Eriza sprinted down the street towards Nathaniel’s seaside manor. The jackass had gone too far now, and she would single-handedly wipe out his entire entourage of guards as payback.

Sexually assaulting her sister and kidnapping Zoey wasn’t enough for him. Instead, he also had to kidnap Julia and hold her hostage. She couldn’t let Iris tell her to stand by again while they waited for their plan to work. As far as she was concerned, if she didn’t act now then what would happen to their friends?

In the distance, the block where Nathaniel’s seaside home resided was coming into view, resting about seven blocks from her current position. She picked up the pace and began sprinting full blast down the street, preparing to launch a Lightning Bolt at the first target she saw and coming up with a plan on how she would proceed into the house. It was fortunate she’d been to the manor once before, as she had a rough idea of what the landscaping was as well as the layout of the base floor of the house.

She was so lost in her tunnel vision that when she was about four blocks away she was unexpectedly yanked into the yard of another seaside abode. Before she could fire off her already incanted Lightning Bolt, she felt her mouth covered and saw a familiar face standing over her: Magus Stone.

It had been a year or two since she last saw the Magus, and though she appeared a little older, she was still as stern-faced as ever.

“For a girl your age I’m surprised you possess such unbridled rage,” the woman said flatly.

Though she was tempted to scream several obscenities, Eriza was so caught off guard by her sudden appearance that she found herself sluggish to respond.

Where there was once a raging storm there was now a sense of calm with ominous clouds in the distance. Having regained control of her faculties, she sighed into the woman’s hand and watched her slowly pull it back.

“Calmed down have we?”

“What are you doing here,” she sneered, prepared to react should the Magus try anything. Though there wasn’t much she could do, given she was pinned.

“Stopping you from getting my Apprentice killed. Iris told me you’d be headed this way, so I broke a couple of laws to intercept you before you did something stupid,” the woman coldly explained. “Magister Ferris is already on her way to personally see this matter dealt with, but I’m willing to give your friend Iris a chance to clean up her mess. Call it a good learning experience. Perhaps your friend will even leave my Apprentice alone as thanks.”

While Eriza wanted to tell the woman that would never happen as they were all concerned for Julia’s future, she also understood that she was leagues below the Magus’ level. Some fights were better not to take unless one was adequately prepared to lose. Plus, there were more pressing matters at hand.

“What’s the plan then?”

“You’re so composed. What happened to the fire-cracker you once were?”

“I learned how to control my impulses in Sakhalin, though I suppose not well enough.”

“Passable given you’re a teenager faced with unusual circumstances. You should be proud. Sakhalin though? You and your friends were in a Purple Zone that could be argued Black for the past two months? Now I’m impressed.”

“Thank you?”

The Magus smirked and let go of her wrists.

“So, how about we make Nathaniel wish he’d never been born?”

“I’m listening,” Eriza replied with a grin.

Luna spent the last twenty minutes trying to wrap her head around the latest twist in the day’s events. First Magus Stone tries to contact them, then Ren Messages her adoptive sister that Eriza suddenly ran off to Nathaniel’s home in the North Shore, and after that Stone Messages her sister again, only to tell the girl that her friend has been kidnapped.

“When we arrive please be on your best behavior Luna. We can’t have the Magister being suspicious of you. With any luck, she won’t have an inkling of what you are.”

“She’s the Magister that specializes in Divination, right? Won’t she be able to use some Divination spell on me to discern my identity and accidentally figure out I’m an elf in the process?”

“We’ll cross that road if it comes to that, but I don’t think she’ll go that far. She’ll be more preoccupied with Nathaniel. All I’m asking is that you don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself, alright?”

“Right.”

Not drawing attention to herself wasn’t that easy given she was normally the only one wearing a cloak, but she could do it if she remained mostly outspoken and didn’t speak out of turn. At least she hoped that would help not draw attention to herself.

“So, does Stone have a plan for how we’re going to do this,” the elf asked.

