Rivers of the Night

"What do you think you are doing?"

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, but Ott Tyre was unmoved. Standing in the midst of rays that almost spread through the room like golden mist, he didn't seem fazed by the power of the one speaking.

"Can't a man visit his family?"

The room rumbled, a spear of gold forming from the mist. It moved so fast that it seemed to truly touch on the laws governing the speed of light itself.

But Ott knew that this was a mere illusion.

Light Mana, when acting in nature, was probably the most dangerous element there was. But when tied to a living being, it was bound in so many restrictions that it had just as many weaknesses to take advantage of.

Maybe if Light Mana could really act as it did in danger, every Light Mancer would be invincible. Unfortunately for them, their Mana was restricted by the Life within them. And as such, while some of them could remove fractions of these restrictions, inching closer to what was the true speed of light…

Most of them were instead like this.

Ott took an almost too-calm step to the side, dodging the spear.

The room shook and quaked as though the world itself was ending, but not only did it stay intact, Ott knew with quite some confidence that the outside world wasn't affected at all.

"Still just as insufferable," the voice said coldly.

"I'm not here to harm the Clan. If I was, I would have long ago. Why wait until now?"

"You say this, but then allow three of your own flesh and blood to be nearly crippled, including one of our only four on the Mandate Leaderboard? Do you understand what you've done to Raan?"

"He wasn't in line for the throne anyway. Do you care?"

**BOOM!**

"He would become a pillar of the Clan! In case you've forgotten, there's more to being a member of a Clan than just being its ruler. Not everyone turns their noses up at the chance to support their family while throwing a tantrum that's lasted over a hundred years!"

Ott laughed. "A tantrum? I would hardly call living my life a tantrum. What has the family even needed me for? Have you been attacked? Have you needed to expand your territory?"

"I do not want to rehash old conversations with you, Ott. This time, you have truly harmed the family. It's not just a matter of Raan and his value, it is also a matter of face. A Gold Mancy genius of our Clan has lost to a Silver Mancer outsider brought in by one of our own."

"Of course, you never want to rehash conversations. So long as you've checked to make sure you haven't already surpassed me in power, that is," Ott said with a light smile, his gaze deliberately falling on the location of the dissipating spear of gold.

There was no immediate response this time, a deadlock of sorts hanging in the air… until the mysterious voice spoke again.

"Why did you come here, Ott."

"I've already said. Can I not come to visit my family?"

"I've grown tired of this. If this is all you have to say, please leave. As much as you like to play the victim, I'm sure you're aware that if I truly wanted to get rid of you, I could. You might be powerful, but what can you do against an entire city's army? What can you do against an Imperial City's formations? What could you do if I told the Guild of your crimes?"

Ott's smile finally seemed to crack. It was only the slightest bit, almost as though he was just allowing the slightest sheen of darkness to slip through, inking his pupils a shade darker. But it was most definitely there for those that wanted to see it.

"It's too bad, then, that you care about face too much, now isn't it?"

"It seems the real you has finally come out. Why you care to play so many games is beyond me. Now are you going to tell me what you're doing here? Or not? Who is this child and why do you seem to think they're worth more than any of our heirs?"

"Haven't you seen enough already to answer that last question of yours?"

"No. No I haven't. It was impressive, but not impressive enough to warrant uplifting an outsider. You think I can't tell that the child has no real relationship with you? I know you too well. This child is difficult to read, but you are an open book. You wouldn't have come here if something wasn't quickly flying out of your control. And the only thing that could be out of your control is that child."

"Is it not impressive enough? A Silver Water Mancer just defeated a Gold Light Mancer." Ott seemed back to his joking ways.

"What is that supposed to mean to me? Anyone in the top 50 of the Heaven's Mandate could have done the same when they were Quasi Gold."

"What if that Water Mancer isn't a Black Clan member?"

Silence fell for a moment.

"Did you not raise him?"

"Even if I did, do I look like a Water Mancer to you? How much help do you think I could give him? Even my own family is tired of me. Do you think the Black Clan lent me a helping hand?"

Everyone knew the only exception to weak Water Mancers on the entire continent were the Black Clan. Other elementalists and the other Mancy Paths could sometimes rise with combat geniuses, but Water Mancy was far too difficult to do so in.

Some superstitious individuals even thought that maybe this was a cursed path of some sort.

"Just say what you want to say, Ott."

"Well, very soon, the Guild will be very angry, but you know they're very arrogant. They won't go all out against a child. They'd much rather someone within their system defeat him."

"And? What does this have to do with me?"

"What? You don't want the Clan to benefit from the final True Chosen?"

The room rumbled once more.