Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1549 Tron Chapter

Several days later.

Wagner sat atop a boulder at the banks of the lake. A fishing rod in hand, he gazed at the surface of the lake with a blank look on his face.

Ripples spread across the surface of the water, followed by a sudden tug on his fishing rod. But Wagner didnʼt react. His thoughts were far away.

He thought of his family back home, of his children growing up without a father, of his beloved wife left alone for the rest of her life. They didnʼt even know whether he was dead or alive, and that uncertainty pained him.

He also wondered how his dear friend Bartholomew had taken the revelation that he was not from this world, that there were other worlds beyond Tron.

Such knowledge was enough to thoroughly shake any Magus from the Outer Universe, unaware of the mysteries of the cosmos. ”Fishingʼs like life, you know.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in Wagnerʼs ears, snapping him out of his thoughts. ”If you sit there staring into nothing, youʼll miss the tug when it comes. But rush it, and youʼll scare the fish away.”

Wagner came to his senses and quickly turned toward the source of the voice. He saw Bartholomew approach him with a faint smile on his face, then take a seat beside him on the boulder. ”You...” Wagner was suddenly at a loss for words. ”How are you holding up?” ”Ehh, Iʼm all right. Bartholomew shrugged.

Wagner was genuinely surprised. This wasnʼt the reaction he was expecting from his friend. He half-expected Bartholomew to fall into depression after learning about the truth. But strangely enough, he looked fine. ”Are you not... horrified by what you learned?” He couldnʼt help but ask. ”I suppose I was,” Bartholomew said with a faint smile.

He raised his head and looked at the distant clouds, his gaze seemingly piercing through the firmament and settling on distant worlds. ”You know, Wagner,” he began. ”I always believed that the Mana Core Rank was the end of my arcane path. But somewhere deep down in my heart, I hoped... I desperately hoped that it wasnʼt.”

He then stared out at the lake as he spoke. ”When I reached the Mana Core Rank, instead of feeling pride, I... felt aimless. Like I had climbed the highest peak only to find nothing waiting at the top. I kept thinking there had to be more. There had to be something beyond it.” He looked back at Wagner, his eyes gleaming with radiance and wonder. ”And now I know there is. There are higher realms. There are greater heights to pursue.” His face lit up with a brilliant smile. ”For the first time in a long while, I have a goal again. I have something to strive toward.”

Bartholomew lowered his head and clenched his fist. He then whispered with a smile: ”To pursue the higher arcane arts... that is my dream.”

The moment Bartholomew said those words, Wagnerʼs heart tightened. A surge of conflicting emotions washed over him. He felt joy for his friend, but he also felt pain for what he knew he had to say.

It hurt him deeply to shatter his dream. Wagner knew the truth all too well, that reaching the Greater Universe was impossible for now. Not without waiting for the planetary alignment, an event still thousands of years away.

Wagner inhaled deeply, then told Bartholomew the truth. He told him about the celestial phenomena known as the planetary alignment, how it fueled the teleportation portal on Luna, and how it was still over three thousand years away.

And as expected, Bartholomew was once again heartbroken to hear the truth. Wagner gazed at his dear friend with a crestfallen look. He reached out with a hand and gently clasped Bartholomewʼs shoulder. ”I... Iʼm sorry, Bart,” he said softly. ”I truly am.”

Bartholomew was silent for a long time. He then let out a quiet sigh and shook his head. ”So what if itʼs thousands of years away?” he said. ”So what if it seems impossible?”

He then turned to Wagner, his brown eyes brimming with bright optimism. ”Iʼll still try to find a way off this world. I have to. No! It is my duty as a Magus to try.”

His voice grew more firm as he continued: ”To give everything to your actions and not be shackled by the fear of outcome... isnʼt that what the Way teaches us? If I turn back now, knowing thereʼs more beyond this world, then what was the point of walking this path at all?”

Listening to those words, Wagnerʼs figure trembled ever so slightly.

The Way of effortless action.

It was about acting in harmony with the natural order, without force or obsession. It taught one to give their full effort to the present action while remaining detached from success or failure.

The focus was on doing what must be done, not on controlling the outcome.

To be committed to the action, not the result.

This was the Way!

Wagner fell silent, Bartholomewʼs words sinking in deeper than he expected. The certainty and calm in his friendʼs voice stirred something he had long tried to suppress.

Why had he given up so easily, just because the planetary alignment lay thousands of years away? Why had he accepted impossibility as an excuse to stop trying?

He thought of his family again. Of his wife. Of his children.

If he truly wanted to return to them, how could he justify not even attempting to find a way? If he surrendered without even trying, he would forever be regretful.

For the first time in a long, long time, doubt crept into Wagnerʼs resignation, replaced by a fragile, dangerous thing.

Hope.

Wagner was deeply affected by those words. ”My friend,” Bartholomew said with a smile as he stretched out his hand. ”Will you work together with me and try to find a way off this world?”

Wagnerʼs eyes trembled as he looked at his friendʼs hand.

If I fail...

He wondered.

Then at least Iʼll die trying.

Clap!

Wagner rose to his feet and clasped his friendʼs hand. He nodded and said: ”Letʼs do it, partner.”

Bartholomew grinned. ”But...” Wagner added, his expression suddenly turning solemn. ”You must swear an oath to never study that vile book you found in the spirit world.”

Barthlomewʼs face darkened.

Even he could understand just how dangerous anything tied to the devils must be, judging by Wagnerʼs warning. And in truth, finding a path to the Greater Universe mattered far more to him than whatever power that book promised. ”I swear it!” Bartholomew nodded.

Soon after, the two Magi sealed the book. It could not be destroyed, but they were certain that no one would ever learn of its existence.

In the days that followed, Wagner and Bartholomew began traveling across the world, searching for clues, studying the stars, and seeking a path beyond Tron. And during that time, Aldo Wagner quietly began laying the foundations of a secret order that he had once belonged to in Myrrandor. Thus began the Tron Chapter of the Twilight Brotherhood.