Transmigrating to the World of Thaumaturgy was the Start of Everything Chapter 16: Escaping the Dark Ruin, Arriving at Sun City

General Genevieve’s expression changed instantly from suspicious contemplation to urgent action in response to the sudden developnt.

"The Dark Ruin is collapsing! We need to leave imdiately!"

She turned to her mount.

"Fyn, we don’t have ti for this. Let them on and let’s get out of here!"

The Blazing Phoenix let out an indignant squawk, its eyes still fixed on Elias with unmistakable hostility. It shook its magnificent head, clearly refusing to carry the one who had abandoned it.

"Fyn! This is not the ti and place for this!"

General Genevieve’s voice carried a note of command mixed with urgency. The ground shook more violently, and pieces of debris began falling from the cavern ceiling above.

Elias stepped forward, eting the phoenix’s burning gaze directly. The words that ca from his mouth were his own, yet they carried the weight of the original Elias’s regret.

"Fyn, you can hate . I don’t mind. Good for you, you’ve found a new owner who cherishes you. But I still can’t take you back because I can’t afford to raise you."

The brutal honesty of his words seed to strike the phoenix like a physical blow. Fyn recoiled slightly, a mournful trill escaping its beak. The creature had expected excuses, perhaps false promises of reunion, but not this stark acknowledgnt of reality.

"We don’t have ti for this!"

Genevieve shouted as a massive chunk of stone crashed down re ters from where they stood. Taking advantage of the Blazing Phoenix’s dazed state, she grabbed Selina and leaped onto Fyn’s back with practiced ease.

She then turned to Elias and coldly urged:

"Get on, or do you want to stay here and die?!"

She then turned to her contracted beast and said:

"And you, Fyn, stop making things difficult. This place is collapsing. We need to get out of here. Everything else can be resolved once we get outside, do you understand?"

Through Genevieve’s persuasion and the imminent danger, the Blazing Phoenix reluctantly lowered itself enough for Elias to climb aboard. Every muscle in the creature’s body radiated tension and displeasure, but it allowed him to settle behind Selina.

The mont they were all secured, Fyn launched into the air with powerful wing beats. The Dark Ruin’s collapse accelerated behind them, the very fabric of the pocket dinsion beginning to unravel. They flew through crumbling passages, dodging falling debris, the phoenix’s incredible speed their only salvation.

As they burst through what appeared to be a door carved into a mountain face, the entrance sealed behind them with grinding finality. In the night sky, they shot across like a cot, leaving the collapsing Dark Ruin behind.

Elias could feel Fyn’s body trembling with suppressed emotion beneath him. The phoenix’s disappointnt was palpable. It had clearly hoped for sothing more from their reunion, perhaps an apology or an attempt to reclaim their bond. Instead, it had received only cold practicality.

Naturally, Elias recognized her disappointnt, but he couldn’t afford to raise her, not to ntion she already had a caring companion; General Genevieve could take care of her more than he could.

—He wasn’t the original Elias in the first place.

Selina sat rigid before Elias, her small fra tense with uncertainty. She had recognized him as the young master she had helped a few tis in the past, but his manner, his bearing, and even the way he held himself were completely different. The questions in her eyes were obvious, but she remained silent, perhaps too overwheld by their escape to voice them.

"Where are you from? Why did she call you ’Young Master’?"

General Genevieve asked over her shoulder as they flew through the night sky, her tone still carrying suspicion despite having saved them. Her question was directed at Elias.

"I was once a mber of the Blaze Household."

Elias replied, allowing the bitterness of the original Elias’s mories to color his voice.

"But that was before my Thaumaturge Sigil was destroyed."

Genevieve’s posture shifted slightly to look back at him, an understanding entering her mind.

"A fallen noble. That explains how Drakas was able to capture you and how you knew Fyn. Fyn was originally from the Blaze Household’s rookery, wasn’t she?"

