Zaphaniea listlessly crawled down from her pillar and collapsed to the ground as her two giant spheres dissipated. "Take me to the teleportation stone," she whispered.

"You're not going anywhere for a while," Olivia said as she knelt beside her. Several other healers, including Gerhard, Katarina, and Cretan, kneeled around her, checking her over for injuries, and administering healing potions intravenously.

Zaphaniea tried to push herself up on one arm, but her limbs refused to move. "No...," she said, pulling away from the healers. " ... you don't understand."

"I understand that you just had two thousand people's energy fed through your body. You are not going anywhere." Olivia's tone brooked no argument.

"No, the stone...," she swallowed, trying to shove down the pain and exhaustion. "The stone works as an anchor point. It's like the absolute coordinates to this area. It's what lets him scry this place. If he looks and sees that we're not destroyed, he'll be here in a few minutes. And this time, he won't send a hologram."

A horrified shudder ran through the crowd. Alf shot to his feet, scooped her up, and shouted, "Rex, take us to the teleportation stone!"

***

Rex arrived at the crest of the crater then collapsed to his knees and rolled to his back. "We're here," he breathed, utterly exhausted. Alf hid a smile as he looked at him; the poor guy's legs had to feel like pudding.

Zaphaniea tapped his arm. "I need to be right next to it."

He nodded, jumped over the lip leading into the crater, slid down the side, and made his way to the giant gray slab laying crookedly near the center of the oddly-shaped hollow.

As he trotted up to the teleportation stone, his body shuddered, and the memory of Vackzilian standing right where he now stood stopped him in his tracks. It might be his imagination, but he swore he could feel the usurper's immense evil power still lingering in the area.

Olivia, who had followed him down into the basin via Travers Wake, stepped up beside him and wearily laid her head on his shoulder.

For a brief moment, as her eyes met his, Alf's worries faded into the background, and the anxieties of the day drained away. He smiled tenderly at her; they had been through a lot within the last few hours. In spite of it all, though, they were both still alive, and even though neither of them said anything, he could feel the barriers between them crumbling away.

Zaphaniea elbowed him, drawing him back to the present, and Alf gently laid the champion down on the teleportation stone.

"About... time," she teased looking at both of them with a sly look in her eyes.

Alf's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but the slight slur in the champion's voice drew most of his attention. He couldn't help but frown in concern as she raised her trembling hands and started charging a spell.

Olivia leaned close to him and whispered, "She'll be okay. They gave her a pretty potent herbal cocktail before we left."

"Good," Alf answered as Olivia pulled away and asked, "Can you explain what you're doing?"

Zaphaniea nodded as she struggled to concentrate, and Olivia's eyes lit up with keen interest as the champion started her explanation.

Alf chuckled. Olivia's curiosity knew no bounds. There was no magic spell, no item, and no technology safe from her inquisitive mind. She was once caught as a child by Harold trying to break into the family's vault so she could examine and dissect the magical artifacts sealed inside.

"My magic... works almost like a mirror," Zaphaniea began. "With it, I can make the frequencies coming through this stone... go anywhere I want." She pulled in a shuddering breath and her voice gained strength as her face regained color. The potions must be kicking in, Alf thought. "I'm redirecting this one," she said twirling her fingers in an odd dance, "to the crater the meteor just created so anyone coming through will appear there. Since the anchor to the absolute coordinates will be changed, the same goes for any scrying or messaging."

Alf frowned. "But if that meteor had hit here, wouldn't the teleportation stone have been destroyed?"

"Nah, these things are nigh indestructible."

Drake, who had quietly followed along, knelt down and touched the dull gray stone. "I have never heard of one being destroyed, but I had assumed that was because no one has ever tried. In fact, I had discussed with Alf and the others about having the ones throughout this Empire destroyed."

"Yeah, that wouldn't have worked," Zaphaniea said swishing her hand. Then her face twisted in concentration as she maneuvered some invisible object into place. The magic within the stone briefly flared to life and dimmed again. "All done," the champion proclaimed and rolled onto her back and laid out flat on the stone "We're all good now."

