Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The wind has always been by my side. Constantly whispering in my ear and dancing around my feet. It knows me better than I even know myself. And worse, it has a dark, suffocating hold on me that it refuses to let go. 

Tonight, the breeze stirred restlessly under the stars. I sat with my knees to my chest and arms wrapped around my legs. Dirt and mud clung to my once beautiful dress. My noble status stripped from me and left me worse off than a commoner. I had no home now, no where to go. Even after a week of being kicked out, I still had yet to find somewhere to go. 

I leaned my head back against the tree and stared up at the night sky. An owls call ricochet off bark and caused a chill to run up my spine. The air was bitter cold as winter approached the Clover Kingdom. 

There was no telling what time it was, but it was late enough that no one should have been out wandering the forest. The sound of fallen leaves crunching beneath shoes cut through the forest ambiance.

My heart skipped a beat and I rose from where I sat. Careful to make as little noise as possible. It didn’t stop the two men who rounded the corner from noticing me. They stopped in their tracks at the same beat I did. Almost startled to have stumbled upon a woman out here alone in the forest. It would have startled anyone. Just by their presence, it was obvious they were strong magic users, noble class at the very least. As they found their bearings, the one on the left gave me a sinister grin. 

“Well, well. What’s a pretty thing like you doing out in the wild like this?” he spoke mockingly with a predatorial undertone.

My chest tightened, causing the wind to react to my fear. The breeze picked up and shook the trees with a strong gust. The leaves that had yet to fall rustled ominously. 

“Hey, check it out Alven. She’s a commoner,” the guy on the right laughed as he pointed out my appearance. If I had seen myself in this state, I would have assumed I was a commoner as well.

Alven shook his head slowly, “Nah. Not with mana like that. She’s noble.”

“Or was.” another cackle.

I pressed my back against the tree. My legs wobbled where I stood. People always talked about the body's natural response to danger. Some fight bravely until they win or are struck down. Others are cowards and flee with hope of escaping. 

No one talks about the fear that paralyzes you in place.

Alven took a step towards me, his grimoire lighting up with a hum of his mana. It flipped through its own contents before settling on a page. He tilted his head down and peered at me across his nose. 

“Let’s have some fun with her Lashtier.” 

His spell casting was fast. Roots from the trees around us shot from the ground at my feet. They snapped around my ankles and wrists. A startled scream escaped me. 

“No! Please!” my voice cracked as I was dragged down to my knees.

“Don’t hurt her too badly. We want to be able to show her a good time, don't we?” Lashtier was just as cruel. My eyes widened as his grimoire floated up as well, “One man’s trash is another's toy.”

The world went silent around me. I didn’t hear the blades or water. I only felt them as they cut my skin and tore through my clothes. Both men descended upon me. 

My gaze went back to the sky and tree limbs above. Cold hands touched my body as the wind shook the trees in a rage. 

I was helpless. My body froze. I had never been much of a fighter. Women were supposed to shut up and bear children. Even messed up women like me. I knew my place in this world. 

A tear leaked from my eye and blurred my vision as it left my tear duct and rolled down my cheek. I almost missed the figure of the man who landed on the large branch across from me. He was hulking. A black cape draped over one shoulder. I wasn’t afraid of him. I only hoped he was here to end my pathetic existence and make this end. 

Smoke drifted from the cigarette in his mouth. He didn’t move to kill me. His eyes met mine and they asked everything to get my body moving. 

“Are you just going to sit there and let this happen?”

The restraint on my mind snapped. Everything I tried to keep hidden came out in one ugly display of power. My grimoire burst to life. The gray glow of a star dying out. The curse placed upon me at birth sprung to life as wind wrapped around my body in a tight grasp. I let it. 

The laugh that escaped me was far more sickening than the devil himself. 

Both men were thrown off me with a large burst of wind. Their bodies hit nearby trees with enough force to snap the trunks in half as if mere twigs. 

I watched the scene play out as if detached from my own body. The curse was in full control of my actions and it wouldn’t stop until the fight was over or someone stopped it. All control of my body succumbed to the monster that dwelled deep inside my core.

My body stood up and the roots snapped as my winds forced them apart. I glared at the two men that were sitting up and groaning in pain. I reached to the part of my dress that had been pulled down to expose my breast and yanked it up to cover myself. 

“You worthless men are undeserving to see a woman's body. Go to hell!”

I had grown used to the disgraceful way the curse spoke. It could be vulgar and challenging. Far different from the way mother had taught me to speak. It turned me from a refined noblewoman to a lowly degenerate. But I can’t say it never protected me. Whatever I become when my personality splits is by far stronger than anything I could hope to be on my own.

Clouds collided in the sky as thunder clapped. An entrance announcement for something catastrophic. My grimoire flipped its pages before I slowly raised my hands, preparing to cast a spell. 

“Storm Creation Magic: Category Three Tatsumaki”

The wind picked up in intensity before either male had time to react. A tornado formed quickly, and in the matter of seconds ripped right through them. Level three devastation. 

My ears rang from the whining of the storm as it wrecked havoc in a clear path forward from its spawn point. No one would hear the shouting of commanding death coming from my mouth. 

Even with the enemy long gone, the bloodthirst was overwhelming. Every time I got like this, it became harder and harder to come back into control. I tried to pull it back in, take control, but my mana vibrated the wind as it hunted for the man with the cigarette. I took a few steps into the newly made clearing and began the prowl.

“Come out you giant!” the streams of wind stormed around my feet as I released more mana, “Let me tear you apart!” 

A dry laugh came from above then a pound to the ground as the man jumped down behind me. The earth split with the force. His mana instantly overwhelmed me in the same suffocating chokehold mine had over me. Only his was on a far different scale.

Despite the aggressive show of power, he rested a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Whoa, kid. You can come back now,” his voice carried lazily. Unbothered and unfaltering. 

The storm at my feet dispersed as I gained control again with a gasp. He gave that opening that shoved me back into my body. And I was left staring at the destruction I caused. Mortified that this was a stranger's first impression of me. My magic had never been good offensively. It was really only good for creating distance between me and an enemy. That very ability reared its ugly head before my eyes. 

“That’s some strong storm magic ya got there for such a tiny girl,” he laughed. Not one of malicious or mockery, but of amusement, “You really blew them sky high! Literally!”

I turned my body to face him as heat raced up the back of my neck and burned my cheeks, “That wasn’t uh…” I got flustered and looked away quickly. This was the first time ever getting this type of reaction when anyone saw my split personality take over.

“What even the hell was that?! It’s like ya became a completely different person!”

Disbelief hit me harder than my winds hit those two perverts. My eyes slowly lifted to stare him in the face. I couldn’t think of anything to say. People were quick to judge me. They always had been. But he was different. 

He laughed a little more before stopping and looking at me like I was stupid, “Well? Ya gonna say somethin’?”

“I…” words failed me. He already saw it. There was no point denying it. Especially as my grimoire floated over and the glow shifted from gray to a brilliant white. My mana turned back completely to my own. 

“I have a split personality curse,” my voice was weak and barely above a whisper. All my shame circled in the wind as it danced up my body and caressed my cheek, “The wind that follows me controls me.”

“Yeah, I have no clue what all that means but I think I like it.”

I blinked a few times. Not quite sure I heard him correctly.

“I’m sorry, sir. There is nothing to ‘like’ about the fact I lose control and become a complete psycho.”

“Sure there is! And ya know what? It’s exactly the kind of psycho I was lookin’ for!” he pulled the cigarette from his mouth and grinned, “Name’s Yami. Captain of the Black Bulls, and I want you to join my squad!”

The once on edge wind wavered at his declaration. My eyes slowly widened as I soaked in the idea of him wanting me. 

“Black…Bulls?” I whispered then slowly nodded my head. Anything to be somewhere. If he truly wanted me, I’d go. 

Yami chuckled as he put the cigarette back in his mouth, “That’s what I like to hear. So what’s your name anyway?” he began walking, striding past me as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

A current tugged at my arm to follow so I turned towards the path of my new future. Rays of the last light of day illuminating our path. 

“It’s Loralie…Loralie Vangossen.”

Chapter Text

It had taken everything in me to not turn tail and run. Captain Yami led me to what he called the Black Bulls hideout. Looking at it from where I stood, it looked more like a run down dungeon. Far different from the manors I had been used to back at the Capital. 

Still, he offered his home to me, so I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Anywhere could be made into a home with a little care put into it. 

Yami took a long draw from his cigarette and glanced over at me, “Just a warnin’. These guys aren’t like the nobles you grew up around back at the Capital. Give em a chance though. Ya might find em to be good company.” 

It was a little bit of advice and helped ease my nerves some. I gave him a small nod and tried my best to adjust my dirty dress. Anything to make myself not feel like a stray dog he just brought home. Even so, I knew I was unsightly and it caused my anxiety to rise.

The Captain walked up to the doors, shoving both hands back into his pockets. I watched curiously as I wondered how he was going to open the door without his hands. Then, in one quick movement, he kicked the large wooden doors in. A loud bang echoed from the doors splintering apart. Several startled yelps sounded from inside. 

This was it. No turning back now. It was time to meet the people I would be living with from now on. I kept behind Yami as I followed him inside the ramshackled headquarters.

Moonlight spilled into the dimly lit hall. Dust particles glimmered lazily in the air, disturbed by the sudden burst of Yami’s entrance. The faint scent of smoke and old wood hung heavy in the air and spoke of the many memories made here. Home to those who belonged. 

“Oi! Everyone get your asses over here,” Yami barked, voice rough and commanding, “We got a new recruit.” 

A hurried scuffle came from the many occupants of the hall as I followed closely behind Yami further inside. Slowly, I peaked around his huge frame. The sight I was met with caused my whole body to freeze. A group of strong magic knights stared back at me. My eyes roamed over each one. Their expressions a mixture of curiosity and invite. Until they noticed my appearance. 

A loud laugh came from the man who wore a pair of sunglasses. His hair was slicked back with two different colors in it and a ruffian look to him, “Hey Captain! Where’d ya get this one?! Out in the middle of the forest?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks as embarrassment came over me. I backed away as I looked down at my feet. One shoe was caked in mud and the other was basically falling apart. I looked like a joke. Maybe I really was a mutt afterall. 

“Actually, Magna, I did. Turns out when ya do more than sit on your lazy ass ya find some useful stuff,” Yami clapped back.

“You poor thing!” a woman’s voice lifted my head. She wore a witches hat and no clothes, just underwear. And she came right up to me. 

The woman pulled me closer to her, looking me over with the concern of an older sister, “You look like you’ve been out there for a while! I’m Vanessa, dear, let me get you cleaned up.” 

I blinked a few times as I was being pulled in towards the group. Talking erupted all around me. Everything happened so quickly I couldn’t keep up. 

Another laugh came from my right as its owner came bouncing towards me. A huge grin spread across his face and lightning rippled across his body. His blue eyes caught my attention first. Bright with a manic curiosity. 

“Oooh, a new recruit?!” his head tilted as he came face to face with me, “You’re strong! I can feel it! Wanna spar?!” He was loud and energetic. Vanessa pulled me up against her bare body. 

“She doesn’t want to spar with you, you weirdo,” Vanessa signed with a disapproving shake of her head, “Don’t mind Luck. He doesn’t think about anything that isn’t fighting.”

Luck was pushed out of the way by the guy with glasses, “Hey there Rookie. Name’s Magna. Resident Badass and best looking on the squad,” he grinned with a wink.

“Says the one who asked Captain Yami if he found this lovely lady outside.” 

Strong hands clasped around mine, lifting it to a pair of lips. My eyes fluttered to a scrawny man who was down on one knee. He kissed it gently as he looked up at me with soft eyes, “That was no way to address a lady. Even if she doesn’t look her best, she’s still beautiful.”

A chill ran up my spine and I yanked my hand away from him. He instantly hung his head in defeat, “Right. Hi. I’m Finral. Pleasure to meet you,” his tone shifting from joyful to depressed. 

Yami sighed with an exhale of smoke. Everyone’s attention was back on him and I took that moment to pull myself away from the partially naked woman. 

“Yeah, yeah. This here’s Loralie Vangossen. Former noble and a storm magic user. Don’t treat her like glass but don’t set her off either,” he flicked his ash into a tray and smirked, “She’s got…a little quirk.”

My chest tightened at the casual way he mentioned my curse. Panic wanted to rise but was interrupted by a laugh. 

Luck’s eyes lit up as he returned to my personal space, “A quirk?! What kind of quirk?!” he leaned forward, an almost childlike grin stretching across his face, lightning sparking faintly around his hands. The way his mana reacted to his personality reminded me a lot of my own, “Can I see it?”

“She just got here and you already wanna start something?” Magna shook his head and shoved Luck away, “Cool it, psycho.”

The wind picked up slightly as I began to relax a little. The way everyone introduced themselves and carried on calmed the fear I felt. My breeze swirled into the hall and towards me. Strands of hair pushed into my face. The mana I used was out of my control when it came to the wind stream that followed me. The presence of it had everyone shift their attention to me. 

Hours ago, I was being attacked in the middle of nowhere and now I was being brought into a place where everyone seemed so close. I bit my lip, envious of their happiness. Hopefully, I could find that here too. I didn’t want to be alone anymore. All these feelings were overwhelming, but one thing was clear. I wanted to open up to the idea of friendships. 

I bowed forward, clasping one hand over the other like I had been trained to do for years. An action to show my respect to everyone. 

“I appreciate the hospitality from everyone,” my voice felt weak coming out, but I did my best to control it, “I’m not much of a fighter, but I promise to pull my weight around here. I will keep up with the chores and shopping. I even have a little medical training, though not much, I can still patch up small wounds and take care of the sick. I promise I won't be in anyone's way.”

My hair fell into my face, curtaining my view of everyone. I was trained not to lift until ordered to. These promises I was making, I meant them. If I couldn’t be of fighting service, then I could make myself useful in other ways. 

“Tch. This ain’t no royal banquet, kid. Ya don’t gotta bow here. We’re not exactly the formal type,” Yami’s voice had my eyes widening again. 

I slowly lifted my head to see him awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Yeah, seriously. You’re makin’ the rest of us look bad,” Magna agreed.

My back straightened out as I looked between the two of them in confusion. They didn’t require those beneath them to bow? This was completely new to me. The wind curled around my legs protectively. It seemed to also be taken aback by this role dynamic. 

Finral cleared his throat and gave me a slight bow in return, “As a former Noble myself, I know how hard it is to shake some habits, but please Miss Loralie, there’s no need to bow to a rowdy bunch like us,” his voice was gentle and kind. A light flutter in my chest believed it was truly okay to let go of some of those old formalities, “As for the cleaning, we all do our part to keep this place tidy.”

“Easy for you to say! I do most of the work!” the white haired boy, Asta, yelled from the crowd. 

Luck leaned forward, close enough that I could feel his mana as it danced across his body, “Forget about cleaning! I wanna know more about your storm magic! I bet it is so much fun to fight against! I can feel you got crazy power! I wanna see it someday!” his eyes gleamed, lightning flickering through them. 

“Luck,” Magna hissed, stepping between us again, “You can’t just…:”

Luck already bounced backwards with a laugh. His movements were light and effortless, and electricity trailed behind him. 

Yami grunted and waved his hand at the group, “Alright, someone show her to her room. The rest of you, don’t blow anything up while I’m gone.”

With that, he turned and stepped outside the hideout. I watched as the doors slowly reconstructed themselves and made a mental note to ask about that later. I felt like they trapped me in the lion’s den. There was no authority stopping these people from saying or doing whatever they wanted. Though, the sound of my own room was appealing while being scary at the same time. I had no belongings and no sense of identity. Not even clothes that I could change into, but a needle, thread, and a wash board would fix that. At least until I could get a few items of my own. 

Finral turned towards me, smiling faintly, “If you’d like, I can show you to the spare rooms. They’re a bit rustic, but I’ll make sure you get the best one. They even come with spare clothes you can change into for the time being, given your dress is all tattered and torn.”

Luck immediately leaned in again, “Or she could stay near me! That way we can train together!”

“Over my dead body!” Magna barked, jabbing a thumb at his own chest, “If anyone’s gonna help her settle in, it’s me. I outrank all of you!” 

Their bickering erupted instantly with sparks of lightning and flames flickering in the air. I took a few steps back to get out of the line of fire. My mana twitched at the feel of a fight about to break out. I needed to get away from everyone before things got out of hand. Thankfully, the brawl between Magna and Luck caused everyone to disperse rather quickly. It seemed as if no one wanted to stick around for that. 

Vanessa sat down on the couch with a tired sigh and a shrug, “I’m sure she would rather a woman help her to her room.”

Finral rubbed his temples and frowned, “You’re only saying that so you can get her naked.”

My heart skipped a beat at that and the drunken laugh of agreeance from Vanessa. Here I thought she was a safe option until my eyes landed on the bottle of alcohol she was guzzling down. Everyone here was insane. 

I was doing exactly what people did to me…

Who was I to judge these people like this? The fact they felt comfortable enough to even act the truest version of themselves was more than I could have ever done. I always ran and hid myself from the world. A tight whip of wind wrapped around both my wrists like handcuffs. The gentle reminder of my prison I didn’t need. 

I forced a smile on my face and placed my hand on Finral’s shoulder, “Actually, if you wouldn’t mind. I would love for you to escort me to my room.” 

He sputtered at my touch before squealing like a love sick puppy and rambling about finding his dream woman. My hand immediately retracted and I backed away from him. All I did was touch him. 

“You know…I can just find it myself,” I laughed nervously before turning and running face to face with the man with black around his eyes. Gordon, I believe. 

Gordon stared me down as he whispered to himself something I couldn’t make out. His stare looming over me more and more until a creepy grin spread across his face. A chill ran up my spine and I pushed past him. 

If this is what Yami was talking about, he really underestimated the personalities of his team. I had my fair share of problems, that was true, but this was too much. The air stirred restlessly and washed over me like a shield. This had my eyes glance down at my grimoire. A faint glow came from it, and it was turning gray. I was like a baby deer in a den of wild predators and my mana was ready to fight for an escape. 

“Aw come on Loralie! Fight me!” Luck hollered, bouncing back in front of me and making air punches.

Something just snapped. 

“No!” I yelled. 

My voice echoed in the hall and had everyone stopping to look at me. Luck slowly lowered his arms to his side and stared at me like I was the crazy one. My brows furrowed at this.

“I won’t fight. Not you, not anyone! I am not a fighter. I didn’t agree to come here because I wanted to show off my magic.”

“Then why did you come here?” Magna pierced a sword through my heart with how harsh his tone was. I looked over my shoulder at him to find a glare on his face and arms crossed over his chest. 

Whatever fear and anxiety I had vanished and was replaced by shame. I was being ridiculous. The light at my side dimmed out as all the fight left me and I looked down at the ground once again. Why did I agree to come here?

“It was a free place to stay so you didn’t have to live in shame.”

The wind whispered in my ear clear as day. My breathing hitched in my throat. That couldn’t be the answer. Yet, I couldn’t come up with anything else. Angry tears formed in my eyes. Not anger towards them, but at myself. I wanted to be able to proudly say a noble reason for joining the squad. I was sure everyone here fought tooth and nail to get this. And I got it like that. Because their captain took pity on me. 

“I don’t have anywhere to go…” my voice cracked, “I was being attacked by two rouge mages when your Captain found me. I guess I was a stray he could save,” the tears rolled down my cheeks but I held my head up and looked Magna right in the eyes, “I accepted his offer as a means of survival. I was half dead when he found me. I would have been worse off had my parents tracked me down. I want to survive for me, and for all the others like me who are a disgrace to their families. For everyone shunned or discriminated against. For those who aren’t good enough.”

For a heartbeat, no one moved. 

Then, surprisingly, it was Magna who broke the silence. 

He scratched at the back of his neck, his eyes darting away, “Yeah, that’s kinda the Black Bulls. All of us here got handed shitty dice. But we don’t go around makin’ it everyone else’s problem. If you really mean you want to survive, then ya gotta fight for it.” 

“Yami doesn’t pick people he doesn’t want on the squad.” Finral walked up next to Magna and offered a sad smile, “We’re a bunch of screwups and a little weird. Sure we have some quirks but it wouldn’t be fun if we were like every other squad out there.” 

Luck tilted his head, his manic grin softened just enough that it almost looked genuine, “You don’t have to fight if you don’t want to,” he said lightly, sincerity in his tone, “But I can tell you’ve got a fighter’s spark in there somewhere. It’s okay if you hide it for now.”

Finral stepped closer, brushing aside the tension that grew in the air like someone who was used to banishing discourse away, “Loralie…” he spoke softly, saying my name like it was something precious to him, “No one here expects perfection. If anything, the Black Bulls are the one squad where being broken makes you family,” he gave me a reassuring smile, the kind that doesn’t ask for anything in return, “You’ll see. We look out for each other here. Even when we drive each other insane.”

I had this feeling before. Similar to the one out in the forest. Disbelief that someone could say something like this to me. My eyes wandered between the three boys, and they all smiled back at me. In fact, everyone else was smiling too. Genuine and real. There wouldn’t be any hiding here. I was sure of that now, but I could hold off for as long as I could. The fear their tune would change when they saw the real me was debilitating. For now, I want to be here forever. Content with the acceptance. 

The breeze shifted again, brushing gently against my hand and stirring the edges of my skirt. Doubt laced in the playful way it tickled my skin. Mocking. 

“They won’t want you here anymore when they see that side of you.”

I gave a small smile in return, “Thank you. Truly, I really appreciate you all having me. I apologize for my outburst. Hopefully, we can all be friends.” 

There was no lie in my words, but to say there was much emotion behind them would be a lie. Luck’s eyes stayed on me with bright curiosity. They followed the path of wind that wound its way up my leg and hips. I needed to get away from him. 

Immediately I turned my full attention on Finral and gave my best acting, “Would you please show me the available rooms? I am feeling rather spent for the night,” I spoke with grace. I reached my hand out again and wrapped it around his arm, pulling my body close to him. He tensed under my touch and looked at me like I was crazy for touching him. 

“O…of course. Right this way.” 

We walked in tandem down a long hallway that had connected to the main room. The layout was different from what I had expected looking at the exterior. The floor creaked beneath every step and the air carried traces of decaying wood and a mixture of cooking and cigarette smoke. At some point, Finral slipped ahead of me, and I allowed my hands to swing casually at my side, though every once in a while he looked back at me. 

“You know, you don’t have to thank us. Everyone here’s got a story that didn’t end the way they planned. That’s kind of what makes this place…what it is,” his tone had softened and he ran a hand through his hair, “Yami picks the ones who need somewhere to belong. We sort of made our own family here.”

He stopped at the end of the hall, opening a door with a quiet click. Inside was a small room with a window that overlooked the forest. The bed was a modest size and neatly made up against the far wall. A small desk sat at the foot of the bed with a half-burned candle dripping wax on the wood. There was a dresser up against the wall with the door opened to expose a few articles of clothing. A small lamp hung from the ceiling, lighting the room in a soft, warm orange glow. 

Finral turned towards me, resting his hand lightly on the doorframe, “It’s simple, but it’s yours. You can see the sunset from here in the evenings. And…if you ever need anything. Supplies or just some company, I’m usually not too far away.”

I slowly walked past him into the room and took a look around. It was small, smaller than the one I had growing up at my parents house. Not at all grand or glorious. Despite that, it felt oddly like home. 

