A Testament Of The Dark Magician

Roland gently opened his eyes again. There was a subtle ache behind his gaze before his wide eyes brightened towards the dark world.

A host of rolling hills dotted his dreary gaze, before which a large field of tall grass carpeted the ground. He peered through the carriage window with a narrowed gaze. He could faintly make out a monstrous-sized castle, almost blending with the fading nightly air from afar.

Staring at the towering silhouette in the distance, Roland noticed something was different.

'Could I always see this far?' he asked himself.

He was just now noticing the subtle, practical changes to his body after developing an iron-ranked body.

After he relaxed his nerves a little, he gathered the leather satchel his death knight placed beside him, uncorked the top away and poured the bitter-tasting liquid down his throat. The cold liquid trailed down his throat and cooled his body. But his mouth contorted into a horrible mask every step of the way.

Roland just needed something to round off the edges a little.

He sighed a cool breath before wiping his mouth with his sleeves. A cold light glazed over his gaze as he watched the approaching castle looming ever closer.

'I guess it's time then.'

A little while later...

Voices of men travelled across the gloomy skies; upon their announcement of visitors, the iron gates slowly started to pull away from one another. A lavish stone courtyard dwelt on the other side. Fountains and thin man-made streams snaked between a luscious bloom of trimmed hedges and bushes. Groups of bright-coloured petals gathered in pockets, and in the very middle stood a towering stone statue of a three-headed dragon erected from a black stone plinth.

Roland admired all these things from inside the comforts of the slow-wheeling carriage. The convoy circled around the courtyard and eventually manoeuvred onto the straight and narrow path leading over the drawbridge. An arch-shaped gaping mouth beckoned them in.

Droplets of rain fell from the ends of the raised portcullis above. Roland held the window sill and peered out of the carriage.

Seeing it from afar, he knew just how mighty this castle was. But being up close to it was a completely different matter altogether. The castle mounted boisterously tall like an immeasurable titan. There weren't many things with the power to leave him breathless. But Roland was sure he had never seen such an imposing place before.

The convoy aligned itself right before the castle entrance. Two towering brass doors sat slightly ajar. Roland saw a host of maids forming a line on the tallest step. In the middle of them stood four distinctive figures, clearly part of the castle's ruling family.

The tallest figure was a slender woman dressed in a red gown with heavy fur draped over her slim shoulders. Even from this far away, Roland could see her beauty. But he also didn't miss those cold eyes framed against almost a perfect, unblemished face.

Beside the woman stood a shorter replica of her, a young-faced girl with jet-black hair and a white hairpin clasped over the left side of her hair. She wore an evening dress meshed together with formal wear. And her dainty hands sat in a pair of white gloves.

Roland noticed a short boy holding her hand. His hair was bleached blonde, and he wore clothes similar to those Roland had on.

His mind searched through his internal archives by instinct, replaying that family tree he had drawn inside of his mind.

'They must be my cousins.'

A cold light encircled Roland's eyes, and he suddenly remembered the letter the old Roland had left before his death.

You wouldn't be mistaken into believing this looked like a normal, high-upstanding family. But Roland had already lived in a world where some of the most dangerous individuals he encountered were considered normal-looking.

Besides the three, a butler dressed in the servant's attire stood beside the lady. His dandy moustache and tophat were hard to miss

The carriage door opened to his side, and Roland unconsciously paused. He took a few moments to gather his thoughts before he proceeded out of the carriage.

Halfway down, a voice filtered into his ears.

"Young Lord, I'll be beside you every step of the way. Have no fear." Said his death knight from the shadows; Roland twisted around, not finding any traces of the aloof figure anywhere.

Roland smiled and gently nodded his head.

His first steps onto the gravel floor were light. His legs wobbled a little, but that sensation only lasted a bit. He recovered his senses and approached the awaiting Lord Brutus.

The tall brute beheld him with those same sad eyes. Roland could tell he was feeling guilty. What he still couldn't work out was why.

Lord Brutus held out his bearish-sized hand. Roland looked at it before swiftly remembering his manners. He met the hand with his noticeably smaller hand and shook it.

"If you ever need my help, just ask." Said Brutus, who caught him by surprise and leaned downward until his face was level with Roland's ears.

"The Willow knows how to find me." He whispered before rising back up and clearing his throat.

He stood aside and gestured for Roland to proceed forward. Alone.

Once Roland finally made his way up the short stone steps, he felt an uncomfortable feeling against the nape of his neck. It was a strange instinct telling him something was wrong, or was it a warning, he wondered. It was too late to retreat, however, as he placed himself in front of the line of bodies blocking the castle entrance.

The slenderly tall woman walked casually towards him first. Eyes framed like a cat watched him with a directness he wasn't expecting. The corners of her lips lightly pulled into a half smile, and she lightly bowed her slender neck before her lips parted aside and a raspily cool voice filtered into his ears.

"Welcome back, Roland. Son of Lady Diane. We've all been terribly worried about your safety recently. You might not remember me, but I am Lady Herone. The mother of your three cousins."

Roland leaned to one side as the two children started to approach. The girl released the little boy's hand and swiftly quickened her steps, giving Roland no chance to react. She swiftly leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly.

A waft of sweet fragrance filled his nostrils. He was a little stunned at first but eventually returned the hug.

"You're back (sobs). Thank the Gods you're safe and sound…we thought you were…d-dead." She whimpered, burying her face into his chest. Roland remained the silent observer. His mind cycled through the names he did know. By the process of elimination, she must be the only girl whose name he saw on the family tree.

"M-Mariah?" Said Roland out loud. He noticed a slightly off-putting reaction from Lady Herone. Even the girl in his embrace slightly flinched before her body relaxed again. Roland wasn't someone to miss the slightest of changes to someone's demeanour.

