MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

"…Do I have the aptitude?"

Sitting on the steps that led up to their front porch, Veradine could not help but let out a sigh as she glanced at the cloudy sky.

"…I hope I do," she muttered after some time, recalling the expressions everyone had when the concoction finally changed color.

For a while, everyone looked at the cauldron with confusion, considering that the concoction losing its color was not among the list of colors Kelvin had said to Veradine.

Yet, once the shock brought about by the now colorless concoction began to fade away, a solemn look appeared on Kelvin's face as he turned to look at Veradine's parents.

Recalling the distraught look her parents had on their faces as they looked back at Kelvin, Veradine took in a deep breath as she hugged her knees.

"I don't know why Mom and Dad looked like that…" she murmured, forcing herself to think happy thoughts. "But I hope it's nothing bad."

"I hope… I have the aptitude."

…

Whoosh!

As he conjured a barrier around him, his wife, and Kelvin, Zakard had a pained look on his face as he glanced at his two unconscious sons.

"I've… made sure that they won't wake up for the next few hours," said Zakard, forcing himself to look calm as he took in a deep breath to compose himself.

"My apologies, good friend." Though the two in front of him tried their best to look calm, Kelvin knew that they were just one move away from snapping out. "What I am about to tell you two next truly needs a great level of secrecy."

"In fact, I would have to tamper with your sons' memories once this conversation is over," he continued, a pained look appearing on his face.

"Kelvin." At this point, Sera could not help but speak up, a hint of anger now on her face. "Did we do something to you in the past that causes you to be like this? Or is it because you've already ascended to the Middle Boundary that you've forgotten your roots?"

"That's not it!" Kelvin hastily shook his head as he began to explain himself. "If it were up to me, then I wouldn't have done any of this! I wouldn't have asked you to have your daughter go outside, nor would I ask you to do that to your sons!"

"…But I… I can't do anything about it." He sighed, looking at the two with a slightly pleading gaze. "After all, what happened sometime ago… is something the Grand Sage wants all of us Sages to keep an eye on."

When they first heard their good friend explain himself to them, both Zakard and Sera thought that he was just making up an excuse. In their eyes, what he was doing was clearly the actions a higher-ranking Sage would do to those of a lower rank than them.

However, when they heard the term 'Grand Sage' leave his mouth, the two could not help but turn solemn.

"Is that why you had us go this far?" asked Zakard, even though he already knew the answer to this question.

Kelvin nodded. "It's part of the protocol."

"The protocol…" muttered Sera in return as the gears in her head began to turn. "What… protocol is this for, exactly?"

"It's for our daughter's aptitude, my dear," replied Zakard, his tone a mix of bitterness, as well as acceptance. "The concoction turning colorless is something the Grand Sage asked us to keep an eye on, right?"

"Indeed." Kelvin nodded back. "Though none of us know of the meaning behind the concoction turning colorless, what we do know is that the Grand Sage wants all of us to report all sightings of it to him."

"Ah!" At that moment, Sera finally understood what was going on, recalling the knowledge she had learned back when she was still a fledgling Sage.

Yet, even though she now had a better idea of what would happen next, that still did not diminish the feeling of unease she felt.

"Does this mean you're taking our daughter away?" she asked, looking at Kelvin straight in the eye.

"I am not." Kelvin shook his head, allowing her to let out a faint sigh of relief. "However, what happens next can only be determined by the Grand Sage."

At those words, both Zakard and Sera remained silent, their minds already coming up with ideas in preparation for the worst-case scenario.

As for Kelvin, he gave the two a brief look before letting out a soft sigh.

Then, slightly distancing himself from the two, he conjured a soundproof barrier around himself as he went ahead and took out what looked to be a smartphone.

Infusing a bit of his mana into it, the phone slowly whirred to life as he proceeded to contact his superior through it.

'I hope the Grand Sage is in a good mood today,' thought Kelvin to himself as he soon heard the call connect to the other side.

"This is Celsus." A low yet sonorous voice came out of the phone. "What's the matter, Sage Kelvin? Want to transfer yourself to a capital city?"

"Perhaps in the future, but that's not why I called you today, Upper Sage Celsus," said Kelvin in return as he faintly shook his head. "Instead, I have news that I hope you can pass on to the Grand Sage."

As those words left his mouth, the man proceeded to introduce Veradine to Celsus, as well as how the concoction that determined her aptitude became colorless after her blood was put into it.

To no surprise, the other party's voice turned serious after hearing that. "The Lightless Sage Protocol, huh. Have you already determined how much of the concoction became colorless?"

"It's around 70%, sir," replied Kelvin. "Though, with how murky the concoction became after that, the exact value might be lower."

"Doesn't matter," said Celsus in return. "The fact that over half of the concoction has turned colorless is enough to deem it a priority."

"Say…" Just as Kelvin thought that their conversation was over, the man proceeded to ask him another question. "When the concoction lost color, did any other colors appear for a brief moment?"

"I… I'm not sure," replied Kelvin, awkwardly scratching his cheek. "At the time, I was keeping more of an eye for any hints of gold rather than any other color."

"Were there any other Sages watching it unfold?" asked Celsus. "Perhaps they might have noticed some other colors pop up the moment the concoction lost color."

"There were," answered the former, glancing at Zakard and Sera for a bit before returning his attention back to the voice. "Should I ask them first, or…?"

"Ask them what they saw," Celsus said to him. "And make sure every single detail is noted down."

"After all, I'll be sending all of that information to the Grand Sage later."

"Understood, sir," said Kelvin after a bit of silence.

Then, after exchanging a few more words with his superior, he ended the call, only to then look at the couple in front of him.

'I really hope the Grand Sage is in a good mood today,' thought Kelvin as he recalled what he saw back when he was looking at the cauldron.

Contrary to what he said to Celsus, Kelvin clearly recalled that five different colors had appeared within the concoction before disappearing.

Of course, he wasn't under any obligation to share any of that information.

Though it may not seem like it, he and a lot of Sages knew that the Grand Sage had come up with this protocol for a certain reason.

Sadly, even though they knew it had something to do with the results of the concoction, none of them knew what reason that was.

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