Invincible Upon Release: The Strongest Mage

"Ah! That's hot... slow down..."

"You're so rough... Thorne, I'm your mentor..."

The Pacific Ocean. The yard of Hippolyte Offshore Penitentiary.

Thorne Victor was sparring with his mentor, Seraphina Blackwood.

Realizing his magic flames had accidentally hit Seraphina, he quickly apologized.

"Sorry, mentor. I didn't mean to."

Even in a prison uniform, the woman's stunning figure couldn't be fully hidden.

Seraphina shot Thorne a sharp look and patted out the magic flames on her uniform.

She hadn't expected that after only ten years of training under her, this kid had already surpassed her in magical control.

So once he got out of prison, would he be completely unstoppable?

"My dear mentor, please don't be angry... I don't know what happened just now. I suddenly lost control."

Seraphina's expression turned serious. "It seems that as your magic power keeps growing, the demon inside you is gradually waking up. It's trying to take over your body. If this keeps up, it will eventually devour your soul completely."

Thorne snapped to attention, his face going pale. "What do I do?"

"Your ten-year sentence is up. Time for you to get out of here."

Ten years ago, his younger brother had gotten drunk and killed someone.

He took the fall for his brother, Hawk Victor, and went to prison.

But because he was so young at the time, he ended up being sent to a women's prison by mistake.

The women in there were fierce and aggressive. Luckily, Seraphina took him under her protection, which was the only reason he survived.

Seraphina had a mysterious background and vast knowledge. She not only taught him many skills but also discovered a secret hidden within him.

She told him that a demon was sealed inside his body, and that the seal was weakening — the demon was about to take over.

Fortunately, Seraphina had her ways. She had somehow set up a magic array right there in the prison, reinforcing the seal while also siphoning off part of the demon's power.

But the seal had a time limit, and Seraphina had no more means to reseal it.

Seraphina said in a low voice, "After you get out, you must find that person as quickly as possible. Even though you've taken some of the demon's power, the seal won't hold forever. If you can't destroy the demon before time runs out, you won't be yourself anymore."

Thorne nodded seriously. "Understood, mentor."

Seraphina said nothing more. She turned and walked back to her cell.

Thorne watched her go, reluctance in his eyes, and gave her one last deep bow.

After years together, the time to part had finally come.

But since he had to leave, Thorne forced himself to push down the feeling.

Escorted by two prison guards, he walked out of the prison.

He changed back into the clothes he'd worn before being locked up, stepped through the prison gates, and breathed in the open air outside — freer and fresher than anything he'd felt in years.

So this was freedom.

Ten years. A full ten years had passed since he took Hawk's place and went to prison.

He had gone from a fifteen-year-old boy to a twenty-five-year-old man.

And the moment he stepped out through those gates, the entire women's prison erupted in noise. Inmates complained from every direction.

"You're letting Thorne leave — what are we supposed to do?"

"Seraphina, that's so cruel. Bring our little Thorne back. I can't sleep without him here."

"Thorne is the only man who kept us going in this place. Now that he's gone, who's going to make us happy?"

Listening to the wave of whining and wailing behind him, Thorne's mouth twitched slightly.

...

Hilterley. Majestic City. One of the four great noble families — the Victor Estate.

An aristocratic social gathering was being held there.

The Victor couple kept up strained smiles, flattering Count Sean whenever they got the chance.

"This marriage is no disgrace to your knight family."

"Baron Montiel has said that as long as your son marries his daughter and vows to care for her for the rest of his life, he will ensure the Victor family does not fall into ruin."

"I think this is a good thing for the Victor family."

The Victor couple quickly agreed. "Yes, yes, absolutely."

Bourne Victor spoke up eagerly. "Having you personally oversee this arrangement, Count Sean, is an honor the Victor family will treasure for a hundred years. We will fully cooperate and take good care of Baron Montiel's daughter."

Count Sean gave a satisfied nod and took his leave.

The gathering came to an end.

As the head of the Victor family, Bourne stood with a grim expression.

His wife, Greya Isolde, looked even more flustered.

Greya was so distressed she was nearly in tears. "Bourne, are we really going to make Hawk marry that madwoman? And take care of her for the rest of his life?"

"Our poor child! How can we let him suffer like this his whole life?"

Bourne sighed. "What else can we do? Do you think we can afford to cross the Count?"

"The Victor family grows weaker by the day. We old knight families are losing favor with the royal family more and more."

"This is likely the royal family's intention as well. The only way the Victor family has any chance of surviving is to go along with what they want."

"The Montier girl may be unstable, but she's beautiful. As long as they consummate the marriage and she bears a child..."

A few years ago, the daughter of the Montier family head had suddenly lost her mind — going from the most sought-after baron's daughter to a woman that even struggling old knight families refused to marry.

To get his daughter wed, Baron Montiel had spent a great deal of money to hire Count Sean as a matchmaker.

Just as the Victor couple was trying to figure out how to break the news to Hawk, a servant came rushing in.

"Sir, Mr. Thorne Victor has returned!"

"Thorne?" Bourne didn't register the name at first.

Ten years had passed. They had nearly forgotten they had a son sitting in prison.

"The Count only asked for a son from our family — he never specified which one to marry that unstable girl!"

"Wonderful. Hawk won't have to suffer after all!"

The couple exchanged a glance, and a wave of delight washed over them. They clapped their hands with glee.

Surrounded by a crowd of servants and household staff, Thorne finally walked into the courtyard. He was dressed in worn traveler's clothes, a patched-up cowboy hat on his head.

The Victor couple couldn't fully hide the disdain in their eyes, but they quickly put on a show and stepped forward to greet him.

"My child, after so many years in prison — you've had it so hard!"

"You're home now. That's what matters. You're home!"

The couple feigned excitement, clasping Thorne's hands and talking over each other.

Thorne watched their performance with a calm, steady gaze.

He felt nothing but a hollow numbness inside. He saw right through them.

Over the years, he had come to understand exactly what kind of people his adoptive parents were — and what kind of person his brother was.

When he was first taken in by them, the family had seemed warm and happy.

But Hawk turned out to be a master at playing both sides. He was all smiles on the surface while working against Thorne behind the scenes, framing him and setting traps with practiced ease.

Gradually, under Hawk's scheming, Thorne lost more and more of his parents' affection — until eventually they looked at him with open contempt.

Those childhood wounds were beyond words. But over the past ten years, Thorne had seen everything clearly.

Sure enough, just as he expected, the pleasantries barely lasted a moment before the couple revealed the real reason for their enthusiasm.

"We knew you were coming home today, so we've already found you a beautiful wife."

"She's from a baron's family, no less. Don't you dare say no!"

A flicker of amusement crossed Thorne's calm eyes. "Oh? Something this good — why not give it to Hawk?"