Warlock Ch 347. Midnight Ambush [Part 2]
The shadow wraith raised a hand— Marven scread.
A pulse of abyssal energy slamd into him, tightening around his entire form, squeezing like an invisible vice.
Cedric's stomach twisted at the sound.
It wasn't pain—not exactly.
It was sothing worse.
Sothing that made the victim feel like they were being unraveled at the seams.
Marven thrashed, his grotesque limbs twisting, his voice breaking into panicked, garbled croaks.
"I—" he rasped. "I don't—"
The shadow wraith tightened the grip further.
And Marven broke again.
"The council—" he gasped. "So of the high council are involved!"
Cedric's stomach sank.
Of course they were.
The shadow wraith didn't stop.
"Nas."
Marven shook, his grotesque body shuddering violently. "I don't—I don't know all of them!"
The magic tightened.
Another pulse of abyssal force.
Marven let out a strangled sound, his voice cracking.
Then— He spat out nas.
One by one.
Nas that Cedric knew.
Nas of powerful people.
People who sat on trials. People who ruled over magical territories.
People who had the influence to manipulate the system.
The ones who had orchestrated everything.
Cedric felt his hands shake.
Selena's nails dug into her palm, her breath shallow.
Alric looked grim, his eyes cold.
And the shadow wraith?
It simply absorbed the information.
Then— Without a single hesitation, it lifted its hand.
Cedric felt the shift before it happened.
The pulse of abyssal magic curling tighter, darker—Marven's body seized up. His grotesque form twisted. And then— He was gone.
Completely.
No body.
No blood.
Not even ashes.
Just emptiness.
The magic erased him.
Like he had never existed.
Selena let out a sharp breath.
Alric exhaled slowly.
Cedric stared at the empty space where Marven had once been.
The shadow wraith turned.
For a brief, terrifying mont— Its hollow, glowing eyes locked directly on Cedric.
Like it knew they were there.
Like it was deciding sothing.
The shadows around it shifted, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
And then—It vanished.
Gone.
Like smoke in the wind.
Cedric barely moved.
Selena was the first to speak. "…What the hell was that?"
Cedric swallowed hard. "That," he muttered, "was our proof."
But more than that— It was a warning.
Whoever was behind this?
Whoever had sent that shadow wraith?
They weren't playing by the sa rules anymore.
And they knew who they were.
Cedric inhaled slowly, glancing at the empty space where Marven had just been erased from existence. He wasn't sure what was more unsettling—the fact that a shadow wraith had interrogated him, or the fact that it had decided to eliminate him so effortlessly.
They had their proof.
They had nas.
And more importantly, they had a lead.
"We should talk to them." Cedric's voice cut through the still air.
Selena turned to him, brows furrowed. "Who?"
Cedric's eyes t hers.
"Damian."
Alric exhaled sharply, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. "Cedric, he's just a new Rank S warlock. A warlock. Not a high magus. Not a senator. Not a political leader." He shook his head. "Even if he was involved, do you really think he has this much pull? To do this?" He gestured toward the eerie, empty space where Marven once stood.
Selena hesitated. "He's right. I saw him fight. He… he couldn't have done this."
Cedric gave her a long, asured look. "Are you sure?"
Selena opened her mouth—then shut it.
Because she wasn't sure.
Not completely.
Cedric pressed. "You said it yourself. He struggled. He fought like he was holding back." His eyes narrowed slightly. "He's the only contestant who walked out of that hellhole almost untouched."
Selena stiffened.
"The only injuries he took—" Cedric continued, voice unwavering, "—were when he sacrificed himself to heal you."
Selena's hands curled into fists. "That doesn't an—"
"It ans he's not as weak as you think."
Selena exhaled sharply, looking away. She wanted to argue. But she couldn't.
Because Cedric was right.
Damian had barely been injured.
Despite everything.
Despite the chaos.
Cedric crossed his arms. "They knew we were here. I bet they'll want to talk to us."
Alric frowned. "Then why the hell haven't they? If they wanted a discussion, they could've reached out. Sent a ssage. Sothing."
Cedric scoffed. "Because Edward is dead."
That shut both of them up.
Cedric's expression darkened. "The senators are targeting them. They know that." His voice lowered. "And while the situation is unstable, those bastards could slander them at any mont. So what do they do?" He smirked slightly.
"They act afraid."
Selena blinked.
Alric frowned. "Wait… you an—"
"They're not hiding because they're weak." Cedric tilted his head. "They're hiding because they're playing the long ga."
The realization sank in.
Selena bit her lip.
Because the more she thought about it—
The more it made sense.
Damian, Victoria, Evelyn, and Cassius weren't cowards.
They weren't sitting in that fortress out of fear.
They were waiting.
Waiting for the perfect mont to strike.
Selena exhaled slowly, sothing cold settling in her stomach.
"Then we should go talk to them first," she muttered.
Cedric smirked. "That's what I've been saying."
Alric pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great. So now we have to walk into the goddamn fortress of a warlock, a vampire queen, a high-ranking witch, and a shadow mage."
Cedric's smirk didn't fade. "Unless you'd rather wait for them to co to us."
Alric stared at him.
Selena groaned. "Fine," she muttered. "Let's go see Damian."
Alric let out a slow breath, eyes flicking around the empty alleyway. The remnants of magic still clung to the air, thick and suffocating, like a silent warning not to overstay their welco.
"Yes," he muttered. "Tomorrow morning. But for now…" His voice dropped lower. "We need to get out of here before soone finds us."
Cedric nodded once, already scanning their surroundings. The eerie stillness of the night wasn't comforting. If anything, it felt wrong. Like sothing was still watching.
He could feel it.
Like unseen eyes lingering just out of reach.
Selena shivered beside him, rubbing her arms as she glanced up toward the rooftops. "Let's move."
They didn't linger.
Moving quickly, silently, they slipped through the narrow backstreets of the city, avoiding the main roads where guards patrolled.
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