I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Orion spent a long moment recounting what his wise king told him twelve years ago. Opposite to the rest of the world, summoned were treated like valuable citizens in Jadevale. He even received orders to take good care and educate them with strong moral values since childhood.

Once done with his explanation, he shook his head, a mocking smile stretching on his face. "You really deserve to be ranked last. At least, you control a single city in the middle of nowhere, so only a few of them should have appeared in your territory," he said, finding Shepard's ignorance baffling.

"How was I supposed to know when everyone kept it a secret?!" replied Shepard, his brows twitching in irritation as he realised he had missed many strong potential disciples over the year. No. Worse than that, he left their potential rot in a golden city where greed and scams ran rampant. 'I need to bring them to the college!' He thought, his gray eyes glistening with determination.

All wasn't lost yet. He still had around three months to find and educate them if Orion's words were accurate. Eager to start his search, he turned to Orion, his impatience showing in the tightness of his jaw and the fire in his eyes. Then, he gestured for the man to resume their earlier conversation, his voice strained with urgency. "I won't waste words with you. What do you want to heal him?"

Orion leaned back in response, savouring the night's gentle breeze caressing his skin and ruffling his beard for a moment before gazing at the stars. "Mhh. I see," he muttered, a frown etched on his forehead. Then, he looked at Adam, shocking Julius with his star-filled eyes. Two galaxies seemed to come to life as images of potential futures flashed in their bright nebulas until...

"Argh!" a painful yelp escaped his lips as he held his head in agony. Despite people's shared beliefs, peering into the future's secrets came at a heavy cost. The stronger the divined person was in that vision, the higher the toll would be for the astral mage. That's why no one above the fourth tier sought to know their future since no one would willingly accept their requests.

Amidst his pain, Orion's mind churned at full gear as his eyes trembled in disbelief. What he saw was too baffling. 'No! It's impossible! Even the magus failed!' he thought, icy sweat dripping from his forehead.

His vision didn't reveal any gruelling battle filled with blood and mountains of corpses or him slaughtering the masses. Not that it couldn't happen later since he estimated he only saw two years into the future. But he saw the ghost standing before a strange building, surrounded by enthusiastic youths chanting his name as he...

His old eyes trembled as he attempted to remember his fragmented memories of what happened next. However, the more he tried, the harder it became to endure the splitting headache assaulting his mind. He cradled his head, clenching his teeth to alleviate the pain as his legs buckled. He soon dropped to the ground.

Moist soil dirtied his dark blue robes filled with golden stars until he gave up in defeat.

Then he raised his head, bitterness filling his heart as he gazed at the duo's shocked expression. With a deep breath, he made his choice before standing up.

"I want our academies to be unconditional allies," he said, remembering the sea of people surrounding him. Considering their age, he didn't doubt they were all summoned. Dozens of thousands of summoned, no less!

Upon hearing the outrageous demand, Shepard sobered in an instant. "Do you take me for a fool? You serve the crown! Allying myself to you will only make me lose my freedom," he exclaimed, narrowing his eyes into thine slits exuding mana.

"I'll speak with the king. He wouldn't mind recognising your city-state as a kingdom in a few years. You'll then have the same statues and his support," answered Orion, already planning for the future with a mysterious smile.

"I never wanted to be a king," Shepard said, melancholy sparkling in his eyes before he added. "I only want to become an archmage."

"Sigh. What are the three archmages' titles?" Orion asked, catching Julius' attention. He had never heard about them and perked his ears with rapt attention.

Confused by the question, Shepard scratched his head, replying, "Vivian, the sky guardian, Marina, the Tidecaller, and Beast emperor, the Earth fury. Why?"

"Aren't they all rulers?" Orion asked, a meaningful smile spreading on his old face. Although they had no clear path to progress to the seventh tier, they could still investigate those powerhouses' similarities. And the most glaring one was their rulership over specific elements.

The duo's eyes enlarged in realisation as the sound theory settled into their minds. Even without irrefutable proof, they believe Orion had found a decent lead to advancement.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

After lingering for a moment to calm his raging heart pounding against his chest with unsuspected vigour for a mage, Shepard exhaled loudly. Except for a burdensome role and heavier responsibilities, his life wouldn't change much if he became a king.

'I can be your test subject if I'm the first to become an archmage,' he thought, his lips curling into a smile before his voice broke the peaceful silence of the night. "I accept!"

Echoing his words, the old arcanist moved to the unconscious ghost. "Anima Astralis Symphonia Tranquillitatis," he whispered gently into his ears.

Next, a soothing stream filled with miniaturised stars illuminated the garden, eclipsing the moon's glow under Shepard's vigilant eyes.

"Relax. I didn't stoop low enough to try to alter his psyche," Orion chuckled, understanding his colleague's mistrust since his behaviour would be the same if they reversed their positions.

Not entirely convinced, Shepard clutched Julius' firm shoulders, watching the starlight penetrate Adam's ethereal head worriedly.

After a stressful hour, Julius bit his thumb's nail nervously. Despite the difficulty, Shepard and Morgane had healed his brother's soul in half the time when he almost turned evil. Were the damages this terrible?

However, Orion suddenly backed a step before he could delve deeper into the question, startling him.