As long as one knew how to navigate using the stars, the fourth course, which was a nighttime trek through a desert to get to an oasis exit checkpoint, was the most relaxing of all the courses. There was no one to bother you, it wasn't too hot or cold, and the desert was more arid and dry rock than endless sand dunes.

There was little vegetation, and the air was dry. There was an occasional cool breeze, as deserts tended to cool down once the sunset. The illusion did not have any predatory or poisonous animals in this course, so she was safe from dangerous fauna.

At most, she'd have to watch where she stepped as the ground was uneven and there were occasional dips and gullies she'd have to traverse over.

It was not the first time Nera had to go through such a landscape.

Her, Ash, and Henry's escape from Ashtar coincided with an unprecedented and wide-spread famine in the north of the country. The formerly lush farmlands had dried up and people were fleeing south. Anything that could be eaten or drunk on the way was quickly used up by the desperate migration.

Natural disasters could be catastrophic to a country, and a smart ruler would send people and resources to alleviate their people's critical situation as soon as possible. Of course, resources were food, money, and staff to escort, distribute, and provide healthcare for the displaced people.

The court of the Emperor was not so kind.

Had it not been for her animals, she never would have known that the region had been in such a crisis. No one spoke of the famine or the people it affected in court. Nera wasn't sure if ministers and local leaders were hiding it from the Emperor so as not to trouble him and then secretly try to deal with it themselves for benefits, or if the Emperor knew and simply didn't care.

Either scenario was, unfortunately, plausible.

Nera believed that one of the reasons that the search for her and Ash had been so short was that the Emperor and his court did not want to get involved with the famine crisis, as the search area, where she and Ash had disappeared, briefly overlapped with the drought stricken area. If his men were out there searching, they'd inevitably run into refugees fleeing the famine, which would demand assistance.

If none were given, the refugees could riot. In addition, if Ash was gone, there was an unobscured path to the throne for Prince Eskander.

It had been years since then, and Nera didn't understand why efforts had yet to be made on a nation-wide scale on resettling or assisting the refugees. By now, the famine, which was caused by severe drought, had should've passed. The lands were fertile again and it was a good time to put in place measures to limit the effects of future droughts, such as waterways, dams, and reservoirs.

However, her intelligence hadn't mentioned any such changes. The drought-stricken area remained sparsely populated. Much of its original population, which had fled, never returned. That was saying something, considering that most people would always dream of returning to their hometowns, where generations of their families lived and were buried.

She could only guess that it meant that their entire family had fled and resettled elsewhere comfortably, so they found no reason to go back, didn't want to risk going back and living through such an ordeal again, or the people who would've returned were long gone.

Nera took a deep breath and lowered her hand after calculating some angles based on the stars to go north, which was the direction where the oasis was.

The oasis didn't always look the same, but it was always in the same direction. She'd know when she saw it.

As she walked through the illusion-created desert, she remembered how she'd travel at night with the children. It was the coolest time to travel across the arid parts of Ashtar, and the time when there was the least human activity. Those who were fleeing would settle down for the night and ready themselves for any animal attacks or bandits.

During the day, when she had Ash hide and would bring Henry with her to find food, she would actually have Henry stay not too far away from where Ash was hidden, and then have predatory animals and deadly insects nearby to defend them. They would travel at night, so day was when they put most of their efforts into looking for food as it was easier to see.

She'd go off further under the guise of finding additional food, but it wasn't just to find food.

Nera went bandit hunting.

Though she no longer considered herself an Imperial Wife, she was still born and spent her formative years in Ashtar. She didn't want to see the most vulnerable of the country's citizens, who were already ignored by their government, to be terrorized by bandits and robbers who found opportunity in suffering.

From a pair of ragged folks who'd turned to a life of crime to a surprisingly large syndicate, Nera had systematically hunted down enemies and then gave their caches of food and water and other supplies to the refugees. She encouraged them to travel in large groups, even going as far as to secretly lead a few and select leaders from said groups, and give them direction on where to go.

This wasn't only where water and some food were, as indicated by birds flying overhead, but a place to settle. Usually, over the borders of Ashtar not far from West Wind Abbey and the territory that was being transferred over.

