MAGE FACTION. NOLMES.

After filling out a report for the old woman, Magnus and Faren returned to the Mage Faction’s headquarters.

Two guards bowed at the sight of the archmage and the mage from the brigade. Giving a faint nod in response, Magnus and Faren simultaneously stepped in front of the recognition orb to verify their identity. After a few seconds, the orb flashed green, and the entrance door slid open.

It wasn’t until the two men entered the headquarters that one of the guards turned to the other with starry eyes. “Did you see him? It was the archmage in the flesh!”

“So it’s true. He’s really working here now.” The other man peeked behind him. “Who would have thought?”

Magnus Vyris was a genius and one of the few archmages in the Zacriya Kingdom. However, it wasn’t until recently that he began actively participating in the faction’s missions. Less than half a year ago, he was still known as a wandering Awakened that journeyed around the kingdom to better develop his skills.

In fact, people widely believed that Dolan Zacriya was the reason the archmage returned to the social scene.

Before being passed the Crown Prince title, Dolan Zacriya was known for his spontaneous personality; always craving novelty, this second prince seldomly came to the capital. Some said that the two had met during one of their adventures and cultivated a friendship.

The inside of the Mage Faction was designed in pristine white. From the reflective floor plan to the marbled pillars, everything gave off a dignified feeling.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Faren asked as they walked down the main hall.

“Taking a nap.” Magnus shrugged.

Faren Ablemore stopped and stared at him strangely, only to blink in understanding as he was struck by a thought. “Today’s the eleventh, right?”

At his question, the archmage merely smiled in response.

Magnus officially joined the Mage Faction just over six months ago. During this time, the two of them had to grow acquainted with each other after a completing few missions together. From these past months, Faren noticed that on the first, eleventh, and twenty-first day of every month, the archmage would nap at dusk, just when the sun was about to sink below the horizon.

At first, he thought it was just because Magnus Vyris followed a strict schedule based on self-discipline, but he soon realised it wasn’t the case after witnessing Magnus straight up fall asleep amidst a mission that had taken place during this time.

Must be a genius thing, Faren told himself. It’s not something that should be questioned.

“How about you?” Magnus asked. “Heading down to the Dome again?”

The Dome.

Located in the underground level of the faction, it was where Awakeneds committed to training that aimed to enhance physical strength.

“Yeah, combat is harder than I thought, but I’m getting better.” Faren smiled awkwardly. “The battle against Prophet Edris really showed me what I was lacking.”

“Quite an applaudable attitude,” Magnus reassured him with a pat on the shoulder.

After the two parted, Magnus headed to his office on the upper floor and opened the door. The orange sunlight pierced through the full-length window, casting its rays onto the couch beside it.

With a sigh, Magnus closed the doors behind him and went straight toward the couch. Resting his face in the patch of light, he closed his eyes.

When he stopped feeling the warmth on his face, Magnus reopened his eyes.

He was no longer in his office but in what seemed to be a child’s playroom. Colourful scribbles filled the walls around him, and at the centre of the room was a pastel blue couch. Magnus stared at the piece of furniture for a second, before rubbing his temples with both hands.

“Are you having fun, Mia?”

He wasn’t talking to the couch, but the head on the couch.

Yes—there was a single, detached head.

The head giggled.

“Last time you were a rabbit. The time before a piece of cake. Do you really have to pull weird scenes like this every time?”

At his question, Mia’s ruby eyes rolled around, as if deep in thought. She grinned. “Naturally. This is all valuable data for my studies as a soon-to-be archmage. This project needs to be groundbreaking. It’ll be what helps me pass the exam, after all.”

Magnus sighed again.

The Archmage Examination was one of the most widely anticipated events of the Zacriya Kingdom. Every year, a handful of grand mages would be chosen to take the exam, and those who prove their worthiness would then be bestowed the title of the Archmage.

Under his enigmatic twin sister's request (threats), Magnus had been participating in a series of her experiments.

“Hm, let’s see…” Mia muttered to herself, controlling her floating head to make it fly around the room. “The wall texture is a bit more sophisticated this time, and the draws are more accurate in colour. But it’s still lacking from what I had in my imagination.”

Every participant must present a discovery or a development of an existing skill that will contribute to the future of the field of magic. As an Awakened who chose the path of a mage, they needed to prove their worth to reach a higher class.

