bookpower 360. Old enemies
360. Old enemies
Kai looked down at the vast forests stretching before him, unsure whether what he was about to do was right or wrong.He simply could not think of any other way.
It had been a day since he and Francis had spoken. During that conversation, the old man had explained how their search for a Shadow Mage had failed on every front. There were hardly any records of them and they had found no rogue Mages powerful enough to perform the ritual.
There was no one in Lancephil they could rely on. And to be honest, Kai had expected something like that.
But before he could say anything, Francis had continued.
In an attempt not to disappoint him, the old man had begun searching for someone else. Veridia—The former Archine Tower Master, and the strongest Shadow Mage in existence.
According to Francis, the plan had been risky from the beginning, but the Watchers had managed to narrow down her possible location by investigating smuggling networks dealing with magical herbs and alchemical ingredients.
Eventually, one of the Watchers—Arel—had managed to make contact and pinpoint where she was hiding.
Kai could not take the news well. Even with a fractured Mana heart, Veridia was dangerous.
There was no doubt about that in his mind.
She had spent years working alongside Regina, and there was no telling how many crimes she might have been involved in during that time. There was also the lingering possibility that she had deeper connections with Maleficia.
Trusting someone like her was the last thing he wanted to do.
Francis had listened to every one of his concerns without interrupting.
But in the end, the old man had simply said that they did not have many options. The only alternative would be to search for a Shadow Mage in another kingdom.
According to Francis, that option carried even greater risks.
Kai understood the reasoning. Bringing in a Shadow Mage from another kingdom would mean negotiations, favors, and the possibility of spies. Whatever ritual he planned to perform was not something the outside world should know about.
Still, trusting Veridia did not sit well with him. Even injured, she was dangerous. But in the end, Kai could not deny one thing—her skill.
If anyone in the world could stabilize the ritual he had designed, it was her. With Veridia guiding the shadow aspect of the spell, the chances of the ritual collapsing would drop significantly.
So the discussion with Francis had shifted.
Instead of arguing about whether they should involve her, they began focusing on how to make sure she could not betray them.
Before anything else, her Mana heart would have to be healed. That was a separate problem, and one Kai had decided to deal with later.
At first, the priority was control. And there was only one reliable method for that. A mana oath.
It was simple in theory. Bind her through magic so she would be forced to follow his commands.
But Kai knew better than most that simple mana oaths were full of loopholes.
A basic oath like sounded secure on the surface.
In practice, it was not. It would stop her from directly casting a spell on him or his companions, but it would not stop her from manipulating events around them. She could cause harm indirectly, twist wording, or even exploit situations the oath had not accounted for.
Kai had seen it happen before, which was why he had spent the entire night working on the wording. He carefully constructed every clause, adding conditions, restrictions, and safeguards. A mana oath strong enough that she would not be able to twist it.
Not perfect—no oath ever was—but strong enough that he could rely on her. Or at least rely on her to do what he needed.
Once the oath had been prepared, Kai had flown to this part of the kingdom.
The forest where Veridia was now hiding with the apprentices she had managed to keep. But even after arriving, Kai hadn’t descended immediately.
He simply hovered above the forest canopy, looking down at the endless green below.
Minutes passed. Yet he still did not move down.
A part of Kai still felt like he was making the wrong choice. But there was no other path forward.
In the end, he had to trust his own abilities, if not Veridia herself. So he exhaled and finally descended.
He had already spotted the place from above. A small house hidden beneath an array deep inside the forest. To an ordinary Mage, it would have looked like nothing more than another patch of trees, but Kai’s mana sense made the structure of the array obvious.
Specific trees carried concentrated nodes of mana, linking together in a pattern meant to hide what lay within.
As he lowered himself toward it, he noticed a thin barrier blocking him from moving forward. It wasn’t strong.
Just a sheet of mana, likely meant to keep flying beasts away from disturbing the place.
