about it. Even without the ancient grimoires on the Isle of Mists, surely we can find some way to stop the Black Dragon King. It’s not worth the risk.”

“Katharine, I understand where you’re coming from.”

I sighed, “But we can’t wait anymore. If we wait any longer, we won’t have a chance to win.”

“I agree Enlis.” Mycis, holding a glass of ale, joined our discussion without a trace, “Katharine, we really can’t wait. As you know, with the power we have now, at best, we’ll only be able to add a small obstacle in the way of the Black Dragon King’s reign over the entire world. We can’t stop it at all, unless there is a stronger power, or magic. The Ancient Magic Book of the Island of Mists, although it is only a legend, is already the closest thing we have to a ray of hope.”

“You two…” said Katharine, looking as if she was about to cry in a hurry, “I won’t let you go. As long as I’m alive, I won’t let you guys take this kind of risk.”

The first group of dinnertime patrons opened the door to the Chicken Plus Bar and the cacophony of voices interrupted my dreams.

I gently lifted my still-drunk head up just in time to see Ryu and his group walk in, followed by a bunch of burly men who were also apparently enlisted as “disciples of the legendary swordsman. I fell back onto the table and continued my unfinished dream.

Too vivid a dream, as if it happened yesterday. More than thirty years ago, also at this same Chicken and Gar bar outside the docks of Harborport, Catherine and I, along with other mates, searched for a captain willing to send us out to sea to the Isle of Mists. That time, even though Catherine was against it, we were able to get a captain who was not afraid to risk the winter storms of the Forgotten Sea to take us to the Misty Isles, for an outrageous sum of money. The Misty Isle’s “Legendary Ancient Grimoire” is now lying in the magic pocket of my robes.

Even the Misty Isle itself is no longer a magical island that takes lives, but a bountiful island with a population of tens of thousands and an abundance of goods. Since the end of his adventures, when Maxis decided to return to the Misty Isles to build and develop his own city-state, thirty years had changed the Misty Isles completely.

Sitting in the darkest corner of this bar, I thought that Ryu and the others, who were busy looking for the ship, probably wouldn’t find me. The bar hadn’t changed much after thirty years, but the personnel inside had changed completely. From the noisy discussions in the crowd, I learned that Mathis’ trick of asking for heirs had not only made the captains of Harbor a lot of money, but also the inns, bars… and so on, were doing a great deal of business. I’m sure the residents of the Misty Isles are probably making even more money. I’m beginning to wonder what this whole solicitation thing is all about.

In the distance, I heard Aimee’s soft voice, killing the price with the captain. I smiled, because I knew that the captain would sooner or later give in and lower the price, because Aimee’s skill was something that even I couldn’t easily get rid of. In fact, following them to the Isle of Mists was no big deal, whether they knew I was a powerful magician or not wasn’t the point at all. They all said they didn’t care, so I didn’t have anything to care about. The real reason was because I had started to like them.

After so many years, I’ve gotten used to living alone. After Catherine’s death, I’ve always lived alone, no matter what people I partnered with on adventures, I’ve never put my heart down, fighting monsters, earning commissions, and parting ways at the end of a quest has always been my principle of behavior. Honestly, too close partnership is what I have been avoiding, because I don’t want to break my heart again.

And when I first saw Aimee in a bar in Kembestown, I knew it was going to be bad, she looked too much like Katharine. But I couldn’t help myself, I said yes to her partner offer anyway. It wasn’t just Aimee, but Lon and Bill reminded me of the partner I’d had for the longest time in my life, more than thirty years ago. On the way to Harbor, I confirmed my feelings. And I, for one, was afraid that I would be too overwhelmed to fall in love with them, too overwhelmed to let my heart out again, and then suffer the pain of losing my beloved.

It’s just that, now that I think back to when I parted with them, it actually makes me afraid to look up and recognize them in a bar where people come and go. I lied to myself and said the only reason I wasn’t with them was because I get seasick.

I still remember that more than thirty years ago, I was also excitedly preparing to go out to sea, thinking that with the oceanic blood running through my veins, as well as my swimming skills that I was quite proud of, even the rough Oblivion Sea in the winter couldn’t possibly pose any obstacles. On the contrary, it was Katharine who was desperately casting some special spells that she had and didn’t have before boarding the boat, to prevent herself from becoming seasick to the point of sighing.

As a result, the one who got the most seasick was me, who had the best water sense.

For some reason, I, who could swim all the way to the Isle of Mists without making a mistake, began to feel faint as soon as I stepped onto the deck, and wanted to vomit. Catherine’s special spells that had worked so well for her had only caused me to vomit up more of the bitter water in my stomach. By the time I finally reached the beach on the Isle of Mists, I was so weak that it took me seven days of rest before I could barely recover enough to accompany my partner on his quest for the ancient grimoire. There wasn’t a single time in the subsequent adventures, even on a calm boat, that I wasn’t dizzy and confused.

So, I’d rather fly myself to the Isle of Mists using instantaneous movement magic and die than take another boat. That’s kind of a good excuse, I guess.

Catherine, tell me I’m doing the right thing.

unable recognize

The Isle of Mists in the morning was filled with thick fog as usual.

Landing from the south shore of the island makes sense to me. The only docks are on the north shore, the east and west shores are densely populated silk villages, and only the south shore is rarely populated except for the Fortress of Mists because of the treacherous terrain and little fertile land. Even in the Misty Fortress of Mycis, I don’t think many people would dare to stay on the cliffs of the south bank. Landing here allows for peace and quiet, not surrounded by the strange stares of others.

The biggest reason, in fact, is that I don’t want to see the prosperous and mercenary side of the present Island of Mists.

As far as I can remember, the Isle of Mists was a rare and a natural deserted island, not the kind that screams sadness today. Why did Mycis choose this island to create his city-state? He could have chosen any other place where I hadn’t spared so many feelings, he could have spared the Island of Mists… I still remember what the guarding elves told me when I got the Ancient Grimoire. I always had the feeling that I was taking away the island’s ability to defend itself and letting my former companions ravage it.

After taking a short break, I headed towards the main entrance of the Misty Castle. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Mycis, I wonder what he looks like now? Thirty years should have left a big white beard on his chin, right? He…

“Stop!” The guard at the door interrupted my musings, “Who is the visitor? What are the intentions?”

“I am Enlis the Wizard,” I thought to myself as I looked at the young guard, wondering if he would believe what I was saying, “I need to see Lord Mycis Castle.”

“If you’re the legendary wizard Enlis, then I’m the Black Dragon King.” The guard’s attitude wasn’t far from what I expected, and I just found it funny. Everyone wanted to know who I really was, but when I was truthful, no one would believe it. “If you’re here to apply for the heirloom as well, sign up at the guard booth and come back tomorrow for the tournament. I’m telling you, to just follow the rules and participate in the tournament, there’s no hope of trying to blend into the city with lies.”

“I didn’t expect you to take my word for it.” I smiled, not angry at the guard’s rudeness; it was his duty. I pulled the dragon’s badge from my magic pocket and pinned it to my chest. “Maybe you don’t recognize me, but this badge, you should, right? I think this badge should testify to my identity.”

“A dragon’s crest…?” The guard had an incredulous look on his face and muttered, “This… I haven’t seen this before… is this true…? I’ll… I’ll go get the captain, please wait a moment.”

A moment later, the captain of the guard came along with the young guard from earlier. The captain took what looked like an illustrated book and looked over and over at the badge on my chest, and after comparing them, he seemed to be somewhat convinced that the badge was real.