“She does but she wanted to say it in person. She’s likely being cautious in case Nathaniel has someone scrying on us, which wouldn’t be good.”

The thought of being scryed upon reminded her of the creepy estate Elsie had left Iris as a ‘gift.’ It made her feel like her skin was crawling. Had Elsie and Arthur been watching them the entire time they were there? It was a disgusting way to keep track of them if that was the case.

She decided to distract herself from such a thought by drumming up what information she could about Magister Ferris and Magus Stone. She knew the latter was the headmistress of Rosebay, whereas the former and Iris had an odd connection through Julia, but they weren’t on friendly terms either and had met maybe a handful of times before.

While she was uncertain about being in the presence of a Magister, she also knew that it was unavoidable if she wanted to help rescue Zoey and Iris’ friend Julia. As for herself, she knew little about Julia other than she and Iris grew up together, but Julia left shortly before she was welcomed into her adoptive sister’s group of friends. As a result, out of the group she was the only one who didn’t know Julia well.

The cab they rode hastily rolled up and stopped at their destination: seven blocks south of Nathaniel’s manor, where he’d surely be waiting for something to happen. They didn’t mind walking though, as walking was not only good exercise but allowexd them to catch up and formulate a plan for how they would proceed.

“Iris, are you sure you want to work with Magus Stone?”

“It’s not that I want to, it’s that I have to. Saving Julia and Zoey is our goal; it doesn’t matter how we do it. As long as they’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

The sudden change in attitude was surprising. She could understand going directly after Nathaniel given everything that had happened, but for Iris to willingly work with Magus Stone? The two hated each other. Them working together was almost unbelievable. If it weren’t for the circumstances she would have dragged her adoptive sister to a doctor to be evaluated.

“You’re sure everything is going to be alright if we work with her?”

“Yes. Stone might be that kind of person but Ferris isn’t. She’ll be more concerned about Julia than she will about us. All we have to do is mind our manners and quickly excuse ourselves once we have Zoey and Eriza. It’s risky, but we can’t say no to their help at the moment.”

Luna had to admit her sister had a point. If Stone was able to stop Eriza from getting herself taken hostage or possibly even killed then all was well. It was definitely better than one of Nathaniel’s goons killing her or worse. Still, their current situation wasn’t great. While Iris had intended to give them an upper hand against the man, they’d underestimated him and ended up letting themselves be entrapped.

As they approached the meeting place, they saw the Magus and Magister talking in the front yard of a beachside home. Eriza was leaning up against a fence, her expression one of calm anger, similar to a storm waiting to be freed onto a target so it could wreak havoc. There were a couple of other mages present, though there was nothing distinguishable about them, which was likely intentional.

Magus Stone turned to look in their direction and then looked at her watch.

“It took you long enough. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come.”

“We’re sorry ma’am,” Iris apologized.

Just what was going on right now? Iris never acted like this towards the Magus. Whenever the two interacted with one another, both were full of fire and brimstone, ready to go at one another’s throats. So why was Iris suddenly acting so demure to her self-sworn nemesis?

The Magus nodded and then turned to look down the street.

“From what Magister Ferris has seen, most of the goons are posted toward the front and back of the home, leaving the sides unguarded. Assuming our plan works, we should be able to retrieve my Apprentice and your friend before they realize what’s going on.”

“Alright, what do you need us to do,” Iris asked plainly.

“That’s the easy part. Go charging in, act like you’re coming to rescue Zoey from Nathaniel. That should be more than enough to get their attention. We’ll sneak into the house, deal with anyone who gets in our way and come out with Julia and Zoey. Once they’re out, we can give them the option to surrender or go further.”

The plan honestly seemed flawed as it relied on Nathaniel’s guards being distracted, but the woman was a Magus. With all of her experience, she likely had a contingency plan should things not go well. As long as they were able to escape this fiasco not worse for wear, then she supposed she’d have to give this her all.

