Maximus sighed for the umpteenth time, gently massaging his temple as he loosed a breath. This whole mess just kept on getting messier. He had first heard of the disappearances not long after he had officially relinquished control of Razacon to his son, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it. Caught up in his newfound freedom, he didn’t want to stick himself into the complicated situation. He’d figured the powerhouses of North America could deal with the problem.

And he still didn’t want to deal with this. However, with how large the problem had gotten, he really didn’t have a choice; especially since the IG had invoked the blood agreement he had signed.

And now they were telling him that the situation had gotten even worse.

Several hours ago, the IG headquarters had lost contact with the agents that they had sent ahead to investigate the cave he was headed to. The agents had been tasked with only the simple job of reconnaissance, and they had been leagues overqualified for their job. Each agent would not lack even stacked against Sin’s best when it came to covert operations. Political disagreements aside, he had to admit the IG knew how to train their mages.

And now those grossly overqualified men were MIA – most likely dead if he was being realistic, though the IG refused to rule as such until they had more conclusive evidence. Although the men had strict orders not to go inside the cave, they were still deep in enemy territory. If the cave-dwelling mage were anywhere near as strong as they were assuming, they would have stood no chance, being as far spread apart as they were.

All they had managed to salvage from the men’s body cameras was a blurry face, from a man whose last position marked him at 20 klicks north of the cave. The image of the blurry face had been enhanced as much as the IG’s most competent computers could handle. The resulting image was still fuzzy, but bore an uncanny resemblance to one of the missing mages from the US - something confirmed by the computer itself when asked to compare the image with the missing poster for the mage.

This new evidence only served as confirmation for what the IG had already deduced: that every missing, high-profile mage had been captured by a singular entity.

Taking out those reconnaissance mages unprovoked was all the reason the IG needed to issue a proper subjugation mission – after all, declaring all-out war against a single mage was overkill. A subjugation mission issued by the IG was about as serious as they could take one person.

Maximus felt a smile bloom in reminiscence. Once upon a time, they had issued one for himself, as well. They’d quickly learnt their lesson.

Maximus stood up with a tired groan, stretching muscles numb from sitting. He decided to go up to the deck for some fresh air, and clear his mind from all his futile pondering. All this thinking helped him none.

As he exited his lavish room and stepped out into the lush, carpeted hallway, he couldn’t help but admire the monetary prowess of the IG. An Icesteel Warship, like the one he was currently in, cost fortunes to mobilize, forget build. The fact that they had sent out five was a testament to how deep their coffers went.

Not to mention, they were all just a show of might anyway. The main fighting force of today’s mission was just him, Alois, and Louis; the rest would be no better than eggs against a boulder in an actual fight. But the IG had deemed it necessary to show the rest of the world a reminder of their military strength, just in case any nations were harboring rebellious ideas. After all, the many years of peace might’ve convinced some that the IG had become soft.

Fresh, salty air hit his face like a solid wall as he opened the door, carrying with it a slight fishy smell. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he lumbered his large frame through the small doorway and walked down the deck and up to the edge of the massive warship. As he leaned on the railing, he could feel the slight spray of seawater caressing his face, bringing with it a cool refreshment. As he peered over the horizon, he could just barely make out the soft, undulating ridgeline of the shore: an entirely different continent.

He sighed. That feeling that he was trying to ignore would not go away; in fact, it was only getting stronger. The ominous feeling he had felt when he first heard of this mage had only gotten worse, and now that the continent was in sight, that slight feeling of unease had morphed into a dire warning of danger, an oppressive weight in his chest. It had been a while since he had felt this way.

Well, to be fair, it had been a while since he had fought, period. In recent years, his name had been enough of a deterrent to any potential enemies. So, in spite of the danger that his instincts were warning him of – or rather, one might say because of it – he was excited. For the first time in many years, he stood at the maw of a battle he truly looked forward to.