The entrance to the underground prison where the Sorcerer Lusat was confined was cleverly concealed by the illusionary glintstone magic of the Eternal City. From an external perspective, even sorcerers of Aoko and Touko's caliber would find it difficult to see through the illusion unless they were already aware of its existence.
Because of this, Aoko decided to take a direct approach. She deployed several spider puppets borrowed from Touko, set them up, and had them explore the rock face, probing for the hidden entrance veiled by the illusion.
After about ten minutes, Aoko noticed one of the spider puppets on her right suddenly tapping at the rock wall with its forelimbs—only to strike empty air. The entire puppet fell into the rock face. At that moment, she knew she had found the entrance.
Aoko turned back and gave Sellen a glance. Immediately understanding her intent, Sellen stepped forward, swung her glintstone staff in a specific trajectory, and a seal of Sellia appeared. The illusionary magic on the wall dissipated, revealing a dark cave entrance.
Both Sellen and Aoko conjured a starlight spell, placing the floating lights above their heads. Aoko took the lead, stepping into the entrance of Sellia's prison, while Sellen followed closely behind. At the entrance, Sellen cast a warding spell to prevent any potential pursuers from sneaking up on them. She still remembered that a certain deranged witch hunter was after her life.
This prison was originally a glintstone mining tunnel operated by the sorcerers of the town of Sellia. Even though Sellia had long since been destroyed, the cave still contained many mining slaves whose flesh had fused with glintstone crystals. These slaves wielded specially crafted glintstone staffs and used unique excavation spells to relentlessly mine the glintstone clusters.
Aoko stopped to observe for a while and noticed that the explosive nature of the mining slaves' Shattering Rock Plate spell sent glintstone shards flying everywhere—some embedding into the slaves' bodies. This seemed to be one of the reasons why their bodies were so encrusted with glintstone.
But this was only one reason. Aoko could tell at a glance that glintstone was a "living" mineral, brimming with vitality. If left undisturbed on the ground, it would gradually absorb the earth's energy and grow on its own. This explained why the glintstone clusters in the mine were seemingly endless.
Furthermore, from the way glintstone sorcerers operated, it was clear that this material exhibited a form of "radiation" or "contagion." Those who delved deeply into its mysteries would eventually undergo "glintstone transformation." Both Lusat and Azur were prime examples.
Sellen's case was more unique. She had deliberately "glintstone-ized" her cognitive organs and soul, forming a controlled "Primeval Glintstone" within herself. In a sense, she had achieved a form of immortality—without suffering the same loss of bodily function that had afflicted Azur and Lusat.
It was evident that Sellen was a truly exceptional glintstone sorcerer, her talent rivaling that of any Primeval Sorcerer. However, her greatest flaw was her overly divergent thinking, which often led her down unconventional and risky paths.
As they proceeded, the two of them cleared out numerous mining slaves and large snails encrusted with glintstone clusters on their backs. Eventually, in the depths of the dark, cavernous tunnels, they found the cell guarded by a sorcerer from the Royal Academy of Raya Lucaria. Judging by the glintstone helmet he wore, he belonged to Lazuli's classroom. His proficiency with Glintstone Arc was fairly decent.
Aoko wasted no time. She instantly used Mystic Step to teleport behind the sorcerer and struck the back of his head with the Staff of the Primeval Current, knocking him out cold. The impact was so strong that it shattered his glintstone helmet.
"This guy is one of the rebels against the Carian Royal Family," Sellen muttered as she crouched down, flipping the unconscious sorcerer over to inspect his face. "A fool. No real talent of his own, yet he believed the lies of those idiots. In the end, he was exiled to a dungeon like this to act as a prison guard. He brought this upon himself."
Neither Aoko nor Sellen had any interest in killing such a pitiful figure. They left him where he was and proceeded directly to the magically sealed prison cell.
Sellen retrieved a glintstone key from her pouch and placed it at the center of the sealing magic circle. With a crisp shattering sound, the key broke apart, and the magical barrier sealing the cell disappeared.
Inside, they saw a sorcerer clad in robes, lying atop a large cluster of glintstone crystals. On his head, he wore a peculiar spherical glintstone crown.
Aoko examined him closely and found that Lusat's entire body had undergone deep glintstone growth, with dark blue crystals protruding from within his flesh. Most notably, the enormous spherical glintstone on his head had, based on Aoko's sensing magic, completely fused with his brain—replacing part of his original cerebral tissue and forming an entirely new cognitive organ.
"This is indeed Master Lusat..." Sellen's voice trembled slightly. "…His body has reached a state closest to that of a Child of the Stars. Sellia was once Master Lusat's homeland. To think that after being exiled back here, he was ultimately betrayed by his kin..."
Aoko had no particular reaction to such matters—she had seen too many conservative glintstone sorcerers behave this way. The Magus of the Nasuverse were infamous for their rigid traditions and refusal to allow others to pursue discoveries. In a way, the Sealing Designation system was a manifestation of this ideology.
Recalling the process of obtaining the legendary Primeval Sorceries in the game, Aoko stepped forward without hesitation. She reached out her right hand, slowly moving it toward Lusat's crystallized body.
Suddenly, Lusat, who had remained motionless until now, slightly raised his left hand. A dim, azure light flickered at his fingertip as it made contact with Aoko's fingers.
In an instant, Aoko's vision was engulfed by endless darkness and a vast cosmic expanse. It was as if she had traversed countless light-years, arriving at the deepest abyss of the universe—witnessing the moment of a massive star cluster's destruction and explosion.
However, Aoko felt no fear. Her Fifth Magic was deeply tied to an understanding of the fundamental principles of her home universe. Her Magic Circuits and Mark of the Law were intrinsically connected to cosmic and celestial phenomena. To her, such a sight was not terrifying but merely... beautiful—like a grand fireworks display.
Yet, from the vision conveyed by Lusat, she comprehended the essence of his sorcery: Stars of Ruin.
To Aoko, this spell was the result of Lusat's cosmic meditations—an attempt to emulate the moment when a star cluster shattered and scattered across the heavens. It was an expression of glintstone sorcery inspired by stellar destruction. In a way, it encapsulated the fundamental principles of celestial annihilation, making it worthy of the title Primeval Sorcery.
While Aoko was absorbed in this revelation, Sellen observed from the side. To her, the red-haired sorceress had frozen in place the moment she touched Lusat's light.
Just as Sellen considered reaching out to check on her, Lusat slowly lowered his arm, resuming his motionless, statue-like state. At the same time, Aoko shook her head slightly, snapping out of her trance.
She appeared unharmed.