"Was it the Lindong Witch?"
Someone asked from the seating area.
Turzan died at the hands of the witch—those involved in the rebellion witnessed this event firsthand, watching Turzan’s body and soul shatter along with the ice sculpture.
"No, it was not her, it was another person."
The Puppet chairing the meeting spoke, "Ethan, who appeared at Ximu Town on the Empire’s border two years ago, before that there was no information about this person. He is a student of the Lindong Witch, yet he surpassed his teacher in just two years."
One of the Puppets said.
Everyone present had witnessed that war of corruption. Among the Saints they knew, Lindong Witch was one of the strongest. Turzan had always tried to recruit Lindong into their ranks but was repeatedly refused.
They absolutely did not believe anyone could surpass the Lindong Witch in such a short period—especially in the field of Elemental Shaping Magic.
Unlike the people of the Academy, they knew the true value of Lindong’s theory.
After the magical web was destroyed several epochs ago, Lindong single-handedly delineated another path of advancement for Elemental Shapers.
"It is indeed impossible, unless..."
The Puppet paused for a moment, controlling the rhythm of his speech, "Unless he was hiding something from the start, everything about his past is a mystery, he seemed to have appeared out of thin air."
"...Follower of the Old Gods!"
One of the Puppets blurted out.
Only those chosen by the Old Gods could achieve such feats.
"It is even possible that he is a projection of the Old Gods in this world."
The Puppet chairing the meeting seemed pleased with the audience’s reaction, he added fuel to the conversation, "We all know what the ’Seventh Epoch’ signifies, the seal confining the Old Gods is no longer secure, they might have found a way to infiltrate this world again."
The circular seating area was silent.
The Puppet’s face showed no expression, yet Ethan felt the heaviness in everyone’s heart.
This statement activated the fear deep within their souls.
"To support my judgment, I have invited a witness."
The Puppet turned, looking over, "This is Mr. Silver Fox, a Great Mage certified by the Empire and the Mage Tower. He personally witnessed Ethan’s Elemental Magic and saw how Ethan killed the current Scholar and then took control of the entire Mage Tower through coercion... Mr. Silver Fox, you need not be afraid here, you can speak freely about your experience at the Mage Tower. If what you say is true, the Divine Attendant will assist you."
All eyes turned to Ethan, awaiting his testimony.
Now Ethan understood completely.
He was about to prove to these people that he was the egregious projection of the Old Gods who first killed Palansi and the Scholar. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on n0velfire.net
He seemed to have come at a bad time, without having prepared his speech.
He also hadn’t heard the echo of the God of Trickery, knowing nothing about how to prove he was the Old God’s projection.
Worse, when he pulled the strings earlier, it seemed he used a bit too much force, causing Mr. Silver Fox’s consciousness to drift somewhere unknown.
The Puppet chairing the meeting reminded him as he still hadn’t spoken up.
No choice, he had to brace himself.
Ethan gritted his teeth, lightly coughed, "Uh, you know, Ethan is my brother, that guy is ridiculously strong..."