The instant the awakening of all the young people on that platform ended, the obelisk stopped glowing and became black as before.
But while the young people, still happy about their awakenings, were grinning from ear to ear, three magicians appeared on that platform, drawing everyone’s attention.
The three appeared around Lauren, each already with their mana in motion, instantly raising the pressure on everyone in the surrounding area.
Without most of the people in the temple watching the awakening of their friends and family members understanding, one of those men shouted.
“William, The Barbarian of Nixlas. Get away from this girl. My Temple of Seeton wishes to recruit this girl!” A blond man dressed in dark blue armor said this to the man dressed all in black.
The man in black was already holding Lauren’s neck, not even giving this girl time to try to comprehend the very improvements and skills she had just gained.
After the formation of the Magic Gem, a Magic Pentagram would form, and the youth would immediately feel their powers after the elevation of their features.
But Lauren didn’t even have a second for that when she felt someone squeezing her neck.
William, The Barbarian of Nixlas, heard that and smiled, making everyone in the surroundings shiver with the tone of his laughter. “This girl has a Scythe… Who do you think she has an affinity with? With you pure ones? Or with us, the dark ones?”
“If she doesn’t come with us, she won’t go anywhere!” The other man who had also appeared on that platform said this as his black hair trembled, given his body’s violent mana.
“Is that so?” That man with his face hidden asked as his surroundings seemed to be freezing.
“William, you can’t take this girl like this. She didn’t even choose to go with you!” The blond man brandished, but neither he nor the other man moved.
They both knew that dark magicians like William were stronger than those at the same level as them who did not follow forbidden arts.
So they were both cautious!
“Hahaha, choosing? That’s for the strong! This girl will still have to run a long way for that. Today she’s coming with me!” He shouted while the young people in the surrounding area were already faint from the pressure the three of them were generating.
Vicente saw this from outside that platform and tried to run toward his sister.
However, before he could do so, the woman next to him held him back.
“Are you crazy? These people are Mages! The one holding your sister is at the peak of that stage! What are you going to do?” She asked him as she held Vicente’s arms and legs.
“I don’t know! Something! I can’t allow my sister to be taken!” He shouted.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the strength to overcome this woman. “Boy, that’s not reality! See, your sister is out of your reach!
I told you that was not a good thing for her. Someone without a good background but with a good talent will naturally suffer!
That’s her reality! It can’t be helped!”
For Vice and his family, that was the reality.
Being talented was definitely positive. But if one did not have a good background or people to rely on, having talent could attract a lot of problems.
One could be taken by force by powerful groups or even eliminated so they would not grow into a new expert.
As foundationless people, this was beyond their control!
Andrew saw this and held Nina tightly in his arms but did nothing.
Unlike Vicente, he knew there was nothing for them to do.
“Damn it!”
He fell to his knees on the ground, while little Nina couldn’t understand why those men were around her older sister.
Their two guards saw this and whined once again, changing the smiling expressions they had a few breaths ago.
“Cough… What… What’s happening? Cough! Who’s there? Who’s hanging me?” Lauren managed to say something with great difficulty as those people stood around her.
“Oh? Can’t you see me?” That man, all in black, asked, but soon he and the others realized she was blind.
“It doesn’t matter. Blind or not, your talent is useful to the Nixlas’ Shadows!” He said before a huge Pentagram appeared beside one of his arms, glowing in a Yellow hue.
“Damn it! The fucking bastard is really going to fight!”
“Let’s fight together temporarily!”
Those two men said to each other.
However, as they prepared to fight, bat wings as big as that man’s body appeared from his back.
“See you next time, hahahahaha!”
With those words, he flew out of there with Lauren, leaving those two men behind, waiting for the attack.
“Shit! Don’t let him get away! We have to stop him!”
The two other Mages ran right away, at a disadvantage since they couldn’t fly like their enemy.
“NOOOOOOOOO!”
Vicente screamed with all his breath as he watched his older sister being taken away, unable to do anything.
“LAUREN! LAUREN!”
He shouted, reaching for his sister’s ears, but it was too late…
Tears dripped from Vicente’s eyes while his lips formed terrible outlines.
The woman holding him released him, feeling sorry for this boy.
‘Poor things… And she had to be taken right away by that person.’ She looked at the place where those Mages had left and sighed.
“Boy, forget about your sister. She has a good talent, but for the place she is being taken, there is no hope of her escaping.
She will eventually become one of them or die. Regardless of the cases, you will never see her the same way you did before.”
“What does that mean? Who was that person?” He asked amid his despair.
“Never mind about that. It won’t do you any good to know.” She said, feeling that it would be better to hide the truth so that this child would have a chance to live in a normal way. “It will be better if you consider that she died. It will be better for everyone to consider that…”
After those words, she took one of Vicente’s shoulders and squeezed it gently.
Vicente wanted to scream at her, but as he felt that squeeze, his sight darkened, and he lost control over his own body.
Before he fell to the ground unconscious, this woman picked him up by his clothes and ordered someone to take him to his family. ｏｖ𝚕．ｃｏ𝚖
…
Later that day, news of what had happened at the Awakening Temple was already circulating in Saltstar City.
Amid this, Vicente had been delivered to his family, and his group had returned to the resort where they were staying.
There he lay in his room, still unconscious, going over and over what had happened to his sister.
Once again, someone important had been taken from him!
Amidst his nightmares, he slowly recovered from the earlier knockout, opening his eyes to face reality.
‘Lauren…’
“Lauren!” He shouted as he opened his eyes and raised his upper body.