Raze felt the energy within himself freeing from his body, and he soon found his mind traveling with that energy. The area around him was dark, black, and he was unable to see anything at all.
The energy then started to form, and slowly Raze was able to see around him. One of the first senses that came to him was his hearing.
"What is that, is it a specter of some kind?"
"A ghost, are you talking about a ghost, it might be something from one of the other mages. Are you sure you weren't followed? Whatever the case, we have to be ready!"
Both of the hooded figures stood close to each other, readying their magic. Darkness started to swirl around their hands, and they pointed it right at the figure that was starting to form.
They soon saw a hooded man, his face covered by dark shadows similar to theirs, but part of his white hair was starting to show through.
Still trying to get his bearings, Raze still wasn't really aware of what was in front of him and started to look at the dark, dimly lit place around him.
'Where am I?' Raze thought. 'This place feels a bit familiar, but it also doesn't feel like the Alterian I knew, at least not what I knew before going to Pagna.'
It took a while, but finally, Raze was gathering his senses. He felt present yet at the same time slightly distant. It almost felt like he was in a dream, but he was aware of everything and was clearly in full control of his body.
Just as explained, he could feel the mana burning by the moment, with just him being there, and that's when he could see the two in front of him.
"Mages!" Raze called out, surprised to see such people in a long time, but not just that, what was even stranger was the type of magic they were using. "You're using Dark Magic as well?"
Dark Magic was forbidden in Alterian, anyone who learned it was chased, hunted down, and executed. Raze imagined even more so after his misdoings with the magic. The only ones that knew how to use the magic were those that were already living a life where death was welcome.
Or those that needed it for a purpose and would hide the fact that they knew this type of magic to the grave.
"He saw us using our Dark Magic; we have no choice, get rid of him!" The man shouted.
In the current form Raze was in, mana was oozing from his body. Currently, many would be able to guess that he was at the 3-star level. Although there was a bit of panic in their voices, he could see that they had not calmed down, suggesting that they were at a higher level. When the man lifted up his arm, magic circles started to glow and form in the air, dark in color. It looked like quite the big spell was about to be cast.
'That was definitely above the three-star stage, and in Dark Magic as well. I haven't been away long, but I had never heard of users at this level, then again I was on the run a lot my whole life.'
Raze wasn't worried about dying since he knew an attack on his body would mean nothing, but it would use a large amount of his mana. After coming here, he didn't want to disappear straight away. Who knew if he would be able to make a new link or connection again, or if he did make it again, that he would end up in a place that was practically void of people.
'Seeing how the two of them use Dark Magic, this should work.'
Gathering his own Dark Magic around his hand, he soon pointed it toward the ground but not toward the two of them, but to the side instead.
"Dark Pulse!" Raze called out, and a beam of energy crashed into the ground, knocking up mostly dirt into the area.
The two covered their eyes, and the female hooded figure was readying to attack.
"No wait!" The man called out behind her. "Did you not see what that person just used? It was Dark Magic, Dark Magic! That means he's one of us."
The dust started to settle, and Raze stood still; he didn't gather his magic for another attack, and he had attacked to the side to try and show the two that he meant no harm.
If they both were learning Dark Magic, and he was really in Alterian, they couldn't have been in the best of situations.
"But... I've never seen this type of body before; mana is practically oozing out of him. He looks and feels a lot more like a ghost to me," the female explained.
The two of them stayed silent, and so did Raze for a bit. He was intending to show them that he truly meant no harm, and eventually, the man decided to speak up.
"I don't know how you found out about our meeting place, but you are a person who practices Dark Magic, correct?" The man asked.
"That is correct," Raze spoke. When speaking, his voice was a little on the quiet end. It was clear, and the others could understand him, but the last thing it sounded like was natural.
This current form that Raze was in, it wasn't one that he could just walk around and explore in, even if he had a large amount of mana.
"What I am currently right now is a little difficult to explain," Raze stated, not wanting to reveal too much from the get-go. He was also trying to judge just how much time he had left before his body disappeared.
He could feel that the Dark pulse from before had taken quite a bit of energy out of him.
"Is this Alterian? Are you two mages that practice Dark Magic as well?" Raze asked.
The two looked at each other, confused by the questions. If someone knew about the meeting place, then they assumed they would know about them. Why would someone ask if this was Alterian when it was an obvious answer?
"It looks like you need some guidance, Dark Spirit," the man called Raze.
Raze didn't think it was such a bad name, and since he had the appearance and his body was more like that of a spirit that could use Dark Magic.
"This is Alterian; you are correct... Are you not from here? Are you not a mage yourself? Is this perhaps some puppet that you are controlling from afar to meet us?"
They had a lot of questions, and Raze could tell that this could go on for a long time. But while in this position, he needed to get the information he needed as quickly as possible.n--In
"Dark Magic is forbidden in Alterian," Raze said, as if he was scolding his pupils. "Learning it will mean you will be chased down and hunted by the respective guilds. Why would you learn such a thing? Who are you?"
Since the man was willing to answer Raze's questions so far, he thought he would be now, and equally because the man had seen this 'Dark Spirit' use Dark Magic, he felt like there was a sense of trust.
"Of course you would know that, but it appears you do not know about our group. We are a group of Dark Magic users, a group who follows in the path of the Dark Magus!"
It seemed that Raze might have just figured out his 'connection' with these people.
