บท 258: Returning to Firecast
"Forget about that," Avin instructed. He could sense Freon's anxiety with a glance. "We're finally headed back to Firecast, but we won't be taking a carriage. I wonder if you can keep up with us?"
"It's fine!" Freon replied.
Bloodline Ability: Thousand Core Resonance! Under normal circumstances, a Core Level of Condensed Drop was the minimum requirement for his Bloodline Ability. Despite that, using willpower alone, he could forcibly activate it, accompanied with an intense burst of pain that distorted Freon's face. His Channels and Core rearranged themselves into the ideal configuration for the spell, burning his body from the inside out! He trained throughout these few months to endure this, and it did help a little. At the very least, he no longer felt he was dying. Protector Avin nodded in satisfaction. With power came risks, there was no free lunch in this world!
"Are you ready?"
Freon took several breaths to calm his furious heartbeat. Taking out his wand, he nodded. He immediately invoked a movement-type spell, Spring Step. Magic Energy gathered around his legs, imbuing them with fearsome strength. With a stomp, Freon instantly jumped into the sky! For a moment, he panicked. He soared higher than the trees nearby, much higher than he expected! If he fell from this height, it was enough to kill him! It was not strange that he miscalculated the potency of his spell. His Bloodline Ability, Thousand Core Resonance, could strengthen his spells to ludicrous levels. Until he gained practical experience to finetune it, this was bound to happen. As if expecting it, Protector Avin raised his own wand and casted a weightless spell on Freon, allowing him to gently float back down to the ground.
There was no need to explain things. Freon was an exceptionally fast learner and on his second attempt, he already accurately adjusted the magic output. This time, he propelled himself to incredible speeds straight through the canyon! Were it not for his wariness, then he could go even faster! His top speed was probably faster than Benedict using Martial Energy! Of course, that was accounting for his Bloodline Ability, so Benedict possessed more flexibility in this aspect. The Bloodline Ability required excellent foresight and ability, and not just anyone could use it to its maximum potential! It could be seen that once fully mastered, it could unleash unrivaled ferocity. There was a reason that the Arcellius Family was seen as legendary!
Protector Avin caressed his chin in a thoughtful manner. Freon was far from that pinnacle state of mastery, but he was not a Condensed Drop Arcanist. To be honest, Freon activating his Bloodline Ability so early was both a good and bad thing. The problem was that it was unknown which it leaned more towards.
"Nassandra, shall we get going too?" he ceased his thoughts and spoke.
"No, I'll copy my brother!" the girl declared.
"As you wish," Avin smiled.
Although Nassandra did not partake in the training to activate her Bloodline Ability, she was a prodigy nonetheless. She made steady progress towards Medium Condensed Drop! Avin estimated that in one or two years, she could take that final step. It was easy to take it for granted since Avin was a Blue Depth Core Level himself, a full Core Level above Nassandra. However, the strongest publicly acknowledged Arcanist was the Conquestian, a High Condensed Drop Arcanist! It took the man ninety years to reach that point. On the other hand, Nassandra was a mere child in the prime of her youth! Her potential was simply impossible to calculate. It was a pity though, Protector Avin thought, since Nassandra was unsuited for that long road of pain and bloodshed. She would likely never break into Blue Depth Core Level!
The girl used her wand to cast a spell on the river surface. The crevice they emerged from was connected to a large river system which stemmed from the capital city. So, as long as they followed the water upstream, then they would eventually return to Firecast. Using a bit of wind-type magic, a small portion of the river was frozen solid. Nassandra stepped onto the ice and started skating her way upriver! In theory, the speed was much slower than Freon abusing his Bloodline Ability, but… she was already using wind-type magic to cool the water. With a bit of clever repositioning, she could use the wind currents to boost herself too! Since she was controlling the wind spell, she could manipulate the speed to whatever she liked! It was just as fast as Freon using Sprint Step!
