Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1434: Strange Formation (Part 1)

While Raze and Safa were engaged in the middle of their private meeting, most of the students and guests were enjoying what remained of the grand event.

With only a few days left, everyone had taken it upon themselves to explore the various activities they hadn’t yet had time for. The academy grounds were alive with excitement, laughter echoed through the courtyards, food stalls bustled with long queues, and magical displays painted the skies with dazzling light.

Many of the events stretched on for hours. Performances could last two to three hours at a time, and there were tournaments, enchanted games, and dueling showcases keeping the audience captivated throughout the day.

There was no shortage of entertainment.

But while most were lost in the celebration, two students had slipped away, moving quietly, unnoticed by the crowds.

Kelly and Londo had arranged to meet, and now stood together in front of a vendor stall selling power stones, crystals of various shapes, pulsing with faint hues of energy.

As they casually browsed the selection, picking up the occasional crystal and pretending to examine its properties, the two maintained a hushed conversation. A silence spell had been cast over them, one precise enough that their lips could move freely, yet no sound would escape beyond the spell’s boundary. It was the perfect method of secure communication amidst the noise of the festival.

“Fear the unseen,” Londo said calmly.

“For we are always near,” Kelly replied, her tone a mixture of habit and subtle irritation. “Really? You just had to do the call-and-response? You already confirmed my position.”

“Forgive me, Night Caller,” Londo answered with a slight smirk behind his illusion. “But let’s not forget, the Dark Magus was capable of crafting masks like the one I’m wearing now. If he can do it, then so can our target. We must assume the worst. We always proceed with caution.”

Kelly let out a breath, not quite a sigh, but close. She couldn’t exactly argue with his reasoning, he was right.

Among the Guild, she had met others who were far more adept at infiltration and manipulation. Some had magic that could bend light itself, others had mastered spells to erase their scent, even their presence.

By comparison, she sometimes wondered if she truly deserved her position. She had been there from the beginning, one of the founding few, but time had passed, and skill mattered more than seniority.

Still, this mission… this was something she could do. Something she had

While the two spoke, Kelly reviewed the instructions Raze had given her. The information had been passed discreetly, and it was now her responsibility to share only what was needed.

Since Londo wasn’t familiar with the academy’s structure or its labyrinthine layout, Kelly had to describe each location with careful detail. She focused on areas that were publicly accessible, ones he could locate without drawing attention, while she took on the more obscure parts of the grounds.

The two shared a few more words, confirming their plan in silence, then parted ways, each carrying out their task with the practiced steps of seasoned shadows.

Kelly moved quickly but calmly, navigating through the academy’s sprawling grounds. Her eyes were sharp, scanning the walls, ceilings, and corners of each room she entered.

According to Raze, there were likely two specific items she needed to locate.

The first: a magical circle formation. Something powerful enough to anchor a spell or channel immense energy.

The second: a memory-sealing crystal or possibly a device designed for magical projection, anything that could record or display events.

She remembered Raze telling her he already had one of the display devices, so there was no need to worry about that part of the task. Still, just in case, Kelly thought she might come across another, especially if it was located alongside a magical circle. If both objects were placed together, it could be a critical find. Better to be thorough.

So far, Kelly had checked off a handful of the locations Raze had marked for her. Fortunately, thanks to the festival atmosphere sweeping across the academy, the usual restrictions were looser than usual. Students wandered freely, and staff were too distracted managing events to monitor the less-traveled areas.

Security was… lax.

And that surprised her, especially for a place like the Central Academy.

But then again, they hadn’t faced a serious threat in a long time. Complacency had crept in. Overconfidence had made them believe they were untouchable.

Despite having easy access to the areas, Kelly had found nothing. She’d scouted several of the points Raze had mentioned, searching them thoroughly. But still… nothing.

What did catch her off guard, though, was how Raze even knew about these places to begin with.

One of the most unusual locations she investigated was a chamber deep beneath the academy. A room lined with statues, stone likenesses of every principal who had served throughout the school’s history. It was eerie in its silence, with dust clinging to the crevices of the floor, but there was nothing hidden there.

She also checked areas marked as under renovation, places where only maintenance staff would normally venture. A few corridors had been sealed off or marked with magical tape, and while they might’ve seemed suspicious at first, they were empty. Unremarkable.

Then there was the most peculiar place of all: an abandoned wing on the outskirts of the academy. It wasn’t directly connected to the rest of the school, and no one ever mentioned it during daily routines. According to Raze’s theory, its abandoned nature might have been intentional, a perfect way to keep curious eyes away.

Kelly didn’t rule it out. If someone wanted to hide something, hiding it in plain sight wasn’t the only strategy, sometimes obscuring it behind silence and disuse worked even better.

She continued her investigation, casting subtle detection spells while walking through the halls, examining doors, walls, even seemingly random objects. She kept a lookout for any hidden magical formations, any anomaly that didn’t belong.

But no secret rooms revealed themselves. No doors shifted. No illusions faded.

On the other side of the academy, Londo was scouring the various libraries scattered throughout the campus. Each one was designed for a different magical discipline or research focus. He was searching for the same thing she was: a hidden room, a trapdoor, a concealed passage.

He hadn’t found anything either.

As Kelly walked one of the long marble corridors, she passed a mirror hanging on the wall, just a decorative piece, or so it seemed.

She reached out, brushing her fingers lightly against the cool surface.

The moment her skin made contact, glowing lines flared across the glass.

A magical formation.

’Right… Raze said to check the mirrors too,’ Kelly thought, narrowing her eyes. She hadn’t understood why that had been part of the instructions, but now it made more sense.

Still… why would there be magical formations on the mirrors in the first place?

As she studied it more closely, she realized this particular one was a protective enchantment. It likely served to prevent the mirror from shattering during duels or magical incidents in the hallway.

Practical.

But disappointing. Not what she was hoping to find.

With a reluctant sigh, Kelly made her way outside, walking toward the front of the academy’s main building. Just outside the large arched entrance, she spotted Londo already waiting.

He was standing with his arms folded, eyes scanning the area. When he spotted her, he gave a nod.

“Judging by the look on your face, I take it you didn’t find anything?” he asked.

Kelly shook her head. “No luck. You?”

“Not really,” Londo said. “Although… there was one thing that bothered me.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow. “What kind of thing?”

“A magical formation,” Londo replied. “One I couldn’t make sense of.”

That caught her attention.

“How good are you with formations?” he asked.

“I’d say I’m decent,” Kelly answered. “I am one of the top students at the Central Academy, after all.”

It was true. Though she didn’t often flaunt it, she had earned her place through hard work and talent.

What she didn’t know, though, was that Londo wasn’t exactly a novice either. He rarely mentioned his background, but he was sharper than he let on. Still, Kelly’s confidence, rooted in the academy’s prestige, had a way of showing itself in moments like this.

“Well then,” Londo said, stepping forward. “There’s a formation I came across that I couldn’t quite understand. Maybe with your expertise… we can take a look together.”

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