“Lord Enlis, I’m sorry, we didn’t realize it was you.” The captain said in a tone filled with apologies, “There have been many people trying to infiltrate the castle lately, so we had to be a little more careful, so please forgive us for any offenses we may have taken against you…”

“I don’t blame you guys.” I waved my hand, telling them not to be too bothered, “It is your responsibility, and you have done well. I would like to see your Lord Mycis Castle, I wonder if it would be convenient for him? If he’s busy with the heirlooms, just let him know I stopped by, I can come back another day.”

“No, no, no, if the Burgomaster knew that you had come and we had not informed him, we would surely be scolded by him.” The captain immediately instructed the young guard, “You, go and inform the Burgomaster of Lord Enlis’s visit, and by the way, inform the court superintendent to prepare Lord Enlis’s quarters.”

“Lord Enlis, please follow me.”

The captain of the guards guided me into the castle, briefing me on the Castle of Mists as he did so. I listened absentmindedly, remembering this castle from thirty years ago.

At that time, it was a coastal fortress locked in deep clouds, not to mention that it was sparsely populated, and not many people dared to approach it. Nowadays, it is a bustling and lively castle, with many more buildings, and the gloomy feeling of the past has been replaced by lively crowds. A moment’s distraction, and the captain’s greeting went unheard.

“Lord Enlis, the Burgomaster can see you now.” A young man in servant’s clothing who came running over to me said to me with a bow and respect as I came back to my senses. I nodded and followed him into the depths of the palace.

reminisce

When I walked into Mycis’s room, he had his back to me and was discussing something with a young man. The young man saw me and alerted Mycis in a low voice before quietly excusing himself. The head courtier guided me to sit across from Mycis, and he slowly looked up at me only after I had sat down.

“Enlis, is it really you?” I saw a wrinkled, sunken-eyed Mycis that I didn’t recognize at all anymore, except for the eyes that remained the same. “You look exactly the same as you did thirty years ago, you haven’t changed at all.”

“And you’re getting old,” I grinned after a sigh. “I thought you were going to grow a beard, I remember you saying that thirty years ago.”

“It would be nice to stay up.”

Mycis laughed, “The beard fell off on its own years ago, and I couldn’t have kept it even if I wanted to. On the contrary, you, if I’m not mistaken in my old age, you are far older than me by a few years, but now you look like the same size as my son. It seems that in my next life I will choose a wizard, so that I can at least keep my years of appearance when I grow old.”

“You know full well this has nothing to do with wizards not being wizards.” I digress without a trace, “At least wizards don’t solicit heirlooms by holding martial arts conventions.”

“You, I don’t suppose that’s why you came to see me?” A bit of disappointment seemed to appear on Mycis’ aged face, “When was the last time I saw you? More than twenty years, right?”

“Twenty-eight years ago, when I gave you the Isle of Mists to build the city-state you wanted.” I tried to answer without emotion.

“Wow, it’s been that long, twenty-eight years, huh? Speaking of which, I still have to thank you for being willing to entrust the Island of Mists to me. However, you’ve always just refused to stay in the same place properly, and I’ve repeatedly sent people to look for you without any success.” I don’t know why, but watching Mycis’ wrinkled lips spit out those words as if they weren’t true.

“Partners who used to live and die together for years and years, you can be so cruel as to not give a single word and die of old age. It seems that apart from Catherine, you didn’t care about the rest of us at all.”

“Don’t say it.” It was the first time in twenty-eight years that someone had mentioned the name Katharine in front of me, and my heart shook. Pondering this name in one’s own heart and saying it out of someone else’s mouth were completely different feelings, different shocks. “I’m here, why are you talking so much?”

“I thought right.” There was a certain look in Mycis’s eyes that I was unfamiliar with, a look that I had never seen in his eyes before, a look of insight into things. It seemed that twenty-eight years had made even the most worn-out Mycis completely different. “Catherine is the only one you care about. Of all your companions, the only one you truly cared about was Katharine, and it’s been the same from before to now. I haven’t seen you comfortable since she died. I think that’s why you chose to float around floating, you don’t want to see me again, your partner from back then, so that you’re less likely to think about Katharine.”

“It would be less likely to remember that she died for you.” Mycis’s last words pierced hard into the defenses of my heart that I had been defending for thirty years. I only felt the sky spinning for a moment, and thirty years of guilt surged to my heart like a dam. In an instant, the corners of my eyes, which hadn’t shed any tears in thirty years, couldn’t help but moisten. I turned my head to look at the burning fireplace to the side and did not say a word.

“Maybe, I shouldn’t have come.” After a moment of silence, I try to control my voice as I slowly spit out the words.

“So, how much longer are you going to run away?”

It didn’t occur to me that after all my years of drifting, Mycis saw right through it.

He sighed and reached out to beckon a servant for two glasses of ale, handing one to me. “If you don’t come, how long will you be adrift? Thirty more years? Spend the life that Katharine sacrificed her life for yours, as well as your youth, endlessly on constant drifting, constant running away?”

“I’m saying this for Katharine:You disappoint me too much.” He slowly raised his ale and finished it in one gulp.

I didn’t reply, just spit on the ale that had become unusually bitter, one sip at a time.

mark

I remember everything about that day.

Matter of fact I don’t think it’s possible for me to forget that day in this lifetime, and the people on this continent, like us perhaps, will always remember it.

It’s just a different part of remembering.

What they remember is the day the Black Dragon King was finally ended by the legendary Bravehearts, and the entire continent could return to its former peace. And what I remember is that Catherine sacrificed her life to save me.

Whenever and wherever I think of it, I shiver all over as I did on that day, as if Katharine’s gradually growing cold body were still lying in my arms, and I were clinging to her in an attempt to salvage any glimmer of hope.

But I could do nothing but let her body grow cold and stiff. I lovingly wiped away the blood from the wounds on my body as it dripped down her face; she still had the same look on her face that she had had the last moments of her life, and in the midst of her worry, she couldn’t bear to see me hurt.

“Katharine, I’ve defeated the Black Dragon King, do you see?” Tears or blood in my eyes, I hugged Katharine’s irreparable body and yelled at the sky.

I lowered her body gently and tenderly, unable to believe that she was no longer there. My companions were fighting death all around me, I didn’t care, I didn’t have the mood to care, there was only one thing on my mind now: there was no way that Catherine was really dead. She was just playing dead to scare me like she always did, just to test if I would really buy her a rose coffin and pile her favorite flowers around her.

She just likes to scare me, no matter how worried I am, no matter how many times I’ve almost actually died with her. I hate her. I hate her, I hate why she would leave me to live alone in this world, only to use the last magical power in her life to give me such a physical body. That’s right, without this last of her magic, there’s no way I could have defeated the Black Dragon King, no way I could have risen up to give it one last, fatal blow after its undodgeable attack.

Without the life she gave me in exchange for her own, I would have died at the hands of the Black Dragon King, but it was a high price to pay to defeat the Black Dragon King.

Doesn’t she know that I’d rather die myself, or let the Black Dragon King continue to wreak havoc and control the world, than let her get hurt in the slightest?

I hate her. I hated her for making this decision, for casting this spell on me that would kill her own without my consent when I was on the verge of death. I won’t forgive her for going AWOL, not for the rest of my life, except what difference does it make?

“Catherine is not going to live.”

I heard a cold voice in my own mind say.