Loud shuffling came from the doorway and I looked over my shoulder to see Magna and Luck had decided to follow us all the way over here.

“Hey, Finral! Don’t hog her for yourself!” Luck playfully pushed Finral, causing him to get a scowl in response 

“I’m not hogging anyone. She asked me to show her and I assumed that meant alone.”

“Anything is an invitation for you to be alone with a girl ya sleeze.” Magna punched him in the shoulder.

“Yeah don’t call me that will ya?” Finral sighed. 

A small smile came to my lips at how they acted with one another. It was nice to see people get along after years of listening to the not-so quiet arguments my parents had about me. 

I turned my back to them again and walked to the window. My hands lightly pressed on the casement and my wind gave it a gentle push open. 

The breeze stirred up instantly as I stared up at the moon above the tree line. The view was breathtaking. Even if this place was dingy and rundown, nothing beat this view. Stars dotted the sky like glitter and they sparkled brighter than anything I could see in the Capital. Wind rushed into the room, blowing my dress back and stirring up the dust. My hair danced in tandem with my dress. 

I closed my eyes and took a deep, satisfying breath. I commanded my mana to wake my grimoire up, the soft white glow lifting it from my hip belt and hovering in the air. The wind swept away the dust in the room and cleaned it, making the space feel like it wasn’t abandoned anymore. 

My hands clasped behind my back as my book fluttered back to sleep on the bed. Tears filled my eyes as happiness washed over me. This wasn’t a grand estate, but this room was what I dreamed for my previous home to feel like. 

I looked over my shoulder at the three men in the doorway as a huge smile came across my face and tears rolled down my cheeks, “This is perfect! Thank you so much!”

Chapter Text

This fucking sucked. 

The fact that I was wide awake this late at night thinking about her was really troublesome. Seeing her in front of that window under the moon light did something to me that I really wish hadn’t. Maybe Vanessa was right after all. I was a sorry, pathetic virgin. 

Loralie had just arrived and already she was throwing everything into a chaotic mess. Not to mention the fact I was sure Finral was smitten by her. 

A tired sigh left my lips as I lifted my arm to cover my eyes. This was just great. She was cute, but I doubted she would ever notice a guy like me anyways. I mean, with guys like Asta and Captain Yami on the squad, she would be swooning over one of them in no time. Or some other pretty boy in a different squad. 

Better to not get distracted by things like crushes anyways. I needed to get stronger for the squad.

Yet the image of those innocent tears had my chest twisting in a way that made me want to make sure she never looked like that again. It didn’t take a genius to realize this was the first time she felt welcomed somewhere, and the thought of that rubbed me the wrong way. 

It didn’t make sense why this got under my skin so bad. I didn’t know this girl. I had no clue what her life was like before coming here. I should really get to sleep and forget about it. 

The silence tried to break through my thoughts. I tossed over onto my side and closed my eyes, trying to let sleep sink in. Then her emerald green eyes came to mind and I found myself cursing into my pillow. 

“Pull yourself together Magna!” I whispered to myself as I lifted my head. Heat burned at my cheeks and my face planted back into the pillow with a groan. I made a note to curse Vanessa later. 

A bang caught my attention and had me sitting up in bed. It wasn’t unusual for the base to have noises, but it was getting closer to dawn, and my squad mates would all be passed out with how late we stayed up. Most don’t wake until well after noon. It seemed as if someone couldn’t leave well enough alone. 

Might as well get up and see who else couldn’t sleep. If I was lucky it would be Luck and we could get some early morning training done. At this point, I would even be okay training with Asta, even if he wanted to go hardcore.

I got out of bed with a yawn and a crack of my back as I stretched. The plan wasn’t to be down for long, just enough to check who it was and figure out a plan from there. I didn’t even bother fixing my hair, opting for the messy way it fell in my face. 

The hallway was dimly lit and I stumbled my way around as I cursed about the layout changing once again. Once I found the fucker in charge of that, I would ring his neck. It took me an embarrassingly long time to get to the main hall where the sounds of movement grew louder. 

My body froze when I saw her. Loralie. Half-lit by the lantern glow in the main hall. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy bun, as a few strands slipped free and brushed the back of her neck. She was wearing the basic clothing found in everyone's room when they arrived. A plain white t-shirt that fit loosely over her slender frame with a pair of black shorts. It was a comfortable and casual fit. And also too damn distracting. 

She was sweeping the floor, every move calm and precise. The air around her shimmered just a little, like the wind was helping her move dust or move things aside. The fact she was even up this early doing all this was both impressive and worrisome. 

“Hey,” I said, scratching the back of my neck as she startled slightly and turned towards me, “I see ya got cleaned up, that’s good,” I cleared my throat, “but you don’t have to be up this late ya know. Place aint goin nowhere.”

Her lips curved into a soft smile, “Yeah, the house just seemed to guide me where I needed to go. I couldn’t really sleep so I figured if I kept myself busy I would tire myself out.”

I grunted as I walked into the hall and towards the table we all dined at. I pulled out a chair and plopped down onto it, straddling the chair and pressing my chest against the back. My arms wrapped around the back rest. 

“The house guided you, huh? Figures. Thing’s possessed.”

That made a small chuckle come from her. It was soft and gentle. My chest tightened at the sound and I wanted to hear it every day for the rest of my life. My neck burned and I leaned my head down to cover my face. 

For a while, we just stayed here in silence. I watched as she worked, her movements easy and steady. When she swept, the broom almost seemed to glide on its own. Nothing about the way she was cleaning told me she was noble. They had maids that worked the way she did. Her job should have been focusing on her studies and being the proper daughter. Yet, she had the cleaning experience of a seasoned maid. She looked so peaceful doing something so ordinary. 

“Seriously,” I broke the silence, “why’d you agree to join us?”

The question weighed on me. She felt so out of place in all of this. Like she was dropped in a world she wasn’t prepared for. Most noble children get put through the ringer during their training. Just listening to the stories from Finral and Noelle told me everything I needed to know about how that part of society worked. 

Loralie paused mid-sweep, leaning her chin on the handle. The candlelight threw gold across her eyes when she looked at me, “Like I said before, I needed somewhere to go. It was this or be killed by the two men in the forest. Figured this was the safest option to stay alive.”

Something sharp twisted in my gut. That was right. She had mentioned that earlier. Thinking about the way she had come in, tattered and in shambles. I felt like a complete asshole. I even made that insensitive comment. Someone should have beaten me senseless. Anger festered deep inside me. 

“Those bastards that Yami found you with?”

Fear and embarrassment flicked across her face and she turned her gaze away from mine, “It doesn’t matter anymore.” 

She went right back to sweeping. 

Didn’t matter, my ass. But I let it go. For now.

The silence settled heavily again. The wind brushed across the room, flicking up a few papers and setting them neatly in a pile on the table beside me. I frowned, watching how the air seemed to obey her without her even trying.

“So… that wind thing,” I said. “It’s always like that? Moves stuff on its own?”

She set the broom against the wall in the corner of the room before grabbing a cloth thrown over a chair to wipe her hands. Her expression turned guarded, like she was afraid to talk about this subject..

“My mana’s always been alive. Ever since I was a little girl it always seemed to keep me company. It has a mind of its own, just like we do.”

Something about it reminded me of Luck's mana. How it danced across his body playfully and begged for a fight. It was strange to me how mana could just depend on the personality of the person wielding it. Loralie’s mana was gentle, caring, like I felt she was, but there was something subtly chaotic about it that I couldn’t quite place. 

She didn’t elaborate further on the topic. I wanted to push her more on it, but something in the way she was looking at me right now told me it was best to leave well enough alone. When she was ready, she would talk. Even if it wasn’t to me, I hoped she could find someone here that would be a safe space for her. 

“Do you think Captain Yami would mind if I left tomorrow to get some supplies? Clothes, cleaning things… maybe a few plants for the rooms.”

I shrugged, “I don’t think he’ll care. We can get Finral to open a portal to town.”

“We?” her brow lifted.

“Yeah, we,” I smirked, “You’re not goin’ alone. I’m your superior, remember? Gotta make sure the newbie doesn’t get lost or attacked again.”

She frowned and placed a hand on her hip. My stomach did a somersault at how casual the action looked. It was nice to see her go from being rigid earlier to having an actual conversation. 

“That’s not necessary-”

“Yeah, it is,” I cut in, standing and stretching until the point my back popped, “Decision made.” I grinned at her. 

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she sighed in defeat, muttering something under her breath I couldn’t catch.

I glanced up at the clock on the wall, the time showing the sun would be rising in another hour. Sleep was now calling my name. Something about this private conversation and getting to talk to her in a more controlled setting eased my restlessness. Especially now that I basically get to spend the whole day with her tomorrow. 

Not that the point of me going was to spend time with her or anything. Simply making sure she got what she needed safely. 

I started towards the hall, then paused in the doorway, looking over my shoulder at her, “Get some rest, Loralie. I’ll see ya in the mornin’”

She turned just enough for me to catch the small, tired smile she gave me. The kind that makes a guy feel like maybe he did something right just by being there.

“Goodnight, Magna.”

I gave her a small nod then headed down the hallway. A small breeze followed me up the stairs, and I couldn't stop the stupid grin I got when I realized this was just as comforting for her as it was for me.

Chapter Text

A sharp snap of the window shutting had me jolting awake. For a moment, I was disoriented. Where was I? Whose ceiling was that? Why does the air feel like it’s trying to wake me up? Everything from the previous day came back to me slowly and I sat up in bed. My hands rested in my lap as I stared at the foot of the bed. I was at…home. My new home. A small smile spread over my lips. 

I threw the sheets off my body and got out of bed. The day had already started, so I needed to get to the shops as soon as I could. 

Nerves fluttered awake in my stomach as I remembered last night. A memory of Magna’s rough voice cutting gently through the quiet sent a shutter down my spine. I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t get attached. To the people here or this place. Not even humor the idea of staying. But the way Magna had watched me, with his hair all messily in his eyes, it was of someone who cared about those he was around. Men like him didn’t come around often. 

The idea of spending the whole day with him was enough to kick me into gear. Even if it was just simply shopping, something about last night made me want to spend more time with him. Just for the selfish way I wanted him to stare at me like he had. 

I made my way over to the wardrobe and opened its old wooden doors. I expected to find something like a plain looking dress or even a shirt and pants. Anything that was generic and anyone could wear. 

A neatly folded Black Bulls robe sat on one of the small shelves. The emblem showed clear as day as if announcing its presence to me. I pulled it off the shelf and set it on the desk. If I was going to be part of the squad, then I had to at least look the part. When I went back to the wardrobe I found the worst excuse of a “uniform” it could get.

The top was a light gold, held up by the thinnest straps, cut to cover just above my breasts and stop scandalously short above my navel. The skirt was black with a gold trim, flaring to mid-thigh if it was feeling generous of reaching that low. I grimaced at the thought of having to wear something so appalling. 

“Whose sick idea was this?” I muttered to myself. I honestly didn’t know if these pieces were even considered clothing. Who would even think this was appropriate?

I dressed because there was nothing else to wear. The inclusion of the cloak did nothing to help cover any of my exposed flesh. Though, the fabric was surprisingly soft and well made. It would have to do for now until I could find clothing more my style. 

The hallway changed underfoot as it always did, guiding me the way to the main hall, where the smell of coffee and the sounds of laughter came. My fingers kept smoothing the hem as if I could coax an extra inch into existence. 

Magna was standing by the table, arms crossed over his chest as he complained about Luck deciding to join us. Luck shifted on his heels, overflowing with energy. It made me happy he decided to come with us, even if it wasn’t necessary for them to waste their time with this. Even Finral was waiting by them, flipping through some papers. 

I stood unnoticed in the doorway for a moment before nervously clearing my throat. Three set of eyes lifted. 

Magna looked at my appearance and immediately jerked his head away. His hand came up to cover his eyes as he muttered a curse under his breath. My heart sank in my chest. Did I really look that awful in this? I attempted my best to yank the top down further even though there wasn’t anywhere else for it to go. 

Finral made a small, strangled sound, “Oh,” he said, then his hands snapped up to cover his eyes as his face turned a bright red color. Both him and Magna shifted uncomfortably, 

Luck tilted his head as he looked between our squadmates. Then an amused grin crackled across his features, “You broke them!” he laughed.

“I…I’m so sorry!” I blurted and was sure I was red all over, “This was all I could find to wear!”

Magna coughed into his fist, still looking in the vicinity of anywhere but me. “Yeah, that getup? That’s a Yami-and-Vanessa special. Those perverts,” His tone tried for disgust and almost stuck the landing if it wasn’t for the fact his insult felt flat for him. 

Finral recovered enough to summon his grimoire and open a portal. He stuck his hand through it before pulling it out again, now holding onto a long, full body version of the Black Bulls usual squad cloak. He thrust it at me as if offering a life preserver. 

“Please,” he said hoarsely, “put this on.”

I blinked, “Oh…it is yours?”

“You can borrow it. Permanently. Immediately, please!”

Luck nodded in agreement, “Immediately.”

Magna made a low, grateful noise, “Please.”

Shame and embarrassment washed over me, but I took the robe and slipped my arms through it. I felt disgusted with my appearance and knew now to never be that exposed in front of them again. If this showed me anything, things were strictly acquaintances between the four of us. At least between me and them. 

The robe was warm and felt silky and flowy. It smelled faintly of cedar and the kind of cologne that pretends it isn’t cologne. Most importantly, it covered every inch of my body, leaving nothing slowing.

“Thank you…” I muttered.

“Right. Logistics,” Finral quickly moved onto the reason why we gathered here, “We’ll go to the capital together. I’ll handle transport.”

“If it is going to be too much trouble for you three, I really can go by myself. It isn’t a problem.” 

“I already told ya last night that we would all go,” Magna said, finally risking a glance and then, when his eyes didn’t burst into flame, letting them stay. “Not negotiable.”

Lightning sparked across Luck’s body, “If Magna and Finral get free time with you, I want it too. Magna’s not going to be better than me.”

A small smile crept over my lips and I gave a half hearted sigh, “Okay, but I don’t want to hear any complaining about all the shops we go to. This is a shopping trip.”

I opened the small pouch at my hip, my grimoire bumping against my fingers like a quiet heartbeat. The coin bag inside had weight from money my mother had given me as payment for years of silence and labor, rebranded as “allowance.” I did a quick tally in my head. Enough for a few simple dresses. Some plants. Cleaning supplies, stationery, maybe a rug. Enough to feel like this new room was mine. “I have what I need,” I said softly. “We can go.”

Finral’s portal bloomed to life, opening an entrance to the heart of the shopping district in the Capital. He made a sweeping motion with his arm, “After you, Loralie.”

I stepped through and the world erupted in a full afternoon rush hour. Voices echoed off the walls of the buildings as patrons chatted with shop vendors. The shout of a child came from somewhere in the crowd. Smells from different food vendors wafted over in a swirl of flavors. The capital’s market day rolled like a river with perfect conditions. 

The alley let us out just behind the main avenue. Stalls spilled bright colors into the street, awnings flapped like flags, vendors called out deals in singsong voices. People. So many people. My chest fluttered at the sight as a thrill came over me. Even if this was the vendor district, it still had a familiarity that I had been longing for. The breeze swept by my feet, tugging me forward. Almost like telling me to go out and enjoy myself. 

The others came through the portal immediately after me. Magna inhaled deeply and whistled with contempt. I had to agree with him. This was a sight I would never get tired of. 

“This is all you, Loralie. You lead the way,” Finral said. I looked over my shoulder to see his smiling face and gave him a smile in return. 

“You’re not going to ditch us the second a pretty girl walks by, are you?” Luck squinted his eyes at Finral who went on the defensive. 

He scoffed loudly and placed a hand on his check, “Luck! I am appalled that you would think so little-”

Two pretty girls walked by in the middle of his sentence. Finral’s head swiveled and he watched them turn the corner. He looked back at us and cleared his throat, “Ahem. Yes. Well. If you would all excuse me a moment. I need to inquire for directions from those two.” He hurriedly rushed after them. 

Luck barked a laugh, “Figured.”

A small, traitorous part of me sank. more at the sudden absence than at the reason. It was silly. He’d been nothing but kind yet I knew from the moment we met he was a bit of a ladies man.

Do not be surprised when people are consistent, my wind used to whisper. It said nothing now, just brushed my wrist where Finral’s robe cuffed my skin.

Magna caught my glance and tipped his chin toward the street, “Don’t worry about Finral,” he said. “Let's just have a good time.”

So I did. It felt normal, which made it feel extraordinary. We moved with the current of shoppers and out of it when the walk way grew too tight. I tried on several different soft cotton dresses. My favorites being a soft blue color and a nice cream. Magna had complimented a white dress with blue floral print on it. I adored them all, so I bought enough to fill my wardrobe despite my mother’s voice in my head reminding me that frugality was a virtue when you had no value. 

Next, we went to a little stall that sold paper and ribbon, where I bought a few sheets of stationery and a stub of sealing wax that matched the Bulls emblem. 

At a shoe stand, I replaced my ruined pair with sturdy flats and, because I couldn’t help it, a pair of soft leather boots that came up to my ankles. Buying both felt a little selfish, but they were too cute to resist. I reasoned with myself that they would be useful if I even needed to get some heavy cleaning done around the base.

A plant stall came last. I purchased a trailing ivy for the window, a small pot of lavender for the desk, and a fern that looked like a little green firework. The wind hummed in quiet approval as the leaves brushed my palms. I could already see life coming to my new room with the addition of these. 

By then, Magna and Luck were laden like pack mules with bags on both arms, another looped over Magna’s shoulder. They gave each other the suffering look of men who had not planned their morning well.

“This is the last one,” I promised, breathless and happy as we left the plant stall.

“Sure it is,” came Finral’s voice, faintly rueful and faintly proud. He reappeared at my side as if he’d always been there. He eyed the mountain of packages and clucked his tongue like a mother hen, “You two really have your hands full there.”

“Hey! If you had been here and not off getting rejected again like a loser, then we wouldn’t be loaded down like this!” Magna snapped at him.

A neat portal opened up off to the side and out of the crowd. Magna and Luck immediately took the opportunity to dump all my bags through it like a specialized delivery service. I watched in amazement at how all the stuff got back to the hideout in under a second.

“Special magic is surprisingly very useful,” I said thoughtfully.

Finral sighed as he placed his hands on his hips, “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

Luck placed a hand on his stomach and looked around, “I think we should hit up some food vendors! I’m famished!” 

Before any of us got a chance to agree with him, he was already bouncing off down the paved walk way. Finral, Magna, and I shared looks with one another before I gave a soft laugh and followed after Luck. 

The smell of food thickened as we drifted toward the center of the market. Stalls lined with skewers and breads and bowls of noodles steaming in rich broth made my stomach sound like I hadn’t eaten in days. 

The boys started arguing about which stand had the best sauce as they made their way collectively to a stand hosted by an older man and his daughter. I smiled and let them, stepping toward a quiet fruit vendor a few paces down whose apples shone like lacquered beads. The man behind the stall had kind eyes and hands that moved with the efficiency of work. Sorting through fruits and vegetables. He greeted me with a simple welcome. 

Different fruits stood out to me and it was hard to pick which ones I wanted. Part of me wanted to get a basket full and bring it back for everyone to share. Sort of as a thank you for their hospitality. 

“Do you have any premade basket bundles?” I asked the gentleman running the stand.

He smiled and held up a wicker basket, “No, but please take one of these as my appreciation.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, “I’m sorry?”

“You’re one of those Magic Knights, right? Just last week the Black Bulls saved my farm from a thief who stole my family's heirlooms. I owe you all my thanks!”

I took the basket and looked over my shoulder at Magna, Luck, and Finral. All three were eating happily and chatting amongst one another. A light flutter danced around in my stomach as my cheeks blushed. 

“I do too,” I whispered before loading the basket down with various fruits and goodies the nice man had at his stand. I handed him the remainder of the coins I had as payment and adjusted the baskets and bags on my arms for a better grip.

“Loralie?”

My name dropped into the air like a coin into a well. 

Slowly, I turned my body around towards the female who had called out my name. Every muscle in my body was rigid, tight, panicking. My body heated up and stung when the cool breeze brushed over my skin. 

She stood under a parasol’s shade, a look on her face that demanded respect and denied any in return. Her eyes bore into me, small and slit like knives. Her smile was smaller. Behind her, stood a nanny that I didn’t recognize. Her expression is a practiced absence of emotion. In her arms, she held a swaddled infant. 

Cotton shoved itself into my mouth. Suffocating me. The smothering expectations of a daughter she wished she had in the first place. 

And her redo baby.

“Mother,” I said, surprised that my voice didn’t crack under the weight. God only knows my knees tried to. I bowed out of habit, and because it was the only thing I could think to do that would not be breaking down in tears.

“What a surprise!” mother trilled, her voice pitched upwards and held a hint of cruel sweetness. It twisted into my gut like a knife. I almost wished she had just stabbed me instead, “I didn’t expect to see you in the Capital, well, at all!” she laughed in a way that was at my expense, 

My back stiffened, and I remained in the bowed position. The weight of the bags became too heavy to hold, and I dropped it on the ground. My eyes followed the apple that rolled out of the bag and into the crowd of people. A black shoe kicked it along and it disappeared forever.

“What’s this?” her hand snatched up a handful of the cloak I wore. My body yanked closure to her. I made the mistake of looking up at her. Her face contorted into something vile as her eyes landed on the Black Bull’s emblem embroidered on the cloak, “Don’t tell me you joined that squad.” 

She said that squad, but her face read that trash.

I swallowed hard and almost choked on how dry my throat was. I swore my heart stopped beating. Everything freezing under her hateful judging gaze. I would never be able to escape this. I would always be under her watchful sights. Now I wondered how she was going to ruin this for me too. 

Boots scuffled to a stop behind me, drawing my mothers attention away from my cloak. 

Magna’s voice came dry from behind me, “Loralie. Who’s this?” 

My mother removed her hand from the cloak and straightened her back, looking all three boys up and down. Sizing them up, and deeming them already beneath her. 

I slowly reached down and grabbed my bags in a carefully strategic manner. When I stood up again, Finral was on my right side, and Luck was on my left. 

“Hey, you two sorta look alike! Is this your-” Luck was cut off.

“Angelica Vangossen, lady of the Vangossen estate,” she introduced herself by cutting him off. My hands squeezed into tight fists. 

“My mother,” I confirmed Luck’s suspicion. For the first time, I felt almost…embarressed to introduce this woman as my mother. She was far from that term. 

Angelica’s eyes studied the three boys that stood around me, her smile turning into a viper ready to strike, “Ah, the infamous Black Bulls. How cute,” she threw up a theatrical pitied smile, “My darling Loralie. Is this what you’ve been doing since leaving the manor? Consorting with ruffians?”

Something in the air shifted around me. Heat and static pulsed in unison, both going on the defense. The wind stirred restlessly at my feet, breathing in the life of Magna’s and Luck’s mana. Three powers mixing for a fight. 

Magna stepped past to move in front of me. He kept his eyes level with her, controlled, “Loralie just joined our ranks,” his voice a steady calm with a warning of anger, “And you’d better watch how you speak to us. We are still Magic Knights.”

