"Foul humans that have fallen into the darkness," Arthur Silvera stood on the stage surrounded by the flames, imposing a heroic aura as the crowd held their breath. "I may fall today, but humanity won't bow down to the likes of you. If Arthur Silvera dies, a thousand others will take his place."
The flames surrounded hugged him like a coat as they burned the Enders closest to him. Even the runes masters and the Paladins looked at him with shock as he stood there imposingly.
The forbidden magic users were invincible because they couldn't be destroyed, only stalled until the medium perishes along with the Enders. That's why even the grandmasters and the Paladins were helpless from reaching Arthur, who had been separated by more than one Ender that could block their attacks.
However, Arthur Silvera didn't cower or shy away from his death and used the heavenly fire until the bitter end. His struggle was recorded until he was impaled by several spears of the Enders. The crowd cried in terror as Arthur Silvera started coughing blood as he held into the Ender that made his hand rotten.
"Come with me to hell, Nether Beings." Arthur Silvera grinned as he pulled all the runic cards he had. With him as the center, a bright light shone in the coliseum as a giant explosion overtook all the Enders, which had merged into one giant monster.
"The heroic acts of this young man will forever be remembered by the people of this world." The footage ended and the reporter reappeared, red-nosed and her eyes teary. "Until the last second, he refused to bow down to the darkness. Let's forever remember his sacrifice in our hearts." Arthur turned off the TV as he couldn't bear it anymore.
"What about your family?" Sier asked.
"I've already contacted Master Ronin to inform them of my plan. He would also use whatever means he has to keep the media away from them for the time being. Oh, we also agreed that he'd officially claim me as his disciple to explain my sudden rise."
"Well, I guess you have it figured out." Sier smiled. Then, his smile disappeared. "However, we still need to find The Key."
"Then, it's time for us to do another robbery." Arthur grinned.
"You're starting to think like a Mistletoe's member." Sier grinned back and nodded.
"Always have been."
"We can't steal something we don't know its location. We need to gather enough intel to locate the artifact and what it can do. I guess that it has recently reached Jerano or had yet to arrive."
"Even if Arthur Silvera dies, I can always assume other identities."
"It doesn't have to be you that infiltrates the college," Sier frowned. "It can be dangerous for you to walk in their midst. There would be the Seven Families and the Enders too."
"Si, we both know I'm the only person that can sniff those bastards out. I can also use this chance to learn more about runes." Arthur paused for a second. "Besides, I'm the only member of Mistletoe that can come off as a student. Everyone else is too powerful that they would be found out."
"I can have them assume an identity other than a student," Sier added.
"True, but how long would that take? Jerano's exam is happening in less than a month. It'll take a while before you can infiltrate them as a staff or a teacher."
"Reece can…"
"Reece can control a host for a while, but it's not a long-term option. I can have Reece help me in various endeavors so that I would be able to locate the artifact easily."
"Hoo, are you sure you can do this?"
"If not me, then who?" Arthur shrugged. "And I told you, Jerano has one of the best runes research departments in the world. I'll learn and try to locate the artifact. I was planning on dropping it, for now, to be honest. However," Arthur glanced at the words that were floating in front of him for a while now. "I have no other option." He had received a legacy quest regarding the artifact.
***
Arthur left the mansion after Vihan started treating Sier's weakened body. He headed toward the company where he bought a pair of artificial artifacts that can communicate with each other.
The artifact was a set of rings and Arthur slipped his ring as he felt the connection with the other artifact. With this, he can communicate with his family without resorting to cellphones that can be monitored or bugged.
He had the mind to return to the fortress, but he had some errands to do. One of them being the issue with Amelia. His deal with her was that he'd help her get stronger in return for a percent of her inheritance. However, Arthur didn't think he'd need the shares anymore, but he would feel guilty for leaving her on her own.
Arthur used the cover of the night and his stealth rune to teleport into Kera city without being seen. He knew Amelia's address from their many conversations after she stuck to him, so he had no problem sneaking into her home.
He used his detection rune and found that there were several people in the mansion. None of them were of the rei-rank, so Arthur managed to teleport into the house without alerting anyone.
