《Mountains (when you are just a hill)》 1. and he laughs The waxing moon is bright enough to illuminate individual blades of grass and the jutting stone of the far-off, sprawling citadel. It glints off the still mirror of the large lake and is swallowed by the dense forest that rings the floating island it all sits on. And yet somehow, it¡¯s not bright enough for Nicholas to see if that clump of wet pebbles is his lost glasses or just a clump of pebbles. A loud splash and Nicholas shrieks, whipping around so he takes the splatter of freezing cold water on his side. While most of it rebounds off his puffy black jacket, it instantly soaks through the school uniform, the light grey jumper and black slacks turning even darker. ¡°No, stop!¡± Nicholas cries at the next splash, staggering away and the small pebbles lining the lake crunch under his feet. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, I can¡¯t even see right now!¡± ¡°Yeah, I know, your glasses are in my pocket!¡± Stavros cackles, crouched down at the water¡¯s edge where he¡¯d lured Nicholas. He has one sleeve of his white coat and the uniform underneath shoved up, shivering violently but looking like it¡¯s worth the threat of frostbite. A wicked smirk splits Stavros¡¯ face, stormy blue eyes half squinted from the force of it. His long golden curls are up in a messy bun and with the moonlight glinting off his back like a halo he¡¯d look angelic if he wasn¡¯t such an asshole. Nicholas whirls the rest of the way around, eyes widening, but honestly, he should have known. ¡°You ¨C we just spent twenty minutes stomping around out here looking for them instead of being under the warm blanket, you dickhead!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying, don¡¯t give what you can¡¯t take, bitch,¡± Stavros laughs and threateningly splashes a bit more water onto the pebbles at Nicholas¡¯ feet. ¡°I splashed you once half an hour ago,¡± Nicholas scoffs but warily backs up some more, one hand running through fluffy black hair like shoving it off his forehead is going to help his trash eyesight. ¡°Did you seriously spend all that time ¨C give me my damned glasses!¡± ¡°Come and get them, Nicky,¡± Stavros coos with an arrogant tilt of his head. Rafael stands up from his crouch a bit further away, dismissing the patch of grass that¡¯s suspiciously glasses-like. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I bother with you two,¡± he mutters as he lopes off with long limbs and hunched shoulders. He¡¯s wearing an extra, rather frumpy jumper that¡¯s not quite big enough for him anymore, his bony ankles popping out from under his pants legs too. ¡°I didn¡¯t start this,¡± Nicholas grumbles, folding his black jacket tighter around him. ¡°You know what, Stavros? I¡¯m going to go cuddle with Raffy and Adam, and you¡¯re not welcome.¡± Adam, the last of the teenagers, is still star gazing a couple of metres away. He¡¯s lying on one edge of the enlarged picnic blanket and huddled under a huge quilt Nicholas transfigured, pretending the other three don¡¯t exist so he doesn¡¯t get dragged into it. ¡°I think I see Scorpio.¡± ¡°The island is in the wrong hemisphere for that,¡± Rafael deadpans as he climbs into the blanket. ¡°It might be a drunk Leo,¡± Adam corrects easily. ¡°I don¡¯t think Leo¡¯s the one having a problem right now,¡± Nicholas laughs as he scrambles in on Rafael¡¯s other side. He then rolls half on top of the lanky boy and shivers, trying desperately to leech body heat until he warms up under the blanket. It¡¯s 3 am and ridiculously cold this far up in the atmosphere, but Nicholas will not be the one to crack first and use a warming charm. Stavros walks around the blanket to their heads and flicks his wet fingers in their general direction, spraying light droplets everywhere. Rafael¡¯s reflective gold eyes are particularly bright as he locks onto Stavros standing above them, the light of his blazing eyes peeking out just above Nicholas¡¯ head. ¡°I¡¯m positively shaking in fear,¡± Stavros scoffs at him and drops to a knee, grabbing his standard-issue apprentice wand from the random pile of four on the ground and flicking drying charms everywhere. ¡°There, aren¡¯t I a good friend?¡± Nicholas grips the blanket for dear life when Stavros starts pulling at it. ¡°I said you weren¡¯t invited, Ross, get your own.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to win this fight, Nicky,¡± Rafael sighs, shoving his nose into one of the shaved sides of Nicholas¡¯ head only for the boy to flinch away at the cold. ¡°Just let Stavros in before he does something else.¡± ¡°I was considering dragging the entire blanket into the lake,¡± Stavros hums happily. When Nicholas still fights it, Stavros pulls the stolen glasses out of his pocket, makes a show of cleaning them on his jumper, and then puts them on Nicholas'' face. The glasses are large, squared-off aviators and rimmed in thin black wire which makes Nicholas'' eyes even bigger as he stares warily. He grumbles but lets Stavros inside, then jerks away as Rafael¡¯s nose comes back. ¡°Stop,¡± he complains, rolling away into Stavros. On the other side of Rafael, Adam sucks in a sharp breath when the motion pulls the edge of the blanket up from where he¡¯d tucked it around him. The cold air hits his side and he quickly yanks it back down and shivers despite being fully dressed in warm clothes. ¡°Eat him without moving so much.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Rafael mutters, doesn¡¯t stop shoving his face into Nicholas¡¯ neck to breathe him in. ¡°I think I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s reassuring,¡± Nicholas scoffs up at the stars. ¡°The last thing I¡¯ll ever hear.¡± Stavros laughs and reaches over Nicholas to shove Rafael¡¯s head away. ¡°You are too far from a full moon to be trying to lick Nicky.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s the honey soap you use,¡± Rafael guesses, shaking Stavros¡¯ hand out of his hair. ¡°Or the moon really is getting too close.¡± ¡°Your period is five days too early,¡± Stavros points out as if they can¡¯t all see the swelling moon hanging overhead. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Rafael shows teeth and the fake growl is real enough to vibrate through Nicholas¡¯ shoulder where they¡¯re pressed together. ¡°I¡¯m going to go lie next to Adam, who¡¯s the only nice one here.¡± Nicholas huffs and grips the edge of the blanket but isn¡¯t brave enough to pull it off. It¡¯s cold enough for his nose to hurt. Adam frowns questioningly up at the sky. ¡°I think I need to piss.¡± ¡°Damn, so do I,¡± Nicholas realises. There¡¯s no movement for a long time. Nicholas groans. ¡°Come here, Adam, let me hold your dick.¡± And, just to make sure everyone is suffering, flips as much of the blanket off as possible. Stavros shrieks at the burst of freezing cold after just getting warm, and Rafael scrambles for the blanket. Nicholas makes his escape, crawling up and almost stabbing himself on the pile of apprentice wands. Rafael and Stavros roll together and pull the blanket tight over them to try and retain as much warmth as possible. Nicholas is shivering already as he edges around Rafael¡¯s head. Adam jokingly holds up his hands but Nicholas isn¡¯t one to let a dare pass by and grabs hold, quickly dragging Adam towards the dark forest that rings most of the massive floating island. Adam squeaks when his back hits icy grass and flails. Nicholas laughs and starts running backwards as fast as he can while dragging another body. Adam leaves a long trail of dark grass where his poor jumper wipes off all the shining dew. Only a few meters out, Adam kicks free and rolls to his feet. He brushes off the back of his now wet jumper and has to readjust it around his broad shoulders where it¡¯s stretched awkwardly. ¡°You sadist.¡± ¡°No one will ever believe you,¡± Nicholas scoffs, then turns to throw doe eyes at Adam with an innocent flutter of his eyelashes. They reach the tree line where a curtain of darkness descends and stumble blindly through the undergrowth. The darkness is a minor inconvenience - the boys have spent the last four years running wild through these woods, and they know how to navigate it. ¡°I¡¯ll go left, you go right,¡± Nicholas says. ¡°I¡¯m not going deeper into the forest,¡± Adam complains half-heartedly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go right?¡± ¡°I said it first.¡± ¡°Well, I said it second.¡± They have a short stare-off. Nicholas raises his eyebrows. ¡°If I die, it¡¯s on you, Adam.¡± ¡°I swear to you-¡± Adam begins. ¡°That there are no dangerous creatures this close to the citadel?¡± ¡°-that I¡¯ll come charging out, and beat the shit out of anything trying to mess with you,¡± Adam finishes. ¡°I¡¯ll take on a unicorn for you, Nicholas. It won¡¯t stand a chance. Full pro wrestler Adam - I¡¯ll suplex bloody a centaur.¡± Nicholas cracks up laughing. ¡°I¡¯ll get expelled,¡± Adam admits with a casual wave over his shoulder as he heads towards the left. ¡°But I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Adam?¡± Nicholas calls. Adam stops and turns to him with a smile. ¡°Are centaurs insects because they have six limbs?¡± Adam gags a little in disgust and Nicholas giggles, running off. The distant citadel fades from view entirely, and soon Nicholas can¡¯t even see the flat, open grass or the lake just beyond. He trips, catches himself on a tree, and touches something gross and squishy. It¡¯s probably just moss but still, he wipes it off on his pants with a grimace. Nicholas pauses, bouncing a little on his feet because he really needs to go. He looks around for anything suspicious. Unbuttons his pants. Does another check. ¡°If there¡¯s a scary monster out there,¡± Nicholas begins loudly. ¡°I just want you to know, I¡¯m underage with my dick out, and that means you¡¯re a paedophile if you¡¯re watching.¡± Adam¡¯s distant laughter can be heard. Nicholas does another seven checks and then damn near breaks a world record with how fast he pisses. It really is impressive. He should have timed himself. He¡¯ll tell Stavros about it later and probably get a high-five. Nicholas weaves his way back to where he¡¯s pretty sure the meeting point was and hops over a large bush. Adam is lying face down on the ground. Nicholas laughs and jogs closer. ¡°Aww, did you trip? What happened to suplexing centaurs for me?¡± Nicholas stops at Adam¡¯s side and leans over with his hands on his knees. ¡°Was it really that embarrassing? I promise I won¡¯t tell¡­¡± Adam¡¯s face is half in the dirt, but with Nicholas leaning over this far he can see one open eye staring out sightlessly. The smile falls from Nicholas¡¯ face. He swallows, opens his mouth to call Adam¡¯s name. It turns into a scream when he sees red light reflecting off the trees in his peripheral vision and a spell hits him in the back a split second later.
Rafael¡¯s head snaps around. Stavros starts to prop himself up on his elbows. ¡°Did you hear something-?¡± Rafael is ripping the blanket off, sprinting across the grass field towards the forest. Stavros is rolling up onto his feet and barely has the mind to grab the pile of wands in hand before he¡¯s tearing after Rafael. He¡¯s already lost sight of the other boy by the time he hits the tree line and just follows the sound of Rafael¡¯s roar that human vocal cords should not be able to make. Stavros leaps over a large bush and skids to a stop next to Adam. He breathes in, breathes out. Drops to his knees, drops the other three wands, only finds his own through touch because he¡¯s staring into Adam¡¯s empty eyes and slack face. Stavros¡¯ spell is a simple emergency flare, but shoots out like fireworks, a blazing red that lights the trees, and burns the shadows until it speeds above the canopy and darkness descends again. It breaks with a deep crack that shakes the trees, as high as the tallest castle tower, paints the forest around them in red flares. Stavros breathes in, breathes out. Turns and runs deeper, into the forest, wand at the ready. There¡¯s the soft whoosh of teleportation, someone snapping out of existence just before he arrives. But Rafael is there, holding a limp Nicholas around the waist with one arm, his other hand tight around Nicholas¡¯ forearm that now hangs at a strange angle. Rafael turns to Stavros and there''s something else looking out of his reflective eyes. ¡°Hey,¡± Stavros says and holds his hands out slowly. It¡¯s just Stavros up now, he needs to be the one in control. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s me. Look ¨C look at Nicholas, look at his arm. We need to get him back to ¨C Adam.¡± Rafael turns back to the forest and Stavros carefully steps in. He takes Nicholas whose eyes are closed ¨C not dead. Maybe. ¡°Rafael,¡± Stavros says again, louder this time, angrier. Nicholas drops fully into Stavros¡¯ hold. Stavros casts something to keep the arm still, then a charm to wake him up. Nicholas gasps as he comes to, choking on a sob. ¡°They ported,¡± Stavros says as if that helps. Stavros half drags Nicholas back out but as soon as Nicholas sees Adam he lurches forward and falls to his knees, grabs his wand, broken arm held to his stomach. Through his tears Nicholas tries three different spells to bring someone back to consciousness, four different ones to end a spell, and throws out a minor heal used for paper cuts like that can fix a dead body. Stavros stands over the two, wand in hand. Rafael paces circles around them, watches the forest. Mr Gilgal is the first teacher to arrive after the flare probably woke up half the citadel, skating over the ground with a speed charm. He throws out a light spell that splashes over the trees and sticks, sucks in a breath when he sees Adam. Stavros breathes in, breathes out. It doesn¡¯t work. Stavros laughs. He laughs and he laughs and he laughs. ¡°Rafael,¡± Mr Gilgal tries. Rafael jerks his head. He can¡¯t talk. Can¡¯t think. Watches the forest for the next threat. ¡°Nicholas,¡± Mr Gilgal begs, dropping to a knee and putting a hand on the crying boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Nicholas, please, what happened?¡± ¡°P-ported,¡± Nicholas remembers, manages to choke it out even when the crying makes him stutter. ¡°Back ¨C I woke up n-near an open-eyed bush, st-straight in.¡± Mr Gilgal casts something with his ring focus and all three of the students glow. A sheet forms over Adam. Mr Gilgal checks the next teacher running across the grounds is close enough and heads deeper into the trees, to where the wards end. ¡°No!¡± Nicholas screams and yanks the sheet off Adam with the arm that still works. ¡°Adam needs to get to a hospital! Why ¨C why is no one taking him-?¡± Stavros sees this and he just laughs. 2. only if you get caught Adam¡¯s funeral was yesterday. Rafael learned about it after the fact, from a teacher in contact with Adam¡¯s family, and had to find a way to gently tell Stavros and Nicholas. It was a small family affair, not many others were invited. Nicholas laughed it off and then went very quiet. Didn¡¯t say a word through dinner. He still had to take a potion just to get to sleep tonight. The dorms have four beds in a room so they¡¯re the only ones inside, but Rafael¡¯s hearing gets so sensitive during a full that his bed has been transmuted into a massive four-poster with heavy curtains and a silencing ward over the top. The ward is kind of pointless since he¡¯s keeping the other two in here with him but Rafael doesn¡¯t want to be separated right now. He¡¯s not going to sleep anyway. "Would one of your cousins have come up here?" Rafael asks, sitting up with his head tipped back against the top of the headboard. With the curtains drawn, his bed is pitch black with vague shadows. Stavros is curled around Nicholas'' back with an arm slung over his waist, hand resting on Rafael¡¯s knee. No point lowering their voices, the potion keeps Nicholas under. "A spell blurred his face but he smelled like you," Rafael continues. "I know," says Stavros. ¡°They cordoned off the forest but I got in with wildshape.¡± The scent left a wandering path up and down, just inside the tree line. Someone had been watching them when they were lying under the stars that night. "I sent a letter home," Stavros admits. "Nothing." "Would they tell you?" Rafael asks, not trying to soften the question. "I pretended I was my cousin." They go quiet as Nicholas shifts a bit in his sleep. "Did you tell the magpol?" Stavros continues. "Tell them what? I could smell him? Excuse me, officer, I¡¯m diseased but before you put me down..." Rafael rolls his head along the backboard. "And they''ve been useless, haven''t they?" The mage police questioned them separately but asked the same thing. Mostly why they were out that night, and especially why they were in the forest. Winter break was long enough ago that they had just wanted to get out for a bit. Shake out their energy. Sleep outside in nature. They didn¡¯t even want to get into trouble that night, and they weren¡¯t planning to go into the trees. Technically students aren¡¯t allowed inside the forest without a teacher¡¯s permission. There are not only various hidden and impossible to detect portals to other forests all over the world, but it''s also filled with creatures from nymphs to the occasional wendigo back from when this island used to be a magical creature conservation - or from when it was a stronghold, or a prison, or a high mage¡¯s private island, so on and so forth. The creatures are now barely held back from eating all the students by strong defensive wards but they only extend so far out from the citadel. Not that it¡¯s ever scared the boys off when they run through it nearly every full moon. They¡¯ve seen the worst the forest has to offer and Rafael himself is up on that leaderboard. They thought they were safe. Rafael was supposed to keep them safe. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Stavros huffs. "Magpol spent so fucking long stuttering out questions like my father was going to swoop out of the shadows to eat them if they said something wrong." He grits his teeth. "There are spells to track porting, but now it''s been too long for any to work and they''re still bumbling around the forest." Rafael hums. "Talking a lot too. A student asked me about it when I was in the library." Stavros sighs. "Raffy, tell me maiming people is illegal." "Oh, Ross. Only if you get caught."
The uniform is the same for everyone. Shades of grey shirt and slacks, shiny leather shoes, black tie. An apprentice wand tucked up a sleeve of course, and then whatever else the students layer on. This is the same across all years and tracks of the high school. Students all have outer robes as well but that¡¯s only worn for special occasions. Or by stuck-up hereditary mages, who want to prove they¡¯re superior to the idiopathic mages picked out of the mundane population. Stavros himself only managed to kick the habit in year eight. Because of the uniform rules, every time class is let out the corridors are a sea of colours from random jackets and jumpers. One such bright white coat is Stavros¡¯, next to Nicholas¡¯ shiny black puffer and Rafael¡¯s mute navy jumper. The crowd surges around them as they head to their next class, people darting glances their way. Most of their friends have stepped up during classes and asked the usual questions; are you doing okay, is there anything I can do? And then there are the others, who ask far more pointed questions like they don¡¯t already damn well know what happened from the rumours flying around. Rafael had a kid small enough to be in year seven ask if Adam died in pain from a scary monster in the forest. Stavros hauled the little girl over the side of the staircase and dropped her two storeys before the protective wards caught her and held her in suspension for a teacher to get her down. It''s halfway through the school year so even the new little year-sevens should know not to mess with them, but with Nicholas closed in on himself and Rafael so anxious whenever he can¡¯t see both of his friends, Stavros is much more focused inwards on their group rather than projecting outwards. And it would be fine for anyone else, if only Stavros and Nicholas hadn¡¯t spent the last five years bulldozing their way through people whenever they needed to, like collateral damage isn¡¯t a word in their collective dictionary. People take it as a sign of weakness. The high school is split into five tracks depending on the source of magic. Ritual Casting, Familiar Nurture, Nature Communication, Pulling The Veil and Inner Core. Stavros, Rafael and Nicholas are all Inner Core students. Everyone can do folk magic with a focus like the apprentice wands; levitating, lighting things, producing a small bubble of water, that kind of thing. To do high magic with power in it, you need rituals like RitCast, a familiar to channel magic like Famure, to be able to communicate with nature like NatCom, to pull power from other dimensions like Pull, or just to have an inner core like InCore. RitCast and InCore hate each other because their casting is similar enough that it¡¯s always compared and it¡¯s always a competition. Stavros and Nicholas have given RitCast shit since they first stepped foot onto the floating island, and the two can get really bad about it. So it¡¯s not actually a surprise when they¡¯re on the way to Advanced Runes class and a group of year-elevens, a year older, block them off in an empty hallway. These are from the RitCast dorms judging by the standard-issue ingredient pouches that hang from their hips. "Walk away," Stavros warns them, stepping out in front of Nicholas and Rafael. His wand snaps out of the holster spell keeping it up his sleeve. "I''ve been hearing rumours lately." A RitCast boy is smirking like Stavros doesn¡¯t make him cry three times a year. "I''m going to skin your face off," Stavros says, spinning his wand until it''s a blur. "Make you fucking eat it." The boy stutters. Another RitCast steps up though, from the back of the group and confident because she''s got meat shields in front of her. She smirks. "I heard poor Adam died not twenty metres from you." Stavros raises his wand and the four year-elevens mirror him while Rafael pulls back for more range, staying in front of Nicholas protectively. Stavros glances back before he can stop himself and Nicholas just stands there but instead of his usual blank state, his eyes are wide, focused. "I heard," the RitCast muses. Her eyes slide past Stavros and land on Nicholas. "That Nicholas was the one to suggest leaving the citadel that night." Nicholas'' breath hitches. Rafael is actually the first one to move.
They get detention and track points taken away, but Nicholas practised healing spells on the year-elevens and they¡¯re already as good as new by the time the teachers found them. But not even an overpowered scrubbing spell can get all that blood off the carpet. 3. RitCast Aeneas stumbles as he''s shoved into the empty classroom and catches himself on a table. He whirls around fast enough his outer robe flares, wand raised, aimed at his older cousin. "I don''t understand," Stavros admits lightly, shuts the door behind him, and locks it. "I don''t fucking understand why people think Adam -someone dying- is funny." "I don''t know anything," Aeneas says immediately, shaking his head, blue eyes wide. Aeneas is the rightful heir to the Lambros family, with all the power that entails, but he knows that won¡¯t stop Stavros. "I didn''t even know what happened to you until the rumours started." "Rumours," Stavros scoffs. "They took our witness statements from the magpol. Who''s passing that shit out, Aeneas? I know it started in your RitCast." "I really don''t know," Aeneas insists. Stavros breathes in, breathes out. "One more person makes Nicky cry, I''m going to fucking kill them, and won''t that be funny." Aeneas winces. "It''s not ¨C not the mage police. It''s higher up than that." He looks around the empty classroom, dusty with disuse. "You can''t tell anyone I told you." "Get to the point." "Your statement went to the Mage Police Department and a lot of people in the Confederacy have access to that, even -especially- when they shouldn''t," Aeneas explains. "But it was also sent to the Education Department, and also the Board of Directors for the school. It¡¯s not RitCast, it¡¯s heritage who are getting the information through their parents¡¯ connections. RitCast are just stupid enough to say it to your face." Most students are mages handpicked from the mundane population when they start showing signs of magic but some are hereditary mages, with long family lines that stretch back to the founding of countries. It¡¯s not strange to think the students would have those kinds of connections. "Who started it?" Stavros demands. "Everyone," Aeneas insists. "It involved heritage; Nicholas Ayad, and you¡¯re a branch member, but we¡¯re Lambros. The media wants to run a story, but they''re holding off because they don''t know what the Ayads might do since their heir was almost stolen." Stavros sighs and scrubs a hand through his hair, fluffing up his curls even more. "Anything else, guys?" Aeneas jolts and turns towards the sound of stone scraping against itself. Rafael and Nicholas are waiting in the shadow of a passageway half hidden behind a tapestry, Rafael half hovering over Nicholas as always these days. "That''s your payment by the way," Stavros grumbles. "Goes straight to the back courtyard, cuts out ten minutes and two flights of stairs, you''re welcome." Nicholas is thinking as he stares down at the stone floor, arms crossed and leaning against the wall of the passageway. "Tell them the person wanted the Ayad heir ¨C they wanted an heir to an ancient family." His eyes flicker up to Aeneas. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t particularly matter which heir they take.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Oh shit," Stavros says, a slowly growing smile stretching across his face. Rafael hums. "You''ve gotten meaner, Nicholas." "I can''t," Aeneas says in confusion. "To say that someone is trying to kidnap heirs? The families will ¨C that¡¯s a real threat, I can''t lie about that kind of thing." "Then don''t lie," Nicholas says simply. "Won''t be hard. ''Nicholas was dragged to the edge of the wards, wasn''t he?'' - ''Why take Nicholas and not the mundane Adam when it would have been so much easier?''." Nicholas looks up, catches Aeneas'' eyes. "If they want to talk about something, then let them talk."
The RitCast common room is at the bottom of one of the five towers, just like the other common rooms. Dorms spiral up the tower from year seven at the bottom to twelve at the top. Like all common rooms, there are large carpets and warm fireplaces with large armchairs or couches, beanbags, and tables of all shapes and sizes. Most lights are glowing orbs or fireplaces. There are very few electrical appliances, because the citadel was built before electricity was a thing and the installation now would be a nightmare, but students have found ways around that with magic to set up a massive projector on one wall for movie nights. The RitCast tower specifically is shot through with large ritual diagrams on the walls, ceilings and under soft carpets. Trigrams for basic things like water or ice for drinks, pentagrams for easy communication to dorm rooms that you¡¯re not allowed into, all the way up to dodecagrams for a strong defensive barrier. Unlike other towers, there are hallways branching off the common room. Small single rooms for ritual casting because to cast powerful spells, RitCast mages prepare their power by sacrificing resources - from milk to bones to metal scraps. RitCast power is more akin to alchemy than anything else and the prepared power then casts spells like an InCore would, the power stored and thus pulled from their own body, which adds to their rivalry. Aeneas sits in a cushy armchair, across the low table from two other friends. The heaviest book he owns is open on his lap, a sheaf of papers with crease lines on them to make it look like it came as a letter. He runs his finger along the edge of the heavyweight paper, glances again to the side where the upper year heritage have congregated. Aeneas is the Lambros heir but he¡¯s also a year-nine, he''s nothing to them, so he needs to make this impressionable. Aeneas sighs loudly and throws the papers down into the book, then slams it shut with as much strength as he can before he talks himself out of it. The chatter hushes for a second at the loud bang, people looking over at the sudden noise. Aeneas speaks up quickly before someone can tell him to quiet down. "My mother is sending me essays about keeping away from the forest lest someone try to take me away like with the Ayad heir. My cousin must be getting even worse since he could have been taken too. Honestly, she''s near hysterical at the thought of Lambros blood being used for something. Just imagine; grimoire access!" The last of the chatter dies down to an unnatural quiet. Rakesh is still poised over the chessboard, frozen. "You ¨C what? The Lambros House thinks Nicholas was attacked because he was an heir?" "Mother is just worried," Aeneas says, hands clenched around the book. "But, I mean, Adam was killed immediately, wasn''t he? And you heard those rumours about Nicholas being dragged towards the edge of the wards." Aeneas clears his throat. "Anyway, who''s winning the game? I spaced out for a bit." There¡¯s a pause as everyone realises Aeneas has no more news to share. Some of the lower years are gauche enough to start writing letters immediately. Aeneas'' friends soon scatter back to their dorms. A few upper years head out. Aeneas doesn''t care how many castle secrets his cousin bribes him with, he''s never doing this again. 4. you dont have to Stavros leans forward over his desk and grabs the back of the chair in front, dragging the girl closer. ¡°Yo, give me a hair tie.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a charity,¡± Phaedra scoffs, flipping her pin-straight high ponytail and almost clipping Stavros. Her snake familiar is wrapped around her wrist and very used to being flung around so it doesn¡¯t react past flicking a forked tongue out. ¡°Cousin,¡± Stavros wheedles. ¡°Last time.¡± Phaedra rolls her eyes but pulls one off her wrist and passes it back, the blond-coloured elastic dangling from the razor-sharp claws she calls French tip press on nails. ¡°And where did my other three hair ties go?¡± ¡°Mysteries of the universe,¡± Stavros teases. He flops back and braces his feet against Phaedra¡¯s chair legs, pushing her back into place. The technomancy teacher pauses from his lecture and clears his throat. ¡°If you have a question, raise your hand. Otherwise, keep quiet.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Love you, sir,¡± Stavros simpers. He flips his hair out from his collar and collects it into a ponytail. Phaedra is still half turned back, and she¡¯s never been a soft kind of person, but she unwinds the snake from her wrist and passes it back for Nicholas to hold without saying anything. Nicholas spends the rest of class petting the little thing and taking care of it.
Nicholas'' letters had managed to hold off his parents this long but all that talk about heirs got leaked faster than he thought. Nicholas gets called to Principal Selwood¡¯s office and tries to sweet-talk her just on instinct while his parents use a Transverse gate to take the ley line up into the floating island. Nicholas'' parents are quite old as they spent their youth partying and travelling before they decided to settle down properly. Both are well past their first century and have streaks of grey at the temples. Jordan Ayad, like all born Ayads, has awful eyesight and thick black hair, with a rather cheerful personality and crow¡¯s feet around his eyes and mouth to prove it. Except for now, when he steps out of the ley line in a burst of white sparks, dressed in full clay red robes of the Ayad crest, hair slicked back and eyes dark. The Ayads come from all over the world and they come from only the best. Ayads have been pharaohs, kings, and emperors. By their own power and wealth, they could own a kingdom if they wanted. Vinaya Ayad follows close after, a beautiful older woman of below-average height and above-average temper with rights to half of India¡¯s trade routes - and the terrifying mind for economics that lets her keep an iron grasp on it all. Nicholas'' parents clearly had a talk about being civil before this because instead of laying into Headmaster Selwood like his mum definitely wants to do, she beelines it for Nicholas and gets him into a stranglehold of a hug. "Show me around, sweetie," Vinaya says and it''s an order. Nicholas walks his mum out of the principal¡¯s office, glancing back one last time before the door closes to see his dad take a seat with grace and dignity.
"I don''t want to go home," Nicholas says after a moment of silence while they stand on a high balcony overlooking the herbology grounds, which seems to breathe if you stare at one spot for too long. "Is it pride?" Vinaya asks, arm linked with Nicholas'', her warm brown skin against his dark, sun-kissed tan. "Sorry, dear, you get that from me." "A bit of pride," Nicholas admits. "Exams are far off, I know I can get back into things before then." "I don''t care about your grades," Vinaya deadpans. "Nicky, are you doing okay?" "Wow, you used my name," Nicholas gasps. "Sometimes I think you''ve forgotten what you named me." "Don''t make me throw you off this balcony, bahadur." The Nordic allspeak wards translate everything but it works off intention, so Vinaya¡¯s pet name comes out in a coo. Nicholas shrugs. "I¡­took care of the rumours going around, that was what bothered me the most. I set up the heir thing to distract them because of the way they talked about Adam like¡­ Anyway, I''m calming down as well, don''t get lost in my head as much." "Your father gets so sensitive too," Vinaya muses, completely skipping over the mass panic Nicholas has caused throughout the heritage mages. "That''s what makes him such a great man, he can really connect with people." She pats Nicholas'' arm. "Anything else on your to-do list?" Nicholas shrugs. "I want to visit Adam''s family but with that whole ''kidnapping heirs'' bull, they probably don''t want to see me just yet. They had a small family funeral so no one was invited and I couldn¡¯t, you know, talk to them about it. I¡¯ve sent letters but they¡¯re probably busy." "I have some pictures of you four, we can take his family the best of Adam along with a care package," Vinaya says. "You just tell me when you''re ready to go." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "Thanks," Nicholas murmurs. "Finish all the homework that piled up. Talk to Mariana ¨C she''s been avoiding me I think.¡± ¡°Is that the one-¡° ¡°Yes!¡± Nicholas intercepts. He kissed Mariana once in year eight for a dare and that was his first so he¡¯s always been a bit soft on her since then. His parents know ¨C basically everyone knows, Nicholas isn¡¯t subtle, but there¡¯s no need to say it out loud. ¡°Learn a lot of spells," he continues loudly. "Defensive?" Vinaya asks and then chuckles. "Oh my, what am I thinking? Offensive for you, love." "Healing," Nicholas admits, pushing his glasses up a bit shyly. "Healing," Vinaya echoes with a smile. "You can do a lot of damage with those as well, and I know how creative you can get." "Mum," Nicholas laughs. "This is supposed to be a nice pacifist moment." "That rubbish won''t last a week," Vinaya scoffs. "You''d go head-first into a dragon''s mouth out of sheer curiosity if I''d let you ¨C you don''t need healing, you need a patron god." "I''m trying to-" Nicholas gestures vaguely. "Okay, so. I''m trying to be a better person. Like not cause so much trouble anymore and really focus on something worthwhile." "Just make sure it''s something worth your while," Vinaya warns. "If you want to be a healer you''re not going to last long if you don''t like it." Nicholas slumps. "I want to come back ten years later and brag to Adam about how many lives I''ve saved." "You''re not that kind of person, love," Vinaya lectures gently. "You''re just not built like that. Not now at least, and that''s fine. You want adventure and excitement - and don''t get me wrong, you can still save lives like that." Nicholas huffs. "When I become the kind of person who can sit through another four years to get a healing mastery, you''re going to eat those words." "I''m positively quaking in my expensive heels, dear." Nicholas frowns. Vinaya sighs fondly. "You''re only a kid. You have time."
After his parents leave, Nicholas is still riding the high of family hugs and happy conversations. For once, he doesn''t retreat to his bed and instead sits in the InCore common room, legs flung over one of Stavros¡¯ as Rafael sits on the other end of the three-seater couch, two of them loudly bothering Rafael as he tries to read. "Mariana," Nicholas calls when he sees her step through the door. "Can we talk?" Mariana pauses but turns to him, highlights in her rich brown hair blazing even more brightly against the fire of the hearth as she passes it. She stops in front of him, black eyes narrowing. "Yes?" "Should we go for a walk?" Nicholas asks and finally extracts himself from Stavros. "What?" Mariana asks, eyebrows drawing together. "Really, Nicholas? Am I going to wait for the apology or are you just going to pretend nothing happened?" Nicholas pauses. "I¡­don''t know what you-" "My fault," Stavros says. "I told everyone you needed time...in not the nicest words. Mariana, that wasn¡¯t from Nicky, that was just me." The boys have gotten a lot of condolences and ¡®anything I can do just tell me¡¯ speeches, which are nice but not actually helpful and Nicholas knows Stavros already has so little patience. Nicholas blinks and turns back to Mariana. "Um, yeah. I wasn''t in the right headspace." Mariana starts to say something to Stavros but stops herself. She sighs and nods at Nicholas. "I heard. Are you doing better?" "Better," Nicholas agrees with a smile. "And you?" "Busy with assignments lately," Mariana admits. "Should we head out to talk?" Nicholas asks, turning to the exit. "Why were you in the forest?" Mariana blurts out like she''d been thinking about it for so long she couldn''t help herself. "You know it¡¯s dangerous in there - I told you it was a dumb idea, Nicholas, but you brushed me off multiple times." Nicholas blinks, feels that contentment from earlier drain away, but feels Rafael and Stavros rise up at his back in response. "No? I never meant it like that, it''s just that we have our own thing. We''ve been friends for so long that we''ve got habits ¨C sometimes we go out." Mariana''s exhale is shaky and she messes with her hair, drags it around her face to try and block the flush that appears, the wetness that makes her black eyes shine so brightly. "Maria, what''s wrong?" Nicholas whispers, puts a hand on her shoulder, and swallows past the sinking feeling in his stomach. "I just¡­keep thinking," Mariana tries, sounding choked. "Nick, if I had convinced you it was a horrible idea, would Adam be alive right now?" Nicholas'' heart is hammering away and he feels like he can''t breathe. "I was the first one to come up with the idea," Rafael cuts in. "I wanted to get out, we¡¯ve been doing it since we were year-sevens. Are you going to blame me for Adam''s death now?" "No!" Mariana cries, surprised. "No, of course not." "It sounds like it," Stavros says. "It sounds like you think we''re the ones who brought it on ourselves instead of the person running around murdering people. It sounds like you don''t know shit, Mariana, so how about you shut up." "You''re putting words in my mouth," Mariana snaps back. "I try to ask you something to understand, you shove me away. You think you''re the only ones affected? Like I can''t mourn Adam too?" Stavros steps forward, teeth gritted. "Are you really so tone-deaf? After you learned he died, you asked me if we had been messing around when it happened in that fucking self-assured voice like you have any right to judge us. Just say it, Mariana, say you think we''re not as smart as you even when Nicholas and Rafael top the fucking grade." "You don''t know anything about me, gili!" Mariana yells. "You don''t know how much I care, how hard I work just to keep up with heritage like you-¡° ¡°Rafael is mundane too you arrogant son of a-¡° ¡°-all you four ever cared about was having a fun time, is it so much of a surprise that I don''t trust you to do the right thing?" Mariana finishes with her teeth gritted. Nicholas takes Stavros'' hand before the boy can say anything else and leaves, walking up the spiral staircase to the boys'' dorms. Rafael says something quietly to Mariana, and there¡¯s a weighted silence after. Nicholas goes to his bed, climbs in, and sits with Stavros'' hand in his. "Sorry," Stavros says quietly. "I shouldn''t have done that in front of you." "That''s okay," Nicholas murmurs. "I ¨C well, better it comes out now." Rafael enters the room with their books in hand and dumps them on Stavros'' bed as he passes. He starts to anxiety-clean, shuffling the quilt around, but then visibly has to stop himself. He takes a seat on Nicholas¡¯ other side. "I want to go home," Nicholas whispers. "I can get your parents for you," Rafael says, rubbing calm circles into Nicholas'' back. Nicholas takes a stuttering inhale. "No. No, I can do this." "Alright," Rafael soothes. "But just know that you don''t have to." 5. Saporito Just off to one side of an open courtyard facing the forest is an empty classroom, converted into a play area with blankets and a bed and too many half-shredded dog toys. The room is still stone, unable to be spelled into something softer with the citadel¡¯s protective wards still running, but the walls have an ocean painted on them. Why an ocean when this is a room for a werewolf? Ask Stavros, because Nicholas has no idea how the room ended up like this. Nicholas made a giant dog bed, he remembers that much, and then they accumulated toys over the last several years. This room is still far too small for a werewolf, but they can¡¯t just let Rafael stay out constantly, not with night-time astronomy classes or the occasional student wandering past curfew. Even a glimpse of a werewolf can alert the magpol because having the disease is enough to be put into ¡®quarantine¡¯ - and that¡¯s even if the boys can keep the werewolf from killing anyone because he loses his mind when the moon pulls on him. This is better though, far better to be caged than for Rafael to OD on the cocktail of drugs that his mum cobbled together just so the wolf can¡¯t move, makeshift tranquilisers that leave Rafael sick and out of it for days after. Nicholas¡¯ wildshape is a large wild-breed sheep, currently lying curled up with his legs underneath him in a blanket nest. He¡¯s a hair breed, except it¡¯s still winter enough that he hasn''t shed his wool coat and is currently extra fluffy. His head and the thick mane of hair around his shoulders and chest is pitch black, the rest of his body dark reddish brown with streaks of light tan down his back and lower legs. He''s built strong and stocky, with massive curling horns that slick backwards and curl back up to end by his jawline, the horns full of neatly patterned ridges and dark brown, some parts chipped away from bitemarks. Sheep are surprisingly big, which none of the boys knew before Nicholas first learned to wildshape and was able to headbutt Stavros in the chest when the jerk tried to name him Sheppard''s Pie. This was after Rafael verified he wasn''t a goat, and after Adam laughed himself silly at the thought of a sheep trotting after a wolf every full moon. They named him Saporito and Nicholas agreed because it sounded nice and Rafael didn¡¯t tell him that it translated to savoury, the Italian bastard, so now they¡¯ve shortened it to Rito. Slumped over Rito¡¯s flank is a werewolf, elongated strangely with sharply jutting bones, legs too long and tipped with large claws, a short silver coat and gold eyes. In this form as Thoth, all of Rafael¡¯s self-made scars blend into his sparse fur. Thoth is sleepy since Nicholas and Stavros forced Rafael to stay up last night so Thoth would get hit with sleep deprivation and stay calmer. They knew they¡¯d be locked in for most of the full moon tonight with the Extension Herbology class out and about. Rito is just drifting off to sleep, still alert as all sheep are with his eyes half open, but fading enough to get some rest in. Thoth bites down on Rito''s left horn and starts lazily chewing like a dog with a bone. Rito bleats in annoyance, short tail wiggling, and Thoth lets go with a chuff. There''s a sudden scrambling of claws on stone and Stavros¡¯ fox form slides down into the hidden room from another entrance in one corner -they had to chip that out the mundane way because of the wards- specifically made because it¡¯s too small to fit Thoth so he can¡¯t escape. There¡¯s a door, locked magically and split from the courtyard by a short hallway just for extra room to layer wards for protection and privacy. But even if it was just a normal door, a sheep and a fox would have trouble opening and closing it. They can¡¯t shift back into humans either because Thoth would try to gore them, so they made the tunnel just big enough for a teenage boy to use in emergencies. Hearth barks and the fox walks in an arc, circling the edge of the small room, looking agitated. Rito sits up straighter with a snort but Hearth shakes his head and hops up onto the mattress shoved off to one side to lie down. They named Stavros because when he lies down like right now, his black legs but blazing red coat make him look like a fireplace. Thoth growls and starts clawing at the blankets in boredom. There¡¯s a loud rip. Rito grunts and twists, using his nose to nudge Thoth back into some cuddling, which always calms down the werewolf, whether he''s Rafael or otherwise. Thoth should get in fluffy cuddles before Rito starts shedding his winter coat. A palm-sized lens is resting on the blanket near Rito, zoomed in to show the herbology garden, occasionally with tiny top-down people moving on and off the modified spyglass. There are still too many people around but maybe later they¡¯ll take out Thoth for a run.
The next day is a weekend, a rare trip down to the surface -wherever that might be with the floating island drifting around- but unfortunately for Nicholas, his friends have had their privileges revoked for fighting so much. Everyone verified Nicholas was just healing people so he still has permission. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "We can just nap today," Nicholas offers, wrapped in his thick cloak and leaning one hip against the short stone wall separating the outer courtyard from the walkway they''re standing on. He doesn''t want to leave them; half the fun is being with friends anyway. It¡¯ll be cold too. Whatever country they¡¯re over must be close to the poles or in an angry winter, currently made worse by the altitude of the island. Only the inside of the citadel has wards for temperature control and this is an outside courtyard. "We deserve a fun day," Stavros rejects, straddling the wall despite the freezing stone. His hair is down, a frizzy mess because he towel-dried it, and half tucked into the thick scarf also hiding his chin. "Let''s go get smashed on non-alcoholic margaritas and harass some shop assistants." "You both have detention, and it¡¯s with Connell," Nicholas points out. Ms Connell won¡¯t chase them down if they skip detention, but she locked the Transverse to their magical signatures so they have to either beg it off her or break the spell linker she keeps in her office. It¡¯s an adventure either way. "We''ll sneak out after you go," Rafael tells Nicholas with his arms crossed to try and retain warmth even with layered charms putting out enough heat to let out wisps of fog. His nose is pink. "It''s not like they can give us more detentions - it''s basically every weekend." There¡¯s a brief pause as Nicholas looks at Rafael and wonders if he should say anything. Rafael looks tired and sore from the transformation but still close enough to the full moon that his head is high with confidence when he says this. Nicholas knows Thoth doesn''t really change Rafael¡¯s personality too much but it''s pretty obvious that the further away the full moon is, the quieter Rafael gets. He''s still smart and kind with an overprotective streak but he suppresses himself, doesn''t raise his hand in class as much, and doesn''t take the initiative to talk to other students. This Rafael, however, doesn''t think twice about starting fights or ditching well-deserved detentions to sneak out. If he was further from Thoth, he''d probably still do the same, but he''d hesitate and try to talk the other boys out of it - to at least mitigate as much of the damage as possible. Nicholas knows he doesn¡¯t have to be soft right now, but he still hesitates. "Thoth was¡­" Nicholas trails off. "Yeah, never mind. I''ll wait for you near a random caf¨¦." Rafael raises an eyebrow. "Thoth was what?" Nicholas waves a hand vaguely, making his cloak splay out for a moment. "It''s depressing, don''t mind me." Stavros shrugs. "Thoth was looking for Adam¡¯s raccoon last night. Kept thinking he was hiding somewhere, so you''d shove me off the bed and search the blankets." "Oh," Rafael says blankly. "Strange. Thoth should know better." Nicholas grimaces. "That night, you were a bit¡­" Rafael hesitates and hunches his shoulders. "Yeah, I wasn''t...I wasn''t there. Thoth was the one in control when Adam died, all I have is the anger." Nicholas laughs and it comes out pathetic. "Ah, and here''s me, thinking I was just overreacting considering how well you guys can still function like normal people." Stavros scoffs loudly. "Me? Functioning? Wait a few months, it''ll come out during alchemy class or something. I don''t know what I''ll do but it''s definitely going to get me expelled." Rafael offers a thumbs up. "I''ll be cheering for you." Nicholas lets out a breath and pats his cheeks. "Okay, I''ll see you guys down there." "Stay in a crowded area," Stavros lectures. "Or wait, is it stay away from crowds?" "Keep your wand on you," Rafael tells Nicholas and links arms with Stavros, dragging him off the wall and away because Rafael might be lanky but he has the height advantage. "We''ll be out as fast as we can." "Use NatCom students as meat shields if the RitCast bastards come for you!" Stavros calls back. Nicholas waves them off with a smile on his face.
Nicholas has wasted enough time that most of the students and supervising teachers have gone already and there isn¡¯t a line when he reaches the Transverse gateway. This gate is an old-fashioned design of a high stone arch, with one of the citadel¡¯s gargoyles perched on top as security to make sure students don¡¯t change the destination coordinates. The gargoyle eyes Nicholas suspiciously as he passes underneath. Nicholas winks with a charming grin. He steps into the empty arch and whooshes through the ley line, instantly popping back out in bright white sparks and a shiver because it¡¯s always so cold in there. He walks through the small magical district of Chile, which is one of the many countries that hides magical territories from the mundane population, and understands no one because the allspeak wards don¡¯t extend past the floating island. He knows Spanish but not Chilean Spanish and he doesn¡¯t bother using a translator when he¡¯s only going to be talking to his friends. Nicholas waits for only twenty more minutes sitting at a small table outside a quiet caf¨¦ before he spots Hearth¡¯s bright red head sticking out from around the back corner of the adjacent library. Nicholas looks around and then hurries off, trotting through a thin layer of snow with the end of his cloak just brushing the ground. Hearth sniggers cutely before ducking away when Nicholas gets closer. "Did Raffy escape too?" Nicholas whispers. Nicholas turns the corner and finds Hearth trotting around in a circle, clearly cold even with all that fur. It takes a moment for Nicholas to put his finger on it, but he realises there¡¯s a slight limp in Hearth¡¯s back leg. "Idiot," Nicholas says fondly and pulls out a wand to cast a diagnostic charm. "What did you do to yourself? And look at how long your fur is getting; we need to give you a haircut." Hearth bites Nicholas'' wand and pulls it away before transforming into a much older man and porting them both with a whoosh.
Nicholas rips himself away as soon as they land in an unremarkable living room and then dives for his wand in the man''s hand. "Nicky, wait!" the man cries, holding the wand up in the air like Stavros does when he steals Nicholas'' food. "Hold on, let me explain about Adam!" It clicks into place as Nicholas looks up at the man. "It''s you?!" he screams, clawing at the man¡¯s arm to get his focus. "You son of a bitch! You murdered my friend!" "Calm down!" the man yells back, grabbing a fistful of Nicholas¡¯ collar. Nicholas knees the man in between the legs but gets knocked out with a flare of purple magic. 6. the story The house belongs to a mundane, judging by the lack of obvious magic inside. It¡¯s a cute little curbside two-storey house and no one turns to look when Nicholas bangs on the windows and screams. The perimeter is warded, or the house itself is charmed, or something, Nicholas doesn''t know. He can''t leave the building, not through a door or window or even breaking a wall down by swinging progressively heavier furniture at it for three hours. They might not even be in Chile anymore since he can¡¯t see the floating island through the windows, and he doesn¡¯t know how long he was unconscious. The man could have moved him pretty far. The man is another Lambros, just from his colouring and that unfairly beautiful face despite how ragged he looks. His hair is longer though, a short beard too, the limp, and healed over scars peeking out from a dark-coloured jumper and jacket combo that¡¯s probably not expensive enough for Stavros to look twice at. Nicholas knows Stavros has an older brother who ¡®disappeared¡¯ but he wouldn¡¯t be this old, would he? The man must be a part of the family though, he looks so much like Stavros. "I am Stavros," Lambros explains, sitting across the room at the dining table because Nicholas screams at him when he gets too close. Nicholas is curled up on the furthest end of the couch, knees tucked up and shoulders hunched. "Fuck you." "I''m an older Stavros," Lambros continues with all the force of an obnoxious Stavros trying to force an argument he knows he''s going to win only out of sheer stubbornness. "You''re dead, and I¡¯m going to stop that from happening again." "Adam''s dead because you¡¯re a psycho," Nicholas snaps back. "Let me start from the beginning," Lambros dismisses. "Okay, so Haochen Xia started killing the other high mages and soon moved on to the heritage-¡° Nicholas¡¯ brain stutters to a halt. ¡°Sorry, what?¡± ¡°-we fought, because of course we had to. You got a bit of a reputation for clever spellwork.¡± Lambros pauses and takes a deep breath. ¡°Until you faced Xia himself. Luca was taken into hiding in the mundane population like other heirs, because Xia was using heritage children¡¯s blood to gain access to family magics and grimoires to grow stronger.¡± Nicholas laughs, incredulous. ¡°High mage or no, Xia would be torn apart if he tried.¡± ¡°Luca was a teenager when someone identified him on the street since he¡¯s the spitting image of you,¡± Lambros continues. ¡°Luca escaped the attack by breaking the block on his magic but lost his adoptive mothers. He was taken to the island to learn but Xia came back for him and-¡° ¡°Wait, wait,¡± Nicholas splutters, unfolding his legs to lean forward. ¡°Luca is¡­?¡± ¡°Your son,¡± Lambros says with an amused huff. ¡°He was the final defence for the Ayads. It was just your family holding out along with a few others¡­and mine, I guess. Um, Aeneas killed himself when he was caught by Xia so it went to me but I was...I was stuck somewhere else.¡± Nicholas folds over with his elbows on his knees, hands over his mouth, eyes wide. ¡°I have a son?¡± ¡°Okay, I know you¡¯re focusing on the easy part because you¡¯re panicking right now,¡± Lambros says gently. ¡°But you can compartmentalise after I tell you the story.¡± ¡°How old is Luca?¡± ¡°Nicholas-¡± ¡°Does he have glasses too?¡± ¡°Nicky.¡±
After a late lunch, Nicholas smashes the plate over Lambros'' head and dives for his sleeve when the man is still stumbling. Nothing. There''s no apprentice wand, nothing holstered. "What did you do to my wand?!" Nicholas cries in outrage. Lambros crash-tackles him to the floor and Nicholas spits out curses as he struggles but honestly, his Stavros can take Nicholas any day so fighting one who''s larger, heavier and now with guerrilla warfare training wasn''t the best idea. It¡¯s not even a fight really because Lambros holds Nicholas down until he¡¯s calm again and then releases him so Nicholas can slink off, upset and unable to do anything about it. He doesn¡¯t actually want to believe Lambros is Stavros but Nicholas has been kidnapped before, being the Ayad heir. He has tracking spells inked into his skin, and ritual diagrams etched into his ribs to send out distress alarms or to whisk him away out of most wards and drop him right into his home in Egypt. The only people who know are Nicholas¡¯ parents and of course he told his three best friends everything. So how is it that by the time Nicholas woke up here, the ink had already been disabled? That he can¡¯t feel magic pulsing in his chest anymore? Either Lambros is a great curse breaker or he knows exactly how to unravel the spells.
Lambros makes Nicholas pancakes with smiley faces for dinner and Nicholas eats slowly. Then he drinks half the bottle of syrup and vibrates in his seat while Lambros cleans up because this is as close to self-medicating as he can get. "Does Luca like playing Loops?" Nicholas asks, eyes wide and leaning forward, now sitting across from Lambros at the table as the man tries to continue the explanation in more detail. "What class does he like best?" "I''m-" Lambros cuts himself off, looking exhausted. He already looked tired and ragged at the start but wherever he goes when he¡¯s not in the house is really starting to drain him. "Okay, I love Luca too but listen when I''m explaining how Xia can steal souls and the magical cores inside." "Why do I care about a war? I''m already dead by then," Nicholas scoffs. And Adam is dead too and Rafael is tortured and Stavros is- "Now how cute is Luca? Because my baby boy must be very cute." Lambros takes a deep breath and just lets it be. "Luca is very cute ¨C he does that thing you do when you tilt your head and your hair flops over." Nicholas coos, reaching out to the air like he''s squishing someone''s face. "So Xia takes over the high mage council when Luca is a year-eleven -" "Does he win?" Nicholas demands. "What ¨C does Xia win-?" "No, does Luca win the duelling tournament you mentioned?" If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Nicholas," Lambros groans. "Nicky please, please can you focus right now? This is important. You need to listen. I can tell you everything about Luca later, okay? Right now we need to focus." "Okay," Nicholas sighs theatrically and then side-eyes Lambros. "Fine. I just¡­you know, as his honorary uncle I thought you''d be a little more inclined-" "I''m trying to stop you from dying!" Lambros snaps. "You are going to live until you''re fucking three hundred, Nicholas! You''re going to have all the cute babies you want and Xia is going to be dead and not hunting your son so focus!" Nicholas purses his lips and looks away, bored. Lambros grits his teeth. "Yes, Luca wins. He manages to defeat all the people Xia planted to try and kill him ¨C which is why you need to listen." Nicholas sits up straight. "Well, why didn''t you lead with that?" "Vlakas,¡± Lambros hisses, resorting to Greek. ¡°Nicholas, I''m really going to hit you this time.¡± ¡°Go for it,¡± Nichola spits out. ¡°Just ¨C just do it! Hit me then. Why are you being so nice like that changes the fact you murdered my friend?! Why are we playing house if the entire future for mages is apparently fucked anyway no matter what you tell me? You think we can fight a high mage-?¡± Lambros jerks forward and Nicholas rears back but his chair sticks long enough for Lambros to grab fistfuls of his shirt and drag him forward over the table. Nicholas ducks his head, grabbing Lambros¡¯ wrists, but freezes when he feels a kiss to his forehead. ¡°I know,¡± Lambros murmurs. ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want you to see what happened to Adam but I didn¡¯t know you were so close by.¡± Nicholas feels Lambros curl over him and squeezes his eyes shut but they still sting. ¡°It¡¯s a lot. Everything, it¡¯s¡­¡± Lambros trails off. ¡°I¡¯m dealing with it, but if something happens to me, I need you to know so you can avoid certain things.¡± ¡°Can we talk about something else for now?¡± Nicholas rasps. ¡°Literally ¨C fucking ¨C anything else except for how miserable everything is?¡±
Nicholas is hiding under the bed, breathing heavily and about to throw a tantrum because it''s been days since he was kidnapped and Lambros looks so similar, acts so familiar that it would be so easy to just pretend. Nicholas could fight back. Really fight back, not this...this half-hearted rejection. He could play up the soft Nicky angle, get in close, grab any one of the numerous weapons around him and just gut the man. Turn into Rito and break a few ribs. Nicholas could, but that''s Stavros'' face and his smiles. And Nicholas has always been so weak to the people he loves. Lambros is lying on the carpet of the bedroom, on his stomach like Nicholas, peering under the bed with his head pillowed on his arms. He looks just as tired as usual but happier, like he always is when he spends time with Nicholas. Even when they¡¯re arguing, Lambros starts looking like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. "Luca looks just like you, you know,¡± Lambros says. ¡°He also plays Loops as a striker." "It doesn''t help," Nicholas chokes out, eyes burning as they turn shiny with tears. "However many stories you have - it doesn''t make me forget Adam is dead. That you killed him." "Adam is the one who sets up your death,¡± Lambros finally admits. ¡°He was trying to kill me but ¨C it was spite and he¡¯s a pathetic fucking-¡° He cuts himself off with a grimace. Nicholas rears back in shock. ¡°What? Why would he do that? What did you do?¡± ¡°He got in contact with one of Xia¡¯s disciples and told them about the ambush we set up,¡± Lambros explains. ¡°My team was expecting six, they came as three dozen. Your team¡­you faced Xia himself.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Does it matter when I didn¡¯t hurt you or Raffy?¡± Lambros asks softly. "Come on, Nicky, don''t cry. I hate it when you cry. Please be angry again." Nicholas sniffles, curling up tighter. "I want to leave. You told me the story, now I want to leave." "Soon," Lambros reassures, stretching out a hand. "Soon, okay?" "You liar," Nicholas mumbles, staring at the hand and wanting. "Ross uses that voice when he lies to me." Lambros says nothing. "Are you ever letting me go?" Nicholas demands. "I''m¡­debating hiding you away somewhere safe," Lambros answers honestly, letting his hand drop to the carpet still halfway between them. "But then, you know, I''d have to bring Raffy along too and that''s taking some planning. He¡¯s a lot less trusting than you and I know he¡¯ll put up a real fight." Nicholas starts crying. He''s getting sick of crying and Lambros is looking at him so softly, with so much love. Nicholas crawls out from under the bed and into Lambros¡¯ arms and doesn¡¯t think about Adam. Lambros¡¯ hands shake but they hold him so tightly.
"What are we doing?" Stavros hisses as Rafael drags him towards the quiet courtyard near the forest and then into Thoth¡¯s makeshift kennel. They practically took every shortcut down here, including the mirror one that Stavros hates going through because everyone comes out damp. "Is something wrong with Thoth?" "I put a tracking spell on Nicholas, after the first kidnapping attempt," Rafael says, dropping Stavros'' arm to cross his own. "I - because the other more common spells aren''t working." Stavros looks around the converted classroom, searching for a ritual diagram or a half-baked spell Rafael cobbled together. Uncommon usually means Rafael read it in a weird book and shit is about to get wild. "So you''ll cast it in here?" "I don''t know if I should," Rafael mutters. "It''s¡­a bad one." "Illegal?" Stavros scoffs dismissively. He¡¯s the one who gets Rafael books from the Lambros family library - Stavros knows illegal. "Show me the spell, I''ll do it." He starts putting his hair up into a ponytail with the band he always has on his wrist, expecting this to get messy. "It is illegal but that''s not the problem," Rafael explains. "It''s strong enough to get around most warding but it was made to hunt down run-away brides way back when¡­and it''s going to hurt Nicholas." "Do it," Stavros says immediately because no one else is doing anything worthwhile. Nicholas'' parents are losing their minds at their son being snatched away and the magpol are back to investigate ¨C only a few days after they left the forest and being just as useless. Some of the heritage have had polite conversations with Stavros, trying to get more gossip, and he knows Rafael has been getting poked at by his study group too. Rafael only frowns. "Hurt how?" Stavros gives in. "Like when he stubbed his toe once and complained for the next three days?" "More like when he fell off the rings playing Loops, broke his shoulder blade and he passed out, so you had to catch him mid-air and then ran him to the hospital wing in a panic." Stavros still remembers Nicholas screaming. "That''s¡­fine." Rafael raises an eyebrow. Stavros tries again, with more hollow confidence. "That''s fine. Nicholas is a big boy, he can take it. Do the spell, find him in a couple of minutes, stop the tracking, and go get him. Easy." "The counter curse needs to be applied to the person," Rafael explains. "So it''s going to hurt until we get to him. And it''s illegal so we can''t exactly just leave it to the magpol to go, it would have to be us, and we don''t know how to port ¨C which we would have to do because Transverse travel is logged. And what if there are strong enough wards to keep us out regardless?" Stavros sighs. "Okay, that''s plan K." "We''re already on plan J," Rafael reminds him. "Let¡¯s just pretend it isn¡¯t all going to shit, okay?" Rafael slumps, looking a bit limp now that they don¡¯t have a plan again. Stavros takes a deep breath and lurches forward, wrapping around the beanpole and squeezing. ¡°Nicky knows how to make people love him,¡± he says confidently, shaking Rafael around because if the boy is annoyed, at least he¡¯s not looking lost. ¡°What¡¯s reverse Stockholm Syndrome again?¡± ¡°Lima,¡± Rafael deadpans, just flopping as he¡¯s harassed, but then he really thinks about it. ¡°Do you¡­think he¡¯s that good?¡± ¡°I think if he¡¯s trying, he¡¯ll be back any moment now!¡±
Nicholas is lying on the couch, head tipped so far back that he''s staring at Lambros upside down. "Hey, remember that time I caught you jerking off and you were doing it wrong?" Lambros is standing hunched over a map spread over the dining table, jaw clenched, hands flat on the table otherwise he''d strangle Nicholas. "Hey," Nicholas drawls, propping up one knee and flinging the other leg over casually. "Remember that time you kissed Danny and he threw up on you and then you got the stomach bug as well?" "Nicky," Lambros begins. "Hey," Nicholas chuckles. "Remember-" "Nicholas, I don''t like hitting kids but trust me, I''m going to enjoy punching you in the fucking face," Lambros grits out. "I forgot how annoying you could be." Nicholas hums smugly. "Hey, remember when-" Lambros lurches around the table and Nicholas throws himself off the couch. Even with a permanent limp now, Lambros is still fast and right on Nicholas¡¯ heels as they sprint upstairs. Nicholas hits the top and grabs the small bookcase prepared earlier, shoving it down the stairs. Just knock out Lambros and then Nicholas can- Lambros catches it with a grunt. Nicholas panics and flings himself off the top step, landing on the slanted bookcase, and then all three of them go tumbling down together. Unfortunately, Stavros has always known how to take a hit and Nicholas ends up being the one with the sprained wrist ¨C which Lambros pettily refuses to fix. That''s fine, the pain just fuels Nicholas. 7. letters Nicholas spends most of the morning in his room (not his room ¨C the guest bedroom of this mundane house) planning out another attack. He did overhear a couple walking past speaking in Norwegian, or Danish¡­or Swedish so Nicholas has theoretically narrowed his location down quite a bit. Lambros is out getting them more food (and wow Stavros cooks now) but Nicholas gets himself hyped up in the meantime. An hour later Nicholas rushes downstairs at the sound of the door opening, ready to give Lambros a piece of his mind. Haochen Xia steps through the front door, and he should look ridiculous in his full regalia of layered robes in contrast to the plaid curtains, frumpy couches and the fake plants dotted around the room. Maybe if he looked out of place, Nicholas¡¯ fight or flight reflex wouldn¡¯t abruptly kick into high gear and make his stomach drop out. No, Haochen drowns out everything around him, making it all fade because why would you stop to take in the view when a full-grown predator is staring you down. It makes Nicholas scared the way it never had with Lambros who wears his friend¡¯s face. Lambros had spoken of Haochen like a messy and chaotic storm that tore itself apart just as often as it spread the destruction outwards, but Nicholas knows -can feel the magic lingering in the air- this is perfectly controlled precision and all the more dangerous for it. The high mage walks further in at a calm stroll, with a swish of his pale blue and traditionally eastern outer robes, embroidered in brilliant white thread, wide sleeves and slits up the sides for ease of movement. He¡¯s an incredibly handsome if cold looking man, tall with deep dark eyes and pitch-black, perfectly straight hair flowing down to his waist and the thick belt with crane motifs that sits there. Not only is Haochen an untouchable high mage, but he¡¯s also the one who kills Nicholas, so this is not going to go very well. Nicholas stutters, stumbling back and knocking into the short bookshelf that he never took back upstairs. "Sorry, I think you got the wrong house." Haochen Xia looks down at him with emotionless eyes ¨C he seems bored if anything, like he always does when some brave reporter snaps a picture of him at some political event or another. Did Lambros accidentally give himself away? Was Lambros caught and interrogated? Is Haochen here to ''take care'' of Nicholas before he can even start to defy the man? A woman in dark blue outer robes of the same style but with tight sleeves and an embroidered set of wings along the right leg -clearly a Crane Sect disciple- steps inside after the high mage and Haochen turns to look at her. In that split second of inattention, Nicholas grabs a thick book off the shelf and hurls it as a distraction, ready to run for the back door now that the wards seem to have come down. The book slows mid-air and disintegrates. No spell, nothing, Haochen isn''t even holding a focus to channel his energy, he isn''t even looking at Nicholas. Nicholas swallows thickly. "Sect Leader," the woman says with a bow of her head, notably in English. "The kidnapper isn''t in the vicinity. No recent teleportation trails to follow either." "Set up a watch around the area," Haochen orders and looks at Nicholas. "I was going to offer you the book and my hand slipped," Nicholas blurts out, pushing up his glasses nervously. Haochen raises an eyebrow. "Your parents are very worried about you," he says, completely ignoring Nicholas'' idiocy. "I offered to help find you as I am not one to stand idly by while a strong magical family is ruined." "Gee thanks," Nicholas mutters. "Can I get that in writing?" Somewhere in the back of his head, Nicholas imagines a voice that sounds oddly like Stavros-blended-Lambros, yelling in panic; don''t backchat a high mage you stupid little sheep! Haochen smiles. It''s not a nice expression. "Come, boy, I''ll take you somewhere safe."