I knew this magic she used better than anyone else, because it was something I pointed out to her from the Ancient Grimoire of the Isle of Mists. If I had known that she would secretly memorize it, then I would have died before showing it to her, giving her the opportunity to use this magic on me. It’s a priestly magic that completely transforms one’s magical power, and life, into another person, and is a legendary level ultimate healing spell. The recipient will not only be completely restored, but the strength of his or her body will also increase dramatically, and even the cells of his or her body will undergo some unexplainable changes, so that not only will his or her original abilities be increased in magnitude, but even his or her body will be able to maintain its immortality for several decades. This is the most terrible spell, because the caster himself must not only have a very high magical power, in the casting of the spell will also lose all the vitality, any known resurrection magic or treasure, can not bring back this death.

And that’s what Catherine did to me.

After Katharine’s body stiffened and turned cold in my arms, I finally took my time in accepting that fact. I held her in my arms and took her to her favorite place, Emerald Lake. Of my companions, only Mycis survived, but before he awoke, I had buried Katharine on the shores of Emerald Lake in a rose casket filled with flowers, just as she had wished.

In the first few years after the Black Dragon King’s death, although I kept my promise to the elves to stay in the Isle of Mists, I still went to the Emerald Lake several times a year to talk and chat with Katharine at her grave, and to talk to her about the things I didn’t have time to say to her back then. Until Mycis asked me for the Fortress of Mists, I left the Isle of Mists, and originally planned to live in Emerald Lake for a long time. But one night, when the full moon shone down on me, who was sleeping uneasily, I suddenly had no way to bear the torment of being so close to Kaito Rin, but being unable to do anything but endure the memories.

So I fled. I fled the Emerald Lake and never went back. With this new body Catherine gave me, I wandered the world. As long as her magical power remained in me to influence me, I could feel her presence and have the courage to live on through the painful memories.

The day her magic wears off will be the day I end my life.

a disciple

“Eat something.” A pale voice said.

Often I came back to my senses and saw the food beside me, and the pale figure, and for a moment I could not recognize where I was. After a moment, I remembered that I was in the Misty Fortress of Mycis. The sky outside the window told me that the sun had set in the west, and I saw Mycis looking at me with a worried expression.

“Good. But the food has to be good, you know I’m the pickiest about food.” I forced a smile, telling him not to worry too much.

“How long have I been dazed and why didn’t you wake me up? I’m starving.”

Mycis just smiled and ate a bit of food as his servant served him. I was grateful that he didn’t revert back to the previous topic. I didn’t want to bring up more about Katharine either, and I hastened to change the subject.

“By the way, I have a question for you∶What are you doing all this for?” I asked as I slowly ate while looking at him.

“Which ones? Oh, you’re talking about asking for a successor.” With a somewhat sad smile, Mycis said bitterly, “Once a person reaches a certain age, when his strength fails and his teeth falter, he will inevitably think about the issue of an heir. You may not be able to understand this, after all, you are still young, may not have thought of this.”

I didn’t reply, but just followed him into deep thought. I’d be lying to myself if I said I’d never worried about having no one to follow in my footsteps, especially since the growth of a wizard is much slower and requires more innate talent than other professions. I also worry about what will happen to my skills when I reach the end of my life. Will it be buried with me in a pile of yellow earth? However, as far as I have met, I have yet to meet anyone who can entrust me with my life’s learning, who can not only pass on my mantle, but also make me feel assured that I won’t do anything wrong with these skills. When I think of the serious consequences of misuse, I’d rather lose the magic than entrust it to someone else.

“Father, here is the signup list for tomorrow’s rodeo, perhaps you would wish to look over it first.” An imperious young man entered full of apologies and whispered something to Mysius.

“Hilda, you’re being rude. Why don’t you bow to Uncle Enlis?” Mycis interrupted the young man in front of him and pointed my way. “Enlis, I’m sorry, children don’t know any better. This is my son Hilda, a swordsman like me.”

“Uncle Enlis, my nephew is here to greet you.” The young man saluted me courteously, but with a look of obvious urgency to report something to his father.

“Good point.” I snorted suavely and left Hilda with his father.

Hilda said more in a lower voice to Mycis, who just nodded with a look of impatience with trivia. Sure enough, within moments, Mycis shooed his son out, asked for another drink, and focused his attention back on me.

“I’m sorry, the little kid doesn’t know any better, he was asked to leave us alone, and he’s still bothering us with some trivial matters.” Despite his words, Mycis couldn’t hide the look of pride on his face. I understand that having such a son is indeed something to be proud of, but I can’t help but ask my question.

“I’m sorry, but I’d like to know why, with a son like that, you’re making a big deal about soliciting a heir?”

I suppose I’m old enough to not have to care about offending anyone, let alone Mycis, a partner I used to deride thirty years ago. “This seems like an inconsistent contradiction to what you just said that evoked a panic in my successor?”

“You found out.” Mycis froze at first, then giggled a little embarrassed. “This Hilda boy, I don’t think anyone would disagree that he’s a good swordsman. But I think I spoiled him too much; not only me, but it seems like the whole suave Misty Isle spoiled him too much, not only because he’s my only son, but also because he’s taken as the rightful heir to the Misty Keep. Such a smooth experience, letting him grow up without any setbacks is not too good for him. Therefore, I hope to use this move of soliciting heirs to not only find some young people with good qualifications, but also to give Hilda a bit of a chance to practice. He is also going to follow all the applicants and participate in the competitive test together, competing together for the chance to become my official heir. He has already seen few opponents on the Isle of Mists, and I want someone to defeat him, to give him a taste of defeat, so that he can have a chance to learn to face defeat and rise up from it. I think this is a little bit of my selfishness as a father, aside from the purpose of searching for talent.” In Myssis’ eyes, I saw the pride and expectation of a father.

“I see.” I think I understand how Mycis feels, and if I were in his place, I’d probably do the same. “So, since I’m here uninvited, is there anything you’d like me to do or help with?

”

“If you are referring to the Athletic Conference, then I can only politely say: no need for that, Hilda and my men have already taken care of everything, even though Hilda herself is one of the contestants.” Mycis took another sip of his wine, “I do have a favor to ask if I may, would you be able to serve as a judge for tomorrow?”

“I thought you’d keep the judging to yourself.” I said with a smirk.

“I can tolerate an associate judge sitting next to me.” It was as if Mycis’ sense of humor had not diminished slightly with age.

“Okay, I promise.” I replied cheerfully, “If you don’t mind if I use it to find the ‘heir of the legendary magician Enlis’ by the way as well.”

“Of course I don’t mind, unless the person you want happens to be the same person as me.” Mycis and I looked at each other and laughed. It had been a long time since I had laughed so heartily, and despite the years, it seemed as if Mycis was thirty years younger, back to the years when he was adventuring.

“Seriously, do you feel an air of unease, as I do, that you would run this rodeo?”

After the laughter petered out, I suddenly thought of something and changed my tone to a serious one, “This peace has lasted far too long, far too long to be disturbing. I have a feeling that a conspiracy seems to be brewing.”

“I thought I was the only one who felt it.” Mycis answered my question softly after a moment of silence.

Neither of us talked again for the rest of the evening, caught up in our own concerns.

Part III

Arena in the Mist

Fog blowing in from the Sea of Oblivion, as it did thirty years ago, rushes to the Isle of Mist before sunrise.

Having lived on the Isle of Mists for some time thirty years ago, I am more than familiar with this extreme situation; but this morning, a stirring from nowhere made me wait in the arena before dawn.

This arena has existed since I first came to the Isle of Mists thirty years ago, and just like the other buildings on the Isle of Mists, when it was constructed has long been unaccountable.

