Mila’s conjecture about there not being permanent spells running in the oversaturated air proved to be false soon enough. She had tumbled down a few more levels before stopping.

There was something invisible covering the opening leading further down. It felt like a solid surface for Mila’s mana sense. A spell of sorts, likely a defensive one, maybe an alert, perhaps a trap.

With all the interference in the air, it was impossible to tell. Mila cut a small piece of her cloak and dropped it in the hole while keeping a safe distance.

The small piece of clothing passed through the perceived obstacle as if it wasn’t there. Mila retreated further away from the opening and hid in one of the corners. She waited to see if anyone would come and check the tiny disturbance.

But after several seconds had passed, it became clear that no one was coming. With the battles raging all around and the fortress slowly becoming a sieve, perhaps the defenders were lacking manpower to cover all the vulnerabilities.

Or perhaps the spell wasn’t meant to be an alarm. Mila looked around again. The place was empty. From her short travel through the structure, it had become clear that this was purely a defensive structure.

There was no furniture, no decorations, no nothing. Just bare walls, the occasional light source and patrol Mila had to wait to pass. Ironically, these guards were all much more powerful than she. Without the mana-saturated air, she had no doubts she would have been caught. The phenomenon had blinded all parties, not just her.

The fortress shook again. It was less noticeable down here. Mila knew she was now even deeper underground. Even if she succeeded… Would she be able to climb out?

That… That was a worry for later. As for now, Mila had to wait for another heavy impact that shook the ground. She had noticed the spell blocking the path had momentarily failed during the shaking.

It didn’t take long for the next quake to arrive. Mila assumed the fighters were getting desperate and less numerous. With many of the defenders falling each moment, the centre of this farce became an easier target.

Mila took a step forward and fell into the opening. There was not enough time to climb down, even if she was able to. At least this time, this was a calculated fall and not a mess-up on her part.

It still hurt. And Mila still hit the ground unsightly. But at least she hadn’t let go of her weapon and had enough balance to move away right away instead of lying on the ground while stifling tears and groans.

The air was even warmer here. Mila sniffed the air and tried to sense anything amiss. All she saw with her spiritual senses was a wall of mana all around her. It was as if she was submerged in it.

So great was the concentration that Mila felt her body be pressed down by it. And even now, more mana was flowing towards this position. Her useless senses kept being pushed back with ever-increasing force.

This room, too, was empty. But Mila knew she was on the right path. She was close. Just a bit more, and she could…

Using all her remaining strength, Mila pivoted herself to the side while brandishing her dagger. She studied the empty room. There was… Something.

It wasn’t as if Mila had any proof. It was just a feeling. The old ghost hadn’t warned her either. The room was empty except for the ladder leading up and two doors leading to unknown places.

Yet…

Mila narrowed her eyes while backing up closer to the wall. What was it that gave her this unease? She searched, scrutinising every centimetre of the place, before stopping at the now-open doors.

Someone had just left through them. Mila gulped. There had been someone else here. And they had left without her ever knowing. She hadn’t even felt the doors open.

It was terrifying. Mila calmed her racing heart. She looked at the open doors for a moment longer before deciding to head for the other ones. It was better not to follow that person, whoever it was.

While slowly praying the other doors open, Mila prodded her inner companion, waiting for answers.

There were two, from what Mila could tell. Yes, there had been someone. And no, they had not been a danger to her. She glanced back again.

It was another reminder that Mila was a small fish swimming in a boundless ocean. As if she needed more of those.

The world shook again. Mila snuck through the doorway, followed by terrible noises travelling down to this basement portion of the fortress. Only this time, the sounds didn’t stop. They still became distorted from time to time but never vanished as before.

Furthermore, the fighting felt close. Mila kept close to the walls, using them for support. She kept limping forward. Her steps were heavy, and her eyes were blurry. But she had to.

Crashes. The sounds of world breaking. Howls of wind. Screams of pain and death. Songs of the Gods and constant hum. The fighting continued. It felt so close…

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Mila felt uneasy again. She glanced back and saw a man limp out from the doors where the unknown person had vanished.

The man was missing an arm and had a deep cut in his neck. Mila shuddered as his eyes fell on her. He could see and recognise her.

But the man didn’t come closer. Instead, he staggered to the ladder and raised his chin. “I GOT HIM!” He screamed before collapsing to the ground, his eyes dimming as the life left the body.

Mila averted her eyes. The terrifying figure who had managed to hide from her senses… He was now dead… She… She didn’t know what to think.

It was clear the man had been a part of the assaulting force. One of the Miliaty’s assassins, most likely. It was hard to tell.

And from how the sounds didn’t vanish anymore, Mila could guess what his task had been. And he had fulfilled it. At the cost of his own life, the assassin had freed the world from the suppressing silence.

