Magus Supremacy

"Pheeew! That was intense." Grey yawned loudly, stretching his arms as he stared at the results of his effort. Laying in front of him on the glowing circle were four purple pills and three blue pills, each shining faintly with magical light. These were the fruits of several exhausting hours of work.

He had tested countless methods, trying different runes, inscriptions, and intricate symbols. At last, after what felt like endless failures, he discovered the correct arrangement of magic circles that allowed him to mass-create pills instead of laboring to produce them one at a time.

"That was draining," Grey muttered, rubbing his eyes wearily. His body felt heavy, and his head throbbed slightly as the aftereffects of mana and Ki depletion set in. With a sluggish step, he moved away from the circle and staggered toward the bed before falling face-first onto it.

"Yeah. You burned through a lot of mana and Ki creating those pills. Let's not forget you're still injured," Thalos reminded him, his deep voice calm but tinged with concern. "So won't you at least get some proper rest for once?"

Grey groaned but didn't argue. "I don't have much of a choice right now. I'll rest, then tomorrow I'll start working on Dame's pills." His words grew weaker as his eyelids fluttered.

"Yeah, do th…"

SNURRR!

The loud snore cut Thalos off. He turned, only to see Grey already asleep, sprawled on the bed. The Supreme Magus was completely knocked out, exhaustion dragging him into deep slumber so strongly that even his snores echoed through the room.

"What a tired fellow," Thalos murmured with a faint smile tugging at his lips. But the moment of levity vanished as his sharp senses flared. His smile dropped, replaced by a grim expression, and his head snapped toward the window.

'Th… this aura,' he thought grimly.

Moving swiftly, Thalos pulled the curtains aside. Outside, the night city was alive. Though darkness cloaked the town, lanterns lit the streets and people bustled about, some buying, some drinking, others simply wandering. The sea of moving figures muddled the atmosphere, making it difficult for Thalos to pinpoint the source of the aura.

He glanced back at Grey, who was still loudly snoring, then quietly slipped out of the room. The Supreme Magus remained asleep, completely unaware as Thalos vanished into the night.

—

Outside the inn, Thalos scanned his surroundings carefully. He could feel the aura once more, faint but clear, pulling him like a faint trail of breadcrumbs. His frown deepened as he followed it through winding streets and into a narrow alley.

'This aura… it feels so familiar. I know this presence. But why is he here? What is his purpose? Wait! How does he know I'm even here? I've suppressed my aura completely, and I'm not even in my gargoyle form. I'm disguised as a human, so how could he…?'

His thoughts trailed off as he spotted a lone figure ahead. Draped in a hooded robe, the figure's face was hidden, but from beneath the hood, a pair of piercing golden eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"Thalos, Thalos. Long time no see," the figure said in a booming voice, the tone carrying an odd warmth, as though greeting an old friend.

"Quit the silly pleasantries and tell me why a god would bait me out here," Thalos replied sharply, his frown deepening. "And more importantly, how did you know where I was?"

The hooded man tilted his head slightly. "What did you just call me? A god, right? Then tell me, how could a god fail to sense the presence of my best friend's aide?"

Thalos exhaled heavily, shaking his head as though weary of such riddles.

"So then, what is it? What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

"I should be the one asking that. Why are you in this faction? Wait—he told me he was taking you somewhere else. How is it you're here?" the figure asked, curiosity flickering in his voice.

"I found somebody worthy, and because of that, I'm here. That was the condition placed upon me. Until I discovered someone truly worthy, I couldn't leave that place. But now I have, and so here I am." Thalos replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"That makes sense. He doesn't do anything without a backup plan. Anyway, who is he? Where does he come from?" the figure asked.

"I can't tell you who he is because he is still too young to get pulled into any sort of drama. All I can say is that he is from the Aetherian faction," Thalos replied.

"Aetherian faction, huh?" The figure sighed deeply. "That accursed faction, filled with betrayals, who are still working with them."

"Quit that and tell me how he died," Thalos demanded, his tone grave and sharp.

"I…I…I don't know," the figure stuttered.

"Don't bullshit me, damn it! You were his best friend, and you both practically shared the same ideals. So how can you claim not to know how he died? Why didn't you even save him?!" Thalos thundered in anger, his voice echoing through the alley.

The figure sighed again, his eyes dim with regret. "Thalos, I'm sorry about your master's death. It truly pains me that I was unable to save him because he was my best friend.

Honestly, part of me still feels like he is alive, and I haven't been able to accept his death yet. But I believe he had his reasons for not seeking my help before things spiraled out of control."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Thalos asked with a raised brow.

"Honestly, there are a lot of things that elude me. You know your master—he was a man of secrets, always hiding everything until it was too late.

I only heard about him going missing, and eventually, after years without any sign, he was proclaimed dead. It has been almost a decade."

"Wait! Almost a decade?!" Thalos' eyes widened. "Is that how long it has been since he locked me away in that castle?!"

"I'm afraid so," the figure replied, shaking his head with a weary sigh.

"So what now?" Thalos muttered, his brow still raised.

"I want to ask you something first. The one you found worthy… is he the same as him?" the figure asked carefully.

"Yes. He is a mage too, but he has lost all memories of his past self. Even so, he is determined to regain both his memories and his powers," Thalos answered firmly.

"Good. Then I want you to protect him. I have a feeling he is different," the figure added.

"Yeah, he is. He also has Ki along with mana," Thalos replied casually.

"Wait! He what?!" the figure shouted, shock written all over his face. "But I thought…"

"That mages can't use Ki? Well, either we were wrong all along, or he is truly something special," Thalos said with a tired sigh.

"That makes it even more important that you protect him. Otherwise, they will come for him, and at his current stage, he won't survive," the figure warned sternly.

"What do you mean? Who exactly would come for him?" Thalos asked, his brow furrowing again.

"The silent war the Vayun continent has been locked in ever since your master went missing. I fear that very war is the reason he disappeared in the first place," the figure replied, his voice low.

"And what war is this?" Thalos pressed.

"I can't say anything right now. Just keep him away from all troubles. And if you remain in the Aetherian faction, be cautious. Things there aren't what they seem. Goodbye."

Before Thalos could utter another word, the figure leaped high into the air and vanished into the night sky, leaving him alone in the dark alley.

'How can I keep someone who is a walking trouble magnet away from chaos? He attracts battles and disasters wherever he goes.' Thalos scoffed inwardly, his cloak rustling as he turned and left the alleyway, his mind heavy with the secrets that had just been revealed.