Mage Legend-Chapter 812 - 54: Giving Up

The door of the Magic Laboratory slowly creaked open. The protective Magic Barriers on it had all been dispelled by the one opening it, and this person quietly made their way to stand behind Lynch.

"Teacher, why are you here so late?" Lynch sat cross-legged on the ground, staring blankly at the door leading to the room where the Devil was imprisoned. The sturdy, thick door was tightly bound with layers of silver refining rope. The Devil would be injured if it touched this metal, and this door was the only passage out of that room.

Master Caso stood silently behind Lynch, his hands tucked inside his sleeves. The young mage had not stepped out of this room for six consecutive months and had turned into a ragged mess. If it weren't for the burning, wise light in his eyes, anyone would have mistaken this disheveled figure for an ordinary beggar on the street.

"I am willing to trade anything for my father's life." Without raising his head, Lynch spoke in a low voice, as if talking to himself. "But the Devil does not give me this chance, and time is silently slipping away. Teacher, do you have any way to give me more time for my research?"

"You know the answer in your heart, child." Caso bent down, placing his hand on his student's shoulder. "You have done your best. Although this fact is harsh, you must accept it. Do you remember what I said?"

"I remember every word you said, Teacher. I keep trying to convince myself." Lynch cradled his forehead with his palm and choked, "But it's too hard, and too time-consuming. I need to do better now. I can see hope, like seeing the light of a lighthouse on the horizon at night. I can reach it, I just need time."

Caso shook his head and sighed deeply. He had wished many times that Lynch would recognize the reality in front of him, but the child stubbornly refused to accept it. Although the Devil could not possibly break through the layers of chains set by the young mage, the attempt to free Lynch's father was equally obstructed by these chains. It became an unsolvable dilemma—if the Spell was to work on the hostage, the hostage and the captor must be completely free, never to be found again. Lynch could not find a solution despite his intense contemplation, and it was this that tormented him terribly.

"Lynch, there is another way in this world to save everything," Caso suddenly said, "If from now on, every breath, every blink could be used for contemplation, and even during sleep, the brain wouldn't rest. Then could you find the answer?"

Lynch suddenly turned around, eyes filled with eager light. He stood up in a flash, tightly grasping Master Caso's hand: "Teacher, is what you say true? Can you give me this time?"

"I can give you an Eye of Insight, and an ever-active mind—but all of this comes at a cost," Caso said heavily, slowly, "From now on, you will lose the ability to dream, and will never have dreams again; your life henceforth will be like that of a Demon Statue, only monotonous work, acting mechanically."

Lynch frowned, quickly weighing the value of this choice in his mind. Then he said, "Will I lose the motivation to try to save my father? Will I give up all efforts after accepting this Spell?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"No, you will still have the same memories, the same thoughts," Master Caso said, "You will work day and night to mend the mistakes you made. You will live for a reason, but not for dreams. You may not grasp the difference now, but as time accumulates, your soul will gradually rust, and nothing will interest you anymore; no splendid future will appear in your mind. When you close your eyes, the Eye of Insight will still project everything around you into your mind, ceaselessly revealing the harsh reality."

"So, I will no longer have expectations for the future. In this world, even a madman has visions of beautiful worlds in their mind, even the savage Beastman tries to connect with unrealistic goals, but I will have none of that." Lynch chuckled bitterly: "Teacher, thank you for telling me all this. But the fact is, my father is suffering behind that door, and if I can't find a way, he will have no future at all!"