When Fantasy Glitches

"Then we're all in agreement," Luden announced, glancing around the room.

Once everyone had agreed to take part, Luden and Magnus began sharing more details about Nightshade—what they had encountered so far and what the rest could expect going forward. Luden had already made preparations in advance, but with the executive meeting expected to happen on the twenty-second—just two days away—the others would need time to get ready as well.

"Immortals... I've heard rumors that some Master-level mages who become Archmages can gain immortality, but I never imagined there was an entire race blessed with the same thing," Reimun muttered, reacting to Magnus—more accurately, Cain—sharing what he knew about the vampires. Or at least, the parts he thought were worth revealing.

He still kept a few things to himself.

"Well—was is more accurate. Unless there are others somewhere in the world, Cain here wiped them all out. It's a shame." Blair had been fascinated by their existence, especially their abilities. Vampires weren't human, but they also weren't mana beasts, which left open the possibility that they were some form of beastkin. And while the category of beastkin was broad, Blair had never seen—or even heard of—any with such a unique physiology.

Magnus figured his interest in them might have been similar to Eveline's, though clearly with a different end goal in mind.

On the other hand, after listening to Magnus, Syrna narrowed her eyes slightly and looked toward her brother.

"You know... they kind of remind me of Shades. Like the ones from that old monsterpedia we found in the library back home?"

Thinking it over, Sylas gave a nod.

"I guess that makes sense. Even a single being that can live for centuries—let alone an entire race—would naturally end up inspiring myths and stories about itself."

"This is all very interesting, but can we get to the important part now?" Jalud cut in, drawing everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" Luden asked, already used to Jalud's more abrasive tone—at least compared to the others.

Jalud glanced his way and answered, "I'm not signing up for a suicide mission. Testing my limits and throwing myself into guaranteed death aren't the same thing. If these people were capable of controlling monsters like that, then it's not unreasonable to think they might have others just as strong—or even stronger—under their command. The rest of you might struggle with Adept-level threats, mage or knight, but I won't. Still, if there's a Master-level combatant involved—or anything close to it—then this whole operation is doomed from the start."

Everyone went quiet. It was a fair concern.

They had all gotten stronger—a lot stronger. Even if not every one of them had reached the Adept-level yet, their strength could at least match it. Each of them was exceptional in their own way. But that didn't mean much if they ended up facing someone truly from the Master Class. The gap was just too wide—something raw numbers, no matter how exceptional, couldn't overcome.

That's where Magnus came in.

"The military won't just be supporting us with soldiers," he spoke, now as Cain.

"They're sending knights too—two of whom I know personally. Both are Master-level. The three of us will handle any Master Class threats." Noticing how he included himself in that group, Seraline tilted her head slightly.

"Hmm, so does that mean you're at the Master level now?" Again, everyone's attention shifted—this time to Magnus. They had all been wondering, especially after hearing he'd taken down all those vampires by himself. Even with help or time to prepare, wiping out that many opponents—some of whom were likely Adept or even Master-level—was hard to ignore.

Magnus had thought about it himself, more than once.

I know I'm not a Master-level mage... not in terms of magic anyway. But that's probably not what they're asking. My powers don't really line up with this world's ranking system. The Command Console is different, even compared to magic. I know for sure that no Adept-level, mage or knight could take me on. But I also know I couldn't even dream of facing a Champion—or worse, an Archmage. If a Champion can pressure you just with their will alone, I can't even get close. And if all Archmages are like Eveline... well, I can't do much against someone who can stop time.

The real problem was, Magnus had no solid idea what a Master-level mage was truly capable of. He knew the theories, had a rough idea, but he'd never seen one fight the way he had with Apprentices or Adepts during the Live Examination.

Still... if I could land a direct [Velocity Breaker], or memorize enough for a clean [Deletion]... maybe I could kill them.

Finally, Magnus gave Seraline a slight nod.

"I have methods that let me breach the Master-level. Not entirely, but enough to deal with any possible enemies. That's how I was able to take out the vampires who were close to that level." It wasn't a full answer, but it told them what they needed to know. If Magnus had ways to handle Master Class opponents, then even calling him a Pseudo-Master might not be accurate anymore.

"It seems we might soon have the youngest Master-level mage in history on our side," Luden remarked with a smile—more pleased than surprised by the news.

