64 Chapter 17: The Theurgist 3 (1/2)

I pushed at the iron lid from above the ceiling and took peak at the other side.

There was a curtain of darkness that welcomed my sight but I felt no presence around.

I slid the iron lid to the side as I pulled myself out of the hole from the ground.

”This looks like a dungeon...” I whispered at Jin, trying to sense my surrounding against the pitch-black darkness while Jin crawled out from the same hole on the floor where I came from.

”How can you say that? I can barely see anything!” he retorted, placing the iron lid back in its place on the floor. ”Don't tell me you have night vision of sort? Wait, is that a thing with dark magus? That would make a lot of sense because Faram seems like he has eyes at the back of his head. Oh wait, I just realized those stuff aren't related. But Faram does have a—!”

”Shhhh!!!”

”The silence here is already deafening, whatcha' silencing me for?”

I rolled my eyes.

”We're getting closer...” I whispered, turning to the direction where I can feel the strong presence.

Light suddenly appeared behind me. I turned and saw Jin standing tall with one of his hand holding a fire, burning brightly.

”I'll light the way. Just tell me which direction to go!”

I nodded and began to wander around.

There are suspended wooden beams in the ceilings; walls are made of bricks; few broken stone tiles covered the floor, but some with just cracks, with years that seemed to have etched on them; and empty cells seen in alternate sides of the walls. I reached to one of the torches and lit it with Jin's fire.

”This is a dungeon alright” Jin says in a matter-of-factly tone. ”But there aren't any prisoners around...”

If this is the Palace's dungeon, then that means Levi is just somewhat closer. Maybe, by now, he's being entertained by the Sultan Rahn, the warden of the South, Maru and Ifrit's father.

We went on walking and following the length of the passage for a couple of minutes or so, ”The miasma here are thicker than ever.” Jin stated as I side-long glanced him from over my shoulders. He then added, ”It would be amazing if you're able to sense the source. Not a single one from Ouboros can tell where the source of rot is. Not even Claude!”

”How do you guys know when there's a rot growing then?”

”Claude and Faram can tell if there's a something amiss so we follow them. It's not exactly pointing where it's main source. It's like they can just feel something is off and know a rot is nearby! These masks however, only allows us to see the miasma. So can see if the rot is about to manifest, like when the miasma is too thick or dense in an area.

But if the rot in one area has spread and grown too big already, anybody would be able to see the damages like: plants are wilting, bodies of waters become toxic, earthquakes are common, people turning into dæmons, and or fiends just suddenly began to crawl out of no where.”

I remembered Lady Mirel when he talked to my father, she mentioned something. ”An anomaly” I thought out loud.

Jin nodded, ”Exactly!”

That's when the real Leon was infected so Scias killed him and played his role to infiltrate our castle.

I wanted to ask about so many things but