Marvin and Kara were alone in the relatively barren conference room. It was relatively small, and the silence that dominated it made it feel even smaller. Never had the dark haired teen felt so claustrophobic in his life.

“Have you ever noticed the floor patterns before? Or rather, have you ever thought about what they represent?” asked Kara, looking at Marvin with an expression that seemed to be a cross between pitiful and mad.

“I first thought it might have been some sort of spell, but I didn’t exactly have time to dwell on it.” responded Marvin, although he felt that wasn’t what Kara wanted to ask him about. Maybe she had somehow noticed his hesitation and wasn’t sure if she should bring it up.

Or maybe he was being paranoid, but his mentor had proven to be quite insightful in the past.

“And it is. The grandest spell of all. You’ve used a seal like this before, you just didn’t know it. This is a gateway to the Caelum Terra.” responded Kara, before taking out two letters from her back pocket. “Shall we?” she added, handing him one of the letters.

Taking it with a nod, he noticed that she took a deep breath. She was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts, showcasing an ankle bracelet that Marvin assumed was her conduit, as it started to glow and what he assumed were the southern and eastern heptagrams glowed golden, a line forming between them.

“Gate.” muttered Kara, as the letters disappeared from their hands. Marvin’s eyes widened as he realised that was the exact thing Maria had said to facilitate her escape.

An unbelievable pain filled the inside of his body like last time, only now he had figured out what he thought was the solution. He closed his eyes, the pain transitioning to an outward pressure, as his body floated upward.

Once on the surface of the water, he swam out of the river, surprisingly wet once more and without any lingering discomfort. seeing Kara and an assortment of other people and creatures go through the same routine as she stepped on the cloudy surface as well. The river they came out of this time was inside the city, buildings that appeared to come from many different areas and time periods as well as a somewhat large crowd of people surrounding them.

“It’s been a while since I’ve last been here.” smiled Kara. “When are you going to show yourself Nicholas?” she asked after a moment of silence.

A trenchcoat wearing man came out, a disarming smile showing itself through his long beard. “Bonjour mon chéri. ” he greeted in what Marvin assumed was French, the purple red ring on his left hand shining in the sunlight. The same man that had gotten them into the Caelum Terra last time, only he now was fully visible in the daylight.

“I thought we had a deal?” questioned Kara, apparently not phased by his attitude.

“Do not worry. I am here merely to make sure nothing goes wrong. Backup if you will. We all remember the last time this boy and his friends came here. There are people that wouldn’t be pleased.” reassured Nicholas, patting the air in a placating gesture.

“You really think there are many threats here capable of going up against me? Your help isn’t needed. Go back to checking if people’s entrance letters are genuine.” declared Kara somewhat arrogantly and aggressively, attempting to wave the man away.

In Marvin’s personal opinion it was odd how much Kara wanted the man gone. But then again he also didn’t understand Nicholas’s insistence on being there as well. Then again, based on Kara’s whole attitude, it most likely wasn’t Nicholas himself that she had the issue with, rather the ‘people that wouldn’t be pleased’.

Was that a subtle way of saying that James Mallory was the one that put him up to this? Or maybe another person the so-called Circle of Trust was against? There was virtually no chance of Eobard and Kara’s plans ending at the capture of Amdis.

“But alas, I shall leave you be.” smiled Nicholas. “But heed my words. You would do well to remember that I am not your enemy. We have common adversaries, and their eyes shine red. The powers that be want them gone. And they’ll step over anyone that interferes with that goal.” warned the mysterious man before disappearing through the crowd.

Marvin was quite possibly quite the worst person to hear those words. His mind always races to assume the worst in every possible scenario. Although he always tried to think about how to get out of those situations, he still got way too anxious.

It also didn’t help that he hated this whole situation. Sure, helping save Ava Mallory was the very reason he was standing on a city in the clouds that only Lord knows how normal people don’t see it, but this whole thing quickly devolved into secret keeping, being a part of conspiracies, and who knows what else.

Keeping secrets was one of the things he hated. Sure he had more than his fair share of them-not telling his grandmother about this whole thing, the Amdis situation, and much more-but he honestly hated every second of it.

