Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1489: Fractured Trust

The Central Academy students stood frozen, their world completely turned upside down. Only hours ago, they had been hailed as top prodigies, trained to bring honor to their academy in the magical exchange. They had expected praise, recognition, maybe even reverence. Instead, here they were, exhausted, powerless, cornered in the night.

And now, standing before them was Raze, the Wilton student who had shattered every expectation, his white hair illuminated faintly in the moonlight, his presence heavier than the dark magic swirling around him. The students didn’t know who to fear more: the Grand Magus who had raised them... or the boy who had just killed their teachers as if swatting flies.

Bones took a step back, his voice cracking though he tried to sound strong. "I know you just saved us... but for all we know this could all be some trick. You’re trying to lure us in, get us to join your Dark Guild, aren’t you?"

Kelly folded her arms and let out a sharp huff. "Unbelievable. Not even a thank you? We haven’t asked you to join anything. We’re not recruiting. We’re just giving you the chance to escape from the Grand Magus and the other mages who were literally about to kill you. You all saw it happen. Or are your minds so broken you can’t even process what just happened in front of your eyes?"

"Answer us this!" Bones pressed, his fists shaking. "Did the two of you just use Dark Magic? Are you members of the Dark Guild?"

Kelly turned her head toward Raze, uncertain how to answer. She hadn’t expected him to reveal his magic so openly. Why had he done it? Other than erasing the bodies, he could have hidden it. If she had been the only one using Dark Magic, perhaps it would have been easier to explain away.

But Raze didn’t hesitate. His voice cut through the tense air. "We are."

The students gasped. Nannan’s face drained of color as she stammered, "Are... are all the Wilton students part of the Dark Guild too? Kelly... you as well?"

That fear twisted deeper into their stomachs. The Dark Guild had always been painted as the enemy, the shadow lurking at the edges of society. They had all grown up believing that if they ever crossed paths with a member, it would be obvious, monstrous, terrifying, easy to identify. Yet Kelly, their companion through the exchange, had been one of them all along. And they had never realized.

"That question doesn’t even concern you," Raze replied flatly. "But if you must know... I transferred to Wilton solely to take part in this event. That’s it. Who belongs to what group, does it even matter?" His dark eyes swept across them. "If you want a reason to trust me, then here it is: I haven’t killed you. Despite the countless chances I’ve had, I never once raised my sword against you. Instead, I killed those who tried to harm you. So you can decide, who do you trust more?"

The words hit like iron. Kayzel clenched his jaw. Deep down, he believed Raze. The boy could have ended their lives at any moment during the tournament or just now. But belief didn’t erase the dread clawing at him. If they refused Raze, if they insisted on returning to the Grand Magus, wouldn’t that make them loose ends to be silenced?

The worst part was the lack of time. They had no luxury to weigh options.

Because right ahead, two more staff mages appeared, walking down the darkened path toward them. Their uniforms were the same as the ones who had tried to escort the students earlier. Reinforcements, sent because the others had been late.

The students’ hearts seized.

When they turned back toward Raze, he was gone.

No, he was already standing five meters away, directly in front of the approaching staff. The mages panicked, hands flying as they tried to summon their spells, desperate to flee.

But Raze lifted one hand and pointed down.

The ground cracked beneath the staff mages as if gravity itself had doubled, tripled, multiplied. The air itself grew heavy, and in an instant both men slammed into the earth with bone-shattering force. The sound of snapping bones echoed down the path, followed by blood seeping into the cracked stone.

The students flinched. George’s mouth fell open. He knew exactly what he had just witnessed.

"That... that’s my gravitational affinity," George stammered. His eyes widened as he stared at Raze. "How... how is he using it?! And that strength, it’s stronger than mine ever was!"

Before the staff could even groan, Raze snapped his fingers. Dark energy rushed forward, enveloping their crumpled forms. Their screams cut off in seconds as the shadows shrank, consuming them until there was nothing left, not even ash.

The path was silent again. Only the students’ ragged breathing remained.

Raze turned back toward them calmly, as if he hadn’t just erased two lives from existence. Testing the new affinity had been effortless. Convenient. He tucked the thought away.

George’s face twisted in horror. His voice broke into a shout. "Did you... did you steal our powers? Is that why we can’t use magic anymore? Did you drain us?!"

Raze’s gaze lingered on him, unreadable. "No. This is the result of me saving your lives."

He stepped closer, his words deliberate, unyielding. "The pills you took shattered your mana cores. They flooded your bodies with unstable mana, and when that mana faded, it would have taken everything with it, including your lives. By absorbing that energy, I kept you alive. And yes, in doing so, I inherited your affinities. That’s how I gained gravitational magic."

He let the weight of his words settle. "So maybe you want to call it stealing. But the truth is, without me, you’d already be corpses on the ground. I’ve saved your lives three times now."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Some of the students looked away, others stared at him in a mix of awe and fear.

Finally, Raze broke it. His dark magic crackled faintly at his fingertips as his eyes locked onto theirs.

"Now tell me," he said. "Are you coming with me... or not?"

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