Alf wasn't entirely convinced. He glanced towards the sky then back at the stone. "How do we know Vackzilian didn't scry this place before you were done?"

Drake stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands. "He couldn't have. A spell like his meteor causes a tremendous amount of magical distortion. Such distortion renders scrying and other related spells inoperable. In all actuality, that is likely why his hologram dispersed like it did earlier. Otherwise, he probably would have stayed and watched to the very end."

"Okay, but how do we know what Zaphaniea did works?"

"You don't," the champion teased. She smiled blithely up at him and said, "But I do."

Rex sauntered up to the stone. "We good?"

"Yes, Zaphaniea just finished," Olivia answered him. "How do your legs feel?"

"Like two earth users rolled them over with a steam press as they repaved the city."

"Ha, I bet," Alf laughed, his worries forgotten. "I'll tell you what, if you carry Zaphaniea, I'll walk us back," he said as he tapped the Stone of Kay on his sword hilt.

"Deal."

As Rex picked up Zaphaniea, Alf's eyes fell on the decapitated blood oath. A mixture of terror, joy, and revulsion pressed its way into his throat. He had killed the dark mage in one clean slice, and... he swallowed, his blood wasn't the first he had spilt today. The faces of the inmates of Victiles loomed in his mind as his fireball careened down towards them. Guilt threatened to overwhelm him, but he pushed it away; his actions had saved the lives of thousands, if not tens of thousands. As he stared at the dead, deformed creature that was once Dy'Ixion, he embraced the swirl of emotions flooding over him, and like a hammer smashing against an anvil, he realized with shocking clarity... they had won.

No one else was going to die.

With a heavy sigh of relief, he said, "It's still hard to believe we actually fought and beat a blood oath."

Rex's eyes followed his. "Yeah. That guy was insane." He shifted Zaphaniea's weight and grunted. "You know grand champion, I think it's time you lay off those sticky buns."

"Oomph!" Rex gasped as Zaphaniea elbowed him hard in the chest.

"Make a comment about my weight again, and you're going to be the one coughing up your sticky buns."

"Man, I thought you were at death's door. Where did you get all this energy?"

"Ha, it'll take a lot more than just your mockery to do me in."

"It's because Katarina caused Zaphaniea's body to produce extra adrenaline," Olivia said, "and Gerhard gave her a large dose of pain suppression herbs. They had planned on directing it to the parts of her system that needed it, but now, without their guidance, it's reached her cerebral cortex. The effect will eventually wear off and she'll fall sleep."

Alf started his way up the side of the crater. "Well then, we should get her back to a bed."

***

As they made their way back towards the arena, Alf drudged along, kicking up ash. Olivia could tell he was tired. And well he should be, she thought. His clothing clung to him, caked in dirt and sweat; dozens of pale pink lashes peppered his arms and face, showing where he had been healed of multiple cuts and lacerations, and his left hand sported angry red burn marks. If he had still been her frail Alfonso, the sight of his wounds would've ripped her heart out. But he was no longer her Alfonso; he was Alf, the warrior that had helped save the entire city. A small pain in her chest twanged, and her eyes turned away, settling on the ash drifting in the wind.

The swirling particles floated off into the darkness of night. Clouds from the meteor's explosion filled the heavens, blotting out the moon and the stars. Darkness should've covered them like a thick blanket, but the small, bedraggled party was bathed in a soft cloud of light. In confusion, Olivia glanced around; there was no source to the mysterious glow.

Focusing her eyes into Ra'avah, she looked once again. Small strand of ambient frequencies agitated the argon in the air, causing it to give off the gentle glow. She followed the frequencies back to their origin. It was Drake. To her surprise, the small boy had crafted an elaborate light spell.

For the first time since Alf had punched him, she let herself look at the young prince. She wasn't sure how she felt about the forty-year-old child. He was an enigma. On the surface, he seemed like someone who was always trying to do his best for his people, but underneath his calm demeanor, there was a dark part of him that scared her. If he decided to pursue her in earnest, she wasn't certain how she should react. During her days at the Brockovich hospital, she had caught the eye of many a nobleman on a daily basis. A smile fluttered across her face as she remembered how she had dealt with Hueferd, High Lord Ducard Leinad's son. She heard he still had nightmares about her. But would Drake be as easily dealt with?

