A bird chirped languidly in the silence. “Ugh...” All of a sudden William open his eys, but it was dark. William started to recall what happen to him before he lose conciousness, and the reason why his head is throbbing so hard that it’s unappropriate to be called a headache.

“I can’t feels my hands.” His fingers were numb, he can’t even lift one of them and something is binding his hands.

He squeezed farther in through the darkness by dragging his tied body closer to the window just like a snake or worm would normally do, moving slowly to the source of light that illuminating the dark and quiet room.

“What the hell is this?!” William said after he stumbled over something, the smell made him felt nauseous, it was overpowering.

“A corpse? Shit.” Said William as he oberve the dead man that spread the rotten stench inside the locked room. His mouth was twisted to one side, revealed a nest of teeth sticking both in and out at improbable angles. He looked like a middle aged man from prominent family, his attire is not someone ordinary or commoners can affords.

“Ah, what did I do to deserve this treatment?” William pale white face let out a sigh as he spoke.

“Thanks god they didn’t took my necklace.” William breath a sigh of relief as he looked over to his necklace that still in his neck.

To be locked in a place where there is only single barred window as ventilation and a steel door, a corpse as your companion, would make anyone feels nervous and shrouded in despair. That’s why William only hope is Leona that sealed in his necklace, without her, who knows what would happen to him, it won’t be long before his fate become like this man.

“Leona, can you hear me? Hey!” William called while lowering his chin at her dwelling place, once, but she didn’t answer.

“Hah, she was never there when I need her.”

William was pretty sure that he was at the Inn enjoying stew and wine. He wondered if he was getting abducted by some kidnapper or slaver, but immeadiately remove that thought from his mind, how could a slave trader lock him to rot in this place, he’ll be the one that gonna be the most expensive if being sold.

He looked cautiously back over his shoulder, and oberving the dark room. “...this place, this place must be a prison, and this corpse must be the prisoner that they leave here to rot, shit, how did I end up here...”

“Ah, that sensation...” William squezze his numb fingers into many nasty forms replaying the last movement of his hands before he fainted to recall something. Two minutes later his eyes lit up and smile creep on his face, as if forgetting the situation he’s currently in.

“That was good, a little bigger from Raisha.”

“Now that I remember what happen last night, but why a prison?”

“Whatever, I have to find a way out.” Willaim said as he trying to do something while Leona is not absent. She’s his only hope in this situation, even so william didn’t want to just left his fate to anyone else, this was his father teaching. Only your own efforts that won’t betray you.

As William reach the window, the sun was sinking for the day. “Where the hell is this place? There is only reddish sky.”

His eyes spun to the bottom . He held his breath for a few seconds, he could see some big oak trees, but it’s looked like a young sappling from here.

“We are on the six floor.” A soft voice echoed in the darkened room.

“Ah, you finally here Leona, don’t you know how much I miss you!”

“There’s no need to display your flirting technique on me, I’m not the same with those fans girl of yours.”

“.... How could you, I’m not flirting, this is my real feelings. Let’s set aside this topic, can you get me out of this place? I can’t stand this smell any longer!”

“Hmph, it’s easy. Do you know the rank of magic?” Leona Asked

“No.” William replied airily.

“Ignorant kid.”

“This the second time someone told me that.”

“Wha-“ Leona surprised as if she inhale a rotting smell from her imaginary nostrills.

“What’s wrong with that shocked reaction?!”

“I thought it was your 999th times.”

“I’m not that ignorant! just tell me already.”

“Listen closely, I won’t repeat it again. There are nine rank. Starting from 1st and 2nd-tier, it’s the most common level of magic, anyone can use these ranked magic by training and almost every rankers used this magic. Acceleration that you used last night is also 1st-tier magic. Next is the 3rd tier, this magic is only for those who have talent, only some able to cast this magic even among the rankers.

4th-tier, the magic for the most talented individuals. Rankers who are capable of casting this magic is quite rare. As for the 5th-tier, 6th-tier and 7th-tier is for very few and only capable inhabitants able to used them, this is the most powerful magic the six star rankers able to cast.

As for the 8th-tier and 9th-tier magic, only the Last Ranker able to use them.”

“What about the forbidden magic?”

“This spells only exists in legends that get passed throught the lips of many rankers, only a chosen one is lucky enough to encounter a forbidden magic. In this continent, I only know three of the forbidden magic, one of them belong to my family, to put it simply, it’s a sealing magic. It allow you to seal one soul or more inside some object, make them immortal, keep them alive years, centuries, even if the world cease to exist they would never die unless you shatter the object where you seal them, and once you sealed them inside, you can never free them for eternity.

“You..”

“There’s no need to pity me, I choose this of my own free will. I thought I will have to wait for centuries or even longer for someone to appear, and by then my revenge won’t be possible to realize, but I never would have thought that only after three days had passed, you came and pick the necklace.”

‘Leona...’

To be sealed inside a necklace, alone, in a lonely place, without someone to talk to, for centuries and more. William can't even imagine what it's feels like. it's only happened to her just a few days ago, that's why she could say that. then what would happen 1 years later? or 10 years, 100 years..

Leona suddenly said “I will impart [Hex of Ashes] to you, it’s a 9th-tier magic so it will be not the same with a 1st-tier spell.”