''Somewhere safe'' turns out to be the high mage''s mansion. Here¡¯s the thing; Haochen Xia is straight up evil, but most high mages are morally ambiguous at best. In fact, high mages are so powerful, if you piss one off then that¡¯s it, that¡¯s a country gone. The International Confederacy of Magical Kind is run by a council of high mages -of which there are only twelve- and that keeps the entire magical society obedient because that¡¯s a very big threat. But the high mages are even more of a threat to each other, which helps keep them all in line. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Very few high mages are actually seen though, many being immortal monsters who just want to further their private research because you don¡¯t get that strong without immense intelligence, regardless of your talent. Everyone is fine to leave them be, wherever they¡¯ve holed up, just keep them happy. There are maybe three high mages that bother to show up to monthly council meetings. Haochen is a whole other complication because even among the high mages, he¡¯s the only one who uses Dark magic, a perversion of the natural order. He would have been killed if he was anything less than a high mage. He got too strong too fast, and -worst of all- he¡¯s still ambitious even this high up the ladder. Being a high mage and leading his Crane Sect is not enough, he can do more and have more power. It makes him very dangerous. Lambros said Haochen goes insane practising Dark magic -not unheard of which is why Nicholas and his friends take precautions when they dabble- and starts a war. The high mage personally strikes down Nicholas, and his baby Luca grows up to lead the fight against Haochen with much, much trouble. Hopefully, Haochen doesn¡¯t know any of that. Nicholas is trapped in a new place now, much bigger and still unable to leave - but honestly, he''s too scared to try anything either. He can''t annoy the high mage into getting rid of him like with Lambros. And wow, look at that, Lambros seems like a much nicer kidnapper right now. The bastard still has Nicholas'' apprentice wand though. Nicholas waits warily in the bedroom he was deposited into but he''s not that kind of person and soon goes wandering around ¨C tries to leave the large grassy acre around the manor and bounces straight off the invisible wards just before the tree line. He hides in amongst the trees and waits for an opportunity to shift into Rito since most wards don''t stop animals. He¡¯s paranoid when he does it, head constantly on a swivel for anyone looking, because it¡¯s actually very Dark magic for him to use a NatCom spell as an InCore. It¡¯s his fault for underestimating a high mage though because he hesitantly taps a hoof against the ward and it¡¯s solid with no give. He wanders around the massive building the first two days, trying to find secrets as he would with the floating citadel, trying to pretend like he''s getting out of here alive. The entire place looks like Haochen opened an interior decorating magazine, pointed at a double-page spread and said; yes, that looks European enough. It¡¯s steeped in the high mage¡¯s magic and personalised wards but there¡¯s no heart to it. It looks like he¡¯s just trying to blend in. Nicholas finds three secret passages, two hidden rooms and seventeen giant cranes walking around like it¡¯s not incredible that they can even fit in the corridors. None try to eat him, and they all look particularly lazy as they stalk around on long knobbly legs and fluffing drooping plumage occasionally but Nicholas is being cautious because he''s heard things. On the third day -still no Haochen in sight thank the gods- he hears muffled, frantic chirping as he walks out of the kitchen with a sandwich in hand, and rescues a tiny white chick from where it fell into a decorative flowerpot with dried snapdragon flowers. It stays with him the rest of the day, and sure, maybe the high mage is using it to spy on Nicholas but Nicholas just kind of needs someone right now. Having the bird in his shirt pocket feels a lot like sneaking through secret hallways with Adam in raccoon form stuffed into his jumper and peeking out over Nicholas'' collar.
Older Stavros ducks back around the corner and drops the grocery bags because he just fucking lost baby Nicholas! He takes a deep breath, lets it out. Stavros'' jaw clenches and he takes another glance. Haochen¡¯s disciples in dark blue outer robes are behind a mundane mirror ward and too self-assured to take further precautions so they''re right there in the open when any mage can see them, trailing through the house. He takes out Nicholas'' wand (because he¡¯s still working on getting himself a focus; will probably steal an ancestor¡¯s focus when he gets the chance to break into his family¡¯s manor) and does a quick tracking spell. The grey lines form a loose compass ring around his shoulders but the arrow whirls around without stopping, unable to find the target. It wouldn''t do that if Nicholas was still in the house, not with Stavros¡¯ spellwork ripped down. If Nicholas was back in Ayad Manor or in the citadel the spell would have also worked because those wards don¡¯t stop tracking. Nicholas has been kidnapped by the high mage and Stavros will kill everyone if Nicholas dies again. The only reason he hasn''t already started slaughtering his way through Haochen¡¯s ranks already is because Nicholas needs protection and the other baby teenagers can''t keep him safe yet. Stavros takes a deep breath, lets it out.
Teenage Stavros is sitting on Nicholas'' bed, staring at the anonymous letter in silence as Rafael paces in a tight, worried circle between the dorm room beds. "What the fuck does it mean ''kidnapped by High Mage Xia''?¡± Stavros complains. ¡°Why ¨C what ¨C Nicholas isn''t nearly fucking interesting enough for this shit to be happening to him! Why is this written in my handwriting? What ¨C Rafael, what the fuck?" Rafael¡¯s groan sounds a lot like a growl. "Oh hi, Thoth," Stavros says, too loud and manic. "Nice to see you again. Apparently, we¡¯re not doing the bride-tracking spell. Oh, and Nicholas is still lost if you were fucking wondering where we''re up to on that."
Older Hearth¡¯s fur has been spelled black to blend in and the fox sits at the edge of the high mage¡¯s wards behind the tree line, eyes locked onto the short glimpses of baby Nicholas he gets through the windows while trying to dodge the massive centaur-sized cranes pacing around the grass like sentinels. It¡¯s Haochen¡¯s European manor at least so Hearth doesn¡¯t need to get himself all the way over to the sect in north China without using a trackable Transverse gate. A carrier pigeon coos above and circles once, a letter on its leg. Hearth quickly scrambles away and doesn''t stop until he''s deep into the trees to shift back and read the letter that the pigeon lands to give him ¨C dissolving the tracking charm and the jinx first because Rafael is smart and his younger self is spiteful. Stavros skips past all the threats and the angry questions about his identity. "What the fuck does it mean ''the Ayads know''? Know what? Did they have a part in it or did they just find out later? Why am I so shitty at writing detailed letters?!" 8. a good wine Nicholas can''t find any people to trick into taking him past the wards, the Transverse network is only connected when Haochen is expecting guests, the carrier pigeons have learned to dodge him, and Nicholas has developed a fear of being chased through small crawl spaces by giant crane beaks pecking through vents because Haochen thinks the scratching in the ceiling is a mouse. He can¡¯t find any housemaker fairies to bribe either, which is impressive because while they might be useful and help around with cleaning, they still are unconditionally pests and tend to cluster around magical buildings. Even the Ayad wards have trouble keeping out the sneaky little buggers. There are several plans in progress as well because while Nicholas can''t get into the potion lab yet, explosions are still an option. He''s also halfway through a book he found in the library on warding because, theoretically, if he digs out a warding stone then the whole thing collapses but he needs to know where it is and what it looks like. (He also found a false grimoire in the library that tried to write to him and Nicholas told it absolutely hilarious dick jokes until it just stopped responding because apparently grimoires have no sense of humour.) Quite frankly, Nicholas thinks that is an impressive amount of plans he''s made without a magic focus to back him up. On the fifth day of his inexplicable holiday in this manor, Nicholas is flying around on a broomstick he found tucked away, an older model that doesn''t take turns well but it''s good enough he supposes. He flies as high as the wards will allow, trying to find nearby landmarks to orient himself but it kind of just looks like a forest and hills in the distance. He sits on it up in the air to watch the sunset and then heads back inside, though he gets distracted halfway back to his room by chirping in the ceiling of a hallway. "Hello?" Nicholas calls out, staring upwards. "You¡­doing okay?" More chirping that sounds rather frantic, and several scratching noises. "Are you stuck?" Nicholas looks around and finds a vent near the ceiling. He drags a narrow side table over and drops the decorative vase while moving it but the fancy thing doesn''t shatter. Pity. The dried snapdragon flowers fall out of the vase and Nicholas kicks it all out of the way. He''s not touching it ¨C he knows some old families place magically connected flowers around the manor to deter, or even hunt down, intruders and snapdragons mean deceit. Nicholas is not getting stuck in an illusory labyrinth thanks. Nicholas aligns the side table under the bird noises and climbs onto it to start knocking on the ceiling. "Come this way! Follow the noise." Wait, does it only respond to Chinese? Does the high mage speak Mandarin to his birds? ¡°L¨¢i l¨¢i l¨¢i, h¨£o ni¨£o.¡± He gets the bird halfway to the vent but it seems to be caught on something ¨C maybe there''s a beam in the way? The bird doesn''t come out and flails around in¡­distress? Anger? Embarrassment? Nicholas doesn''t understand bird. He knows someone who does though. Nicholas hesitates. "I''ll be right back, don''t worry!"
As Nicholas jogs through the manor, he musters up enough courage to talk to Haochen because, even without the bird, he really needs to leave. Haochen seems like the nerdy type so maybe Nicholas can tell the high mage he¡¯s doing his School Certificate exams this year and that education is important. Nicholas hears voices and slows down, coming up on what he vaguely remembers is yet another sitting room. He tries to neaten himself and stalls by straightening his collar and fluffing his hair up. He peeks into the drawing room but tries to back out when he sees the high mage has three people for company, dressed richly. Not Crane Sect disciples, not nearly deferential enough for that, and the atmosphere is light-hearted enough for Nicholas to consider it chatting instead of a meeting. "Yes, Nicholas?" Haochen says, expression pleasant. It¡¯s almost believable. Nicholas jolts at being addressed. The three are clearly heritage and Nicholas isn¡¯t dressed appropriately to be meeting polite company. He doesn¡¯t even have an outer robe he could wear. Well, a high mage can do whatever the hell he wants, never mind the etiquette. The man on the left, sitting close to the woman and probably a couple, seems to latch on to the name though. "You wouldn¡¯t happen to be Nicholas Ayad, would you? I''m surprised you know High Mage Xia," he says with what Nicholas guesses is a Spanish accent but it''s too light to really pinpoint which particular country it comes from. "Nicholas is staying with me for a few days while his parents are busy," Haochen explains. Nicholas wants to call him a liar, there''s no way his parents would leave him with a high mage - except Nicholas is an idiot, not suicidal, so he says nothing. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Did you require something?" Haochen insists, eyes starting to narrow. "There''s a thing," Nicholas says vaguely and gestures back out into the hallway. He gets an unimpressed stare back. Nicholas isn''t sure if he''s allowed to tell people that Haochen¡¯s birds are dumb enough to get trapped in weird places but if he wastes any more time Haochen will probably suck out his soul or something - because Lambros says he can apparently do that. Nicholas hesitates a bit but trots over and ducks down, hand cupped to whisper in the high mage''s ear. "I think a bird is stuck in the ceiling outside your trophy room." Nicholas pulls back and looks at Haochen with the most earnest doe eyes he can manage because it''s really not his fault. The high mage¡¯s jaw clenches for a moment and ¨C oh shit, that room was locked before Nicholas used it to practise dismantling wards, wasn¡¯t it? Nicholas leans back but Haochen manages to get himself under control fairly quickly. "Ah," Haochen says and judging by the reaction, the bird thing might happen more often than Nicholas thought. "Thank you, Nicholas. Here, why don''t you entertain our guests while I deal with the misplaced bird." Haochen unfolds to his full height and steers Nicholas into the seat with a large, too cold hand over the back of his neck, then the high mage leaves with a swish of his layered robes, long black hair trailing after him. Nicholas looks across at the woman directly opposite and his heir training kicks in, a charming smile flashing across his face as he slips into Spanish. ¡°Truth be told, I saw you from the window, ma''am, and I couldn''t pass up the chance." The woman laughs, loud and rough. "That kind of charm will get you places, boy." "Nicholas," he introduces himself, reaching across the chess game on the table (Haochen was destroying them) to take her offered hand. "Heir to the Ayad House. Bored out of my mind in this manor without any proper games to play." Nicholas presses a light kiss to her knuckles and looks up through his eyelashes. "Or I was before you arrived." The man on the left raises an eyebrow but he''s smiling. "That''s my wife, Mr Ayad," he tsks, speaking a lot faster compared to when he was speaking in English. Nicholas winks. "And you''re not so bad either, mister." The couple laughs, that look in their eyes like Nicholas is so cute for trying to act like an adult. He gets that from teachers sometimes, and the adults when he''s forced to attend larger galas with his parents. Nicholas knows how to play it up. The man on the right doesn''t seem to be into it but he joins in the conversation regardless, even smiling occasionally at the dumb school story Nicholas immediately launches into because he doesn''t want to give them enough time to start asking serious questions that he can¡¯t answer. "-dropped the screaming mandrake into the lake," Nicholas says airily like that isn''t incredibly dangerous. He''s already cut his losses with the third person so he''s leaning towards the couple and they''re leaning in as well, completely hooked. "Then I threw on a rebreather spell and dove down," Nicholas continues. "Stole the pearls from the stunned giant clams and then grabbed the mandrake on the way back up. Blamed it all on the kappas." The woman has a hand over her heart like she''s shocked but she''s smirking. "If I was your mother, I would have killed you for that stunt." "Ah, but you would also have pearls the size of your fist." "You really know how to bargain," the husband muses. Nicholas simply laughs it off, his smile fake. It''s become clear over the course of their talk that these people are in some sort of important political station and while they''re amicable enough, they laugh along with Nicholas'' stories of blatant danger instead of being genuinely concerned for a small child in trouble. They won''t go out of their way to help him and it''ll just upset Haochen if Nicholas tells these people it''s a kidnapping. Haochen comes back into the room after a while, probably having spent time redoing the protections on the trophy room door. Nicholas reminds himself to test if the door will now electrocute little boys who try to touch it. Nicholas promptly escapes, hearing the couple cooing over how cute mages in training can be these days. The third man hums and taps a finger on the table as he switches back to English. "I didn''t know your influence spread to the Middle East yet, but it seems you already have the heritage families supporting you.¡± "A few," Haochen says carelessly, taking a seat again. "Nicholas, be a dear and get us a nice wine." Nicholas, having gotten as far as the doorway, blinks. The three are watching closely. And, okay, Nicholas understands Haochen is showing off that the Ayads would ''trust'' him with their heir. The three are clearly heritage, most probably Nature Communication judging by the way the air flows with their movements, and Haochen is trying to recruit them. Nicholas understands as well that him getting wine like a servant is a huge concession but also he''s sixteen, he''s allowed to be fucking terrified of a high mage - that Lambros says kills Nicholas himself. Nicholas didn''t ask but gods, he hopes he at least put up a fight when it happened. "Which one?" Nicholas asks. He''s already found the wine cellar on his explorations. "Whichever one you like most," Haochen says lightly. Nicholas slips away behind the safety of a wall to flip the high mage off. He goes to the stupid wine cellar and searches the shelves idly. Skips the section for wines paired with meats. Skips all the paired wines actually because there was no snacking food on the table so it''ll most likely be sipping wine taken straight. The wine needs to be the main course, with enough flavour to not get boring, maybe one that has its notes change after exposure to air? Nicholas wants to go for fruits but maybe more earthy instead ¨C that seems like a high mage thing to drink. Smells more solid too. Nicholas reaches the end of the cellar and backtracks, focusing on one shelf in particular. He dismisses all the vineyards that are still active ¨C not that they make bad wine but it''s more socially acceptable to pull out something rare when meeting important people. Nicholas crouches down and pulls out a bottle, no label but subtle silver etching in the glass itself. He wonders how expensive this is, then realises he doesn''t care. Nicholas trots back out of the cellar, wanders around because he lost the sitting room, but eventually emerges to hand over the bottle. Haochen takes it, holding it with his thumb in the base like all the snooty wine fanatics do. He scans the label and smirks. "Well done, Nicholas." Nicholas feels like he passed a test he should have tried to fail. 9. home The day after the wine thing, Nicholas nearly gets a heart attack when he looks down from the broom and finds Haochen standing out on the lawn with his arms crossed, pale skin lit by the sunlight, picturesque and devastatingly handsome in his ethereal, pale blues. Nicholas thinks about just flying away but Haochen could definitely catch him. He coasts down and swings off the broom, offering up his most charming smile. "Morning. What a perfect day for not-murder." "Collect your things, I''ll be taking you home," Haochen states. "Ten minutes!" Nicholas cries and shoots off ¨C dumping the broom into its closet and racing up the stairs. He grabs his bag (which he transmuted wandless and it took four straight hours to do because he¡¯s hopeless without a focus) with all his clothes that Lambros got him during the first segment of the kidnapping, and then rushes back. Nicholas is so excited to be going home that he doesn¡¯t notice the shadow that sweeps over them. He jolts when the high mage takes his upper arm to hold him still so the sudden wingbeats don¡¯t throw him to the ground from sheer wind force alone. A gigantic crane touches down lightly, which seems off for something so big but it¡¯s also clearly a magical creature, so who knows what it can do. The crane is pitch black but glossy and streaks of rainbows shine through its feathers as it bows low but still towers over them on long stick-like legs. Haochen¡¯s focus swells with magic, the short string of jade beads at his belt silent but the presence strong enough that Nicholas notices. It pushes them up in a controlled throw and they land on the crane¡¯s back. Haochen lets go of Nicholas¡¯ arm and Nicholas is smart to drop down and grab onto feathers the width of his legs when the bird starts moving. Nicholas is not smart enough to stay down when the bird is flying though, the earth flowing like a river underneath them, too fast. ¡°Is the bird magical or was he enchanted?¡± Nicholas asks, leaning over the side of the wings. A hand on the back of his top drags him back. ¡°If you fall, I¡¯ll have to catch you, and you wouldn¡¯t like that,¡± Haochen says peaceably and despite his neutral tone, his sharp eyes definitely promise that¡¯s a threat. ¡°She is a mythical beast; cultivators don¡¯t enchant.¡± In China they call mages cultivators and have an entirely different system of magic because they were so closed off and up high in mountain sects like schools. That¡¯s compared to countries in places like Europe which spilled into each other and took a more master-apprentice teaching system until the last several hundred years and it all blurred together. But magic is magic and its different languages but the same meaning, so while it might translate strangely, there is a lot of crossover. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± Nicholas asks, obediently sitting at Haochen¡¯s feet and giving the bird a pat. ¡°Daiyu.¡± ¡°H¨£o n¨·h¨¢i, Daiyu,¡± Nicholas coos in Mandarin. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl? Fastest in the sky, I bet those other birds are jealous. You¡¯d swallow a duck whole.¡± The crane lets out a rattling call that vibrates through the entire creature and when she lands it¡¯s with an extra flourish. Nicholas¡¯ home is built on vast acres of limestone with such old architecture that it would be nothing but sand if magic wasn¡¯t infused in its walls. Magical species of plants are arranged like artwork along walkways and draping over walls, and dotted around are rectangular ponds, mostly for the crocodiles that keep sneaking in. The sprawling sand-coloured Ayad Manor itself is dressed in sleek, sharp lines. Vinaya rips open the front door, the wards having alerted her as to her son coming home, only a brief few seconds after the two land outside. She¡¯s wearing draping fabrics of green and gold, perfectly put together except for the clench of her jaw. Vinaya remains cordial -if tense- as she ushers her son inside. Jordan quickly grabs Nicholas'' arm and backs them up. Vinaya doesn''t move from the doorway but Haochen doesn''t leave either. Watching her stare up at his tall form is anxiety-inducing. "Dear," Vinaya says to her husband, head half turned but keeping Haochen in sight. "Our son must be tired. Why don''t you take him upstairs to get some rest while I invite our guest into the sitting room for a chat." Jordan hesitates but he''s also very clear on what kind of woman Vinaya is and so says a polite if wooden welcome to Haochen and quickly takes Nicholas away.
Vinaya leads them to an inner courtyard cracked through with streams of water, with rattan chairs and the Egyptian skyline a gorgeous clear blue over the open ceiling. This is where she takes the people she doesn¡¯t like, and sits them in an uncomfortable chair right with the sun in their eyes. Vinaya gestures for Haochen to take a seat, only sitting after he does. "Shall I call for some tea?" she asks. The Ayads don''t have housemaker fairies, not when the Ayad Family Magic is strong enough to act when they call. "No need, this will only take a moment," Haochen replies, crossing his legs at the knee and lounging like he owns the place, the chair smoothing out under him to be more comfortable. He did that without a focus and had to tear the protective charms to shreds so he could transfigure the chair. Vinaya certainly notices. It makes no difference to her, she already understands what kind of monster a high mage can be. If Haochen wanted to kill her, she could do nothing to stop him. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Right then," Vinaya mutters. "Go on, please tell me why you took my son with only a polite letter to inform my husband and me of the¡­abrupt decision you¡¯ve made." "I saw an opportunity and picked up the boy because I had a meeting with some heritage families from Spain scheduled," Haochen says simply like there''s nothing wrong with impulse-taking a child. "An heir has been a great boon." "Then I believe we can call this a fair trade," Vinaya states. "Thank you for saving my son, regardless of your intentions and the length to which you kept him yourself. Please never come near him again." Haochen¡¯s eyes are half lidded. "Unfortunately, the boy works too well." Vinaya purses her lips. "Speak clearly, High Mage Xia, my hearing is going in my old age." "We can negotiate the details later," he dismisses, not even acknowledging the dig at him being younger than Vinaya. It¡¯s hardly an insult, him being the youngest high mage by a good few decades, but people have dug in, the public calling him childish and ignorant and Vinaya wanted to throw him off balance with the comment. "No," she says. "No, there will be no deal. This is the end." "He will not be hurt or made to do anything he doesn''t wish," Haochen says calmly, not asking but telling her. "I will have no contact with him unless absolutely needed, and it will only take a few hours every few weeks." "Pick another heritage heir," Vinaya argues. "You have many to choose from." "None from the west," Haochen points out. It¡¯s common knowledge that since Haochen Xia is the only East Asian high mage, the sects who follow him don¡¯t really have another choice if they want their voices to be heard. He¡¯s young, unproven, and now needs to amass more followers. "Then kidnap a different one," Vinaya scoffs. "You had Nicholas for a few days - but you wouldn''t be able to stand him for any greater length of time. He''s too curious for his own good, doesn''t know when to shut up, and barely even pretends to be obedient. There must be a better option for you." Haochen raises an eyebrow at that comment and Vinaya sucks in a breath through her teeth at the way he looks down at her but it was a desperate try. If Haochen showed up with a nice, meek heir who acted like a servant then it would clearly broadcast just how wrong the situation was to any potential allies for the high mage. ¡°I need someone fearless,¡± Haochen explains mercifully. ¡°Who can manoeuvre in a political situation, and most of all doesn''t need to be handheld constantly. Nicholas kept himself entertained without getting -too- underfoot, learned the layout of the manor without prompting, and reacted perfectly to meeting company. He¡¯s a wonderful child, and I look like a wonderful, humane mentor.¡± Vinaya purses her lips. Like most heritage, Haochen probably isn¡¯t going to waste time on children, he just wants to be able to parade them around for a few minutes to make himself look good before sending them away. But Nicholas will not be obedient, and high mages are volatile even without her son¡¯s poking. "It''s been a pleasure," Haochen drawls and rises from the armchair, shaking out his large sleeves that ripple like water. "I''ll be in contact." Vinaya stands as well, her brooch focus sparking with magic on her lapel but she knows it would be foolish to jump into things without a better plan. Haochen only smiles wider. She sees Haochen to the door and waits until he vanishes on his massive magical creature, before rushing upstairs to Jordan and Nicholas where she tells them what happened in a panic. Then they all panic, for quite a long time, and nothing really gets done or explained further. This is made even more confusing because they instinctively resort to mother tongue languages so Jordan is fretting in Ancient Egyptian when Vinaya barely knows Egyptian Arabic. Vinaya is hissing out a cobbled-together plan in Hindi and while Jordan is conversational in three Indian dialects, none of them are what Vinaya speaks. Nicholas is so far past scared he''s just trying to tell them about what a good girl Daiyu is to calm them down, and since the family mainly resorts to English to understand each other, he has enough wherewithal to pick that language. Jordan and Vinaya also coalesce in English once they''re able to focus on Nicholas talking and they manage to calm down. "I have had such a month," Nicholas says to his parents, flopped over the arm of a three-seater couch in the library. Jordan sits beside him, and Vinaya sits on an armchair across, angrily sipping tea. They share a look between themselves. "Were you hurt?" Jordan asks immediately. "All self-inflicted," Nicholas admits with a sigh and slowly turns his wrist where Lambros did give in and heal him. "Who was the first kidnapper?" Vinaya demands instead. "What did they want?" Nicholas groans loudly. "This - okay, so time travel but the extreme sport version." He suddenly jerks upright, a wide grin splitting his face. "I have a son and he''s adorable!" Vinaya shatters the teacup in her hand. "Not like that," Nicholas swiftly corrects. "In the future I have a son, who was made when I am an adult, with someone I love and not a strange time traveller - who I should mention is a man and not capable of having babies." "Sweetheart, you need to explain things better." Vinaya brushes off shards of porcelain from her sari onto the ground and Jordan leans over to vanish the spilled liquid with a wave of his hand, the power flowing down from his gold armcuff. "So who was the man?" Jordan insists. ¡°What time magic did he use?¡± Nicholas pauses because he can''t say Stavros - his parents might not like Stavros any longer if they knew. "It...was a man who came back by accident but he was trying to protect me when he¡­killed Adam, so it wasn¡¯t a dangerous-" "Was it Stavros?" Jordan deadpans. "How did you know?!" "Who else would it be?" Jordan cries. "You said time travel, protecting you, and the man apparently told you stories about an adorable son. It was either Stavros or Rafael." Nicholas hunches forward, face in his hands as he props up elbows on his thighs. "Okay, so let me explain because I think it needs an explanation." "You said protecting you, so was Stavros trying to help but took it too far?" Vinaya guesses. "Maybe Adam was involved with something in the future that hurt you." Nicholas looks up. "Alright, I don''t need to explain." "Are you¡­" Jordan trails off. "Are you okay, with that older Stavros?" "I believe Lambros is¡­telling the truth, but Adam didn''t do anything yet," Nicholas says seriously. "And I hate Lambros for that, for taking those years where Adam was still my friend." "Do you want to tell us the story?" Vinaya offers. "Forewarned is forearmed, and all that." Nicholas nods. "Yeah, I¡­yeah..." "...You weren''t listening." "I was listening to the important parts," Nicholas retorts sharply, straightening up. "About my baby son who is a duelling prodigy, I might add." Jordan stands. "I''m going to go get a memory catcher." "Bring more tea as well," Vinaya says with an eyeroll. "This will take a while." 10. Luca Nicholas can''t say much in a letter but repeatedly assures Stavros and Rafael that he''s fine and tells them it''s better not to meet (because Nicholas will a hundred percent follow Hearth and it''ll be Lambros instead). Says he''ll talk properly with them when he gets back to school. He gets twelve more letters back, one after the other in rapid succession. Most of it is just scraps of paper cussing him out for being a trouble magnet and ''if the high mage hurt you, I''ll take his hair off with a fireball'' or ''I''m going to handcuff myself to you'' and a particularly threatening ''Thoth is upset''. Nicholas replies with more assurances and after they learn his wand is gone, Stavros sends his own wand, which Nicholas sends back because no, Stavros can''t just use Rafael¡¯s wand during class - that''s not how it works. Apprentice wands are personally made like every focus. It''s just back and forth for hours, a stream of carrier pigeons dive-bombing Nicholas'' window with a stream of conscious letters ¨C most of them half a sentence followed by the end half in a follow-up letter and it''s an absolute headache trying to piece it all together. It could be so much faster if they sent it through the letterbox Nicholas left in the dorm - it connects directly to the one in his mum''s office- but that wouldn''t be homing specifically in on Nicholas, and they seem to need the reassurance that they know where he is. They could have also tweaked the spell they have in the works, the ink paintings, so they can ''see'' each other - but they can¡¯t concentrate on spellcrafting when Nicholas still isn¡¯t physically present in front of them. Nicholas sighs, fondly exasperated. And then Rafael and Stavros start sending a letter each and complain when Nicholas doesn''t reply to every single letter ¨C even the one with a shitty drawing of an angrily frowning Hearth. Apparently one of the letters was even a port ritual circle to take him to the island and was screened out by the mail wards around Ayad Manor. Nicholas understands that they''re freaking out and want to make sure Nicholas is okay and not being spirited away again but they can''t keep this up for however long it takes for Nicholas to go back to school. Nicholas calms them down eventually (after three straight hours of this chaos). Nicholas finally sends off the very last pigeon who looks particularly disgruntled, with rumpled feathers like Stavros definitely yeeted it off a tower trying to make it go faster. Nicholas sighs heavily but there''s a smile on his face as he closes the window. He looks down, just a glance, and catches sight of someone hiding in the wild and overgrown garden ringing the large property, tucked between six-pointed flower bushes and flat-topped trees. Someone young, clothes dirtied and torn, bloodied¡­ The man -boy- peeks out towards the first storey and then cautiously stands up. Nicholas'' eyes go wide and he tears his way across the house, sandals loud in the echoing hallways, hands training over smooth sandy walls. He leaps off the stairs halfway down, lands on the cushioning spell built into the wards after his dad gave up trying to make a toddler Nicholas stop jumping down the stairs, and chooses the fastest route by vaulting out of the first floor window. Nicholas blinks, face to face with a boy that looks almost like a mirror. Both of them have thick black hair, the high Ayad nose, soft cheekbones, slimmer bodies and a warm olive skin tone. The other boy is taller though, looks maybe older than Nicholas and has all of his wild hair but with deep black eyes. "Dad?" the boy whispers like he¡¯s too afraid to speak any louder. "Luca?" Nicholas asks slowly. "Oh! Uh, nothing, I just got a bit lost." The other laughs nervously and then stops. "Wait, what did you say?" You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "You''re Luca, right?" Nicholas grabs Luca by the shoulders, smiles blindingly. "I heard about you! I''m your dad." Luca stares. "Uh, yep. Yeah." "Come inside!" Nicholas cheers happily, dragging Luca towards the house. "Come meet dad - I mean your granddad!" Nicholas clambers back through the window, dragging Luca with him, and bursts into the dining room to present the hand he''s holding to his dad. "Look, it''s my long-lost twin!" Jordan stares at first but then puts down his sandwich and stands, moving over to shake Luca¡¯s hand. "Well, you must be the Luca I¡¯ve heard so much about.¡± Vinaya walks past the room, backs up and blinks. ¡°Gods, you''re identical. The Ayad blood is strong in you." Luca has a death grip on Nicholas'' hand, confused. He has no idea what¡¯s happening right now.
After Luca is stuffed with food and sent to have a proper shower to wash off the blood and dirt of that final battle. He gets dressed in Nicholas'' soft clothes, they find him a spare pair of rectangular glasses and use a couple of spells to adjust it to his prescription so he can finally take out his contacts for the first time in days. They end up on the cushy library couches again, Luca shoving himself right up against Nicholas with Vinaya still occasionally cooing in the background. "Your Stavros, an older one at least, he killed Adam," Nicholas is explaining. "No, they just used his magic so the signature came up with a lot of the assassinations, it was actually an anti-mage device," Luca says quickly. Stavros and the other victims got blamed for a lot of deaths, so even after Luca saved them from the lab, many got punished because people didn¡¯t believe the mundanes could make something that stole magic. "Um," Nicholas looks away. "My Adam. My friend, not, the other one." Luca hesitates. "It''s okay," Nicholas says. "I know it''s different for you." "It must have been awful though," Luca says softly. "I - I''m sorry it happened. It shouldn''t have." Luca¡¯s next inhale is stuttered before he can get a grip on himself. "Are you okay?" Jordan asks softly and Nicholas hugs Luca from the side. "Yeah," Luca rasps. "I just, had a long day. And you tell me everything, like I don''t even have to prove myself, and I''ve been so lost before, I just - it''s just a lot." "I met you today and I already love you," Nicholas admits. Luca hugs back tightly. Vinaya barely restrains herself from taking a picture. Luca listens intently as Nicholas goes right onto being kidnapped. There¡¯s a noticeable gap where Nicholas doesn¡¯t say anything about what Luca¡¯s Stavros did during those days and only talks about what Stavros said, mainly about Luca which Nicholas is enthusiastic about ¨C and that makes something in Luca¡¯s chest hurt. It¡¯s clear that Nicholas doesn¡¯t want to talk bad about Stavros to Luca, but Luca knows what kind of person Stavros is. Stavros was probably as nice as possible because the man loves Nicholas so much -Luca knows that for a fact- but Stavros is never really nice. Nicholas also tells Luca a small bit about how Xia grabbed him and why Xia is going to keep taking Nicholas for publicity. Luca''s jaw clenches at that. "Does Xia know I killed him?" "Let''s never talk about that again," Nicholas says calmly. "So how did you get here, Luca? Through a broken Transverse as well? Lambros had a lot to say about how shitty that was." Luca knows, he watched, as Stavros shattered an entire ley line to take out a bunch of Crane Sect disciples that were chasing them and then -not even mentioning how impossible that must have been to set up- apparently got hurled through dimensions and somehow landed in this world still intact. Luca is going to insist for a moment that Nicholas goes into more detail about Xia but pulls back. It probably wasn¡¯t a good time for Nicholas, Luca shouldn¡¯t push. "I came from further in the future than Stavros ¨C than Lambros,¡± Luca corrects. ¡°I¡­came from after Xia killed the last high mage and she self-destructed her own magic to injure him, it was a whole thing." Luca glances between them nervously. ¡°I¡¯m technically dead.¡± "There are stories about second chances,¡± Jordan muses. ¡°Us Ayads walk with death after all, we are often steeped in the reincarnation cycle.¡± "I''ve heard the story, had a talk with the Beast even," Luca admits. Jordan splutters, Vinaya blinks several times and Nicholas makes a high-pitched noise in the back of his throat. ¡°Anyway,¡± Luca says, used to people staring at him in utter disbelief and a shocked sort of horror. "At the end, Stavros didn''t know this, but Xia had something that acted like a battery to power his soul sweeper spell-" "Don''t!" Vinaya says quickly. "Don''t, not while he''s so focused on honey here. Sweetie, how good is your mind arts? We¡¯ll have to make sure your memories are protected." "Pretty awful," Luca admits straight up, shyly pushing up his glasses the same way Nicholas does, with the knuckle of a finger to the bottom of the frame. "I can teach you!" Nicholas says excitedly. "I''m a great teacher, I''m great at everything. Ever. A super cool dad¡­" Nicholas and Luca smile stupidly at each other for way too long and Jordan needs to leave the room otherwise he''s going to crack up laughing. "Dear?" Vinaya reminds them. Luca jolts. "Yes! I ¨C sure. I''m pretty bad at it, but I''d love to learn. Anything. From you. Dad." Nicholas clutches at his chest and struggles to breathe through all the love. 11. Ayad Manor Nicholas wakes up the next morning and wonders why there''s a mirror in his bed and were his eyes always so dark ¨C oh wait a second. Luca was given his own room last night but he followed Nicholas straight to his bed and Nicholas shrugged it off. It''s super cute how clingy Luca is. Luca blinks back at Nicholas from the other side of the large bed and also seems to be having problems because he holds up a hand and sort of pauses, as if confused why Nicholas'' hand isn''t coming up. "That''s going to take a while to get used to," Nicholas muses, patting around the side table for his glasses. Luca startles. "Oh, I thought I was dead." "I was thinking mirror but dead is fine too," Nicholas offers up.
"-and this is where I hide Stavros when his family storms in trying to drag him back," Nicholas introduces, gesturing at the room under the stairs because he''s getting side-tracked very easily while giving Luca a tour. "He''s a bit too big now but I can cram him in there when it counts." Luca is leaning over, hands on his knees to peer inside, past various miscellaneous items that have been tossed in there. He¡¯s still wearing the spare glasses, but Vinaya put in an order for contacts. "Now that I think about it, my hiding space was pretty big." "How many Stavros'' could you fit in your one?" Nicholas jokes. "Three Hearth''s lengthwise and two crouching Stavros'' for the width," Luca muses. "Adult versions, I mean, I don''t actually know how big he is now." "He''s about a Rafael minus one thumb tall," Nicholas explains. ¡°A vertical thumb, to clarify.¡± "Okay great, and what''s the height difference between young and old Rafael?" ¡°Dunno, probably a glass. Like a full glass.¡±
Nicholas opens the bathroom door after a shower, dressed in comfy yellow pyjamas with his hair still dripping, and sees Luca already making himself comfortable in Nicholas'' bed. "You''re back." Luca looks up, holding a pillow. "Yeah?" "Do you not like your bed?" Nicholas asks in confusion, squinting through foggy glasses. "You can pick another room if you want." Luca looks around. "Oh. No, I was just¡­I was going to my room. In a little bit." Nicholas shrugs and takes a running jump onto the bed. "Hey, did I tell you the time when we tried to see if unicorns could swim? I''ll tell you now, it did not go to plan - entirely Thoth¡¯s fault for not cooperating."
¡°I had two adopted parents,¡± Luca says to Vinaya as Nicholas is getting dressed upstairs. ¡°They were mundane but volunteered to help hide me from Xia. Mum was incredible. Ma was¡­nice, I suppose.¡± Vinaya purses her lips. ¡°She had her reasons,¡± Luca admits quietly. ¡°Hiding me was a lot of pressure. We moved a lot, they spent a lot of money because of the block on my magic, it had to be renewed every so often.¡± ¡°They blocked it?¡± Vinaya asks, eyes fierce. ¡°This is your birthright, love. Your culture, your very soul.¡± ¡°They had their reasons,¡± Luca repeats and unfortunately sounds like he believes it.
"You can call me dad, by the way," Nicholas tells Luca over lunch because it sounds great coming from his adorable son. Jordan hums. "I don''t think that''s a good habit to get into considering Luca is older than you." "People will think it''s a joke," Nicholas scoffs. "For like a month I got Stavros to call me dadd-hrmmmmm¡­" The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Yes, muffin?" Vinaya says with a raised eyebrow. "Nothing," Nicholas says earnestly, peering at her with wide brown doe eyes. "Great food, mum." Nicholas elbows Luca and Luca peers at Vinaya with wide black doe eyes. "Great food, grandma." Vinaya lets that one slide because Luca is very sweet and so uncorrupted - unlike Nicholas.
After exhausting all the places to show Luca around the giant manor, they head outside. As they pass by, Nicholas pats the giant truck of a crocodile lying by the side of the biggest pond they have and it follows their path with its eyes as big as Nicholas¡¯ torso. ¡°These guys are cool,¡± Nicholas dismisses. ¡°I mean don¡¯t jump in its mouth or anything but yeah, you can ride one if you ask nicely.¡± Over a large sprawl of sand to soften a fall is a Loops course. The game is played on massive, twisting Mobius strips hovering ten meters in the air, slowly rotating in every way possible around a central axis. This is only a small game, with two rings, so it can only fit two on each team. The citadel plays on seven rings, so fourteen players total. The course was made to help people practice for duels because the first thing that happens during a mage duel is to move the surroundings to give yourself the advantage. Cover to hide behind, a higher slope, and it¡¯s constantly shifting throughout the entire duel. Loops mimics the changing nature and eventually became so popular as a field that it became a sports game. Nicholas wants to play against Luca because they¡¯re both on the school team for InCore. It¡¯s one ball per team but since only the two of them are playing they stick with one ball and Nicholas tosses it at Luca. They help each other up with levitation spells and stick to the gravity of the rings, running around to figure out their placements. Luca ends up clutching the dense rubber ball on the base of one loop. Nicholas stays upside down at the top of the second, looking up at Luca. ¡°Are we counting to three?¡± Luca asks. ¡°Three!¡± Nicholas cheers and launches himself up, jumping high and tucking his legs in so the gravity loses its grip on him and he plummets down through the rings, backflipping so he can hit the wide strip on his feet and immediately falls into a roll to absorb the impact. Luca is already sprinting up the ring towards the first brightly lit goal. The loops rotate slowly, both along their circumferences, and around each other on a central axis, plus the flat rings twist as well. The make-shift sphere is a headache to try and keep track of everything, so the best plan is to just focus on the goals, which are bright round spots that appear on the loops The goals move every time they¡¯re hit, a few appearing at once. Not just every time the ball hits them, but also when a player does so you can move the goal or guard it depending on the kind of playstyle. Luca pulls back an arm to throw the ball at the goal but Nicholas¡¯ shoe comes flying overhead and hit it instead, the bright spot vanishing and appearing across the Loops course. ¡°Pretty sure that¡¯s illegal!¡± Luca calls, tucking the ball back under an arm and leaping across to the other ring that¡¯s slowly shifting away. ¡°House rules!¡± Nicholas and Luca are both the kind of players who refuse to use tactics and just go for it. Luca doesn¡¯t want to tackle or shove Nicholas off the rings so they¡¯re jumping from loop to loop, sprinting after each other on twisting paths and getting rebounds from goals. It¡¯s 10 points per goal and officially the game stops when both balls hit the same goal simultaneously. They only get to 40-50 because Nicholas has a bad habit of jumping into free fall and hurling the ball halfway down before then figuring out how to land, so Luca calls the game to an end before he gets an anxiety attack about his dad dying again. They end up eating donuts huddled together on the rooftop with a blanket wrapped around their shoulders and fall asleep up there, Luca''s cheek mushed against Nicholas'' shoulder and Nicholas leaning on Luca''s head, both their glasses pushed askew, chocolate smeared at the corners of their mouths. Jordan has to levitate them down to get them into their beds for the night.
¡°How did you like the floating island?¡± Jordan asks, passing along a cup of hot chocolate he made from scratch to Luca while Nicholas is out helping his mum with grocery shopping. ¡°It was¡­¡± Luca trails off with a shrug. ¡°Big. Magical. I met my best friend there.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like you enjoyed it though?¡± Jordan muses. ¡°Nicky told us about what the older Stavros said, so I suppose this is third-hand accounts now but it seemed like you had fun times.¡± Luca nods with a wooden smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, I just want to know more about you,¡± Jordan admits. ¡°And, if there¡¯s anything we can change, you just let me know. Ayads might not have the most power but we are respected.¡± Luca takes a sip so he can think a bit longer. ¡°I only told Stavros about the good things. He was going through a lot, trapped in¡­well, he already hated missing so much of my life. I didn¡¯t want to make it worse.¡± He shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t like to linger on the bad anyway.¡± ¡°Tell me about the good then,¡± Jordan suggests. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you some of my stories too. Honestly, Vinaya in school? Absolute horror, Nicholas gets it from her.¡± Luca laughs. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯d she do?¡±
Nicholas stands from the couch and so does Luca. Nicholas picks up his glass of water from the other side of the coffee table, just too far from him to reach without getting up, and sits down again. Luca also sits down, reassured that Nicholas isn''t leaving the room. "You good?" Nicholas asks, amused. "I was stretching," Luca says, trying for casual and failing. 12. under the floorboards Nicholas is screaming as they dive straight down, clinging to Luca''s waist on the backseat of the racing broomstick. Vinaya is out on the lawn sipping tea and reading the paper, absolutely unconcerned because Nicholas has been screaming for a while now and no one has yet to die so she''s pretty sure Luca knows how to fly a broom. It''s a bit difficult with a screaming passenger but Luca manages to successfully demonstrate a Dendro Rush, which has yet to be invented so Nicholas thinks they''re dying. Luca pulls up at the last moment, their feet just barely skimming the grass because Luca corrected for the added weight but not for the old-style broom he''s using. "And that''s it," Luca explains calmly, doing a lazy circle back around. "Not complicated but it needs a lot of practice to not crash." Nicholas is panting, both from the massive adrenalin rush and from screaming so much. "Let''s do that again, but from higher." "How high?" Luca asks, starting an ascent. "As high as you damn well can, Luca, I want to feel my soul leaving my body."
Nicholas and Luca are lying on the floorboards of the trick hallway they can only get to by taking four right turns to complete a circle, on their stomachs with their ears pressed to the ground. "Can you hear it?" Nicholas whispers. "The heartbeat?" Luca says, voice just as quiet, feeling the warmth through the floor. "Yeah, it''s the body of the Ayad Family Magic, just underneath here." Nicholas closes his eyes and focuses. "We power it, and it powers us. Protection when we''re younger, an extra boost when we gain control of it." "How strong is it?" Luca asks, a contemplative look on his face. "It was fed for over a millennia on the Ayad line ¨C and further back, from when we didn''t have a last name. It''s more than strong enough for whatever you need. I think mum and dad want to hook you up to it too, but I''m not sure if it will recognise you considering the time travel." "Can it¡­" Luca pauses. "Can it block curses? Soul curses?" "What?" Nicholas blurts out, eyes snapping open. He laughs. "Soul - no fucking way. I mean - well, it''d take a lot of power for that. Like sacrificial power, if it drained me or something it''d block anything for mum and dad. Blood curses, a goblin army, nothing would get through it. You could fall into a volcano and get right back out." "So, theoretically," Luca begins. "If, say, your mum and dad offered themselves¡­" "I''d be the strongest mage alive," Nicholas states. "For all of ten minutes, but I could take on the entire high mage council, no problem." ¡°Oh,¡± Luca says slowly and it seems like things are clicking into place for him. ¡°Because there were a few times when things just kind of¡­got a little bit out of hand for me and I think I know what it is now.¡± ¡°It should protect you if that¡¯s what you mean,¡± Nicholas explains. ¡°You¡¯re Ayad after all.¡± Luca smiles. ¡°Yeah, Ayad. Are all Family Magics like that?" "No, the Ayad line feeds it magic and it builds for a rainy day scenario, but if you''re Lambros you get a permanent magical boost after a ritual even if it isn''t nearly as ridiculously strong." Nicholas furrows his brow, thinking. "Hm, there are families that receive lesser Seer gifts, one that doesn¡¯t need a focus to use magic, and I think there was a bloodline with weather magic." Nicholas shrugs. "All sorts of stuff, but unless you want to brag, it''s kinda private ¨C some families gain it through birth but others need rituals and it gets pretty gory." "And yours?" "Ours, Luca. Ours." "Ours," Luca corrects and smiles a little bit. Nicholas knocks on the wood. "You go down, under the floorboards, and you sleep down there in the heart, for days, weeks, years maybe. When you''re in the heart, you walk with death ¨C you don''t age, you don''t dream." "You don''t know how long it''ll take?" Luca asks worriedly. "How many times do you have to do that?" Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "You do it as many times and for however long as it wants you to," Nicholas admits. "That''s the price for being able to cheat fate, for storing so much magic it takes on a mind of its own. It''s a parasite, or a home-grown elder god."
¡°I actually started at the school when I was fifteen,¡± Luca admits, strolling across the grassy fields around the manor, arm in arm with Vinaya. Nicholas runs around in the distance using an ancestor¡¯s staff focus to cast cutting spells and mow down particularly overgrown areas because he still doesn¡¯t have his wand and making a new one takes forever. Nicholas already sent off an angry letter (with an angry pigeon) to find older Stavros and demand his focus back. ¡°You mentioned your magic was suppressed. Is that when the block came off you?¡± Vinaya asks. ¡°It¡¯s when the magical world caught up with me and I had to break it myself,¡± Luca says. ¡°I transferred in halfway through the year, had no idea what I was doing. But there was a boy who transferred with me and helped a lot. Learned more from him than I did the teachers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°Turns out he was a magic-filled grimoire that belonged to Haochen Xia.¡± ¡°Well in that case,¡± Vinaya muses. ¡°Did you burn him?¡± ¡°Ripped the soul right out of his book,¡± Luca sighs. ¡°He was an asshole. A great friend.¡±
Luca watches on nervously as his new grandfather does a basic check-up on Nicholas. Jordan tries to reassure him by explaining what¡¯s happening and that nothing has gone wrong, it¡¯s just maintenance. Jordan has apparently been doing it since Nicholas finally confessed he was using Dark magic. This came two minutes after confessing Rafael was a werewolf and could Nicholas pretty please put him in the backyard for the winter holidays? Thoth won¡¯t be much trouble as long as he has his toys. Nicholas was thirteen then and while Jordan and Vinaya are fine with it now, they were understandably more than just concerned. Partly about the werewolf thing, mostly about Nicholas potentially just dropping dead because he was messing with magics that were not meant to be used. Normal magic is an easy flow, constantly. It''s not throwing the power, it''s opening a hand and letting it flutter away on its own. Dark magic is so called because it''s heavy; on the soul, on the emotions, on the magic. It''s wading upstream, it actually takes effort to go against the natural flow of magic. A perversion of nature. It''s not difficult though, just takes some creative loopholes. For a normal NatCom to wildshape, they need to perform a ritual each time with the body part of an animal they want to turn into. Rafael tweaked it so the form was based off an InCore human transfiguration spell which was restricted to one animal but much more stable. Stavros pieced together a ritual to call upon the magic form but not the true nature of NatCom wildshaping. Nicholas experimented with a potion to ease the way into the transition state. Adam was the one who found them the ingredients and ran interference when others got too close during tests. They were hoping to invent a new InCore spell but the thing they ended up with was artificial. It was Dark magic. They were so close they couldn¡¯t stop. Jordan keeps track of the boys religiously though, did it once a week at first but now it¡¯s dropped down to just holidays or any big bursts of Dark magic ¨C because no, Nicholas wasn¡¯t going to stop keeping Thoth company unless they could give him a reason to. Ayad are an old family, and Vinaya¡¯s heritage line as well, they were raised on respect and to be humble in front of the force of nature that is magic. To use Dark spells is to spit on what you were given, it is arrogance to not restrain yourself to one track. But just from Jordan¡¯s tests, it might leave a bit of residue so normal magic is also a bit harder, but that clears up on its own. If someone uses a lot of Dark magic though, it seems to get easier. It used to take half an hour of meditation for Nicholas to turn into Rito, now it''s a split second of thought, instinctive even, faster than normal InCore spells. Jordan is now mostly testing out of curiosity and he explains this all to Luca as the diagnostic spells keep coming back with printouts that he checks over and neatly organises in folders. Luca hasn¡¯t really interacted with Dark magic personally. He knows it¡¯s wrong and hated and all the Dark mages he¡¯s encountered are monsters¡­but Nicholas tells him he¡¯s been using far more than wildshape. They made dozens of spells and rituals mainly for Rafael but some just to have a good time. If Nicholas is a Dark mage then Luca needs to look into it more because he¡¯s only heard stories of them going mad from the weight of it all.
Nicholas pauses in the doorway, half out of the living room, and turns back to Luca. "Um, I''m going to the bathroom." "Okay," Luca says. They go to the bathroom together and Nicholas stops at the door. "You can go first." "I don''t need to go." "So you¡­just want to wait outside for me?" Nicholas asks hesitantly. Luca looks away and then looks back. "Is that¡­okay?" Luca tilts his head and his hair flops with the motion. Nicholas resolves to tilt his head more because it looks super cute on Luca and they basically have the same hair. "It''s cool," Nicholas reassures. "But you just follow me a lot. Everywhere. And you sneak into my room at night to check in on me." "You were awake?" Luca cries in shock. "There''s a spell that tallies who comes in ¨C dad tries to secretly curate my wardrobe and I''m not into that," Nicholas explains. "And I get that you''re in a new timeline and everything is confusing but also maybe you need to talk it out and calm down?" "I can stop," Luca says quickly. "Sorry. I can¡­stop." "Do you want to tell me why you''re so¡­" Nicholas trails off. "Paranoid? Because when I leave the room you''re in, you get a little bit distressed." Luca purses his lips. "Just - new place. You know." "You can start sleeping in my room again if you want," Nicholas says simply. "I mean, I don''t know if that would make your...thing worse though?" Luca does a weird three-step shuffle. "I think it would help." "Sure, anything else?" Luca looks away, looks back. "We should hold hands." "Alright." Nicholas takes a step into the bathroom. "I''m gonna use the restroom and then we can hold hands for the rest of the day." Luca smiles brightly even though he tries to suppress it. "So you don''t have to listen at the door like you usually do," Nicholas continues. The smile drops off Luca''s face. "I-! You ¨C know about. It''s not ¨C weird ¨C not in a weird way." Nicholas slowly backs into the room and shuts the door. "Nicholas!" Luca cries. "Nicholas - dad, I promise, not in a weird way." 13. earn it It''s been a full two weeks since being kidnapped by Lambros and Nicholas finally has the conversation with his parents about going back to the floating island even though they''re both quite pointedly not bringing it up. "It''s School Certificate exams soon," Nicholas insists, flopped over the couch arm to paw at Vinaya''s book with the hopes of annoying her into throwing him out. "I am not repeating a year." Nicholas is also quite frankly in desperate need of being with his friends, getting distracted by dumb things and reminding himself he¡¯s in full control of his life even if that is just in school playing a game of Loops. Vinaya, unable to read from Nicholas batting at the pages, is still pretending to read anyway. Jordan is playing a game of chess with Luca, sitting on the three-seater couch opposite Nicholas, both of them staying out of it. "Mum," Nicholas says. "Ma. Maata. Muuuuum." Vinaya snaps the book shut, almost catching Nicholas'' fingers in it. "Isn''t the Loops final being played in two days?" Vinaya narrows her eyes. "You want to go back just so you can play, completely ignoring the fact that you were kidnapped from the property -after a first attempt- and High Mage Xia is still watching you. What, none of that matters?" "I got kidnapped because Lambros cheated," Nicholas whines. "I won''t fall for that again ¨C and you know the citadel has wards to keep people with killing intent out-" Luca chokes on an inhale and starts coughing, incredulous. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen these mystical protective wards work.¡± "-so really he''s not a problem," Nicholas continues, louder now over Luca. "And Rafael will protect me anyway." "Just because he''s a werewolf doesn''t mean he can take on everyone you piss off," Vinaya criticises. "But then what''s the point in being a werewolf?" Nicholas says like that''s a good argument. "There is no point in ¨C that''s not how it-" Vinaya sighs. Nicholas switches tracks, turning to Luca. He¡¯s adamant he¡¯ll convince them without having to admit there¡¯s a problem here so he plays it up a bit. "Have you finished school? You should come to the citadel with me!" "I didn''t finish year twelve," Luca admits. Nicholas gasps, flailing his hands in genuine delight. "We can do Loops together! Oh, and explore the island and-and we can-!" Nicholas gets himself so excited he can''t talk properly. Luca gets such a warm, intense feeling in his chest it actually hurts. "Yes! Yeah, we can¡­" Luca trails off and grimaces. "Ah, actually I have something I should do. I''ll be super fast though ¨C I know where they all are." Nicholas blinks. "Okay? Need any help collecting¡­things?" "I''ve done it once, shouldn''t be too hard," Luca reassures him and doesn¡¯t say anything more on the matter. Nicholas switches back. "Mum-" "Ask your father." "Dad-" "Ask your mother," Jordan says, throwing it straight back. "Mum-" "Ask Luca." Nicholas sits up, satisfied. Luca stares very intently at the chess set and says nothing. "Luca?" Nicholas asks. "Where''s my enthusiastic hell yes?" He pauses, with mounting horror. "You''re on their side!" "I just think, that with Xia," Luca begins. "Lucaaaaa," Nicholas wheedles, flopping over the other side of the couch to get closer. "Come on, you can''t honestly expect me to just skip the Loops finals.¡± There are rumours about Nicholas getting captain and while he doesn¡¯t actually care, now it¡¯d be insulting if he didn¡¯t get picked. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Loops or Haochen Xia," Luca says and lifts both hands, measuring them up like weight scales. "Loops!" Nicholas cries and shoves the Loops hand down. "Okay, maybe I''m being unfair and slightly hypocritical," Luca allows. "But I think, because Xia has killed you once before, that he''s perhaps more of a threat." "He didn''t kill me, he killed other me," Nicholas tries. "Luca, don''t you love me?" Luca takes a blow straight to the heart. "Stay strong, darling," Vinaya whispers. "It gets worse." Nicholas pouts and blinks his big chocolate eyes, crocodile tears forming.
So Nicholas takes the Transverse network back to the floating island in time for the Loops game ¨C along with his parents and Luca as guards to satisfy them even if it is just for the day. They head over to the seating towers surrounding the massive Loops course while Nicholas sprints up to the InCore tower to get his stuff and pauses, realising there''s a bed missing. They removed Adam''s bed. Stavros bursts through the door, panting. "Nicholas, I - I didn''t know you were coming back, I would have¡­warned you." Nicholas stares at the empty space for a long moment and then turns to Stavros with a smile. "It''s okay."
Nicholas dives off the middle of a Mobius strip, a RitCast¡¯s hands grasping at his feet as he sails over the other boy and falls, landing with a roll on another ring, popping back to his feet and swerving to the side at the last possible second, hooking the ball around a defence¡¯s outstretched hand. It hits, the bright goal blinking out and reappearing on the base of the seventh ring. He dodges around another InCore striker on the precariously narrow strip, just in time to screen the RitCast flanker so Stavros can fall past and flying kick another RitCast right off the rings where she falls onto the sandy ground below, taking the second ball out of play with her. Nicholas hi-fives Stavros with a mad laugh as they pass by each other on different loops, Nicholas sprinting up the ring to the top. Stavros turns to watch him go, a worried frown on his face. Nicholas is fine. Nicholas is perfectly in control, precisely aware of his very quickly deteriorating mental state, and doesn''t give a fuck because he''s been through so much shit that he needs this. He needs a win. Three nice days with Luca, pretending everything is okay, isn''t enough. Lambros is still running around and who know what he''s going to do with Luca here now, fucking Haochen Xia wants to play house, and they moved Adam''s bed. Nicholas needs to have something good otherwise he''s just going to fucking lie down and never get up again. RitCast are trying desperately to end the game by hitting a goal with both balls at the same time but Nicholas isn¡¯t done yet. If he can still stand, he can still play and everyone has to play with him. He scores again, and again, and again and he has both RitCast flankers on him at all times trying to shove him off the loops, now with the strikers trying to crowd him out too. Nicholas gets shouldered right in the sternum and hurled off the rings with a scream of rage, freefalling for only a brief second until Stavros tackles him mid-air from the side and both of them land with a mess of limbs and scrambling hands onto the middle of a ring, Nicholas still holding a ball to his side. Nicholas snarls and shoves himself off Stavros, diving off into the open air between all the loops, bouncing the ball off a RitCast player with enough force to throw the guy to another ring, and catches the rebound. Nicholas flips through the air and throws the ball so hard the RitCast defence¡¯s hand is blown back when she tries to catch it and Nicholas scores, landing on the bottom of a ring and running right back up. And he doesn''t stop. Not once, not when the teams switch out for reserve players because the front bench just can''t keep going this long, not when InCore gets 300 points ahead of RitCast only to streak straight past. Nicholas only stops to watch two RitCast strikers throw their balls at the same goal to end the game because he''s laughing so hard he can''t breathe, head thrown back, so exhausted he''s lightheaded. A normal school Loops game is made of seven rings and fourteen players, lasting forty minutes but this one lasted three whole hours because Nicholas refused to let it end. RitCast ends the game, not because they¡¯re ahead but because they give up. InCore wins by 580 points. Of the total 930 points, Nicholas scored 780 of them. Nicholas alone could have won the game and everyone here fucking knows it. Nicholas is standing on the top of a ring, not upside down but on the outside of the Mobius strip, on top of the entire sphere of rotating rings as he throws out his arms, roars into the tall stands filled with audience on all levels and they scream back, damn near hysterical. The audience is gripping the edge of the stands and surging back and forth, the seating towers are swaying from the force, they''re chanting his name, screaming it, so loud the people still in the citadel can hear it. Nicholas sits up on his throne, thirty meters in the air, basking in the roar of a worshipping crowd. Even the RitCast students are cheering for him because they can''t stop themselves. Fuck Lambros and fuck Haochen, this is Nicholas'' citadel. These are his people, screaming his name because he fucking deserves it, shaking apart the stands in their manic energy. And Nicholas wants more. He demands more. He is owed it. "Come on!" Nicholas yells, his voice hoarse, not that anyone can possibly hear over the cheering. "Show me how much you love me!" Margaret, the InCore captain, jogs up the outside of another Mobius strip spinning to meet Nicholas¡¯ and leans in close to be heard over the screaming, a grin splitting her face. "I was going to wait but fuck it - congratulations on making team captain for next year!" And Nicholas almost laughs himself off the rings. 14. explanations Luca stuffs the foldable mirror into his pocket and jogs down the road from the Ayad Manor, looks both ways before hustling across the street, ducking past the empty park and into the trees at the back where he''s promptly crash tackled to the ground by a red fox. "Hearth!" Luca cries happily, hands slipping from shaggy fur when older Stavros changes back and they go rolling around laughing. "I ¨C this is so ¨C what fucking luck, Luca!" Stavros laughs, bouncing back up and doing a little happy circle. "What luck!" "Well I did ask where you went when I met The Beast." Luca just stays lying on the grass, a dopey smile on his face. "This-" Luca holds up his hands. "This is incredible." His hands fall back down and he sighs contently. "How is it?" Stavros asks excitedly, flopping down cross-legged. "Here, I mean." Luca grins wide, can''t even stop himself as he sits up. "It''s great, I ¨C they''re so nice and Nicholas ¨C dad is¡­everything. He''s - there''s nothing I don''t like." "Don''t worry, you''ll find something." "No, but even when he whines it''s so cute. I-I don''t know what''s wrong with me. I look at him and I just get so happy." "I was like that too once," Stavros sighs exaggeratedly. "You''re in the honeymoon phase, Luca. Just wait until he starts really pissing you off." Luca puts his hands on his cheeks, hunching forward. "Is this what having a dad is like?" "I can guarantee you that''s a no." "If anyone hurts Nicholas I''ll kill everyone," Luca says seriously. "Okay, wow, you¡­yep, alright." Stavros puts his hands on Luca''s shoulders and pushes him back up. "Slow down, kiddo, give it a few days." "What''s wrong with me?" Luca whispers. "You just got out of something really stressful and with not many people backing you up,¡± Stavros explains, eyes knowing. ¡°Nicholas is soft and loving and¡­all he wants is you to just be with him. You overreached love and went straight into obsession. It''s okay, you only need to reel it back in, he¡¯s not going anywhere." "This is like when you broke the ley line and I couldn¡¯t find you, but Nicholas isn''t even hurt, I don''t understand." "Take some deep breaths," Stavros says calmly, practised because he also tends to go straight off the rails. "Won''t take long before you realise Nicky is a little brat." "He''s perfectly fine," Luca argues automatically because how dare anyone say bad things about his dad. He only now notices Stavros¡¯ blond curls are in a bun with a wand stuck through it and Luca knows Stavros¡¯ focus is a ring, he shouldn¡¯t have a wand. "I mean, well, you did kill his friend. In front of him." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "I was-" Stavros pauses and leans back. "Okay, I just fell out of the ley line and escaped the magpol that came to check the discrepancy, and then it¡­happened." "It happened," Luca echoes. "Did the kidnapping just happen too?" "I''ve kidnapped Nicholas tons of times," Stavros scoffs. "Both with him willing and unwilling, for a variety of reasons. One time I stuffed him in my luggage to take him home from school with me. It''s never been a problem before." Luca scrubs a hand down his face. "I want to be upset with you but I kind of get it. Is that bad?" "I admit I was a little bit too early with it." Stavros slumps forward, elbows on his thighs. "And sorry for losing your dad to Xia." Luca gasps, slapping Stavros on the arm a few times. "Xia dropped Nicholas off and his reason for the whole thing was because he needed a heritage heir to show off to the people he''s recruiting. And he''s just going to keep doing it as long as it gets him good publicity." This isn¡¯t coming out of left field either. Xia has always had an interest in heritage and their magic. Most of his reign of terror was caused by him slaughtering families and taking the souls of the heirs so he could get access to their Family Magics. Even if Xia was genuinely after good publicity to get the public on his side, he now has one of the oldest bloodlines in history in the form of Nicholas. Xia has been hunting down Luca for years now to get his magic, but in this timeline Xia already has the heir. There¡¯s no way this can end well. Stavros throws his arms out. "Another situation in which kidnapping Nicholas works! Go back to the house and lure him out, I''ll hit him from behind." "He''s gone back to the citadel, I forgot to tell you on the mirror," Luca admits. "Which is actually great, while we find and destroy all the parts Xia used for his soul sweeper and then kill the high mage - again." "The what sweeper?" Luca grimaces. "Oh, right. I''m actually nineteen. You¡¯ve¡­been gone for a while from my perspective." Stavros looks Luca up and down. "You didn''t grow much. Wait, you didn''t come through the broken ley line too?" "No, I died later," Luca admits. "Anyway, that''s not important, we need to kill Xia and I know how to do it." Stavros blinks rapidly for a moment. "Alright, no. Let''s backtrack for a moment."
Nicholas wakes up the next day in Rafael¡¯s dorm room bed, aching all over and knows it''s only going to get worse tomorrow. He pats around with a limp arm and shoves the bed curtains on his left open, cutting out the silencing charm to chatter. "-looked like Nicholas. Almost jumped him from behind when he was walking back to the Transverse gate with Nicholas'' parents," Stavros is saying, from his own bed so directly downward from where Nicholas is lying. Nicholas struggles up and the bed creaks, making the two go silent. "Oh, sorry, was this a private conversation?" Nicholas scoffs as he sits up against the headboard with a lot of struggle. The curtains on the right side are pulled open and Stavros sits on the bed with a smirk. "Good morning, superstar. Keep playing like that and you''ll get scouted." "Never again," Nicholas sighs and then grins. "So now you''ve met my son. Isn''t he the greatest?" "Son?" Rafael asks slowly, still sitting on the edge of his bed. "Oh, yeah, from like lo~ong in the future. His name is Luca, and did I tell you how incredible he is?" Nicholas smirks. "The mum is Mariana, by the way. Childhood sweethearts getting married, can you believe it?¡± ¡°You kissed once when you were thirteen,¡± Stavros scoffs. "Luca is terrifyingly similar to you," Rafael admits. "What incredibly strong genetics." "By the way," Stavros begins, leaning in. "Are we going to talk about what''s happened to you or are you going to keep ignoring us like you did the entire night during the after-game party?" "That depends, have you locked the door?" "Yes, and you don¡¯t have a focus so you can''t unlock it either." Nicholas rolls his eyes. He actually has his great uncle''s apprentice wand, a good enough fit for Nicholas, but it still doesn''t feel right and fighting one-on-two is going to be a nightmare. "Wow, I love how caring and supportive you both are, what great friends." Stavros and Rafael pull out their wands and direct them at Nicholas threateningly because they know he''s stalling. 15. notes Nicholas wasn¡¯t actually told much by either Lambros or Luca. Lambros skimmed over his own troubles and focused mostly on warning Nicholas of the tactics Haochen Xia used and how the high mage could take a soul from someone -magical core and all- to get access to Family Magics. Lambros taught him how Nicholas can counter rituals targeting his soul, specifically the kind of rituals the high mage used. Lambros also explained with incredible detail how to break out Rafael if he did get caught by the creature reform centres. Nicholas now has that memorised and repeats it back to Stavros and Rafael verbatim. All the collars, cages, drugs, the control centre¡­ Rafael starts looking sick and Stavros starts looking angry. It¡¯s not going to happen, Nicholas is certain, because Nicholas is an Ayad and countries would burn before his friends got hurt. He literally had to die and Stavros was put into a coma before someone got their hands on Rafael. Nicholas is utterly, arrogantly confident that Rafael is safe but he¡¯s still going to start his studies on healing in the drugs section and they¡¯re all going to keep a closer eye on the reform centres in case Lambros does something and it goes wrong. But other than the three of them, Lambros didn¡¯t really mention world events. He complained about how utterly useless everyone was and gave a vague timeline on Luca¡¯s troubles with the high mage but that information capped off when Lambros went through the ley line. Luca was even worse. He said the words ¡®high mages¡¯ as in plural and went quiet immediately upon seeing the dawning horror in everyone¡¯s faces. Both of them kept repeating that they were going to deal with it and everything was fine. So an entire four hours later and far too many questions Nicholas couldn¡¯t answer, he trots downstairs after Rafael and Stavros only to be waylaid by Mariana in the common room. "Here," she says and puts a vial in his hand. "For sore muscles. Make sure to eat properly too." Nicholas stares after her as Mariana leaves, a grin slowly splitting his face. He turns to his friends. "Did you see that?" Stavros rolls his eyes. "She thought you were about to pass out last night, so she nearly followed you up to bed," Rafael admits. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a baby!¡± Nicholas cheers, clutching the vial to his chest. "Sure, and before one pops out, you can catch up on homework because it''s SC year and you''re behind," Rafael says idly. Nicholas'' smile drops off his face at the reminder of School Certificate exams. Stavros pats him on the shoulder. "I''ll get your charms and technomancy; Rafael can go after potions and folk. You''ve got the rest." ¡°That¡¯s like nine more!¡± ¡°Have I ever been particularly charitable?¡± Nicholas splutters.