Tension grew in the air faster than I realized what was happening. My hands reached out before I could stop myself. They wrapped around Magna’s arm and gave him a gentle pull back. It was too weak to break his wall down. 

Angelica laughed with amusement, “Magic Knights,” she repeated, letting the name fall flat between us all, “Yes, I can see how you might mistake yourselves for that,” her eyes settled on my face again, making my skin crawl, “So tell me boys. How much are you paying my daughter for her time? I imagine as a former noble, she’s not cheap.”

Heat exploded through my body. If I could curl into a hole and die, I would choose that option a million times. I heard Magna swear, low and vicious. He started to move forward when Finral’s arm snapped out and stopped him from making a choice he could regret. 

“Madam,” Finral picked his words carefully, his face reading of sadness, “with the utmost respect, that is not only untrue, it is vile. Our captain selected Loralie for her talents.”

“Talents?” her laugh turned bitter, “What talents could my sorry excuse for a daughter possibly possess? Besides breaking things and ruining property values?”

Luck grinned sharply and bounced on his heels, currents racing dangerously across his body, “We break things too,” he said cheerfully, “That’s why she fits right in!”

Angelica’s eyes swept over Magna and Finral, “Oh, so you do know about her little problem?”

Problem slammed into me hard enough to knock me unconscious. It climbed my forearms, prickling the hairs, and squeezed my insides into tight hot balls. I couldn’t look at them. My head snapped down to look at the ground. A cold sweat racked my body and my muscles trembled. This wasn’t how I wanted them to find out. Not like this. Not here. Not from her. 

“You don’t know, do you?” She broke the momentary silence, her voice the perfect pitch to break glass, “You have no idea you’re harboring a dangerous criminal.”

The market blurred at the edges of my vision. Noise tunnelled and was drowned out by the rapid beating of my heart. I couldn’t get air into my lungs fast enough. I couldn’t be here anymore. I needed to get out. Now. The fabric of Finral's robe felt too heavy. The ground too far away. My hand reached out and grabbed onto the first life line I could get.

Finral’s arm.

“Please,” I barely recognized the whisper that shattered from my throat, “take us out of here.”

Angelica tilted her head, delighted, “Still so frightened,” she mocked my weakness, “How brave of you to run to men now.”

“You are a nasty woman,” Finral’s voice was hard, “Do you even care about your daughter at all?”

Angelica’s smile snapped shut like a trap. She flicked two fingers at the nanny and turned, parasol tilting to cast me in shadow, “She is a disgrace,” she said over her shoulder, not bothering to lower her voice, “The worst mistake I ever made.”

Their departure left me hollow. My knees buckled underneath me. My head felt like it was in a raging river. There was so much to say.

Before I could hit the ground, hands were on me. Steady and strong. Luck on one side, his static kissing my skin. Magna on the other, his grip a little too tight.

Fear replaced itself with a wave of grief. I choked out a sob and let it all come out now that woman was gone. I reached my hands up to grip their forearms and leaned into the comfort of their bodies. My body quivered in their arms. 

“I’m so sorry,” I said uselessly, again and again, “I’m so so sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Magna said, sounding like he was speaking through gritted teeth, “Finral.”

“Already on it,” the hum of his magic brought a portal to life. As one, we moved through it. 

The dim lamp light of the hideout did nothing to break through the darkness from the change of scenery. With a snap, the portal closed behind us, and we were greeted with the warm and familiar scent of being home. Something that felt like I was undeserving of now. I steadied myself in Magna’s arms for a moment longer before I broke down and was fully crying, 

“Jesus, what happened?” Vanessa’s voice came from the area of the couch.

I didn’t stay long for a conversation.

“Loralie!” Magna called after me as I tore from his grip and ran off in the direction of the hall. My thoughts on getting away and hiding as fast as possible. 

The wind remembered the way to my room. My feet barely touched the stairs. I reached my room and desperately fumbled the doorhandle before it clicked open. 

I didn’t feel safe until the door shut and locked behind me. 

Chapter Text

Loralie didn’t come out of her room at all after we got back.

We had barely gotten into the hideout when she bolted for the stairs. The wind that usually swirled around her vanished into her shadow. Her footsteps disappeared down the hallway, her door slammed shut, and that was it. 

Silence.

The rest of the day went on without her. 

By the time the evening came around, everyone was sitting at the dinner table like usual. Same old creaky wood, same uneven chairs, the same familiar faces. Charmy stood at a stove she conjured up, humming to herself while she threw in random ingredients into the pot. The smell was amazing. Thick and warm, but the air around the table felt thick with tension. 

I kept looking over at the stairs.

“Hey,” I finally asked, kicking my feet under my chair, “Is Loralie coming down for dinner or not?”

Finral and Magna shared a look across the table. It was quick, but I caught it. The exchange stirred something wicked inside me. How did Magna get so friendly with Finral lately? Before Loralie showed up, they barely spoke to one another. Deep down, I didn’t like how this situation had affected Magna so much. 

Magna shifted in his seat, scratching the side of his neck, “Dunno,” he muttered, “Probably not.”

Finral sighed and stared down at his folded hands on the table. For once he didn’t have something stupid to say. It was strange. The others at the table seemed to shift uncomfortably. It felt like everyone was in on the same information and I was left out of it. I smiled. What else could I do than to smile? They were all acting as if she was in danger, but no fight occurred. 

Vanessa snorted from where she was sprawled out on the couch with a bottle of wine, “Can you blame her? She basically got paraded by her own mother in front of everyone and then implied she’s sharing a bed with a group of idiots like you three,” She waved the bottle in our direction.

“Oh,” I leaned back in my chair, “Yeah, that.”

Yami sat at the end of the table, or what he called the head of the table. One foot propped up on a stool and a cigarette hung lazily on his lip. He’d been quiet since we got back. Quietly observing the three of us. Now he blew out a slow stream of smoke and stared at us through it, “I only caught the end of that mess when she ran in here,” he said, “What the hell happened out there?”

My back straightened. I recalled perfectly all the events that happened today and raised my hand excitedly, “We went out to the Capital. Finral went off to chase some girls that had passed by. Magna tried to carry more bags than me, but I definitely carried way more than him. Finral came back after getting rejected again. Then we were going to get food, but some lady came up and started bullying Loralie and she got upset.”

Straight to the point. In my opinion it was the perfect recap. 

The reaction was less than impressive. My eyes met Magna’s and he looked as if he was about to short circuit.

“That’s your summary?” Magna snapped, glaring at me, “That’s all you took from it?”

“Well… yeah,” I said, “That’s what happened.”

“It wasn’t that simple, you fucking lightning rod,” he snapped. 

My smile faltered a little and something sharp pinched my chest. I was used to us calling each other names. Teasing and playful banter. This time, it felt like a personal attack. He was really pissed, but I didn’t understand why. He was acting like we had known this girl our whole lives. We stood up for her and she came back with us. Why was he getting so defensive for her?

Finral rubbed his temples, “Let me try,” he said, sounding tired.

Yami tipped ash into the tray with a small flick, “Please do.”

Finral rested his elbows on the table and braided his fingers together. His chin settled on his hands, and his face was serious in a way I wasn’t used to, “We ran into Loralie’s mother in the capital,” he said. “She recognized her immediately. She said some pretty harsh things directed at Loralie and the Black Bulls. Then she… implied Loralie was being paid for her ‘company,’” His mouth twisted, “When we defended her, Angelica started talking about ‘who Loralie really is.’ That’s when Loralie panicked. It was like she was terrified. She grabbed my sleeve and begged me to get us away from there.”

Sheep gently placed plates in front of everyone. Asta gave a small cough to break up the silence but we all let that hang between us. She had just gotten here, but we defended our own. That was a vow we all swore to one another. 

​I replayed the whole scene in my head, but this time I focused on Loralie instead of the noise around her. Her face. Her hands. The tremor in her voice. The way her magic had sunk down tight and tense instead of lashing out. 

I’d seen the panic but I sort of just filed it under “normal reaction to confrontation” and moved on.

Now that Finral said it out loud, it felt different. She acted like cornered prey who knew it was staring death in the face. 

Magna let out a low groan and leaned back in his chair, “What does that even mean?” he asked, “ ‘Who she really is’? She’s a sweet girl who cleans and likes pretty dresses.”

Yami’s gaze drifted toward the ceiling as if he could see through it to her room. He was quiet long enough that I started to grow restless. Finally he said, “I think I know what that woman was referring to. But it’s not my place to go around talking about the kid’s business. She’ll say her piece when she wants to,” He flicked ash again, “And it ain’t as bad as that harpy’s trying to make it seem. That much I can tell you.”

My brain snagged on that and wouldn’t let go. If Yami knew and still brought her here, then whatever “it” was couldn’t be something that actually bothered him. He liked useful people. And he liked people who were a little messed up. In his weird way.

Charmy marched in with a load of food big enough to feed an army. Slamming platters, bowls and baskets onto the table. For a beat, it seemed like no one would move, but then, collectively, everyone gravitated towards the food. 

Normally this is where I’d be halfway across the table, stealing bites before plates even settled. I filled my plate out of habit, but my appetite had wandered off. I kept seeing Loralie’s face in the market. The moment she grabbed Finral. The way she whispered to him like he was the only safe thing in sight.

I shoved some meat into my mouth and barely tasted it.

The rest of dinner appeared normal, but there was an underlying feeling of tension. No yelling or food fights occurred. Quiet chatter amongst the group. Magna just stared down at his plate and moved peas around with his fork. His expression scrunched up in a way that made him look like he was ready to burst. Like he could go back to the Capital and tell that lady what's what. The way he was getting worked up about this made my stomach roll. 

He was the first to stand from the table and excuse himself. I watched his figure retreat towards the stairs and deep down I knew it was because he was going to try to get her to come out of her room. Ever since she got here, he had paid more attention to her. It was like I was invisible now. I stabbed my roll with a knife hard enough to make Grey flinch beside me. 

Asta announced he was going to train after dinner. Noelle muttered something about joining him and the two of them left without another word. Slowly, one by one, everyone disappeared as they finished their dinner. Finral opened a portal to the bathrooms for Yami before he excused himself as well. He went the same direction as Magna. 

I stayed. Fingers drumming on the table. I didn’t understand this feeling. I was angry with what happened at the market, but it felt like I was angry in a different way from the other two. 

“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you,” Vanessa’s voice cut through my thoughts. I looked over at her.

“I don’t know what that means,” I tilted my head. Only then did I realize a smile had returned to my lips. I blinked a few times and she shook her head.

“Anyone with half a brain could tell that you were watching fire boy for his reaction to this whole Loralie situation. For once you didn’t have that creepy smile on your face.”

“I wasn’t watching him.”

“Yeah, you were,” She took a swig from her wine bottle, “She’s new. He likes shiny things, but I also know that he likes you. I wouldn’t let her bother you. When she starts opening up more then he will ease up and be itching to fight you once more.”

For some reason, I didn’t like the thought of that either. It’s not like I was upset he was interested in her…or was it? 

I slid back my chair and stood up from the table, “Thanks Vanessa. I’m going to call it a night.”

She snorted a laugh, “Rather early for you, but okay. Give it a few days. Things will go back to normal.”

What even was normal? Nothing around here was normal. This whole squad was one dysfunctional mess and we were all doing our best navigating these complicated relationships. Asta and Noelle have this whole back and forth thing between each other. It’s clear that Grey has a thing for Gauche. Gordon stalks everyone and I was pretty sure I had seen him spying on Asta on several occasions. Vanessa clearly had her own love problems, since Captain Yami is completely oblivious to her. 

A sigh left my mouth as I walked up the stairs. So what if Magna liked Loralie. It was clear Finral was interested in her too, so it’s not like it was guaranteed they would end up together. Not that I even cared. 

I followed the route I had assumed was taking me to my room. The same route I used this morning to come down. As I kept walking, the sounds of talking made me realize I had been led directly to her room. 

The closer I got, the quieter it was. Almost like the noise of the base slid off the walls before it reached this floor.

Her door looked normal. Just wood, slightly warped at the bottom from age. The difference wasn’t something you could see. It was a feeling, a static pressure against my skin that told me there was a lot of mana pent up on the other side.

I pressed my ear to the wood. No movement or shuffling came from the other side. You wouldn’t be able to tell she was in there, but you could feel it. She was still. Very, very still.

I knocked lightly. “Hey! It’s me. Do you wanna train?” My voice sounded too loud in the hallway. It bounced off the stone and came back at me. There was no answer, “We could try some new stuff,” I continued, “Or just throw spells around until we’re tired. That always helps when I’m thinking too much,” Nothing. I frowned, “Are you gonna at least come out to eat? Charmy made a ton. You didn’t eat earlier. You’re gonna get all weak if you starve yourself. That’s no fun.”

Still no answer. I stepped back and scowled at the door like it had personally offended me, “You’re not even saying anything. You’re supposed to trash talk or shout or something.”

Silence. Anger flared up in me first. Not coming down for dinner was one thing, but to flat out ignore someone trying to help was rude. As quickly as the anger came, it went away. I’ve been in that dark place before. To sit here and say that I had a great relationship with my own mother would get a few laughs from the crew. Just like me, I am sure Loralie has probably done a few fucked up things for her family as well. We weren’t those people anymore. She had to understand that coming here was a second chance. Whoever she was before, she didn’t have to be that anymore. 

I let out a long breath and leaned my forehead against the wood, “I don’t know what happened between you and your mom,” I said quietly. The words surprised me a little, but once they started, they didn’t stop, “We have all been through something that we regret or wish we could escape from. But if she makes you feel like this, then I don’t like her.” There. That was something I understood. I didn’t need the full story to take sides.

No sound came from the other side of the door. She didn’t respond or come open the door. But I felt her mana on the other side quiver and then exhale like it was fighting back the urge to fall apart completely.

I stood for a second more before turning and walking away. There wasn’t anything more I could say or do. It was up to her now. All I could do was go blow off a little steam. The thought of being alone up in my room sounded too depressing now that I felt her inside her own room.

Lightning crackled over my skin as soon as the night air hit me. I rolled my shoulders and threw myself into drills. Kicks, punches, bursts of mana, and various exercises. All until my muscles burned and my breaths came in sharp, cold clouds.

It helped. A little.

Magna came back late from his mission assignment. Soot on his clothes and a new rip in his sleeve. The air around him was already tense. Like he wasn’t happy to be home. Gordon and Grey trailed behind him like two injured puppies. They kept exchanging looks with one another and then at Magna. That rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I could fix this feeling.

I sprinted over with a laugh and made punches in the air, “You’re back! Fight me!”

He didn’t say the usual “bring it on” or start swinging. His gaze went past me, straight to the upstairs corridor, “Loralie come out yet?” he asked.

I deflated a bit. My arms dropped to my side and I felt my smile falter for a second. Then it felt cold as it spread wider. I gritted my teeth to hold my tongue back.

“No. She hasn’t. Why does it matter? If she wants to stay in her room, just let her. She’s the one making this a bigger problem than it has to be,” My tone came out sharper than I meant it to.

His jaw clenched. “Do you really not think about anyone else besides blasting your damn lightning everywhere?”

That landed like a punch to the gut.

I stared at him for half a second, dumbfounded that he thought that of me. “I do think about other people,” I shot back, “I just can’t make her come out by sitting around frowning at her door. That doesn’t accomplish anything.”

He shoved past me, knocking our shoulders together hard. Something dark muttering under his breath. His footsteps were loud as they made their way to the hallway and disappeared up the stairs. My eyes flicked to Gordon and Grey who were finding the floor very interesting.

Annoyance flared in me, sparking down my arms. Fighting is something we could do. Yelling even. But this felt different, and I hated that I didn’t have a simple way to fix it.

I wanted to scream at him to get a grip. She was just some girl moping around in her room. He was allowing her to consume his mind. There were bigger things out there than her crying up in her room like the pathetic puppy Captain Yami took pity on. 

As soon as I thought that, I instantly regretted it. I sighed and threw myself in a chair. This was way too complicated. You know what wasn’t complicated? Fighting. If he was this frustrated then he should just hit me and get it out. 

I laid my head on the table as Grey and Gordon scurried off to who knew where. I took the silence and time to decompress. It was another hour by the time Finral and Yami had returned. 

The portal opened up in the middle of the common area as they both stepped through and it snapped shut behind them. Finral stretched his back as if using his magic took all the strength from his body. It was almost comical. 

“Lookin’ a little bare in here. Where is everyone?” Yami asked as he looked around, kicking a chair that was pulled out back into place.

I turned my head away so my chin rested on his table and I could stare at the wall, “Apparently everyone is taking after Loralie and locking themselves in their room,” that held more sass than I had meant it too. 

“She still hasn’t come out yet?” Finral’s usual lazy tone was gone again, replaced by a hint of worry. My eye twitched at the sound of it, “I’ll go…check on her,” he slipped away from us and off towards her room.

Yami plopped down on the couch with a grunt and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. I listened as the lighter clicked and he lit the stick. He inhaled a long, deep breath. Before slowly letting it out. 

For a few minutes we sat together in silence. The wall in front of me rippled and I hoped it was the house changing and causing Finral to get lost on his way to see Loralie. 

“Whatever lovers quarrel ya got goin’ on with Magna, you two better figure your shit out.”

I rolled my head to look over at Yami, “We wouldn’t be fighting had you not brought her here.”

He laughed a little, “If I remember correctly, you were very excited to meet her.”

“Yeah, well. That was before he took interest in her.”

Listening to myself, I could tell I was jealous. Magna didn’t even pay this much attention to Asta when he first got here, but Asta wasn’t a pretty blonde bell that could make heads turn. She was high class. A new shiny toy. My mind drifted back to what Vanessa said before and it had me second guessing if I had been his shiny toy first. Now I am outdated. 

“Whatever you’re thinkin’, stop. I don’t care what you and Magna do in your free time, but this isn’t how to handle things,” He took a draw from his cigarette again, “Stop bein’ a wuss and talk it out with him.”

A wuss, huh? 

I slammed my hands on the table and scooted the chair back with a loud scrape on the wood. My smile widened as I looked over at him and tilted my head, “Yeah. I’ll think on that.”

Somehow, dinner was worse than the previous night. Loralie was still missing, but this time so was Magna. Finral came down long enough to make two plates to say he was bringing them up to Magna. Then he was gone as well.

I stared at my plate. Everyone else ate and no one commented on how quiet I was. I could feel the glances in my direction. My hand gripped my fork a little too tightly.

There should be noise, arguments about sauce, Asta shouting about becoming the Wizard king. Instead, just the clink of cutlery and Charmy’s loud chewing. 

My teeth grind together and I shoved a bite into my mouth. It turned into a heavy ball in my throat and I had to force it down my throat. Nausea settled into my stomach and I pushed the plate away from me. Charmy started yelling at me for not eating, but I honestly couldn’t be bothered to listen. 

I stood up from the table and walked out of the common area. I couldn’t keep sitting there and pretending nothing was wrong while everyone stared at me. It made me feel like a ticking time bomb. Electricity clung to my clothes and wrapped around me like a rope ready to be tightened. The feeling of my mana acting on its own reminded me of Loralie. How at first I felt like someone could understand me, and now it felt imitating. 

I headed for my room, which unfortunately was getting lost in the maze as the house decided now to play the same sick joke it always does when someone has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. For once, I didn’t appreciate the humor. 

Voices echoed through the halls as I came up on a corner. My pace slowed, and I stopped right before rounding it. I stopped as soon as I recognized the voices. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped on their conversation, but curiosity and a feeling I didn’t really want to name had me listening in. 

“I love the guy, but sometimes he just doesn’t understand,” Magna said, sounding tired in a way I didn’t hear often, “He’s all ‘let’s smash it until we feel better’ but that isn’t how this works. Not this time.”

I leaned against the wall and peeked around the corner. Magna was sitting on the floor beside her door. Knees up to his chest and arms draped over them. His head was tilted back against the wall. Finral sat on the other side of the door, one leg stretched out, the other bent, and his hands loosely clasped.

“Do we even really understand what’s going on?” Finral asked quietly, “We know her mother hurt her. We know something happened in her past. But getting angry when we don’t have the whole picture isn’t going to fix it either.”

Magna scrubbed a hand through his hair, “I know. I just,” he sighed, “hate sitting here doing nothing.”

Finral leaned his head back against the wall as well. He stared up at the ceiling, “I do too,” he admitted, “Sometimes doing nothing is all we can do. If she wanted our help, I think she would have asked for it by now. All we can do is wait her out. I just hope when she comes out, she talks to us instead of running away.”

Magna let out a breath, “Yeah. Me too,” he said, voice low, “I wish she would just open the door.”

Something twisted inside of me. For once it wasn’t anger or jealousy. It was more like I had been thrown into a room where everyone already knew the rules to a game and no one had bothered to explain them to me.

I could fight monsters all day, read people mana, react to shifts in power, even jump into danger without thinking twice. This was something completely different. Waiting, sitting, feeling. This wasn’t like a battlefield. I was completely lost.

For once, I didn’t feel like doing anything. A dark pit formed in my stomach and I just wanted to get away. All in an instant, I felt like I lost him to her. That she had won. The worst part was there wasn’t even a battle that occurred. All she had to do was shed a few tears and he was hooked on whatever it was she had. 

Making it back to my room was easier the second time. I cursed the house for being a sick fuck and flopped onto my bed. I stared at the ceiling until sleep finally let me escape this reality.

The next morning, no one went anywhere. Yami didn’t assign a mission, or maybe he did and everyone ignored him. It was hard to tell what was actually happening within the base anymore. It felt like we were stuck on an endless loop that fed off our misery. Day two of the same tension that stretched over the whole place.

I would have liked to think that everyone did something productive with their day, but Magna and Finral fell into a pattern of trading off who sat near her door. When one would come down to get water, go to the bathroom, pretend to care about anything else, the other would be chained like an animal. Sometimes they both hung around in the hall. Neither one speaking, but well within earshot of her room, waiting for a miracle. 

There was only so much pacing around the base that I could do before I decided to just stay downstairs and let them wallow in whatever…it was they were doing. 

I walked circles around the common area. Threw a few half-hearted punches at the training dummy. Then I found myself in the one stop that had seemed to become my favorite over the past couple days. The table, tapping my fingers on the wood, and wishing the whole base would just explode so at least something would happen to get people moving. 

Part of me wanted to go up and yell at Magna and Finral. Another wanted to go out and cause some havoc for some unsuspecting soul. There was also a small part of me that wanted to go up there and pound on her door and tell her to get over her shit. 

Everytime I played that scene in my head, I pictured her opening the door and causing another hurricane to come through this place. It was enough to keep me in my chair. I had knocked on that door once already. I said my piece. She ignored me. That was that. 

If Finral and Magna wanted to keep playing this game, then so be it. 

Dinner time came once again and it was a surprise to see Magna had actually decided to grace us with his presence. He sat at the far end of the table, arms folded tight, and eyes on his plate. Finral say beside him, glancing at the stairs every thirty seconds. The two of them had gotten really close over the time she’s become a princess in a tower. I wanted to play the role of the dragon and burn their play pretend down. 

I looked up to see Yami sitting across from me. His jaw twitched. Halfway through the meal he dropped his fork and slammed his hand on the table. The action caused everyone to jump and look at him, “Alright,” he growled, “If she doesn’t walk out of that room soon, I’m goin’ up there and takin’ the door off the damn hinges myself. I didn’t bring her here so she could turn into a hermit and do jack shit.”

