I pushed the crowd away from me and began to look for Aidan. He was the only person missing, and it wasn’t like him to not show up. Had something happened to him?—

  “Elaina,” Rosalie interrupted my train of thought. She had stepped before me, her expression distant and unreadable as usual.

  “Yes?” I asked, keeping my annoyance down.

  “Come with me.” She beckoned me to follow her into the ready room. I imagine she wanted privacy.

  Out of curiosity, I touched the statue again. Would this protect me outside of the arena as well? Rosalie seemed unfazed by my action.

  “There’s something I remembered.” She patted the seat next to her on the bench. I folded my skirt down and sat next to her. “There’s a conduit that stabilizes Meridia’s ether hidden away in this manor. If something happened to it, that would explain the sudden influx of ether.”

  “Do you know where it is?” I asked, my tone hopeful but also cautious.

  “Yes and no. Sylvis has shown it to me on occasion, but I have long since forgotten the route. As for teleporting… That would only work if I could teleport to the conduit itself. The fact that I cannot means that the conduit either no longer exists or has been altered beyond recognition.”

  “So, it’s definitely the conduit…” I murmured. “Does anyone else know about it?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. I will continue to look for a way in, and I ask you to do the same.”

  I nodded and pushed myself up off the bench. The next thing I knew, Rosalie had already disappeared.

  Where to start looking…

  I tried pushing the statue, wondering if it hid a secret passage. I pushed with my palms, then my back, and nothing. Instead, my body kept glowing that faint teal color every time I touched the stupid statue. Either I'm too weak or there's no passage. I'm betting on the latter.

  That's one room searched!

  If I were something important hidden away by Sylvis, where would I be? Probably close to Sylvis, so that means...

  I rushed out of the arena, down the hall, and to the elevator, pulling the lever for the top floor. It had to be up here somewhere!

  The elevator came to a halt, and I eagerly waited for the door to open. Once it did, I sprinted to Sylvis' office. It's locked? No problem! I kicked the door down — rock fragments attached to the bottom of my shoes. Rosalie would fix this later, right?

  I frantically searched the still messy office. Rosalie's not gonna fix that door... I pressed against all the walls, especially where the bookshelves once stood. Too clichéd? That's probably why Sylvis hadn’t picked it. Maybe the secret entrance being here was a little too obvious... Sylvis was even more clever than I had thought.

  Sighing in defeat, I carefully lifted my legs one after the other over the pile of rubble that was once the door to the office. I looked up and nearly jumped back when I noticed Zephyr standing in front of me. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

  "I came to borrow a book. What are you doing here? Was this your doing?" He pointed to the rubble I had just stepped over.

  "Uh... The door was locked..." I answered sheepishly.

  Zephyr shook his head disapprovingly, but I could hear his soft chuckle as his lips curled up in amusement.

  "Anyway, I should get going." I excused myself as I brushed past him. Hmm, maybe I should try these walls. I pushed on the wall next to the office and still nothing.

  "What are you doing?" Zephyr asked, and I froze in my spot. Had he been watching me this whole time? That's embarrassing. And it's not like I could tell him what I was doing either!

  "Uh, my back's been hurting. I was just stretching," I lied awkwardly.

  "Stretching?" He adjusted his glasses as he stared unblinkingly at me. Kind of creepy. Like, dude, blink!

  "Mhm." I nodded vigorously.

  "I see. If I were you, I wouldn't try poking around where I didn't belong." Was that a threat?

  "Uh, sure..." I nodded and headed for the elevator. What was that about? I shook my head internally and continued walking to the elevator. Where should I look next? Maybe the library? Seems relevant.

  I stepped out of the elevator and walked down yet another hall just for someone to grab my wrist. I looked up to see Aidan now dragging me.

  "Hey! What's the big idea?" I asked, trying to yank my wrist away, but to no avail.

  "I'm giving you what you want." His expression was blank, but he spoke surely, too.

  He led me outside the manor towards the bushes to the left, away from anyone who could see or hear. My eyes widened as a portal appeared.

  "Whoa! How did you do that? Is that your Talent magic?!" I asked in awe.

  "I don't think so. Ever since Maverick put that ether in me, I've been able to use all sorts of magic. Ella... You've done a lot for me. Now it's my turn to repay you."

  "Aidan... Thank you." I smiled genuinely and gave him a hug. I never realized how close we were in height until now. My cheek awkwardly brushed up against his for a moment, and I could feel that his was warm.

  "Y-Yeah... Stay safe. And tell your boyfriend I said hi... Or don't..." He shuffled awkwardly after I released him.

