Fwish!
Alex landed softly on the grass-covered stone ground of [Grand Mage Island], a floating domain suspended high above the clouds.
It was the same island where, not too long ago, he had attempted to attend a meeting of the [Grand Mage Order], a council of powerful mages who governed and regulated magical affairs across the world.
However, that meeting hadn’t gone as planned.
The Grand Mages had tried to eliminate him, believing him too dangerous or unpredictable, and in return, he had wiped them out one by one without hesitation.
Now, none of those Grand Mages remained.
None except one. Arceus.
Arceus had been the only one not foolish enough to raise his hand against Alex back then, and as a result, not only did he survive, but he inherited the title of [Grand Mage Master] in the aftermath.
Whether by choice or necessity, he had taken up the mantle, and Alex was here now to check on him.
Not because he needed anything, no, that time was over, but because he was tying up the final threads before the [Chosen Games] began.
The end was approaching, and this was one of the last things he wanted to do before facing whatever came next.
He looked around the floating island.
The wind up here was crisp, colder than most places, but it was also peaceful.
A wide garden stretched ahead, separating him from the massive marble mansion that stood as the base of operations for the mage order.
Its spires reached high into the sky, adorned with magical symbols that glowed faintly in the air.
A place once ruled by arrogance and control now felt quiet, almost somber.
Without wasting time, Alex summoned his wings.
Fwhoosh!
In an instant, he soared forward, his form vanishing and reappearing before the mansion’s large front door.
His boots touched down lightly.
[The door is locked.]
Alex blinked.
“Hm.”
Then, without a second thought,
BAM!
He kicked the door with a burst of force.
Despite the magical barriers that shielded the entrance, the enchanted wood cracked and burst open under his strike, fragments of it scattering into the foyer.
The warding spells fizzled into sparks and smoke, completely overwhelmed by Alex’s raw strength and the passive effects of the [Crown of Calamity].
He walked in casually.
The mansion’s interior was just as he remembered, lavish and grand, yet sterile and cold.
Marble floors reflected the soft glow of floating lanterns.
The servants, those strange, quiet individuals who worked inside, still moved about, cleaning or carrying items, none of them reacting to the intruder.
Whether they were enchanted constructs or real people under a spell, Alex didn’t know.
He didn’t care either. He was here for one reason.
He passed through the entrance hall, crossed the main corridor, and soon stood before the towering door of the old [Grand Mage Order] meeting room.
It was the same place where all the blood had been spilled before, but now, something had changed.
Above the door, glowing golden letters floated in the air,
[Research Room: In Use]
Alex narrowed his eyes.
“So he really did repurpose it.”
With a quiet sigh, he stepped forward, placing a hand against the door.
It was sealed. Strongly.
Not with a simple lock, but with a heavy magical barrier, far stronger than the one at the mansion’s entrance.
“Tch,” he muttered, “Crown, your turn.”
[Very well.]
The [Crown of Calamity], still resting neatly atop his head, reacted instantly.
Black tendrils of dark matter extended outward, twisting and writhing until they merged into the shape of a massive hand.
It curled into a fist.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The massive black fist pounded against the door, each blow cracking both wood and magic until, with a final strike, the entire thing shattered and flew backward, revealing the room beyond.
Alex stepped in.
Where once there had been a long oval table surrounded by twelve ornate chairs, the place where Grand Mages once held their arrogant councils, now stood a vast magical lab.
The chamber was completely transformed, filled with research stations, scrolls, bookshelves, and bizarre magical equipment.
Floating devices pulsed with mana. Crystals spun in mid-air. Strange staffs hovered in containment fields.
The walls were lined with sigils, and the air smelled of ink, burnt herbs, and magic.
Standing in the center of it all was Arceus.
The man was holding a potion vial, examining it under a hovering orb of light.
His long silver robes were marked with countless alchemical stains.
Despite the chaos of the lab, Arceus looked calm, focused.
But when he saw Alex step into the room, he raised an eyebrow in amusement.
