The Wizard World

"Green, what about you?" Hikari looked at Angele curiously. "Your potion concocting skills are better than mine. You can come join the institute if you want."

Angele shook his head. "I got my hands on one Elemental Hand badge. I’ll be heading to its location soon."

"Elemental Hand...Good choice! It’s one of the three strongest wizard organizations in the Tarry River area. Green, you’re a strong and talented wizard. Your future is bright." Hikari nodded. "We should keep in touch. We have come from the same place and we have survived all the challenges together. I’ll be there if you need my help."

"That’s why we’re here. We all have our own goals. I’m sure we’ll succeed in future. We should contact each other when necessary and help each other improve." Stigma smiled.

Reyline and Angele nodded their heads without saying anything.

"But..." Hikari hesitated for a second. "Do any of you know what happened to Morrisa? Why isn’t she here?"

"I know." Reyline opened his mouth. "She went to a remote area and was injured severely when she returned to the city. Her mentality level decreased a lot...and she spent a long time recovering in her home. I have heard that she’s getting married to a random wizard. I asked her to come to the meeting, but she declined my invitation."

The three wizards were surprised upon listening to him.

"Maybe it’s a better choice for her." Hikari stared at Angele and Stigma. "Even if she was not injured, she would not be able to advance to the next rank anytime soon and you two, I’m not going to ask what exactly happened in the White Mist Town."

Hikari knew that something happened to Stigma and Angele after leaving the White Mist Town. Stigma’s mentality level was increasing exponentially, and he was now much more confident than before.

Stigma remained silent for several seconds and asked, "When is Morrisa’s wedding?"

"Next week," Reyline responded in a light tone. "She invited us to attend the wedding as we’re still friends, but she doesn’t want us to talk too much with her fiancé. Morrisa lied about her actual situation. I think we should help her keep this secret."

"So we’re going, right?" Hikari wondered.

Angele and Stigma nodded their heads.

"Also, Stigma, just let us know if you need help with your family issues. We are friends. I’ll see what I can do," Hikari added in a light tone.

"Yeah." Reyline nodded slightly.

"Yeah, just talk to us." Angele looked at Stigma.

"Thank you. I’ll contact you when I really need your help." Stigma shook his head. "The strongest wizards in my family are the family head, my father, and the elders. They’re all rank 2 wizards. I’ll wait until I advance to rank 2." It seemed rank 2 wizards were not a big deal to him. "Alright, I need to leave now. Otherwise, my sister will be angry. We can contact each other through the signal obelisk."

"Sure."

Angele responded in a light tone.

"I’ll invite you to my family’s territory when the time comes." Stigma stood up chuckling, then left the café.

The three wizards knew that Stigma was going to take the leader’s position by force in the future and they decided to help.

"I’ll be leaving too." Hikari stood up. "The members of my guild are still..." A green light dot flashed on the back of her right hand before she could finish speaking.

Hikari shrugged. "Well, they’re sending me messages again." She tapped on the back of her glowing nail.

The message was transmitted to the three wizards’ ears through the energy particles.

"Master Hikari, where are you? We need to prepare for the testing phase of the potion. Please report back immediately. Otherwise, wizard Marian will question us again..."

Angele and Reyline chuckled after listening to the message.

"See, I’m not lying. The leader of the division is giving me a lot of pressure on the project I’m working on. I’m super busy nowadays." Hikari shook her head.

"Alright, don’t make them wait. I still want to talk to Reyline." Angele smiled.

"Master Hikari, are you talking with your friends? I apologize if I interrupted your conversation! I’m sorry!" Another message was sent to Hikari’s communication rune.

"I’m done. I’ll be there soon. Just stay at where you are right now," Hikari responded quickly.

She deactivated the communication rune and waved at the two male wizards that were still in their seats.

"See you later."

"Bye."

"Bye. Talk to you later."

Reyline and Angele said goodbye to Hikari.

They watched Hikari leave the café and disappear around the corner.

