"Then, would you be willing to become my family?"

  That question echoed again in Evelyn's mind.

  In her palm rested the Clockwork Doll, a gift filled with genuine sentiment, sending ripples across the frozen lake of her heart. Almost unconsciously, she gave the Clockwork Doll a gentle shake.

  Evelyn did not realize that this seemingly absent-minded motion was like lighting a beacon in the fog, guiding Ryan, who was trapped inside the Phantom City.

  "Can this really let him sense me?" she murmured, gazing at the Clockwork Doll with a faint frown.

  Ryan had once said that shaking the Clockwork Doll would trigger resonance within him, but to Evelyn, it had sounded more like one of his casual lies.

  One side of the Clockwork Doll bore the face of a cold, expressionless girl.

  "This really does look like me," Evelyn whispered, brushing her fingertips along the doll's cheek. Yet a strange tenderness welled up within her, an urge to protect that she could not explain.

  When she turned the Clockwork Doll over, the other side showed a wide-grinning boy, his bright eyes brimming with sunlight.

  "This is unmistakably him."

  Memories surged unbidden Ryan smiling as he held out freshly picked berries, calling her name cheerfully. The image overlapped with the doll's beaming face, making her heart skip a beat.

  Evelyn suddenly snapped back to herself, hastily placing the Clockwork Doll into her dimensional space, her ears burning red.

  "Evelyn, your heart is wavering!" she scolded herself harshly.

  She must not let a mere magic apprentice disturb her mind. Such distraction could halt her magical progress.

  The warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced once again by the chill of a Grand Magus. She swiftly chanted a flight incantation, her body transforming into a streak of blue light that vanished across the sky.

  ...

  Inside the Phantom City, Ryan grabbed Derrick's wrist and, trusting his instincts, charged toward a solid-looking wall. As they passed through, there was no resistance at all.

  Just as he had guessed, this illusory city's barrier could be bypassed using a corresponding magic token from the outside world.

  "Quick, follow me!" Ryan called, clearly sensing the magic pulse of the Clockwork Doll.

  Once they emerged from the wall, Ryan realized that the exit was cloaked by illusion magic.

  Had it not been for the resonance between his core and the Clockwork Doll, they would have been misled by the mirage and run toward a false gate instead.

  He exhaled in relief."Good thing we entered during the day. If it were nighttime, the illusion's power would've tripled we'd never have escaped."

  Once outside, Ryan pulled Derrick along, sprinting until the eerie city vanished beyond the horizon.

  He stopped, looked up at the sky, and shouted,"Evelyn! Thank you!"

  His voice was filled with sincere gratitude. Without that Clockwork Doll, they might have been trapped inside for who knew how long.

  As his words faded, the Phantom City in the distance began to blur, shrouded in mist, before completely dissolving into the air, leaving not even a trace of magic behind.

  "Mentor, who exactly is Evelyn?" Derrick finally asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

  Ever since they had entered the Phantom City, that name had lingered in his mind.

  Ryan knocked on his head and quickened his pace."Figure it out yourself, and keep up!"

  Derrick covered his head and gritted his teeth in pain, but in his heart, he made sure to remember the name Evelyn even more firmly.

  She must be someone from his mentor's past maybe even someone very important. Otherwise, why would his mentor keep saying her name along the way?

  The two continued their journey across the magic plains for half a day. The blazing noon sun scorched the land, and even the magic elements in the air seemed to grow restless.

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  Suddenly, Ryan's eyes sharpened. He pressed Derrick's head down with one hand."Watch out!"

  Almost at the same moment, a wind blade spell shot past above their heads so fast it was nearly invisible, slicing the rock behind them cleanly in half.

  "Who's there!" Ryan sprang to his feet, a sphere of glowing magic forming instantly in his palm, his expression filled with both fury and alarm. They had gone out of their way to avoid trade routes, yet someone had still managed to ambush them.

  From above came the sound of rustling robes. A middle-aged man in a cyan mage's robe descended slowly from the sky.

  His gaze was venomous, fixed on Ryan as though he wanted to tear him apart.

  "You little brat, you've run quite far," the man said, his voice heavy with suppressed rage."I've been looking for you for a long time."

  Ryan frowned as he looked at the man's robe. He had seen that outfit before it was the same uniform as one of the mage squads they had fought in the town. But this robe was far more ornate, clearly signifying a higher rank. He was undoubtedly a Voidmaster of the Void Spire.

  "Do I know you?" Ryan asked.

  "Of course you don't. But you killed my son!" the man suddenly roared, the magic elements around him surging violently.

  "That day in the town if that woman hadn't run so fast, I would've killed her first! Today, both of you will pay for my son's life!"