“Keeping things to yourself isn’t good, you know. And, while not the easiest person to read, I've seen more than a few people have that look. Spill the beans Marvin.” stated Kara, nudging him lightly in order to follow her.

“It’s-it’s nothing.” he responded, although the urge to just unload all of the things he’d thought was too strong. Still, they were in a public area, and he doubted that telling her about his personal opinions was going to change much.

“It’s about Marly, isn’t it?”

“Wha-What. H-How did you-” sputtered Marvin. She said he wasn’t that easy to read, but maybe that was just a lie? Or maybe she was just that good?

“I just guessed.” laughed Kara. “I do know that you two are close however. I won’t stop you from telling her what you want. Neither will Eobard. Not much of a Circle of Trust if we don’t trust each other. Still, I personally think that’s a bad idea. Just try not to waste whatever your relationship is. Having people so close to you is rarer than you’d think.” she explained without turning to look at Marvin.

Although he noticed more than a little melancholy in her voice when mentioning any sort of closeness he and Marly may have had. While he also didn’t want to jeopardise their relationship, he also didn’t want to keep any secrets.

“What do you think I should do?” asked Marvin, although he instantly felt completely idiotic. Of course Kara would tell him to keep the secret. She, alongside Eobard, was the one who’d planned that whole thing in the first place.

He was surprised however, when his mentor didn’t respond at all. Marvin sighed. It looked like this was up to him entirely then. What exactly he’d do, well, he had at least the rest of this day to figure it out.

He just prayed that he’d make the right decision.

Soon enough, they reached what appeared to be an average sized warehouse. It looked very rundown and quite smaller than most warehouses he’d seen-granted that had mostly been when he was watching out a train or bus window.

On the inside it appeared to be entirely empty, with a few targets in the back, a mannequin in the middle and a small circle on the floor. The design within it was fairly simple, a heptagram with runes in all of its edges, barring the top one which had the alchemical symbol of the Earth.

“Magic is as much a blessing as it is a curse.” began Kara, looking at Marvin in the eye. “The most talented sorcerers can become nearly unbeatable human weapons, create true wonders like the Caelum Terra, and the teleporting pads that connect it. In time, you’ll see more of those wonders. But as a sorcerer you must also understand their cost. One that you have already felt.

“I’ve told you before to not let the universe break you. When the time comes, when you see it, remember my words. That-no matter how real it feels, even if it prays into your deepest fears, remember them.” explained Kara, and Marvin even thought he heard some fear in her voice.

A fear that he felt as clear as day. A fear that made him feel small and cold in the warehouse. It wasn’t so much what she’d said, but her voice, body language-closed off like she was trying to disappear, a sharp contrast to her usual confidence-that terrified him.

“It?” he asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

“It’s unique to every person. You’ll know when the time is right.” stated Kara. “As for today, I’ve got a list of spells I think you should get pretty good at. Alongside them I want you to be comfortable with using all elemental spells, as they are a good baseline for everything else.” she added like the conversation before never happened, while handing him a piece of paper.

Taking it, Marvin saw that there were four spells written on it: Toxon tou Apollona, Aspis tou Aiax, Multi and Ignis. Remembering the book he was reading the other day, specifically the spell Gleipnir.

“Can I ask for an addition to be made?”

“Sure.” nodded Kara.

“It’s a spell known as Gleipnir. I think it could be really useful.”

“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve probably forgotten about it. I think a demonstration might be in order. Can you do that?” questioned Kara, motioning to the mannequin. Marvin had the feeling that she did in fact remember it, but wanted to test him. Probably to see how far he’d gotten only through studying for a few days.

Wordlessly, he took a marker she threw at him. He used it to draw the spell circle for Gleipnir. That was the easy part. Within the circle were three interlocking triangles, forming the Vakl-Val-Valknut, symbolizing a god’s power to bind and unbind mortals, as well as words so hard he struggled to even think of them. A small heptagram on the left side and a two-link chain on the right completed it.

“Gleipnir.”

