I was paralyzed by horror, shock, denial of everything happening. My temples felt clamped in a vise. I was scared, horrified, sick, my hands shaking from nerves… The only thing I wanted right now was simply to wake up and find that all the events of this insane day had been some mistake, just a bad dream. I don’t want any of this, I’m canceling all of this!! Can this somehow be canceled?..

  “Well, happy now with your silent treatment?” came someone’s voice from the side.

  I turned toward it and saw Agatha di Vern-Rodinger, who had stepped forward, looking grimly at the departing Calypso gradually disappearing into the fog, then at our colleagues, with a particularly reproachful glance at Eric and Ilforte.

  “You know what? I’m tired of all this too. I’m leaving,” she said firmly, walking toward the shadow veil.

  “Agatha, stop!” Zael grabbed her arm.

  “You can’t cross the barrier, you’ll die!..”

  “Scared?” Agatha smiled crookedly, pulling free from his grip.

  “Well I’m not. The barrier can’t be crossed by those who want to harm Calypso. And I don’t.”

  With those words she removed her communication bracelet artifact, threw it at her feet, and resolutely stepped through the shadow veil. She crossed the line calmly — nothing happened to her. She crossed and, without looking back, hurried after Calypso.

  “Pfft, he was obviously bluffing about the deadly danger from this shadow veil, your little rebel,” the general snorted loudly and waved his subordinates toward the departing Calypso.

  “Catch him, immediately! If that woman got through, then we’re going too. Let's neutralize him and be done with it!”

  Everything happened very fast… The Inquisitors didn’t listen to Zael’s shouts that everyone should stay back. They quickly stepped toward the shadow veil with weapons drawn and… In the next moment, the air was shattered by deafening screams of pain as all seven Inquisitors seemed to get stuck in the shadow veil, unable to cross it, and began to disintegrate before our eyes. They were being torn apart on the spot… Their arms and legs seemed to ‘break down’ into tiny particles and burn up right there, in the purple glow of the shadow veil. Slowly and unlikely with any anesthetic effect, judging by the absolutely horrifying, blood-curdling screams. Some tried to save the trapped Inquisitors, pull them back… But those who rushed to help and tried to physically pull the Inquisitors back were also pulled in and disintegrated into the shadow veil.

  Wild chaos and panic erupted around us, but I wasn’t watching the Inquisitors… I was watching only the departing Calypso and swallowing unbidden tears.

  I was being torn apart by conflicting emotions… By the wrongness of everything happening… By the necessity of choice in this situation… How can you choose? For me, the person I loved and my beloved family existed in completely different, non-intersecting planes that couldn’t be chosen between, but could — and should! — be loved equally. I was terrified of any contact with Effu, even trapped in a bracelet his energy was frightening. Maybe he was doing it on purpose — I couldn’t know… And I didn’t want to leave my parents… Was it really right to separate now, in such difficult circumstances? After all, together we’re strong. And somewhere here, in Forland, that powerful shadow creature who had started this whole mess was still roaming. We didn’t know its goals, but Calypso and I should help find this stranger, shouldn’t we? Armarillis needed our help.

  But choosing right now between family and love, when love clearly needed my help more… I would still choose… Love.

  I sobbed, wiping the bitter tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand, and resolutely got up, preparing to follow Agatha… But the next moment I was surprised to find Cloyne in front of me with handcuffs, deftly snapping them onto one of my wrists. He reached for my other hand too, but I jerked back and gaped at the general’s brat.

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  “What do you think you’re doing?” I said, stunned.

  “You’re under arrest, sweetheart,” Cloyne said importantly.

  “For aiding and abetting a state criminal and…”

  “What nonsense?! Let me go right now!..”

  “By the authority vested in me by the General, I’m arresting you, Lorelei,” Cloyne smirked nastily.

  “And now you’ll come with me to the Inquisition prison, where you’ll be held in custody. Resistance is futile any attempt to resist will be counted as an act of aggression against law enforcement. So I recommend you come quietly. It's in your best interest.”

  Like hell I’m going quietly with you!! I’ll fight to the last breath.

  I swung my free hand to fight off Cloyne, but three Inquisitors had already anticipated this: they approached from behind and all three grabbed my arm, preventing me from snapping my fingers. Oh, is that how it is?!

  I whispered the spell to remove the protective gloves from my hands… Lightning began crackling across them, sparking dangerously in the air. Cloyne immediately slapped another clearly anti-magic cuff on one hand, but I wouldn’t let them properly restrain the second, resisting and deliberately making the lightning spark brighter.

  “Let her go right now,” that was Zael, rushing over.

  He appeared beside me… and at the worst possible moment. Because right then the three Inquisitors flinched and backed off, letting go of my lightning-crackling hand, and my hand flew back and slightly touched Zael, who had gotten dangerously close… Just a graze — but a bolt of lightning hit Zael square in the solar plexus. Zael made a strange sound, pressed his hands to his solar plexus, doubled over in pain.

  “Dad?..” I said in fear, freezing in place and instantly stopping my resistance.

  “Dad, what’s wrong?.. Dad!..”

  Zael didn’t respond, breathing heavily and slowly sinking to the ground. Elza and Eric immediately rushed over and began working magic over him.

  Shuddering with horror, I cast the spell to put my protective gloves back on and lunged forward to help my dad, but the Inquisitors deftly intercepted me, finally twisting my arms and slapping anti-magic cuffs on me, dragging me away.

  “Attack! Attack on the First Arma!” Cloyne immediately shouted.

  And his cry was immediately taken up by other Inquisitors:

  “She’s dangerous!..”

  “Take her into custody!..”

  “Restrain her!..”

  “No… No, wait!” I cried out, futilely trying to break free.

  “I didn’t mean to… It was an accident… Let me go!!!”

  I called for Eric, called for Mom, but they were both completely focused on healing Zael. He was clearly in bad shape… He was still alive, but the lightning that hit him had hurt him badly — his aura thinned within seconds, and Zael’s eyes rolled back before he finally lost consciousness. Eric and Elza frowned even more and began working more urgently, fighting for Zael’s life. They were clearly rushing to perform certain magical procedures — every second mattered, their hands flashing with multicolored magical sparks, the air around them vibrating with tension.

  I spotted my other siblings far off to the side: they didn’t see the Inquisitors restraining me, as each was busy with their own task. Felicia and Celestia were seriously wounded, with Lucifer and Gabriel working magic over them; Agnessa was also helping some Fortemin, patching up a terrible bleeding wound… No one had time for me.

  I cast a desperate glance at the Mentor, but he seemed to neither hear, nor notice anything around him. He still hadn’t moved, hadn’t budged from his spot, only watching Calypso’s back, his eyes suspiciously bright. I had the feeling the Mentor had gone somewhere far away inside himself, only following his son’s retreating form with a bitter gaze — Calypso’s blond head still visible ahead in the swirls of purple fog.

  “No, wait… Wait! Let me go!” I kept struggling, also toward the shadow veil.

  “Calypso! He can’t be left alone! Calypso, stop!!! Wait for me!!!”

  But he kept walking, not hearing my cries in the rising chaos and not knowing how desperately I’d tried to break free from the Inquisitors’ grip — right up until they knocked me out with a stunning spell. Walking away in full certainty that I had turned away from him, renounced him.

  I watched Calypso’s retreating back, no longer able to move or cry out, and my heart was breaking from the pain.

  I’ll find a way to escape from the Inquisitors and I’ll come to you, Cal. I’ll do everything to reunite with you, and I’ll help you overcome the darkness consuming you. I swear.