Chapter 120 THE WEIGHT OF HIS GUILT

Chapter 120 THE WEIGHT OF HIS GUILT
Xyra stood in the pouring rain, watching Magnus suffer in silence. The heavy drops drummed against the hard floor, mixing with her tears as they slipped down her face. She was done crying and could only stare ahead, completely numb to what had just happened. Darren was dead. There was no fixing this. He had been killed by his own sword... and Magnus was the one holding it.

She didn't know what to do. Her legs felt stuck to the ground. She wanted to step over and comfort Magnus, but it wouldn't change anything. She needed comfort too, though neither of them was going to get it. No words could fix this, no matter who said them. Nothing was going to wake them up from this nightmare.

A sudden sound made her freeze. Someone was laughing behind her. It started low, turning into a bitter chuckle. She spun around, her shock instantly shifting to pure anger. Raheem was sitting high on the stone wall, watching them with bright golden eyes like it was all a game. Xyra burned inside just looking at him. To him, their pain was just entertainment.

"How amusing," he said, laughing a bit more. He looked over at Magnus, even though the young sorcerer was staring completely blankly. "Well done, Albus. Thanks for getting rid of that half-breed. That makes everything easier."

"What?" Xyra asked, her sadness briefly replaced by a fast-growing rage.

"That thing was a threat. Thanks to you Albus, I don't have to bother with it anymore. Left alone, it could have grown far too strong, and I couldn't risk that. This turned out great, don't you think?"

"Monster," she growled. Fresh tears burned against her cold skin. She had never hated anyone this much, but Raheem wasn't a human. He felt no guilt and showed no mercy. He was an absolute demon.

Raheem ignored her and turned back to Magnus. The young sorcerer was still on his knees, staring blankly at the wet ground. The tears kept falling as he sat trapped in his own head. The shaking had stopped, and he was completely soaked through. He didn't seem to feel the biting cold or care about anything around him.

"That's it, Albus," Raheem sneered, his cruel smile showing his delight. "Suffer. As long as you breathe, you'll carry this. I won't ever let you move past it."

"Why are you doing this?" Xyra called out, her voice rising. She needed to understand. She couldn't take any more of this.

"What a dumb question. Isn't it obvious? I hate him."

"Why?"

"Because of what he represents. I hate magic, and I hate those who use it. I want to wipe every trace of that cursed woman off the map."

"Woman?" Xyra frowned, even more confused now. Who was he talking about? What did one person have to do with all of this? Then it clicked. There was only one person that made sense. "You mean Lazufeer?"

"Yes," he spat, his eyes flashing with deep hatred. "Before she died, she gave humans magic. The ones who carry it are connected to her, so they all have to die. I will erase her memory completely." He pointed down at Magnus again. "I could end him right now, but it's more fun watching him break inside, piece by piece."

"But… Why target him?"

"Because her energy clings to him. He was brought back using her talismans. I love watching someone with that much power fall apart like this. He can suffer until I get bored." He raised a hand toward them. "I'll let you two leave for now. Good luck explaining his death to his sweet little sister. And as for Xerxes… I wonder how he'll react."

Before Xyra could process his words, everything faded. It was a teleportation spell, something only Raheem could pull off. She didn't know where they were going, but a second later, she felt heavy rain hitting her face again.

As the fog cleared, she recognized the old stone structures of Christian's castle. Tall walls, stone paths, and garden statues surrounded them. She looked down at Magnus, who hadn't shifted at all. The sword was still resting beside him, and Darren lay right there, the water washing away the blood stains on his clothes. For a moment, nobody moved. The world stood completely still. Magnus remained on his knees in shock, Xyra stared helplessly, and the storm kept pouring down. Darren was really gone. Nothing they did could fix this now. It wasn't a bad dream they could just wake up from. His blood was on Magnus's hands.

"…Xyra?" a voice called out from the doorway. She turned fast to see Christian standing nearby. But her gaze quickly shifted to the dragon behind him. Astrid was there, her eyes full of worry. Everything was falling apart even faster now. "I thought you were at the league."

"We were," she managed to say. "It's late. Why are you both still up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Christian admitted with a gentle smile. "We were worried about you two. What happened? We thought you'd be out all night." His eyes moved past Xyra to the figure kneeling in the rain. Magnus had his back turned, staring up at the dark sky. He didn't flinch as the cold water hit his face. He wasn't paying attention to anything around him. It was like he had completely checked out of reality.

"Well, we…" Xyra stammered, looking straight at Astrid. "You see… it's just…"

"Did you find Darren?" the dragon asked. It was the one question Xyra desperately wanted to avoid, but there was no escaping it. They were going to find out eventually. A death like this couldn't be hidden. "Did you manage to save him?"

