Rana hopped off the ledge onto another protruding platform out of the cliff. The edged stone wall was smooth without blemish as if the condition of the ground above was but another illusion. The patterned cuts were deliberate as if a sculptor crafted the chasms out of a giant pillar. Traces of red could be seen streaming down the edges and onto the platforms as if even solid stone was unable to hide what was lurking behind.

They were no doubt taking the correct path. The shape of the Dungeon was beginning to take form, and there were no objections from her group. The chasm they descended into was large, able to fit multiple platforms spacious enough to accommodate their group of over a dozen people. She hoped that the climb down would prove difficult for some of the duke’s marked ones, and it would be even better if one or two of them fell to their deaths. Unfortunately, that did not happen. The members chosen to be part of this expedition were no doubt carefully decided.

Rana observed the group, the majority of them did not attempt to hide their exhaustion. They had been traveling for hours without rest. They had to brave through a scorching desert, then instantly have their sweating bodies turn against them by crashing into a chilling night. The condition of the chasm was not as extreme as the previous two environments, but the descend was still not an easy journey. The platforms were large but the space between them even larger. The walls were steep and the constant threat of gravity pulling them into a fall to their death was also not easy on their mental state.

In short, there was no doubt the marked ones were tried.

Rana herself was doing fine. The desert was uncomfortable, but her zombie body suffered no negative effects. Her lack of fatigue also made the journey bearable. If she wanted to, she could continue for days even. However, the fact that the marked ones kept pushing forward meant that they were racing against something. It was time to get to the bottom of the duke’s plan.

“How long do we need to descend further?” Rana asked as she approached a marked one. He was not their supposed leader and was the youngest looking one in the group. The man was surprised at first, and his quick change to a confused look indicated he wanted to keep up the act. She decided it was time to drop it. “There is no point in hiding. The duke wants something from me and he already upheld his end of the bargain by getting me in. I intend to keep our agreement. I understand the need for secrecy in certain aspects of the conquest, but I doubt the information that would help us understand what we are facing will prove anything but beneficial.”

The man pondered a bit before shaking his head. It seemed like he was determined to keep the information close. However, it also seemed like he no longer tried to hide his identity. His cover was revealed, there was no point. Little did he know his silence was enough of an answer for Rana.

“Just follow,” the man said before moving to the front of his group and began to lead the descend down.

Rana turned to Jin, who looked at her supposed leader in a confused manner. The supposed leader did not acknowledge her gaze but simply followed the young man. It was a clear confirmation that the younger one would be the one for them to follow starting from this moment.

“I guess you aren’t important enough to know these details,” Rana said to Jin. Her liaison was not the only marked one of their group who didn’t know, but she wanted to see how Jin would react.

“I am in charge of keeping an eye on you. Of course the duke would not give someone this close to in proximity to you such an important piece of information,” Jin replied. It seemed like she had the good sense to not let such a pitiful psychological bluff affect her, but it was unfortunate she wasn’t sharp enough to detect the hidden purpose of the question and revealed quite a bit of information.

Rana simply looked at Jin incredulously and returned her gaze to the group below her. Without another word, she began her drop downwards and Jin soon followed.

The trek down continued for a few more hours until they reached a platform. Unlike the other ones, this one sat in the middle of the chasm atop a stream of flowing red waves of wind. The platform itself was in the shape of a perfect circle and larger than all the previous platforms. The surface was rough, eroded through time, but traces of patterns could be seen on there.

When Rana reached the platform, the duke’s marked ones were waiting for her. It seemed like this was the area in which their conquest met an obstacle they had no idea how to overcome. She knelt down and touched the surface and felt traces of magic flowing in the stone. The magic was familiar, even in a personal sense, and the true nature of it could be determined quite quickly.

However, the question going forward was how should she proceed.

Rana knew that the duke’s men also recognized the nature of the magic hidden in the platform. That was why when she invoked the seal at the hidden gate at Nye, the duke instantly wanted her aid. This meant that tricking them might not be easy since she did not know the exact information the other marked ones possessed. Another point of consideration was that even if she were to unravel the mystery of the platform, the other marked ones would most likely still keep her alive since they wouldn’t know if her aid was needed further down the line. She could maybe wait until a better opportunity to free herself from their watch.

However, did she need to?

“I’ll be performing the Spell,” Rana said as she announced her intentions to the group. She gazed at the platform below and the ones above as she continued. “I would’ve liked all of you to keep away from this platform when I do so since controlling the mana within is a delicate process. However, it seemed like that is not possible now. Does anyone have chalk?”

Jin silently stepped forward and handed her one.

“I will now mark the flow of the mana when the Spell is invoked, so make sure none of you step on it,” Rana said after she thanked Jin. “Even then, make sure no one is channeling mana starting from this moment forward.”

Rana proceeded to mark the areas and everyone was in place. She then closed her eyes and tapped into the flowing red that was hidden within the platform. The red was warm but contained a sadness that weighed on her mind. She ignored it. She directed the mana and formed a seal. It was proof of who she was.

The platform roared to life. The chasm quaked as stones and dirt began to drop down from the opening above.

“Prepare yourselves! The entrance is about to open,” Rana yelled over the earthquake. Without warning, the platform flipped and dropped everyone into the flowing stream of red below.

Everyone except for Rana.

“I’ll be joining you shortly,” Rana said with a faint grin as the marked ones fell down. She dangled just above the red stream as blue phantom chains held her in the air. “I have some other business to attend to.”