The Arcane Guardians Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Guardian Business

Read chapter 3 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

The duo stared at the corpse for an uncomfortably long time. Gaius breathed heavily as the holes in his chest began to seal themselves, covering up the orange light under his skin that managed to peek through for a few seconds. He could feel Felix’s confused stares on his back, as though Felix was trying to burn another hole through him. Gaius did not blame him. After all, no Magi can heal themselves so quickly without a healing potion. And unlike him, Magis normally bled red instead of light. The Sorcerer turned his attention to the room before Felix could poke his nose into his unusual anatomy. It was a long story, and he was exactly in the mood to recount that painful memory at the moment. Thankfully, Felix chose not to probe. “Hey, shouldn’t we be going after Angelo?” Felix asked. “I highly doubt she’s going to be a match for the rest of our team if she goes anywhere near the hostages now. So what are you waiting for?” Felix stood outside the door to relay the message while Gaius walked into the dark room, pretending as though he had not just heard Felix mutter “How rude…” under his breath. He could not care even if he wanted to; the throbbing in his chest was getting unbearable with every step he took. The Sorcerer quickened his pace, following the forceful guidance of the magic energy that dwelled within him. The annexe room was strangely empty, which made the leatherbound spellbook sitting in its middle all the more conspicuous. The tome was flipped open, and a bloodstain cut through the undecipherable symbols drawn on its yellowed pages. Gaius picked it up. And immediately fell to his knees as an abnormal surge of magical energy seemed to travel back and forth between his fingertips and the book. He struggled to open his hand to let go of the tome, but the magic in his body seemed to be holding his fingers and the book together. Thankfully, the oscillating pulse of magic gradually stabilised itself after a few more seconds, and Gaius finally managed to pull himself back to his feet. “Hey.” He almost jumped, and he silently turned the book invisible before sliding it into his pocket. Gaius turned around, staring at his colleague who had apparently floated in without a sound. He tried his best to keep his thoughts empty. If the rumours were right, Meta Felix Pagonis could also read minds. And he’d be royally screwed if Felix started questioning him about the tome. Not like Gaius was one to steal crime scene evidence, but there was certainly more to this book than some sick ritual. He had to find out why his magic had reacted in that manner, and if it was related to his parents’ death— “The hostages have been rescued, but Lucia Angelo managed to escape,” Felix said. “C’mon, let’s rendezvous with the others.” There was a pregnant silence. “You alright there?” Felix tilted his head. “What’re you doing in this dark place anyway?” “I was… looking for evidence,” Gaius mumbled. “But I couldn’t find any.” “Eh, let’s leave the investigation to the constables.” His colleague casually floated out of the room, none the wiser to what had just happened. Gaius breathed a quiet sigh of relief. ~ ~ ~ “Can’t believe the criminal escaped. I knew we shouldn’t have left two teenagers to do the work. What a waste of our night.” Felix scowled, looking away from the Mage, who was either too oblivious to notice his obvious presence or purposely trying to rile him up. For some reason, he was hoping it was the latter. And the Magi seemed determined to prove him right. “That Deusdedit guy fights weird too,” Palladius sniggered. “What kind of Magi casts spells with his bare hands? So crude and inelegant. He’s like—” “A Meta? Like me?” Felix stood up aggressively. “Y’know, you may not be a criminal, but you better stop acting like a hero. You did jackshit while we were out there risking our lives. I didn’t expect you to be capable of gratitude, but the least you can do is keep that foul mouth of yours shut.” A deathly silence fell over the airship as