"That's insane..." Syrna muttered, still trying to process it.

"Good for us, though, considering what we're walking into," Reimun added, prompting nods from the others.

"I imagine this answers your concerns?" Luden asked, turning to Jalud.

Arms folded, Jalud grunted, "Hmph, fine."

The group spent about another hour talking things through, ironing out the details of the upcoming raid. Just as Magnus had told him he would, Niall had delivered the two captured guild members to the Major General. And, just as the Major General had promised, he had managed to get his hands on the city's old schematics for the sealed waterway system. At that very moment, Niall was secretly scouring Arcliff City, mapping out Nightshade's underground operations and the entry points they'd use when the time came.

It wasn't until everything had been said that people finally began to get up and leave. Jalud was the first, slipping out without saying much to anyone besides Magnus. While he didn't seem to mind Luden, it was clear that the only reason he bothered with the faction at all was because of Cain.

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Blair left soon after.

On his way to the door, he commented, "If we're going up against an entire criminal syndicate, I'll need to swap out my usual summons. Especially for ones that focus on crowd control."

The door clicked shut behind him. Reimun and the twins prepared to leave just a little while later.

"Like Blair said, I'll need to prepare too. If there's a chance we'll be facing Adept or Master-level enemies, I'll need to change out my gear," Reimun explained, standing up from his seat.

"Yeah, we're heading out too," Syrna announced, getting up from the couch, with Sylas standing right behind her.

He added, glancing at Luden and Magnus, "We should be ready by the time the raid happens. We're still stabilizing after reaching the Adept-level, but it shouldn't be an issue."

"Good. Let me know if either of you needs anything," Luden told them, also giving Reimun a look to show the offer extended to him as well. Reimun nodded in acknowledgment, and the three of them left, leaving only Magnus, Seraline, and Luden behind.

"Hm. That went surprisingly well. Seems people are more inclined to help you than I expected," Luden commented, looking at Magnus.

"I doubt Blair or Jalud feel that way," Magnus responded. His voice was still filtered through the mask, but his tone had slipped out of his Cain persona. After all, the people left in the room already knew who he was.

"Perhaps," Luden said, "but it's still good to have a likable reputation. Makes gathering allies easier. In any case, I've already finished most of my own preparations. The last few steps depended on knowing how many of our faction members would actually be joining." As he spoke, Luden shifted his attention to Seraline, who—as usual—had remained quiet for most of the meeting. She'd only asked a few pointed questions about what they might be facing, then simply listened.

Noticing his stare, Seraline looked back at him, her expression shifting slightly, as if to ask, What is it?

Taking that as a cue, Luden spoke.

"Seraline, I'm sure Cain appreciates your offer to help, but are you really sure it's a good idea? I don't doubt your ability to fight—not even with your arm missing. If you're volunteering, I'll take that to mean your combat skills haven't dropped too much. Still... I can't imagine your family is thrilled about you getting involved in something like this."

Seraline hardly had to think about the question as she replied, "It's fine. My mother's the one really pushing for me to stay inside while I recover, but she can't actually stop me. I just didn't have a real reason to leave—until now. As long as I talk to my father, it'll be fine. Besides, like you said, I need a chance to prove that losing my arm didn't make me weaker—it made me stronger."

Magnus recognized those words. Back when Seraline had first woken up and realized her arm was gone, she'd said something almost identical, proving her strength even after losing a limb.

Luden paused for a moment, as if mentally weighing her words, then gave a nod.

"Well, if that's how you feel, then I'll trust your judgment." With that, he leaned forward and pushed himself up from his chair.

"Like I said, I've still got a few last-minute details to handle, so I'll be heading out. I'll see you both on the day of the raid."

"Right," Magnus replied.

The door clicked softly as Luden left, leaving just Magnus and Seraline alone in the room.

"Hm. I should probably get going, too. I don't have any real prep to do—just waiting around for intel," Magnus murmured, half to himself, half to Seraline.

But Seraline spoke up before he could leave.

"Before you go."

"Hm?" Magnus turned toward her.

"What's up?"

"Last time you were here, you didn't get to see Halen. He was upset when I told him you visited while he was asleep. When he overheard that you'd be coming again, I promised he could see you after the meeting. If you're up for it, of course."

