Legacy of the Dark Sage

Nachum already knew Cyneah had found Kyran in the Higher Realm and that he had requested his family to join them because of the current situation there.

When Nachum heard the news, he wanted to offer assistance because he had never had the chance to repay everything Kyran had done for Somuli. In the end, he could not offer any help until Kyran's people left Somuli.

Nachum hesitated because he did not want others to think he was offering assistance so he could enter the Higher Realm without joining the war. As for who were the others he was referring to, they were the mages from The Coven and the Guardians faction.

To be clear, Nachum had no negative opinion about them. They had been a great help in ensuring Somuli's safety since he was injured by The Emperor, after all. He only worried they would think that way since he never joined their faction.

Nachum did not want them to think he did not join them because he wanted to participate in the upcoming War of the Sovereigns and try his chance to enter the Higher Realm.

Of course, Nachum might be overthinking the situation. Nevertheless, until he fully grasped Kyran's relationship with the Guardians, he chose to play safe around them.

Meanwhile, Kyran was filled with a sense of relief at the sight of Nachum. Cyneah's reassurance about the old man's recovery and the support of The Coven and the Guardians in protecting Somuli in his absence was comforting. Yet, he still longed to see Nachum again so that he could apologize.

No one pointed it out, but every event that transpired with The Emperor directly resulted from Kyran's actions. If he had been careful about using his innate magic, he would not have caught the eyes of Sovereigns or 'agents' of mages from the Higher Realm.

Kyran was acutely aware that Nachum would have perished and Somuli would have been obliterated if the Emperor had not been fixated on Kyran and chose to go after him when he ran away. This burden of responsibility weighed heavily on him. It might not have been obvious, but Kyran had always worried about it.

Fortunately, The Coven's representative and Axil were good enough to extend their help. Moreover, during The Emperor's stay, those two actively moved their people so that all the planes that had gone under Kyran's rule after Flos and Obstruction's death would be protected.

In any case, with The Emperor occupied with finding Kyran's trace in the Higher Realm, the threat to the planes and the Lower Realm decreased significantly. Though the threat of the other factions aiming to join the War of the Sovereigns was still there, at least, with The Coven and the Guardians' active interference, the things they could do were limited.

But putting those aside, Kyran could not help but blink as he gaped at Nachum.

"You... looked younger," he remarked offhandedly.

Nachum stopped short and also blinked before bursting into laughter. "Well, I have become a Sovereign after all. The amount of magic that flowed inside my body was at a level my age, and my physical form naturally adapted to it, even if I didn't want to."

"Is that so?"

"Have you ever seen an old-looking Sovereign?" Nachum asked with a good-humored laugh. "I, for one, have not."

Now that Kyran thought of it, all the Sovereigns he met, in their human form, all looked young.

That might not be the case in the Higher Realm. Old men were among them, but that was because they had already lived for more than a thousand years.

While thinking this, Kyran thought of Aillos and Oceanus and concluded that they did not look old because they managed to attain the level of an Overlord.

"Right," Kyran replied after a short pause. "Neah told me that several years have passed since I left here."

"Indeed," Nachum agreed with a nod. "Though the number of years is different for me since I have been living in a special space between Somuli and the outside. A year in Somuli is only around a month in that space."

Kyran knew the reason behind the time discrepancy in Somuli and that space was influenced by the rules of the Lower Realm.

Somuli was the plane itself, and the space Nachum stayed in as its Sovereign was closer to the outside, where the influence of the Lower Realm's rules was significant.

"Nevertheless, it has been a while since we've seen each other because I've been going in and out of Somuli for the past months. Anyway, what brought you here so suddenly?" Nachum chose to change the subject while looking over the man with them.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Lord Nachum, let me introduce you to one of the most talented alchemists on the Human plane, sir Avrum." Cyneah took that chance to introduce Avrum.

"To be called a talent when you are on par with the greatest Alchemist in the Ylfaen Kingdom, you flatter me."

