A Familiar Voice

Poof!

Just as Magnus disappeared from where the crowds were all studying the new Scrolls before them, a Scroll of his own popped up.

[[ Event Trial Scroll III ]]

[[ It seems like you figured out what was going to happen quite early, [Gatemaker]. Yes. People are going to be hunting you down. Don't tell me you did not expect this? But do not worry, for I, the Eye of Alias, am here. ]]

[[ We are not going to run despite their chase. Because it won't be a chase at all. Chaos thrives anywhere, and most especially within order itself. ]]

[[ Cause even more chaos. Create Gates, cause their Overflows. Go crazy! Make it so that they are too preoccupied to even look for you! ]]

[[ Goal: Have a red point count of at least 10,000. ]]

[[ Reward: Event Rating Points. ]]

Magnus' lips twitched.

10,000? What if he was discovered during that time?

Surely, the 4-star powerhouse from earlier would catch wind of the presence of a [Gatemaker].

He would also doubt this world's MagiNet if his presence did not become public knowledge through it.

Magnus summoned his original body in an empty alleyway and glanced at his hand. With a thought, the special glove bearing a two-coloured gem appeared. The numbers, 20,000 and 1,129 were clear to see.

It had been a landslide victory for Order. And it was likely that that would continue for a long time to come.

But Magnus did not mind. It was thrilling that way.

"This Trial is going to take time," He mumbled, turning away and disappearing for Javelin to take over. "I'll focus on something else first."

Just then,

Poof!

Another Scroll appeared before Javelin.

'Another one?' Magnus was already hounded by two Trials.

What was this one about? He wanted to ask himself that.

But his eyes quickly caught sight of the familiar red clown seal of The Jester.

"So it's an Earthling Trial..."

Magnus braced himself. He switched with his original body and unfurled the Scroll.

[[ Trial Title: Adventure into the Wilderness ]]

[[ Objective: To explore or contribute to the exploration of a new Tharean Continent. ]]

[[ Description: Tear this scroll to get transported into a different version of Thare. You will be transported to a time long passed. When the Otherworld Trials had just begun. Explore a world-turned-continent and receive its rewards. There is no time limit. At the same time, if you don't ever finish your task, you will be trapped there for as long as you are incapable. Once the Continent is fully explored and you have no way to contribute, it will be your doom. ]]

[[ -The Jester ]]

Magnus found this new Trial interesting.

'When the Otherworld Trials had just begun, huh,' He read the contents as a pensive expression flashed across his face.

Rrrrrip!

Magnus tore the Scroll and found the space around him warping. He closed his eyes and waited.

When he opened them again, bright sunlight poured into his irises.

Magnus squinted.

The sun was harsh. It bore down upon him like it the photons bore weight. He suddenly felt exhausted.

Thankfully, he was floating in midair. He didn't have to expend physical energy to stay standing.

"Now... Where am I, first and foremost?" Magnus looked around, and yet again the sight of other Earthlings was a thing.

He saw all of them looking the same way he was. Squinting and bothered by the heat. There were a few though that seemed totally unbothered.

'Those ones must be the ones who started in this Continent then,' Magnus observed.

Similar to how Haaven was Magnus' 'home' Continent as that was where he first appeared, others were also assigned to the many Continents on Thare. Like Kwashi Kwalu, whom Magnus had teamed up with once— she started on the Monster Continent.

'And all these Continents represent a successful world.' Magnus thought about what he knew from eavesdropping and searching through the MagiNet.

The grand finale of every world's Trials was the moment they fight for a right to have their homeworld placed in Thare. It was a grand event that truly offered an end to things, at least for the time being.

'Could us Earthlings do the same?'

Shaking his head from those thoughts, Magnus returned to reality.

His fellow Earthlings were stirring. Everyone realised that they were standing at the entrance to a sprawling metropolis built from sandstone and some special metal. Walls that stood at a dozen metres in height extended on both their left and right.

A gate made for giants could be seen in front of them. It was crafted out of glass, allowing them to have a glimpse of the metropolis within.

Magnus floated into the sky, attracting the attention of all the other Earthlings. He was set on entering whatever city lay before him.

Just then,

"Magnus?" A familiar voice rang in his ears.

It was a voice he had listened to all his life, from his birth, all the way up until he moved out of his home. It was a voice both loving and strict... but somehow it felt different this time.

"...Mother?" Magnus glanced at the people beneath him while he kept his chin up and proud.

It didn't take long for him to find the person he got his orange hair from.

She was standing there, with a sword at her waist and a shield slung on her back. Her aura was that of power and resolution. Gone was the gentle strictness Magnus remembered she had.

