Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 73: Visitor

Unbeknownst to him, Magnus left Noah’s office on the first floor, descending to the ground level, oblivious to the traumatized wolf he had left behind. The group of young recruits still milled around the mission board, their attention absorbed by the missions on the mission board. Just as before, Magnus slipped past them unnoticed.

Exiting the building, he headed directly for the eastern wall. With no immediate threats to the territory, the number of guards stationed on the wall was minimal. This didn’t mean security was lax, just not at its highest level of alert.

"Good morning, Lord Magnus," the guards greeted as Magnus approached.

"Good morning, fellas. How’s it going?" Magnus replied with a smile.

"Everything’s quiet here, Lord Magnus. Nothing to worry about," responded one of the guards, seemingly the leader of the small group of guards. "Heading out, Lord Magnus?" he inquired.

"Yes," Magnus confirmed. "Just going over to the Silent Forest. I have some business to attend to there."

"Oh," the guard replied, his brow furrowing. "Okay, Lord Magnus. I’ll assign some guards to accompany you, to ensure your safety."

"That won’t be necessary. I’ll be going alone," Magnus stated firmly.

"But..." the guard started to protest, but Magnus cut him off.

"I’m not asking, soldier. It’s an order," Magnus said, his expression serious.

The guard opened his mouth to speak again, but seeing the resolute look on Magnus’s face, he knew further argument was futile.

"Open the gate," Magnus commanded, his voice ringing with authority.

The guard hesitated briefly, then sighed and signaled to the guards stationed on the wall to open the massive gate. The heavy metal groaned as it swung open. Magnus nodded curtly towards the guard and strode through the opening, leaving the territory behind. Once outside, he broke into a sprint, heading directly towards the Silent Forest.

The head guard watched Magnus disappear into the distance, his pace increasing with every stride. "Well, there he goes, off on his own again," the guard muttered under his breath. "I hope Commander Robert doesn’t chew me out if he finds out about this." He vividly recalled Robert’s anxiety the last time Magnus had ventured out alone. Now Magnus was doing it again, and he was the one who had allowed it.

"I hope I don’t lose my head to his giant axe," he mumbled, watching Magnus’s retreating figure before sighing and signaling for the gate to be closed.

-

Meanwhile, unaware of the guard’s apprehension, Magnus sprinted towards the Silent Forest, pushing himself to his top speed, eager to reach his destination. His speed quickly ate up the distance, and it wasn’t long before he arrived at the forest’s edge.

Instead of entering immediately, he paused. He pulled up a cloth tied around his neck, covering the lower half of his face. Then, he drew Voidreaver.

The moment the sinister scythe materialized, it pulsed with an intense, malevolent energy, like a dark lord freed from millennia of imprisonment. The surrounding vegetation withered under the assault of this dark aura, the plants darkening and losing their life force. Fortunately, the energy didn’t seem to affect Magnus directly, nor did it spread too far beyond the immediate vicinity.

’Why do I feel like it’s angry with me?’ Magnus wondered, sensing a distinct animosity emanating from the weapon. He couldn’t quite explain it, but the anger directed towards him was palpable.

’Does that mean the weapon is sentient?’ Magnus mused, his brow furrowed as he examined the scythe, still radiating its ominous energy. It was behaving like a child throwing a tantrum, only this tantrum was far more dangerous – catastrophically so.

"Now, how do I stop this?" Magnus muttered, trying to probe the scythe with his own soul, attempting to connect or communicate with it. But the moment his soul touched the weapon, it was violently repelled.

"What the..." Magnus exclaimed, reeling from the force of the rejection.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted. As the words left his mouth, a blast of energy slammed into him, sending him stumbling backward.

"Ugh!" Magnus grunted as he landed with a thud. The blast wasn’t overly powerful, so he felt more annoyance than pain.

"What the..." he began, but stopped abruptly, turning his attention to the sight before him.

The scythe hovered dangerously close, its dark, sharp blade vibrating intensely inches from his face. A chill ran down Magnus’s spine. Without hesitation, he willed the scythe back into his inventory, and in an instant, the menacing weapon vanished.