“We can do that. You’re sure you can get both Julia and Zoey out?”

“Of course. Given these were the only spare hands I could scrounge up on such short notice there might be a little trouble, but I assure you we’ll be able to get the two of them out safely. Assuming you’re able to do your part, that is.“

“Don’t worry about us. When do we start?”

“As soon as you’re ready.”

“Just a moment then. Eriza, come over here,” Iris requested.

Standing up, their companion made her way over to the trio, though it was apparent Magus Stone’s very presence annoyed her. Not that it could be helped. Anyone ought to have ambivalent feelings about the woman. She was stern, though she also seemed fair as well, based on how she was ‘letting Iris clean up her mess.’

“So, how are we doing this,” Eriza asked, making her hands into fists and hitting them together.

“I’ll need you to use that spell you love so much to start this battle.”

“The non-lethal?”

“Exactly, the non-lethal. It should create enough of an opening that we can pick off at least a couple of Nathaniel’s men.”

“Woah woah woah. You think mages who have been trained in combat are going to fall for that? That spell is made to make idiots think I’m much more powerful than I am.”

“It works well at doing that,” Stone chimed in. “Having seen it myself, I honestly thought you were somewhere around Tier 5 until I realized how mediocre you are.”

“I’ve worked hard to get better,” Eriza scoffed. “Luna made sure that I was at least close to her level when we left for Sakhalin.”

“Is that so? Then now that you’re more experienced, you should be able to increase the effect felt by that spell,” the Magus said before pausing. “Did you just say Sakhalin? The Sakhalin the Russians and Japanese are always fighting over?”

“That’s right. We spent two months in the forest with a pair of guides who made us bust our ass.”

Stone seemed shocked to be processing what she just heard, though she was doing so slowly.

“Then I expect to see great things tonight,” she finally said. “A Magister will be watching, so please don’t disappoint.

Eriza nodded in response, then turned to Luna and Iris.

“Alright, then let's do this. I’ll launch off a loud one to catch everyone’s attention. You sure we’re not going to get in trouble for this, Stone?”

“I’m certain,” the Magus replied. “It’ll be a while before anyone comes snooping around here once the battle starts. We should be finished with dealing with Nathaniel’s hired help and gone by then.”

“I suppose that means I can let loose without having to worry then. You too Luna. Don’t be afraid to throw an Iceball or two.”

“Feel free to be lethal. As far as I’m concerned, these people have lethal intent for my Apprentice, so they can reap what they sow.”

“As long as everyone stays aware of their surroundings I suppose I can use that spell. Just be careful, okay,” the elf cautioned.

While she’d love to make use of her most deadly spell, she also had to remember that she must use care when casting it. She didn’t want to accidentally impale someone who was friendly. With how chaotic Iceball was, that was a nearly impossible task.

“As long as we alpha strike at the start that’s all that matters. If you’re afraid of hurting one of us, throw out a couple of Iceballs and then stick to weaker spells,” Eriza said encouragingly.

“If you’re sure,” the elf replied, though still hesitant about letting the spell loose in an area where it could detonate prematurely.

“Well then, let’s get to it. We have people to rescue and kidnappers to dispatch,” Magus Stone chimed in.

“Yes ma’am,” the trio replied in unison.

***

After verifying the plan one more time at Magus Stone's request, Luna, Iris and Eriza began making their way down the street. Luna had kept an eye on Nathaniel’s manor the entire time they spoke, and oddly enough didn’t see any guards patrolling near the street.

When she mentioned this, Iris suggested an ambush was likely awaiting them, but their plan already accounted for that possibility.

The overall plan seemed simple when explained, but from prior experience with Iris’ father, things that seemed simple rarely went well. There was always an angle to be taken advantage of, all they had to do was find that angle. Hopefully this time there was no angle to work. Surely he wasn’t crazy enough to hold a knife to his daughter’s or Julia’s throat in front of them, right?

Who was she kidding, he’d already gone this far, why not go further.