Most tackled material-focused magic realms such as natural elements and crafts; studies with tangible effects had the most chances of being deemed valuable.

Contrary to others, Mia’s approach was a “dream.”

As a grand mage who specialised in thought, she could enter others’ mental space while they’re in a dream-like state and influence their subconscious, whether through conversations or “signs.” However, this was only possible for Mia because of her talent and magic class.

But what if there was a common spell for it?

Using one’s subconscious and conscious states of mind, she created a shared mental space that could connect different consciousness simultaneously.

Here, individuals that come together would be able to communicate without external items, almost like telepathy. On a more advanced level, one may even be able to communicate via thought, even in the physical world.

If her project succeeded, it would undoubtedly be a groundbreaking creation.

While Magnus was in a state of contemplation, the pink head turned towards him. “Lift your hand.”

Shrugging, the man did as he was told.

Until now, only the spellcaster herself could move freely in the mental space. Those pulled in would only be able to converse and couldn’t perform any other physical movements.

“A bit better, but there’s still a delay.” A pout appeared on Mia's face. “How long did it take for you to enter this time?”

“Around three minutes?” He recalled the moment he closed his eyes. “Unlike the past few times where I had to literally knock myself out, it only took a fading consciousness this time, so I suppose it’s an improvement.”

“Hm, an improvement!” Mia’s voice noticeably lightened as she nodded to herself, her pink hair following the momentum. “Must be because we’re siblings, so it’s easier to link consciousness in this dream environment.”

“Have you tried connecting to others?”

“Of course, my dear brother. Who do you think I am?” Mia plopped on the couch. “I posted the spell all over the Mage Faction and the Mercenary Guild. I even sent one to Dolan at the palace. Anonymously, of course, since examination projects are supposed to be confidential.

“All they have to do is draw out their mana while mentally chanting the spell, then knock themselves out right after they finish. But so far, not a single response from anyone other than you.”

“No one in their right mind would go so far as to follow instructions on a sketchy advertisement.” Magnus shook his head.

“A lack of experiment subjects could be a problem…” The head dropped back onto the couch with a glum look. “Maybe I’ll drag someone in by force…”

“Mia, that’s illegal.”

The twin’s conversation halted abruptly as they sensed an additional presence in the space. Footsteps reverberated from around them, and it was getting louder by the second.

“You… Someone actually activated your advertisement spells?” Magnus blinked in disbelief as he tried to pinpoint the source of the sound. Even as an archmage, he was severely restricted in this “dream” space. The most he could do currently was control his facial features and one of his arms.

Contrasting with Magnus’s prudent state, Mia was licking her lips in anticipation. All her attention fixed on the approaching silhouette, but her face dropped after seeing who it was.

“Oh, it’s just Dolan.”

“Dolan? Wait, Dolan?!” Magnus almost choked as he forcibly twisted his neck behind, coming face-to-face with a familiar red-haired man.

“ …To think this would actually work.” Dolan Zacriya seemed just as taken back.

Taking in the environment around him, the Crown Prince eventually fixed his gaze on the head on the couch. “Mia, where is your body?”

“Why? Am I not cute without it?” The girl batted her eyelashes.

“Aren’t you supposed to be investigating the Slums with the prophet and the beast tamer? Why are you here?” Magnus’s eyes widened. “Only unconscious people can enter this space. You were knocked out? Are you okay?”

“The prophet? You don’t mean the foreigner? The one who won the Wulin Tournament?” Mia peered towards the area behind Dolan. “Is he here too? Did you bring him?”

“Argh, the damn faction and their damn rules. If it weren’t for these, I could have tagged long. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to join. You duped me into this role!”

“So did you, Dolan? Hey, don’t ignore me!”

Despite the twins’ surge of questions, Dolan kept quiet for the next few seconds, his expression complicated and his gaze shifting from one to the other. Finally, he opened his mouth.

“I’ll explain everything after. Right now, there are more urgent matters at hand."

***

THE UNDERGROUND PRISON SECT. NOLMES.

The nighttime’s descent indicated that the official Hunt would soon be on its way.

Guests trickled into the site, their identities concealed under masks. The entire event was hosted behind an illusion barrier, preventing all without an invitation from entering.

The site was divided into two levels, connected by portals inside the seven tunnels. The bottom level was where all the captured prey were held for display, while the actual Hunt took place on the top floor.

