"Hold on to me!" Ember shouted and immediately grab the collar of Aster who nearly fall from the phoenix.
Aster felt that his soul is about to leave him at that moment. Luckily her sister grabbed him up or else he would surely become a meat paste when he hit the ground.
Ember started to release a dense amount of energy and started to transmit it to the phoenix.g
At that moment, the purple flame that covers the phoenix started to combust wildly. Then phoenix screeched loudly and started to fly in incredible speed leaving the Arcane Knights far behind them.
"Damn it. They are too fast." The scar-faced Arcane knight bared his teeth in anger.
He is one of the Grand Arcane Knight of the city and also the subordinate of Leonard.
Although he was as strong as Leonard and Ember, his flight ability is nothing compared to a flying beast like a phoenix.
"There's nothing to worry about. Thy can't hide from us as long as I'm." Then a girl with a pair of wings appeared behind them.
"Lady Alice!" the Arcane knights bowed down in respect towards Alice. She was after all the daughter of their commander.
Alice ignored them and looked towards the direction of Aster. She curled her lips but her eyes showed malice and hatred.
---
Ember consumed a few low-quality energy restoration potions while transmitting magic energy to phoenix for hours. It was already dawn when the phoenix started to slow down.
Ember was terribly exhausted. If it is not for her strong will and spirit, she would have fallen asleep hours ago.
"Sister Ember, we should go down and rest first. We are already in Devil's Mountain Ranges. The Devil's Abyss should be around thirty to fifty kilometers from here." Aster suggested. Ember and the phoenix are greatly exhausted. If they fall asleep while in the sky, it would spell them their doom.
Ember nodded in agreement and commanded the phoenix to land. She was already in her limits. Hiding was the best possible she could make for now.
Devil's Mountain Ranges are covered with deep green forests. Usually, this kind of environment is the favorite place for monsters to dwell and hide.
But these mountain ranges are different. No monster existed in this place. There's only a deafening silence which makes it eerie and dangerous.
The phoenix landed in the deepest part of the forest. This place was full of tall trees which makes it a good hiding and resting place.
But before could Aster and Ember got down, the phoenix started to screech in panic. It opened its wings and started to fly away. Luckily, Aster and Ember got down from it.
"I should have expected this to happen." Aster thought and carried Ember beside the tree to rest.
This place doesn't allow any monster to stay even a purple-flame phoenix, which is known for its great strength.
"Aster, eat that stone and unlock your bloodline and energy path. I'll get some sleep first so I can only depend on y--" Before Ember could end her sentence, her eyes shut off and she fell asleep.
But Aster, who was just listening, showed an incredulous look.
"Really, I would have to eat another stone. Don't you think I will die in indigestion? Ah, forget it." Aster was slightly annoyed. But he can't do anything about it.
It was the key to unlock his magic powers and he just has to bear it for now. Aster looked at the stone and pop it in his mouth.
Then the hard stone he knew suddenly melted on his mouth and became unique energy that flowed all over his body. He feels much lighter and stronger than before. He also feels the changes in his magic seed and the energy path within him.
With a series of popping sound, the shackles that hold his bloodline and blocked his energy path suddenly disappeared.
"Wow, so this is magic power feels like. It feels like I have the power to rule the world!" Aster was ecstatic in gaining his magical power.
He looked at Ember and showed a thankful smile. He was grateful that he was saved by his sister or else he would not even experience his own magical power.
"Well, its time to see what kind of magic could an S-tier magic seed offers." Aster was filled with great expectations.
S-tier magic seeds are very rare in the empire. They are very powerful and have unique magic that is incomparable to anyone. All Knights who have this kind of magic seed are bound to be powerful.
Aster's father has this kind of magic seed which made him topped the ranks of Knight in the city at such a young age. If only he didn't die during the massive monster invasion a decade ago, he would be the current strongest Knight in the Arcane City of Ceres.
Aster delved deep inside his mind and started to visualize the magic seed in his chest.
Then he saw a brilliant red orb of light surrounded by countless halos. Compared before, it was grander and denser than before. He formed a hand using his spirit and held it to see what kind of magic it has.
Just like the Testing Orb he used before, the magic power should manifest in terms of a symbol or an object like a cyclone that Alice has.
But after a few minutes, the orb didn't manifest anything besides its ruby red glow. Aster was a little bit confused about why his seed didn't respond.
Subconsciously, he grasps the red ball of light tightly then it exploded into countless flickering lights.
These lights went out of his body and transformed into a short sword. This sword is just about two feet long with a blood-red blade. Its hilt is just fit to Aster's hands and unlike others, it does not have any crossguard.
Aster showed a complex expression about this.
