2022-10-06 13:00:34Three months had passed since Arran escaped from the prison, and by now, he had recovered almost completely.
Although he would sometimes still feel pangs of pain if he moved too quickly, he knew that for some time already, he had been well enough to travel.
That he remained here was in part because he wanted to recover fully before braving the dangers of the road, but mostly, he was reluctant to abandon the peace and safety of the stronghold.
After the stronghold had fallen to the prisoners, surprisingly little had happened.
Arran had been unconscious during the final battle for the stronghold, and after he came to, it had taken some weeks before he had been able to leave his bed.
When he finally got the chance to explore the stronghold, he found it almost shockingly normal. Instead of the castle he had imagined, the stronghold was more like a small town, albeit an unusually well
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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 67
After leaving the stronghold, Arran traveled in secret.Although the Academy wouldn't be looking for him just yet, he knew it was only a matter of time until they came after him. To avoid leaving a trail for them to follow, he made it a point to avoid villages and even roads.Instead, he moved through the wilderness, doing all he could to avoid other travelers. The fewer people who saw him, the fewer ways the Academy would have to find him.The journey was lonely, but not uncomfortable. His void bags contained all the supplies he needed, as well as a large tent to protect him during cold and rainy nights.He didn't know exactly where he was going, but that didn't bother him — as long as he kept moving west, he would eventually reach his destination.The Shadowflame Society controlled the western border of the Empire, and from what others had told him, he knew the entire bor
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 68 The Story So Far
Arran grew up the son of a common guardsman in a small town named Riverbend. His mother abandoned him when he was just a small child, and he was raised by his father.After Arran's father was mortally wounded by bandits, on his deathbed he revealed that Arran's mother had been a mage.Arran took revenge for his father's death, killing the bandits responsible by barricading the farm where they were hiding out and setting it ablaze with them inside.With his father dead and knowing that his mother had been a mage, Arran decided to travel to Fulai City in hopes of joining the Academy, a magical college.When he was tested for magical talent at the Academy, Arran was discovered to have a forbidden Realm — a forbidden type of magic that would see him imprisoned and killed by the Academy if he was caught.Arran fled the Academy and Fulai City with the help of Master Zhao, a power
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 69
Arran spent several hours exploring the city, which he discovered was named Eremont after asking some of the locals. Although it was even larger than Silvermere, there was an aura of impermanence to it, as if many of those in the city either arrived only recently or did not plan to stay for long.The city was littered with inns and taverns, far more than would be found in any normal city, and as Arran wandered the streets he soon realized that many of the people there were either traveling merchants or youths hoping to join the Shadowflame Society.After a time, he got hungry, and he stopped at a small food stall on the side of the road, where an old man stood beside a red-hot grill."What'll you have?" the old man asked as Arran stopped in front of him. "I've got flatbread, grilled goat, mutton, sausages, and ribs.""I'll have a piece of flatbread with grilled goat," Arran said.
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 70
When they arrived at Darkfire's home, Arran was stunned for a moment. It was not so much a house as it was a vast mansion, large enough to serve as the headquarters of a merchant clan and surrounded by a ten-foot wall."You live here?" Arran asked with some disbelief."For the time being," Darkfire replied. "I was hoping not to have to stay here long, but then…" He sighed before finishing the sentence. "It's been a while already."Arran remained quiet. Although he was curious, he didn't want to pry into Darkfire's affairs."So, you want to go a few rounds?" Darkfire asked, changing the subject.Arran nodded. It would be good to get some practice.Darkfire led the way through the gate, Arran following him inside. Within the walls, a large field lay next to the mansion, empty except for some training dummies and other practice equipment.
