Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1535: Inner Conflict (Part 2)

What Alen was suggesting sounded like quite a good idea, at least on paper. Liam didn’t voice it out loud, but the thought lingered in his mind. After what had happened, after the two groups nearly came to blows in the courtyard, could they really work together? Could trust exist between sides that were already so different in their ideals?

“I think the plan can work,” Raze said at last, breaking the silence that weighed heavy in the room, “but it will be different from before. With something like this, the Grand Magus themselves could get directly involved, and the Cerebus Guild is far stronger than the Glory Guild. To deal with them, I think we may have to divide our attention this time.”

The group fell into a steady rhythm of discussion. They threw ideas back and forth, weighing the risks and benefits. There were proposals to strike directly at the guild houses, to plant spies within their networks, to starve them of resources. Every idea had its merit, but every one also carried danger. They needed more than a bold strike, they needed coordination.

Eventually, after what felt like hours of circling the same arguments, the outline of a plan emerged.

Alen and his soldiers would take charge of investigating the pharmaceutical companies. They had the resources, the reach, and the connections to dig into the supply chains, to look into the factories and businesses that might be linked to Gizin’s dealings. If there was something hidden in the open, Alen’s men were the best suited to uncover it.

Raze, meanwhile, along with the Pagna warriors, would step into the shadows of the streets. They would move through the underworld, reaching out to those already dealing with illegal substances. If he could follow the threads, dealers, smugglers, addicts, perhaps he could find the true line leading back to the guilds, to the Cerebus Guild, or even to Gizin himself. It was the kind of work Raze was well suited for, and it kept him close to the core of the problem.

Finally, the Dark Guild would take on the dirtiest work. They were to weaken the Cerebus Guild directly. Mordain and his group would pretend to have captured Dark Guild members and report it as though it were a victory. The hope was simple: draw the Cerebus Guild out into the open. When their soldiers came to investigate, they would walk into an ambush.

Mordain didn’t like the sound of it. Every part of him bristled against the tactic. There was no honor in it. No chance for the enemy to defend themselves, no chance for a clean battle. It was calculated, ruthless deception. But what choice did he have? Alen already had his task, and Varkos was even more openly opposed. Someone had to play the role, and it fell to him.

The debate stretched late into the night. They went over contingencies, escape routes, fallback plans, and how to cover for each other’s failures. In the end, it was decided: two days from now, they would put everything in motion.

For now, though, there was little else to do but rest.

Raze felt the exhaustion weigh on him, but he also felt something else, an itch beneath the surface. His body hummed with the recent surge of power from his breakthrough to Eight Star Mage. He wanted, needed, to test the limits of it, to understand what new capabilities had awakened. Gizin would not be like the others. He remembered too well the strange things he had seen in Pagna, the hints of something darker hidden behind the man. To face Gizin unprepared could be fatal.

Of course, Alen had offered his home once again as a place of rest. His soldiers gave the group some space, guiding them to their quarters, but before long, Alen himself sought Raze out. His eyes carried weight, the kind of burden that came from carrying responsibility for others.

“Raze,” Alen said quietly, gesturing toward a more private room. “I want to speak to you alone.”

Raze nodded. He had already expected this conversation would come.

The room was dim, lit by the glow of a single lantern. The walls were bare, the air heavy. The two men sat across from one another, eye to eye. Neither flinched. Neither looked away.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” Alen said at last, his voice low but firm. “About my attack on the Dark Guild. I know we are partners now, but when I saw what was happening, I couldn’t stay still. I knew exactly where things were heading. For me… for me, I was the one who dragged my soldiers into this. They are my responsibility, Raze. Every single one of them. I can’t, no, I won’t, let them be treated as pawns.”

Raze listened silently. He didn’t interrupt, didn’t dismiss the man’s words. He could see the way Alen’s fists tightened on his knees, the way his jaw clenched with unspoken frustration.

“I will protect them,” Alen continued, his voice growing harder. “No matter what I need to do. If it means standing against your Dark Guild, if it means standing against even you, then that’s what I will do.”

Raze’s eyes narrowed slightly, but not in anger. He understood the weight behind Alen’s words. He had carried such weight himself before.

“From what I saw today,” Alen went on, “you are willing to do the same. You protected your people. You protected us. Maybe it was because you built that group, maybe it was because you wanted to protect both sides… I don’t know. But I want you to understand me clearly, Raze.”

The silence between them was sharp, like the edge of a blade.

“If anything happens to my people because of the Dark Guild,” Alen said, his voice steady as stone, “I will no longer be able to take part in this. I will not stand by while they are sacrificed for a cause I didn’t choose. Remember this, for the operations ahead.”

The air hung heavy after his words. Raze leaned back slightly, letting his gaze soften, though his mind was already moving. He could not blame Alen. In another life, perhaps he would have said the same. Perhaps he already had.

For now, though, he kept his answer simple.

“I understand.”

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