Fire Mage

Rebirth Tower, Iron Kingdom

Charles slowly withdrew his gaze from the sky and looked down at the quest reward iron materializing before him.

…

[Quest Title: Escape from the Pursuit of the Time God

Quest Giver: Sun God

Goal: Due to unforeseen circumstances, a major anomaly occurred, causing the appearance of the Time God's Avatar. Escape Miracle City within 2 hours and survive his pursuit for 2 years.

Mission Difficulty: Extremely Hard. Without intervention by a taboo existence or a higher being, survival is impossible.

Reward: Your Life.

Penalty: Death.

Time Limit: 2 Years.]

[Mission Completed!]

[Reward: Congratulations on keeping your life safe!]

…

Charles's lips twitched as he stared at the quest reward icon.

"Well, I don't have to worry about facing the Time God anymore." He exhaled deeply and engulfed himself in crimson flames before vanishing.

Moments later, Charles reappeared at the Tower's entrance, startling guards and students alike.

He walked quietly to the gate, ignoring the commotion, and waited patiently.

After more than an hour, a luxurious carriage with red curtains emerged from the city's interior and stopped at the entrance.

Three people stepped out one by one to greet Charles.

What caught Charles's attention were the two figures behind Rhea.

One was a blonde young woman in a sleek black sheath dress. The other was a muscular man with silvery eyes and short blonde hair.

Is that Noel? He looks like a completely different person, especially with those unique eyes.

His once chubby face was gone, replaced by an intense aura of bloodlust.

Charles scanned him carefully and widened his eyes.

He's already reached Rank-5 [True Blade] and Rank-5 [Dream Creator]?

But what really caught Charles's attention was the title beneath Noel's name.

Successor of the Star Emperor?

"Greetings, Mr. Charles! It's good to see you again."

Jessie bowed respectfully, drawing Charles's attention.

She's already a Rank-5 [Siren] Class Mystic? With that and her Rank-5 subclass, she's nearly as powerful as a beginner Legend Rank Mystic. But it seems her life pathway has shifted to the Divine Pathway.

"Good to see you again. How did you get the 'Siren Class Gem,' Jessie?" Charles asked.

"I didn't, Mister." She paused briefly, then added,

"The owner of Miracle City took a liking to me and helped break my shackles. After that, she took Sylvia to the Tower of Sun and went into isolation."

"Oh? Have you figured out her motive for controlling Miracle City?" Charles pressed, knowing Jessie's presence wasn't to hide from Udnir but to gather information.

A smile touched her lips.

"Yes. From what I've learned, she seems fond of the Destiny Conquerors' leader and chose to help me as her successor. She made me Tower Master and entrusted me with security before disappearing. Thanks to that authority, I managed to uncover some information about her origins too."

Charles's expression grew solemn.

"Go on."

Jessie continued, "After some deep analysis, I found out Anangu took control of Miracle City to get her hands on two things: One, Sylvia. Two, something related to Demigod Rafael. She also seems to be planning to go to an island in the Endless Sea. If I'm correct, it's called 'Last Island.'"

Charles's eyes narrowed.

"Last Island? Isn't that where my clone stayed for a long time before my soul shattered? Why would she go there?"

Anangu's origin was the most mysterious of all beings he'd encountered — powerful enough to make even Time God Udnir retreat.

Her plans are meticulous and far-reaching. If I hadn't been careful, I might have ended up her pawn, killed in the battle for Miracle City.

"Keep investigating, but be subtle. Don't let her catch on," Charles warned.

"I've already done some research, Mister." Jessie nodded, then explained.

"A few months ago, I visited the Tower of Mirror's 52nd Layer and learned more about that island. Legend says anyone who goes there undergoes a major life change. Some say it grants miracles; others say it curses people with endless sorrow. It was also the starting point of Chaos during the First Arcane Era — like a story of a love triangle."

"A love triangle?" A strange sense of déjà vu stirred in Charles's mind.

"Yes. Asher was queen of the Syreni race and fell in love with an Elven Emperor. They openly dated, sparking opposition from humans and elves alike because Asher was a chaos being. But jealousy from a human woman set off a chain of events. Humans and elves invaded the Blood Palace and killed Asher, turning her into an eternal servant of a forgotten Ancient Goddess named Anangu. Brokenhearted, the Elven Emperor left the plane and descended into the Abyss to search for her soul. Meanwhile, humans and elves formed an alliance and began hunting the Syreni to near extinction. By the time a savior appeared, the Syreni were already extinct in Edhen World."