At such a time, people needed leadership and reassurance in order to have some semblance of order. It may have been strange that the leadership and reassurance came from a bald woman with her eyes covered, wearing worn clothing, and appearing alone in the wilderness, but the fact that she appeared to be someone who could easily be a victim, but beheaded bandits single handedly won the respect and fear of others.

Another reason for bandit hunting was for food and supplies. Bandits attacked refugees to take their supplies, so while foraging would bring some food, raiding a bandit den brought more food.

When she uncovered a bandit den, she only took as much food as was enough for her and her sons, then allowed refugees to take the rest, though during this time, they'd all lost significant weight, especially Ash, who had always been a bit chubby.

She didn't know why he'd gotten so skinny so quickly. There were days she didn't eat to ensure that they were fed enough. Against her instruction, Henry had fed Ash some of his meals. He was the eldest brother, he'd tell Nera. He had to take care of his little brother. Nera couldn't stop him and found that it seemed to give him some stability after their ordeal.

The sense of responsibility over Ash allowed Henry to feel as if he had some control and could offer protection, as opposed to feeling helpless considering their situation.

Henry had always been a very responsible older brother. Usually gentle, but firm when needed. All his siblings respected him, even the somewhat stubborn Varellian. With each brother that died in front of him, and the growing certainty that his father favored one child at the expense of the others, Henry must've been frustrated and had nowhere to relieve his frustration.

Thus, there were a few times when she'd allowed him to assist her in freeing bandits from the shackles of life. She didn't tell him she was doing it on purpose, as she was afraid he'd focus more on bandit hunting than escaping. However, aside from being good fight practice, it gave Henry, then a young teen, some catharsis.

Fighting evil by daylight also helped relieve some of her own stress. As far as she was concerned, there was already too much corruption and injustice in Ashtar. She should do her part while they were fleeing.

By the time they reached the area a few days away from the Ashtar border, and Soraya found them, Ash had lost much of his beloved baby fat. She'd been so distressed, as they'd reached an area with more food to forage, but he didn't seem to be regaining weight. Later, she found out that because Ash had so much magic ability, he needed to eat more than others.

This was never noticed, as they always had more than enough to eat in the palace. Ash always had snacks, and his siblings and aunts liked to feed him.

In addition, Ash had started to hide food in their bags. Henry had thought that it was her who was putting food in his bag, and she thought that it was him putting food in hers despite her telling him to eat all his food. It was when they were with Soraya that Nera caught Ash putting dried meat he was supposed to eat for dinner into her bag.

At that point, they had food they didn't need to forage for, but Ash had continued to try to secretly give them food. He was only four, going on five. He was just a child. It broke her heart, and she felt she'd failed as a mother.

She wanted to leave as quietly as possible so as not to throw the entire kingdom into chaos and endanger the people they cared about. Perhaps she should've just killed the Emperor and became a tyrant. It would've been a bloody mess, but then her son might not have started hiding food.

All she could do was try to stabilize their lives and ensure that they'd never go hungry. She didn't want her children to want for anything.

She dragged them through East and West Iveria setting up teahouses and creating a trade empire. They'd traveled with teachers and instructors to keep up their education. Once they earned enough money to, they'd go and open a new store, until they began to open several at a time.

It was only when they found Effie that Nera decided that they should settle somewhere. Her sons had at least started with a stable environment; Effie would benefit from that too, especially being so small.

After some deliberation, she went to seek citizenship for her and her family at Carthage Harbor. They already had a Snake, Scarab, and Sons there, as well as a decent amount of surrounding property, but she chose it because it was in the center of two continents and gave her access to several prominent trade routes and shipping lanes that would be crucial to their business.

However, citizenship into the Federation was by parentage, marriage, sponsorship, or earned by merit in service to one of the cities. Nera offered to enter several events for an Invitational. If she won a platinum ring in at least one, she and her family would be given citizenship.

She won every single event, which gained a lot of attention for her family.

The Atractas family became well known in the Federation for their trade and shipping, as well as their iconic teahouses brandishing the snake and scarab symbol. Nera even joined the Merchant High Council for some time, and continued to take part in the Invitational, gaining fame for their family.

