Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 931: Soulmark (GT Bonus Chapter)

Ballard Estate, Uptown Quarter.

The councilor of Ravenfell sat in his backyard, enjoying the warmth of the sun, whistling a merry tune to himself as he waited for good news to arrive

Beside him, sat his wife, an elderly woman with a kind and amiable face. After taking a sip of tea from the porcelain white cup, she set it down on the table, then turned to look at him and smiled.

”What is it, dear?” She asked, her eyes full of warmth. ”You seem quite happy today.”

Ives Ballard turned to her and chuckled lightly. ”Oh, itʼs nothing. Does an old man like me need a reason to be happy?”

Of course, he would never divulge all of his nefarious deeds to her. If his wife learned about even a fraction of the things heʼd had to do to get the Ballard Family to where it was today, he was afraid sheʼd faint.

The elderly woman smiled. ”Well, if youʼre happy, then Iʼm happy. Thatʼs all that matters.”

Ives leaned to the side and gently grasped her hand. ”Yes, itʼs all that matters.”

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard coming from the direction of the manor behind them.

Ives Ballardʼs eyes lit up.

Finally, he thought.

Is Hayes back? I hope heʼs brought that whore with him and not handed her off to the Cult.

With great anticipation, he turned toward the servant rushing toward him. Soon, he couldnʼt help but frown.

The servantʼs expression… it wasnʼt what he was expecting at all.

Suddenly, a terrifying foreboding feeling welled up in his heart. He abruptly rose to his feet, facing the servant, and practically screaming, ”What is it?!”

The servant, a mere mortal young woman, flinched. Her face was covered in cold sweat, and she didnʼt know how to give this news to the master of the house.

”Spit it out!!” Ballard roared.

The young woman yelped, falling to her knees in fear.

No! If I tell him the news, he… he might kill me in a fit of rage!

She thought in utter apprehension.

Finally, she gathered the courage and spoke, trying her best to remain truthful, ”M-my lord, I… Lord Vos has requested to meet you.”

Before Ives could further question her, she immediately added, ”H-he wouldnʼt tell me the reason! He simply said it was urgent and that he needed to—”

Before she could finish her words, Ives Ballard had already rushed past her, heading to the basement of his manor.

The servant breathed a sigh of relief.

T-thank goodness!

”Why would Vos want to meet Ives?!” The lady of the house rose to her feet, her face plastered in apprehension.

”He… he is the one in charge of monitoring the Soulmark of our family members… so why?” The elderly ladyʼs face grew pale, and she instantly assumed the worst.

The young servant pressed her head to the ground, her petite body trembling, ”M-my lady, I do not know! I do not know, I swear it! Lord Vos didnʼt tell me anything!”

The elderly woman lingered for a moment, then soon followed behind her husband. With every step she took, her heart sank deeper and deeper.

Meanwhile, the young servant raised her head and turned around, gazing at the departing back of the old woman.

This place is no longer safe, she thought.

If they find out that I lied to them, theyʼll… kill me!

I quickly need to leave!!

This was because a piece of very heartbreaking and ominous news had already spread throughout the Ballard Estate.

Hayes Ballard, the only other Mana Vortex Magus in the family, and the next to be in line for the position of patriarch, had… perished!

***

Ive Ballard burst through the door to an underground chamber, his face etched with fear and apprehension.

The small chamber was lined with shelves along the walls, each one holding mystical lanterns, and each lantern containing a single, white wisp of energy softly pulsing.

These white wisps of energy were the spiritual signatures left behind by the members of the Ballard Family.

And these lanterns… were Soulmark Lanterns!

The lanterns carried the spiritual power signature of a Magus. Their main usage was to let the wielder know about the life status of the owner of the spiritual signature.

If Adam were here, he would have recognized them instantly. After all, it was the existence of the Soulmark Lantern that had thrust him into bitter enmity with the Gracie Family back in the Southern Federation.

Inside the room, Vos, an old Mana Foundation Magus, was standing before a table. There was a Soulmark Lantern placed upon it.

However, unlike the other lanterns inside the room, this one was slightly different.

For one, the wisp of energy floating inside it had turned from white to black. And second, it was smashing against the glass of the lantern, trying to break free, seemingly attracted to something far, far away.

Ives Ballardʼs gaze landed on this Soulmark Lantern, and his body shuddered. Without even looking up at Vos, he asked in a shaky voice, ”This… who does this belong to?”

Vos was already drenched in cold sweat. He couldnʼt help but scream inwardly, Damn that wench! Did she not tell the patriarch?!

Now that the burden of informing the head of the house about his sonʼs death had fallen to him, Vos found himself at a loss for how to begin.

His body trembled with dread. He was uncertain and terrified of how the patriarch would react.

”Fuckinʼ say it!!” Ive Ballard screamed at the top of his lungs, his face turning red from rage.

Vos blurted out, ”The young lord!”

He dropped to his knees, shaking incessantly. ”It belongs to Young Lord Hayes!!”

In that moment, something deep inside of Ives shattered. He stumbled to the ground, clutching at his chest as tears rolled down his face.

”No, no, no, this canʼt be, this canʼt be…” He muttered in desperation. ”Hayes, my sweet boy… no, this canʼt be…”

Tears continued to roll down his face, and his breathing became ragged. ”No, no, no, how could this have happened… Hayes… my son…”

His wife, who was just in time to hear Vos declare that the lantern belonged to her son, had collapsed on the spot, losing consciousness.

Now the maids tended to her with tear-filled eyes, their hands trembling as they tried to offer what little comfort they could.

With his back pressed against the cold wall, Ives Ballard cried out, his anguished wails echoing in the chamber until his voice grew hoarse.

Even then, when no sound escaped his raw throat, he continued to weep silently, tears streaming down his face as grief consumed him.

He must have wallowed in heartbreak and misery for a full ten minutes before his attention finally returned to his sonʼs Soulmark Lantern.

Gradually, the overwhelming sadness in his eyes was replaced by anger… unprecedented anger!

Dark King…

He thought as fury enveloped his entire being.

This is all because of you!!!

He rose to his feet as mana flared around him. With a flick of his hand, he put away the Soulmark Lantern in his storage artifact.

It would lead him to his sonʼs killer. He needed it.

My son… I will avenge you even if itʼs the last thing I do!!

At that point, nothing else mattered.

Betraying Ravenfell, his alliance with the Cult, the promises of riches, and the path to the Mana Core Rank… nothing mattered to him.

All of it had lost meaning.

He was already consumed by loss and vengeance.

Ives Ballard silently exited the underground chamber, his mind already set on immediately assembling a powerful group of Magi to hunt down his sonʼs killer.

But just as he turned down the corridor, his body froze.

There, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed, stood a mysterious, dark-robed man.

Ives Ballardʼs face went pale, his wrathful expression vanishing, replaced by a mix of shock and… fear.

He couldnʼt sense the manʼs presence at all! And deep down, he already had a dreadful suspicion of who it was.

The hooded figure slowly turned his head towards him and spoke in a voice the councilor knew all too well:

”Ballard, where do you think youʼre going?”