Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

A forbidding silence descended upon the room.

For some reason, Elysande felt a cold chill run down her spine when she heard the name of this secret society. She couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"The Cult of Bones," she began. "I don't think I've ever heard of them."

"They wouldn't have been a secret society if you did," Daneli said with a slight scoff.

Elysande was silent for a long time, thinking of the right words to say. She looked at Adam and asked, "This cult you speak of, why do you think it's backing the Umbra Thieves?" Adam answered after some thought, "To be honest, we don't know for sure if the Cult of Bones is really backing the Umbra Thieves. At this point, it's just mere speculation."

"But this speculation must have a basis, yes?" she asked.

"We believe that the cult is secretly backing the Red Fists," Daneli said.

"The Red Fists?" Elysande's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that the organization that now lords over the Corvid Quarter?"

It was widely known that the Corvid Quarter had now fallen under the hands of this criminal organization.

But strangely enough, there hadn't been any reactions by the city's management.

Most believed it was due to the fact that there was a strange disease pervading the Corvid Quarter. Moreover, people from the other quarters never really cared about this district, to begin with.

However, few believed that there was more than met the eye.

No matter how discriminated the people of Corvid Quarter were, Ravenfell's management should have lent a helping hand and prevented the Red Fists from gaining control.

The fact that they didn't, meant that either the city management secretly wanted this outcome, or the Red Fists had someone very powerful that they didn't wish to go up against. Or both!

"Yes." Daneli nodded. "Around eight years ago, the Red Fists was just a motley crew of thugs and thieves. But they've risen up the ranks very quickly."

"And we believe this is because of the involvement of the Cult of Bones," Adam chimed in. "How did you reach that conclusion?" Elysande asked with furrowed eyebrows.

She needed to understand everything first and only then could she come to a decision. Adam and Daneli also didn't mind patiently explaining everything to her.

"The Cult of Bones consists of members who are necromancers or other practitioners of dark magic," said Daneli in a solemn tone.

"There has been a steady increase of such Magi practicing the dark arts within the Red Fists. What does that tell you?"

"What if it is just a coincidence?" Elysande countered.

"The Cult of Bones is also infamous for spreading diseases," Adam added.

Elysande's pupils constricted.

"Disease..." she muttered. "Just like the one in Corvid Quarter!"

"If the Cult of Bones can manage to increase the force of the Red Fists in just a few years, don't you think they can do so with the other criminal enterprises already existing within Ravenfell?" Adam asked.

"What's more, the Umbra Thieves was already a powerful organization to begin with," said Daneli. "So it's safe to assume that they have some form of connection with the Cult of Bones."

"And even if they don't," Adam added. "It doesn't hurt to be cautious."

Elysande remained silent for a long time, a deeply thoughtful expression enveloping her face. She then looked at the two young men before her and asked, "But this is only possible if the Cult of Bones is a criminal organization far more powerful than anything in Ravenfell."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to gather and support so many criminal enterprises under them."

Adam deeply looked at the lady and stated, "The Cult of Bones is a very powerful organization, its influence likely rivaling the Four Pillars of Acadia."

"What?!" Elysande was stunned. "If there was really such an organization in these lands, no matter how clandestine they were, I'm sure I would have heard of them!"

"You're right," said Daneli. "But that would only be the case for an organization that had their roots in Acadia."

"You mean to say..." Elysande's pupils constricted in shock.

"The Cult of Bones is a secret society originating from across the Galestine Ocean," said Adam.

He paused for a moment before solemnly adding, "From the Europa Continent!"

Elysande gasped in astonishment. "From... Europa Continent! But what do they want in Acadia?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," said Daneli as he reached out for a new goblet and poured himself some drink.

Right at that moment, Adam's voice echoed inside his mind through the spell Mind Whisper.

'We should divulge a little more to her. Otherwise, she won't believe us.'

Daneli glanced at him with a questioning look. 'Surely, you don't want to tell her that we're from the Brotherhood.'

'No we don't need to disclose the name, but that we're from an organization that is on equal grounds with the Cult of Bones.'

Daneli was hesitant about it. He replied with a mental transmission, 'I'm not sure about this.'

However, Adam persuaded him. 'From what I've learned from Elrick, the Brotherhood doesn't have a solid contact among the nobility in Ravenfell. If we play our cards right, the Brotherhood will have gained a valuable ally in the Flynn Family.'