It was admirable… But also. The man had died. Someone so powerful had died. So, then… What chances did Mila have?

“...don’t think-” Mila croaked to herself. “-about…it.” Besides, he had succeeded. Mila just had to do better at the last part.

Another two steps forward through the empty corridor, and the world shook violently. Mila had to stop to keep herself standing. The heavenly mantras rose above all, forcing back whatever was fighting against them.

At least, that was the impression Mila got from the supreme whispers of the Gods. But it was only for a moment. The forces above soon reached an impasse again. She looked at the ceiling.

Mila guessed the Military and the Inquisitors were ready to enter the fortress. She had to hurry.

Forcing herself to stumble forward, Mila searched for anything that could lead her towards the ritual controls. Or at least a place from which she could influence the grand spell.

Only…

The walls flickered, and Mila stopped. She leaned closer to the wall and studied it. “... illusion?”

There was an accusatory tone in Mila’s voice. But the shitty parasite just shrugged. She interpreted the meaning as - nothing to do about it, and it didn’t matter.

And to a point, Mila agreed. It wasn’t like the annoying presence could tell her she was walking between illusions. And it was true they could do nothing about it. She trusted the ghost would warn her if there was anything amiss or dangerous.

But still…

The wall flickered again. It turned from a stone to metal before back to stone again. Mila looked around again. Among the flickers, she spotted what looked like a trap.

It was ruined, with scorch marks around it. Someone had been here before Mila. No wonder the path had been so smooth. Still, she felt the caster of these illusions was wasting his power. There was no need to keep up the appearances at this point.

Not that Mila was complaining. This was good news for her, in a way. Besides, maybe the illusionist simply didn’t know the traps had been discovered.

Be as it may, Mila didn’t like it. She hissed from the pain and forced herself to move again. Each step sent pangs of pain through her stature. Her determination kept waning, but never fully.

After a minute of constant pain, Mila stopped. She looked at the wall on the other side of the corridor. Her immaterial passenger had given her a sign that something was there.

So, Mila waited. Soon enough, the reality flickered and just for a moment, she saw doors. “...here?” She mouthed a question.

These doors were broken once, then put back in the hinges. It appeared that whoever had come before had reached quite far. Mila braced herself for battle, then walked closer to the entrance. She tried to peek through the gaps, but nothing but flickering light could be seen. There were no sounds either. Or at least nothing that she could hear over the constant chaos happening above.

The question was whether Mila should enter now or wait for a strike team to arrive and follow after them.

Both choices had their drawbacks. Going in now would mean Mila would have to face whoever was inside alone. Waiting for someone to come and distract the defenders felt like the right choice, but…

There was no time nor guarantee the attackers would be able to find this place. The illusion did flicker, but without Mila’s inner passenger, she would have missed the doors.

The thoughts refused to move, and another quake made Mila fall forward and hit the doors with her head.

With her heartbeat going into overdrive, Mila watched the proper-up doors fall. The time slowed down for her as the flimsy obstacle hit the ground with a loud thud.

But there was no one rushing to kill her. Mila glanced to both sides of the corridor before hesitantly stepping over the fallen doors. There was still no one coming.

While the sounds of battle were overpowering everything else, Mila doubted it was to the point of people down here not noticing their entrance falling apart.

But there she was. Stepping through a well-lit room. It was clean and… Wrong. Mila frowned. It was an illusion, wasn’t it?

The feeling Mila got from her companion affirmed her thoughts. He encouraged her to walk straight ahead into a wall.

Without further hesitation, Mila stepped forward. She extended her hand, brushed it against the wall and got feedback. It felt real. Her forehead still stung from hitting the doors, but it was just a drop in the ocean when compared with the rest of the pain her body was experiencing every passing moment.

Forcing herself to move, Mila pushed on, her arm passing through the illusion. Her body followed, and her eyes adjusted to the new sight.

It was darker now. And smelled of blood and death. The walls were scarred by slashes and scorch marks. There were several reinforced tubes of mana running through the room.

Once she was sure no one was going to attack her, Mila studied the bodies on the ground. The kingdom’s assassins mixed with guards and a few nobles strewn about. Whatever had unfolded here had been fierce, decisive and deadly for the attackers.

At least, it meant less enemies for Mila. She looked up at the pipes. It was impossible to tell with the interference, but she guessed this was where all the blood ended up.

The engraved metal tubes were the only thing untouched by the previous battle. They still remained pristine and shined with a mysterious glow.

Shaking her head, Mila raised her alertness to the maximum she was currently capable of and headed deeper into the facility.

There were voices ahead. And if Mila had to bet, that’s where she needed to be.