Dark Magus Returns - Chapter 1537: Starting Something Big (Part 2)
Chapter 1537: Starting Something Big (Part 2)
Rather than asking the mage what had happened to him, what his story was, or pressing him with questions right from the start, the others focused on the immediate task. They were told to pick out a building to use and to take care of the man for the time being. His condition made it clear that questions could wait.
Kelly did what she could to help with what little she knew about the Underside. There were certain rules she had come to understand about how life worked down here. For example, Dame had no trouble lifting the man and carrying him into the building, but the mage was still in a half-conscious state, almost like he was asleep with his body heavy and unresponsive. They couldn’t even ask him where his home was, because in truth, there were no permanent homes in this place.
According to Kelly, people here simply lived and slept wherever they wanted. There were unwritten rules of thumb that most followed. If someone created a home with whatever resources they had scavenged, then others wouldn’t try to disturb it. But these were only general rules, not strict ones, and in a place like the Underside, nothing could be counted on forever.
In the end, they decided the best choice was to simply use the crooked, half-falling building the mage had been sitting in front of when they found him. It was currently empty, and with no one to claim it, they moved him inside.
“Man, the mattresses and bedding are filthy,” Liam muttered as he glanced around. His nose wrinkled at the sight. “They might just end up catching some disease from sleeping in these things, even after being cured of what we just fixed.”
Kelly’s eyes lingered on the problem, and before she could think of what to do, she saw Sophie leap from her shoulder. The little cat landed lightly on the mattress and pressed its paw onto the stained fabric. A faint spread of Dark Magic rippled outward from its paw, coating the surface. The magic ate through every layer of dirt, grime, and filth, destroying each particle until the mattress looked almost as good as new.
“The cat can use magic?” Dame asked in disbelief, his eyebrows raising as he leaned closer. “I guess this really is a magical world.”
Seeing Sophie act so naturally made Kelly realize that she too could contribute in the same way. If Dark Magic could cleanse so easily, then she could help clear up the space as well. Her determination grew, and she began assisting in tidying the place. The others, noticing this, started to get their own ideas on how they could help too.
Beatrix stepped forward with firm authority. She asked everyone to move outside and clear away anything that wasn’t made of earth, metal scraps, broken furniture, and the debris that had collected around the structure. The Pagna warriors moved with speed and efficiency, their bodies leaping back and forth as they pulled away pieces of housing and junk.
They didn’t stop at just the one building. In fact, they cleared away four in a row in front and another four in a row behind. Each of them seemed void of people, though some had small possessions left inside. By the time they were finished, the area had been completely opened up, a wide clearing in the middle of the Underside’s clutter.
That was when Beatrix revealed her strength. She pulled out her special staff, the one that contained the item from Pagna attached to it. With deliberate force, she slammed it against the ground. The vibrations spread, and immediately the earth shifted under their feet. Beatrix began reshaping the terrain itself, restructuring the space before them. The unstable ground and crooked walls bent and reformed as she created a solid foundation for new housing. Windows opened up as the structures took form, until a single, large building stood firm, ready to serve as their base.
Inside, the cleaned mattresses were placed together, stacked neatly. Quilts and bedding, also cleansed with Dark Magic, were laid out carefully to form proper sleeping spaces. Supplies were sorted onto a makeshift table carved out of earth, set in the center of the room. Kelly had purchased everything they needed from above: clean water, food, and other essentials to keep the group and their patients steady.
While this work was being done, Raze and Safa focused on what only they could do. Together, they worked on every mage they could find who had been trapped by the pull of illegal substances. At first, it was grueling work. Each treatment took nearly thirty minutes to complete, every case demanding their full concentration. But the more they practiced, the faster they became.
Raze learned to cut away the interference with precision, and Safa grew sharper with her god eyes, pointing out exactly where his Dark Magic needed to strike and guiding her healing light to flow immediately after. What had once been a painful half-hour task gradually became smoother and more efficient.
Liam and Dame became runners, moving constantly back and forth. They carried the mages who had been healed to the new designated area, making sure they rested safely inside the large building Beatrix had constructed.
As the hours passed, the place began to fill. Those who had been worked on began waking up, their eyes clearer than before. Beatrix and Kelly offered them supplies, water to quench their thirst, food to calm their hunger, and a place to lie down on the freshly cleaned bedding.
Of course, many of the healed mages asked what was happening. Their voices were shaky, confused, even frightened. They wanted to know who these strangers were, why they were being treated, and what this sudden kindness meant. For now, the answer given was simple: do not worry. They only needed to rest. For now, all anyone needed to know was that someone was trying to help.
Time ticked by, and soon the changes became undeniable. The mages themselves began to realize that their addictive tendencies had disappeared. The restless itch that had consumed them, the dependency that had weighed them down, was suddenly gone. It brought relief they had long forgotten could exist. Joy and tears spilled down their faces as they recognized they were free, their bodies and minds restored.
“These people…” Raze muttered quietly as he worked on another mage, his voice heavy with thought. “They had already given up on everything. I bet the last thing on their minds was getting payback on those who did this to them. But once they are relieved of their situation, once their minds are clear again… then the regret will come. They’ll remember everything they lost, everything taken from them. And that regret will turn into anger. All of it will be pointed at those above, the ones in charge.”
His tone sharpened, his words striking with conviction. “And they won’t be the only ones who want change.”
It wasn’t just the mages. Word was beginning to spread quickly. Regular citizens of the Underside were noticing something stirring, whispers moving through the streets and alleys. Something was happening, something big. And it was beginning to spread through every corner of the world below.
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