I woke up on some kind of stone bed, I guess.
My wounds were healed.
I was inside a hut, actually. It looked weak and fragile.
Bandages were still wrapped around my body.
What happened again? Ah, I remember now.
Mala… she was taken away.
I couldn't stop that guy.
I stepped outside the hut and saw Grimori and Kel talking. Their wounds had almost recovered too.
It must be Lila's work. She is the best healer among Apprentice Class A Grade sorcerers, our colleague.
She is also the smartest in the team. Sometimes I wonder why she wasn't made captain.
Well, technically we don't even have one.
She can heal wounds by forcing cells to divide at a rapid but controlled pace.
Though there are limits to it. It is an aerobic process and—
Forget it.
What's important right now is saving Mala.
She might be an idiot, but she's our idiot.
Grimori and Kel glanced at me in relief.
I learned that I had been unconscious for the past three days, and they were apparently preparing my last rites with heavy hearts.
Thank God I woke up in time.
Lila joined us too.
She had gone to collect water for us.
[Grimori]: They took Mala away. I hope they don't hurt her.
[Kel]: The chances are low. If that guy truly wanted to eliminate us, he could have killed us easily.
[Pratik]: As hard as it is to accept... you're right.
I spoke bitterly.
Even Lila joined in.
[Lila]: What are we going to do? Facing him with our current powers won't end well.
[Kel]: I agree.
[Grimori]: Yeah, same here.
[Kel]: He used a Range Shiftling on us. He knows sorcery techniques. Also, I don't think he possesses multiple Range Shiftlings, so defeating him shouldn't be impossible… at least.
[Grimori]: Wait, you mean someone can possess multiple Range Shiftlings? I thought Range Shiftlings only existed to increase the range of original techniques.
[Kel]: I don't know much about it.
Yeah, we're only Apprentice Class A Graders. Range Shiftlings are advanced techniques usually mastered by higher-ranked sorcerers.
[Pratik]: You're not completely wrong, Grimori. But Range Shiftling isn't limited to increasing range. From what I know, it can become a technique itself. A sorcerer can manifest the properties of certain techniques into a Range Shiftling and make it unique. Also, many techniques are only effective at long range, so Range Shiftling is often integrated with a core technique to complete it.
I paused for a moment before continuing.
[Pratik]: Also, every Range Shiftling creates at least one blind spot—usually the center where the user stands—so the effect of the technique doesn't affect the user himself. The center is automatically treated as the user's territory, meaning the user remains inside that blind spot permanently… or at least for as long as he wants.
Grimori, Kel, and Lila stared at me in surprise.
No, more like shock.
[Kel]: Since when do you know this much about Range Shiftlings?
[Pratik]: My mentor told me.
[Grimori]: Mentor? You never mentioned him before.
Oops.
I forgot I never told them.
[Kel]: Is he some elite sorcerer?
[Pratik]: Well, he asked me to keep his identity confidential so it wouldn't create chaos among the Apprentice Classes. But I can say one thing—all of you know him.
[Grimori]: Has he taught you Range Shiftling already?
[Pratik]: Obviously not. It's something you have to learn through instinct first. That's called Raw Range Shiftling. Only after learning that can the real training begin.
[Lila]: Returning to the main issue… what do we do now?
[Kel]: Right. We came here on a mission, but we can't abandon our ally. To some people, allies are their greatest assets.
Yeah.
Even if she wasn't our ally, she's still human.
[Pratik]: I have a proposal. I'll train harder until I become capable of activating my own Range Shiftling. Meanwhile, you guys can negotiate with Gem Society regarding the war. I don't think this war can be stopped anymore. In that case, you all can share the information about Kankaar Society that I pass on to you.
[Kel]: Are you planning to infiltrate Kankaar Society alone?
[Pratik]: Stealth missions are better done alone.
I said that with a determined smirk.
My teammates smirked as well.
[Kel]: He never learns.
[Grimori]: That's completely absurd… but that's exactly what makes you cool.
[Lila]: We'll help however we can.
With that, our discussion ended and we split up.
I don't need to tell them how to handle Gem Society. They'll figure it out themselves.
They're smarter than me.
I was finally alone.
I clapped my hands and let out a long sigh.
This clears my head.
*
Earth,
Dendadarlands,
The Immortalus Society Authority members had gathered inside an isolated hall.
A hall separated from the dimension itself.
There were twenty Authority members present, with Haimono standing as their leader.
This faction was nearly as old as the Society itself.
It handled mission alerts and administrative affairs—
Or at least, it used to.
After Krishna became the Leader of the Immortalus Society in 1990, he changed many laws and systems.
Those changes heavily damaged the Authority's influence.
Their power was reduced drastically.
And because of that, they viewed Krishna as their greatest enemy.
The Immortalus Society Authority was corrupted to the core.
They accepted bribes from aliens—mostly monsters—to target other species.
Innocent or guilty, it did not matter.
Once a target was chosen, they disguised it as a mission and sent sorcerers to eliminate the so-called threat.
At times, they deliberately assigned deadly missions to weaker teams at the request of their clients, who would then crush the sorcerers and enjoy every moment of it.
The Authority members never cared about their own sorcerers.
To them, sorcerers were nothing more than tools.
However, everything changed after Krishna became leader.
Their authority weakened greatly.
They even lost the right to assign missions directly.
To them, Immortalus Society Leader Krishna was the single greatest obstacle standing in their way.
Recently, a monster had approached the Authority members with an opportunity.
That monster was Tai.
Tai offered them ancient artifacts, rare gems, and countless valuables in exchange for one favor—
Ensure that Gem Society loses the upcoming war.
The Authority accepted immediately.
The deal was sealed.
The Authority leaked information about the leaders of multiple Sorcery Societies to Tai, and Tai orchestrated monster attacks against them individually in order to gather information about their techniques.
The Authority also sent Pratik and his team to Dragon Empire.
Their team was one of the best.
And more importantly—
Pratik himself was someone the Authority wanted eliminated.
The Authority merely suggested Pratik's team for the mission, while Arun ultimately approved it.
According to Arun, this mission would become a turning point for the team.
However—
The Authority leaked every detail about Pratik and his team to Tai.
Even the energy signatures they emitted.
Wedgermio was one of Kae's pawns.
Through Tai, Kae shared all of this information with Germio, the leader of Kankaar Society.
As Kae had predicted, the mission eventually reached Wedgermio.
Kae secretly informed Wedgermio about everything regarding Pratik's team—
Even the method required to trap them.
That was how the entire event unfolded.
Back to the present,
All the Authority members sat silently inside the isolated hall.
And standing before them—
Was Tai.
The pawn of Kae.