Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Somewhere in the depths of the ever-shifting spirit world, Adam lay unconscious within the crumbling, ancient walls of the Laughing God's temple.

An unknown time had passed since his battle with Felix and the Formless Fog. Time flowed in a mysterious pattern inside this mystical realm. The raven-haired youth could have been resting for a minute, or it could have been years.

His physical injuries looked ghastly, to say the least. His robes—once powerful Grade 3 artifacts—hung in tatters and bathed in blood. Yet, worse than the wounds to his body were the injuries to his mind and soul.

The constant usage of the Eternal Soul Lotus had left scars on his psyche. Never before had he relied on this legendary artifact so heavily… and for good reason. He had once seen a vision of what would happen if he overused the lotus, and that future had been anything but kind to him.

Yet circumstances had forced his hand, driving him to depend on it again and again in the Battle of Ravenfell. And now, here he was… grievously wounded, lying in the depths of the spirit world, inside the abandoned temple of a long-forgotten god.

His eyes suddenly twitched, subtle at first. Then, a frown appeared on his face, turning into a dark scowl. Beads of sweat started to trickle down his forehead. Then, with a sudden jolt, his eyes snapped open and he sat upright.

His hand involuntarily reached for his face as he gasped for air. His heart pounded in his chest as anxiety filled his being. Rubbing the sweat off his face, he couldn't help but murmur, "What… what was that?"

Adam had a dream. Or rather, a nightmare.

He saw a black comet falling through the skies of Tron!

There was more to it, though. He strained to recall the nightmare's details, but the harder he tried to reach for them, the further away they slipped.

In the end, all that remained of his memory was a black star, cast out from the heavens and falling into the abyss.

"…How strange," he murmured.

Right at that moment, he heard the sound of shuffling footsteps. He immediately became alert. He stretched out a hand to summon the Staff of Calamity, but soon realized that the weapon wasn't with him.

Panic-stricken, he turned to the source of the sound, getting ready to fight. A moment later, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Myu!"

Valerian buried himself in Adam's arms. "Brother, you're awake!" he beamed.

Then, he started to fondly lick the youth's cheeks. Despite his face being stained by blood, the young dragon did not mind. He was too happy to see his big brother wake up.

All the tension within the raven-haired youth gradually dissipated as he felt Valerian's love and warmth. He gently rubbed the little guy's furry head and asked:

"Val, did anything happen while I was knocked out?"

The young dragon had long since prepared an answer. He had several hours to think of it, after all. He looked into Adam's dark eyes and said without hesitation:

"After you defeated the fog monster, the four-armed demon arrived at this temple…"

Adam's eyes narrowed. He quickly looked around the temple once again, but no one was there except for him, the young dragon, and the hundreds of corpses hanging from metal hooks on the ceiling.

"Worry not, Brother." Valerian shook his head. "When the four-armed monster learned that you killed the fog… he left."

Adam frowned, puzzled. He looked at his dear familiar and pressed, "What do you mean he left? How could he leave just like that? From the way he was fighting… it seemed he'd kill me even if he died in the process! So how—"

Valerian interrupted him by raising his paw towards the ceiling. "Look, brother."

Adam raised his head and glanced at the corpses hanging from the ceiling. Upon closer inspection, he found that the majority of those corpses looked the same as the four-armed demon he was fighting. Except… some appeared to be lanky and old, while others were tiny and young.

He gazed at the corpses for a long time before murmuring, "Revenge…"

"Yes, brother." Valerian nodded. "The four-armed demon had been seeking revenge all this while. He wanted to kill the fog monster and avenge his brethren. After you killed the fog, the four-armed demon… he let us live. Perhaps, as a token of gratitude?"

"Gratitude?" Adam scoffed. "He nearly tore my body in half."

Despite the snide remark, the youth couldn't help but feel relieved and grateful that the four-armed demon hadn't attacked him. He might have slain the Formless Fog thanks to favorable circumstances, but in no way did he believe he stood a chance against the four-armed demon, even if it was an entire rank weaker than the former!

Meanwhile, Valerian deeply studied Adam's expression. He didn't divulge the involvement of the butterfly yet. He wanted to see for himself if what she prophesied actually came to pass. Of course, he was going to tell everything to Adam later. He would never keep secrets—or lie, for that matter—to his dear big brother.

"How are you feeling, Brother?" He asked, his tone carrying concern. "How are your injuries?"

"It's not the injuries that bother me," Adam muttered under his breath. "It's the lack of mana—"

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

He was just lamenting his meager mana reserves, but when he cast his senses inward, he was astonished to find they had recovered by more than half!

"Just how long was I out for?" He blurted out, his eyes flickering with apprehension.

He feared that by the time he returned to Ravenfell, the battle might already be over. It could go either way. Either he might return shortly after the time he had left, or… he might return years, even decades, after the battle had ended.

Just that thought caused his heart to sink and blood to turn cold.

"I'm not sure…" Valerian tilted his head. "But I think it should be for about a day?"

"A day?!" Adam's eyes widened. He quickly got to his feet and began weaving hand seals to return to the material world.

But right at that moment, Valerian's calm voice echoed in his ears.

"Brother, before we leave, I think you should take a look at that," he said while looking past the raised dais, at the small, arched door that led to the underground section of the temple.

Adam didn't stop weaving hand seals. His expression turned stern, and he said with reproach, "Val, this is not the time to be exploring this ancient ruin. We don't know what's happening out there in Ravenfell. Get back inside. We are leaving now."

However, Valerian's following words made Adam freeze. His childlike voice echoed inside the abandoned temple:

"A god walked here once… and left behind a relic."