A calm descended over the area as the Synthe vanished. The air, which had seemed to hold its breath, resumed its gentle flow. Nearby trees, which had become unnaturally still in the presence of the Synthe, started to sway again, their leaves fluttering gently.

"Phew!" Magnus exhaled, relief washing over him as the oppressive aura left with the Synthe’s departure.

"What on earth was that?" he muttered to himself. "System, can you tell me what just happened?"

-[Affirmative. I believe it is acting out because you abandoned it.]-

"Acting out? It nearly took my head off! That’s more than just acting out," Magnus retorted, his eyes burning with anger.

-[Not possible. The Voidreaver is linked to your life force, so it wouldn’t kill you.]-

"What?" Magnus exclaimed. "Great, now I have an evil Synthe linked to my life force."

"How can I get rid of that thing?" he asked, looking for any solution.

-[Kill yourself.]-

"Ehhhh?"

-[The only solution is to kill yourself. The Voidreaver has linked itself to your life force, so it won’t let go unless your life force is depleted.]-

"What about destroying it?" Magnus inquired hopefully.

-[Not possible. There is currently no known way to destroy the weapon, even if there were, you don’t have the means to accomplish it.]-

Magnus read the message displayed on the system screen and sighed deeply.

-[Could I suggest a solution?]-

Magnus frowned. "Uhmm, sure, go ahead."

-[What about apologizing to it? The Voidreaver is a sentient weapon, and it doesn’t have much experience, so it’s still like a child in some ways. An apology might be in order.]-

"Apologize? To a weapon?" Magnus muttered incredulously.

-[Yes.]-

"No way. Also, I’m not even sure the Voidreaver is the only sentient being I’m dealing with because you certainly sound like one as well," Magnus shot back.

The system screen blinked off without responding, leaving Magnus to stew in his frustration.

"Damn it," Magnus cursed, his body seething with anger. But soon, he calmed his nerves and sighed deeply.

"Well, I guess I’ll have to apologize to a piece of metal," Magnus grumbled, steeling himself as he prepared to summon the Voidreaver once again.

---

Meanwhile, far from Magnus, in a celestial realm distant from the world of Aetherium, Mortem sat deep in thought, his brows furrowed.

"That boy was able to wield a Sealed weapon, especially one like that?" Mortem mused, puzzled.

"I’d better keep an eye on him all the time. Plus, I need to find a way to keep the council from discovering this. Otherwise, it could be a significant problem," Mortem muttered, the lines on his forehead deepening as he pondered his strategy.

---

Boom!

A beastly figure blurred through the air, crashing through a tree and shattering it into splinters. The impact slowed its momentum, allowing it to regain its footing as it faced Magnus, roaring in fury.

Magnus stood his ground, meeting the creature’s eyes and matching its fiery intensity. This was the first creature he had encountered in the Silent Forest. Known as a Deathstalker Wolf, it was notorious for its sleek black fur and its stealth attacks on unsuspecting prey. However, this wolf had chosen the wrong man to surprise. Magnus had sensed it before the attack, allowing him to land a powerful punch that sent the creature flying.

Roar!

The wolf roared again, charging at Magnus with renewed fury.

"[Empyrean Codex]," Magnus quickly activated his skill. Suddenly, a purplish glow appeared in his iris, altering his vision. The world transformed into a landscape overlaid with ethereal lines and shimmering glyphs that represented the rules of reality, each rule unfolding before him. Though he barely scratched the surface of their meaning, Magnus remained unfazed.

Through this sight, he observed the Deathstalker Wolf, a mass of muscle and fury, speeding towards him with alarming agility. Focusing on the glowing glyphs, Magnus found one that symbolized earth.

Extending his hand toward the glyph, he commanded, "Soften."

Instantly, the glyphs danced, twisting and shifting into new patterns. Magnus felt a significant drain on his mana, but his plan succeeded. A portion of the ground softened under his will, as he bent reality’s rules to fit his needs.

Magnus felt a thrill of triumph. The Deathstalker Wolf, unaware of the transformation beneath its feet, continued its charge. Then, it happened.

Fu!

The wolf’s front leg suddenly sank, as if stepping on foam. This unexpected shift threw it off balance, sending it tumbling into the ground, pain coursing through its g g