Fyn let out a low, mournful sound that needed no translation.

"The Blaze Household’s loss. However, their standards have always been overly strict, bordering on inhuman. Still, to survive what you have endured suggests they may have been hasty in their judgnt. Even without your Thaumaturge Sigil, you would’ve been soone notable as long as you find a way to restore your damaged sigil. Though it was a hard feat to accomplish, it wasn’t impossible."

She paused, then added with curiosity:

"You knew who I was back there. You weren’t surprised by my identity."

Elias was about to inquire about the thods to restore his damaged Thaumaturge Sigil but chose not to voice it out and instead chose his words carefully to answer her question.

"Your reputation precedes you, General. Even an exile like has heard whispers of the Manera Kingdom’s finest warrior with nurous military rits."

A faint smile crossed General Genevieve’s lips.

"It’s just diplomatic fanfare. Don’t take it too seriously. You may have lost your Thaumaturge Sigil, but you’ve retained your noble training."

She spoke humbly, but Elias knew her true worth. Among the young generation, few could compete with her in talent and accomplishnts, especially when it ca to fighting the Enigma Race and their allies. These included other human factions, such as the Devil Faction, which was led by the Devil Lord, and the Circle of Dark Thaumaturgists, which was led by an unknown master hidden in the dark.

They flew in silence for a ti, the landscape passing beneath them in a blur of shadows and moonlight. Eventually, the lights of a great city appeared on the horizon—

—Sun City.

Sun City was the most populous settlent in the Sun Kingdom and the closest to the Dark Ruin that Drakas had inhabited. This city was also where he had found the innocent, original Elias.

As they began their descent toward the city, General Genevieve spoke again.

"I’ll leave you both at Sun City. You’ll be safe there, and far enough from the Manera Kingdom to avoid any complications from your survival as a Dark Thaumaturgist’s slave. This is for your own good. Normally, the slaves of such Dark Thaumaturgists are executed for being complicit in their evil deeds."

Her eyes lingered on Selina with a hint of concern before she added:

"Take care of the girl."

"I will."

Elias replied.

Having received his response, she reached into a pouch at her belt and withdrew a small bag that clinked with the unmistakable sound of Mystic Stones. She pressed them into Elias’s palm.

"This should be enough to establish yourselves. Consider it compensation for the information you might provide about Drakas’s activities, but we’ll discuss that later."

As Fyn landed in a secluded area near the city’s edge, Elias could feel the phoenix’s relief at being able to discharge its unwanted passenger. The creature pointedly turned its head away as Elias dismounted, though he caught a glimpse of sothing almost like longing in its eyes before it looked away.

Selina climbed down shakily, still processing everything that had happened. She looked lost, uncertain of where to go or what to do with her newfound freedom.

"Thank you, General Genevieve."

Elias said, offering a formal bow that his weakened body protested.

Genevieve studied him for a long mont, her warrior’s instincts clearly telling her there was more to this forr noble than t the eye. Finally, she nodded.

"There’s no need for formality. Just call Genevieve. Try to stay out of trouble. The world has enough problems without adding mysterious survivors of Dark Ruins to the list."

She said, hinting that she still suspected his true identity.

With that, she and Fyn took to the skies once more, the phoenix’s flas painting streaks of light across the darkness as they headed toward the Manera Kingdom.

Elias and Selina stood in the quiet aftermath as two survivors bound by shared trauma and an uncertain future. The young girl looked up at him, finally finding her voice.

She timidly asked him, uncertainty in her voice.

"Young Master Elias. Is it really you?"

Elias t her shaky gaze, seeing hope and fear mingled in her eyes. He realized that his deanor couldn’t pass for the original Elias. He wasn’t the original Elias, so it couldn’t be helped if she doubted him.

"Yes, Selina. It’s . And you don’t have to call Young Master anymore. We’re both free now and shouldn’t be tied to the past."

He said gently, trying to reassure her.