Henry participated a few times, earning him a lot of attention, including many families inquiring about his marriage arrangements, if any. Nera had made it clear that the decision was up to her son and she trusted his judgment on the matter.

Ash was quite social and often performed at the local Lunapsar Cultural Center events. There were plenty of Lunapsar in Carthage Harbor, but Nera dared to say that her son was the best looking. His birth father was a terrible person, but not an ugly one.

None of Emperor Keirsas' children were bad looking. In fact, Nera would argue that none of them were plain in any way. Their mothers were all beauties. Except from Saphira who had an early engagement, though they were all political marriages of some caliber, the clans had selected the most beautiful and refined daughter to send to the Emperor.

There was no one in the Court of Imperial Wives who was not attractive.

Nera pursed her lips. She had not seen Prince Eskander much when he was a child, as the Emperor kept him close, as if fearing that if he went to live in the Court of Imperial Wives like the rest of his children, Prince Eskander would be targeted.

He wouldn't be wrong for feeling that way. The animosity was there, though not to the extent that he feared. First of all, Prince Eskander had appeared after 'years of searching.' His mother was dead and all he had to identify himself was a letter.

A letter. Nera and the others had rolled their eyes. It was not only cliched, but flimsy. A letter could be falsified easily.

Yet, the Emperor had believed it because he wanted to believe it. He was desperate to believe that Prince Eskander was his child with his beloved, who had, for some reason, run away while pregnant with his child.

This was not a theater performance. At the time, the Emperor had just married Saphira, but everyone expected him to marry his lover who he'd openly been with while engaged. Saphira had no family to support her. She could not use magic. All she had was respect and reverence passed down because she was a Traceras.

In addition, Saphira saw her marriage as a job. She married because of an agreement, not because of love. She would not feel threatened by and therefore, harm the Emperor's lover. In fact, Issah, Varellian's mother, had joined two months after the Emperor married Saphira and the two remained close to that day.

Nera knew this because Issah let Saphira manage Varellian's marriage.

The Emperor's lover would've been the favorite, too. She'd have the strongest backing. There was no reason for her to leave. Was she afraid? Did she want to gain the Emperor's sympathy? Was it in protest of the Emperor having other women?

Whatever the reason, her disappearance only increased the Emperor's obsession with her to the point that when a random child was found claiming to be his son, he believed it without question.

But was Prince Eskander really the Emperor's son? Of course, the court was doubtful. When a bloodright array was done, it showed that the two were indeed related by blood. However, that was all it could confirm. For all they knew, they could be cousins, half-brothers, or uncle and nephew.

What was needed was for Prince Eskander to be confirmed by the holy fire. The Emperor had put this off for ages on purpose, and everyone knew it. He claimed to be confident, but his refusal to pray for the holy fire to confirm their relationship was telling. By the time he agreed, which was several years after Nera and her sons left, the holy fire of the eternal flame had weakened and could not respond.

Nera imagined that he must have been thrilled by this at first, not realizing what a dying fire meant. That idiot.

As for whether or not she believed Prince Eskander was the Emperor's birth son, she didn't believe it.

Everything felt too suspicious. Nothing could really be confirmed outside of their claims. In addition, Prince Eskander didn't look like the Emperor.

Lunapsar blood was strong. It took generations to lose Lunapsar features, with hair and eyes the last to go. However, several human bloodlines also had features that were so dominant, they stayed for generations.

Enroshan's family's burgundy eyes were one.

The Emperor's family's lapis blue eyes with gold specs were another, along with their dark red hair. All of his children had varying shades of red hair and lapis eyes. The exception was Ash, who had prominent royal Lunapsar blood. Ash's 'red hair' was only visible when he grew it out enough and the tips would start to darken. He also inherited Nera's mercury, color shifting eyes.

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Prince Eskander had appeared almost washed out of those features. Granted, it could've been because of his half-Lunapsar mother, but he didn't have the Heidar lapis eyes.

He also didn't have any outstanding features. He was, for lack of a better term, rather plain-looking. He was young then and had yet to grow into his body, and he could've inherited his looks from his mother, but Nera couldn't shake the feeling that at best, he was a relative, but not a son.

Then again, it could've been because Nera supported Henry, so she had her own bias.

