Legacy of the Dark Sage

"Fine," Stella grumbled at Kyran's dismal attitude.

But Kyran acting dismal was better than seeing him flirt with other women while wearing Tyr's face.

"Let's go."

Kyran's voice brought Stella out of her musing, and she realized the runes on the barrier at the stairway's entrance were now completely purple.

Without waiting for Stella to reply, Kyran stepped into the stairway.

Stella followed.

The moment Stella stepped into the stairway, the surroundings shifted, followed by a blinding light that forced her to close her eyes.

When she opened them again, she saw a different scene.

There was no longer a stairway before her, and the fortress sitting atop a golem was nowhere in sight.

As a matter of fact, she was no longer outside but inside what appeared to be a receiving area of a building.

Standing before them were three people wearing light violet robes and black masks.

The one on the right was a man with long flowing dark violet hair, while the one on the left was a woman with short wavy dark violet hair. Between them stood a tall, slender man with a sleek brush-up hairstyle, and unlike the other two, his hair was silver gray.

The man's feature immediately made Kyran's brow furrow because his hair color was the same shade as Nolan and his mother.

'It can't be...'

Silas also had silver hair, but it was a different shade. Kyran was not 100% clear on how bloodlines of old families went, but even if others possessed similar features, they would still have subtle differences.

That was why even though his black hair and dark gray eyes appeared ordinary, most would still recognize him as a Regis.

"It is good to finally be able to meet with you, new Void Master."

The man in the middle said as he stepped forward to greet them.

Kyran looked slightly different from Tyr's face and dark hair, so he was surprised this man recognized him.

Then again, he probably saw him when he bypassed the restriction outside and changed the attribute of the magic runes on the stairway.

"I'm guessing your the Patriarch," Kyran responded, choosing not to comment on how the man addressed him.

"Yes," the man nodded. "My name is Ezra, and I am the current Patriarch of the Montgomeray Family."

Kyran nodded in acknowledgment before looking at the other two.

He recognized them.

The woman was Zuri, while the other was the guy who nodded at him during the Material Gathering event.

Noticing Kyran's action, Ezra looked at Zuri first before turning to the other man.

"That's right, you have met them already. But let me formally introduce them," Ezra said, looking back at Kyran. He gestured a hand toward Zuri and said, "This is Zuri, my eldest daughter and..." he gestured toward the other man, "This man, is Salis, the Snow Mountain King's messenger. I believe my son, already mentioned him to you...?"

His voice trailed off when he noticed Kyran suppressing his laughter.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Sorry," Kyran apologized before looking at 'Salis' with mirth in his eyes. "'Salis'? Seriously?"

'Salis,' who usually had a serious demeanor, suddenly scratched his head and laughed uneasily. "Well... I could not come up with a better name at that time," he replied while taking off his mask. "And I could not use my other pseudos."

Stella, silent from the moment they appeared, released a surprised gasp.

"You are...!"

Without the mask, 'Salis's' dark violet hair changed back to its silver color. The face beneath the mask was handsome with light blue eyes.

'Salis' who was actually Silas, bowed his head toward Stella in a gentleman curtsy, "It is a pleasure to meet you again, milady."

Knowing Stella's identity was also top secret, he refrained from saying her name.

Then he faced Kyran again with an awkward smile, "It's been a while."

Kyran smiled, "It is."

'Hm?' Silas was mildly surprised seeing the smile on his face. He could not put his finger on it, but his smile seemed relieved.

Unbeknownst to Silas, his 'it's been a while' was different from Kyran's. They had only parted for more than a month, after all.

However, for Kyran, it had been years since they last saw each other.

"Pardon me, but... this lady is...?" Ezra turned his attention toward Stella.

Stella straightened her back. The Montgomeray Family seemed unaware of the invitation White Lily extended to her.

Before she could introduce herself, Kyran interrupted, "She's no one. Just ignore her."

Stella's brow twitched as she looked at Kyran, "Hey!"

Kyran looked back at her, "What?"

"'I-Ignore her,' t-that's a bit...." Silas also remarked with an uneasy smile.

Seeing this exchanged, Zuri looked at them in confusion.

Kyran looked at Ezra and said, "That being said, shall we get down to business?"

Ezra did not seem to mind Kyran's disrespectful attitude and replied, "How about we move to the dining hall first? We have prepared a small feast for you. The rest of the family are currently—."

"I did not come here to eat," Kyran cut him midsentence. His voice suddenly lost the warmth it had while talking to Silas.

Ezra and Zuri suddenly felt a chill run down their spines as they looked at Kyran's eyes.

His eyes were a beautiful shade of aquamarine, like the color of the sea under a clear sky.

Tranquil and serene.

However, his eyes did not look tranquil right now. On the contrary, it was as if they were looking at the edge of an endless abyss.

'So this is the new Void Master...'

Initially, Ezra wanted to insist they dine first. In the end, he swallowed the words he was about to say.

Zuri, on the other hand, tightened her fists. She had always thought 'Tyr' had a very carefree attitude. But looking at him now, it felt as if she was looking at a different person.

Stella and Silas looked at Kyran apprehensively. It was the first time they had heard him use that tone of voice, and they also felt a cold chill run down their spines.

Stella remembered the first time she had seen Kyran in an almost madden state. It was when Malek spoke vague things about what happened to his clan which triggered his reverse scale.

But Kyran was not in that state. In fact, he was calm as a millpond. Like nothing could faze him. Not even when someone cursed his clan, which was his reverse scale.

It made Stella wonder what training Kyran underwent to achieve such transformation.

"I understand," Ezra replied after a few seconds of tense silence. "Then let us go to my office. From there, we can talk business."

"I have a better idea."

The whole surroundings distorted, and in the blink of an eye, they were suddenly standing in a middle of a vast field.

"This—!"

"H-How—?"

"W-Where is this place?"

Silas, Ezra, and Zuri exclaimed at the same time.

Stella, on the other hand, reached out her hand and grabbed Kyran's coat.

"K-Kyran... this is?" She hissed softly.

Above, they could see the sun, but somehow it seemed different from the one they were familiar with.

On the left, they could see what appeared to be a village with strange-looking buildings, and on the right were fields with different types of crops.

Far north, they could see a dark purple tower with rune writings hovering around its facade.

Instead of answering Stella, Kyran regarded Ezra and said, "I'd rather talk business in a place I'm comfortable with."

Ezra looked at him. Kyran could not see his expression because of the mask, but he sensed his fear.

"Judging from how you treated Silas, you don't seem to be a bad person," Kyran started.

"Silas..?" Ezra looked at Silas and finally understood Kyran's remark earlier. "I see... Salis... Silas, huh."

Silas responded with a wry smile.

Turning his attention back to Kyran, Ezra said, "I understand."

Kyran nodded and waved his hand.

They were taken once more to a different location in the blink of an eye.

This time, it was inside a circular room. The room was empty, apart from a study table and two long couches facing each other.

"Take a seat," Kyran told them while he went to the study table and sat on its edge.

Ezra looked at Zuri, who still seemed confused at what was happening. He nodded at her, and both of them went to sit on the couch.

On the other hand, Stella and Silas walked toward Kyran and stood on each side of him.

Both their action caused Kyran to smile inwardly.

It might have been a coincidence, but Stella and Silas choosing to stand by his side might be because they sensed something strange.

'Now then...'

"Come out," Kyran suddenly said. "If you don't, I'll throw you out."

Ezra and Zuri exchanged confused glances, but then they heard a gentle laugh that echoed throughout the room.

"I was confident you will not be able to detect me. Alas, it seems I overestimated myself."