William stumped by her sudden declaration. “What, 9th-tier?! Why not something more lower, 2nd perhaps? The 1st-tier magic is already hard to master, you didn’t know how many times I nearly stumbled over myself when I use this magic.”

“Do you see the bluish translucent light surrounding this place?” Leona asked

“...Now that you mention it, yeah I do.” William replied.

“That is a 8th-tier magic [Lunar Barrier] only a magic with rank higher than it could dispel the barrier.”

“Damn, I was just touching them, no more than that." William said "Why did they lock me to death by just playing with them?!”

“It’s your fault to be so defenseless, you should never lower your guard. To be knocked out cold by a single girl, what a pathetic ranker.” Leona sneered.

“Kuh, I was drunk and not in my good condition, thus let my guard down.” William utters some excuse, the heat didn’t seem to bother him.

“Who is the one that able to cast this 8th-tier magic?” William asked.

“Most likely there is a Last Ranker in this place.” Leona replied “Afterall if the user is too far, it will cost more mana for the caster, depending on the distance.

“I see, I will have leave this place no matter what. you can start now.” William said as he stuck the tip of his shirt to his mouth to act as a gag preventing him to bit his tongue.

‘Arggghh!!’ William gritted his teeth against his shirt under the undescribeable pain but moment later his face change to that of amazed one.

“This... what a sinister magic. If you used it on human, they would become ashes in an instant.” William shuddered by just imagining what it feels like. Will they even feel pain?

“It’s the most convenient magic to torture people, you turn them into ashes part by part, starting from their fingers, hands, or from their legs and move closer to swallow them whole. I used them a lot on my younger day. To see your own body parts crumble before your very eyes, they even start to talk even before asked to do so.”

“.....” A drip of sweat ran down William lower body from his left armpit. It was hot.

“What?”

“Er, nevermind, let me try this 9th-tier magic.”

“Not yet” Leona chimed in “I’ll impart one more magic to you, it’s [Float].”

“Ah, are you planning to make me jump from the 6th floor?” William asked.

“You are very perceptive, but not quiet right.” Leona replied as she inflicted more pain to him by using [Mind Wave].

Gradually two days passed by in the blink of an eye. The voice which had emanated from the dark and foul prison faded away, but a certain sound ruin the silence.

*Growl*

“Damn, they really planning left me here to rot.” William grunt. “I can barely cast [Float] which is 2th-tier magic after two days of practicing, at this rate I’ll starve to death before I could succeed in learning this 9th-tier spell!”

*****

In the main house, was a tall, stately Venetian style clock, it was ticking nonstop and across it are two figure seating on sofas enjoying their afternoon tea time. Suddenly the old man dropped his cup to the floor, and smiled. “Eh, interesting.”

“What’s wrong father?” a woman with a scarlet eyes asked.

“Someone is dispelling my barrier.” The father replied in amused tone. The shattered cup sink in to the floor along with the splatered wine. The now dirty carpet returned to it’s former clean state as if nothing ever happened.

“What?! who could do something like that, is it the Last Ranker?” She shrugged out of her sofa, surprised.

“I don’t know, it was the 6th floor barrier.”

She held her breath for a moment “... don’t tell me..” and then she looked at her father as if trying to ascertain her doubt.

“Exactly, someone must be trying to free him, or...”

“....He’s the Last Ranker himself.” she muttered under her breath and then said loudly “It can’t be, there’s no way that kid is the Last Ranker. I can even knock him out with one punch!”

“Haha, maybe because he was stunned by the beauty of your naked figure.”

“Father!” she shout in embarassment then puffed up her red face. Then said “It’s impossible. Not to mention it has been ten days since we locked him there without food and waters, he should be dead by now!”

”Indeed, it’s just as you said Alexa, even his aura is like Gazzle, but I can’t help but to feel something similar to that of the Last Ranker inside him, but slightly different. Well, let’s meet up with this interesting youngster, And see for ourselves if he’s still alive or not.”

“Yes father. Last Ranker or not, I won’t let him escape after what he... to me...” she gnashing her teeth in anger.

(Gazzle- Name given to a person that can’t use magic) “

*****

Four feet away from the rotten corpse. a golden haired young man was leaning against the brick wall, his face is pale white drained of any color. He mumbled something while watching the corpse that transmit a foul stench suddenly started to crumble slowly until finally leaving only the young man and a pile of ash in the prison. The young man take a deep breath and then the binding on his hands also turned to ash.

His pale face smiled and inhale the prison air that now seem like a fresh summer air. “Finally, the day for my escape has come!” said the young man, he stood facing the window.

“Break! [Hex of Ashes]” Suddenly the window starting to disintegrated and crumble as the dark greyish smoke like substance sweep past it. The grey smoke corrodes the window and slowly spread to the white colored stone wall nearby, creating a hole big enough for William to leave.

William jumped from the 6th floor, the wind brush against his cheeks. He narrow his eyes, after roughly two meters left the distance between him and the ground, he concentrated the mana inside his body and integrate it with the wind in the vicinity then shout in a hoarse voice “Now! [Float]” as if obeying his order, the wind no longer act against him, but loved him. They made him landed on the landscaped terraces and hedges near the fountains smoothly like a mother kiss.