Chapter 127: The Master's Return
The morning sun had fully risen above the walls of the Hidden City, casting long golden shadows across the training grounds of Lucas's estate.
Dew clung to the grass like scattered crystals, and the cool air carried the scent of earth and fresh greenery.
The peaceful atmosphere should have been calming, yet the moment Lucas saw the bird, tension settled heavily inside his chest.
The creature appeared high above the estate as nothing more than a small black speck against the pale blue sky.
To ordinary eyes, it would have seemed insignificant, but Lucas's Mana Eyes immediately saw through the illusion.
The bird was not alive. It was a construct formed entirely from mana, shaped with extraordinary precision and control.
Only one person created mana constructs like that.
The bird circled the estate three times before dissolving into drifting particles of silver light. The particles floated downward slowly, gathering together in the air until they formed a single word.
Come.
The word lingered for only a heartbeat before fading into nothing.
Lucas slowly lowered his katana, maintaining steady breathing despite the pressure tightening around his thoughts.
Across from him, Kaya paused in the middle of a strike, her white eyes narrowing slightly as she followed his gaze toward the empty sky.
"What is it?" she asked.
Lucas turned toward her smoothly, his expression unchanged. "Nothing important. I need to head into the city for a few hours. Continue training with Aris until I return."
The lie came naturally because deception had become second nature to him long ago.
Kaya studied him carefully, but Lucas revealed nothing. After a moment, she nodded and resumed her movements, lightning crackling softly around her limbs as she continued practicing.
At the edge of the field, Aris sat cross-legged with his katana resting across his lap.
His pale eyes faced slightly upward, but Lucas knew the blind swordsman had sensed something unusual through Ore.
"Be careful," Aris said quietly.
Lucas gave a small nod before turning toward the manor.
He changed quickly, replacing his training clothes with dark travel garments better suited for the city streets.
A long black coat concealed the daggers at his waist, and he carefully checked the seals restraining his Mana Eyes before leaving the estate.
The Hidden City was alive with activity as Lucas moved through its crowded streets.
Merchants shouted advertisements from colorful stalls while cultivators passed through the crowds with confident strides.
The city pulsed with energy, wealth, and hidden violence beneath its polished exterior.
Lucas ignored it all.
His pace remained calm and measured as he headed toward the wealthiest district.
The hotel towered over the surrounding buildings like a monument to excess.
White stone walls reflected the sunlight while enormous blue windows glittered like polished gemstones.
Two guards stood at the entrance, their mana dense enough to mark them as Iron Stage cultivators, but neither attempted to stop Lucas as he entered.
The lobby stretched before him in polished marble and crystal light.
Expensive paintings decorated the walls, and the massive chandelier hanging overhead scattered rainbow reflections across the floor.
Wealth practically radiated from every surface.
Lucas walked past the reception desk without slowing.
The elevator carried him silently to the highest floor, where privacy was valued more highly than gold.
Thick carpets muffled his footsteps as he moved through the quiet corridor until he stopped outside room 714.
Instead of knocking, Lucas continued toward the open window at the end of the hallway.
Curtains shifted gently in the breeze outside. Lucas stepped onto the narrow balcony and crossed toward another partially opened window nearby. Without hesitation, he slipped inside.
The suite was massive.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the sprawling city below, and expensive furniture filled the room in carefully controlled elegance. Dark wood, black leather, crystal glasses, and expensive wine created an atmosphere of understated luxury.
Yet none of it dominated the room.
Elijah did.
The crimson-haired man sat comfortably in a leather armchair near the window, a glass of red wine resting loosely in his hand. His clothing was simple, but his presence filled the suite with quiet pressure that made the air itself feel heavier.
His red eyes settled on Lucas immediately, and a slow smile spread across his face.
"Lucas," Elijah said warmly. "You came."
Lucas approached until he stood several meters away before bowing slightly.
"Master."
Elijah laughed softly, clearly amused. "Good. I was beginning to wonder whether my disciple had forgotten his manners."
"I remember everything you taught me."
"I should hope so."
Elijah gestured toward the chair opposite him, and Lucas sat down calmly.
For several moments, silence filled the room.
Elijah slowly swirled the wine in his glass while studying Lucas with sharp, evaluating eyes.
"I am glad to see you alive," he finally said.
Lucas remained expressionless. "You expected me to die?"
"The Hidden City despises defectors and anyone associated with them." Elijah took a sip of wine. "I assumed they would either execute you or bury you somewhere no one could find you."
"They tried."
Elijah's gaze sharpened slightly as he observed Lucas more carefully.
"You have changed," he said quietly. "When I left, you were struggling at the peak of Copper Stage. Now you stand at the peak of Silver Stage, and your mana feels far denser than it should."
Lucas inclined his head respectfully. "I had a good teacher."
Elijah laughed again, though this time amusement mixed with disbelief.
