" Edward! How can you?!" Fury, pure fury and hatred overcame Ryan as he stared as his suppose friend.
" Ryan I had no choice in the matter. You knew the situation was dire but you kept dragging your feet. You made me do this." Edward spoke as looked at Ryan.
Runic engravings were pouring into Ryan's body as he lay bound in magic circle.
" Bastard I trusted you!" Ryan screamed as rage overtook him. He struggled fiercely to escape however the restrictions made it nigh impossible.
" Lennard you coward say something. Release me or I will kill you both!" Ryan roared.
Edward stood still watching the process unfold. In the past few moments he had matured his visage matched that maturity as he understood that in future Ryan would be an indispensable pawn.
It was for the survival of the kingdom.
His father was bedridden yet this idiot could not understand that the world was not a fairytale where he stood at the precipice without struggle.
A few minutes later the magic circle dimmed down as the process completed. Ryan calmly stood up. He unruffled his robe.
He took a step forward and came face to face with Edward. He and Edward were about 25/26 years old.
He calmy stared at Edward, his visage masking the intolerable pain that threatened to collapse his mind. 'Kill him.' His thoughts swirled about the countless ways to Kill Edward only imagining the most enjoyable.
The pain would subside when he no longer thought about it but he was so enraged that he thought about nothing but killing him. So he stood there towering as stared at Edward in the eyes.
" Pray."
" Pray that I won't get free." With that Ryan departed the basement of the magic hall. After graduating he had joined the royal mages of Rynberg but now he knew it was a mistake. He left the palace as he headed to the cathedral of the church of minthes.
Present POV
Ryan rapidly tore through the sky as memories swirled in his mind. In the past 15 years this memory would haunt him.
After ascending thousands of kilometers above ground Ryan floated in space. Much like Ivar he also tapped the air gently.
Thud. Thud.
The impacts reverberated as he pondered a bit.
" Collapse." He reached out again however with more force.
Bang! The spiderweb-like runic space restriction trembled, the wind tussled.
Ryan ran his hand over the space restriction that extended into space as radial and viscid threads. Mergard was at the center, disjoint from the framework of runic formations.
He tried analyzing it instead. " Huuu." Calming himself he looked at and touched various points along the structure of the formation. The framework of radial threads extended horizontally and vertically as well as in various angles. Viscid threads linked the radial threads together.
This created 4x4 enclosures that individually restricted space magic.
" So he went with precision. By themselves these 4x4 enclosures restrict little space but thousands or millions would be more effective than trying to seal it all with one restriction. Even more impressive is the overlapping effect. This not only reduces gaps but because the radial and viscid threads are joined, the square lines overlap so they reinforce one another. It's basically a framework of cubes spread out as a spiderweb." Ryan pondered.
" So now, where is the source of mana?" Ryan ran his fingers over the threads, " It's pure, purer than any mana I have ever encountered. Mmhmn..." Ryan spent some time trying to find the source of mana, it must require quite the amount to power such a restriction.
After a few hours he stopped, " I can't find it therefore I can't disrupt the source. Severing the source of mana would be ideal. I don't have the time to destroy each enclosure one at a time. " Ryan took a long glance at the spell once more.
" It's incredible." He mumbled. " Saint magic rank. Once I get there..." He stopped as he turned north.
" It is indeed a wonderful spell." Said the approaching figure, dressed in a grey robe arms exposed.
Linnaeus stopped floating and started walking towards Ryan. Spatial disks served as his footholds.
He and Ryan turned to the restriction, " So what now?" Ryan asked.
" I give an offer for you to join me and as a reward I will absolve you of that soul restriction." Linnaeus said.
They calmly stood at the edges of the atmosphere of mergard, at the edge but not beyond.
" Isn't it the same regardless. I give up one restriction for another." Ryan said turning to Linnaeus. Their gazes on one another.
" It's better than dying. What you are all doing is delaying the inevitable. I will conquer mergard but not for the reasons you imagine." Linnaeus said.
" It's beautiful isn't it?" Linnaeus pondered looking down on the planet, " You can't help but want to burn it."
" Who are you really? I doubt someone of your caliber can get summoned. Therefore you let yourself get summoned. You seek to dominate either by your power or forces. Heck, I even doubt they drove you away 15 years ago. So who are you really?" Ryan asked staring at the enigma before him.
It would be a lie to say he did not envy Linnaeus. He wanted power, he craved it.
"...." Linnaeus turned to Ryan, they stood about 5 meters apart.
" I rectify." Was all Linnaeus said.
Ryan didn't ask. They merely floated there.
1 minute later..." So what do you say? Are you gonna join me Indestructible magician?"
" No." Ryan said as riled up his mana. " I don't know what you are and why you are here but none of that matters. I can tell, in your eyes there is nothing but annihilation in them. I will stop you here."
" Do you know why you want to stop me? It's because you are afraid. I will rectify the mistake that is this universe. I will bring order." The atmosphere churned fiercely as waves of mana clashed. " I will take back that which you do not deserve!" Linnaeus roared.