Chapter 104: Darklight Domain (Part 2)

"Darklight Domain is right here!"

Merlin's eyes narrowed slightly. Ignoring Capes and Catherine, he quickly extended his mental senses, scanning the surroundings.

He noticed that the mystical runes etched on his ring were flickering, and faint glimmers of light began appearing in the air around him. Through his mental perception, Merlin detected a peculiar energy emanating from the void, similar to the symbols on his ring.

"A rune array?"

The thought crossed Merlin's mind. He recalled tales of powerful spellcasters constructing rune arrays—formations that could be activated with mental energy, transporting people over hundreds, even thousands of miles. Though Merlin knew little of rune arrays, he suspected that the symbols on his ring might guide him to Darklight Domain.

The ring was likely the key to finding Darklight Domain. Merlin sensed that stimulating the runes with mental energy might activate something beyond his expectation.

Just as Merlin began to channel his mental energy into the ring, the Icefield Direwolf, sensing the powerful threat Merlin posed, suddenly inhaled and exhaled a massive cloud of frost toward him.

"Watch out!"

Capes and Catherine, both keeping an eye on the direwolf, called out a warning as it unleashed a blast of cold air toward Merlin.

"Out of my way!" Merlin frowned, barely acknowledging the oncoming frost. With a flick of his hand, a fireball erupted, colliding with the cold blast in midair.

The frost and flames wrestled, sizzling and evaporating until both dissipated.

"Ice Prison!"

A cold glint flashed in Merlin's eyes. The direwolf's interference had disrupted his search, and he reacted swiftly by casting Ice Prison.

A chilling crack resounded as the direwolf, despite its icy composition, was immobilized by Merlin's spell. Although Ice Prison couldn't directly harm a creature of pure ice, it could hold it in place momentarily.

With the beast frozen, Merlin summoned a massive fireball that shot toward it.

With a fiery explosion, the force of the impact shattered the direwolf into pieces, the intense flames evaporating its essence into mist until only ashes remained.

"A spellcaster…?"

Capes and Catherine were dumbfounded. They had never imagined that the quiet Merlin, whom they had traveled with for days, was a powerful spellcaster capable of vanquishing the Icefield Direwolf—something that had left them helpless—without breaking a sweat.

Merlin brushed off the incident, barely acknowledging the defeated direwolf. His focus remained on the ring.

The symbols on the ring began to vibrate as he channeled his mental energy, glowing brightly as the surrounding air pulsed with light, enveloping Merlin entirely.

"It's a rune array!"

Merlin could now feel an intricate network of mystical symbols forming an array around him.

"You two lack the ability to become spellcasters. It's best if you leave now…"

Merlin advised Capes and Catherine, who, lacking any innate potential for magic, would find no purpose in seeking Darklight Domain. Merlin noted Catherine's innocent nature, which reminded him of the Earl's daughter, Shelley, and decided to offer them a word of caution.

What they chose to do afterward was no longer his concern, as an unstoppable force enveloped him, drawing him toward an unknown location.

In a flash of light, Merlin's figure vanished, and the forest returned to its original tranquility. Had Capes and Catherine not witnessed it, they might have thought it was all a dream.

"Mr. Merlin must have been from Darklight Domain," Catherine said, downcast. "We missed our chance…"

Capes gazed at the spot where Merlin had vanished, sighed, and said, "If even Mr. Merlin says we lack the aptitude… Catherine, let's return and face Father."

Catherine bit her lip, reluctant but finally agreed. "Then I'll aim to become the strongest elemental swordsman," she declared with newfound resolve, dreaming of wielding powers that could rival a spellcaster.

---

On a secluded shoreline, the salty sea breeze blew steadily, waves crashing against the rugged rocks lining the coast.

In the sky above, seabirds circled, occasionally diving to the shore to frolic in the shallows.

Out of nowhere, a vortex formed on the sand, bending the very air, and a flash of light illuminated a pile of scattered rocks. In the midst of these stones, a slender figure materialized.

"Is this Darklight Domain?"

Merlin muttered as he emerged from the rocks. Though he felt a slight mental fatigue, he was otherwise unharmed.

Stepping away from the rocks, he noticed they were covered in rune engravings—a spellcaster's work, evidently forming a transportation array.

He remembered standing in the dense Kurd Mountains, where there were no beaches or vast oceans. Clearly, the rune array had transported him far from his original location, landing him on a sprawling, isolated island.

As Merlin continued along the shore, the landscape changed, giving way to a patch of grassland. In the middle of this clearing stood an ancient stone monolith, about the height of a man, inscribed with three words in the old Mortan script: **Darklight Domain**.

"So this really is Darklight Domain?"

He scanned the surroundings. Aside from the moss-covered rocks and a stretch of green grass, the rest of the island appeared barren—hardly what one would expect for a place like Darklight Domain.

"Is this some kind of joke? Could Darklight Domain truly be on this desolate island?"

The moment the words left his mouth, an eerie chuckle echoed around him.

"Ah, another visitor at last. Young spellcaster, welcome to Darklight Domain!"

Merlin's eyes widened as he turned toward the source of the voice. Emerging from the stone monolith was a shadowy figure, gradually taking shape. Soon, a fully-formed black cat, glowing with an otherworldly aura, appeared before him.

Floating in midair, the strange black cat had an unsettling gaze—one eye red, the other white—and it watched Merlin intently with an eerie, piercing stare.