Nicholas gets back to the doom room last -because he stops to pet a fluffy cat familiar wandering in the hall- and dumps off the stack of papers onto his bed, where Rafael and Stavros have already piled up theirs. All three boys stand around the bed and stare at the mountain of assignments and notes in front of them. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Do we really do that much?¡± Stavros asks in confusion. The school has three levels of classes for each subject. For example, a student can have Runes, Advanced Runes, and then an extra Extension Runes that is done as well as advanced classes. Extension is mainly made up of a personal research project that they work on over the year instead of coursework. Ever since electives opened up in year nine last year, the faculty shoved the boys into every extension class possible with their marks, which means an extra nine hours of classes a week and who knows how much homework, where the boys can''t get up to mischief. Because it was against their will, though their parents were happy and ¡®strongly encouraged¡¯ it, the boys cheat off each other or Stavros and Nicholas just won¡¯t do homework unless it¡¯s interesting or a practical. Work smarter, not harder, right? ¡°Help me read through this?¡± Nicholas begs with doe eyes. ¡°You can throw most of it and use copies of mine with just a handwriting charm to change it,¡± Rafael says. ¡°You need to read over the ones that don¡¯t have me or Ross in the class though.¡± They split up at the start of every year, taking each other¡¯s classes so no matter what, they always have at least one other person. But with Adam gone, Nicholas is going to be alone in Extension Transfiguration and Folk Magic. ¡°I can drop down in folk so we¡¯re together,¡± Stavros offers. ¡°I could probably push it and get into transfig extension classes?¡± ¡°No point, exams are too close anyway,¡± Nicholas admits. ¡°Ugh, exams.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Rafael says, shoving the paper out of the way. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±
The boys come stumbling down to the dining hall, mentally exhausted from going through all the notes (Stavros and Rafael also need to play keep-up because they didn¡¯t do shit when Nicholas was gone) and find an open table. The hall is massive, with giant windows that reach the ceiling to show off the view of the lake glittering in the moonlight. Some students take food and run off to eat outside or elsewhere but the hall is generally loud and crowded unless someone throws up a muffling ward. Along one side of the hall is where five large glass paintings hang from the wall, denoting the five magic tracks. The paintings have stylised mages moving in slow motion as they cast magic according to their track, currently only half filled up with colour. Each track point earned adds another drop of colour to the painting, otherwise they stay as clear glass. InCore has the least, as it should be with Nicholas and Stavros to cause trouble. The entire place is filled with round tables and circular bench seats in disarray because students drag them around, banish some, and conjure new ones. Much like the disjointed common rooms, if a bunch of teenagers have access to magic, everything not held down by wards doesn¡¯t last the week. The table they find, a large twelve-seater, is half-filled with younger boys still discussing the menu scrawled on the table. Nicholas slumps over as soon as he takes his seat and Stavros sits backwards to chat with the students at the next table over. Rafael is ordering for all three of them by tapping around on the enchanted menus that will occasionally try to nudge students towards healthier meals by sliding salad options and such under wherever your finger is pointing. ¡°My brain hurts,¡± Nicholas grumbles in his folded arms. ¡°I want ice cream.¡± ¡°You can have it after food. You want tofu stir-fry?¡± Rafael says and pets Nicholas on the head. Nicholas is half-heartedly vegan because of Rito and looks particularly upset when he sees any of his friends (mainly Stavros, definitely on purpose) eating lamb. Sometimes they¡¯ll sneak off to the kitchens to rewrite the shopping list so no one gets lamb at all. ¡°Jalfrezi,¡± Nicholas admits. ¡°Extra spice, I want to cry.¡± Stavros looks over with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t eat spicy.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s my food.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m going to eat it too.¡± ¡°Yeah, but go fuck yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah, but try me, shithead.¡± Rafael orders the food and sits back to wait for the dishes to pop up as Nicholas and Stavros descend into calling each other buttface. Rafael does not tell them a letter finally came back from Adam¡¯s parents. Nicholas had wanted to visit and make sure they were doing well, but with those rumours about the situation happening because someone wanted an heir, Adam¡¯s father seems intent on blaming Nicholas and Stavros for being heritage. It¡¯s probably grief and misunderstanding that¡¯s struck Adam¡¯s parents so hard. Rafael doesn¡¯t particularly care, not after reading that letter, not after tearing it to shreds and burning it in his anger. He¡¯ll just have to tell Stavros and Nicholas the letter said something else. 16. Famure Classrooms differ depending on the teacher, from an open floor with no tables like in duelling classes to musty, incense-smelling beanbags clustered together like in divination, or even massive auditoriums for year-wide classes like history. Advanced Transfiguration and Transmutation is Nicholas¡¯ favourite class because he¡¯s so good at it and the teacher praises him so much. The extension class is less fun because he doesn¡¯t have Rafael or Stavros in it. The tables in the advanced classroom are set up in long rows that drop down in steps with an aisle staircase on either side. InCore also has the advanced class this year with Familiar Nurture track students, so that means lots of Famure with their cute animals running around ¨C that Nicholas can snatch. The teacher is droning on about something that Nicholas learned from tutors when he was nine so instead of listening he¡¯s wiggling his fingers at a passing hamster who¡¯s jiggling down the row of tables, nosing at people¡¯s books, getting one-fingered pets. There¡¯s already a giant rat on Nicholas¡¯ lap, a flying squirrel in his pocket, and soon the hamster gets close enough for Nicholas to snatch her up and transfigure a piece of paper into a little nest on his desk for her. Stavros reaches over Rafael to pet the little hamster¡¯s head. Nicholas kind of wants to pet Stavros too because Rafael combed out Stavros¡¯ curls this morning in boredom while Nicholas was in the shower and now Stavros has a giant blond afro, which is very cute and very soft. As revenge for the afro, Rafael now has his short brown hair in tiny, squat pigtails in random places over his head, also very cute. Rafael stays away from the hamster because familiars can sense he¡¯s a werewolf and get twitchy. Familiars are summoned creatures, normally small mammals but occasionally a fish, and some insects - there¡¯s a high mage who has an eastern dragon even. Familiar Nurture students summon the animals around a month into their first year and channel their magic through the familiar to cast higher, more powerful magic. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Familiars can understand simple concepts and can have their own feelings separate from their mages, so if they aren¡¯t taken care of then they can rebel and refuse to do any magic. One or two people over history have been killed by their familiars for mistreating them badly enough the magic between familiar and caster snaps entirely. Nicholas and his friends have made a name for themselves stealing familiars, at one point luring all the familiars in the Famure dorms to RitCast overnight and then casting grooming charms so fur got everywhere. RitCast students are still finding fur on their couches. It was for a good cause because a RitCast girlfriend of Adam¡¯s dumped him for being ¡®too hairy¡¯ and they were thirteen and dumb (dumber) back then so this was peak revenge. Having a reputation for snatching cute pets means not only do the familiars now know them enough that they can snuggle all the adorable animals that are close by, but also Stavros (and Adam, before) can use wildshape at any time and still hang out with them without getting any suspicious glances because everyone thinks they¡¯ve just been stolen. Nicholas loved carrying around Adam in raccoon form on a hip, or with Hearth under his jumper. Unfortunately, sheep are too big to be normal for a familiar, and Rito would also be very memorable with his breed being so blatantly different from normal sheep. ¡°Do you have another?¡± Stavros whispers, leaning back to look around Rafael and then spotting Nicholas¡¯ bulging pocket. ¡°Give me one.¡± ¡°You want this?¡± Nicholas whispers back, picking up the giant rat from his lap. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, I think it¡¯s a giant rat.¡± The giant rat is upset. ¡°It¡¯s a chinchilla,¡± Rafael points out as they pass the familiar in front of him. ¡°If it didn¡¯t want to be called a rat, why does it look like one?¡± Stavros scoffs and stands the chinchilla upright on the table, hands under its armpits and coos at it. Nicholas pokes Rafael¡¯s thigh now that he¡¯s looking. "Hey, have you gotten fatter?" "Rude," Rafael complains. "You¡¯re all bones and I like you pudgy, that was a compliment." "Didn''t sound like one." "Fine, let me reiterate." Nicholas rolls his eyes. "Golly, Raffy, it sure is swell that your triple-c thiccc thighs are getting enough chub to match your dump truck of an ass." Stavros throws back his head with the force of the laughter that explodes out of him. A Famure finally realises her chinchilla is gone from the floor under her chair and quickly stands, hurrying around to get it back. The one with the flying fox still hasn¡¯t noticed. The hamster¡¯s mage already knows where his familiar is so doesn¡¯t mind but does shoot Nicholas a few shy glances. 17. plans Luca and his older Stavros sit in the mundane holiday house Stavros has commandeered to plan out what they¡¯re going to do. ¡°List all the people you think would be open to communication,¡± Stavros says. And that¡¯s a complicated question. Luca honestly didn¡¯t care what happened at first, not in that numb state after being first shipped off to the school at fourteen. Haochen Xia wasn¡¯t even the one who found him when his magic was blocked ¨C it was a group of anti-mage extremists that tried to kill him. That did kill his mum, and ma went mad from it, though she was already halfway there. His ma always hated him anyway, and really it wasn¡¯t a surprise when ma tried to kill Luca too for cursing them with his mere presence. But then Luca met the grimoire pretending to be a student, sent to keep tabs on the heritage heirs in the school, and genuinely thought he had a friend. Felt he could tell Wei Zhang anything, that maybe things were going to be okay because Luca wasn¡¯t alone anymore in this new world, his whole self-identity rewritten because he¡¯s a mage and he had biological parents who fought in a war and people take one look at his face and call him by his dad¡¯s name. Until Wei tried to steal his soul, where his magical core is. And then it was for revenge, pure and simple. Haochen came after him when the grimoire was destroyed - when Luca absorbed it, devoured its soul and its magic and learned just what kind of Dark magic the high mage was capable of. (When Luca realised what kind of horrors he himself was capable of if pushed, he swore to be better, and set himself on the straight and narrow.) Luca would dodge attempts at murder from the borderline insane high mage and threw himself into any opportunity to interrupt Haochen¡¯s plans because he was angry. He was vengeful, playing at being a hero. He met the other high mages through things like international Loops games and winning duelling tournaments. Luca hated all of them. He met Stavros as he snuck into an anti-mage underground facility, trying to find a friend who had been kidnapped, but instead he found Stavros in a coma as they pulled the magic from him to power weapons. Luca saved dozens of mages that day, but nothing was done about it because a high mage was backing the ¡®research¡¯. (Luca killed high mages, almost as much as Haochen Xia did by the end.) Stavros didn¡¯t rest until they found Rafael, who had madness in him from years alone with the wolf screaming in his head, locked away in what people called a reform centre but was really an easy way to harvest creature parts for sale. Stavros and Luca were getting through to him when a high mage released all the cages and they became trapped with feral creatures banging at the doors. Rafael pressed the kill switch on all of the collars -his own still unable to be broken off- and he considered it a mercy killing. Luca made friends with the lost, the stepped-on, and the outcast. He pretended he was their champion, their hero, and they praised him, reassured him when things didn¡¯t go well and told him it was going to be okay. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Luca didn¡¯t want any of it, none of it, he didn¡¯t want to lead them but they looked at him like he was meant to be doing something and Luca just wanted a quiet life - because now he had Stavros and they could be happy living as a family, but people wanted him to step up and what else could Luca do, eighteen and lost? It was an all-out war by then. He dropped out of school to fight. Stavros was lost trying to protect Luca. People died, people always die. The floating island almost fell. The high mages toppled one by one. Haochen rose to the peak without any resistance because of his soul sweeper machine -built off the anti-mage technology- and left empty shells of people as he only grew stronger. Luca devoured the rest of Haochen Xia¡¯s soul and the immense power burned him alive from the inside. He woke up though, stumbled, fell, and got back to his feet because that¡¯s what he¡¯d always done, what else could he do? He figured out what year it was pretty quickly but didn¡¯t know Stavros¡¯ house when the man was young, didn¡¯t know Rafael¡¯s, wouldn¡¯t dare go to someone he didn¡¯t trust explicitly with himself so injured and confused. Luca only knew where dad lived because Stavros would talk about it so often, showed him the manor once, just rubble like something imploded from under the floorboards. Luca had died earlier that day, had seen his friends die - and then he sees his dad with such immediate love and easy acceptance, meets his grandparents for the first time and they¡¯re so happy to see him. They fix his injuries and get him a warm meal. Nicholas tells him immediately what the situation is, like Luca hasn¡¯t had to beg and plead and threaten to get even the most insignificant details because for all that people rallied around him, he was only a figurehead, and everyone knew it. Is it any wonder why he¡¯s so enchanted with his dad? ¡°No one?¡± Stavros asks worriedly when Luca spends too long silent, struggling to list all the people he thinks would be open to communication. ¡°There are people,¡± Luca admits. ¡°The guardian in the beacon tower of the island, some¡­others.¡± ¡°There were more, right?¡± Stavros tries. ¡°We had an entire militia doing all-out guerrilla warfare.¡± ¡°We had foot soldiers that followed someone else¡¯s orders, who had thrown their lot in with me,¡± Luca corrects. ¡°We had people who needed time to be convinced, who changed sides to ours, who saw what was wrong after it was shoved into their faces. There¡­isn¡¯t a single person who I can walk up to right now, explain what¡¯s happening, and get immediate help from.¡± Stavros sighs, sitting back and dragging a hand down his face. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone else anyway, not when I have decades to stop this,¡± Luca huffs. ¡°I can do it myself.¡± ¡°We,¡± Stavros says firmly. ¡°We can do this, Luca. Let¡¯s make a list instead of everything we need to fix and we go down the list by whatever needs to happen first.¡± ¡°The anti-mage facilities who had you,¡± Luca says immediately. ¡°No ¨C no, the creature reform centres. The anti-mage labs haven¡¯t started yet, I don¡¯t think, but the reform centres -Rafael¡¯s- are operating. Take out two people and the rest are staff, easy to round up.¡± ¡°One is a high mage and the other is a multimillion-dollar merchant in the public eye,¡± Stavros points out. Then he smirks, still vicious even when he killed them once already for Rafael. ¡°It¡¯ll at least take me a few days.¡± Luca laughs, because he thinks he should, not because he thinks the situation is funny. ¡°Ayad is old power,¡± Stavros says. ¡°Especially Vinaya, with her work, can stall the merchant. The high mage will take planning.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to put my grandparents in danger,¡± Luca admits. ¡°They know how to handle themselves,¡± Stavros counters. ¡°Just tell them what¡¯s happening with the high mage and they¡¯ll help. Even in small ways if you¡¯re really worried about them staying out of it.¡± Luca nods but he¡¯s not agreeing. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Right now I want to go after the pieces of Xia¡¯s machine, destroy them first. Then root out the high mages we need to take down.¡± 18. divination orbs Nicholas is washing his hands in one of the fourth-floor bathrooms and instead of going for the drying pentagram painted on the wall, he flicks his wrist to call out his replacement wand but it¡¯s not up his sleeve. Nicholas pats his pockets with wet hands, leaving prints on the dark grey slacks but he didn''t get lazy and pocket his wand either. There''s a pause and Nicholas slowly, with dawning horror, turns to look at the toilet cubicles. No. No, impossible, he would have noticed dropping it. Nicholas checks the floor around him but his eyes traitorously slide back to the toilet. If only he had a wand to track down his wand. "Raffy?" Nicholas calls and some of the fear might have come through because Stavros shoves open the door immediately, Rafael looking over his shoulder. "What''s wrong?" Stavros asks, already looking around, the three wands stuffed into his hair bun bobbing around with the motion. A breath whooshes out of Nicholas. "Nothing," he chuckles in relief. "When did you take my wand?" "You were distracted talking to Phaedra, I literally just took it," Stavros scoffs and tries to back out but bumps into an invisible barrier. "Oh, you son of a-" "Wash your hands," Rafael sighs. "Come on - no, don''t try to break the barrier, it''s easier to just wash your hands." Stavros sighs theatrically and goes to wash his hands because the barrier won''t let him out until he does. Or until they set a fire and the emergency override kicks in, which they discovered by accident after also accidentally setting a toilet on fire. They all wander back out into the hallway, just in time for Flick to walk up to them with a swagger, her short bob haircut now in hues of blue with black roots, and a prefect badge pinned on her chest, so chipped it¡¯s nearly unreadable. ¡°Stop sucking each other¡¯s dicks and get to class,¡± Flick deadpans. ¡°Question,¡± Stavros begins. ¡°Will the dick-sucking be allowed in class?¡± Flick pulls out her wand. ¡°You want to start shit?¡± Stavros demands, his wand out too. Flick clicks her tongue. ¡°No, Stavros, this is an educational tool. Because I¡¯m about to educate you on following school rules.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Nicholas trails. ¡°Am made of flesh and that would hurt. No thank you.¡± ¡°Keep pointing that wand at me, I¡¯ll shove it up your dick,¡± Stavros warns Flick. ¡°Your ¨C I mean, yeah, whatever. Your dick.¡± ¡°Do you want to try that again?¡± Rafael offers dryly, raising an eyebrow at Stavros because the other boy has fooled around with too many people for female anatomy to be stumping him. ¡°Eww, it¡¯s a girl,¡± Nicholas chimes in cheerfully. ¡°By the way, I like the red hair better, Flick. I appreciated you warning people about the danger.¡± Flick smirks smugly before she can stop herself but quickly snaps back. ¡°Get to class, assholes. Every time you act up, I get shit for it.¡± Felicity -call me Flick or I¡¯ll hurt you- is the prefect for year-ten InCore students. There¡¯s one for every year except for little year-sevens, and one for each track. The people who get selected are meant to be do-gooder teacher¡¯s pet types but also being a prefect gives extra marks and Flick¡­isn¡¯t the ¡®brightest fish in the shed¡¯ so she needs it. Flick is actually very good at keeping people in line - while she herself stands over it. ¡°We don¡¯t have class right now,¡± Stavros dismisses. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°I am literally in your fucking class, we have summoning right now,¡± Flick snaps. ¡°We are going,¡± Nicholas promises. ¡°But Raffy had to tie his shoe, and then we met Phaedra, and then Ross saw a bee and I had to go to the bathroom-¡° Rafael quietly chuckles a bit, looking out of the window. ¡°What is it?¡± Stavros asks. ¡°Someone dropped their wand.¡± All four of them chuckle. Flick shakes herself out of it. ¡°Go!¡± she roars. ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± Rafael assures her, turning and grabbing the nearest friend to drag along, who just so happens to be Stavros with his wand still out.
That night, Nicholas is watching the lens in bed, bored while Rafael and Stavros are sleeping, the magical glass expanded over his lap as his finger roves over it, skimming through the citadel¡¯s floors. The lens is a paired down spyglass, linked into the wards and not illegal but a great invasion of privacy and no one can know about it or the teachers will take it away. Nicholas spots a familiar top-down person on the third floor entering a painting. ¡°Baby!¡± he squeals in excitement and then scrambles out of bed, squeezing the lens back down into palm-sized and then shoving it into a pocket. He takes a left as soon as he bursts out of the InCore common room and then skids to a stop, bowing to armour that bows back. Nicholas leapfrogs over the cold metal and darts through the hidden tunnel that slopes up, taking two lefts when the intersections pop up, eventually having to crouch and then crawl at the end. After peeking out through the one-way portrait and seeing no patrolling prefects or professors, he kicks the picture open and falls out. He takes the stairs two at a time and half collapses against the old, warped wooden door that¡¯s slowly chipping away into nothing. Nicholas turns the handle until it clicks and the edges of the door, where it¡¯s set into the equally in disrepair frame, separate with a popping sound and the dimension door connects. He opens it to a bright sunny day and a field of grass. Nope, no Luca. Nicholas closes the door, rotates the handle more to the second click, and opens it to a lost room which is just a boring empty classroom that got shunted out of existence during one of the many renovations of the island. Yanking the door open and then slamming it shut, he goes through six more quick clicks and the handle almost does a full rotation. Only half lead to rooms, lost or otherwise, some others lead to places with dimensional doorways but not always in the human realm, and yes Nicholas and his friends have explored every single one. Nicholas shoves open the door again and almost shuts it just out of habit but he throws it wide again before it closes and rushes into the massive storage warehouse filled with towering stacks and rolling hills of random artefacts mixed with half-worn furniture, kicking the door shut behind him. "Luca!" Luca whips around in shock, having just barely swung a leg over one of Nicholas'' old broomsticks he brought from Ayad Manor. "Nicholas, I was-" "Come and play with me!" Nicholas cheers. Luca darts a glance back towards the wide room. "I need to do¡­two quick things." "Can I help?" Nicholas asks, jogging forward and clambering up onto the broom behind Luca. "You¡­can destroy a divination orb," Luca allows, kicking off the ground and flying them up. "But you will not touch the orb or leave the area until I''m done with the other thing." "I make no promises," Nicholas says solemnly. Luca is already regretting this. "If I lose you in this warehouse, I''ll be very sad." "Awww, okay I''ll behave," Nicholas coos, wrapping his arms around Luca for a hug. Luca drops off Nicholas at a divination orb to wreak some havoc on it while Luca takes off again to find the technomancy battery once made by a young high mage in her schooling years. After half an hour, Nicholas reports the orb is definitely dead now after he went at it with his wand. At the hour mark, Nicholas topples over a stack of precariously balanced books and barely dodges the landslide after. After two hours, Nicholas gets lost and needs Luca to fly him out. After three hours, Nicholas has fallen asleep on a baby grand piano, glasses askew. Luca is gripping his wand, broomstick dropped at his feet, panicking because he can''t find the battery. He can''t find it in the stack it should be, and not anywhere else in this giant room ¨C he can''t summon it, he can''t hear it. Did Haochen Xia just not get around to hiding it yet? Luca always assumed the man found the battery and then immediately hid it in the citadel as a last resort. Maybe the war just isn''t bad enough yet for the high mage to take such countermeasures. He''s definitely found the battery by now. Right? Luca sighs and picks up the broomstick, heading off to find Nicholas.
Nicholas wakes up back in his bed in InCore and when he sits up, blinking blearily, he feels something roll towards the dip in the mattress and bump against his hand. Nicholas'' own wand is lying beside his hand. He stares at it for a long moment. Lambros couldn''t have gotten in, Stavros and Rafael would have given it to him personally, and if it was a Haochen Xia supporter they would have made it known the high mage got it for Nicholas to get some kind of favour back. It was Luca. Luca was in contact with Lambros. Nicholas picks up his wand and wonders if he loves Luca more than he loves Adam. 19. night-time excursions Nicholas is turning the corner around the outside of the citadel, bundled up in his jacket, bookbag swinging from one shoulder. The three of them are on their way to the kennel to drop off some supplies before heading to herbology. Jules from RitCast rams his shoulder into Nicholas¡¯ as they pass each other, and Nicholas goes stumbling at the unexpected attack. Not that it¡¯s ever a surprise when he gets into it with Jules, they have history. Back in year seven, something happened that Nicholas doesn¡¯t even remember now and Jules went at him like Nicholas tried to curse the guy impotent. Ever since then Jules goes rabid whenever he sees Nicholas. ¡°Watch yourself,¡± Jules sneers down at Nicholas from his barely three-centimetre height difference, the expression turning his already resting bitch face even more contemptuous. Jules is all sharp angles and wouldn¡¯t be bad looking with his dirty blond hair in short waves, if only he wasn¡¯t the kind of miserable that means he wants everyone else to know it. Stavros turns the corner and snatches Jules¡¯ bookbag off the boy¡¯s shoulder, spins it twice underarm and hurls it up onto the roof where it catches on the gutter. ¡°Sorry, my hand slipped,¡± Stavros says. Nicholas cracks up laughing, linking his arms with Stavros and Rafael as they walk off. ¡°Hey, do us a favour, Jules,¡± he calls over a shoulder. ¡°After you get your bag, come back down headfirst.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t, he¡¯s got no mercy for the rest of us,¡± Stavros mutters snidely.
They can''t go out running all the time and honestly, the classroom kennel is barely big enough for Rito to trot around in -he¡¯s smaller than Thoth of course but still twice as big as Nicholas- so he''s lying down. He''s still big enough that Thoth keeps tripping over him anyway. Thoth accidentally kicks Rito in the side while pacing and the sheep bleats back in annoyance. Thoth chuffs and keeps wandering around on all fours, occasionally rearing back into his bipedal form to scratch at the walls and Hearth barks whenever the werewolf starts scratching at himself. They can''t go out tonight ¨C there''s an astronomy class that could potentially see them. They brought the lens of course (which is a bitch to use when you don''t have thumbs) but it only shows where people are, not how far their line of sight is. Thoth paws at the door and the handle turns, the door opening into a short hallway and the courtyard bathed in bright silvery moonlight. They forgot to lock it. Rito''s head snaps up in shock and Hearth is up and bounding around, squeaking madly and trying to distract the werewolf. Thoth turns around and follows the bouncing fox while Rito edges around towards the door. When Thoth is the furthest away, Rito folds down into Nicholas and he frantically searches his pockets for his wand ¨C except he left his wand on his bed because he didn''t think he''d need it tonight. Thoth smells human and a snarl tears out of him as he whips around. Nicholas throws himself out through the door and tries to shove it back shut long enough to try a wandless locking spell from the outside but Thoth slams his way through and Nicholas scrambles back and explodes into Rito. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. But he¡¯s at the wrong angle and Rito is too big for the hallway ¨C one horn jams against the wall, hip hitting the other side. Rito automatically snaps back into a human in a sudden rush and Nicholas is left flat on his back and wheezing. Thoth falls over Nicholas and his jaw gapes open, only to scream in pain when Hearth tears into his side. Thoth rears up and bats Hearth away, the fox being thrown back across the room into the small bed frame. Thoth turns to Nicholas again but he¡¯s scrambling under the werewolf¡¯s legs into the room and throwing himself just to the side of the door. Thoth leaps for him and Nicholas shudders apart, tired but still fast enough to take the claws in ram form as they rake across his belly. Hearth snarls, hefting himself back up with a painful limp and Rito kicks the door shut now that Thoth is back in, hefting his bulk in front of it to barricade the room shut. There''s a long pause as everyone waits to see what happens next. Thoth looks around, confused. He sees the blood spilling across the stone floor in a slow trickle and whimpers sadly, crouching low and hunching over Rito, trying to lick the injury clean. Rito snorts and hits Thoth lightly with a front hoof. They can''t be infected with the werewolf disease while in animal form but it hurts like a bitch and licking isn''t going to help anything. Thoth seems sad though and whimpers at Hearth too when the bright red fox limps closer. Rito tosses his head, nodding towards the tunnel in the back of the room. Hearth hesitates but limps his way up and drops the transformation only a bit further in. "Mother fucking fuck," Stavros hisses and there''s a click of his dislocated shoulder snapping back into place. "Fae skata. Gah, I can''t believe we forgot to lock the stupid door." Rito bleats because Thoth is slowly turning towards the noise ¨C not yet able to see or smell Stavros but it''s getting close. "You want me to try and make a break for it?" Stavros asks, quieter this time. "Heal you, lock the door?" Rito bleats twice for no. He''s blocking it, and he''s had worse injuries before - it''s certainly nothing their self-studied crash course in healing can''t fix. Thoth starts to growl but soon after Hearth is scrambling back down. At least tomorrow is a Sunday.
"You done hiding in your bed like a little pup?" Stavros asks when Rafael slowly pulls open the curtains. Rafael doesn''t even react, hunched in on himself as he starts to go through his trunk at the foot of the bed, searching for homework to do. Nicholas sighs and straightens up where he''s lying back against the headboard on Stavros'' bed, opposite from Rafael. He gets up halfway and cries out, clutching his stomach. Rafael is already hovering over Nicholas with his wand out and a diagnostic spell halfway done but it''s a trap. Nicholas grabs Rafael and rolls them both onto Stavros, who pins Rafael¡¯s legs while Nicholas lays across his chest. "How many times do we have to do this?" Nicholas muses, propping his chin up on a fist. "Come on, Rito is an absolute unit, you think a scratch can hurt him?" ¡°Yeah, lamb is a tough meat, you need to cook it really slow,¡± Stavros adds on. ¡°I swear to-¡° Nicholas turns on Stavros with a glare. ¡°Rito weighs eighty kilos, Hearth weighs ten. Who¡¯s going to win that fight, huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not insulting you, Nicky! You know I love lamb koftas,¡± Stavros says easily and then ignores Nicholas, peering over him to smirk at Rafael. "And Hearth has short king energy but he wears it with style, fuck you very much you lanky mutt, you¡¯re not the scariest thing in the room." "I shouldn''t even be hurting you in the first place!" Rafael snaps back, struggling until Nicholas starts making pained noises and Rafael stops because he doesn''t know if it''s all fake and he''s not willing to risk it. "I healed Nicky already," Stavros scoffs. "Come on, Raffy, you can be such a baby sometimes." Nicholas smirks. "If you want to make it up to me, you can do my homework." "Get me food from the kitchens," Stavros chimes in. "Give me a back massage." "Suck my dick-" Rafael surges up, Nicholas and Stavros tumbling off the bed. "And wow, look at that, I don''t regret it." Nicholas is cracking up. "Suck my-!" Stavros'' laughter sounds like barking. "I would do it because I''m a good friend." Nicholas wheezes. Rafael frowns at them but he eventually smiles. "Should have slapped you idiots around a bit more." 20. Pull The Void The three boys are walking up to the eighth-floor Advanced Warding class, bookbags hanging off their shoulders. They stride past heavy tapestries and statues that nod hello, and moving portraits of roiling oceans or storm-struck planets on a dark background of the sky. Nicholas is joking about buying a herd of sheep when he hears a loud bark. He turns around, finding that Stavros has fallen back and now Hearth stands in his place. He¡¯s either being lazy or he wants a hug. Nicholas grins and grabs the bottom of his jumper, pulling it outwards. Hearth takes a few running steps and jumps, claws scrambling at Nicholas¡¯ thighs and stomach as Hearth drills up into his jumper, head popping out through the collar. Nicholas quickly pulls his jumper down and then braces it with his linked fingers, making a seat for Hearth. The fluffy red tail still poking out wags excitedly and Hearth snickers, eyes squinted shut with a wide smirk on his face, twisting this way and that, nuzzling into Nicholas. Nicholas coos, bouncing the fox a bit. ¡°You get cuter every time I see you.¡± They continue the walk, now with Nicholas hugging a fluffy animal. They end up talking the long way around without any shortcuts, so Nicholas gets another ten minutes until he has to dump out Hearth on the ground. All three boys then step around the corner to see the class already gathered outside the locked classroom door, a mash of other students chattering loudly. They find a spot on the opposite wall near the large windows beaming cheery sunshine against the pale stone and lighting up the shining flecks in the building. Rafael takes a seat on the thick stone windowsill, back to the sun-warmed glass. Stavros leans against the wall with his arms crossed and Nicholas finishes off their little triangle but stays turned out towards the hallway. ¡°Musa, you have the time?¡± Nicholas asks jokingly, kicking up a foot and nudging it into the nearby boy¡¯s shin, then gets distracted and digs around in Musa¡¯s bookbag for the ferret the Famure student has. Musa looks at the drawn-on watch on his wrist, in sparkly white gel pen so it stands out on his dark skin. ¡°Oh, says one. Need to draw some new batteries, sorry.¡± ¡°Imagine that,¡± Stavros muses. ¡°You could have drawn anything, and it still looks trash.¡± ¡°This is a collector¡¯s edition,¡± Musa argues and turns his arm so Stavros can see the incredibly well-drawn ahegao face on the watch, the rolling eyes pointing at one o¡¯clock. Stavros tilts his head a bit to see better. ¡°Can you draw one of Raffy?¡± he jokes. ¡°No,¡± Rafael says. ¡°That¡¯ll cost you,¡± Musa allows. ¡°You know your cousin?¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°The one that looks like she could eat me? I heard she ditched the new boyfriend last week.¡± ¡°Phaedra?¡± Stavros huffs out a laugh. ¡°Nah, man, you stick with jerking it to your paper girlfriends.¡± Musa raises an eyebrow and it disappears up into his shaggy black hair, styled into what Musa would call anime protagonist vibes. ¡°Could draw you one of Nicky and Rafael going at it. What are you into? Your face tells me rough and mean, but soft domestic aftercare.¡± ¡°Damn, you got it in one,¡± Nicholas says, impressed as he re-emerges from Musa¡¯s bag with a chubby ferret held to his chest. ¡°Literally Ross¡¯ entire personality.¡± Stavros splutters in genuine outrage. ¡°Do Raffy next!¡± Nicholas cheers excitedly, stroking the ferret¡¯s head gently with a thumb. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Musa looks Rafael up and down then lets out a low whistle. ¡°Boy¡¯s a freak but he¡¯ll make you breakfast in bed.¡± Nicholas is wheezing. ¡°Thank you, I think we¡¯re done,¡± Rafael says and picks up the ferret, dumping it back into Musa¡¯s bag. ¡°Ross, you might want to put on your game face.¡± The other three follow Rafael¡¯s lines of sight to see some students a year above coming down the hallway with particularly intent gazes. They¡¯re a group of year-eleven Pull The Void students, whose power is based on something or someone outside of the dimension. They always look a little messed up when they¡¯re casting, and right now the boy heading towards them is dazed, eyes wide and expression slack. He¡¯s a good actor, just a pity his friends are giving him away, clustered together and watching intently from further back. Musa takes a big step back to watch with the rest of the class. Stavros is no stranger to people approaching him, not when he looks like the kind of Greek hero who gets carved into marble, all flawless cold beauty. His blond curls are up in a bun today with his wand shoved through it and his grey eyes are bright because he knows this is going to be funny. The Pull sways right up to Stavros, the hall hushing as they catch on to something happening. He stares straight through Stavros, voice deep and breathy. ¡°They watch with a thousand eyes. They speak with his voice. Adam sees you-¡± ¡°You can just say you have a crush on him,¡± Nicholas cuts in, slinging an arm over Stavros'' shoulders. ¡°I mean thanks, but you''re not my type,¡± Stavros says candidly, putting his arm around Nicholas¡¯ waist. The Pull pauses, the vacant stare dropping off his face. ¡°Who is your type?¡± Stavros nods sideways. ¡°You''re looking at him.¡± Nicholas flashes a quickfire grin, the one Stavros says makes him look like a sweet summer prince, and rakes a hand through his messy hair with his head slightly turned at the perfect angle to show off all his charming boy-next-door handsomeness. ¡°So you are together then,¡± the Pull confirms. ¡°We are when you''re around,¡± Stavros retorts. Nicholas barks out a laugh. ¡°Shit, okay, we''re just going to come straight out and tell him he¡¯s average then?¡± Nicholas smiles at the Pull. ¡°You''re okay I guess, if you weren''t also the kind of person to joke about my dead best friend just so you can get some dick.¡± The Pull jerks back like he''s been hit. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a joke! I was trying to comfort you, asshole. Sorry for trying to be nice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re several weeks too late for that,¡± Nicholas says cheerfully. ¡°How about you go find someone in your own league? I know a good garbage bin. I¡¯ll even set it on fire for you.¡± ¡°Nicky!¡± Stavros cries in exaggerated shock and then quickly turns to the Pull. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, he¡¯s still really affected. Thank you, but you can do better than me. I''m not worth it, just ask your friend Nicole.¡± The Pull whips around to see Nicole, the girl with short black hair and warm brown eyes, who had come closer with the other friends when they saw the conversation turning ugly. Nicole blinks. ¡°I - don''t know what he''s talking about!¡± ¡°Let''s discuss this later,¡± hisses another friend and helps drag everyone off to class or free time, wherever it is they''re actually supposed to be. ¡°Wow, that was embarrassing,¡± Rafael muses, not even pretending to be nice. There are a few giggles from the rest of the class. Some of them send off whispered messages to their friends in other classes and the paper cranes flap frantically down the corridors. Nicholas leans into Stavros and whispers. ¡°Yo, that Nicole looks like she could be my sister.¡± ¡°Oh, what a coincidence,¡± Stavros says evenly. ¡°Why is someone already running away when I haven''t even started class?¡± asks Ms Connell as she walks up with a thin stack of papers in hand, frowning at the Pull students ducking around the corner. ¡°Stavros and Nicholas were bullying someone like always,¡± Jules says immediately, from where he''d been lingering in the background like a bad smell. Stavros scoffs. ¡°You''re such an ass kisser, Jules. Get over here, I want to see if you can eat ass too.¡± Nicholas cracks up laughing, having to yank away from Stavros so he can brace a hand on the wall, folding over with his other hand on Rafael¡¯s knee. Musa sucks in a sharp breath and holds the giggle but the grin slips out onto his face. Rafael stares at Stavros in shock. ¡°What?!¡± Stavros raises his hands but can''t explain himself because he''s laughing too hard. ¡°Thanks, now I need to look up a spell to erase my memory,¡± Ms Connell deadpans. ¡°Priya, what happened here?¡± she asks, picking out a nice, quiet student. Mariana isn''t in this class - otherwise she would have stepped in to defend the poor guy from Stavros'' wicked ways and this would already be a fight. ¡°The Pull said something about, um, Adam. And they got into an argument,¡± Priya says quietly. ¡°One point from each of you involved in the argument,¡± Ms Connell says. ¡°And five extra from the one who started it.¡± There''s the faint sound of lightly clinking crystals, the actual points kept in the dining hall but the sound is to make sure you know you fucked up. A few moments later the Pulls come running back around the corner to argue their case. Nicholas takes off his glasses and wipes his eyes with his sleeve, still laughing. 21. righting wrongs Luca is sitting on a streetside bench in Canada, the paint chipped off and the wood splintered enough he can feel it through his clothes. Across the quiet road and behind the dusty glass of a restaurant window are Luca¡¯s mothers. His mum is telling a story, all hands and a bright smile, while his ma keeps trying to interrupt with a laugh because mum is always blatantly telling stories wrong. They¡¯re just dating right now. His mum proposed with a necklace, knowing ma doesn¡¯t like things on her hands, and ma never took that piece of jewellery off for as long as Luca can remember. She isn¡¯t wearing it now so it must not have happened yet. They look strangely young, which is an odd thought to have because at least they¡¯re adults. Nicholas is still younger than Luca and acts like it, all boyish grins and vibrating with energy but maybe that¡¯s a personality difference. Luca¡¯s mothers are already mid-twenties now so they were settled and ready for a family when they agreed to take in Luca to hide him. Luca was four, wasn¡¯t he? Still young enough he doesn¡¯t remember anything but it probably wasn¡¯t easy to comfort a grieving child. ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk to them?¡± an adult Stavros asks. Luca jolts and his wand snaps into his hand before he realises it¡¯s just his Stavros standing at the end of the bench. ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± he huffs. ¡°I just walked up,¡± Stavros argues. He falls onto the bench and groans as he slumps, throwing his arms over the backrest. He¡¯s dressed fancy today, in pure white that almost glows and silver so silky it almost seems to run like liquid. ¡°Why do you look tired?¡± Luca asks, eyes darting around the street just to make sure no one followed. ¡°I ported all the way here,¡± Stavros mutters. ¡°And we are both going to pretend it¡¯s because Traverse gates are logged and I¡¯m staying undercover.¡± Luca purses his lips but it¡¯s not surprising Stavros doesn¡¯t want to get back into a ley line after what happened the last time he was in one. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that but why didn¡¯t you tell me to meet at the reform centre then?¡± ¡°I thought you were going to talk to your mothers,¡± Stavros admits. ¡°I wanted to be emotional support.¡± ¡°Uh, no. I - nothing to say, really. Better I don¡¯t.¡± Luca clears his throat. ¡°I was actually thinking about what I remembered from my childhood. I think¡­have I seen you before? I have a vague memory but maybe I just convinced myself it was you.¡± ¡°It was me. You must have been-¡° Stavros lets out a gusty exhale ¡°-maybe nine years old when they said Raffy died? I¡¯d just seen the body ¨C or, well, I hadn¡¯t actually. I should have checked because I would have recognised none of them were Thoth, but the werewolves were just thrown into a pile and already set on fire. I wanted to see you since you were the last person I had left.¡± ¡°And then¡­¡± Luca trails off because Stavros has never told him what happened after, Luca learned about it from old news articles. ¡°And then I went fucking insane on the werewolf catchers,¡± Stavros admits candidly. ¡°The magpol sedated me and I woke up five years later strapped to machines. Are we done with story time?¡± ¡°You could have said you didn¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± Luca suggests calmly because he¡¯s used to Stavros getting defensive. Stavros tsks. ¡°You ready to go?¡± Luca stands up and they head off. Luca needs practice with his porting spell anyway so they hop countries together, taking breaks to ward off the dizziness. That¡¯s especially true when jumping islands across to Europe and the distance leaves Luca swaying. The Creature Reform Centre that had Rafael is the main centre where they kept the rarest creatures, like a born werewolf who lasted to adulthood. It¡¯s hidden in the forests of Finland, promoted as a resort where dangerous but sentient creatures can learn how to control themselves and be productive members of society. Every so often the public kicks up a fuss about it because the centres aren¡¯t exactly well-hidden jails but Vasundhara Bhale bought the land with his own money and it¡¯s a private company so no amount of protesting can do anything without hard evidence. Vasundhara and High Mage Niaa both meet up in this particular centre, or at least they used to - they will? In the future? If they do, there should be files kept here. If not, at least Stavros will be able to tear it down again in Rafael¡¯s name. That is, if all goes well. They¡¯re hoping to get inside and maybe bring it down but that will depend on what they find. Since they''re back in time, the things they know might be different or completely wrong and misinformation is the fastest way to get someone hurt. It¡¯s an information-gathering mission above all else. Even if they don¡¯t find anything incriminating for those two mages in particular, one of the major priorities is to figure out how the collars work in this time and how to deactivate them. Luca isn¡¯t optimistic that they¡¯ll find anything good in the reform centre and honestly, he¡¯s not looking forward to it. He still remembers the last time he had to be in there. Their last port sends them staggering a few minutes¡¯ walk outside of the wards. Luca braces himself against a tree and takes deep breaths to ward off the spots of black in his vision and the vertigo. ¡°That was horrible.¡± ¡°Good practice,¡± Stavros huffs and shakes himself out. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Neither of them is good at transfiguration so Luca tosses back a pre-set transfiguration potion that shifts him into a quiet, mousy-looking assistant and he conjures a notebook and pen so he can pretend he¡¯s doing something. Stavros only has to fix up his hair a bit and unshrink a dragon-headed cane that he had tucked into a pocket. Then they just walk right in through the sliding doors into the massive lobby. ¡°Mr Lambros,¡± a woman says immediately, stepping away from two others and walking towards them, short heels tapping against the marble flooring. She has a perfected customer service smile on her face, suit jacket and pencil skirt without a single wrinkle. ¡°Welcome, can I get you anything? Tea, coffee?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice of you,¡± is all Stavros says, like an insult. His eyes are cold and his features are set into apathetic, vague annoyance. The woman hesitates for only a moment, coming to a stop just too far away to be natural. ¡°Of course, we should get right down to business. My name is Anneli and I¡¯m a Senior Executive here at this Creature Reform Centre. My preferred pronouns are they/them. I was happy to hear you expressed an interest in taking a tour of our facilities.¡± ¡°Considering you¡¯re trying to plant one of these eyesores in Greece, I felt the need to see it for myself,¡± Stavros deadpans. ¡°Show me where you keep the animals.¡± Anneli only smiles, no longer caught off guard and unfortunately adaptable. ¡°Right this way.¡± As they lead Luca and Stavros off down a hallway, they make a hand gesture to the other two people who skitter away. ¡°I understand your concern, Mr Lambros. Your mountains are a beautiful sight. But I assure you, like the way we preserved the forest here in Finland, we¡¯ll take the utmost care in blending our centre with the features of Greece if we are allowed to build in your country.¡± Luca walks half a step behind Stavros, trying not to react. They¡¯re laying the flattery on a bit thick, aren¡¯t they? It¡¯s not like the Lambros own the country. ¡°How are you preventing the animals from leaving?¡± Stavros demands. ¡°You¡¯ve failed before.¡± ¡°We have taken full responsibility in cases where the creatures lashed out,¡± Anneli says solemnly. ¡°Either our building wasn¡¯t capable of housing particularly strong creatures or our rehabilitation programs sent them out too early.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Anneli grabs a door handle and it turns green when it identifies their magic. They pull it open and the marble flooring turns to concrete, the subtle wallpaper becomes off-white paint, and the security cameras and wards are no longer hidden. ¡°But I assure you,¡± Anneli continues. ¡°That we have learned our lesson and grown from it.¡± As they keep walking, Luca realises this hallway is still meant for guests, still neat and tidy and displaying the creatures as if in a showroom. Staggered on either side are transparent wards with the faintest of coloured glow around the edges, leaving no privacy for the creatures. The rooms are decorated like right out of a textbook. The fairy is tucked away in a tree hollow with only its glow giving away where it is, the room a perfectly arranged snapshot of a forest. A selkie is in a water tank filled with flowing seaweed but he¡¯s hiding in a carved-out hollow of rock. The next room is a gorgeous nest of feathers but the aarakocra sits curled up on a tree branch and tucked into her wings. They all wear collars. ¡°What are the wards?¡± Stavros asks, knuckles going white where he¡¯s gripping the cane, his limp more pronounced. ¡°Some ¨C animals are magic resistant, how do you expect them to be contained?¡± As Anneli gives them the tour, Stavros keeps pressing for answers and Luca scribbles them down. They explain the wards, the security cameras, the doors and the lockdown procedures in place. After walking through the zoo portion, they lead the way to the control centre and Stavros goes quiet. It¡¯s the same room, so horribly familiar. Some staff are sitting in front of monitors and Luca even recognises one of them. The staff member doesn¡¯t look quite the same, more human. Maybe he hasn¡¯t volunteered yet or perhaps the experiments haven¡¯t started but sometime in the future, the reform centre starts trying to give mages and mundanes bits of creatures so they can be stronger and faster, to better control their merchandise. Shit, Luca forgot he had to deal with that. Stavros snaps his fingers at Luca. ¡°This is taking longer than I¡¯d hoped. Go and get me a coffee.¡± ¡°I could send someone-¡° Anneli begins. ¡°They¡¯d do it wrong,¡± Stavros deadpans. Anneli pauses. ¡°The break room is just out that door and to the left. It¡¯s a security door so just knock to be let in again.¡± Luca ducks his head and makes his way across the control centre, scanning the monitors as he goes. It¡¯s the same layout as he remembers. It¡¯s not a big place, just the display rooms for the prettiest creatures and then the underground cells for the most expensive. Not more than a few dozen creatures are kept here and they should be easily moved. ¡°And your collars,¡± Stavros says quietly. ¡°Tell me how those work.¡± Luca leaves the room into a silent hallway and doesn¡¯t quite close the door behind him so it won¡¯t lock. He takes a left into the break room and scans for monitoring spells or machinery and detects none. Luca then stares at the fancy coffee machine for far too long before just conjuring a mug, adding water and then turning it vaguely coffee-brown. It¡¯ll taste like water but Stavros will have to deal with it. He pulls out the anonymous letter they prepared earlier and scrawls the specific sending-ritual diagram for a creature conservation, who can be called out to situations where injured magical creatures need immediate assistance. The latter vanishes in a blip just as the outer wards snap to opaque and lock down the entire area, trapping everyone inside like Anneli promised they would. Luca glances to the coffee but shrugs it off since apparently, Stavros doesn¡¯t want to keep playing it safe. He makes his way back into the control room, wand already in hand.
Luca and Stavros hang around hidden in the forest while they watch the creatures get picked up from the loading bay, the strong structure still standing even with the rest of the centre collapsed into rubble. The conservationists are vets first and foremost who do rehab and release of injured creatures so they take one look at the destroyed building and decide it¡¯s someone else¡¯s problem. They call the magpol and that¡¯s out of their hands now, so they can focus on the injured creatures, many of which can¡¯t even stand. Neither Vasundhara nor Niaa shows up but they must have been told. Luca is getting a bit paranoid that they aren¡¯t here, pacing and constantly scanning the forest in case they¡­what, sneak up on him? Luca is getting a bit too worked up if he thinks someone like Niaa can be subtle. ¡°They¡¯re probably doing damage control,¡± Stavros says with a smirk. ¡°Imagine that, the control room malfunctioning? Technomancy is a budding field of magic after all, it tends to be volatile.¡± ¡°I think we should go,¡± Luca says. ¡°I wiped the cameras with future techno spells no one has even dreamed of yet,¡± Stavros dismisses. ¡°And we don¡¯t exist anyway so good luck finding a trail.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t want to fight a high mage just yet and it¡¯s a long port trip back,¡± Luca points out. Stavros grimaces. They stay long enough to make sure the conservationists take the creatures and no one else does, then hike deeper into the forest so they don¡¯t get pinged for using magic nearby. And as expected, getting back is awful and Luca just passes out in Stavros¡¯ guest bedroom. He was hoping he¡¯d be too tired to dream but that night, Luca remembers memories strong enough to be nightmares.
Luca is standing at a control room desk, behind metre thick walls, the wider room outside filled with shouting and flashes of colour, doors blocked against a flood of creatures by desperate resistance fighters. There are seven hundred and thirty-two creatures in the complex, collared and driven mad, half of them held together with stitches -old and new- from being harvested in cycles. Vasundhara sent them after the resistance - or rather he let them free and they went wild. Luca has the kill switch. Already got past magical wards and traps, mundane passwords and software, and technomancy firewalls. With one switch, Luca can kill the creatures and end their suffering, save the resistance members here, go after Vasundhara before he escapes. "I''ll do it," Rafael says, his Italian accent light and voice a quiet rasp barely heard over the screaming and spellfire, the slamming on the walls. He stands a bit slanted, a chunk taken out of his calf, bleeding through his paper-thin grey uniform, gaunt and with a rattle to his breathing, blood that isn''t his on his mouth and claws. The collar, attached to his spine, is flashing in warning because Luca unlocked the switch. Half an hour Luca has known him, barely anything, so why does it matter so much? "I can-" Luca blinks quickly a few times. His contacts are starting to hurt. "There must be a way, I just need time. There are so many people - I need time." "Ah." Rafael limps closer, hand braced on the control panel to help him stand. "That''s where you''ve gone wrong. We''re not people." Luca''s head snaps to him and Rafael only smiles wryly, there''s no amusement in his eyes. "I''m sick," Rafael admits. "That''s what it is. Magic gone wrong. And if you save us, what then, where do we go, who takes us in? Do you really think we won''t just be killed in a different way? More humane. Even the people here who say they''re fighting to free us, they flinch from me." Luca swallows thickly. "I have favours I''m owed - just because I don''t have a plan now-" "Please leave, Luca," Rafael asks neutrally. "I don''t want you to watch." Luca grits his teeth, jaw clamped shut but trembling. He feels cold. "Ross is going to be so upset," Rafael muses, ushering Luca away with a claw-tipped, gaunt hand on his shoulder. It¡¯s gentle. "Let him know that I was dying anyway. They already gave me the injection to put me down, what he did only slowed it by an hour or so. It''s already hurting." Luca staggers back a step, blinking. He turns and walks the few steps out of the closed-off security centre, into the main room that''s much larger but filled with more computers and screens. The doors are half broken down, the wards fizzling and sparking. It''s louder out here, almost deafening. Stavros is near the larger double doors that lead off from the major corridor, blond curls tangled up in a bun, a violent grin on his face as he lights up the area around him with spellfire. Moving with his limp for once instead of struggling to pretend it isn''t there. He''s happy, after meeting Rafael again. He''s the one who calmed Rafael down at the start, when the man was all instinct and brutality, looking through Stavros, unable to even talk. "Can you tell Nicky that I was brave, in the end?" Rafael asks. Luca''s inhale stutters where he stands at the doorway, back to the small room. "Sorry," Rafael mutters immediately after. "Sorry, my head is a bit messed up. I forgot. Sorry." He huffs out a laugh. "I''ll just tell him myself then." The kill switch is used as a threat, usually in individual cases, as a show of power, to be a demonstration of utter control. And yet for some reason, Luca is still expecting it to be quiet. There''s a loud click, perfectly in sync, hidden in the chaos. Then comes the explosions, a burst of power and the tell-tale crackle of technomancy, a thundering roar that shakes the building, a few doors are blown in from the force. Luca can feel it rattle through his bones. There''s a splatter of blood on the floor by his shoes. The room settles, and the sudden quiet after is like a vacuum. Then people start cheering in relief, checking on their comrades, looking over the - the bloodied corpses in the corridors that aren''t even whole anymore. Someone shouts across at him, but Luca doesn''t hear. Stavros shoves past in a panic and Luca staggers to the side, back hitting the wall and he leans there, the world so loud but so distant like through thick glass. He grips his wand tighter, rubs fingers into the smooth wood but feels nothing. His body is cold, numb, but he doesn''t have time for this. Luca turns to look behind him and he doesn''t know how long it takes him, how long he was staring out into the main room, but when he looks Stavros is kneeling on the floor, the tiles sparkling clean and empty. He''s holding a metal collar, chipped and burnt. Stavros is bowed over, shoulders jutting up like spires, face hidden, hands gripping the collar so hard they''re white-knuckled and shaking. Luca kills seven hundred and thirty-two creatures, forty-six staff, three visitors, High Mage Niaa who screams the whole time, and one Vasundhara Bhale who was financing farming the creatures for his apothecaries. Or rather, Luca does none of it by hand, but does it matter when he started it? When people look to him and ask if he''s happy with their work? Stavros drags Vasundhara into a room, takes his time, and Luca just sits outside on the ground, elbows on his raised knees. He wonders what Rafael used to be like, when he was actually happy. 22. go to sleep Nicholas doesn¡¯t know what starts it, is the thing. Or rather, he¡¯s the one who starts it but he doesn¡¯t know why. Nicholas was content to ignore things, to just not know but then today, with that Pull student¡­ He doesn¡¯t need to have confirmation, it won¡¯t help anything, he should just leave it alone. "You never liked Adam," Nicholas states, standing beside his bed, his exam notes scattered around the bedsheets, a textbook half open in his hands. Stavros pauses and doesn''t turn where he''s standing near his own bed, back to Nicholas. Why is Nicholas doing this? It¡¯s fine, everything is fine, just don¡¯t think about it and it¡¯s not a problem. There¡¯s nothing to fix here. Talking about it makes it worse, and spreads it to others, so why is Nicholas- "Just say it," Stavros says. Nicholas hesitates. He glances over at Rafael¡¯s bed but the other boy isn''t getting involved, head down and quiet. Nicholas looks at Stavros again. "Nothing. Never mind." Stavros'' shoulders jerk and he whirls around, a sneer already on his face because it must have been building up for him too after Nicholas explained what happened. "He wanted fun and that''s all. He thought learning to wildshape was fantastic - a little danger, a little Dark magic, the secrets. And then where was he every full? Because he sure as fuck wasn''t with us." "He was a raccoon!" Nicholas cries. "Of course he was scared, Thoth is like ten times his size! That was only for a bit anyway-" "Two fucking years he was in and out, and only stayed when we started taking Thoth out for runs and it got fun," Stavros snarls. "He didn''t help when you got sick either - remember year nine? You were throwing up, half out of your mind, and he went and slept in the common room without another word like it was an inconvenience." "I would have left me too, it was miserable!" Nicholas insists, hugging the textbook to his chest. "He was there for our fights with RitCast though, and detentions." "He was there when we were winning," Stavros snaps. "He was there when we were skipping detentions. Conveniently gone when Rafael needed help with his readings." "Adam was-" Nicholas cuts himself off. "He..." "Yeah?" Stavros demands, lurching forward. "Come on, where was he in year seven? Oh, that''s right, when he learnt you weren''t just twenty-four hours of fucking fun, when he realised you had emotions and a personality more than jokes, he shoved you at me. He knew what I was doing to you-" "Everyone did!" Nicholas screams, hurling his textbook onto the bed. Stavros'' next words stutter and he reels back. There''s a stunned pause. Nicholas takes a deep breath. "Everyone did. Everyone knew. You think I didn''t ask for help?" Nicholas throws up his hands with a shaky laugh. "People told me to just avoid you - oh it''s not like he''s hitting you, Nicky. It''s just words, Nicky, ignore him. Who cares you cry until you''re fucking sick every night." Stavros¡¯ face crumples. "I''m sorry. Nicky, I''m sorry." He takes a step back, hunching up. "I shouldn''t have brought it up...I''m sorry." "Rafael was in our dorm, you think he didn''t know?" Nicholas demands, angry now. "You think he didn''t hear every damn thing you said to me with Thoth''s hearing?" He takes another deep breath. "Adam isn''t -wasn¡¯t- co-dependent like us, that''s your problem. He isn''t so..." Nicholas holds up his hands and lets them fall again. "So tangled up. Pieces of each other." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "He wasn¡¯t a solid friend either, during the bad times," Rafael says quietly. He keeps his head down, curled inwards. "You''re both right." Stavros is watching Nicholas like he''ll run any second. Rafael reads the same paragraph for the eighth time, taking none of it in. Nicholas sighs and sits on his bed. He huffs out a laugh. That helped nothing. ¡°Next time just tell me to shut up. Stupid sheep.¡± ¡°You can talk to me,¡± Stavros rushes out, rocking forward but not taking a step. ¡°You can always talk to me and I want you to. Anything, everything. You know that, right?¡± Nicholas stares at the wall for a long moment. ¡°Nicky?¡± Stavros whispers. ¡°The other version, he said you did something to upset Adam in the future, to start it all,¡± Nicholas muses. ¡°And I think you did it because of me. And I think I didn¡¯t stop you.¡± Stavros slides onto the bed, sitting on the other edge and leaning over. ¡°First of all, that copycat asshole didn¡¯t tell you everything. Secondly, if Adam¡¯s first answer was to kill us, I think I did a pretty good job of ending things.¡± ¡°Adam is our friend,¡± Nicholas says and isn¡¯t sure what argument he¡¯s making. ¡°Was.¡± ¡°Adam was directly responsible for you dying,¡± Stavros corrects, eyes narrowing. He puts a whole lot more venom into the words compared to when Nicholas told them about it. ¡°There is no possible reality in which I let that kind of thing go.¡± ¡°You just said Lambros didn¡¯t tell me everything-¡° ¡°He might have left out some stuff,¡± Stavros agrees, solemn. ¡°But if it¡¯s me, I wouldn¡¯t lie to you. Not¡­again.¡± Nicholas purses his lips. ¡°So¡­am I sad? Upset? What do I even¡­¡± Nicholas gestures vaguely around. ¡°Whatever you want,¡± Rafael says softly. ¡°There¡¯s no right emotion, and that will change anyway, they¡¯ll always change.¡± ¡°Not that it does anything either way,¡± Nicholas scoffs dismissively. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m in such a mood. Maybe I didn¡¯t eat enough.¡± Stavros and Rafael share a look. ¡°Nicholas,¡± Rafael begins slowly. Nicholas groans and flops down. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be better in the morning.¡± He shoves the books off his bed and rolls around. ¡°I¡¯m going to head to sleep. Cuddle?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Stavros murmurs. Rafael shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯ll stay up a bit longer. I still have homework.¡±
Nicholas wakes blearily when it''s still night, opening one eye only because half his face is smushed into the pillow. Stavros is in his bed -or rather, Nicholas is in Stavros¡¯ bed- facing Nicholas with an arm over his waist, eyes half-lidded with something other than sleep, face shaded in grey from the moonlight streaming through the window at Nicholas'' back. "Hm?" Nicholas asks him. "Nothing much," Stavros murmurs. "Trying to get back to sleep." "You should count sheep," Rafael slurs from his bed across. "Funny," Nicholas grumbles and slings an arm over Stavros'' shoulders. "C''mere, cuddle." "We''re already cuddling." "Cuddle harder, you knob jockey." "It takes two to tango, dick monger." ¡°I¡¯m going to punch you both in the throat and then we¡¯ll all be sad, how about that?¡± Rafael mutters. "Sorry," Stavros blurts out. "For...killing Adam." Nicholas rolls his head around so he can see Stavros properly. "You didn''t do it," he reassures. "I did," Stavros corrects. "And I would, if he hurt you. That other bastard just got to him first." "We don¡¯t know what happened,¡± Nicholas insists. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­leave it for now.¡± Stavros grins, a sharp, jagged thing. "And I¡¯m sorry I''m such a piece of shit." "That was forever ago," Nicholas dismisses, cuddling closer. "Wasn''t that bad anyway." "A little insulting but okay." Nicholas chuckles, closing his eyes and settling in. "You going to sleep?" Stavros coos, pressing a kiss into Nicholas'' forehead. "Don''t wanna talk about bad stuff anymore." "Okay, sleepy time. Dream about Thoth''s little snuffly sneezes." ¡°Che palle,¡± Rafael groans, telling them to shut up in Italian like that¡¯ll soften the blow, and there''s the sound of him rolling over to get comfortable. He could just shut the bed curtains and let the permanent silencing charm on them work -that¡¯s why they transmuted the bed after all, to give his heightened senses a rest- but this is also the person who cursed the door to squeak so he¡¯ll always know when his friends are coming or going. Nicholas is already drifting but struggles to keep his eyes open. Stavros is still watching him. Nicholas blinks hard and peers at Stavros, bumping up against his mental shields. A pause, and then Stavros deliberately has to lower his defences, leaving his mind open. Nicholas tugs and pulls Stavros into his mind instead, heaps on sleepiness and how comfortable he is right now in bed. Stavros'' eyes slowly start to slide shut. Nicholas leaves the link connected and drifts off himself. Either Stavros will stay in his head or will disconnect, doesn''t much matter to Nicholas. 23. extracurriculars The next time Luca sneaks onto the island, he sends a pigeon first and even brings some nice treats Jordan packed. Notably, Luca has also gone off with his grandparents to buy himself some new contacts and so no longer wears the old glasses. That, combined with Nicholas¡¯ hair recently shaved short at the sides again, means they¡¯re less identical. Brothers, rather than twins. Nicholas claps his hands together, sitting on his bed cross-legged in front of Luca with their knees touching, the curtains drawn in case one of the other InCore year-tens burst into the room and thinks Luca is a doppelganger. "Okay, mind magic! So to start, I''ll show you mine. I''ll use the detect thoughts charm on you and then pull you into my head to show you my defences." "You know how to do that charm?" "A bit - not very well to be honest but - okay bad. Horrible. Detect thoughts is just one of those things all heritage are taught and I can scrape by." Nicholas shrugs. "So heritage just learn everything then," Luca grumbles because once again he realises how much he missed out on being hidden in the mundane population. "Half of it¡¯s trash," Nicholas reassures him. "Rubbish like how to curtsey properly, how to hold your wand, what accent you''re allowed." "Accent-?" "Okay, look into my eyes~" Nicholas sing-songs, pushing up his glasses. Luca braces for pain like always but feels a tap tap-tap tap! "Come in?" Luca offers. Nicholas sniggers and then they''re both pulled into Nicholas'' head. Luca blinks and he''s in a hallway - not the citadel, not Ayad Manor but with all sorts of paintings and wallpaper, the walls made of wood or stone or plaster, it all shifts and makes Luca dizzy if he stares at it for too long. "This way!" Nicholas calls and waves from down the hall. "Let me show you." They spend the next half an hour running through a maze of hallways and secret tunnels and changing rooms that shift around every time a door is opened or shut, even talking portraits that point them in the wrong direction with such charisma and earnestness that Luca believes them even when Nicholas whispers they''re lying. And that''s only the defences - Nicholas'' memories are actually a level deeper, the cracks lining the walls and around the picture frames - deceptively hidden in plain sight. They come out of it a bit lightheaded, still sitting upright except now with an added Stavros lying down just off to the side. Rafael is wandering around picking up clothes off the floor and dumping them in the laundry basket near the bathroom door, watching the two Ayads with a half-hearted curiosity. "Oh," Luca says in shock. "Hi?" "''Sup," Stavros drawls. "So, I''m your favourite uncle, right?" Rafael huffs with an eye roll. "Whatever, I''ll get the next one. What were you two doing anyway?" "Trying to get Luca set up with a proper defensive system in his mind," Nicholas says with a shrug, reaching out to pet Stavros'' hair like he¡¯s Hearth right now. "So that''s it, Luca. You start building and it settles into place after a while ¨C just about repetition until it becomes a reaction. You can start throwing off not just mind-reading spells but also emotional manipulation or mind-based glamours." "It''s very different from what I was taught," Luca admits. "Hurts a lot less too." "Oh, you were doing it the other way," Stavros muses. "What Nicky¡¯s talking about is conscious defence - which you pull up when you need it. The other dude probably taught you unconscious defence that you kind of leave running in the background even when you sleep and stuff. That''s a bit extreme." ¡°Don¡¯t you have unconscious?¡± Rafael asks. ¡°Well yeah, but not willingly,¡± Stavros mutters. Luca tilts his head a bit. "I probably needed it at the time. It just would have been nice to know that I could have¡­whatever. Okay, how do I start?" Nicholas gestures vaguely. "Think of something you want -literally anything- and picture it." "Loops?" Luca says immediately because that''s just the easiest to think of for him. Nicholas and Stavros high-five because damn straight Luca didn''t escape Loops. Rafael drags a hand down his face. ¡°It''s fine, I get the next baby.¡± "Okay, so a Loops field," Nicholas agrees. "Do you want offensive? I''m passive, and people just get lost, but if it''s Loops you could do like superspeed rings to throw people off." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "And goals," Luca says excitedly, getting into it. "But too many goals!" "Exactly!" Nicholas says. "Where are you putting your memories? In the crowd? A sublevel inside the Mobius strips?" "In the banners hanging from the seating stands," Luca announces. "That''s so mean, I love it," Nicholas laughs. "Basically you just construct it in your mind and after you pull it up enough times -just randomly do it during the day- you''ll put enough magic into it that it becomes locked in. Of course, that''s the simple explanation though." ¡°Get that down and we¡¯ll show you how to wildshape next,¡± Stavros offers. Luca smiles, a bit awkward around this new Stavros. ¡°Where would we even do it considering it¡¯s¡­Dark magic for an InCore?¡± ¡°We have ways, although honestly, it¡¯s surprisingly fast after you get over the first hurdle.¡± Nicholas taps his fingertips together with a bright smile. "I think I like teaching you things." "You can teach me anything," Luca gushes immediately. Rafael tosses the last sock into the basket and looks between the two Ayads. "Oh, so you''re just as bad as Nicholas is. Wonderful." Luca clears his throat awkwardly and doesn''t really know what to say to that. ¡°By the way, what kind of sheep are you? My Stavros ¨C um, Christos now-¡° ¡°Christos?¡± Rafael interrupts. ¡°He needed a new name for his documents and stuff,¡± Luca says with a shrug and doesn¡¯t see the glances the three boys share before he¡¯s already moving on. ¡°Christos didn¡¯t have any pictures -for obvious legality reasons- so I¡¯ve never seen Rito properly. I know you¡¯re not the shearing kind of sheep but¡­¡± "He¡¯s not a dignified one," Stavros scoffs. "I bet a normal animal doesn''t trip over tree roots half as much as Rito does." Nicholas turns on Stavros in outrage. "I trip so much because you shove me!¡± ¡°Yeah, me and my little fox strength,¡± Stavros mocks. "Shut up, I¡¯m showing off for my baby,¡± Nicholas dismisses, ready to flaunt his skills in front of his son. He gets up to his knees before he pauses. "Ah - no, I mean. I''m not...groomed properly." He shoots a frown at Rafael. "Thoth bites my horns, they''re chipped." Rafael shrugs. ¡°He likes the taste of lamb chops.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± "I don''t care about that," Luca says quickly. "I just...want to see. Because I think Rito is very handsome." Rafael and Stavros roll their eyes but the compliment works and Nicholas puffs up immediately. He clambers off the bed and shakes apart. Luca''s eyes widen as Rito trots around the bed to the other side and strikes a pose with his head high, trying to mimic the graceful majesty of woodland creatures. Hearth full-body tackles Rito around the back legs and they go down hard.