"Oh, right. Last time I visited, I was still being stalked by those vampires," Magnus recalled. Things had been so hectic, he'd almost forgotten Seraline had adopted—or was planning to adopt—the little boy she'd rescued while out on their assignment. He understood why the kid had gotten attached to her. She had saved him. But he still wasn't sure why the kid liked him so much.

Still... if he misses me that much, I guess I've got time to hang around for a bit. See how he's doing.

Magnus found himself smiling beneath the mask as he nodded at Seraline's suggestion.

"Sure, lead the way. Like I said, I'm not in any rush."

Hearing that, Seraline gave a small smile herself as she stood up, motioning for him to follow her toward the door.

"Perfect. And thank you. As much as he likes me... I'm not exactly great at keeping him entertained. He'll be really happy to see you."

As the two of them stepped out into the hallway, Magnus chuckled quietly to himself, which made Seraline glance back at him in confusion.

"What? Did I say something funny?"

Magnus shook his head.

"Not really. I'm just surprised how easily you slipped into the caretaker role. Compared to the kind of person I thought you were... It's jarring enough that it loops back around and ends up being funny."

•

Magnus ended up spending nearly the entire day at the Sostenza Family residence, losing track of time for a while. Just like Seraline had said, Halen had been completely bored with nothing to do inside the mansion. So the moment Magnus showed up—after the boy's initial excitement—he immediately wanted to play. Of course, that "play" meant watching Magnus use his magic, and even Seraline got pulled into it. Fortunately, now that Magnus could use Adept-level spells, it was even easier for him to create harmless but entertaining magic.

One example was a ball of flame—warm to the touch, but not hot enough to burn—that could be shaped and molded by hand. Not long after he showed it off, the entire room was filled with fiery sculptures and shapes, surprisingly well done for someone as young as Halen. At one point, the boy even wanted to try flying—something Magnus could also do to others safely now, thanks to his ability to fully visualize the structure of other people's bodies.

He never thought he'd end up using the Command Console to entertain a child, but honestly, he didn't mind. By the time night fell, Halen had completely worn himself out and fallen asleep. Seraline carried him off to bed, thanking Magnus one last time before he took his own leave, realizing how late it had gotten.

Instead of heading back to his dorms at Takerth, Magnus went to pick up Niall at their prearranged rendezvous point. They had agreed to meet after Niall finished scouting Nightshade's base within the old waterways.

Both of them were now atop a rooftop—Magnus sitting on the edge with his legs hanging off the side, while Niall stood a few steps behind, reporting what he'd found.

"It's just as we were told, my Lord," Niall began.

"A large portion of the sealed-off underground has been turned into some kind of base. Just from a brief count, there were hundreds of people present, and more seemed to be arriving by the hour. I even saw a few who resembled the guild members we already took out. Still, most of the base doesn't seem to be in active use. I've marked the important sections—including the room I believe will be used for their executive meeting on the twenty-second, just like the guild leader said."

Magnus didn't respond right away. His gaze had shifted upward, drawn to the raging storm above. The clouds churned with lightning, casting flickering light across the night sky.

When he finally spoke, Magnus asked, "What about exits—emergency or otherwise?"

Niall answered, "I didn't find anything notable in that regard. As long as we secure several entry points and move in slowly from all sides, we should be able to wipe out most of them before they get the chance to escape."

A long bolt of lightning stretched across the sky, branching in several directions. From this distance—and with his vision—Magnus could see every detail of how it moved, how it twisted and extended. The flickering image reflected in his eyes.

"Alright," Magnus said, making a dismissive gesture toward Niall.

"In that case, mark our entry points on a map and send them to the Major General. After that, you're free to do whatever you want until the raid. You'll be assigned to reinforce whichever group ends up weakest."

Niall gave a short nod, lowering his head.

"Yes, my Lord. As you wish. Will you be returning to Takerth Academy?"

"In a bit. I've got a feeling this raid won't go as smoothly as we'd like, so I'm going to relax out here for a while. It feels nice, being in the rain without having to worry about getting wet."

After a moment of silence, Niall gave a final nod and turned to leave. His figure melted into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

And so, Magnus remained on the rooftop alone, staring up into the dark gray sky.