A smug satisfaction came over me. Finally the boss was starting to see the issue here. If I was lucky, he would kick her out for this little stunt. Then she could go hole up in a forest somewhere like before. If she wanted to be alone so bad, it was about time we just let her.

Magna’s fingers tightened around his utensil until it bent. His jaw worked, but he didn’t speak.

Finral let out a weak laugh, “Let’s maybe… not do that right away, Captain. I’m sure she’s just taking time to process everything.”

“How long does processing take?” Yami grumbled, “It’s been two days.”

I snorted and Magna snapped his attention to me. I raised an eyebrow at him, “She did say she was going to be useful around here. Well, the floors look a little dirty to me.”

“Why you little,” He stood up fast, anger heated in his eyes, “I’ll wipe that smug grin off your face!”

Finral was quick to try to deescalate the situation. He placed a hand on Magna’s chest as he stood up and whispered something to my “friend”. Magna sat back down in his seat, keeping his glare on me. For some reason, I wasn’t feeling too proud about the way I was handling this. I could be nicer. But I was hurting too. He spent two days ignoring me and getting mad at me for someone else's choices. I wasn’t his punching bag. I never will be.

The silence thickened again, pressing against all of us. It was suffocating. A feeling I was sure we all had been feeling lately. I just wanted all of this to end. What could I do to just make her come out.

Then a voice floated in from the doorway.

“Luck,” it was quiet. Soft and like she hadn’t slept in a long time, but it was definitely her. My head snapped up.

She stood in the entrance to the dining room, one hand on the frame. Her blonde hair was down, falling over her shoulders like a waterfall. There were faint shadows under her eyes, either from lack of sleep or crying, I couldn’t be sure. She wore a simple dress I recognized from the shopping trip. The pale lavender one with the bow right above her chest. Magna specifically said he liked that one best. She wore the Black Bulls cloak over it. For the first time accepting herself as one of us. Her gaze went straight past everyone else and landed on me.

For the first time in two days, the pressure in my chest eased. Something slid back into place, not perfectly, but enough that I could breathe all the way in. She was here. This was finally over. I swallowed and realized my throat had dried out.

“Yeah?” I said, voice coming out hoarse.

Loralie walked slowly into the room, nervously playing with the edge of the cloak. Wind swirled around her protectively like a safety net. A sign her mana took on its own personality much like mine did, and it reacted. Sparks crackled and seemed to reach out for her, and I hated how it betrayed me. Like all my feelings the past two days meant nothing. 

“Luck,” she repeated, as if making sure she had my attention, “Will you fight me?”

I blinked a few times as I felt my breathing stop. Her yelling at me the first day she came here blinked into my mind. When she said she was never going to fight. Not me, not ever. This was a joke, but the grin spread wickedly across my lips. 

I slowly stood up from the table and cracked my neck with a quick tilt of my head. All the jealousy, anger, hatred, came bubbling to the surface. She put us all through a lot and this was the chance I had to show her just how much we don’t appreciate having our emotions played with. I agreed to her request because fighting…that is something I know how to do.

Chapter Text

I didn’t even answer her right away. For a second, all I could do was stare.

Two days of her hiding. Two days of Magna and Finral sitting outside her door like wounded animals. Two days of everyone walking around like someone died. My chest felt weird. Tight, then hollow, then like something sharp stabbed me then was removed in one motion.

My mana stirred immediately, crackling under my skin like it’d been waiting for this, “Sure,” I said, voice a little too calm even for me, “Let’s go.”

Her mouth twitched like she was about to say something else, but I was already moving. If she changed her mind now, I’d probably explode.

The room reacted the way it always does when a fight’s about to break out. Chairs scraping, people muttering. Everyone either gets out of the way or rushes for a better view. I heard Yami grunt and stand up. As I turned, I caught a look at Magna’s face. He was pissed. Good. After I fought and won against Loralie, he was next. 

The front doors creaked open as we stepped out into the chill evening air. The sky was stained purple and blue, the first stars freckled in the dark. Wind rolled lazily across the clearing, then sharpened when Loralie stepped out. It always felt different around her, like it woke up and greeted her with a warm welcome. 

I walked ahead, arms swaying slowly at my sides as my hands curled into fists. I didn’t look back to see if she followed. She did. I could feel it. Her mana curled behind me like a nervous animal.

We stopped in the open field outside the hideout. It was all packed dirt and cracked stone. Scarred from hundreds of fights we had over the years. It was familiar, simple. Battlefields were things that made sense. Footsteps followed us out, and when I glanced over my shoulder, almost the whole squad was bunched together. Asta, Noelle, Charmy, Gordon, Grey, Vanessa, and even Gauche. Yami stood behind everyone, one arm crossed over his chest and the other pulled the cigarette from his mouth. He looked so nonchalant about this. Clearly I gained his approval by agreeing to this.

Magna and Finral stood next to him and looked like they’d both been punched in the gut. After spending hours stressing over a girl, of course they would be worried when the first thing she wants to do is fight.

“Captain,” Finral said quickly, a nervous look on his face, “maybe we should stop this before it…”

“Nope,” Yami cut him off, “We’re lettin’ this play out,” he flicked ash into the dirt, eyes narrowing on me, “This is somethin’ that needs to happen.”

Magna swore under his breath, “She just came out her room, and your first idea is to throw her into a fight?”

“Last I checked, she’s the one who wanted this. Besides, if I thought anythin’ bad were going to happen, dontcha think I would stop this?” Yami chuckled low and shook his head, “If that kid’s askin’ for a fight now, it means she's finally ready to show what she' s been tryin’ to hide. That's progress, dumbass.”

I shouldn’t have liked that answer as much as I did. Loralie stepped up until she was a few meters in front of me. Her hands fiddled with the edge of her cloak, twisting the fabric. The breeze around her was restless, tugging at her hair and the hem of her dress. My own mana reacted, small electrical currents danced around my arms and down my torso. It felt like they were in rhythm with each other, speaking a language no one could hear nor understand.

Hey eyes flicked to the side, away from mine and everyone else's gaze, “Before we start…” she said, voice trembling, “I want you all to know that what you’re about to see isn’t really…”

“Hey,” I interrupted, sharper than I meant, ‘If you’re gonna fight, then fight me already. Stop making excuses already.”

She flinched. For a heartbeat, hurt flashes across her face. It was real and raw. I was the only one who saw it, and to think I caused it made me feel pretty shitty, but that feeling didn’t last long.

Her grimoire floated out of the pocket on her hip and snapped open with a flare of sparkling white light. We were doing this. I grinned, wide and cold, and let my mana do its thing.

“Lightning Creation Magic: Thunder God’s Gloves!”

Electricity roared through my body in an instant before wrapping around my arms and legs like living armor. Claws of crackling lightning formed at my fingertips and toes as the ground hissed and blackened beneath my feet.

The buzz was loud in my head. My eyes stayed fixed on her. Loralie’s grimoire hovered beside her shoulder, pages flipping rapidly. The glow of it shuttered like it was about to go out and I laughed a little too myself. She wasn’t being serious. That was too bad, because I was. The wind picked up at her feet, spiraling up in slow, gentle rings. She opened her mouth again, maybe to try one more time to explain something or to apologize. Either way, I didn’t let her.

I kicked off the ground, sprinting at her in a blur. Lightning cracked in the air as I closed the distance. Her eyes widened, but to her credit she didn’t freeze. A gust burst beneath her and she darted to the side just as I slashed with my claws. The missed strike carving deep trenches in the earth where she’d been standing.

“Too slow!” I called, spinning and coming at her again, “You wanted this, remember? Fight me!”

She dodged left. I was already there. She dove back. I chased, my claws coming within inches from her as she threw up gusts that deflected just enough of each swipe to keep from being shredded. Dirt and rocks sprayed every time I missed and hit the ground instead. I didn’t give her a second to breathe. Everytime her grimoire glowed brighter and she tried to lift her hand to cast something, I appeared in front of her, claws snapping out and laughing as my mana ran wild. She would stumble and would nearly lose her footing only to catch herself with a burst of air.

“Come on,” I goaded, “Is this it? You hide for days and this is all you’ve got?”

Her hair flailed in the wind as she desperately tried to shield herself from my attacks. For a while, she only focused on defending. She threw up barriers and little flashes of wind that redirected my strikes just enough to avoid actual damage. She was good at playing it careful. 

It pissed me off.

Finally, she shoves me away with a powerful black and skidded back across the dirt. She stopped near the edge of the field, her chest rising and falling quickly. Her grimoire flew through pages madly at her shoulder, the light flickering with uncertainty.

Then something about the air changed. It became tight, more sure of itself, predatorial. The cold breeze around her turns sharp and thin like glass, heating at a slow rate. The hairs on my arms rose. I stopped my next attack and watched her carefully. She was still here, but her mana. It felt like it was changing. It wasn’t whimsical anymore. 

Her grimoire’s glow shifted from that gentle white to something a lot darker in color. It dimmed, then deepened, taking on the color of storm clouds funneling together. The pages abruptly stopped. 

Loralie’s eyes lifted to mine, and they weren’t the same. The hesitation was gone. All the nerves, guilt, and apologies vanished. In their place was something harsh and deadly. Her lips stretched into a slow, wicked smile that didn’t belong to the girl who loved the moonlight and pretty dresses. One minute I was the hunter, and now, I felt like I was the prey. 

She stepped forward, then in a sudden wisp of wind, she was in front of me. Her hand shot out and clamped around my forearm, her fingers digging in with a surprising amount of strength. The current running through me jumped to her skin on instinct, biting at her. Instead of flinching, she inhaled it like it was a breath of fresh air.

“I know you’re angry, little boy,” she spoke, voice low and dripping with amusement. It was meant only for me to hear.

My grin faltered.Her mana flared and drowned the space between us. The wind around her coiled tightly and brushed across my face. It wasn’t a threat, it was a promise. 

“You’re pissed he wasted his precious time waiting outside my door,” she continued, tilting her head, eyes gleaming, “instead of playing house with you like usual.”

The words shouldn’t have hit that hard, but they did. Heat crawled up my neck and I jerked my arm back, lighting crackling in its own warning. She let me go with a lazy smile like she’d gotten exactly what she wanted. Her grimoire blazed fully into deep gray and the wind around us roared to life.

Near the base, I heard someone curse. My bet was on Magna. Finral called out her name. The fact they were both still worried about her had my jaw grind. Loralie straightened her back, her shoulders rolling with a small pop. Most likely a move she had seen her mother use on her a million times. The stance of a woman who believes she has the power. Her head tilted up slightly but it spoke a taunt. ‘What are you going to do about it?’

The soft lines of her face sharpened. Her smile widened into something vicious. Then she laughed. It wasn’t the breathy little giggle she let out when she found something one of us said funny. This was ugly and delighted, like she’d been waiting for a chance to unleash it.

“What’s wrong?” she called out, voice carrying over the field, “Never fought a real woman before?” She took a few steps backward, gaze never leaving mine, wind lifting her hair so it whipped around her face, “Did you think I’d just curl up and let you beat me because you were mad?” Her smirk twisted, “That would be boring.”

My heart pounded. I could feel the storm inside her building. I wasn’t scared. No. This was thrilling on a whole different level. The more she let her mana do the work and stopped holding it back, the more it was clear that she was just as wild as I was. 

A smirk mirrored on my face as my lightning armour evolved across my body and I lowered my stance. Her hand stretched out to the side, and she called forth her first spell.

“Storm Creation Magic: Category Three Tatsumaki.”

The ground shuddered beneath my feet. Wind exploded outward in all directions, then snapped inward around her like someone slamming a door. In an instant, a towering tornado erupted from where she stood, spiraling into the sky. The thin tube connected with the sky and grew larger at the top, creating a v-shaped vortex. It whirled around her, obscuring her completely behind a wall of shrieking air and forest debris.

People shouted from behind me. I stared up at the monster before me. Sparks leapt from my armour. Hungry. Ready to finally get what it wanted. 

I grinned, “There it is,” a laugh ripped from my throat. 

Magna shouted my name. Yelled for me to stop. I didn’t. I lowered my stance, bared my teeth, then sprinted straight for the eye of the storm.

The moment I crossed the threshold, it was like diving into a blender. Wind slammed against me from every direction. It howled in my ears and tried to pull my armour from my limbs, thrashing and cutting my skin through small gaps. There was nowhere it couldn’t go and it stung like needle pricks. I dug my claws into the earth and ripped through the spinning currents. I had to push forward, each step an effort against the violent pull. One trip, and I would be taken away without a second thought.

Lightning surged around my body, bright and eager. I let it spill out, webbing across my body, lighting up the interior of the storm in flashes of vibrant blue. It was only fair that if she wasn’t holding back then I wouldn’t either, and strangely enough, she invited it.

“Is this it?!” I shouted into the chaos, laughter bubbling up, “This is what you’ve been hiding away this whole time?! Bloodlust?!”

Something sharp sliced across my cheek. Another across my thigh. The wind was sharpening itself, turning from blunt force to blades. My clothes tore in thin lines as warm blood rolled down my skin only to be slapped away by a current.

She was moving fast within it. I could feel her mana darting like a shark around me. Always just off to the side, just out of reach. Our roles had reversed. When I lunged toward one flare of power, it vanished and reappeared somewhere else. Behind me, then above, then below, left, right. I kept speed. 

“Getting closer,” her voice drifted through the wind, taunting.

I laughed, swinging at where I thought she’d be. My claws met only screaming air. Then she appeared in front of me like she’d stepped out from behind a curtain. Her hand shot out and clamped around my throat before I could react. The grip was iron strong. My hands reacted and reached up to clasp around her wrist.

In a rush of force, the wind dragged both of us toward the eye of the storm. The world shrank down to spinning walls of torn earth, and the small patch of cracked ground waiting for us. 

She slammed me down hard and straddled my waist in one smooth motion, one hand planted on my chest, the other still around my throat. Air caught in my lungs. Lightning flared instinctively, crawling up her arms. Her face twisted in pain, but she refused to let go. Her hair whipped wildly around her face as she lowered her head to be closer to me. Both pupils were blown wide and her expression was cold and distant. 

“This,” she hissed, fingers tightening on my neck, “is what I was hiding,” Any trace of the girl who walked through the front doors several days ago was gone. I stared up at a hollow shell of someone who was out for anyone that posed a threat. This Loralie looked like she had stepped right out of a nightmare, “The part of me,” she went on, voice low and almost intimate, “that makes me wish I’d never been born.”

My lungs burned. I clawed at her wrists with lightning tipped fingers, drawing blood and tearing the flesh. Anything to try and pry her grip away. Sparks raced up her arms again. I knew she had to be in some sort of pain, but she threw her head back and laughed. I saw the storm walls around us glow briefly as my magic bounced off them.

“Why,” I choked out, forcing the word past the pressure on my throat, “do you… think we care… about this?”

She leaned down until her lips were next to my ear. Wind whipped around us, muffling the outside world. Her breath was cold against my skin. A sharp contrast to the hot rage in her mana.

“Because I could kill every last one of you if I wanted,” she whispered, “Even if you tried to stop me, I would just keep coming back for more. You could rip my limbs off, slit my throat, tear my heart straight from my chest and I would just keep coming back again and again. You all would fight so hard, but I will do exactly what our precious Captain says. I’d push past my limits. Every. Single. Time.”

A shiver ran down my spine. For a second I could picture it. Not of her winning, but of her breaking her own body apart. The goal wasn’t to kill us, but to get us to kill her. She saw herself as a threat. I looked into her eyes and saw myself. I once thought of myself the same way. All I was good for was winning, and if I couldn’t win then I was nothing. 

“Wrong,” I grunted and brought my knees up quickly between us. I gathered force to my knees and with everything I had, kicked up into her chest and threw her back. She flew off my, skidding across the ground, then stumbling. The wind rushed to her aid and softened the impact as her back hit the ground. I got to my feet, panting, one hand rubbing at my bruised throat.

“You wouldn’t do it,” I said, voice hoarse but hard, “You wouldn’t attack us. That’s not what you want to do.”

She propped herself up on her elbows, head tilting, a grin returning to her lips, “You sound awfully confident for someone who was just getting choked out,” she purred, “What makes you so sure I wouldn’t attack someone in the middle of the night?”

“Because you just wouldn’t!” I took a step towards her, “You’re really annoying. With your constant apologizing and that smile that never seems to be real. You want somewhere to go where people don’t treat you like garbage? You found it!”

The storm around us snarled, pushing in closer, as if it hated hearing that. Somewhere underneath the manic shine in her eyes, something flickered. For half a second it looked as if she wanted to cry. Like the sweet innocence was coming back and begging for help. This wasn’t her. This was her fear. A wall she built to keep everyone out. I wanted to break it down. 

“Yeah this place is really cute,” her face dropped back to the distant cold gaze. Her eyes looked right through me, “but you don’t know a single thing about me.”

“Yeah.” I shrugged, rolling my shoulders, letting my lightning armor flare brighter until the whole eye glowed blue, “You’re right. I don’t know you. But what I do know is this part of you, scares the hell out of you.”

She pushed herself fully upright and stood, posture loose, wave of power rising again. Wind wrapped around her legs and arms like chains. Keeping her prisoner to whatever curse was put upon her. It hit me then. Staring at her across a battered field.

Magna and Finral hadn’t been dramatic or overprotective these past few days. They saw a glimpse of this. When they saw it, I didn’t know. But they knew she was scared of something and this was it. They wanted to protect her from this, even if they didn’t know it was this big. They’d seen pieces of this long before I did.

I remembered when she first stepped into the base. Her dress was all torn and hair tangled. Yami dragged her in from rock bottom. Her bow was deep and practiced. That wasn’t just her being polite, it was a habit carved in by years of training. A means of survival for whatever she had to endure. I remembered how she froze in the market as she stood before her mother. The way her hands shook. How her mana and body shut down rather than fight back.

This wasn’t just some fun storm I could throw myself into. She was terrified of herself, and on the inside, she was screaming for someone to recuse her. 

Slowly, the anger I’d been clinging to for two days loosened its grip on my ribs. The jealousy, the petty hurt, the bitter little voice that wanted to tell her to leave. All of it stepped aside. This wasn’t about me versus her.This was about her versus whatever had its grip on her and convinced her that she was a monster.

I grinned, but it felt different this time. It felt free and open. My mana answered with a surge towards her, “Show me all of it. Everything you hate about yourself. I want to see it all!”

Lightning erupted from my core, raced across my skin, and into the air up the whirling walls of wind. I stopped resisting the way her mana pressed against mine and let it crash over me instead. It was wild. Her magic slid into mine like a storm front. It was vicious and desperate to connect with mine. We clawed at each other, testing if we could handle what crazy the other had. I opened the door for us. Wide enough to let the currents and lightning tangle together. 

I felt all her emotions at once. It was strange, overwhelming, and from the look on her face, she could feel mine as well. Energy exploded between us, a crackling dance of air and electricity. The feeling of destruction overwhelmed me, and I got drunk off the high of it.

Her grin sharpened, “Let’s turn it up, shall we?” she laughed as she threw both her hands out. Her arms rose above her head, fingers spread wide. Her grimoire snapped to another page and hummed as she cast her second spell.

“Storm Creation Magic: Sekai no hakai no Tatsumaki!”

The single tornado around is twisted. The walls buckled inward, then split into two spiraling columns. One on each side of the clearing. The eye we stood in shrunk, thinning into a narrow corridor of violently thrashing air between the two vortexes. Winds slammed from both directions now, pulled at my hair, clothes, limbs. I moved, and every step I took towards her felt like a battle themselves.

Outside, I heard shouting. Names and orders were being called by someone. It didn’t matter. I dropped into a low stance and moved.

“Lightning Creation Magic: Thunder Fiend."

The ground crumbled under my feet as I bolted towards Loralie. The twin tornadoes lunged and crashed into each other like fighting beasts, weaving together then breaking apart in violent arcs. Visibility dropped to almost nothing. Dust, stones, and shredded leaves flew in all directions. The air itself felt like it was trying to skin me alive.

I darted along the narrow space between the vortices. My feet barely touch the ground as lightning streaks behind me. When the winds lunged inward, I sprang up and over, or slipped between two jagged currents at the last second, my armor taking the hits that made it through.

She was at the center of it all, riding the chaos like it was a familiar wave. I aimed for that. Sparks lit up the storm, turning it into a flickering lantern. Every bolt I shot into the wind traced invisible paths around her, illuminating where she was and where she was about to be. The sharper gusts slashed across my arms and legs, opening new cuts, but the pain just sharpened my focus.

“You’re insane,” I shouted, laughing as I ducked under a swirling blade of air and came up for a swing, “This is so much fun!”

Her answering laugh was manic and joyous, “You’re keeping up better than I thought, lightning boy!”

She flicked her wrist and the wind around my ankles solidified, yanking me sideways, right into a horizontal gust that slammed into my ribs. I hit the ground, rolled, and sprang up again before the next wave could tear into me. The next moment, I was on her and landing a punch right into her gut. Moving quickly enough to also knock her feet out from under her. 

Her mana was becoming more erratic by the second. It wasn’t just angry now. I could feel everything. Her thoughts and her movements. She was just as intoxicated as I was. 

I could feel her reserves dropping, but she pushed anyway. The storm didn’t dim. If anything, it grew stronger, feeding on sheer willpower. It was a little terrifying, and it thrilled me.

We clashed again and again. I darted around, claws crackling. She redirected my strikes with shifting gusts. We were landing hits equally. My lightning burst through her currents only to get slammed from a different angle. Everytime I touched her, I could feel the wind wrapping tighter around my arms, begging to twist with the electricity.

“You’re bleeding!” her voice rang out, almost delighted.

“So are you!” I shot back, noting a few shallow cuts on her shoulders where my claws had grazed. She looked down, then laughed, breathless. 

The air shuddered again, and for a moment, the wind around me constricted, making it hard to breathe. Her mana wanted to consume everything. My eyes flashed over her face and I knew what she wanted before she said it. 

“Luck!” she shouted, eyes blazing, “I waited a long time to find someone who matched me!” Her figure blurred, then reappeared in front of me. Her hands grabbed my forearms, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. The second she touched me, my lightning leaped into her like it had been waiting for the chance. Her back arched. A ragged moan tore from her throat as the current rushed through her. She closed her eyes and took in the pain, “You,” she gasped, voice between a laugh and a sob, “are just as much a slave to your mana as I am to mine!”

She wasn’t wrong. Coils of electricity threaded through the wind, turning the air around us into a crackling storm of light and force. The tornadoes screamed louder, pulling closer like the whole world was folding toward our joined hands. I held onto her tightly, not wanting to let go. Ever.

“Let’s burn the world down together, Luck!” she shouted.

Our grimoires flipped open at the same time. Pages whipped wildly, then stopped on fresh sheets. Letters carved themselves across the paper, glowing with unstable power. My whole body tensed. This was something new. Combined magic that filled a grimoire was not something I knew of, but it was happening right now. Bounding our mana together in a new way. 

“Combination Magic: Hiraishin no Tatsumaki.”

The words left my lips without my consent. Her hands tightened around mine and she pulled her body against me. 

