Before the anti-magic zone perished, in the heart of the prison's subterranean ruins, two men tread through the gloomy dungeon filled with torches. One man bore the insignia of a high-ranking officer upon his guard uniform, a scar adorning his right eye, and a soldier's cap perched atop his head. At the center of his amulet, a solitary dot of blue light pulsed with an ethereal glow. His colleagues called him Silence.

Beside him strode his companion, Phantom, a towering figure of 6'1" feet with broad jaws and a lean physique concealed beneath an elegant tuxedo. His jet-black hair reflected a stroke of red-light from the torches. Together, they ventured deeper into the darkness, their footsteps echoing in the silence of the abandoned prison.

Phantom asked, "Too painful in my plump badonkadonk. I will shit myself in this unmanly party venue. Who in the fantasy booty puts a power generator underground!? Do you know why, Silence?"

Silence, the man wearing the guard uniform, might seem to know the answer. However, he didn't reply. His lips didn’t dent a slant.

Phantom sighed, "Right, I shouldn't have expected you to speak English. It's not like we're hombres’ nuts who didn't share the same cell. Stinky divine knows when you’ll utter baloney."

Silence left hastily and unfazed. Phantom ran, catching up to Silence, and exclaimed, "Wait for my ass, Dawg! I’m on leg day."

There might only be two people wandering below the secretive path, but there were three who surveyed around. Behind the amulet shade was another colleague surveying the environment with a hidden eye. A kid's voice from Silence’s amulet shouts. "Focus on your mission, Phantom! Do you dream of your allowance being reduced to the 2nd derivative?"

"Look, a seed’s talking. You can’t faze everyone with your sophomoric voice, Virtual Pigeon." Phantom bragged. “You’re literally nothing but a brain, an eternal wetware. You never experienced leg day, did you? Even if I gave you a wheelchair, you still can't walk. You depend on metals to touch some grass. You should be called the iron maiden–”

"Shut up! Don't let me connect this call to Nebula!" From Virtual Pigeon’s squeal, her irritation sounded fearful to Phantom. Phantom zipped his mouth, imitating Silence’s unfazed behavior. A clandestine mission unfolded.

The two moved with their footsteps echoing softly upon the intersections of molded stones. Detours were made, narrow paths navigated, and each step was carefully calculated until they reached their destination, the room where the power core sat hidden.

As they approached the gate, the guards standing sentinel snapped to attention, saluting Silence with unwavering respect. The air crackled with tension, and the tension grew palpable as they neared their destination.

"Good evening, captain! The code…," a guard said.

Silence orchestrated a ruse, feigning a cough to conceal his true intent. As Silence parted his lips, Virtual Pigeon adorned through the necklace with intricate runes transformed her voice. A deep, resounding baritone echoed through the air, mimicking Silence’s lip sync.

"Statera conservat omnia," the mysterious words rang out. A shiver of awe rippled through the ranks of the stone-faced guards, their heads bowing low in reverence.

The massive gates creaked open, revealing a hidden passage veiled in shadows. Yet, none noticed the subtle deception, for the voice that uttered those enchanting words did not originate from Silence's mouth but from the amulet that adorned his neck. Still, the guards thought that they’re currently talking to the captain, the man of the highest authority within the prison.

As they walked into the room far from the guards, Phantom silently boasted, "As expected from a skilled nipple-sucker… However, I’m a prodigy. Your deceptive abilities still don't match my level. You're way too obvious."

"Shut up. Don't spit tongue garbage on my expensive gadget," Virtual Pigeon replied through the necklace. "What would Nebula-sama think if he heard you right now?"

"Classic move. Calling your never-aging psycho mama after being noob, hurtbags still exist through generations. What a Republican way of augmenting."

"Hello, Nebula–"

"Okay, quiet now."

They encountered a spherical crystalline gem that glowed otherworldly ethereal sitting over the pedestal at the middle of the spacious dome-shaped hall. This power core reserved the magical energy in restraining all prisoner’s mana and abilities. The anti-magic barrier’s zone ranged up to the whole diameter of the prison’s walls.

Virtual Pigeon murmured, "Legend says that this core was forged in the heart of a dying star, the departed mythical enigmas that emitted extensive amounts of mana. Fingers out, I don't mind counting how many prisoners were sacrificed to strengthen this."

"Hot damn! It’s an otherworldly souvenir. If we're not destroying it, I should have taken it home. Hey Pigeon, can you defy your superior once to enhance the barricades of Megapolis (A hidden urban place restricting the belief of magic in exchange of technological advancement..)? Yours are trash-class."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Nebula will only kill you out of arrogance. Also, she already has one to grind, the reason to complete this massive cleanup."

"What a waste. However, if Miss Suppose says so, it's also worth lots."

With the intention of destroying the power core, Phantom's dance was choreographed by shadows. His fingers traced the blade's hilt, and as he swung it upward. The blade spun, catching the flickering light from the fractured power core. Phantom's eyes narrowed as he calculated the trajectory.

After catching, his grip tightened. He hurled the blade, slicing through the air like a comet of vengeance. The core shattered, shards of crystal exploding outward like a supernova. The room trembled, and the oppressive hum that had plagued the prison for years ceased.