When Prince Eskander arrived, he was never formally introduced to the Court of Imperial Wives. They simply attended a banquet for him and were expected to acknowledge his birthright. It was an affront to the Imperial Wives, but there was nothing much they could do about it.

Regardless, an imperial child was an imperial child. They would've welcomed him because that was their duty.

Nera didn't want to hate him, after all, he was a child when he arrived, but that little bastard earned their ire quickly. He made it clear that he looked down on them, thought their children were inferior, and were all around arrogant and domineering, as if they owed him. The Emperor supported his disrespect, as well.

However, the children carefully cultivated in the Court of Imperial Wives were all outstanding in some way. Henry had long been considered the ideal crown prince. Upright, intelligent, and popular amongst the courtiers, he had a steady amount of support. The families of the Imperial Wives also supported him, as he was close to and valued his siblings.

Varellian was noble and firm, talented in arts and quick witted.

Arunsha had the makings of a general. Talented in sword and horseback riding, and soaking tactics like a sponge.

Laheran was brilliant in mathematics and loved building and making things. As a child, he'd earned praise from ministers for his improvements on various tools and structures.

Ash was just a toddler at the time, and they kept his magic hidden, but considering the older children, it was only a matter of time before he outshined the newcomer prince, as well.

The constant comparison must've irritated Prince Eskander. It wasn't his fault he didn't grow up in an environment where he could be nurtured. They were sympathetic to his plight of his mother dying while they were hiding away from the Emperor for some unnecessary and delusional reason. They even understood his resentment of them and their children. A child cannot help their circumstances, after all.

But that didn't mean he had to be a little monster about it with all the disrespect he showed them.

From what Ash and Henry told her about their encounter with him as an adult, she decided she still didn't like him. In fact, she disliked him almost to the point of hatred. How dare he masquerade as the last remaining member of the Lunapsar Royal Family? Her family had no such parasite.

Anyone who was anyone in the remnants of the Celestial Kingdom knew that the identities of surviving royals were kept secret by the Council of Elders. Only those who Nera wanted to know knew who they were.

Simply because common folk were ignorant, he thought he could take advantage of them. Wasn't he worried that they'd find him and punish him? Or did he not care because the Old Bastard gave him an inflated sense of confidence.

Nera sneered. She hoped she would run into him.

As she continued to walk across the arid ground, she raised her hand again to take a measure and confirm her direction.

She was still going north. Her eyes darted around, scanning as she listened for any sort of running water or wind going through plants, which would often grow around an oasis.

Her lips pulled into a frown. Nothing yet.

She'd been walking for some time; her mind mostly focused on finding fault in the Emperor and his favorite son to pass the time. However, she instinctively knew that she'd been walking for a long time. Longer than it should've been.

Nera narrowed her eyes. I should've seen the oasis by now. She stopped and looked around. This was unlike her. Did I walk past it?

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"What do you mean there is no oasis?" Prince Tae almost dropped the piece of finger food he was eating when Ash spoke up.

"I mean there is no magic text that has been written into the illusion to create an oasis," Ash said with a frown. He pointed out into the field with resentment. "In the beginning, all the magic text is on the desert and nighttime illusion. As the competitor passes through, the magic changes to change the illusion, giving the appearance of traveling through a scenario.

"I didn't realize it first because the others hadn't reached the oasis yet, but as they approached, the magic text began to change, signaling that the oasis was coming. Four of them that were completed have that magic text, but Momma's doesn't. Her dot has moved steadily in the right direction. She should've reached the oasis by now."

"Are you sure?" Henry asked as he rose to his feet. "If this is the case, then we need to inform event officials."

"Will they even listen to us?" Hana asked with bitterness in her voice. "They haven't been doing such a good job with all the incidents."

"I have a bigger concern," Ash said with a frown. "The oasis is the exit checkpoint."

He watched their faces go from concern to realization to anger.

"Auntie has no way to exit the illusion." Henry's voice was tight. His fists clenched at his sides.

His low voice was laced with fury, causing Effie to look away from her coloring with her friends. "Brother?" She called out and looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong with Momma?"

Not wanting to alarm her, Ash smiled and shook his head. "They're playing tricks on Momma again, but nothing we can't handle," he assured her. "Don't worry."

