Dark Magus Returns

Finally, After a few detours, Murkel had arrived. The first place that came to mind the moment he returned to the world of Pagna was the small fishing village he had known. Just like with nearly everything, the village had transformed into quite the town.

The area had been developed with multiple houses and streets where people were trading, resembling a market. The small stream of river now had a large bridge built over it, seemingly connecting another living area on the other side.

Large nets were being used to pull up crawfish from the bottom, which were quickly carted away. Everything operated like a perfectly functioning system.

'The town looks more developed compared to the others, even the guild building. I can see it's taller compared to the residential buildings and far bigger than I remembered,' Murkel thought.

The state of the current Erupting Fist Clan was somewhat the same as before. It was considered a medium-sized clan. It had a long history and continued to exist until today, which was how it managed to grow.

However, it was never able to achieve the same level of strength compared to the larger and more powerful clans.

Wasting no time, just like before, Murkel headed to the clan base. It was a three-tiered building with a broad base, similar to most of the warrior buildings in Pagna.

Upon arrival, Murkel knew he would have to do some explaining at the gate.

"Please gather the current clan head at my request," Murkel stated. "Inform them that an old member of the Erupting Fist Clan has returned."

The guards looked at Murkel as if he were mad, making such a request without saying anything else.

"Go play your games with someone else," the guard waved his hand dismissively.

In an instant, Murkel activated his Dark Condensed Qi. It lingered out of his body, spreading across the ground and making the guards feel instantly sick.

It was clear that this Qi, and the power of its darkness, was not something an ordinary person could produce. Both guards stepped back in fear, but as they tried to jump away, they fell to the ground, trapped by the gravity of the Qi.

Murkel then took a step forward, continuing into the Erupting Fist Clan.

'All the time I spent away from this place, all the time I spent on my own, in the other dimension, I cultivated with the Dark Qi method, and it grew stronger.'

'This cultivation, the manifestation of my Qi, is everything I went through—those years of loneliness, everything I lost, and the friends I lost along the way.'

It didn't take long for Murkel to continue walking forward before he saw a small army of Pagna warriors rushing out. He also saw several men in strange masks covering their faces, and an old man running behind them.

Around thirty men had rushed out of the building, immediately surrounding Murkel but keeping their distance, as they could feel his Qi.

Finally, the oldest member emerged with a cane in hand, staying back among the others. The cane had the symbol of the Erupting Fist Clan on it.

"Great warrior!" The man with the cane said in a loud, booming voice. "Please, state the reason for your visit and why you threaten us with your Qi. Are you perhaps someone who has descended from the Divine Realm? Is there a reason for your visit?"

Given Murkel's displayed strength and unfamiliar face, they could only assume he was someone from the Divine Realm who had come down.

Murkel looked at the faces around him, unable to recognize any of them. The questions he wanted to ask—why they hadn't followed him, why no one came to seek him out back then—couldn't be answered, as none of them existed anymore. So what was he to do now? Murkel placed a hand on his chest, feeling pain at the realization that he might not get the answers he sought. He felt something solid underneath.

"I came here… no, I have returned," Murkel declared.

The others didn't understand what this strange man meant, but then Murkel reached into his clothing and pulled out the old medallion. It shone brightly into the elder's eyes, causing him to fall to his knees.

"The true Clan Head… has returned."

Hearing those words caused Murkel to withdraw his Qi. He didn't expect the medallion to have such an effect. When he was around, there was only one of its kind, and it was proof of one's succession to the Erupting Fist Clan.

During his time away, he wouldn't blame them if they had made another medallion and selected someone else as the successor. With so much time having passed, he wondered if anyone would even know what the medallion represented. Nevertheless, he decided to give it a shot.

"It seems we both have a lot of questions and explanations to do," Murkel said.

Things weren't as Murkel had expected upon returning. Everyone in the clan was courteous to him, respectful, and treated him like a true leader.

Through talking with them, he learned that the story of the medallion had been passed from one head to the next, and there were tales spoken about Murkel and his bravery—mainly from the students he had taught who had risen and grown strong. He also learned what had happened that day with the portal, how it had closed up when he went through.

This wasn't out of the realm of possibility. When Murkel stepped back into the world of Pagna, he had also witnessed the portal behind him close for some reason.

What he did learn was that the last clan head was also a student of his, who had only passed away around a month ago. If he had managed to return a little earlier, he could have learned more.

The members of the Erupting Fist Clan gave him the option to take charge of the clan or not. Murkel decided to accept the position, and there were no arguments, as they all could feel his strength that day.

He took up the role that the clan heads before him had wished for him to assume, and that was exactly what he did.

A darkness that had been covering his heart from before was slightly dissipating now that he had returned to the clan. As he led them, Murkel was able to best the leaders in friendly battles nearby. He even met someone he cared for deeply.

He cared for her so much that a child was on the way, and that child was soon to be born, named Ricktor. Everything was going well.

"I have a family, a clan, and friends who respect me… but the Dark Faction as a whole is still struggling. We, as a faction, must grow. I should try to find out what happened to Bofan and those who are trying to suppress the Noctis Clan. They couldn't have just disappeared like that."

It was during the search for the Noctis Clan that Murkel found out what the current leaders of the factions were doing. How they were the ones responsible for getting rid of the Noctis Clan, and it was quite obvious why. To stay on the top of the Dark Faction. It wasn't right, and Murkel wanted to stop it, but he had his own family to worry about now, and there was something else, Murkel found strange about himself, when he heard of portals, or the beasts that came from them he found it difficult to kill them. Something had changed in him, and he was worried.