Sovereign of the Ashes

“Ah, the smell of freedom!” Sein could not help but heave a sigh of relief as he gazed at the dim yellow light of the lumenstone hovering above the Black Magic Academy, even though they had only spent half a day in the dungeon.

The dungeon was an eerie place, where only a few initiates had ever come out of it once they entered its depths.

Rumors even had it that a few full-fledged black mages had faced trials within this place, though Sein had no way to confirm their veracity.

Limping with injuries and supported by Leena, they made their way toward their dorm room.

The vice dean did not see them off. The old witch had also vanished after imparting some instructions to Leena before they departed the dungeon.

“It appears that not only our celebration had to be canceled, but our plan to change the dorm room will also have to be postponed.” Sein smiled wryly at Leena.

Leena was nearly as injured as Sein at this point. She merely responded to Sein’s smile by lowering her gaze, returning to her usual reserved demeanor.

They walked in silence for a while. When they were about to reach their dormitory building, Leena finally said, “Fareena’s my aunt, but we’re not related by blood. My late mentor is the reason for our existing relationship. She has expressed her desire to take me as her apprentice and pass on the umbra elemental magic of her faction.”

Leena continued to explain, “Master Fareena had actually been keeping an eye on me ever since my mentor passed away. She didn’t formally offer to take me as an apprentice until I became a senior initiate. In terms of strength and expertise in umbra elemental magic, Aunt Fareena surpasses even my late mentor.”

After listening to Leena’s explanation, Sein could finally let go of his concerns.

Although both of them had their own secrets, the profound connection they shared as lovers, comrades-in-arms, and survivors of life-threatening situations made him yearn for greater transparency between them.

Leena’s openness brought a warm smile to Sein’s face.

The fact that a powerful full-fledged black mage was willing to take Leena under her wing as an apprentice was undeniably a positive development for Leena.

Leena’s initiative to share this news also deepened the connection between them, marking a significant step forward in their relationship compared to the past.

Sein had usually been the more proactive one in their relationship when it came to sharing personal matters. He had never expected that it would be Leena who opened up to him first.

“Perhaps it’s time for me to find an opportunity to share my own past with her soon,” Sein quietly contemplated.

***

The plan to change their dormitory room was currently put on hold. Regardless, Sein still had to report to Master Morsidor’s laboratory since three days had passed.

Three days ago, Sein had suffered from a chest wound and had shown only minor signs of poisoning. But now, his injuries were significantly more severe.

He pushed open the door to Master Morsidor’s laboratory and appeared before his master with his left arm wrapped in thick bandages.

Master Morsidor glanced at Sein’s worsened injuries with his jaundiced eyes and frowned. “What happened to you?”

Truth be told, Sein harbored significant doubts about coming to Master Morsidor’s laboratory in his current state.

Black mages were known to be vicious and unpredictable. He could not help but worry that Master Morsidor might reconsider their apprenticeship upon seeing him in such a pathetic state.

After all, the Black Magic Academy had no use for useless weaklings. Furthermore, Sein was in no shape to be of any assistance with Master Morsidor’s magic experiments.

Nonetheless, Sein forced himself to report in. After all, his association with Master Morsidor was his strongest defense within the academy.

For Leena, her only source of protection was her new mentor, Fareena.

Although Leena could potentially wield some influence to shield Sein from other magic initiates, only Master Morsidor had a chance of resolving Sein’s troubles if a fully-fledged black mage became involved.

Sein could still remember the look on the vice dean’s face upon hearing Master Morsidor’s name.

While Master Morsidor did not hold as much authority as Dedaelon, Master Morsidor was still a powerful entity that the vice dean could not just ignore.

In fact, Sein was only able to leave the dungeon due to Master Morsidor’s influence.

Master Morsidor led Sein into the laboratory with a gloomy face as Sein braced himself and recounted everything that had transpired over the past three days.

Sein shared every detail, holding nothing back. He started with his battle with Elrik, followed by the street fight with Jack and his group on Black Street which ultimately led to his imprisonment in the dungeon, earning the wrath of the vice dean.

Sein was fully aware that his presence here today owed much to Master Morsidor.

His victories in both battles were largely thanks to the Acid Wand, an advanced magic equipment bestowed upon him by Master Morsidor.

After hearing Sein’s account, Master Morsidor suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“Good. You’re stronger than my two other unfortunate apprentices. They were too weak and met their end at the hands of outsiders. Yet, you eliminated an initiate of your own rank and then proceeded to defeat an intermediate initiate.”

“Although you mainly relied on the Acid Wand I provided, your courage and ability to adapt to dire situations are commendable!” Master Morsidor praised.

Sein’s surprise at his mentor’s reaction gradually transformed into relief and gratitude. Instead of reprimanding him, Master Morsidor was praising his bravery and resourcefulness.

Master Morsidor’s reaction only served to reaffirm that black mages were inherently unpredictable in their behavior!

Master Morsidor’s compliment also revealed an unexpected revelation—among his five apprentices, two male apprentices had met untimely fates.

This left Master Morsidor with only three remaining apprentices, including Sein himself, with the other two being one female and one male.

“Alright, since your injuries prevent you from assisting me with experiments at the moment, you can read the two magic notes I provided.”

With a wave of his hand, Master Morsidor produced two parchment books filled with scribbled notes, and a small crystal ball.

“It’s also high time for you to change the way you meditate. Here, this is our faction’s elementary meditation technique.”

The rather thick parchment books were titled “Basics of Alchemy” and “Fundamental Knowledge on the Pyro Element”.

Both of them contained the knowledge Master Morsidor had shared in his public classes. The key distinction lay in the fact that these books were enriched with handwritten notes by Master Morsidor himself.

The books would no doubt accelerate Sein’s acquisition of the pertinent knowledge.

On the other hand, the crystal ball, smaller than a palm, was a trinket crafted by Master Morsidor in his spare time. It contained a valuable meditation technique within it.

After handing over these three items to Sein, Morsidor shook his head and returned to his experiments in the laboratory.

Sein made his way to a certain room inside the laboratory as instructed, and officially began his first task as Master Morsidor’s apprentice.