Heir of Synthesis: The World Mage

”A Heavenly Punishment’s main purpose is to destroy your will. If your resolve hadn’t been strong enough, your annihilation would’ve been inevitable...”

Mishnar let out a deep sigh, looking at him gravely before continuing.

”Do you possess a Magic Art from another world?”

Still lying on the ground, Priam repeated the words, slightly confused. ”Another world?”

However, within seconds, everything clicked in his mind. Dandara clearly knew about that technique. The fact that she possessed Transcendental attributes was already a glaring sign that she was an outsider, just like him.

But... the whole thing was bizarre. How could a Magic Art from another world have ended up in such a mediocre clan in the mortal plane?

Noticing Priam’s bewilderment, Mishnar explained slowly,

”Ordinary Mages and Sages rarely experience this, even though most of the great sects of the Divine Plane possess Magic Arts originating from other worlds. However, there are a few rare records of disciples reaching a critical threshold and attracting a Heavenly Punishment.”

Priam blinked several times.

’Could this be the true origin of the technique I possess?’

Adjusting himself into a sitting position and taking a deep breath, he asked,

”Is it common for sects to collect things from other worlds?”

”For the greatest sects, yes. The Sovereigns constantly assign them Sacred Missions. You should know those missions take place in other worlds, correct?”

Priam nodded silently, and she continued,

”Sometimes it’s possible to learn something extraordinary in those places and bring that knowledge back. In most cases, however, the power you bring back is rejected by the Laws of our world, becoming nothing more than a distorted shadow of its original strength. Those are known as Chaotic-Level Magic Arts.”

”However, in extremely rare cases, the knowledge is perfectly compatible with the local Ether and elements, granting its user a level of potential beyond comprehension. Those always create a massive disturbance in the Laws, which attempt to correct the anomaly through a Heavenly Punishment. Those are known as Paragon-Level Magic Arts.”

She paused briefly before adding,

”Most sects guard those secrets with their lives. But inevitably, there have been disciples who accidentally crossed the threshold while outside their sect... and that’s how the world came to witness Heavenly Punishment.”

Priam let out a long sigh.

Apparently, sooner or later, he’d have to visit sects from other regions of the Divine Plane. The problem was that gaining access to places like that and gathering information there was nearly impossible.

He looked at Mishnar and nodded respectfully.

”Sorry about all the commotion. I had no idea this would happen. To be honest... I found an unknown, incomplete Magic Art and decided to take the risk of practicing it ever since. It seems... it’s far greater than I could’ve ever imagined.”

Mishnar’s expression remained complicated. She spoke in a grave tone.

”If that Magic Art originally belongs to one of the great sects... and they discover it leaked out, you’ll be hunted down and killed without mercy. Not even the Ironweald Sect would be able to protect you in that situation. Do you understand how dangerous that is?”

Priam swallowed hard. He had never considered that possibility, but one thing was certain: he wouldn’t give up that Magic Art for anything in the world.

”I’ll be more careful from now on...” he replied, keeping his voice calm.

Mishnar snorted and turned her back to him.

”Go back to your faction. Your body has just undergone a baptism directly from the Laws of the World. That energy purified nearly every impurity in your body. If you focus on leveling up now, it’ll be as easy as breathing.”

Without waiting for a response, she simply vanished into the void.

Priam remained motionless, absorbing every word for several long seconds.

An excited smile slowly appeared on his face. He prepared to stand up...

A sharp, agonizing pain tore through his body.

He was completely out of Ether to heal his internal injuries. Only the outside of his body had regenerated almost completely; that had happened automatically when he broke through the bottleneck.

However... a sudden idea flashed through his mind.

Priam focused.

The very next millisecond, the air in front of him visibly twisted.

”YES!” he shouted excitedly.

Thanks to reaching the highest stage of the unknown Magic Art, he no longer needed to burn Ether to manipulate the Wind!

His body had literally fused with the element; it was as if he had become one with elemental nature itself. With a single thought, he could generate and draw Wind from the world around him.

Naturally, manipulating the element this way had its limits—it couldn’t even reach ten percent of the power he could unleash by burning Ether.

Even so, it was unbelievable.

No Mage could fight without Ether. He, on the other hand, could still combine this elemental affinity with his Power Runes to fight at a very respectable level, even after being completely drained.

Priam took a step forward and shot through the air at high speed, slicing through the wind.

...

It took him only two hours to reach his faction’s territory.

”Meow!”

A small feline figure shot toward him like a bolt of lightning, leaping straight at his chest.

”Mirra? Why are you so worked up?” Priam caught her in midair, puzzled by how visibly distressed the little girl was.

Dandara came running right behind her, completely out of breath. The moment she saw Mirra safe and sound in Priam’s arms, she let out a long sigh of relief.

”Boss... a few hours ago, she suddenly started acting really strange. She was desperate to get away and run somewhere...”

Hearing that, Priam’s expression turned extremely serious.

Through the contract they shared, Mirra must have sensed the mortal danger he had faced during the Heavenly Punishment. The connection between their souls allowed that kind of resonance, even across great distances.

He lifted the little girl and looked straight into her eyes.

”Brat... you’re still too young and too weak to help me. Think before you act. Were you really going to run all the way to me just to make me worry for no reason?”

Priam’s words were harsh and straightforward, showing no mercy. Mirra’s safety was his top priority, and she needed to learn that protecting herself came before anything else.

”Meow...” she let out a soft whimper, her eyes watery and full of hurt.

Priam snorted, but the very next second, he sensed something awaken within his partner.

She had fully understood how weak she currently was—but she refused to accept that limitation.

Mirra raised her little eyes, now shining with a determination he’d never seen before.

”?”

Priam was puzzled for a moment before setting her down. She quickly climbed up and settled on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, Mirra entered a state of absolute concentration.

Priam’s eyes widened.

A faint stream of Ether began flowing into his meridians.

It was Mirra’s Ether.

Thanks to their partnership contract, the two of them could freely share and transfer energy.

But... that energy didn’t scatter aimlessly. Guided by the little girl’s unwavering will, it flowed directly into Priam’s Primordial Pristine Core.

The next instant, pure Nature Energy was generated automatically.

The amount was tiny, since Mirra’s Ether reserves were still very limited. Priam sighed inwardly—with his current level of physical strengthening and the severity of his internal injuries, such a small amount of Nature Energy wouldn’t be enough to heal even twenty percent of the damage.

The stronger a Mage became, the harder it was to regenerate their body, since Ether fused with and nourished every part of it.

Even so... Mirra carefully manipulated that tiny amount of energy, distributing it through his internal wounds with surgical precision.

”!”

Priam froze completely.

Within seconds, a wave of relief washed over him.

Every single one of his internal injuries and aches vanished, healed perfectly!

He turned toward the little girl on his shoulder just in time to see her close her eyes and pass out from pure exhaustion. Priam gently caught her in his hands, gazing at her peaceful little face.

’This little one... she’s already capable of something like this?’

He was stunned.

Mirra’s mastery over controlling the high-level Nature Energy generated by his core was infinitely beyond his own. The difference wasn’t even comparable.

If he trained her properly as his support...

Even though she was still so young and had a long road of growth ahead of her, having Mirra by his side would already multiply his healing capabilities fivefold. And best of all, she could use her own Ether, preserving Priam’s reserves.

In a life-or-death battle, that kind of support would make all the difference.

Priam looked up and met Dandara’s eyes. She was watching the scene with a gentle smile on her face.

At that moment, Priam looked exactly like a proud father discovering his own daughter’s extraordinary talent.