I could sense that the elves I abandoned them for twenty-eight years ago were attempting to contact me through some sort of conduit, to convey some sort of message to me. But I waited in the arena for a long time and nothing happened. The stirrings of magic were so strong, yet not at all elusive. It was the first time I had ever felt this way.

I extended the five fingers of my right hand, recalling a spell from the ancient magic books of the Isle of Mists, and let the mist roll over my hand as I did so.

The surrounding mist gathered towards my hand, a white ball was forming in my hand, but it turned into condensed dew and sprinkled on my hand before forming a solid air mass. This magic, originally, was supposed to condense the magical mist of the Island of Mists into a ball of magic. But now, it can only turn into a drop of dew? In the old days, the reason why the Island of Mists was full of crises, besides the various deadly creatures on the birds, the most terrifying thing was the mist that contained magic in it. The island’s guarding elves, or other creatures, could make use of the ubiquitous mist to achieve extremely high levels of attack and defense.

After all, with an inexhaustible source of magical power, anyone can increase their strength several times over. The ancient magic book of the Misty Isle contains detailed records of these magics, and I learned them when I inherited the book and the responsibility of guarding the Misty Isle.

And now, surprisingly, all these protective abilities were lost. While sighing, I felt a hint of something wrong. As a matter of fact, even if humans had moved into this island, at best, they would have only weakened, not wiped out, her power. Standing in the arena in the early morning fog, I wordlessly asked the elves of the Isle of Mists, expecting them to give me an answer. There was no sign of them, but it was clear to me that they were hiding somewhere on the Isle of Mists, brewing power that even I could not imagine.

A kind of backlash.

In less than an hour, the competition will begin, a battle for the heir of Mysis will begin, the audience has already entered the arena, and the contestants are waiting in the contestant’s preparation room with their fists sharpened. Mycis was still slowly departing from the castle towards the arena, and as I sat here in my lofty position, I watched the noise in the arena, the adventurous mood of many years ago boiling up again in my heart.

“Lord Enlis,” the captain of Mycis’s guards stepped up to me and bowed respectfully, “Lord Mycis has sent word that he will be coming later, and would like you to open the tournament first. He bids us to follow your instructions and proceed as you have commanded.”

“Good.” I nodded, signaling that he could go about his business. As far as I could see, Mycis was quite well prepared for this rodeo, so there should be no need for me to be verbose in ordering anything. But the captain of the guards had no intention of leaving, and after a moment’s pause, I realized that there must be something troubling him.

“Is there a problem?” “Yes.” The captain of the guards was visibly relieved, I guess my overly exulted lore made him not quite daring enough to take the initiative to ask me for instructions, “The competition is about to begin, but today’s fog is unusually thick, and it hasn’t cleared up by this time, so visibility is not good, so I’m sure it’ll affect the competition. I wonder if Your Excellency has any instructions…?”

“Hold it as usual.” I answered just like that without thinking. Looking at the guard captain’s somewhat surprised expression, I realized that this answer was a bit unexpected. “Do you want to delay the start of the tournament? I don’t think that’s necessary. If I were to find an heir to my requirements, I would want him to not only be able to utilize his battle prowess when the weather is good, but I would also want him to be able to adapt to a wide variety of climates, and maintain his strength to face his opponents in any harsh environment. I believe that even Mycis himself would have made such a decision.”

“Yes, my lord.” The captain of the guards nodded his head in agreement with me, but again I could see in his eyes that he still had a bit of hesitation. “Then, shall I order everything to be held as usual? However, this way the view of the audience will be affected…”

“What hesitation do you have?” I followed his eyes and saw Hilda, Mycis’ son, standing at the other end of the arena and instantly understood the source of his hesitation. “Was it Hilda who wished to delay the start?

If I’m not mistaken, he may have been among the organizers yesterday, but today he is a competitor, and he should not be involved in all matters. Pass the word down that all of today’s personnel do not have to follow Hilda’s instructions until the end of the race, he must stay with the other contestants and is not allowed in the staff area until the race is over.”

“But Master Hilda…”

From the tone of the captain of the guards, I knew that I’m afraid Hilda’s position here is not something I can simply deprive her of with a few words. It seems that Mycis really does favor this only son of his too much.

“Those are my orders.” I amplified my voice so that any nearby personnel who had their ears perked up to eavesdrop on our conversation could clearly hear my instructions. “Mycis has given me full command of the situation, and I am ordering that none of today’s personnel need to, or can, follow any of Hilda’s instructions. If any participant attempts to order the staff, or attempts to sway the match, they will be disqualified, including Master Hilda. Go on down, the tournament is about to begin, and it is time for you to prepare yourselves.”

Unexpected challenges

“Who ordered the match in such a thick fog?” Mycis’s slightly angry voice echoed through the stands.

“It’s me.” I stood up and relieved the captain of the guards who was in a difficult situation.

“Enlis?” Mycis bit his lips, wanting to say something to me. But he held his tongue and waved his hand for the captain of the guards to stand down. He sat down on the throne beside me, served by a servant, and didn’t say a word, but I could tell he was still a little puffed up.

I ignored him and just watched the blurry figures fighting in the arena. The fog was indeed a bit thicker, making it comparatively hard for anyone fighting in the arena, because in the fog, the enemy’s movements were even more elusive than half the time, and the risk of fighting increased. In fact, as far as I can see, by the standards of the Island of Mists thirty years ago, the fog we experienced back then was even thicker and more dangerous. It’s probably because more than twenty years of human habitation has reduced the fog on the Isle of Mists, so that the people of the island, including Mycis, have gotten used to it not being so thick.

“The fog today, well it’s unusually thick. It’s been a long time since there was more than this much fog.” Mycis finally couldn’t resist and brought up the topic in a roundabout way.

“This fog isn’t that thick if we’re talking by the standards of our first visit to the Isle of Mists thirty years ago.” I laughed, sealing off what he was about to say next with a few words, “You don’t expect that your heir can’t even match the one you had twenty years ago, do you?” “Of course, huh, of course.” Mycis grudgingly agreed with me. I knew he was worried about his son, and I could sense it in the way he squinted his aged, blurry eyes as he kept glancing out into the field and wringing his hands together, a natural reaction that a father would have if he truly knew his son. So it seems that Hilda’s training was incomplete.

Perhaps it should be said that Hilda wanted training that would allow him to perform at his best in optimal conditions, and in this fog, his battle prowess might be compromised.

“If you’re worried about Hilda, then you can rest assured.” I looked at the fidgeting Mycis and finally couldn’t help but tell him, “Hilda’s opponent in the first round wasn’t strong, and he passed with flying colors. This fog is about to lift, and the next matches will be held under the sun.”

“Are you sure?” Mycis was clearly relieved. But immediately covered it up with a digression for his outburst. “What am I talking about? I forgot you’re a wizard, and you’ve always been sensitive to the weather.

So can I stop by and ask you to predict who will win this match? Who will become my heir?” “You think I’m a soothsayer?” I laughed, “But that’s an answer I could have told you Hilda if I hadn’t gone down there to stir things up.”

“You think Hilda will win too?” Mycis said smugly, but then realized my last sentence and asked fearfully, “Wait a minute, did you just say you’re going down there to stir up trouble?” “Yes.” I slowly stood up with a wicked grin, “I think I can see that this competition is completely designed. And I hate an outcome that has been designed, an arrangement of who must win and who must lose.

I guess I’m going to have to apologize for going and ruining the path to success you’ve designed for Hilda.”

