Sidney, shocked, stared at the white-bearded old man, "How are you here? Did you... did you follow me?"
"I wasn’t following you; I came for your teacher Marshall, who is hidden within your mind, Sidney," Dean Plank responded, slightly shaking his head as he stepped forward. "Remember, in the dean’s office, when you sought my help because Marshall betrayed his faith and proclaimed himself the Void Lord? He has fallen and become an Evil God, and you wanted to sever the sinful master-apprentice bond by your own hand."
Sidney looked confused; his thoughts were being disturbed and his memory was significantly deteriorating.
However, he didn’t see it that way; his eyes locked onto Wayne, and with a fierce expression, he said, "I appreciate your kindness, but it’s no longer needed. Marshall promised me that if I sacrifice this boy to him, he will never bother me again."
Wayne furrowed his brows and, after a moment’s thought, realized the situation was more complex than he had imagined.
The Void Lord, a fallen Legendary Mage, was formerly known as Marshall, Sidney’s old mentor. The poor Magic Apprentice had sought Dean Plank’s help to escape from his mentor’s clutches.
Dean Plank had been tracing the Void Lord and found Sidney, who was being possessed by him.
Understanding the cause and effect, Wayne retreated a few steps to stand behind Dean Plank; the name alone sounded quantum mechanical—it was undoubtedly a big shot.
Dean Plank glanced at Wayne curiously, "Sidney, why is your teacher so fixated on a young man? What’s so special about him?"
"There’s nothing special; I don’t care about these things," Sidney said, revealing a pained expression. "Dean Plank, I’m one of the chief physicians at the Red Leaf Forest Asylum. He’s just a Magic Apprentice. For the sake of Crimson Leaf Forest, hand him over to me."
"I’m afraid that won’t do!"
Dean Plank firmly refused. After accepting Sidney’s request for help, he had spent all his time except for attending the Grand Cemetery gathering tracking the trail of the Void Lord.
The Great Void Cosmos is vast and filled with peril; even a Legendary Mage wouldn’t dare to linger there for long. Dean Plank’s strategy for finding the Void Lord was to wait for him to reveal himself voluntarily.
With the aid of a few old friends, Plank finally got his target earlier that morning. He didn’t act immediately for two reasons: one was to give Sidney a chance, and the second was to see what exactly the Void Lord was looking for.
Dean Plank was very surprised that the Void Lord was interested in a Magic Apprentice.
What’s so intriguing about a Magic Apprentice that the Void Lord has gone mad?
Well, indeed he had gone mad.
But that wasn’t the point. According to Dean Plank’s deduction, the Void Lord had regained a part of his sanity and hadn’t dissipated like the other Legendary Mages. His repeated fixation on the Magic Apprentice, even braving the return to the God-chosen Continent, suggested that the Magic Apprentice was not as simple as he seemed on the surface.
Quite interesting. It was said that the Holy See of the Heavenly Father was also secretly searching for something.
With that thought, Dean Plank turned to Wayne with a kind smile: "Let me introduce myself, the dean of the Red Leaf Forest Asylum, Dean Plank. Young man, with me here tonight, no one can hurt you."
"Wayne, my gratitude, Dean. I’ll be in your care tonight."
Wayne took a few more steps back. The crazy old man’s smile was peculiar and very affable. He couldn’t quite point out what was odd but if he had to say...
It was the air of eccentricity.
That smirk, those eyes, they seemed lecherously interest in him.
Considering they were on the land of the Windsor Kingdom, for safety’s sake, Wayne decided to keep his distance from Dean Plank.
"Plank, he’s just a Magic Apprentice. I am one of the chief physicians at the Asylum, a Golden Mage, and I might even become the High Priest of the Naturalism Church in the future!" Sidney, furious, felt it was an easy question and yet Dean Plank had answered it wrongly.
"Sidney, keep your sanity. Your thoughts belong only to yourself; you can completely sever your connection with Marshall," Dean Plank advised.
"Don’t spout nonsense in front of me. At least I’m much more rational than you. I know how to make the right choice," Sidney retorted angrily.
Upon hearing this, Sidney grew even more incensed. A voice in his head reminded him that once he cut ties with the past, his intellect and magic power would diminish greatly; without power, he would be worthless, never able to achieve his dreams.
"Sidney, you will go mad, become like Marshall," Dean Plank warned.
"Shut up, you old fool! I should be saying that to you. With your crazed appearance, you’re the real madman!" Sidney roared fiercely, perceiving disdain and mockery in Plank’s tone.
The roar turned into a wave of sonic booms, stirring the loose Wind Element, pouring down like raindrops.
For some reason, the intensity of the rain was not strong.
The fine rain shot down, reaching in front of Dean Plank, striking ripples, and suddenly falling silent without a trace.
Dean Plank didn’t retaliate, seemingly waiting for something, his inaction interpreted by Sidney as an act of disdain, fueling his rage, his roars becoming less human.
Sidney’s robust body swelled, and two white arms burst through his suit from behind his back. He bent his head to vomit, spewing out a large mass of white flesh.
The white flesh continuously split and merged, covering the sewer walls with tendrils running through veins and blood vessels, forming a torrential wave rushing towards Dean Plank.
"Marshall, you’ve finally decided to come out," Dean Plank said, waiting for just this moment as his eyes unleashed a black glow, with the dark Mind Space slowly spreading beneath his feet.
Perhaps Sidney had flaws, harboring great ambition and craving for power, but which Mage in the world didn’t? No one is perfect; everyone has their desires.