Shadows of Ascension

70. The Ancient Lineage

Silence filled the small hut as Mr. Yun’s words settled in. Aiden clenched his fists. Shadow Manipulation… That was his hidden power. 

Luca finally broke the silence. "We already know two of the five ancient skill users. What if we turn the other three into our allies?" 

Riona nodded. "If we can find them before Shadowbane does… it could give us a real advantage." 

Mr. Yun sighed and shook his head. "It’s not that simple, child." He folded his arms. "As soon as one of the chosen ones dies, another is born. Which means that some of them… could be infants, children, or even old people." 

Aiden furrowed his brows. "Wait. So there could be people walking around right now who have one of these abilities but don’t even know it?" 

"Exactly," Mr. Yun said. "And in many cases, the powers may never unlock at all. For example, the previous Bloodthirstiness user… never awakened his power. We never even found out who he was." 

Luca tapped his chin. "So, that means… some of them might never become threats or allies." 

"Correct," Mr. Yun continued. "And as for the previous Black Magic user… my dear friend, Fortuno Cielloni, held that ability. But he passed away two or three decades ago. We don’t know who the new Black Magic user is." 

Riona’s eyes darkened. "Then that means there’s someone alive right now with the potential to use Ancient Black Magic…" 

Mr. Yun nodded grimly. "Yes. And if they ever awaken their power, the world will tremble." 

The room fell silent again. The Black Magic ability… If someone unlocked it, and they weren’t on their side… things could become much worse. 

Mr. Yun exhaled slowly. "The current Monster Transformation ability user is an A Rank Hunter… and he is the strongest hunter in the world right now." 

Luca’s eyes widened. "Wait. You mean…?" 

"Yes," Mr. Yun confirmed. "His name is George Maxwell." 

Riona tensed. "I’ve heard of him. But I thought he was just a regular A Rank… If he’s an ancient ability user, then…" 

"He is likely the closest person to reaching S Rank today." Mr. Yun’s expression was unreadable. 

Aiden exchanged glances with Luca and Riona. George Maxwell… if they could convince him to fight against Shadowbane, they would gain an enormous advantage. But… if he chose to oppose them, then they would be in serious trouble. 

After a long pause, Aiden spoke again. "Alright… We know that I have the Shadow Manipulation ability, and Shadowbane has the Necromancer ability. But… what about the ones before us? Who were the previous holders?" 

Mr. Yun’s face darkened. "Well…" He hesitated. "The previous Shadow Manipulation user… was a mere C Rank hunter. He never unlocked his true power." 

Riona looked surprised. "C Rank? I thought these abilities were supposed to be powerful!" 

Mr. Yun nodded. "They are. But, the man was weak. He never realized his true potential, and he… ended up serving under the previous Necromancer ability user." 

Aiden frowned. "So… he worked for the Necromancer? And who was that, exactly?" 

Mr. Yun’s expression turned grim. He looked at them all carefully, then spoke. 

"Many centuries passed without an S Rank Hunter appearing. Then… finally, one was born. The 11th and final S Rank hunter." 

Aiden and Luca both tensed. 

"His name was… Enrico Death." 

The room fell into complete silence. 

Riona was the first to speak. "That… can’t be his real name." 

"It was the name he chose for himself," Mr. Yun said. "And he lived up to it. He was the last S Rank hunter in history… and he was also the previous Necromancer." 

Aiden’s jaw tightened. "Then that means… Shadowbane has the potential to reach S Rank too." 

"Exactly," Mr. Yun confirmed. "Which is why I must warn you—hunting down the other ability users is too dangerous. You have no idea what kind of people they might be." 

But Luca shook his head. "No. We need to find them before Shadowbane does." 

Aiden crossed his arms. "Mr. Yun, I respect your warning. But Shadowbane’s power is too dangerous. We need to stop him before he ever reaches Enrico's level."