Heir of Synthesis: The World Mage

Chapter 78: Amulet

After seeing Priam receive that core, Luvinah’s expression changed. "Big Brother, I’ll be right back." She said and hurried away.

Priam and Rozeon looked at her back, confused, watching her leave.

At that moment, Priam remembered something important. He turned to Rozeon and, from inside his spatial ring, took out a box made of light-colored wood.

He opened the box, and inside were the 200 Yin and Yang Nature pills he had bought on planet Darknorth. The seller at the time had said they were made with herbs that only existed in that planet’s Infernal Forest.

"This... was made with the Infernal Yin and Yang Lily..." Rozeon murmured, with a thoughtful expression.

"Can you absorb them and nourish yourselves with them?"

Hearing that question, Rozeon turned to Priam, his eyes widening. "Yes... This is one of the best natural things that appears in the Infernal Forest. It’s very rare for us to find something like this. Just one of these pills has more nutrients than over 6 months of what we can gather weekly."

Priam smiled in relief, then closed the box and handed it directly to him.

"Great, this didn’t cost me much, so don’t get too emotional. Use this to properly feed the young ones over the next few years. That way, they can develop and become more powerful figures."

Rozeon was stunned by this gift, but he didn’t dare refuse. Now, they would not need to desperately risk leaving the hiding place when it was not safe. Besides, no one would starve for several years.

That middle-aged man had a serious expression. He wanted to reward Priam with something, but he really did not have much to offer.

Seeing his troubled look, Priam remembered something else.

"You have Magic Arts to control natural energy, correct?"

Rozeon nodded. "Yes, but they have no offensive power at all. Besides, only races with control over the energy of nature can use them. For Mages from common races who are not born with this, it is almost impossible to learn how to use it."

"Hmmm... it may not seem like it, because I didn’t inherit this. But my mother comes from another race that was allied with the Goddess, the Charming Elves... no, the old name of the race is Cursed Forest Elves. I heard they can use this, correct?"

"Indeed, they have a low-level ability to manipulate the energy of nature," Rozeon said in a surprised tone. Then he stared into Priam’s eyes.

"Even if you did not inherit this from your mother... if she has high purity in her lineage, you will still have a hidden affinity with the energy of nature. As a Mage, you have extremely high chances in the future, with a lot of effort, of being able to manipulate it."

Priam became excited. He had never heard of this before. Possibly because only high-level Mages from the Divine plane developed to the point of studying energies they were not born able to control easily.

But stopping to think about it, it made sense.

Not directly inheriting the raw magical power of his parents did not mean he was not their child. Their genetics and affinities still existed inside his body, and they could be awakened in the future, though it would not be anywhere close to what it could have been.

He spoke with a slight nod. "Could you give me some copies of the Magic Arts? If it’s not something secret or rude of me to ask, of course. Besides... can you explain more about my mother’s race to me?"

Rozeon agreed without hesitation. "I can give you the copies. As for the Cursed Forest Elves, only a few ancient records from the past exist. In those records, it only says that some of them could use natural power. I don’t have many more details." freёwebnovel.com

Priam snorted, but he had not expected much anyway.

Then, Rozeon wasted no time and took Priam to where the race kept those things.

...

Less than an hour later, Priam already had a copy of 6 common-class Magic Arts that used natural energy.

At that point, a little more than twenty-four hours had already passed since Priam arrived at that small and desolate hiding place of the Pristine Wild-Spirits. Enough time to understand what that place truly was... and how fragile it was too.

The most powerful ones there had a level lower than Priam, who was only at the first Rank. Fortunately, now they had gained new breathing room.

Even knowing that Luvinah had schemed for him to help her race, Priam did not care at all, because he had gained many times more in return too. And in the future, Priam would certainly take them away from that place.

Now, with the Pristine Core in hand, it was time to leave.

When he returned to the entrance, the dark-red vines slowly untangled, as if reluctant to let him go, revealing a narrow passage.

Behind Priam, a group of Pristine Wild-Spirits gathered in silence. Their multicolored eyes carried gratitude.