"No need to be formal, Sisi. You are like a daughter to me."

Avrum and Nachum replied, respectively.

"An Alchemist, you say," Nachum raised his brows as he looked at Avrum again.

Avrum also looked at him and bowed his head respectfully, "Please allow me to greet the Sovereign of Bulwark formally; my name is Avrum, and I am the Head Alchemist of the Alchemist Association in Ylfaen."

"I heard most of the factions and relationships between each, as well as the key figures in them, from Sir Nolan, and it is also a pleasure to meet one of the key council members of the Tower of Conclave."

"You've spoken to Nolan?" Kyran asked in surprise. It was his first time hearing such a thing.

In fact, he was not the only one surprised; Cyneah was also astonished at this news.

Nachum chuckled after seeing their surprised faces. He nodded and said, "Yes. He would come from time to time while he was on patrol."

Kyran frowned, "Patrol?"

"Since you entered the Higher Realm, the protection you placed around the planes under your responsibility has weakened. A few months back, the Eden and other Sovereign factions were still actively invading them. The Coven and the Guardians tried their best to protect them, but there were moments when they lacked the firepower.

Fortunately, with Sir Nolan making his rounds, he would arrive just in time to help out."

Kyran fell silent. Nolan did not even tell him that. Once again, that uncle of his had a knack for doing something without letting others know of it.

"Sovereign Nolan does that? No wonder he seemed to always be missing in our plane," Avrum muttered thoughtfully. I better let the Lord know this so she stops asking for his assistance in..." His voice trailed off as he looked at Kyran and Cyneah awkwardly. He cleared his throat before changing the subject: "Sovereign Nolan is such a busybody.

Even back then, he tried to do things without telling others."

One good example of what Nolan was famous for doing without others knowing was his search for Azaloth's inheritance. And he did it not to benefit from it but to give it to Cade, who damaged his magic core. He might have done it due to a sense of responsibility, but he sacrificed many things to find it.

Kyran even remembered Nolan getting critically injured while searching for the inheritance.

"Shall we start with what we are supposed to do now?" Avrum continued while looking at Kyran. "Although I'd appreciate it if we could find a better location with a better magic energy supply in the surroundings."

"Unfortunately, not having that much magic energy is what Somuli is known for..." Nachum stopped midway through what he said because the magic energies around them suddenly grew denser. He immediately looked at where the magic energies were coming from and saw several small dark purple vortexes hovering within thirty meters of them.

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"This..."

He looked at Kyran, whose eyes had turned reddish purple, and said, "If there is not enough magic energy, I only need to create a path where I can gather them and channel it here."

"..."

"Y-You and you're unreasonable magic..."

Avrum was rendered speechless while Nachum muttered helplessly with his brows twitching.

"I'm no longer afraid to use my magic inside Somuli with you around," Kyran said with a smile. "Even if others from the outside noticed it, at best, those are mages from The Coven or the Guardians, so they are safe."

Hearing Kyran speak about those two, Nachum asked, "What exactly is your relationship with those people?"

"I don't know much about The Coven, but they are safe because they uphold the balance in the Lower Realm. At least they haven't shown any hostility against me, so I don't consider them enemies. As for the Guardians, I can't really say for sure, but I worked as a consultant for them for a year. I'm also friends with Loar, the Sovereign of Automa. Err...

I am also on good terms with Axil, one of their leaders. But my relationship with her is more of a business relationship. Why did you ask?"

"They have been assisting in protecting Somuli, and I am grateful for that. However, I did not know if I should trust them completely since I don't know them personally."

"That is a good call," Kyran agreed. "Although I am not saying they are untrustworthy, keeping a certain distance from them is better."

"Yes, I thought so, too."

"They will soon notice my presence," Kyran said, looking up at the sky. "Can you stop them from looking for me for a while? I need to do something first. After that, I will meet them."

"Of course. Leave that to me."