Pyro’s stew spoon fell out his hand and the beautiful bronze concoction toppled to the ground. Dawn froze up, then released a nervous giggle, “You’re, kidding, right?” she asked.

“I’m serious. He met an old friend and chose to stay with that person,” I informed them, slipping in a slight shrug at the end. Pyro stood up and yanked my shirt, holding me off my feet. Either he had a sudden influx of strength or I’d underestimated his physical prowess all this time. In some deep tones, he glared right at me and asked simply, “Is this the truth?”

“It is the truth.”

“Is this person called Kira?” he asked, his voice even more hushed to deter Dawn’s vigilant ear from picking up. I nodded, surprised that he’d know her name. He sighed, said sorry, and silently continued his breakfast.

Dawn encumbered him in questions, but he would not tell her, saying it’s not his place. It didn’t feel right leaving her out the loop like that, but I had to adopt to a similar mindset. Needless to say, she was easily annoyed by our silence on the matter.

I’d have thought their training would suffer from Volt’s impetuous choice, but they progressed as normal. In the midst of the third month, Phoenix and Hydra’s hellish training bore fruit. Dawn and Pyro could maintain their wyrms and cast spells as they usually could without disrupting the connection to the spirits. To complement their achievements, they were taught a spell each. For Pyro, his coveted Phoenix Wave was finally in his arsenal of spells. A much more tamed spell, Water Prison, was taught to Dawn by Hydra herself. This was the same spell, in nature, that Hydra used to encase Dawn’s father in order to heal him.

The occasional apparition, failed magical experiment, or beasts of the desert would suffice to feed their cooperation with their wyrms. By nature, wyrms were much speedier than elementals, but their calm and laidback inclination usually burrows this feature into a rarely seen spectacle. They would rest around their master’s neck, coiling around like a snake.

Their training was a success. Despite my distaste in their accompanying me on this trip, they showed a speed in learning new magics I hadn’t seen them display before. Pyro survived Phoenix somehow, and Hydra was unexpectedly strict with Dawn.

Divergence was mastered without too much difficulty. Division was closer than ever. Things were looking up. We gathered our gear and set out to Aquan again, finally arriving at noon some days later. Pyro insisted he’d break the news to Volt’s fiancé, so I let him. She’d have known him a lot better than she did me anyway. Dawn and I went our separate ways, eager to get to bed.

In what just felt like a couple minutes, I woke up from my slumber. The cause? A stupidly loud banging that jumped me out of myself. Off to the corner of my room was a figure holding onto a pan and spoon. I grumbled, “August…” losing my strength and falling back onto the bed. The thick-skinned blacksmith sauntered over and dropped himself onto my bed. “Haven’t seen you in years,” he ruffled my already dishevelled bed hair, “you eloped or somethin’?”

What a friggin’ pain!

“Don’t be lazy. You slept half the day.” Donna pointed out my indolence. The nerve of this woman…

After a couple minutes of incessant talking, I finally decided to get out and have some pints with the lonely blacksmith at midnight. Deep into my second glass, I already began to feel its influence taxing my brain.

“How’s the Order treatin’ you?”

“I dunno,” I answered, “I ranked up, but I got suspended.”

August tilted his head in question, “Your stupidity amazes me. How did you manage to pull that off?”

“The same way I managed to leave a student in Inferno Desert.”

August spat a bit of his beer out, unable to hold in his laughter. “Are you glutton for punishment?!” He slammed his mug on the wooden table, his inhibitions loosening with every gulp. I sighed and leaned back on the wall behind me, having seconds thoughts about leaving Volt behind. It did worry me, but the calm way Pyro went about it made me feel my decision was the right one.

“How’s Shyla doin’?” I changed the subject.

“Don’t even get me started, man. I shun the day I complain as much as she does. Forget me anyway. Any progress with Dawn?”

“Of course. She mastered summoning her wyrm.”

August went deathly silent, looking me dead in the eyes. He stood up, slammed some money on the table and left. I had no idea what was going on.

“It bothers me that you’re confused right now.” Donna commented.

Well, I’m clearly missing something. Maybe if you bastards were a bit more straightforw–Oh, that’s what he meant. Our relationship. It hadn’t progressed a bit, and it really bothered me.