“You…” Mycis looked stunned and stuttered. “Do… do you… think… what… do you want to do?”

“Go down there and give your son more hindrances and more opportunities to practice.” I walked up to him and smiled at him. I knew he didn’t have the strength to stop me. “But don’t worry, no white really has to hurt your baby boy, at most it will just hurt his pride and make him reevaluate his own strength. Isn’t this the kind of training you told me last night you wanted him to have?” “I… I…” Mathis looked like he wanted to retract his confession, and was eager to deny what he had said last night.

“You are the Lord of the Fortress of Mists, and a promise is a promise.” I stride towards the arena where the battle rages, leaving behind a sentence for Mycis to ponder over. I should have known that Mycis still couldn’t let go of Hilda.

For his sake, and for Hilda’s, I think I’ll just be a little more nosy and put a little more obstacle in the way of Hilda’s one – sail!

“If Hilda can’t live up to what you originally wanted for him because I got in the way, then I guess you failed in your education.” I turned back to tell Mycis. I saw a worried-looking Mycis, her pale figure laying in what seemed like suddenly larger clothes, and couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

The Undiscovered Wizard

“Ambrosious!” Emi called my other name excitedly as she saw me slowly walking towards them.

“Didn’t I say we’d meet again?” I said with a smile. “Well? How was the battle?” “Ryu already beat his first round opponent!” Aimee said with a big smile on her face, “Can you believe it?

Lian Bil Yu passed the first hurdle, it’s really raining red…”

“Yeah oh yeah, like I should have been eliminated in the first round.” Bill wouldn’t let Amy continue to tease him, and before he could even catch his breath, he interjected, “Ann! You should have seen the heroics I just pulled off, I knocked that big guy out on my own merit this time. I’m telling you, maybe I’ll win all the way…”

“You, come and rest!” Aimee gently knocked Bill on the head, telling him to sit down and obediently accept her restoration magic. “If I don’t help you recover your strength a bit, then I’ll say that I’m biased and only help Lon recover his strength. By the way, Ambrosious, where have you been? And how did you know we were here?” “Aimee!” Ryu gave Aimee a wink, and she immediately shut her mouth and quietly helped Bill recover. Ryu turned to me and said, “It’s good to see you joining us again, Ann.”

“Eh.” I looked over his thick shoulders and realized how much he’d grown again in the short time I’d been gone. “Shouldn’t be a problem, right? You should be able to handle any of your next opponents. Retain a bit of your strength, it’ll be a bitter battle after you enter the finals.”

“Ryu should have no problem making it to the final eight,” Aimee pointed to the schedule on the wall next to her, “It’s Bill who has more of a problem. It’s not like you don’t know, Bill was only supposed to be here for the exams, but he said he wasn’t willing to wave the flag from the sidelines and insisted on signing up. Well! Now he’s won the first game, but he’s going to lose face in the second game, and probably come back with a broken arm and leg.”

“You have that little faith in me, do you?” Bill said defiantly, “Right! I admit I’m not very strong, but I’ve always been lucky. How do you know there won’t be a miracle in the next match where I accidentally win against Hilda?” “Your next opponent is Hilda?” I couldn’t help but lean closer to the schedule and take a closer look again, “I would have thought that you wouldn’t meet Hilda until you got to the finals? Before that, you might have already been eliminated…” my voice was getting lower and lower.

“What’s wrong? Your tone is off.” Ron sensed the sudden change in my tone and couldn’t help but tense up, “Bill can’t beat Hilda, at most he’ll get hurt, it shouldn’t be a big deal, and it might even help him with his overly dodgy personality! Don’t worry about him, Aimee will take good care of him.

”

“No,” I shook my head.

“That’s not what I’m worried about. Give me your hand, Bill.”

“Doing what?” Bill met me with a serious face and a look of trying to be funny while extending his right hand to me. “Reading my palm, huh? There’s no need to read it, since I was a kid everyone said I was lucky, that’s why I chose to become a thief…”

“Don’t talk.” I held Bill’s right hand and gathered another spell in his hand. “Close your eyes and empty your head.”

“What’s this for?” Bill’s mouth was still chattering, but he did as I said. In his hands, I coalesced the mist of the Misty Isles once more; a mass of air, which I couldn’t gather earlier, tumbled in Bill’s hands, and after it tumbled, it formed – a solid ball of magic – that rested in the center of Bill’s hand. I stared at him with wide eyes, not uttering a word.

“What… what is this?” Aimee was the first to break the silence, asking the question that all three of them wanted to ask.

“The Sphere of Mists.” I answered the question back. “Bill, use your mental powers to control it, to communicate with it, and it will tell you what to do, and what you can do.”

“What… what am I going to do?” Bill’s expression was as if I had thrown him a hot potato and didn’t know what to do.

“Magic!” My voice sounded like it came from another universe, “It’s magic, the magic of the Isle of Mists. Only the elves of the Isle of Mists have the ability to control this magic. And you, are the one they have chosen.”

“Me?” Bill looked incredulous, “Why me? I’m just a thief who knows absolutely nothing about magic, how am I going to manipulate it?”

“You don’t have to manipulate it, they will come and manipulate you.” I quietly state a fact. “The truth is that you have a talent for magic, it’s just that it’s never been tapped into, although you’re a long way from being a wizard. I have to admit, if the elves hadn’t chosen you today, I don’t think you would have made a good wizard, but for now, I have to keep my promise to them to defend the Isle of Mists for them and to breed the Isle of Mists’ next caretaker.”

“You don’t understand now, and you don’t have to. When the time comes, you’ll naturally know what you need to know, just as I know you showed up.” I yelled, “It’s now, throw it out!”

A flash of light appeared in Bill’s hand, and an intense wave of magic swarmed out of the Orb of Mists, heading straight for the ground and disappearing into the lands of the Isle of Mists.

as far as the eye can see

Many people assume that the nurturing of a magician is nothing more than the accumulation of experience in addition to innate talent. This principle is basically not a problem, but in order to become a top magician, in addition to these conditions, there has to be a little bit of destiny to go along with it. I’ve always believed that the fact that I’m able to achieve this level of success in magic today is due in no small part to the spirits of the earth. While many magical apprentices were still wrestling with the difficult texts in their spellbooks, I learned the art of communicating with the earth spirits, and as a result I was able to learn to utilize stronger magic in a shorter period of time than others.

But the earth elves will not give magic power for no reason, in obtaining the assistance of the elves at the same time, in fact, it is also equal to take over the mission they asked for. Thirty years ago, when the King of Helix Black Dragon was about to sweep through the entire continent, I was baptized with the magic of the Elves of the Isle of Mists and received all the secret magic of the Isle of Mists, and at the same time, I also took on the responsibility of guarding the Isle of Mists. I must admit that I did not fulfill my responsibilities, and after I left them to Mycis I went wandering around. But in the here and now, it is clear that the time has come for the elves to need my strength.

They need me to assist them in selecting a new heir and to activate their long-simmering defenses.

Everything was predestined by the elf’s arrangement. When I told Mysis on the viewing platform that I was going to create a bit of a challenge for Hilda, I didn’t think that this was the task the elf wanted me to carry out; but in Bill’s case, and in knowing that his next opponent would be Hilda, it suddenly dawned on me that Bill was the new person chosen by the elf of the Isle of Mists. There was no reason for it, I just knew it, and I didn’t even hear the elf say a word to me.

Even now, I still don’t know what the elves need from me. But I know that I will know when the time comes, and I will give it my all, unleashing my whole body to accomplish what they want.

