Affinity:Chaos

Boom! 

The stone exploded, with Grey sent flying as a result of the explosion. 

"Grey!" 

Klaus, Alice, and Reynolds exclaimed simultaneously as they rushed to where Grey crashed into the ground.

Jason, the Emperor, and the two Sage Plane Elementalists who were by the side stared at each other in shock. Everything happened so fast that before they could even react, Grey had been sent flying. 

"So this was your plan all along, to kill him?" Klaus asked icily. 

One could sense an unbridled rage in him, not just him, but the others as well. 

"What happened?" The Emperor asked as he turned to the two Sage Plane Elementalists. 

They were the ones with the highest cultivation stage here, so he expected them to at least give him an explanation. He didn't sense anything, not until the attack exploded. Even after the attack, he tried to find where the attack was coming from, but he found nothing. 

"An assassination attempt," The Fire Elementalist said as he surveyed the area. 

Just before the attack was released, he sensed something, but it was only for a slight moment before he lost track of it. 

"Whoever this assassin is, they must be very good since they can hide from the senses of you two," Jason stared at Grey and his friends. 

"Who else knows of you bringing them here?" The Emperor asked. 

"We fought against some strange people who could use a diabolic technique to control the dead. Either they were the ones who spread the news, or it was Mister Oliver," Jason said. 

Since the assassin waited here patiently for so long, it meant that they were already aware of their intentions to test the aptitudes of the group. 

"A technique that allows them to control dead people?" The Emperor asked, stunned by the revelation. 

Jason went on to explain what he saw to his father. Hearing of how the Fire Elementalist fought against his dead Teacher, he couldn't help but gasp in disbelief. If any of the empires has such a technique, then they would obviously be the ones that will rule the continent, especially with a war going on. 

With this technique, their troops will never decline, rather, they will continue increasing. A trace of greed subtly flashed across the eyes of the Emperor. This technique seems to be of more use than Grey and his elemental core, well, so he thought. 

While the Emperor was thinking about this, he couldn't help but take a glance at Grey. 

Grey's clothes were slightly damaged from the attack, and one could see small burn marks on his skin. What made everyone worried was the seemingly dark lines running across his skin. 

The Lightning Elementalist approached Grey, on seeing it, he froze before turning to look in the eyes of the Emperor and the others. 

"The darkness element has found a way to creep into his body. As it stands, he's not in a good condition," He said to the others. 

"Darkness element?" The Fire Elementalist raised a brow. 

"Yes," 

"Are you sure?" 

The Lightning Elementalist gave the Fire Elementalist an irritated look before showing him Grey who was lying on the ground. 

"I sensed the fire element in this attack," The Fire Elementalist said. 

"I also sensed the lightning element. I originally thought whoever it was is a Dual Elementalist, who would've thought that the person hid the darkness element within as well?" The Lightning Elementalist said after hearing the words of the Fire Elementalist. 

"A Multi Elementalist?" Jason questioned with uncertainty. 

"It could be, I only sensed one person," The Lightning Elementalist replied. 

Klaus and the others were on Grey's side, trying to do their best to get him up. 

Guards around the castle had charged out after hearing the explosion. 

"Take them inside, it's not safe for us or them if we continue standing here," The Emperor ordered. 

"Yes, father," Jason bowed slightly before calling one of the guards over. 

They took Grey, taking him inside the castle. 

"Also, try to find out if he will be alright," The Emperor added. 

When Grey and the others had gone in, four figures came from the side. They all had Grey hair, and their skins were wrinkled from old age. 

The Emperor bowed to them respectfully, before reporting the news of the corpses to them. 

"Such a technique exists?" One of the old men asked, astounded by what he was hearing. 

The Fire Elementalist who fought against his Teacher went on to bring the corpse of his Teacher. 

Everyone could sense the leftover aura of elemental essence in the body which confirmed what they were told. 

"What do we do?" The Emperor asked one of the old men who arrived recently. 

"Make this your top priority. If you could find out the people who sent these things after them, then it would be easy to get the technique," One of the old men replied. 

"Alright, father," The Emperor bowed respectfully before leaving with the two Sage Plane Elementalists. 

It was clear that they all took the technique of the necromancers as more of a threat than Grey and his friends since the Emperor didn't bother to go on with the test. 

They could only collect Grey's core after he was done with the test, and even after taking it, it would take months before they could start reaping the benefits. But in a matter of a few days, with this technique, they would be able to sweep across the continent unchallenged. 

Of course it was impossible to say the Emperor had forgotten about them. If not for the unknown attacker who was trying to kill Grey and his friends, then they would've gone ahead with the test. 

….

In one of the rooms in the castle.

Grey was placed on a bed, with a wet cloth placed on his forehead to help reduce his surging body temperature. 

Jason looked at Grey, a little skeptical about all these. He found everything a little suspicious, but there was no way for him to confirm his suspicions. 

Klaus and the others stared at Grey worriedly.