Kai pushed straight through it.
The barrier cracked and bent around his position before collapsing inward, allowing him to pass without resistance.
Once inside, he immediately flew towards the cottage in the distance. As he approached, he saw people waiting for him.
Watcher Arel stood outside the cottage, surrounded by a group of Mages watching Kai with open hostility.
But he knew it wasn’t only them.
His senses picked up more mana signatures scattered among the surrounding trees. Hidden Mages positioned around the clearing, likely prepared with spells if things turned hostile.
Whether they intended to attack immediately or were simply being cautious remained to be seen.
Either way, none of them posed a real threat to him. Kai landed calmly.
Arel immediately bowed. “I greet you, your majesty.”
Kai nodded once and asked, “Were you harmed?”
Arel shook his head. “No, I wasn’t. They even gave me decent food.” He glanced sideways at one of the Mages standing nearby. “Though Loras tried to attack me when we first met. But that’s expected. He’s Magus Veridia’s apprentice.”
Kai turned his gaze toward the man. “Are you?” he asked.
Loras muttered, “All of us are. So it’s better if you don’t try anything.”
Kai gave a nod at that, acknowledging the man’s words. “I’m not going to unless you do. There’s no reason to glare at me. Your master and I have been enemies, but I came here in peace today.”
Loras clicked his tongue. “No, you didn’t. You’re here because you need something from her. I don’t know what, but that’s what I got from this man’s ramblings.”
Arel simply smiled at the remark and stayed silent. Kai shrugged slightly. “I believe we both need each other. It’s a give and take. No one is doing any favors here.”
His eyes moved across the clearing once more, briefly touching the Mages hidden among the trees before returning to Loras.
“Either way, I’m not here to talk to you. Take me to Veridia.”
Loras frowned at once, his lips turning downwards. “It’s Magus Veridia.”
Kai frowned. “It’s better if you stop trying to pick a fight. Titles don’t matter when you’re not treating me as a Magus and a king either. Just take me to Veridia.”
Loras stepped forward at that.
For a brief moment, Kai wondered if he should simply show a bit of strength and end the posturing. But before anything could escalate, the man standing beside Loras placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Not now.” He then looked at Kai. “Please follow us.”
He nodded.
Loras still looked displeased, but he turned and walked with them toward the cottage.
They entered through the front door and moved down a narrow hallway.
As Kai walked, he glanced around the interior.
He wondered if the cottage was just a surface shelter or if there was a hidden Mage chamber beneath it. Possibly an underground workspace.
But he doubted he would get the chance to check.
Even asking about it might start a fight, and that was the last thing he wanted right now.
So Kai simply walked with them.
After two minutes, they stopped in front of a closed door. Loras reached forward, turned the knob, and pushed it open.
“Master,” he said, taking a step forward, “he’s here.”
Kai stepped inside, and for the first time in months, he saw Veridia. She sat on the edge of a bed.
Her face was far paler than the last time he saw her. The sharp elegance she once carried had thinned with her body. Even her hair looked weaker, strands falling loosely around her shoulders. But her eyes—those had not changed.
They locked onto him immediately. The same sharp gaze. The same piercing intelligence.
Yet something was different.
The cold hostility he remembered from their past encounters was no longer as strong. Her hatred towards him no longer seemed to burn inside her the same way.
Kai noted it instantly. Her condition was worse than he expected.
The damage to her Mana heart had not only weakened her body—it had clearly shaken her mind as well. That worked in his favor.
As Kai continued looking at her, Veridia finally spoke.
“Arzan,” she said. “It’s been a while since I last saw you. And every time I do, your stature just keeps rising.”
Her voice was steady, but Kai could feel the strain beneath it as if she was forcing herself to sound composed. Kai gave a small nod. “I’m glad you aren’t dead.”
Veridia smiled faintly. “Didn’t you wish for it?”
Kai shrugged slightly. “I wished for death for anyone connected to Regina.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “You know she’s dead, right?”