The would-be Emperor sensed her stare and turned to face her. She quickly looked away and focused on the two objects Zaphaniea had left behind hovering over top of the teleportation stone; they were far more interesting, anyway. "Zaphaniea, do you mind telling us exactly how your spell works? Those pink spheres you create are fascinating. I would love to know how they function."

"You can see my balls?" Zaphaniea squeaked.

"Ha," Rex exclaimed. "I knew you were controlling invisible objects. So much for your so-called telekinesis."

Zaphaniea elbowed him roughly in the gut. "Be quiet you."

Rex hunched over and mumbled under his breath."I should just drop you and let the crows pick over your bones."

"Don't," Olivia said. "If she falls, she could be seriously injured. And to answer your question, yes, with holy Ra'avah, I can."

"Well, you're the first. No one else has ever seen them."

"Hmm, most interesting," Olivia rubbed her chin, unconsciously mimicking Harold's speculative expression. I guess holy magic doesn't just improve my ability to see the flow of magic, but also lets me see a whole new array of spectrums, as well. Wait a moment! She narrowed her eyes at the grand champion. She didn't answer my question. "So will you tell me about your spells?"

Zaphaniea squirmed in Rex's arms, uncomfortable under Olivia's fierce scrutiny.

"From what I could tell," Drake said, "the spheres seem to be intercepting the frequencies that are sending information to and from the teleportation stone and reflecting them. Much like a set of mirrors."

"You can see them as well?" Zaphaniea gasped in dismay.

"I can see far more than most perceive." He glanced meaningfully at Olivia.

Alf laughed in amusement. "You might as well give her the details. Believe me, she'll heckle you till you do."

"If you guys can see the floating balls, there's not much more to tell. Honestly, I haven't a clue on how the science works. I'm not into that type of stuff."

"Okay, I understand that, but can you at least tell me a little bit?" Olivia pleaded. She loved technology, the allure of lost magic, the endless possibilities, and most of all, the thrill of discovery.

The grand champion crossed her arms and sank deeper into Rex's arms. "Fine, can't keep a secret around you two, can I." She blew her hair out her face and said, "My magic creates floating spheres that are supposed to be invisible. Once they are created, I control them using bodily motions. With a thought, I can turn them as soft and moldable as pudding or as hard and solid as metal."

Drake opened his mouth.

"And to spare you all the questions," she smirked at him, "I'll tell you exactly how I redirect spells. For spells consisting of solid matter, or compact frequencies, I soften two balls then catch the spell in between them and throw it in the direction I want, sort of like playing volleyball."

"Volleyball?" Alf asked. His slow, steady walk had finally brought them to the steep sloping wall of the crater. With hesitant steps, he climbed up the concave embankment.

"Don't ask," Rex said as he shifted to one leg and flexed the other. "She showed me a scrying before. It's a boring game where non-magic users bounce a stupid ball back and forth over a net."

"It is not boring!" Zaphaniea glared at his masked face. "It's physically stimulating."

Rex shrugged, jostling her.

A war was brewing between the two, and if that happened, Olivia would never get her answers. Before Zaphaniea knocked his mask clean off, she said. "How does it work for the teleportation stone? From the looks of it, all you did was hover a few balls over it."

Zaphaniea settled for another harsh jab with her elbow to Rex's gut then turned her attention back to Olivia as the poor vice champion recoiled in pain. "That's exactly what I did. For beam type spells, like holy beams or the spell the teleportation stones use, it's as simple as turning one ball solid and putting it in the right location, then letting the spell bounce off it in the direction I want. Of course, if I tried to use this method on normal spells they would explode when they hit the solid ball."

"Interesting," Drake said. His face lit with curiosity, and a boyish gleam appeared in his eyes. "However, neither of the methods you mentioned would work on lightning. How did you accomplish such a feat in the arena?"

"If you would hold your horses, I would tell you," she scolded with an impish grin.

The prince stiffened and fell into a petulant silence.

