Fire Mage

"It's been a while, Titus." Charles smiled faintly and waved.

Titus stayed frozen for a moment, then snapped out of his daze.

"You are? How did you get here?"

"I'm Charles. Didn't you come to reunite with your sister and friends? Why stay here?"

"I—" Titus opened his skull-mouth but then shook his head.

"I'm no longer Titus. I came only to deliver the legacy to Rhea, under Ledger Boneflare's order." He touched his space ring, pulling out a unique book covered in gold, with a keyhole at the top, and handed it to Charles.

"This is Master Ledger's gift for his successor and the people of this world. When Rhea reaches the final layer, she must use the Ruler's Key to open it and gain full control over the Destiny Tower. You have only 20 years." Titus's voice was solemn.

Charles caught the book and tried to inspect it—but a strange divine power blocked him.

"Aren't you going to say 'hi' to your sister? She and the others have waited all these years," Charles said.

"Kehkehkeh. Meet them? With this body?" A crackling laugh escaped from Titus's skull-mouth.

"I've long forgotten what it feels like to touch or feel emotions, Mr. Charles. Though some feelings for the person I cherish linger, they fade day by day. I don't want to be entangled by emotions. I have duties in the Underworld." Titus's voice was cold and empty.

He has no intention of seeing Jessie and the others, Charles realized. Though he respected Titus's choice, he hated the thought of his disciple becoming a puppet of the underworld.

"I respect your decision, Titus. But if you really want to go back, at least meet your sister and friends once. Then you can return."

Titus hesitated, then nodded.

Raising his scythe, he slashed at the empty air. A vertical rift tore open the space, allowing him to pass through the Astral Realm barrier.

Meanwhile, Jessie, Rhea, and the others saw a slash appear in the space, followed by a skeletal hand.

Before long, a black-robed, two-meter-tall skeleton with a scythe stepped out from the Astral Realm and entered the physical world.

At the same time, Charles left the Astral Realm, returning to his human form beside Titus.

No one spoke, but everyone felt the familiarity radiating from the giant skeleton.

Titus stood motionless for a few seconds, then stepped forward, opening his skull-mouth.

"Sister."

Jessie's body froze. Even after more than twenty years, she had never forgotten that voice.

"T-Titus?" Her lips trembled.

"W-What happened to you? Why are you like this?" Her face turned pale as death.

"A-Are you really our Titus?" Rhea stepped closer, reaching out, but stopped when she heard his words.

"I came to give the legacy to you, Rhea. Your ancestor, Ledger Boneflare, asks you to make the right decision and guide the world down the right path." Titus turned to Charles and signaled him to hand over the gift.

Charles nodded silently and passed the golden book to Rhea.

But Rhea's mind was tangled in doubt and sorrow.

Though this was Titus, his words felt distant.

His voice lacks warmth or feeling. He talks as if I'm a stranger.

"What happened to him?" Jessie's tears fell as she sank to her knees.

"Is there no way to bring him back to his original body? Isn't it still stored in the Rebirth Tower?" Noel asked solemnly.

Charles shook his head.

"He's become a Servant of Death. But we shouldn't give up. Even if his body is gone, the person inside this skeletal form is still Titus. You must not break down. Stay united."

At that moment, Runeth spoke up with a thought.

"Hmm… Though it's impossible for Titus to permanently return to his body, we can try the clone method—let him possess a new body, so he can live a normal life whenever he returns to Edhen."

"I'm fine with this body," Titus said firmly. "After spending more than twenty years in the Underworld, I've grown used to it. Honestly, I don't have any strong feelings for it. The only reason I came back to Edhen was to deliver the Legacy—and to check if you all are okay."

His words cut through the tense silence, drawing everyone's attention.

"L-Leaving? Sob… But are you really okay with leaving us? Leaving me all alone?" Jessie's voice trembled as tears welled in her eyes.

Rhea clenched her teeth and shouted, voice sharp with anger.

"And what about those who killed Daisy? What about the ones who murdered our master? The Griffon family and their ancestor—those bastards still roam around proudly as if nothing happened! And the one who caused all this chaos... Don't you want revenge?"