Bill sat motionless beside me while I was contemplating; Emi’s reaction was the same, not knowing what to say other than concentrating on playing with her healing magic; Ryu was probably considered more normal! After seeing Bill unleash that much magical power, he was able to get into the match without changing his expression, and settle his opponent in a quick battle to advance again. I know that after the three of them met me, the rest of their lives changed drastically; especially Bill, who just now changed his profession from thief to wizard, but he was completely unprepared for this, and didn’t even know how to cast any spells, or how to communicate with magic.

“Bill, it’s going to be your turn to play.”

Ryu wipes the sweat off his face and walks over from the center arena after his win, gently reminding a dumbfounded Bill.

“Oh?” Bill’s eyes suddenly showed extreme panic, and I’m sure that the only thought in his head right now is to run away. He had lost that inexplicable confidence he originally had after what had just happened, he could no longer be a mere thief, and he had yet to become any of the talents that a wizard should have.

“Bill, look at me.” I walked up to Bill and said to him in a conciliatory tone, “Let me ask you, do you think you can still fight?” “Can’t.” Bill blurted out, in a shaky voice. He looked up at me with ignorant fear in his eyes, “Why me? Why do I have to be a wizard?

I like being a thief, I don’t want to be a wizard, and I don’t know how to be a good wizard. Not to mention the fact that the opponent is Hilda, I’m bound to lose anyway, I’ll just forfeit, I don’t have what it takes to fight anymore. Leave me alone, I don’t want to do anything right now.”

“Take it.” I took a magic staff from my magic cloak and thrust it hard in front of Bill. “This is the weapon you will be using in battle later.”

“I said I don’t want to fight!”

Bill stood up abruptly and tried to pull up his magic wand and throw it away. “Aimee, go tell them I’m abstaining, that I’m afraid of Hilda, that I fled like a coward.”

“Bill!” I reached out and squeezed Bill’s right hand as he attempted to grab the wand, pressing both of them against the crystal at the head of the wand, “Do you want to race if I guarantee you’ll win?”

“This is impossible!” Bill attempted to break free of my hand, but I gently and deftly cast a small spell that caused his hand to stick to the wand and resonate with it. “What are you doing?” Bill asked in alarm.

“If I promise you that you will win, will you still be willing to play?” I decided to give Bill the courage and confidence he lacked most. “The elves of the Isle of Mists can also guarantee that at least you won’t lose. Because you won’t be fighting alone, fighting alongside you will be the power of the entire Misty Isle. Do you think that Hilda, no matter how strong she is, can she be stronger than the entire Island of Mists?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Bill’s tone had grown a little more confident, but was still full of uncertainty. “But how am I going to fight? With my thief’s dagger?”

“Use the weapon in your hand magic wand.” I let Bill pick up the wand himself and experience the feeling of magic flowing through his hands. “This is a legendary wand, more powerful than you can imagine, and the elves of the Isle of Mists will guide you throughout the battle.”

“Are you saying that all I have to do is hold the magic wand and the fighting doesn’t have to be my concern?” After the magic flowed throughout Bill’s body, I could see that Bill had recovered his original confidence from his extreme unease. I think it’s not so much the magical talent he contains that attracts the elves of the Misty Isle, but rather the extraordinary trait in his personality of being able to overcome his own obstacles and face challenges at any time.

Within a short special question, I saw Bill regain his glowing presence, “I’ll be on then, and you’ll be responsible if I lose.”

“That’s so unfair.” My mood brightened, “What if you lose on purpose?” “Then you’ll have to teach me until I never lose again.” Bill stood up, wand in hand, ready to walk to the center arena.

“No problem.” I followed him while, walking under the gaze of the thousands of people in the arena.

The Elves’ Revolt

“If you’re smart, stop struggling unnecessarily.” Hilda said in a provocative tone to Bill on the opponent’s side of the central trembling stage, “Don’t resist too strongly, and I might be merciful enough to let you get off the stage without bloodshed. You’re going to lose anyway, so why waste my strength?”

“Don’t you get too blind!” Bill wasn’t enraged or intimidated by this, he just tightened his grip on the Staff of Mists I gave him, letting his confidence and strength grow within him, “If you had told me these words a few minutes ago, I might have obediently accepted your mercy, but not anymore. I have the strongest power behind me supporting me… I, for one, cannot lose to you.”

“I’m not going to lose, am I? Ann?” Bill’s aura had been very spirited, but the fact that he bounded over to me, who was offstage, to sneakily ask this question, all of a sudden canceled out his heroic aura, and I really didn’t know if I should be good or funny.

“Who? Who’s behind you?”

Hilda didn’t recognize me on the sidelines with my cape on, and apparently only thought of me as a regular sideline instructor. “Whoever it is, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m winning this match over you anymore, come on! Take this! I’m going to make you regret that you even thoughtlessly tried to duel me!” Hilda drew her sword and quickly swung it at Bill, and a fierce battle ensued.

After a bout of offense and defense, Bill was clearly losing the battle, and had almost no power to fight except for dodging. I wasn’t surprised, if Hilda’s current combat power is taken into account, it’s not far from the Mysius of twenty years ago, even if it’s me who’s going to fight, it’s going to be a tough battle, not to mention Bill, who’s just become a magician. In fact, I’m not sure that Bill will win at all, and I don’t think he will either, but I believe that the elves of the Isle of Mists must have their reasons for arranging things this way.

“How’s that? It’s still too late to beg for mercy or abstain, I’ll give you one last chance, I’ll absolutely make you lay down for the next wave of attacks.” After a barrage of attacks, Hilda stopped without a blush or a gasp, and gave her final warning to Bill, whose clothes had been shredded to bits by the sword.

“Ann, tell me how to fight back! I can’t just take a beating!” There were already a few wounds on Bill’s body that started dripping blood, but instead of showing any thought of retreating, he was even more inspired to fight. Seeing this, I knew the elves hadn’t chosen the wrong person.

“Thieves fight by dodging and then finding an opening to attack, but wizards fight with a completely different strategy.” I stretched out one finger and pointed it in Bill’s direction.

A flash of light shoots straight from my fingertips to the staff crystal of the Staff of Mists, “Wizards are not good at close entanglement, so they must use their magic to keep their opponents at a distance, and not allow the warrior to have a chance for a close attack. So all you have to do besides dodging is that you must maintain a distance at which your magic can be utilized.”

“And?” Bill gasped, but didn’t let that stop him, and immediately did as I said and kept some distance from Hilda.

“Then focus and set all your mental energy into the Staff of Mists.”

I could feel that the elves had already reached the ground floor of the central arena, and had in fact begun to take control of the entire arena, except for the fact that they had not yet appeared. “The weapon in your hand is no longer your own, it is controlled by the elves of the Isle of Mists, and you are merely a medium for their magic. You only need to give yourself to them without reservation, and they will tell you what you should do.”

“Uncle Enlis?” Hilda recognized me only now, a look of fear on her face. “So the backer he was talking about was you? They said you were coming to spoil my victory, and you really showed up. You… you…”

“O Hilda, why so alarmed?” I could already see that the situation was reversed at this moment.

On one side, he has great strength, with the entire Misty Isle cheering for him, and the Misty Castle as his backing; on the other side, although he’s a rookie magician, he’s backed up by me, and the natural power of the entire Misty Isle, so whoever gets alarmed first will have one less chance of winning.

“Come on! Hilda, I’m going to make you taste hurt too!” Bill didn’t let the good chance of Hilda’s hesitation pass him by, raising his Staff of Mists and letting a blazing ball of flame fly from the head of the staff towards Hilda.

