Immortal Mage System

Secret

Sage quickly stood up from the ragged mattress and approached Keith by the window. Staring into the distance, she saw twelve figures approaching the buildings. 

It was the rest of the family. 

Keith and Sage smiled. 

"After staying home alone for three months, my family is finally back," Sage said in delight. 

Keith looked at her. He frowned slightly and said: 

"After staying home alone for two years, my family came to visit."

Sage glanced at Keith, a look of pity suddenly appeared on her face as she stared at him. 

Keith had lived alone in the fort for two years since his immediate senior brother, Greg left the fort to work in the ranches. Max left six years ago and his father was a head servant to a Gold-rank Awakened even before he was born. 

Though being a Commoner never deprived an individual from getting married or doing things that benefits them... They only have to serve the Blue Planet anytime they are called. 

Keith couldn't recall when last he set his eyes on his father, but he was sure that it was over a decade. Since their mother had left them when she came to notice the curse on the Rotunda Clan, Keith had lived his life without a mother.

Since his mother left them, his father was the one to perform the duty of his mother. Keith was about three years old then and didn't know that a mother could existed. His mother also took his sister with her, promising to extract the curse from her soul. Keith had always seen it as something impossible, but he still hoped to set his eyes on his sister someday. As an Awakened. 

When his father returned to duty, his brothers were the ones to watch over him. All these while, Keith was growing to live the life of a Commoner... But wasn't told until he turned sixteen. The day when his immediate senior brother, Greg, was about to begin his duty as a Commoner. 

Since then, life has been like hell on earth for him. 

For Sage, she had been a servant for a Silver-rank Awakened since the previous year when she turned eighteen. Luckily, her master got killed by a Tier-1 monster in Southern Territory and she was privileged to stay home until the next Postings. 

Every year, people who couldn't Awaken their talent are posted to different places for the purpose of labor. Some are posted to the farming fields, some to the ranches, some to cities for infrastructural labor, and some as servants to an Awakened.

Now, Keith was sure that the death of the Supreme Warlord had made the Lords order every Commoner to return to their homes. 

War was coming. 

Sage hurried to welcome her family and greeted the others after. Keith stood by the window, hesitating to move an inch. After some time, noticing that his elder brother, Max was staring at him from afar, Keith decided to approach them. Though with a serious countenance. 

On getting there, his father suddenly approached him and grabbed his waist for a hug. Keith smiled. He missed his father... Actually, he missed all of them and was happy to see them again. 

"Keith, you have grown so big... Look at you," his father acknowledged with a smile, surprised. 

Keith only nodded with a smile as a huge arm landed across his shoulder from behind. It was Max. 

Max works as a laborer in Western Territory. As of now, he is a head worker in the Metallic Walls project. To Keith, he was much like an Awakened because he wasn't suffering from labor at all. His appearance could tell. 

"Hey Keith, how are you doing... You are a big dude now. Look, your once tiny and weak fist has become sturdy. You don't look stupid anymore, or are you?" Max teased with a smile, making Keith furious. 

Keith nodded negatively with a bitter smile and replied. 

"Nah, I'm not."

Just as he said those words, Greg entered into the conversation.

"He was never silly big bro, and would never be," Greg said and looked at Keith. "How are you doing Keith, you must have missed me a lot, don't you?" 

"Actually, I missed you a lot bro and I'm happy you are back," Keith complimented and sighed. "So, why are you guys back, did the Supreme Lord's demise affect the duties of Commoners?"

"I think so, son. From my perspective, I think the Specters is about to wage war against us," Keith's father, Ryder, said with a serious expression. 

"The Lords had suspended the Metallic Walls project too, and that gave me the privilege to return home. For this to be done, there might have been something wrong. The Origin Gemstone... "

"That's the cause, the Specters are so desperate to get the Origin Gemstone. And if they succeed, Humanity would be wiped out forever," Ryder interrupted. 

"We know that we can't defeat them in a fight. Without the Supreme Warlord, our forces are nothing to compare to their armies," Max said with a solemn look, his gaze alone made his point certain. 

But to Ryder and Keith, what he said was a huge falsehood. 

"One tree cannot make a forest son, the Supreme Warlord might be incredibly powerful in all ways, but trust me, there are other Awakeneds who could do the same thing as he does, or more. The Supreme Warlord cannot win the war on his own if the help of other Awakeneds is not applied," Ryder commented, glancing at Max. 

"I don't think there is someone who can be like the Supreme Warlord. There can't be. The Supreme Warlord was so tremendous and unpredictable. Besides, no one has been able to reach a 10-star skill grade so there is no way we can have a Supreme Warlord anymore," Sage's father, Pete, commented as he returned to that spot. 

The others had entered their various buildings leaving only Keith's family and Sage's father behind. 

"I disagree with you Pete... There was something strange about the Supreme Warlord's death which had left the residents of Premier Territory stunned," Keith's father said again. This time, he was more serious.

He continued:

"He said some words before giving out but those words weren't relatable. I suspect he has passed his powers to someone."

Keith noticed the flow of the conversation, he now knew what was really happening, but was still wanting to know the cause of the Supreme Warlord's death. 

"If that's the case, then that person should just be lucky," Greg said. 

"Yeah. Given a bag of diamonds without payment," Pete said with a slight smile.

Upon conversing outside the fort homes, Sage's father suddenly brought up another case, wiping off the case of the Supreme Warlord's death. But before he spoke, the system appeared in Keith's retina. 

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[Deadly warning: Keep the Immortal Mage System as a secret. Don't expose]. 

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Keith shrugged. He maintained his stance and watched Sage's father speak. 

"So Keith... How did your Talent Awakening go... Were you able to awaken your talent?" 

"... "

Just as Keith attempted to reply, a female voice sounded from behind. 

"He is Talentless... He couldn't awaken his Talent."

It was Sage.