The Ascension of the Celestial Priest

33; Secrets & Consequences.

Meanwhile,

The moment the Carriage carrying the new cadets disappeared further down the road; Representative Malten stood under the afternoon sun for more than a few minutes before he traced his way back to the Stone doors, and then cast the same spell he used to open it.

The doors creaked wide open when a deluge of smoke slowly spilled from inside; It swiftly rolled into a mass that rose under the fading rays of sun to reveal a man seemingly made of shadows and darkness. Upon a clearer light, a black robe shone with luster and his handsome face with a head of full of cascading hair that fluttered in the airless wind was seen walking out of the Hall of Fire.

"The Dark Visage," Malten greeted.

"Representative Malten," A sultry voice answered back.

"I believe it went well." Malten inquired.

The Dark Visage's obscure eyes twinkled in response. "Everything went smoothly…with quite few surprises."

. "Of course," Malten half smiled, "This time the cadets sent were too exceptional for them to namelessly perish inside the Catacombs."

The Dark Visage chuckled. "Aren't you just apprehensive of the far-reaching consequences when it gets discovered a Descendant of the House of Fyre met an untimely death under your hands?"

Representative Malten quietly looked at him until the Dark Visage shook his head in defeat.

"And how was she?" he continued, "How would you gauge her potential?"

By this time, they slowly made their way across the familiar graves and tombstones. Representative Malten's bearing almost made him look like a mortal with a hint of deep wisdom and mischievousness in his eyes but the Dark Visage presence was very different. He radiated power and might, with his dark mana seemingly robbing the silent graveyard of its light.

"In terms of strength, she is the strongest amongst them. It seems the rumors of the Heritage from The House of Fyre weren't unfounded after all. The little Girl possessed quite the formidable spells and portrayed a higher proficiency of her Elemental Fire. If she were at my level, she would have proved to be a formidable opponent." He flicked his robe, materializing a long obsidian staff in his hands, with a pearl like orb perched on top.

"But In terms of potential... that lone priest caught my eye..."

"Oh!" Representative Malten was surprised. He was keenly aware of what the kind of injustice the priest had previously suffered and all he could hope for was for him to just safely pass his 3rd Qualifying Round. But who knew there was more to him than he could have guessed.

The Dark Visage went on, "At first his kit was nothing surprising, He was powerful and well rounded for a Priest from the famous cathedral of Light."

"Then what caught your eye?" he asked as they naturally slowed down the nearer they got to the ancient gates of the Graveyard of Sorrows.

"What caught my eye… was his Sense of battle." he said with a voice laced with an impressed tone. "His perception in the midst of war and danger is almost unparalleled for someone his age. He was the real reason why the whole of them even returned in one piece. Inadvertently it was also thanks to him that I didn't have to reveal my presence."

Malten clicked his tongue in admiration before he sighed. "Who could have guessed that such low parts of the Catacombs could have birthed the rat king?"

The Dark Visage shrugged, "The convergence of Tier 2 herb, dumb beast and most of all luck; it's enough for such a thing to occur. But it's only at the brink of death that their potential blossomed into a dazzling flower of blood. Their strength sang in those halls, and with the amalgamation of light, fire, swords and arrows, it offered quite an entertainment. It was a spectacle to behold..."

The Dark Visage yawned tiredly "This is the end of my day I suppose. It has taken quite of my mental fortitude to make sure my presence won't be discovered."

Representative Malten smiled in appreciation. "Then you rest, your cut will be sent to your sleeping quarters early in the morning tomorrow.”

The dark Visage smiled in response. "Then it was pleasure working with you."

He made as if he was about to leave before he remembered something. "But before I leave, there might be a few things you should be aware of." He said.

"What is it?" asked Malten, a little puzzled.

"One of the cadets was a half-elf who seemed to posses' quite some insight. She was the one who perceived the true nature of The Forsaken statue in the Catacombs."

Representative Malten froze before he shrugged it off. "That won't be a problem. Those children are smart enough than spread a thing carelessly. But just in case I will take care of it"

"I truly hope so." The Dark Visage said before his face got strange, "As for this…I don't know what to make of it, but that Priest could open a tome of The Divine Cathedral effortlessly."

Representative Malten exclaimed astonished, "Are you sure?"

He nodded without hesitation, "It's the truth I am afraid. I plainly witnessed him laying the book open twice in succession. Only the Rogue was beside of him at that moment but it seems he has a good head on his shoulders as he hasn't uttered a word to any of his teammates. The priest seemed profoundly clueless as he didn't realize the consequences of such an act."

Representative Malten stared at his eyes, and when he saw The Dark Visage wasn't kidding around he asked the most obvious question." How is that possible?"

The Dark Visage shook his head. "I have no idea…but this is surely a sign that he is marked to be different. I would keep an eye on him if I were you..." The Dark Visage whispered the last word as he silently dispersed into the shadows leaving Representative Malten with his thoughts.

After reaching a certain decision, he clapped his hands and another assistant materialized beside him.

"Send a crew into the Catacombs to clear all traces of what had happened today. Take a special note of any of the remains related to the divine cathedral. None of it should survive to see the light of the day."

After that, he went on." Take note of all of the collective prizes, including the approximate rewards calculated from the increased difficulty of their mission, the simple treasures they brought back and a bonus for doing a good job. I'm feeling generous so make sure the rewards are plentiful."

The assistant subtly bowed before he whisked off with his instructions.

"Just in case, I can only help by removing all of the evidence. Hopefully when you grow up, you will give me a decent surprise." Representative Malten smiled as he muttered to himself before he flicked his fingers, summoning another carriage that whisked him off, away from the Graveyard of Sorrows, laying an end and a beginning to all of the events and its ramification way ahead in future.