A man walked across a plain shrouded in red mist; no matter which direction he took, he always seemed lost within it.
But without finding a way to escape that place, he could only continue wandering.
"Boo-hoo"
"Boo-hoo"
A child's cry finally gave him a direction to follow. No, it wasn't just one; it seemed two children were crying somewhere in the distance, and the closer he got to the sound of crying, the more obvious it became.
When the man finally found the two crying children, all he saw were blurry images of two delicate cradles before the mist finally disappeared, and the familiar ceiling of a room appeared in his vision.
The room was in total darkness, but Rafael, who had just woken up, could see the details of the place as if it were daytime, another benefit of his new race…
He was on the top floor of the Tower of Distortion, and it had been 10 days since he returned, and he had been sleeping. He hadn't looked at the date in the system, but he knew it as if it were a new instinct related to his notion of time, even when unconscious…
Remembering the dream he had, Rafael considered the possibility that those two children in his dreams were his children with "Silvia". As for them being twins, they were quite common on his father's side of the family; this could also be easily done with Alteration…
"I haven't even looked at the details of this new tab in the system about the "bloodlines," maybe that will give me some answers… But now I need to solve other problems first…"
After that, Rafael touched the necklace around his neck. The three necklaces had merged into one and now formed an incomplete figure that he finally confirmed was the key needed to open the doors to the last underground floor of the Tower of Distortion… But it was obvious now that, in addition to the three parts he had, there were three others, and he sensed a vague direction from all three remaining ones…
With a wave of his left hand, the Tower responded by lighting the magical lights in his room and sending the signal that soon brought him to… Several servants attended to him in his room.
They helped him bathe, selected his clothes, prepared his meal, and sent messages to the other Sages within the Tower of Distortion, informing them that Raphael had awakened and inviting them to a meeting.
Raphael was still not used to having so many servants around, especially on his personal floor. But remembering that this was something Vitarys always requested, saying it was part of the old Valyrian customs, he finally accepted the Valyrian Noble's suggestion as if fulfilling one of his final requests…
While he ate a sumptuous meal, Aisha entered and brought him a goblet of wine filled with fresh blood. She stood beside him, her eyes filled with passion and devotion. When Raphael realized it, he noticed that some female apprentices and servants who had served his food were observing him in the same way.
He understood Aisha, since this Asshai'i woman had admired him since she was very young. But the passionate gaze of the maids still made him uncomfortable…
That's because he had already deactivated the passive spell of Primordial Charm!
But it seemed that the increase in his beauty was still too much for ordinary people to handle…
He took a sip from the goblet of blood and felt his body being greatly restored. The greatest effect was on his innate Regeneration spell. This spell could now heal him infinitely as long as he could consume blood.
"Heh, that fits the vampire name, but unlike the classic vampires from books and games, I don't have any obvious weaknesses. And I can still eat normal food…"
While Rafael thought he had no weaknesses, he remembered the weakening of the Fire Affinity…
"Was it because this element isn't compatible with my current race? Or did my assumptions that I was never born with this affinity prove to be true?"
***
All the Sages who were in Asshai, except Liza, gathered in the main meeting room in the Tower of Distortion. Also present were Aisha, Katya, and a man with a sinister aura sitting in a wheelchair.
The three are already recognized as Masters of the Order and attended the Sages' meeting to report on the current situation, an exception due to the lack of manpower and the deaths of other Sages.
Everyone waited in silence after greeting their leader and didn't speak until Rafael gestured for Zaya to be the first.
"Leader of the Order, this time we lost 3 Masters, but I don't have any details about Jhon's death; we are treating him as one of the victims of this Calamity. My father—I mean, Master Esmer, who returned from Stygai, said that the Eternal King, the Immortal, and Zhang did something great there, something that started this new Calamity, but he doesn't know the details. He only confirmed that it all started in the Central Tower, and Master Esmer also confirmed that at least more than half of the 14 Necromancer Masters of Stygai are truly dead."
Rafael touched the key on his necklace upon hearing the familiar term "Central Tower"…
"For now, the Calamity seems controllable, except that it's complicated to leave the Shadowlands. None of these creatures can enter Asshai, and we haven't confirmed any disease or curse spreading. What we can confirm are the new monsters of this Calamity; all of them have been classified at the highest level of danger, placing them alongside the Reaper himself. And the "Butler," according to Master Esmer's and our Leader's account, has been confirmed as the most dangerous." Zaya concluded.
Katya then added:
"With the sea and skies blocked, few individuals can leave or enter Asshai. The sending of crows and other animals is restricted. We used magic to warn Laura and Yuri, and they have already prevented the Order's fleet from returning to the Shadowlands, shifting their trade focus to coastal cities of Yi Ti…
…Without the ships arriving, and with the enormous danger from the Shadowlands, there has already been a certain increase in the prices of water and food. According to Aisha's suggestions, we should take advantage of this situation to use the Sage Store to supply the entire city of Asshai using the food production of the Tower City and its infinite lake, to obtain large profits, and use our monopoly situation to take control of small organizations that cannot sustain themselves…"
Rafael approved Aisha and Katya's plan and looked at the list Zaya had given him. Here were the details of each Undead monster in this new Calamity:
Monsters:Difficulty:
Shadow Souls:[1] ☆
Undeads: ☆
Water Devourers: ☆☆
The Swarm: ☆☆☆
The Giant King: ☆☆☆☆
The Red Widow: ☆☆☆☆
Hexacort: ☆☆☆☆
The Reaper of Stygai: ☆☆☆☆☆
The Gourmet: ☆☆☆☆☆☆
Details…
Weaknesses…
Natural treasures and spoils…
****
Special thanks to the Patreons:
Sage's Supporter: Jan, Vinnie, frimorigo, Parsa, Scott Robertson, Pato Senalima, Lily Monarch, and Adriele Rodrigues!
Magic Apprentice: Axel Bour, Gabriele Sulpizio, Takatchi, mandeep singh, Austin, Kobe Robertson, Paul Gaslac, Niteo akuma, 704Corleon, Rodrigo, WhoisMitch, Leery Falcon, Grave Walker, adam, Evil King, and Emotional!
Senior Magic Apprentice: Cole Bromley, Avacus, and TabbyRabbit!
[1] Wow, that's so cool! I didn't imagine I could put the stars here...