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 71
"You should meet my friend," Darkfire said, speaking to the two pretty girls standing in front of him. "He's a master swordsman from the east."Arran groaned in discomfort. He was sitting in a chair in the tavern, trying very hard not to be noticed as he drank his ale.The entire night had been like this. They had already visited a handful of taverns, each filled with young people who were hoping to join the Shadowflame Society, and in each tavern, the story was much the same.The moment they entered, the girls' eyes would turn toward Darkfire's handsome face. To Arran, it was like watching moths being drawn to a lantern — girls would constantly approach Darkfire, adoring smiles on their faces, giggling as they spoke to him.Darkfire, seemingly intent on being a good friend, kept trying to steer girls Arran's way, talking up his martial prowess and exotic origins.Although
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 72
When they returned to Darkfire's mansion, Arran finally got a look at how vast the place was. With over two dozen bedrooms, a library, several studies, and not one but two great dining halls, the mansion was clearly designed for to house dozens of people.And yet, Darkfire lived there by himself, without even servants to look after it.Moreover, from the state of the place, it was clear that Darkfire wasn't much of a decorator. If the mansion hadn't been clean and mostly free of dust, Arran could easily have believed it to be abandoned."You can take any room you want," Darkfire said. "Other than my bedroom, I don't really use the place much.""Then why get something so big?" Arran asked."The field outside is great for training," Darkfire replied with a grin.Arran picked out a large bedroom on the second floor, with a good view of the city and a massive bed
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 73
When Arran looked, he saw that one of the black-robed Shadowblood novices had jumped into the arena, sword already drawn.It was a brown-haired young man, tall and with an athletic build. He had an eager look on his face, bordering on manic, his eyes shining with lust for battle."You're trying to build a name fighting only weaklings? Pathetic! Try fighting me, instead! Or are you afraid?"It was clear that the Shadowblood novice was trying to goad Arran into attacking him, but Arran wouldn't fall for it just yet — if he was going to have a real fight, he wanted something to show for his troubles."What's in it for me?" Arran responded, keeping his voice calm despite the situation. "If I defeat you, what do I get?""You think you have a chance of defeating me?" The Shadowflame novice sneered at the suggestion. "Fine. If you win, you can have my sword."
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 74
The group of Shadowblood novices looked at the woman with some hesitation. Even if she was dressed simply, her calm confidence even when faced with mages suggested that she wasn't just a random person."Who are you?" one of them finally asked, a young woman with large eyes and a pouting face."Who are you to ask?" the woman replied."I'm a member of the Shadowflame So—" the novice began."You're a novice," the woman interrupted her. "A novice who mistakenly believes he has enough status to impress others. "The young novice looked at her angrily, but still, she held her tongue, wary of the woman's identity and status."Well?" the woman said, with a cold look at the group of novices."Well what?" the novice said, some uncertainty in her voice."Why are your insipid little faces still staring at me?" The woman's v
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Chapter 156
True to Snowcloud's word, she had them leave the castle at dawn.Stoneheart and Tuya saw them off as they departed, offering them wishes of good fortune on their travels, along with several small gifts.Tuya gave Arran fifty Essence Crystals, which she said was a token of gratitude for his help in disposing of the army. Arran accepted it gracefully, not bothering to point out that she'd taken twice as much for the armor he'd used. Tuya, he suspected, would have been able to easily handle the matter herself had she wanted to.Stoneheart, on the other hand, had little to offer but his gratitude. The tall novice had last his own void bag in battle months earlier, and it appeared that Elder Naran had confiscated all the belongings of the novices they'd defeated in battle.The giant Elder himself, finally, did not appear. From what Snowcloud said, he'd locked himself away weeks earlier, and it seemed that
Chapter 155
"You idiot!" Snowcloud looked at Arran with tear-filled eyes. "I thought you had died!"Arran didn't respond. She had repeated variations on the same words at least a dozen times in just the past half hour, and by now, he understood there was nothing he could say that would make a difference.When he returned to the castle, he had expected her to be angry, even furious. What he had not expected was for her to hug him while nearly crying her eyes out.In Arran's view, this was considerably worse than anything he'd been prepared for. Her anger, he could weather. But this, he had no idea how to handle. It was clear his absence had hurt her, and that she had spent the weeks he was gone in worry, fretting that he had died or been captured.He had apologized, of course, but it seemed an apology wasn't what she wanted. As for what she did want, Arran had no idea.Part of him blamed Ston
Chapter 154
"Our town is called Riverbend," the woman said, her voice anxious. "I am the mayor."Arran spent some moments in thought. While the village — it was far too small to be called a town — shared a name with his old hometown, the two places were thousands of miles apart, and other than being next to a river, they seemed to have little in common.Still, the name reminded him of the life he had left behind. Even if he did not regret his decision to become a mage, he wondered what things would have been like had he stayed in the real Riverbend. Calmer, probably, and certainly less bloody.Arran shook himself from his thoughts. He had more important matters to handle."What about them," he said, gesturing at the soldiers. "What are they doing here?"Before the woman could respond, one of the soldiers stepped forward, a stocky, middle-aged man with dark skin and several old scars on his face."You gonna kill us?" Although the man's expression was cautious, there was no fear in his eyes. It see