Xyra stayed quiet.

"Please, Xyra. Speak to me!"

"Astrid…" Xyra's throat tightened as new tears welled up. Seeing the hope and worry in the dragon's face made her stomach twist. The guilt was overwhelming, choking back her words as water ran down her cheeks. "…I'm so sorry."

She looked back toward Magnus, hoping Astrid would look too so she wouldn't have to say the words out loud. It felt easier that way. Beside him lay Darren, motionless on the wet grass, his body growing colder by the second.

Astrid's eyes followed Xyra's glance, and her golden gaze suddenly went wide. Tears pooled quickly as she caught sight of her brother. Without thinking, she ran straight over and dropped to her knees beside him. Xyra closed her eyes and turned away, unable to watch. It was too painful to see.

"Darren!" Astrid gasped, reaching out a trembling hand to touch his face. His skin felt freezing, like ice against her fingers. There was no warmth left, no trace of life at all. The heavy wound in his chest said everything. He was truly gone.

Astrid pulled her hand back, shaking her head in denial. Her whole body began to tremble as her fingers dug into the wet grass. She tried to hold back her cries, but a few choked sounds escaped anyway.

"No…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "This can't be happening… No…"

"Astrid," Xyra said softly, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not fair!" Astrid yelled out, looking up at Xyra with eyes so wrecked with pain that Xyra actually winced. "He isn't gone! He can't be!" She collapsed over Darren's body, gripping his wet clothes and hiding her face against his chest. She stopped trying to hold it in, her shoulders shaking violently with every heavy sob. It was the only way to let out the crushing weight in her chest.

Nobody spoke for a long time. Even Christian stayed quiet, frozen in place as he watched Astrid break down over her brother. Everything had changed in an instant. They had lost a member of their team. How were they going to break the news to Xerxes? What would he do? It was impossible to picture a man like him crying, but they would have to face him eventually. They couldn't stay in this courtyard forever. And Raheem was still out there, waiting for another chance to strike. The more damage he could do to Magnus, the happier he would be.

"…How did this happen?" Astrid whispered, breaking the silence. She had stopped sobbing, though her shoulders were still tense. "Who did this to him? Was it Raheem? Answer me."

Xyra kept her mouth shut, her throat feeling like lead.

"Tell me! Who killed my brother?!"

The only response was the sound of rain splashing against the stone pathway. Everyone remained still. Astrid stared up at Xyra with a mix of heartbreak and growing anger, waiting for a name. But how could Xyra say it? How could she tell her that Magnus was the one who did it? What were they supposed to do now?

"…I'm sorry."

The voice was so quiet it almost got lost in the storm. They both looked over at Magnus. He was still staring aimlessly at the dark clouds, his eyes red and raw. It was hard to tell if he was still crying or if the rain was just washing it all away. He refused to look either of them in the eye, looking completely lost in his own head, trapped back in the fight.

"What?" Astrid asked, her voice dropping. Magnus turned his head slightly toward her. Astrid gasped at the broken expression on his face, her anger vanishing for a second.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "Raheem… he set us up. I didn't have a choice. I had nothing left to do. I just… I didn't want to die." His voice wavered slightly, though his tone was completely flat and hollow. "I just wanted to live…"

"What are you saying?" she asked, her pulse racing. The terror and shame in his eyes made her stomach drop. She suddenly realized she didn't want to hear the rest.

"Astrid," Xyra interrupted. "Darren lost control." She watched Astrid's expression shift as the dragon realized what that meant. She already knew about Darren's hidden dragon form and how dangerous it was. "Raheem forced them to fight each other."

Astrid processed the words, her eyes slowly drifting back to Magnus. He kept his head down, refusing to look up. Even in the dim light, his injuries were obvious. Deep cuts marked his legs, and the wound on his arm was still dripping blood into the rain. His clothes were shredded, yet he hadn't even tried to cast a healing spell. He was just letting himself bleed out. The shock had completely broken him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered one last time. He raised his head, his pale green eyes locking onto her golden ones. "I did it." His hand tightened weakly around the grip of the sword beside him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to… but he asked me to finish it. So I did."

Slowly, his eyes fluttered shut, and his body gave out. The physical strain and the mental weight were too much to carry, and he finally let go, collapsing sideways onto the muddy ground.

Xyra rushed to his side instantly to check his breathing. His wounds were bad, but he hadn't lost enough blood to be in real danger, giving her a little sense of relief. Still, there was no telling how long it would take for his mind to recover. For someone who had always lived by the rule of doing whatever it took to survive, this was different. He had never been forced to take the life of someone he actually cared about.