Gabriel observed the ring. If even Novius talked so highly of it, that meant the ring was definitely exceptional. He could also feel the strength from the ring.
It was certainly a tier above the Sword of Ulien. If Ulien was a powerful demigod, then the Demigod this ring originated from was most certainly a high tier Demigod, maybe even near the Peak.
So far, these were only his guesses since he had never heard of the Ice King to know more about it. It was his first time hearing that name.
"Who was the Ice King?" Gabriel asked Novius. Before knowing about the ring, he wanted to know more about the person that this ring came from... That was what could help him understand the true essence of the ring.
It was clear that the Ring was Cylix's gift to him... The most precious gift he could think of that he always kept with him.
"The Ice King... Even though I don't know much about him, from the few things I heard about him, he was very powerful. He was called the Wargod of the North. Another peculiar thing about him was that he wasn't very fond of the other Demigods."
Most of the history about the past was gone, erased, or hidden from the world. There were also many things that were forever lost, including many scriptures related to the Demigods. Even Cylix and Novius didn't have much information about that, despite being such high tier beings of their time.
Still, Novius didn't keep anything hidden, telling Gabriel everything he had managed to find out about the Ice King.
"Most of the high tier Demigods lived in the city of Gods in the middle plains, but the Ice King lived high in the freezing North. We also heard about there being a battle between the Ice King and the other Demigods from the center, but what happened in the battle... Your guess would be as good as mine."
"The ring was first discovered by ordinary humans, who didn't know its true worth. He sold the ring to a jeweler for a few silver coins. From there, the ring kept changing hands. All that time, the ring never fell in the hands of a mage, remaining under the radar."
"How can humans not know that it's a special ring? Did they not feel the cold?" Gabriel asked, slightly confused. As soon as he touched the ring, he felt a chilling cold in his entire hand. How could the humans think that it was an ordinary ring?
"The cold you felt is only because the ring is resisting you. With ordinary humans, the ring doesn't need to resist since it knows the ordinary humans can never bind it, but in the hands of the mages, it senses the risk of being bound. The cold that you feel is the warning of this ring."
"That's also why the humans didn't know how special it was. One day, a woman took a liking to the ring after seeing it on the fingers of another person. She bought it from the current owner at an exorbitant cost."
"The ring that you hold in your hands has way more significance than just being a Numen..."
Novius placed his hand in the small box, picking up something. It was a small portrait...
He opened the portrait, realizing what it was since he had seen it before. He placed the portrait before Gabriel.
In the portrait, Gabriel could see three people drawn... One was a woman who looked like in her early thirties, and the other was a man who looked slightly older.
In the middle, there was a young boy who was only fourteen years old. The similarities between the young boy and Cylix were uncanny. It was clear that the young man was Cylix when he was young. That meant the portrait... It belonged to his family.
In the portrait, Gabriel could see the ring of Ice King on the fingers of the Woman.
"The last person to buy that ring... She was none other than Cylix's mother. The ring wasn't just a treasure of his. It was also the last thing that he had received from his mother before his family was wiped out. That's why he kept that ring so safe."
"He gave that ring to you, passing his legacy. You should be able to bind it easily as well. That will tell you more about how this ring can be used since even I'm not sure about everything."
Gabriel initially thought that the ring was like a treasure from the Academy that the mages found from all around the world, but this was different. This was like a family heirloom for Cylix, which he passed on to Gabriel. A gift he was entrusted with.
Gabriel bit his thumb right away, making a binding formation on the beautiful ring with his blood. Even in this weakened condition, he didn't want to delay it.
Unsurprisingly, the ring binding was successful as well. As soon as the binding finished, Gabriel received more information from the ring, including its abilities that could be used. The ring had become a part of him now. Through that information, he was also able to decipher that the ring had similar spatial properties to the ring of Apophis.
It could also fly back to its owner through space, no matter how far away it was.
Gabriel wore the ring in his left hand where his Mark of Element of Light was with respect to Cylix, who was a mage of light. Gabriel now had one ring on each of his fingers.
"You can use this ring in the battle with me," Novius informed Gabriel. "I will consider it a part of your strength."
Gabriel didn't answer immediately. He just shook his head as he picked up the next scroll in the box.
"I won't use it in battle. The rules remain the same. I promise I will give you the freedom you are looking for, but I won't cheat for that... I'll use everything I have related to Darkness. I won't lose," he declared as he slowly opened the scroll, which was the last thing in the box that was left to him by Cylix.
When Gabriel opened the scroll, he didn't know what to expect. Was there another letter in the scroll? Was there a map? Or was there some secret skill in it?
It was only when he completely opened the scroll that he realized it was none of that. There was just something else in the scroll.
As soon as he opened the scroll, he went blank.
