The mountain was enveloped in darkness, and a desolate wind swept across the ground. Sparks from the campfire rose like mirages. I stared at Rohakan, who didn't shy away from my gaze. 0

He called me his protégé, but that was no longer surprising. Deculein's past had been so intricately woven that these sudden connections felt both abrupt and inevitable. It seemed there were few named characters in the Empire without some tie to him.0

"Rohakan?" Epherene said, her voice trembling as she turned to him. "Ro-Rohakan? But that staff was made from World Tree fragments..."1

The staff, a cherished item crafted from World Tree branches by the archmage Demakan, was legendary, even featured in fairy tales. Demakan had shared the remaining fragments with his family. To Epherene and Sylvia, Rohakan’s staff was unmistakably one of those pieces. It certainly looked that way to me.0

"How did you manage to pass through the barrier? I crafted it with great care," Rohakan inquired, scratching his neck.0

Barrier magic varies by different categories. Expanding the space falls under support magic, while deceiving perception is categorized as enchantment. Rohakan's barrier was an enchantment, an area where I had built up immunity.0

"Such tricks no longer work," I stated.0

"... Oh? Tricks, you say?" Rohakan's eyes widened in surprise.0

I noticed Epherene and Sylvia standing near him, but Sylvia had disappeared.0

"I'm here," she said, her voice coming from behind me.1

"Come here, Epherene," I called.0

Rohakan seemed startled and asked, "Epherene? Are you Epherene Luna, from the Luna family?"0

"Sorry? D-do you know me?" Epherene asked, her voice shaky with uncertainty.0

"Of course, I do. Fifteen or ten...0