For their final-year practical exam, Ritual Casting students are gathered out on the grass in massive groups depending on the year, standing around bonfires. They¡¯ll each sacrifice something with meaning for the ritual, but instead of containing the resulting power inside themselves to use the magic later, they¡¯ll give it up freely as part of the ritual. The power will be stored for the wards instead. ¡°We''re literally right here,¡± Nicholas laughs, kicking his feet as they swing over a good ten metres of air below the tree branch. ¡°They''re going to know it''s us.¡± ¡°I want them to know it''s us,¡± Stavros retorts, sitting next to the trunk and his wand already out. Rafael is on Nicholas'' other side, sceptically eying the bowing branch under them. ¡°School is ending in a few weeks.¡± ¡°It is ending,¡± Nicholas realises. ¡°I suppose we can run away from detentions until then.¡± ¡°That''s not what I meant,¡± Rafael sighs. ¡°I was going to say, how about we play nice for once?¡± Nicholas laughs in his face. ¡°We have, what, only a couple dozen InCore points left?¡± Stavros continues, nudging Nicholas in the ribs and making all three of them wobble precariously. ¡°Let''s end the year in the negatives.¡± The bonfires are raging infernos after only a few students step up to do their rituals. RitCast practicals are all generally a performance with crazy flashing lights or powerful bursts of magic so quite a few other students are watching from the citadel windows or sitting on the grass to watch. Off in the distance with another group, Stavros¡¯ little cousin Aeneas steps up, hands closed around something. He walks up to the heat and, with carefully measured steps and head high, enters the fire. That¡¯s brave for a year nine, and a flex about his control. As expected from the Lambros heir. The flames flicker and snap to a brilliant white, Aeneas barely a shadow in the centre. He spends a moment inside performing the ritual casting, and then the flames roar higher with the magic the ritual puts out, exploding into a pillar that reaches up towards the sky, the white fire almost extending past the citadel towers it¡¯s so strong. The very top trails off into white embers that drift and sway, continuing their upward saunter until they join the sparks being put off by the other bonfires. The yawning wards overhead are visible like a translucent bubble as they draw power from the rituals. Aeneas steps out, not a curl out of place, robes unsinged even the slightest. He takes his place back amongst the circle of students and pretends not to hear Nicholas and Stavros cheering wildly for him. On the other hand, the year-tens closest to the tree are having some trouble. Jules takes a few steps towards the bonfire holding a small glass bottle and the fire just gutters out. ¡°Oi, turn the ritual back on!¡± Stavros shouts. Nicholas throws his head back with a laugh, tipping off balance enough that Rafael needs to save him from backflipping out of the tree. ¡°Do not interfere in the ritual!¡± the teacher shouts at them, moving back towards the bonfire to help. ¡°Maybe they should be better at magic then!¡± Nicholas calls with a grin. ¡°Can''t put up one shield?¡± Stavros mocks. ¡°Yeah, go on, try again.¡± ¡°You''ll get it next time.¡± The two of them crack up laughing. Some RitCast students go up to the teacher to complain in hushed voices. A few moments later, the teacher raises a shield in faint green. It takes Rafael five minutes to crack it apart and that''s only because he has to hold Nicholas and Stavros up before they fall out of the tree. Nicholas transfigures the bonfire into a fish pond and Stavros raises a better shield to keep the RitCast out. ¡°Get down here!¡± snaps the teacher, walking towards them. ¡°They''re mages!¡± Nicholas complains. ¡°You''d think they''d know how to use magic.¡± ¡°Yeah, what are you teaching them, sir?¡± Stavros crows. ¡°Shouldn''t you be studying, Rafael?¡± the teacher lectures. Rafael jolts at being addressed, used to fading into the background around his friends. ¡°Um.¡± ¡°Fine, have your dumb ritual,¡± Nicholas cuts in, putting a protective hand on Rafael''s thigh. ¡°We all know you''re a lesser version of InCore anyway.¡± The RitCast class surges up in a roar, voices overlapping in outrage. ¡°Hey, hey!¡± Stavros cries, hand coming up. ¡°Let''s be mature about this. Remember, sticks and stones can break your bones-¡° "-but magic lets me time travel to be your dad!" Nicholas crows and they both crack up laughing again. 24. last-minute cramming Rafael wakes up to someone resting between his legs, a heavy weight on his stomach and his sleeping top shoved up his chest. He blinks awake easily enough and twists his head to peer down. Nicholas is lying under the covers, the blanket tucked around his head like a hood, forearms on Rafael¡¯s bare stomach as he eats a flaky chocolate bar, dropping bits all over Rafael¡¯s stomach ¨C some already having melted into his skin. ¡°Mornin¡¯ Raffy,¡± Nicholas says around the last chomp of chocolate. Rafael surges up and Nicholas scrambles, the blanket goes flying and Nicholas is hurling the wrapper at Rafael, flimsy plastic fluttering frantically through the air from the toss and misses entirely. Nicholas is out the door and Rafael is only two steps behind as they sprint downstairs to the common room. Rafael snags Nicholas¡¯ arm and they topple onto the floor at the feet of a pack of year-nine girls sitting around on couches. Nicholas chokes and wheezes, trying to cough as he grabs his throat with one hand, the other reaching back and scrambling for Rafael¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Good, fucking choke to death!¡± Rafael snaps, because the moon is too close for this shit, even as he gets up on his knees and drags Nicholas with him, thumb into the stomach and other hand bracing the fist for the Heimlich manoeuvre. On the first thrust, Nicholas moans loudly, high-pitched and pornstar-exaggerated. Rafael drops Nicholas and walks away. Behind him, Nicholas half rolls onto his side and cackles. Rafael gets back up to the dorm only to find Hearth very deliberately slobbering all over Rafael¡¯s pillow and rubbing the scent in with a paw. Rafael dives for Nicholas¡¯ bed and snatches up his pillow, whacking Hearth on the ass as the fox sprints past and explodes back into Stavros who slams out of the room. Rafael hurls the pillow away and gives chase but Stavros is already gone by the time he gets down and the year-nine girls are peering over the back of their couch, not that a hidden Nicholas¡¯ giggling is very quiet in the first place. Rafael turns on Phaedra, sitting innocently by the side. ¡°He went that way,¡± Phaedra says, pointing at the wide door with her sparkly gold nails, literally the only other way Stavros could have gone. Rafael scowls but runs after Stavros. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Twenty minutes later, after having lost Stavros¡¯ trail because the asshole knows how to hide his scent, Rafael pushes open the door to the dorm and finds it strung up with streamers and cute animal-shaped balloons bobbing around. A pile of presents sits on his bed, with a cake box, and the two troublemakers are clustered around grinning widely at him. ¡°How did you circle around me?¡± Rafael complains to Stavros even as he starts feeling warm and fuzzy in his chest. Bastards, both of them. ¡°I ducked into another door halfway down the stairs, everything else was an illusion,¡± Stavros admits. ¡°Phae owed me one.¡± ¡°Presents!¡± Nicholas yells, impatient. ¡°No, wait, cake first. Cake first? No, presents!¡± ¡°We can do both,¡± Stavros declares and hurls a present at Rafael then opens the cake box. It¡¯s wonky and homemade but slathered in icing and dense just the way Rafael likes. They spend the day lazing around the room, greeting everyone who drops by to wish Rafael a happy birthday and end up amassing quite the crowd despite exams being just around the corner. Flick stomps in, snaps at everyone to be quieter, and hurls a rock-shaped present at Rafael¡¯s face ¨C which is actually a very thoughtful set of coloured pens because coloured writing helps his dyslexia. Phaedra sprawls over Stavros¡¯ bed like an art piece and doesn¡¯t move even when Stavros¡¯ past flings and fling-hopefuls crowd around the bed wanting to take a seat. Aeneas comes by for a brief moment to politely hand over a perfectly adequate present of various high-end chocolates because Rafael gave him a present on his birthday a few months ago and Aeneas must return the favour. Nicholas grabs onto him and messes up his cute hair like Nicholas always does to Stavros. Aeneas leaves with an afro of white-blond curls and a purse of his lips that¡¯s too polite to be a frown. Others drop by. Mariana with her friends, almost all the InCore of their year, Rafael¡¯s little study group he hides away with when Nicholas and Stavros have Loops practice. In such a crowd, in his own territory, Rafael sits tucked in to remind himself to behave rather than letting his long limbs splay out. That¡¯s fine anyway because Nicholas sits close enough to shove Rafael up against the headboard. Stavros is on the other side, arm over Rafael¡¯s shoulder and gripping Nicholas¡¯ collar. They¡¯ll use air-freshening charms to clean the place up later so Thoth doesn¡¯t get too riled up. The lazy party ends when one of Rafael¡¯s study group mentions how hard the alchemy tests are going to be and people groan and file out to get some last-minute cramming in.
During the practical portion of his charms SC exam, Nicholas tries twice and finally manages a more solid mist for his sentinel spell ¨C which snaps into a corporeal, heated orange when Nicholas realises what his sentinel animal is and the joy hits but it hurts. Adam¡¯s raccoon form ghosts through the air, scampering cutely as he patrols around, the spell meant for scouting. When he finds no issues, he runs back to Nicholas and sits up, little front paws raised adorably. The examiner is saying something, complementing Nicholas, but he''s just staring at Tycoon with an elated smile. "Hey," Nicholas whispers. "Handsomest thing I''ve ever seen." Tycoon seems to preen exaggeratedly like Adam used to. 25. carriages The carriages that take students off the floating island and back to their countries board stupidly early, especially after the end of year party last night that kicked off right after the last set of exams. All three boys in the room are scrambling around shoving everything into their trunks and they can hear chaos further off in other rooms of the tower. Nicholas knows for a fact that half of his shit is with Rafael and the other half is with Stavros, so Nicholas is basically packing their stuff into his own luggage, and they''ll just have to sort it out later and send it with shrinking charms through carrier pigeons. "Help," Nicholas whines, sitting back on his calves in his bed, patting around the covers for like ten minutes now because he can''t find his glasses and he checked the floor ¨C they''re not there. "Just summon them," Stavros snaps, kneeling on his trunk to force it shut. "I don''t know where my wand is either," Nicholas complains, panicking because he''s barely dressed and he hasn''t started packing half the stuff. "Guys, come on, I''m blind. Like I genuinely can''t see shit right now." Rafael storms over and picks up Nicholas¡¯ glasses, where they had been ten centimetres from his foot, and puts them on Nicholas'' face before picking up Nicholas'' wand, half buried under the pillow that he threw at the foot of the bed to check the rest of the mattress. "I love you," Nicholas says solemnly as Rafael heads back to packing. Nicholas then uses a time-set transfiguration spell to gather all his things piled on the floor into handkerchiefs, tosses them into his luggage and shuts it with a satisfying bang. He puts his hands on his hips and smiles because when it transforms back it''ll be absolute chaos but it''s all fine for now at least. "Since when?!" Stavros cries. "No ¨C fuck you, Nicky, you could do that the whole time and you didn''t once offer to help me?" "I was looking for my glasses!" Nicholas yells back. "Which you didn''t help with either so fuck you back!" The piercing whistle cuts through the wind, barely heard this far away but still striking fear into their hearts. Everyone is scrambling to drag Nicholas over to their piles of trash scattered around. All their bits and pieces are closed and shrunken with the carriages about to leave in like twenty minutes so they bolt down the stairs, joining the frantic crowd of other InCore that stream out from the dorms. The three take a sharp left and shove aside a tapestry, most of the InCore behind them following because everyone knows you can bribe the boys for shortcuts so this will definitely get them to the carriages faster. There''s a poor year-seven at the back, lugging two full bags because she doesn''t know the shrinking spell yet, and wheezing. "Oh whatever, I''ll just stay at the citadel the whole summer." "You can sneak through the Transverse gate later!" Stavros calls back over the thudding of feet echoing off the narrow stone walls. "You said that last time and we still ended up having to ask a random teacher to port us," Nicholas retorts, firing back a shrinking spell at the girl''s luggage. "Get someone to unshrink that when you get off the carriage!" They sprint down spiral stairs barely big enough for one person and burst out into the courtyard to the sound of another warning whistle from the coachman. By the time they stagger out to the front entranceway, all the other students who got there at a reasonable time are snickering at them. Most carriages are connected in a line, and then set up in rows with big signs for each continent hovering in the air. The shadowy coachmen in fancy tailcoats and top hats are sitting at the front, holding reigns that are attached to invisible horses. There are still some kinks to be worked out because the carriages were introduced only a few years ago after some research, from Jordan¡¯s lab at that, came out about really long-distance Transverse use being bad for people and some parents complained to the school. They didn¡¯t have the carriages connected last year and it was even more of a confusing scramble, but this year wasn¡¯t so bad. The three of them run around, ducking between carriages and petting invisible horses until they find the Europe line. Nicholas kicked up such a fuss being separated from his friends too early that his parents decided they¡¯ll just pick him up at the Europe station and head over to the manor in Egypt with a Transverse after. Nicholas wobbles after Stavros to an empty six-seater carriage and just passes out on Rafael¡¯s lap. Rafael pats around and picks up the newspaper that came in through the dorm window via unsympathetic pigeon while everyone was frantically packing this morning. The bird sat on the windowsill for two minutes, realised it wasn¡¯t going to get a treat, and untied the shrunken paper from its own leg before leaving. Stavros occupies himself with repacking his luggage ¨C which actually means shoving everything he can fit of Nicholas and Rafael¡¯s into his own suitcase because he likes to hoard their stuff. After he gets bored an hour in, he kicks Rafael in the leg from where he¡¯s sitting opposite. ¡°You¡¯re such an old man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s interesting,¡± Rafael retorts. ¡°A Creature Reform Centre was shut down recently.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Stavros crosses his arms with a sneer. ¡°What for? Not making the creatures miserable enough?¡± ¡°Gas explosion.¡± Stavros blinks. ¡°And all the creatures are dead?¡± ¡°Half the staff, not a single ¡®patient¡¯ injured,¡± Rafael explains, just as incredulous. ¡°I think it¡¯s Lambros doing this. The creatures are being moved to a rehabilitation centre inside a conservation.¡± ¡°Another reform centre then.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡± Rafael flips the page but that¡¯s the entire story, crammed into a few paragraphs in the middle pages. ¡°I looked up the conservation before, it¡­seemed genuine.¡± After a too-long pause, Rafael looks up. ¡°Why were you looking it up?¡± Stavros demands, voice soft, dangerous. Rafael shuffles the newspaper a bit, the moon waning enough he hunches his shoulders. ¡°Just in case.¡± ¡°And where were we in your ¡®just in case¡¯?¡± ¡°Dead,¡± Rafael murmurs. ¡°Because I¡¯d killed you.¡± Stavros grins wide like baring his teeth. ¡°I¡¯d win that fight.¡± Rafael rolls his eyes. ¡°Fine, I¡¯d eat Rito and we¡¯d fight to the death gladiator style.¡± Stavros barks out a laugh. Nicholas snuffles at the sudden spike in noise and opens his eyes, squinting out at Stavros. ¡°Wha¡¯s a time?¡± Stavros casts a time spell before he realises it¡¯s going to be messed up from flying over different time zones. ¡°We¡¯re about halfway.¡± Nicholas blinks. ¡°I need to go say bye to everyone!¡± It¡¯s immediately clear the power nap gave him way too much energy because he starts bouncing around even before he gets his glasses on, throwing open the carriage door and climbing up to the roof. The barrier around it stops the rush of air from travelling this fast and actually gives him a very smooth ride. Despite being perfectly stable, students are definitely not meant to be jumping around several hundred meters in the air. That rule never stopped a twelve-year-old Nicholas and it¡¯s not going to stop him now. He jumps over carriages, flopping flat on the roof to duck his head down through windows and say goodbye to everyone he knows, and even has half an hour left to tease Mariana and her friends before he gets chased off. The Europe carriage line stops outside the major Transverse gateway (¡®The first TransverseTM gateway in the world¡¯, brags a nearby sign), and the students all pile out to find parents already waiting just under the awnings of the large open building. Nicholas jumps down the carriage steps first and immediately spots a large break in the crowd where Stavros¡¯ parents stand, blank-faced and imposing for all that they look like beautiful works of art. They¡¯re behind and a little to the right of the Lambros Lord and Lady, who welcome their son Aeneas back with nods and a hand on his small shoulder. Phaedra is also walking over but her parents stand much further back. "Come over whenever, yeah?" Nicholas murmurs. Stavros is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a controllable or obedient person. He¡¯s loud and wild and¡­not good but he can pull back into the perfect son, already talented and clever. He just needs to fake the traditional manners and high-handed behaviour but it gets harder and harder for him to find a reason why he should be playing along. Especially when he¡¯s just a spare. But his parents have expectations and Aeneas is only above average at best. Easily disposed of. It starts fine when Stavros gets back from school because his parents have forgotten how he can be, but the tension builds and Stavros usually ducks over to Nicholas¡¯ house at least a few times over the breaks. Stavros offers up a smirk. "Don''t worry, they''ve gotten off my back ever since they heard you went traditional with that high mage." Nicholas laughs. "What, are you serious?" "Really! They think you''ll get me some good contacts, turn me into proper heritage," Stavros scoffs. "I''m not telling them otherwise. Quick, leave before they meet you and realise you''re still a stupid sheep." Nicholas chuckles and heads off with his tiny luggage in hand, arm hooked with Rafael¡¯s. "See you later with Thoth, yeah?" "Yeah, I''ll be there!" Stavros calls back and watches them go. The smile falls off his face and he hefts his own luggage, striding through the crowd. Nicholas sees his parents (with Luca!) standing beside a pillar and waving to him. Ayad are much more distant from each other but there is a branch family saying their goodbyes and moving off with friendly smiles towards Nicholas as well. Nicholas waves back enthusiastically with both hands but still walks Raphael to the single-person Transverse, a series of pentagram ritual circles carved into the ground in a neat row with people popping in and out. Rafael usually takes the Transverse to Italy and then a bus home because his mum gets paranoid about being out in public as a werewolf. She wouldn¡¯t have let him go to school either, but someone caught sight of Rafael using magic as a child and there was no way to avoid it. She¡¯s strangely very meticulous at hiding for a woman who brought a son into the world knowing full well what he¡¯d be. Nicholas would spend every waking minute of the holidays with Rafael and Stavros if he could but he spends almost the whole year at school and really misses his parents. The two have an open invitation to come over but Nicholas¡¯ parents insist on him staying in the house as long as possible. Nicholas drags Rafael into a squeezing hug and then darts off again towards his family, calling over a shoulder, "Bye, Raffy, love you lots, mwah!" "If you see bigger Hearth again, let us know," Rafael says with a wave. Nicholas ducks around a family of far too many little kids and barrels into Luca going full speed. "Luca, Luca, Luca!" Luca leans his weight into it so he doesn''t get thrown back. "Nicholas, um¡­we need to talk. At home." Nicholas looks to his parents and sees they''re solemn and regretful.
"Haochen Xia is coming by in a week to pick you up," Jordan admits quietly once they''re safely back in Ayad Manor. "It was a possibility," Nicholas says, trying to reassure his dad. "I''m coming with you," Luca tells Nicholas. "Is that¡­the best idea?" Nicholas asks hesitantly. "Nicholas, I will fight the sun for you. If Xia hurts you he is going down." Jordan cuts in quickly. "Whoa, okay, let''s calm down first." "I agree with Luca," Vinaya states. "We should wait for the high mage to come and then get him while he''s distracted." "No, no, no," Nicholas blurts out. "I''m sorry, you think we can take a high mage?" "We have Ayad Family Magic," Vinaya scoffs. "Unless he¡¯s actually immortal he won''t stand a chance." "Um," Luca says. "Never mind," Vinaya immediately switches tracks. "Luca, you still can''t hold your mind arts shield, you''re not going. Nicholas, be good for the high mage, okay?"
After a week of constantly being smushed in familial love after being away for so long, Nicholas¡¯ parents calm down just as the invitation letter arrives. The letter is actually a teleportation circle that activates on command because of course Haochen doesn''t have enough time in a day to pick up his wayward stolen heir. The other three Ayad stand around nervously. Nicholas lifts up his packed duffel bag and holds the letter in one hand. "Haochen Xia''s Manor," he says and the circle activates. Luca dives for it at the last second so Vinaya can''t grab him and they both disappear. Vinaya throws up her arms. "Can I not have one child that listens to me?!" 26. etiquette "Mum is going to be pissed," Nicholas laughs. "I''ll apologise to grandma later." Luca has his wand out, scanning the entrance room, which also has a Transverse gateway and a warding circle for people to teleport into. There''s no high mage, no cranes, not even a servant of some sort. "The high mage doesn''t really show up," Nicholas explains. "I''m only here for the rumours that start, for the overseas families that Haochen is trying to recruit. I talked to him like three times total before." Luca lowers his wand but doesn''t put it away. "Maybe we won''t even see him," Nicholas offers. "But to be honest, he''s not that bad. I haven''t even been tortured yet." "That''s a very low bar to set, Nicholas." Luca stays paranoid all the way up to Nicholas¡¯ room, which is kind of earned because he spent several years messing up Haochen¡¯s plans and then almost dying to the man himself. ¡°I think he¡¯s still pretty chill right now,¡± Nicholas offers up, tossing his bag onto the bed. ¡°For whatever that¡¯s worth.¡± Luca is searching the room for spy spells or anything malicious. ¡°I have had zero conversations with the man that didn¡¯t result in him trying to kill me. It¡¯s all death threats, all the time. My version was clinically insane.¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to suck for us to deal with later when he does go off the deep end,¡± Nicholas sighs, flopping onto the bed. ¡°Us?¡± Luca asks, pausing. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand how this father-son thing works, huh?¡± Nicholas muses and then coos when Luca makes a cute face. He rolls up to his feet. ¡°Come on, let me show you around the place so you can do your perimeter check thing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­do that,¡± Luca tries but follows anyway.
The next day, Nicholas wanders the huge library with Luca following like a little duckling as always. And yes, Nicholas is aware it''s more like a dragon guarding its nest but Nicholas likes the duckling metaphor because it reminds him he''s a dad. Nicholas passes the etiquette section and laughs. "Did you have to learn that kind of thing?" Luca asks. "Everyone does," Nicholas scoffs and slips into the aisle. "Wow, I think it might be literally the same books Ayad Manor has. You see this?" Nicholas slaps the shelf in front of him filled with etiquette. "It''s all trash. Most of it is history of why we do something, but you don''t need context to actually do it.¡± "Are you sure you didn''t skip a few books?" Luca muses. "I didn''t," Nicholas insists. "I used a spell to summarise it all and then compiled it further. Made cheat sheets and colour-coded family lines, everything." He pauses. "Well, the spell is slightly not good, but only because it uses blood.¡± "I''d still use it," Luca says immediately, half trying to comfort Nicholas. "Imagine essays." "I know!" Nicholas cries. "It''s so much easier, right? I''m willing to sacrifice some blood ¨C probably the same amount caused by the paper cut I''d get flipping through however many books I''d need to do it the normal way." Nicholas is already turning away so he doesn¡¯t see Luca wince. Luca, ever since he stepped foot into the magical world, has hated Dark magic and the people who use it. He¡¯s been told horrible things about the cost, about how illegal it is -with potentially getting your magic stripped from you- and how it¡¯s a perversion of the natural order. He believed it when people told him. Turns out he doesn¡¯t give a shit when his dad does it. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. It¡¯s not so bad though, really. Luca knows Rafael is a Dark creature and shouldn¡¯t even be allowed to go to school where vulnerable children are. Hearth is illegal too, Stavros is an InCore using a NatCom spell ¨C it¡¯s not right, it magically should not be natural to do that, so it¡¯s Dark. Luca mentally waves it off. He¡¯ll save that conversation for when Nicholas does something morally wrong, not just against the laws of magic¡­ Nicholas gestures to the bottom of the shelf. "Dining etiquette is summarised into ''use the utensils outside-in''. The best thing about etiquette is that it''s generally circular and keeps itself in check ¨C for instance, no matter what family you go to, they always have the same amount of courses in the same order. So go outside-in, you can''t go wrong." "Even with history," Luca allows, "there is no way you need that many books." "All the books are copies of each other, sometimes verbatim." Nicholas points out one near Luca. "Look, authored by all the big heritage families. The only reason you have these many books is because if you don''t have a Lambros one and a Lambros comes over, they''ll throw a fit." Nicholas pulls out a massive, old leather book. "This book -human skin of course- is the ''sword in the stone'' basically." Nicholas flips it open and shows Luca just a massive wall of text. "Written by an illiterate in already bastardised Latin, a single sentence stretching for over two pages, rubbish handwriting, circular reasoning-" "Let me guess," Luca sighs because this seems to be a theme with heritage. "Everyone has to read it to be considered educated." Nicholas flashes a grin. "If you see this, ever, you are socially obligated to brag about how young your child was when they memorised it." Nicholas leans in. "When I was six, I memorised two of the most unintelligible sentences, and every time someone asked me a question, I''d recite it aloud. I was lauded as a genius." "So you''re an expert in etiquette," Luca teases. "Ain''t no one better than me," Nicholas brags, shoving the book back in. "Stick with me, Luca, I''ll get you gala-ready in no time." Nicholas loops around the end of the shelf and passes the heritage history section. "This is also garbage. Not because it isn''t good to know, but because you don''t need to read to hear all about a family''s history. Come within a ten-meter radius of a Manjate, it¡¯s all ''my father is doing some-such political whatever'' or ''my ancestor was thiiiiiis close to being a high mage seven centuries ago''." Luca follows, a fond smile on his face. Nicholas scoffs, diving back into the aisle. "The school is full of heritage who think they''re so sly, skittering around collecting information and blackmail, pretending they¡¯re making connections with people their family already knows, but they don''t know when to shut up with their bragging. I''ve been all over that citadel, I can ruin people. They don''t know half of what I''ve got." Nicholas tosses a smirk over his shoulder. "I mean, if I really wanted to know what High Mage Xia was doing, I''d just ask that self-absorbed year-eight with the mum that''s a Crane Sect disciple. Honestly, they''re lucky I''m not gunning for high mage." Luca grabs Nicholas¡¯ wrist and jerks him to a stop, staring with wide eyes over Nicholas'' shoulder. Nicholas'' smile drops off his face and he whips around. Haochen Xia stands with a book in hand, leaning casually against the end of the shelf. "No, I''m quite certain you wouldn¡¯t last the day." Luca tries to edge around Nicholas and push his dad behind him, away from a stranger who carries such familiar magic. Twenty years doesn¡¯t change a man that much, does it? The high mage looks the same but carries himself so differently that Luca almost thought he was a young Wei instead, waiting impatiently for Luca after class. Luca spots the jade focus hanging from the man¡¯s waist and refocuses. Haochen doesn¡¯t have some of the weaknesses that Luca remembers because most of his injuries happen in the future after the heritage and other high mages fight back. It also means the man doesn¡¯t have a lot of the strengths that made him so impossible to pin down in a fight. Luca needs to reassess this as though Haochen is a stranger. The high mage has a string of jade beads as his focus and his usual duelling style is overwhelming power. As an InCore -or a physical cultivator- Xia is designed for adaptation so he has an immense breadth of spells. He favours complex spells that can be manipulated to do many things rather than simple one-shot tricks, like summoning a crane made of fire instead of throwing out a firebolt. The man¡¯s favourite is a whip made from threads of the void and when it lands a hit, the injury is devastating. In this library though, the high mage is far more likely to move them somewhere else to protect the books. Luca knows how to hijack a teleport and even if they get caught up in a fight, Luca can- ¡°Luca, this is High Mage Xia,¡± Nicholas says casually. ¡°Haochen, this is Luca.¡± Luca hesitates. "You must be our host.¡± Haochen peers down at Luca and purses his lips. "Why are there two of you now?" "He''s my cousin," Nicholas chimes in. Haochen hums and doesn''t seem to care all that much. "We''ll be going to Sweden tomorrow, dress well." Luca and Nicholas share a confused look. "I didn''t exactly pack dress robes," Nicholas says. "Send a letter to your family then," Haochen dismisses and pushes off the shelf gracefully. The two boys wait in silence as the high mage leaves. "Was he listening the whole time?" Nicholas whispers. Luca grabs Nicholas and they race out of the library. 27. a real party Haochen summons them both a few hours before they''re meant to head out to inspect how they dressed themselves and honestly, Nicholas just can''t muster up the seriousness to be wary of the high mage when the man is acting like Nicholas'' dad. Nicholas'' dress robes (and so Luca''s borrowed clothes as well) are made of deep, dark earthy browns of healthy soil, lined in dusty clay reds. The main feature, however, is the outer robe made of wraith worm silk - aged so the invisibility has worn off so the silver colour comes through but the shimmer is still layered on top like heat waves off a road. Nicholas holds out his arms and does a spin. When the outer robe moves it ripples smoothly like water and catches the light. "Am I presentable or shall I shame you?" Luca elbows Nicholas. "You''re passable," Haochen allows. "Don''t eat anything there ¨C fey have been invited and they drug everything." "Can I do the canap¨¦ transmutation thing?" Nicholas asks. "I forgot the name." "You''re going to have to be more specific." Nicholas thinks hard for a moment. "Like it was invented for when people give you truth potion for an interrogation and you change it to water instead so you don¡¯t spill secrets about your Family Magic?" "That depends on how good your transmutation is," Haochen says sceptically and makes Nicholas demonstrate because he is a high mage and he will not be embarrassed by these two children. In the quick hour they have left, while Haochen is off telling his cranes to behave or something, Nicholas also teaches Luca how to do the trick. "So basically I only use it when I want to try a weird little fancy treat, and if it tastes like garbage you can transmute it into chocolate instead of being impolite and spitting it out," Nicholas explains. "Very important part of etiquette; fake enjoying things you hate."
"Behave and stay out of my way unless I call you over," Haochen orders as they stand by the Transverse gateway. He tries half-heartedly to style Nicholas'' hair with his fingers and frowns at a thin scar along one side of Luca¡¯s neck -wondering if he should cover it up because scars on children aren''t cute- before he just gives up and ushers the children through. The second they step through the white sparks, the haze reaches them, a glittery cloud shifting up against the ceiling. Haochen strides through easily but Nicholas inhales and a light blue glow emerges from his temples. Thick, spiralling horns form from mist, pouring off Nicholas'' head where they curve up, back and then down, coming to rest at his jaw line. Jewels are embedded in the ethereal and transparent horns, diamonds and pearls and white opals cut through with rivers of rainbow sheen. Tiny crystals are strung together, draped over the crown of bone and dangling down like delicate dew drops on spider webs, some glinting amongst his wild black hair. The soft light of his crown reflects off his silver outer robes and makes his whole body dimly glow. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Nicholas reaches up to his new accessory with a laugh but his hand passes right through. He turns and the crystals clink lightly together, musically, but his excited smiles drops off in shock when he sees Luca. Luca''s eyes are glowing, or perhaps devouring the light instead, an eerie black so strong that it washes out his own colours and makes him seem pale and ghostly. Deep shadows are etched around his form, swirling at his feet, trailing a little behind when he moves. The ends flicker, less like a powder and more like fire. A bright, blood red mark glows under the clothes over his chest, muffled slightly but over and over like waves on a beach, pulsing like its mimicking a heartbeat. Luca doesn''t even notice his appearance change, he''s too busy staring at Nicholas dazedly. "Y-your horns are beautiful." Nicholas laughs and bats a hand through the shadows near Luca''s shoulder and almost seems to feel it stick to him - there''s resistance. "I like what you''ve got going on, what a dramatic cape." Luca smiles brightly and finally looks down at himself. "...Huh." Several other people at the party have animal or plant characteristics, like one man with peacock tail, or a girl with vines in her hair but others are more like Luca with streaks of light in their skin or dancing sparks following them. Haochen is the only one with no change at all, the crowd pulling away as he approaches but unable to stop themselves from pushing towards him as he drifts past.
Nicholas and Luca end up at a table with little canap¨¦s, picking at some things while pointing out people''s cool changes. "I wonder how they made your horns, what a coincidence," Luca muses because he''s been staring at Nicholas the entire time and can''t quite make himself look away. "It''s your own magic that makes it," answers the girl with butterfly wings a few steps away, also looking over the table. "The potion brings out your magic, loosens the tethers - both so you can''t attack anyone here in neutral grounds and to show off how strong your magic is." She looks Luca up and down. "Yours is basically solid, that''s impressive." "Thanks," Luca says and peers at her flattened butterfly wings, a brilliant blue and black with trailing tips. "Yours are solid too." "Not at all," she scoffs and turns on a heel, wings passing straight through the table. "What happens if you don''t get anything?" Nicholas asks, sliding a glance towards the corner of the room where Haochen is talking to some old people. "Then you have such tight control over your magic that the potion can''t loosen it." She shrugs and the wings move with the motion. Another boy walks over then, coming to a stop beside the butterfly girl but far enough away that they''re just acquaintances instead of friends. His skin is split by rivers of deep purple light and he holds a glass of red wine in hand. Nicholas cuts him off before he manages to say anything. "Wine? Are you seriously drinking that, at our age?" The boy frowns, eyes narrowing. "And who might you be?" "The best smuggler of shitty, cheap vodka on the floating island," Nicholas replies smugly. "Oh, actually, that reminds me of a great story when Stavros found a new room to store the stock in." The boy raises an eyebrow at butterfly girl and she just shrugs. 28. stumbling around "I wonder who that one is," muses the Korean Prime Minister, nodding to the other side of the room. "I don''t think I''ve seen him before." Haochen already knows what''s over there, the boy is certainly being loud enough to amass a crowd. Mostly of other children but some adults are lingering. "The identical boys are mine," Haochen says easily. "I told them I was going to a ''party'' and they kicked up such a fuss, I had to bring them." "Well done with them," the Prime Minister chuckles. "You must be embarrassed to be stuck with me instead. That girl with the butterfly wings is the next Empress of Korea." "I''m not interested in children''s politics," Haochen dismisses. Privately, he''s thinking children are so useful, why didn''t he get one before? Haochen is going to have to watch Luca though. That older one is odd, with barely enough paperwork filed to exist, and Haochen has ample reason to believe the boy was sent by the other high mages. Maybe it was planned with the Ayads, or without their knowledge like depositing a cuckoo in their nest, but the how doesn¡¯t matter. Denvers would make that play; she¡¯s a cancerous thing and what better way to mock him than to send a boy so fractured like Haochen is. Look at that red heart beating in Luca¡¯s chest, in time with Haochen¡¯s. The boy even feels like his magic, though smothered and unrefined. The boy feels like Haochen¡¯s grimoire, just an extension of himself. Because obviously, Haochen would immediately recognise his own soul. Yet there¡¯s no logic to this. Is Haochen supposed to pity the boy and let him in close? Was this supposed to make him angry and blinded by it? Is it a threat, an insult? This seems too messy for someone like Denvers and too ambitious for the other high mages. There¡¯s no technique to it, almost like someone is stumbling around in the dark.
Butterfly girl is wiping her eyes with a tissue, trying not to smudge the makeup and failing. The Russian wine boy is massaging his cheeks because they hurt from smiling too much. Another Greek boy covered in gold vines is still panting from his last fit of laughter. "-so I''m running back through the citadel," Nicholas continues. "Sorry, I''m limping pathetically through the citadel and I find Rafael on the third floor - nowhere near the vanishing door mind you. I tell him; Raffy, what are you doing here? I''ve got the bird, we can rescue Stavros now!" Nicholas grabs at his own hair, eyes wide. "He tells me, he''s like; Nicky, where were you? We''ve been looking everywhere for you! Stavros already jumped out of the window!" The crowd bursts into laughter, so loud the rest of the room hushes for a moment. Nicholas splutters, rearing back and throwing out his hands. "What?! So what - I did all that for shits and giggles? What am I supposed to do now ¨C the classroom is on fire, half a tower is just gone, and I have the school¡¯s guardian three-legged crow stuffed up my shirt to teleport Stavros out of there but the bastard rescued himself!" Luca staggers, hanging off Nicholas'' shoulders to keep himself upright because he can perfectly imagine everything that happened, down to Luya¡¯s expression as she¡¯s kidnapped by some random student. "I try to blame it all on Jules, said some bullshit about him using the bird to power a ritual," Nicholas continues. "But as it turns out, the mutated seagull can communicate and rats on me to the headmaster like the little bitch it is!" A girl hunches over with hands on her knees, the girl beside her wheezing. A boy has staggered off to brace himself against the food table while another squats on the floor crying with laughter. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°So anyway, I¡¯m now just mortal enemies with an island guardian. That asshole keeps swooping me like a demented magpie every time it sees me.¡± Nicholas huffs and turns to Luca but bites down on a grimace when he sees the woman approaching. She¡¯s grey-haired and with a severe expression on her face, her walk practised as she unhesitatingly steps through the crowd and the teenagers part for her. ¡°Nicholas Ayad, is it? I¡¯m old friends with your father, dear. How is he these days?¡± Unfortunately, that¡¯s the cue for everyone else and for the next few hours, people keep approaching him and interrupting all the casual conversations with subtle questioning. That¡¯s the whole point of Nicholas being here so he puts on the polite heir face and plays along, says a few nice things about Haochen whom most people want to talk about, plus discusses his parents and how they¡¯re doing. Haochen didn¡¯t specify what he wanted Nicholas to talk about, unlike how Nicholas¡¯ mum usually does it when they go to galas, so Nicholas keeps it shallow and that seems to generate even more interest. When they realise they won¡¯t get anything much out of Nicholas, they go for Luca and Nicholas cuts that off very quickly. Luca looks at some of the people like he recognises them and it¡¯s never a good expression on his face when he does. If Luca doesn¡¯t want to talk to them, Nicholas is going to make sure he doesn¡¯t have to. So despite Luca¡¯s active sabotage (no, baby, you can¡¯t snap back at people even if they ask nosy questions about the kidnapping), Nicholas is perfectly charming and polite, and well-practised enough that he makes it look easy. Or at least he thinks so, but then Luca turns to him. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break,¡± Luca whispers as the group of men start chatting with each other instead of interrogating Nicholas. The men dart glances at Luca out of the corner of their eyes, unable to hear but catching a hint of weakness. For people who introduced themselves as good friends of Nicholas¡¯ mum, they certainly have no mercy. ¡°The pastries are back?¡± Nicholas asks in delight, loud enough for the group to hear as he links arms with Luca. ¡°Sure, I could eat about thirteen more. Where are they?¡± He pauses like he just remembers and looks back at the men with a smile. ¡°Sorry, I think someone is calling me over there, very urgent.¡± ¡°A business matter, I see,¡± says one of the men with a deadpan face but great humour. Nicholas winks and takes off, looping around with Luca and walking fast enough it would be impolite for anyone to stop them. ¡°Sorry,¡± Luca says hesitantly. ¡°Did I¡­do something? You looked tired.¡± ¡°I did?¡± Nicholas asks, smiling through the worry. ¡°Did they notice?¡± ¡°Not tired but¡­you just kept looking at me, I was wondering if you needed me to distract them.¡± Luca gets back on track, insistent. ¡°Did you want to take a walk outside for some fresh air?¡± Nicholas guides them around a larger group, using the bodies to dodge a particularly intense stare. ¡°I can¡¯t leave, this is my job.¡± ¡°Xia isn¡¯t even in the room, you can take a break.¡± ¡°No,¡± Nicholas says, swinging them to a stop by the table of hors d¡¯oeuvres that¡¯s partially blocked by a pillar. ¡°I mean, as an heir, this is my job. This is what I do.¡± ¡°Your parents aren¡¯t here,¡± Luca says in confusion. ¡°This is-¡° -what I¡¯m meant for, Nicholas doesn¡¯t say because that¡¯s not quite right. Nicholas was not made to be an heir, he was made to be loved. ¡°This is normal,¡± Nicholas tries to explain because Luca doesn¡¯t understand the culture. ¡°Okay, um¡­? Loops training is tiring and not always fun but you do it anyway because then you can have fun playing the game after. This is the preparation, and then Haochen can play with what I¡¯ve set up for him. For my first public event with Haochen, it needs to be above and beyond.¡± Luca starts to say something but puts a hand on Nicholas¡¯ elbow and looks behind them. Nicholas turns to see Haochen beckon them across the room, probably so the three can stand together and look friendly during the speeches that are just being announced. ¡°We should go,¡± Nicholas says when Luca seems like he¡¯s going to ignore the man. Luca makes a face and Nicholas laughs but pulls him onwards. ¡°You can still take breaks during training,¡± Luca reminds him as they make their way towards the high mage. ¡°Take a breather and come back stronger.¡± Nicholas can¡¯t help but smile even when he doesn¡¯t really agree. ¡°You¡¯re so sweet.¡± Luca purses his lips and when they meet Haochen, Luca turns the man. ¡°Xia, would you say the strongest display of strength is going at your own pace and not someone else¡¯s?¡± Haochen raises an eyebrow. ¡°I was about to tell you. Nicholas, you¡¯re here with a high mage, do try to be a bit more selective. I will allow you your peers but stop talking to adults below your station.¡± Luca pauses and turns on Haochen with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± ¡°Hush, child, the speeches are starting.¡± 29. the grimoire The morning after the long party, Luca is making Nicholas food in the kitchen, planning on taking it up to him so Nicholas can have breakfast in bed after he wakes up. It¡¯s mostly so Luca can do something with his hands. Last night was a lot of probing questions that left Luca wanting to plant his feet because they were strangers who knew too much -already calling Luca an Ayad branch member cousin before he even introduced himself- and that¡¯s never a good sign. Then when Haochen took them around himself after the speeches, it was incomprehensible chatter despite how hard Luca tried to follow along, interspersed with Haochen gesturing vaguely at the boys like he¡¯s pulled out a nice wine to show off. Why does Haochen know about Nicholas¡¯ extension classes projects at school? How could the man possibly know about Luca¡¯s duelling proficiency when all he saw were a few beginner stances every time Luca flinched into position when Haochen stepped around corners at him? At least Luca recognised a few names Haochen spoke about. Verma from the resistance but Luca isn¡¯t sure what she does now, High Mage Niaa whom Luca already has plans for, and something about Confederacy funding. There was also a brief mention of spectating a duelling tournament that Haochen turned down on the grounds of it being for amateurs ¨C and that¡¯s when Haochen insultingly stated that Luca dabbled in duelling. The closest Luca ever got to politicking before was crashing a few parties and starting a fight. Right now, Luca is kind of feeling like he¡¯s waiting for the fight part. And so of course Haochen swans into the room and holds out a familiar grimoire, a hardcover in black leather with rune work stamped into it and a magic aura that seems to breathe. Luca drops the pack of cheese on the bench and backs up. Does Haochen know? Can he feel Luca¡¯s magic better when the high mage is like this ¨C with a clear mind and the power practically rolling off him? "I don''t know why you have my magic," Haochen states and ignores Luca''s flinch. "Strange, considering you seem to not have taken it from this grimoire, which is the only piece I¡¯m missing. I''m quite sure it''s a trap, or some kind of bait since you''re not even a real person according to your thin records that spontaneously appeared recently." He holds out the grimoire closer to Luca. "Keep this close, I will know if you don¡¯t." "What will it do?" Luca asks even though he knows the answer. "You''re not in a position to be asking questions," Haochen says mildly. "And...do you have any questions?" Luca asks hesitantly, definitely expecting more. Maybe not screaming and torture from this clearly sane and controlled Haochen but not nothing either. "Of course," Haochen muses. "But it''s not like you can run from me, and the grimoire will soon know more than enough." Haochen''s influence is sweeping across Asia, gaining traction in Europe like it never has before. Luca¡¯s Stavros explained before, how Haochen acted in his prime. Right now, it¡¯s not hard to imagine the man is so high on his easy, overwhelming success that a little boy is hardly going to be a threat to him. Maybe Haochen considers the power Luca has to be fake, which would be an easy explanation. It¡¯s not the first time people have dismissed Luca just based on their own ego and denial. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Luca takes the grimoire because he can do nothing else.
"This will be slowly absorbing my magic," Luca warns, holding up the thin grimoire cautiously by the corner like it¡¯s about to bite him. Nicholas munches on his sandwich. "Is that good?" "No, it''s horrible and it might hurt people," Luca admits. "Why are you carrying it then?" "Because Xia told me I had to," Luca explains. "I will be writing in his grimoire-" Nicholas laughs. "What, he actually just gave you that like an idiot?" Then he quickly reigns himself back in. "No, sorry, continue." "It doesn¡¯t have any of his personally-made spells or knowledge like a real grimoire ¨C or it does, but it¡¯s guarded by the only person he trusts which is¡­himself," Luca sighs. There¡¯s a long, sordid history behind the book because Haochen was not always this powerful. There are far more high mages than anyone thinks, it¡¯s just that they always have accidents. That power is hard to hide, so babies are snuffed out in cradles, toddlers slip and drown in ponds, and even if they hide? If they get stronger faster than anyone else? People are even warier. Haochen was broken once. Shattered apart at just sixteen and he was dying in an empty room, in a foreign place with no friends and no help, after having watched his father walk away chatting to the high mages that did that to him. But the boy was nothing if not a survivor and he gathered all he could into the closest vessel strong enough to hold the pieces, a grimoire ¨C something already containing his magic, with his own crafted spells and all the power that holds. Haochen will never be whole, and the fractured boy left hidden in the pages will never really grow. Wei Zhang, that hollow boy, told Luca about this a long time ago. Monologued about it really, as Luca lay crumpled on the ground from Wei absorbing his magic. What makes it all the more tragic is that Luca, even at the end, thought they were friends. "I will be writing to it,¡± Luca says, clearing his throat. ¡°And it will be taking some of my¡­excess magic from my core¡­so it¡¯ll basically be eating my soul." "Excess?" "Potential possession," Luca continues because he didn''t tell Nicholas about the soul sweeper device, not when Nicholas is too close to Haochen''s influence. "He doesn¡¯t like doing it but he can so¡­just be aware if I''m acting strangely." "How do I stop it possessing you?" Nicholas asks. "You will not be able to win a fight with him," Luca admits. "Just¡­stay out of his way, I¡¯ll fight my way out." "Well, you know, never say never," Nicholas argues. "I could take a book. Look how thin it is, it doesn''t stand a chance against me." "This is Haochen Xia at sixteen," Luca clarifies. "He will destroy you." "Well I''ve never fought him before-" "Nicholas, please, this is not about your ego right now. Do not fight the grimoire. Please." Nicholas frowns. "Yeah, fine," he grumbles. "As long as he doesn''t start shit first." "Nicholas."
After getting back to Ayad Manor, Luca writes in the grimoire like he talks to his Stavros; all about Nicholas, constantly, with much enthusiasm. Wei hates it ¨C he tries to change the subject but that reminds Luca of another one of Nicholas¡¯ stunts and it spirals until Wei just straight up stops writing back at times because he¡¯s so sick of Nicholas and seethes with resentment, spilling ink all over Luca¡¯s words in frustration. Luca is interrupted in his writing when he sees through the window Nicholas come bounding back up the walkway, arms loaded up with groceries, Jordan following behind at a calmer pace. Luca quickly drops the pen back down and shoves the grimoire into one of his drawers. Not that Luca uses his bedroom much because he sleeps with Nicholas. Admittedly, Nicholas is also conditioned from school because his bed is three steps away but he still sleeps in Rafael or Stavros¡¯ beds instead, so without them he doesn¡¯t fall asleep as easily. Good thing he has a Luca now. Vinaya looks up from feeding the pigeon a treat when all three cluster into the kitchen. ¡°Perfect timing. Sweetie, you have a letter.¡± ¡°Which sweetie?¡± Jordan asks. ¡°The newest sweetie,¡± Vinaya clarifies and holds it out to Luca as the pigeon takes off. Luca sees the school crest of crossed staffs wrapped in rays of light and opens it up while the others unpack groceries. ¡°It¡¯s Headmaster Selwood, she¡¯s replying about my transfer.¡± Luca looks up and smiles at Nicholas. ¡°We¡¯re going to school together.¡± Nicholas yeets the carrots at his mum and tackles Luca into the wall with a delighted squeal. 30. price tag Rafael is sitting across from Stavros at the round table outside the cafe, sipping tea and watching the magical population of Crete walk about. ¡°Whatever the high mage wants, he¡¯s playing the long game,¡± he murmurs in Italian. Stavros, just finished reading the story for the third time, now squints at the moving picture in the newspaper. "Oh shit, is Nicky telling the crow story?" The picture shows Nicholas standing at the head of a crowd that seems to be bowing to him with how they''re staggering from laughter. His jewel-encrusted horns glow as Nicholas mimes wrestling with something. "At least he''s enjoying himself,¡± Stavros says with a fond smile. ¡°Plus good news -or possibly bad- being this public means Xia can¡¯t do anything bad to either of them now.¡± He smirks. ¡°Do you think Luca will assassinate Xia in his sleep now that he¡¯s snuck into the guy¡¯s house?¡± ¡°If Luca does, that¡¯s because of your influence, not mine,¡± Rafael denies. Nicholas and Luca meet the two a few minutes later and they swap to English for Luca. The four of them go wandering around shopping ¨C mainly for the stuff next year because their school lists just came in, but mostly because the next day is a full moon so they need to buy some drug-purging potions. Nicholas buys Luca all the ¡®fun stuff¡¯ like ingredients for potions and equipment for alchemy, dresses him up in the greys and blacks of the uniform, and gets way too much cute stationary. Rafael is therefore the one who reminds them to actually buy textbooks and even then they get half the books recommended because either they share or because the textbooks are optional. He also spends most of his time staring at price tags and trying not to look at anyone when Nicholas or Stavros pays for his things. Stavros jokes about being Rafael¡¯s sugar daddy and Nicholas laughs about eating the rich but the carelessness in how they spend money doesn¡¯t take away the sting of shame. Rafael tampers that all down though after he catches sight of Luca trying to buy second-hand. It proves Rafael is a normal person, it¡¯s just Nicholas and Stavros that are strange. So instead of despairing as he watches Stavros buy new clothes that he¡¯s probably going to wrestle Rafael into later (Nicholas is happy to be dressed up and does not need forceful intervention), Rafael puts his energy into helping Luca find the best books to catch up on his schooling. They also need to pick up some more ingredients since they go through Thoth¡¯s potions pretty quickly even though Rafael doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. He doesn¡¯t remember anything when he¡¯s Thoth and barely remembers what happens right after a transformation. Any pain he does feel is blurred, dream-like, and settles into a low if constant ache after but if it makes the others happy¡­ Nicholas runs off with Luca through the shelves of the apothecary, touching everything. Stavros makes it his mission to slink through the shop and lunge around corners to jumpscare Nicholas as many times as possible ¨C which ends quickly when Luca draws a wand on instinct. Rafael picks up a basket and wanders with it hoked over the crook of his elbow as he gets the common ingredients. The other three keep looping around to drop off supplies and then scatter again. He can only just see their hair peeking above the shelves as they run past. ¡°Raffy!¡± ¡°Ross,¡± Rafael hums and Stavros comes strutting around a corner, clutching a glass jar with tiny eyeballs floating around, optical nerves all connected into a stem. They bob around with the motion of Stavros¡¯ walk, turning to stare at Rafael. ¡°No,¡± Rafael says. ¡°What is that even used for?¡± ¡°Cute pets,¡± Stavros argues and dumps it in the basket before walking away. ¡°Put it back,¡± Rafael complains but Stavros is already gone. He sighs and wanders off into the rarer, more expensive section of the shop. He picks up the glass jar so it can see properly. ¡°Where were you?¡± The eyeballs drift left and so does Rafael. He finds their shelf eventually, a noticeably missing spot in between more eye-like things that blink at him. He turns to leave but catches on a label, hyper-aware of it like seeing his own name. Werewolf (bestial) ¨C collateral ligaments of the leg Dried, reddish-yellow strips of meat lie in a metal basket, paired together and bound by rope with a detailed tag. They¡¯re expensive for something so small and there are only two bunches. Werewolves are rare after all - but that¡¯s probably because they¡¯re in hiding. Most are killed in ¡®quarantine¡¯ by a ¡®medical complication¡¯ but Rafael has no doubt that normal humans are snatched off the street and infected with the sickness to keep up production. He¡¯d always felt paranoid, avoiding a section like this in case someone might one day look at the products, and look at him, and somehow piece it together. But after all that information Christos passed on, today he¡¯s rather curious. He wonders much the reform centre sold him for. Could they use all of him or did they dump the rest into landfill? Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Rafael picks up a pair of ligaments and it feels like any other dried meat. How would they get the ligaments out without sawing off his entire leg? Unless they simply kill Thoth and break him down. Werewolves are easy to make, there would be no point in keeping him alive like Christos implied. Why would the reform centre bother to keep healing Rafael after they take the parts they need? His eyes track across the shelves labelled werewolf. Claws, teeth, vials of blood, basic things. Meat, tendons, skin, bones¡­such a huge price tag. Rafael spots a truly ridiculous price. He puts the ligaments away and crouches to see a simple wrap of skin locked behind a dimly glowing security ward. It¡¯s human, no fur, but it¡¯s labelled werewolf. A born werewolf, the label proudly states in a larger font. Rafael didn¡¯t know that mattered. Is that why they kept him for so long? Did they peel his skin off too to make a nice pelt? They wouldn¡¯t even have to wait for a full moon, they could just crack his bones off and rip them out. Imagine that, a creature more expensive when they still look human. ¡°Rafael?¡± Luca asks. Rafael stands up and smiles. ¡°Hey, are you done?¡± Luca darts a glance to the shelves and frowns. ¡°Your centre was destroyed.¡± ¡°I read about that in the news,¡± Rafael hums. ¡°You got to it pretty fast.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll stop the rest,¡± Luca promises. Rafael chuckles. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can. Look how much I cost; you think people will stop when that kind of money is on the line?¡± Luca hesitates but then just shrugs. ¡°They¡¯re not going to have a choice after Christos gets to them.¡± Rafael feels something in his chest tightens. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± He looks back at the shelf and can¡¯t stop a smile. ¡°Yeah, okay. That¡¯s true.¡± After they pay for the ingredients, they all shuffle the bags around until Rafael can hold Stavros and Nicholas¡¯ hands while they keep shopping. He¡¯s not worried, really, and that might be a bad sign but he¡¯s always been fully aware that these things happen to people like him. That¡¯s not a surprise. No need to panic over a fact and he can¡¯t stop it anyway. As the sun sinks fully below the horizon, they all huddle around the Transverse to split off. ¡°Sorry,¡± Nicholas says, a bit guilty because Luca is now loaded down with shopping for all four of them. Nicholas will bring Rafael and Stavros¡¯ in his luggage when school starts, to avoid Rafael¡¯s mum in particular noticing, so Luca is taking it back to the Ayad Manor now. ¡°It¡¯s charmed,¡± Luca dismisses, pulling up the masses of bags in a bicep curl to demonstrate how light they are. He seems to hesitate, a bit awkward around the subject but still earnest when he says, ¡°Call if you need anything. Extra potions, whatever it is.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve stocked up,¡± Nicholas reassures and flashes a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Luca!¡± ¡°Okay. Be safe!¡± Rafael waves as Luca steps through. He then turns around and realises Nicholas and Stavros have already disappeared. Damn it.
¡°That one?¡± Nicholas asks, pointing at a bakery across the road as he half jogs down the street with Stavros because they¡¯re on a time crunch. ¡°I swear to you, best store in ¨C Nicky!¡± Stavros grabs for his arm but Nicholas is already bumping into someone because he¡¯s too distracted watching the bakery, causing them both to stagger. ¡°Oh!¡± Nicholas grabs the woman¡¯s arm to steady her, eyes going wide as he looks down at the spilled cocktail all down her tight white dress. ¡°Sorry about-¡° ¡°What the fuck¡¯s your problem?¡± yells a man, forcing his way in between them, big and mean and clutching a beer. ¡°What happened?¡± asks someone else from the same table, a group of friends, maybe twenties and clearly already a bit wasted. ¡°He just hit my girlfriend!¡± snaps the angry boyfriend. Stavros steps up, wrapping up an arm around Nicholas'' waist and bringing him close to hide the way he snaps out his wand with a violent flick of the wrist. Well, to hide it from everyone except the table of people who decided to pick a fight. Their eyes all drop to the wand and a few even take a step back. ¡°Y-you can''t do that,¡± stutters another man. ¡°Your witch cops won''t let you.¡± ¡°Yeah? You going to call them, mundane?¡± Stavros sneers. ¡°Go on, take out your focus and cast an emergency alert charm, I''ll wait.¡± Nicholas purses his lips to try and smother the smile on his face. ¡°Come on, Ross, it was an accident. Right, guys?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the woman Nicholas bumped says quickly. She grabs the arm of her boyfriend even when her friends try to pull her back to safety further away from the confrontation. ¡°It was an accident.¡± The man isn''t backing down though, he gets even more pissed off at being threatened. ¡°That stick means you''re on that giant floating rock, huh? You can''t do anything with it, broomfucker. You ain''t even legal.¡± Stavros chuckles darkly, hand tightening on Nicholas'' waist. ¡°I''m about to erase this entire town from existence and then you can tell me what a Lambros can and can''t do.¡± ¡°Lambros?¡± whispers another woman from the back, disbelieving. The man shifts his grip on his beer and half raises it as he takes a step forward. ¡°I don''t give a shit about your witch celebri...ties...¡± His steam runs out as his eyes slowly slide up and up and up to over their heads. ¡°Is there a problem here?¡± Rafael asks in a rough voice, standing damn near head and shoulders above the crowd, eyes blazing gold as he peers down at the man, sneering just enough to show sharp teeth. ¡°No,¡± the woman says firmly, hauling her boyfriend back. ¡°No, it''s fine. I''m sorry, he''s drunk.¡± ¡°Sorry I bumped into you,¡± Nicholas can finally say. His wand pops out and despite everyone flinching making the aim harder, he fixes the spill on her shirt and then polishes her shoes because he likes the bright orange colour. ¡°Okay, bye!¡± Nicholas grabs Stavros and Rafael and hurriedly runs off through the other tables who have just started to turn and watch. They take a quick turn around the corner then stumble into an alleyway, Nicholas cracking up. Stavros turns on Rafael, incredulous. ¡°Did you make your voice deeper?!¡± ¡°You were standing on your tippy toes!¡± Nicholas cackles. ¡°I''m telling Luca you almost got into a fight,¡± Rafael hisses in outrage. ¡°I can''t believe you pulled your wand on a mundane, you know people go crazy about that shit.¡± ¡°He was throwing out slurs!¡± Stavros complains. ¡°Clearly we''d win if it came to public opinion.¡± ¡°Why did you even leave?¡± Nicholas offers up a sheepish smile. ¡°Um, we wanted to get you a nice treat because you didn¡¯t look so good after the apothecary.¡± Nicholas points across the road at the bakery they were aiming for. ¡°We could have just gone together,¡± Rafael points out, exasperated. ¡°But it¡¯s always better when it¡¯s a surprise,¡± Nicholas insists. 31. a forest in Italy Later that night, Nicholas gets the trapdoor open with helpful opposable thumbs and then immediately folds out into Rito so he doesn¡¯t smell human while Hearth peeks his head over the edge of the almost pitch black ¡®detached wine cellar¡¯ but what looks more like some jungle base for guerrilla warfare. The property backs into the forest, a beautiful picturesque Italian landscape that can¡¯t be seen at all when it¡¯s this dark, the canopy blocking the moonlight out too. The house is an old one-storey made entirely of concrete, built in the midst of World War 2, and if it can take technomancy-fuelled planes dropping bombs then it can take two werewolves. Rafael¡¯s mum is in the basement under the house, and Rafael once explained they used to stay together until Rafael grew up and their instincts told them to kill each other. Then this second basement was dug up and lined with concrete. The werewolf disease isn¡¯t exactly conducive to a family-friendly environment. It takes Rito a moment with the darkness but he spies Thoth lying in a corner, curled up on top of a large stuffed toy transmuted to look like Rito, with a little floppy Hearth toy in his paws. Those are the only two things in the room and only because Rafael hides them from his mum. She thinks more stimulus will make the wolf stronger. One day, Nicholas will tell her how wrong she is. How locking up Thoth in an empty box doesn¡¯t teach him control, drugging him doesn¡¯t make it easier to get through, and keeping him from other people doesn¡¯t make his life safer. Thoth¡¯s breathing is raspy and stuttered, gold eyes fluttering half open at the trap door opening. There¡¯s blood on his mouth from gnawing at the metal ladder up, and he must have thrown up a few times judging by the smell. At least he hasn¡¯t started biting himself. The drugs keep Thoth from making too much noise or crawling his way out of the basement his mum puts him in, but it doesn''t stop Thoth from turning inwards in rage and fear, so Rafael has some pretty noticeable scars from his own claws and teeth. Rafael (at Nicholas¡¯ insistence) keeps telling his mum to lower the dose but since neither of the werewolves remember the night past the pain going into and out of the transformation -plus any leftover effects the day after are excused as the transformation too- she never believes him. Then again, Rafael is also only going off of how angry Stavros gets when he sees Thoth like this. Rafael¡¯s mum takes the same poison but adjusted better over a lifetime and for her smaller body, a whole half less than what she tries to kill Rafael with - but maybe that¡¯s going too far, she¡¯s never meant to hurt him, she¡¯s just always so scared, and incompetent enough she can¡¯t be anything but. Maybe Nicholas would be more sympathetic if Rafael wasn''t his first priority. (Maybe Stavros would stop offering to switch their potions and hide the body after if he was a better person.) Rito bleats quietly down into the dark basement. Thoth half lifts his big head and then just falls back down again. He tries to hug his plushies closer for comfort. Fuck, that¡¯s heartbreaking. Rito and Hearth share a look then they¡¯re shifting back for the rescue. Stavros is gently levitating Thoth¡¯s huge body as Nicholas runs around conjuring a soft hand cart to put him in. Thoth doesn¡¯t struggle ¨C either too weak or not conscious enough to realise there are humans here. They don¡¯t want to stay too close to the house in case Rafael¡¯s mum comes up in the morning faster than they can run away. If she knew Rafael actually had friends, she¡¯d pull him from school. If she knew Rafael had friends who knew about his sickness, she might take drastic measures. Stavros lies a whimpering Thoth into the cart and retrieves his stuffed toys too, then shuts the trap door. Nicholas climbs under the arched, very basic harness and shifts back into Rito, lifting the cart off its front legs. Thoth tries to snarl, legs kicking out slightly as Stavros walks alongside the cart casting healing spells as they head deeper into the forest. They make Thoth take the purging potion so he throws up a few more times, then coax him into eating and drinking, spiking the water with a broad-spectrum healing potion. He¡¯s still out of it and moves slowly but they get him up for a walk around their little clearing, pressed side to side. They spend most of the night just piled on top of each other and napping though. Fun fact; canine species (like wolves) put their mouth over the muzzle of other dogs to assert dominance - usually in a kind of playful way. Thoth tries to do that to Rito, while the unsuspecting sheep is lying down in a nice patch of grass, and Rito just sits there giving no fucks because he doesn''t understand it. And then Rito realises it''s hard to breathe because Thoth is covering his entire muzzle which means mouth and nose. Rito bleats and it echoes strangely in Thoth''s mouth, the werewolf pulling away soon after and licking his lips. Rito turns to Hearth and opens his mouth, which gets him a lot of outraged shrieking because Hearth isn''t down to be dominated by a herbivore. They end up sleeping outside in the forest after the moon starts to wane, a newly shifted back Rafael cuddled up to Rito''s warm stomach, head half buried in the black mane, and wrapped in a sleeping bag with Hearth on top as an extra quilt. It''s too cold for Rito and Hearth to shift back, not when they lie outside and stare up at the bright stars. Rito wonders what Luca is doing.