Luna exhaled deeply to let the rising tension in her body escape. They were only a couple of houses down from Nathaniel’s now, and in a few moments a lively battle would break loose. This felt like one of the times Ren would ask her goddesses for their blessing.

She wasn’t religious herself, but then again neither was Ren. The goddesses she followed demanded nothing, but wished to be remembered as the Progenitors. Thus, Luna did just as she would, hoping that maybe, just maybe they were out there watching over her and her friends right now.

Soon she was counting down the steps until they were in front of the seaside manor. As soon as most of the front yard came into view they could see half a dozen mages standing guard next to the house, all raring for a fight. While they were outnumbered two to one, they merely needed to hold out until the other’s finished. Then backup would come and they’d have nothing to worry about.

“Dazzling Burst,” Eriza shouted, allowing a white bolt of hysterical electricity to fly off her fingertips. In the center of the front yard, an eruption of Lightning and sound chaotically filled the air.

While Luna knew its effects to be mostly harmless aside from the loud bang the spell created, she also recalled almost wetting herself the first time she saw the spell. Immediately, two of the guards made their way toward the back of the abode.

“Rock Pillar,” one of the remaining mages shouted.

Instinctively jumping to her left, Luna narrowly avoided a column of rock and dirt that burst from the ground below her.

“Iceball,” she shouted, aiming blindly toward the left of the front yard and letting loose a glob of liquid ice.

Once it made contact with the ground, it exploded, with icy spikes popping out in every direction.

A sickening scream from a man signaled she’d hit someone dead on and likely killed them. She felt no remorse though. He’d decided to work for Nathaniel, and it was hard not to tell the man was an awful person.

The world surrounding her was suddenly bathed in varying shades of orange. Thankfully, Iris was watching her back and protected her from an attack that she wouldn’t have seen coming. A Fireball cast by an Evoker from the far right would have turned her into a crispy mess otherwise.

Before Eriza could move in and wipe out any stragglers she needed to strike again. After, she could resort to a combination of Icicle, Ice Flex and Ice Bolt to attack the remaining guards.

“Iceball.”

Another clear glob of liquid flew off her fingertips and to the right side of the lawn. Another explosion, another scream. With another Mage disabled there were only two left.

“Lightning Bolt.”

Though she’d missed the Fire Evoker with her Iceball, it seemed that didn’t matter. Eriza was already on top of her would-be attacker. The woman’s mana shield broke like it was nothing and a moment later she was lying on the ground, unmoving.

In front of them, the last mage started to slowly take steps backward in the direction of the beachside manor. The fear had set in, and now they could capitalize on it. Perhaps they could even make him run off in fear.

In her ear, a Message spell from Magister Ferris bloomed.

“Magus Stone has run into trouble. It seems Nathaniel isn’t the only one here, as a dozen Mages are coming from the back of the home toward the front. I suggest you prepare,” the woman quickly stated before ending the spell.

“Iris!”

“I know Luna. Get close and throw another iceball towards that side yard to block it off,” her adoptive sister shouted. “Create Water.”

More water appeared, adding to the already large swirling shield the girl had.

As requested, Luna prepared to fire off another Iceball. The repeated use of the spell was taxing, but she had no choice. A handful of mages was easy to handle, but a dozen? They’d be lucky if they escaped with a scratch. There were only three of them after all.

“Iceball.”

Another clear glob went flying from her hand, exploding where the entrance of the left side yard was and completely blocking off access to it. If anyone wanted to come from that direction, they’d be high enough that Eriza could easily strike them from behind the shield.

Unfortunately, there were no screams or yowls of pain. It seemed she hit no one, much to her disappointment. They now needed to prepare for the worst.

“Ice Flex,” she shouted, coating the center of Iris’ shield in thick ice. While the ice made her adoptive sister feel more sluggish, she knew that it helped to make the shield more robust and harder to break through.