Luvinah was not present.

Priam frowned slightly, but said nothing. Maybe it was better to leave without farewells.

He only let out a short sigh, raised his hand in farewell, and turned to leave—

"Big Brother!"

The voice came filled with urgency.

Priam stopped at once.

Under everyone’s surprised gazes, Luvinah appeared running between the trees, stumbling slightly before regaining her balance. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, and her eyes shone with an almost desperate intensity.

She stopped in front of him, trying to catch her breath, as if she had run against time.

Without saying anything for a second, she raised her hands.

In her palms, there was a bracelet made of intertwined branches, adorned with small flowers and leaves that were still fresh.

"This... this is an amulet I made..." Her voice failed for an instant, but she continued, firm. "I used a gift from my father. The wood of this branch is special... it can grow and transform into protection if you provide the internal rune with a little Ether."

She took a small step forward.

"You can use it once per day... and create a very strong wooden barrier."

"..."

Priam fell silent.

For a brief moment, he only looked at that small, simple object... and then at her hands, still trembling slightly.

Without rushing, he reached out with both hands and received the bracelet. She handed it to him carefully, avoiding touching him.

The soft scent of flowers and living wood filled his senses.

Something inside him tightened.

"My father got this long before I was born. He was traveling through the mortal plane, looking for resources, when he saw a humanoid being attacked by powerful Beasts. He saved him and found out that the young man was the son of an Elder from a sect in the divine plane. The young man wanted to repay him, and said he could use this to find him in the divine plane... he said that because he couldn’t figure out what my father’s Race was at the time. If he had known, he wouldn’t have been crazy enough to offer him shelter."

Luvinah forced a smile, but her eyes could not hide what she was feeling.

"Big Brother will face many dangers to become stronger... this amulet will be useful to you one day," she said in a low voice. "I’ll pray every day to the Goddess... so that you survive and quickly become someone incredible."

Priam held the bracelet more tightly.

"Thank you. I’ll treasure this."

He said that while looking directly into her eyes.

It was enough.

Luvinah immediately lowered her head. Her fingers closed slightly, as if she wanted to hold onto something that was already leaving.

She bit her lower lip, hesitated... and then gathered her courage.

"Big Brother..." her voice came out low, almost uncertain. "In the future... will you really come back? Will you... come visit us?"

Priam sighed softly. "Yes. I’ll do my best."

The answer came, but not as firmly as before.

Luvinah quickly nodded, as if that was already enough for her.

Priam looked away.

That entire race was made of simple and pure people. There was no malice, no calculation... only survival and trust.

Any minimally decent person would hesitate before even thinking of harming them.

But the world... was not made of decent people.

Because there were so few of them in the world, the Mages could not understand them. If they had time to get to know them, they would know how wrong they were.

When a Pristine Core appeared, its owner was already dead. And those who bought them... never knew the evil they were fostering by buying it.

Priam cast one last look at the group in the background.

Murima. Rozeon. The others.

Everyone there... looking at him as if he were something important.

He raised his hand one last time.

And turned around.

As he left the hidden sanctuary, the dark-red vines slowly closed behind him, erasing the passage as if it had never existed.

In a few seconds, everything disappeared.

Silence.

That place was not only hidden by vines. There was a natural illusory power there, something that distorted perception and fooled the senses.

Priam stopped for a moment.

He concentrated Ether in his eyes and looked back.

Only then did he manage to notice... a slight distortion. An almost imperceptible flaw in that hiding place.

If he didn’t know it was there... he would never find it.

But someone stronger?

Someone attentive?

Someone searching?

"..."

Priam frowned slightly.

For an instant, a strange feeling passed through him.

As if something was not completely right.

But it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

He let the air out through his nose.

’I’m overthinking.’

If someone powerful were searching, they would have found it already.

After all... that place had been hidden for so long.

Priam looked away.

Then he began to walk off.

’I hope no one ever finds this place.’

This time, the thought brought no relief. But he did not stop. Nor did he look back.