Master Zhao was quiet, and Arran spent his time thinking about the journey that lay ahead of him.
Just moments ago, he had believed that would learn magic with Master Zhao by his side to protect him from the Academy and any other dangers he might encounter.
Now, he understood that the journey ahead would be far lonelier and more dangerous than he had previously imagined.
He cast another glance at Jiang Fei. Her earlier spasms and convulsions had subsided, and now she looked peaceful, as if she was merely sleeping.
Arran wondered whether she would join him on the journey to the Shadowflame Society. Master Zhao said he would invite her, but Arran doubted she would agree. She had joined them to become an apprentice to Master Zhao, after all. Now that the man was leaving, there was little reason for her to remain with Arran.
As Arran gave the subject some thought, he wasn't entirely
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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 25
"Can it do anything useful at all?"Jiang Fei looked at Arran with a look of frustration. She had spent much of the morning testing out her new Shadow Realm, but so far, the only thing she had accomplished was sending out a large blast of Shadow that merely disappeared the moment it touched the tree she had targeted."Nothing I've been able to accomplish," Arran answered honestly. "But Master Fireheart could use it to make himself disappear."He still called Master Zhao 'Fireheart' when speaking to Jiang Fei, although by now he was starting to doubt whether either identity was actually real."Disappear?" Jiang Fei knitted her brows. "So it's not completely useless, then…"They practiced as they walked, occasionally sending blasts of Shadow at the roadside, or trying to manipulate it into moving. Whatever they tried, however, none of it was useful in the least, and Arran fo
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 26
Although Jiang Fei had said Redwater wasn't much of a town, Arran still found himself impressed by the sight. It was several times as large as Riverbend, with numerous houses and stores, all featuring slanted black tile roofs.At first, he was confused by the town's name, but when he saw the reddish color of the river that ran through the town, he understood."It's iron," Jiang Fei explained. "There's iron in the hills between here and the mountains, and it turns the river red. Doesn't hurt the taste, though."Arran nodded, although he quietly resolved he would stick to drinking ale while he was in town. Not that that was much of a punishment, of course.As they searched for an inn, Jiang Fei made them stop several times to try the dumplings and steamed buns that were being sold by vendors on the side of the road."Try this one," she said, thrusting a steamed bun into his hands.
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 27
"They're the ones!" the shopkeeper said. "Came in and spent half a dozen gold crowns, without even haggling. At that age!"One of the white-robed figures stepped forward, a tall woman in her middle years, with black hair and coarse features."I'll take a look at them," she said with an ominous glance at Arran and Jiang Fei.As the woman approached them, Arran instinctively put his hand on his sword, although he understood the gesture to be futile. The woman noticed, and her lips twisted in a mocking smirk."You don't believe that will help, do you?"Arran was about to speak, but at that moment, Jiang Fei cut in."So now Father has sent the Academy after me?" Her tone was harsh, almost as if she was trying to provoke the Academy mages.The white-robed woman frowned in confusion. "Your father? We're not—""I will
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 28
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Arran raged at Jiang Fei.They were back at the inn, and it had been over half an hour since Stormleaf had left. They had patiently waited until they were certain they weren't being listened to, but now, Arran could finally vent."I was thinking a little lie was better than letting us get killed," Jiang Fei said flatly."A little lie?!" Arran was dumbfounded. "You agreed that we would travel with him! What are we going to do? How can we stay hidden if they're right there with us?!""It was the only choice," Jiang Fei said. "Even without finding Realms, we were too suspicious. And the Academy…" She sighed. "They would rather kill a few innocents than risk letting an enemy escape."Arran wanted to protest, but he thought she was probably right. Still, it took him some moments to calm down. When he finally regained his composure, he thought
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 29
"A proposition?" Jiang Fei asked."I assume you have at least one Realm, even if you haven't opened it yet," Stormleaf said. "I can offer you a way to open whatever Realms you have."Jiang Fei looked at him in shock. "You can do that?"Stormleaf smiled at her, then reached inside his robe. When his hand appeared again, he was holding a small black pill.Immediately, the eyes of the other two Academy mages went wide with shock."Elder Stormleaf—" the middle-aged woman began to speak, but Stormleaf silenced her with a gesture."Is that… a Realm Opening Pill?" Jiang Fei asked.The question seemed to take Stormleaf by surprise. "You know more about magic than I had expected, Miss Jiang," he said. "Although I suppose that's to be expected from a daughter of the Jiang Clan.""I have heard of them, although I ha
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 30
Inside Arran raged a torrent of raw Essence, rushing through his veins like a violent storm. It was more than he could contain, more than he had thought possible.He had taken the ten Realm Opening Pills the moment he understood that Stormleaf planned to kill him, and now, the Essence within them erupted in his body.Taking the pills was a crazy decision, but not one he had taken without thought. Each Realm Opening Pill contained the raw Essence of a defeated Grandmaster, and if he was able to wield that power, perhaps he would have a chance of escaping the situation alive.It was a wild gamble, but it was the only thing he could think of that might give him a small chance of survival."Who are you?" Stormleaf asked. "Were you the one who killed our brothers?"While there was some fear in the faces of his two companions, Stormleaf himself did not seem the least bit concerned. If
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 31
Arran opened his eyes slowly and stared at the white wooden ceiling above him. He wondered where he was and, more importantly, how he had come there.When he tried to sit up and look around, he felt sharp stabs of pain in several parts of his body, and he realized he still had some injuries."Easy, young man," a woman's voice sounded from the back of the room. "You've only just returned from death's doorstep. It'll be a while before you're up again."Hearing the voice, Arran ignoring the pain and forced himself to sit up. When he finally succeeded, he saw a small gray-haired woman sitting on a wooden chair in the back of the room."Not much for listening to advice, are you?" She sighed. "Very well then. I would have suggested you rest some more, but now that you're awake, there are some people who should know about it."The woman stood up and walked out the door, leaving Arran be
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 32
After Jiang Fei left the room, both Arran and Lord Jiang remained silent for a while, studying each other. Arran found that even though he had only just met the man, he already liked him.Unlike most of the mages he had met so far, Lord Jiang seemed open and straightforward, with little taste for secrets and deception."Are you the leader of the Jiang Clan?" Arran finally asked.Lord Jiang laughed. "I haven't held that title in a thousand years. These days, my only job is to prevent those Academy dogs from getting any ideas." He sighed in disgust. "They really have been getting too bold for their own good these past few centuries.""Are we safe from them here?" Arran asked. He understood that after the deaths of three powerful Academy mages, people would certainly come looking for those responsible."For now, you have nothing to fear from the Academy," Lord Jiang said. "They like