A bolt of lightning tore out of my core and up through the spinning sky, splitting into dozens of jagged branches that embedded themselves into the walls of wind. The tornadoes drank it greedily. The twin vortexes twisted in on themselves, fusing back into the single towering column of storm from before. This time laced with electric veins. The world became nothing but light and noise. Wind and lightning danced around us savagely. Neither of is were willing to let go of one another.

At this moment, there was no jealousy. No hurt or fear keeping us from each other. Just this massive, roaring and unbelievable connection. Her wind wrapped around me the way I knew it wrapped around her. Possessive and intense. My mana threaded through it. 

I understand now. They were hooked. And now, so was I. I wanted this power over and over again. I looked up into her eyes, and something in my chest made a decision.

I want to protect this.

It felt like a part of her that had never been allowed to exist without being punished for it and that ended now.

Outside the storm, a shout ripped through the chaos, louder than the wind.

“ASTA! NOW!” it was Yami’s voice.

A second later, a black slash cut through the side of the tornado like a blade through paper. Anti-magic tore the spell apart at its seams. The storm screamed, then shattered, wind collapsing inward and then blasting outward in a single huge gust. The world snapped back into place as Loralie and I released the grip we had on one another.

I staggered, suddenly standing on solid ground. The field was wrecked. Deep gouges in the earth, overturned stones, a few trees in the distance stripped bare. Dirt and dust settled around us, drifting down in a grimy haze. Asta stood a few meters away, his Demon-Slayer sword planted in the ground, chest heaving and eyes wide. The last traces of magic fizzled off the blade.

I looked around. Yami stood at the front of the squad, sword drawn and the usual cigarette missing from his mouth. Finral was pale, one hand over his mouth like he might be sick. Magna just stared. Jaw slack like someone had hit pause on him.

I turned back to Loralie. Her grimoire hovered weakly beside her, light flickering until it went out. All the sharp edges in her expression dulled. The wild grin softened into something looser, unfocused. She swayed a bit then both her and her grimoire collapsed towards the ground.

I moved on instinct, catching her before she hit the ground. She fell into my chest, head resting against my shoulder, hair hiding most of her face. I wrapped my arms around her without thinking. My lightning had dimmed to a faint glow now, more sparks than armor. Every muscle in my body screamed with exhaustion. My vision swam at the edges.

Footsteps crunched in the dirt as they came closer towards us.

“Easy,” Magna said, voice rough as he approached. “Let me take her…”

I snapped my head up and glared at him, instinct roaring louder than sense, “Don’t touch her,” I snarled, “No one touches her.”

He froze mid-step, staring at me like I was a wild animal. The others went still. It wasn’t even logical. Rationally, I knew he wasn’t going to hurt her. We were all on the same side but my body was still buzzing with her curse. With the feeling of her mana trying to sink its teeth into anything that moved. Everything felt like a potential threat.

Magna held up his hands slowly, “Luck,” he spoke carefully, “You both just dumped an insane amount of mana into that spell. It’s a miracle you’re even still awake. Both of your reserves are drained. Let us get you two inside.”

I opened my mouth to protest and felt my knees start to buckle. The world tilted as Loralie’s weight dragged me down. Magna moved quickly, grabbing my arm and throwing it over his shoulder. Finral was on my other side, grabbing onto Loralie and pulling her from my body. 

“That,” I managed, words slurring as the last of my magic sputtered out, “was something unexpected.”

Darkness swept in from the corners of my vision. The last thing I saw was Magna’s worried expression and Finral picking Loralie up into his arms bridal style. Then everything went black.

Chapter Text

Soft, warm light from the sun spills across my face as my eyes flutter open. It painted the room in a pale gold as dust drifted lazily in the beams. For a moment, I didn’t move. I just lay here and let myself breathe, counting each inhale then the exhale. My body feels heavy and a soreness sank in my limbs. There was a throbbing pain in the back of my left eye from the overuse of my mana. I swallowed and my throat felt like it was on fire.

I slowly turned my head to the left and my heart stuttered. Slumped awkwardly in a chair beside my bed is Finral. His legs are stretched out in front of him with one arm dangling off to the side, and the other resting on his chest. His head is tilted at an uncomfortable angle with his cheek pressed into his shoulder. 

Finral snored very softly. A deep breath in and a short breath out. I watched him for a few long heartbeats. Caught between confusion and something warm. Then the memories flood in as if explaining why he was even here in the first place.

I could hear the howling wind and sharp cracks of lightning. My own laughter tearing from my throat. It sounded wrong. My hands were around Luck’s neck and his eyes were bright and wild. The world spun in a funnel and I remembered losing my senses.

My cheeks go warm and I drag my gaze down to my hands. Half-afraid to find them stained in blood. To my relief, they were clean, but the skin around my wrists was covered in angry welts from Luck clawing at them. The way he jerked under me. How his lightning raced through me.

I sucked in a sharp breath and sat up fast, my heart pounding in my chest. Fear and panic took over as I released the situation I was in now, “Luck!” his name escaped me in a hoarse shout. 

The noise was enough to wake Finral up. He startled and sat up straight, blinking in quick succession as he looked around the room to gauge where he was. Then his eyes landed on me and realized I was sitting up. We blink at each other.

“You’re awake,” he smiles, attempting to be genuine, “Good Morning.”

“Yes, good morning,” I replied. He paused for a moment and licked his bottom lip.

“You scared us, you know.”

“I…apologize,” my fingers twisted the blanket that rested around my waist. My voice was rough from a dry throat, “For everything. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble and make a mess for any…”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” he cuts in gently. I met his gaze. There are faint shadows under eyes, proof that he hadn’t gotten proper rest. But there was a softness there, as well as a barrier. Like he was trying hard not to let something else show, “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

I drop my gaze again, unable to bear the weight of his kindness. I didn’t deserve it. 

“Last night, I…” my breath was shaky, “were there any injuries? Is everyone okay? I just remember the storm and then Asta’s blade…then nothing.”

“You pushed yourself pretty hard, “he answered carefully, “but we’ve all seen worse. You passed out when it was over and Luck wasn’t too far behind. You both used up a great deal of mana.”

“He’s…really okay?” I glance over at Finral who leans his head down and gives a small nod.

“He’s fine. That wouldn’t be enough to take that kid out. He’s tough. Magna stayed with him all night.” and I stayed here with you. Was what I felt like he wanted to finish with but his cheeks flushed red and he looked away.

Something in my chest unwinds enough that I feel like I can breathe a little deeper.

“That’s a relief.”

“Yeah,” his expression trailed off to one twisted with something I couldn’t define. He was bothered by something. I want to ask, but the words snag behind my teeth. I have already taken so much of his time, it wouldn’t be right to push him on something personal.

Finral opened his mouth like he might say more, when a rough voice cut through the air from the doorway.

“Good. You’re awake,” Yami’s silhouette fills the frame, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth as smoke curls around his face. I flinch at the infliction in his tone. Like my sleeping had been a bother to him. He doesn’t step inside, just leans one broad shoulder against the wood, “Get your asses downstairs. We all need to have a little chat.”

All the air in the room thins at one. My heart stutters. A “chat” in noble houses usually meant one thing; you royally fucked up. My fingers curl tighter around the blanket until my knuckles turn white.

“Right,” Finral stands quickly and looks around the room before moving the chair back to the desk, “We’ll be down in a moment, Captain.”

Yami grunts in acknowledgement, “Don’t take too long. I haven’t got all day,” then he pushes away from the frame and disappears down the hall. His footsteps creaked against the old floorboards.

Finral looks back at me. The easy smile he’d worn is gentler now, tinted at the edges with something like sorrow, “Take a moment to get dressed,” he says softly, “I’ll… see you downstairs, okay?”

I swallow hard and give him a quick nod. The smile I give him doesn’t reach my eyes. He lingers for a heartbeat longer, almost as if he wanted to say something else. Then changes his mind quickly and turns, slipping out the door, pulling it closed behind him with a soft click.

Silence consumes my room as I sit there staring at the wood. Part of me wants to lie back down, pull the blanket over my head, and pretend none of this is happening. Hole myself up in the room like I did before.

That didn’t go too well for you the last time.

The wind at my feet stirs restlessly, like it can sense the urge to flee from my problems. I made a promise to myself that I was done hiding. If they were going to cut me loose, then I could at least stand before them with some shred of dignity that I had left.

Slowly, I push the blanket aside and swing my legs over the side of the bed. My muscles protest, a dull ache running down my calves. I stand, swaying for a moment until the room stops spinning, then cross to the small wardrobe in the corner.

I open it to the welcoming scent of clean fabric and notes of lavender. The handful of dresses I now possessed hung perfectly from the rack. Among them, the black cloak embroidered with a raging bull.

My fingers hover over the cloak for a long moment. My mothers voice rang in my ears, telling me how much of a disgrace I was. They held a permanent place in my mind and were always a soft reminder that eventually everyone stops believing that I can do anything worthwhile in this world.

With a deep inhale, I reach past the cloak and pull off a light pink dress with ruffled sleeves and a flowy skirt that brushes just past my knees. I slip it on and bathe in the cool fabric against my skin. After straightening it how I wanted it to lay, I threw on the apron I had personalized with the Black Bulls insignia stitched neatly into the chest pocket. It may make me look like a common house maid, but it was safe, and I felt like myself when I wore it. 

My hand drifts back to the cloak. Slowly, I slide it off the hanger and fold it over my arm. The garment is heavier than it looks. Not from the materials used, but a promise of protection that I hadn’t fully earned. Part of me wanted to put it on. Go down stairs and show myself off like I was one of them. The least I could do was take it down with me so I didn’t waste anymore of their time having to come back up here to get it.

Taking one last steadying breath, I step out into the hallway. The boards creak beneath my feet. Wind brushes lightly at my ankles, nudging me forward. I walk slowly and steady, soaking in the smell of stale smoke. It was a shame I hadn’t gotten a chance to clear the place out and replace the smells with something fresher. It would do wonders for everyone’s health. I made a mental note to tell Yami that a little vinegar and baking soda will get the smell right out.

Downstairs, the familiar murmur of voices reaches me before I enter the common room. I pause outside the doorway to take it in. It reminded me of the first day I had come down. I was frozen in fear just like I was now, but I forced myself to take a step through the threshold.

Yami is sitting at the table a few seats down, at the head. His chair is tilted back on down legs and one foot is propped up on the edge of the table. The usual cigarette in his mouth. His gaze flicks up the second I come in.

On one side of the table, Magna slouches with his arms crossed, dark circles under his eyes. His hair is even messier than usual. Across from him sat Finral. He was hunched over, his hands clasped on the table in front of him. 

Next to Finral, leaning over the table to laugh at Magna, is Luck. He’s the first one to react to my entrance. His head snaps toward me, like he felt me before he saw me. His eyes brighten instantly and he practically launches himself out of his chair to get to me.

“Loralie!” he laughs, bounding over with the energy of a thunderstorm, “You’re finally awake! I beat you by an hour!” 

The laugh was completely unbothered and full of life. So completely him that it makes my chest ache. I stop a few paces into the common area, cloak still clutched in my arms. I was caught off guard by the warmth in his greeting. After what I did, I had expected fear, or at the very least anger or caution. Instead, he beams at me like I’ve just returned from a really long trip.

I glance over at magna who is shaking his head. A low exhale leaves him, but there’s a small reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. 

“Luck, Jesus man,” Magna grumbles, “Give her some space. You both just woke up,” he pulls out the chair beside him and jerks his chin at it, “C’mon, Lori. Sit.”

I don’t even get a chance to acknowledge the nickname when Luck’s hand finds mine. The contact is like two wires touching and the spark between us is intense. His mana brushes against mine in a bright crackle, greeting me with a spark that is half apology and half excitement. Mine curls around his fingers instinctively, tasting the current like an old friend. For a moment, the two mingling forces are the only thing I can feel. Then he tugs me along, gentle but insistent, and I let him lead me to the table.

I sit down where Magna indicated and drape my cloak across my lap. Luck hops back into the chair directly across from me, leaning forward and unable to keep his eyes off me.

Yami takes the cigarette from his mouth and taps the ash into the tray. His face is difficult to read, but it landed in the middle of you’re screwed and get the hell out.

“So,” he says after a moment, voice dropping into that low rumble that makes everyone instinctively straighten up, “Loralie. You got somethin’ you wanna say?”

The room seems to shrink around us. I drop my gaze to my hands, folded atop the cloak in my lap. My fingers tremble slightly, so I curl them tighter, digging my nails into the fabric until it stops.

“Yes,” I say quietly, “I do.”

The words gather in my throat like stones.

“I’m… sorry,” I begin, “For the trouble I’ve caused everyone these past few days. For worrying you. For losing control. For embarrassing the squad in public,” my voice wavers, but I push through, “I am fully prepared to accept the consequences of my actions,” I swallow hard. The next words scrape going down, “I’ll pack my things immediately.”

There is a bead of silence. Then Yami barks out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Hold on now,” he says, snorting smoke, “Who the hell said anything about leavin’?”

My head snaps up, eyes wide, “I thought that…”

“What?” Finral cuts in softly as he leaned forward and spreads his elbows a little wider. There’s a sad curve to his smile that I hated to see, “You’re that eager to get away from us?”

“N…no!” Heat rushes to my cheeks, “I just… assumed, after everything…Most people don’t keep someone around once they’ve seen… that.”

Magna throws an arm around my shoulders, giving them a rough shake. He pulls me into his side as laughter rumbles in his chest, “You thought you were gonna scare us off?” He wipes his eyes with exaggerated flair, “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all week.”

Across from me, Luck grins so wide it almost looks painful, “I thought you finally wanted to tell us what’s up with that curse,” he says, eyes gleaming with interest, “You promised a ‘real fight’, remember?”

My chest constricts. They are taking this far too lightly. They don’t understand, but how could they if they didn’t even know what there was to understand. All of this stress was making my head hurt. I had four sets of eyes staring me down, waiting for some kind of answer I could give them to magically explain what situation I was in. Something I didn’t even really understand myself. 

Finral reached out a hand to me as an offering of support. His eyes meet mine and he gives me a small wink, “We are all in this together, Loralie. Tell us everything you know.”

As I reach out and gently take his hand in mine, I draw in a slow breath, feeling the wind stir faintly around my ankles in response, “Well… I…” The words tangle on my tongue, “From what my mother told me, a long time ago, there was a family of curse-users. They placed a curse on my great-great-great-grandfather.”

I almost choke on the honorific. He never felt like a “great” anything to me.

“I think he cheated,” I continued,  “Or embezzled funds from them. The details were always kept… vague. Either way, they vowed that the first daughter born under his bloodline would carry a curse that would bring about his downfall.” I force a humourless little laugh, “Petty, but effective, I suppose.”

Yami lets out a low whistle, “Shit,” he mutters, sounding almost impressed, “That poor bastard must’ve really pissed a girl off.”

I give a small smile, “Yes. I imagine so. Luckily for him,” I go on, “he only had sons. And they had sons. And their sons had sons. For three generations, no daughter was born into the Vangossen line. They thought they’d escaped it,” I pause, meeting Magna’s gaze briefly, then Luck’s, then Finral’s, “Until me. The First Daughter.”

“Do you know anything else about the curse?” Finral asks gently. There’s that concern again, soft and sharp all at once, “Terms? Conditions? Limitations?”

I shake my head, shoulders lifting in a small, helpless shrug, “Only what my parents managed to piece together. My father knew about the curse in theory, but the specifics were… fuzzy. All he was certain of was that a daughter would be born with a ‘dangerous affinity’ and that her magic would be… unstable.”

A breeze trickled in and brushed the back of my neck. I squeezed Finral’s hand a little for comfort, and found it when he gave a gentle squeeze back.

“I don’t have the best control over my mana,” I admit. “You’ve already seen that. It moves on its own and reacts violently to my emotions. When I fight. Like really fight. It becomes consuming. It wants to devour everything in reach,” a shudder rattles through me at the memory of my hands around Luck’s throat, “It wants to take and take and take until there is nothing left.”

Magna’s mouth is a tight line. He shifts a little in his chair. I take it as a sign of discomfort, but when I attempted to pull away, he held me firmly in place. Like he was afraid that if he let go, I would lock myself in my room again. And I would be lying if I said I didn’t like the way he was holding me.

I wet my lips.

“It also…” I falter, then decide I owe them all of it. Even the weird parts, “It talks to me.”

Luck’s head tilts, “Talks?” he repeats, fascinated. “Like… actual words?”

I nod, cheeks heating, “Whispers. Sometimes clear, sometimes not. It’s like… the wind carries a second voice. It has opinions. Demands. You hear your mana as instinct,” I gesture helplessly toward Luck, “I hear mine as something closer to… another person.”

Magna frowns, scratching at his jaw. “I’ve never heard of mana talkin’ to someone before.” He jerks his chin toward Luck, “Yours talk to you?”

Luck laughs brightly, shaking his head, “Nope. It just wants to fight. I get it, I don’t hear it.” he looks back at me, curiosity undimmed, “Your wind sounds kinda needy.”

I huff an unsteady laugh, “That’s an incredibly simple way of putting it.”

“My parents were never very interested in learning more about the curse itself,” I continue, voice flattening slightly,  “They were more concerned with making sure no one else learned about it. It was easier to lock me away and pretend I didn’t exist than it was to seek help,” I stare down at my hands, “They did everything they could to keep me weak and isolated. I wasn’t allowed to train properly. My lessons were cut short whenever my mana flared. They told me the best way to keep everyone safe was for me to do nothing at all. Then my mother became pregnant again, and decided that since she gets a second shot at the whole mother thing, she didn’t want it tainted with ruined goods.”

The memory of Angelica’s face in the market churns my stomach, “She believed I had no real power,” I say quietly, “That I was doomed to die young anyway, either by my own magic, or someone else’s,” my lips twist, “so why waste resources?”

“Damn,” Magna mutters under his breath, “And I thought my folks were rough.”

This time when I leaned away from him, he let me go. I sat up straight, “She threw me out,” I say simply, “Paid me for my ‘service work around the manor’ and sent me on my way. I think she expected me to crumble,” I lift my chin, just a fraction,  “Little did she know I was sneaking out every night to train anyway. I got stronger on my own in the middle of the night.”

Magna slams his hand on the table, “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” he grins wide, “Screw that lady! Look at you now! You took what she tried to break and turned it into power!”

Luck laughs, clapping once in agreement, “Yeah! Secret training! That’s my favorite kind.”

The warmth that flares in response to their praise is almost painful. I duck my head to hide the sting in my eyes as tears begin to form. It was embarrassing how much I cried now.

Across from me, Finral’s expression softens into something complicated. Pride, sorrow,  and something else I don’t dare name, “You’re incredible,” he says, like it’s a simple fact. Then, after a beat, “So… why didn’t you stand up for yourself in the market?”

The question slices cleaner than any blade. I look up at him like he just caught me with my hand in the cookie jar.

“That woman humiliated you in front of everyone,” he continues, voice gentle but firm, “Insulted you. Us. I could tell you were doubting every awful thing she said, but… you just bowed. You let her talk over you,” his eyes search mine, not accusing, just… trying to understand, “Why?”

I exhale slowly. My hands twist together in my lap, “What good would it have done?” I ask, “I learned a long time ago that talking back only made things worse. That my voice was dangerous. That every word from my mouth could be used as a weapon against me or someone else,” I stare at the grain of the table, “So I stayed quiet and obeyed. That was all I had to survive for so long, that it’s just second nature at this point.”

A muscle jumps in Yami’s jaw. He leans back, chair creaking, and folds his arms over his chest, “Tch,” he scoffs, “What a load of crap they fed ya.”

“I think,” he goes on, eyes narrowing slightly in thought, “I might know someone who can help with this. The curse, I mean. Or at least give us more info than your useless nobles ever bothered to dig up,” he takes a drag from his cigarette, smoke curling as he talks, “No guarantees they’ll say yes to meetin’, or that they’ll play nice, but…” he shrugs, “Worth a shot.”

My heart stutters,  “Us?” I repeat before I can stop myself. The word slips out, small and disbelieving, “You said… us.”

Magna huffs, “Ya know, you seem smart, but you’re really dense, Lori,” he grins at me and bumps my shoulder with his, “It’s always gonna be us. We’re a squad. The quicker you get in that mindset the easier it's gonna be on all of us. We deal with crap together. No one gets to wrestle mysterious murder-wind alone.”

Luck pumps a fist in the air, “Yeah! If there’s a freaky curse person, I wanna fight…uh, meet them too!”

Finral chuckles, the sound soft, “He means we’re all invested now,” he says, eyes warm on mine, “You’re not a stray Yami picked up anymore, Loralie. You’re one of us. For better or worse.”

I bite down on my lip, but a small, trembling laugh escapes anyway, “Okay,” I whisper. “Together, then.”

Luck cheers like we’ve just been handed front-row seats to a festival. Finral’s smile loses the last of its sadness. Yami pushes his chair back and stands, stretching until his back pops.

“Good,” he grunts, “Glad we got that settled. While I work on contactin’ my lead,, you four have work to do.”

He points lazily at each of us in turn. Magna, Finral, Luck, and then me.

“A new dungeon popped up in the Forsaken Realm,” he says, “Magic signature’s weird enough that the geezers in charge are especially curious. I’m sendin’ you idiots to go check it out. Scout, clear out anything nasty, bring back anything shiny that looks important. Oh, and try not to die.”

Finral lets out a theatrical groan, slumping forward, “The Forsaken Realm? Really?” he whines, “Do you know how many monsters are out there? Or how humid it is? My hair will be ruined, Then he glances at me sidelong and straightens, “I mean,” he amends with an awkward cough, “sounds crucial to the safety of the kingdom. Of course we’ll go.”

Across the table, Luck and Magna are already on their feet, hands slapping together in a loud high-five.

“Oh hell yeah!” Magna cheers, “Dungeon run!”

“New enemies!” Luck practically vibrates. Sparks jump off his shoulders, “New traps! New spells!”

Their enthusiasm is infectious. I find myself excited for the chance to get in some action and use my abilities on something other than a tree or my teammates.

Yami snaps his fingers in Finral’s direction, “But first, taxi duty. Take me to the Capital. Wizard King’s place.”

Finral sighs like the weight of the world has been placed solely on his shoulders. Still, he stands and moves his hands in a practiced motion. A portal opens beside the table, swirling with spatial magic.

Yami pauses in the frame long enough to glance back at me, “Get your gear together,” he says, “You leave once I’m back,” then he steps through. The portal snaps shut behind them.

I shift in my seat, clutching the cloak tighter in my lap. Then, slowly, I pull it on. The fabric settles over my shoulders, the weight both foreign and right. I run my fingers over the embroidered emblem of the snarling bull, needlework slightly uneven in places, like someone had repaired it more than once.

“So,” I ask, trying to inject some lightness into my tone, “how far away is the Forsaken Realm?”

Magna flops back into his chair, folding his arms behind his head, “’Bout a day’s broom ride from here,” he says, “Longer if we gotta hoof it.”

“A day,” I repeat, feeling the color drain from my face.

Luck tilts his head, noticing, “You okay?” he asks. “You look weird.”

I swallow, fingers fiddling the edge of my cloak. There are so many confessions I’ve made in the last hour. One more shouldn’t be so difficult. And yet, telling them about curses and homicidal wind is somehow easier than this stupid little embarrassment.

“I…” I begin, then trail off, heat creeping up my neck, “Actually, there’s something I should tell you before we go.”