'Mother has changed...' Magnus felt wistful at the sight, 'The Trials have changed her.'

"It really is you..." Lilith Avary's voice faded as she spoke. Her eyes trembled.

Magnus saw the unspoken words she wished to say and glanced around.

"This is not a place for a reunion," Magnus lifted her up into the sky with his gravity. "Let us go elsewhere,"

.

.

.

Two cups of tea lay on an old wooden table. A small pillar of steam billowed out of each. The aromatic smell of jasmine and chamomile lingered throughout the area.

"You chose a good spot, Magnus." Lilith broke the silence as she watched her son bob up and down in the air.

The young man before her was almost unrecognizable. Eyes that used to be a dull cyan gleamed with intensity. His orange hair had whites among it as if he had aged a hundred years in but a few moments, yet was grasping his youth by the collar and refusing to let go.

His expression was flat, clearly not enjoying the idea of meeting her again, yet keeping enough intrigue hidden within.

'My son has changed,' Lilith inwardly sighed. 'Maybe my other children have too...'

That was, if they still lived.

Magnus was the first one of her family, acquaintances, and friends, that she has met within the Otherworld Trials.

"The smell of tea was pleasing," Magnus said with a professional smile, "I need it to relax my nerves, mother."

"I... I see," Lilith replied.

Although the reason Magnus fled from home was because of his siblings, Lilith still felt responsible for a lot of things. She was the one who raised them all, together with their father.

'If only I was less strict,' She thought to herself as silence pervaded between her and Magnus.

Sip.

Magnus decided to at least enjoy the tea in front of him while the awkward silence continued to linger. Lilith saw this and decided to do the same.

And thus, they spent the next few minutes simply in silence as they enjoyed the magnificent tea brewed for them.

At one point, Magnus called the waiter and handed the man a precious resource. It was Illuminite, and the waiter jolted in surprise upon seeing it.

"I don't have gold, but I have this. Tell the owner of the shop that their tea is wonderful."

Seeing this, Lilith smiled,

"I wonder from who you got your generosity?" She asked as she tilted her head. Her long orange hair flowed down her shoulders in a maiden-like manner.

"You," Magnus replied, a sly smile on his face, "I remember your lessons, mother, don't worry. It's not like you bugged me about it with every chance you could get."

Lilith froze for a moment hearing that, "Please don't bring up the past now, Magnus. I thought you wanted to leave us behind so that the past won't bother you?"

Magnus' face darkened for a moment.

"Alright then," He floated up, "Then we truly have not much to talk about. I'm glad you're still alive, mother."

Lilith smiled. She was glad to hear that.

But that smile disappeared upon Magnus' next words.

"But I won't feel the same if the... others... are the same way."

"Magnus!"

Lilith gave her son a deathly glare. Tears could be seen forming in the corner of her eyes.

"Take that back!"

But Magnus only stared at her, unwavering. The 1.9-star aura his mother exuded was exceptional, but only for Earthlings. It wasn't as strong as the monsters he had fought.

"I am only stating the truth, mother. If you see father, tell him I wish him well."

And with that, Magnus left.

It left Lilith standing lonely in the tea shop, with her fists clenched and a few tears streaming down her cheeks,

"Magnus... perhaps you changed the moment you left. Even before the Otherworld Trials."

She muttered as she bowed her head.

"I'm sorry."

.

.

.

"Tsk," Magnus clicked his tongue.

Unwanted memories flooded in. The bullying of his older siblings and the perhaps unintentional gaslighting of his younger siblings weren't good experiences to remember.

Magnus always fought back, however, but that just led to a battlefield at home. He wasn't only one-sidedly bullied. There were times when he could smack his siblings at the back of the head with a wooden plank, and relish in the victory.

Only to realise that he was outnumbered.

"I seriously don't understand how they came out to be that way." Magnus cursed aloud as he cut that thought short. He directed his attention to his surroundings as he floated over the sprawling desert metropolis.

He toured the place by following the massive system of aqueducts that supplied the entire place with clean water to drink and use.

Aosouru was the name of the city. And it was a city composed of other cities all joining together after years of development.

In modern-day Thare, this city spanned the entire desert.

For now though, there was still a lot to explore.

The citizens of the city were mostly composed of Otherworlders from the world called, Aodis. They had just earned their world back in the form of a continent. They were looking for all the help they could get to uncover their lost cities and take back what was once theirs from the monsters.

And Magnus was interested in these lost cities.

Perhaps he could find something there that he could duplicate endlessly and earn a killing.