Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1548: Finding The Truth (Part 1)

Finally, Beatrix had found someone who could form a sentence , someone who was aware of what was happening around them. For the first time since she’d entered this place, she saw a glimmer of awareness behind a pair of tired, frightened eyes.

Before speaking, she moved back to the small glass panel and peered through the slit. The guards outside were still as lazy as before, barely paying attention to their rounds. That gave her a little more time.

"Judging by the fact that you keep checking the hallway," the man rasped, his voice weak but steady, "I doubt you’re with them. But you should get out of here, pretty lady. I don’t know if you’re a reporter or something else, but if they catch you... you’re never leaving this place."

Beatrix stepped closer, her tone calm but firm. "I’m not a reporter," she said. "I’ve seen others like you before. Tell me, are you in the early stages of becoming addicted?"

The man gave a faint, humorless laugh. His body trembled slightly as he tried to sit up. Seeing the pain etched across his face made Beatrix’s chest tighten. In moments like this, she truly wished she had even a fragment of Safa’s light magic , something that could ease the suffering in front of her. She knew that if she could just get him out, Raze and Safa would be able to heal him completely.

"Why are you in this mental institution?" she asked softly. "What are they doing to you?"

"Hah..." The man gave a dry, broken laugh. "That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out myself. I think... I think I have an idea."

He paused, gathering his breath before continuing. "From time to time, they let us out into an open space , a courtyard, I think. I can see how the others react when they’re brought there. I watch what happens to them, and I’ve started to piece things together.

"I also wondered why I was brought here in the first place. We were on a portal expedition when it happened. The Dark Guild appeared out of nowhere, surrounded us, kidnapped us, and brought us here."

Beatrix listened carefully, her brows furrowing. The way he described it... it sounded familiar. Almost identical to the academy’s experience during one of their own portal expeditions. She could already tell what had happened. The so-called "Dark Guild" this man mentioned was most likely a cover story. Whoever was behind this wanted someone else to take the blame in case any witnesses escaped.

"From what I can gather," the man went on, his tone growing more ragged, "each of us here is being given different substances. They’re testing them , testing us , to see how each one reacts. Everyone’s body responds differently, and they keep forcing it on us. I don’t know if they’re trying to make new products to sell or if it’s some twisted experiment, but I’ve seen things... awful things."

He swallowed hard, eyes unfocused as though replaying horrors in his mind. "I’ve seen people’s hearts explode right in front of me. And worse , the ones who stop reacting to the medicine. When that happens, they’re taken away... dragged to the floors below. None of them ever come back.

"I still hear them sometimes , the screams. They echo through the floors, even up here. Whatever’s happening down there, I don’t want to find out."

Beatrix felt her stomach twist. She could feel the sincerity in his words. None of this sounded fabricated , it matched perfectly with what she’d already begun to suspect.

So that’s what’s happening on this floor, she thought grimly. They’re using these people as test subjects. If this place is linked to Gizin’s pharmaceutical company, and that’s tied to the Cerebus Guild, then this could be the evidence Alen needs.

But that led to the next problem , how to get proof. Hearing a confession was one thing; showing it to the world was another. They couldn’t just storm the place. If they attacked too soon, whoever ran this operation would destroy all traces before anyone could react.

Beatrix closed her eyes for a moment, steadying her breath. Alen mentioned he has a recording device , something that can capture everything. If she went back now and brought him here, maybe they could document it all. She could explore the floor below and then decide whether to strike.

She nodded to herself, forming a plan. I’ll return, regroup with Alen, and record the evidence. Then we’ll bring these people out of here for good.

Turning to leave, Beatrix prepared to slip back through the wall, but a weak voice stopped her.

"Wait..." the man called out, struggling to sit upright. "Are you able to take me with you? Please , I can’t stay here. You’re leaving, right?"

Beatrix hesitated, meeting his desperate gaze. "I am," she said quietly, "but only for a moment."

"You can’t just , "

"I don’t plan to save only you," she interrupted gently. "I plan to get everyone out. Every single person here. But before I go, there’s something you should know."

The man blinked, confusion and pain flickering across his expression.

"This isn’t the Dark Guild’s doing," Beatrix said firmly. "You were tricked. I’m a member of the Dark Guild myself, and we’re going to do everything we can to help you. This entire facility , all of it , is owned by Gizin, the Grand Magus."

For a moment, silence filled the room. The man stared at her, his mouth slightly open, as if unsure whether to believe her. She couldn’t tell if her words had reached him, but that didn’t matter. When she returned, she wanted that seed of doubt planted , the thought that maybe the truth wasn’t what he’d been told.

Beatrix turned back toward the wall, tightening her grip on her staff.

Hang on a little longer, she thought. When we come back, we’ll end this nightmare.

And with that, she phased through the barrier, disappearing into the shadows of the corridor to make her way out of the building and back to Alen. A plan was forming , one that might expose the Grand Magus’s greatest secret yet.

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