Effie narrowed her eyes, giving him a suspicious once over before nodding. "If you say so...."

Once Effie turned back on her coloring, the other adults looked at Ash.

"What's the plan?" Prince Tae asked. "Ideally, we should tell the officials."

"But what are the officials going to do?" Hana asked, motioning vaguely to the field. "Won't that bring us back to the same problem as before? They'd have to stop and reset the course, which could give saboteurs more chances."

"I'm more concerned that without an exit checkpoint, Auntie won't be able to leave the illusion," Henry said. He looked at Ash, who remained standing by the balcony and looking towards the field with a pensive expression. "Can she leave the illusion?"

Ash's lips were in a tight line. "She'd have to break the illusion, but Momma is not a mage. She can't see magic, nor can she sense it the way I can. It's not impossible, of course, but for a non-mage, it'll be difficult."

"How would she be able to break through?" Hana asked in a quiet voice.

"Energy surge. The illusions aren't built to withstand high levels of energy, as competitors don't use magic inside the illusion," Ash replied, narrowing his eyes. "Momma is a beast master; her abilities would be difficult to use since there are no living things inside the illusion that she can communicate with."

"Then, what energy can Nera use?" Prince Tae asked.

Both brothers hesitated. Hana didn't know, but Prince Tae knew about Nera's royal lineage. However, neither of them knew about the scythe that Lunapsar rulers could summon. If Nera really wanted to use it to collect energy and cause a surge, she could, but it would raise a lot of questions she wouldn't want to answer.

"If I know Auntie, she'll probably just wait for Ash to do something," Henry said, looking over.

Ash nodded. When it had to do with magic, his mother would look to him to take care of it as the most knowledgeable party. "In that case, let's first go through the orthodox method and notify the officials."

"What if they don't believe us?" Hana asked as she crinkled her eyes. "I don't want to be too suspicious, but I don't have the highest confidence in the officials after all that happened recently."

"And you're right to be suspicious," Henry agreed. He continued to look at Ash. "Do you still want to go to the officials?"

Ash nodded. "Yes. Just to make sure it's all properly recorded." The Invitational was an important event for the Federation of Merchant cities, so meticulous records were of it were kept. Not just of the events, but everything, including preparations, guest logistics, and economic impact. "But I won't go alone."

"You want us to come with you?" Prince Tae asked.

Ash shook his head. "No, I need unaffiliated mages to verify my claim. They know who I am here. They'll think I'm trying to interfere."

"You are interfering," Henry said, deadpan.

"You know what I mean!" Ash shot him a glare. Henry grinned a bit, but nodded.

"Do you know anyone here who can verify your claim?" he asked.

Hana nodded. "And in such a short period of time. Auntie can't be stuck there waiting forever."

"Give me a few minutes," Ash said as he made his way to the door. He patted Henry's shoulder as he passed. "I know some people."

As he shuffled out of the room, Henry squinted. Prince Tae looked at Henry with some uncertainty. "Does he really know some people?"

"He knows many people," Henry replied. "But whether or not they'd be able to help…."

"You need to have more faith in him," Hana said, advocating for Ash. "Ash knows who can help him. He's not going to ask any random mage to assist him in something like this."

Henry still couldn't help but feel concerned. He looked back at the field. Aside from Nera, there were only two other people left in the fourth course, and from their trackers, they were lost. Nera's tracker had stopped moving.

"I think Auntie knows," he said in a low voice. Nera had gone through that course multiple times and knew how much time it would take to get to the oasis. She must've noticed something was wrong at this point.

Hana let out a low grumble. She raised her arms and pressed against the sides of her head. "This is going to negatively affect her time!"

Prince Tae raised a brow. "You're not concerned that she's trapped?"

Hana clicked her tongue and almost looked at him as if he were a fool. "Ash will get Auntie out. That is a certainty. Whether he gets help to have the officials pause and correct the course, or he breaks it himself, Auntie will get out."

"And when it's discovered that there was an issue with the course, Carthage Harbor will not sit still," Henry said as he closed his arms.

Hana let out a small grumble. "The Federation should re-consider its contracts with the Magic Tower if they are allowing this to happen. They can't even control their mages."

"I only hope that Ash can find people to advocate for him so the officials will listen," Prince Tae said.

