Kyran's expression remained unreadable, but he inwardly did not like how Shiloh phrased his words— or, to be accurate, he did not like how Shiloh used the term gather.
As Kyran delved deeper into the mysteries of the Ancient Magic Cores and uncovered fragments of The Fall, a chilling premonition gripped him.
Was it truly the duty of the Realm Scion to amass all four Ancient Magic Cores to claim The Realm?
If this was the case, and Shaiha, the one responsible for acknowledging the candidate for the Realm Scion position, chose Kyran, did that mean he would have to gather the Soul Core and Time Core as well?
Kyran recalled the first time he entered his sea of consciousness. There, he discovered he had four magic cores and one central core. Two of his magic cores were active—one was the Void core, and the other was the Draconic core. Two more magic cores appeared empty or inactive.
Soon Kyran learned that the magic cores were where a mage's knowledge and experience would accumulate through time. It was also where a mage could store magic energy reserves that they could use for emergencies when there were not enough magic energies in the surroundings they could use to cast a spell.
But based on what Caelan told him during their first meeting, a mage could only possess one magic core, with two being a rare occurrence. Mages who inherited Ancient magic, on the other hand, would always possess a minimum of two magic cores because the amount of knowledge and experience his or her predecessor had accumulated being passed on to them would not be enough in one magic core.
Caelan said more things back then, but the point was that he did not say anything about the possibility that those magic cores were intended to accommodate all four Ancient Magic Cores. Then again, he might not have said anything because he was also unaware of it.
Kyran did not know if Stella had more than two magic cores, given that Time Keepers had been born from the Tower Family for generations and had likely accumulated more magic knowledge and experience than the other successors of Ancient Magic over those years.
As for Cyneah, she never had the Soul core in the first place, so she only had one magic core. Kyran never really delved into what White Lily did when she took Cyneah's magic and created Haylee because it involved complex magic. Honestly, it was one of the few magic he had yet to understand completely.
In any case, there were a lot of things that were just starting to make sense to Kyran after learning more about the Ancients and The Fall. But the more he made sense of what happened back then and how the Realm Scion was connected to them, the more he refused to accept becoming one.
After all, Kyran swore to return Cyneah's sight.
Cyneah was the rightful successor of the Soul Core, so she should have two magic cores at the very least. But she never inherited the Soul Core. Thus, she only possessed one. Ultimately, White Lily took that magic core, creating Haylee to house it, leaving Cyneah with no magic cores. Enjoy stories on m_v lem|p-yr
When Haylee returned to Cyneah, Kyran initially believed that her sight would have returned because the former had both the should-be empty magic core and the Soul core. Unfortunately, Layla managed to extract herself from Haylee before she returned to Cyneah and took both magic cores with her.
Since her sight was connected to her magic, without her magic cores, it would be impossible for her to see again.
But if Kyran acknowledged his identity as the Realm Scion and he was meant to gather the rest of the Ancient Magic Cores, it would mean that he could not return Cyneah's sight.
All of these things flashed through Kyran's mind in but a brief moment. He immediately pushed them at the back of his head as he looked at Shiloh and said, "You seem to know a lot about the Ancient magic cores. Seems like keeping you alive will be worthwhile."
[It is not.]
Shaiha objected at once.
[Keeping them alive can pose a huge threat to you. They are members of the clan that was loyal to The Emperor. If you allow them to live they will grab the chance to inform the Solis Clan of your identity. When that happens, the Higher Realm will be in turmoil once the Tower of the Ancients closes!]
Kyran understood Shaiha's concerns. But unlike her, he was confident he could keep Shiloh and Uilleam from informing their clan about him. Besides, they were still inside the Tower of the Ancients. As long as they were there, they could not contact their clan.
Shiloh endured the pain in his legs as he looked at the enemy before him.
"..."
"You two have been screaming each other's name since earlier."
"We are not screaming each other's name—!"
Shiloh abruptly stopped midsentence when Kyran turned his attention back to him.
"Nngh...!" he clenched his fists, feeling humiliated at his unfounded fear of the enemy mage before him.
"What about you? What are you called?" Uilleam asked.
"Null."
"... I see. Such an obvious name, yet it can also be considered a trap."
Shiloh could not help but glare at Uilleam.
"Why are you even acting polite? Have you no dignity as a member of the Blade Dancer Clan—."
"Because he spared our lives. This much should be a given," Uilleam replied, cutting Shiloh midsentence.
"..."
Kyran could not help but look at Uilleam once more. He did not expect to meet a mage from the Higher Realm who would actually act honorably. Although he might only be acting like this to ensure they could survive, Kyran was still surprised.
Uilleam looked at Kyran once more and said, "That being said, it doesn't mean that I have forgotten that you killed one of our own."
"Don't worry, I don't expect you to."
"That's good," Uilleam replied as he stopped a few feet from them.
Kyran saw him hesitate before looking at Shiloh, who remained on the ground.
Realizing Uilleam's intention, Kyran chuckled and said, "You can go. I won't do anything."
"Thank you."
No longer hesitant, Uilleam approached and knelt before Shiloh.
"I'm sorry I can't help you up, but I can at least carry you on my back if you wrap your arms around my neck."
Hearing Uilleam made Kyran frown slightly. Now that he thought of it, he did cut Uilleam's arms and Shiloh's legs. There was no way Uilleam could carry Shiloh.