Chapter 156
Daelan
I walk down the stairs to the Association underground prison.
The air grows heavier with each step, thick with concentrated mana. Even at S-class, I feel it pressing against my skin. I can only imagine how it feels for the prisoners down here, locked in cells with limiter collars cutting off their abilities.
The guards fall in behind me, their boots echoing against the stone. They don't speak.
I walk toward the far end. Row after row of metal doors, each one identical, each one holding something the Association doesn't want the public to know about. But I'm not here for any of them.
I stop in front of a particular door.
"She's in here," the guard says.
I sigh. "Understood. Open it."
The guard steps forward. Hand on the scanner. Retina scan. Key card. Each security measure clicks into place, one after another, until finally—the massive door groans. Locks disengage. The metal shifts, opening just a fraction.
I push it open the rest of the way and walk in.
