4 Chapter 4: Changes

The door had only just opened a crack when his father's figure had transformed into a dark gray mist. It moved so quickly that he had only seen a flash before all signs of him had ceased.

In Benjamin's tower on the third floor, a middle-aged man with gray sideburns looked focused as he ran his fingers through a map, his mind thinking up various plots.

He had just received news that his nephew was not dead. He had not bothered to check as he was quite confident in his methods. Augustus was supposed to have been cultivating the family's elementary cultivation method and accidents could occur. It was highly plausible that it would be chalked up to that, so there was no need to be too discrete.

And still, there was that. The elves were going to make a move soon.

Before he could continue to fantasize about the future, a smoky gray shadow appeared before him, its hand extending its reach to his neck.

'Mist Embodiment, Rank 1 Spell! Fuck.'

Benjamin instantly recognized it as he had seen his older brother use it many times before. Due to his accomplishments in the war, he was well known as the Phantasm.

Benjamin had only widened his eyes before he was lifted off the ground, his trachea was constricted and his head began to feel a rush of pressure.

"Fuck! How dare you! To your nephew Benjamin! Are fucking serious!?"

Seeing that Benjamin would not be able to speak in his current state, he threw him like a sack to the wall.

Bang!

Benjamin's body slid down the wall after the initial impact. He groaned as he stood himself with the support of the wall.

"Ughh. What are you talking about, Arthur? My nephew, what about him?"

Benjamin's voice sounded shaky and shocked.

"Benjamin, I'm taking you into a cell and we'll find all that out later!"

Arthur was quick to act. He wasn't just after Benjamin, there were other people in the compound capable that he'd also have to take in, otherwise, evidence would suddenly disappear. For now, Arthur would treat them all as if they were guilty. Innocent until proven guilty was not a concept here.

A flash of determination appeared as a glint in Benjamin's eyes.

'Ghastly Hand, Level Zero Spell.'

Shadow particles gathered swiftly and a hand made of darkness emerged from the wall and tossed him to the side. At the same time, someone else appeared from a shadow in the room. It opened a scroll and from it, a large green fireball with a circumference of 5 meters was released.

'Venomous Flame, Rank 1 Spell.'

'Fuck!'

Arthur returned to his phantasmal form to evade the fireball. Even though he dodged, the fireball flames were still able to lick his passive defense, the sound of hot oil and water interacting sounded in the large stud

'Corrosive Spring, Rank 1 Spell.'

At this time a spell of a similar caliber, a formless water of corrosion attacked the place where he dodged.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Small droplets of melted flesh began to pitter-patter as they fell on the stone floor. Rank 1 Magi were invincible existences thanks to their passive, defensive spell. It was only after consecutive spells, both Rank 1, that it was broken.

'Telekinetic Assault, Rank 1 Spell.'

With Arthur as the epicenter, a large formless wave of energy pushed everything it came in contact with it, every bit of force rivaling a vehicle going 50 mph.

Benjamin's body was instantly crushed like a pancake, his body posing little resistance as the wave continued, destroying the stone wall and even then some more. The body of the elf was mangled into a mess, though an amulet with a light green hue around its neck preserved its life.

Not waiting for the collapse of the tower, Arthur swiftly gripped the arm of the elf and flew out, falling gently onto the floor.

A cloud of smoke and debris followed Arthur's exit. Now that the tower was missing a floor, the higher floors came crashing down, and an even larger cloud of debris followed. The only thing left after the smoke cleared was the ruin of a collapsed building.

Arthur returned to his phantasmal form and returned to his tower, he was not in a good state right now.

Back in Arthur's magus tower.

After exploring the barrier-free unrestricted areas of the tower, Michael found his father's personal library on the third floor. This is what he needed right now, more applicable knowledge.

Three bookshelves and 80 assorted books full of information later, Michael sat in a chair exhausted. His hands twitched and trembled as drops of sweat stained his shirt.

Michael didn't know when his father would return so he flipped through the books with fervor, his eyes barely landed on the word before he flipped and flipped once more.

It was only thanks to the Mother Box that he'd have the chance of storing so much information on the go in this world.

"Augustus, come down to the second floor. I need to speak to you."

The voice of his father seemed to resonate softly throughout the whole tower.

'Magic?'

It only took two minutes for him to make his way down, the buildings here were all tall, but they all had a relatively small amount of land.

A face of disgust and shock was the only reaction to the image before him.

The middle-aged man with dark hair and golden eyes, a dark elegant robe with intricate designs, and an extraordinary bearing were no more. The man was covered in grime and dust, his arm and a portion of his left shoulder were now missing. A mangled body was at his feet, struggling.

"What happened?"

"Your, uncle, that fool."

Arthur swallowed his spit, calming himself before speaking once again.

"He's working with the dark elves, to what extent, I don't know yet. Stay in the tower and don't leave until I tell you."

When Arthur spoke about his lack of information, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at the mangled elf.

"Al… Alright."

'Fuck, shit's worse than I thought. The situation is a fucking mess now. Dark elves? The number one enemy in the subterranean realm is now associated with our family?'

Leaving in a hurry while he was in thought, his father went to an underground floor, an area for imprisonment and torture.

Michael was in a daze for a bit before snapping out of it.

'I need to change the plan. I can't wait until the Academy to get more high-level meditation techniques and spells. I need to do what I can right now.'

A resolute look appeared in his eyes. Now with the lockdown, and the tense situation at hand he would probably not be able to take the trip to the Academy any time soon.

'Mother Box, go through the information currently recorded and synthesize the best plan to increase my strength the fastest. Make a package with the Byron Language and set it aside for a bit. I'll need this language to comprehend and use anything magical in the future.'