Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Ravenfell.

Adam continued to convulse violently on the ground, clutching at his head, trying his best to endure the soul-rending pain. But nothing he did helped. The pain just wouldn't subside.

Unbeknownst to him… a new reality had already taken root.

The very people who stood at his side moments ago, shielding him from Marden, now turned their gazes upon him. Some looked at him with shock, others looked with fury, while a few regarded him with nothing but cold, hateful disdain.

They had forgotten.

Oh, they had forgotten the glorious deeds of the Dark King!

But Adam remained utterly oblivious. All his focus was locked on weathering the raging storm within his spirit sea. How could he possibly notice anything else?

The one most shaken by this… new reality… was Edward.

He had grown up alongside Adam, studied with him at the same academy, fought through several life-and-death trials, sworn brotherhood with him, and even had his own family treat Adam as their own son.

And yet...

With bloodshot eyes and tears streaming down his face, Edward bent forward, then grabbed Adam by the collar. He yanked him up to his eye level, then screamed in anguish:

"Tell me, Adam… tell me this is all a lie!"

But he received no response. All he got… was a wide, exaggerated grin.

"Please…" Edward's lips quivered, his tone laced with grief and desperation. "Please tell me, it's all a lie… please, I beg you…"

But the next moment, things took an ominous turn. A group of men from the Black Legion ruthlessly pushed Edward aside, and then…

STAB!!!

Adam's deranged grin froze in place as searing pain radiated through his broken body. Several swords and daggers had been driven deep into his torso.

Then came a young man, dragging his battered body towards Adam. His face was twisted into a hideous scowl, tears of anguish trickling down his blood-stained cheeks. His one arm was gone, severed in battle, while the other gripped a dagger.

It was Brutus, one of the few soldiers of the Black Legion who had survived the Battle of Ravenfell.

He stopped before Adam, glaring into his face, and spat through gritted teeth:

"I admired you… I looked up to you… I wanted to be you…"

Then, Brutus thrust the dagger straight into Adam's chest!

"But you," he said, weeping uncontrollably.

"You turned out to be the traitor all along…"

The Forgotten Rune was an artifact with subtle, yet insidious effects. It warped the minds of its victims, making them accept the lies as truths. Furthermore, it also tampered with their memories, reshaping fragments of the past according to its wielder's design.

So when Marden activated the artifact, the perceptions of everyone within the city and the surrounding lands were altered. Their memories had been subtly twisted, erasing who Adam had once been and the motive behind all that he had done.

Now, the very people who once looked up to Adam, hailed him as the Dark King of the Acadian Empire, a prodigious student of Saratoga Castle, and proud son of Ravenfell, were made to believe…

That he had been raised by the Cult in the Southern Federation.

That he had been trained to become their spy within the Acadian Empire.

That his time in the Twilight Brotherhood and Saratoga Castle was nothing more than a cover, feeding precious intel to the Cult.

That he was complicit with the slave trade, fueling the bloody ritual alongside the Duskfall Couple.

That he had orchestrated the slaughter of all the participants in the Grand Magus Tournament.

That every act of heroism and bravery had been a ploy to win Ravenfell and the Empire's trust.

That he had always been a servant of the Cult of Bones!

Marden had wanted to use the Forgotten Rune to alter the perceptions of not just all the surviving Magi of the Battle of Ravenfell, but also Adam himself.

He had believed that with Adam already teetering on the edge of madness, the artifact would effortlessly unravel his sense of self, making him doubt his own memories until he finally crawled back to the Cult of Bones, convinced that he had been their servant all along.

But there was one slight miscalculation in his scheme…

Who was Adam Constantine?

He was the wielder of the Eternal Soul Lotus!

Such paltry spells from the spiritual aspect of magic could never harm him, even though he had turned mad.

So what if the Lotus had retreated into the depths of his spirit sea? It still guarded him, mending his fractured soul in silence, shielding his mind from all external threats.

And there was one other soul untouched by the Forgotten Rune's power…

Adam stood motionless, with blades buried in his chest and stomach, surrounded by familiar faces twisted in grief and murderous rage.

And then, all of a sudden, a flash of gray light tore through the scene.

ROAAARRR!!!

Before anyone could react, the silhouette of a towering beast appeared in their midst, standing firmly behind Adam like a guardian.

None among them had ever dreamed of witnessing such a magical creature. For this was a being long dismissed as nothing more than mere myths and legends.

Valerian, in his draconic form, unfurled his colossal wings. His topaz eyes flashed with unbridled rage and hatred as they swept over the crowd.

"Filthy mongrels, how dare you?!! How dare you hurt my brother?!!"

His jaws opened wide, revealing razor-sharp teeth glinting with cold light. He drew in a deep breath, then let out another roar. Except, this time his roar contained ancient magic, a type of power only his kind could wield.

Dragon Breath!

In an instant, the minds of those nearby grew hazy. Their eyes glazed over as they felt utter confusion engulf their bodies. But even before that, these people were utterly thunderstruck by the sudden emergence of the legendary beast.

It lasted only for a heartbeat, but that was all Valerian needed.

With a swipe of his sharp claws and a sweep of his powerful tail, he cleared the area around Adam in a single motion. Then, he briefly glanced at Edward, who watched everything unfold with a shocked look on his face, before gently gathering Adam's motionless body in his grasp.

With a powerful flap of his wings, Valerian ascended into the skies and carried his brother away towards the Galestine Ocean.

That day, the surviving Magi of Ravenfell beheld a sight thought lost to legend…

A mighty dragon soaring through the clouds!