Chapter 182 - You Can Save Them

Vell stepped back from the glowing supports, flexing his fingers as though shaking off the lingering weight of the magic. His sharp eyes swept over the rubble blocking the collapsed tunnels, examining every crack and shadow. Around them, the frantic noise of dwarves shouting and working filled the air, but his focus narrowed on Sonder.

"You've been practicing, haven't you?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" Sonder asked, caught off-guard.

"You have been practicing," he repeated, this time as a statement rather than a question. "And this is the perfect time to see what you can do." He gestured toward the debris. "If you're going to call yourself the Dread Mage's apprentice, let's see what you're capable of."

Sonder's grip tightened on the leather-bound book she carried, her stomach churning at his words.

"You want me to... move the rubble?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not quite," Vell said, crouching beside the edge of the collapsed tunnel. He pointed toward a narrow gap between the stones. "The miners are trapped in there—and with all the dwarves going in and out of the entrance, I don't think we can squeeze ourselves through. They don't have enough room or manpower to dig them out in time. So, we need to locate them first. You've worked with sensing magic before, haven't you? Like in the tunnels with Lunt Junior?"

"That was different. I was looking for ore."

Vell offered her a faint, reassuring smile. "People aren't so different from stone. They have a presence—a kind of warmth. You've already stretched your mana further than most novices could. I've felt it myself. Now, focus. See if you can sense the miners through the rubble."

Sonder hesitated, her gaze lingering on the heavy piles of dirt and stone. The air around it felt oppressive, almost suffocating. But Vell's steady gaze held hers, and after a moment, she nodded. Kneeling by the edge, she placed her hands flat against the cool, uneven surface.

"Breathe, Blackbird," Vell instructed. "Let the magic flow through you."

Sonder exhaled slowly. 

The stone beneath her hands was rough and unyielding at first. She would never get used to it. 

Sonder exhaled slowly, steadying her nerves, cool stone beneath her palms. 

She extended her mana like ripples across a pond, letting it flow deeper into the collapsed mine.

At first, there was nothing—just cold stone, compacted dirt, and veins of ore. Then, faintly, she felt it: a flicker—soft and warm, like the pulse of a heartbeat. But it was too fast and uneven for just one person.

"There," she said, her voice tight with concentration. "I think... I think I've found someone. Two people."

Vell stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Good. Where?"

"About fourty paces in," she said, her voice growing steadier. "Slightly to the left."

Vell's expression shifted, pride flickering in his eyes. "Excellent. That's a start."

He raised his hands, and just a short distance from the mine's entrance, the air shimmered and wavered. Two dwarves materialized out of nowhere, their dust-covered forms crumpling to the ground. One of them groaned, his leg bent at an unnatural angle, but both were alive.

"Keep going, Sonder," Vell said, his tone firm but encouraging. "You find them, and I'll handle the rest."