Luca, staring around the empty cave, does not find a table with three goblets and a throne with a skeleton. He spent so long learning Nicholas'' food transmutation trick to use on the poisons in all three goblets so he can fight the skeleton without being half-dead, but nothing is even here! Where did the necklace on the skeleton go? "I''m not upset at no lich king to fight," Older Stavros -Christos now- admits, kicking some pebbles down the short hill where they splash into the empty water. His limp certainly isn¡¯t helping on the crumbling stone slopes. "Have you seen Xia wearing any of his bling?" "Please don''t call it that," Luca grumbles. "And no but Nicholas mentioned a trophy room when he was giving me a tour of the place." Christos winces. "So the only way you''re getting to it, is if Nicholas is there with you." "I''m not risking it," Luca says firmly. "And¡­you know what, Xia is a little bit weird - like acting human weird. Like a normal person and not just a vessel of anger and wild magic?" "What does that mean?¡± Christos muses, crossing his arms. It¡¯s not judgemental or sceptical, he¡¯s simply asking. Christos has always been up for a stupid plan. ¡°I can¡¯t fight him head-on anyway -not without a miracle- but I still have easy access to him and even Wei¡¯s grimoire?¡± Luca tries to explain. ¡°We know what he wants and how he does it and we have a concrete plan to stop him. He is the one thing I know for a fact. It¡¯s everything else I need to figure out. This might sound delusional but I feel¡­I already have a handle on him? Especially when he acts like this.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Christos considers it. "You¡¯re not wrong about knowing how to stop him, and he¡¯s backed himself into a corner politically going public with Nicky, but Luca you might be getting confused here. Xia is insane in the future ¨C flat-out fucked in the head from those rituals, so he¡¯s going to be different. Almost a different person entirely. But he¡¯s still dangerous as a high mage, they all are.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Luca says solemnly. Christos wasn¡¯t there for the end, he doesn¡¯t know how true those words are. ¡°I¡¯m not saying we leave him alone. We should destroy the pieces to his soul sweeper device and keep an eye on him, but he¡¯s a contained threat and there are so many more high mages to take down. If he does get out of hand¡­I know how to end him. I just don¡¯t think he¡¯s the first one we need to kill anymore and focusing so much on him while the others slip by might be a mistake.¡± Luca and Christos destroyed the reform centre that had Rafael but there are plenty more and the people running the scene are still free. Plus the anti-mage lab is getting set up this year. In fact, and Luca has always kept this in mind, but Xia needs the research from the reform centre and the anti-mage lab to even get half as strong as he does in the future. Christos kicks some pebbles out of his way as he walks back down the slope. ¡°Alright. I get what you¡¯re saying and I do think we need to start tracking down the other problems. My concern now is why you¡¯re talking circles around it. You could have just said ¡®fuck Xia, he¡¯s turned wimp, let¡¯s gank the others¡¯.¡± Luca scrubs a hand through his hair and follows Christos back out of the cave. "It''s just¡­" he sighs. "This is also the last chance we have to move unwatched. Xia is onto me and I don''t know what the grimoire is going to get." "Can¡¯t do much about that anyway,¡± Christos points out. ¡°We¡¯ve already got a plan going and if all else fails, Nicky can slip me in as Hearth and I¡¯ll slit Xia¡¯s throat in his sleep. Just keep your guard up and your wand on you.¡± He pauses and smirks. ¡°Actually, you know that dualling tournament you want to go to so you can contact Verma? Don¡¯t worry, Nicky will take you.¡±
Rafael wakes up to the smell of a home-cooked meal. His limbs are a heavy weight and his frayed mind is still in the clutches of the moon that¡¯s just passed. He doesn¡¯t know where he is, just dazed, confused, senses dialled up to eleven and screaming at him in a jumbled mess. But even like this, he knows it¡¯s not his mum who cooked for him. Rafael and his mum were inseparable before, tightly connected by suffering and secrets, her eyes so relieved whenever Rafael was cut down and torn apart by the wolf inside him because at least she wasn¡¯t alone. She was his best friend - only friend ¨C only person he was ever allowed to know because humans were dangerous. She was so desperate and clung to him so tightly when he left for school, breaking down in heaving sobs when they had to separate like she was losing a limb. Rafael was scared too, utterly terrified at being alone for the first time. He thought people would look at him and they would know he was sick. Every story, every threat his mum warned him about haunted him for those first few months. He would jump at shadows, flinch at loud voices, and hide away in empty classrooms. The first spell he learned was a cutting charm because killing himself would at least be quick. Except when he went back home for the holidays, it was to find his mum had moved on. He had been gone for months and in that time, she had found something new to cling to -only the first of many new obsessions to comfort herself- and she just never looked back. They pass each other as strangers now and she only talks to him when she wants to make sure that he¡¯s in just as much pain as her. No, obviously it wasn¡¯t his mum. Rafael slowly moves a hand and feels Hearth in his bed, curled into his side. He pets the fox with a shaking hand and blearily looks around to find what smells so good. Three giant plates of food have been laid out on his desk nearby. Rafael blinks and it takes his foggy brain a moment to understand something is not right. He¡¯s in his house in Italy, after a full moon. Nicholas and Stavros brought him back to bed but had to make a run for it when they thought they heard Rafael¡¯s mum start moving in the basement. Hearth should not be here; Rafael¡¯s mum is awake. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Rafael hisses, struggling to sit up, legs tangled in blankets and a shoulder blade jabbing into the headboard. He feels too hot and everything aches, which is incredibly good for a moon at his mum''s house. Nicholas takes his healing studies seriously and he keeps getting better. ¡°Go. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Hearth uncurls and limps to the edge of the bed. He limps. His back leg. ¡°You¡¯re not¡­¡± Rafael trails off as he realises Hearth¡¯s fur is too long and he¡¯s a bit bigger. The fox smells like a damp cave and Luca. Hearth leaps off the bed and Christos is the one who lands. He¡¯s not much more grown than Stavros but he has a neat beard now and his hair is not so perfectly curled. Christos doesn¡¯t look as put together, dressed like he rolled off the couch, but he moves with the same predator confidence. Christos grabs the first plate, steam held in suspension with the stasis charm, and comes back to sit on Rafael¡¯s bed. He puts the plate in Rafael¡¯s lap and then just flops down over the rest of Rafael¡¯s legs with a sigh. ¡°I was stuck in a cave all of last night. I¡¯m still feeling rocks under my feet.¡± Rafael¡¯s eyes dart around and spot his wand on his bedside table. ¡°You¡¯ve picked a bad time. I feel like shit but I¡¯ve still got full moon strength.¡± ¡°Eat your food,¡± Christos scoffs, shoving the plate a bit so Rafael has to grab it to stop anything from falling off. ¡°I¡¯m not kidnapping you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what you told Nicky,¡± Rafael mutters. ¡°Is this food drugged?¡± ¡°Do you think your mother is dead right now?¡± Rafael goes very still. His next inhale brings with it the delicious aroma of all of his favourites now that the dish is right in front of him. Rafael feels sick. Rafael feels¡­something. Something. Christos rolls his head around to peer up at him, white-blond hair splayed over Rafael¡¯s bedsheets like a halo. His eyes are soft but he¡¯s always been able to cut someone with that smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it, Raffy. You can eat and then go back to sleep and recover. I¡¯ll take care of it, all you have to do is nod. Now¡­do you think your mother is dead?¡± Rafael¡¯s fingers twitch on the edges of the plate. ¡°Stop it.¡± Christos watches him. ¡°Stop it,¡± Rafael repeats firmer, looking away. ¡°What the fuck ¨C you just get worse, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask again later,¡± Christos mutters petulantly and sits up with a huff. ¡°She took her meds and passed out in her room. Eat, I¡¯ll clean the dishes and she¡¯ll never know I was here. Where did Nicky leave your potions?¡± ¡°I told him not to.¡± ¡°Okay, well where did he hide them anyway?¡± Rafael points to his bedside table and Christos goes hunting through papers, coming back up with a set of three. Rafael eats, and after the first bite, he¡¯s suddenly ravenous. He gets through one plate, takes a potion, and gets halfway through the second before his hands are shaking too much to hold the fork and his breaths are coming too fast. ¡°Bit of a delayed reaction,¡± Christos mutters but shifts over to sit against the headboard with Rafael and swings an arm around him. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry. I could have led into that better. Here, squeeze my hand.¡± ¡°Why would you do that to me?¡± Rafael wheezes, curling up and squeezing his hand. Christos bites his nails now. ¡°Fuck you, Ross, you son of a bitch.¡± ¡°I am so far past sitting on my ass and watching you suffer,¡± Christos admits with an unkind laugh that shakes Rafael where they¡¯re pressed together. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I even fucking asked your opinion, or else you¡¯d already be in Nicky¡¯s house and your mother would be in an unfortunate house fire.¡± Rafael turns and shoves his face into Stavros¡¯s hair. He doesn¡¯t smell the same anymore but he still smells like Stavros. How is that even possible? ¡°You¡¯re a psycho. Did you do this to Nicky when you had him? He came back fucking manic.¡± ¡°You little baby versions are just too delicate,¡± Christos complains. ¡°Or maybe I¡¯ve been in a coma for too long and lost my people skills, who knows? Eat your food, you need to carb load.¡± Rafael¡¯s breathing slowly returns to normal and he just keeps eating with Christos still wrapped around him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Christos shrugs. ¡°Like I said, done with waiting.¡± Christos looks at Rafael like Stavros does, with all the emotion and the love, like not a day has gone by. Nothing has worn away by time or distance. Stavros joked once, that the only things that are infinite are the universe and how much Stavros loves his Rafael and Nicholas. ¡°I missed you, Raffy,¡± Christos says and his voice is even, a wry smile on his lips, but his eyes have stars in them. ¡°You¡¯re cheating,¡± Rafael says. Christos laughs. 32. advertisements There¡¯s a duelling tournament over in Morocco, a weeklong elimination-style tournament meant for amateurs. Luca completely lost track of time but he¡¯s fought here before. Apparently, Nicholas goes every time because the week overlaps with his birthday. Ayads follow the old practices though so they don¡¯t really do birthdays. Instead of celebrating with cake and presents, Nicholas goes out to have fun violence. Nicholas explained to Luca that he normally makes it a couple rounds in before he gets knocked out. Not because he isn''t strong or fast enough, certainly not because he isn''t creative or can''t play the tactics. Nicholas just doesn''t really see the point in getting worked up and stressed out over something meant to be fun. Luca blinks at Nicholas for that because duelling has never been fun for him, there¡¯s always too much weight behind it. That won¡¯t change this tournament either. They spend the day before the registration opens running through the magic districts of Morocco which are open to mundane so the crowds are even heavier. Nicholas drags Luca along and the two boys get themselves lost every other street so they have to keep casting tracking spells to find Vinaya and Jordan again. At one point Nicholas runs off with Vinaya to get street food and Luca takes a seat on a low wall with Jordan to wait, chatting about going back to school soon. ¡°You¡¯re going to get into a lot of trouble,¡± Jordan explains. ¡°No, sorry, Nicky will get you into a lot of trouble. Please understand that you¡¯re allowed to say no to him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Luca says honestly. ¡°I¡¯ll also try to keep him out of-¡° Luca does a hard double-take towards a billboard sitting on the roof of a squat building. It''s an empty frame to allow for enchantment, the words bold and floating mid-air. It''s something about a shoe brand so famous even Luca knows about them, in conjunction with the ILL, International Loops League. What caught Luca''s attention was the boy that grabs the bottom edge of the billboard and pulls himself up into view, landing in a crouch, angled to show off the flaming red, chunky shoes. Nicholas'' image is larger than life, with a wide grin as he peers down at the street, eyes alight with inner power. His glasses are the same red as the shoes and the stylists have put him in black joggers, one pants leg pulled up, and a loose black singlet with the word ILL dripping down the side and pulsing in neon. His apprentice wand is stuck to the outside of his thigh in a holster spell and they''ve grown his hair out and braided it tight with cords of light. ¡°Ah, it took some time for the ad to come out,¡± Jordan muses and explains further since Luca is so preoccupied. ¡°My team helped design the technomancy shoes -really interesting gyroscopic gravity spells in there actually- but there was a huge fuss with marketing. It''s not actually angled towards Loops players but for mundanes, so there was a lot of arguments about if they should bring in an athlete or not and whether to even use a mage.¡± They''ve clearly gone with displaying the mage angle with how blatant it is on the image of Nicholas. The giant figure surges up and into a series of flips and somersaults down the bottom edge of the billboard, not unlike the acrobatic Loops players falling through the air but far more flashy. The shoes explode in a burst of flames every time they impact the ground. ¡°Nicholas was with me one day,¡± Jordan continues. ¡°I lost sight of him for barely half a second and suddenly he has his hands on a demo pair of shoes. He tried them on and, well, you know him. Started running around, running up walls.¡± The image of Nicholas backflips, jumping high and flinging out his feet instead of tucking in. Like on the Loops rings, gravity slows and catches again, Nicholas landing on the top of the frame with a plume of fire. The shoes effect local gravity it seems, not everything, so Nicholas'' lengthened hair hangs down in streaks of neon lights and his singlet drops to show the shadow of cut abs. ¡°The marketing team decided he was perfect for their target audience.¡± Jordan shrugs, uncaring. ¡°Not that Nicholas needs fancy shoes to get into trouble but it''s selling a dream and not the product, you know? Nicholas is worth a lot more than what they first offered though so I brought in Vinaya to take over. I''m not good at that sort of stuff so I never bother to keep in check about when the ad was coming out.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Nicholas dramatically falls sideways onto the frame then rolls outside and on top of the billboard, doing a few push-ups to show off his biceps just for a joke before jumping up and taking a running step into a set of flips for a round off that sends him over the corner of the billboard. He lands on the outside edge of the side, stretched out over the street, and winks at the cars passing underneath. Selling the dream, huh? Luca remembers watching mage ads at home on TV, or wandering the street with friends and peering into the hype shops, joking about the ridiculous prices and ugly style but still not daring to touch anything. There was a time when Luca wanted to be a mage, daydreamed of the power, wanted to be special. Reality was a bitch. Nicholas reaches down and grabs the edge, flipping back inside the side of the frame and up into a handstand. He lowers himself until his head almost touches the frame, and pushes hard, hands leaving the edge. His body slows, wavers, then gravity catches again and he falls sideways through the billboard, burning the words to ash as he passes through them. He falls past the edge of the frame and disappears. The next ad is about perfume or something. Luca isn''t exactly surprised, really. Nicholas is the perfect image of a charming, rich and powerful mage with an infectious sort of confidence and the athleticism to back himself up whenever he gets into trouble. He''s the poster boy for what mundanes -everyone actually- thinks a heritage is. Luca has noticed in this time that people are rather obsessed with mages. A lot of products tempt people with simple folk magic spells to help advertise. All the expensive boutiques have magic in their display windows. Heritage -and high mages especially- are celebrities. When Luca arrived here and was researching the timeline, it felt like almost half the internet was filled with paparazzi shots of high mages. In Luca''s timeline, high mages are distant, apathetic rulers to be feared. Heritage are mourned after Xia wiped them all out and it''s not odd to see a monument in most cities. Magic has become more of a utility like security wards and construction, instead of a free-flowing art form the way it is now in the past. The war changed so much.
They waste too much time the next day showing Luca the Morocco manor they have. They¡¯re still an hour early to the registrations opening but there¡¯s already a massive three-hour long line of waiting in the sun. Or there is a line, until Nicholas gets bored waiting, completely ignores the fact that he wisely told Luca it was a part of the authentic experience, and waves over a staff member. The woman immediately recognises the Ayads and leads them off to a cool tent to get them signed in. Luca refuses a shield wristband ¨C he doesn¡¯t mind getting hit and as long as he keeps getting up again he can still fight, instead of getting kicked from the arena as soon as the shield drops into the red level. They skip through the usual ¡®if you die it¡¯s not our fault¡¯ contracts and Luca signs his name in blood on the dotted line. It¡¯s not a binding contract for Luca because his blood is actually mixed with ¨C well, that¡¯s not important right now. Luca turns to his dad, but Nicholas is indecisive. ¡°I want to watch you,¡± Nicholas whines. ¡°We can watch each other,¡± Luca says, confused as to what the problem is. Nicholas is still under 18s so they¡¯d have a different arena and the fights should be staggered enough that they can watch each other. ¡°No, but I want to watch all your fights and I can¡¯t do that if I¡¯m also participating.¡± Nicholas turns and grasps Luca¡¯s hands. ¡°Baby, good luck! I¡¯ll wait for you in the seats!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to duel?¡± Lucas asks in shock. ¡°But ¨C Stavros said you always do this for your birthday.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it next birthday as well,¡± Nicholas says dismissively. ¡°I believe in you, you¡¯re going to do so well!¡± ¡°Kill them out there, darling,¡± Vinaya says eagerly and nudges Jordan who¡¯s reading the fine print of the contract. ¡°Yes!¡± Jordan chimes in, looking up with a broad smile, the squint of his eyes like Nicholas¡¯. ¡°I bet we¡¯ll see you in the third round.¡± Luca smiles back. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Nicholas splutters. ¡°What happened to ¡®just have a fun time¡¯ and ¡®don¡¯t stress, it¡¯s only a game¡¯?¡± Vinaya raises an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re the one running around bragging constantly about Luca¡¯s duelling ability ¨C and Luca¡¯s everything else too. You¡¯ve got me excited to see it.¡± Nicholas is still incredulous. ¡°Have you wanted to see me win all these years? I can win.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to see you enjoy yourself all these years,¡± Jordan corrects, then holds up the contract. ¡°And ¨C well, honestly I want you to read the contract at least once. This is why you keep getting disqualified.¡± ¡°That was a genius move,¡± Nicholas scoffs and smirks at Luca. ¡°Okay, so the contract says no deadly spells, right? And I never used one - but if you shout the spell name and have the spell body look the same colour, people freak out and forfeit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a genuine duelling technique,¡± Luca confirms. Pretending to try and kill someone with it is a bit next level though. He can definitely imagine Nicholas doing it. ¡°Ha!¡± Nicholas crows in delight. 33. never stood a chance The first round of the tournament consists of all the participating mages shoved into a massive arena and having a free-for-all on the dirt ground while stadium seating is filled to the brink with cheering. It''s an absolute mess in there, just a hoard of mages and splashes of coloured spellfire. It is funny to watch as people are yanked off the stage as soon as they pass out, forfeit, or -for people who chose the option- when their wristband shield hits red and they''re disqualified. Luca disappears into the crowd and because of the wards in place, the audience can¡¯t use spells for tracking or better sight. Nicholas therefore doesn¡¯t catch sight of Luca again until the twenty minutes are up and the remaining four hundred and twenty-eight mages move onto the next round. There is not a scratch on Luca. That sets the tone for the rest of the tournament where they move onto individual rounds, and there''s a short break as they split the large platform into a dozen smaller ones. This second round of the tournament is a round robin where the winner stays until they''re defeated and all the wins tally up to see who''s going into the third and final round. It''s randomised so the contestants hang around until their number appears over a stage and they head up. Luca¡¯s number is a good several dozen behind the first to be called up so it takes a while and Nicholas spends that time making a giant flashing sign to cheer him on while Luca appears to be chatting to another contestant. Luca''s first opponent doesn''t have her focus raised when the platform flashes to start and she goes down before she can lift it. The second is whipped off his feet and hurled from the platform. The third goes down the same. The fourth wizens up after watching Luca and deflects the first spell but not the other three that come in rapid succession. Luca stuns the next one, then hurls someone off the edge, blinds another, cuts the wristband shield off the next, disarms the one after, knocks the other unconscious. Luca fights all offence, all speed and no flair. Hard and fast spells and he keeps going until his opponent is down and isn''t getting back up. He casts so fast the spells barely have body to them, just a streak of faint colour instead of a ball of energy and the comet tail. Luca doesn''t stand still either. His spell splashes against a shield so bright it''s blinding and when his opponent recovers they see an empty stage, only for Luca to hit them with a sleep spell around the edge of their shield, having circled around behind them. One opponent, the second-place winner of last year''s under 18s tournament and now old enough to join the adults, actually manages to disarm Luca. His apprentice wand goes flying out of his hand but Luca reels back his arm and his fingers drag through the air half clawed, sparks building. The woman¡¯s spell goes sailing over his head as Luca ducks, pegging the ball of electricity built in his hand. It explodes over the stage and the woman is thrown back, lightning crackling through a dust cloud. The woman scrambles back up but her hairpin focus is yanked from her hair and into the settling dust where Luca steps out, the focus in his hand, his own wand raised. She doesn''t even have time to forfeit, Luca knocks her out. Vinaya is the loudest as she cheers for her grandson, mostly because Nicholas is so far gone he''s just silently shaking Jordan in excitement.
They come back on the second day to finish off the second round and when they split off for Nicholas and his parents to head to the seats, Luca walks over to a group of other duellists who wave at him in greeting. Luca hit the thirty point cap and had to secede his winning streak yesterday, so he spent the rest of his time wandering amongst the swiftly dwindling crowd of contestants around the twelve raised platforms, trying to reconnect with old resistance members. A lot of them are here since one of the co-leaders, Verma, hosts duelling tournaments or obstacle races and has essentially raised herself a small army of amateur but enthusiastic mages. Luca spotted Verma in the spectator¡¯s box yesterday but she¡¯s down here with the contestants today. ¡°You must be Luca Ayad,¡± Verma greets as Luca comes to a halt with the group, the woman built solid and muscled, which is obvious even under the navy suit she wears. ¡°Only nineteen, are you?¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Luca doesn¡¯t remember giving his age to anyone but this wouldn¡¯t be the first time Verma waved privacy clauses and checked his entry form. He nods. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°You can call me Verma,¡± she says, eyes wandering down Luca¡¯s body to check for certain tells of a dueller. ¡°My organisation hosts these tournaments.¡± Luca doesn¡¯t shift his weight into a proper stance despite how that look in her eyes makes him want to. ¡°I¡¯ve had a fun time so far.¡± ¡°Fun?¡± Verma echoes, impressed. ¡°Not counting how long it took them to get on stage, you destroyed thirty people in under twenty-five minutes. It¡¯s great to hear you¡¯re having fun.¡± The first time Luca met her, she approached him during a tournament like this. She praised his potential and offered to train him for a professional tournament with a higher cash prize. Verma helped him a lot but their relationship was teacher and student and even after Luca streaked ahead of her, she never let him forget it. That came to a head when Luca tried to sit at the table as a commander of the resistance and she shoved him back down as a mere soldier. Luca is going to come into this as an equal this time, so he shrugs. ¡°Like you pointed out, it¡¯s not been much of a challenge.¡± ¡°Ouch,¡± jokes one of the other duellists of the group, hand to his chest. ¡°I haven¡¯t fought you yet,¡± Luca offers kindly. ¡°I¡¯ve got fifteen points, please don¡¯t bully me.¡± The others chuckle and Luca smiles. It wasn¡¯t a good time that they had together, not with the war, but they¡¯re good people. He doesn¡¯t hold it against them, using him as an empty figure head and then as bait. ¡°Have you participated before?¡± Verma asks, an easy smile on her face. ¡°I think I would have remembered you. The Ayad heir certainly comes every year.¡± ¡°Nicholas is memorable,¡± Luca agrees fondly. ¡°No, this is my first time.¡± Verma hums. ¡°Do you have private spars then? You must have a teacher to get this good if you aren¡¯t practising in tournaments.¡± She raises an eyebrow. ¡°I heard High Mage Xia has taken quite a liking to you. I see a bit of him in your style.¡± Luca pauses. Verma doesn¡¯t see Haochen Xia, she sees Wei Zhang. Wei taught Luca all of his basics, Verma threw him into tournaments to practice against different people, and Christos told Luca to forget the rules ¨C only the winner gets to live so use every dirty trick in the book to stay alive. ¡°Do you?¡± Luca asks, faltering a moment. He didn¡¯t know Wei was still with him like that. ¡°Uh, I mean, Xi ¨C High Mage Xia is a good duellist. We haven¡¯t sparred before but I¡¯ve seen some of his work.¡± Verma doesn¡¯t lead a militia and Haochen isn¡¯t the worst thing mankind is facing so Luca isn¡¯t too concerned about denying anything to do with the man. Verma, actually, seems intrigued. ¡°Have you thought of learning from him?¡± Verma asks with interest. ¡°It¡¯s not every day you can spar with a high mage. In fact, I often try to invite one just for a display, certainly not fighting anyone, but you know how hard it is to even talk to a high mage.¡± A paper airplane sails down to them and Verma snatches it out of the air, unfolding it and scanning the quick note. ¡°Ah, we¡¯re almost onto the third round. I have to head off. Good luck, everyone.¡± Verma pauses, ¡°Luca, do keep in touch.¡± As the others call out goodbye while Verma leaves, Luca gets the feeling that something has gone wrong. He only realises what it is when the others turn to him and, unlike before when they discussed Luca¡¯s techniques, they all start asking about Haochen. Luca didn¡¯t prove himself an equal, he just firmly placed himself under Haochen instead.
¡°What do you think they¡¯re saying?¡± Nicholas asks, leaning forward. ¡°Did honey say they were the ones he knew before?¡± Vinaya asks, frowning a bit because the conversation seems to be crowding Luca. ¡°I don¡¯t remember him saying it was a good sort of knowing,¡± Jordan frets. ¡°Should I go down?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hex them from here,¡± Nicholas plans and his wand snaps out of his sleeve, aimed at the group even as he presses it down in his lap to half hide it. Jordan puts a hand over Nicholas¡¯ to stop him. ¡°We wait for a signal. I don¡¯t want Luca to be disqualified if it¡¯s only a simple misunderstanding.¡± Before long, the second round comes to an end and the participants are called together to receive new instructions. The third round takes a bit more time to set up, raising a Loops course (as is traditional) from the rubble and cracked stages of the second round. The crowd oohs and aahs as it¡¯s formed. There are ten mages left and they¡¯ll fight in groups of five, on five wide mobius strips hung in the air. It¡¯s last one standing and they¡¯re grouped according to points so obviously Luca gets in the highest-scoring group. He¡¯s tied first with two others in terms of points ¨C only because that¡¯s the maximum. Nicholas is certain if they let Luca keep going, he¡¯d be so far ahead they¡¯d just declare him the winner without a third round needed. The lower scorers go first and the winner is quickly decided because one of the mages knows how to fly without equipment and weaves behind rings as she hurls spells at the other contestants who sprint along the loops. Luca¡¯s group goes up next, the mages spreading out across the loops and Luca seems thoughtful. Right before the referee fires out the fireworks spell to start, Luca looks up and smiles because Nicholas and his parents are cheering like Luca has already won.
Luca blocks an area-wide spell that lights up the sphere in crackling green electricity, disarms a woman so another mage can knock her out, sticks his own feet down so he can summon that man right off the edge, and sprints along a strip towards a fight between the last two. Another mage is knocked out so as the only two left, Luca and the last man turn on each other but Luca is already close enough that he leaps off the strip and is falling through the sphere towards the man as he turns to Luca, too late. Luca flying kicks the man off the Loops course and hurls four spells even as the man falls, disarming him and knocking him out before he can recover and get back up. Half a minute to end the fight. They never stood a chance against Luca. 34. pretty please "I don¡¯t want you touching my Raffy or Nicky without my permission,¡± Stavros demands of his older self, both of them tucked away into a private restaurant room. The d¨¦cor is sleek, dark and pricy, the wine open and set in a glass ice bucket decorated with creeping roses in blush pink. Christos rolls his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s not start this. We¡¯d have to fight to the death.¡± Stavros leans forward, planting elbows on the table. ¡°I have no problem with you because I¡¯m absolutely certain we have the same goals, but those two? They¡¯re having a rough time of it. You ambushing Raffy is not the best way to ease them into it.¡± ¡°There is no easy way,¡± Christos points out carelessly. ¡°Besides, he could never resist our charms for long.¡± ¡°He said you offered to kill his mum.¡± ¡°Nothing we haven¡¯t discussed before.¡± Stavros stares. ¡°Is this what talking to me is like?¡± He sits back and pours himself wine until the glass is nearly overflowing. Christos slides his glass over to be filled. ¡°So, you called me over just to complain I made Raffy breakfast in bed?¡± Stavros finishes pouring the second glass and dumps the wine back in the bucket. ¡°Nicky said you¡¯re hunting down people who did something to Raffy, and did something to us. He wasn¡¯t clear on it and I think you didn¡¯t tell him on purpose.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Do you need anything? Money? Information?¡± Christos sips his wine and thinks. ¡°Not right now. Start tucking away money though, you¡¯re going to do something you won¡¯t regret soon.¡± Stavros blinks but otherwise doesn¡¯t move a muscle. ¡°I leave the Lambros?¡± ¡°Leave is a nice way to put it,¡± Christos admits. ¡°Huh,¡± is all Stavros says and they both understand what that means. Stavros takes a few big gulps of wine. ¡°Alright, anything else you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Mainly focused on the whole revenge thing for Raffy,¡± Christos admits. ¡°The creature reform centres are run by a merchant called Vasundhara Bhale but it¡¯s backed by the power of Niaa.¡± ¡°The high mage?¡± Stavros clarifies and frowns at the nod Christos gives him. ¡°What¡¯s the current plan?¡± ¡°We pulled down the centre that had Raffy a while ago. That was the easy part. Bhale is a normal mage, he¡¯d go down easy, we just have to stage it properly and make sure someone else doesn¡¯t step into his position and make our effort worthless. Niaa is¡­¡± Christos sighs. ¡°High mages are so fucking annoying to deal with. It¡¯s a slog through changing public opinion. If we can pin them both, restrict their movements, then they can die without people just smoothing it over and reopening the centres.¡± ¡°So the plan is to¡­what, try and turn the public against them to then influence the Confederacy about-¡° Stavros laughs, incredulous. ¡°-how bad using creatures is? As if anyone cares? You¡¯re up shit creek.¡± ¡°Luca just made contact with a few people who were in the resistance against Xia once upon a time, we¡¯re hoping they¡¯re already high up enough that Luca can ask them for favours.¡± Christos shrugs. ¡°But I think I¡¯m going to have to go behind his back and contact Vinaya who can match Bhale as an economic giant. Niaa isn¡¯t strictly involved in sales, so he¡¯d be useless if Bhale is stopped.¡± ¡°Is she going to want to help you after you kidnapped Nicky?¡± ¡°Well his parents have foisted him off on Xia so I don¡¯t think they really care what happens as long as Nicky has a fun time,¡± Christos sneers. ¡°Fair,¡± Stavros admits, not exactly happy to see that it hasn¡¯t changed in the future. The Ayads are good people but have a careless form of parenting. When they¡¯re done loving Nicholas for the moment, he can go wherever he wants as long as he comes back for more love later. ¡°Alright. If you¡¯re playing around with that political nonsense, I can¡¯t do much without the Lambros finding out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, if I need something special, I¡¯ll ask.¡± Christos sips his wine but it¡¯s sat too long in the air. He vanishes the liquid and pours himself some more. ¡°Gods, I miss being filthy rich.¡± He sits back and drinks, savouring it this time. ¡°So, have you gotten over the fact that Luca is Nicky¡¯s new favourite yet?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Stavros warns. He clears his throat. ¡°I¡¯m trying and I could very easily stop trying, don¡¯t push me.¡± Christos sighs. ¡°Okay, story time. When Mariana was pregnant, Nicky kept saying; oh it¡¯s our baby, our son is going to be so cute, I can¡¯t wait for our baby to come out. Me? I was fucking devastated. That was it, you know? I couldn¡¯t compete with that. I knew Nicky would always love me, maybe more than the baby, but I wasn¡¯t his first priority.¡± ¡°This better have a happy ending,¡± Stavros mutters, not exactly pleased at having that thrown into his face. Luca is different, is fully grown, but Nicholas still looks at him like Luca pulls the sun up in the morning. Stavros can¡¯t imagine how happy Nicholas would be if he had a baby of his own. ¡°And then,¡± Chrisos sighs heavily. ¡°Then the baby arrives -gods he was ugly- and Nicky wouldn¡¯t put him down for the first like month of Luca¡¯s life. It was ridiculous. When Nicky finally calms down, he turns to me and puts the weird potato in my arms and I¡¯m so uncomfortable and¡­¡± Christos trails off, holding up his arms now like he¡¯s carrying something precious. ¡°And I realise; oh, it¡¯s our baby.¡± He looks up at Stavros. ¡°You need to have that moment and things will just click.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Luca, as a person, is someone Stavros likes. Their personalities don¡¯t quite match but Luca has a firmness to him, a steady step but a kind soul. It must also be because of Christos but Luca understands Stavros and they can skip the awkward first stage, where people don¡¯t know if Stavros is making a joke or just outright insulting them. Luca gets bonus points for looking enough like Nicholas that Stavros automatically gets happy seeing his face, like a Pavlovian response. ¡°He¡¯s really up there?¡± Stavros asks warily. ¡°With Nicky and Raffy?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Christos chuckles. ¡°I don¡¯t how that happened either. He had an advantage, being Nicky¡¯s son, but Luca made it up there on his own. Just a really good person and I¡¯m so fucking proud.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± Stavros murmurs but all this talk about emotions is taxing. What happens to him in the future that he can talk like that without any hesitation? ¡°You want me to change the topic because your shrivelled little heart can¡¯t take it?¡± Christos drawls. ¡°All that emotional abuse doesn¡¯t go away even after our parents die, you have to push through it.¡± ¡°Go fuck yourself,¡± Stavros says instead of reminding Christos that his Nicholas is dead. It¡¯s a surprisingly mature decision from him and probably has something to do with how much that sentence hurts even just said in Stavros¡¯ mind. Stavros scowls at the reminder. ¡°What did Adam do? Nicky wasn¡¯t clear about it." "He still thinks Adam had a reason." "Was there a reason?" "Not one that''s good enough," Christos scoffs with a sneer. "And what really happened?" Christos throws his hands up and they come back down with a bang on the table as clenched fists. "Adam had a girlfriend, told her everything. She kept flirting with me, made snide jokes about Rafael, would ask if pretty please Nicholas could pay for everything when we met up." "It was a shitty girlfriend?" Stavros laughs without any humour. "Are you kidding me?" "And Adam just went with it," Christos mutters, eyes stormy. "I snapped one day, told her to fuck off -was ready to do worse- and she dared to threaten Raffy with telling the magpol and getting him locked up because Adam had told her he was a werewolf." He drags a hand through his curls, shakes his head. "Look, we both know Adam was never a good person, not like Nicky and Raffy, he just wanted a good time. We - you and I, at least we have loyalty, Adam always did chase after whatever the brightest thing was." "So she was, what, working for Xia?" Stavros asks, still half disbelieving. "She was a stupid, shallow son of a bitch. No, she ran her mouth about a resistance outpost Adam told her about and we lost a lot of ground that day. I gave Adam an ultimatum; either I erased her memory or I killed her. Adam knew he couldn¡¯t stop me so he went to Xia himself but¡­Nicky and I swapped teams at the last second so he could get home quicker to Luca." Christos laughs, dark and mean. "Adam died regretting that decision..." He looks away, a scowl on his face. "But Nicky was gone and I lost myself in the fight. Got dragged into that gods forsaken joke of a research lab and Raffy...oh, Raffy." "Is she dead here?" Stavros demands, no longer amused. "Same day I took out Adam," Christos admits. "I mean the plan -if you can call it a plan- was to just take Nicky and Raffy but then I got the perfect chance that night and couldn''t stop myself." Stavros crosses his arms with a frown. "Gods, that¡¯s so fucking stupid. Alright. I''ll talk to Raffy, but stay away from Nicky, he''s already feeling guilty enough that he doesn''t hate you as much as he should."
Luca is off talking to Christos and Nicholas¡¯ parents are out too. Jordan is speaking at an international conference for spellcrafting and Haochen will be there as another speaker so Vinaya wants to go have a talk about taking her children to political playgrounds disguised as high-end parties. Nicholas putters around his room a bit before he finally finds it in a desk drawer. The paper is a bit crinkled but the ink bleeds across it smoothly when Nicholas pours it on. The black splays over the square of potion-soaked papyrus that¡¯s still being upgraded whenever they have the time. They haven''t perfected the communication device yet but apparently they do because Luca has an upgraded mirror version. They can just use a phone but Nicholas has never gotten the hang of using one and Stavros'' family won''t let him use mundane tech. The ink has a purple sheen as it retracts, filling in a ritual circle. The ink wavers and then shifts again, bleeding across into Stavros¡¯ face in line art. He was already waiting even though Nicholas is ten minutes early from their agreed time. ¡°I¡¯m coming across clear?¡± Nicholas picks up the paper where he had it laid on his table and goes to sit cross-legged on his bed. ¡°Yeah, bit ugly but I guess that¡¯s just your face,¡± Stavros scoffs. ¡°I have other things to be doing,¡± Nicholas says threateningly but rolls his eyes. He pauses. ¡°You didn¡¯t come to Morocco,¡± he says softly. ¡°You weren¡¯t even participating,¡± Stavros dismisses. ¡°Luca was though! He was a machine. He kept running off to talk to people between fights and I think they were like scouting him or something. I don¡¯t know, the conversations looked serious.¡± ¡°Does he know them? Like from before?¡± Nicholas blinks. ¡°Oh. Actually, I think he did. They all got pretty high on the leaderboard. Christos once mentioned activists they were working with or something?¡± ¡°Oh, you mean the ones who did nothing?¡± Stavros mocks. ¡°High up on the leaderboard but hid behind Luca? Pretty fucking useless, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Come over,¡± Nicholas demands, dropping the nice topics. He wanted to ease into it but if Stavros is already like this, he needs a break. Stavros sneers. "Go bother Luca if you want to baby someone. I don''t need to be protected when I can take care of myself, I''m not - not weak!" "That''s not what I meant!" "Then what did you mean?" Stavros barks out. Nicholas pauses and then flops backwards onto the mattress, biting his bottom lip and fluttering his eyelashes exaggeratedly, letting go of the papyrus with one hand so he can hook a finger through his top collar and drag it down to reveal more skin. "What are you wearing right now, Ross?" There''s a pause before Stavros catches onto the joke and he can''t stop the smile that creeps up. "The bed is so cold without you," Nicholas simpers, running a finger back and forth along the jut of his collarbone. Stavros huffs out a laugh. He looks up, off the page, and his smile falls for a moment. He''s thinking, and that''s dangerous. "Come over, we¡¯ll make cookies," Nicholas coaxes, rolling onto his side and gripping the page with both hands, digging creases into it, worried. "I''ll call up Raffy since he should be off work, let''s get a party started." Stavros laughs, soft. He looks back down again and his eyes are shaded in with dark, thick black lines. "Say please," he demands but Nicholas has already broken him. "Pretty please?" Nicholas begs with a laugh.
Stavros arrives thirty minutes later and they bake triple choc chip cookies with Luca. Rafael arrives just in time to eat it all. 35. meet your mother Nicholas is bouncing in his seat, the carriages not having left the Europe platform yet for the floating island. The two Ayads did get dropped off at the major African station in Egypt but then they snuck off and took a Transverse over to enjoy the carriage ride with Stavros and Rafael. Nicholas is just so excited. ¡°Kinda sucks we¡¯re not in the same year but that¡¯s fine, I can recycle your homework next year! And we can probably sneak into each other¡¯s classes ¨C no, you can play me and I can play you! Ahh, it¡¯s going to be so fun!¡± Luca winces a bit. ¡°You¡¯ll probably have to help me with homework actually, it¡¯s been a while since I was in school.¡± He dropped out in year twelve and did a whole international trip running away from -and then after- Haochen. ¡°We¡¯ve got you covered,¡± Stavros announces and pointedly puts a hand on Rafael¡¯s shoulder. ¡°No,¡± Rafael says. ¡°I¡¯m not helping Luca cheat, we need to be good influences on him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cheating. It¡¯s helping out your little nephew,¡± Stavros argues. ¡°He¡¯s a whole year ahead of us, I don¡¯t even know if I can help,¡± Rafael denies. Nicholas laughs and leans sideways into Luca. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Any problems, at all, we¡¯ve got your back. We¡¯ll spend a week straight in the library if we have to.¡± Luca smiles back because Nicholas¡¯ laugh is infectious. ¡°Um, and¡­I never told you this but because of something I did in the other timeline it¡¯s a bit¡­I technically have two things? I mean if I don¡¯t get into InCore¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay if you¡¯re a NatCom,¡± Rafael says soothingly. ¡°NatCom!?¡± Nicholas cries. ¡°No son of mine is a NatCom hippy, air-tasting freak. You take that back, Rafael!¡± Stavros is cracking up, and hunches forward so far it looks like he¡¯s going to fall out of his seat into Nicholas¡¯ lap. ¡°Well I meant Pull but okay,¡± Luca laughs. ¡°Pull is fine, I¡¯ll disown you if you get NatCom,¡± Nicholas retorts. ¡°Can I just clarify that NatCom don¡¯t taste the air, they¡¯re trying to call spirits,¡± Rafael argues but he¡¯s smiling too. ¡°In fact, if we were tested again, you and Ross might lean more towards NatCom with how much we¡¯ve dug into the wildshape field of magic.¡± ¡°How dare you?!¡± Nicholas snaps, hand to his heart in shock. ¡°You disgust me!¡± Stavros wheezes. ¡°Okay but we would be the most terrifying NatCom.¡± Nicholas breaks character to smirk but gets his expression under control again. ¡°I would throw myself off the island if I got NatCom.¡± The compartment door slams open, Mariana standing there with her thick brown hair whipping around her from the sudden motion and a newspaper in hand. ¡°Ayad.¡± ¡°I was joking,¡± Nicholas says quickly, hands up. ¡°It was a joke, everyone loves dissing the NatCom.¡± Mariana holds out the newspaper in her hand, Nicholas in the picture with glowing, curled horns and an even brighter smile. There''s another picture off to the side with Haochen and all his sharp edges, breathtakingly handsome and even in a picture you can''t meet his eyes for long. ¡°I look good in that photo, huh?¡± Nicholas laughs. ¡°You went to that party with the high mage,¡± Mariana says between gritted teeth. Rafael shares a look with Stavros but Nicholas speaks up first. ¡°Hey, can you guys take Luca to tour the carriages?¡± he asks casually because he¡¯s not letting Luca listen to his parents yell at each other and Mariana is definitely building up to something. Mariana steps aside to let the three file out slowly and then enters the carriage, slamming the door closed. Nicholas isn¡¯t sure what he¡¯s expecting to happen but Mariana stands tall in front of him for a moment, sharp eyes scanning him. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Then her expression falls into worry. Oh, Nicholas realises, because he¡¯s seen this before. She¡¯s not upset with him, she¡¯s full of righteous fury because she thought something happened to him. ¡°Is this where you were too, when you disappeared?¡± Mariana asks. ¡°You never said. There¡¯s been no information at all about what happened. I mean I¡¯ve found other stories of people trying to kidnap you for ransom when you were younger but¡­ I tried to look into it more over the holidays but it¡¯s just an information blackout and then High Mage Xia splashed all over with your name. There¡¯s something so suspicious about this.¡± It was never explicitly said because they can¡¯t point fingers at a time travelling Stavros but the whole school knows he¡¯d been kidnapped. There¡¯s a bit of confusion around it though, because suddenly news came out that Nicholas was ¡®saved by High Mage Xia¡¯ but there are no details and no one is talking about the culprit. ¡°Haochen saved me,¡± Nicholas says but that implies he was in danger so he frowns in confusion. ¡°Sort of. Well, yes, he saved me.¡± Mariana pauses. ¡°Sort of?¡± She ducks closer and takes a seat next to him, expression solemn. ¡°Was it the high mage that kidnapped you? I know you¡¯re¡­¡± she gestures vaguely. ¡°With your family being high up. I find it hard to believe he steps in with no incentive and now suddenly you¡¯re showing up to events like this with him?¡± Nicholas hesitates. ¡°He didn¡¯t take me from the school-¡° just from Christos¡¯ place ¡°-but yeah, it¡¯s a bit of politics. It happens. I mean way back when, heirs used to get sent to other heritage families to get broader training so it''s not bad or anything.¡± Mariana pulls back and fiddles with the newspaper, thinking as she stares at him. ¡°So this is okay? You¡¯re safe with him?¡± Nicholas can¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m safe. Luca comes with me now too ¨C he¡¯s my cousin and always ready to back me up.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Mariana huffs. ¡°I¡¯ve read into high mages before, they¡¯re¡­terrifying creatures. I saw one once, High Mage Kamath. Just being in the same room as her made me sick.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Nicholas says because that¡¯s a rather mundane thing to say. ¡°They have a lot of power, and it¡¯s polite to keep it contained better but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bad thing.¡± ¡°No, it psychically makes people sick,¡± Mariana corrects, riling herself up at the memory. ¡°A man passed out and the high mage just walked past like it was nothing. People went into shock and had to be taken to hospital.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a hex or something, it¡¯s just their magic filling the space around them,¡± Nicholas explains. ¡°Our magic is weaker but it does the same. I mean, the people who got sick were mundanes, right? They don¡¯t have a high tolerance for magic anyway, that¡¯s why they can¡¯t use Transverse or take concentrated potions.¡± ¡°Are you defending someone who sent people to hospital?¡± Mariana asks, incredulous. ¡°The high mage should have kept her magic in check.¡± ¡°It¡¯s polite but not a law-¡° ¡°And high mages are known for being morally bankrupt anyway,¡± Mariana pushes. ¡°Almost every high mage has proven to be corrupt in either personal dealings or the people they work with. Everyone knows this. It¡¯s an open secret and no one does anything about it!¡± ¡°The majority of people with enough money and power are corrupt,¡± Nicholas scoffs. ¡°It¡¯s mundanes too ¨C which everyone seems to forget when they bring up this argument. That¡¯s like the rule. If people can¡¯t stop you, why hold back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you would know considering how you act,¡± Mariana snaps. Nicholas opens his mouth and snaps it shut again, teeth clicking. It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s had five years of Mariana¡¯s brand of activism, he knows how to deal with it. ¡°Okay, we should change the subject.¡± ¡°Because you know I¡¯m right?¡± Mariana challenges. ¡°Because this is turning into an argument,¡± Nicholas corrects firmly and sounds like Rafael. ¡°And when it¡¯s an argument, it¡¯s not constructive and we¡¯re just getting upset at each other.¡± Mariana pulls back with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m not arguing with you, I¡¯m trying to explain my point of view.¡± ¡°Considering how you act,¡± Nicholas echoes. ¡°Is pretty fucking targeted.¡± Mariana purses her lips. She smoothes out the newspaper that crumpled in her fist. ¡°I stand by what I said but I explained it badly, that¡¯s on me. I''m sorry.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Ugh, that discussion is for an entire other day.¡± Nicholas is going to conveniently be away that day. ¡°Well, great talk. I should get back to the others.¡± ¡°Is the person who kidnapped you still a problem?¡± Mariana asks, back on track with the original conversation. ¡°It was about you being an heir, right?¡± Nicholas is far from the warm and fuzzies of before when he thought Mariana was concerned about him. Nicholas has no doubt that she is worried, but he also knows she loves a good cause to fight for and a perfect victim to help. It¡¯s not a bad thing, but she¡¯s just very intense. ¡°It¡¯s been dealt with,¡± is all Nicholas says. ¡°Who was it? What did they want from you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Mariana finally pauses at that. ¡°Oh. Of course. I mean, you are talking to someone though, and working through it with a support group? Rafael or Stavros?¡± ¡°They know,¡± Nicholas agrees. ¡°Okay,¡± Mariana says in relief and stands up. ¡°Alright, good. If you need anything then just ask me, okay? I¡¯ve done a lot of research on the situation.¡± She shakes the newspaper. ¡°And there¡¯s always another option, remember that.¡± The carriage door shuts after her and Nicholas is left blinking. ¡°Uh, bye?¡± The door opens again and Mariana leans in, a sheepish smile on her face because she must have heard him. ¡°Bye. I¡¯ll see you at school.¡± Nicholas laughs. ¡°Bye!¡±
The first night in school -after the three new year-elevens commandeer a dorm room for themselves with much bullying- the four boys spend the night partying to the radio on an open tower top, charming the roof tiles to clap, and enchanting the figures in stained glass windows to shake it with them. Because yes, despite the test crystal wavering between colours, Luca got into InCore. 36. the third guardian ¡°Slut, you got a nice ass!¡± Stavros yells across the giant cavernous open tower as he¡¯s coming down the massive, wide spiral staircase that winds down through all the floors of the citadel. It''s currently packed full of students going from one class to the next, all of it lit up brightly through stained glass windows. The crowded atrium hushes for a moment and looks around until they realise it¡¯s just Stavros and ignore him. On the other hand, Rafael on the second floor straightens up from fixing his shoe and already has his middle finger locked and loaded. ¡°Don¡¯t scream across the fucking halls!¡± Flick roars from further up the staircase, picking up the pace as she goes down. Stavros jumps the last few sets of stairs and jogs to catch up with Nicholas who is already retreating. Rafael lifts his bulging bookbag because he¡¯s an absolute nerd -and like always, Stavros brought Rafael as many books as he could fit into his luggage since the Lambros library is well stocked with rare tomes- and hustles after them. They take a hidden passage behind a false wall and abruptly run into Luca when they pop back out. They¡¯ve gotten used to Luca hunting them down but the jump scare still makes them startle. So the four of them head down to lunch, ignoring the way people walk quickly past, side-eyeing Nicholas. The Ayads are a powerful family but Haochen Xia is a whole other level and people are whispering behind his back as he passes them. Nicholas doesn¡¯t mind it so much. He¡¯s friendly with everyone because when he''s in the mood for it he just drags people into his orbit, bright and intense, but he''s never close. After this many years, people notice that kind of thing; when Nicholas'' cursory focus fades and that becomes an uncrossable distance where he doesn''t even bother to look at other people in the halls. He barely even interacts with the other InCore boys in his year - far too tangled up in his best friends to spare a glance for the boring ones who can''t keep his attention. So the stares wash over him without passing through. Things are tangled though, with people saying Haochen has known the Ayads for years, that the person who kidnapped Nicholas did it to use him as a hostage against Haochen. The best rumour is that Luca isn¡¯t a branch cousin but Nicholas¡¯ bodyguard, hired after he won the duelling tournament. Some of the rumours are sympathetic, most are starting to get mean, but none of it matters. Nicholas knows everyone adores him, they can''t stop themselves. All it takes is a smile and joke and they''re tripping over their own feet to get closer because isn''t Nicholas so funny and clever and isn''t everything just so much more exciting around him. If he put some effort in, they''d be back to loving him by the end of the day instead of all this staring but Nicholas doesn''t care enough, not when he¡¯s already drowning in affection from his friends and Luca. Christos and Haochen have solidified the thought, as unfortunate as that is. Nicholas is so loved, Stavros came back for him. Nicholas is so admired, even the high mage chose him. People don''t say no to Nicholas. Not really, not when he doesn''t want them to. So he doesn¡¯t even bother with these people, and coxes Luca out for a hike instead.
Nicholas puts his hands on Rafael¡¯s ass and shoves him up the steep incline, Rafael grabbing at roots poking out of the dirt or clawing at the steep steps of boulders as they hike their way up the squat cliff for a good view to enjoy the edge of the island and the vast scenery of the earth far below. Rafael gets up and then lowers a hand, dragging Nicholas bodily up the large step but then shakes him over the drop. Hearth is scampering around ahead, too short to take the larger climbs but agile enough he can loop around for different paths. Luca is keeping up well ¨C probably because he isn¡¯t wasting so much time grabbing Rafael¡¯s ass or swinging Nicholas threateningly over a drop because he keeps getting his ass grabbed. Luca gets up onto the large boulder with Nicholas and Rafael and pauses, looking around. "In my time there''s a dead magic zone around here, we should be careful." This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Rafael turns to him in shock. "It doesn''t fix itself?" Luca only sighs. "We didn''t start it," Nicholas begins immediately, kicking at some fallen leaves to clear the way for the next climb. "Look, some fairy shitstick steps out of a portal and sees us while we''re camping, then does the whole fairy thing like; ohohoho little boys to eat. And we''re like; you just got off the endangered list, are you sure you''re ready for this?" "They are endangered," Luca realises. "Is that - wait, we learned about you in school!" Hearth bursts back into Stavros further up ahead and leans out over a precarious drop, laughing. "Us? Literally by name?" "No, no, just that something happened and the population of summer fey went through a sudden drop in..." Luca trails off. "Two years ago from now?" Nicholas is cracking up so hard he has to sit on the ground before he loses balance and falls down the drop. Rafael awkwardly pats the dirt off his hands. "We didn''t mean to. They started coming through the portal and we tricked them back in with a word game challenge, and then...figured if we put up another portal, facing their portal..." "It imploded," Stavros says with a sharp grin. Nicholas wheezes. "They''re not dead," Rafael reassures. "Just stuck in their own pocket dimension because the portal is shut. I''m sure they''re fine, they probably have more portals - you know how the fey realm works. The dead magic zone isn''t even that big either." Luca looks off in the distance towards where he knows the zone to be. He opens his mouth to say something but then shuts it with a click of teeth, eyes widening in realisation. "Where is the nearest portal to the surface here?" "I think it''s the one between those two branched tree trunks, from Mongolia," Nicholas offers, panting a bit from his laughter. "You can get Canada if you don''t mind climbing a bit further up, it''s just around that bend." "Huh," is all Luca says. Luca doesn¡¯t follow this up with an explanation so Nicholas shrugs and keeps climbing. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what kind of animal you could be,¡± Nicholas muses, grabbing a handhold and boosting up. ¡°Hopefully something small, Thoth can already barely stand up on his hind legs without hitting his head on the ceiling. Oh, you know about the kennel, right?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Luca admits, waiting for Rafael to go up next. ¡°It did seem really small.¡± Stavros sighs theatrically, squatting up above and waiting for them to catch up. ¡°It was fine when we were younger, but Thoth got his growth spurt recently and it''s so cramped. Like you¡¯ve seen how tall Rafael is now and Thoth is worse. It''ll be a nightmare when Rito actually manages to grow." "I''m getting there," Nicholas snaps, defensive because his mum is so short, there''s no way he''ll beat Stavros and reaching Rafael is a pipe dream, just look at how short Luca is at nineteen ¨C barely average. "Either way, we try to stay outside most of the time but we can''t do it all night every month.¡± Luca hesitates. ¡°I...know a place.¡± ¡°The old warehouse?¡± Rafael asks. ¡°Because we tried that, but the housemaker fairies still use it. There¡¯s so many of them infesting the place I think they¡¯re developing a government.¡± ¡°Communism?¡± Stavros jokes. ¡°If it¡¯s stratocracy we¡¯re fucked,¡± Nicholas laughs. Luca shakes his head. ¡°I meant the beacon tower.¡± ¡°The three-legged crow is still swooping me every time we see each other,¡± Nicholas rejects immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t go near that place.¡± Rafael furrows his brow. ¡°It needs to be a room we can seal off properly, and silencing charms don''t last the whole night so people will hear Thoth if it''s too close to hallways.¡± ¡°Not the crow Luya, I meant¡­¡± Luca opens his mouth, closes it. ¡°Do you know the third, lost guardian of the island?¡±
Stavros stares as Luca self-consciously drips a bit of blood on a shallow and small indent in the wall where the third beacon tower is just on the other side. The citadel has three particularly tall spires called beacon towers, two of which hold a guardian - like the three-legged crow at the top of a tower (that¡¯s still pissed off at Nicholas) or the sleeping leviathan at the bottom of a tower that¡¯s partially sunken into the lake. No one knows what the third guardian is because it hasn¡¯t appeared for thousands of years but they do know the third beacon tower has been sealed off and there¡¯s no entrance inside. There''s a scraping of stone and Rafael peers through the hole that appears, into darkness. "So there''s a cockatrice down there and we''re still going to explore? Despite it being able to kill with its eyes. Or its breath. Or really just anything at all because it¡¯s a millennia old?" "Thoth could take on a cockatrice," Nicholas says encouragingly. "No. No, I really could not." ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s sleeping in the staircase so just don¡¯t chip too hard at the stone or you¡¯ll find feathers,¡± Luca offers. ¡°Are you high right now?¡± Stavros asks genuinely. Luca waves him off. ¡°You¡¯ll understand when we get in there.¡± ¡°So we are going in?¡± Rafael clarifies. ¡°Where there is a cockatrice?¡± Nicholas kicks Stavros through the door and tries to push Rafael but gets grabbed and dragged down too. The three of them end up in a pile only a metre in on more stone and it¡¯s fine ¨C until Stavros pats around and his hand goes through a hole and touches something warm and with scales. Stavros makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat. ¡°Yeah, I mean don¡¯t kick anything, but it should be fine,¡± Luca says calmly. ¡°This sucks,¡± Stavros declares. ¡°It¡¯s a fixer-upper,¡± Nicholas corrects, disentangling himself from the other two and throwing out rapid fire cleaning charms. ¡°We¡¯re going to die,¡± Rafael sighs in resignation. 37. timelines The third beacon tower is a massive monolith, two hundred meters in circumference like a short sprinting race, and slopes up as an inner ramp and large rooms off to the sides. The cockatrice is a cross between a snake and a cockerel, with a long body covered in scales on the belly and feathers on the back, with the head of a rooster. Like many mythical creatures, it just keeps growing the longer it lives. It¡¯s currently sleeping under the floor, winding up the tower. The tower itself was sealed very long ago, back when the floating island wasn¡¯t a school ¨C in fact when the cockatrice went to sleep, it was a mobile fortress. In Luca¡¯s timeline, Haochen Xia woke the cockatrice as a distraction because it unfortunately counts as a bird and the high mage had power over it. The creature was confused, not understanding where it was or who all the humans were. The cockatrice attacked, as it was made and trained to do. Luca had to partner up with another guardian, the three-legged crow, to stop the rampage ¨C and wait a second, did the crow not like Luca because of Nicholas? Because that clears up a lot of the open hostility when Luca first met the guardian. Unfortunately, by the time they stopped the great creature, the cockatrice had killed too many and was later put down by Principal Selwood herself ¨C and the principal is a whole other issue Luca needs to deal with. The rooms in the tower are empty, filled with only tapestries like the main citadel but these show battles, mass slaughter, the oceans rising and empires falling. It shows Outer Gods. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend we don¡¯t see the tapestries,¡± Nicholas mutters with a grimace because if you invite them in, they will come. ¡°She¡¯s not so bad,¡± Luca says casually, pointing at some sort of demon thing in gold striking down a celestial. They¡¯ve already moved on, so they don¡¯t see the demon caricature turn to watch them go. They leave the room and walk in a pair spiralling up the ramp to the next one, Rafael and Stavros heading down, cleaning the place up while they also add it to the lens¡¯ vision. They need to paste specialised octagrams everywhere to connect it in. ¡°You''re really smart,¡± Luca muses, not too concerned about the absolute invasion of privacy the modified spyglass is because it¡¯s helped him so much in the past. It¡¯s a highly regulated artifact but Stavros spirited it away from his family¡¯s trophy room and they modified it for Thoth purposes. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Nicholas pauses, looking up from the lens. ¡°Yes?¡± Luca laughs. ¡°I mean, whenever someone talks about you, it''s never about how intelligent you are. I''ve heard of creative, troublemaker. Mariana¡¯s the fierce protector, but she¡¯s also always the smart one.¡± ¡°Because she is smart,¡± Nicholas points out, not understanding. ¡°I just find it strange no one mentioned it, your grades are basically all perfect.¡± Luca remembers from the school letter that came for Nicholas during the summer, incredible marks even across all the extension classes he¡¯s taking. Nicholas¡¯ parents didn¡¯t mention it either. ¡°Of course, I''m the Ayad Heir.¡± Nicholas shrugs and draws an octagram on the wall before smoothing it over with a charm to hide it. A new room is added to the lens¡¯ sight. He looks at Luca. ¡°Not that your grandparents care all that much about tradition but it''s expected from someone like me. People would pay more attention if I was failing.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Luca says and looks away awkwardly as they start walking again. "Okay, so, I''m not the best at school but I''m first in the year at duelling-" Nicholas laughs. ¡°Luca! You don''t need to. Really, it''s not important as long as you get the grades to pick a career you like.¡± Nicholas shrugs. ¡°Or just take over one of the many Ayad businesses. Or live off the family riches that you could swim in.¡± Luca rocks back on his heels and smiles. ¡°What are you thinking of doing?¡± Nicholas shifts the lens¡¯ sight a bit as they get too far up the ramp and out of view. ¡°Um, yeah, basically take over the Ayad family. Have lots of cute babies.¡± Luca waits but nothing else is said. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Nicholas shrugs and scrawls some runes in the air, then flicks them up to stick to the ceiling. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s not much I¡­really do.¡± ¡°You make a lot of things, like that lens,¡± Luca encourages. ¡°A spellcrafter like Jordan? Or a doctor? Every time I see you holding a book, it¡¯s a medical text. You could even do Loops professionally at your level.¡± ¡°Those are hobbies though,¡± Nicholas dismisses. Luca pauses. ¡°Dad, is everything okay?¡± Nicholas purses his lips and holds the lens up higher, pretending to focus very hard on it. ¡°That¡¯s just a bit of a difficult question, the future¡­wait, the future?¡± Nicholas startles, making Luca startle and his focus drops into his hand on instinct. ¡°Baby!¡± Nicholas cries with wide eyes. ¡°I completely forgot. I finally researched time travel -well Raffy did- and it all talks about corrections. Time magic has been studied extensively apparently, and there are time travellers in history books, and it all says time is linear. It corrects itself. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve made it this long without reality trying to rip you out but ¨C but are you okay? Have I just not noticed it happening?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the same timeline anymore,¡± Luca says, relaxing and tucking his wand back up his sleeve into the holster spell. ¡°We¡¯ve broken off.¡± ¡°You sound certain,¡± Nicholas muses. ¡°This isn¡¯t about time anymore.¡± Luca hesitates, unsure how to word it nicer. ¡°I¡¯m dead. I never made it out, I died. Christos says he still feels the ley lines pulsing through his veins. This isn¡¯t time.¡± Nicholas stares. Luca offers up a wry smile. 38. joro Nicholas is rifling through Luca''s stuff while he''s off sending letters to people -Luca is always doing that these days even though he mutters often about people being difficult- because Nicholas is bored. Luca¡¯s three dorm mates are still out and about since dinner finished a short time ago. They all get assigned random beds every year so Stavros had to go haul some people around so three of them could get a room to themselves. Nicholas wanted to bring Luca along too despite the year gap but Stavros got shifty-eyed and rejected it outright. Right now, Rafael and Stavros have detention, but no one really knows what for anymore, they''ve stacked up so many. Nicholas is technically supposed to be there too. It''s basically detentions for the next five years even though they only have two left in school, because on top of all the things they get up to, they also then skip detentions or the teachers don''t care enough to watch them for the evening and it gets pushed back. Points don''t mean shit to people like them and their parents wave off letters home, plus expulsion is a joke when you''re talking to an Ayad and a Lambros. Detentions won''t work either when you''re still with friends (and if you''re not put together then why bother going). Punishing them with no Loops is the only real threat (though Rafael half-heartedly pretends to care) but that means they get even worse until the teachers give in and just let them do whatever they want. Nicholas has sabotaged five games over his long school career because if he doesn''t get to play, neither does anyone else. (Rafael got a prefect badge in year eight, probably because he''s literally the only one who can rein in Stavros and Nicholas. The teachers know if they guilt Rafael with responsibility enough he''ll actually step in and hold the other two down. Adam also used to be the calming voice of the group.) So Nicholas skipped out today but the other two went because the teacher supervising is Mrs Saad and they need to steal some potion ingredients anyway while they clean cauldrons. Sometimes they trap certain ingredients like turning butterfly legs into frog warts so it''ll explode some shit but that takes planning and she¡¯s getting a little too good at spotting fakes. They''ll all duck out halfway through regardless because it''s a full moon tonight. Nicholas messes up Luca''s bed while he waits impatiently, transfigures a pillow into a particularly floppy Rito, and then finds the grimoire in Luca''s book bag. Nicholas pulls it out, flipping through it but all the pages are blank. "What does a high mage write about in his grimoire?" Nicholas jokes, poking the pages as sits up on Luca''s bed. "Dear grimoire, I am High Mage Xia - heart, heart, heart." Nicholas grabs the grimoire and rolls into his back to get more comfortable, only for a torrential rain of ink to pour from the pages. Nicholas flings it away, lurching up and spluttering, wiping his face off with his sleeve. "What the fuck!" "Nicholas?!" Luca cries, having just entered the room to see ink flooding off his bed. "Are you okay?" Nicholas -entirely soaked in ink- has slapped the book open against the wall above the headboard, scraping it up and down against the rough stone. "You like that, bitch?" Nicholas mocks. "Nicholas, stop!" Luca snaps and snatches the grimoire away. "Do not -do not- fuck with the grimoire, it will kill you. I told you before!" "What, death by a thousand paper cuts?" Nicholas scoffs. "No, death by Haochen Xia because this is a piece of his magical core!" Luca snaps. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Nicholas pauses. "Oh." Then he just shrugs. "Whatever, the grimoire fucking knows snitches get stitches." "Nicholas." "Alright, I''m sorry! I''ll stop!"