Veridia nodded slowly. “I know everything.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “And you should know I wasn’t with her. Not for the last few years.”
Kai replied immediately. “Yet you still did everything she asked of you.”
Veridia exhaled softly. “Prisoners follow commands because they don’t want to be flogged. It’s the same thing.” Her gaze drifted briefly toward the floor. “Regina was dangerous. If not for her dark powers, then for the backing she had.”
She paused, then gestured toward a chair beside the bed. “Either way,” she said calmly, “sit.”
Kai nodded and stepped forward. He pulled the chair closer and sat beside the bed.
For a moment, he glanced around the room.
There was nothing remarkable about it. A simple wooden table stood against the wall. A bowl filled with crushed herbs rested beside the bed, and thin smoke from a burning incense stick curled lazily through the air.
Kai returned his gaze to Veridia.
“Can we talk alone?” he asked.
Veridia nodded and looked toward her apprentices. “You all can leave.”
Loras immediately protested. “We can’t do that, master. What if he tries something—”
Kai looked at him. “I won’t do anything like that. Stop this and leave.”
Loras opened his mouth to argue again, but Veridia’s glare stopped him.
“You heard him,” she said sharply. “Leave now!”
At the harshness in her voice, the apprentices exchanged uneasy looks before stepping out of the room one by one.
Arel bowed slightly toward Kai before following them out and closing the door behind him.
Silence settled over the room once they were alone.
“You can drop the act now,” Kai said finally. “I know even speaking is hard for you.”
Veridia smiled faintly. “How do you know?”
Before Kai could answer, her body suddenly jerked forward as a violent cough tore through her throat. She grabbed the bowl beside the bed, quickly chewing on a handful of herbs as she struggled to steady her breathing.
Kai watched calmly.
“There’s no way you could be well enough to shout with a broken Mana heart,” he said. “It’s already impressive you aren’t dead.”
Veridia nodded slowly, her voice quieter now. “I’m harder to kill than most people think.”
She leaned back against the bed, studying him. “But why don’t we start with the real question?” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “When my apprentices told me you sent someone to contact me, I thought you had finally decided to finish the job.”
A small smile touched her lips. “Instead, you came here in peace.”
Kai replied calmly. “I actually didn’t want to make contact with you. But it was the only way to achieve what I need to do.”
Veridia’s lips curved into a faint smile. “You want my help?” she said. “With what?”
Kai went quiet. For several seconds he simply sat there, thinking. Then he slowly shook his head. “I can’t tell you right now. Not until we have a mana oath between us.”
Veridia scoffed softly before her hands wiped her lips shakily. “You still think I’ll try something when I'm this close to death?” she asked. “And if you didn’t know already, my heart is barely holding together. It’s much worse than what Amara had.” Her eyes sharpened slightly. “You nearly killed me in the duel.”
Kai did not reply to that.
In truth, that had been the intention—to fracture her Mana heart so she would slowly fade away and stop being a threat to him.
But he did not say that.
Instead he replied, “You were a Magus for decades. You’re resourceful. And you still have apprentices who have too much confidence in their abilities.” He paused slightly. “They’re still dangerous. I don’t make a habit of underestimating my enemies.”
Veridia smiled faintly.
“I rather like people underestimating me,” she said. “But I suppose it’s been a long time since anyone actually did.”
She fell silent after that. For a moment she simply studied his face, as if trying to read something hidden behind his expression.
Then she spoke again. “Even if you don’t want to tell me what this is about, I can still guess.”
Kai raised an eyebrow.
“And what would that guess be?”
Veridia shifted slightly on the bed. The movement made her wince, but she ignored it.
Her eyes met his.
“I think it has something to do with the Elder Tree,” she said slowly. “And the elves.”
A faint smile appeared on her face.
“I don’t think there’s any other reason you would ever want my help… Am I right?”
***
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