"You guys worry too much," Effie said from the soft rug where she was laying with the other children. "If it involves Second Brother, then he'll take care of it. There is no better mage in the world than him!"

Henry smiled a bit, warmed by the pride and trust Effie had in Ash. He took a deep breath and returned to his seat. "She's right," he said, trying to convince himself as well as the others. "If it has to do with magic, Ash will find a way soon."

Soon came sooner than he expected. He thought it would take at least an hour, as Ash must've needed to run around, but in fifteen minutes someone came. A knock came from the door and Henry and the others looked towards it. "Enter," Prince Tae said from his seat. The door opened just enough for one of the Atractas family guards to appear.

"Young Master, Your Highness, Miss Nobuya, the Second Young Master has gathered mages to file a complaint with the officials. He said that you may come and-"

"I'll go!" There was a spark of excitement in Hana's eyes as she stood up and made a beeline to the door. Henry rolled his eyes. It seemed she was intent on watching the drama unfold.

"Henry, I'll stay here with the children and guards," Prince Tae told him, sounding a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be able to watch, as well.

Henry gave him a nod. "I'll let you know what happens." He passed Effie and touched her head. "Stay here and listen to His Highness."

"Yes, yes," Effie made a dismissing motion with her hand before she continued to trace the line art of her coloring book. "We'll be good."

He gave his sister, who didn't seem interested in the event's problems, a somewhat concerned look. As he passed a guard, he gave him a firm nod. "Make sure to keep an eye on her."

"Yes, Young Master."

Henry then walked down the stairs behind the special guest viewing suites. The guard and Hana were waiting for him at the bottom, with Hana craning her neck towards where the officials and judges for the event were seated. When Henry reached them, he followed her gaze and saw Ash standing there with five other people he assumed were mages.

Several of them were standing beside Ash, but Ash wasn't the one who was speaking to the officials. Instead, it was an older mage dressed in East Iverian casual clothing, who was frowning.

In fact, all the mages Ash had gathered did not look pleased.

"Any mage who can read magic text can verify that the array written out for the fourth course illusion is lacking the script for an oasis in the fourth lane," the woman with graying hair told the officials. "The fourth lane has the competitor from Carthage Harbor. I am from Dareisol. I have no reason to advocate for a competing city."

"Madam, the course is almost concluded. Most of the competitors are already in the fifth course," a tall, thin man wearing an official's uniform said. "To pause the event now would require competitors to restart. Isn't that unfair?"

"What is unfair is that up until now, lane four's illusion is lacking an exit checkpoint," a burly man with a bald head stepped forward and loomed over the judges. A jagged scar over his right eye made him look more like a robber than a mage. He pointed towards the field with a thick arm and scowled. "Are you planning to trap a competitor in the illusion to rig the competition? Tell me, who's paying you to do this?"

Several heavy gasps were heard as the accusation was spoken so loudly, that nearby audience members turned their heads and began to pay attention to what was happening at the table.

The judges and officials looked around. Another official stepped up and held out his hands to try to calm the mages. "There is a misunderstand- "

"No, there is a mistake," the woman who had spoken first said in a curt voice, cutting them off. "And it must be rectified! The Invitational is well known for its strict event guidelines and code. This event is not up to code!"

"Why were the illusions not given a second review?" another man asked. "Mistakes like this can cause accidents."

"Speaking of accidents, what's going to happen now?" the bald mage demanded in a booming voice that seemed to attract attention with every word he spoke. "Lane four's illusion does not have an exit checkpoint! How is the competitor supposed to exit the illusion?"

"Trapping an individual in an illusion is a violation of both Federation law and, in this circumstance, an act of negligence that can be fined according to Magic Tower rules and policy!" a short woman told them before they could defend themselves.

Ash stood on the tips of his toes to speak over the crowd. "I want to file a formal complaint and investigation!"

Immediately, the mages he'd gathered pushed forward and began demanding that something must be done at once.

Henry made his way over to try to get close to his brother, who was adding fuel to the fire by shouting that the officials either pause the event to fix the erroneous illusion and get the competitor out, or remove the accumulated time within the illusion off the final timed score of the competitor.

