~~~

The simultaneous disappearance of Mirabel, Viktor and Niji forced Dasnor to activate his aura sensitivity. Rebecca, still signing autographs in her sweaty clothes, reported that the mages had left the Blue Cat about an hour or maybe an eternity ago: it seemed to her that she had been entertaining her fans for ages. The brand manager wasn’t of any help as he had been mysteriously gone as well.

As expected, Dasnor’s head pulsed with strain. In a grayscale mode of his tracking spell he traced in his mind three colored paths that led him to Kaze Street, where it cut off at the place where…

He felt a sharp pain and switched back to his normal vision: he stumbled upon magic of a concentration so incredible that he was almost unable to remain sane. Dasnor couldn’t reconnect to the tracks, but he managed to spot a parked PRISM minivan nearby, which meant that the situation was far more worse than he’d expected.

He rushed to the dead end where the arcane traces ceased, helping himself with his magical wings, and arrived to see a portal opening right in the air. A scuffed up Viktor scrambled out of it with Mirabel clinging onto him. Hitomi followed them, devoid of her usual gloss, and the twins fell out of the portal on the sidewalk—Elia crying and laughing at the same time. Izumi came out afterwards, supporting a young and scared girl, unfamiliar to Dasnor. The last to appear was Shadow with the unconscious Elementalist in his arms.

“Oi!” Dasnor yelled, running towards the company. “What is this all about? What happened to Niji?”

“She is fine,” Shadow reassured him. “Unfortunately, Mirabel and I no longer have mana for full recovery. I'm afraid our little adventure was a bit too much for her.”

“Adventure, my ass!”

“Hey, easy there, Das,” Viktor patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, we’re still kicking. Let’s go back to the Cat, we’ve got some stories to tell. Indeed adventure of a lifetime, yes, Mira?”

“Umhmmhmh,” she murmured.

“Are you alright?” Dasnor asked the girl. “I’ve no idea what the hell is going on here, but you are not ready for such activities, you understand?”

“Umhmmhmh.” It seemed like she began to space out again.

While they were talking, Elio helped his sister to her feet, and PRISM members moved towards the main street. Dasnor turned around as Shadow was walking past him, still carrying the unconscious Niji. The indignation was burning in the Amber, and he gave it all he could to suppress the desire to punch the dandy Exorcist in his pretty face. Dasnor hadn’t experienced such strong emotions for a very long time—he didn’t quite grasp which ones exactly. It looked like Niji was out of danger, but Dasnor lost his composure due to boiling anger causing unbearable heat in his chest.

“Where are you taking her?” he asked the Celestial.

“Isn’t it obvious? To the van. We need to take her to the MedCorps.”

“It’s me who should decide where to take her.”

“As a PRISM official, I bear responsibility for the well-being of each magic user.”

“I give no shit about your responsibilities. She’s my subordinate. She’s staying with us.”

“Stubborn as ever, Dasnor?” Shadow stopped halfway. “You don’t know what we have gone through down there. She is exhausted. She needs to go to the hospital. We experienced negligent use of a powerful artifact, and the consequences might be unpredictable. It’s necessary to check if there is any hidden curse imposed on her.”

“Don’t make me use force.”

Dasnor’s gray eyes flashed with the dark orange glow, as if he had begun to cast a powerful spell. He understood that Niji should never end up in the Medical Corps: just a single blood test—and her secret would be revealed. But even if there hadn’t been a threat of exposure, he would never have left his squad members in the care of these black and white jerks.

Shadow infuriated him just by the mage’s mere existence. His sharp profile, his confident pose, his penetrating gaze. The resemblance of these two mages wasn’t obvious, but still noticeable —if anyone bothered to pay attention to it. But worst of all was Shadow’s Exorcist’s aura, still present all around him even in a passive state. Omnious to each of his arcane cells. The Celestial didn’t need any words or actions to transmit his greatness, shaped by the centuries of his legacy, and that riled Dasnor up even further.

Instead of showing off his typical snobbery, Shadow sighed in distress. “You want to fight? Well, can’t say I’m surprised. But I’m not going to give up my intention to have Niji checked by professional doctors, so…”

“Let them go, Shadow-san.”

Dasnor couldn’t hide his confusion when Izumi laid his hand on the back of his colleague in a very paternal way. The Amber unclenched his fists and stared at the investigator, whose face didn’t express anything definite.

Shadow was puzzled nonetheless. “Sensei, but I am a chartered healer, and I’m sure that she needs—”

“And I am, as a kind reminder, the deputy commander.” Izumi’s voice sounded soft enough, but quite peremptory at the same time. “Let them have Murasaki, please. We do not need to initiate unnecessary conflicts. I am positive that Master Omnious will provide his expert assistance to her.”

Shadow couldn’t find the right words to express his sheer indignation. He obeyed and carefully put the girl into the hands of a man who, by the will of whimsical fate, had been his implacable enemy for many years.

“Hate me as much as you want… brother,” the healer whispered so that he wouldn’t be heard by Izumi, who had set off to the minivan. “But please… just don't hurt her.”

That is what I fear the most, Dasnor thought, with a dull pain stinging his heart.