The magic in my body also burned with the flame, in fact, I could feel the whole island burned up, a gust of wind rolled in from outside the arena, pulling the arena around the Fortress of the Mist flag inserted taut and wanting to crack, everyone on the field, but also by the sudden wind blowing to lift up their heads, just a moment of the work of the University, the fog permeated in the Island of the Mist disappeared without a trace, and in its place was the weird and unusual The sun and the wind were unusually bright.

“Ah!” Bill’s flame magic was fueled by the gusting winds, and though Hilda quickly dodged through it, the flames expanded relentlessly to encompass him. Hilda’s screams of injury swept through the arena, and I thought I saw Mycis standing up from the viewing platform and ordering his men to intervene in the match immediately; the entire arena was in a state of chaos, and apart from the spectators who didn’t believe that Hilda would be defeated, there was also panic at the unusual change in the whole environment.

“What is this for?” I asked the elves of the Isle of Mists wordlessly. I could sense that the elves weren’t going to let up, not only were they going to put an end to the trebuchet, but they were going to seriously injure Hilda, which was no longer my original intention, I had promised Mycis that I wouldn’t let Hilda be seriously injured. “What the hell do you guys want? Why are you using such strong flame magic against this child?”

The elves didn’t answer. The flames around Hilda suddenly exploded, opening a large hole in the center of the arena. Immediately someone stepped forward to carry Hilda’s charred and injured body down. But no one seemed to notice that the large hole that exploded was like an opened Pandora’s Box, continuously gushing out the mysterious power of the Isle of Mist. It wasn’t monsters, it wasn’t elves, it was just power, a kind of power that human beings could not see or understand, but could discover its existence and its terror.

“Enlis, we need your power, now!” Suddenly, I found myself standing next to the large hole that had cracked open in the center of the limb arena, and beside me appeared the elves of the Misty Bird, and Bill, who stood frozen, the elves’ calls swirling wildly in my ears, and without any resistance, I let them take complete control of my physical body, and my mental powers.

“Humans on the Isle of Mists, I want you to listen,” I took the place of the elves and spoke their demands out loud to all in the arena, “The Isle of Mists doesn’t belong to you humans, for more than twenty years we thought that we could live in peace with you, but now we know that you humans want more than just to live in peace, you want an island of mists that is entirely your own.”

“That is why we are taking back the Misty Bird and never allowing humans to step foot on it again. Before sunset tomorrow, we demand that all humans leave the Island of Mist and return the Bird of Mist to all the creatures that originally inhabited it. After sunset, our magic will no longer be merciful, and if humans continue to stay on this island, there is only one way out, death.” The elves, through me, gave the final word to all those in the arena.

After my voice stopped, the sound of the entire arena stopped at the same time. But it didn’t last long, as the angry drumming of the crowd and the metallic clanging of weapons being unsheathed instantly surged towards me, who had become the public enemy of the Isle of Mists. Without another word, without even lifting a finger, the elves around me had already utilized another wave of magic, letting the terrifying power that had just been leaked out ravage the entire arena.

When people encountered this power, with no exceptions except for the very few with stronger mind powers, they were filled with fear and hastily ran towards the outside of the arena. After a while of frantic fleeing, almost no one in the center of the arena would stay.

“Enlis! I can’t believe you would do this!” The figure of Mycis stepped forward from the tide of people who had fled in haste, denouncing me in pain. “Look what you’ve done to Hilda, and the Isle of Mists!”

“Mycis, it’s not for me to decide.” I told him without emotion, “I made a promise thirty years ago, while we were begging for the Ancient Grimoire from the Isle of Mists, that I would have to carry out all of the Elves’ demands, and you should never have known better, since you were by my side at the time.”

“It’s just that you can’t destroy the Misty Isle that I’ve worked so hard for twenty-eight years just like that!” Mycis charged heartily.

“Tell that to the elves who have run the Isle of Mists for thousands of years! At this point in time, I am no longer able to have personal feelings, I can no longer decide anything, I am just a pawn in their hands, carrying out their instructions at their whim.”

“All but Bill, move away, the power of the next magic will hurt you.

“I waved for Aimee and Ryu, the only ones who hadn’t fled yet, to keep some distance from us.

“Bill, give me your hand. This is the first magic you’ll learn, although with your powers it will be at least twenty years before you can actually use it. Focus your mental energy and repeat the incantation after me.”

“What spell is this?” Bill asked.

“Bioblocking spell.” I raised my hands silently, allowing my own magic to combine with the power of the Isle of Mists as one, and then focusing on Bill’s hands, allowing the final spell to emanate from his hands. Don’t ask me why, it was requested by the elves, they wanted him to perform this magic. “This magic is one of the strongest magics recorded in the ancient magic books of the Isle of Mists, the strongest magic for the defense of the Isle of Mists. With the exception of you and I, any creature that sets foot on the Isle of Mists for the next thirty years, without exception, must face death.”

“Don’t talk much. Concentrate on finishing so spell with me.” I let the magic explode between Bill and I, instantly filling the entire Isle of Mists.

Sunset in the Mist

A bright red sunset reddened the Sea of Oblivion as it had thirty years before. The water shone with a golden light so blinding that my eyes could scarcely open them; but in a short time all this will be a thing of the past, and the island of mists will once more be shrouded in a dense, year-round fog, and on this island, where I now stand, I shall probably not see a sunset for thirty years.

I sighed slowly, wondering what the hell I had done for the elves myself. I had activated the Misty Bird’s bioblocking spell for them, promised them that I would train Bill to be the next Guardian, and beyond that? I destroyed every human-caused civilization on the Isle of Mists, seriously injured the somewhat arrogant but innocent Hilda, and banished all the humans on the Isle of Mists, forcing them to leave the homes they had settled in for over twenty years.

I no longer know if I’m a benefactor who helped the elves recover the Misty Isles, or a sinner who helped the elves drive out the humans? “Anne, shouldn’t we get going too?” Bill was at my side reminding me that sunset was already approaching.

“There’s no need to rush, we can leave later.” I looked back at the newly born wizard; at least, I could still see hope in him instead of hopelessness. “I still have a lot to teach you, you’ll have to learn it all over again, and that’s going to take quite a while; staying on the island is less distracting, besides the fact that the elves will be helping out as well. By the way, where are Aimee and Ryu?” “They’re helping the last of the island retreat.”

Bill pointed to the pier on the north shore, “Little Anne, can we go and say goodbye to them? Since we’re going to be on the island for a while longer…”

“Sure.” After yesterday’s magic, Aimee and Ryu didn’t say a word to me. I guess they weren’t intimidated by the overpowering magic I put out, but out of a sense of disbelief that they were human too. But they didn’t say anything, they just left Bill with me and silently walked away. I’m sure the reason they didn’t say a word was just based on the camaraderie between partners and not wanting to make any accusations about my behavior.

“Actually, Aimee and Ryu can sympathize.” Bill suddenly came out with this statement, startling me. It seemed as though the elf was starting to give him more abilities than I thought.

“Come on.” I reached out and put my arm around Bill’s shoulder, gently recalling a commonly used spell. “I’ll use instantaneous movement magic to find them at the North Pier. Learn it carefully! These magics may not be something you can use freely right now, but they are something you must learn. It’s a hard and long practice to become a wizard, and you need to have the intention of investing the rest of your life in magic.”

“I know.” Bill nodded.