Well, whatever. I figured since we were back home, we'd have plenty time to do whatever we wanted.

In the next coming weeks, Pyro and Dawn became stupendously popular. Both the Order and non-mages were impressed with their wyrms and the multitude of requests they handled, so much so that they ranked up to Member in the Order. This created a backlash for me, as there were dozens of Mages applying to the classes that Dawn and Pyro took, my classes. This just meant less time to myself, and more faces to remember. It was so tiring!

“Morning, guys,” I greeted my class lazily, yawning my very life out. There were around forty mages in the class now. This place was becoming more of a streamlined and controlled school than an experimental magic order, and everyone seemed fine with that. The discovery of magic was nearly always experimental or pure happenstance. Only in the perfection of a spell would one start worrying about control and safety, and even then, it would still be highly experimental. Well, that was only in the case of discovering spells by yourself, without a mentor or teacher. Maybe I was overthinking it. I continued my class, having to divide up my attention much more, the students were forced to be more autonomous.

They were all way behind Dawn, Volt, and Pyro, but I didn’t want to slow the pace on my first three students just yet.

“Is it just me, or are you actually becoming more responsible?” Donna instigated my malevolence.

Do I have a choice?

“Sure, you do. If this was the old you, you’d just walk away and go practise somewhere.”

I guess she was right. I had a lot less time for myself, for Division. Maybe I should get suspended again…

“Yeah, no,” she disagreed right off the bat.

Another day slithered on by and welcomed the wintry embrace of the night. My parents were already fast asleep, whilst I stayed awake, reading any articles, books, or even rumours about Division. The slight drizzle outside dulled the knocking on the door, I took a while before even hearing it. Finally, I stood up and wobbled over, my legs ready to fall asleep.

When I opened the door, not a soul was there, but a drenched package wrapped in brown paper was. I felt around the edges to try figuring out what it was before opening it. I’d hoped it wasn’t just another letter from the Order. They poured in after the popularity of Dawn and Pyro, so much so that I just shoved them aside after a while. But this one was different. I could feel Donna twitching, almost salivating to find out what might be wrapped inside.

Alright, alright, hold on a mi–

My thoughts crashed for a second when I ripped the wrapped paper off and saw the white edge of a book.

“Maybe, it’s…”

No way, what are the chances?

I finished unwrapping it, and just as Donna predicted, it was another codex. Just how many of these were there? How did these things even work? What was their purpose? Luckily, there was a note attached, but its contents were as ambiguous as the codices I collected thus far.

‘The master calls,’ it read, in a beautiful script.

“Eric Archibald,” Donna called my full name, a rather rare happening, “you are a stupidly lucky guy.”

I think you mean skilled, or sexy. Either works, but both is better.

“Can you stay serious for one second? Sometimes I honestly wonder how I survived you.”

Well, that’s because you love me. Anyway, judging by how you reacted…

“Yes, yes, this codex is connected to the witch, and this is an invitation to become her student, I think.”

“You’re kidding!” I said aloud and turned around to walk inside. If we talk to her we can learn what happened to you–

Suddenly, my entire surroundings changed, I was transported somewhere. “Alright, what the hell?!” I yelled, looking around the green plains in the moonlit night. There was a small stream of water running through a little river, no wider than a couple metres. So, uh, you know where we are?

Donna shrugged. “I don’t know where, but I know the position you’re in.”

The minute I started pondering about what she meant, “So, you’re Eric Archibald,” a voice swept into my ear. A woman was stargazing on a boulder next to me. Her back was turned so I couldn’t see her face properly.

“Perhaps,” I answered a little suspicious of her. She chuckled and pat the boulder she was on, “Come, watch the stars with me. Let’s chat.”

I shrugged and figured I might as well get some information about my location from her. Donna was giving some strange signals to me as I got closer, I couldn’t decipher them at all. I finally sat next to the woman, but she never once looked at me, only stared on at the stars. “Magic is an amazing thing, isn’t it?”

“Damn right. So, you wanna tell me where on earth I am and how I got here?”

“Well, I summoned you through a portal. As for where you are,” she put a finger to her chin, “well, you’re at that point where you’ve nearly realised what you want from magic. Well, I’d say you already know, but you’ll just naively deny it, won’t you? Cookies?” she offered her basket as if what she just said was of less importance.

