Arcane Heir: History's Strongest Mage-Chapter 194: Feast (2)

The dinner was rather uneventful, not surprising since many of the students were dead tired from the matches they had participated in during the day. After all, while most had taken healing potions for any lingering injuries, they did not help with fatigue and spent stamina.

For that they would need to take a stamina potion—but the drawbacks for such items were not worth it compared to just having proper rest.

Michael and the others returned to their dorm, tired but in good spirits. Having made it through to the quarter finals, they only needed to win their next two matches before reaching the finals.

Of course since Melody and Michael were in the same bracket, they would face each other in the semi’s if they each won their first match.

"Are you confident?" Michael asked Melody seriously, dropping any pretenses. "Jakob is a strong opponent. If he catches you with a quick lightning spell at the start..." his voice trailed off.

"I’m confident." She replied without hesitation, not taking offense to the words. "I have enough control over my mana to saturate my muscles instantly. Even if he’s able to cast the lightning spell quickly, I’ll still beat him in speed."

Michael nodded. He didn’t doubt her abilities, but he couldn’t deny that he was a little worried about her. After seeing how proficient the guy was with combat magic, even he thought facing him would be a struggle.

"I guess I’m worried he still has a few hidden cards," he replied earnestly.

Melody scoffed lightly, "You should be worried about your own match, aren’t you facing Darcy Black? He’s arguably more dangerous than Jakob."

"Mmm, I’d say I’m wary more than worried. From what I saw in his matches, the guy is rather arrogant. He might even underestimate me and give me an opening to take him out early." Michael hummed with a small grin.

"Unlikely," Melody mused, rolling her eyes.

"What about you Rudy, are you nerv—" Michael stopped his words as his eyes settled on the sleeping figure of his friend. The guy was laying with his bulging belly exposed, his hand cradling it like a pregnant woman would hold their unborn child.

He chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "I guess it has been a long day," Michael conceded, letting out a yawn.

He bid goodnight to Melody before helping his friend to bed. It wouldn’t be good if the guy underperformed tomorrow because he’d slept uncomfortably the night before.

Once he placed the heavy Rudy on his bed, Michael walked over to his own bed and crept under the covers with exhaustion. He felt a wave of fatigue overcome him and soon his soft snores sounded out within the room.

Michael found himself moving through the forest, his mind in a half-conscious state. The light of the full moon filtered in through the trees, catching his eye.

He could feel the wind caressing his skin and the occasional tree branch whipping across his body, yet his mind was slow to catch up.

Where am I?

These three words floated in the forefront of his mind as he took in the surroundings. The forest was dark, apart from the moon’s light, making it difficult to find his bearings.

It was only when he tried to move his arms that he realized what was going on.

Another dream!? He cried inwardly.

Instead of fear and dread like the other times he’d been placed in this situation, Michael felt joy. Since he knew that his soul was able to peer into the past, he viewed the dreams now as a great opportunity.

His mind sobered in an instant at the prospect of uncovering another ancient secret on the level of the light elemental runes he’d witnessed in the previous dream.

As this occurred, the figure he was currently tied to suddenly stopped in place and waited, only the sound of their steady breathing audible in that moment. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Michael didn’t know who he was inhabiting, nor what the dream would involve—but he didn’t want to miss any details. He watched silently as his host scanned beyond the tree line, seeing a dark castle in the distance.

The castle was huge, its tall spires seemingly reaching up towards the heavens.

Huh?

Michael watched on in confusion, not understanding what was happening. He wasn’t sure since it was so far away, but the castle seemed awfully familiar.

Before he could confirm, the figure turned beside him where someone garbed in a hooded black robe was crouched down. The two exchanged hand signals rather than words, conveying some sort of hidden message to each other.

That black robe...

A whistle caught his attention from nearby, sounding just like a birdcall. It was followed by a few more from different areas of the forest.

Only when the host returned his attention back to the dark castle could Michael finally scrutinize it again once more. He froze, feeling his blood run cold.

That’s the academy I’m sure of it...

Though he had never seen it from such an angle and at such distance, the castle was unique enough that he would be able to spot the similarities after a decent look. The fact that they were in a forest likely meant he was currently in the eastern forest.

For a moment, Michael panicked. Were these people going to attack the academy? If so, he needed to warn the headmaster right away.

However, he pushed down the rising panic within his heart and calmed his nerves. The academy had been in existence for two-thousand years. Since his soul had only ever showed glimpses of the past, the chances of this happening right now was almost negligible.

As he thought to here, Michael began to relax.

At this moment, someone finally made a move, exiting from the treeline and walking over to a seemingly random position in the clearing. The black-robed individual retrieved his staff and drove it into the ground.

Then he put his hands out wide and began to chant, causing a violet magic circle to appear on the ground underneath his feet. Michael could feel the wind pick up, causing the foliage in his surroundings to rustle ominously.

Just what was happening?