Daneli's eyes lit up. He felt that with the friendly relationship that Adam and Elysande shared,

it wouldn't be so difficult to form an alliance with the latter's family.

Especially considering the Flynn Family was one of the seven families that made up Ravenfell's city council!

Thus, he glanced at Adam and nodded ever so slightly.

Elysande had, of course, already figured out that the two were conversing mentally, so she didn't disturb them. She simply glanced at Adam with a questioning look.

Adam took a deep breath and began, "The reason why we even know so much about the Cult of Bones is because, Daneli and I, belong to a secret order that is comparable to this evil cult." "What's it called?" Elysande asked flatly, not all that surprised by this revelation.

Adam shook his head. "Forgive me, I cannot tell you that. Not yet, at least."

He paused for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. Then, he continued, "The Cult of Bones and the organization that I'm part of have gone toe-to-toe against one another for

several decades now."

"However, their battles have mostly been restricted to Europa and Indus Continents. Only recently, did the cult set its attention toward Uriel Continent, specifically the Acadian

Empire."

"The local members of our organization have been tasked to root out the enemy and find their objective. Daneli and I have been tasked with everything that happens within Ravenfell."

In the past years, having had several dealings with the people from the Brotherhood, Adam had naturally gotten to know more about his mission.

He didn't mind revealing this to Elysande if it meant getting the Flynn Family as an ally.

Elysande was visibly taken aback. "You mean to say that this secret order that you're a part of

spans several continents?!"

Adam and Daneli nodded in reply.

Not for a moment did Elysande think that Adam was lying. She'd closely worked with him in the last seven years, dealing with the Umbra Thieves.

So she had an idea about what type of person Adam really was. Furthermore, if what he said was true, then a lot of things would begin to make sense to her.

For example, the skilled Rank 1 Magi he recruited while dealing with the Umbra Thieves in

their past missions.

Then, there was also the existence of his communication network that utilized Spirit World creatures. Such things could only be possible for extremely large organizations that had vast

resources.

Keeping all these things in mind, Elysande thought for a few moments before asking, "So

what are you suggesting?"

"That you become our ally," said Daneli. "With your family's help, we can take down the Umbra Thieves as well as the Red Fists."

"But what's in it for my Flynn Family?" Elysande asked, a calculative light flashing in her

eyes.

Daneli chuckled. "Lady Flynn, if a person such as myself is a member of this secret order, you can surely imagine just how grand the organization's influence is, no?"

That's right! Elysande thought to herself.

If the successor to one of the Four Great Clans of Baja High Forest is a part of this organization, then...

She couldn't even begin to imagine!

"Rest assured, this alliance will be mutually beneficial to both parties," Adam stated. "If you can arrange a meeting with your father, we can hammer out the rest of the details. What say

you?"

Elysande didn't have to think for a moment before agreeing. "Understood!"

The Twilight Brotherhood sent one person to do the job where an army couldn't go. They liked to operate behind the scenes, acting as political manipulators or information brokers. But one well-known method of their operations was they closely worked with commoners, merchants, and nobilties to aid their cause.

Thus, having the Flynn Family become a potential ally of the Twilight Brotherhood was certainly a great deal for Adam and Daneli.

"Now that that's out of the way," said Adam as he poured his friends some more wine.

"How did your mission at Silverhorde go?"

Elysande shook her head with slight disappointment. "Although we managed to bring back some live prisoners, nothing substantive was found."

"Don't worry about it," said Adam with a smile.

Elysande found this strange. "Why do you seem so happy about it?"

Adam chuckled. "Before coming here, I cast a little divination spell. I believe it's time we

make our move."

Daneli was slightly taken aback. "You're adept in the School of Divination?"

The School of Divination was different from the other Schools of Magic in that it required the

Magus to have a natural talent for it.

One couldn't just simply study diligently and expect to get better at it. That is why Daneli was

surprised.

Adam shrugged with a slight smirk. "A little."

"What did you divine?" Elysande asked curiously.

"You know, divination results are more often than not very vague. It is up to the Magus to

decipher it," said the raven-haired youth.

"So what did you see?" Elysande asked eagerly.

Adam's lips curled up into a cold smile.

"A snake getting caught in a trap!"