"Savior? You mean Asher came back from the dead?" Charles asked, puzzled.

"No. To save the Syreni, a powerful being arrived first and confronted the Will of the World out of anger. Not only that, but she resurrected Asher." Jessie paused, recalling more details.

"The Syreni worshipped her for countless years, revering her as the 'Chaos Goddess.' The outcome of the battle between the Will of the World and this mysterious being is unknown, but I'm certain that being was Anangu herself."

"Why did you ask us to come here, Mr. Charles?" Rhea asked, noticing they had already started talking.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Charles was about to say more, but then he frowned. Zera had appeared behind him, calling out urgently.

"Something urgent happened, Tower Master! Myl went to the Fire Elemental Plane but hasn't returned yet."

"Myl? That Night Goblin girl?" Charles turned around sharply.

"Yes. It seems the connection between the Traveler's Leaves has been cut off," Zera replied.

"Is she okay? The last time I saw Myl, she had already become a Rank-3 Ember Wizard and a Rank-3 Arcane Archer. I don't think she'd be in danger just because the link was severed," Rhea said, recalling the unique goblin child.

"Is it the World's Will? Didn't Runeth say it's nearly impossible for it to pry into Level-0?" Charles asked.

"That's because the World's Will of this plane has been weak all this time. But now, she seems to have full control over this world. My array can't hide anything from her—she's in her prime state." Runeth appeared behind Zera and spoke calmly.

"Then why would she block the Traveler's Leaves?" Charles asked, confused. From what he knew, even demons and devils could create portals into Edhen during the Chaos Era. The only beings stopped from entering were those above Demigods.

"Is there a being far more powerful than Demigods on the other side, trying to sneak in here?" Jessie asked.

"It's not impossible. But given the current situation, I don't think we can do much about it." Runeth shook his head. "Let's hope nothing goes wrong."

"That Fire Elemental World's Will is the only being who's helped me without asking for anything in return. Damn, this world's attitude annoys me to the core." Charles's eyes flared with anger. Yet, he knew he couldn't change the situation and fell into deep thought.

At that moment, Runeth noticed their gathering and grew curious.

"What are you all up to? Some kind of get-together?"

Charles forced a smile and shook his head.

"He came back from the dead… but he's hiding in the shadows." Charles glanced toward the distant woods.

"M-My brother?!" Jessie's eyes widened as she looked in that direction.

"But why isn't he coming to meet us?" Her voice trembled with anxiety.

"You better brace yourself." Charles quietly released his wisdom power and floated upward.

"That lad really likes to keep everything to himself," Runeth grumbled and followed him.

Jessie, Noel, and Rhea exchanged confused looks, then decided to follow, leaving Zera behind.

They glided slowly across the grasslands, soon flying above nearby villages and farmlands. After several minutes, Charles began to descend and landed beneath a tall banyan tree.

"Banyan tree... Isn't this where the Griffon family killed Daisy?" Jessie's expression stiffened as painful memories surfaced.

"This is… Why are we here, Mr. Charles?" she asked as she landed beside him. Rhea and Noel landed nearby, glancing around cautiously.

"But there's no one here," Rhea said.

"Not in the Physical Realm." Charles's voice dropped as he wrapped himself in crimson flames and shifted into his elemental form.

He slipped into the Astral Realm, where he soon spotted a skeletal figure sitting beneath the banyan's trunk. The figure was about two meters tall, its gigantic skeletal frame draped in a tattered black robe, the hood casting eerie shadows, just like the grim reaper Charles had seen years ago.

He scanned the figure and froze, startled by the information flashing before his eyes.

…

[Name: Titus Jonas

Race: Undead

Main Class: Rank-6 Shadow Weaver

Sub-class: Rank-5 Evil Cleanser

Title: Servant of Death

Attributes:

Strength - 49.0

Dexterity - 49.0

Constitution - 49.0

Wisdom - 380

Class Skills:

Ebon Evasion

Shadow Teleport

Dark Domain

Sub-class Skills:

??????

?????

?????

??????

Unique Skills:

?????

Master Swordsmanship

??????]

…

"Oh? Most of his skills are shown as question marks. That means he learned unique skills from the Underworld," Charles thought, analyzing the status.

The skeletal figure slowly lifted its head, soul-fire eyes locking on Charles.

"Who are you?" it asked, grabbing the scythe from the ground, readying to stand—but then froze.

It noticed the humans standing a few meters away and stiffened in shock.