The sigil beneath the third plank pulsed faintly under Fiona’s light, its carved lines drinking in the glow like thirsty veins.
I crouched, brushing my fingers just above it without touching.
"Pressure trigger?" Fiona asked.
"Layered," I replied. "Primary activation through weight. Secondary through magic interference. And sothing else... likely chanical."
She tilted her head, grabbing my shoulders as she lood above . "You can see that?"
"I can feel it."
The sigil wasn’t just carved into wood. It was tethered to sothing like steel. Sothing below it responded to proximity, like a heartbeat syncing with mine.
Probably the most complex piece of technology I’ve ever seen in this world.
Interesting.
"Can you disable it?" Fiona asked.
I considered it.
If I used chaos, I could destabilize the magic structure. But if the binding below was linked to a larger defensive web, destabilizing one node might alert the rest.
I couldn’t know if disabling the magic would trigger it anyway, so best I be careful instead.
[Profaned Manipulation]
[Shadow Sight]
Thin tendrils slipped into the grooves of the plank, not breaking it, but sliding beneath it to trace the chanism below. I followed the steel carefully, trying to dismantle it piece by piece while keeping my magic to a minimum.
The sigil flickered slightly.
Fuck...
But before anything could happen.
click.
I dismantled the chanism connected to the plank, giving free rein to use chaos magic to remove its enchantnt.
The third plank sank half an inch before sliding aside on its own, revealing a narrow stone staircase spiraling downward into darkness.
Fiona leaned forward beside , peering into the abyss.
"Well," she whispered, "that’s not ominous at all."
Cold air drifted up from below, carrying with it the scent of iron and oil.
And sothing else.
Incense.
"They actually bothered burning incense?" I murmured.
"What’s the point?"
"I don’t know everything, you know. But most likely, it’s discipline training."
"Sounds like sothing soone who knew everything would say..."
I sighed, stood up, and stepped aside. "After you."
Her eyes widened. "You’re joking, right?"
"Light mage. Your entire stick is lighting up dark areas and protecting , right?"
She stared at for a mont... then grinned.
"You’re awful, I love it~."
She descended first, golden light forming a thin halo around her shoulders. I followed a step behind, wings partially manifested—just enough to shield her from the rear if needed.
The staircase went deeper than expected.
Two? Three? Even more flights of stairs?
How deep does this even go? And why do they need it this deep?
HONK!
I grabbed Fiona by the shirt as soon as I heard the loud blare of a train horn. An iron train zipped past ahead of us.
Ka-thunk, ka-thunk. Ka-thunk, ka-thunk.
"T-The hell—!?"
I clamped a hand over Fiona’s mouth before she could finish her startled shout. Fortunately, the rumble of the train and tracks drowned out whatever sound slipped free.
"I-I didn’t see anything, what the heck?"
"Illusion magic, most likely."
The stairs suddenly opened into a massive railway tunnel, wide enough for two trains to run side by side. More annoyingly, the tunnel seed completely immune to light.
It didn’t just stay dark—it swallowed the light whole instead of letting anything illuminate it naturally.
"You’re being way too calm after seeing a train just pass by us underground!"
"You didn’t know about this?"
Fiona only shook her head.
So even her family didn’t know that the Shadow Society had built an entire underground tro beneath the Cold Iron District?
"Brace yourself."
"What do you—?"
I lifted up Fiona, hearing another train coming by. If we’re going to get sowhere safely without the risk of being run over, the best option we had was to hitch a ride on top of it.
The ceiling was large enough anyway.
"O-Oh my god..."
Fiona giggled as she felt my arms around her, wrapping her arms around my neck excitedly. She was more concerned about that than what I was about to do.
Makes things easier, I guess...?
HONK!
[Profaned Step]
We reappeared above the train.
tal roared beneath us as the massive engine tore through the tunnel, wind howling violently against my wings. I adjusted my footing instantly, my shoes digging into the steel plating at the top of the carriage.
Fiona squeaked—not in fear.
In delight.
"This is so romantic~!"
"How is this romantic in any way?"
"You just have to be creative, my dear Cael~."
I resisted the urge to drop her.
The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead, black stone reinforced with iron ribs that pulsed faintly with enchantnts. Every few seconds, runic panels embedded along the walls flickered—likely scanning for magical signatures.
So that’s why the darkness eats light.
Not natural.
Engineered.
The enchantnts weren’t really suppressing illumination itself—they were siphoning energy from it. Any excess magic released into the air was being absorbed and redirected sowhere else.
Efficient, paranoid, and absolutely impressive.
Another train thundered past on the adjacent track, re feet away. Fiona tightened her grip around my neck.
"Your hair is covering my eyes," I muttered.
"G-Got it!"
Fiona summoned tight rings of light around her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail and finally letting see again.
So even magic could be used like that, huh...?
I narrowed my eyes, extending my senses outward.
[Soul Sense]
Muted.
The tunnel distorted perception like thick fog. I could detect movent—life—, but everything felt blurred, sared by interference and static, like I was looking through a very old television.
They didn’t just build a transport system.
They built a literal underground fortress that rivaled the slums above—just for the society itself.
Once again, the novel didn’t describe anything like this and... I absolutely fucking love it.. Been a while since I did so fresh infiltration that got my heart pumping like this.
The train began to slow.
Ahead, faint crimson lights flickered into existence, distant platforms carved into the stone like the ribs of so colossal beast. Figures moved along them, cloaked and masked.
And it seed like we’d arrived at our first stop.
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