Lucia, Dryden, and Galleanus' group walked through the city streets towards the eastern warehouse. The civilians made way for them, whispering about the striking figure of the young lady in the lead, and Galleanous' mysterious blue-cloaked men, save for his opposing black and red attire.

Lucia kept her eyes on Galleanus, suspicious of his indifference to the situation. The crowd's murmurs didn't bother him, nor did the blatant presence of the Ashen Veil.

'Does he know more than what he shows?' her thoughts ran wild but quickly suppressed them. If she remembered, all Inquisition Commanders were mentally enhanced individuals, capable of reading people's thoughts without others knowing. Overthinking might grab his attention, worsening her chances of gaining an advantage.

The now decrepit warehouse was laid bare ahead of them, a large hole tearing down at its enormous metal gate. The faint smell of charred metal and burnt wood assaulted their senses; it gave them a glimpse of the events that happened here not so long ago.

Guild members, wearing their custom-made armor and weapons, roamed the perimeter. A young elf, Kaelen, commanded them. He stood straight with sharp senses as he noticed their approaching group.

"Lucia, you've returned," then nodded at Galleanus and Dryden, "Guildmaster Dryden, and Inquisitor...?"

"Galleanus," Lucia interjected, gesturing for Kaelen to relax. "How's the warehouse? Did Sylas and Lyra find something yet?"

"No one has been near the warehouse this morning," Kaelen replied while glancing in Galleanus' direction, wary of his intentions. "Sylas and Lyra walked around the area since they couldn't find anything here, probably searching the other warehouses as well. Darin and Aria tried to check the back room, but they didn't stay for long. They mentioned something... unsettling in that place. I told them to rest for now."

"I see. Inquisitor Galleanus will investigate this warehouse for now. Guard the perimeter properly."

Lucia led the group inside, leaving Kaelen and the rest guarding the entrance. She wasn't worried the least — Kaelen's exceptional perception and eyesight made him the most reliable sentry in any situation.

"Chaos... a lot of it," Galleanus muttered, his voice a low rumble resonating with the air around him. His thin hands rose, gliding through the space like a conductor weaving an unseen symphony. Threads of pale, shimmering energy extended from his fingertips, spiraling outward as the air thickened with an oppressive weight.

The invisible waves of mental power swept the room, probing the unseen malice lingering in the air. Dark magic and chaos surged against his mental fortress, their foul tendrils clawing at his defenses. Yet his mind held firm, his thoughts shielded by layers of unshakable discipline.

Tremors ran through his fingers as he discerned the remnants of the chaotic energies, his lips moving in silent incantation.

"So the Ashen Veil's corruption has become this deep." he sighed, pained at the results, "It seems that your incompetence is the only thing to blame, guildmaster."

"Inquisitor Galleanus, I did not come here to listen to your sermons against my guild! We only work under the city lord's mandate! It's not like I can act independent like this Stormwind!" Dryden protested, pointing his fingers at the old man.

The two blue-cloaked men immediately stepped forward, blocking Dryden from approaching their commander. Dryden's eyes noticed the hilt of a short sword revealed under their rune-etched robes, their faint glimmers forcing him to back down unconsciously.

"Your excuses are as feeble as your defenses and actions, guild master," Galleanus harrumphed, showing disdain in his tone, "A place like this vulnerable to the Ashen Veil's grasp is a testament to your negligence. Lady Lucia is right, if you cannot ensure the safety of this city, then somebody else will."

He turned to her, locking his pupilless eyes, "Milady, your conflict with those... masked people you spoke of, tell me more about them."

"I have already said it," Lucia narrowed her eyes, "Those masked figures came from the back and retrieved something from this warehouse, including the papers."

"And you didn't know if they are from the Ashen Veil?" Galleanus questioned, his gaze drifting into the warehouse's ceiling.

"Inquisitor Galleanus, please be direct in your words," Lucia crossed her arms, her patience declining every second. Was this guy implying her incompetence?

"Nothing in particular," Galleanus smirked, hiding his contempt, "I find the idea of a third party involved quite intriguing."

Lucia remained silent, not letting Galleanus drive the conversation.

Galleanus didn't bother and took a golden orb from a clothing bag, "Whether it is the Ashen Veil or another party, the remnants of their heretical aura must be cleansed." he declared.

She stared at the magical artifact clad with countless magic runes, trying to peruse the meaning behind the glowing patterns yet they remained elusive to her eyes.

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He walked around slowly, his steps intentional as if dictated by the golden orb itself. His other hand hovered over the orb, manipulating his mental powers to guide their radiant essence around its space. The divine hum grew stronger with each step, its accumulating power slowly pushing back against the weight of the chaos and dark magic that had tainted the warehouse.

Lucia followed his every step, perceiving an unnatural precision on his path. His figure lingered closer to areas with denser buildup of chaos and darkness while barely covering the rest. His deliberate actions raised her suspicions, catching hints of concealment purposes.

She focused on Galleanus' next moves. The orb's light intensified, the dreading feeling slowly vanishing as the golden orb's glow brightened to the extreme.

Blinded as they were, their other senses remained clear. Lucia could feel the air around them freshening and lightening, her mind and body easing after Galleanus cleared out the tensing atmosphere.

