The sky gradually darkened.
In the dungeon located within the Royal Capital,
amid the heavy atmosphere, several rhythmic footsteps sounded, echoing through the empty corridor with steady taps.
"Open the door."
"Yes!"
Following the brief exchange,
the dungeon door holding the mages slowly opened. Light gradually shone inside, clearly illuminating Sylas's figure as he leaned against the wall, quietly resting.
Sensing the light, Sylas opened his eyes as well and looked toward the cell entrance.
The person standing at the door was not that prince.
Instead, it was another group of people whose appearance here also did not surprise him.
The man at the head wore a black robe, a signature mask on his face, and a gray stone badge on his chest. His build was burly, and his gaze was cold.
It was Eldred, the commander of the Mageseekers.
Behind him stood several Mageseekers dressed the same way.
After the cell door opened, these Mageseekers did not speak. The entire cell was filled with deathly silence.
In that wordless quiet, the Mageseekers began to move.
The cell door was opened, and two Mageseekers soon restrained Sylas. Sylas did not struggle. His calm, waterlike eyes seemed long accustomed to this kind of thing.
Eldred walked into the cell and slowly took out a copper syringe. The needle at its tip flashed coldly under the firelight, making his eyes seem even colder.
When the needle pierced Sylas's arm, the stabbing pain made his hand clench a little harder.
He watched as the inside of the syringe was gradually filled with his blood, then watched it be pulled out without mercy.
Then another Mageseeker stepped forward and applied some medicine to the needle mark on Sylas's arm, stopping the blood that was spilling out.
Throughout the entire process, there was no communication at all. The Mageseekers turned and left the cell.
Over these ten-odd years, Sylas could no longer remember how many times this had happened.
Of course he knew why he was still alive now.
Demacia was a country strict with itself, and it treated criminals with great severity. There were many forms of capital punishment as well.
Back then, after his magic went out of control and he accidentally killed a Mageseeker squad, he had already committed a grave offense.
Not to mention that during his later flight, he had implicated many innocent people.
Even if he had still been underage at the time, he should not have been able to escape the death penalty.
Yet he had somehow survived. He had been sentenced to lifelong imprisonment, and just like that, he had spent all these years in this lightless dungeon.
As for the reason, it was very simple.
Because he could not die without value.
Sylas possessed a special ability to perceive magic. This was also why the Mageseekers had later made heavy use of him. To the Mageseekers, this ability could be said to be extremely important.
Even experienced Mageseekers often could not determine whether a person was a mage by sight alone.
But Sylas could. He only needed one glance to confirm it.
So this ability was like giving the Mageseekers wings on their path of hunting mages.
And this was only one part of it. What the Mageseekers valued even more about him was the reason his magic had gone out of control that day.
That was why he had survived.
The Mageseekers seemed to want to use some method to replicate his ability. They regularly came to test his blood, hair, toenails, and sometimes they did not even let his skin go.
This was also why Sylas had once wanted to end everything by dying.
But later, he figured it out. He could not just die like this.
He wanted to live long enough to see the day his fellow mages were liberated.
At this moment, he remembered what that prince had said.
Jarvan III had decided to pardon all mages.
That sentence echoed in his mind. In the instant before the cell door closed, Sylas saw new mage companions being pressed forward and brought inside, their expressions helpless, terrified, and despairing.
He could not help wondering, if what that prince said was true, and Jarvan III had decided to pardon all the mages of Demacia,
would that day really come?
The cell returned to darkness. The chains shifted, and Sylas leaned back against the wall again. His black eyes were quite clear in the dark.
For countless days and nights before, he had leaned here just like this, thoughts chaotic, wanting to roar and scream like a madman. From his initial fear and panic to his later anger and hatred, he had spent every day accompanied by the chattering sounds of rats and crawling insects.
Every moment, the hatred in his heart had continued accumulating.
Even now, he still hated.
Only, he had begun to think within that hatred.
Perhaps it was because of that prince. When he had been extremely close to death, he had abandoned the desire to die, then gained the chance to read books. Although the contents of those books were all over the place, they had still given him a greater understanding of the outside world.