Mana surged back into their veins. Above, the other prisoners gasped, their eyes wide with wonder. Some wept, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of magic. Phantom turned to Silence and whispered, his voice held both gratitude and menace, "See you later, silent brother."

Silence nodded, his features hidden beneath a mask of shadows. Phantom had melted into the darkness, leaving behind only the scent of defiance.

Drawn by the seismic shift in energy, as the guards burst into the chamber, they found only a never-seen person.

Silence removed his disguise, revealing his amber-brown eyes that held galaxies within. The guards hesitated, their weapons raised.

But Silence didn’t faze from fear. As countless roots of plants emerged from the ground around him, the floor shifted. Reality bent, and the guards forgot their existence as the roots wrapped and buried them down the ground.

Outside, the alarms blared, causing blackout. The rebellion had begun.

***

Hera's group went out of their cell. However, the chaos has already begun. The group is currently in a pinch as Quimora’s dismissal would be tomorrow. However, they need to make sure she makes it out alive before other prisoners would harm her.

Prisoners continuously shot high quality magic across random targets. Only Hera would be able to deflect the attacks with her blazing fists. "Macy, can you track us to an escape route? Also, as for the others, cover me in two minutes."

"That's a very long time… but I’ll try,” Macy responded as she fidgeted her fingers. Her fellow cellmates already knew Macy’s dominant ability to track the flow of mana to navigate escape routes.

"Don't worry, Hera! You got the skills in here," Jinx reassured as she tapped Hera's shoulder. The gang wrecked havoc alongside the other prisoners with the priority of protecting Quimora.

Macy cycled a gesture as an imaginary eye in her forehead glows. Her ability, Parallel Vision, was an ability fit for surveillance, patrolling, and escaping. In this mode, she saw real-time views of the prison hallways individually.

Jinx and Hera lead the group as they form a circle around Macy and Quimora. Various magic spells from the other prisoners traversed in random directions.

Jinx tried her best to nullify the spells with her enchanted fist. “It’s so inconvenient not to have some blockade spells!” She exclaimed. “And we’re still a quarter before escape?”

“Hang in there!” Hera shouted. “We can’t wander blindly in this hellhole. We’re not the only high-profile criminals here.”

Their group looked into flexibility on how they can cancel other spells that are directed to them. For the elemental spells, they used the counter-type of the element to prevent its effects, like how water nullifies fire. For physical attacks, Hera, Jinx, and the other two prisoners handle it with brute strength. With Hera in the team, only Gelly would be her worst matchup.

Two minutes passed, Macy found two hallways, free from any chaos, in her vision However… “Here's good news and bad news,” she said as she withdrew her gesture and abilities. “There are two loopholes for this prison to escape. However, the easiest one was already camped by the guards. They have high mages with them which can easily pulverize us.”

“Then there’s no choice than the other route,” Hera replied, knowing that each choice comes with risks. “What’s the cost?”

“... Gelly…”

“And her gang?” Hera put her hand on her forehead and sighed. “Lead the way, Macy. We have no other choice. I’ll be the one facing her.”

Macy exhaled and rushed forward together with the group. Hera held Quimora’s hands to reassure that she’ll be safe. “No matter what happened to us, as long as you made your departure, we will never forget you.”

Quimora pressed her lips and left a few seconds of silence before she replied, “Thank you, Hera. However, it would be better if we all escaped… I suppose.”

Hera tapped Quimora’s head and chuckled. “That was a good dream! If that was reality, it would be better. However, people with a hefty price to pay don’t have the right to dream.”

“So… You’ll leave me?”

“... Never,” Hera smiled. “I’ll do my best to always be right beside you.”

The group passed only a few guards and prisoners to defeat, until they ended up in the hallway towards the field. Macy already informed the group that Gelly’s group should appear at any moment in this place soon. Not long until they heard a rough shout, which came from the woman standing behind the railings of the second floor.

Prisoners started blocking the way to the only exit. Gelly appeared on the second mezzanine, an intermediate floor partly open to the double-height ceiling floor below, together with her other crew.

“I smelled a peeping tom. I knew I hated cowards. They do things unevenly in a fight. Is that your underling’s ability, Olympic Tomboy?” Gelly shouted from the second floor.

“Get down here, Bearded Grandma, then we’ll settle this,” Hera replied as she looked up to her.

“Even with our abilities present, you can’t make a miniscule dent,” Gelly boasted as she raised her muscles. “These big boys can counter-slap a cannonball back to its mouth. You’ll just have a taste of your own fried fist. Better request a spice for a flavor.”

Hera smirked, “My fist would best fit in your big bloated mouth.”

Gelly’s nerves popped out of forehead. She gritted her teeth, jumped down the railings, and walked towards Hera with her arms turning silver. “You and me, let’s see who’s the king of the hill.”

No one expected that a man’s whisper would resonate in everyone’s mind. “Before you fight, a king of the hill should be a man.”

In a blink of an eye, Phantom, a man with a tuxedo and a masquerade mask appeared from above with a raised leg and kicked down the space between Hera and Gelly. Due to the force, Gelly backed off. The ground shook, and cracks crawled from the man’s foot towards the upper part of the floor.