The Hunt was an anonymous event, so everyone, from workers to guests, all wore some sort of disguise.

Viscount Eathe stood from the second floor, observing everything from the windows.

In the past years, the Hunt was purely an upper society event. There would be play tents, fighting rings, and chases. Naturally, these existed for the sake of entertaining the guests, members of the upper society.

However, this year was a bit different.

“Lord Eathe, the preys are ready.” One of the workers spoke from outside the door.

“Transport them to the upper level. It’s time to showcase them to our guests.” Viscount Eathe paused. “Is the hypnotist here yet? Didn’t I tell you to tell him that I have something to discuss?”

“I have delivered your words, Lord Faren. He should be here shortly.”

“Good.” He then took out an infuser orb and spoke into it. “The prophet and the man with him. Did you two secure them properly? The hypnotist will be here soon. What’s taking so long?”

After thinking about it, he had decided to call the hypnotist over now to notify him of the two people’s presence, instead of waiting for the end of the Hunt. Just to be safe.

A short pause occurred after his question, and the orb soon lit up again.

“Reporting. They have been securely detained. We knocked them out to prevent any potential resistance. We will bring them right now, Lord.”

“Good.” Having been notified of the situation, the viscount let out an inaudible sigh of relief.

He cast his gaze out the window. Beneath the observation room was the upper level. The guests all sat at long tables, enjoying the gourmet food provided to them. After dining, they would be the first witnesses to an extraordinary event.

“Remember to take the tunnel at the very right. It goes straight to here, so you don’t accidentally bump into any of our guests. Other than the hypnotist, we can’t let any of them know about the intruders tonight, or it would be a disgrace to my reputation. Got it?”

“Understood, Lord Eathe.”

Viscount Eathe swirled the wine in his hand, a smile creeping to his face. “The fun’s about to begin.”

***

On the other side of the conversation, one man tossed the infuser orb into his pocket while the other tossed a body into the cell behind them.

“Who doesn’t love a free infuser orb?” Edris grinned in satisfaction as he patted his Spatial Pouch. “These are expensive too.”

Ignoring the man’s comment, Ace bent over and tossed the second body into the cell.

Having regained some of his mana, Ace had easily bashed through Edris’s shackles. While it was still insufficient to break through the cell doors, that was no longer a problem once the two guards came into view. After knocking them unconscious, Edris and Ace disguised themselves in their clothing.

The white-haired man unbuttoned the top of his collar and straightened his vest. Beside him, Edris swiftly changed as well, not forgetting to throw his old clothes into the Spatial Pouch. With a snap of the finger, Ace then altered both of their hair colours to match the ones of the workers.

“The rightmost tunnel leads straight to where he is,” Edris recalled the viscount’s words. “Alright, I guess we just gotta choose any tunnel but that one then.”

According to the viscount, the rightmost tunnel was the one that would allow them to avoid other guests, which meant that the viscount and the guests were currently on different levels.

Edris’s goal was to investigate the Hunt and its relevant participants, and then wreck the event. To accomplish the first half of his goal, he naturally decided on the path that would provide greater information.

As the two were about to leave, the orb in Edris’s pocket suddenly vibrated. He brought it to his palm and cleared his throat.

“Yes, Lord Eathe?”

He spoke with a flat, crassy voice, one that completely differed from his usual feathery tone.

“Make sure you mask them as well. Don’t let anyone see their identity!” The viscount snarled from the orb. “The hypnotist will be here soon, so hurry up.”

Edris raised his eyebrow. While he had planned first to examine the area with all the guests, the hypnotist’s presence led to second thoughts.

Likely, the hypnotist the viscount referred to was the same one responsible for hypnotising all of the captured Awakeneds.

“Understood, Lord Eathe,” Edris said quickly before ending the conversation. “Change of plans. We’re heading to meet the viscount. Let’s see who this ‘hypnotist’ really is.”

Tossing the orb in his pocket, he lifted his head and was confronted with Ace’s speculating gaze. “What?”

“You don’t know how to use mana. But you know voice manipulation,” Ace said.

“There are many things in the world that can be achieved without mana. It’s nothing to be surprised about.” Edris was about to brush him off, only to pause midway as a smile made its way to his face. “But I suppose this is one of my many talents. If you want, I can teach you.”

By the time he finished talking, the white-haired man was already headed toward the tunnel.

“ …This guy.”

Edris stifled a laugh.