Using my invisibility magic, I sneaked my way across the castle bailey in search of the old butler. With normal mana, this wouldn't have worked, as the Death Realm's power would consume me, but now that I had acquired the power of True Essence, I had essentially become a true inhabitant of this place, thus allowing me to travel freely without Axilia's help.
Although I was not an expert on it yet, after combing its powers with my Chaos's amplification ability, I could pass off as a formidable True Essence user.
Moreover, just because this was the Death Realm, it wasn't just my Necromancy Element abilities that were enhanced. Because everything in this world originated from the Chaos that dwells within me, the Death Essence collected from here would automatically be converted to 'Chaos Essence', which could then be interchanged to any element I wished.
I also noticed that True Essence, unlike mana, didn't have a limit to it. I could use it for however long I wanted to without fearing it ever running out. This was because True Essence was the energy of nature and the world itself, which meant my body was constantly absorbing it from the environment around me and replenishing whatever I used. And since the world is always producing more and more True Essence, I could never run out.
Unless, of course, there was a way to cut off True Essence in a specific location, somehow.... though that would be difficult, since True Essence wasn't something that could be simply blocked off by walls or magic barriers. If one wanted to block it from entering somewhere, they needed to completely sever that area from the realm itself to do so.
But back to the matter at hand... honestly speaking, I had no idea where the old butler was. I assumed he would be with the king, but if that's the case, it would be too risky to try and talk to him. However, if...
I smirked as a plan formed in my head.
*****
There he is.
I crouched on the roof of a building, spotting the old butler's figure in the distance. He stood beside the king in his throne, who awaited on top of his castle balcony. The path the prince was taking was heading directly for them, while all the citizens made way.
Being a half-vampire paired with Lin Luo's Ascended Seraphim ichor has granted me some pretty overpowered physical abilities. Insane regeneration, superhuman strength, incredible agility, were all part of it — and exceptional vision was no exception. Thus, I was able to spot the butler — though I doubted I wouldn't be able to even without these physical traits. After all, him and the king were the only two people high up on the castle's balcony. They weren't exactly hard to differentiate.
I immediately took off into the air using Sky Magic and flew closer to get within range. It felt great, now that I was using True Essence to supplement my spells and not mana. I could keep flying forever with no problems (other than hunger and thirst).
Alright… just a little closer…
"…!" I suddenly skidded to a stop mid-air as I felt a thick screen of magic energy in front of me, sweat forming on my forehead.
This… what the hell is this…?
I gulped. I couldn't see it, but I could feel an extremely powerful barrier in front of me. Had I not stopped in time, I would've crashed into it… and probably died. There was a thick Death Essence aura surrounding it, more pure and strong than anything I've felt before. If I had tried to run straight through it, I most likely would not have made it.
However… this Realm did not have any Space Essence. The Living Realm I came from may have a downgraded version of True Essence called mana, but it contained mana from 21 different sources. Being the wielder of Chaos, I have access to all 21 of those elements, but this Death Realm only had one — Necromancy. As such, all the barriers and defense mechanisms were made with that in mind.
In other words…
Level Three Space Magic — Portal Pair.
Lifting my arm, I created a warp gate on the barrier in front of me, then set the exit gate on top of one of the towers above where the king and the butler were. Since I wasn't confident how thick this barrier was, I refrained from using something like Blink, and Teleport was used for more long-distance transports.
Portal Pair was a spell I learned in the university library back in Fragment — essentially, what it did was create two warp gates. When I went through one of them, I would come out from the other. Anyone could use my Portal Pairs, but if they tried entering right as I closed them, only the body parts that entered the portal would make the jump. In other words, it could be used strategically in a battle as well, not just for utility.
After stepping through the portal, I quickly closed them and attempted to connect with the butler.
Level Two Psychic Magic — Telepathy.
I only had a limited amount of time here. Once the prince got closer, our time to talk would be cut short. I needed to make an appointment with him to talk privately, one way or another.
An invisible strand of Psychic energy was shot out of my mind and headed for the old butler. But then-
"…!" The butler turned around sharply, staring directly where I was crouched down, invisible.
"Something wrong, butler?" The king asked, raising an eyebrow.
The butler furrowed his brows momentarily, then turned back around. "… No. Not at all."
At first, I was shocked, thinking I would get caught, but then, the butler relaxed his mind's defenses on purpose, allowing me to enter with ease. I was confused, but didn't miss this opportunity and slipped the strand of Psychic energy into his head, connecting our minds together.
… Why didn't you expose me? I asked.
I am certain you did not come here to ask me that, he replied. The prince is about to arrive before the king and I. Make it quick.
I sighed and responded. I would like to speak with you privately… regarding Axilia's past. 12 PM tonight, come to the forest behind her quarters.
… And what makes you think I have to tell you this? He challenged. A fair point. However…
I'm not forcing you. But I am trying to save that girl, and to do that, I need this information. Of course, if you don't care about her at all like the rest of her 'family', then you are free not to come.
… The butler fell silent, but I didn't need to hear his response.
His silence was proof enough that I had succeeded.
Retracting my invisible psychic string of telepathy, I decisively turned around and used Portal Pair to escape the same way I had come in from.
*****
I crouched on the roof, spectating what would happen next. I needed to get a grasp on this prince's personality if I had to fight him in the future. Being able to remain invisible for as long as I wanted really felt nice, as a side note.
The prince and the rest of his calvary slowly galloped up to the castle where the king and the butler stood, then looked up, his glistening blond hair swaying in the air and blue eyes shining like sapphires. He was beautifully handsome, as expected of a prince, and possessed flawless skin and composure. His build was slim but muscular, much similar to my own, and the heroic armor that lined his body suited him perfectly, as if saying 'he was the main character of a fairy tale'.
"I have returned, father," he said firmly, pulling the reins on his warhorse and making it come to a stop.
"Good, good!" The king shouted in excitement, clapping his hands together. "Welcome back, my one and only son — Auldren!"
As the crowd erupted into applause once more, the prince — Audlren — flashed a handsome, smug smile, causing the girls in the crowd to all squeal in admiration with hearts in their eyes. Then, ignoring their praises, he looked around, as if searching for someone.
"… Father, where is Aucerina?"
The king, hearing this, sighed. "That girl… she refuses to welcome you home, for whatever reason. We can hardly drag her out of her room given her age, so…"
Auldren narrowed his eyes slightly, as if angered, but the expression left as quickly as it came. No one else noticed it but me, who had been observing him with close detail.
"… I see. She has always been quite stubborn, so please do not blame her, father."
"Aww, so caring…" The girls in the crowd swooned.
"I wish I had a boyfriend like that…"
"Idiot, you think you can get someone like Prince Auldren?"
Hm… he seems pretty interested in Axilia — Aucerina, that's for sure. But does he truly care about his little sister… or is this just an act? He seemed angry when he was told Axilia didn't even bother welcoming him…
"By the way, father," Auldren spoke up once again. "If Aucerina refuses to see me… what about her twin sister? Her name is Lixi."
I froze. Axilia… has a twin sister?
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