Greyashe chapter 276 is entitled 'Successor II'.

Previous chapter 275: Successor.

Next chapter 277: Strict rules and regulations.

Summaries page.

-Short summary-

Acheron's selection method is revealed, and Iselia finds herself in a serious situation.

-Long summary-

Iselia tries to maintain her best poker face, despite feeling the first pangs of panic beginning to rise within her. A lot of her power had dissipated when she had finally let her anger with the goddesses fade. It isn't to say that she's a weakling now, but the feeling of malaise that had begun when she confronted her pursuant is becoming harder and harder to ignore. The young man on the other hand smirks as if he knows what the young magician is thinking. He announces that she won't be going anywhere, and while he'd rather not have to harm her....now, he will act as the situation calls for it. He is completely relaxed, and even sits upon a trashcan in the alley, putting on a pair of headphones and adjusting his hat. The weight of her uncertain fate finally spurs Iseila into action, and she prepares to turn and run, but behind her two more people stand. She curses her luck realizing that they had been taking turns pursuing her which is why she had been surprised when the young man was the one she found first. The two behind her are much more familiar in terms of 'sense'. As in, she had felt their presence as she had been walking through town.

One is a girl, about her height -not too tall not too short, with a teal mixed with black hair color and dark purple eyes. She seems to be in a school uniform, although Iselia is unsure what school and from where. Her eyes reflect a detached interest; she wants to be here but only kind of. Meanwhile beside her is a man, taller than the first young man and the ladies. He wears army fatigues and a Japanese oni mask that obscures his entire face. He stands in an authoritative stance arms crossed and his gaze fixed downward at Iseila. The first young man yawns and shakes his head. He had said she wouldn't be going anywhere right? The young magician asks her captors what they want with her? This seems a bit dire for a mugging.

The first young man smiles and admits his fondness for the grandiose. Hopping off the trash can he boldly marches over to Iselia and stares into her eyes. She reaches out to smack him away, but he's one step ahead and catches her hand. He asks the girl what she thinks of Iselia's 'potential', and after a moment of silence she replies she can see what Acheron saw within her....but a lot of that has dwindled now. The first young man agrees, and Iselia can only glance at all three in shock. How would they know something like that? The young man answers the question not yet asked, and says that they are cut from a 'special pedigree'.

Meanwhile back at the school, Daimen asks Cayden how he could possibly know that the kaiser mage's successor is Iselia? The aide glances at him as well as if he'd like to know the answer but has too much pride to ask. Cayden shrugs a shoulder and states simply that she told him. Iselia had suspected as much...Acheron had wanted to spend a lot of time with her upon learning about her high agape level. His interest only deepened when he found out that her power was mostly derived from her intense loathing of the goddesses. It makes sense if a powerful man such as Acheron wants a successor he'd choose a powerful youth. Harrow then puts two and two together, and asks what happened to Acheron. People don't usually run around asking about successors who have already been named unless something has happened to the person they're supposed to be succeding. The aide tries to artfully dodge the question, but Frieda quickly lifts her glasses and upon putting them down frankly states that Acheron is either dead or dying. Damien, Harrow, and Cayden's jaws drop and the aide glares at the young lady. Frieda smiles unable to hide her unbridled maliciousness, and claims that she only made a 'lucky guess'. The aide sighs and figuring he doesn't have much choice begins to explain the current situation to the students. Apparently Acheron's body had been sent by messenger to 'Dover tower', otherwise known as the kaiser mage's stronghold. The WITCHes are investigating to find the culprit, but the successor would need to be found immediately, and prepped to take the kaiser mage's place. Damien raises an incredulous eyebrow -he doesn't feel that this is whole truth. The aide grits his teeth, and then glances at Frieda who whistles innocently. Harrow finishes Damien's thought; but a problem has arisen, someone else found out about Acheron's death, and has plans to kill his successor. The aide stares at Harrow frustration in his eyes and clenching his fists. He murmurs that they have to find Iseila quickly for her life is in danger.

This is all Cayden needs to hear. He creates an ice bridge from the balcony and slides into the plaza below, the bridge breaking apart as he makes his decent. Harrow yells after his friend, but he's either ignoring him or already out of earshot. Saying a curse under his breath he runs after his friend apologizing to the aide for not listening to the rest of his story. Damien cordially bows and takes his absence as Frieda tags along explaining to the aide that Damien is her 'dealer', although in the distance Daimen's protests are loud and clear. The aide starts to demand that the students come back immediately, but he gets a call on a com-link on his wrist that the objective has changed. The 'triad' had already appeared in Aerhaart. This is enough to cause the aide to break out in a cold sweat.

Hydon closes the book containing Acheron's last will and testament, and shakes his head in a mixture of frustration and pure admiration. Acheron's method of selecting a successor of his successor is brilliant but gaudy, extreme but logical. Fair, but tough. To honor the kaiser mage's wishes he would have to jump through countless hoops and turn the city of Aerhaart completely upside down, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He had already received news about 'the triad' appearing in the city which would mean that the current successor's life is in a considerable amount of danger. Of course he would have as many eyes and ears out to look for her, but in the off chance that they should be too late there would need to be further measures taken. Normally there would be the kaiser mage elect to pick up this slack, but no one had seen them for some time either. Hydon stops to consider this, as it almost seems like this sequence of unfortunate events had been premeditated. Langston Hydon is a practical man -almost to a fault, so he doesn't entertain this seemingly preposterous theory. He doesn't dismiss it completely as things had become strange since the Witch war. Theories such as 'magic being the enemy of all' and it's intent to use humans to kill humans had seemed to be the snuff of fairy tales before that war, but certain discoveries had given credence to these theories. So it wouldn't be too strange to believe that some one had in fact set all of these events up to happen one after another. For now however, he would have to keep his eyes on the task before him. He summons Lea and tells her that he will begin the kaiser mage's last will and testament.

Iseila backs away from the first young man while watching the two behind her. She has plenty of questions, but something tells her that this trio won't answer much of anything so she resigns herself to asking once again what they want with her. The first young man states in a jovial tone that he and his siblings had come since they had heard their father had died. Apparently he had left some strange kid as his successor so doesn't it make sense for his blood relatives to come and scope this successor out? Iselia's eyes widen as she begins to realize what he's saying. The young man introduces himself as the second son of Hekerzos Acheron, Delaney. He points to the taller young man and introduces him as Willard, and finally the youngest child, Aithne. The three may have different mothers, but they are all Acheron's actual children. Delaney then says with faux reassurance that they have no intention of succeeding him. He had made sure that they wouldn't receive any of his power should he die. Though they do have intention of destroying any kind of semblance that their father had tried to create.

Hydon has gathered aides, GMAGY staff and the Aerhaart city officials for an impromptu meeting. He quickly apologizes for the suddenness of the gathering and reveals the death of Acheron. Before the group gathered can begin to comprehend the news of the kaiser mage's death he announces Acheron's last will and testament, that if his successor and the kaiser mage elect be unable to continue his legacy, he then leaves the selection of a new mage in the hands of the people he serves. In short, candidates will be chosen from the most qualified of magicians, and then voted for by the people, as such the city of Aerhaart will go down in history as the town that hosted the very first Kaiser mage election.