It was night time with a full moon out—even though it shouldn't be a full moon or nighttime—I could tell it was full just by how bright it's white light was.

I looked around at the sky till I found its location—an ominous outline of a figure stood as a silhouette in the middle of a pink shaded moon, then vanished.

I shivered.

I looked at Morgana, he was staring at something in the distance. I followed his gaze—

There was a man in a crimson robe, with trims of black, and large white cross on the front that flowed down to his knees. He was holding what looked like a scepter, or something like—the silver of it seemed to shimmer in the moonlight.

He had light green hair and was cleanly shaven with chiseled features to match, but all in stark contrast to his amber eyes that were glowing like an owls.

There was no doubt in my head that he was the Hierophant.

"Tayler, this is a trap," Morgana said. "We've been had..."

"Now, now—let's talk this out. I'm sure we can come to a resolution…" I tried to meditate, remaining calm.

"What would you speak of? Me and this man—we're mortal enemies, we were before we were even born. His people are a front to humanity."

"You have this chance to start over, though… we can change history right now, we can change your futures! He's the crown prince, think this through!"

"All the more reason—he has committed the most atrocities, him and his family!"

The Hierophant pointed his scepters top end at me—

I was tackled to the ground.

"Follow my lead!" He got up in a runners start, running in a serpentine maneuver—zigzagging back and forth.

I rolled over and did the exact same, running to the edge of the roof with him—another arrow shot past!

"!"

Those two arrows swung back around, they were glowing like fluorescent lights—

They're homing arrows!

They were going to connect with Morgana! He wouldn't make it in time to the ledge, there was nowhere to run!

He was increasing in speed, somehow!

He came to a complete stop trying to lay suddenly flat like a person running to home base—but took two arrows in the chest!

Then Morgana limped, coughing, the short distance left to the ledge.

Turning backwards, he screamed, "Jump!" And fell backwards off.

If my eyes could get anymore wide, they would, but they couldn't.

With my running start, I lept off the edge.

The world around me changed as I seemed to cross a void—I know no such other word for it than that.

It shifted from night to day, back to night—as I fell the three stories—as I returned to Earth.

I passed out before I could hit the ground.

I passed out because I saw my death coming.

- - - -

I woke up to the sound of wet coughing.

With great difficulty, I forced myself up on my hands and knees, tears welling up in my eyes from the pain.

I surely had some broken ribs, at the least, but right now everything felt broken...

"Tayler…" I heard.

My face turned as quickly as I could to the weak sound. Morgana was bloody on his back, laying on the green grass illuminated ever so faintly in silver moonlight…

I took out my phone from my pocket and rolled onto my back—going to the phone app. Contacts—Jade.

"WHERE ARE YOU!"

It hadn't even rung.

"Jade—at the back of the school—come quick," I wheezed out. "Me and Morgana are badly hurt—Morgana more so than me."

He coughed that wet cough again as if to affirm he wasn't okay.

"Oh god! I knew it, stay right there!"

"What time is it?"

"It's 2:40!"

"I need you to stay calm—we can get in a lot of trouble over this… if we're caught. Don't, speed here. I'm gonna carry him—to the side of the road—then we're going to that Magician."

Morgana—such a tough guy, enough to make Earnest Henmingway seem like a sissy—got to his feet and started limping to the road, clutching his chest.

With an example like that I couldn't complain, absolutely no room for it.

I got to my feet and limped with him.

We really had been bamboozled.

"Stay on the phone with me," Jade said in a pleading voice.

"I won't… hang up. Your voice—it's the only thing keeping me conscious."

"What happened?"

"Hierophant, attacked. We fell in his trap—Morgana was shot with two... fucking arrows," I spit on the ground.

"Eek! What about you, Tayler!"

"I just fell off—the third story. No worries."

"Oh my god…"

I heard her engine rev in the background.

"Take off your shirt, fold it, and press it against Morgana's chest."

Her engine was working overtime right now.

We'd made it to the curb, the backside of the mansion turned academy.

I stripped off my shirt and did as I was told. I looked at Morgana's face in the moonlight as I pressed his chest… everything considered, he didn't look too bad.

There was a lull as Jade floored it here, nobody wait anything at the time and I thought I could hear cicadas in the background, chirping loudly.

"Wait… how long has it been? It was noon when—we went in."

"You've been missing all day, your phone had no signal."

I wonder why I saw it turn from night to day to night…

I heard Jade hangup and the sound of a car drifting around the nearest corner.

Ssskkkrrt.

Jade ran out from her Datsun, trying to help us in even though we both silently refused it, climbing in the small pickup.

She put her foot on it, pedal to the metal.