Magna raises an eyebrow, “What, you afraid of spiders or somethin’? Because I’m not carryin’ you if you start screamin’ mid-fight.”

I huff out a breath that might almost be a laugh, “No. Not spiders,” my fingers tug at a loose thread on the cloak, “I can’t fly,” I say at last, the words tumbling out in a rush, “On a broom, I mean.”

They both blink at me.

“…What?” Magna asks blankly.

“I can’t fly on a broom,” I repeat, staring fixedly at the table, “I’ve tried. Many times. The wind doesn’t… listen. It takes me wherever it wants instead of where I intend to go. The last time I tried, I was aiming for the next town over and ended up nearly shot out of the sky over the Diamond Kingdom’s border.” My cheeks burn, “So unless you’d like to chase me through the sky for sport, it might be safer if I stay on the ground.”

There’s a brief, stunned silence. Then Magna slaps a hand over his mouth and snorts so hard he nearly chokes.

“Oh my god,” he wheezes, “You’re a storm mage who can’t fly.”

Luck slams his palms on the table, laughing so hard sparks jump off his shoulders, “That’s amazing,” he gasps, “You use wind like a weapon but it refuses to be a taxi! Your mana’s got priorities.” 

I bury my face in my hands, half-mortified and half-relieved. Out of all the things they could be laughing at, my inability to ride a broom was the least of my worries. In a way, it was so silly compared to everything else I was going through. 

The wind curls around my ankles uncertainly, then rises up to brush my cheeks in a tentative, almost shy caress. I lowered my hands from my face before I join in and laugh right along with them.

Chapter Text

I’d just barely stepped out of the portal when Captain Yami jerked his thumb toward the palace.

“Alright, you’re dismissed. Don’t wander off too far. And try not to creep out too many women while I’m gone,” he said, already walking away.

I gave a little salute, more out of habit than anything, “I’ll try to keep my heartbreak quota under ten for the day, Captain.”

He snorted and kept going. The cloak he wore over one shoulder swayed in time with his steps as he climbed the dozen towards the Wizard King’s tower. The portal behind me snapped shut with a soft whump, leaving me alone, on the stone steps, and the mid-afternoon sun slanting over the Capital.

The plaza in front of the tower was busy as always. Knights coming and going, messengers rushing past, and civilians lingering near the fountains to sneak glances at the robed figures striding by. Everyone was full of life and the world kept on moving. For some reason, I felt weirdly hollow.

I sat down on the wide stone steps, elbows on my knees, and let out a long breath. This last week had been all sorts of things, and miserable was one of them. Loralie’s voice at the dining table echoed in my head, soft but steady;

“They vowed that the first daughter born under his bloodline would carry a curse that would bring about his downfall.”

She’d said it like she was reading off a script. It was calm and steady. Like she had practiced it a million times. On the surface she looked put together, but I’d been watching her hands. The way her fingers had pressed into the fabric of her cloak. Her winds curled close to her, restless and unsure, determined to make her believe she was not worth being there. Her own parents had looked at that curse and decided she was better off thrown out like trash.

I drag a hand over my face, “I really hate nobles,” I mutter. Which was rich coming from me.

I’d grown up in a house like that, after all. Where status and power meant everything and people were currency. Feelings weren’t worth all that much unless they lined up with expectation. I knew the look Loralie’s mother had given her because I’d seen it aimed at me, too.

The only difference was my family hadn’t been afraid I’d destroy them. Just embarrass them. 

Lucky me.

I leaned back on my hands and squinted up at the sky. A flock of birds soared overhead, perfectly unbothered. I envied their freedom. 

Last night replayed in my mind. I stayed by her bed all night. The room had been dim, only the little lamp on her desk casting a warm pool of light. I made sure to lay her down as gently as I could. Her hair spilled across the pillow like a halo. If halos came with faint bruising. Even unconscious, the wind clung to her like it was afraid someone was going to take her away. It bothered me how one minute it was pro Loralie and the next it wanted to destroy her.

Magna stood in the doorway for a long time, arms folding, and looking like if he blinked she might vanish. 

“You should go be with Luck. He needs you,” I told him gently.

“Yeah, but…” he looked from her to me, jaw clenching, “I don’t wanna leave her alone either.”

I gave him a small smile, “Then it’s a good thing she won't be. I can stay with her. You go be with Luck. If anyone’s dumb enough to try to get up before he’s ready, it’s him.”

He bristled, like the idea of leaving her with me annoyed him, then he sagged his shoulders a bit, “Tch. Fine. But don’t do anything weird.”

“Please,” I pressed a hand to my chest and flicked my hair with the other one, “I’m a gentleman.”

He didn’t believe me for a second, but he went, muttering under his breath the way he does when he’s worried and doesn’t know what to do about it.

For the whole night, I sat in that chair. Watching her breathe. Her chest rising and falling slowly. There was a tight crease between her brows and every now and then the wind would brush my cheek as if sizing me up. Testing me to make sure I was in this with her. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered, more to it than to her, “You’ve got my word.”

She’d stayed asleep, of course, but the room eased just a fraction. As if her mana accepted the statement as truth.

Now, sitting on the cold stone steps, I let out a humorless laugh. I had meant it, but what good did my word actually do when I couldn’t do a damn thing about her curse?

I could move people through space. That was my thing. Handy for battles, quick exits, and making sure our Captain didn’t miss important meetings. Less handy when it came to curses that tangled around someone’s soul. I was useless in that department, and I hated it.

If I was being really honest with myself, which I try not to do often, I had another problem. Magna and Luck were getting closer to her than I was. They had their own thing with her already. Late night chats, whirlwind fights, shouting and laughing their way into her trust. Magna had her blushing whenever he looked at her and Luck always knew how to make her smile. 

Me? I carried bags, opened portals, and called her “Miss Loralie” while smiling like everything was fine. 

I winced thinking again of her sitting at the table. Her dress was beautiful. Everything about her was soft and delicate. The image of youth and beauty. Pain etched into her pretty face.

“Little did she know I was sneaking out every night to train anyway. I got stronger on my own in the middle of the night.”

She looked proud and ashamed at the same time. Like even her achievements weren’t really hers to claim. I wanted to tell her she’d done nothing wrong, survival was something to be proud of, but the words stuck in my throat. Deep down, I was afraid she would hear them and think, “You’re just saying that. You say things like that to everyone.”

That was my own curse, wasn’t it?

I closed my eyes and groaned, dropping my head into my hands, “Of course I’d fall for the one woman who has every reason not to trust anything I say,” I mutter.

Lady Finnes’ face rose unbidden in my mind. Her soft smile, and the way she’d looked at me like she believed I could be better. Before I proved her wrong. I chased after every skirt that walked by because that’s who Finral Roulacase is, right? A flirt. I laugh and deflect, never taking anything that matters too seriously. Not enough to risk getting hurt. 

I let her think she wasn’t special.

Then she married Langris instead.

I curled my fingers into my hair and tugged, “Idiot,” I told myself, “You absolute idiot. You don’t get to complain about curses when yours is completely self-inflicted.”

If Loralie decided she liked Magna’s stubborn loyalty, or Luck’s wild honesty better, who could blame her? They were both a mess in their own ways, sure, but at least they were straightforward. When Magna cared, he burned with it. When Luck was happy, he lit up the room. Then they were worried, it showed on their faces. I’d spent years polishing my mask until I could barely feel my own expressions underneath. 

I sighed and let my hands drop, staring up at the sky again, “Alright,” I whispered, “If she chooses one of them, I’ll live with it. I won’t get in the way. But…” the wind in the plaza picked up, tugging at my cloak, “I’m not going to give up before I even try.”

The words surprised me a little. They settled into my chest with a weight that felt solid. Real. I wanted to be someone she could depend on. Not just the guy who opened doors and vanished when things got hard. For once, I wanted to stand my ground.

Footsteps echoed on the stone above me, heavy and irritated. I turned just as Captain Yami came down the steps. Looking even more annoyed than usual. He flicked the butt of his cigarette away with a sharp snap.

“Yeah, that wench ain’t gonna give us shit,” he grumbled. 

My blood ran cold, “No, Captain,” I said, straightening so fast I almost tripped, “You didn’t try to strike a deal with that thing, did you?”

He gave me a sideways look, “Relax. I didn’t sell your soul or anything. I tried to get some answers outta her, that’s all.”

My stomach twisted into knots. The last time someone attempted to “get information” out of her, she became attached to all the Captains and a nightmare to every squad.

“Were you able to get anything from her? Like a point in the right direction?”

He shrugged, utterly unconcerned with my rising blood pressure, “I tried, but the bitch wanted Captain Peacock and Captain Fancy Hair to give themselves to her, and that ain’t happenin’.”

I blinked “Captain…Peacock and…Fancy Hair?”

“Vangeance and Silva,” he clarified, as if it should’ve been obvious, “Apparently her price for enough info to pick that curse apart was Two Captain Knights and the Wizard Kind servin’ her for life. I told her to shove it.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, “Of course she did…”

He waved it off. “Point is. Negotiation round one was a bust. When you four get back from the dungeon, we’ll try again. Loralie will have to come meet Onitsa herself.”

Something hot flared in my chest, “Then I’m coming too.”

The words were out before I could think better of them.

Yami paused, one eyebrow climbing as he looked me up and down, “Finally got some resolve in ya?” he asked, a slow grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I like it!” Then, because he can’t just compliment anyone like a normal person, he smacked me on the back so hard I stumbled down a step.

“Ow! Captain!”

“Don’t whine. Let’s go. I don’t wanna be here longer than I gotta be,” he said, already turned away.

I exhaled, steadied myself, and opened a portal with a practiced flick of my wrist. The swirling oval of space shaped itself into the familiar view of our hideout’s common area.

“After you, Captain,” I muttered.

He stepped through without hesitation. I followed, and the cool air was left back at the Capital, only to be replaced by the familiar scent of wood and smoke. We emerged in the middle of the room. A few of the others looked up as we appeared, then went back to their business when they realized Yami wasn’t handing out other missions.

“Alright,” he said as he headed for his favorite chair, “You got an hour. Pack your shit and be ready to go.”

“Yes, sir,” I sulked out and headed for my quarters. The corridors didn’t shift in the way they do whenever the building feels like being unhelpful. Thankfully, today it seemed to be in a cooperative mood. My door happened to be exactly where I had left it this morning.

My room was its usual barely organized chaos. A spare cloak hung from the back of a chair, a few shirts draped over the bedpost, and a half folded stack of clothes sat on the dresser that I kept meaning to put away. 

I pulled out a bag and started packing the basics. Spark shirts, socks, a clean cloak, a couple of small potions we’d gotten from the last mission, a comb, and a little bottle of hair oil. If I was going to die in some forsaken dungeon, I could at least do it with decent hair.

My fingers lingered on the edge of the dresser. I stared at the wood for a moment. This would be at least a few days. Just the four of us. Plenty of time to be alone with Loralie. A blush crept over my cheeks and I turned away from the dresser. 

The bag was packed and I tossed it over my shoulder. One final sweep of the room, and I was sure I had everything I needed. 

I stepped back into the hall…and nearly ran straight into her.

Loralie stood just outside the break in the hallway that led off to her room. She seemed half distracted and half frazzled. Her hair was down, long blonde waves spilling around her shoulders in soft disarray. Her cloak wasn’t on yet, just the simple dress she wore earlier this morning. 

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” she said quickly, stepping back before giving me a small bow, “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going,” her hands fluttered to her hair as if trying to catch it.

“It’s alright,” I tried not to stare, “Are you alright?”

She blinked then gave a small, embarrassed laugh, “Yes. I mean, mostly. I just…” she tugged at a lock of hair and made a face, “I misplaced my hair tie. I can’t put my hair up, and if it’s down during a mission I might actually suffocate in it and accidentally throw a tornado at someone who doesn’t deserve it,” the words came out quicker. More flustered than her usual cadence. 

I couldn’t help but to laugh, my shoulder shook with each chuckle, “That’s your big crisis? Your hair tie?”

Her lips puffed into a small pout. “It’s a very important hair tie.”

“I’m not disagreeing,” I said, still smiling. On impulse, I reached out and gently tucked one of the loose strands of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers graze her cheekbone for half a second, “For what it’s worth, I like your hair down. I think it suits you.”

Color bloomed across her face, the soft pink turning quickly into a brighter flush, “Y…yeah, well,” she glanced away, “you won’t be thinking that when it gets in my face and you’re blasted a hundred yards away.”

I chuckle, “I’ll take my chances.”

Her fingers kept fidgeting with her hair. The more she fussed with it, the more it fell back into her eyes. I cleared my throat and tried for a solution, “Have you tried asking Charmy or Noelle if either of them have something you could borrow? I’m sure at least one of them hoards ribbons somewhere.”

Loralie’s face lit up, eyes sparkling, “That’s actually a great idea!” but as soon as she said that, the color left her and she covered her face with both hands, “Oh no. I’m the worst.”

“What…?”

“I haven’t had a real conversation with either of them since I got here,” she wailed, “I can’t go asking them for things when I haven’t even gotten to know them!”

Another laugh burst out of me before I could stop it, “Well aren’t you the rude one,” I teased, nudging her lightly with my elbow.

She gasped behind her hands and peeked at me between her fingers, “I am,” she moaned dramatically, “I’m terrible. I’ve been here this long and I haven’t done more than say hello. They probably think I hate them.”

“Now that’s a bit extreme.”

Her hands dropped as quickly as they’d gone up. She was immediately determined now, “Okay!” she declared, “When we get back. I am going to take all the girls out and get to know them. We’ll go shopping, or to a cafe. Then we can borrow things from each other whenever we need to.”

I smiled, warmth tugging at my chest, “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’m sure they’ll like that.

She beamed, and for a moment, the shadows of the past few days seemed to lift. Then, without warning, she slipped her arm through mine, hugging it close against her side. My brain promptly forgot how to function. Her warmth seeped through the fabric of my sleeve. I could feel the light brush of her hair against my shoulder, the faint scent of lavender and vanilla clinging to her. My heart raced in my chest.

“Mind walking me downstairs?” she asked, tilting her head up to look at me with those bright emerald eyes. They were going to be the death of me, “You do know it’s customary to escort a lady when you’re in her presence.”

I swallowed. Hard, “O…of course,” I stammered like an idiot, “I was raised in a noble household as well, you know. I do remember a thing or two about etiquette.”

Her smile softened and pleased, “I never doubted you.”

That made one of us. I led the way, forcing myself to walk at a normal pace despite the urge to fly down the hall. Her arm stayed linked through mine all the way down the stairs. The wind at her heels brushing faintly around our ankles.

We reached the common area to find chaos already in motion. Luck and Magna were chasing each other around the space. Weaving between furniture and nearly knocking over a chair. Luck was laughing like a lunatic, sparks crackling over his skin. Magna was yelling something that sounded suspiciously like threats of murder.

“You little gremlin, hold still!” Magna shouted, lunging towards him.

“Make me!” Luck cackled, dodging just out of reach.

Loralie cleared her throat, “Um…”

Luck was in front of her before Magna even registered her. He skidded to a stop inches from her, grinning widely. 

“Lori!” he chirped, “You’re here! Good! We’re leaving soon and I didn’t want to have to drag you out of your room!:

Magna stumbled after him, panting slightly. His eyes flicked between Loralie and our still linked arms. His mouth twisted into something between a grimace and a smirk before turning to Luck.

“Dude,” he huffed, planting his hands on his hips, “Whatever weird psycho shit you got goin’ on with Lori, you two need to fill the rest of us in.”

Luck stuck his tongue out at him, “Nu-uh! Only i get to have a secret mana language with Lori!”

Loralie’s brows rose, “Okay, I have to ask. What is up with the nickname?”

Magna rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking shy. That was new, “I, uh…figured it might help you feel more relaxed around us,” his eyes darted anywhere but her face, “If I gave you a nickname, y’know? It was either Lori or Psycho Wind.”

“Lori is fine,” she replied immediately.

They both broke into laughter. Something cramped faintly behind my ribs. I smiled along with them. What else was I supposed to do? He earned that closeness fair and square. Still, there was a petty little corner of my heart that wished I had come up with that name for her first. 

“If you’re done screwing around, get outside and leave already,” Yami grumbled from his corner of the room. Loralie pierced her lips together before slipping her arm from mine and headed for the door. In unison, Magna and Luck moved with me to follow her. We three glanced at each other, before I frowned and looked away.

The sky was still clear and the sun was already leaning toward late afternoon. Luck’s broom was already hovering nearby, crackling faintly with electrical discharge. He hopped onto it like he was mounting a wild animal, then waved both arms at Loralie.

“Lori! Come ride with me!” he called out to her, “We’ll be the first ones there!”

She stared at him, then at the broom, then back at him. Her nose wrinkled as if she’d been offered a seat on a rabid boar, “I think I’ll pass,” she said tactfully.

Her gaze slid to the side, and landed on Magna’s broom. Her expression went from politely disturbed to outright horrified. 

“Oh my god,” she breathed, “What is that?”

Magna puffed up with pride. He swung one leg over the monstrosity and grinned, adjusting his sunglasses even though it was nowhere near bright enough for them to be necessary.

“This here, sweetheart, is the crazy Cyclone!” he announced, “Baddest ride in the whole Kingdom! She can get us anywhere we need to go with no problems!”

“That’s a lie!” Luck yelled, “You fell out of the sky riding that thing just last week!”

“Why you little…”

They started bickering again, the Crazy Cyclone bobbing under Magna as he gestured wildly. Loralie eyes the broom like it might explode. Which, frankly, was not outside the realm of possibility. Then her attention shifted to me, or more specifically, to my broom. It was very normal. Plain wooden handle, standard bristles, nothing attached to it or hanging from it. It did what it was supposed to do. Which was more than I could say for some people. 

“Please tell me you are a normal rider,” she said, voice edged with desperation. 

I felt my stomach flip, “I…uh….yes. Completely normal. No tricks or sudden loops. Just…broom, air, and forward motion,” I made a stupid gesture with my hand, making it rush forward like it was the broom.

“And no weird freak out if I ride with you?” she pressed, eyes narrowing slightly.

I swallowed. Images of her arms around my waist, her body pressed to my back, flashed through my mind in vivid, agonizing detail. I forced my hand to move casually to my collar, tugging at it as I laughed. 

“N…no. None of that. Completely weird-free. Very, very normal. The most normal.”

She studied me for a beat, then her lips curved into a smile that made the world take a deep breath, “Okay then. I’ll ride with you.”

My heart shot straight up into my throat. I mounted the broom as smoothly as I could manage. My hands didn’t even shake. Then she swung her leg over and settled in behind me. 

The moment her arms slid around my waist, everything inside me went electric. Her cheek brushed my shoulder and I could feel the rise and fall of her breathing against my back. It was a struggle to play it cool and not launch us straight into the stratosphere.

“Ready?” I managed, hoping my voice sounded less strangled than it felt.

“Yup!”

Luck whooped as Magna revved his ridiculous broom like a motorcycle, and we kicked off the ground. 

The base shrank beneath us as we climbed higher in the sky. Wind rushed past, cool and clean, tugging at cloaks and hair. Loralie’s mana whispered around us like a soft current that seemed to cradle the broom rather than fight it. 

Behind me, she gave a small delighted laugh, “It feels different like this,” she called over the wind, “Less wild!”

“It feels relaxed to me,” I called back.

“Yeah, a little.”

Something unclenched inside my chest. Luck shot ahead of us in a streak of crackling blue-white, cackling as he went, “Last one there’s a rotten potato!”

“Like hell I’m losin’ to you!” Magna yelled. Crazy Cyclone lurched forward in pursuit. 

I didn’t dare try to keep up with those fools. Let them race, scream and show off. My job was to get her there safely in one piece. 

We flew for hours. The landscape rolled past beneath us. The occasional village broke up the endless terrain of forest and fields. Sometimes we flew in companionable silence, other times Loralie would point out patterns in the clouds or the way the wind shifted over different terrain. Slipping into more technical magic talk than she realized. Every so often, Magna and Luck would swoop close enough that we could hear them taunt each other, or me, before darting away again.

Soon, the sun melted into orange and purple streaks. I felt Loralie’s head rest lightly against my back, her grip around my waist loosening and becoming more of a comfortable hold than a braced one.

“Don’t be falling asleep on me now.” I called over my shoulder. 

Her laugh was soft and muffled by my cloak, “I’m not. Just…resting my eyes.”

Magna and Luck were on the opposite side of where they were earlier. Now they dragged lazily behind me. Magna gave a yawn and cracked his neck.

“We should settle for the night,” He called out to me. I gave him a nod in agreement.

We landed briefly near a small outpost at the edge of the Forsaken Realm to rest and eat something Charmy had shoved into Luck’s bag before we left. Magna was quick to get a fire going after he noticed Loralie give a small shiver. I almost rolled my eyes in annoyance. He played it off well though, going on and on about how he hated the cold. 

Luck was surprisingly the first one to pass out. He propped himself up against a tree and for the first time all day, we got some peace and quiet. 

Loralie sat close to the fire, flames reflecting in her eyes. I caught her looking at me once or twice. Each time, she looked away quickly, cheeks pinkened by more than just the fire's heat. I pretended not to notice, but unfortunately, my heart noticed it every time.

Magna looked between us two before crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against his own tree. She looked over at him before standing. The sway of her dress guided her all the way to where he sat, and she took a spot right next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. He stiffened, and I watched as his face turned red. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer into his body. The final straw for me to look away was when he leaned down and whispered something I couldn’t make out to her, and she laughed, snuggling up closer.

Point three for Magna. Sneaky bastard.

By the time we took to the sky again, dawn was just a thin promise on the horizon. The air grew harsher as we pushed deeper into the Forsaken Realm. Magical currents here felt wrong. Loralie stiffened behind me as we flew. Her winds coiled closer to her, uneasy.

“You alright?” I asked over my shoulder.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I’ve just never been out here before. I didn’t expect it to feel so…familiar somehow.”

I didn’t like the sound of that, but I filed it away for another time.

It didn’t take long before we found the Dungeon Captain Yami had given Magna the directions to. It jutted up from the earth with dark stone and strange symbols carved into the entrance. Magic pulsed from the entrance in slow, ominous beats. The earth around it was cracked and barren, as if life itself had decided this place wasn’t worth the trouble.

We descended slowly, brooms touching down on the ashy soil with a soft crunch. My legs felt a little wobbling when I dismounted. Flying that long always took it out of you, even if you weren’t doing anything flashy. I stretched my back, hearing a series of pops that followed a relief of pressure on my spine.

Loralie slid off behind me, boots landing lightly. She adjusted her dress and her cloak over her shoulders. Worry etched her brows. This was her first dungeon after all. Her first mission really. Given her history, I would be nervous too. 

“We made it,” she said, eyes fixed on the yawning entrance. Wind stirred around her ankles. Hesitant and eager all at once.

Luck bounced on his toes, lightning dancing over his shoulders, “Finally! I thought I was gonna die of boredom up there!”

Magna cracked his knuckles, a fierce grin spreading across his face, “Time to show this dungeon what the Black Bulls can do!”

I adjusted my bag strap and stepped up beside Loralie, brushing my shoulder against hers, “Ready?”

Her nod was sharp and simple, “Yes,” her eyes never left the entrance, to the unknown waiting inside.