Titus frowned slightly, recalling a moment.

"Griffon family? Didn't you guys already kill Andy Griffon?"

"He died," Rhea snapped, "but his descendants, and even his ancestor, are still alive. More than that, the current head of the Griffon family shares the same name as the last one. It's like they made that kid the head just to mock us." Her face burned with fury.

Noel spoke quietly, "The only reason we're holding back is because we want you to avenge Daisy's death."

Titus stood silent for a few seconds, then turned away.

"The one who killed Daisy was her brother—and Andy Griffon's daughter, Laney. I've already avenged her by killing both of them, including Laney's helper. There's nothing left here for me to be angry about."

Charles closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

"The one who caused this entire mess is a Divine named Goddess Sasha. She can manipulate fate—and she uses the strange power of love. The moment you fell for Daisy, you became her puppet. The reason your progress stalled, why you gave up on pursuing strength, was because of her. She even tried to control Rhea to seize the Legacy."

Jessie, Rhea, and Noel all nodded, familiar with the truth, showing no surprise. But Titus looked stunned for a moment.

"Now that you mention it... where is our teacher?" he asked, remembering what Charles's will had told him about the divine schemes.

Silence fell over the group.

"H-He's gone. After your death, he confronted Archmage Marcus and died protecting us. We're on our own now," Noel said bitterly.

A strange ache of loss crossed Titus's mind, but he kept calm, analyzing.

"Even if we reach Rank-5 Existence, we're nothing but ants compared to a Divine. Though I'm a peak Rank-5 Existence, I'm still just a guard soldier in the Underworld. There, even a Legend Rank powerhouse leads only a small unit. Rhea's ancestor is only Rank-7 and serves under the Cursed Eye."

Just as Jessie was about to speak, Charles's gaze snapped toward the east. He squinted.

"I sense someone watching us. It's Sasha."

'So they want us to make the first move,' he thought.

"Be careful. She's above Rank-6 now," Runeth warned. Then he added, "And from the look of it, she's expecting our reunion. What's your plan?"

Charles considered briefly, then shook his head.

"There's nothing to think about. We act now, rather than wait."

"Now?" Rhea asked, tense.

"I'm not prepared," Charles admitted. "If we're going to war against the Griffon family, we should at least mobilize the Royal Army."

Charles's gaze fixed on Titus.

"Sasha's been waiting for you to bring back the Legacy. Though you've grown stronger, you're still influenced by someone else. The same goes for Rhea. The more we live under someone else's will, the more they stay one step ahead, able to make us their pawns. If you want full control, you have to become strong and eliminate every threat."

Titus's lips curled in a faint smile.

"Sounds like Teacher Oswald's advice," he said quietly. "I may have given up on living as a human, but that doesn't mean I don't care about my sister or my friends. If there's a way to kill this divine being, I'll do everything I can to help."

Charles's words sparked understanding in Jessie. She thought back to what had happened in Miracle City. Even with the Divine Throne of Blood, her chances of entering the Divine realm and becoming truly powerful were slim.

If I want to protect the people I care about, I have to become much stronger.

Rhea and Noel also nodded resolutely, determined to end the divine's scheme once and for all.

"We've lost so much—our happiness, our peace—because of that bitchy divine. I'd even sacrifice my life to kill her," Rhea said with ruthless resolve.

Charles shook his head.

"You don't have to sacrifice yourself. I'll take care of Sasha. Meanwhile, you focus on the Griffon family and the Mages from the Iron Tower."

He paused.

"And watch out for Archmage Marcus. He's still alive and scheming in the shadows."

Charles summoned his wisdom power and began to hover in the air.

Runeth, Jessie, and the others followed quickly, rising and hurrying toward Griffon territory.

Underground Basement, Iron Tower, City of Iron

In the dim underground chamber, an elderly man with white hair—around eighty years old—stood guard before a wooden table. His eyes were fixed on a sinister black-covered book resting there.

His features were sharp: a square face, aquiline nose, piercing azure eyes, and long brows that gave him a grave air. Draped in a grey robe, he held a peculiar crystal in his left hand, its mysterious glow faint but unmistakable.

It was Marcus Griffon.