The road leading out of Valisar's slums was quiet at dawn. Mist hung low over the ground, veiling the broken paths and crumbling walls like ghostly shrouds. Magnus and Rhea moved in silence, their cloaks drawn tight against the morning chill. Behind them, the city of Valisar glimmered faintly in the distance, golden towers glowing in the sunrise, as if mocking the misery below.
They had left Avar and his mother with a pouch of coins and a promise that someday, the chains of this kingdom would break. Now, their path took them east, toward the old catacombs known in whispers as the Black Hollow.
The Hollow had once been a mine, dug deep under Valisar centuries ago. But when strange energies began to seep from its depths, the miners fled, and the tunnels were sealed. Rumors said the air itself could kill, or that those who entered heard voices in the dark.
"Why are we going here again?" Rhea asked, stepping over a fallen log. Her grey eyes flicked toward Magnus, who walked ahead with his usual calm focus.
Magnus's crimson gaze never left the horizon. "Because Hardard's network runs through this place. The Gilded Ledger uses the Hollow's old tunnels to move goods and slaves without the crown's eyes watching."
Rhea frowned. "So it's not just superstition."
"Superstition hides truth," Magnus said quietly. "And truth hides power."
They reached the edge of a vast pit just as the sun climbed higher. The ground opened into a black maw, ancient stone steps spiraling downward into shadow. Cold air poured from below, thick with damp and the faint scent of rust.
Rhea crouched near the edge, her assassin's instincts prickling. "You sure about this? That place feels wrong."
Magnus stepped closer, the shadows around his feet responding to his mood flickering like restless flames. "It's not wrong," he said softly. "It's familiar."
They descended into the Hollow.
The light dimmed with every step until only the faint glow of Rhea's poison aura lit the way a soft green haze against the walls. The air grew colder, the silence deepening into something oppressive. Water dripped in the distance, echoing like whispers.
After a while, they found themselves in a wide chamber lined with rusted mining tools and shattered lanterns. Strange markings covered the stone walls circular sigils drawn in faded ink.
Rhea ran a gloved finger along one of them. "These symbols… they look old. Maybe pre-Valisar era."
Magnus knelt, studying the markings. "They're sealing runes. Someone tried to contain something here."
Before Rhea could respond, a low hum filled the chamber a vibration that made the ground tremble slightly. The shadows thickened, swirling toward Magnus as if drawn to him. His eyes widened slightly, crimson light flaring brighter.
"Magnus?" Rhea asked, her tone sharp.
He didn't answer at first. His vision blurred, the world around him fading into black mist. In that moment, he felt something deep within the Hollow a pulse, ancient and alive. It called to his Shadow Aura like a whisper in his mind.
You carry our mark… child of dusk.
Magnus stumbled back, gripping his chest. His qi flared violently before he forced it down, sweat dripping down his temple. The whisper vanished as suddenly as it came.
Rhea grabbed his shoulder. "What happened?"
He breathed heavily, then straightened. "This place… it recognizes my aura. Something was sealed here something connected to shadows."
Rhea looked around uneasily. "If that's true, then we shouldn't stay long. If Hardard's men use these tunnels, we can't risk being caught with whatever's down here."
Magnus nodded slowly, though his mind was still half-anchored in that strange voice. "We'll rest here for now. Move at dusk."
They found an old side chamber to camp in a small alcove with a collapsed ceiling and broken crates. Rhea set down her dagger and checked her poison vials while Magnus sat against the wall, his sabers beside him. The silence between them was not awkward — just heavy.
After a while, Rhea spoke quietly. "Back there… with the boy. You didn't hesitate to help."
Magnus looked up, his expression unreadable. "He reminded me of myself. Someone powerless in a world that doesn't care."
Rhea smiled faintly. "You care. That's what makes you dangerous."
He huffed a small laugh. "Dangerous to who?"
"To everyone who underestimates you," she said.
Magnus looked toward the tunnel, his eyes gleaming faintly red in the dim light. "Then they'd better keep underestimating me."
They rested until nightfall. When the time came, they packed quietly and moved deeper into the Hollow. The air grew colder still, the stone damp beneath their boots. In the distance, faint lantern lights flickered voices echoing through the tunnels.
Magnus signaled for silence. They crouched behind a collapsed archway as three men approached, their armor bearing the crimson crest of the Gilded Ledger.
"…Hardard wants the next shipment by dawn," one of them said. "The prince doesn't like delays."
"Shipment?" Rhea whispered.
Magnus's eyes darkened. "Slaves."
He waited until the men passed, then rose silently. "We follow. Find where they're keeping them."
The path led to a lower chamber a cavern where torchlight revealed rows of metal cages. Inside, people sat huddled and silent men, women, and even children, their eyes hollow with fear. The guards laughed, tossing scraps of bread at them.
Rhea's fists clenched. "Animals…"
Magnus's aura pulsed faintly, shadows rippling like black water. "No," he said quietly. "Worse. And they'll pay for it."
But instead of attacking, he reached into his pouch and pulled out a piece of parchment. With calm precision, he wrote a few words, his pen moving in steady strokes.
Rhea frowned. "What's that?"
Magnus pinned the parchment to a wooden pillar near the cages. On it, in bold ink, were the words:
"Magnus was here. :)"
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "A provocation?"
Magnus smirked faintly. "A message. When they wake, they'll know the shadows have come for them."
They slipped away into the tunnels, leaving the torchlight behind.
Above them, dawn was breaking once again over Valisar unaware that deep beneath its shining streets, a storm was rising.
And in the dark heart of the Hollow, something ancient stirred whispering in the tongue of shadows, as if recognizing its heir
To Be Continued in chapter 21....