As if on queue, a dozen or so spells lit up the shield, bathing the area behind it a multi-colored light. She could easily discern Fire and some other elements, likely Radiance surprisingly enough.

“Fuck they’re going to pin us,” Eriza swore before trying to hit another mage with a Lightning Bolt. “How the hell are we supposed to fight four to one. It’s not possible at our level.”

“Ice Flex,” Luna incanted, renewing the sturdy ice on the shield which was keeping them from being wholly annihilated by spellfire.

“Stone are you done yet,” Iris shouted out before pausing for a moment. Apparently she’d stated a Message spell with the Magus. “Stone can you hear me?”

“Dazzling Burst.”

Another bright flash of hysterical electricity filled the area as a loud clap similar to thunder followed.

For a brief moment, the deluge of spells slamming into Iris’ shiled ceased. Then, like a thorn in one’s side, the pace picked up once again.

This was bad. If they didn’t think quick, they were bound to be flanked from the side and then it would be all over.

Unexpectedly, the sound of cracking and spintering would filled the air, followed by a loud, guttural roar flled the air, and everything devolved into chaos.

Inside of the guest room Julia was being held in, Zoey continued trying to awaken her friend, though the effort seemed to be futile. It was as if she were trying to make a horse drink, only the horse was a sleeping Julia and the water was being awake.

She’d tried everything she could think of, from soaking her friend in water to tickling her. Nothing she’d tried had work so far though, leading her to doubt whether or not Julia could be awoken without a spell like Dispell Magic. What kind of hex had been cast on her friend that would make it so difficult to wake her up? She shuddered at the thought of what school might be the culprit given what happened to Iris and Luna.

Just as she was about to give up, Julia began to stir.

“Julia. Hey Julia can you hear me,” she asked, continuing to gently slap the side of the girl’s face.

“Where-“ the girl grumbled as her eyes slowly opened, “-Zoey? Why are you here?”

“It’s a long story, but that doesn’t matter right now. Are you alright? They didn’t do anything unbecoming to you did they?”

“What are you talking about,” the girl asked as she slowly sat up and looked around the room.

Julia seemed like she was still dazed from what happened to her earlier. Had they done to her what they’d done to Ren? Just how far was her father going to go?

Though it took a few moments, Julia slowly seemed to recollect what had happened before she’d be knocked unconscious.

“Get away from me,” the girl stated coldly as she began to buff herself.

“Julia I-“

“Get away,” she shouted.

As if on cue, the dim sound what sounded like spells exploding outside the house.

Zoey’s mind didn’t register it like that though. Just as she knew Ren would never forgive her, she knew her friendship with Julia was at an end as well. The cause of it all? Her father, who was at the very center of everything that was happening.

Like a seed of corruption, he’d sowed chaos and destruction throughout her life. If her friends ever trusted her again it would be a miracle. All because she was too scared to stand up to her father before.

They deserved better than this. That went without saying.

Her father deserved what was coming to him. It was something she would relish after all the pain he caused her.

Was this what Eriza felt every time she got angry? It was understandable why she couldn’t control herself if that was the case.

Summoning up all the pent up anger within her, Zoey grabbed Julia’s shoulders, despite her body’s intense heat and forced her to look her in the eyes.

“Julia.”

“I-“

“Burn this place, and everything in it to cinders. Don’t leave anything behind.”

In front of her, the Magma mage stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. Wordlessly, a grin began to stretch across her face.

“Alright rich girl, we’ll talk about this later. I’m gonna polymorph and bust us out of here. Which way do I need to go?”

“Break through that wall and you should be on the outside,” Zoey said, pointing to the side of the room opposite of the door.

“Good, go hide behind that wall.”

Not wanting to get caught up in the ensuing burst of magma, Zoey quickly made her way behind the wall separating the bedroom and the hallway and took a few steps down it.

“Polymorph!”

Wood, drywall and magma explosively filled the area, setting the house ablaze instantly. That was the last thing Zoey Wynter saw.