Nicholas doesn''t stay out of trouble long because the very next day, Luca jogs down the stairs and ducks into the dorm with the three year-elevens only to find Nicholas sitting at the foot of his bed, head in hands and rumpled after staying up the whole night. Luca has come to the unfortunate realisation that Nicholas is the leader ¨C as in he leads them into the stupidest things. "What have you done this time?" Luca asks. He knows they weren''t in the beacon tower because they haven''t mapped and refurbished the whole thing and letting Thoth run around when he can potentially rip through the brickwork and into a cockatrice is not the best idea. Stavros, splayed out on his bed opposite Nicholas with hands behind his head, laughs but sounds exhausted. Rafael¡¯s bed curtains are drawn. Nicholas looks up. "So, you said kind of a throw-away comment about spiders in the forest, and I wondered if Thoth would win a fight against a joro¡­and we got curious." Luca sighs. The forest has a nest of joro in it ¨C no relation to Jorogumo the woman-spider, just lesser spider demons that can¡¯t shapeshift. He was allied with them for a while during the war, before they tried to eat him to gain shapeshifting powers. It was a whole thing. "Now, okay," Nicholas begins. "In my head, I didn''t realise you mean plural joro spiders." "-therfuckers!" Rafael rips open his bed curtains and falls out, leaving behind the giant body of a half-eaten spider with its legs all curled up in death, taking over most of the mattress but still looks like its twitching because Rafael¡¯s frantic flailing kicked it. Luca just instinctively throws up a shield spell in front of Nicholas but him and Stavros are howling with laughter. "Why the fuck is it in my bed?!" Rafael yells at them and then groans when his sore muscles pull painfully. "Thoth wouldn''t let it go," Stavros tries to explain. "I thought you wanted it as a trophy or something." Rafael grips the edge of Nicholas'' mattress and pulls himself up into a sitting position with a muttered curse. "I''m in pain but I have enough of Thoth left to still throw you out of the fucking window."
Fifteen minutes later, the spider has been shrunken and put into a small vial because yes actually Rafael does want to keep the trophy, and the four of them have commandeered the prefect''s bathroom because they once stole and copied the key Flick has. It¡¯s a large open air onsen on the seventh floor and has individual baths down one side or a huge pool sculpted in rock with cool waterfalls, both falling down and falling up. Nicholas is sitting up on the edge of the rock with his legs spread enough for Rafael to sit back against his stomach, arms hooked over Nicholas'' thighs and relaxing into a head massage. Both of them are sitting at a bit of an angle so Rafael can kick his legs up onto Stavros'' lap for a foot massage as well. Luca is sitting off to the side, making no comment about how the three are naked and maybe a bit too close and he really wants to ask but is too shy to say anything. "-so we get to the nest," Nicholas is explaining for Rafael (who remembers nothing about his nights) and Luca. "And it was a trap because we hadn''t seen a single spider until they all swarmed around us. Like the trees were covered in them and there was a giant one ¨C and I was really not expecting it to talk." "She''s Iktomi," Luca chimes in. ¡°Not actually Lakota mythology, just named like that.¡± "Who the fuck named it like some pet?" Stavros cries. "Never mind the name, she can speak?" Rafael asks. "What did she say?" Stavros scoffs. "Well before it could say anything, Nicky started trying to seduce it-" "No I fucking didn''t!" Nicholas yells over Rafael and Luca bursting into laughter. "Rito transformed back!" Stavros shouts above Nicholas. "And then he''s all like; wow, it''s incredible how the light of the beautiful full moon glimmers off your luscious body hair." Luca is wheezing, hand over his eyes. Rafael twitches pathetically and groans in pain because the laughing hurts. "I said it in a ''please don''t kill us'' tone not a ''let me smash'' way," Nicholas insists. "You still said it!" Stavros cackles. "The spider fucking stuttered at you in shock ¨C I swear, Nicky has mastered the art of chaotic bullshitting, it''s practically a hex." "At least I didn''t headbutt Thoth in the dick," Nicholas snaps. "You swore you wouldn''t tell!" Stavros cries. Rafael splutters. "What ¨C wait, what? What happened?" Nicholas wheezes. "Hearth tried to duck under your legs to escape a spider but he tripped and then-" Stavros drags Nicholas into the water by the ankle and proceeds to try and drown him. Poor Rafael gets thrown into the water too because he was lying on Nicholas and weakly struggles back out to safety. Luca is flopped over the edge of the bath, body convulsing in silent laughter because he''s run out of air. 39. a performance It''s on Wednesday that a terrifying pitch-black crane swans into the Great Hall and drops off a letter as she flies past, the paper landing with a graceful slide and impeccable aim on the table between Nicholas and Luca. It''s already too late but Nicholas snatches it off the table and tries to stuff it into his pocket. An InCore year-nine leans over from where he sits closest to Rafael on another table nearby, eyebrow raised. "What''s that you''re trying to hide, Ayad?" "Your mum''s address," Nicholas retorts instinctively. Stavros chokes on his water and cracks up because he just really wasn''t expecting that. Luca smiles into his toast and Rafael turns away to clear this throat. Unfortunately this also attracts more attention from the students sitting around them. The year-nine sits up straighter because a problem with being brave is you don''t know when to shut up for your own good. "It''s from the high mage, isn''t it?" "Is your sister gonna be home too?" Nicholas continues with a smirk. "My sister is six, you asshole." Nicholas makes a high-pitched, strangled sound in the back of his throat because he knows he shouldn''t but it''s such a good set up. "They grow up fast these days, huh?" Several people start booing Nicholas jokingly but he''s too busy sniggering to reply. That wasn''t even his fault, he was practically baited into it! The year-nine scowls. "When you disappear every month, is that also for the high mage?" Rafael¡¯s eyes dart from Nicholas to Stavros. Luca half leans forward. Nicholas laughs to stall, tries to think. "You mean the orgies?" Stavros deadpans. All the eavesdroppers crack up, rippling out to the other table who turn to look. Nicholas and Luca are sitting with their back to the main part of the room but Stavros grins over their shoulders at the crowd and suddenly this becomes a performance. It can''t be anything else, not when the year-nine clearly isn''t going to drop it. That''s fine, they''ve gotten enough suspicious questions over the years that this settles into the three of them like an old joke. "Those centaurs really know to party!" Nicholas cheers and gets cries of horror. Luca is pretending he isn¡¯t a part of this. Rafael shakes his head sadly. "I''ll never look at a unicorn''s horn the same way." "Okay!" Mrs Saad yells above the shrieking laughter. "Thank you, I think we can stop now." Stavros cackles and just gets louder. "I haven''t figured out how to fuck a joro spider yet but mama didn''t raise no quitter!" Nicholas is crying at that, he''s half-hysterical as he folds over his plate, accidentally putting an elbow on the edge of Luca''s plate and almost upending the whole thing as the dining hall just descends into chaos. The year-nine is glowering, trying to nudge his laughing friends. What a joke, thinking he can take on the likes of them. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Stavros will find him later to have a talk.
Nicholas and Luca wait outside the school wards because the letter says Haochen expects them to have two days free. They technically don''t have permission from the school but Nicholas'' parents did get a letter to warn them so that''s something at least. Specified in the letter is that Luca should bring the grimoire. Luca can sense now that the book is heavy with magic, an almost tangible pulse that Luca feels through his bones when he holds it. Luca hasn¡¯t become lethargic or tired but he has quite a bit of excess for Wei to take so it hasn¡¯t affected him as much as Wei¡¯s other anchors in that past-future timeline. Ever since Wei started growing stronger, Luca has kept the book in an empty classroom, hidden behind glamour and misdirection wards to hide it - this was after a bit of a hiccup when the other three boys immediately found it because of course Nicholas wants to find a secret trying to be hidden and of course Stavros tears down the wards and of course Rafael humours them. But it was hidden again after that and Luca was worried he¡¯d have to smuggle out a fully formed Wei, so he¡¯s actually relieved Haochen is calling for the book back. Luca isn¡¯t sure how Wei would come out either, he never learned how that worked since Wei was already formed when they met. Luca goes into this¡­hesitantly optimistic. Wei and Nicholas have already formed a bit of a rivalry -Nicholas out of amusement at bullying a book- but it¡¯s okay, Luca knows how to calm them both down. Wei is a force of nature but he has rules he follows and Luca knows how to work with him. They used to be friends after all, even though Wei was faking it. Exactly on time, the teleportation circle pulls them away and deposits them in the transport room. Haochen is waiting for them and instead of just letting them wander off like normal, he leads them to a large sitting room in warm rusted tones and with high, large windows to let in the sunlight. He points to a desk and chair combo with ink and a fancy brush already set up. "Write." "Is it almost done?" Nicholas asks. "Does it come out like origami or like spit balls?" "Nicholas," Luca begins. "It''s a valid question-" "Nicholas," Haochen states and that''s very final. Nicholas rolls his eyes. Luca takes a seat and Nicholas flops over an armchair closest to Luca''s table. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Haochen also takes a seat further off and picks up a book left on a small round side table. Luca opens the grimoire and it''s already waiting, a sentence bleeding into the paper. [knock knock Luca] "Is it always that creepy?" Nicholas asks with a grimace. Darts a glance to Haochen. "I mean, charming and intelligent. What a fantastic grimoire, must belong to a great man." "He''s doing it on purpose," Luca mutters and picks up a brush -thankfully with short bristles and he¡¯s had practice writing eastern talismans before- continuing to write the joro story about Nicholas because he only writes about Nicholas (and Wei Zhang is getting real sick of it). Half an hour goes by and a large crane enters gracefully on long legs with a fancy looking letter in its mouth and hands it to Haochen. "He knows how to play fetch?" Nicholas asks excitedly. "She," Luca and Haochen both correct at the same time. "She," Nicholas echoes. "Who is this one ¨C Julianne? Rosemary? Florene?" "I have no cranes by any of those names," Haochen rejects. "Her name is Daiyu." "Wait, the big crane I saw before? Why is Dai baby so tiny?¡± Nicholas coos, clambering off his seat and sliding over to sit by the crane. Luca half rises out of his chair. "Uh, Nicholas." Daiyu squawks and Nicholas squawks back, trying to copy her. Daiyu finds this hilarious and makes a rattling hiss noise. "Do you know Greek?" Haochen asks Nicholas, refolding the letter. "I''m fluent in modern and ancient," Nicholas admits, looking up because he''s actually sitting at Haochen¡¯s feet to harass the crane. "That and Mandarin, Ancient Egyptian too, Latin of course. All the powerful spellcasting languages." Luca puts his head down and scribbles madly in the grimoire, who''s mocking him for being such a disappointing heir who still fumbles with English as his first language - well fuck you too Wei what have you done for the Crane Sect. "Good, then you''ll play translator when I meet a liaison from Greece tomorrow," Haochen announces. "There are translation potions-" "I''m fluent," Haochen corrects, staring down at Nicholas. "You''re supposed to be cute and trying to help me out of the goodness of your own heart." "My heart always has room for you," Nicholas says and gets slid back across the floor to his armchair by Haochen¡¯s magic. "Too much?" 40. Wei Zhang Haochen gets another letter that he needs to leave to reply to - and Luca ducks out to the bathroom now that the threat to Nicholas is gone from the room too. Only when Nicholas is alone does Wei Zhang step out, fully formed as a frozen sixteen year old student in neatly draping robes. Too beautiful and so perfectly put together he still doesn''t quite look real, with dark eyes and pale skin and impeccably straight long black hair in a tight braid. And the first thing Wei does is insult Nicholas for "-horrendous, childish humour of writing dick jokes in a grimoire you just found and then running around touching everything you see like an untrained mongrel-" "I always knew you''d look like a nerd!" Nicholas snaps back because he''s never spoken to this person before in his life but he doesn''t take that shit lying down - and, admittedly, every time Luca says Nicholas couldn''t win a fight just makes him more intent on starting one. Nicholas lurches to his feet, only a year older at seventeen with tanned skin and messy hair, smudged glasses and casual clothes already rumpled. "Look at you, you''re such a clich¨¦ ¨C I heard you had minions in school like lording over kids means you have power, I bet you think you''re special because you were the smartest teenager in a school, like that means anything-" Wei throws out a hand and Nicholas is blasted back, slamming into the armchair and the whole thing topples over. Nicholas only laughs and staggers back up. "Get a focus, asshole, let''s fucking go." "I don''t need a focus," Wei spits out, the sneer twisting his beautiful features into something monstrous. "You want to see power? I''ll show you." Nicholas pulls out his wand and throws it to the ground, rips off his jacket as well and shoves up his shirt sleeves. "I''m not going easy on you just because you''re made out of paper." Nicholas dives behind another chair as a spiral curse sails over his head and rolls back to his feet, dragging up the floor as a shield but it stutters and moves lopsided. "Come on, come on!" he mutters. "Pathetic," Wei hisses and his power builds, dense enough to be seen as shifting heat waves, kicking up wind and making his robes billow out. Wei hits the shield with a blasting hex and Nicholas ducks away, a long line of red forming along his cheek as a piece of wooden shield cuts through him. In a constant sprint, Nicholas dodges between chairs, hurls broken-off pieces, ducks behind cover until he''s chased out and tries to get closer to Wei all while the magic is throwing him back, Nicholas barely weaving around curses in time. But he can''t keep it up forever, there''s only so much cover he can hide behind in this sitting room before it''s all blown to shreds. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Nicholas struggles back to his feet after slamming into a wall so hard it shook dust from the chandelier hanging over them. A sharp piece of broken off porcelain from a vase drops from Nicholas'' hand, a wide, manic grin on his face. His shirt buttons are ripped open, three concentric runes carved into his chest ¨C a simplistic siphon. Because if Nicholas doesn''t have enough magic power then he can just take Wei¡¯s, gods know there''s more than enough being thrown around. Nicholas pulls at the floor with a simple gesture and it lurches up immediately, snapping to glass, forming spikes, launching itself at Wei. "You think you can fight me with my own magic?" Wei snarls, exploding the glass stakes mid-air. He hasn''t moved a step from his starting position -takes pride in not needing to- but he pulls in his power, wraps it around himself so the siphon no longer has access. "It''s mine now, asshole!" Nicholas cackles and when his hands move, the morning sunlight through the large windows catches off the edge of thousands of razor-sharp shards of glass, suspended in the air around Wei. Wei¡¯s eyes go wide. It''s a tornado of razors, cracking against Wei¡¯s shield, half falling to the floor and shattering further as they collide but there''s still more than enough still roiling, a cloud of glass that shifts and forms, transfigured into whips that lash out against the stone Wei pulls out of the walls. It''s only after a brief, violent, vicious few seconds but it stutters and droops, already using too much siphoned magic that Nicholas is running out of and he can''t do focusless like this, not in a fight. Luca bursts back into the room, panting from sprinting across the manor when he first heard the crashing sounds. Haochen is only a step behind but he''s unhurried and seems to see no problem with any of this. Nicholas power-slides on his knees under a stone shield raised up to block a strike from his glass whip and lurches to his feet, planting a foot into Wei¡¯s stomach. Wei folds over, the breath forced out of him, and Nicholas grabs the back of Wei¡¯s head, slamming his knee up into a nose so hard it throws Wei flat onto the floor. The stone and glass crash to the ground and fall apart, skittering across the sitting room. Nicholas stumbles over Wei¡¯s legs and falls too, barely catching himself above the other teenager. Wei is sprawled on his back, hair splayed out and clothes ripped in a dozen different places, nose broken and bleeding profusely all over his lower face. Nicholas is on his hands and knees above him, exhausted, shirt open to bare the runes he cut in with blood now seeping all the way down his torso and into the top of his pants, glass in his hair, aching all over from being slammed into things. Nicholas could end it, right here. But instead he smirks. "I bet you think you''re special," Nicholas mocks and then just laughs. Wei throws him across the room where Nicholas hits the floor and rolls limply, already knocked out. Luca blocks the next curse, falling to his knees at Nicholas'' side and raising his wand towards Wei with his teeth gritted. Can he fight two high mages? No. Will he do it anyway for Nicholas? Fuck yes he will. Haochen places a hand on Wei¡¯s shoulder when the teenager staggers up. "It''s over." "Not until he''s dead," Wei hisses. "You''re bleeding everywhere," Haochen scoffs. "And it was done by a boy who can barely even use focusless magic. Concentrate on yourself, you¡¯re still off-balance from coming out of the grimoire." Wei whips towards Haochen with a glare on his face, shrugging off the man''s hand. "I won!" "Maybe you didn''t lose but you certainly didn''t win anything here, beating someone we already own." Haochen moves past a stunned Wei and holds his hands out to a scowling Luca. "Come now, I highly doubt you know any healing spells." Luca looks down at an unconscious Nicholas and grits his teeth. 41. dates Luca watches with a laser focus as Haochen leans back from checking Nicholas. Luca¡¯s dad is fully healed but still unconscious, laid on the bed. His shirt still has blood on it. ¡°Nicholas is fine,¡± Haochen repeats, having been getting progressively more exasperated each time he¡¯s had to say it. ¡°Why is he still knocked out then?¡± Luca demands, half hunched over the other side of the bed. His wand is in hand, no longer pretending. He¡¯s in full fight-or-flight mode. ¡°He was trying to use magic without a focus and exhausted himself,¡± Haochen explains. ¡°I can wake him up now but he¡¯ll have quite the headache. It¡¯s best that he sleeps it off.¡± Luca clenches his jaw. He¡¯s had magical exhaustion before and he knows rest is the best thing for it but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s easy to accept. Wei just attacked Nicholas, Luca doesn¡¯t know how to help his dad, and Luca can¡¯t protect Nicholas if Haochen decides they¡¯ve served their purpose. His first instinct is to fight but he knows it¡¯d be better to run. ¡°I do apologise for Wei,¡± Haochen says soothingly, voice soft but eyes sharp. ¡°He was disorientated after stepping out of the grimoire and lashed out. I¡¯m not going to excuse his behaviour but I want to reassure you that this won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°But?¡± Luca snaps. ¡°But,¡± Haochen sighs, lifting a long-fingered hand to push his hair back over his shoulder like a waterfall. He looks down at Luca¡¯s wand, ready and waiting in a clenched fist. ¡°You¡¯ve planted your feet now, haven¡¯t you? Not that you were hiding it particularly well before. So tell me, Luca, are we enemies?¡± Luca pauses, leaning forward even further over the bed to try and cover Nicholas. He¡¯s certain he can get a few good shots in and then he just needs to run. Haochen won¡¯t follow if Luca can get Nicholas back to the floating island. If things get desperate, Luca thinks he has enough blackmail on Selwood to make the principal step in. ¡°That depends on you,¡± Luca ends up saying because he knows Haochen has all the power here. Asking Luca is a mockery. ¡°I would like us to continue as we have,¡± Haochen announces plainly. ¡°Nicholas is still useful to me, and you represent the¡­less wealthy as a supposed branch family member so I find you to be useful as well. However, if you would like to leave, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°We can just leave?¡± Luca asks sceptically. ¡°You can leave,¡± Haochen corrects. ¡°I have a different deal with the Ayads.¡± It takes Luca a moment to remember what Vinaya told him. In return for saving Nicholas from Christos, Haochen demanded occasional access to Nicholas. That¡¯s hardly a fair deal considering the Ayads didn¡¯t agree and Haochen was never asked to save anyone, but Luca is surprised Haochen is even bothering to pretend like it¡¯s an equal fight. ¡°Of course, this is a business negotiation,¡± Haochen continues carelessly. ¡°If you¡¯d prefer, whenever Nicholas accompanies me when I require a more domestic persona, you can be allowed to attend to protect him. In return, I will ignore your utter lack of surprise at Wei¡¯s presence and your incredibly suspicious actions. What do you think?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a real negotiation,¡± Luca argues. He presses his thumb into his wand hard enough it¡¯s starting to go numb and Haochen looks down at him like he¡¯s watching from spectator seats. ¡°It is. You just have nothing to bring to the table to bargain with.¡± Haochen gestures a large sleeve towards Luca. ¡°Unless you¡¯d like to discuss how your magic was so compatible that Wei was able to achieve a corporeal form without any outside influence?¡± Luca says nothing. ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re in agreement,¡± Haochen states and he¡¯s already turning to leave, not oblivious to Luca¡¯s wand twitching upwards at Haochen¡¯s undefended back, but the high mage simply doesn¡¯t care. ¡°When Nicholas wakes up you can leave at any time. If he¡¯s asleep too long, come and get me.¡±
Nicholas wakes up in his bed at Haochen''s with Luca reading on a nearby chair, only for Luca to then glare at Nicholas over the top of his book. "He started it," Nicholas tries. Luca stands sharply. "Get dressed, we are going straight back to school." After they get back to the citadel taking the Transverse, Luca storms off down the brick path back to the school. ¡°Sorry!¡± Nicholas calls after him, feeling a bit bad. ¡°I really am!¡± Luca stops. He turns back, and after a moment his eyes soften. ¡°I just¡­need to talk to Christos about something.¡± ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± Nicholas asks quietly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­I had a talk with Xia at the end, I have a lot to think about,¡± Luca admits. ¡°Go straight to the nurses if you start feeling bad again, okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicholas says and watches Luca walk away, very aware of how Luca neatly side-stepped his question. Nicholas goes to the dorms but Rafael and Stavros aren''t inside and he has no idea where the lens is right now. Hiding in the dark, cosy closet until someone comes to hug him sounds great right about now but no, Nicholas is stronger than that. They have tracking spells on him anyway; it shouldn¡¯t take them too long to find him no matter where he goes. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. So instead, he dramatically mopes around in a nice sunny spot outside where he can enjoy the fresh air. People are less worried when they find him outside compared to when he hides under beds ¨C not that Nicholas can change how safe small places make him feel. Nicholas ends up lounging in a fork of a tree¡¯s thick branches, the magical wood not quite flexible enough to shake him out and so it''s settled down into an angry sway after giving up. Nicholas reads from the book propped up in his lap -one about the history of the Crane Sect he ¡®borrowed¡¯ from Haochen- while snacking on the open bag of cookies in his pocket because he treats himself well even while moping. While maintaining an eavesdropping charm just to entertain himself, he overhears Mariana and her friends pass by to have a picnic out by the lake like so many other students do when it¡¯s warm out, just over the hill a fair distance away. "-first date though," a female voice says nervously. "Or is it a date? Can you, like, come too and make it a more friend thing?" "She asked you to Gaseum Apeun, it''s definitely a date, everyone goes there for it," Mariana replies. Gaseum Apeun is a caf¨¦ in Gyeongju, Korea, which the island passes over pretty often and is a renowned dating spot for lovesick teenagers because it¡¯s a cute place that serves sickeningly sweet treats. "But if you''re not comfortable of course I''ll come,¡± Mariana continues. ¡°I can duck out halfway if it''s going well too." "We can set up secret signals!" the friend cheers. Awwww cute, she¡¯s so happy to get a girlfriend, says one part of Nicholas'' mind. The other half is already planning how he''s going to crash the friend''s half date and steal Mariana away.
Nicholas is bouncing in the tree, waving his arms around wildly as Rafael and Stavros walk over. "I know where we''re going on the next surface trip!" "I think this should be an obvious no but let me struggle with it a bit more," Rafael muses, coming to a stop and crossing his arms. "No, you have to come! Luca is upset at me and I need to make him happy again," Nicholas complains. Stavros rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I heard what you did from Luca. You never back down from a challenge, do you?" "Not one that I can win," Nicholas smirks. "You''re also going to have to help with the plan, by the way. I have two weeks before I need to make Mariana say yes to dating me and it''ll go faster if you two play along and seduce her friends." "You''re very optimistic that this won''t crash and burn horrifically," Rafael muses. "But I really need her to date me, so it''ll work," Nicholas insists. "You know how I get ¨C it''s all procrastination until I have to hand that essay in and then perfect across the board, easy." "Gods," Stavros sighs. "You''re lucky I love you." Nicholas cheers and slides down the tree trunk, so he can run over and hug Stavros and Rafael.
Rafael comes to a stop in front of the library table. "Connor, do you mind showing me where you got that herbology book about the carnivorous species? For the life of me, I can''t find that section in here." Connor glances towards Mariana and then he raises an eyebrow at where Nicholas is standing innocently by Rafael¡¯s side. "You go," Mariana offers. "I can take Ayad any day." "Out on a date?" Nicholas chimes in with a wink. Rafael elbows him and then walks off with Connor, the Famure¡¯s otter familiar getting snatched up by Nicholas before it can follow the two. Rafael glances back when the privacy ward goes up, just in time to see Nicholas'' expression bloom into something beautiful as he talks happily with Mariana, petting the otter in his lap.
Mariana raises an eyebrow when she sees the Ayad cousin, Luca, get hustled along in the corridor before Nicholas shoves him for the final step and the older boy almost tumbles straight into Mariana and her friends. Mariana offers up a kind smile when Luca looks at her with wide eyes. Nicholas mentioned that since Luca transferred in late, he¡¯s been having trouble making friends. The poor cousin has definitely been getting dragged around by Nicholas and his friends, and if Mariana looks back now, she remembers seeing peeks of quiet moments where Luca writes letters in the common room with a worried expression. "Um," Luca begins. "So, I ¨C well Nicholas actually, he overheard-" "Luca is fantastic at duelling!" Nicholas chirps, eye wide and hopeful. "He can help with the tests coming up, you know Mr Gilgal starts everyone out early." Mariana''s friends start nudging her because it''s free real estate. Mariana shushes them. "Nicholas, are you really selling out your cousin to get on my good side?" "You know, my friends just call me Nicky. You can call me anytime." Mariana is not the only one who rolls her eyes. "Oh come on, not even a smile?" Nicholas complains. "Fine, whatever. Luca was going to tutor me and Raffy anyway so you might as well join in." Mariana hesitates and looks at Luca. "Is that okay with you?" "Yep," Luca says quietly, peering down at her, and if Mariana''s black eyes also look that deep and dark it''s no wonder people stare.
Stavros is leaning against the wall at the corner of the hallway leading to Ms Connell¡¯s room, a fond smile on his face. "-did that ''call me anytime'' one-liner," Nicholas is saying. "I love that one," Stavros laughs. "Especially when I''m not expecting it, it''s hilarious." "Not a single one even smiled," Nicholas whines. "I mean Luca did but he''s perfect. All her friends are boring though, wish you were there." "Babe, I''m here now," Stavros says solemnly, reaching out to Nicholas'' shoulder. "Babe," Nicholas gasps. "Babe." "Babe-" A door snicks open and Nicholas startles. Stavros gets shoved around the corner and he peeks back out to see Nicholas walking down the hallway at a casual pace. Mariana steps out of Ms Connell¡¯s office after seeing the Head of InCore and shuts the door behind her, Stavros ducking back right she looks up. "Oh, do you have detention?" Mariana says, humour in her voice. "I¡¯ve been good lately," Nicholas chuckles. "No, just wandering around." Stavros scoffs quietly and hastily waves off a gaggle of Pull who side-eye him when they pass like he¡¯s the weird one. "And the other three?" comes Mariana''s voice, barely heard over the Pulls. "They''ve got other stuff recently," Nicholas admits quietly. "I suppose it''s fair, I''ve been -you know- disappearing a lot." Stavros rolls his eyes at that subtle reference to being kidnapped. Shit, is this how easy Nicholas plays Stavros? That''s embarrassing. And it¡¯s ridiculous because Nicholas has actually been disappearing so much to woo Mariana. "I''d think they''d be around more than ever now," Mariana huffs. There''s a bit of shuffling. "Anyway¡­did you want to head to the library together?" Nicholas makes a cute happy noise and Stavros knows for a fact it''s because Luca makes the same sound when he gets hugged, and Nicholas just melts at it, so he''s hoping it works on Mariana too. Apparently, it does because Mariana giggles softly. "Come on, let''s go study!" "Well, I never said anything about studying," Nicholas protests jokingly. They walk off but Stavros lingers. He knows it¡¯s only taking so much time because they¡¯re planning specifically to make Nicholas look more mature and settled compared to the teenage boy he really is, but what happens when Nicholas does score a date? Does Stavros get him back after or is Nicholas just like this for life now? They started years too early in faking a relationship so, what, this works and Nicholas is gone? He¡¯s off being a family man and never mind all that talk about Stavros being his soulmate? It takes Stavros a while to fix his expression into something far more neutral before he leaves too. 42. cheat Rafael snaps awake to a fox screaming in his face, the entire view just teeth and tonsils. ¡°Turn it off,¡± Nicholas groans from his bed. Rafael sighs but he did ask Stavros to wake him up so he can get in some reading before breakfast. It¡¯s the weekend but that just means he has even less time to study because the other two will want to do something dumb. Rafael slaps a hand down on the fox¡¯s head, giving scratches to the soft fluff between the ears. Hearth stops screaming but he¡¯s only on snooze mode so when Rafael tries to stop petting him, he starts shrieking again. ¡°I¡¯m up,¡± Rafael complains, sitting up in his bed, but Hearth has now decided he¡¯s not an alarm clock ¨C he just wants pets. ¡°C¡¯mere,¡± Nicholas slurs. Hearth leaps off the bed, still wailing dramatically, and runs around to jump onto Nicholas¡¯ bed. Nicholas grabs the fox and rolls onto his back, Hearth lying on him with little black paws kicking in the air. Nicholas gives him a belly rub and Hearth sniggers cutely, eyes squinting. Rafael scrubs a hand through his hair and clutches at some strands between his fingers. ¡°I need another haircut soon,¡± he muses as he grabs his wand from the side table and summons a book to him. ¡°I¡¯ll hit you with one from here,¡± Nicholas huffs, patting around for his own focus. ¡°What are you up for? Mohawk? Bald? I¡¯ll need to look up the spell for a mullet ¨C or just do it by hand.¡± ¡°Temping,¡± Rafael deadpans, shoving his pillow behind him so he can sit up against the headboard. Hearth stops getting pats when Nicholas is distracted so he hugs the boy¡¯s forearm with his little paws and half hunches up to nibble at Nicholas¡¯ fingers until he starts getting pet again. Two hours later (and after Stavros almost makes himself sick with a pancake eating contest against Musa for breakfast) Nicholas sticks his head through the doorway of the dorm room. ¡°Did you want that haircut now?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Rafael says and closes the book around his essay and pen, tossing it onto his bed as he climbs off the mattress. ¡°Where are we doing it?¡± ¡°I did Luca¡¯s hair in the common room and now there¡¯s a line forming,¡± Nicholas laughs, turning away and trotting down the steps in front of Rafael. ¡°Hurry up, we have customers waiting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making them look weird, are you?¡± ¡°We give them ample warning that they¡¯re playing roulette with us.¡± There¡¯s a hairdresser that comes every month but he can do three different styles and none of them look good, so you have to get it done on a surface trip -also every month but that wastes a perfecty good surface trip- or fend for yourself. Rafael gets down to the dorm and people have dragged up chairs or conjured new ones, crowded around Stavros wielding his wand with great precision and bursts of spell light as he styles a year-ten boy¡¯s hair. A year-eight girl waylays Nicholas to ask if he can do layers on long hair. Mariana is sitting nearby, a smile on her face as she watches Nicholas laugh with the crowd of InCore and work his charms ¨C probably the entire reason why he set up this particular performance in public. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Rafael doesn¡¯t know what he feels, knowing that Nicholas is doing this for Mariana now and not Rafael. He looks away to distract himself and does a double-take. Luca, now with the sides of his hair shaved just a bit shorter than the top to look more like Nicholas, is self-consciously running his hands through his hair, trying to get used to the new feeling of it. ¡°You¡¯re hopeless,¡± Rafael tells him. ¡°I know,¡± Luca says, resigned.
The shield shatters and in the split second before she raises another one, Luca hits her with a violent green spell and her body is flung backwards, hits the ground at a bad angle and tumbles ¨C straight through the portal. Luca sprints in after her, his claw-shredded shoulder bleeding through his shirt but the adrenalin keeps it from affecting his movement. He skids through the invisible portal, and comes to a stuttered halt right at the edge. The woman fell over the edge, a few smaller pebbles still raining down the short cliff from her scrambling at it on the way down. She¡¯s already staggering back to her feet with a snarl on her face. As expected from someone like her. She¡¯s nowhere near her future self that Luca remembers ¨C hasn¡¯t taken enough of the experimental potions to be stronger, faster than average, but she¡¯s hardy. She¡¯s already working for the creature reform centre as a guard, and has clearly taken up the offer to be a test subject, promised all the advantages of a creature but with none of the drawbacks. In Luca¡¯s timeline, the woman fought hard when Luca led the resistance members inside to find the owners of the place to tear it all down. The high mage was already gone, the financial backer had retreated with his personal bodyguards and this woman¡­enjoyed every second of it. The woman raises her hand and nothing happens. She checks her wristband focus, tries again to cast. It takes a moment but she finally seems to understand, looking up at Luca in horror -the arrogance finally dropping off her face- and she tries to run, to get out of the dead magic zone. ¡°You¡¯re not a bad dueller,¡± Luca says apologetically as a consolation prize, but doesn¡¯t feel much when Christos puts a bullet through the back of her skull. Christos lowers the gun -an easy way to get around the dead magic zone- a wry smile on his face. "I keep looking at your hair. Did Nicky trick you into that?¡± ¡°No, I just-¡° Luca self-consciously runs a hand along the side of his head. ¡°Well speaking of tricks, do you recognise this place? Is it bringing back memories of you having to beat the fey in a challenge before they -I don¡¯t know- ate you?" ¡°Oh, that?¡± Christos huffs, walking into the zone to grab the body and drag it out for easier disposal. ¡°No, that was easy. We also had a great time researching how to open an artificial portal. We opened another one too, kept skipping straight to Japan for an incredible sushi restaurant. The portal had to be closed because it became unstable without a proper anchor but that was a good few months.¡± ¡°Can you tell me the full story later?¡± Luca asks in curiosity, leaning out over the edge. ¡°Of course,¡± Christos agrees, looking up at him with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the sushi place after the last one comes through.¡± Luca smiles happily and steps back through the portal to reset for the next person. There are three particularly difficult to deal with staff members of the creature reform centre who could easily slip out of the criminal charges being racked up right now. The project is currently spearheaded by some of Vinaya¡¯s connections to creature specialists since Vinaya works heavily in trade routes and already does a lot of work in blocking creature parts being sold unethically. Luca and Christos talked for a long time, got some input about current events in this timeline thanks to the resistance (future resistance?) fighters Luca met at the duelling tournament on Nicholas¡¯ birthday, and decided it would be easier to just take the three out. One to go now and it¡¯s been so much quicker to just shove them into the dead magic zone. Luca wishes he could do this for everything but he has to lure the targets into position first; blackmail or bribes or -in the case of the last woman- some theoretical freshly caught creatures being offered at a low price. But these are petty problems and people to deal with, and he has much stronger opponents who aren¡¯t dumb enough to fall for such an obvious trap. He¡¯s going to need more help to go after the high mages and he¡¯s not sure if he wants to go through the entire song and dance with the resistance again considering how wary they are of him right now. 43. seal the deal Luca sits in the circle of the study group, all clustered around three oddly sized tables shoved together, to go over the charms spell they just learned in class today. Luca does like the tutoring session, it makes him feel good to help others even though he¡¯s only good at duelling and, because of his timeline¡¯s Wei, alchemy. It¡¯s not too much pressure though because the group involves Mariana and her friends, plus joins with Rafael¡¯s study group too sometimes so the expertise is passed around and there¡¯s no one person leading it. He knows it''s also so that he can spend time with Mariana, because even if whatever ridiculous plan Nicholas has doesn''t work, Luca still gets a friendship with his first mother. Mariana looks so much like his ma from odd angles. Completely different personalities but Luca just couldn¡¯t muster up the courage to approach her first. He isn¡¯t scared of her, has never been afraid of his ma - even at the end there when he probably should have been, but it¡¯s just¡­ Just that they hold themselves the same way and when Mariana gets annoyed, Luca can¡¯t look her in the eye. It¡¯s fine though, he¡¯s just being ridiculous. The most Mariana does is um, actually someone a bit too loud but in between blinks, Luca sees the bloodied kitchen tiles of his childhood home. Stavros sits next to Luca now after he noticed and Luca doesn¡¯t know how to tell him that it¡¯s fine, that it¡¯s Luca¡¯s brain working against him. At least Nicholas and Rafael are too distracted with the plan to notice how awkward Luca is. The boys haven''t actually let Luca in on the secret but it''s not hard to pick up on. It''s almost impressive how smoothly the three work together, ducking just around corners when Mariana comes into view or passing around a conversation easily until it wraps right around and lands on the topic that makes Nicholas look most knowledgeable ¨C or most pitiful if he wants Mariana to correct him and feel like she has responsibility over him learning it now. Luca has sat in on several sessions where Stavros helps break down the characters of Mariana and her friends to an easy game of how do we make them move like this and it works, terrifyingly well. Mariana is very certain of who she is and what she believes in. She will step in if she sees something unfair, to stop fights in hallways, to help the new students find rooms, to explain class to her friends. Which is nice up until you realise she will correct you on everything that she disagrees with. She usually does it nicely but she won¡¯t let it rest until you give in. Luca understands that people can have flaws and honestly this isn¡¯t the worst. (It¡¯s nothing like Luca¡¯s insatiable need to help, to be moving, to be doing something, reaching out to his old -new- contacts and with thirteen different backup plans because nothing ever goes well for him, just so desperately hoping-) But Nicholas isn''t Nicholas anymore when he interacts with Mariana. Instead he''s more muted and polite, still laughs the same but thinks before he makes his jokes and it comes across slower, more controlled. Luca watches while Rafael and Stavros feed Nicholas information and suddenly Nicholas is sitting like Stavros in that careless slouch instead of falling all over whoever is closest. He''s calmly discussing transfiguration theory like Rafael, instead of how he usually fumbles over his words because his mind goes too fast and always ends with him having to pull out his wand to demonstrate instead. Nicholas tilts his head wrong, sits strangely, stopped Loops practice early despite being so excited about being captain this year, uses Rafael¡¯s full name, doesn¡¯t bring medical textbooks to the table anymore after Mariana said he needed to concentrate on school work first, and hasn''t slept in Stavros'' bed since this whole game started. It''s almost impressive. If it wasn''t so horribly wrong to watch Nicholas act like a stranger. Luca has seen Nicholas become a whole new person before, during the party Haochen took them to a while back, where Nicholas insisted on staying and keeping his mask on long after he started getting exhausted being the perfect heir. It kind of feels like Nicholas is seeing this as a job too. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
It''s the weekend of the surface trip and Nicholas is bouncing down the snow-covered ground alongside Luca and Rafael, Stavros lagging behind ¨C probably because he''s rolling his eyes so much at Nicholas'' excitement. "It won''t work, two weeks is too little time," Stavros says again, using English out of the allspeak wards because of Luca. "Oh ye of little faith," Nicholas scoffs. He pauses, nearly vibrating out of his skin as he stares up at the sign of Gaseum Apeun. "I''m going to get you a mother today, Luca," Nicholas declares and then ducks into the tea shop. Nicholas spots Mariana at first glance, hard not to with the way she holds herself so confidently, and swans over ¨C stealing a chair right under a RitCast, the boy dropping onto the ground with a cry, and dragging it a few more steps to place it right by Mariana. Mariana raises an eyebrow and speaks in perfectly accented British English. "Can I help you?" Her friend and the (potential) girlfriend also pause. As does most of the cafe, wanting to see what Nicholas does because he always makes a spectacle of himself. Rafael and Stavros linger near the wall behind and Luca just stays outside because he''s very shy (and dying of second-hand embarrassment). "Hey ladies, date going well?" Nicholas cheers. Mariana is using English, so he also uses it. "Not bad," the girlfriend says, clearly the more confident of the two because she shoots Mariana''s friend a smirk. "Fantastic, you two are cute together," Nicholas admits and means it because they''re so hesitantly touching fingers on the table like hand-holding in public is too much and that''s adorable. (Nicholas says this like he doesn''t sleep with Rafael every other night.) "You hear that, Mariana? Date is going great, how about you and me bounce?" "I''m not going on a date with you, Nicholas," Mariana says but it sounds reactionary since she does dart a distracted glance towards her friend, unsure if she should make an excuse to leave. "Not here you won''t," Nicholas says readily enough. "Gaseum Apeun is so overdone. No, you need something worth your time." Nicholas hooks a hand under Mariana''s chair and drags her closer over the wooden floorboards with a smooth, controlled movement that he practiced with the help of an exasperated Rafael. Nicholas tilts his head so his hair flops and smirks at her. "Our first date," Nicholas says over Mariana''s protests. "Will be a night-time broom ride over the still waters of the lake, which will reflect the stars above, and I''ll look you in the eyes and swear-" Nicholas leans in, expression softening, voice dropping lower. "I swear, there''s not a single star in this universe that shines brighter than you." He grins, wicked. "And not a damn one burns hotter either." There are a lot of ''aww''s going around. No one will ever know that Stavros hit Nicholas with that line last year and Nicholas stayed up overnight to bake him a four-tiered cake for Stavros¡¯ birthday the next day. Mariana rolls her eyes at that last part but she¡¯s smiling. Her expression is still too fondly exasperated than just fond though so Nicholas needs to switch to being a bit needy since Mariana likes propping people up when they get shy or falter. "That didn¡¯t land right." Nicholas pulls away and hunches over, hand over his face and knocking his glasses askew. "Ugh, I¡¯ve lost it!¡± "What do you mean?" Stavros leans over on cue and pats Nicholas on the shoulder. "You''re doing great, keep going!" "I''ve lost the flow, I don''t know what to do now!" Nicholas panics. Mariana laughs. ¡°Nicky.¡± Nicholas peeks up at Mariana through his fingers. "Um. Hi." "Hi," Mariana says and puts a hand over her mouth because she''s about to break into a smile. Nicholas quickly looks away. "I can''t do it!" "Why not?" Mariana asks. "You''ve had no problem so far." Nicholas sits back and adjusts his glasses before crossing his arms, pouting. "I really tried today, I don''t want to get rejected." Mariana smoothes out her pants, looking down. "Ask me anyway." Nicholas sits up, then slumps back down. "No, I''ll try again tomorrow. This was a practice run. Doesn''t count." "Fine," Mariana tsks. "I''ll do it." She turns to Nicholas, head high. "Hey, Nicky, go out with me." The cafe explodes in noise from the students who know them or the ones just watching for a show, some cheering, others leaning over their tables to chatter with each other. Nicholas squeaks out a, "Yes." Mariana smiles, wide and bright and Nicholas leans toward her, giggling. "So he''ll see you tonight then," Stavros says and grabs Nicholas, dragging him up and out because if they leave him here Mariana might change her mind. "Hi, Maria," Nicholas says with a dopey smile on his face. "Hi, Nicky," Mariana says, fondly exasperated. Stavros needs to sling Nicholas over a shoulder to weave between tables easier and Nicholas sets his elbows on Stavros''s back, chin in his hands, staring after Mariana as he''s carried out. Mariana''s friend paws at her arm, eyes wide. "You said yes! Literally last week, you said you never wanted to go out with him." "I don''t know," Mariana muses. "He''s been different." This kind of shy Nicholas is much cuter than the loud, arrogant version who swaggered in. It''s also a bit adorable that he''s so nervous, and it''s nice to know she can affect him compared to Nicholas just laughing it all off with his friends like usual. It makes him far more real. 44. casual The class is shuffling around, loudly dragging chairs over into a circle around a pillar of connected mirrors that form more of an octagon rather than a proper cylinder. They''ll be learning mirror runes and these mirrors have already been prepped to take that kind of magical strain. As it turns out, it¡¯s not well known but still well researched on how to use mirrors as a communication device. Stavros spent about ten minutes at the start of class trying not to scream with Nicholas while Rafael just thumped his forehead against the desk. They¡¯ve spent an entire year now inventing a new way to talk to each other using paper and ink because phones don¡¯t get reception in the citadel ¨C but they could have just used mirrors this whole time. When Rafael asked Luca about his mirror, Luca just shrugged and said Christos gave it to him so they all assumed it was the next version of their paper. To be fair, communication is a niche subject because if a mage needs to talk to someone, they either port over in an instant, flick off any one of the many short-ranged message spells, or send a letter with carrier pigeons that can already go Mach 1 and are so good at tracking that people always complain about privacy issues. So Stavros is already a little pissed off at this point. Nicholas stands with his chair in hand next to Mariana¡¯s seat, having gotten distracted halfway back to Stavros, chattering away with a big sunny smile on his face. Mariana says something with a wry smile and Nicholas laughs. Stavros isn¡¯t particularly happy about it. About any of this really, because it¡¯s starting to sink in that this plan might work and Nicholas is going to get a girlfriend - who Nicholas is already calling a wife, talking about how happy his little family will be and conveniently forgetting his two best friends who Nicholas promised forever to. ¡°Drop it,¡± Rafael mutters quietly, unscrewing his water bottle. ¡°You have no right.¡± ¡°As if you¡¯re not making the same expression.¡± Rafael scoffs and ignores Stavros in favour of taking a drink. "Hey!" Stavros calls and gestures for Nicholas. "Come over." Nicholas drops off his chair into an empty spot and walks around Rafael, raising a hand threateningly like he''s going to slap the bottom of Rafael¡¯s bottle and spill the water all over him. Rafael tries to kick him. "Come on," Stavros says and pulls Nicholas onto his lap. "Look at the mirror so we can both see your face when you cum." Rafael chokes and spits out a mouthful of water all over the floor. The class turns to stare because Stavros did not say that quietly, and Nicholas just starts screaming as he lurches forward. Stavros gets dragged down too and barely catches himself with his hands planted on the floor next to Nicholas¡¯ head, hovering over the hysterical boy who''s curling into himself like that''s going to stop anything at this point. "Stop screaming," Stavros complains. "Wow, why are you acting hysterical, like you don''t call me daddy in bed?" Rafael wheezes. "Holy fuck, Stavros, shut up!" "Did anyone hear that?" Nicholas wails, curling up on his side with his arms over his head. "Shit, I think Mariana heard that." "Literally everyone heard that," Mariana confirms, not impressed. "And by the way, I did not consent to be a part of your sex scene or whatever." "Neither did I!" Nicholas sobs. "You''re fine," Stavros scoffs and stands up, dragging Nicholas up too and sitting him in a chair. Nicholas folds over with his head in his hands and just tries to breathe through the embarrassment. He¡¯s actually laughing now because he always loves Stavros¡¯ jokes. "What is wrong with you these days?" Rafael mutters and vanishes all the spilled water with a frown. He also takes off his jumper and covers Nicholas¡¯ head with it so he can suffer in peace without people staring. "So you fuck then?" asks a NatCom girl. "You''re off the table for good?" "Nah, I was just messing with him." Stavros shrugs it off instead of stepping up onto his chair and making a speech like he¡¯s really, stupidly tempted to do. "They definitely sleep together," retorts an InCore boy. "All three of them." Stavros shows teeth, eyes narrowing. "Do we need to have another conversation about things happening in the dorm staying in the dorm?" The other InCore looks away, jaw clenched. "Literally just sleeping," Rafael says quickly. "I just want to clarify, only sleeping happens." The door opens and the teacher drags in a rattling metal cart with the rune tools to use on mirrors. "Okay, so to start... Nicholas are you okay?" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Nicholas wheezes and then keeps cackling. Stavros is content enough for now that he behaves for the rest of class. At least Nicholas will be thinking of something else instead of his date tonight.
Nicholas¡¯ date with Mariana does not actually involve flying because she¡¯s mildly afraid of heights and straddling a piece of wood ten metres in the air is not her idea of a fun time. Instead, they wander down to the kitchens to order dinner and pack it all into a picnic basket so they can sit out by the lake. After eating most of their food, Nicholas is dumb and flings some Koshari into the water for a kappa lingering idly nearby. It calls a whole swarm of bukavac too so Nicholas and Mariana wisely retreat. ¡°Have you ever been to Egypt?¡± Nicholas asks, lightly swinging their arms together as they walk around the lake. Mariana¡¯s hand in his is nice. He likes it. ¡°I¡¯ve barely left Argentina,¡± Mariana admits. ¡°The only time I ¡®travel¡¯ is on surface trips and that¡¯s barely a few hours.¡± ¡°Would you want a home in Argentina?¡± Nicholas asks. ¡°The rainbow mountains are cute but I can¡¯t imagine living in the middle of nowhere would be as nice even if you learn to port.¡± ¡°I like the city but the economy is tanked,¡± Mariana dismisses. ¡°I¡¯ll leave as soon as I¡¯m able to.¡± ¡°We could swap houses every few months if you want,¡± Nicholas offers. ¡°My family has at least one in every country and you¡¯ll get added to the wards automatically after we get married.¡± Mariana comes to a stop with a bit of a laugh. ¡°Nicholas, we¡¯re not getting married.¡± Nicholas blinks. ¡°Oh, I mean not right now.¡± ¡°No, I mean I don¡¯t even want to consider it before I¡¯m thirty-something,¡± Mariana corrects. ¡°It¡¯s really sweet that you¡¯re a family man but that¡¯s because you can be. You have money and fame to back you up. Me? I want a career before I ever think about seriously dating someone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s-¡° devastating, he doesn¡¯t say. ¡°Okay. No, I get it.¡± Mariana takes his other hand too, pulling him closer. ¡°You¡¯re funny and sweet -when you behave yourself- and I really do like talking to you. I love how hard you¡¯re working towards being a doctor -sorry, healer- and the way you talk to your cousin is adorable. But Nicholas, I¡¯m really not after anything serious. I¡¯m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I just want to have fun with you for a bit because I like you.¡± Nicholas is nodding slowly and his first thought is why they had Luca so young if Mariana doesn¡¯t want to settle so soon - but that still took a really long time, didn¡¯t it? Can Nicholas convince Mariana he¡¯s the perfect husband so she¡¯ll think about marrying him sooner? But Mariana isn¡¯t concerned about Nicholas being a husband, she said she wants a career. So should Nicholas get her a career? Mariana would be good in everything so she can pick and Nicholas will ask his parents for some contacts and she¡¯ll ace the interview of course but that¡¯s still a long time to graduation and then how settled does she need to be in a job? ¡°Nicky?¡± Mariana asks softly. ¡°You look like you¡¯re thinking pretty hard.¡± ¡°Just a bit taken aback,¡± Nicholas admits. ¡°But you do want kids though?¡± Mariana huffs out a laugh and starts walking again, towing Nicholas along behind her until he shakes himself out and catches up. ¡°You can¡¯t talk about kids on a first date with your first girlfriend. That¡¯s not normal. I understand things went a bit differently with your boyfriends but, ah, you three are a little strange.¡± ¡°Boyfriends?¡± ¡°Stavros and Rafael.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not my boyfriends,¡± Nicholas insists. ¡°I know what everyone says but like genuinely, they¡¯re not and they have never been.¡± Mariana backs off easily. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t judge. You can be whatever you want to be. Just because you¡¯re physically close, I made the assumption it wasn¡¯t platonic. But what I mean is, you¡¯re very lucky with what you have. The three of you trip over yourselves to help each other, and it gets a little too co-dependant sometimes but ¨C anyway! I mean, Stavros hates kids but he¡¯s always humouring you, even calling Luca his son too.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t hate kids,¡± Nicholas says in surprise, catching on the instinctive need to defend Stavros from something he¡¯s absolutely done before. Mariana raises an eyebrow. ¡°The year-sevens are so small, so he grabs their heads to move them out of his way. He doesn¡¯t actually hate them,¡± Nicholas tries to explain, flailing their combined hands together for emphasis. ¡°That¡¯s considered bullying.¡± ¡°He¡¯s very gentle with the heads!¡± Mariana rolls her eyes. ¡°Back on topic, are you okay with this being casual? I mean strictly monogamous of course and I don¡¯t tolerate cheating but nothing set in stone. I don¡¯t want you going into this like we¡¯re going to get married because I know myself and I¡¯d like us to break up when HSC exams come around; I¡¯d need more time to study and I¡¯d neglect our relationship, which you don¡¯t deserve.¡± Nicholas is genuinely trying to understand but it¡¯s not making much sense. Is this common? Because Mariana is talking about it like it¡¯s common. They¡¯re out on the far side of the lake too so it¡¯s not like someone is around to overhear and chime in with help. ¡°Casual? But like still properly dating?¡± ¡°You¡¯d still be my boyfriend,¡± Mariana reiterates, trying to explain better. ¡°We¡¯d go on dates and spend time with each other, the exact same as any couple. But we -us- as a couple wouldn¡¯t be the first priority. If you want to break up for whatever reason -another person you want to be with or you want to focus on studies- then talk to me and we can go from there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just never heard of¡­¡± Nicholas trails off. ¡°My parents met later in life but they got married almost right away because they knew they were perfect for each other. Ross has messed around but he¡¯s never dated before. Raffy hasn¡¯t looked at anyone. Ever.¡± ¡°Those are all very intense relationships,¡± Mariana points out. She pauses. ¡°I¡¯d thought you¡¯d want it casual with your¡­well how busy you get with Rafael and Stavros. It doesn¡¯t seem like you have much time for anyone else. I know you got very focused on me recently but that won¡¯t last, not with Stavros already doing things like today to warn me off. Even Rafael has been a little cold recently during joint study groups. He tries to be polite of course but he sits further away and doesn¡¯t quite look at me anymore.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed that,¡± Nicholas denies. ¡°Ross is - Raffy is always kind to people though. Maybe he just had a headache from reading.¡± ¡°He¡¯s nice at best,¡± Mariana admits. ¡°But being nice is the minimum and Rafael is actually rather shut off around people. You wouldn¡¯t notice because they¡¯re both completely different around you. Talking to Stavros when it isn¡¯t flirting is like throwing yourself at a cactus.¡± Nicholas laughs at that. ¡°He just has to warm up to you.¡± Mariana only smiles gently. ¡°You keep trying to change the topic. If you¡¯re not okay with this, we can break up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to break up,¡± Nicholas says quickly. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to talk about kids when I¡¯m seventeen,¡± Mariana throws back. ¡°Take a few days to think it over, okay? You can tell me later, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Nicholas kicks a rock as he goes past. Kind of hard to recover from that, but he doesn¡¯t want to be stuck thinking about it instead of focusing on Mariana and their date. ¡°Um, do you want to make a rowboat together and go out onto the lake?¡± Mariana grins. ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡± 45. love like you should Stavros and Rafael are sitting on Nicholas'' bed, all of them in their matching pyjamas (that Nicholas bought as a joke, but the design is really comfortable so they unironically wear them a lot) and sharing snacks while the snoring coming through the thin walls is blocked off by silenced curtains. Nicholas and Rafael sit up by the headboard while Stavros splays out over their legs. "So how long are you keeping this up for?" Stavros asks, up on one elbow. Nicholas tilts his head. "Oh, you mean the acting? I was just going to slowly ease back into myself ¨C shouldn''t be too hard, it was basically all cosmetic stuff anyway." He laughs. "Shit, I still can''t believe her friends talked to me more when I sat like you, how rubbish is that?" Stavros flicks the chocolate peanuts around. "So this is legit then? You''ll date her?" Rafael gives Stavros a frown from behind Nicholas'' shoulder. "Uh, duh! She''s my wife," Nicholas smirks, trying to sound confident. He¡¯s still thinking about what casual means to Mariana and doesn¡¯t want to let Luca down just yet. "Luca doesn''t know when I proposed but since we started early anyway, I''m thinking graduation. We could do a whole thing for it." Nicholas is absolutely certain Stavros or Rafael will call him out on that bullshit but neither seems to notice. "Are you dating Mariana because you think you should?" Stavros demands. There''s a heartbeat and then Rafael takes a breath. "Did you two finish that technomancy essay-" "What do you mean?" Nicholas asks in confusion. "Like because everyone else is dating?" "Because you want to have Luca again," Stavros states. "Stavros," Rafael says firmly. "What?" Stavros snaps back, sitting up and making the snacks roll around. "Tell him, tell him what you told me before ¨C about how he''s never going to be able to have Luca." Nicholas looks to Rafael, eyes wide. Rafael sighs. "It''s¡­the chances of having the exact same baby, at the right time with the same looks and everything is so miniscule. There are -what- three trillion sperm every time, and different eggs each month, and¡­so even if you marry Mariana and have a baby it''s never going to be Luca. It''s essentially impossible now that all this time travel has happened." Stavros gestures to Rafael. "There, Nicky. No need to keep trying so hard. Luca is strong -he¡¯s unbelievably strong- and an adult, and older than you. I''m sure he''d love to meet his biological mother but that''s not Mariana ¨C not this Mariana." "I can never have Luca?" Nicholas says quietly. "You already have him," Stavros argues. "And you''ll have lots of other kids like you''ve always wanted, I''m just saying you don''t need to try so hard and pretend to like Mariana for Luca''s sake." "I like her for my sake!" Nicholas retorts which is true but it¡¯s also not the whole truth. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway, Nicholas just wants to make Luca happy, and why is that such a bad thing? "I''ve always liked her, I¡¯ve confessed before-" "You kissed her once as a little kid," Rafael cuts in. "I understand that she was your first crush so she has a special place but that was years ago. Before Luca, you weren¡¯t interested in her romantically, and now you¡¯re caught up in this game. It¡¯s right in front of you and ¨C and you have no idea what you want.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "That''s pretty fucking rude, Rafael," Nicholas snaps, sitting up straight because something about that just digs into him after a week of pretending to be a better version of himself and witnessing exactly how much people like it better. "You think you know what I want better? I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t match up to your imaginary expectations but here¡¯s another one - I''d like to go to sleep now instead of arguing with your bullshit, get off my bed." "You want to talk about expectations?¡± Stavros cries in outrage. ¡°We built Mariana a perfect boyfriend and she doesn¡¯t know the fucking difference after five years in the same school! She doesn¡¯t deserve you.¡± ¡°What do I deserve then?¡± Nicholas snaps. ¡°Not Luca apparently. Not a lover according to you. Not your fucking respect for my own choices ¨C you think you know me, Stavros? You think I don¡¯t fake it for you too?¡± There¡¯s a beat of silence and then Stavros¡¯ expression distorts into something feral. Nicholas throws himself away but Rafael is already yanking his ankle and Nicholas is dragged away from the edge, still scrambling at the quilt when Stavros comes down on him. ¡°I know you, you arrogant son of a bitch,¡± Stavros hisses darkly, looming over him with one hand gripping Nicholas'' wrist, the other shoving the side of Nicholas'' face down into the mattress hard enough that his glasses are digging into his face painfully. ¡°There is not a single secret you¡¯ve been able to keep from me. There is not a lie you¡¯ve ever told that I couldn¡¯t pick out. How fucking dare you-¡± "Let go!" Nicholas yells, his free hand clawing at the hand shoving his head down, still trying to yank his legs out from under Rafael, the candy going everywhere as Nicholas thrashes as the two pin him down. "Maybe I''ve grown up!¡± he snaps and now he¡¯s aiming to hurt, now he¡¯s lashing out. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve grown out of you. Maybe I''m the only fucking person here who''s realised people change!" "You promised we''d be for life, Nicholas!" Stavros screams, eyes shining wetly in the light. "What do you think that means? You can¡¯t - you think you can leave me?" Rafael surges forward and shoves Stavros off balance. "Shut up, you moron! You think now is really the time?" Nicholas scrambles off the bed, falling out from under the curtain and staggering back to his feet. Stavros yanks open the curtains and goes for a low tackle around the legs but Nicholas leaps over him and slams the door open, running up the stairs. Rafael grabs him by the back of the shirt and yanks him back, Nicholas choking on his collar and falling into Rafael¡¯s chest where he''s then grabbed in a bearhug and shoved down onto his knees, Rafael folding over his back and forcing Nicholas to bow forward, sitting on his calves and forehead scant centimetres from the ground. Nicholas throws his head back but Rafael turns away to avoid a broken nose and tightens his arms around Nicholas. "Nicholas," Rafael tries with badly hidden panic. "Nicky, I''m sorry, I should have stopped that before it got too far." "Go fuck yourself," Nicholas wheezes, being crushed with Rafael on top of him. "Luca," he gasps but he can''t get enough air to make it a proper scream. His hands claw at Rafael¡¯s forearms, digging in his fingernails. Stavros steps out of the dorm room, wand in hand, and casts a silencing charm. "Drag him back in." "Fuck you," Nicholas coughs. "What are you going to do, huh? We''re in a fucking school." "Actually, let¡¯s put him in the beacon tower," Stavros says. Rafael darts a glare up at Stavros. "No. We just need to calm him down." "I''m plenty calm," Nicholas snaps. "You''re lucky I don''t turn into Rito and use my horns to shatter your fucking ribcage! Let go of me. I want Adam!" "Adam is dead," Stavros snaps. "And Luca isn''t even your real son so I don''t know why you''re running off to him for." Nicholas is facing the floor so Rafael and Stavros only realise he''s crying when Nicholas'' breath hitches and he doesn''t quite manage to swallow down a high-pitched whine. "Oh, Nicky," Rafael sighs, sitting back and pulling Nicholas with him. "I''m sorry, that was too much. It''s okay, don''t cry." But Nicholas has started now and he doesn''t know how to stop. Soon he''s bawling, great heaving sobs, twisting around to hug Rafael around the shoulders for comfort. "Okay," Rafael hums, rubbing Nicholas'' back. "I''m sorry, it''s okay." Nicholas tries to tell Rafael that he''s a cocksucker but Nicholas is crying too hard to talk. He does manage to flip off Stavros though. Stavros sighs and takes a seat on the stairs next to them, petting Nicholas'' fluffy hair. "Sorry. I could have done that better. Of course Luca is your son, and he loves you so much, you know that. I just¡­you shouldn¡¯t have said that to me-" ¡°Shut up,¡± Rafael barks out. Stavros bares his teeth but suppresses it into a clenched jaw. "H-hate you," Nicholas sobs. Stavros breathes in, breathes out. "We''ll make it up to you," he croons, leaning in and hugging Nicholas from the side. "I¡¯m sorry, that went too far.¡± "N-no, fuck yo-ou," Nicholas hiccups, rubbing his tears off on Rafael¡¯s sleeping shirt. 46. year seven Spending time with his mother was nice but it was also one more thing for Luca to keep track of like navigating letters from the resistance fighters he once knew and also watching the news about Haochen and Wei like a hawk. Haochen seems to have attempted to make amends judging by the huge step forward the Confederacy has taken by actually sending creature specialists to examine the living conditions of the other reform centres. Haochen wouldn¡¯t have bothered making amends if he wasn¡¯t committed, so that¡¯s a good sign. Unfortunately, this perfect opportunity made Christos step up and contact Vinaya, who has enough influence and sheer force as head of her massive trading company to actually push the investigation to keep going. It¡¯s not a bad thing she¡¯s helping, Luca just wishes he was competent enough that he didn¡¯t have to involve anyone in the danger. It is dangerous of course because the financial backer of the centres has gone deathly quiet but High Mage Niaa is only waiting. Not hiding, not forcing people to back down, just waiting. So because he¡¯s so busy, Luca notices a bit too late. Luca isn''t sure if they had an argument, but Nicholas doesn''t even look at Rafael or Stavros anymore and he''s hanging out with Mariana and her friends instead when Luca is with the other two. It somewhat makes sense because now Nicholas and Mariana are dating but the avoidance is very pointed. Luca asks Rafael and Stavros what happened and neither can quite look him in the eye. "I think Nicky just needs some time," Rafael offers. "Did you guys fight?" Luca asks. "What was it about¡­if you don''t mind me asking." Stavros shrugs vaguely. "Just¡­stuff." Luca can clearly tell they don''t want to talk about it. "Oh, okay. If you need me to mediate, I''m up for it." "We''ll probably wait until Nicholas calms down first, before we try to talk," Rafael muses. Luca pauses. "Just, you know, it''s better to make up than stay angry and let it drag out. There''s¡­less time than you think." Stavros lets out a breath like Luca sucker punched him in the kidney and Rafael winces at that reminder of Nicholas¡¯ looming death. "I mean-" Stavros begins. "Yeah, yeah. You''re right."