Angele and Reyline were the only two wizards left on the table.

Hikari’s glowing communication rune caught the attention of the customers and the owner. There were several teenagers staring at them and guessing who they were.

The place had now become rowdy as people were all chatting about what had just happened.

The owner of the shop was a bald old man. He asked two pretty waitresses to check on the two mysterious customers by the window.

"Masters, do you need something else?" The waitress on the left was around 18 years old and the one on the right was around 20 years old. They were wearing white short skirts and their voices were sweet. The two girls were young and attractive.

"Two cups of green tea." Reyline put down a silver coin which was engraved with an image of a long-haired old man.

The rough edge of the silver coin reflected the sunlight.

"Sure, I’ll bring the tea to you soon." The two waitresses picked up the two coins and returned to the counter, looking excited.

The other waiters and waitresses walked to the two girls and started asking questions. Their conversation made the place even noisier.

"Interesting. I thought wizards were not rare here..." Angele grabbed the cup and sipped some fruit coffee. It was sweet and sour; the aftertaste was a bit bitter.

"The coffee is a bit too sour for me." He put down the cup.

"Why did you choose Elemental Hand? That organization is not good enough for you. You should’ve chosen a larger one." Reyline looked at Angele.

"I made an agreement with someone." Angele pursed his lips. "Do you think we’ll all make it to rank 2?"

"The chances are high, I believe," Reyline responded quickly.

"I was thinking if we meet again after 50 years, will we still be the same people we are right now?" Angele pursed his lips into a smile.

"Hikari and I won’t change. I’m not sure about you and Stigma." Reyline leaned to the window and looked outside. "Just like Morrisa, no one can predict the future. We can only keep progressing and hope for the best."

"Can’t you be positive for once?" Angele shook his head. "Stigma will advance to rank 2 with no problem. Don’t ask me why. I just know."

"You’ll advance to rank 2 too." Reyline eyed Angele. "Everyone has their own secrets. You, me, Hikari, and Stigma all have secrets. Advancing to rank 2 and acquiring an advanced meditation technique should be my priority. A rank 2 wizard will be respected by the majority of large organizations in the central continent I believe."

"I understand. How’s your progression?" Angele nodded.

"I’m still preparing for the next step. I’m looking for a special energy circle that will help me advance to the next rank. I have decided to accept missions from the society and trade for the resources I need," Reyline responded in a low voice.

Angele did not say anything. He had checked with Henn before he came to the shop and he knew that Reyline was walking the same path as the other wizards. Reyline needed many resources to help him increase the mentality level so he could advance to the next rank.

That was what most of the wizards would do.

The wizards in other areas relied solely on the rare resources but the wizards in the central continent had clear directions and Reyline might have already found what he needed.

"Do you know which advanced meditation technique is the best for you? The Wizards’ Society is strong, but I don’t think they’ll give you the best technique they have." Angele inquired.

"I know what I should do but I need to finish all the challenges given by the society first. It will take me a while."

"You should be fine. Just think twice before you make any important decision." Angele knew that Reyline was talented. He was called the Perfect Wizard of the younger generation in Six Ring High Tower and an advanced meditation technique would help him to reach a whole different level.

They left the café together after finishing their conversation.

*************************

"Where’s my brother?"

Inside a white manor outside the city, a tired-looking girl wearing a red leather suit walked into the study. There was a complicated v-shaped pattern between her eyebrows.

The girl’s long black hair trailed over her shoulders. She held an emerald-tipped white wand in her right hand.

There was another pretty girl standing beside the bookshelf reading a thick book with golden edges on the cover. She was wearing a white silk shirt and a pair of tight blue jeans.

"Stigma is not here. He will study after he comes back." The girl in a white shirt shrugged.

"He’s never liked studying and meditating when he was young...but he’s a grown-up man now." The girl in red rubbed her temples and sighed. "He’ll never break the limit if he doesn’t put more time into it. I need to punish him when he comes back!"