Dark Magus Returns

"With this wedding, if the Dark Magus joins the Neverfall Clan, won't that mean they will now have access to all of the items he creates as well?"

"You're right, at any moment they could decide to take away the items that are being sold, or keep the best ones for themselves."

"That shouldn't matter though, the Neverfall Clan is part of the Demonic Faction, and right now the Demonic Faction has to worry more about the Light and the Dark Faction."

"They won't stop selling the pills, they will continue to distribute them to everyone."

"Ha, but then what about wealth? Won't this at least increase their standing in the entire world? With a large amount of wealth, they could even start to make the kingdoms move at their call. They might become a power that is unchecked."

"I think you're all forgetting another issue. Didn't you hear what the Dark Magus claimed and what we know is true already? He is part of the Crimson Crane, not the Neverfall Clan.

"This relationship, we don't know how it will pan out for both of them in the first place. The Crimson Crane is a Wanderer Clan… but they might not be anymore after today."

The crowd was busy talking among themselves about everything that had been announced, and for sure the news would spread further than the Demonic Faction.

Who the newcomer was, and not only that but the possible influence he would bring to the Demonic Faction.

The talks continued and continued, until the loud bashing of a gong was heard. The ringing sounded out, hitting everyone in the area, causing their mouths to shut.

Their heads turned in the direction of the vibration as they heard the loud gong once more, and their eyes were now glued to a single person that had entered the market square.

"Who… who… is that?" one of the crowd members asked, his head feeling a little lightheaded because he wasn't sure if he was seeing straight or not.

No one in the crowd was. They were staring at a radiating captivating beauty. Her long raven hair tumbled down her back in soft waves. It was a stark contrast to the pristine white of her dress.

The gown itself was a masterpiece. Wispy white lace cascaded over a fitted silhouette, which was accenting the elegant curve of her figure.

The back of her dress dragging along the floor was covered in a deep red. It trailed behind her as she walked like a crimson flame.

On top of that, her makeup was flawless. A hint of roseate blush that went with the red of the back of the dress, and then there was the soft smile that played on her lips.

This wasn't the Rayna that people knew, this wasn't the daughter of the Neverfall Clan that they knew.

Walking, her beauty had stunned them all into silence. She continued confidently looking straight up at Raze.

'I know your past… I know that you have felt true love before, and I'm not sure if I can replace what was once in your heart, nor if what I feel is the same as what the two of you had.'

'But for some reason, when hearing your tale about the woman you deeply cared for, I wished that maybe, just for a moment, you would care for me in that same way.'

'So I decided to try my best, for just a moment, maybe I could sweep you away, and make you feel that way for me.'

These were the thoughts going through Rayna's mind, as she reached the top of the platform. She walked over to Raze and looked at him.

The two stood opposite each other, and while looking at his face she was trying to figure out what it was that he was thinking, but had nothing.

There wasn't a single word that came out of Raze's mouth.

Belil was the one with the biggest grin on his face, and out from his hand he had two red rings. He handed one to each of them.

"Once these two place each other's rings on one's hand, they will be together!" Belil announced.

"I know a lot of you have your questions and concerns, but you should all know what I am like by now. The Dark Magus here is a great person."

"As I said before, he is not a person that I chose, but is a person my daughter chose. You can see by how much effort she put in today, how much she truly loves this person."

This was a first for Rayna, hearing her father talk about her in this way. She had hoped it was his true feelings, and weren't things he was saying just for the sake of pleasing those below that were watching.

"These two are their own people, the Dark Magus will not be a part of the Crimson Crane. From today onwards their loyalty is not with the Neverfall clan, and this is true for both of them."

"They must survive in this Demonic Faction, just like the rest of the clans must do! My last gift to both of them is a piece of land the Neverfall Clan recently obtained."

"I hope everyone treats my word as fact from today!"

The clan members in the crowd were mumbling to each other. What Belil had said had somewhat appeased them.

Yet they couldn't help but feel that the Neverfall Clan either way had gained control of a strong ally, and now being married it would be hard to trust his word.

If someone had a problem with the Dark Magus and attacked them, then even just knowing that there was a chance the Neverfall Clan would get involved would deter them.

Who would even dare to put Belil's word to the test? For now, they would just have to believe him.

At the same time, Raze was happy with this. A small link to the Neverfall Clan was all he wanted. Maybe one day he could ask about the relationship between the Dark Faction founder and their Clan with this.

Right now though, Raze was in a happier mood than he would have thought. This day, he thought it would bring up bad memories, but when in the prison he had remembered more of the good times he had spent with Sabrina.

"Thank you," Raze said, staring right into Rayna's eyes.

"Thank you… for what?" Rayna turned away, her makeup hiding the redness of her cheeks at this moment.

"For the outfit, you got it specially made for me, correct? Thank you for that," Raze said, as he lifted up the ring.

"You know, where I'm from these rings are important, they're a promise to one another. I don't make promises a lot, because I never intend to break a promise I do make."

"Does this count as a promise?" Rayna whispered. "Even if it's not real."

"A promise is a promise," Raze said as he placed the ring onto her hand, and she did the same back.

"This is proof of the promise. Since I have made a promise with you, I will protect you," Raze said.

"Ha!" Rayna turned away. "You, who's weaker than me, I should be the one saying that to you."

After the exchange of rings, there was loud applause all around. The ceremony was coming to an end, and it was soon time to party for the rest of the group the whole night.

But cutting the applause short a loud booming voice interrupted them.

"Wait!!!" Sha Mo shouted. "You are the Dark Magus, you are the one that injured my people and refused my offer back then!"

"Now that I know this, I can't just let you go. For what you did, I will forgive you, as long as you give me a hand," Sha Mo said, gesturing to him with his other hand, intimating that he should cut it off.