Chapter 50

Arran’s stay at Captain Yang’s house had lasted longer than he had intended . While his wounds had healed quickly at first, recovering fully wasn’t quite as fast as he had expected .

In the end, he remained with Captain Yang for a little over two weeks, enjoying both the man’s hospitality and the calm and quiet of the small town where he lived .

By then his wounds had healed fully, and he knew it was time to go — even if he wouldn’t have minded staying another few weeks .

He left after saying his goodbyes to Captain Yang, leaving behind some gold despite the man’s protests . After two weeks at his house and the help Captain Yang had given him in facing the Redstone men, Arran figured he owed him at least that much .

The start of his journey was quick, without any unforeseen delays or unwanted encounters . Nor, for that matter, was there any rain, and the clear skies soon lifted Arran’s spirits .

Finally, he reached the area that was supposed to hold the bandit stronghold, but finding it turned out to be harder than he expected . For two days he searched in vain, scouting the hills and forests around the road without result .

He found the stronghold through sheer luck when he spotted a patrol of armed men whom he followed back to the stronghold . The stronghold, it turned out, was actually a sizable castle, with several dozens of guards posted on the walls .

At once, he understood that Captain Yang had been mistaken about the bandits’ strength . Or, he thought, the man had lied to him, afraid that Arran would back down if he knew what he was facing .

Hidden in a copse of trees atop a hill that overlooked the castle, he gave the matter some thought . Eventually, he decided that Captain Yang must have been unaware of the bandits’ true strength . Lying would have been pointless — there was no way Arran could have failed to notice their strength before attacking .

The sight of the castle caused him some concern . Not because of the guards — if they weren’t mages, their numbers were useless — but because he feared that with a stronghold like that, there could be mages as well .

For a full day and night, he observed the castle, watching the patrols as they entered and left . Although he saw plenty of bandits, none of them appeared to be mages, and he was considering attacking .

“I would advise against it,” a voice sounded behind Arran .

Startled, he spun around, his hand immediately reaching for his sword .

“I would advise against that, too . “

The man who spoke was old and short, five feet at most, with a head full of tousled white hair and a wrinkled face . He was wearing a white robe, and at once, Arran feared the worst .

Although the man did not look imposing, Arran could sense an aura of terrifying power emanating from him .

“Who are you?” Arran asked, voice trembling . “Are you with the Academy?”

“Who I am is my business,” the man said calmly . “But you can call me Senecio . As for the Academy, I suppose you could say I am with them . “

The moment the words left the man’s mouth, Arran reached for his sword . Friendly though the man might seem, if he was with the Academy, Arran’s life was in danger . Yet as he tried to draw his sword, he found himself unable to move .

“I told you not to do that,” Senecio said . “Now stop fretting . I am here for matters far more important than some child with a forbidden Realm . “

At this, Arran’s eyes went wide with shock . “You know?!” he asked .

“I know about your forbidden Realm, and the mages you killed . None of that is any concern of mine . “

Although Arran felt some slight relief at the man’s words, he was far from comfortable . “Why are you here?” he asked .

“To take care of something that does need my attention,” Senecio replied . “Now, are you going to follow me, or do you insist on asking more pointless questions?”

“Follow you?” Arran was dumbfounded . Just a moment ago he had thought the man would kill him, but instead, he was being treated like a student .

“Do you make a habit of that? Repeating people’s words back to them with a sheepish look on your face?” The old man frowned . “Yes, follow me . You are here to take care of those bandits, are you not?”

“I am,” Arran said .

“Then follow . ” Without any further words, Senecio began walking toward the castle, looking more like a feeble old man on his way to a teahouse than a powerful mage about to do battle .

Arran hesitated, but only for a moment . Curiosity won out over caution, and against his better judgment, he followed the old man .

As they approached the castle calls of alarm sounded, and just moments later a group of several dozen armed bandits came rushing toward them .

The bandits did not cause Arran much worry, but his hand still shot toward his sword . If needed, he would be ready to fight .