“Oh?” he said, voice light, “You came to visit?”
“Not for long,” Alex replied, stepping forward and letting the doorframe fall behind him, “The end is near.”
Arceus paused. His expression darkened slightly.
“I see. So it’s almost time, then.”
Alex nodded, “Are you doing… fine?”
Knowing that he could very well die in the coming games, it felt right to at least speak to the people who had helped him, even if only a little.
“I’m managing,” Arceus replied, placing the potion down on a nearby table, “With all the Grand Mages gone, the burden falls on me to restructure the entire order.”
“But I have more freedom now, more resources too.”
“I’ll rebuild this into something better, something smarter.”
Alex looked around the lab, then back to the mage.
“Looks like you’re already doing that.”
Arceus gave a tired smile, “Still plenty left to do.”
There was a pause.
For once, their conversation wasn’t centered around a deal, a threat, or an enemy.
It was just… normal.
Two people who had briefly crossed paths in chaos now finding themselves at a quieter crossroads.
“Goodbye, then,” Alex eventually said.
He turned, opening his [World Map].
He was ready to leave.
The [Fox Tribe Village] was waiting, and he intended to spend his last minutes there.
But just before he could confirm the teleport,
“Wait,” Arceus said.
Alex looked back.
The mage reached into his coat and tossed something. Alex caught it mid-air.
It was a potion flask, unlike any he’d seen before.
Golden in color, it shimmered unnaturally, the liquid inside glowing like liquid sunlight.
“What is this…?” he asked.
“No idea,” Arceus admitted with a sly grin, “But it’s my greatest creation yet. Completely unpredictable. Thought you might need it more than I do.”
Alex inspected it carefully.
[Random Potion (Forbidden)]
[Effect: Drop it at your feet to activate. Has a chance to grant immense buffs, summon skills, or apply devastating debuffs to the user. Can also be thrown at enemies to transfer the effect to them instead. Completely random.]
“…Damn,” Alex muttered.
He didn’t see any situation where he’d want to gamble with a potion like this, but it was still something.
It was better than nothing.
He slipped it into his [Digital Inventory Watch], mentally making a note to remember it if things ever became desperate.
“Well,” he exhaled one last time and looked Arceus in the eyes.
“See you later. Or never. Who knows.”
Arceus looked at him quietly.
The aura around Alex was different now, calm, but immense.
It felt like staring into the storm’s eye.
He could tell Alex wasn’t certain he’d come back.
And if someone like him wasn’t confident about surviving the [Chosen Games], then what in the world was waiting for him out there?
Fwish! Ding!
[You are teleporting to the “Fox Tribe Village.”]
[Time Remaining Before the Chosen Games: 14 minutes, 58 seconds.]
In an instant, Alex appeared again, this time on familiar, comforting ground.
The soft scent of flowers.
The rustling of the wind through trees.
The playful, distant laughter of fox children.
The [Fox Tribe Village] was peaceful as always, and for Alex, it was the one place that gave him something close to calm.
He exhaled slowly, letting the weight of everything momentarily fall away.
He still had just under fifteen minutes left.
Enough time to find the girls.
To spend a few final moments in peace before the storm began.
He didn’t waste time walking.
His wings burst open behind him again, powerful and graceful.
Fwhoosh!
He shot through the village sky like a bullet, weaving effortlessly between homes, trees, and fox girls alike, moving hundreds of meters in a blink without disturbing anything in his path.
“What was that?!” one fox girl yelped.
“The human, I guess?” another giggled.
“Oh, it’s fine then,” the first one said with a relieved breath.
Soon, Alex landed at Alera’s home.
He knocked. Waited.
Ten seconds passed in silence. No answer. They weren’t inside.
Without wasting time, Alex turned and faced the village again.
He needed to find them, and he needed to find them fast.
Fwish! Fwish!
Activating [Focus], his eyes sharpened and the world slowed.
Everything darkened into a grayscale, the outlines of people and places glowing white.
In this state, he would find them.
No matter where they were.
And then, he could say goodbye properly.