The later would not affect the participation of the other competitors, so to Henry, it was an agreeable way out. However, from what he could hear, the officials were denying the mages.

The commotion drew the attention of several purple-robed Magic Tower mages, who were suddenly bombarded with questions and accusations of negligence and fixing the event.

The Magic Tower mages began to argue, but were shouted back by the mages Ash had gathered.

Henry raised a brow. Who were those mages and how did Ash know them?

"Grandmadam Mage Madeline de Leone, former head of the Dareisol Imperial Mages," Ash said as he leaned towards his brother and whispered. "She retired last year. The younger man is Antoine de Leone, her grandson and current magic instructor at Dareisol's Imperial College of Magic."

Henry's eyes flashed towards his brother, and he held back his impressed expression. He had a feeling Ash had brought important people. "Who's the bald guy?"

"Grandmaster Mage Darius Helgorn, Chief Mage Ambassador to the Dragon Continent from the Federation of Merchant Cities. He lives in Orm Point," Ash whispered. He pointed to a petite woman with glasses and a terribly angry expression. "Ramy Surapham, head of the Invitational's Exhibition Committee, and that's Otem Nodu." He motioned to the thin, dark-skinned man well past his fifties, with glasses and a frown. "Executive Mage Officer of the Adventurer's Guild."

Henry slowly turned his head to look at his brother in disbelief. All of these people were not random mages Ash asked for help. He knew his brother would find suitable people to help in filing the complaint, but these were all people with high statuses in the magic community outside the Magic Tower. "How do you know all these people?"

Ash gave him a slight shrug. "It shouldn't be surprising. They all want to know me."

His brother's arrogance was annoying.

"There isn't anything we can do at this point!" one official finally made the call. "We can only allow the other competitors to complete the illusions first before pausing the illusion and fixing the array to get the competitor out."

"I trust that this extraction will be done carefully," Grandmadam de Leon said in a scathing voice. "The slightest error in changing the array with a person still inside an illusion could severely harm them."

"Grandmadam, let me assure you, we'll put our best mages on the task," one of the purple-clad mages replied.

"How do we know your best mages are good enough?" Mage Ramy's voice came from behind the line of taller people. "The competitor is a Federation citizen, so a mage from the Federation should be one to extract her to ensure her safety."

The Magic Tower mages exchanged glances. Henry sneered. Did they think only they could do it?

Hana clicked her tongue once more. "I bet Ash can do it."

"I'm afraid the magic text used for the illusions is very complex," one mage told them. "It would be best if a mage who is familiar with the illusion and its layers of arrays, grids, and magic code does the extraction."

Ash rolled his eyes. "What complexity? You used a reoccurring layer of statement code on top of a base array that hasn't changed since I first saw the obstacle course years ago. All the Magic Tower does is slightly edit a pre-existing illusion each year. In order to extract the competitor, the illusion must be paused with a magic code to stop the flow of illusion movement, then a minor array code for an exit checkpoint can be inserted by integrating a spell into the base array."

Henry swore his brother would've ended his statement with 'it's so easy, a child could do it.' A child being a prodigy like Ash.

After Ash revealed their illusion 'secrets,' the Magic Tower mages flushed and shot him a glare. The leader of the group looked at him incredulously.

"And who are you?" he asked. "I recognize the rest of our highly respected guest mages here, but I don't recognize you."

His voice was laced with disgust, earning him a look of even more anger from the mages who knew Ash. Several of them stepped aside, allowing Ash to come forward.

Henry watched his little brother's face darken and become serious as he stepped towards the Magic Tower mages.

"Have you been at the Magic Tower long?" Ash asked in a low, almost mocking voice.

He was met with a sneer. "Longer than you've been alive, boy. How old are you?"

"Age doesn't matter," Ash replied, his voice cold and distant. "You may not recognize my face, but I'm sure you'll recognize my name. I'm Ash Atractas." He pointed towards the field without taking his eyes off the mage. Henry caught the older man's eye twitch at his brother's name. "And the competitor you've trapped is my mother." He leaned forward, radiating an oppressive energy that Henry wasn't sure was magic or not. All he saw was Ash's mercury eyes begin to flash. "And if my mother is harmed, in any way, none of the mages involved will leave this site the way they came."

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