Senecio did not react even as the bandits approached him, instead simply continuing onward as if they weren’t there . Somewhat anxious, Arran followed behind him, ready to spring into action .

Arran soon discovered that his help wasn’t needed . As the bandits neared the old man, they suddenly froze in place . A second later, there was a brief flash of light, and then the men’s bodies were gone, replaced by a red mist that dissipated almost immediately .

Senecio kept walking as if nothing had happened .

Despite his experiences over the past year, the sight of it filled Arran with shock . He understood that the old man was at least as strong as Master Zhao, if not stronger .

When they approached the castle walls, Arran could see several archers atop them, loosing arrows at Senecio and Arran . Like the bandits who had attacked them earlier, the arrows froze in mid-air, then turned into a thin mist . The archers met the same fate only moments later .

Through all of this, Senecio had not once paid any of the attackers even the slightest bit of attention, acting as if they did not exist .

The old man approached the castle wall, and still, he did not pause or hesitate . He kept walking at the same slow pace, and as he neared the wall it began to crumble rapidly, leaving only a thin layer of dust before him .

The old man walked onward, passing through the newly opened gap in the wall . Several times more they were attacked, but none of the attackers lasted more than a second or two .

Finally, they entered the castle, passing over the dust of what had been a thick wooden door only moments earlier .

Inside was a large, dimly lit hall, and at the far end of it, Arran could see a tall man .

As they approached the man, Arran saw that there was something off about his appearance . He was taller than anyone Arran had ever seen, with shoulders so wide as to seem inhuman . Atop his head, Arran saw what he at first took to be a helmet, yet as they drew nearer, he realized that the man’s head had a pair of large horns, like those of a bull .

Arran’s eyes widened when he recognized that the man was no man at all . Instead, it was a demonic-looking creature, with black-red skin and crimson eyes, standing at least eight feet tall, if not more .

“Old man,” the creature spoke . Its voice was unnaturally deep, and there was something alien about the way it formed sounds, as if it wasn’t used to speaking the human tongue . “So you’re still here . “

“That I am,” the old man replied .

“With or without you, this world will fall,” the creature spoke . It bared its dagger-like teeth in a hideous imitation of a grin .

“Perhaps,” Senecio said . “But you won’t be here to see it . “

The creature let out an angry growl . In an instant, it rushed forward in attack, stretching out its clawed hands toward Senecio .

Around the creature, strands of darkness swirled like hundreds of tentacles, turning everything they touched into a fine black dust . The sight of it filled Arran with horror .

Senecio stretched out his right arm just as the creature was about to reach him, and in an instant, it was frozen in place .

“You didn’t think that would work, did you?” the old man said in a mocking tone .

The creature roared, looking as if it struggled against the invisible bonds that held it . Around the creature, the strands of darkness seemed to tremble, and a deep red color appeared in some of them . Soon, it appeared as if the creature was about to break free .

Senecio’s face hardened, and he stretched out his left arm as well . His expression became strained, and for a time, neither the old man nor the creature moved .

While Arran understood that a battle was occurring between the two, to his eyes, nothing was happening . The two just stood there, motionless, Senecio with a tense look on his face and the creature baring its pointed teeth in a furious snarl .

Suddenly, the creature paled, its eyes opening wide as its black-red skin turned light gray . A moment later, its body disintegrated in a flash of light, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of ashes .

“That,” Senecio said, sighing deeply, “was harder than it should have been . “

“What was that thing?!” Now that the battle was over — if it could even be called a battle — a thousand questions instantly filled Arran’s mind, but foremost among was the identity of the strange creature .

“That was a Herald of Chaos,” the old man replied . “And a strong one, at that . The strongest I have encountered in this world, in fact . “

“A Herald of what?” Arran asked . “And you keep saying ‘this world’… does that mean there are others?”

Senecio looked at Arran . “I think it’s about time for you to learn what the Academy is,” he said .