"No, Lucas. Do not give me credit for this." He leaned back into his chair. "I gave you fundamentals. Whatever you became after that was entirely your own doing."
Lucas did not answer.
Elijah tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest before his expression gradually shifted into something colder and more calculating.
"Do you know why I called you here?"
Lucas met his gaze calmly. "You need information."
Elijah smiled wider.
"And you are searching for someone."
A low chuckle escaped Elijah's throat. "You continue to impress me."
Lucas stayed silent.
Elijah leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows against his knees.
"I want information regarding every member of Black Ops," he said. "Names. Abilities. Weaknesses. Anything useful."
Lucas's expression did not change.
"And," Elijah continued, "I want you to watch one person specifically."
"Who?"
"Austin Motomato."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Lucas kept his face perfectly controlled despite the tension tightening inside him.
"You are interested in the Clover Eyes," he said.
"The Four Leaf Clover Eyes are extraordinarily rare," Elijah replied calmly. "The abilities they grant are too valuable to ignore."
"And the Black Ops information?"
"A precaution."
Lucas considered his response carefully before speaking.
"I cannot provide that information."
Elijah's eyes narrowed slightly. "Cannot?"
"My rank inside Black Ops is still low," Lucas explained evenly. "If I begin investigating high-ranking members, people will notice. Questions will be asked. Suspicion will fall on both of us."
Elijah tapped his fingers slowly against the armrest.
"You are refusing me."
"I am telling you the reality of the situation."
The silence stretched between them for several long seconds.
Finally, Elijah exhaled softly.
"Then bring me Austin."
Lucas shook his head immediately.
"I cannot."
"You defeated him already."
Lucas's jaw tightened slightly. "He was holding back."
"That is not what I heard."
Elijah's smile sharpened.
"I have contacts inside the Hidden City, Lucas. Austin used his abilities seriously during that fight, and you still won."
Lucas remained silent.
Elijah observed him carefully before leaning back once more.
"I called you here to measure your loyalty," he admitted. "Not because I lacked alternatives."
Lucas met his gaze steadily.
"And what conclusion did you reach?"
Elijah smiled faintly.
"You are still my disciple, even if your loyalty is no longer complete."
The crimson-haired man reached beside his chair and pulled out a thick scroll covered in dense writing before tossing it toward Lucas.
Lucas caught it smoothly.
"The biological cloning research you requested," Elijah said.
Lucas examined the scroll briefly before storing it inside his coat.
"Thank you, Master."
Elijah waved dismissively. "Be careful with it. Those experiments destroy more people than they save."
Lucas nodded once.
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
"I need the remaining research regarding the Mana Beast creation project."
Elijah's hand froze halfway toward his wine glass.
The atmosphere inside the room shifted immediately.
"How do you know about that project?"
"During the Tier 9 Mana Beast attack, I infiltrated the research vaults," Lucas answered calmly. "I managed to steal fragments of the data before the city regained control."
Elijah's eyes sharpened dangerously.
"You said fragments."
"The information was incomplete." Lucas paused briefly. "I also encountered two masked individuals inside the vaults."
Elijah remained silent.
"One of them belonged to the Clover Clan," Lucas continued. "The second person… felt strange. Almost unnatural."
Elijah's expression changed slightly, though only for an instant.
"The Clover Clan member," he said slowly. "What did he take?"
"I do not know. They were fighting each other. Neither noticed my presence."
The statement was a lie, but Lucas delivered it flawlessly.
Elijah tapped his fingers slowly against the armrest once more.
"If you want the remaining Mana Beast research," he said calmly, "you will bring me Austin."
Lucas said nothing.
The silence between them grew heavier.
He would never betray Austin, but openly refusing Elijah carried dangers of its own.
Eventually, Elijah sighed softly.
"I understand." He lifted his wine glass again. "You have grown attached."
Lucas remained silent.
"Very well." Elijah took another sip. "Leave. I am finished with you for now."
Lucas rose immediately and bowed once more.
"Master."
Without another word, he turned toward the balcony window and stepped outside. Wind rushed against his face as he vaulted over the railing and disappeared into the city below, his mana suppressing his presence until he became indistinguishable from the countless shadows moving through the streets.
Elijah remained alone inside the luxurious suite.
The wine glass rested loosely in his hand while he stared toward the empty balcony.
Lucas had changed far more than Elijah anticipated.
The boy who once obeyed every command without hesitation now concealed truths behind calm eyes and carefully measured words. He had not agreed to betray Austin, but he had not openly refused either.
That silence alone revealed enough.
Elijah leaned back slowly in his chair, watching sunlight stretch across the ceiling above him.
Lucas was no longer merely surviving.
He was becoming dangerous.
Elijah smiled faintly as darkness gradually deepened around the room.
But whatever Lucas was becoming, the transformation was still incomplete.
And Elijah intended to see how far it would go.