That was the third or fourth time Zaphaniea had been openly cheeky towards Drake, Olivia noted. It was like she reveled in undermining his authority; or maybe it was his overreaction she liked seeing. If that was true, Olivia admitted there was some allure to it. Up until this point, the prince's facial expressions had been monotone at best. Even most adults who didn't know who he was, treated him with respect. He just had that type of no nonsense aurora about him, but Zaphaniea had managed to crack the stoic facade twice already. It would be interesting to see how their relationship progressed in the future, Olivia thought with a sparkle in her eye. Maybe she had nothing to worry about after all.

At last, they came to the crest of the crater. Before them, the melted lip of the basin formed a shier precipice rising dozens of feet into the air. Alf quickened his step and jumped, but instead of soaring over the cliff face, he collided hard with the porous wall, and slid back down in a cloud of ash.

Olivia winced and rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"

Alf clambered shakily back to his feet. "Yeah. It seems Rex's legs aren't the only ones ready to give out."

"Here, let me," she leaned forward, and with small deft movements, cut grooves into the ledge with a holy beam.

He smiled gratefully, "Thank you."

Olivia felt her cheeks flush. Turning quickly to hide her embarrassment, she motioned for Zaphaniea to continue. The grand champion nodded and the group steadily rose in the air as Alf used the new footholds to climb.

"For lightning, I use two spheres," Zaphaniea mimicked the motion of forming a sphere with her hands. "I charge both of them with a little bit of my own lightning magic, which causes them to work like a lightning rod. All I have to do is place the first sphere where the lightning was intended to strike, and the second sphere by the new target."

"Ah, I see," Drake said, "the first one intercepts, and the second one attracts it as the leading electrical charge. And according to the natural flow of electricity, from there it will discharge into the most conductive target."

"Yup, as for bigger spells, like the meteor, I use two balls and spin them in the direction I want the spell to go." She twirled her fingers in example. "Once the spell collides," she clapped her hands together, "the spell's inertia causes it to roll off the spinning spheres, and sends it in the new direction. Sort of like what happens when an arrow or an ice spike hits a rounded shield at the wrong angle and bounces off."

Olivia pictured the scenario in her mind. Now it made sense when she saw the two giant pink spheres mashed up against the meteor. It was obvious why the meteor had stopped and was being pushed farther away from the city, however, not so much so when it flew off into the forest, seemingly of its own accord. "That's fascinating. I was wondering how you turned the meteor."

Drake flipped up his eye patch and rubbed at his dragon eye. "May I ask how you discovered such a technique?"

Zaphaniea stiffened and hesitantly answered, "I ah... just kind of did."

Okay, that was an obvious lie, Olivia thought as she watched Alf pull himself over the last of the crest.

As the party floated over the curved cliff, her breath caught at the sight of the devastation laid out before them. For the first time, she realized the havoc their battle had wrought. All around them, buildings laid in shattered pieces, scorch marks scarring their broken husks; wood, trash, and rubble littered the walkways and roads, and what little remained of the greenery had been violently uprooted and left to die in the apocalyptic scenery. Off to their left, water trickled out of a destroyed aqueduct like a fountain. Produce, mixed with random trash, flowed down the resulting stream and emptied into an icky black pond.

It was truly a scene of devastation.

"What a mess," she gasped as the smell of sulfur and fire filled her nostrils.

Alf stood up and dusted off his hands. "Looking at it now, I can definitely say it's a miracle we all survived."

"You can say that again. This will take months to clean up," Rex said. As if to punctuate his words, a tall mangled structure, composed of steel and glass, tumbled toward the ground with a piercing wail. As the building crashed in the distance, the sound of shattering glass and broken beams ricocheted in the barren streets.

"Indeed, but we do not have time to contemplate it. We should return to Mr. Havanger posthaste. It is imperative we discuss our next move with him." Drake's words sounded more stilted than normal. An edge of pain laced his voice, and he looked off anxiously towards the arena.

Olivia nibbled her bottom lip in concern. The enthusiasm the boy had shown minutes ago had drained away, leaving him pale and exhausted. Dark bags hung under his eyes; his slender shoulders sagged, and he cradled his left arm gingerly.

Zaphaniea wasn't the only one that needed rest.