"If we help Lauren become an Archmage, she can undo the seal of darkness on her mind by herself, without risking any damage to her mental structures. Advancing to the 6th stage would also help recover the structures of her mind that were damaged by Nixlas' Shadows' men."",

Newton was quick to suggest the only way he could see ahead for Vicente to help Lauren rid herself of that negative stigma.

"Advance to the 6th stage? Is that the only alternative?" Vicente asked as he frowned. Having an alternative was good, but Lauren had just advanced to the 5th stage. An advance to the 6th stage, considering her talent, could take ages!

"I'm sorry. This is the only alternative I can think of at the moment. Your sister's situation is serious for a few reasons, Vicente.

Someone brainwashed her as soon as she awakened her powers. Her mental structure was very malleable at the time, and any action could leave marks extremely difficult to remove. But it was an Archmage who did this to her, which only makes matters worse.

And that's not all. If she were weaker, perhaps someone weaker could help her. But since she's already a Paragon, anyone who would help her would have to be stronger than her.

Even then, there would be no guarantees.

Whoever did this to her was cruel and powerful. Reversing it won't be easy. I'm afraid even if you became an Archmage, you wouldn't be able to help her much.

However, that's the reality for third parties. If Lauren makes it to the 6th stage and gets a cyan pentagram, there's a good chance she'll be able to remove all the darkness from her mind and reverse her current problems."

Newton explained the situation to Vicente and Lauren, sincerely regretting he couldn't do more than identify this possibility. This was a hope, but it was a long shot and totally out of his control.

Lauren looked at him, sensing her brother's feelings, even though she couldn't see the sadness in his eyes.

"Forget about it, Vicente." She said to him. "You and I aren't meant to be. You should take care of your little sister and forget that I exist. Don't worry, I won't stand in your way or even ally myself with the vampires. Just let me go and get on with your life."

Newton remained silent, leaving the siblings to decide what they were going to do with each other.

"When we meet up with Nina, I'll get Casey to pass on her memories to you, too. Maybe that will help in some way." He was determined to keep his family together and not give up.

"Maybe you won't remember us fully until you become an Archmage, Lauren. But maybe you'll be able to understand who Nina and I are before you remember everything for yourself. I won't give up on you."

She clenched her fists, hating the fact that he was so insistent. "You'll only make that girl suffer even more if you present me to her as I am," Lauren advised, thinking of Vicente's weak side.

"Nina's not a child anymore. She'll understand my motives." Lauren's attempt did not sway Vicente. "Anyway, in the future, I'll kill new vampires. Who knows, maybe when I kill a superior 5th stage vampire, their blood can help you not only advance faster, but also remember the past better."

"A superior 5th stage vampire?" She narrowed her eyes.

That wasn't bad for her. Lauren had never absorbed vampire blood, so if she could use the essence of a 5th stage vampire, it was possible that she could become a Mid-level Paragon easily if she did that with her current level.

She smiled and said, "Good luck with that. Even with your Throne of Darkness, killing a superior 5th stage vampire won't be easy. But I'll take the blood and whatever else you give me from such a vampire."

"Throne of Darkness?" Newton listened to this with curiosity, eager to find out Vicente's actual situation after these years of traveling away. "What's that about?"

Vicente looked at Newton, leaving the subject of Lauren aside to talk about his improvements. "I'm sorry, Professor Newton, but I've kept part of the truth about myself from you for years." As he said this, Vicente stretched one of his hands forward, causing a small throne of darkness and two pentagrams to emerge from his hand.

Newton's eyes widened at the sight, spotting Vicente's second Magic Gem glowing on the young man's forehead. That strange magical form made him feel like he was standing in front of darkness itself.

"That..." He stammered, but contrary to Vicente and Lauren's expectations, it did not frighten him. He was just speechless at seeing something so impressive in front of him.

"That's why you could absorb a yellow pentagram when you were just an Acolyte!" Newton looked into Vicente's eyes with a smile on his face, remembering the conversation from years ago when Vice had asked him what it was like to have two Magic Gems.

"It seems I was fooled by a young Acolyte back then." He laughed as he returned to his refined posture, gesturing for Vicente to retract his second magical form. "I now realize the source of my mistakes. You're actually the continent's first dual magician!"

"I had to hide from everyone because I couldn't even control this magical form until a few months ago, professor. Before that, I always ended up badly when I used the throne." Vicente was honest.

"That makes sense. Two magical forms are not a simple thing. One of them is your main magical form, and it's the weaker one. The stronger one is harder to master, so you'd need a solid magical foundation to control it."

'He really is clever. He easily understood your situation,' Torne commented in Vicente's mind, while the young man smiled in agreement.

It was precisely because Newton was so capable that Vicente was there to talk about Lauren's situation!

"Vicente, please show me your first magical form. I think you've become a monster over the years, haven't you?" Newton asked with anticipation, his heart racing with excitement at the discoveries he was making.