Nicholas isn¡¯t feeling the best. At first he was angry, outraged, and then wronged. And then just upset. And now he¡¯s sad. Part of him wants to go to his son but he doesn¡¯t want to bother Luca, and if he¡¯s the dad then he needs to be cool, right? He thinks about telling Mariana what happened but dismisses that thought quickly because she''s a fixer, in constant movement, and he¡¯s feeling too soft for that. Really squishy, actually, and he thinks he just wants a hug and someone to hold his hand. Flick would make him feel safe but she won''t hold him. Phaedra would but she''s always surrounded by people and while Nicholas normally doesn''t mind, he''s feeling quiet today. Maybe he doesn''t want people looking at him. The argument was dumb and Nicholas doesn¡¯t even know what the point was. It¡¯s generally day two after an argument where he gets distracted by something else and runs back to his friends and they all go on an adventure doing whatever it is Nicholas got interested in. He forgives quickly. He¡¯s not good with holding onto negative emotion, and even less patient with being bored ¨C especially if it¡¯s lonely by himself. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. But that argument reminded Nicholas of back in year seven. Because the excitement of living in dorms and meeting new people and the classes, that all wore off and he got homesick. Nicholas is not an island, he needs people, he needs to be cared for, to care for someone else. He learned a lot about himself in those first few weeks because before, his parents were constantly affectionate and around all the time basically, so abruptly going without ended badly. Nicholas made friends with his other year mates, and it was great, Nicholas has a personality that¡¯s exciting and funny and charming. He clicks with everyone as long as he¡¯s making an effort. Until he wants to talk until three in the morning for the third night in a row. Until he wants to cuddle in public. Until he keeps distracting other students in class because they haven¡¯t looked at him in five minutes. Until he wants to sleep in bed with someone and swap clothes and why aren¡¯t you paying attention to me? Nicholas latched onto the first one to give him undivided attention and that was Adam, who was also easy going and second-generation heritage so he somewhat understood the magical jokes and the culture and they were fast friends. Nicholas is too much, too demanding, for one person and Adam tried but he started to awkwardly pull away with the full force of Nicholas¡¯ personality baring down on him. A month in, the year seven boys dorms got swapped around because a boy called Stavros in another room got into a fight and they had to be separated. Stavros got swapped into Nicholas¡¯ dorm and Stavros¡­has never been a good person. Especially not when he was finally free of his family¡¯s control and wild from the rush of it, and even as young as he was, he knew cruelty and how to wield it. He liked the power, liked the excitement when people fought back, enjoyed it even better when they didn¡¯t. He took one look at Nicholas and scented blood in the water. Rafael was also in the dorm but no one much remembered him, not when he¡¯d hide away in the corner of every room he stepped into, trying to not call attention to himself for fear that people would know he was barely human and they¡¯d kill him just for being born with the disease. Rafael saw though, he admitted to Nicholas one day, years after it happened. He saw what was going on and was too scared to say anything. Stavros was a beautiful boy with a hurricane under his skin and while he¡¯s now learned to supress it, direct it, he was uncontrollable as a child. They were kids and that was awful enough, not that anything really happened. It was just words, Stavros was always so gentle; Nicholas had already convinced himself years ago it wasn¡¯t so bad. But if they were older when it happened, Nicholas probably wouldn¡¯t have made it out the other side with everything still intact. Adam was the one who accidentally stopped it, or at least he came back after realising no one else could make him laugh like Nicholas could, no one was as fun or exciting like Nicholas was, so that offered another source of attention for Nicholas and Stavros was left behind. Then it was Stavros struggling to get the kind of unconditional devotion Nicholas had been giving him for weeks by that point. They made a good pair really and they did have fun together; both so head-first, all or nothing, natural disasters packed into the bodies of children. Stavros didn¡¯t apologise or even acknowledge it, just started being nicer, got things for Nicholas, they did homework together. Adam had breathed a sigh of relief because Nicholas was more manageable too with another person as his focus. Rafael watched them for several more months but Nicholas dragged him out of his self-imposed isolation through sheer determination after accidentally finding him during a full moon. Ever since then they¡¯ve been a tight-knit group, working incredibly well, balancing out each other¡¯s extremes and they all know they¡¯d have burned themselves out if they were alone. They¡¯ve been through a lot together over the years, merging into one entity really, and Nicholas trusts Stavros and Rafael, he loves them with everything he has and knows they feel the same. It¡¯s all or nothing now, forever. You can¡¯t remove a limb and forget you ever had it. But these past few days, he just keeps remembering crying himself to sleep at night in Stavros¡¯ arms, as the boy with the face of an angel whispered sweetly about how Nicholas¡¯ parents had already forgotten him, about how it was difficult to love someone like Nicholas, about how Stavros was trying so hard but Nicholas was so tiring and so he should be thankful Stavros was putting up with him. And Rafael just watched. Nicholas doesn¡¯t mean to bring up old wounds, picking at it until it bleeds. He just really misses Adam¡­because he was never as intense as Stavros or Rafael, never so effortless to get lost in. Adam was so much easier to deal with, easier to separate from who Nicholas is. They were good friends but not part of each other. Maybe, like before, he needs to take a break from his friends for a while. Nicholas is never going to leave them, he can¡¯t, but he has a safety net in Luca. Maybe just a break. 47. tension Rafael putters around the dorm tidying up, straightening Nicholas¡¯ bed sheets, dusting his own bookshelf, neatening all of Stavros¡¯ skin care products on the sink, throwing the clothes on the floor into the hamper- ¡°He¡¯s not going to even notice you cleaned,¡± Stavros sneers, storming past with an armful of Nicholas¡¯ clothes to then shove it all angrily into his bed. ¡°He¡¯s not going to talk to you just because you stole all of his stuff,¡± Rafael snaps back before he can stop himself. ¡°I ¨C we need to apologise.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve tried! I¡¯ve tried!¡± Stavros cries, yanking his blanket over his hoard. ¡°He won¡¯t even look at me! Every time I get him alone, he runs. I even tried as Hearth and he fucking-¡° Stavros turns into Hearth, who keeps making furious shrieks and barks as he ducks under the blanket and starts angrily forming his den. After a moment the violent rustling stops and then the fox starts whimpering quietly because the animal instincts have finally won out over the human need to mask it. Rafael sighs and walks over to take a seat on the edge of Stavros¡¯ bed. He pats around inside the tunnel until he finds something warm that¡¯s shaking and gently rubs Hearth¡¯s back. ¡°I know, I know. What I meant was that you shouldn¡¯t chase him down. And you need to stop leading a conversation with ¡®I¡¯ll explain it better¡¯. You don¡¯t need to explain it, we need to apologise.¡± Hearth unfolds into Stavros, who hurls the blanket off, a scowl on his face. ¡°No, we need to explain why it happened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to matter.¡± Rafael thinks about Nicholas downstairs, having so much fun with others building a pillow fort that Rafael had to shut the door because hearing Nicholas'' laughter right now hurt. Nicholas hasn¡¯t even glanced in their direction for days now. ¡°He must know. He must at least suspect, he can''t be so completely oblivious. It¡¯s his way of letting us down nicely.¡± ¡°He doesn''t suspect shit!¡± Stavros complains, throwing up his hands in frustration. ¡°Nicky is¡­he thinks this is what friends do. He doesn''t even understand what''s wrong. We hold hands, we sleep together, the constant touching he needs to be satisfied. I flirt with him, you feed him, it¡¯s ¨C we already do everything. There¡¯s nothing to hint at because we do it blatantly.¡± ¡°What if Luca tells him something?¡± Rafael worries. ¡°Luca is on our side,¡± Stavros reassures. ¡°Luca has an image of the future so he''s more certain than anyone. Plus with Christos, I don''t think Luca will be trying to split us up.¡± Rafael pauses, unsure. Stavros grabs a fistful of his jumper and reels him in until they¡¯re wrapped around each other, Stavros¡¯ head on his shoulder. ¡°I should have stopped us,¡± Rafael whispers. ¡°Yeah, well, it was a team effort,¡± Stavros mutters snidely.
The InCore common room is a large, carpeted room, high ceilings and tapestries or paintings on the stone walls and constantly changing. The stairs up to the dorms go in a spiral around the outside blocking it in but there are large, magically made windows streaming in early morning sunlight regardless. The common room, like all common rooms, has noise suppression and a few automatic cleaning charms. It¡¯s mostly a strange mash of furniture that people conjure or vanish depending on what they need. Beanbags everywhere, some ominous highbacked armchairs, lots of comfortable couches, some more artistic spherical things with cushioned insides or odd shaped lounge-things. Tables of all shapes and sizes for studying -but mostly board games- and there used to be a TV but people have mostly moved computers and gaming systems into their rooms instead. Currently, the dorm has very little furniture and instead a sea of sheets jutting up on the backs of chairs or just poles because half the InCore students banded together and made the massive pillow fort by cheating heavily with magic. Nicholas started it of course, so choked up from pretending with Mariana even though they¡¯re casual now, and desperately needing something fun instead of being upset with Stavros and Rafael, that he had to get it out somehow and this was the tamest way. Chaos and fun, but nice and family-friendly. After a half-asleep Stavros punches the pillows into submission, he then ignores them entirely and rolls onto a still sleeping Nicholas, both of them hidden from view by a maze of sheets, faint muffled chatter or snoring coming through from other parts of the nearby labyrinth. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Rafael sniffs them out quickly anyway, having gone up to change and freshen himself up (and roll around in Nicholas¡¯ bed to keep his scent because Nicholas won¡¯t hug him anymore). He drops to his knees in the blanket nest -moves Nicholas¡¯ abandoned glasses so they won¡¯t get crushed- and shakes them gently, which is incredibly nice because his first instinct was to shake them with a foot instead. ¡°Breakfast is starting,¡± Rafael warns them. ¡°Bring me eggs,¡± Stavros mutters into Nicholas¡¯ hair. ¡°Hard-boiled,¡± Nicholas slurs. ¡°Hmm, peel it for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeding you,¡± Rafael tsks but knows he¡¯ll end up feeding them. Nicholas slowly blinks awake, staring up at the ceiling. For a long moment, he doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong, then jerks up and shoves Stavros off him, scrambling for his glasses that Rafael nudges closer. ¡°I can¡¯t fucking believe you! Ambushing me?!¡± ¡°Nicky,¡± Stavros tries, sitting up. Rafael immediately backs off. ¡°We came to say goodnight last night and you pulled us down to sleep with you.¡± Nicholas throws his arms up. ¡°Why would you not remind me I¡¯m still mad at you?¡± he cries, incredulous. Then he just staggers up, jabbing a finger at Stavros who opens his mouth to explain. ¡°No! No, we¡¯re not talking.¡± Nicholas stomps off through the blanket maze to go back to sleep in Luca¡¯s bed.
Two very long weeks go by where Nicholas sleeps in Luca''s bed instead and he doesn''t sit next to Rafael or Stavros in class, and pretends they don''t exist in favour of hanging out with Mariana and her friends rather pointedly. Rafael and Stavros keep popping around anyway, leaving snacks and such out for Nicholas, passing him notes from class, and giving him sad puppy dog eyes in the halls. Hearth tries a few times but Nicholas doesn¡¯t even look at the fox when normally he¡¯d melt. Luca bounces between the two groups awkwardly but spends more time with Nicholas because if Luca doesn''t, Nicholas runs off to go spend time with Mariana and his smiles get more and more fake. No one will tell Luca what happened but this is getting to be a bit much. Nicholas will even tell Luca, to tell Stavros, orders during Loops practice. After Nicholas actually misses the night of a full moon with Thoth, and it was in the beacon tower that Nicholas had been so excited about before, Luca decides something needs to be done.
"Nicholas," Luca says, catching his dad just before lunch. "Can we talk?" "Sure," Nicholas says and turns to Mariana with a smile. "Sorry, Ayad stuff." "I''ll save you a seat," Mariana says, eyes darting towards Luca, and their hands slip out from one another as she continues down the hallway. Luca leads Nicholas into the nearest empty classroom and sets up a silencing spell before turning on the other. "What happened between you guys? If you tell me, maybe I''ll know how to fix it?" "You can''t really fix being an asshole," Nicholas says mildly. Luca pauses. "Was it¡­something I did?" "What? No, of course not." Luca grimaces. "Because, I mean you''re still friends in my time so it must have been me, right?" "No, no," Nicholas says quickly, putting his hands on Luca''s shoulders to reassure him. "No, they just¡­were being mean. They ganged up on me and said mean things, then chased me around ¨C and¡­what''s up with that face, Luca?" "I''m having a hard time imagining it," Luca admits. "What did they say?" "Just¡­" Nicholas pulls away to vaguely flail his hands. "Mean things, about my love for Maria." "That you''re doing it out of obligation?" Luca clarifies. Nicholas pauses. "You ¨C do you think that too?" "Well, every time you talk about her with me, you always mention us being a family and such." Luca shrugs. "It just sounds like you''re doing it for me ¨C which I really appreciate but it''s your life and I want you to do everything at your pace. It kind of seems like you''re rushing." Nicholas says nothing for a long moment. "I like Mariana as a friend, and it¡¯s great hanging out with her more, but the whole relationship is built like a sandcastle. She doesn¡¯t even want to¡­¡± No, Nicholas shouldn¡¯t say that, it¡¯s too early. ¡°I¡¯m sure if we learned each other better it would work, but I¡¯m lying and she thinks I¡¯ve changed because of the kidnapping.¡± "This isn¡¯t necessary, you know that, right?" Luca offers. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it. Do you, personally, want to keep dating her?¡± "I don''t know," Nicholas admits. "Her friends are kind of boring. And Mariana doesn''t like the things I do so conversations kind of die off unless I¡­pretend." He grimaces. "It was funny at first but it''s starting to be not good for my mental health." "You''re seventeen, it''s okay if you''re not ready to marry someone you''ve been dating for a month now," Luca tries to joke. "Besides, I think you two only get together after you graduate, there''s room for both of you to change still. Basically, if it works then it works. If it doesn''t, I don''t mind." ¡°I¡¯m going to go a bit slower,¡± Nicholas admits. ¡°I want to keep dating her and see where it goes.¡± He puffs up. "Never get a girlfriend, Luca! Live with me for the rest of your life. Adopt kids so I can have grandbabies." Luca laughs. "Okay, whatever you want." Nicholas smiles before the expression drops. "I still don''t like Rafael and Stavros." "Have they apologised?" Nicholas rolls his eyes. "Nothing that wasn''t empty words. They still think they''re in the right, and I just need to ''calm down'' like they didn''t fucking pin me down and talk shit about my bad personality." Nicholas tenses. "Not - not that I was fighting back with my full strength, you know, your dad is super strong, I would have hurt them." "You''re very strong," Luca agrees immediately and then frowns. "And I love everything about your personality. Don''t worry, I''ll make them apologise." Nicholas looks away with a pout. "No, don''t bother. They¡­were maybe right. About one or two things." "They were still mean to you," Luca argues. "Doesn''t matter what they said, it''s about how they said it." "Yeah!" Nicholas cries, bouncing back. "How dare they! What, they can''t have a normal conversation? And they spilled snacks all over my bed!" "Exactly!" Luca says. "Let''s go give them a piece of our mind!" "Yeah!" Nicholas snaps and storms out of the classroom, Luca trotting along behind and feeling particularly accomplished. 48. talk it out "You were so mean!" Nicholas snaps, coming to a stop in the dorm room with his arms crossed. Luca closes the door after him, spelling it shut because no one is leaving before they sort this out. "I was very mean," Stavros agrees immediately, sitting in Nicholas¡¯ bed again because at least Nicholas will talk to him when he tells Stavros to get off. "And I''m sorry, I''m an idiot." "You''re only saying that because you didn''t think I''d hold out this long!" Nicholas cries. "I know you still think you''re right." "Nicky," Rafael tries, dropping an armful of clutter onto the ground because he was halfway through anxiety-cleaning the dorm ¨C again, judging by how sparkling clean everything is. "You can''t talk to me like that, not anymore," Nicholas says and then rears back. "Wait, I-" "Oh," Stavros whispers quietly. "I didn''t mean that," Nicholas says quickly, taking a step towards them but stopping himself before he can go in for a hug. "But you just - and you wouldn''t stop - I mean, forget I said that. But yeah, don''t say mean things, right, Luca?" "I actually still don''t know what you said to each other," Luca admits. "But ¨C I do know you two shoved Nicholas around." "They weren''t-" Nicholas splutters. "I was winning that fight, Luca. No, I let them win." "We didn''t hurt him!" Rafael cries in horror. "We were just¡­" "No," Luca cuts in firmly. "You are not excusing attacking Nicholas." "We didn''t hit him," Stavros scoffs, a scowl on his face because he''s recovered from earlier and shot right to the other extreme. "We grabbed him once or twice, there were no bruises. We do worse during a full moon." "I wanted to leave, you fuck face," Nicholas snaps. "You chased me and started talking about putting me in the fucking beacon tower!" Luca''s expression is slowly getting darker. Rafael comes closer, hands up calmingly. "What we did was wrong, in every way, and we''re very sorry, Nicky. We shouldn''t have gotten physical like that and made you cry." "I wasn''t-" Nicholas darts a glance to Luca. "I wasn''t crying, there was dust in my eyes because you shoved my face into the bed! Like a bad friend! Lu-Luca, leave the room, I need to have it out with them.¡± Luca scans their expressions to make sure. ¡°I¡¯m going to be right outside,¡± he warns and backs out, shutting the door behind him. Nicholas hesitates. "Sorry, Ross, I really didn''t mean to say that." Stavros grits his teeth and looks away. "Is that what you think?" "You said a lot of mean things," Nicholas admits. "And you don''t do that to me anymore, so it was¡­a shock. Reminded me of some things." "You started it." Stavros rakes a hand through his curls. "I¡­don¡¯t want to lose you to Mariana. You wanted to leave us. You haven¡¯t spent time with us at all before the fight and you kept talking about having a family like we¡¯re not your family, asshole, and then you ¨C you said shit like I didn¡¯t know you.¡± Stavros clenches his jaw, glaring at Nicholas. ¡°Do you lie to me? Do you pretend?¡± Nicholas stares at them, incredulous. ¡°Of-fucking-course I don¡¯t! I was saying that shit because you dickheads started in on me first. You come at me with the fucking blow that I can change my entire personality and no one would care.¡± ¡°I never said that,¡± Stavros says in shock. ¡°When did I say that?¡± ¡°You said Mariana didn¡¯t notice anything even after like years of being friends,¡± Nicholas complains. ¡°Wha ¨C how am I supposed to react to that? Like; yeah, guess life sucks, I¡¯ll just fucking cry while you throw more of that bullshit at me.¡± ¡°That was about her being bad for you!¡± Stavros stresses. ¡°I would know if something happened to you. I would always know, Nicky. That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to say.¡± Nicholas splutters. ¡°Why would you not say that then?!¡± ¡°I thought I did?!¡± Nicholas turns on Rafael next. ¡°Well then you said I didn¡¯t know what I wanted. I know damn well that I want Luca as a son-¡± ¡°It was about something else,¡± Rafael admits. Nicholas gestures angrily for Rafael to keep going. Rafael looks away, looks back. ¡°I¡­it was about you forcing yourself to be with Mariana because you thought that was how it should be. It started off as a joke and you know it, but you got really caught up in it.¡± Rafael hesitates. ¡°I should have stopped but I just got so mad too because you said you¡­out-grew us, like we¡¯re nothing to you when you mean so much to us.¡± Nicholas blinks. ¡°Oh, I¡­¡± His expression falls. ¡°I said that. I¡¯m sorry, I said it because you grabbed me. I started trying to say that my thoughts could have changed compared to when I was younger but I got so upset.¡± Nicholas hurries forward and takes Rafael¡¯s hands, staring him directly in the eyes. ¡°I love you. I¡¯ll love you until the day I die. My gravestone will say; here lies Nicky, still loving Raffy and Ross.¡± Rafael sniffles a bit. ¡°Really?¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Really,¡± Nicholas promises softly. ¡°I swear. You two mean so much to me that I genuinely don¡¯t know how to tell you that. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and that¡¯s never going to change. I love you.¡± ¡°I¡­you too,¡± Rafael says before he firms up. ¡°I love you. I missed you like a phantom limb.¡± ¡°Love you both,¡± Stavros says, halfway between a promise and a threat. Nicholas takes a deep breath and lets it out, swinging his and Rafael¡¯s hands around. ¡°Okay. So I think we¡¯re done with the fight, but why do you still look like that, Ross?¡± Stavros leans back on the bed, propped up on his palms, expression perfectly flat. ¡°Do you want me to erase your memories?¡± Nicholas drops Rafael¡¯s hands and it feels like his stomach drops too. Stavros only asked him once, and that was well into year eight. ¡°Why would you ask me that again?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s been almost five years and in our first major argument with each other, you reacted like when I was abusing you,¡± Stavros says, still non-committal and so carefully non-judgemental. ¡°So I want you to know, if you¡¯re still getting nightmares and having those reactions, my offer still stands.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nicholas asks slowly. ¡°What do you mean reaction? I barely mentioned it just then.¡± ¡°Most people don¡¯t hug the person they¡¯re fighting with. And¡­¡± Stavros¡¯ expression briefly flickers before he gets himself under control again. ¡°When you wanted it to stop, you hugged Raffy.¡± Stavros was a very smart child who learned from the best and tailored it perfectly to fit how much Nicholas needed physical affection. It¡¯s not that Nicholas didn¡¯t try to run away but it was always so much worse when he got back ¨C and they had the same classes, friends, meals and dorms together. Stavros still didn¡¯t like Nicholas running, so he made a rule that if Nicholas wanted it to stop, all he had to do was keep hugging Stavros. So it was Nicholas¡¯ fault it was happening because he wasn¡¯t hugging Stavros. And it stopped Nicholas from leaving, because the safest place from Stavros was in the boy¡¯s arms. ¡°I like cuddles,¡± Nicholas says quietly but a shiver runs up his body and his hair starts to stand on end. He hadn¡¯t forgotten but he also hadn¡¯t made the connection. ¡°It¡¯s not about that. I just wanted a hug, I was born like that. Right, Raffy?¡± Rafael has taken a step away, looking off to the side like he¡¯s unsure he should be hearing this. He glances back when Nicholas calls his name but doesn¡¯t seem to know what to say. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know, this was before we were friends.¡± But you were there, Nicholas doesn¡¯t say. ¡°Oh,¡± he says instead and goes to climb on top of Stavros, swinging a leg over to straddle his lap and taking a moment to get comfortable. He grabs Stavros¡¯ face with his hands and looks the boy dead in the eyes because he doesn¡¯t want any more misunderstandings. ¡°I snuggle because I snuggle. I wanted a hug, but I also wanted to keep fighting, which you both refused to humour me with. I am over what you did to me, and you proved a thousand times over how much you adore me. It is done, but I don¡¯t want it gone.¡± Stavros seems to crumple, wrapping his arms around Nicholas¡¯ waist and squeezing. ¡°You¡¯d be happier if you didn¡¯t have it.¡± ¡°You make plenty happy now! I¡¯d also have like my most formative months gone,¡± Nicholas points out, squishing Stavros¡¯ cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s when I met you all, when I got to know you. I¡¯d lose so much happiness and important memories too. Even in the worst of it, you¡¯d tell me things about yourself and I treasure those.¡± Stavros wheezes out a pained laugh. ¡°I only told you those things because you were under my control and you¡¯d never tell anyone else. Besides, they almost traumatized you more than anything I was doing.¡± ¡°But it also helped you to say those things about your family,¡± Nicholas points out. ¡°And you needed attention and affection too, so it was a weird symbiotic relationship that turned out great in the end. Is the word symbiotic, Raffy? And Raffy has barricaded himself in the bathroom, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Stavros flops backwards onto the bed, dragging Nicholas down with him and they sprawl there for a while. ¡°Are you ever scared of me?¡± Stavros whispers. ¡°Never.¡± Nicholas rubs his cheek against Stavros¡¯ chest. ¡°Do you¡­want to forget?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Stavros admits quietly, rubbing Nicholas¡¯ back. ¡°Because what if I turn back into that person? It¡¯s only one small step, really.¡± ¡°You¡¯re more different than you realise,¡± Nicholas reassures. ¡°But if it¡¯ll help you, me and Raffy will watch out for you while you settle without the memories. You¡¯ll have to teach Raffy the spell though and it¡¯ll take a lot of planning. The mind is always intense magic.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t listen to you, I¡¯d just hurt you.¡± Nicholas splutters out a laugh because it isn¡¯t funny but it is absurd. He pushes up on his elbows on either side of Stavros¡¯ head so he can stare incredulously. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re worried about being mean to us? Like us, Raffy and me? The people you go to sleep loving and wake up loving? After five more years of memories living in each other¡¯s pockets?¡± Stavros cracks a smile but looks away. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just won¡¯t risk it. And if I do¡­I¡¯ll forget some of you and I want all of it.¡± He thinks for a long moment and nods. ¡°Okay. Okay, fight officially over. I¡¯ll call Raffy out of the bathroom.¡± Nicholas lies down on his chest again. ¡°Mariana wants be casual and I don¡¯t know what that means but I think it means she doesn¡¯t love me.¡± ¡°What, that fucking bitch?!¡± Stavros screams in outrage and jerks upright fast enough that Nicholas would be flung off his lap if Stavros wasn¡¯t still holding on. ¡°No!¡± Nicholas shrieks and shoves him back down in panic. ¡°No, don¡¯t fight her, that¡¯s so embarrassing!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do more than fight, I¡¯ll fucking kill her!¡± Rafael slams out of the bathroom in shock and lurches over to try and separate them. ¡°Wait, wait, stop, why are you fighting?¡± Luca opens the door, checks they¡¯re just play wrestling, and closes it again. ¡°Pretend I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Nicholas begs in horror, wrapping his arms around Stavros¡¯ head and trying to smother him. ¡°Please, oh gods, I do not need you fighting her.¡± Stavros flips them over but then Rafael pins him down half on the bed and half on Nicholas, who has just enough movement left to grab a pillow and scream into it. ¡°What is happening?¡± Rafael yells in confusion because this is clearly Nicholas having a fit and Stavros getting protective. Stavros flails a hand enough to grab a fistful of Rafael¡¯s hair and drag him down, practically spitting out, ¡°Mariana said she wants casual.¡± ¡°Casual?¡± Rafael echoes in confusion. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Nicholas wheezes because he wants to know too. ¡°It means she wants a fuck buddy,¡± Stavros snaps and shoves Rafael off him, surging up to his knees on the bed over the other two. ¡°Because apparently she thinks our Nicky is a side bitch!¡± Nicholas hurls the pillow at Stavros in embarrassment. ¡°No, you¡¯re the only one who does side bitches! She said it was like¡­not intending marriage and she doesn¡¯t like me talking about having babies.¡± ¡°Like thirty percent of what you do is talk about babies since Luca showed up,¡± Stavros protests. ¡°Which is weird,¡± Rafael says, sitting up. He quickly holds up a hand to stop Stavros. ¡°Which is weird! It¡¯s strange. Imagine one of your side bitches asking about babies.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s Nicky,¡± Stavros insists. ¡°I¡¯d give him babies!¡± ¡°We¡¯d make beautiful babies,¡± Nicholas whimpers and reaches for another pillow. Rafael cheats and uses his massive wingspan to shove it away. ¡°No, okay, explain from the beginning. Did you break up with her then?¡± Nicholas takes a shaky breath and paws at Rafael until they can hold hands. ¡°I¡¯m still going to date Mariana, we¡¯re just going a bit slower now and getting to know each other ¨C I know I¡¯m not making Luca again, but I want him to have a mum.¡± ¡°He already has three mums!¡± Stavros complains. ¡°Four with your mum. How many mums does a person need?¡± ¡°Well he has five dads, are you going to complain about that?¡± Nicholas fires back. ¡°Three,¡± Rafael mumbles as he circles a finger around all of them. ¡°Bigger Nicky. Oh, bigger Stavros. Five.¡± Stavros just collapses over both of them, slamming Rafael back down and punching the air out of Nicholas. 49. dark magic Haochen¡¯s letter arrives one afternoon, asking for Luca and Nicholas. Luca frets about it for a few hours, going back and forth about whether to bring Nicholas with him or to even go at all. Haochen seems to have attempted to make amends and he wouldn¡¯t have bothered if he wasn¡¯t committed, so that¡¯s a good sign. Luca wants to be upset with Wei about the fight but¡­Wei has done far worse for far less than Nicholas had been mocking him with. Even Stavros is more vicious to people who just bump into him in the halls. Luca forgets that Wei doesn¡¯t know Nicholas -that he doesn¡¯t know Luca- and that Wei will react like Nicholas is a genuine threat and not just a bored, slightly misbehaved boy. Not that Luca is biased or anything. Nicholas doesn¡¯t see any problem with going because he''s already completely forgotten the fight, so Luca is left to decide, feeling like he¡¯s holding his dad¡¯s life in his hands and it¡¯s a panic-inducing thought. Luca thinks Wei should be in control of himself now if it truly was disorientation from being formed and that Haochen needs Nicholas so the high mage won¡¯t let things devolve so far ¨C but Luca has been wrong before. Luca makes a choice, and hates himself a little because it¡¯s not based on Nicholas¡¯ safety. Luca makes the choice to go because he needs to know what Haochen and Wei are doing now that Wei is formed. However, Luca is still not letting down his guard. He steps slightly in front of Nicholas first as soon as the teleportation circle drops them off, prepared to be the distraction so Nicholas can run if things go south. ¡°Weiwei,¡± Nicholas chirps out the nickname. "Nicholas," Wei greets, icy. He¡¯s standing by the doorway, arms crossed and leaning against the wooden frame, decked out in fancy outer robes of soft charcoal and sharp garnet embroidery. His eyes slide across to Luca. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering, yes, we¡¯re aware you¡¯re from the future.¡± Luca sighs. ¡°That was fast.¡± Wei raises an eyebrow. ¡°I absorb your magic and you think I don¡¯t immediately do every test possible on it? I¡¯m also well aware that you have my magic too ¨C not just Haochen¡¯s but my piece.¡± ¡°Did you get it out?" Luca asks, hand coming up to his stomach because he knows he technically didn¡¯t eat Wei¡¯s soul but he still assumes it stayed in his stomach. "You grew around it, I couldn''t get everything," Wei says simply, unconcerned because he has the important part. "So what do I have left?" Luca asks. "What I couldn¡¯t get out," Wei sneers. Luca purses his lips. "So where do we stand?" Wei shrugs carelessly. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to completely shatter your sense of self-worth or anything but you¡¯re really not a threat and honestly, both Haochen and I have better things to be doing. Keep your head down like you have been, there won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Wei straightens up from the doorway. ¡°Come, we¡¯ll be writing letters to each other as evidence of our friendly correspondence over the years.¡± He turns on a heel and leads the way through the manor. Luca grimaces because if they¡¯re setting up ¡®years¡¯ then Nicholas may no longer have a reason to deny being an ally of Haochen since the kidnapping will be explained away by the false letters. ¡°You exist then? You got an identity?¡± ¡°Still Wei Zhang,¡± the other boy mutters, acidic. All four children of the previous Crane Sect leader -born to three different wives- were all named Wei Zhang. The same character spelling, the same meaning, just replacements of each other. Haochen chose his own name when he ascended to sect leader himself, as is usually done. This was two hours after he had killed his own father. In those brief two hours between, he spent the time discussing with his siblings and the previous sect leader''s wives exactly how they would die if they were stupid enough to defy him. ¡°What a dickhead,¡± Nicholas whispers. ¡°Haochen really calmed down with age, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°I heard that,¡± Wei snaps. Nicholas skips off with exaggerated cheer. ¡°Coming, Xiao Wei, my dearest friend!¡± ¡°Whatever Chinese you¡¯re saying to him, please stop, you¡¯re giving me anxiety,¡± Luca mutters as he follows.
Nicholas is sitting cross-legged on the thick rug across the short coffee table from Luca, with Wei to the side and Haochen sitting on an armchair behind Nicholas and reading a book. The three teenagers are scribbling out fake letters but they¡¯ve kind of lost the plot on this pen pal thing and are now currently outlining a shared plan to sell the citadel¡¯s feast leftovers to nostalgia-driven alumni who are only just sending their children to the island as well and thus also have empty nest syndrome, so they¡¯ll be more vulnerable. It¡¯s only been a hypothetical week since their plan started and Wei already wants to drive up the cost of their dishes because they¡¯ve cornered a niche market and have the monopoly so who¡¯s going to stop them. Luca is slowly trying to talk Wei down because they hypothetically don¡¯t need that much money even with the unethical shares in several mage companies they¡¯re going halfsies in buying- (Unethical only according to first world standards, Luca, Wei writes, completely serious.) -and wow, you¡¯re really cunning rather shrewd entrepreneurial but maybe focus on your hypothetical home tutors because you¡¯re pretending to be Haochen¡¯s son so surely you¡¯ll have time to fuck enough people over later in life that you don¡¯t need to get a head start now. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Nicholas takes a whole other turn and cites the manpower for the leftover food collection, stasis charms and coaxing carrier pigeons is hypothetically detracting from Nicholas¡¯ messing around extracurriculars so perhaps they should instead focus on high-tier and more expensive products by volunteering to clean up the potions lab so Mrs Saad can run off and leave them to bottle the demonstration cauldron before selling the professional potions. Haochen, reading these letters because they¡¯ll be used as evidence later, needs to step in and reiterate to the boys that they should write innocent childhood things such as ¨C and then he gestures vaguely because fuck if Haochen has ever understood how children work even when he was one himself. ¡°-turns out it¡¯s considered Dark magic,¡± Nicholas is saying because he¡¯s now trying to describe an innocent childhood experience that they can use in the letters and has instead gotten side-tracked by another Chaotic Day In The Life Of Nicholas and Friends story. ¡°Making bubbles is Dark?¡± Luca asks in confusion. ¡°How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s bullshit, right!¡± Nicholas cries. ¡°Because it was based on a wind spell from NatCom which I didn¡¯t know because I learned it from watching. I didn¡¯t even feel the strain because I¡¯ve got too much¡­a-anyway, that¡¯s not important. So it¡¯s Dark because the spell is NatCom and I¡¯m InCore but it¡¯s bubbles so it¡¯s all fucking ridiculous anyway. But someone -a RitCast because of course- goes and tattles to his mum who then rants to some random Secretary of State about it.¡± Haochen looks up from his book, sitting on an armchair behind Nicholas and smirks. ¡°Oh, I did hear about this one.¡± Nicholas gestures behind him. ¡°There you go ¨C true story! So the Secretary -thinking he¡¯s got to stamp out a young ¡®Dark mage¡¯ before I grow up and terrorise the population- arrives at dinner time in the dining hall with eight magpol!¡± Nicholas throws his pen down. ¡°They come up to me, tell me my crime like I should be ashamed and demand I come with them ¨C I¡¯m thirteen and I¡¯m bloody incredulous, I¡¯m like; what part of making bubbles to annoy year sevens is Dark magic?¡± Nicholas scoffs. ¡°You know what I did?¡± ¡°Talked it out calmly?¡± Luca sighs because Nicholas¡¯ stories always get worse. ¡°I tell the Secretary to suck my dick, then climb up on the table and announce that if I¡¯m going to jail, I¡¯m going to damn well deserve it,¡± Nicholas snaps. ¡°I cast the bubbles again and I¡¯m like; look, Dark magic, arrest me bitch.¡± Wei puts an elbow on the table and his head in a hand. ¡°Everyone is shouting,¡± Nicholas continues. ¡°The other students are clearing the way, Selwood is trying to push through the crowd and a magpol tries to grab me so Stavros -I love that boy- kicks her off, climbs up on the table next to me and goes; you want to see Dark magic? I¡¯ll show you Dark magic!¡± Nicholas puts a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. ¡°He slits his wrist and starts a blood ritual to summon a Lambros House deity.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Luca and Wei shout at the same time. ¡°He can¡¯t,¡± Haochen retorts, just as invested in this story now that interesting magic has come into play. ¡°That would take months of preparation and far more than blood.¡± Nicholas twists to see Haochen. ¡°Yeah, he was bluffing! But the thing is, Aeneas -Ross¡¯ little cousin- was having a fucking heart attack watching all this and so he crawled under the table and was frantically going through weather spells ¨C and he¡¯s a year seven, right, which makes it all the more impressive when he summons a storm to psych out the magpol.¡± Nicholas pulls his legs out from under the table and rocks up onto his knees, turning sideways so he can see all three of them. ¡°So Stavros is doing a blood ritual and a storm starts gathering above and everyone can see it through the windows and it¡¯s just chaos ¨C people are screaming, they¡¯re freaking out thinking the island is about to be wiped off the map.¡± ¡°What was Selwood doing?¡± Wei demands. ¡°She''s still stuck in the crowd, I¡¯ll get to that in a second,¡± Nicholas laughs with a wave. ¡°Okay so, a magpol tries to stun Stavros and I¡¯m thinking; I will die for this boy right now. I¡¯m losing my shit in rage, I¡¯m ready to start a revolution, I kid you not, what¡¯s going through my head is; when I take over the Confederacy, I¡¯ll make Stavros a king. So I start duelling the magpol that tried to attack Stavros.¡± Nicholas wheezes. ¡°Me, a year-nine, deadass throwing plates and food at the magpol. I am losing so badly but Ayad Family Magic protects me until magical age of majority so I¡¯m still winning! Spells are bouncing off me, I lose my wand to a disarming charm so I just start casting without a focus with my Family Magic. More magpol join in.¡± Luca laughs but he¡¯s hysterical with horror and Wei is just staring incredulously. Haochen tilts his head back against the backrest of the chair and looks up at the ceiling like that is going to help anything at this point. Nicholas is gesturing wildly. ¡°I¡¯m like duelling three at once, Adam trips another, Rafael is choking out a bitch, Stavros is still pretending to chant even though he clearly doesn¡¯t remember the words and the other students are getting hit by deflected spells because it¡¯s dinner time and everyone is in the dining hall with the Secretary blocking the only way out.¡± ¡°Selwood comes like fucking Merlin himself!¡± Nicholas slams a hand down on the table, jolting the stationary. ¡°I am suffocating! Magic just stops working, she¡¯s using her own magic to suppress everyone and-¡° Nicholas cackles ¡°-and let me remind you, they still think Stavros is summoning a pagan god. And then Selwood stops it.¡± ¡°Nicholas!¡± Luca begs like he can hold back the year-nine Nicholas. ¡°Just stop, no.¡± ¡°The Secretary is shitting himself!¡± Nicholas crows. ¡°He just bloody runs ¨C and then the magpol make a break for it. I¡¯m laughing like I¡¯m insane, I think I¡¯m a fucking high mage at this point, and try to chase them, but then Rafael drags me back and -oh gods- the crowd just parts around me in utter fear and I¡¯m like; this is it, can¡¯t back out now, I¡¯m just going to have to take over the floating island.¡± A chuckle is startled out of Haochen. Nicholas sits back on his heels, panting slightly as he comes down from the high. ¡°Our parents are called in after, me and Ross¡¯. And I have never seen Kreios laugh before, but he was so proud of Stavros and Aeneas. My mum, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to kill me because we¡¯re a month into year nine year and I almost started a coup.¡± Nicholas falls off his knees to the side and slings an arm over Haochen¡¯s thigh to rest on him, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°So, yeah, that¡¯s how I got the last Secretary kicked out of office for attacking children with excessive force.¡± ¡°What the fuck,¡± Wei deadpans. ¡°How ¨C how is that fair, you got no punishment for that-¡° ¡°They threw the first spell,¡± Nicholas says dismissively. ¡°There was a whole court thing about it being self-defence, I¡¯m innocent. But even with that, the school had the audacity to give me detention for two months!¡± ¡°Which is nothing!¡± Wei scoffs. ¡°I spent my whole school life playing human and you fought the Secretary. I was tiptoeing around trying to gather power and you could have beheaded someone right in class and they still would have found some reason to praise you for it.¡± Luca turns on Wei, outraged. ¡°You killed people before you even graduated!¡± ¡°I only got one, and that was an accident!¡± Wei snaps. ¡°And at least I knew it was illegal ¨C Nicholas just laughs it off! Imagine casing Dark magic -no matter how stupid the spell- and still thinking you have the moral high ground!¡± "One is already too many!" Luca cries. "And you damn well killed more when you got older than this form, you pat-patricide...er." "That is not a word," Haochen corrects because he''s an absolute nerd of a high mage. "It is the act of ''committing patricide''.¡± "Let''s not forget when you murdered your teacher!" Wei yells. "That was because of you and you fucking know it!" Luca screams back. Nicholas looks between Wei and Luca. "Wait, like actually killing people?" 50. business After they get through a few more letters and then dinner, Haochen drags them off to a countryside manor in the Czech Republic. Luca and Nicholas meet the mage that Haochen is having discussions with and get a lot of cheek-pinching and cooing from the woman. Wei stays in the back to escape it all. "Pity," the woman says in a heavily accented Czech, so heavy actually that Luca doesn''t really register it until the conversation has already moved on and it would be strange to bring it up again. Haochen and the mage have a short conversation in straight Latin of all hollow smiles and niceties before she leads them to a short hallway with three rooms and leaves in a hurry. Haochen''s peaceable expression drops back into his neutral, sharp-eyed glare and his hand comes to rest on the short string of jade beads hanging from his belt, the focus glowing slightly as he checks for eavesdropping charms and such. Haochen also politely ignores Luca gripping his wand out of reflex but Wei observes closely. Nicholas runs around ducking into the rooms with Luca peeking over his shoulder, finding a double bed on the left, a single in the middle and twin singles in the right room. It''s all absolutely ostentatious but almost dead silent with no one to be seen and apparently not in bright enough colours. Nicholas hums about being tempted to change it up but they''re only staying for a day. "The Confederacy branch here is giving her followers a bit of trouble," Haochen explains as he finishes his check. "It''s late regardless so I''ll be meeting her in the morning. You three head to bed. Nicholas, do not sneak around unless I give you the go-ahead. Wei, you''ll go with him when the time comes because Nicholas doesn''t understand the difference between valuables and amusing trinkets." Luca splutters. "Wait, you brought us here to steal things?" "It''s very clear she won''t join me but she''s stalling. I might as well get something useful out of this wasted trip," Haochen says casually. Nicholas slings an arm around Luca''s shoulders. "Technically Wei will be the one stealing, I¡¯ll just be beside him when he does it, so I think it''s fine." Haochen nods to Luca. ¡°You¡¯ll watch the both of them. She¡¯s hardly a challenge for me or Wei, but she¡¯s well-known for her cursed wards and those are best prevented rather than cured.¡± Luca purses his lips. ¡°I feel like this is something you need to tell me beforehand so I can be on guard." "You''re always on guard,¡± Wei points out despite barely knowing Luca. ¡°Properly on guard,¡± Luca clarifies. "Sci~ssors, pa~per, rock!" Nicholas yells and throws out paper. Luca, just instinctively reacting, does scissors. Wei also does paper and he doesn''t know what he''s playing for but he wants to win. Haochen elects to not participate until he knows what the terms are and then he can decide if he wants to win. "You and me to a room then," Nicholas tells Wei, not minding whom he¡¯s rooming with, probably because he thinks they¡¯re all friends now. "Grab your bag, I want the left bed near the window." Luca is going to protest the rooms but Nicholas has already taken off excitedly to explore his new space. Wei follows easily enough because this is a new place and he''s wary of the woman trying something, especially with the way Haochen is reacting ¨C which makes Nicholas an excellent meat shield because he''s very loud and liable to wake Wei if something happens. Haochen, of course, takes the left room with the biggest bed. Luca sadly troops into the middle room.
Luca knocks on the open door and waits for Haochen to call him in before he enters. Luca closes the door behind him, cutting out Wei¡¯s explanation to Nicholas of how the warding inside the manor¡¯s walls work, and also how the two of them are indeed able to fill the entire building with water without it spilling out, yes Nicholas, but why would we ever want to- Haochen sits at the grand desk, pale blue outer robes spilling over, opposite the bed and overlooking the manor ground and the sparse trees outside through a crystal-clear window that must be charmed to be that shiny. He doesn¡¯t look up from the letters he¡¯s reading, paper and pen set to the side to take notes. Luca doesn¡¯t bother to be polite either, he knows Haochen only tolerates niceties when they serve a purpose like lulling an opponent into a false sense of security. Luca sits on the bed, hands clasped together between his knees and staring at the silky black hair that spills down Haochen¡¯s back. ¡°We¡­should talk.¡± ¡°Nicholas was injured and I made amends,¡± Haochen says carelessly, but nothing he does is ever careless. ¡°Was I wrong about your target? You weren¡¯t subtle but perhaps I misread the situation around that unfortunate creature reform centre that exploded a few months ago. Or maybe I misunderstood the activists pushing particularly hard at prosecuting some staff from the centres?¡± Haochen¡¯s voice dips into mockery at the end, both for Luca being so obvious and -if Luca is reading him right- about the reform centres themselves. ¡°You know exactly what they do there, you buy from them,¡± Luca says harshly. ¡°It¡¯s torture.¡± ¡°Heartbreaking,¡± Haochen muses. He sets a letter aside and opens a new one. Luca takes a deep breath and lets it go. If he thinks of the man as Wei, it¡¯s a lot easier to ignore him saying things like that. ¡°After what you did to help, I think we can at least negotiate to share some information. Or rather, you have influence and I have information,¡± Luca corrects. ¡°You want to be the greatest even if that means you have to kill the other high mages to get there. I¡¯m after¡­well, let¡¯s say our interests are currently aligned.¡± Haochen pauses and looks over his shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t know me,¡± he says and sounds amused. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You know I¡¯m from the future,¡± Luca argues. ¡°I know how you die. I know you when you¡¯re nothing, broken down in madness, into simple desires. I would say I¡¯m the only one who knows you.¡± Haochen sighs and stands up, lifting the chair and setting it down again facing Luca. He sits, shakes out his loose sleeves and settles. "Dear Luca," Haochen offers politely even as his eyes are hard. ¡°If you truly knew me, you¡¯d know I don¡¯t like to waste my time.¡± ¡°I have an offer,¡± Luca confirms but then pauses in worry. ¡°Actually first, about that story earlier¡­you¡¯re considered a Dark mage, right?¡± Haochen blinks. "I''m not." Luca blinks back. ¡°There is zero need for you to lie right now. I¡¯m just asking about side effects, not a list of your wrongdoings ¨C which I already know by the way.¡± "Dark magic needs to be actively planned out, to essentially recreate the spell of another track in an artificial way.¡± Haochen explains. That''s why the consequences are so often a swift execution, because on top of the old heritage wanting to lynch anyone who so much as looks at their sacred magic wrong, the Dark magic has to be fully understood and could never be an accident. ¡°Quite frankly, it''s difficult to cast Dark spells,¡± Haochen continues when Luca is clearly not understanding his point. ¡°It takes a lot of research and a talent for spellcraft. Nicholas is a prodigy, it''s just unfortunate he thinks that''s best used to..." He gestures vaguely. "Be a teenage boy." Luca¡¯s brows furrow. ¡°Difficulty doesn¡¯t stop someone like you. You''re renown for your intelligence and talent in magic - the youngest high mage in all of human history.¡± ¡°Ah, but Dark magic takes too much time, and it''s not efficient because you have to fight it. Why would I recreate a spell if I could just create one that doesn''t also include the added difficulty of being another track? Or even pair two spells that I already have in my arsenal.¡± Luca purses his lips. ¡°I see you don''t believe me,¡± Haochen muses. ¡°Don''t get me wrong, I have cast Dark magic. I am not beholden to rules so easy to break, of nature or otherwise. But I would argue I''m less of a Dark mage than Nicholas is.¡± ¡°He isn''t!¡± Luca snaps immediately. ¡°Luca, please, you can be assured I won''t run off to the mage police and tell them about the awful child-sized Dark mage I keep in my manor.¡± Luca looks away with a grimace. "You say that now but as soon as I piss you off, you''ll conveniently forget you said that.¡± ¡°I don''t think of myself as a man who goes back on my word," Haochen admits. Luca says nothing for a long moment. ¡°You''re not.¡± He hesitates and then explains, ¡°If you''re already regularly using Dark magic, it cracks the door open to other tracks. When Nicholas said he didn¡¯t know the bubbles spell was Dark, he was being honest. It all comes easier." At least that''s what Jordan said when Luca took him aside and nervously asked about Nicholas, because Jordan has been keeping an eye on the matter throughout the years since Nicholas told his parents about it. Luca watched Jordan do a regular test a while back, and the man admitted that so far it seems fine - better even. Nicholas told Luca after the bubbles story that -apart from the Ayad family putting pressure on the Confederacy- it was argued that he used the exact NatCom spell, not a redesigned one for InCore, so it couldn''t be Dark magic. It left people scratching their heads but since Dark is so taboo and barely anyone even knows how to go about doing it, it slipped by. Half the school thinks he set up the situation as a joke. ¡°Did you observe that in Nicholas?¡± Haochen asks in interest, leaning forward. ¡°Does it skew towards the track he uses most Dark magic in?¡± ¡°Don''t say that like he''s throwing around Dark spells every other day," Luca argues. "It''s - it''s one spell, okay? Sometimes on special occasions he...that''s not important. It''s only one.¡± ¡°Does it skew?¡± Haochen demands. ¡°No - I mean, I don''t think so?¡± Luca stutters, holding up his hands. ¡°I''m not the one who''s keeping track. I was hoping you would know these things.¡± ¡°It must be Jordan Ayad researching his son,¡± Haochen muses. ¡°I''ll have to pay him a visit.¡± ¡°Don''t go near him,¡± Luca cuts in. ¡°I''ll...I''ll ask and then get back to you. But you really haven''t noticed that?¡± They pause as they hear Nicholas¡¯ cackling laughter and Wei yelling at him to get over here, it¡¯s coming down! There¡¯s a loud thud, and then spell light coming through the edges of the door. A large puddle of water seeps in before being sucked away. A high-pitched, building shriek, and then cries of victory from Nicholas and dark, smug laughter from Wei. ¡°Like I said, I rarely dabble in Dark magic,¡± Haochen explains. Luca darts a glance to the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you want Nicholas and Wei to find?¡± Haochen waves a dismissive hand. ¡°I¡¯m not fussy.¡± Luca purses his lips but leaves it for now. ¡°Everyone knows you''re a Dark mage though.¡± ¡°I don''t hide the fact that I cast Dark magic when needed, and therefore suddenly I''m a Dark mage. In truth, I''ve performed perhaps five spells in public.¡± ¡°But you go mad from it." Haochen only raises an eyebrow. "I go mad? Define mad. And was it for Dark magic use in general or a particular spell? Does Nicholas also show signs of madness?" Luca pauses. "I...that might not true, it''s just what everyone was saying. Well, mostly Denvers leading the charge, and that''s actually something I want to talk to you about because you''re going to have a lot of trouble going up against her. And Denvers is going to cause a lot of collateral damage doing it." Haochen sits back and laces his finger together on top of a knee. "And what do you get out of it?¡± Luca huffs out a sigh, planting elbows on his thighs. "I want to kill Denvers. Help with Niaa would also be nice but I''m not expecting much." "Two high mages, such ambition." Haochen smiles. It''s not a nice smile. "And what is the plan? Storm in there, pretend you¡¯re a cousin, act incredibly suspicious and agitated? I suppose that did work for you this time.¡± Luca ignores the jab. "Two only for now. Niaa was involved with the reform centre, he''ll be easy if I can borrow your publicity since it¡¯s already a sinking ship ¨C I¡¯ve made sure of it. Denvers is well-liked and too smart, that''s the problem I''m having." "They won''t dare prosecute Niaa, no matter the public opinion even if you do manage to dredge up sympathy for the animals," Haochen rejects, starting from the beginning because now he¡¯s interested enough to want details. Luca leans forward, a frown on his face. "But you will. You''re protecting the magical blood, no matter the form. People would celebrate you for exacting justice. You can''t stand by while good blood dies, isn''t that your tagline?" "It''s my belief. We''re stagnating, with mediocre mages, or children with talent and no idea how to use it like Nicholas." Haochen scoffs. "Of course, if Niaa is picking up the useless diseased ones, I don''t particularly mind." "Niaa tries to get his hands on you," Luca explains, slumping back. "Had Rafael for...years, was harvesting creatures only to heal them and cut them open again. He made potions that turned mages into chimeras. Tried to get me too, because he knew I had some of your soul. Wanted to use it to defeat you and drag you off because mage parts are even stronger than a creature¡¯s." "I assume he didn''t get far.¡± "I killed him," Luca admits, which doesn''t quite encompass how tragically Niaa died but it''s enough for now. Luca isn''t proud of what he did. "I can agree to Niaa since that would fit well with my public image," Haochen muses. "Now Denvers, how did she upset you?" "This isn''t about me," Luca mutters. "She just...plays games. I thought she was an ally but then she sold me out to you, sent me off strapped to a bomb." Luca looks away and stares over Haochen¡¯s shoulder at the window. "It, uh, took out a city. She blamed you for it but...then slaughtered half the resistance to use them for a ritual to attack you." "Sound tactics." "You would say that.¡± Haochen thinks for a long moment and Luca doesn¡¯t mind. Wei does the same. For someone so intensely ambitious, almost rushed, they¡¯re in the habit of thinking everything through properly even if it does usually take them only a split second of calculation. Of course Haochen wasn¡¯t anything much at the end, and this version is so different, but there¡¯s enough of Wei that Luca is confident. Wei always liked a challenge. ¡°We need to make plans,¡± Haochen murmurs, eyes narrowing. 51. holiday house of horrors Warning: body horror so if that squicks you skip this¡­entire chapter.
Nicholas wakes up in the middle of the night to Luca calling his name and blearily puts on his glasses, squinting at the white blur outside the crack in the door. Too tall. Arms too long. Pinpricks of light for eyes. Nicholas shrinks back into the mattress, a nauseous feeling rising up. "Wei?" he calls hesitantly. "Wei, are you awake?" "Niiiiickkkky," Luca''s voice says. "I ha-ave a presssent-t." "It''s not my birthday," Nicholas tries. "I think it''s Haochen''s, go give it to him." There''s a stuttering gasp, wet and gurgled, then a blink and the figure is gone. Nicholas grabs his apprentice wand just out of instinct and flips off the blanket, leaping across the gap to land on Wei''s bed because he is freaking the fuck out, only to scream. Wei is lying on his side facing away, facing the bubbling tentacle creeping up from the crack between the bed and the wall, the end splayed open and covering Wei''s mouth. Wei''s eyes are open, wide, staring up at Nicholas as he lies paralysed from the poison. Nicholas is still screaming as he severs the tentacle and vanishes it before casting a stomach pumping medical spell, meant to be used for alcohol poisoning. Wei throws up as the tentacle flails and slithers back down. "Wei!" Nicholas cries, fumbling through several spells for everything from poison purging to a simple energy burst because Wei is clearly struggling to push himself up, movements flailing and weak. "Wei, fuck, ma hadha allaena-" Nicholas turns and sees a face staring out at him from under his bed, tilted sideways and bleached white with twitching fingers for hair and three rows of teeth as its circular mouth opens wide like a leech. Wei surges up, grabs his wand from the table and throws them both off the end of the bed. His eyes snap to the face in the dark space underneath and he flicks his wand, Nicholas'' entire bed slamming up into the ceiling and cracking the plaster from how strong the spell is. The face is connected to a fleshy, deflated body sprawled out over the ground and Wei transfigures the bottom of the bed to spikes before it rams back down and pierces through the creature. Nicholas frantically does the same to Wei''s bed except when it lifts, the mass of tentacles is sticking to the underside and Nicholas panics, flinging the entire thing out of the window with a crash of glass and crack of the wooden frame. Wei casts two spells out of the now shattered window, one grease and the other a flame and the bed, with its occupant, bursts into a raging bonfire so violently Wei and Nicholas lean back from the heat that washes over them. The door slams open and Luca stands there, splattered in blood. "Dad! Nicholas, you''re okay." "No I''m fucking not!" Nicholas screams back. Wei wheezes, dragging himself up and aiming his wand out of the window at the elongated figure now standing there, the one Nicholas saw from the doorway. It''s too tall to actually look through the window, the top of the frame cutting off anything above jagged collarbones and arms stretching below the bottom windowsill. It slowly starts to tilt, to see inside. "No, no, mustahil!" Nicholas shrieks, grabbing Wei in one hand and Luca in the other before running out of the room and barrelling down the hallway. Wei is staggering because he hasn''t recovered, and Luca is tripping slightly because he''s looking back over his shoulder. Nicholas kicks open Haochen''s door and the edges come away stringy like melted cheese. Haochen jerks up with his focus beads clicking in his tight grip and Nicholas leaps onto the bed, grabbing Haochen around the middle and tucking his legs in because the space under the bed is fucking terrifying. "The face was - and the thing standing outside, it''s outside - it''s chasing us-!" Luca jumps onto the foot of the bed, tumbling over Haochen''s legs. "A nest - the whole ceiling was covered, looked like children but they moved like - like-!" Wei scrambles up onto the mattress beside Haochen''s pillow in a crouch, clutching the man¡¯s shoulder. "I was - it paralysed me - I was asleep and then just, it was, it was-!" Haochen, even snapped awake, is not slow. He very quickly comes to the conclusion that his wards are down since the children got in, and that they were clearly using spells and that should have woken him up even if it was three rooms down. Haochen also realises his room is smaller than it was before. He mutters a spell and the illusion peels away to reveal heaving walls, ceiling, the floor, pinkish red and pulsing through with veins of vascularized, bright red blood, sticky and dripping with something viscous. It was trying to digest Haochen while he slept. Haochen sighs.
So after Haochen demonstrates what a high mage can do with a simple but overpowered blasting hex at the walls, the four of them rush from the gaping hole on the manor¡¯s side as deformed monsters spill out after them, the room crunching down on its fellow nightmares just as Nicholas is dragged out of the wreckage Haochen left. Nicholas tries to veer them off back towards the safety of an enclosed space but the windows and doors all slam open and then the things are pouring out of every orifice on the manor. Wei decides to get rid of the mid-sized manor entirely in an effort to reach the source of the monsters as efficiently as physically possible. Nicholas doesn¡¯t remember how that happened in much detail, he was too busy screaming after the monsters started crawling out of the ground instead. The manor has looked empty ever since they stepped foot into it but if there was anyone in the manor, they are now smeared on the ground. With the building literally just gone now, and more Rorschach¡¯s blot demons circling them, the four take off into the trees to get some room to assess. They don¡¯t have a single second of pause though because there are things chasing them while they run through the thicket of trees, blurring between trees, silent, watching. The four are just spinning in circles because there''s a barrier line and Haochen made a transportation talisman but it doesn''t work and Wei can port but only to the place he just left from. Luca can''t attack the barrier with all his spells just flying right past and Nicholas doesn''t even try as Rito because that would leave Luca alone. They don''t have anything but their pyjamas and focuses, a protective barrier flicked onto their bare feet because transfiguring shoes would take long enough that the creatures would catch up. Nicholas and Wei are running at the front, clutching each other''s sleeves because Nicholas is terrified of being alone and Wei is clinging right back because he always keeps a backup plan. Wei is also absolutely giving zero fucks about pretending to be a good boy and is wielding killing blows with great precision. Nicholas is panicking and has just descended into absolute chaos because his brain has stopped. He sticks two creatures together literally face to face, sinks another up to their head in the ground, summons creatures when a tree is between them so they go slamming into the bark, shrinks a few into ankle-height goblins, and transfigures one into fish that flops sadly in the dirt. Luca is running slightly behind and bobbing back and forth between just straight up destroying anything that gets too close to Nicholas or just casting mild stunning spells because he doesn''t know what these things are, and he doesn''t want to kill them, but he doesn''t want them to get close enough to be fatal to Nicholas either. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Haochen is at the back, slowed because he''s testing the creatures. He''s throwing out cutting hexes and blasting curses, tripping jinxes, observing if the creatures have bones to break, blood to spill, if they have an immunity to spells that target the mind or soul. Luca raises his wand to shield Nicholas and Wei from a creature that reaches down from a tree overhead but Haochen''s offensive spell collides with his and it connects their focuses in a stream of light, the spells blending, amplified with matching souls. The shield is a powerful, almost physical barrier, and collides with the creature like a bug zapper dialled up to eleven. The thing damn near disintegrates. "Why are you so strange?" Haochen snaps. "You''re a part of this problem too!" Luca screams back because he''s not taking any shit right now. Haochen just hurls the next creature away with a burst of focusless magic, straight through a tree. "Are you a high mage or aren''t you?" Luca complains, gasping for breath. "Fucking deal with this already!" "I''m thinking," Haochen barks back, sweat sticking some locks of hair to his temples. "Du¨­ xi¨£ng ba!" Wei yells over his shoulder, clearly agreeing with Luca, and surprisingly loud for how breathless he is. "I''ve never been interested in illusionary magics!" Haochen admits in frustration. "I can''t remember enough of the book I read it in." With his mastery of the mind arts, everything is sorted very neatly in his mind but he doesn''t have an edict memory, things have faded. Haochen scowls and he has no expectation the children will know but explains to them anyway to help himself think. "It''s a glamour ward, closed because there''s an end barrier keeping us in. The creatures are part of the insidious inner rune chain, they''re reality-based illusions so they can hurt you but if we kill them they just reform." Luca jumps over a hand reaching out of the ground amd staggers with fatigue because that earlier ambush took it out of him. "Did you read this before or after Wei?" "I have no recollection whatsoever," Wei grits out through tired panting, setting a nearby creature on fire. "Oh, we used that for a joke once," Nicholas says with a nervous laugh, terrified but not actually tired because this is like a nice warm up jog for him. "An open ward instead. Changed everyone''s uniform to ballgowns. Raffy looks really good in a hoop skirt." Haochen skids to a stop and a ring of fire bursts from his open palm, throwing back the creatures and burning a massive ring into the thin forest. Nicholas goes sailing back through the air, Wei half dragged along before the pull rips them apart and Wei tumbles to the ground. Nicholas comes to a sudden halt mid-air with his feet dangling and Haochen grabs his chin to keep him still. Nicholas throws up mind shields just purely on instinct and Haochen ploughs right through, flipping around until he finds Nicholas and three other InCore boys sitting on the grass near the lake, sketching out an idea on how to get back at the teachers for trying to separate the boys for the field trip this year. Nicholas is the one planning the runes with the raccoon, the werewolf and the Lambros are the ones to sketch out the glamour ward the runes will be set into. Nicholas knows nothing of the full ward but Haochen catches onto a thread of thought about calling Stavros, which becomes calling Christos, and follows it along to the mirror Nicholas knows Luca carries. "Call Lambros on the mirror, the book is Glamours and White Lies by H.R. Elmat," Haochen demands of Luca and drops Nicholas, summoning the three children into a protective silver bubble and bursting into dark mist himself, sailing straight up where the bubble follows just as the creatures leap from the tree tops over the ring of fire. Nicholas groans weakly in pain where he''s flopped at the bottom of the silver sphere, starbursts of white clouding his vision even when he closes his eyes. Luca on his knees over Nicholas'' torso and trying not to crush him even as Luca digs for his mirror in his pyjama pants, struggling between being upset at Haochen for hurting Nicholas and waiting to accuse him after they''re not being chased. "What''s the mist spell?" Wei demands, legs tangled up with Nicholas'' and half falling into Luca''s shoulder. "Determination and deliberation," Haochen''s voice echoes from the mist that circles the bubble, firing off spells at the gathering crowd below. "No destination necessary." "Are you talking about learning how to port?" Nicholas says, blinking blearily. Wei diffuses slowly into mist before solidifying again, another two tries and he''s in the air, pushing against the top of the sphere before his hands stick out, scrambling at the walls as he drops suddenly, then takes off again in a more stable form. Luca and Nicholas stare because Wei just learned a spell in seven seconds flat and that is not something a normal person does. Haochen allows Wei passage through the sphere and Wei bursts forth, spiralling down and massacring all the creatures below in large-scale, violent bursts of magic because he is tired and sick and grossed out and so done. He shreds through trees and flesh alike, carving huge furrows into the ground and lighting up the night sky with the blaze of his fire. Luca''s head snaps down when the mirror shakes slightly. Christos makes a grumbling noise. "Luca? You okay?" He squints and sees spell fire being thrown around behind Luca, past the light silver sheen. "Ugh, who''s trying to kill you now?" "Find a book, Glamours and White Lies by H.R. Elmat, Nicholas said you used it before to change everyone''s uniforms to dresses," Luca blurts out in a rush. "We''re stuck in a glamour ward, find the book as fast as you can. Glamours and White Lies by H.R. Elmat." "It''s a closed ward," Haochen calls out. "It has to be the counter for a closed. Get a rune dictionary too, one that has insidious sigils." Luca repeats the order as the mirror view is shaking rapidly because Christos jumps out of bed and darts through his house. Luca drops the mirror on Nicholas'' chest and tries a simple knockback jinx. It isn''t reflected back inside the sphere so he starts throwing down spells as well from inside. Every so often Haochen will release a devastating spell that obliterates everything below like a tidal wave -the manor is already nothing but a crater and the earth is scorched- but the creatures only reappear faster and multiply quicker until it''s a surging moshpit of too many limbs below and they start to form a human pyramid, clawing at each other to reach the mages in the air. The high mage doesn¡¯t have time for anything more complex because there¡¯s just never a break in the waves. It takes five minutes for the creatures to develop flying capabilities because reality-based glamours suck. It also takes five minutes for Christos to port to the Lambros Ancestral House and slam open the front door because he''s still blood and it can''t bar him. He walks straight past his young mother and into the library where he summons a few books with a simple seeking charm, then walks back out past a still frozen Acantha and teleports away. Nicholas laughs as he watches this through the swaying mirror in Christos¡¯ hand, just barely catching Acantha¡¯s dazed shock. "The sheer balls on you!" Christos winks at the mirror with a smirk as he kicks his own front door shut behind him, dropping several books on the ground then drops to his knees too, grabbing the main book and starts frantically flipping through it until he finds a double page spread of a complicated octagonal ward. "Found it!" He grabs the mirror and holds it over the book, trying to be as steady as possible. "He found it!" Nicholas calls out to everyone and startles when a hand phases through the sphere over his shoulder and snatches the mirror away. Haochen solidifies standing on top of the silver orb, mirror in one hand, murmuring under his breath and he draws deep purple lines in the air with his finger. He cuts some parts out with sharp flicks of his wrist, the untethered magic fading into nothing while Haochen refills in the empty lines. He writes in western runes because that¡¯s what language the ward is in but a few times he instinctually gets halfway through an eastern talisman sigil and has to rip it out. With their powerhouse distracted, Luca and Wei are frantically trying to keep up while not interfering with each other''s hits, syncing and falling out rapidly until they''re perfectly in rhythm as they blast the creatures back - aiming mostly for wings that are stretched out eyes, or feathers made of tongues, occasionally a bloated stomach that seems to be keeping a creature afloat. "I need something more," Haochen hisses, eyebrows furrowed in frustration even as one of Luca''s spells sails past close enough to ruffle his hair. "Find me a north stability rune for out-of-plane bending." Christos, flipping through the rune dictionary with his other hand for insidious sigils, starts rapidly flipping backward because saw that somewhere. "Here, Mannaz and Inguz." The mirror view switches and Haochen tsks. "No, I need an amplifier to use Mannaz." "Teiwaz behind a reverse Raido," Wei argues. "That''s not a stabiliser, it''s an in-plane bend," Haochen snaps. "It corrects the out-of-plane," Wei snarls. "Dagaz in the south to anchor it," Nicholas tries. "Oh, that''s going to hurt," Haochen mutters but finishes the octagonal ward. The deep purple lines pulse and flex, splitting into three-dimensional lines before bulking out into complicated glowing runes surrounded by shadowy shapes of pyramids and cubes shoved together in angles it should not be able to form, in increasingly complex ways as it grows. Haochen throws Wei back into the silver protective orb and then just drops inside himself. The blast wave hits.