He appeared in Amelia's room that was humbler and neater than he had imagined. He walked toward her bed where she was sleeping. However, he paused.
She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and boxers as she slept. Arthur wasn't looking at inappropriate parts intentionally, but her clothing left some of her curves unclothed. He looked away and teleported to the other side of the room where he could only see her back and neck.
She was deeply asleep despite Arthur being next to her. This was due to his Stealth rune that allowed anyone below the rei-rank or who had less than a 100 in perception to be unable to perceive him.
He was about to take out a few cores he had when he saw something from the corner of his eyes. They were gleaming in the night and radiating mana, lying on the carpet.
'These are…' Arthur tilted his head and walked to the three shiny objects. 'Are these the cores I asked her for?' Arthur picked them up and looked around. He saw that the wall had three slight scratches right in front of the core's location.
'Did she throw them angrily because she thought I died?' Arthur was amused and looked back at her. Amelia turned in her sleep and Arthur could see the signs of her crying below her eyes.
'She was relying on me to help her. I wonder, did she cry for my death or the fact that she wouldn't get stronger? Maybe there wasn't a single answer, but both?' Arthur carried the cores in his hand and felt the mana they contained.
They were three cores of True Monsters, the True-tier. Arthur wondered if her mother had risked her life to get her these. He knew that her mother was an awakener too, it would be weird if she was not.
'You're only trying to get stronger,' Arthur looked at her as her azure-colored hair parting slightly, revealing her face. 'She's young, but fighting for her place in the world like I used to.'
He activated his Strength Rune and then fused it with the core, making it fragment and turn ethereal. He then placed the rune on her abdomen and it merged with her body, making it glow. He hurried to give her the other runes of Agility and Stamina because he saw her frown.
'This is also a gift from me.' Arthur took out a core as he created a Detection rune. However, he closed the reality gate in it and turned it into a skill. He gave her the permanent rune as he saw her eyelashes tremble and then she opened her eyes.
Before she could see him, although she couldn't because of his Stealth rune, Arthur teleported away from her house. With this, his business with her was over. If she couldn't get into Jerano even with his help, then it would be her lacking ability.
Arthur then teleported into the villa of Master Ronin, where he met his mother and brother and assured them that he was in fact, alive.
"Mother, please understand that I had to do this. I was targeted by a few people and I have to stay low for a while as I get stronger." Arthur told his teary-eyed mother as she nodded.
"I know, I know. You did well, Art." His mother knew how the world worked, and it wasn't a happy place. "Why don't you stay here?"
"I can't do that," Arthur shook his head. "This place won't be hidden for long." Master Ronin worked well to hide the villa from the public, allowing Sier to visit this place unhindered by his identity as the former crown prince. "I'll be staying with Sier, you know him."
In his absence, Sier and his mother have met several times. His mother was fond of Sier, who knew exactly what to say to humor her. Arthur didn't believe that Sier has read his mother's mind, but he wasn't so sure if his ability wasn't involved. Furthermore, he doubted Sier would want to antagonize him.
"Take care of our mother, Oren," Arthur said. "I'm sorry that your life will be a little rougher now, but please keep training here until I work things out. Remember to use the Protection Jade if anything happens."
"It's alright, Art." Oren smiled, his childish face looking more mature now. "I'll take care of everything here. I got a call today from the city of Runera asking if we wanted to live there from now, but it's hard to move to a place we know nothing about."
"Well, look at you now. Thinking like an adult." Arthur grinned as he ruffled his brother's hair, much to Oren's displeasure. "I don't know if Runera is safe right now, so don't go there unless you need to."
He bid farewell to his family before he left. His mother was crying, making Arthur feel his eyes tear a bit as well. This would be the longest time he would have to leave his family.
Arthur left the city and teleported to the familiar place, mountain range Rovero. It was more deserted now than ever and Arthur could feel several powerful presences. He headed straight to the village where his goblins were hidden.
'The pig's guild should be around here,' Arthur looked toward the shadows of people moving through the mountain range. 'Are they trying to take down the Undead Lord?'