Chapter 153
In the days after the battle, Arran hunted the escaped soldiers with grim determination. Deadly though the battle had been, many survivors had managed to flee, and thousands of them now filled the woods surrounding the camp.After just three days, he had already killed more soldiers in his hunt than he had killed during the battle, and even if most of the temporary strength of the Blood magic dissipated quickly, he could feel that there were permanent benefits, as well.Perhaps he wouldn't be able to shrug off major wounds the way he had right after the battle, but any small wounds he sustained healed easily, and his strength had more than doubled.Several times, groups of soldiers tried to ambush him. They did not live to regret the mistake. Arran's Shadowsight allowed him to see through their ambushes easily, and even if most of the strength of the initial battle had dissipated, Arran was strong enough to crush them effortlessly.More troublesome were the ones who neither fought nor
Chapter 152
Stoneheart braced himself for Arran's Battering Force attack, throwing up what seemed to be a shield of Wind Essence.Before the attack could hit him, however, it smashed into its actual target — the Shadowcloaked mage who was heading toward Stoneheart with a raised sword in his hands.The attack hit the mage squarely in the back, sending the man flying into Stoneheart's shield. Stoneheart staggering back from the force of the impact, while the mage crashed heavily to the ground.The force of the attack proved enough to break the mage's concentration, causing his Shadowcloak to fail. With a brief flicker of light in the air, the short, fat man suddenly became visible to the eye.Despite taking a direct hit that should have incapacitated him, the mage got to his feet immediately, and without even a second's hesitation, he turned to Arran and shot a stream of white, lightning-like fire from his hands. It hit Arran in the leg, burning straight through his armor and leaving a fist-sized h
Chapter 151
The mage's thunderous words immediately set the entire camp in motion, and within moments, Arran's Shadowsight told him that hundreds of soldiers were beginning to move into the woods, with many more following behind them.It was exactly what he had hoped would happen, and he could not help but feel excited at seeing his enemies fall into the trap so easily. While he had prepared for the possibility that they would see through the ruse — it was hardly subtle, after all — it looked like everything would go according to plan.His spirits rose further when he realized that his enemies' advance was chaotic, lacking any sort of organization. Rather than progressing in tight ranks, as he imagined a real army would, they moved forward in a disorderly mass.Their sloppy advance allowed Arran to continue attacking in much the same way as he had before, striking quickly and furiously, then disappearing into the woods again before they could respond.Several of the soldiers had the presence of m
Chapter 150
Arran put on the armor as quickly as he could, but it still took him more time than he would have liked. Between his coat, the helmet, the gauntlets, the gorget, the greaves, the cuisses, and all the other parts, suiting up was a slow affair, and that was hardly the only downside of wearing full armor.The quality of the armor was impressive, all the more so because Tuya had managed to find in just a few hours during the dead of night. All of it was enchanted, and it fit him better than he had any right to expect.Even so, wearing it made him slower and affected his balance, and when he put on the helmet, it immediately restricted his vision. To any other mage, the sacrifice would be far too large for a little added protection.But Arran wasn't like other mages. The control he had gained from the Tempering easily compensated for the bulk and weight of the armor, and in the dark of night, his Shadowsight would be far more useful than his eyes.When he finished suiting up, whatever part
Chapter 149
"I think we're getting close," Stoneheart said, looking at the six dead men on the ground in front of them.They had already spent the better part of two weeks in search of the army, and although they had come across several scouting parties, there was little sign of the main force.The region was hilly and densely forested, and the terrain made it far harder to find the army than they had anticipated. In such an environment, they could have easily passed within a mile of their enemies without ever noticing.Initially, they had thought they could simply capture a few scouts and wring information from those, but the scouts fought with an almost religious fervor, choosing death over capture. And when they finally caught one alive, the man bit off his tongue before they could make him speak.After that, they had stopped trying to capture their enemies alive.Still, even if the scouts they found would not talk, they knew they were getting closer. Just in the past two days, they had encoun
Chapter 148
"What did he say, exactly?" Snowcloud looked at Arran intently as she asked the question.They were sitting in her quarters, which Arran could not help but notice were far nicer than his own. While he had a single room with just a bed and a desk, Snowcloud had three full rooms to herself, including a bedroom, a small library, and the well-furnished sitting room they were currently using. Not that he was jealous, of course — although a bit more space would be nice.Arran quickly told Snowcloud about his meeting with Elder Naran and Stoneheart, and the offer Elder Naran had made them.When he finished speaking, Snowcloud frowned, seeming taken aback by the idea. "He wants the two of you to face an entire army together?""I assume he wants me to defeat the army, and Stoneheart to defeat their leader," Arran explained. "With the Blood magic, the soldiers' numbers won't make much of a difference to me.""But it's an entire army," Snowcloud objected. "With thousands of soldiers."Arran shoo