I followed her line of sight and swallowed. Jealous or not, scared or not, this was the next step. For our squad and her curse. For whatever this thing was turning into between all of us. 

“Alright then,” I said, forcing a smile as I took a breath of dry, magic-tinged air, “Let’s do our best.”

The winds around her stirred, brushing lightly against my hand in something that felt suspiciously like agreement.

Together, the four of us stepped into the darkness.

Chapter Text

Outside, the dungeon had been a wound in the earth. Jagged stone and a maw opening up to darkness. Inside, it was something else entirely. The air was colder here, heavier. It tasted like dust and old magic. Every breath felt like I was inhaling small needles.

Our footsteps echoed off the stone. I walked between Magna and Finral. My fingers curled in the fabric of my cloak. Luck bounded ahead of us, practically glowing. Lightning already crackled faintly around his arms.

“Whoa, this place is great!” he laughed, his voice bouncing down the corridor, “Bet there are so many things to fight!”

“Hey! Don’t get too far ahead, you idiot!” Magna barked, “We don’t know what kinda traps are down here!”

Luck just waved over his shoulder, not slowing down at all, “I’ll be careful! I promise!”

His promise echoed back to us, strangely distorted by the corridor. My stomach twisted. I tried to focus on the details around us. The walls were carved stone, but here and there I could see faint traces of runes carved into it, half worn away by time. The air shifted around my ankles and tugged at the hem of my dress like a nervous child.

“I know…” I whisper to it. Without really thinking, I reached out and caught Finral’s hand in mine. 

His fingers went still. I realized what I’d done a second later and almost yanked back, but his warmth was grounding. My heart was beating too fast. If I let go now, it would be admitting I did it by mistake, and somehow that felt embarrassing. 

I swallow and look up at him, “I’m a little nervous,” I whisper again.

He looked down at our joined hands, then at me. His face was already pink around the ears, “M…me too,” he admitted with a weak little laugh, “Dungeon’s aren’t exactly uh…my favorite type of outing.”

That made me smile. Somehow, just hearing him say he was nervous too made it easier to breathe. A voice snapped from the other side of me.

“Since when did you two get so cozy?

I flinch and look over. Magna is glaring at our hands like they’d just insulted him personally. His brows are drawn and jaw tight in a way that makes his tone come off almost bitter. My heart dropped.

“I…it's not like that,” I stammered, jerking my hand away from Finral’s as if I’d been caught doing something terrible, “I just needed…I don’t know…” I broke off, feeling stupid and suddenly very exposed.

Magna huffed, looking away, “Yeah. Sure.”

Silence pressed between us. Finral’s hand hung limp at his side for a moment before he tucked it into his pocket. He didn’t say anything, but something in his expression dimmed a little. The air grew tighter. 

I stepped ahead a few paces, cheeks burning. The corridor continued to slope downward, and our footsteps filled the space where our voices didn’t.

“Get it together Loralie,” I scolded myself, “Sure, they’re both insanely cute, but you can’t just cling to one in front of the other like some lovesick fool. If you are going to flirt, you need to do it tactfully.”

I could feel Magna and Finral brooding behind me. Suddenly I wished I had barreled forward into the unknown with Luck.

I stopped walking. The guys took another step before realizing I’d halted around ten feet in front of them. I turned around to face them, clasping my hands behind my back. My heart was pounding so hard, I was sure they could hear it.

“We should all go out sometime,” I blurted, forcing a smile, “Just the four of us. Like a da…”

The floor vanished. There was no warning. No cracks or rumbling. One moment stone, the next…nothing. I dropped. Air rushed up around me in a cold, hungry roar. My stomach lurched as the world fell out from under my feet. The drop became illuminated by runes that flicked on in a glowing blur.

“LORALIE!”

Both voices sounded far away as they shouted my name. The hole above got smaller and smaller the faster I fell. A scream stuck in my throat, swallowed by the rush of wind.

Finral appeared at the edge and threw his arm out, a portal flaring to life right above me, but then a distance was created as I continued to fall. The next second, Magna was diving out of it. Like they both planned it and he jumped without hesitation. 

He dove after me with his hand stretched outward. He fell faster, catching up to me at a decent pace. I reached up, fingers clawing for him like he was my only lifeline. Our hands slammed together. 

Magna tightened his grip and yanked, pulling me and him together, closing the distance. The momentum spun us. We were falling together now, tumbling through a space that went on for god knew how long. Each rune lighting up as we pass them. 

“Lori!” he yelled over the roar of air, “You’re gonna have to stop this fall!”

Panic spiked hot in my chest, “What do you mean I have to?!”

“Last I checked, you have the wind powers!”

“Correction, storms! Unless you want to suffocate in 130-miles-per-hour winds, I can’t help us!”

“Ya gotta try or we’re gonna die!”

Hard to argue with that. I sucked in a sharp breath as my grimoire flew from the pouch at my hip and burst open beside me. The pages whipping violently in the updraft.

“Come on, come on, come on,” I muttered, fingers twitching.

My book flipped for what felt like an eternity. I almost lost hope when it stopped at a blank page. I watched as words scrawled themselves across the page in a rush of light. My mana rose up around me, swirling and snarling, desperate to respond. I flung out my hand.

“Storm Creation Magic; Shelf Cloud!”

The wind below us thickened in an instant, condensing into a massive bank of dark, heavy cloud. It surged upward like a living thing, rising to meet up. I braced for impact.

The cloud caught us. Not gently, but easy enough to give some cushion to our fall. It compressed around us with dense and damp resistance. My teeth rattled, the breath knocked from my lungs. Thankfully, the bone breaking slam I had expected never came. We sank a few inches into the cloud, then stopped. 

It took a moment for me to get my bearings and breathing back. It came in short gasps and hacking. Taking a full minute until I felt like I could sit up without dying. Even with a cloud landing, we had been falling that fast and long to still cause a bit of damage. I looked over at Magna who was coughing up life himself.

“Damn…” his voice came out in a stunned wheeze, “Talk about breaking the fall.”

Disbelief was all I could feel now. For more than one reason. Firstly, because we were alive. Secondly, I made something that wasn’t completely destructive. This wasn’t a force to be afraid of. It was soft, and wet, and was totally ruining my clothes.

“I’ve only ever made storms of destruction,” I breathed, pushing myself up onto my knees. The cloud held my weight like it was solid ground.

Even with the faint light of the runes that bounced off our features, Magna lit a small flame on the tip of his finger. It flickered, casting an amber glow over his face. 

He grinned at me, “Yeah, that was when you were always fighting somethin’. Now your magic has somethin’ else to do.”

I took in his words like they were fresh air. I had no enemy. This was now purely survival. I stood carefully, testing my balance. The cloud dipped slightly, then steadied. I squinted to get a better look at the area we were in. 

The pit was a decent size in circumference. The walls lined with rows of glowing runes that luckily provided some light. Not enough to see anything properly with. I looked up from where we fell and saw the runes slowly dimming until it was just the ones around us that were lit up. Runes that responded from mana. I frowned as my wind curled around my wrists. Even I knew that wasn’t a good sign.

Magna whistled behind me, “Shit, this is a huge hole.”

I turned to look at him as my brows pinched together, “Yeah, I’ve noticed,” I say dryly. It hadn’t meant to come out as rude as it did, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He stood with his hands on his hips as he looked around the enclosed space we found ourselves trapped in now. 

I walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm, “Don’t move,” I warned before manipulating the cloud to shrink down in size to cover a decent sized area beneath our feet. I knelt at the edge and peered down into the black below. Whatever was down there, was swallowed by darkness, which confirmed my thought about the runes lightning up by mana sensing, “Can you do something so we can see down there?” I asked, glancing back up at Magna.

“Sure can,” he grinned. With a cupped hand, flames filled his palm in a bright glow of red and orange swirling around one another. It condensed down into the shape of a ball. He pulled his arm back, rotated his shoulder a bit, then chucked the ball of fire down the hole. The fireball arced down, spiraling and setting the area aglow as it fell. And fell. And fell…

We both leaned forward, watching. The light shrank until it was the size of a marble. Then a pinprick. Then nothing. My right eye twitched from a mix of stress and anger.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath.

Magna’s head snapped toward me, eyes wide with amused surprise, “Well, would ya look at that. And here I thought you were a goody-two-shoes.”

A laugh huffed out of me despite the knot in my stomach, “I never claimed to be that. I did sneak out every night, remember?”

Magna plopped back down onto the cloud, cross-legged beside me. The little flame flickering and illuminated the sharp edges of his face, “Yeah, but that’s different than cursing,” he reached down and grabbed a handful of the cloud. It dissolved into vapor between his fingers and curled away, “Feels weird, but it’s kinda cool.”

I raised an eyebrow, “It’s just a cloud…” I shifted my legs under me, twisting until I was in a side-sit.

Magna tipped his head, studying me. For a moment he was silent, then he spoke, “Can I ask ya somethin’? Since we’re stuck here and all.”

I let the cloud start to sink. Slow and steady, in hopes that maybe the pit would eventually end and we would land on solid ground, “You can ask me anything.”

His gaze searched my face, “What were you gonna say? Before you fell through the floor.”

My heart promptly attempted to fling itself from my chest, “O…oh. That,” I looked away, watching the runes light up as we descended past them, “I was just going to say…we should all go out together….like a uh, day of relaxation. Yes, we should all go somewhere relaxing. I’m sure we’re going to need it,” a nervous laugh escaped me.

Magna’s brows furrowed together, “Ya really think Yami’s gonna sign off on four of his idiots goin’ AWOL for a ‘relaxin’ day’?”

I laughed weakly, “Yeah, you’re right. It was stupid to think about.”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, “Look Lori, it sounds like an amazin’ idea. Maybe when he gives everyone the day off we can try to plan something with the whole gang.”

“I was thinking maybe it was just us four…not really…everyone else.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?” he frowned deeply, his eyes suspicious of what I might say next. I swallowed hard and looked away. 

“Nothing. Nevermind.”

Before he could answer, I shifted my attention to the cloud and had us start descending faster. To his credit, he didn’t push me on it. 

“We should make this go a little faster. I don’t want to find out what dug this hole,” I muttered. 

He rested an elbow on his knee and head in his head, tilting his head to look away from me, “Fair enough.”

The walls slid by faster and faster. Rough stone and the occasional glint of mineral flickered by as the runes continued to pave our way through the darkness. Silence settled over apart from the air around us and the faint crackle of flame on Magna’s fingertip. Inside my head, it was anything but quiet. 

“Why did you even have to bring up the idea of a date? Are you trying to die of humiliation? If they were interested in you, wouldn’t you think they would have made it known by now?” I beat myself up. 

Then the faint whisper of the wind coiled in my ear.

No one wants someone who they deem undesirable.

The cloud shuddered as my control wobbled. I forced a deep breath in and tried to force all the negative thoughts out. We weren’t here to flirt or become anything more than friends. We were squad mates. They understood that. So why was it so hard for me to get that through my dense head?

Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait much longer for the bottom of the pit to reach us. The cloud met solid ground and dissolved into mist, spilling around our ankles. 

As if alerted by our presence, the area lit up in a bright glow of blues and purples from large crystals that jutted from the ground and up the walls. Revealing an open, cavernous area so large it swallowed sound. 

The ceiling reached heights that not even the light from the dozens of crystals could reach. The land dipped and rolled in uneven hills of stone and earth. High on our right, water poured out from a large crack in the cavern wall, forming a waterfall that fell into a small river cutting through the floor. The water glowed a faint, eerie blue, like the crystals and runes from the way down.

It was almost beautiful. If not for the faint smell of iron and dirt that swirled around in the air. The atmosphere felt heavy and I could feel something dark, and uncomfortably familiar about this place. I couldn’t feel the suffocating weight of my mana here. Instead, it felt like it was trying everything in its power to escape me and return to where it came from. It was sickening. 

My eyes roamed the area, until it landed on a rusty helmet. It lay a few feet from us, half buried in dirt and covered in a thin layer of moss. I walked up to it as Magna whistled and looked in a different area. I bent down to get a better look at it. The helmet was old and dented, the metal dark with age. 

I could hear Magna calling out to me, but I tuned it out as I picked the helmet up from the ground. I was met with a little resistance, but with a tug, I got it out of the ground. The dirt crumbled away from it.

My breath hitched. 

Not because of the helmet, but because of what it was lying on. Bone. Lots of it. Ribs long separated from their owner’s chest. Finger bones scattered like seeds. A skull that stared up at me from the pile with a sprout growing through one eye socket. My body froze as I slowly looked up and fully assessed where we were.

“Lori?” Magna hurried over to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder, “What’s wrong?”

The hills weren’t just stone. They were tomb stones for piles of bodies, claimed by the moss and roots long ago. Rusted swords stood in the ground like grave markers. Tattered flags clung to broken poles, the colors faded from time, but the intent remained.

My hands shook from fear. Every instinct told me to run. Get out of there and as far away as possible.

“Magna…this is a graveyard…”

A battlefield frozen in time. 

He swore under his breath. The flame on his finger spread to his whole hand and illuminated more armor, more weapons, more bones. More, more, more, more. My breathing picked up as I dropped the helmet to the ground with a loud clatter. 

Magna grabbed me under my arm and yanked my back and behind him. The wind returned to me, stirring restlessly at my feet. It slipped up around my calves, coiling around my waist, then up around my throat like a rope. Thousands of voices fought for a chance to be heard. Then one came through sharp and clear.

It’s coming.

My veins iced over. I grabbed Magna’s hand and took off in a sprint back towards the pit. He followed without resistance.

“Lori! What is going on?!” He shouted.

“We have to go. We have to go right now!”

It was too late. The ground began to tremble beneath our feet, the air splitting with a piercing screech. 

Across the cavern, on the opposite side, a pit yawned up in the ground. From it, something massive surged upward, wings tearing through the air with the sound of a boulder tumbling from a mountain side. 

Its body was huge and twisted, somewhere between a dragon and a bird. With large, jagged talons and matted feathers. It landed on one of the earthen hills with a ground shaking thud, bones crunching under its weight. Its eyes burned with an unnatural light, fixed right on us.

Slowly, it stretched its wings wide and screeched again. The sound rattled my bones, and I lowered, moving to cover my ears. I swallowed hard, my grinoire coming to life beside me, the white light flickering unsteadily.

“Magna…” I whispered, unable to look away from the beast looming over us.

“Yeah, I know. We’re fucked,” he whispered. His own grimoire floated up, flipping open its contents as the flame in his hand grew brighter.

Chapter Text

The moment the floor seals shut, it feels like the dungeon swallowed my whole world with it. 

There was no warning. One moment, Loralie was right in front of us. Smiling nervously and starting the rambling she does when she starts getting into her own head about something. Her blonde hair falling perfectly over her shoulder. She started to say something when the stone beneath her feet snapped apart. Then, she’s just gone. Her scream cut off as the floor devoured her.

My stomach lurched forward as everything seemed too real. The horrifying realization that something bad happened only took a moment to register. Her name tore from my mouth at the same time Magna called out for her too.

I froze for half a second. Just a half. Long enough for my brain to catch up and start reaching for my grimoire. A moment too long. Magna didn’t even pause to think. He threw himself forward, running as hard as he could to the edge of the pit like a man running towards a burning building. 

“Magna!” I yelled after him. Before he could jump, I reached the edge and threw my hand out. My mana surged to life and opened a portal to reach as far as I could see. He didn’t waste any time going through it, and as he leapt through, the stone shuddered and snapped back together. Sealing them in a tomb for the living.

I sit on my hands and knees. Fingers spread against the cold floor where she was just standing. My heart hammers against my ribs. I can’t breathe properly. I wasn’t fast enough. They were just here. 

I swallow hard, glaring at the stone like it took everything important to me. If I had reacted faster, had a portal primed and ready. If I hadn’t been so damn distracted by how perfect she was. I clench my jaw. If I had been stronger and less afraid.

Footsteps pound against the stone behind me, fast and light as the sound echoed off the walls. I sensed his mana as he got closer.

“I didn’t go too far,” Luck calls cheerfully down the hall, “but I did find a lever, so I pulled it! Did it do anything?!”

Of course he would pull the fucking lever.

He rounds the corner as I look up at him. Grin wide and lightning flickering faintly around his hands as he slows, taking in the empty corridor. Then his eyes shift to me on the ground. 

Luck tilts his head to the side, “Uh…where did Magna and Lori go?”

“They’re gone,” my voice comes out flat and a little too bitter. I looked back at the ground because looking at him had a nasty taste come to my mouth. 

“Gone…?” he repeats.

“A pit opened up,” I say, forcing the words through my teeth, “Loralie fell through and Magna jumped in after to save her. It closed before I even got a chance to do anything.”

My fists curl, nails digging into my palms. It took everything in my power to keep from showing the fact I was trembling. I hate Dungeons. I hate traps. I hate that my magic is supposed to be the kind that can reach anywhere and I hate that I failed to do even that.

Luck stays quiet. It bothered me more than his laughter. I could feel him staring down at me. He took a slow, deep breath, “Okay,” he says. “They fell in. So we just gotta go get them. There’s gotta be another path that leads to wherever they ended up, right? Dungeons love doing that whole ‘multiple route’ thing.”

I lifted my head sharply and glared at him, anger finally breaking through the shock, “We don’t even know where they are!” I shout. My voice bounced back at me from off the walls. It was too loud, and nothing like myself. I instantly regretted it. 

Luck blinks a few times and the flicker of hurt flashes across his face. He looks away and his shoulders shake a bit. It was subtle, but still noticeable. Taking my anger and fear out on him wouldn’t fix things. He wasn’t even wrong. He was just…being Luck.

I sigh and sit back on my heels, running my hands over my face, “I’m sorry,” I mutter, forcing my tone to soften, “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“You’re really bad at hiding when you’re scared, you know that?” he says lightly. I frown but deep down I know he didn’t mean anything by it. In a way, it was gentler than his usual teasing.

“Yeah, well,” I say, pushing myself to my feet. My legs feel unsteady, but I force them to move, “I think we’ve established I’m not the brave one in this little group.”

My eyes flick back to the smooth, cold stone floor and my chest squeezes. Magna didn’t even hesitate. He just went for her. I squeeze my hands tightly into fists and try to push the self-loathing to the side for a moment. What mattered was finding them and making sure they were both okay. That is what’s important now.

“You’re right,” I tell Luck. I can’t stand the feeling of being useless, “Maybe there is another way. Show me where you went. We’ll figure this out together.”

He brightens instantly, as if my agreement flipped a switch in him, “Got it!” he says, tossing me a lazy salute before turning on his heel and jogging down the corridor. I took a moment longer on the spot before I followed after him.

We passed by the lever he had found. It wasn’t anything special, but the random placement of it had me thinking it was purposefully placed there. The reason for it being deeper in the dungeon puzzled me, but then again, when did these places ever make sense? The halls winded and twisted in a straight path. No branch offs, no alcoves. Just a long, twisting path that was cold and damp. 

The dungeon seems to grow narrower the deeper we go. The ceiling lowers and the air thickens as we pass by more and more of strange carved symbols in the walls. The runes etched deep in the stone glow faintly as we pass, pulsing a bluish white or green light. Like they were reacting to our presence. 

As we walked further, crystals started to appear from the ground, the ceiling, and even coming straight from the wall like an invasive species of plant. They were smooth and translucent, giving off their own light. Luck brushed his fingers over one as he passed it and hums softly.

“This dungeon’s cool,” he says, “It feels alive.

“Comforting,” I mutter under my breath, “I really don’t want to picture this place as being alive if I can help it.”

He laughed it off as kept moving us forward. My mind kept circling back to worry and regret. This dungeon had a way of making you get lost in your own mind. It felt off. Not like any other dungeon I had been in before. The intense mana was there, but as we descended further, I began to notice the lack of other traps. Nothing was stopping us as we continued. If Luck noticed this, he didn’t seem worried enough to make it known. 

“Hey,” I ask quietly, “do you really…think they’re okay?”

Luck doesn’t hesitate,“Yup!”

“You sure are confident.”

“Magna’s strong,” he says matter-of-factly, “and Loralie won’t be easy to beat either,” he shrugs, “Plus, dungeons are fun. They make people stronger. I’m sure wherever they are, it’s super exciting. I just hope Magna leaves some monster for me.” he grins and throws a few playful punches in the air.

I should feel reassured, but I don’t. His blind confidence would be effective on anyone else. Not me. Not with the weight of what-ifs dragging behind every thought.

We keep walking. The corridor slowly gets tighter and smaller. The walls close in near to my shoulders to the point we are ducking down.

“Is this place getting a little tight to you?” I call out to him.

Luck squats down a little and gives a nervous laugh, “Yeah, and I don’t think it’s going to open up any bigger.”

“Great.”

We reach a point where the passage is barely tall enough for us to crouch. The air feels colder suddenly and I can’t shake the feeling of the dungeon pressing in like a hand around my throat. Luck drops to her knees and starts crawling forward.

“Come on.”

A groan escapes my mouth as I slowly lower to my knees as well, “There couldn’t have been any other way to go? I really don’t like tight spaces.”

He looks back over his shoulder, that maniacal grin across his face seemed to be mocking me, “I know, but it’s the only way to find Magna and Lori. If you get stuck, I promise not to leave you alone down here.”

I snort, “That’s not actually comforting.”

We shuffle forward, elbows brushing walls, knees scraping,. My clothes twist awkwardly against each other, tangling up in itself. The further we go, the more my heart rate rises. Claustrophobie setting in and I was about to panic.

“I really, really, don’t like this,” I complained, inching forward a little more. As I place my hand down, something small and tickly scurries over the back of my hand. I glance down and see too many legs and tiny fangs, “Spider!” I let out an embarrassingly high pitched yelp, shaking my hand frantically. 

Luck bursts into full, delighted, unrestrained laughter that echoes through the tunnel.

“It’s not funny!” I snap.

“It’s a little funny.”

“I am too handsome to be crawling around through holes with spiders!”

“Come on, Finral! It’s not that bad!”

“It most certainly is ‘that bad’. I can’t believe I let myself get dragged down here with you thinking there might be another way. This leads nowhere!”

“Should we turn back then?”

I looked over my shoulder then around as I assessed our situation. There was no way for us to turn around, so the only option was to scoot back the way we came, backwards, and not be able to see where we were going. Which isn’t really much of an option. 

We inch forward for what feels like forever. Stone scrapes against my knuckles. My knees ache. Sweat prickles at my temples. And the urge to open a portal and just go home tries to fight at my desire to rescue Magna and Loralie. Testing my loyalty.

Then the dungeon shudders. Stone vibrates beneath my palms as dust shakes loose from the ceiling and sprinkles down in front of my face. Somewhere deep below us, something booms. We both freeze.

“Uh… Luck?” I whisper.

“Yeah?”

“What was that?”

He pauses a beat before responding, “…Maybe it was the wind?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, “That was definitely not the wind.”

“But Loralie’s wind does big things when she’s upset, right?” he says, “Maybe she’s okay and just fighting something.”

A vision of her flashed into my mind. Seeing her standing there as wind whipped around her and that awful laugh. The way her grimoire switched colors before our eyes and turned her into something completely different. It brings a sickening feeling to my stomach.

“We need to hurry,” I urged him on. He nods and picks up the pace.

