Chapter 47: The Rogue Mages

Aldric moved silently through the dense forest, the shadows clinging to his form as he advanced toward the heart of the rogue mages' hideout. His Great Divine Eyes were fully active, the power of Arcane Sight allowing him to see the intricate webs of magic hidden in the environment. Every step he took was calculated, precise, avoiding the traps and wards scattered throughout the area. He had already crushed many of them with his gravity manipulation, reducing them to nothing before they could even activate.

The forest itself was dense and alive with magic. Aldric could feel the hum of energy in the air, a constant buzz of arcane forces at work. He could sense the mages ahead, their presence marked by the faint glow of mana radiating from their bodies. They had no idea that he was coming—no idea that Shadow, the figure of myth and terror, had arrived to dismantle their operation.

He continued forward, each step bringing him closer to the clearing where the mages had gathered. His mind worked swiftly, analyzing the situation with cold efficiency. These mages, while powerful, were no match for him. They had dabbled in forbidden magic for far too long, disrupting the balance of power with reckless abandon. Aldric would put an end to them—quickly and quietly.

As he approached the edge of the clearing, he stopped, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the scene ahead. There were about a dozen of them, each cloaked in dark robes, their faces hidden beneath hoods. In the center of the group, a massive magical circle was etched into the ground, glowing with a dark red energy that pulsed rhythmically. The air around the circle was thick with the smell of sulfur and burnt earth, and Aldric could sense that they were in the middle of performing some kind of summoning ritual.

Aldric's lips curled into a faint smirk. Fools.

With his Arcane Sight, he could see the magical traps they had placed to guard themselves—complex arrays of sigils and runes designed to alert them to any intruders. Yet they had been so confident in their wards that they hadn't even bothered to check their surroundings. Aldric had already dismantled half of their defenses without them even knowing.

He watched for a moment longer, his eyes shifting between the mages. His enhanced vision allowed him to pick out every detail, from the flow of mana in their bodies to the intricate patterns of their spells. They were clearly skilled—powerful, even—but they lacked control. Their magic was wild, chaotic, and the ritual they were conducting seemed dangerously unstable.

"Amateurs," Aldric muttered under his breath.

It was time to act.

---

The Shadow Strikes

With a mere thought, Aldric activated his Shadow Monarch powers, summoning the shadows around him to cloak his body entirely. His form disappeared into the darkness, becoming one with the shadows themselves. He moved swiftly and silently, slipping between the trees, a dark blur that no one could see or sense.

The mages were deep in concentration, their chants growing louder as the ritual progressed. The magical circle in the center of the clearing pulsed brighter, its glow becoming more intense with each passing moment. They were too focused on their task to notice the sudden shift in the air, the subtle disturbance in the flow of magic as Aldric moved closer.

From the cover of the trees, Aldric extended his hand. The shadows responded instantly, forming long tendrils that snaked across the ground, creeping toward the mages. In a matter of seconds, the tendrils reached them, wrapping around their ankles and wrists before they could even react.

The first mage let out a choked gasp as the shadows tightened around his throat, silencing his chant. The others froze, their heads snapping up in alarm as they realized they were no longer alone.

"Who—" one of them started, but his words were cut off as the shadows constricted around his neck.

Aldric stepped forward, emerging from the darkness, his form still cloaked in shadows. His eyes, glowing with a faint golden hue, locked onto the mages, his gaze cold and unyielding.

"You've dabbled in magic you don't understand," Aldric said, his voice calm but laced with authority. "And now, you'll pay the price."

One of the mages, a tall woman with pale skin and sharp features, struggled against the shadows holding her in place. She snarled, her hands glowing with dark magic as she tried to summon a spell.

But before she could complete it, Aldric's eyes flashed, and the gravity around her intensified. She was forced to the ground, pinned beneath the crushing weight of his power. Her screams were muffled by the pressure, and her spell fizzled out, the dark energy dissipating into the air.

The other mages watched in horror, their fear palpable as they realized the extent of Aldric's power. They had no chance against him—not here, not now.

---

Dealing with the Threat

Aldric's gaze swept across the group, his Arcane Sight detecting the magical energy still swirling within the ritual circle. Whatever they had been summoning was close to manifesting, but it was unstable, dangerous even to those who had summoned it. He could feel the chaotic energy building, threatening to tear apart the fabric of reality if left unchecked.

He stepped forward, raising his hand toward the circle. With a single thought, he willed the gravity within the area to increase, pressing down on the magical energy. The circle began to crack, the red glow dimming as the summoning ritual collapsed under the pressure.

The mages cried out in despair as their work unraveled before their eyes, but Aldric paid them no mind. With a flick of his wrist, he crushed the remains of the ritual, dispersing the dark energy into the air and sealing the rift they had been trying to open.

Satisfied, Aldric turned his attention back to the mages. He could sense their fear, their desperation, as they struggled in vain against the shadows binding them. He could kill them all with a thought, obliterate them from existence as he had done with others before.

But tonight, he had a different plan.

"Who sent you?" Aldric asked, his voice low and dangerous.

One of the mages, trembling with fear, managed to speak. "N-No one… we—we acted on our own… please, spare us…"

Aldric's eyes narrowed. He could tell they were lying. His Great Divine Eyes, with their ability to detect the flow of mana, allowed him to see the subtle fluctuations in their energy. They were trying to hide something—something important.

"Don't lie to me," Aldric said, his voice cold. "I can see everything."

The shadows around the mages tightened, drawing gasps of pain from them. The pressure mounted, and Aldric stepped closer, his eyes boring into the terrified figures before him.

"Tell me who sent you," he repeated, "or I'll make sure none of you leave this place alive."

The woman who had tried to cast a spell earlier whimpered in fear, her resolve breaking under the weight of Aldric's power. "It was… it was a group… they—they paid us to summon the creature… they said it was for a ritual, but… but we don't know their names…"

Aldric's expression remained unreadable as he processed the information. A group had hired them to perform this ritual—likely part of a larger scheme. It wasn't unusual for rogue mages to be pawns in a bigger game, but this ritual had been far too dangerous to be a mere distraction.

He would need to dig deeper.

With a wave of his hand, Aldric released the shadows binding the mages. They collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, their bodies trembling from the ordeal. Aldric turned his back to them, already lost in thought.

"Leave," he said, his voice low. "If I see any of you involved in dark magic again, I will obliterate you."

The mages scrambled to their feet, fear driving their movements as they fled into the forest, not daring to look back.

---

The Next Step

As the last of the mages disappeared into the night, Aldric remained standing in the clearing, his eyes still glowing faintly. The ritual had been stopped, but the mystery behind who had orchestrated it lingered in his mind. Whoever they were, they were playing a dangerous game—one that Aldric would soon unravel.

He summoned the shadows once more, stepping into the dark portal that would take him back to his palace. There, he would use his shadow network to investigate further, sending his clones to gather information on this mysterious group.

As he stepped through the portal, his mind was already focused on the next move.

The world was filled with hidden threats, but Aldric's eyes—enhanced with Arcane Sight—could now see them all.

And soon, he would crush them.