“A-are you on drugs?” I asked bluntly, but politely. For someone who only just met me she sure talked as if she’s known me. That’s when she turned to face me and smiled. I couldn’t believe my eyes; I couldn’t believe her eyes! They were slit, like the eyes of a serpent. It was so startling, but there was another very glaring detail that I took a minute to realise. A crescent moon under her left eye. My heart thumped, then calmed down, then screamed. A flurry of emotions waved through, but with my stillness and silence, I eventually regained my composure.

“You’re, the witch…” I commented.

“Well, that’s what people call me, yeah. But I just prefer my name, Emily.”

We looked on to each other, not breaking sight. “Witch my ass. What is this, some illusion magic to make your eyes look different? Make up that you used to draw on that birthmark?” I accused her. What utter nonsense! To top it all off, Donna hadn’t said a word to me. Even if the witch did exist, this one was obviously a fake. Despite my accusations, she laughed at me, her wild and wavy hair shaking as the winds graced it.

“Looks like you found someone even more outrageous than yourself, Donna,” she tittered, and with a wave of her fingers, Donna came out of me, literally! I could see her translucent figure as the ghost I first saw when I opened the codex she was in! I jumped up to my feet and backed off quickly with Levitate, casting Arc Lightning at the strange person to keep her in place, but a white barrier of magic warded off my spell as I floated down off the boulder.

“No! Eric, stop! It’s her, it’s really her! She’s my master.” The ghostly image of Donna slumped down. My mind was ripping itself apart right now. Donna?! Donna! Are you there? I asked over and over but there was no answer. It was like a cold empty spot in my mind appeared. This was the first time in history I was actually frightened, trembling.

“It’s good to see you again, Donna,” the witch stated, “you have a fine apprentice, but I guess apprentice sounds a bit too novice. I should say a partner now. You two are quite the comedy duo.”

I squinted my eyes, almost to stop the tears. Donna being out of me felt so ungodly strange, I didn’t like it, nor did I know I’d feel that way about it. “Donna, is that, really you?”

“You idiot. Yeah, it’s me. I can’t believe…”

“That I chose to meet with him?” the witch finished her sentence. “Yes, his mind strayed from himself and showed concern for you, Donna. To put it simply, you sought immortality, but died before achieving it. Now, he seeks a way to resurrect you, but doesn’t think it’s possible without mastering Division, as you call it. This selflessness makes me want to help him, but the issue is you, Donna. I have my doubts about the reckless things you’d try to achieve if you’re given a second life, a second chance.”

Just then, something I never thought I’d think came to mind. I don’t want it. Those simple thoughts. But I didn’t know just how far one had to go to achieve the ability of resurrection, not even Donna knew it so she couldn’t exactly help me, only this witch could. “Donna, you in a rush to be revived?”

She tilted her head and shrugged, “Nah, not really.”

“Then,” I turned my focus to the witch, “I don’t want your help with magic. All I want is that you put Donna back inside me and tell me where we are so I can go home!” There was an ominous feeling about this situation I couldn’t wrap my head around, about her, this Emily. The witch looked at Donna, to which Donna looked back to her with a face of approval. With a swerve of the hand, that empty void was filled again. Donna returned to me.

Suddenly, a strange but gentle magical force pushed me forward, into distorted space and I ended up right next to the witch again. This distorted space once again appeared in front of us. She gestured me through it with a slight point of her chin. “It’s okay, you can trust her,” Donna comforted. There was one thing I did know in the back of my mind. I was immensely, excessively, hilariously outgunned. When I walked through, I was suddenly back in my house.

Donna, I got a shit load of questions, but I’m too tired to ask them all so I’ll just ask one. How strong do you think she is?

“Hah,” Donna started, and burst out in an obnoxious guffaw, jumping me a little, “boy, in every sense of the word, Emily Crescent is the strongest being of this world. No, not the strongest mage, not the strongest woman, not the strongest human, but the strongest being. She’s practically a god. Can’t believe you passed up the chance to get help, though. That surprised me. Well, you’re an idiot so I’m not that surprised.”