I read the spell out loud for Bill, making him listen carefully to each syllable, and I saw him close his eyes and whisper the chant. I took comfort in the fact that even though his magical power was not yet able to perform the spell, he remembered it. Once his magical power is sufficient, and he has some understanding of how magic is cast, the incantation will be as natural to him as breathing. I gradually understood the reason why the elf chose Bill, because I also gradually realized that his magical talent, after being enlightened, had such a high level of wisdom.

“Huh? So soon?” The cacophony of people carrying goods around him caused Bill to open his previously tightly closed eyes. The docks on the northern shore of the Isle of Mists were now down to the last group of humans, and the last few ships that were preparing to leave. Bill quickly ran towards the crowd, looking for signs of Aimee and Ryu; while I, on the other hand, walked towards Mycis, who was surrounded by guards.

“Drop your weapons, none of this is necessary anymore.” The guards around Mycis saw my approach and uncharacteristically drew their weapons in arms, Mycis sighed and asked those around him to withdraw their weapons.

“All of you, stand down! I need to talk to Enlis in private. He won’t hurt me, so all of you stand down.”

“Mycis, I think I owe you an apology.” After Mycis’s men retreated unwillingly and reluctantly, I gently apologized to Mycis. “If I had known it would end up like this, I shouldn’t have asked you to help me guard the Island of Mist twenty-eight years ago, letting it come to nothing after all your hard work. I should have stayed on the Isle of Mists by myself.”

“Enlis, stop saying that.”

The setting sun showed a late fatigue on Mycis’s face as much as his age. “In yesterday, perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to forgive you, but after I thought it over, yes, it wasn’t something that could be controlled by the pieces. I was so focused on fulfilling my desire to build the Isle of Mists that I didn’t consider the need to coexist peacefully with the Isle of Mists itself, which led to the elves wanting to banish me today, and there’s nothing I can do about that. And Hilda’s injury is probably the Misty Bird’s elves’ punishment for my audacity.”

“Is Hilda… is he okay?” I asked guiltily. “Can’t die.” Mycis’s face still couldn’t help but show his concern and heartache as a father, despite the lightness of his mouth, “It seems that the lesson you wanted to teach him did achieve its effect. I hope that from now on, he will be able to change his overly proud personality, and after losing his position as the young lord of the Misty Castle, he will be able to start anew from an ordinary warrior.

”

“Mycis…” I couldn’t help but feel a pang of melancholy as I watched the darkness gradually engulf the Misty Bird in the distance. “So where are you going after you leave the Isle of Mists?” “Anywhere, I guess.”

Mycis shrugged his shoulders and said hopelessly, “Let’s just get to Harbor Harbor first! At my age, I probably won’t be able to withstand another long journey anyway, so maybe I’ll just end up in Harbor.”

“Hmm…” I was speechless, and just stared at Mycis in silence, reminiscing about fighting alongside each other thirty years ago, and what had happened in the past few days. Not far away, Bill was also saying goodbye to Aimee and Ryu, and from time to time, Aimee looked my way, as if she had something to say to me, but couldn’t come over. Bill actively tried to convince her of something, she just kept shaking her head, and finally, Ryu said something to her and practically racked her towards me.

“Ann, Aimee and I have a few things we want to say to you.” Ryu’s low, deep voice rang in my ear, “No matter what you decide to do, or what you’ve already done, we are behind you, unconditionally. Including this time.” After he finished speaking Ryu nudged Aimee with his elbow, asking her to say something as well, but Aimee kept her mouth dead shut and refused to say a word.

“Thanks.” Tears run in my eye frames, suppressed to keep them from falling out.

I don’t know why it was so important to me to have Ryu’s understanding, so important that it moved me to tears.

“Don’t be so polite! Partners are all about trusting each other unconditionally in whatever decisions they make, aren’t they?” Ryu grinned his not-so-easy-to-spread mouth in a rare smile. “I’m counting on you to take care of this Bill fellow, and to train him well so that he doesn’t get as hung up as before and refuse to learn anything seriously. I promised his deceased parents I’d take good care of him, and now, I’d like to ask you to take on this task for me.”

“Hey! You guys act like you’re trusting me, well at least I’m not a kid anymore, can I?” Bill interjected again defiantly. Ron and I looked at each other and laughed, and Bill was embarrassed that she laughed under our laughter. But neither of us noticed that Aimee was in tears at this point.

“Ambrosious! I hate you!”

Aimee suddenly erupted, pointing at my nose, and with a sniffle and a tear in her eye, she cursed, “I hate you! First you always come and go as you please, it’s already too much for you to leave on your own, and now, you’re taking Bill away from us, what are you going to do to break us up as a team? You… I hate you… I hate you for letting me meet you in the city of Kembeth, I hate myself for seeking you out for the team, I…” she was sobbing uncontrollably before she could finish her sentence.

“Aimee…” I gently put my arm around her shoulder to tell her I’m sorry, but she collapsed into my arms and cried on my shoulder. I didn’t know what to say, but just stroked her hair in an attempt to soothe her. The scent of her hair reminded me of Catherine, who used to cry in my arms back then. Catherine also loved to cry, and would cry over anything, always until I was softened and surrendered… To be honest, I was already thinking of surrendering to Aimee now, and wanted to take Bill and them with me, and go on another adventure together… “Lord Mysius!” The shouts of the guards around me reminded me that Mycis was still around, taking in the scene, but before I had time to feel embarrassed, I was already shocked by the next message.

“Lord Mycis, an urgent distress message has come from Harbor!” The special guards ran to Mycis and reported without breath, “According to the captain of the ship that just sailed from Harbor Harbor, a mysterious force just attacked Harbor Harbor, and under the resistance of the harbor guards, the enemy force retreated but turned to the gnomes in the Magic Forest. According to the news coming from the gnome race, the purpose of this mysterious enemy is probably the Life Stone deep in the gnome caves!”

“I see, order all the soldiers to gather at Harbor Harbor, wait for my instructions, and prepare to reinforce the Gnomes to guard the Stone of Life.” Mycis immediately gave a clear order, and his men immediately passed it on. “Enlis, I think I must ask you to come along to guard the Life Stone.” Mycis turned to me and righteously put forward his request, “For one thing, I’m already old, and with Hilda’s serious injuries yet to be healed, I need someone to replace me in commanding my army, so as not to be slowed down by my inflexibility; for another thing, the Stone of Life is at stake, and if it falls into the hands of an evil person, the consequences should be clearer to you than to me; for another thing, you were the one who laid the Chamber of the Stone of Life thirty years ago with the You should be the one who can best utilize the original guards to resist the intruders. Therefore, perhaps for the last time in my life, I ask you to command my army in my place and assist in the defense of the Gnome Cave.”

“That doesn’t need to be said, there’s no way I’m going to stay out of this.” I turned my head to Bill and said, “It seems that our training must take place on the journey. Aimee, don’t cry either, as long as you’re willing to accompany us to the Gnome Cave, the group won’t break up. Ryu, what do you say?”

“Of course it’s obligatory.” Ryu nodded, “But we need to move fast, the last ship is leaving.”

“I don’t take boats,” I smiled, attempting to create a little levity in this tight atmosphere, “I get seasick. I have a faster way: I’ll send everyone over with me using the instantaneous movement spell.”

“I may not, I’ll just take my big ship.” Mycis shook his head and walked towards his exclusive ship.

“I’m too old to take that spell of yours. I had enough of it thirty years ago, and I’d rather be more comfortable in a boat.”

“Why?” Bill asked curiously, “Aren’t instantaneous movement spells fast and smooth?”

“You’ll find out later.” I smiled mysteriously.