He had begun thinking about more things every day and night, keeping his mind active.
And then, he had seen the sky and smelled the scent of freedom.
It was undeniable that at that moment, Sylas had felt as if he had come back to life.
When the blue sky entered his vision and fresh air drifted into his nose, even though the shackles on his body remained heavy, he felt as if he had been reborn.
Freedom. He had to regain his freedom!
South of the Royal Capital,
at the old residence of House Chambers.
As an old-established family, House Chambers could be considered quite famous. In its early years, it had followed Demacia's former kings and made major contributions. After that, it had always stood among the top ranks, and talented people had emerged from the family generation after generation.
Now that House Chambers's main household had moved, the old residence seemed somewhat empty and quiet.
However, its grounds were as large as ever.
As night fell, several carriages slowly stopped at the entrance of the old residence.
Several nobles stepped down one after another, and the one at the head was Tourt Chambers, now one of the two noble representatives.
After getting out of the carriages, the group did not talk. They walked into the old residence and then entered the main house.
In the living room, two young maids were attending to an elderly man nearly sixty years old, with half his hair turned white. After seeing the arrivals, they quickly stood up and withdrew from the living room.
After seeing out of the corner of his eye that the maids had left, Tourt sat on the sofa opposite him and said, "Uncle, Jarvan IV returned this afternoon. Jarvan III specially convened a meeting for it."
The man sitting opposite him was his uncle, Russell Chambers. Tourt had inherited his current position from Russell.
Tourt was extremely respectful toward the elderly man before him and had been deeply influenced by him.
Hearing this, Russell asked, "What was said at the meeting?"
"The main purpose was to reward Jarvan IV and the one from House Crownguard according to their merits. Jarvan IV was made a general. Then there was the deployment at the Gates of Mourning. The rest were all unimportant matters."
Tourt briefly reported the situation, then said, "Uncle, in my view, regarding performance at the border this time, that Second Prince was even more outstanding than Jarvan IV. It seems that the direction of the situation was influenced by his important decisions."
At the mention of the Second Prince, Russell's old eyes flickered, and he murmured, "It seems I have been hearing more and more about this Second Prince recently."
Tourt said, "Yes. His momentum is showing signs of surpassing Jarvan IV. In the Royal Capital over the past few months, most of what the common people discuss has been about him."
Russell looked at him and asked, "What is your view on this matter?"
Tourt thought for a moment, then replied, "I feel that Jarvan III seems to have made quite a few arrangements for him. In my view, it looks more like he is paving the way for him."
Russell listened while picking up the teacup on the table and slowly taking a sip.
Seeing that he did not speak, Tourt continued, "Based on what I know, ever since this Second Prince arrived in the Royal Capital, he has basically spent his time idle. He himself is rather like Jarvan IV in that he does not often appear among the people, but in terms of lifestyle and how he handles things, he is completely different from Jarvan IV."
"But thinking carefully about the things he has done along the way, suppressing the beast tide, the cult, the ghost disturbance at the border seas, and now the war at the border. In every single matter, his methods were extraordinary. He seemed to have preparations made in advance. To me, it was almost as if he could foresee the future."
Tourt's words fell.
The people around them also began thinking carefully.
Those words were indeed true. These incidents could all be considered rare major events, yet this Second Prince always seemed able to respond properly when sudden situations emerged.
Logically speaking, after returning from an undocumented household, this kind of performance was far too eye-catching.
Based on these matters alone, the Second Prince's reputation had now surpassed Jarvan IV's for a time.
"Foresee the future, you say."
After hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Russell's aged face. "These matters could not have been prophesied, but they could have been predicted in advance."
Confusion flashed across Tourt's face, and he asked, "Uncle, what do you mean?"
"Whether it was that cult or the Black Mist and war at the border, there would have been signs before they happened. Or rather, it is very possible that Jarvan III detected them early."
Russell spoke slowly, making Tourt's gaze sharpen slightly as he sat opposite him.
