He was once a renowned mercenary, a name whispered with both respect and caution across the realms.
For over a millennium, he had carved out a reputation, not through reckless bravado or high-stakes battles, but through careful pragmatism. While others sought glory on bloody battlefields, he thrived on safety and certainty, choosing only the contracts he knew he could complete.
For hundreds of years, his philosophy kept him alive, his wealth growing, and, most importantly, his family safe. Hidden away on a secluded island, far from the dangers of his trade, five generations of his bloodline lived in peace. He had built a sanctuary for them, a place untouched by the violence of the world.
But all it took was one mistake.
One moment of miscalculation. One contract he should have refused.
The mission had seemed simple—another well-paying client, another task well within his expertise.
But it had gone terribly wrong. Someone important had died.
The retaliation was swift, erupting into a brutal battle that left him grievously wounded.
Soltz barely escaped with his life, but survival came at a terrible cost.
They hadn’t killed him.
Instead, they had uncovered his secret.
By the time he reached his hidden sanctuary, it was already too late.
His home was in ruins. Over three hundred lives, his entire bloodline had vanished. There were no bodies, no signs of a struggle—just emptiness, as if they had never existed. It was as if the universe itself had erased them.
Soltz had lost everything.
Wounded and broken, he vanished from the world of mercenaries. He no longer cared for wealth, power, or even survival. There was nothing left to protect, nothing left to fight for. His body deteriorated, the wounds from that fateful battle never fully healing. His soul had withered alongside it. For decades, he remained in obscurity, waiting for time to finally take him.
Then, he met Emery.
At first, Emery was nothing more than a chance at survival—a means to mend his failing body, to recover from the wounds that refused to heal. But as he watched Emery fight, watched him struggle against impossible odds, something stirred within Soltz.
Perhaps, in helping Emery reunite with his daughter, some part of Soltz hoped he could find peace with his own past.
These memories surged through his mind as Emery’s soul entered the elder Grand Magus’ body.
The process was unlike anything Emery had ever experienced. This was no simple possession—this was Khaos itself reaching deep into Soltz’s soul, unearthing his buried pain, exposing his deepest regrets. Emery felt them as if they were his own, the agony of loss, the unbearable weight of failure.
“Help me save my daughter.” Emery’s voice echoed in the darkness.
For a time, Soltz resisted. The pain of his past, the fear of repeating his mistakes—it held him back. Slowly, the resistance faded. The two souls aligned under a shared purpose: Shinta had to be saved.
<I will help you one last time>
Ha Ron and Kingrig watched in astonishment as the frail, aging Grand Magus before them began to change. His hunched form straightened, and his withered hands clenched into powerful fists. Cosmic energy surged through his body, veins glowing with new vitality. His hair darkened, his once-clouded eyes sharpened with youthful intensity.
A deep, reverberating voice echoed in their minds.
[Integration Completed]
[Grand Magus Realm – Three Cosmos, Second Layer]
Soltz, in his prime, was a force to be reckoned with—a level 8 cosmic expert. The power that now flowed through Emery was overwhelming. His divine sense extended far beyond its previous limits, his mastery over space magic amplified by Soltz’s immense cosmic power.
“Let’s go save her.”
Without hesitation, Emery pulled Kingrig and Ha Ron back into his spatial pocket and tested his newfound abilities. A powerful combination of high-grade earth and spatial spells surged through him. With Soltz’s knowledge, he cast a spell unlike anything he had done before.
Closing his eyes, he focused on the terrain beneath him. With a flick of his hand, golden-brown energy rippled outward, merging his essence with the very sands around him.
[Earth Meld],
It was an advanced spell that not only concealed his presence but allowed him to phase through the ground itself. His body dissipated into dust-like motes, carried by the whispering winds as if he had become one with the land. The sensation was surreal—his divine sense expanded, feeling every grain of sand, every subtle shift in the desert’s flow.
He moved like a specter through the dunes, slipping past heavily guarded checkpoints unnoticed. Soldiers patrolled in shifting formations, some mounted on winged beasts, others wielding detection artifacts that pulsed with energy. But Emery, guided by Soltz’s battle-worn instincts, weaved through the blind spots, adjusting his movements in perfect synchronization with the desert’s natural rhythm.
Hours passed, and finally, he reached the outskirts of the Fey Forest.
“She has to be here.”
The ancient trees loomed before him, twisted and monstrous, their presence pulsing with powerful natural energy. Just as he took his first step inside, the ground beneath him shifted.
The forest came alive.
A low, guttural groan echoed from the depths of the trees. The soil trembled, and suddenly, thick roots burst forth, writhing like the limbs of a vengeful entity. They struck at him with terrifying speed, their tips sharpened like spears. Emery leaped back, narrowly dodging as one root slammed into the ground where he had stood, splitting the earth apart.
More vines slithered towards him, not merely attacking but seeking to ensnare. They moved with intelligence, anticipating his movements, tightening the noose around him. He reacted instinctively, channeling cosmic energy through his hands. A pulse of dark energy blasted the approaching tendrils away.
But the forest did not relent.
From the dense undergrowth, figures emerged. Tall and ethereal, their bodies were adorned with ancient runes that glowed a deep emerald. Their presence radiated power, the kind that resonated with nature itself.
They were fey warriors.
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