"My S-tier magic seed is just an unusual short sword. I have expected more than this. Maybe it has a magic spell within this." Aster though and started to swing it on the large trees while exerting magic power within it.
The sword moved swiftly and cut the tree cleanly. But that it. There's no fireballs, water waves nor whatsoever spells. If there's something commendable in this sword, that is its sharpness and lightness.
After a few more hack and slash, the brows of Aster are started to twitch. There's also some veins that started to sprout in his forehead like a slithering snake.
"Damn it. What the hell is this? Is this really an S-tier magic seed. This is a big bullsh*t." Aster lost his patience and threw the sword towards the large tree nearby.
The short sword pierced through the tree unstop and hit the next two trees behind it. Aster saw this but he didn't take it and let it stabbed on the tree.
"It's very sharp. That's great but just a sword would not male me more powerful. Swords are, after all, is just an external object." Aster felt like he was scammed by his own magic seed.
He massaged his forehead and went beside his sister Ember to train by absorbing the magic energy around him. Since it was unknown when would his sister will wake up, it was better to train and level up while waiting.
When he was about to close his eyes, a glint flickered on his eyes. Then the short sword he just threw away appeared on his hand mysteriously.
Aster was quite surprised as he was sure that he didn't hold when he sat down. He swipes and holds the sword once again to inspect it but then it just suddenly broke into countless flickering lights before entering on his body.
At that moment, Aster clasped his head as he felt a sudden pain on his head. Then for some unknown reason, flashed of images and fragmented information appeared on his mind.
"Infinity... Sword... Spells. I can't understand at all. They are too blurred to understand. The sword should something called Infinity Sword. But the spells are like covered with fog." The pain subdued and Aster recovered instantly like it doesn't happen in the first place.
"Although I don't know what kinds of spell this sword has, I'm pretty sure that I will know them as I raise my level and gain greater strength." Aster clenched his fist with excitement. He is eager to see what the future holds for him.
Aster started closed his eyes while sitting in a cross leg position. He calmed his breathing and started to delve in his deep concentration.
Aster releases a calm and thin magic aura around his body. Then countless bubble-like energy from his environment started to appear and slowly fly towards his body These bubble energies are bright green like newly sprouted leaves. They are quite small but their number is inestimable.
The forest was full of nature-type origin energy and this energy supports the existence of this unusual forest. Aster is absorbing them all like a bottomless pit. His magical energy is soaring and his strength is increasing.
The sun was on it's highest peak when Aster opened his eyes. His eyes are sparkling like ruby and his skin is much smoother and lighter than before. He was completely brimming with magic energy which he found very comfortable and warm.
"Finally you're done. It's amazing how you reached level 2 in a single sitting. You should have a high absorption rate of nature-type origin." Ember is surprised how Aster just leveled up like that.
To normal people, leveling up is hard labor. They could meditate for weeks just to gain a single level. Although leveling through meditation could only possible until level 5, it is the fastest way than hunting low-level monsters.
"That should be the case." Aster nodded in agreement. He has a rare bloodline that has high magic compatibility with multiple types of magic. So basically, his talent in absorbing and using magic is far greater than normal people. This the strength of their family linage.
"We should better get going. I tried to call my phoenix but it does not respond at all. So we're gonna climb these mountains as fast as we could. We have spent too much time already. I have a bad feeling that they will find us soon." Ember said with knitted brows. She can't shake off the uncomfortable feeling since their escape from the city.
If the Arcane Knights are still chasing and finding them non-stop, they should be around a few kilometers from them. It is just a matter of time until they found their location.
Aster clenched his fist and showed an understanding look. He knew that he was not strong enough to clash them or even escape from them without the help of his sister. So for now, he could only suppress his anger until he was strong enough to take his revenge by his own hands.
"Endure for now Aster. With your great potential, you could be very powerful in the future. We should head where the map points us and see what Father left for us in that place." Ember tapped the shoulder of Aster before sprinting towards the Devil's Abyss.
Aster smiled and started to chase her. His body is stronger and faster than before. Despite the fact that he is far slower than Ember, his large stamina keeps him running at his full speed in a longer duration.
More than an hour has passed and yet they are still ten kilometers away to their destination. The steepness of the mountain and the dense forest hinders them greatly. Their consumption of energy if far greater than running in a clear and flat field.
"Sister Ember, we should rest a little bit. Just a short break will do." Aster was gasping for air. Running in this kind of terrain was a hellish experience for him.
"Okey then. Let's take a short break first. There will be no forest to hide around the Devil's Abyss so we need to find the exact place as soon as possible." Embed replied.
While Aster and Ember are taking their short rest, a sound of snapping branches were heard behind them.
"At last, I found you. You are very good at running." a female voice resonated and a person with blue robe appeared before them.