"The corruption has been cleansed," Galleanus exhaled deeply, his forehead dripping with sweat after the prolonged use of the golden orb. "But the Ashen Veil's presence remains to be a problem. You have spoken of their papers a while ago; without the evil energies drifting in the air, I can now proceed with my thorough investigation. I hope that Lady Lucia is satisfied."

"Will you cleanse the underground tunnels as well?" Lucia attempted again, gauging the extent of Galleanus' thoughts.

Galleanus stored the golden orb inside a cloth bag and turned around to face Lucia. "The tunnels are a great source of heresy; they should not be entered so easily, or risk being corrupted by the Ashen Veil's grasp. Your mistake of enticing others to explore the tunnels shall be initially forgiven, but I will not tolerate another."

"Inquisitor, I think that she should be punished for this!" Dryden insisted on Lucia's faults, "This woman just barged into our guild hall in the middle of the night and posted a ridiculous offer! Look at what she has done, disturbing the city in the early morning with a collapsed wall!"

Lucia clenched her fists, unwilling to be admonished once again. "I have reasons, Inquisitor, and my claims are not as baseless as the guildmaster speaks of."

"I know," Galleanus replied, his comment dumbfounding Dryden and elated Lucia, "That masked man you spoke of, did he come from the room at the back?"

He proceeded to the back room where countless dismantled wards lay waste. The debris from the previous battle had been mostly cleaned up beside the dents and craters formed after Lucia's team's short skirmish against the bone-white masked figure.

"A stinging smell of the undead." Galleanus frowned, thinking that something was wrong in this room. "And the thick presence of dark magic. This essence... I have felt it before—in the broken tunnel entrance?!"

"Can... can you cleanse them, Inquisitor?!" Dryden gulped, the mere mention of the dark magic as it surrounded him felt worse than the silly tales he read in books. He even felt that Lucia's contract was not as atrocious as what he had remarked before.

"I'm afraid not." Galleanous' reply shocked them. Dryden's jaw dropped, and even Lucia's composure wavered. The Inquisitor, whose power far surpassed her adept-level strength, didn't consider himself capable of dealing with the dark magic.

The concept was both unsettling and inexplicable.

"Is dark magic really that powerful?" Lucia asked, for it was her first time encountering one. However, she recalled Lyra's description of the bone-white masked man: an undead powered by a strange force, highly immune to physical damage, and capable of restoring their previous strength before they died.

Lucia felt Lyra's conflicted expression at that time. The latter tried to stab through the bone-white masked man to no effect, leaving her terrified of such a monstrous being for her assassination skills were rendered useless.

Meanwhile, Galleanous's mocking voice pulled her out of her trance, "Have you not been educated properly, dear lady? Allow me to enlighten your mind. Dark magic, once released, does not merely fade—it lingers in the surroundings and distorts most that it touches."

He stood straight, head bent as if recollecting something, "Mentally enhanced individuals are especially at risk. The dark magic's insatiable nature easily devours their mental energies unless they possess the strength of a higher rank. Some may not notice the degradation of their mental faculties at first, but if they linger too long, they will be reduced to hollow shells of their former selves."

He gestured toward the minuscule remnants of the aura, the shadows almost forming into a miasma.

"This aura may carry a mystical initiate's rank but do not mistake its simplicity for its weakness. If you take a moment to examine these dismantled wards, you will find them so complex that even I may not destroy them quickly. And yet now they are nothing but scribbles on the cracked walls. As for the papers you've mentioned… if they have been tampered with, they hold no value to my investigation."

"Whoever did this... is a master of their craft. Even now, the shadows of their influence, the dark magic, linger in this room. Touch them and you'll find yourself in a dangerous situation." he suddenly let out a chuckle when his mind recalled something, "No wonder your two subordinates didn't want to stay here for long, and your target escaped despite your profound power."

"Then, Inquisitor..." Dryden stammered, his hands trembling, "What do we do?"

"Our choices are not limited, but our time is." Galleanous sighed, his hands lowering with his retreating mental energy, "I can call upon the Ecclesiarch's help and send a higher-ranked Inquisitor to purge this place, but that will take time and money that this city cannot bear. Or..."

"Or...?" Dryden pressed.

"Or," Galleanus continued, his voice dropping lower, "we find the individual responsible for this dark magic before their trail goes cold. The presence of such dark magic coinciding with the Veil's resurgence is no mere coincidence. Whether they are ally, pawn, or enemy to the Veil remains to be seen."

The room fell silent, the weight of his words sinking in. The stakes were clear: the dark magic left behind was not merely a remnant of power but a clue—a thread tying together the scattered pieces of the Ashen Veil's larger scheme.

"Shall we investigate the other warehouses as well?" Lucia added.

"The Ashen Veil may have already withdrawn their cards, for now." Galleanus answered, confident in his remarks, "But they shall soon resurface, with greater strength and momentum. As for that masked man, may he pray to have left this city already, or I shall cleanse him from heresy."

Galleanus cursed the sudden presence of the dark magic user, complicating the power balance in the city. His mind scanned the remnants of dark magic spreading around the corners once again, fueling the fury in his heart, and mind.

'Any interference is unwelcomed whether you stand as ally or foe. None shall disrupt my plans!'

And the person responsible still moved out there, their position far from Doba City's reach.