Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1526: The Underside (Part 1)

After donning their masks, the group boarded their flying vehicles and set off toward the city. The hum of magic filled the air as the crafts cut through the sky, descending toward one of the city’s parking bays. By the time they touched down, each of them could already see the aftermath of Raze’s actions plastered across Alterian for the world to witness.

Everywhere they looked, the city screamed of chaos. Shopfronts carried glowing signs with shifting text. Holograms projected towering images above the streets. Magical displays scrolled through lines of news, written so brightly in the air they could be seen from across the square. Every single one repeated the same story, the Dark Magus, the Dark Guild, and the shocking death of the Grand Magus.

The warriors from Pagna had heard of Raze’s past deeds. Bubble had spread those stories far and wide, so none of them doubted that their companion was capable of shaking an entire nation. But to witness Alterian’s infrastructure amplifying the news so quickly was something else. Information here did not crawl. It spread like wildfire, searing its way into every mind.

Liam slowed in front of a particularly large hologram, staring at it until the others turned to look. The projection showed a wanted poster, and staring back at him was his own face.

"Did they make me more ugly on purpose?" Liam muttered, squinting. "I look better than that, right?"

"I think it’s pretty accurate," Dame said with a shrug. His lips twitched with amusement. "In fact, I’d say it’s near perfect. Maybe that’s what you really think and feel when you see yourself."

Liam scowled. "Tch. As if."

The others chuckled quietly, but Raze kept them moving. The group could not afford to look suspicious. With thirty-six people in total, parading through the city streets as one would draw too much attention. They broke into smaller units of five, drifting naturally through the crowds until one by one they slipped into a narrow alleyway.

The passage reeked faintly of damp stone and trash, but at its end, where shadows pooled deepest, a strange sight awaited them. A large, circular metallic object, gleaming faintly in the dim light, sat embedded in the ground. Its smooth surface looked completely out of place among the cracked bricks and dripping pipes.

"So what exactly is this?" Liam asked, arching a brow. "Are we really going underground?"

"Think back to Pagna," Raze said. His voice was calm, measured, though his eyes gleamed faintly behind his mask. "Do you remember the Light Faction’s cities, where they had systems to deal with waste? Some of the larger Pagna cities built similar structures. Alterian’s design is far greater. Beneath this land lies an entire network."

"And they call it... the Underside?" Liam muttered.

"You’ll understand soon enough." Raze raised his hand, and wind magic swirled around his fingers. The metallic lid groaned and lifted into the air as though weightless, revealing a yawning shaft below. A ladder stretched down into darkness, the scent of rot already rising from below.

No one spoke. One by one, they began to descend. First went Alen and his soldiers. Then came the Pagna warriors. Raze was the last, ensuring no one lagged behind.

The climb was long. The iron rungs stretched downward endlessly, each step echoing faintly against the stone. The air grew heavier the farther they went, thick with the stench of sewage. By the time their boots hit the ground, most of them were pinching their noses or grimacing.

Yet when they reached the bottom, their disgust was swallowed by awe.

The tunnel opened wide into a cavernous space, and there, sprawling beneath the surface, was a city.

Darkness cloaked most of it, but light crystals dotted the expanse, faintly glowing, just enough to illuminate the shapes of homes cobbled together from metal scraps, rotting wood, and discarded materials scavenged from above. Shanty structures clustered tightly together, stacked and leaning like they might collapse at any moment.

A river ran through the middle, except it was not water. Sewage flowed in thick currents, carried along in carved channels. Floating platforms and makeshift bridges allowed residents to cross from one side to the other. Children balanced nimbly on planks, skipping across as though it were all a game. Adults, weary and hollow-eyed, trudged with buckets or hunched in silence by the banks.

It was a city of shadows, yet undeniably alive.

Mages among the group quickly whispered spells, forming barriers around their faces to filter the smell. That helped, but nothing shielded them from the sight. For many, this was their first time seeing the Underside.

Alen’s soldiers kept close, their hands unconsciously brushing their weapons. The military men had expected something grim, but not this, a society buried alive beneath the feet of Alterian’s gleaming cities.

What shocked them most was the reaction. Or rather, the lack of one.

No one screamed. No one pointed at them in fear. The people down here hardly looked at them at all. To the malnourished adults, another group of outsiders meant nothing. To the children, laughter and games carried on as if the new arrivals were invisible.

"I’ve seen bad places in Pagna," Liam murmured, his voice low. His eyes flicked over the filth, the shadows, the fragile smiles. "But everyone knows about those dumps. This... to live your whole life underground? Is it really because there’s no space above?"

"No," Raze said. His footsteps echoed as he moved ahead, cloak brushing against the damp stone. His voice cut through the heavy air, calm yet edged with steel. "Alterian has more than enough space. That isn’t the reason. This... is the side they shove underground. The side they don’t want the surface to see.

"So society above can keep flowing with their perfect lives, they bury those who fall too far. People who drop low enough never return to the surface. And that illusion of perfection continues."

"Ha!" Mordain let out a harsh laugh. His grey uniform looked almost too clean for this place. "You exaggerate. These people are here because of their own actions. Addicts, criminals, gamblers who drowned themselves in debt. People who ruined their own lives. That’s why they’re down here.

"It’s not that the public is unaware of the Underside. Everyone knows it exists. But everyone also knows the truth, those down here deserve it."

The words rang cold. Several of the soldiers nodded faintly, perhaps in agreement.

Raze stopped walking. Slowly, deliberately, he turned to face Mordain. The dim glow of the light crystals caught in his eyes, sharpening them into blades of darkness.

"That’s really what you think?" he asked softly.

Mordain straightened, unflinching under the gaze of the Dark Magus.

Raze’s lips curved into something that was not quite a smile. "Let me tell you something," he said, his voice dropping lower, echoing through the cavern.

"I hate people like you."

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