The waitress gives them a sideways glance as she drops off another jug of table water. Understandable, since they''re all in pyjamas, barefoot, covered in dirt and leaves, some blood. Haochen has slumped down in the booth, head tipped back onto the backrest with a conjured wet towel over his closed eyes, hair loose and three empty cups of coffee in front of him. Wei opposite is slumped forward, elbows on the table and just staring down into his pancakes. Luca is sitting beside Wei, slowly chewing toast, eyes fluttering shut and head bobbing up and down as he tries to stay awake. Opposite Luca and next to Haochen is Nicholas, cheerfully sipping his milkshake and halfway through his bacon and eggs already. "And I''m still screaming by this point," Nicholas is telling the mirror behind a privacy ward. "Which, like, is basically my defence mechanism because it called Luca into the room." Christos is sprawled over the floor where he discarded the books, managing to stay awake -though certainly not as preppy as Nicholas- because he at least got some sleep and didn''t need to sprint around madly for nearly an hour while throwing around spells, currently nibbling on biscuits and just enjoying being with Nicholas. "And then the weird tall person is standing at the broken window," Nicholas continues. "So I just grab Luca and Xiao Wei and run to A¡¯Hao¡¯s room - and may I just say, he got it easy compared to the shit we went through." "You got that right," Wei mutters, not even flinching at the pet name for not just himself but also Haochen. Luca mumbles something and finally loses the battle, sliding sideways until he falls asleep on Wei''s shoulder. 52. clutch vines Luca is coming down from the year twelve rooms when Nicholas comes sprinting up the stairs and tries to stifle a smile. "Luca, let''s go to breakfast!" Nicholas cheers in that manic kind of way that lets Luca know Nicholas hasn''t slept yet. Luca is willingly led out of the common room ¨C and the wrong way compared to how they generally get to the dining hall. Nicholas slaps his left foot up against a portrait of footsteps, nearly overbalances, and a few large stones of the wall to the left of the portrait opens. "Oops, wrong one," Nicholas laughs and switches feet to use his right. The wall to the right opens up and the two end up jumping down a slide, climbing out of the pedestal of a bust that complains at them, and casually stroll to the dining hall. Rafael and Stavros are eating happily but there''s barely anyone here even though breakfast is almost over. Handfuls of groups who made it down are now whispering and flicking glances over as Luca and Nicholas join the other two. "What did you do?" Luca asks, impressed at just how holistic this was ¨C there aren''t even teachers here, although maybe they''re busy dealing with the fallout. "We filled the stairs -all of them- with clutch vines," Stavros says with a smirk. People generally know how to combat clutch vines but Luca is certain the three found a way to restrict light spells. Nicholas snickers and leans in, whispering, "But that''s just the distraction." He winks. "They''re too busy dealing with the vines to realise we''ve barricaded the Pull dorm shut." Luca looks over his shoulder across the nearly empty dining hall and realises there''s not a single Pull The Void student. Nicholas'' smirk is positively wicked.
The sudden infestation of clutch vines almost entirely detracts attention from the front page of the newspaper declaring how High Mage Haochen slaughtered his way through a well-known mage¡¯s forces and left her body hanging from a rope in front of the Czech Confederacy branch, found with a polite but curtly worded letter requesting to meet a liaison at your earliest convenience.
Luca says he was a part of the vine distraction just so he can go to detention with the others because he doesn''t know this herbology teacher and he''s not risking the man torturing Nicholas. (Luca is only paranoid because they are out to get him.) Nicholas winks at a pair of RitCast girls walking past the herbology garden, standing heroically on a giant cabbage with a shovel braced over his shoulder. They giggle and wave. Rafael rolls his eyes, on his knees digging out weeds like they''re supposed to be doing. Luca is down by the other side of the garden, wondering how to make it a game because Nicholas is clearly bored. Is this what raising a dad is like? "Nicky," Stavros says and holds out a hand, one foot braced on the giant cabbage. When Nicholas helps him up, Stavros goes with the motion and ducks in for a kiss on the cheek. "Don''t flirt in front of me, babe, I know you just want to get me jealous." Nicholas immediately turns back to the girls. "I''m not gay." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. One of the girls is cracking up. "Yeah, sure! You do you, right?" "You know how Stavros is!" Nicholas tries, shoving Stavros off the cabbage. "You know how he''s like, it''s a joke! I''m not gay with him!" "What about with Rafael?" the other girl calls over her shoulder. They burst into even louder giggles and quickly disappear over a hill. "Don''t spread this around!" Nicholas yells and yet has no expectation that they''ll listen. He groans and turns on Stavros, swinging around his shovel in annoyance. "Every time?!" "You''re the one who started it!" Stavros laughs, grabbing the other end of the shovel and yanking. Nicholas comes stumbling off the cabbage but refuses to let go so they both circle around yanking at the shovel until Stavros almost steps on Rafael. "Guys, stop," Rafael tries and then just sticks out a leg to trip Stavros, who takes down Nicholas as well. Nicholas pushes himself up with a huff and turns big eyes on Luca. "Tell your uncle Ross he''s so mean." "You started it!" Stavros cries again. "Okay, Luca, so last year Adam was sitting with a girl in the library and he was not getting a girlfriend before Nicholas, so your dad goes up-" "Don''t tell him that!" Nicholas complains, grabbing an uprooted weed from Rafael¡¯s pile and throwing it at Stavros. Stavros catches it. "-sits on Adam''s lap, and it just escalates. He did it to Rafael too, still does it to me." "I do it to you because you do it to me!" Nicholas argues. "Luca, every time we catch each other within the vague vicinity of a female, we sabotage each other. It''s horrible. The only reason he helped with Mariana is because of you." Luca, with a unique perspective of someone who knows these people but also has an outsider''s view, hums noncommittally. Rafael has no such compunction and scoffs, loudly. Nicholas turns on Rafael, except instead of saying anything he throws back his head and howls. Stavros follows suit without even missing a beat. "Do not!" Rafael snaps. "I swear to fucking-" Luca watches, incredulous, as Nicholas and Stavros sync up in a harmonious, almost haunting howl and Rafael gets triggered mid-sentence into calling back with what is definitely not human vocal chords. Nicholas and Stavros fall over each other laughing and Rafael shakes himself out of it to throw a handful of dirt at them. "You both suck. I hate it when you do that."
While they wait for everyone to gather for Loops practice, Rafael is sitting cross-legged on the grass with Nicholas flopped belly down over his lap, Rafael¡¯s book propped up on his back. Stavros and Luca are also lying on their stomachs, heads together with Nicholas as they play card games on this lovely sunny afternoon. Above them, the Loops rings spin slowly. It took a lot of convincing for Luca to coax Nicholas into playing cards because Stavros always wins their games and it sucks losing that hard. They started with poker and then moved to go fish before trying cucumber and now Luca is trying to explain how to play a fancy future card game. They keep having to switch games because Stavros is constantly winning and Nicholas gets huffy. Stavros can actually see the cards in Nicholas¡¯ hand through the reflection off the glasses, and he''s been doing this to Nicholas since year seven. On Stavros'' deathbed, he''ll tell Nicholas and it''ll be hilarious. Eventually enough people gather, still earlier than the usual meeting, and Nicholas rolls himself up to start try-outs. The usual players are here but more have gathered to try and get on the team this year, so Nicholas directs his speech to them. "I''m Nicholas, your captain," he begins with a wink. "You know me. This is Stavros, the flanker, and Luca is our new striker," Nicholas introduces. "Just like that?" another year twelve says, her eyebrows drawing together. "What, you''re not going to even pretend to hold a try-out? What about the rest of us?" Nicholas raises an eyebrow. "I''m sorry, are you the captain?" Luca nudges Nicholas with an elbow. "I should do proper try-outs. I''ve never done it before and I want to see how it is." Nicholas coos at Luca. "Aww, okay. We''ll do striker first then." In the free for all with eleven strikers and two balls, Luca scores seventy out of a hundred and ten points, and admittedly was distracted because Nicholas was doing a little cheer dance and Luca stopped a few times to grin brightly at him. "Any further complaints?" Nicholas asks, arm around Luca''s shoulders and looking smug enough that someone would think he''s the one who just scored seventy points in under half an hour. There are no further complaints and try-outs continue with Nicholas running them into the ground doing drills to weed out the weak. 53. row Nicholas is wearing Rafael¡¯s jumper, with the hem falling to his mid-thigh and his fingers only just poking out of the sleeves, and Rafael can''t stop staring. "I''m dying," Stavros says when Nicholas flaps his long sleeves cutely at Luca as they talk, walking ahead of Stavros and Rafael down the hall to breakfast. Rafael makes a questionable noise. "I want you to wear my jumper too. Do you think I could fit both of you in one?" "It''d be too much, you''d snap and probably eat one of us," Stavros says gravely. "It''d be worth it." "Just," Stavros says. "Just - something, do something, this hurts." "You do it," Rafael hisses back. "And then when he says yes to you, I''ll come in." "Fucking coward." "Why don''t you do something then?" Rafael complains. Stavros throws up his hands. "When I kissed him last year, he thought it was a joke. The time before, he thought I wanted practice. What am I supposed to do?! How more obvious do I have to be for this dense motherfucker - Nicky! Yeah, what is it?" Stavros jogs up to where Nicholas and Luca are crouched beside an entryway to an outside courtyard, waving Stavros and Rafael over. "I found a ladybug!" Nicholas cheers, fingers clutching at the ends of his long sleeves. "Simp," Rafael mutters, then walks over as well to go say hello to the ladybug Nicholas has now declared his other, other, other best friend. "Aww, it''s making a little rowing motion with its tiny little legs," Nicholas coos. He perks up even further at the idea. "Hey, you know what we should do today?"
"Row!" Nicholas yells, sitting at the end of the rowboat, hauling back on the oars as Rafael and Stavros do, lined up behind him. They lurch forward again to reset. "Row!" Luca walks down the busy corridor alongside the rowboat and, really, the boys are actually going quite fast with the modified sticking charms on the ends of the oars to help them along. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Students stream around the rowboat on the way to class, snickering. "Row!" Nicholas cries and the rowboat lurches forwards (technically backwards). There''s quite a bit of resistance doing this on carpet. "What are you doing about the stairs?" Phaedra asks as she stands off to the side watching with her friends, snake around her shoulders and also watching in mild confusion. "Oh fuck," Stavros says. "Row!" Nicholas roars. "Come on, lads! A bit of stairs won''t stop this rowing team! We¡¯re going straight to the championships this year!" Ms Connell catches them before they reach the stairs anyway so it''s a moot point. They try to row away from her but she walks slightly faster and outpaces their rowboat.
"If it wasn''t carpet, we would have gotten away with it," Nicholas says earnestly. "Why didn''t you just do it in water?" Mariana deadpans. "A good rowing team must be prepared for every terrain." Luca pipes up with a little, "You could make a slip and slide instead, with plastic sheets then water and soap. We did that for graduation in primary school."
The line wraps around the edge of the massive lake as what seems like half the school has stripped down to just their bare pants and shirts -some less- and they''re all going to have a hell of a time finding their pile of clothes again. Nicholas is straight up just in his underwear, still dripping wet from his last run, and takes off at a sprint over the grass towards the long plastic tarp, diving headfirst down the soapy runway on his stomach before pushing up and onto his feet for the last half, somersaulting into the lake with a splash that hits the other students floating around. He pops back with a flick of his hair -forming a sweeping mohawk- to the cheering of the audience and throws up a peace sign with a grin. If you''re going to do something, do it with style. Rafael, with shirt and trousers on because his scars are really quite distinctive, takes off next and flips his legs around at the last second when he dives, spinning like a top down the slide on his back before splashing in. Luca, down to his trousers, takes a step forward as the next in line then pauses. "Principal." Selwood walks up with a smile, still in her usual pinstripe suit jacket and pencil skirt. "Excuse me, Mr Ayad, would I be able to use my principal privileges to cut in line?" Luca gapes. Stavros cracks up laughing and it ripples through the line as Selwood steps up and they realise she''s going to take a turn. "Yes!" Nicholas screams in delight, slapping the water. "Fuck yes, Selwood! Let''s goooo!" Selwood walks up, still fully dressed with even her short heels on, and stands on the end of the slippery slide. She casts a very simple summoning spell on the entire lake, and the mass of the water rips her off her feet instead. She takes off like a shot down the slide, standing perfectly straight as she gets launched off the end and gets airtime. The students lose their shit and fall over each other laughing. Rafael has to help Nicholas float so Nicholas doesn''t drown because he''s cackling too hard to tread water. Selwood pops back up out of the water and easily does a graceful breaststroke back to the shore. "I fucking love this school," Stavros wheezes in hilarity, clinging to Luca''s shoulders so he doesn''t topple over. 54. tiny Rito travels ¡°There¡¯s precedent of course,¡± Vinaya is telling Luca through the compact mirror Christos lent her. ¡°The court case will do fine but it¡¯s getting to that point I¡¯m having trouble with.¡± Vinaya is spearheading the law reform on using creatures for ingredients. There¡¯s been some work done in the area before which is why the staff of the creature reform centre were all quickly thrown in jail. But that only goes for the one centre -Rafael¡¯s- that Luca and Christos took out a few months ago rather violently. All the others are operating at a slower, more cautious pace thanks to Haochen nudging the Confederacy into doing audits but there¡¯s no hard evidence the creatures are being mistreated and no one is allowed in to check if that¡¯s truly a fact or not. Luca and Christos removed the worst offenders of the staff using the dead magic zone but there¡¯s a financial backer Vasundhara Bhale keeping it all hushed and High Mage Niaa that stands above it all. Vasundhara is who¡¯s giving Vinaya trouble, not wanting his business to go down, and Vinaya is only involved in the first place because Christos got to her - unlike Luca who wanted to leave her out of danger. They¡¯re slowing each other down but that¡¯s as far as it¡¯s gotten. ¡°It¡¯s a war of attrition, honey,¡± Vinaya admits. ¡°Something needs to be done and I just don¡¯t have the resources for it, not if you still want me to stay distant from the case.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Luca murmurs, sitting on Nicholas¡¯ bed in the empty dorm room, having been waiting for them to come back from an adventure when his mirror lit up. ¡°Yeah, I mean Christos already told you what our current plans are. I¡¯ll get back to you once we have something more solid.¡± He sighs. ¡°Sorry, my old contacts aren¡¯t really cooperating right now, they keep trying to go over my head to get to Haochen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too confident and it¡¯s making them unsure if they can use you,¡± Christos chimes in, leaning over so he shows up in the mirror with Vinaya too. ¡°Yeah, someone like you? You¡¯re a leader and they¡¯re scared of that.¡± ¡°I wish they¡¯d just say that then, not string me along with maybes,¡± Luca points out. ¡°I waste so much time just keeping in contact that ¨C you know what? I¡¯m going to drop them. They¡¯re useless.¡± ¡°Keep a channel of communication open though,¡± Vinaya warns. ¡°On your terms, but that¡¯s just how it is. You can¡¯t play along, you have to control it.¡± Luca deflates. ¡°Okay.¡± Vinaya offers up a reassuring smile. ¡°I¡¯ll send you some books, sweetie. Ask me as many questions as you need to.¡± Luca nods. ¡°Great, you tell Christos, and he can tell me.¡± ¡°I did not sign up for this,¡± Christos says immediately. ¡°I am way past business tutors-¡± ¡°Okay, bye, I¡¯ll see you later, thanks!¡± Luca snaps the mirror closed in a rush. Christos can take one for the team since he has the basics down anyway.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Luca looks up when the door cracks open a touch. The other boys didn¡¯t explain what they were doing when they left, but that''s probably because Luca caught them halfway out of the tower window already with gargoyles watching on in disappointment as the three boys scaled the outside. Luca tilts his head in confusion. Then he looks back down. A tiny, palm-sized fluffy sheep enters the ajar door, tippy-tapping his little hooves in a trot as he makes his way across the carpet. He reaches the bedside, where he then does a bunny hop into Luca''s empty shoe left on the ground. Rito lies down in the shoe, chin resting on the shoelaces, butt sticking out enough that his stubby little tail can be seen wiggling. He peers up at Luca and lets out a happy bleat. Luca''s inhale stutters and he has to clear his throat a few times to calm down. "Why are you shrunken?" "Did Nicky get back?" Stavros pants, swinging into the room with a hand on the doorframe to act as a pivot, shoving the door open the rest of the way. Luca points down. Stavros makes a face like that''s cute but then becomes pissed off. "Is that why you didn''t have to run? Are you - why would you not tell me wildshape tricked the wards?" Rito lets out a bleat that sounds particularly mocking, which is just even cuter. Rafael comes climbing back in through the window, windswept and eyes wide. "Oh, good, you''re still alive. Where''s Nicky?" Luca and Stavros point down. Rafael needs to circle around the bed to see the sheep in his new shoe bed. "Bite-sized," Rafael muses. Rito is offended.
Rafael orders a chicken schnitzel on creamy mushroom sauce for lunch, which was absolutely a mistake because Nicholas takes one look at it and then reaches over and starts vigorously slapping it to make squishy sounds. Stavros moans loudly. "Harder!" "You like that, you dirty boy?" Nicholas hisses at the schnitzel. "I''m hungry," Rafael complains, the new moon only just passed so poor little Thoth in the back of his mind rolls over to show his belly with Stavros and Nicholas bearing down on him. Stavros picks up a skewer off his own plate and holds it up. "Get on your knees." "Please, I just want to eat lunch." "Yeah, I''ll feed you my meat." "Wait, wait." Nicholas picks up the abused lunch and starts to tip the plate. "Open your mouth." Luca is pretending he doesn¡¯t see any of this. Flick comes storming up to the table and slams a hand down on the edge. ¡°What the fuck did you shitheads do?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to narrow it down,¡± Nicholas says, putting the plate on the table again. ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime, what else did you do today?¡± Flick complains and then steals a piece of fries off Nicholas¡¯ plate. ¡°Would you like it alphabetical or chronological?¡± Stavros drawls, swinging his skewer around. ¡°Okay, fuck the rest, why is Musa bleeding out in the clinic?¡± Flick deadpans. ¡°Bleeding out?¡± Rafael asks worriedly. ¡°A light drip,¡± Flick corrects. ¡°But he acts like he¡¯s dying.¡± ¡°He said he wanted his ears pierced,¡± Nicholas explains. ¡°So we did, but then it needs to heal naturally or else the hole will disappear. We offered him a sip of pain relief potion, but he said he was a big boy.¡± ¡°Alright, that tracks,¡± Flick allows. ¡°Why are two year-nines in the clinic with him, saying you tried to kill them?¡± ¡°They asked what we were doing, so we shoved them out the window,¡± Stavros laughs. ¡°You know, cliff diving?¡± Nicholas asks, peering up at Flick with wide eyes. ¡°We were doing that, but out of the Famure tower into the lake. Ross thought it¡¯d be faster to demonstrate.¡± Flick turns on Rafael who¡¯s just trying to enjoy his meal. He shrugs at her. ¡°I was in the library through all of this.¡± Flick straightens up. ¡°So your defence is that they asked for it?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Twenty points from each of you,¡± Flick orders and light clinking fills the air as crystal water falls from the InCore glass tapestry on the wall and disappears mid-air. There¡¯s a thin sliver of colour left compared to the quarter full other tracks. ¡°Pleasure doing business with you,¡± Stavros purrs, eyes narrowing. Luca drags a hand down his face. 55. going for a run Rafael comes staggering back out the of bathroom that morning and pauses. The other two are gone, having headed outside for a run. Nicholas and Stavros half-heartedly exercise occasionally, mainly relying on teenage boy metabolism and their usual antics to keep themselves fit for Loops. This morning, after Rafael locked himself in the bathroom after they jumped on his bed to wake him up, they decided to stretch themselves out for the moon that¡¯s coming tonight. Rafael looks at the closed door and then looks at Stavros'' bed the other two slept in last night. He takes a few quick steps then flops into the smell, rolls around a few times and goes back to getting ready for the day, now with the scent on his clothes.
Nicholas is panting as he walks back through the hallways to the InCore tower, sweaty hands on his equally sweaty naked waist, his stripped off shirt stuffed into the side of his shorts. His hair is dripping because he dunked his head into the lake after the last lap. He doesn''t know what biome the island is in right now but why is it so hot this high up? Rude. "Hi, Nicky," an InCore coos as she walks past. "Hi, Nicky!" cheers one of her friends, a NatCom, a lot more innocently. Stavros clears his throat pointedly, raising his eyebrows where he''s also sweaty after the jog-turned-desperate-race. "Take your shirt off then," the InCore scoffs. Stavros is spluttering, looking back over his shoulder as they walk away. ¡°I am not a piece of meat!¡± Two minutes later, an equally shirtless Stavros ducks away with a RitCast girl because now he thinks it¡¯s a challenge, and Nicholas takes the walk back to InCore alone with much eye rolling.
Rito walks through the forest next to Luca, who has a hand resting lightly on Rito¡¯s curved horn, running fingers over the ridges. Hearth is bounding around excitedly because he has the zoomies, and Rafael is pulling nice looking sticks or flowers off nearby flora to decorate Rito¡¯s mane and Hearth¡¯s tail with. The forest is an epicentre of magic and that power rips through space, leaving multiple portals all over. It¡¯s maybe two per kilometre radius but Thoth runs fast and doesn¡¯t have the wherewithal to understand what to avoid. And because of a werewolf who doesn¡¯t understand what to avoid, a few years ago they mapped the portals -preteens and stupidly fearless like they couldn¡¯t get thrown into a different dimension and literally just die- then they started working on closing the boring portals so Thoth gets more space. They¡¯re basically experts at this point. ¡°This one,¡± Rafael tells Luca and they come to a stop in front of hazy air. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a fall, maybe two metres, so brace for the landing.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Luca pets Rito, and then bends down to pet Hearth too before he moves towards the portal. ¡°You guys have fun. I¡¯ll bring back snacks.¡± All three of them wave -hand, paw, hoof- as Luca steps through the portal to go meet Christos. It ripples around him and settles again. The three continue on another half an hour to another portal, one connecting to the much larger Congo rainforest because they¡¯re all going to stretch their legs tonight.
Nicholas is already casting numbing and muscle-relaxing medical spells as Thoth¡¯s body cracks and jerks back into Rafael, muscles shifting strangely under his skin as the orb of light overhead brightens the pitch-black rainforest. They already fed Thoth a pain reliever potion and it¡¯s better if he stays relaxed rather than fight the transformation and end up with bones remade wrong. Rafael comes back panting and exhausted, still curled up limply on the giant dog bed they were all napping on but his eyes are sharp. Stavros conjures a massive fluffy blanket and throws on a cushioning charm to the bed so it''s extra soft and pliable. The Congo is a dry heat so it won¡¯t smother Rafael as long as they keep the cooling spell up.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Nicholas searches through the side bag for more potions. He pops the top off one and shoves a straw in to make it easier to drink but when he holds it out, Rafael turns away. Nicholas first thinks Rafael needs to catch his breath more but after a long pause, he pulls the vial back. ¡°You don¡¯t want it?¡± The potions Rafael takes help dial things back down so he¡¯s not overloaded by human senses but at wolf strength. However, it means he folds into himself much faster. Occasionally he doesn¡¯t want to be human so fast. Rafael hums, blinking blearily as he shakes off the spells on him with a shiver. Werewolves are slightly magic resistant and Nicholas doesn¡¯t know if it¡¯s normal, but Rafael seems to be doing it much faster now compared to a few years ago. ¡°Don¡¯t sit up yet,¡± Stavros warns, putting a hand on the blanket over Rafael¡¯s shoulder when he starts moving too much. ¡°You don¡¯t feel it now, jacked up on the good shit, but-¡° ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Rafael rasps as he sits up, coming close to a growl because the moon might not be properly full anymore but it hangs heavy in the sky, peering down through the thick canopy high above. Nicholas packs the potion away then crawls behind Rafael, unfolding into Rito. Rafael leans back, using the sheep as a soft backrest. Stavros flops beside him and Rafael half falls onto his shoulder, tucking his nose into blond curls. After a moment, Rafael pulls back, and Stavros hands over the apprentice wand he was keeping safe. Rafael licks his lips, eyes darting around. They set up a ward to keep out the outside world while Thoth shifted back. He lifts his wand but just sticks it to his forearm. ¡°Take it down.¡± Stavros drops the ward and the sounds of the forest rush back in. ¡°You want the light off?¡± Rafael grunts and as the orb dissipates, his eyes start to glow. They sit in silence, listening to the loud cries of insects and birds, the rustles of leaves and the far-off rush of water. ¡°Do you want to keep moving?¡± Rafael asks, already pushing the blanket off him. ¡°I¡¯m up for it,¡± Stavros shrugs. Rito bleats. They pack up, vanishing any signs they were here. Rafael gets bullied into some shorts but starts walking off before they can cram shoes onto him. Stavros swings the bag over Rito¡¯s head for easy access and they set off into the darkness. The forest on the island is cold with mostly magical vegetation and things that move in the shadows. The Congo is much more mundane in its wildlife and doesn¡¯t have the dense air of magic pressing down on them. After making sure Rafael¡¯s stagger is clearing up, Stavros folds down into Hearth too and all three of them meander around, exploring. Rito keeps a close eye on Rafael for signs the pain reliever is wearing off. Rafael doesn¡¯t seem to notice if it does and instead lopes through the trees, growling in response to excited fox chirps and happy sheep bleats. He¡¯s beautiful like this. The thing Rito likes most about Rafael''s appearance is the boy''s eyes. They''re a gorgeous golden colour and squint a bit when he''s trying not to smile at a dumb joke. But the best part is when Rito looks into Rafael''s eyes for too long, gets too deep, he sees the shadow of the wolf peering out. And both of them look back at Rito with so much love. The dark night lingers but Rafael slowly comes back to himself. He straightens up more, fusses over the leaves Rito¡¯s mane has accumulated, and tries to call Hearth back when the fox disappears. Except Hearth wants to play now so it turns into a game of tracking him through the jungle. The fox probably assumes it¡¯ll be like Thoth getting down with his nose in the dirt and following hints of tiny paws but Rafael cheats with magic so all of Hearth¡¯s usual tricks are useless. The fox¡¯s little tracking arrow flicks back and forth as Hearth sneakily doubles over his tracks but Rafael follows at a lazy stroll with one hand smoothing over Rito¡¯s closest horn. Rito noses at Rafael¡¯s hip, then down at the bag he¡¯s carrying, still worried about lingering pains. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Rafael says simply. ¡°Tonight is good.¡± Hearth¡¯s arrow splits into two, both going in opposite directions because the fox has realised they¡¯re using magic but doesn¡¯t want to stop playing. ¡°I¡¯ll go left, you go right,¡± Rafael says. Rito looks into the trees on the right but it¡¯s denser and looks darker, even with fancy sheep night vision. He turns back to Rafael to complain because- ¡°I¡¯m not going deeper into the forest,¡± Adam complains half-heartedly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go right?¡± Rito blinks and comes to a slow stop. He remembers it so clearly. His first instinct is to shake it off because he¡¯s not afraid of the forest, not the one on the island and not this one, and he¡¯s not going to let stupid sheep brain scare him. But then, well, does it matter if Rito clings a little bit? He¡¯s got nothing to prove, and he likes it when they walk together. ¡°Rito?¡± Rafael asks, also slowing to a stop a few steps ahead. He glances right and nods. ¡°Yeah, that does look a bit much for a sheep. We can swap.¡± Rito trots up and ducks his head, shoving a horn into Rafael¡¯s hand. ¡°You want to come with me?¡± Rafael skips the horn and goes straight to petting Rito¡¯s short coat. ¡°Okay, left it is.¡± 56. apeshit Through the dense canopy the sky is still dark, the stars bright and the moon almost a beacon. The left trail that Rito and Rafael have taken is a more open path through the rainforest, until they come to a swath of fallen trees in their way. A giant tree seems to have dragged down several others and now moonlight floods the clearing, highlighting the cracks in the bark but making the shadows under the crumpled stack even deeper. Rafael climbs over one of the large moss-covered trunks and Rito leaps over it, but the next one is too big for the sheep and Rito doesn¡¯t have enough space to get a runup in this squat maze. ¡°I can carry you,¡± Rafael says in amusement but Rito is already circling around. Rito stares wide-eyed as he makes his way around the whole cluster. The biggest tree has a huge canopy as large as a classroom and that¡¯s with half of it being crushed since it¡¯s on its side. The leaves are falling off but even now it¡¯s enough to completely obscure everything. Rito walks a bit closer and it muffles things too, almost swallowing up the sheep in foliage. It would be so fun to play hide and seek in there. ¡°Rito?¡± Rafael calls. ¡°I think there¡¯s something-¡° A rapid crescendo of rustling branches creaking under a weight surges towards the clearing, up high and fast. He doesn¡¯t know what it is but it doesn¡¯t sound nice. Rito kicks into a sprint, bleating loudly as he charges out from behind the fallen monolith to see Rafael already running too. They¡¯re far away from each other, farther than Rito thought. Something bursts into the clearing just as they leave it, a huge creature whose shadow streaks across the ground as it¡¯s hurled through the air. Rito darts a glance backwards but it¡¯s already diving back into the treetops before he can get a good look. The bag thumps into Rito¡¯s front legs, tripping him up, and he tosses it off after a moment of hesitation. His thoughts are jumbled. Rito has better sight now and can tank a hit as a sheep but Nicholas has an apprentice wand and opposable thumbs. Can he shift mid-run without falling over? Can he put a night vision spell on his glasses before the thing catches up as he¡¯s stumbling blind? It¡¯s not focused on Rito so maybe now is his chance but he doesn¡¯t want to fall behind. Rafael is still too far away, form flickering between trees, though they¡¯re slowly running at an angle so they¡¯ll meet up soon and can- Rafael looks back at the massive creature and Rito catches the exact moment the boy realises he¡¯s the one being chased and not Rito. Nicholas explodes out of Rito in a sudden burst. "Raffy!" he yells, sprinting after them, almost tripping over a root before he modifies his glasses and the world becomes sharper. Rafael takes a sharp turn and curves a path away from Nicholas, leading the creature away with him. "Rafael!" Nicholas screams and this time he''s angry. "I''ve got it!" Rafael snaps back. Now sprinting madly through the trees in a vague triangle with Rafael leading the charge, Nicholas has a better view of the creature. It¡¯s huge, maybe as tall as Thoth on his hind legs, with incredibly long arms. It¡¯s formed like a monkey but built big like an ape, the tail whipping around to help balance as it swings across branches. Nicholas catches glints of the scorpion tip, arched and bulbous. What is it? Rafael wouldn¡¯t know since he doesn¡¯t take creatures class in case someone realises he¡¯s a werewolf. Okay, what - where are they? Africa, Congo, rainforest, ape that has a scorpion tail. Something about¡­used in poaching! The ape is used for hunting because it tracks Dark creatures. It was banned though because some countries considered it sacred for ¨C for ¨C fuck! He can¡¯t remember. In only a few seconds, the ape creature is gaining on Rafael but Nicholas is falling behind - which is ridiculous because if Rafael can run like this then he should be an Olympic sprinter. He¡¯s not even wearing shoes! The creature screeches and the chest jerks out strangely but compresses again. Nicholas swears as he vaults over a particularly large clump of bushes and hurls a few spells to test it, to try and catch its attention. The thing might be huge but it¡¯s fast and nimble, dodging most and just tanking the few spells that get it. The fur is thick and Nicholas can¡¯t see if he even made a single cut. Rafael¡¯s attempts at blocking it are clearly just slowing him down because he needs to turn back and aim. The shields he does get up are too small and the ape just swings right over them, leaping across the towering trees. Nicholas really wishes he paid more attention in class. The creature has a curse, something about a curse - can¡¯t kill it? Can¡¯t or won¡¯t? Really bad stuff if you kill it? Yeah, a rebound curse. Rebound death curse if you kill it. Shit. ¡°Don¡¯t kill it!¡± Nicholas yells, not even panting that hard because it¡¯s barely been half a minute, the thing is just so fast that it¡¯s leaving Nicholas behind in the leaf litter. ¡°I¡¯m being as nice as I can!¡± Rafael barks out. The shadow of the ape is creeping ever closer to Rafael across the tangled forest floor. Nicholas tries a few times to make the branches cling to the ape, or cut through them so it falls but nothing works. There¡¯s no time for anything more complex. The creature is halfway between Nicholas and Rafael, all of them forming a zig-zagging line. Nicholas whips his wand around, more enchantment than charm, and it feels like his legs are on fire, the heat surging up his body as he speeds up, strides longer, the impact of his feet hitting the ground softened. He summons a tree further on, aiming for a branch up high. The tree is planted, the branch thankfully strong, and Nicholas is pulled off his feet instead. He goes soaring forward and cancels the spell, hitting the ground with a roll and continuing to run. He¡¯s catching up, feet thudding into the swiftly moving shadow of the ape. "Stay back!" Rafael cries, taking quick, panicked glances backwards at where Nicholas is right under the creature. "Nicky, stop-!" Rafael trips over a rock he doesn¡¯t see and Nicholas dives for him. The ape leaps down with its long arms spread wide like wings to blot out the moonlight. Its chest explodes open into a gape, showing stretched-out ribs and the muscle strung between them like a spider web as well as rows upon rows of circular teeth.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Rafael twists as he falls and raises his wand but jerks back when all he can see is a sheep¡¯s black mane. He hits the ground hard on his back and Rito''s front hooves slam down into the dirt on either side of Rafael''s head, back legs still sparking from the enchantment kicking up as the ape comes down on them. Rito cracks right through the teeth of the ape¡¯s chest with enough force that it hurls the creature back, the heavy body thudding against a tree and toppling over limply. The collision throws Rito forward over Rafael¡¯s head and he hits the ground as Nicholas, absorbing the impact with a clumsy roll. Rafael is scrambling to his feet, grabbing Nicholas¡¯ collar and dragging him a few steps before he realises Nicholas isn¡¯t standing up. Nicholas collapses as soon as Rafael lets go of him, heaving for breath as he spams numbing and cooling spells on his legs. They¡¯re not broken, says the diagnostic spell, but that feels like a blatant fucking lie. "Do you know what it is?" Rafael pants, moving protectively in front of Nicholas with his wand still raised at the weakly twitching creature. "No," Nicholas lies and he watches it shudder as it dies. He sits up slowly and clutches at his own chest. He wonders what it''s going to feel like to be hit with his own kick as the death curse rebounds and kills him. From what he remembers, the ape is sacred, not just from its role in hunting bad people -or indiscriminately going after all Dark creatures- but also because whoever kills it has that injury reflected back on them. The creature is...cratered. Rito slammed right through its open and vulnerable chest. Nicholas can''t heal such a devastating injury, and even if he tried, he doesn''t even know the first thing about healing a creature that isn¡¯t a werewolf. "I left the bag," Nicholas says faintly, clambering to his feet on shaky legs and taking a staggered step away from Rafael. "I need to go." "What?" Rafael looks away from the creature and frowns at Nicholas. "What''s wrong? Why¡­why did you tell me not to kill it?" "I''ll just get the bag," Nicholas repeats, twisting his arm away from Rafael''s grab. He doesn''t know how long he has until the ape finally dies, he needs to leave now or Rafael will have to watch. "Go - go and find-" Hearth''s bright flame comes streaking across the dark underbrush of the forest, muzzle pulled back from his teeth. The fox isn''t looking at the two boys; his sight is locked on the ape spluttering out its last few wet breaths. Nicholas takes a step forward. Would Stavros know about the creature? Would he know what happens? "Hearth!" Nicholas cries, stumbling into the fox''s way. "Raffy is hurt, he''s - he''s really injured!" "I''m fine," Rafael interrupts, confused. "Nicholas, just tell me what''s wrong." "Hearth!" Nicholas screams, diving for the fox that hurtles past but the animal leaps over Nicholas'' outstretched arms and, mid-stride, Hearth explodes into Stavros with his wand already aimed at the ape. Stavros doesn''t look panicked, he doesn''t even look angry. He knows what he''s doing and his expression is firm. But Stavros'' spell takes a moment to form because he''s going for a killing blow, something clean and quick. Nicholas'' spell is faster, a crude cutting hex that he overpowers. It slings past Stavros'' shoulder, carves open the ground and gouges through trees that groan and crack but are too wide to topple over. The creature takes the brunt of it, ripped open diagonally from hip to shoulder, the two halves separating completely in a spill of blood and organs thankfully shadowed and vague. But this happens as Stavros'' spell swallows the head in a faint orange tint and the brain shuts down in instantaneous death. Silence, with only Stavros'' panting to be heard. The fight chased off all the other animals and the insects are quiet in hiding. Nicholas slowly gets to his feet as Stavros turns to look at him. Nicholas takes a step and then they''re meeting in the middle, clinging tightly, Stavros'' arms an almost crushing force and Nicholas grabs fistfuls of Stavros'' clothes. "What is happening?!" Rafael snaps, eyes moving wildly between the corpse, the two boys and the forest around them. "What - where is the threat? Just tell me! I can fix this!" "The killing blow is reflected," Stavros says in relief and holds out a hand to call Rafael closer. "I hit first." "You didn''t, did you?" Nicholas blurts out, pulling back only enough to search Stavros'' expression. Except he doesn''t need to see, does he? If Stavros is this calm, of course he thinks Nicholas is safe. Rafael ignores Stavros'' hand and storms right past them both to stand over the body. Rafael wraps the ape¡¯s corpse in sigils and packs it tight with a generalised stasis used for slowing curses. "Is it a rebound curse specifically?" he demands with a snarl. "When does it activate?" "Soon-ish," Stavros chuckles, looking so fond as he watches Rafael construct a curse-breaking rune chain around the creature. "Hey, come here. One more kiss?" Nicholas'' chest stings like a paper cut. "There are spellcrafting books in the bag," he says and pulls out of Stavros'' arms. "I''ll bring them over." Rafael''s head snaps around. "Do you feel something?" Stavros blinks. "I hit first. I...killed it..." Rafael''s diagnostic spells are already spilling out of his wand onto the ape until one lights up white and he uses another spell to pull the curse''s rune sequence from the corpse''s bones so he can start to dismantle it. Stavros is looking down at Nicholas'' torso, watching the clothes soak up the blood, the diagonal line appearing slowly. Stavros'' expression of an easy calm cracks open, twisting his beauty into rage. "I''ll get the bag," Nicholas wheezes but he''s doubling over and can''t stop Stavros from dragging him to the ground. Stavros disintegrates Nicholas¡¯ tops and spams quick healing spells to keep the wound from opening further in between casting more complex and powerful healing to start closing the injury. It¡¯s working, but Stavros only knows how to deal with shallow injuries, so it¡¯s only working to buy more time. Nicholas is gasping, already limp and shaking from the rapidly building pain of being cut open and sealed before being ripped open again. Stavros hits him with numbing and pain relief spells too but he''s more focused on the wound to stop Nicholas from dying. Nicholas weakly clutches at Stavros'' leg and his other hand digs into the dirt, gripping leaf litter and a fern. He''s taking deep, hitching breaths but his vision is blurring from tears of pain and he thinks Rafael might be talking but his voice is faded because it hurts so much and nonononono please don¡¯t watch this. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt,¡± Nicholas lies through gritted teeth, trying not to scream. ¡°Maybe ¨C maybe just take a walk for a bit. I¡¯ll be ¨C be okay.¡± Stavros half folds himself over the tear across Nicholas¡¯ chest, chanting something in Ancient Greek. It¡¯s a curse or an insult or maybe even a prayer. Flowers bloom against Nicholas¡¯ skin, growing out of the ground in shapes and colours that don¡¯t exist, that Stavros dreams up, and the soft petals curl against Nicholas to try and hold him together. The Greeks give offerings to Persephone when they beg favours from Hades. It¡¯s the start of every sacrificial ritual. But Hades takes payment too and Stavros is sacrificing himself. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Nicholas wheezes, choking on something wet that he struggles to swallow back down. ¡°Don¡¯t, please.¡± He keeps blinking but the tears cloud his vision. Shadows are swimming on the edges of his view and circling closer. He wishes they were both hugging him right now. ¡°I¡¯ll wait-¡± he coughs out and then keeps coughing, choking. He tries to tell them that he¡¯ll wait in golden fields of reeds for his soulmates to arrive, and the three of them will spend paradise together. But that¡¯s not very important, is it? They¡¯ll find each other again. What he really needs to tell them is- "I love you," Nicholas splutters through the blood in his throat because he needs them to know. He wants his last words on this earth to be about how much he cares about them. What a worthy cause to die for. "Love you, love you, loveyoulove-" "Don''t!" Stavros barks out, his hunched form a blur over Nicholas, lit by bursts of spell colour. "Don''t. Not now, I''m - I''m - I can-" "-loveyoulo...veyou, love you, lovelove-" Nicholas just keeps saying it, past Rafael begging him to hold on a little more, past Stavros screaming at him to shutthefuckuppleasepleasefuck, past the pain of his skin splitting all the way open and his ribs cracking and his lungs filling with blood. And then he finally, mercifully, passes out. 57. ramping up production Nicholas wakes up fine. A bit uncomfortable from a small rock under his back, but otherwise fine. Rafael sits cross-legged on the forest floor beside him, holding Nicholas'' hand on his lap. Or rather, holding Nicholas'' wrist to check the pulse. This seems rather unnecessary considering the gently pulsing blue light hovering over his chest to denote his heartbeat but Nicholas isn''t going to complain. Rafael is slumped forward and a bit sideways, elbow digging into his own thigh. He''s watching Nicholas. There¡¯s something a bit empty in his eyes. Nicholas rolls his head around so he can take stock of things without having to hunch up. Nicholas'' bag is here - or rather, he has been moved to the bag. The emergency stash for Thoth has been tipped out, most of the potion vials now empty, some smashed into bits of glass that reflect the dawn sun through the canopy. Nicholas himself is still topless, clean of grime except for the blood ash and cinnabar painted on him for a ritual. There''s not even a scar left. Stavros must have done something illegal. Speaking of Stavros, there are crack-bangs of spell fire not too far in the distance. Nicholas rolls his head back over to face Rafael''s dark eyes. "C''n..." Nicholas swallows thickly and clears his throat. "Can you tell him I''m awake?" "He left when you woke up," Rafael says, voice perfectly even. Nicholas blinks a few times. "Are you...angry with me?" "Thoth wants to eat you so you¡¯ll never leave us," Rafael says. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he could feel complex emotions.¡± "I¡¯m sorry you both had to see that,¡± Nicholas whispers. He still dreams of Adam some nights. Rafael does nothing for a long moment. Just watches Nicholas. "Do you think I''m joking?" "Do you think I give a fuck when I don''t regret a damn thing-" Nicholas cuts himself off and looks up at the trees. He twists his hand around so he can weave his fingers through Rafael''s. "I don''t want to have an argument right now." Rafael bows his head. "You won''t have much of a choice when Stavros gets back." "I''ll find him when he''s Hearth," Nicholas mutters. "My foxy boy is a sweetheart, he wouldn''t dare be mad." Rafael listens for a moment. "Now would be a good time." Nicholas realises the spellfire has stopped. "Help me up?" Nicholas gets to his feet with not as much help from Rafael as he''d thought he''d need. He feels pretty good, actually. Definitely woozy from blood loss and wobbly knees, but no pain in his newly healed muscles. He¡¯s not sure why he¡¯s surprised; they fed him so many potions, it would be strange if he still felt pain. Rafael takes one of Nicholas'' arms over his own shoulders and half carries Nicholas forward even though he doesn''t need to. They walk back through the forest along the path they tore through last night, following broken branches and the result of spellfire. In the daylight, Nicholas realises Rafael is still barefoot, feet bloodied. Of course they¡¯ve been shredded, he was sprinting through a forest, why didn¡¯t Nicholas think of that? Nicholas fumbles his wand out and practices trying to heal a moving patient. Rafael has also ripped off a few fingernails doing something and has a nasty bite mark on his arm that he might have done to himself, human teeth. Rafael doesn¡¯t acknowledge him, just keeps walking. The ape corpse is unidentified gore, half of it burnt to a shrivelled black, the rest peeled off down to the bone. The head is just gone, the epicentre of what looks to be an explosion of magic and sheer rage that lingers as heat waves. Surrounding it is a diagram, spent and useless now. Rafael must have broken the curse in the end. Hearth stands a bit further away, one paw holding down the massive blue heart about the size of his torso while he violently tears off pieces with his teeth, swallowing chunks. Hearth notices Nicholas and then goes right back to angrily eating the creature''s heart. "Hey," Nicholas coos, sliding down Rafael''s side until he''s crouched back on his heels against Rafael¡¯s leg, unwilling to detach himself. "Come here, Hearth, I wanna give you a hug." Hearth rips off one last piece with little jerks of his head and then walks over, stiff and a bit stumbling. If Stavros did the ritual, he would have taken on the injury himself. Nicholas picks him up, blood-matted fur and wet claws against his bare chest, and stands, leaning into Rafael''s arms. Hearth flops the piece around until he splats it on Rafael''s bare arm. "I''m good thanks," Rafael mutters, but then his arm jerks a bit and he eats it anyway. Hearth tucks his chin over Nicholas'' shoulder and makes a snuffling sound. Nicholas shifts his grip around until he can pet Hearth as well. The little fox starts heaving, his breath rasping out of him mixed with quiet chirps and a gut-wrenching whining sound. Foxes can''t cry but Hearth shakes in Nicholas'' arms and tries his damnedest. "I''m sorry," Nicholas murmurs, pressing kisses to Hearth''s little head between his pressed back ears. "You didn''t deserve that." He looks at Rafael too. "I''m sure there was a better way, I just...I was so scared that it¡¯d be one of you instead." "Yeah," Rafael mutters. He sighs. "Yeah, kind of a shit hand either way." This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Nicholas heals what¡¯s left of Hearth¡¯s injury. The surface level was closed but he was bleeding sluggishly internally, all the way down to cracked ribs that Nicholas seals up. All three of them are about ready to collapse but Rafael is still the first one to notice, head whipping around. Hearth leaps out of Nicholas¡¯ arms and snaps into a cold-eyed Stavros who pulls stealth spells over them, so used to hiding from Thoth when they play that he strings them together without pause. They¡¯re cloaked in invisibility, silenced and their scent hidden when Nicholas finally hears people crashing through the jungle. Rafael slides in front, backing them all up and behind the solid barrier of a large tree. Stavros is taking deep breaths to control himself, lowering into a duelling position with all the earlier emotion locked down because he simply doesn¡¯t have time for it. There are five people. Three of them wear heavy packs and carry large guns, but two are still fresh-faced and unburdened so they can be easily labelled as mages. A mage man with a cap pulled low has a tracker up, following the arrow that points at the carved into two pieces, half-eaten ape. They all come to a sudden halt when they see the mangled body and shift into a circle, backs to each other. ¡°What poor son of a bitch killed it?¡± a mundane woman asks, sounding amused. Her words are shaped a bit strangely, under the influence of a translation potion or spell. ¡°Well, at least we know it didn¡¯t come back because it¡¯s dead.¡± They move closer and spread out slightly, chatting about finding another cut-up body nearby. Nicholas shares wary glances with Stavros and Rafael. ¡°Those ape-things are used for poaching,¡± he whispers even when he¡¯s confident in Stavros¡¯ silencing ward. ¡°They hunt other creatures.¡± Rafael looks away. ¡°Hey!¡± calls out the mage man, sitting back on his heels near a huge spill of dark brown over the leaf litter. He has a spell running. ¡°This is human blood.¡± A mundane rolls his eyes. ¡°Are you using the right spell?¡± ¡°I can tell an infected human from a healthy one,¡± the man snaps back. He stands up, looking around. ¡°And where¡¯s that fucking body? Has anyone found it yet?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± the woman replies for the rest of the confused group, starting to become wary. She adjusts her gun but keeps it pointed at the ground. ¡°But we already know there¡¯s a pack in this rainforest. We released the monkey after the full moon, so maybe they were human enough to drag the dead one away?¡± ¡°They¡¯re weak after the transformation, they shouldn¡¯t have even been able to fight back,¡± the man argues, stalking back over to the ape. ¡°And this cut isn¡¯t claws or teeth.¡± He scowls. ¡°Shit, I think we have a werewolf mage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty hefty bonus,¡± the woman muses. ¡°Niaa would want-¡° Stavros kills her. Just lifts his wand and kills her with a blasting hex to the side of her face, snapping her head sideways and throwing her down, dead before she hits the ground with her skull cracked in. The others all whirl around, guns coming up or shield spells raised but Stavros hurls one of the mages into a tree hard enough the bark cracks. The guns open fire in a burst of screaming noise but bullets ricochet off Rafael¡¯s shield and another mundane is hit by a rebound, dropping to his knees. Stavros takes out the other mundane. Nicholas doesn¡¯t know how, he isn¡¯t looking. The man with the cap tears down the invisibility and Stavros doesn¡¯t bother to hide, just steps forward, trading barely two spells before Rafael tackles the man down and sinks teeth into him. Nicholas stops looking at that too. He has a shield spell over Stavros, just on instinct. He drops the spell and tries a few non-specific trackers to make sure no one else is coming to hurt his friends. There¡¯s no one in the general area. Stavros and Rafael are talking but Nicholas doesn¡¯t really hear them, their voices distant like he¡¯s underwater. He looks around, eyes skipping over bodies, but can¡¯t find the bag. That¡¯s right, they left it behind. There are no more potions in it anyway. One of the mundanes isn¡¯t dead and Stavros does something. Nicholas doesn¡¯t look. There¡¯s screaming that Rafael quickly steps in to smother. Nicholas tries a few more spells, slowly widening the range in case there was a second team. He finds a cluster of people but pretty far away and not moving. There¡¯s no more noise, a silencing ward put up, but Nicholas still turns away, his back to whatever is happening so he can focus better on pinpointing where they are and how to get back to the portal. Today is a weekend and Luca won¡¯t be back until early Monday so it¡¯s not like they have to be back at the citadel but- ¡°Nicky,¡± Stavros says roughly. ¡°Come on, they let out more of those apes and managed to catch some of the pack in this area.¡± Nicholas turns to Stavros but keeps his eyes up, doesn¡¯t look at the ground. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised the reform centres are so bold,¡± Rafael mutters, wiping his mouth with the back of a hand but just smearing it more. ¡°The Confederacy probably hires these sorts of people for search and capture too.¡± There¡¯s a walk Nicholas doesn¡¯t remember much of and then they reach the base camp, which ends up being a huge truck and some smaller vans encircled by a teleportation ritual diagram. Rafael and Stavros layer on blurring charms to distort their features and the two circle around. There are only four people standing guard. Now there were only four people standing guard. Rafael opens the truck to show almost a dozen half-naked people sprawled over the floor, unconscious. They¡¯re scarred and ragged, bigger than normal people even curled up as they are. One of them is a little girl. Rafael looks at him, waiting, so of course Nicholas walks up and starts running diagnostics. They¡¯re only knocked out with some sort of venom, all of them with rings of teeth marks on their backs. Maybe the ape is venomous and Nicholas couldn¡¯t remember that fact. Did Nicholas get poisoned? Maybe he was scratched on the ankle but he¡¯s pretty sure his hooves just cracked the teeth, unless it was the tail- Rafael moves past and Nicholas blinks, eyes refocusing. He helps their bodies purge the poison and heals as many injuries as he¡¯s able to while Rafael cracks the collars off, and it takes time even with all of Christos¡¯ previous information. Stavros is pacing outside. Rafael talks to the werewolves as they wake up. There¡¯s some growling and then a blur of motion, the crunch of bone. Nicholas heals a man¡¯s broken arm and there¡¯s more talking. Things happen. Stavros digs a large grave. They walk back to the portal. Someone casts a few spells on him. He¡¯s holding their hands. They step into the citadel. They step into the citadel and the morning sunlight washes through a nearby stained glass window, brightening the large hallway in a blur of soft colours. Flick¡¯s familiar voice can be heard off around a corner, berating someone for running down the hall. A piglet trots past, almost tripping over the heels of its Famure student, and snorts cutely at Nicholas when it recognised him. Stavros is rubbing his thumb over the back of Nicholas¡¯ hand in soothing circles and he lets out a low, steady exhale. Rafael rolls his tense shoulders and settles into a tired slump, eyes fluttering into a half-lidded gaze and free hand shoving into his pocket. They¡¯re safe, but why can¡¯t Nicholas breathe? ¡°Nicky?¡± Rafael asks slowly and then takes a quick step in front of him, hand coming up to cradle Nicholas¡¯ cheek. ¡°Nicholas, deep breaths. We¡¯re okay, we¡¯re all okay.¡± Nicholas is wheezing, sucking in sharp, shallow breaths and he¡¯s blinking away blurry vision, a wetness sliding down his face before he even realises he¡¯s crying. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Stavros says softly, pressing in close. ¡°Nicky, can you tell me five things you can feel? Can you squeeze my hand?¡± Nicholas sways. Hands lower him to the ground and he curls into his raised knees, gasping. Someone comes closer. Nicholas is crying. Stavros is curled over him protectively. His hands are shaking. People are saying things. Nicholas is sobbing, almost sick with it, feeling like it¡¯s being wrenched out of his chest and he doesn¡¯t even know why because they¡¯re safe now. 58. interrogation Rafael stares at his knees, sitting a bit slumped, a bit hollow now that Nicholas and Stavros aren''t here to prop him up. ¡°Rafael, can you tell me what happened?¡± Ms Connell asks. When she called him into her office, she led him to the little circle of couches and not to the desk. Now, she sits with her hands clasped in her lap, trying to look harmless. ¡°Nicky had a panic attack,¡± Rafael reports. ¡°Do you know why?¡± ¡°He said he didn¡¯t know,¡± Rafael repeats. ¡°The nurse already asked about it.¡± ¡°What do you think might have caused it?¡± Connell reiterates. ¡°Was there something he said, or said to him? Do you know if he¡¯s dealing with something at the moment?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Connell pauses. ¡°The timeline is a bit confusing. From the time that witnesses reported, it took you twenty minutes to get Nicholas to the nurses. You were only one floor down from the clinic. Can you tell me why it took so long to get to the clinic? Did something happen on the way?¡± Rafael and Stavros carried Nicholas to an empty classroom. They blocked the light and covered Nicholas with blankets before wrapping around him, trying to shelter him the way he likes so he¡¯ll calm down. Nicholas didn¡¯t calm down, he just kept crying and hyperventilating and it was terrifying. Stavros didn¡¯t want to go, he said they just needed a bit more time, but Nicholas was barely breathing and wouldn¡¯t respond to anything. Rafael picked him up and ran him to the nurses. ¡°I have a guess,¡± Connell continues when she realises Rafael won¡¯t answer. ¡°The last time Nicholas had to go to the nurses for a panic attack was a few years ago¡­¡± She trails off and leans forward. ¡°Rafael, did Stavros do something?¡± Rafael''s head jerks up in shock but when he meets her eyes, he looks away again. He doesn¡¯t know how much of him is a monster right now, or if it¡¯ll show in his eyes. ¡°It wasn''t. He didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I just want you to think about it because if Stavros is doing something to Nicholas, or to you, then we can stop it. You always have another option. But I can¡¯t help unless you tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°He didn''t hurt us,¡± Rafael insists, meeting her eyes this time. ¡°He didn¡¯t. I¡¯ll swear on my magic, he didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a precedent,¡± Connell says regretfully. ¡°He wouldn''t. Not now.¡± ¡°We don''t have to make a big deal out of it,¡± Connell offers quietly. ¡°He doesn''t have to know. Change some class seats around, get you out of the dorm - we can say the room needs to be redone because there are problems with the wards. We can get you away from him.¡± I''m a werewolf, Rafael thinks about saying. I''m diseased, the ape came after me, they got hurt because they tried to save me. Kill me. But the last time Rafael did that, Stavros had to wipe the teacher''s memory and Nicholas wouldn''t let Rafael go anywhere alone in case he tried to tell someone else. They were both so upset with him. ¡°Nothing happened,¡± Rafael rasps out. ¡°Can I go? I want to see Nicky.¡± Connell waits for a moment and then leans back. ¡°Okay. Okay, but just know this offer is always on the table. You can come to me any time.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rafael mutters. He walks back to the clinic, the halls quiet during lunch. Stavros and Nicholas are waiting, sitting on a cot together and eating gummies because Nicholas needs to get his sugar up. There¡¯s a case of potions by Nicholas¡¯ bedside - the same ones he was taking after Adam died. One nurse can be seen through the windows of the office but the rest of the room is empty. ¡°She''ll want to talk to you alone soon,¡± Rafael tells Nicholas quietly. ¡°I already told her I don¡¯t know why it happened,¡± Nicholas says even though that¡¯s a blatant lie to everyone but Nicholas. Rafael isn¡¯t surprised though, and Nicholas probably even believes it because he¡¯s always excusing his emotions like he¡¯s just being dramatic that he cried over seeing Adam¡¯s dead body, or that he¡¯s being too clingy when he came back from getting kidnapped and desperately didn¡¯t want to sleep alone. The truth is, Nicholas killed a creature today. He saw people die, he heard Stavros torture someone ¨C strip their arm right to the bone and grind his shoe into raw muscle, and he saw Rafael rip someone¡¯s throat out with his teeth. Even just the truck full of bruised and bloody werewolves -children even- ready to be shipped off would be too much for Nicholas on a normal day. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Maybe some of it is physiological. Nicholas almost died and went through the shock of feeling so much pain and losing so much blood, his heart cut open by the time Stavros pulled the curse into himself and then Rafael finally broke the curse entirely. They healed Nicholas with potions but rapid healing has its own consequences and they used potions with dosages scaled for werewolves. They¡¯re lucky they didn¡¯t overdose Nicholas with something that would have killed him anyway. So maybe on top of the panic attack, Nicholas¡¯ body is breaking down too, but it doesn¡¯t matter how he¡¯s crashing. What matters is that Rafael didn¡¯t notice a single fucking thing and he didn¡¯t stop it from happening in the first place. Nicholas didn¡¯t say a word ever since they killed the poachers. It was coming on two hours by the time they got back to the citadel and Nicholas said nothing and Rafael didn¡¯t even notice. ¡°Connell wasn¡¯t mean to you, was she?¡± Nicholas asks with a frown. You were carved open and I had to watch, Rafael doesn¡¯t say. ¡°She''s going to ask if Ross is hurting us.¡± Stavros huffs out a laugh, that swiftly turns into a giggle and then loud, wild laughter that throws his head back. It''s ragged and high-pitched, half hysterical. Nicholas rubs a hand up and down Stavros'' thigh. ¡°It''s okay, I''ll explain to her it was stress.¡± And Rafael, he sits on the bed because he''s feeling shaky and hunches forward even with Nicholas'' arms around him. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Nicholas whispers, pulling them both in. ¡°It was the adrenaline, you know? My body just took over. I don''t know why I lost control like that. You know I cry a lot.¡± Rafael wants to tell Nicholas that there¡¯s nothing wrong with him, that he¡¯s the normal one, that it¡¯s okay and expected after the situation they went through ¨C but Rafael is crying too hard to say anything that¡¯s actually fucking helpful.
¡°Vasundhara Bhale and High Mage Niaa,¡± Rafael says, sitting in bed and reading his own notes from a while back. All three of them have bits and pieces of information from Luca and Christos but the most coherent and most recent is from Nicholas¡¯ mum. ¡°We can take on a high mage,¡± Stavros mutters, cross-legged at the foot of the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll ask my older self how they off''d the bastard last time.¡± ¡°Christos would just tell Luca,¡± Nicholas points out, lying down and wrapped around a pillow. ¡°Well then skip the middle step. When Luca gets back, we¡¯ll ask what he needs to get done and help him with it.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t need our help, that¡¯s half the problem,¡± Nicholas complains. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t offered? He already has everything in hand and won¡¯t even hear about it. He got so worried when mum started helping, you think he¡¯ll let us do anything?¡± ¡°You want to do nothing then?¡± Stavros demands. ¡°You both have a point,¡± Rafael cuts them off. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t jump Luca and demand to be let in on a fight, but we can start helping in smaller ways.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± Stavros complains. ¡°I don¡¯t see why we have to wait for Luca because quite frankly, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to change his mind. We should make our own plan.¡± ¡°To take down a high mage?¡± Rafael demands. ¡°Ross, we¡¯re not even working off our own information, this is all spotty second-hand from two time travellers who might be wrong because they don¡¯t know this timeline. What we need is information and then we can make a plan.¡± They settle into an uneasy silence. Nicholas didn''t understand, is the thing. He didn''t understand how dangerous it was because Luca made it look easy, always dismissive when Nicholas asks if things are going well, always confident about the next step and so determined to see it through. Nicholas didn''t even understand how close it was because in his mind, Rafael wasn''t a werewolf, he was Nicholas'' precious Raffy who couldn''t be hurt - since even if Nicholas fails, Stavros won''t let it happen. Other werewolves get killed. Other creatures are caught and put in reform centres. None of that has touched Nicholas'' world. Even with Luca -especially with Luca- none of that was a real threat. It''s always been disgusting and horrible but never something that could affect him. This...this is scary. This needs to be stopped. Not just talked about, not left to Luca and Christos¡¯ already burdened shoulders. Nicholas wants to do something about it. ¡°Alright, then we get information,¡± Nicholas decides. ¡°That¡¯s a good milestone. We hit that first and then figure out what we can do.¡± The other two agree and they pour over notes for a bit longer, filling in missing bits with what Stavros got out of the reform centre staff in the jungle. They sleep together that night, Rafael stuffed into the middle with the windows and door locked and tightly warded.
The next day, they¡¯ve thrown a saddle bag over Rito¡¯s back because they¡¯ll be setting up a few rituals to close the portals that lead anywhere near that Congo jungle. Only a few portals are regulated and those are marked clearly, mostly for research purposes by the extension classes, or for ecological studies. The great majority aren¡¯t even discovered and the forest is a restricted zone anyway so no one will know the difference if a few go missing. It¡¯s in an open space thankfully, the ones in bushes or too high off the ground suck. Rito moves off to stomp a circle around the portal, digging gouges into the dirt with his hooves. Rafael conjures rope and starts to outline a trigram inside the circle Rito is making. Stavros pops back up and starts pulling yew wood out of the saddlebag, dropping them chaotically along the circle behind the sheep. They sprinkle around the potion, a cute bubbly pink that dissolves magic so is understandably very illegal to both make and own but Stavros has an entire Lambros library at hand. They bury a seed at the centre right under the portal and Rafael bleeds himself to provide Darkness. Twenty minutes later (as well as an accidental lightning strike because Stavros stumbles over the Latin ¨C that word is stolen from Greek, why is it pronounced stupid?!) a massive feywood tree has planted itself where the portal was, absorbing the magic and distributing it softly into the atmosphere. ¡°Four more to go,¡± Nicholas chirps, running around erasing evidence. It¡¯s a stupid thought but it almost feels like Rafael gets safer each time they close one.