As soon as Marvin spoke it, his right prosthetic leg glowed, a golden colour matched by the circle he’d just drawn. For a moment he felt the imperfections around him. Reached out with his mind to where it was needed.

A second later, his scarred body was filled with the sensation of being burned. The scar on his face specifically was the one with the most damage that time.

He couldn’t hide it.

Everyone could see it.

Why could they see it? He only wanted to belong somewhere. Was that so damn-no, no, no, no-

NO.

It wasn’t real. Or maybe it was, maybe people did judge him because of his scar, but that wasn’t the point. Push back. In the heat of the moment. That was when he’d last used any spells, so he didn’t pay it much attention. If he couldn’t face this, then how would he face the larger spells Kara had repeatedly mentioned. How would he face whatever it was.

Three spots surrounding the mannequin glowed in a golden colour, chains formed out of-if Marvin was remembering correctly-air hardened beyond what could be considered possible wrapped around it, trapping the lifeless doll.

“That wasn’t enough.” huffed Marvin. “There were supposed to be at least six.”

“Don’t take it so hard. It was the first time you used the spell. I’m sure that in battle, and with practice, you’ll be too full of adrenaline to fail in such a spell. Not an issue.” reassured Kara, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“What about Multi and your spell?” questioned Marvin. He didn’t know how long he had, but it was three days until the Sunday morning of their departure from his hometown.

Which meant that during one of those days, he’d have to go through with the mission. How the hell was he supposed to master a spell in such a short amount of time?

“All you have to do is draw the circle and mutter Apocalypsi.” stated Kara, almost as if she was reading his mind. Granted, she had communicated telepathically with him before, so it wasn’t entirely unlikely. “When you do that it will trigger the spell that I have made. It’s a relatively new discovery, but it’s basically a way to remotely activate a spell. I have the actual thing drawn in another warehouse like this, a puzzle waiting to be completed. As for Multi, that's more of a support to your weapons. You're pretty good with them, so just a couple of practice rounds and you're golden. That’s not what makes your part so difficult.”

“What do you mean?”

Kara let out a sigh. “Marvin, I give it a minute before Amdis realises you’re in there with him. Which means for two minutes, you’ll have to face him. Alone.”

If he ever got to an age where he’d tell this story, he probably would skip the part about his whole body stiffening at the mention of that.

Amdis had nearly broken him through his machinations. Sure, he didn’t succeed, but if Marvin hadn’t told the others the truth chances were that he’d be out there alone, trying to find a way to beat him on his own, maybe he would have convinced himself that it was okay for him to die.

To die and leave grandma alone. Leave Annie to look for him.

He wouldn’t have seen Adam Trevon and Jacob’s kindness-he may have known two thirds of them for two days, but they were still among the first friends he’d made in a long time.

He wouldn’t have bonded with Marly, at least not to the point they had now.

Thinking about all those relationships was when it hit him. But as he felt tears run down his face, he realised why it all felt so wrong.

Because he was wrong. He was feeling jealous of their happiness. Jealous of their bonds that he was intruding on. His very presence nearly destroyed whatever relationship Adam CB and Marly had once. He hated that.

He also hated how weak he was. He’d frozen when they fought the minotaur, making the situation worse, he was unable to even compete against Marly. He’d barely make it out of a conversation with Amdis in one piece-only doing so because the vampire was toying with him.

All of those reasons and more, they were the reasons he didn’t deserve them. Any of them. When they’d realise all of that ugliness, he didn’t know.

But there he was, finally with more than one chance to truly do something right. He’d help Marly figure out if her back symbols meant anything. He’d go up against the being that indirectly made it all possible.

Amdis.

And he was terrified .

“Marvin? Are you okay?” questioned a worried Kara, squeezing his shoulder.

“No.” replied Marvin. “But I’ll do it. All of it.”

Please, he begged inwardly, please let this work.

“Alright then. It’s currently Wednesday. You’ll face Amdis on Saturday. Three days Marvin. Three days and the battle of Blood Mountain will begin.”

He pretended not to hear the sadness and fear in Kara’s voice.

Just like he pretended his arm wasn’t trembling.