Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1633: Changing Sides

The message from both Londo and Kelly rang out loud and clear. Their voices echoed through the ruined stone corridor outside the shelter, carrying a weight far heavier than the dark magic swirling in the air. If anyone in the Dark Guild no longer wished to follow Harvey’s commands, if their conscience still remained, then all they had to do was remove their robe. Throw it to the ground. Declare themselves free.

The words hung there, suspended, as dozens of Dark Guild members stared at one another. Their faces were hidden behind enchanted hoods, but even through the shadows, hesitation trembled in the air.

Then,

A single robe hit the floor.

Everyone flinched at the soft rustling sound.

“This is crazy,” a voice cracked. “This is going way too far!”

More robes were pulled off and thrown aside, the discarded dark cloth forming a growing pile on the stone. People stepped back from it as if it were burning, like the weight of their guilt was smoldering inside it.

“I always thought… we had no choice but to follow Harvey,” another said. “He forced me to learn Dark Magic. He ruined everything, I hate the Dark Guild.”

A quiet murmur spread. For the first time since Harvey’s announcement, hope flickered across the faces of those who didn’t want to be murderers. But even with that hope, fear still clung to their eyes. Many looked over their shoulders, expecting punishment for even hesitating. They had all seen the consequences of disobedience before. Harvey didn’t tolerate doubt. And neither did many of the fanatic members in the Guild.

Now, though,

With support from two of the highest-ranking Dark Guild figures, people who had stood at Harvey’s side since the beginning, they finally had a chance to walk away.

“We’re joining you!” several members shouted as they ran forward toward Kelly, Londo, and the shelter.

But the moment they moved, Alen reacted faster than anyone.

His foot slammed against the ground, and flames roared up his arm. The fleeing Guild members froze, confused and horrified as Alen aimed magic directly at them.

But when he snapped his fingers,

The flames didn’t strike them.

Instead, they blasted over their heads, colliding with attacks coming from behind.

Dark Pulses.

Lethal ones.

Kelly, Londo, and even Sophie the black cat joined in, hurling Dark Magic to intercept the shots aimed at the defectors.

“We have to protect them!” Kelly shouted as she unleashed another blast. “Anyone who chose to leave the Dark Guild, we protect them with everything we have!”

What the defectors had failed to realize, what they only understood now with crushing clarity, was that simply stepping away from the Dark Guild did not guarantee safety. Harvey’s loyalists were still there, and they had no intention of letting deserters walk away freely.

To Harvey’s worshippers, betrayal was unforgivable.

And so the moment several members declared themselves out, the loyalist faction responded with merciless hostility. A dozen Dark Pulses shot toward them all at once. If not for Alen’s war-honed instincts and his complete distrust of the Dark Guild, every member who defected would have been killed before taking a single step.

The battlefield erupted instantly into chaos.

Spells rained in every direction, crashing into walls, ripping apart abandoned stalls, exploding against hastily-formed barriers. The ground trembled with each impact. The defectors screamed as attacks came from their former comrades, and Alen’s team reacted with everything they had to keep them alive.

Kelly thrust her foot downward, and the earth surged upward like a cresting wave. A massive wall of stone shot into the air, blocking dozens of dark bolts aimed at the newly freed members.

Londo sprinted past her, shards of earth falling around him as he punched through the barrier and hurled streaks of lightning in every direction. The bolts curved sharply through the air, controlled with the precision of a true elite mage.

Now that he wasn’t holding back, everyone could see why he was once considered one of the most talented mages in the Dark Faction. His lightning tore through the darkness, clearing small gaps in the crowd of attackers.

And yet,

There were too many.

Even with defectors switching sides, even with Kelly and Londo fighting alongside Alen, the loyalist Dark Guild outnumbered them by a terrifying margin. Their wave of black cloaks seemed endless, spilling out of every alleyway and rooftop like a dark tide.

Kelly ducked as a Dark Pulse shot toward her skull, but Sophie shot past her shoulder, a swirling ring of dark energy forming around the small cat like a shield. The incoming spell struck Sophie’s magic and dispersed harmlessly.

A heartbeat later, Sophie swiped her paw through the air,

A Dark Pulse of her own shot out, slamming into a loyalist mage and sending him crashing into a wall.

Kelly blinked in shock, then laughed breathlessly.

“Thanks, Sophie,” she said, wiping sweat from her forehead. “I knew I could rely on you. For a moment I was worried you might still be on Harvey’s side.”

Sophie meowed, a stern, scolding meow, as if offended she’d even consider such a thing.

Kelly’s expression softened. She remembered a conversation she once had with Sophie, back when the cat still tried to insist she was a bad person. Maybe she was. She studied Dark Magic. She used an artifact that transformed her body. Her life had taken a twisted path that she didn’t fully understand herself.

But she was trying to be better.

Trying to make things right.

And right now, Sophie clearly was too.

Still, Kelly’s expression darkened.

‘There’s one problem,’ she thought. ‘This isn’t the whole Dark Guild. Not even close. The others must already be heading toward the other shelters. And Harvey…’

Her chest tightened.

‘Where is Harvey?’

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