  Ryan's heart sank. So there were indeed consequences left behind. But he had used concealment magic to erase all traces how had this man tracked them down?

  He studied the middle-aged mage carefully and could clearly sense the swirling magical energy within him. He was a Third-tier Journeyman Mage.

  "Are you done talking?" Ryan said slowly as he drew the longsword from Derrick's waist. The weapon wasn't high-grade, but it would serve well enough for a live demonstration.

  The middle-aged man clapped his hands. After three sharp sounds, two figures shot out from the distant woods and landed behind him.

  They, too, wore cyan robes, though their magical presence was weaker they were both First-tier Journeyman Mages.

  "So you've brought two more people to die with you?" Ryan sneered.

  His Grimoire perfectly concealed his true magic level. In their eyes, Ryan was merely a young First-tier Journeyman Mage.

  If they knew his actual strength, they would have turned and fled long ago.

  "Arrogant brat!" the middle-aged man bellowed, raising his right hand as a sphere of green magical energy gathered in his palm.

  But though he assumed an attack stance, he made no move to strike, leaving even Derrick growing impatient.

  "Are you guys going to fight or not?" Derrick couldn't help but shout.

  "When adults are talking, kids should stay quiet!" Ryan knocked him on the head again.

  Derrick yelped, baring his teeth, then quickly covered his mouth and muttered softly,"I won't do it again."

  Ryan lifted his gaze toward the three attackers, noting that their caution was sharper than he had anticipated.

  If this had been a few days earlier, when he was still at the level of a First-tier Journeyman Mage, he might indeed have given them a chance to escape. But now, things were different.

  "Since you won't make the first move, I'll take the initiative!" Magic energy surged violently around Ryan's body.

  He tapped the ground lightly with his feet, his figure rising gracefully into the air like a bird in flight. The longsword in his hand blazed with searing flames as he charged straight toward the three mages.

  "Derrick, watch carefully!" Ryan called down to his apprentice below, deliberately slowing his movements. He wanted Derrick to observe the technique of combining magic with swordsmanship.

  Derrick immediately held his breath, staring wide-eyed at the sky, not daring to blink.

  "Form the magic array!" The middle-aged man had been prepared for this.

  That day in the border town, one of their fallen members had been a Ninth-tier Adept Mage. Although Ryan might not have killed him personally, caution demanded that he be ready for anything.

  The moment he saw Ryan take the offensive, he barked the order.

  "With just the three of you, what kind of decent magic array can you form?" Ryan's figure suddenly accelerated, a blur of magic currents trailing behind him.

  In an instant, several searing sword marks appeared on the three mages' cyan robes, with flames scorching dark burns across the fabric.

  Even though Ryan had intentionally suppressed his speed to let Derrick follow the motion of his strikes, the boy on the ground could still only make out a streak of light darting through the air he couldn't even trace the sword's path.

  "Wretch, die!" The three from Void Spire were not about to stand there as targets.

  Almost at the exact moment the sword marks appeared, they raised their hands in unison, blue magical runes glowing at their fingertips the distinctive spell formation of the Void Spire.

  The surrounding magic elements instantly became chaotic. Blue mist, almost alive, began seeping from their bodies, slowly spreading to envelop the entire area.

  This mist could weaken an enemy's magical perception while amplifying the caster's own spell power.

  Yet Ryan remained utterly calm. Floating in the midst of the mist, his sword hung loosely at his side as he silently watched the three figures shift positions and refine their formation.

  He was waiting waiting for the array to fully form so he could shatter it in one strike.

  Moments later, the blue mist solidified into a triangular formation, trapping Ryan squarely at its center.

  "The fool isn't even trying to dodge!" the Voidmaster laughed triumphantly, his eyes gleaming."The array is complete. Today, you'll die here!"

  "This is our Void Spire's Shadow Triad Array! A brat like you has no hope of resisting it!" another mage sneered, his tone dripping with arrogance.

  Ryan arched an eyebrow, a mocking smile curving his lips. His gaze on the three was one of pure disdain, as though he were watching three jesters perform."Impressive name, at least."

  "Kill him!" The Voidmaster's smile vanished in an instant.

  The blue mist of the triangular array suddenly contracted, and all three attackers lunged forward at once two wielding enchanted daggers, one brandishing a shadow staff striking from three directions simultaneously.

  At last, Ryan swung his sword. Flames surged violently along the blade, bursting forth with explosive heat.

  He had to admit, the so-called Shadow Triad Array did have some merit. Once activated, the trio's magical energy surged, and even their attack rhythm became more synchronized.

  Three sharp clangs rang out almost at the same time.

  The faces of the Void Spire mages changed drastically. None of them had expected Ryan's sword to move with such astonishing speed that a single longsword could block all three of their attacks at once!