"Yes, so…so you remember me then?" Tears stained her cheeks as she rubbed her eyes before lightly pushing herself away from him.

"Ha, look at me. I'm sorry, cousin, I forgot how to conduct myself. It's only been a few years. Of course you remember."

Roland nodded, but he wasn't buying her response for a single moment. In fact, he wasn't believing any of them right now. Mariah moved the quiet little boy from behind her and placed him between them.

The boy's eyes scanned Roland's from his feet right up to his face.

"This is my little brother. Edmond, go on, Ed, and say hello to your cousin. You remember Roland, don't you?"

Roland held out his hand, and the little boy begrudgingly copied him. Their handshake was cordial but brief. Roland noticed the child subtly wiping his palms against his trousers.

There was a silent coldness beneath his youthful expression. The boy wasn't mature enough to hide it compared to the other two.

'Well, at least I wasn't overreacting. This is hostile territory for me. Omega, how long will it be until you've completed my full mental and physiological analysis detailing all the things I asked of you? '

{00:04:56:45 and counting} said the system in his thoughts. Roland's heart fluttered pleasantly at that news. 36 days had really flown by just like that.

Roland smiled charmingly, sensing his silence might be looked at oddly soon.

"Thank you all for being so welcoming," he said, masking his true face beneath a slight bow. Roland was willing to play this game of lies. Heck, he had prided himself on these kinds of Cold Wars ever since his days training as a spy.

Before his arrival here, Roland had already attested that his biggest problem would likely be direct conflict with someone stronger than him. So, until he figured out how to increase his strength correctly, his first mission was to lay low.

The convoy eventually retook their leave. Roland said his final goodbyes and watched Lord Brutus command his men on their way. He felt a surprisingly small sense of sadness in his gut as he watched the horses galloping out of sight. Roland was a little surprised at himself for feeling this way. But this was good for him deep down; ultimately, this played out, reaffirming his natural, instinctual thoughts.

In this world, he was alone.

A host of golden lights shone in a spectral brilliance inside the castle.

Roland stood in awe as he took in what was to be his home until further notice. He barely noticed the stoned walls since mahogany wood, red carpeted floors, and polished candle stands covered most places his eyes fell against.

There was a strong air of opulence that perhaps birthed what was perhaps one of the grandest places his feet had ever stepped foot into. The girl called Mariah remained by his side. She seemed to sense his mood and allowed him to observe the front hall in silence for a short while.

Roland soon felt her dainty, cold hand caressing his lowered palm. He turned to the side to face her. Her round face beamed with joy as she said.

"Come on, I'll show you around."

And Mariah remained true to her word. Roland was whisked across this grand castle. The place was twice the size of what he might've initially guessed, and it looked far more prestige-looking in its inner appearance compared to how it looked from the outside.

There were three floors in the main court. Here, he was told, most of the day-to-day things dwelt, such as the dining room, the armoury, training halls, and a few large bedrooms. Also, this place boasted a very old library, which contained nearly, if not all, the secrets of the cloud kingdom and its surrounding realms.

Roland finally found his intrigue truly piqued. A library was the perfect place for him to learn more about this new world. After Mariah had finished showing him all the relevant rooms, he asked where his own sleeping quarters dwelt.

Her face turned a little embarrassed as she nervily explained herself.

"Well, you see, the main house quarters are located in a separate building at the back of the castle. A-and since you're technically considered a branch member, err…we-we had to improvise. So feel free to claim any of these rooms you find in the halls. And don't feel bad to kick out one of the servants if they're currently residing in a room you might fancy."

Roland pulled a plastic smile and nodded.

'So I'll be sleeping beside the servants then. Heh, that might be safer for me. He thought it made sense whilst also telling the underlying truth behind his arrival here today.

"Say, cousin, do you mind me asking…do you remember what happened all those years ago?" Asked Mariah in a delicate voice. Roland lowered his gaze, feigning deep thought. In truth, he was wondering when she would start probing him. The suspicions around his memory fell in line with the letter the old Roland left behind.

"Erm, I don't remember a great deal in truth. To be honest. I can't really remember who any of you are-heh." He explained, scratching the side of his head awkwardly.

Roland wasn't exactly lying. Since his impromptu transmigration, he had no idea who any of these people were. He paid attention to Mariah's facial expression, and a look of surprise flashed across her youthful face. He watched as a flicker of relief glazed over her large eyes before she quickly wore a smile again.

"That's…quite sad cousin. I can't imagine what it feels like to forget your family."

She held his arm and pulled herself closer to him. Roland felt her lithe body wrapping itself over his arm; he squirmed in discomfort, horrified by what this little girl was trying to do.

"Ah-y-yeah, it's…sad. Hey, I'm a little tired. Do you mind if I call it a night for the day?" He stammered while delicately pulling his arm free from her clutches.

"Of course, I'll have one of the servants bring your stuff up. Feel free to choose a room on this floor. I'll meet you in the morning, and we can go for a lovely walk. Sweet dreams, cousin." Without warning, she leant closer and kissed him against his cheeks.

Roland gave a blank stare. He watched Mariah's cheeks turn red before she twisted against her heels and quickly paced down the hall.

Roland stood there for a short while, rubbing the side of his cheeks. Once Mariah disappeared down the hall, Roland lowered his eyelids as his default cold mask surfaced again.

'Omega, is there any way you can sense how strong someone is. Like an upgrade to your scouting protocol, but instead solely for assessing power levels.'

One of his main concerns was gauging his enemy's strength. Although his ascent to the Iron body rank was easier than he first expected. Roland was under no illusion that his strength was likely still lacking.

Omega's mechanical sounds chimed and beeped before that

melodic tone echoed through his thoughts.