  I was about to go in when a thought hit me.

  Was this really it? Was I just going to leave everything as it was? Finn was still in pain, everyone else was still trying to control their magic, and Sylvis was still missing.

  But what about me? This might be my only chance to go home. Once all of this was resolved, my magic would likely fade with it, and I’d go back to being Sylvis’ prisoner…

  But it wasn’t fair. How could I leave everyone here to suffer when I was so close to finding the solution?

  But there was also Rosalie. She seemed dependable in her own way. If it’s Sylvis in trouble, I imagined she’d go above and beyond to find her.

  No, this still wasn’t right. I couldn’t leave just yet.

  I took a step back from the portal and faced Aidan. "I'll tell him later. I want to make sure everyone here is safe first. Sylvis is still missing, after all."

  "You should go. It would be safer there." His expression was back to being unreadable.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "I have magic now." I laughed. "I can protect myself."

  "You really won't go?"

  "No. At least, not yet," I doubled down.

  He closed his eyes and sighed. The portal disappeared. "I know you're looking for that secret room Rosalie told you about so you can undo the ether." He glared daggers at me.

  "W-What?! How would you know about that?" I sputtered, realizing too late that if he was somehow bluffing, I’d just confirmed his theory.

  "Remember I said I can use all sorts of magic? That includes mind reading. I know Rosalie talked to you after your match with Letheria that I missed."

  "Where were you anyway?" I asked, remembering that I was going to find him afterward, but was interrupted by Rosalie.

  "That's not important." I watched him clench his fists. "I can't let you undo everything, Elaina. You have two choices: Return to your world, or stay out of my way." A pair of bright golden wings sprouted from his back and lifted him into the air as an orb made out of what was either copper or brass levitated above his left palm.

  "Never expected you to be left-handed," I quipped, taking him by surprise. "And even less that you'd try to fight me of all people!"

  "I don't want to hurt you, Elaina. That's why I'm offering you the chance to go home where you'll be safe from all this." He shook his head.

  "Why are you doing this in the first place?!" I shouted.

  "Why? Why?!" he asked in disbelief. "You, of all people, should know! You worked so hard to awaken your magic! You know what it feels like to be weak and powerless to achieve your goals!"

  "But that's just it! I wanted magic so I could go home and go back to being magicless! What use for magic do you have now?! Your sister is healed! You have friends... people who care about you! Magic is turning you into something you're not!"

  "Shut up! I thought you were just like me! It turns out we're not anything alike!" Aidan shouted before using his orb to launch balls of fire at me.

  It took me a moment to realize he was actually attacking me, which resulted in me failing to move in time. Thankfully, I still had that shield from the arena, meaning I only felt the impact of the fire rather than the actual burning.

  What was I supposed to do?! “Just stop! I don’t want to fight you!” I shouted.

  “Then go home! It’s not too late! We can both get what we want!” His expression was pleading. I could tell he didn’t want to hurt me. I bet he didn’t expect to actually hit me either.

  “I can’t leave while you’re like this. I knew Maverick’s plan was too risky… I never should’ve let him put the ether inside of you! It’s changed who you are!”

  “It hasn’t changed me. This is who I’ve always been — I’ve just never had the confidence to act on it. I’m still the same me that spent my days with you and Marge… and I’m still grateful that Finn helped my sister. Maybe now I can finally repay him… So, you see… I’m still me.” He landed eloquently on the grass, his wings and orb disappearing as he held out his hand towards me.

  Had I been wrong about him this whole time? Had he secretly been this monster, leading us to think he was weak and a victim?

  No, that wasn’t right either. He was hurt—he always had been. He’d been through more than I could imagine and never healed. Perhaps he was right, and the ether wasn’t controlling him—it was amplifying the hurt and anger he already felt.

  I wanted to reach out to him — to hug him, to take his hand and tell him everything is okay now, he’s safe, he has friends…

  But I knew it was a trap. The moment I took his hand, he’d seize the opportunity to send me home.

  “If you’re the same Aidan, then let me go. We’re friends, remember? Best friends, I would say.” I hoped that would snap him out of it.

  “Best friends…?” There was sadness in his eyes. Longing, pleading… And hope. But just as soon as it had appeared, it disappeared. “Then you, more than anyone, should be happy for me! You should be supporting me! Fighting by my side!”

  “I can’t fight for you when you want to hurt yourself and others!”

  “Argh…!” he shouted; his wings and orb reappearing as he and it ascended. “Why do you always have to be such a goody two-shoes?! That’s the problem with you! You do the right thing even when it directly screws you over! You’re not a hero, Elaina! You weren’t summoned to this world to save it! Just go home already!” He screamed that last part, and an onslaught of fire rained down on me.