"Uncle means Jarvan III knew about these things long ago." As Tourt spoke, he slowly thought for a few seconds, then murmured, "The way the Second Prince discovered the cult was indeed somewhat strange. It was a cult even the Mageseekers had not found, yet he could charge straight toward it. And there was also the Dauntless Vanguard's early support. If Jarvan III had known where this cult was from the beginning, then it makes sense."
Thinking of it this way, both his mind and the minds of the people around him became clearer.
Jarvan III was indeed a capable ruler. If it was him, then the occurrence of these events was very normal.
After all, although that Second Prince did indeed seem to have some talent, his recent actions were truly somewhat too extraordinary.
If one time was coincidence, then so many times definitely were not.
It could only mean that while he was doing these things, someone behind him was pushing events forward.
Looking more closely, after these incidents ended, the Second Prince's fame had risen all the way. Now, looking across Demacia, who did not know his name?
In everyone's eyes, he was already a prince no inferior to Jarvan IV.
This was Jarvan III's goal.
"In other words, Jarvan III really is paving the way for the Second Prince?"
Although Tourt's tone sounded like he was asking, he had already confirmed it in his heart. He could not help raising his head and looking at Russell, whose expression had remained calm and casual. "Uncle, could it be that Jarvan III is planning to let..."
At this point, he did not continue.
But everyone present knew perfectly well what he meant.
Looking at it this way, it was very possible that Jarvan III wanted to more deeply cultivate this younger son who had been lost outside and then regained.
He might even, because of his guilt from back then, intend to let that Second Prince sit on the throne?
Before this Second Prince appeared, Jarvan IV's throne had basically been set in stone. Even for a period of time after his return, no one thought his position would be shaken.
But now, looking at it, perhaps that was not the case.
The one who could decide the next heir to the throne was always Jarvan III.
"From the way things look now, that person does indeed have this idea. However, it has not yet been settled, so nothing can be concluded."
A hint of curiosity rose on Russell's face. "With Jarvan III's character, he has always been steady. I am somewhat curious about that Second Prince. After all, if he really is as idle as you say, then even out of guilt, Jarvan III would not have such thoughts. This means there must be something about him that is highly outstanding."
A young and handsome face flashed through Tourt's mind. His impression of this Second Prince was still very clear.
Back then in the meeting hall, he had single-handedly changed the decision regarding the Black Mist.
After thinking for a moment, Tourt said, "This Second Prince truly does have talent. It is just that we do not know much about him. After all, less than a year has passed since his return."
Russell nodded slightly and said, "If there is time, I would like to meet him."
"Uncle can meet him whenever you wish. Recently, that Second Prince has also been entering and leaving the royal palace quite frequently."
As Tourt spoke, he remembered something and said, "Also, Uncle, have you noticed recently that Jarvan III is secretly investigating the matter from back then?"
The matter from back then naturally referred to the Second Prince's mother, the current queen.
Hearing this, Russell smiled faintly. "Back then, my voice of opposition was the strongest, so naturally, Jarvan III had noticed me long ago. Some days ago, I was already summoned to the royal palace. There is no need to worry about this matter."
He remembered the matter from back then very clearly.
As for this matter, no matter how Jarvan III investigated it, he would not be able to find anything.
So there was absolutely no need to worry.
"That's good." Tourt nodded in relief, then spoke again. "There is one more matter. Jarvan III previously mentioned that he intended to pardon all mages of Demacia. At that time, although it was opposed by all the officials and ended without resolution,
based on my observations, Jarvan III seems to have already begun exerting influence in secret. The Mageseekers' actions are becoming more and more restricted. If this continues, I am afraid the pardon decree will truly be implemented before long."
At this moment, his expression was somewhat grave.
After hearing this, Russell's eyes also sharpened slightly. "This matter does indeed need to be treated seriously. Demacia has opposed magic for so many years. How could that be changed because of one hasty decision?"
Tourt asked, "But from what I see, Jarvan III seems determined. It does not look like he will easily change his mind."
This time, Russell did not answer. He slowly drank the tea in his cup, his flickering eyes seeming to be deep in thought.
Those sitting across from him did not speak and disturb him.
The night talk continued.
An hour later, Tourt and the others left the old residence.
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