Protector Avin was more exaggerated and used his special movement-type spell, creating a wind tunnel between him and his destination. With a single step, the man appeared a far distance away a second later and the distance covered was many times greater than Freon or Nassandra! It was elegant, powerful, and simple, perfectly embodying the essence of a movement-type spell. In fact, a variant of this spell had already made its appearance in Firecast when he traveled from the Arkfell estate to Freon. The variant he used right now was a simplified version and it was slower while the one back then was the complete version, capable of crossing the capital city at breakneck speeds! It was a genuine Rank 3 movement technique!
Like this, the three made their way back to the city. They could travel faster than a horse carriage and cover huge distances. The only problem was the lack of Magic Energy. While Magic Energy boasted extremely potent power and flexibility, it was burdened by scarcity. Its recovery rate was too slow for consistent high demand use, requiring time to replenish naturally. There were special methods to forcibly recover an enormous quantity of Magic Energy and the 'heavenly phenomenon' produced by Protector Avin was an example. Using it, he siphoned the World Energy around the capital city to restore his Blue Depth core Level! However, these methods were both rare and dangerous. One wrong step could lead to disastrous results, including death! Because of this, their journey was filled with occasional rests, as they enjoyed the countryside.
Days later, the trio arrived in the outskirts of Firecast. Freon was exhausted beyond belief, but his joy was evident. Nassandra felt the same and smiled. They were finally home! After spending months in that dingy underground hideout, it was easy to imagine their homesickness. That said, their expressions turned slightly strange. Their home was previously demolished by an attacker, so they were actually homeless. Then, with the Whispering Shadow's involvement, the siblings had no time to follow up on that issue.
Since Nassandra was a Ten Dawn, one of the cornerstones of the Zino Kingdom's military, she could technically acquire any residence she wanted. She was one of the highest-ranking officials in the entire kingdom after all! However, Freon never used that authority, and neither did Nassandra, as the siblings opted to live in a humble home. It was no wonder they were ostracized by the rest of the Engelsheft Families. And now when they needed new accommodations, Nassandra's position was put into serious question. She disappeared for so long, without notifying anyone, that it would not be strange if she were removed from being a Ten Dawn. If so, then what were they going to do? Where would they live from now on?
While Freon frowned and pondered, Protector Avin looked deadly serious as he glared at the humongous and towering Asaparagon Tree at the city center. Its wide canopy encapsulated most of the city, while its trunk stood like a mountain! Because of this, it was widely considered the largest living organism throughout the human world! It could easily be seen from far away, despite the trio standing in the outskirts of the city. At the base, there was a winding golden dragon building that seemed to reach for the heavens. It was the Celestial Court! Protector Avin focused on the Celestial Court as a sliver of killing intent emerged.
"Where are we going to go now?" Nassandra moped, pulling Avin out of his reverie.
"Do you know anyone we could stay with temporarily?" Avin asked.
"Honestly, our circle of friends is pretty small," Freon replied. "We could try asking Ten Dawn Rosemary again, but…" To be honest, he was not particularly fond of the woman, and she did not like him either. Although he appreciated her mentoring of Nassandra as a Ten Dawn, that was about it. Furthermore, there was the delicate matter of the Arcellius Family now. It was unadvisable to be too high-profile about it, especially when the mysterious circumstances surrounded their disappearance.
"What about your two friends, Shirley and Yuna, was it?"
"I don't know about Shirley and I don't know where Yuna lives."
"That won't be a problem. Let's head to the city first."
After another hour or so, they came to one of the main roads leading into Firecast. The traffic was extremely busy as carriages and horses flew about, their faces were stricken with seriousness. There was so much traffic that the wide roads, which could accommodate five or six carriages side-by-side, were jammed! Everyone funneled into the security checkpoint at the city entrance. Even Freon, who lived here for years now, had never seen such a large commotion before. It was practically unheard of! From time to time, large military squadrons rushed out and headed for destinations unknown. A thick somber atmosphere swirled around the city, suffocating the citizens. Freon's face darkened. It was obvious that something big had happened!
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