章 69: Ch 55 - The Phantom Mages (Part 2)
Right now we were looking at some strange-looking people who were scattered around the chamber all across. They were wearing capes similar to those red mages except their cloak color was deep blue with a strange pattern on it. On their back, they carried weird metallic staffs which seemed to be crooked at the ends.
Although the more creepy part was that these folks were wearing strange triangular masks that covered their eyes. There was even a spiral pattern on the mask, no idea which cult they belonged to.
Right now, these strange masked guys were all facing Sigurd.
One by one they all got on their knees and crossed their left arm across their chest
"Salutations to mighty head mage Sigurd, the phantoms of the Starweaver clan send their regards," said one of the mages.
Phantoms? Starweaver clan?
Somehow I feel like I have heard that name or at least read it somewhere. But I truly can't remember where exactly.
Sigurd nods,
"I'm sorry for the delay. I hope the wait in the dark wasn't too uncomfortable for you."
The phantom remained kneeling and spoke,
"The dark is our constant companion, so there was no discomfort for us. However, I must admit that we are running a bit behind schedule. The grandmasters are already waiting for the dimension gates."
"Alright, open the dimension gates at once. We have kept the grandmasters waiting long enough." said the head mage in a commanding voice.
As soon as this word came the kneeling triangular masked mages known as the phantom got up on their feet, "Yes, sir."
"Alright, let's open the dimension gates immediately," the head mage ordered in a commanding tone. "We've kept the grandmasters waiting far too long."
At the sound of his command, the phantom mages, who were kneeling, stood up. "Yes, sir," they replied in unison.
Soon the phantom mages scattered across the chamber in pairs. Each of the pair stood in front of the 9 mana crystal pillars forming almost a circular pattern. Then each of the mages took out their staff from their back and jabbed it on the ground, next to each other almost 1 arm apart. The staff they used was made of light gold metal with the end of the staff being bent similar to your tablespoon.
As soon as the command was given, the phantom mages quickly dispersed throughout the chamber, each pairing off and positioning themselves in front of the nine mana crystal pillars arranged in a circular formation. They withdrew their staff from their backs, and the gleaming light-gold metal shone brightly under the light of the pillar. The staffs were unique in their design, with a gentle curve at the end reminiscent of a tablespoon.
With a synchronized movement, the mages thrust their staffs into the ground, spacing themselves roughly an arm's length apart. The staff were planted firmly into the ground, and the phantom mages stood at the ready, their attention focused on the task at hand.
Sigurd stood still, staring at the cylindrical rock that was positioned in the center of nine massive pillars. Upon closer inspection, the strange rock seemed out of place amidst the grand structures.
One of the inexperienced candidates remarked to the group,
"Hey, those guys don't look like grandmasters, do they?"
To that Hendrickson replied,
"Of course not, but according to what the head mage just said, the grandmasters are due to arrive any moment now. So, it's best to be on our best behavior."
Trisha raised an eyebrow in surprise, her tone laced with sarcasm as she asked,
"Since when do you care about others?"
Hendrickson, growing agitated, shot back, "Just shut up! Leave me alone."
The floating fortress above Sigurd began to emit a brilliant glow. The flow of shimmering mana erupted from the fortress and was absorbed into Sigurd's body. With one hand on the cylindrical rock and the other holding a spherical ball that had previously been resting on the pillar, Sigurd activated the magic.
As the mana from his body flowed into the pillar and down to the ground, blue glowing lines appeared like veins, stretching across the chamber and connecting to the staffs held by the phantom mages. The veins formed a star-like formation with nine points, with Sigurd at the center.
The phantom mages, standing beside their staff, called out to Sigurd, "The line is secured. Please give the order to open the dimension gates."
Sigurd nodded in response, "Open the gates."
All nine pairs of phantom mages simultaneously began to chant mysterious incantations while gripping their staffs. Sigurd calmly observed the scene, arms crossed.
One of the bewildered candidates asked, "What's happening?" while another queried, "Is this part of the ascension trial?"
Hendrickson, who was growing increasingly agitated, retorted, "Didn't you listen to a word they said? They're trying to summon the grandmasters to oversee the ascension ceremony."
Jason interjected, "I don't think 'summoning' is the right word here."
Hendrickson glared at Jason and his nerves were palpable. With a forced smile, he asked, "Oh really? Why don't you enlighten us, smarty pants?"
Jason adjusted his fixed-rimmed oval spectacles and stood up straight, like a typical nerd. "Well, they mentioned they were from the Starweaver clan, so you should know what kind of mages they are, right?"
Hendrickson appeared confused and asked, "Starwire clan? Who are they?"
Jason feigned surprise. "It's the Starweaver clan. Haven't you heard of them? You must have been living under a rock."
Hendrickson was becoming increasingly frustrated and replied, "Cut the trash talk and just tell me why I should care."
Trisha suddenly nodded, "I see. That makes sense."
Jason snorted, "At least there's someone among the 2nd tier candidates with decent general knowledge."
Hendrickson was getting more irate and demanded, "What makes sense? Stop talking in circles and just explain."
Trisha shushed him, "Shut up and watch." She then focused her attention back on the phantom mages.
Everyone's attention was fixed on the phantom mages as they began to channel their mana into their staff. The pair of staff were placed opposite of each other, and as the phantom mages used incantation and channeled their mana, something incredible started to happen.
In the place between the staff, cracks started appearing mid-air.
These cracks were formed similar to the cracks in glass except these were formed in mid-air. Also, these cracks were pitch black in color almost as if we were getting a peek into the abyss itself.
"What are those?" asked a bewildered Henrickson.
"Spatial dimension cracks," Trisha replied knowledgeably.
Jason was impressed, "That's right. You know your stuff, girl. Impressive."
Trisha corrected him, "My name is Trisha, not 'girl.'"
Jason simply nodded, "I see."
The spatial cracks appeared between the space of all the 9 pairs of staff.
After a moment, the phantom mages let go of the staff and inserted their hands into the cracks. One phantom mage grabbed the top and bottom corners, while the other grabbed the left and right, and they began to widen the spatial cracks with their bare hands. The cracks started to widen and each crack started assimilating which started to look like a black hole in the air.
As it turned out, the phantom mages were actually spatial mages, a rare and elusive type of elemental mage who had the ability to bend space. And at this moment, they were stretching the dimension cracks to create doorways between the golden staff.
After a few minutes, the nine pairs of phantom mages had successfully created nine stable spatial doorways, standing guard at each one like traditional gatekeepers.
In the next instant, nine figures emerged from the gates, and it was obvious that the grandmasters had arrived. Finally, the ascension ceremony shall begin.
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