Advent of the Archmage

“I really don’t mean harm! Really!” The blue-skinned person lay on the ground without. He stared up at Link and batted his lashes. The white light flashed on and off in his eyes, and his lips quivered. He looked really pitiful.

He knew that his life was in the hands of this young black-haired man. He could die with a single world.

By now, the nearby Magicians and Warriors had come over. Everyone stared at the captive with caution, pointing their swords or wands at him. If he had made a single move, countless spells and battle techniques would fall upon him, pulverizing him.

Link raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to relax. He walked up and studied the person. Getting closer, Link saw that there were many magic veins on his blue skin that melded perfectly with the color. They didn’t look man-made; rather, he seemed to be have been born with them.

Link hadn’t ever seen this race in the game. “Your race doesn’t exist in Firuman,” he said. “Where are you from?”

The blue-skinned man moved his mouth towards the crack. “I’m from the Sea of Void.”

Hearing this, everyone was shocked. Their fear towards the man thickened too. Past experience told them that Void creatures were all dangerous creatures that had ominous desires about Firuman.

For example, the God of Destruction, the Void Tyrant, and the Abyss demons were all frightening things that didn’t care about people’s lives. This guy was from the Void too. He probably wasn’t anything good either.

Link didn’t think like this though. The Sea of Void was huge and filled with all sorts of things. Each organism had their own wishes. There were cruel things like the God of Destruction, but there were also trustworthy people like Aisenis.

There were no unfriendly expressions on Link’s face. “What’s your name?” he continued asking. “When did you arrive? How did you break through the defense barrier?”

The blue-skinned man quickly replied, “I am Piasce Ariado. I came to Firuman a year ago. The defense barrier hadn’t been completed yet, so I just snuck in…I don’t mean any harm. I just came here for survival!”

“Survival?” Link studied the other. He had two arms and two legs and breathed to live. Other than some details, he wasn’t that different from the races of Firuman. He indeed couldn’t survive in the Sea of Void with this body.

It was believable.

Now, a Red Dragon Elder walked up. “Where is Piceno? Killed by you? If you’re here for survival, why do you stay somewhere so dangerous? Why don’t you go somewhere safer?”

Link also stared at the blue-skinned man, waiting for him to explain these points.

Piasce chuckled bitterly. “You’re all wrong. I’m Piceno. There is no Red Dragon Magician called Piceno in the world. None of you found it strange when Piceno arrived because I used some Soul spells.”

“You’re lying! I remember clearly that Piceno grew up with me. I remember the pranks we pulled together!” a young dragon cried.

“Yeah, you’re speaking nonsense!” A middle-aged dragon walked out from the crowd. “Three years ago, I accepted Piceno as my student. I taught him for three years. I remember everything that happened in those three years. You said that you came one year ago. That doesn’t make any sense!”

The other Magicians who’d had interacted with Piceno all spoke up to prove that Piasce was lying!

Link looked at Piasce, wondering how he would explain.

Piasce sighed and looked at Link. “Ferde lord, I heard that your eyes could see through all lies. Do you believe my words?”

Link was expressionless, and no one could figure out his thoughts. After Piasce asked, he said, “Any magic theory needs evidence to support it. If there isn’t enough proof, I won’t make any judgment. Since you said you’re not lying, prove it.”

Piasce glanced at the foot on his chest and then at Nana. “Miss, can you step more lightly?” he begged. “I can’t breathe.”

Nana glanced at him in disdain and decided to remove her foot. However, her hand was still on her sword’s hilt. She hadn’t unsheathed her sword, but if Piasce did anything abnormal, she would halve him immediately.

Piasce coughed lightly and patted the dust off his clothes. He sat up and first looked to the young Magician from before. “The prank you did with Piasce, was it putting a snake into the washbasin of your prettiest aunt, resulting in her running out without clothes on?”

“You…how do you know?” The Magician’s face reddened.

Piasce shrugged. “Because I put it in your mind secretly when you were sleeping. Oh, your memory… Piceno caught the snake. It was a black snake, poisonous, but you two got rid of the fangs, right?”

The young dragon was instantly in a mess because everything Piasce had said was right. But the memory was so fresh as if it had happened yesterday. How could it be fake?

Then Piasce looked to Piceno’s tutor. “I’m sorry, Elder. I used a similar tactic on you. In order to not be suspected, a tutor’s recognition is very important. Thus, I added very detailed memories into your mind. This took me a lot of effort. The result didn’t disappoint me. You still think I’m your student.”

Seeing the suspicion on the dragon’s face, Piasce continued, “You think I’m lying now, but let me ask you. One day last year, you slept for two days straight, right? After you woke up, even you found it strange. You saw Piceno as soon as you opened your eyes, right?”

The middle-aged Magician was shocked. Clearly, Piasce was right again.

Piasce looked to all the dragons that had spoken and filled in the details. He was always correct.

Finally, the dragons couldn’t say anything else. Now, they weren’t suspecting that Piasce was lying. Instead, they feared his Soul magic.

Without realizing, he made everyone think that there was an extra Magician in the world. No one had suspected it. This was terrifying. If the Ferde lord hadn’t revealed him, he might hide within the dragons for his entire life. If he had any evil intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Seeing the dragons’ expressions, Piasce smiled wryly and looked to Link. “See, Piceno is an imaginary figure. I haven’t done anything against the barrier this entire year.”

“If you’re here for survival, why do you stay near the dangerous crack?” Link asked.

“I’m very curious about the magic here. More accurately, I’m curious about any foreign magic. Clearly, this barrier represents the best magic in this realm, so I stayed. I wanted to wait until the crack was mended and then quietly sneak away, but…”

Here, Piasce shrugged. He looked helplessly at Link. He hadn’t thought he would be exposed; this was a pure accident.

Link still didn’t rush to a decision. He looked at Piasce sitting on the ground and thought back to what he did after being exposed. Suddenly, he asked, “Why did you run towards the crack after being exposed?”

“I was responsible for creating the core,” Piasce explained. “I left a one-time spatial door in a certain location. It leads directly to my Void Ferry. I was going to hide into it for a while. I think that’s my only chance for escape, right?”

Indeed, with the power he’d displayed, escaping into the crack was his only chance at escape. But now, it was easy. If they could find the Void Ferry in question, it would prove if he was telling the truth.

Link nodded. “Take me to your Void Ferry.”

Piasce shook his head quickly. “I’m afraid I can’t. I hung it on the outer surface of Firuman. A bit further and it’s the Sea of Void. It’s very dangerous.”

“Give me the spatial coordinates,” Link said. There would be no problems with the coordinates.

“Alright, it’s yours…” Piasce took out a portal runestone for Link. It contained the specific coordinates.

Link studied it. This thing recorded things a bit differently from Firuman’s method. However, it wasn’t that complex. Link figured out the specific location of the Void Ferry.

This wasn’t all. A Magician who randomly received spatial coordinates and went to check without any preparation would die very easily.

Link put away the runestone and glanced at Piasce. “You said that you put a secret door in the center of the crack. Take me there and point it out. If the door’s location is different from the spatial coordinates, I’ll have to apologize.”

Piasce gulped. He was very clear what “apologize” meant. Composing himself, he said, “Lord, I’m really not lying. The spatial coordinates are real.”

Link waved his hand and urged, “Lead the way. I’ll see for myself.” At the same time, he said to Nana, “Watch him. If he tries to escape, kill him!”

Piasce had no choice other than to lead the way with a pained expression. As he walked, he said, “Lord, I must say something beforehand.”

“What?”

“Please don’t activate the Void Ferry after you see it. It might attract my enemies, which are dangerous.”