Wizards from the Floating Orb were unlike the ones in the human lands outside, who were always under some monarch, and had to serve them to death.

  In the outer kingdoms, those with magic were divided into magicians, sorcerers, and wizards.

  According to their books, sorcerers were men and women who had bound themselves to dark forces, their very souls tethered to shadows in exchange for power that could make the heavens shudder.

  Magicians, by contrast, danced across the pages with a playful, fleeting presence, their names were in curling script as though even the parchment itself mocked their so-called "magic."

  Tricksters, it called them—clever, yes, but their illusions paled like candlelight against the blazing aura of the true human wizards and the dreadful might of the sorcerers.

  You could differentiate them if you hear the hushed laughter of the magicians, their deceptions sliding off them as easily as silk, while the sharp, commanding cries of the wizards and sorcerers rang out like thunder over a battlefield.

  The strongest in combat and magic were mostly chosen by the whole kingdom as elite guards of the king or queen, or sold to them.

  Due to their insatiable thirst for power, the humans outside Livingrings had continuous wars to expand their dominion, and show their might to others at the darkest moon or the brightest sun.

  Human wizards and sorcerers who lived in such a manner mostly died in wars protecting their kings or the elite.

  Yet, once they die, the leaders would look around their domains for new young sprouts to replace them. Or, they would train new ones and have them grow under their command, only to suffer the same fate as their predecessors.

  Further, even if wizards rarely appeared there and have weaker powers compared to those inside Livingrings, they gain more abilities by joining dark rituals.

  The royalty, nobility, and army would always call those with magic with them as ‘wizards’ due to the unfavorable image of sorcerers to the public.

  Even with these, the wizards inside Livingrings and the outer kingdoms had a bit of similarity; their strength grew with the passage of time.

  As the years unfolded, their wisdom deepened, and with it, the breadth of their arcane prowess expanded, encompassing realms of magic previously unknown to others who died young.

  The longest recorded wizard outside had lived to the age of at least 111, and this wizard was under the protection of the whole Nexxus Alliance. Some gossip from different scribes told of him being possessed by a devil Infernal Duke or a Demon Lord.

  The said wizard was Valthazar.

  Valthazar’s presence made the other leaders of the kingdoms recognize the Obsidian Cradle’s king as the leader of the Nexxus.

  In the Nexxus Alliance, the one with the strongest soldiers and magical powers among the 13 leaders, usually won the votes of the others to become their leader.

  They also evaluated other important factors which were not revealed to the public.

  Valthazar’s last accomplishment was ‘creating’ the last spell called the ‘Parade of the Seven Planets.’ It was revealed to the public that he made the spell, but he did not.

  This powerful spell managed to discover the Seal of Ganixar’s location, deep inside of Livingrings.

  Valthazar was able to show the immense magical aura of the seal, reaching to the far ends of the Kingdom of Livingrings until the Auroras multi-layer defense fields.

  It was like a living magical power that had its own breath and pulse, swirling the whole kingdom and everything inside it.

  It was shown to all the leaders of the Nexxus and their elite guards in a semi-translucent display, which appeared above the Obsidian Cradle while the whole magical circles shining in dark violet, coated the grounds and air of the thirteen lands.

  But, before being able to detect the exact location of the seal within Livingrings, Valthazar’s life was snuffed instantly in the midst of the spell he had casted.

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  All of the people of the 13 kingdoms of the Nexxus Alliance lost consciousness at the same time, since Valthazar borrowed at least two years of each person’s life from their whole lifespan. Even their energies were sapped out. Many got sick for weeks.

  Those outside these 13 kingdoms under the Nexxus saw the violet hue, the immense aura which silenced the citizens of the Nexxus Alliance, but at the same time, protected their kingdom from any entry while it lasted.

  Thus, this had saved the Nexxus from enemies who could have taken the chance of obliterating them fully during the Parade of the Seven Planets.

  However, this was a borrowed spell, the original user was one of the Twin Sons of the Devil, and was not meant to be used by others.

  The 13 leaders of the Nexxus, due to the long research of their wizards and ancestors, had come to this point.

  They dared use a dangerous ancient spell from the dead just to acquire more power, gambling their very souls for a fleeting glimpse of supremacy.

  However, before he perished, Valthazar did not see any signs that the Seal of Gaxinar was indeed sealing the Twin Sons of the Devil.

  The spell should have shown the twins’ dead bodies, or the left-over residues of their powers usually in dark energy form, like the residues made with pacts from the underworld.

  But the 13 leaders have not seen him project these, leading them to believe the seal had extinguished them completely over the years, or the powerful wizards had been manipulating the memories of historians for them to use the seal just for themselves.

  Due to this, since then, the Nexxus’ historians, researchers, scribes, and all related to magic and ancient records were closely monitored by their elite squads daily.

  Driven by an all-consuming hunger for unparalleled power, the Nexxus had reached this fateful juncture.

  Their followers were fervent and unyielding. They even offered their very lives as fuel for the cause, their sacrifices paving the way for the audacious conquest of the fabled Seal of Gaxinar—a relic steeped in legend and drenched in peril.

  ***

  {All apprentices and intermediate wizards, you are all being summoned to the Floating Orb.}

  The telepathic message was repeated by Qunara.

  “Did you…” Dunesther eyed Jenna upon receiving the message.

  “Yes, but, Dunesther this is too sudden.

  I think we can repair later what’s destroyed in the Magical Isles. And we are summoned to the Floating Orb instead of the Isles. Perhaps, the situation worsened…”

  Jenna could hardly believe what they were informed through the summoning.

  There were explosive attacks at the Magical Isles, and many of its invisible connections to the Floating Orb were cut off.

  They could not live in the Magical Isles without those, since these were used by the Floating Orb to give sustenance to the wizards living here with the humans.

  Thankfully, even if that was the case, they could still live with the humans for some time. This puzzled the two, there may be something they did not know happening outside.

  “What are you two talking about? I thought you would be helping us in Callona? Or did something happen?”

  General Vaelros glanced at the two wizards when he noticed they suddenly stopped moving, their drakes just remained on a specific spot.

  Their expressions did not look well. Thus, Vaelros supposed something must be up. The two had been secretive since the beginning after all.

  “General, we are being summoned to the Floating Orb.

  Parts of the Magical Isles were destroyed as well. Since we were originally created inside the Orb, we can’t live long here without all the powers inside the Magical Isles. And, for some reason the Divine Archmages want us there,” Dunesther explained.

  Vaelros and the Silver Legion noticed the two wizards constantly glancing at the Auroras and the direction of the Floating Orb, with worry on their faces.

  It was rare for this many holes to appear within a year in the Auroras.

  The multi-layer defense barriers had holes as wide as castles, some were a bit smaller than Faliamber.

  Everyone in Livingrings were alarmed to see these huge dark violet spots drenched in ominous energy across the shield of the kingdom.

  Even the isolated towns could see above them these marred blotches.

  “I see. Do what you must do. We will handle this on our own,” Vaelros replied.

  “But, General, aren’t there magic attacks in Callona? What if they are needed there?” One of the soldiers said.

  Vaelros remained silent since he had also considered that. However, he knew the wizards had their own higher ups as well.

  “Indeed. General Hovereth and his troops had a lot of injuries. Healing might be needed in Callona,” another soldier said.

  “We also want to head to Callona. However, something dire must be up for all of us to be summoned back to the Orb,” Jenna explained.

  “All wizards? Does that mean all wizards are currently here in all Livingrings?” one of the soldiers inquired.

  *Valthazar - was one of strongest wizard of the Nexxus alliance

  *Parade of the Seven Planets - last spell casted by Valthazar that led to his death