Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Adam walked through the corridors of the ancient castle. The people who walked by were completely oblivious to his presence. The youth had cast a concealment spell on himself, after all.

The people within the castle walls displayed happy and excited looks on their faces. The Second Trial had concluded, and now there would be a few social events and other festivities for the next couple of days before the Third Trial began.

Young Magi, who still remained in the tournament, took this time to rest and prepare for the final trial. Unlike the previous two trials, the third would consist of one-on-one duels designed to test their combat skills.

When the Grand Magus Tournament began, over a hundred and fifty participants from the Four Pillars, the Baja High Forest, and the rogue faction had entered.

Now, however, after two grueling trials, only sixty-two participants remained. And by the end of the Third Trial… only one would remain.

Adam didn't care much about the tournament. He never did. The youth had far bigger problems on his plate, and the closer the tournament came to its conclusion, the larger his problems seemed to grow.

Turning a corner at the end of the long corridor, he couldn't help but sigh.

So, that's how all the participants managed to make it out alive, he thought.

Deceptively simple, yet very effective.

The rules of the Second Trial were simple. Participants were supposed to enter the secret plane and collect as many blood cores by slaying the blood beasts inside. The more cores they accumulated, the higher the chances of them advancing to the next round.

It was also important to note that the participants had to stay inside the trial for seven days straight, and that until and unless those seven days were over, the participants would not be able to exit the secret plane...

But that turned out to be a lie.

Professor Mathilda Whitaker had purposely spread disinformation regarding the Second Trial since the very beginning.

She knew that cult spies had already infiltrated Ravenfell, so she was fairly certain that the rules of the Second Trial would reach their ears one way or another.

Those hidden in the shadows knew that the participants would remain in the secret plane for seven full days. That was exactly how they planned to eliminate them, slowly but surely, over the course of that week.

The cultists were certain that the numerous powerful blood beasts within the secret plane would overwhelm the participants.

But little did they know…

That whenever a participant was close to mortal danger, the magical key in their possession would immediately teleport them out of the secret plane.

Although these young Magi would be disqualified from the tournament, they would still get to keep their lives.

And that was why there were no casualties within the secret plane. No one but Professor Whitaker—and the Headmaster, of course—knew that the keys allowed the participants to leave well before the seven days were over.

Well, that is one way to trick the damned cultists, Adam thought, finally arriving at the Eastern Wing where his dorm room was located.

But something told him those bastards wouldn't be too bothered about failing to kill the future of Ulier inside the secret plane.

After all, the best of the best were all heading into the final trial, and unlike the previous two trials, which took place within the safe boundaries of Saratoga… this one would unfold before the entire public in Ravenfell.

A somber mood befell Adam, and his footsteps involuntarily slowed down.

Why do I get this feeling that I'm walking towards my own doom? He thought with a bitter smile on his face.

Is there truly no other way out of this?

Is it… inevitable?

There was one way out of this whole mess, of course, and that was to abandon everything and flee south. He could meet up with Anna and then later figure something out.

But could he really leave everything behind?

Growing up as an orphan, he had always put his own needs above everything else. Survival… that was the only thing that ever mattered to him.

He was selfish, greedy, and utterly self-centered… that was who he was.

But then he met Anna, the beautiful soul who taught him how to open up and love again. He met grumpy old Berger, who guided him down the path of herbalism. And Valeiran, sweet and curious Valerian, who in so many ways was just like him.

He met Edward, silly and loud, and finally understood what it meant to have a best friend, a sworn brother. Then came Lisa, smart and fearless, who showed him what it truly meant to be brave and to live by a strong moral compass.

And finally, there was Rowan. Unlike anyone else in Adam's life. A mortal man with no mana in his veins, yet it was Rowan who reminded Adam most of his father.

Somewhere along the way, he grew from a distant, selfish child to a dependable young man, one who had formed deep, meaningful bonds with those around him.

If his parents could see the man he had become, they would have been so incredibly proud.

And that is why he couldn't just walk away or take the coward's way out. Too many people were counting on him, and he couldn't let them down.

Just thinking about this caused Adam's eyes to glisten with emotion.

Heh, am I growing old?

He thought in amusement. He wouldn't be wrong, though. After all, he did spend hundreds of years inside the illusion in the Raven Inheritance.

I wonder… do these bonds make me strong or weak?

Am I strong because I now have something to protect? Or am I weak because I have something holding me back? Content presented by MV|LEMP|YR.

Riddled with these thoughts, he finally arrived before his dorm room. But he was surprised to see a large group of people standing by his door.

He knew all of them, of course. After all, he had fought alongside them only recently.

"Kahaha, I thought you'd never return!" Edward placed his hands on his hips, threw his head back, and laughed loudly.

"I hope you aren't busy, Adam." Lisa looked at him with a warm smile.

"Mentor, we brought our friends along. They've been very eager to meet you!" Eleiney displayed a brilliant smile.

"How about it, Mentor?" Aiden grinned. "Shall we have some wine and enjoy the rest of our evening?"

Seeing these people glancing at him with expectant smiles, Adam felt his heart enveloped in warmth.

His lips curled into a genuine smile as he nodded. "Alright, let's go."

Bonds… isn't that what made life meaningful?

To be truly seen by another, to matter in someone else's life, is what anchored us to the world.

Love, friendship, loyalty… they were not distractions from the journey.

They were the journey.