Chapter 116 THE MAN BEHIND THE LEAGUE

Chapter 116 THE MAN BEHIND THE LEAGUE
Magnus let go of Xyra and stepped back, looking around. The place was pitch-black, but he could see just enough. Dozens of doors lined the walls. Most were probably locked, but that wasn't a problem. Every door was made of wood and metal. If he had to, he could use his magic to break through them, though he wanted to save that as a last resort. Spells that affected wood and steel were tough to pull off, even the easy ones.

Without a word, he picked a direction and started walking. Xyra followed close behind, watching him with a puzzled look as he headed for a set of large doors on the far side of the space.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"This way," Magnus said, pressing his hand against the heavy wood and shoving it open.

"How do you know if that's the right way?"

"I don't," he answered bluntly. Beyond the threshold lay another pitch-black room. "I'm just going to check a few doors until I find a storage area."

Xyra frowned. "Storage?"

"One with a vault."

"What are you talking about?"

"I need the talisman Mr. Nixon used."

That hit a nerve. Xyra stared at him, disbelief quickly turning to anger. With Darren's life on the line, was Magnus prioritizing these talismans? He cared more about collecting talismans than saving his friend? She never thought he could be so heartless.

"How could you think about those talismans right now?" she snapped as he pulled the door shut, having found nothing. "Darren is in danger! Don't you get that?!"

For a brief second, Magnus looked hurt by her words, but his face went cold again almost instantly.

"You're forgetting who took him," he said in a low voice. "I'm gathering these talismans so I can kill Raheem. I only need two more. If I have to fight him, I need all the power I can get. Even eleven of them will give me a fighting chance. It does us no good to rush in, try to save Darren, and just end up dead."

Hearing the bitter edge in his voice, Xyra realized she had misjudged him. He wasn't ignoring Darren's danger; he was trying to make sure they actually survived. She instantly felt a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

Magnus offered a brief, gentle smile. "It's fine. Come on. We have a lot of rooms to search."

They got to work, checking room after room, peering inside, and moving on. After searching every doorway in the main area, they picked a hallway that seemed to lead deeper into the building. Down the dimly lit path, they found roughly twenty more rooms. With a heavy sigh, they kept going. Somewhere in this building, there had to be a vault for valuable items.

As time dragged on, they both grew cautious. They hadn't seen a single person since breaking in. No workers, no guards... just complete silence. The whole place seemed abandoned. Yet, they knew Raheem was here somewhere, and that thought kept them on high alert. He was dangerous, and though it was clear he wasn't trying to kill them immediately — otherwise he would have done it already — they had no idea what he was planning.

Eventually, frustration took over, and their caution slipped. They stopped sneaking around quietly. Instead, they threw doors open, let them slam shut, and shouted back and forth across the halls. Time was ticking away. Every second they wasted was a second closer to losing Darren, not to mention how exhausting it was to stay awake through the night.

Magnus let out a tired breath and yanked open yet another door, ready to give up. Every path seemed to lead to empty spaces or pointless storage closets. But this room was different. Across the small space, he spotted a massive metal door. It looked like a vault.

"Xyra," he called out.

She ran to his side and looked toward the far wall, her eyes widening. "I think that's it," he said.

They walked in quietly, stopping right in front of the heavy door. But getting it open was another problem entirely. It was massive, thick, and almost certainly locked tight. On top of that, it could be trapped.

"What now?" Xyra asked.

Magnus placed a hand on the cold surface. "It's not steel, so I can't warp it," he said, a faint smirk touching his lips. "But I can blow it up. Stand back."

Xyra stepped out of the way. A bright glow flared from Magnus's palm, and an instant later, the door blasted inward with a roar of fire and lightning. The heavy metal fell backward with a deafening crash that echoed down the halls. As the smoke cleared, they stepped into a massive storage vault. The walls were lined with shimmering gold, and shelves held sorcerer talismans, glowing potion bottles, and weapons forged from dragon scales. But Magnus and Xyra ignored all of it. Their eyes locked onto the center of the room.

There, resting on a pedestal inside a clear glass display, was the Lazufeer talisman they had been searching for. Magnus rushed forward and tried to lift the glass cover, but it wouldn't budge. A faint ring of light around the base showed it was sealed with magic. Magnus recognized the spell instantly; he had studied the sealing spell for years. While he rarely used it himself, he knew how to break basic spells like this one.

"Dedisco Inferie," he muttered. The light faded instantly. Magnus lifted the glass, grabbed the talisman, and tucked it inside his cloak. "Finally. Just one left."

"Wow. Only one?" a smooth voice called out. Magnus and Xyra froze. Magnus recognized that voice instantly — arrogant, mocking, and impossible to forget. They turned slowly toward the entrance. Leaning casually against the doorway was Raheem, a smirk on his face and a cold, amused gleam in his golden eyes. He was clearly enjoying himself.

"You've been busy, haven't you?" the demon said, taking a step toward them.

Magnus immediately shoved Xyra behind him, glaring daggers at Raheem. He braced himself, ready to protect her no matter what.

"Where's Darren?" Magnus demanded.

Raheem's smirk widened. "Ah, the half-breed. He's alive, if you were wondering."

"Give him back."

Raheem let out a harsh laugh. "What's so funny?" Magnus growled.

"The great Albus... playing hero with companions," Raheem sneered. "I thought I taught you a lesson last time. Wasn't losing your family enough? Do I need to kill this girl too, before you finally learn?"

Magnus's jaw tightened. He kept Xyra shielded behind his back, refusing to let Raheem near her. But Raheem raised a hand, his fingers gathering magic. Magnus didn't wait. He lunged forward, throwing a powerful punch straight at the demon's face. His fist met nothing but air. Magnus stumbled through Raheem's body, barely catching himself before he hit the ground. He spun around just in time to see the demon's form dissolve into a cloud of grey smoke.

"An illusion," Magnus muttered, frustrated with himself. I should have known. My pendant didn't react.

"You wanted to know where your friend is," Raheem's voice echoed from every corner of the room. "Allow me to show you."

The entire room began to shake. Magnus scrambled back to Xyra's side, bracing for an attack. A loud grinding sound filled the air, and they both turned to watch the back wall split down the middle, the heavy stone sliding open to reveal a hidden chamber beyond.

"Raheem!" Magnus called out, trying to keep his voice steady. "Why are you doing all this? Have you sunk so low that you're working for humans now?"

"Hardly," Raheem replied from the shadows. "I work for no one. Haven't you figured it out yet? I thought you were smarter than that."

"What do you mean?" Magnus snapped, his anger boiling over.

"Did you really think a human could build a facility like this?" Raheem mocked. "I don't work for the league. The machines, the magic, the hybrids... I created all of it. It belongs to me."

Xyra gasped. "That's... that's impossible. Mr. Nixon leads the league..."

"Think about everything for a second," Raheem interrupted. 

Magnus and Xyra froze as the truth hit them. Raheem and Mr. Nixon have been the same person all along.

Raheem was the mastermind behind the Sorcerer's League. He was using the organization to hunt down anything that posed a threat to him — dragons, rogue sorcerers, even using human bounty hunters who hated magic. He had manipulated everyone just to keep his power safe.

"They're the same person," Magnus whispered, a look of shame washing over his face. "It was right in front of me the whole time... How did I miss that?"

Xyra reached out to comfort him, but the shaking finally stopped. Her eyes drifted toward the newly opened room, and her breath caught in her throat. Magnus raised his head a second later, his expression turning to pure shock at what lay inside.