  For as much as I managed to dodge, the fire still hit me. My shield wouldn’t last much longer at this rate…

  Aidan had become stronger than any Ethereal. He probably rivaled Sylvis at this point. If I couldn’t beat Maverick, there was no way I’d be able to beat him. I had no other choice but to retreat.

  Fire rained down from the sky, tinting it a reddish hue. I wondered if people outside the manor could see or if magic was somehow contained within the border. I had to dodge singed grass so as not to drain the remainder of my shield. A tree’s leaves burned in the distance, a lone branch falling but not making a sound from where I was. People had long since scattered, many taking cover in the manor. The only thing that the fire wasn’t a match for was the water in the fountains.

  The once-beautiful exterior of the manor had become a horrific nightmare. Each unique breed of flower must have been extinguished by now.

  “Elaina!” Maverick came running out of the elevator, stumbled, and nearly lost his balance. His legs were spread apart, and his jaw was agape as he stared at Aidan, who had flown high into the sky by now. “Go. I’ll take care of him,” he ordered.

  “But I—”

  “Don’t have the heart to do what’s necessary,” Maverick finished my sentence for me as he drew his sword.

  “Don’t hurt him!” I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. He shrugged me off effortlessly.

  “This was my mistake. I’m the one who has to fix it. I won’t… I won’t let the world burn a second time.”

  “Second time…?” I trailed off. He caught me by surprise and used it to his advantage to make his move.

  A gust of wind launched him into the air until he was on level with Aidan. He jabbed his sword at Aidan, who dodged effortlessly. To my surprise, Maverick teleported behind Aidan and swiped at him with his sword. Aidan didn’t expect it either and cried out in pain.

  “Aidan!” I called out, rushing over to where he was falling. Maverick had teleported above him only to wrap his hands around his neck, effectively choking him as he sat on his chest — the two plummeting into the ground. Pavement shattered upon impact.

  I was about to go to Aidan when out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone dragging themselves across a patch of grass that managed to get by unscathed. Had she been caught in the fire? I glanced between the two, wondering who was more important. I noticed Maverick’s expression: remorseful and full of pity. He wouldn’t kill Aidan, would he? My eyes flashed back to the girl who kept collapsing to the ground mid-crawl. I would have to trust Maverick, something I didn’t think I’d ever find myself doing.

  I ran to the girl and noticed it was Letheria. Well, time to run back to Aidan— No, okay, I’d still help her.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as I extended my hand. She looked up at me and instantly looked away, refusing my gesture. What surprised me most was that she didn’t appear to have any burn markings. Besides her tangled hair and dirt staining her once-white dress, she looked… fine? “Were you caught in the fire?”

  “No. Zephyr did this,” she muttered.

  “Zephyr…?” I repeated.

  “He threw me from the window next to my dorm!” She blinked away tears that still managed to fall.

  She had to be lying, right? For what reason would Zephyr throw her from a window?

  “Why should I believe you? You’ve been nothing but manipulative. This is another one of your ways to try to trick someone into helping you. I’m not falling for it.” I crossed my arms. I was about to head back to check on Aidan when Letheria grabbed my ankle.

  “Elaina… Please…” She cried harder. “I know I’ve been…jealous of you…” She mumbled that last part. “...but I’m serious right now. What will it take for you to believe me? An apology?! I am so sorry for the way that I treated you. Just help me! Please!”

  I sighed. “What do you even want me to do?” I asked, remembering she had declined my help before.

  “Protect me! From Zephyr! I don’t feel safe going back inside anymore. If you hadn’t come along, I think I would’ve just stayed out here.” A sword landed inches away from Letheria’s head. “…That was a lie. I would’ve taken my chances inside,” she corrected.

  “I don’t understand. Why would he target you? You’re pretty aggravating, yes, but I don’t think that’s a reason to throw you out a window. Especially for an empath.” I grimaced.

  “He said something about…how I was responsible for his parents’ death?” She paused mid-sentence, seemingly recalling his words.

  “Are you?”

  “No!” she shouted in disbelief. “I was younger than him when it happened! And I sure as Alina didn’t have magic then!”

  “Then why would he think it was you? That’s a pretty random assumption to make.”

  She went dead silent. I had to check for a moment that she was still conscious.

  “Letheria, what aren’t you telling me?” I tried to meet her at eye level, which was difficult when she was lying on her stomach and I was crouching down.

  “I’ll explain it to you later. We should get inside, away from the fight.”