Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran completed the communication device after an hour of fine-tuning its formula. Despite being in its prototype stage and requiring further adjustments, the device was now capable of sending and receiving coded messages.

Normally, sending a coded message would leave a very small residue of magic energy fluctuation that could only be detected by powerful mages with high detection skills or spells. In the Lower Realm, a Magus could already sense a faint trace but would not be able to pinpoint what the trace of magic energy was.

It was the same with an Arch Magus.

If one became a Legendary, then it would be a different case.

Since Legendaries were mages who had already learned to be one with their innate magic, they possessed a certain sensitivity to the magic energies in their surroundings. This allowed them to detect faint residual magic energy fluctuations coming from transmitted coded messages.

Depending on how deep their understanding and the type of their innate magic were, they might even sense what the coded message was without reading it directly.

Being in the Higher Realm, it was practically a given that mages would possess high detection skills and spells since the lowest level of a mage was Sovereign. For this reason, clans tended to create their own information network with secret security measures to ensure their communication was protected against third parties.

Of course, this was not to say that this measure was foolproof. There were still instances where messages or information sent through such special networks or routes were intercepted and deciphered by others. Thus, clans had protocols to ensure that such breaches in their network would be dealt with accordingly.

Kyran was aware of this and considered how to avoid it by arranging the formulas he created properly. One could say that what he was trying to accomplish would not have been possible since it would require a huge amount of resources and time.

Fortunately, the Void magic's nature made such an impossible feat a possibility.

Making full use of all the Void Theories he learned from Caelan, thus far, Kyran applied it to the formulas he used in his calculations. He could not completely erase the magic fluctuations.

However, he made it so that if the coded message were detected by others other than Shiloh and Uilleam, its traces would scatter and blend with the magic energies in the surroundings, making it hard to pinpoint its origin.

Of course, this measure would not remove any suspicion that might befall Shiloh and Uilleam. But since no one would be able to prove they were the ones who received the coded message, the suspicion would remain as is— a suspicion.

Finding a communication device in Shiloh and Uilleam's possession would be even more impossible than proving their connection to the coded message. This was because the item Kyran gave them had been integrated into their personal tablets.

One thing Kyran learned in the Higher Realm was how those tablets acted as proof of their affiliation and identity. Those tablets also had a security array that would prevent outsiders from changing them. And since practically every mage in the Higher Realm was knowledgeable in Array, it was easy for others to notice if a magic item they created had been breached.

Argumentatively, with almost every mage in the Higher Realm possessing great Array Knowledge bypassing other's array creation should be possible. However, one could see the situation another way as well, which was that since Array was very common, it was easy to be overlooked and disregarded. Some would even think that it was degrading to use and take Array seriously.

Kyran decided to test his creation and sent a message simultaneously to Shiloh and Uilleam. He wanted to see how the device would perform, given the limited adjustments he could make.

While waiting for a confirmation that Shiloh and Uilleam received his message, Cyneah, who had been observing him in silence for a while now, commented, "You seemed agitated."

Kyran looked at her with raised brows, "I do?"

"Yes... Are you not happy that you've managed to complete what you are working on?"

Kyran simply looked at Cyneah in silence. His reaction was prompted not because he did not know how to answer her but because he was once again amazed at how well she could read his mood just by sensing his emotions.

Of course, Cyneah could sense Kyran's emotions more accurately because she was actively healing him. But there were times when she could guess his emotions by simply hearing the sound of his voice.

Kyran was indeed feeling agitated because he knew The Emperor had gone to the Blade Dancer Clan. If the adjustments he made to his device were even a little off, there was a chance that The Emperor might sense it and become suspicious of the whole clan instead.

Another factor unrelated to the creation that made Kyran feel uneasy was the glaring pressure coming from outside the tent. He also heard the discussion between Aillos and the dragon named Ducal and felt conflicted.

Aillos sounded very sincere when he asked Ducal to give the Regis Family a chance; if not, then at least him, Kyran.

When he heard that, Kyran could not imagine it coming from the dragon in human form, who had bashed him around the first time they met. Could someone actually act and behave in a contradictory manner?

Kyran racked his brain and tried to find people he had met before who might have acted like Aillos, but he did not find one. At least to him, the tough love his father or relatives had shown him before was different from Aillos.

Aillos's showing that he sincerely hoped for Ducal to give the Regis Family a chance to prove they were not mere humans in the Lower Realm or Ames's other family was actually a huge pressure on Kyran as well. This was not because of Aillos' last comment, which was focused solely on Kyran, but because he was the new Dragon Lord, whether he liked it or not.

"... Or are you feeling agitated because of what the Dragon Emperor had said to Sir Ducal?" Cyneah asked after a short pause, wherein Kyran failed to respond.

Kyran smiled wryly, recalling that Cyneah had naturally enhanced senses due to her lack of sight. It should not have been surprising that she actually heard the conversations happening outside.

The same actually applied outside. Kyran knew Aillos and the other dragons were aware that he was already awake and might also be listening in on his and Cyneah's conversation. Unlike the Regis Family members, who still needed to activate the Regis Technique to enhance their sense of hearing, the dragons' six senses were naturally enhanced.

Then again, Ames had been training the Regis Family to use their five senses to observe their surroundings at all times so they could have also heard their conversation.

Now that Kyran thought of it, Zoll offered to take him and Cyneah to Raya's tent when he finally agreed to rest. Zoll should have been with the rest of the Regis members, preparing the common materials they had on hand. The distance was not that far, but since he was also doing something, he should not have been able to hear their conversation properly.

"A little of both."

In the end, Kyran told her the truth.

"The adjustments I made to my device have yet to be tested. That's why I am a little uneasy about its performance. As for the latter... frankly, I never wanted to be acknowledged by the Dragon Clan. That's why hearing the Dragon Emperor say something like that..."

"Don't worry. I don't think Milord meant to put pressure on you. As for the former, I have complete confidence in your Array skills. Uncle Nolan complimented you on that, so you should have more confidence in yourself."

"I appreciate the blind confidence, but need I remind you that we are in the Higher Realm right now?"

"So what?" Cyneah shrugged, which Kyran found amusing because she did so as if to imitate him. Not that she actually saw him shrug.

"Even the Ancients acknowledged you, and Array originated from them."

"I don't think that's even..."

"What I'm trying to say is, you don't have to worry. If you can't trust in your own capabilities, then trust the people who believe in them."

"That sounded too condescending."

Cyneah chuckled, "I know, right."

Before Kyran could respond to her, the device in his hand blinked twice, signaling that a message had just arrived.

"...Wait."

Kyran immediately used his magic sense to read the message and his expression darkened at once.

When Kyran sent his first order, he also told Shiloh and Uilleam to continue pretending to be unconscious. It was not hard to do as long as they used the spell he showed them back in the Tower of the Ancients.

Apparently, being unconscious did not stop The Emperor from trying to confirm Kyran's identity.

Based on Shiloh's message, the Emperor planned to use a spell to wake him or Uilleam and extract their soul thread.