Eventually, the tunnel widens just enough for us to fit through. Luck wriggles the last few feet and then pops out. He immediately turns and hooks his hands under my arms, pulling me forward until I tumble out beside him.

We end up on a narrow stone ledge, pressed against the wall of an enormous cavern. I push myself up and dust off my clothes, thankful to no longer be in such a cramped space. But as I look out, I realize the cavern is the exact opposite. It’s huge.

Crystals erupt from the ground in tall spires, casting a bluish light that mimics twilight. Stone hills rise from the ground, adding to the landscape. A waterfall plunges from a tear in the cavern ceiling, falling into a river that curves through the chamber like a dark ribbon. Mist hangs low over the water, catching the light in shifting bands.

The sight is something of wonder, like it was pulled straight from a fairy tale and built right in front of us. My eyes scanned over everything and landed on a monstrosity in the middle of it all. I was perched on top of a hill, with wings like a bat, stretched and taut. Veined with flickering mana. Its body was hulking, covered in patchy, matted fur and scales. Its mouth splits open in a jagged snarl with rows and rows of teeth.

Luck leans forward, eyes gleaming, “Ooh. Big.”

His fascination horrifies me. The creature lunges forward, snapping at something I couldn't quite see from this angle. Then, from the left, a barrage of fireballs slams into its side, exploding in a cluster of orange bursts that light up the cavern. I’d recognize that reckless, loud, overcompensating magic anywhere.

“Magna,” I say, relief washing over me instantly. He was alive. That was good. That’s one knot in my chest loosened. My eyes searched, “Where’s Loralie?” I murmur.

As if answering my question, the wind in the chamber shivers. I feel it brush over my skin with the familiar signature of her mana. 

Luck grins, electricity rippling down his arms, “They’re fighting without us,” he says, like this is the greatest injustice he’s ever heard. “We have to get down there.”

“Right,” I take a breath, focusing. This, at least, was something I knew I could do. 

I step to the very edge of the ledge and thrust my hand downward. My grimoire flips open beside me, pages fluttering until the correct spell hums under my fingers. Mana gathers in my palm with the familiar coolness and sharpness used to cut through space itself.

“Spatial Magic: Fallen Angel Gate.”

A circular portal blooms in the air below us, crackling faintly around the edges. I don’t stop with one. As soon as I feel the first stabilize, I open another below that, then another. A chain of oval doors forms, floating in midair like a staircase made of holes in reality itself. I grit my teeth. Maintaining multiple gates at once is always a strain, but adrenaline and worry helps to give me the strength I need to keep them open.

“Let’s go,” I say.

Luck doesn’t wait for a second invitation. He leaps through the first portal, vanishes, and appears spilling out of the second, then the next, descending in a wild, jubilant tumble. I follow more carefully, stepping through each opening and letting gravity pull me down until I reach the final portal that opens just a few feet above the cavern floor. I step out onto solid ground and immediately look for her.

Thankfully, it doesn’t take long. Loralie is crouched behind a jagged outcrop of stone, breathing heavily. Her hair was sticking out in different directions on the top of her head while other strands stuck to her cheeks with sweat. Her Black Bulls cloak is torn at the shoulder. A deep gash runs from her collarbone down across her upper arm, blood soaking through her dress and dripping down her elbow. Her grimoire floats beside her pages flipping slowly and the light trembling like it was trying to keep it together.

“Loralie!” I rush to her side, dropping to a half kneel, “Hey, are you okay?”

She looks up, green eyes hazy for a moment before they focus on me. Then her shoulders drop just a little in relief, “Finral,” she says on an exhale, voice soft and breathy, “You picked the worst timing,” She gives a shaky laugh and winces as the movement tugs at her wound.

“That’s a specialty of mine,” I look her shoulder over, pulling at the torn fabric and debris that found its way into the wound, “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing,” she lies. Up close, I can see that she’s shaking. Her fingers clench and unclench around the hem of her cloak. Her magic is restless, curling around her ankles like an anxious animal, “We were just about to…”

A loud crack of thunder interrupts her. The beast roars and staggers sideways as Luck’s voice cries out.

“Lightning Magic: Thunderclap Crumbling Orb!”

Luck slams an orb charged with lightning straight into the monster’s jaw. The impact sends a shockwave of electricity racing across its face. It lets out an agonized screech, wings flaring as it stumbles backward.

“Ha!” Magna whoops from the opposite side, flames swirling around his fists, “There you are, you psycho! Took ya long enough!”

“Magna!” I shout, mostly to get him to turn towards me and I can confirm that he isn’t badly injured.

He glances over long enough to flash a feral grin. He looks battered, clothes singed, a bruise forming along his cheekbone, but his eyes are bright. Very much alive and still able to fight.

Another growl from the beast and crazed laughter lets me know that for the moment, Luck is keeping it preoccupied long enough for the three of us to figure something out. I turn my attention back to Loralie. She’s watching the beast. Her eyes follow every movement like she’s trying to come up with a battle strategy. 

“Loralie,” I leaned close to her, trying to pull her back and get her out of her head, “We’re here now, let us take care of it. There’s no need to get too worked up.”

“I’m… fine,” her voice sounds too tired, “But you really did pick a terrible time to be dramatic, Finral.”

“I resent that,” I mutter, “I am always dramatic at exactly the right time.”

A small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, just for a second. It disappears quickly, replaced by grim focus.

“We were going to try something,” she says softly, “Something…bigger. I think I can finish it off, but I needed a moment first.”

My gaze flicks back to the monster. It’s recovering from one of Luck’s attacks, shaking its head, tail whipping. One of its wings has a ragged burn mark along the edge from Magna’s flame spells. It’s not down and looks nowhere close to giving up.

“A big spell?” I ask,  “Here?” I sweep my eyes around the cavern. While it was a big area, it was still enclosed, with all of us inside, “Is that…safe?”

She lets out a short breath that’s almost a laugh, “Probably not,” she says honestly, “But I don’t see another option. It’s strong. It’s fast. It knows this place better than we do. We have to try something or we are as good as the poor fools that perished before us.

I look around the battlefield. Bones and armor scattered the terrain. Dozens of souls faced this beast, and the evidence was clear on who won every time

Loralie pushes herself to her feet. I instinctively lift a hand to help steady her, but stop short of touching her. It didn’t feel like I had the right to help her when I couldn’t even save her from falling down here in the first place.

“You sure you’re okay to cast something big?” I ask, “If you go overboard, you’ll…”

“Lose control?” she finishes for me, glancing sideways. She knows exactly what I’m thinking, “The worst that could happen is we all die, and that’s a possibility with or without my magic. It’s a lose lose either way.”

I don’t like that answer. It sits wrong in my chest. She moves away from me anyway, stepping out from behind our piece of cover and toward the center of the battlefield. Her wind stirs around her ankles, lifting the hem of her skirt and tugging at her cloak. Excited that its wait was over and it could be unleashed upon this beast.

“Loralie…” I start.

She stops just long enough to look back at me over her shoulder, “Don’t worry,” she says, “I’ll come back to myself. I always do.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I remember sitting in that chair by her bed after her fight with Luck. Watching her sleep, mana still swirling faintly around her like a protective storm. How small she looked curled beneath her blankets. How much responsibility I felt for keeping the room still, quiet, and safe.

I swallow, “You’d better.”

She smiles faintly, then turns to face Magna. He’s just driven the beast back with another cascade of fire and is now catching his breath, chest heaving. Sweat runs down his temple. When he sees her heading his way, he straightens, flame flickering higher in his hand.

“Oi, Lori!” he calls, “You doin’ alright?”

“Mostly,” she answers.

I watch her as she walks across the cavern floor, each step steady despite the cut on her shoulder and the chaos around us. Luck zips past in a blur, cackling as he dodges the beast’s talons, lightning arcing around him. The creature roars, swiping wildly as it tries to catch him.

My heart beats faster. My instinct is to shout for everyone to pull back, regroup, and come up with a safer plan. But I was outnumbered. They are all-in maniacs, and I’m just the guy who opens doors.

Loralie stops beside Magna. Her grimoire rises in the air next to her shoulder, pages fluttering faster and faster until the entire book is a white blur. The glow around it brightens for a moment. A brilliant, starry white that feels like fresh air after a storm. Then, slowly, it darkens. The light shifts from white to a deeper color. Gray bleeds in from the edges of the cover, creeping across the symbol of the cloud, and dimming the soft radiance I’m used to seeing. My breath catches as the color continues to drain, the once bright glow now turning into a dull, ominous gray.

Chapter Text

My whole body stiffened, sensing the shift in the air before I even saw her.

One second, Loralie’s mana was the way I’d gotten used to, restless and prickly. Way too alive for its own good, but still hers. The next, it thickened, becoming heavy and sharp. Every instinct I had screamed danger.

I bravely glance at her. She is standing between me and that oversized bat-lizard beast. Shoulders squared, eyes narrowed, and there was a smirk tugging at her mouth that reminded me of before, from her fight with Luck.

It was sinister, yet still somehow managed to draw me in. Like watching fire catch on dry kindling. Here mana uncoiled and slid over to me…no, around me. Wind curled around my arms and chest like invisible fingers, cold and tight. It wasn’t asking permission, it was claiming territory.

“Hey, fireball,” she said, voice low and amused, like we were sharing a joke no one else was in on, “How about we stop holding back and take this beast out?”

My mouth went dry. I didn’t want to be afraid of her, but this level of menace was otherworldly. I couldn’t pin it, but it felt familiar. Like I knew it from somewhere and hid that information deep in the back of my mind. 

“Y…yeah,” I say, fighting not to stutter, “I was just warmin’ up.”

Her smirk sharpened, satisfied, then she turned her gaze back on the monster. 

The beast was still shaking off another one of Luck’s hits. Spines crackling with leftover charge. It dragged its claws across the stone, eyes like burning coals locking onto us. The cavern vibrated when it growled, causing dust to rain from the ceiling. 

Loralie lifted her hand, palm open toward it. The wind at her feet thickened, circling faster and faster, drawing in from every direction. It whipped her hair around her face and tugged at her clothes, sending her skirt flaring around her knees. She didn’t flinch. Just stood there in the middle of it like the eye of her own storm. Her lashes lowered, eyes going razor sharp.

“Storm Creation Magic: Category One Tatsumaki.”

The air in front of her twisted, gathering itself into a tight column. A smaller scaled tornado spun into being, narrow but vicious. It tore loose rocks off the ground as it spun, kicking up grit and shards of broken armor. 

The beast swung a massive claw at Luck, aiming to pin him to the wall. The tornado snapped sideways just in time for the claw to slam into the wind inside of the blonde idiot. The impact shook the cavern. The twister bucked and screamed, but it held back the beast as it snarled, lips peeling back from yellowed fangs.

On the safe side of it, Luck laughed, lightning dancing up his legs as he skipped away.

“Thanks, Lori!” he shouted, sounding delighted.

I let out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. She had sounded like she was about ready to unleash a mighty storm in such an enclosed space, but a category one was good. Still strong, but not enough to bring the whole place crumbling down on our heads.

“Alright,” I mutter rolling my shoulder as heat flared in my palm, “My turn.”

My grimoire floated up at my side, pages flipping to spell I’d thrown a hundred times over. Flames swarmed around my fingers, shaping themselves into a roiling ball larger than my head. It pulsed with orange-red light, shadows jumping crazily across the cavern walls.

“Fire Magic: Exploding Fireball!”

I wound up like I was on a pitcher’s mound instead of in some cursed underground graveyard and hurled the thing with everything I had. It screamed through the air, heat trailing behind it in waves. The beast threw up a wind to block. The fireball hit and detonated, a blossom of fire swallowing part of its shoulder. It roared in pain, stumbling. I didn’t give it time to recover. Another fireball was already forming in my hand.

“Yeah, you like that?!” I snarled, pelting it again and again, “Feel the burn!”

Each one exploded on impact, whether it smacked into monster flesh or rock. Flames licked across its chest, ribs, and wing membrane. Some blasts missed and blew chunks out of the cavern walls, but I didn’t care, anything to bring this monster down.

Beside me, I felt Loralie move. I flicked a glance over just long enough to see her break into a run straight at the beast.

“Lori!” I yelled, “Hey! Wait a…” It was too late.

She sprinted as the swirling wall of wind she’d made moved to meet her, veering in from her left. For a heartbeat, she disappeared into it completely, swallowed up by the screaming air. My stomach lurched as I searched for her. 

Then, like the storm spat her out, she burst from the top edge, hair and cloak flying. Her body flung forward with the tornado’s momentum. She sailed through the air, eyes locked on the beast.

Luck was there in an instant. Lightning clustered around him like a living thing. He leapt up at her side, electricity buzzing around his feet as his boots manifested. Watching them, you could swear they planned this, or were reading each other’s minds. For one perfect, insane second, they were hanging there together in mid-air. Two lunatics grinning into the face of death.

They pull their arms back at the same time. Mana flared. Not separate as wind and lightning, but something that made my skin prickle. The kind of magic you only get when two people trust each other enough to let their mana actually mix.

The tornado Loralie had cast before unraveled, then the air twisted again, harder and meaner. Their voices hit at once.

“Combination Magic: Hiraishin no Tatsumaki!”

The world went white and roared. Wind exploded outward in a towering vortex that punched up to the cavern ceiling. It grabbed the beast, Luck, and Loralie all at once and dragged them into its churning heart. Lightning carved through the spinning column, branching inside the storm like veins of blinding light. 

Screams from the tornado and the monster blended together into one high pitched tearing sound that set my teeth on edge. My gut dropped. We’d seen this before. Back at the base training grounds, when they first combined their magic. This one wasn’t as big and out of control, but it was still a giant problem. The mana rolling off it prickled my skin like a bad sunburn.

“Dammit,” I hissed, throwing up an arm to shield my face as debris whipped past me, “You two just had to go all out in a hole in the ground, didn’t ya?”

The tornado tore across the battlefield, chewing up stone, bones, and old armor. Bits of flags got ripped free and spun into the air. Dust and grit blasted past in waves. Somewhere behind me, I heard Finral shouting, but the sound vanished under the storm’s wail.

The cyclone wobbled just as quickly as it had risen. Something flew out of the side of the vortex like spit from a dragon’s mouth. Luck’s body hit the cavern wall first, crackling with fading lightning. Loralie came a moment later, hitting the same exact spot with an unsettling boom.The impact slamming them both into stone hard enough that the whole place shook. Rock cracked as dust and bits of stone rained down over them.

“Shit!” I yelled, heart dropping out of my chest.

“LORALIE! LUCK!” Finral’s voice cut through the cacophony, raw with panic.

I glanced back at him. He was pale, eyes wide, hand outstretched as if he could catch them from across the room if he just reached far enough. Our gazes met for a split second. Guilt, fear, and something sharp and possessive tangled in my gut.

The tornado finally blew itself apart with a last, gasping howl. Wind scattered, whipped into nothing by the cavern’s stale air. Lightning fizzled out in leftover currents along the ground.

The beast was still standing. Shaking, yeah, its fur and scales were crackling with residual electricity, smoke rising from some of the burns, but it wasn’t down. It threw back its head and roared, a furious, ragged sound, then swung its gaze toward the only two idiots still on their feet in front of it. Me and Finral. Its eyes met mine and narrowed.

My heart plummeted into my boots, “Aw, hell. That thing is too powerful,” I spat, backing up a step on instinct, “How the hell did it manage to take them both out?!”

“Your fire seems to have more of an effect on it!” Finral shouted, forcing his voice steady, “Hold it off for a bit! I think I know what her plan was!”

“What plan?!” I snapped.

But he was already moving, grimoire flipping open with mana gathering at his fingertips. A portal flared into existence at his side and he dove into it. Another opened mid-air next to the pile of rubble where Luck and Loralie had hit.

I swallowed hard, turned back to the beast, and cracked my knuckles, “Right,” I muttered, “Guess it’s just you and me for a minute, ugly,”heat flared under my skin as my grimoire lifted again. The pages snapped to a spell that always left a lasting impact, “Let’s see how you like this!” I thrust my hand out, mana surging.

“Fire Magic: Explosive Vanishing Scattershot!”

Instead of one big fireball, a dozen smaller ones bloomed into being in front of me, each the size of my head, spinning in a wild orbit before snapping into a tight formation. They hissed and spat, building pressure with each heartbeat.

I snapped my arm forward. They streaked across the cavern in a wide arc, slamming into the ground around the beast, its legs, and its chest. Every single one detonated on contact, overlapping explosions turning the world into flame and smoke. The shockwave hit me like a punch to the chest, heat washing over my face. The pressure had my cloak snapping back.

The monster howled, a sound half lost in the blasts. The ground shook. When the smoke at its feet thinned, I saw one of its front legs collapse under it. Charred patches marred its chest and throat. It dropped onto one knee, panting, but it still wasn’t done.

“Yeah, that’s right!” I yelled, chest heaving. “How’s that feel? You ain’t the only one who can tear shit up!”

It dug its claws into the scorched stone, pulling itself up inch by inch. Before it could regain full footing, space warped beside me. A portal spun open in the air right in front of me, the edges humming with Finral’s magic. Loralie stepped through it as if she were simply walking from one room to another.

She looked awful up close. Her hair was in clumps of sweat and blood, strands sticking to her face. Dust streaked her cheeks. Her cloak was torn in two places, and there was a fresh scratch along her jaw. Her eyes, though…

Her eyes were clear. Too clear. Bright, sharp and a little too empty in the center. She closed the distance between us in three simple steps and planted both hands on my shoulders. I stiffened. Heat blasted up my neck. I jerked my gaze off her face and attempted to find something else interesting to look at.

“Lori?” I managed, trying hard not to sound like my voice was climbing into teen boy territory.

She leaned in, smirk tugging at one corner of her lips. Up close I could see how blown her pupils were, how her mana was shivering under her skin, like it wanted to slide out and crawl around, “I need you to give me your mana,” she said.

My brain short circuited, “H…huh?” I eloquently replied.

Her smirk widened, humorless and sharp, “Like Luck does,” she clarified, “We’re going to try combining our magic, but you have to give in to me for it to work..”

My eyes widened. I shot a glance over at the beast. It was still struggling on half burned limbs. Then back at her. My heart thudded so loud I was sure she could hear it.

Combining mana is not something you just do with people. Not like borrowing sugar from a neighbor. It’s intimate. Raw. Dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Luck treats it like a party game. Me? I like knowing where my mana ends and someone else’s begins.

I side eye her and shake my head slowly, “I don’t…know what that means,” I lied, throat dry. 

She made a face, somewhere between disgust and impatience, like I’d just told her I didn’t know how to hold a broom. Behind her, the beast slammed its paw down, sending another tremor through the cavern. She shot it a glance over her shoulder, and I felt her mana spike with rage. Sharp and hungry.

She lifted her hand. I recognized the look on her face. She was about to stop playing around.

“Wait,” I rasped, reaching out on instinct. My fingers wrapped around her forearm. Her skin was hot from exertion, wind flickering wildly around it. Her head snapped back to me. The look in her eyes almost knocked me off my feet. There was anger there. Contempt to hurt and cause pain. And something wild that didn’t look like her at all.

“Loralie…” I said it deliberately, not the nickname. Not ‘Lori’, “Don’t do this alone,” I told her, forcing my voice steady even though every instinct I had wanted to drag her behind me and run, “You can’t win.”

Her jaw clenched. For a moment, I thought she’d yank her arm away and do it anyway. Then her eyes narrowed, and the corner of her mouth curled up.

“Then help me, fire boy,” she said, “This thing has a weakness to flames. I can give them more life.”

That sounded exactly like the kind of reckless plan Yami would approve of. Which was not comforting. But she wasn’t wrong. My fire had done more damage than Luck’s lightning so far, and this place stank of old mana and death.

I thought of how she’d laughed in that forest during the storm she created with Luck. How she had gone off the deep end and drowned in the flow of mana. It still made my skin crawl. She was such a sweet girl. The person in front of me wasn’t her. It felt stronger than before, feeding off every ounce of energy she had. How far was she pushing herself this time?  

I let out a slow breath. If my compliance breaks this faster and brings back the real her to me. Then fine. Wherever this takes me, takes her, we’ll come back.

My grimoire floated up at my side, pages beginning to flip in anticipation. Heat stirred in my hand, rising to meet her wind.

“Fine,” I said, squaring my shoulders, “Whatever it takes. We push past our limits, right?”

Her eyes sparked. A raw, delighted laugh slipped out of her, “Now you’re talking,” she purred. Her own grimoire shot up beside her. The pages of both books flipped faster and faster, the edges blurring as they sought the same place in two different tomes.

Her mana crashed into mine. One moment my flames were a steady roar in my veins, right under my skin. The next, something else shoved in like a storm front, cold and hot at the same time, clawing and grasping. It wanted in. It wanted everything.

Wind shoved into my lungs and wrapped around my heart. The scared part of me; the bit that still remembered being powerless, weak and useless, threw itself against the walls of my skull, screaming for me to run. All my instincts were to get the hell away from whatever was trying to dig into my core.

As quickly as that fear came, it was engulfed by flame and brushed away with a breeze that cared nothing for what was in its path. She pushed it away and I felt her. Really felt her. Loralie’s will was sharp and furious, grabbing hold of me with a greedy current and yanked me back in line. Her mana stoked the flames of mine instead of snuffing it out.

The air between us became a pressure cooker of wind and heat. The cavern dimmed at the edges of my vision. I fixed my eyes on the beast because if I looked away from the target, I was pretty sure I’d fall apart.

The pages of our grimoires snapped to a stop at the exact same moment. New ink scrawled itself across them in jolting, urgent strokes. We lifted our hands, palms out, fingers splayed, aiming directly at the monster dragging itself back up onto its feet.

“Combination Magic: Moesakura Tatsumaki!”

The world exploded. Wind howled into existence from nothing, spiraling upward in a brutal column. Flames burst from my hands, twisting up through the vortex, spiraling around its core. The tornado that formed made the previous one look like a kid’s toy. This was a furnace.

It slammed into the beast, swallowing it entirely. The creature’s roar shifted into a choked scream as it was ripped off the ground and spun, battered from all sides. Fire licked over its body, every rotation branding it again. The pressure in the cavern spiked. My ears popped. Heat slammed into me, hot enough to sear the hairs on my arms even from where we stood.

My knees almost buckled as mana poured out of me, pulled by something that did not take “no” for an answer. It felt like someone had jammed a hose into my core and turned it on full blast. I tried to grit my teeth, but the sound that came out of me was half growl, half scream anyway.

The tornado roared and roared. I risked a glance sideways. Loralie’s face was lit by the flames inside the storm, shadows dancing across her cheekbones. Her pupils were blown wide, her mouth slightly open. She looked blissful. Like the beast’s screams were music. I swallowed hard.

No wonder Luck liked fighting with her so much. Standing in the middle of that kind of raw, wild power. Feeling it brush against your own. Yeah, I could see the appeal. I could also see the drop off at the end of that road. It felt less like sharing mana and more like standing in front of a hungry god that hadn’t eaten in a while.

I wondered, just for a second, if this was what she felt inside her head when she “gave in” to her curse. Not just power, but this: the rush, the burn, the way everything else went quiet except the screaming.

It didn’t feel like her. It didn’t even feel human.

The tornado slowly began to thin as our mana finally started to run low. Flames sputtered, then burned lower, more intense and focused. The vortex shrank, drawing in tighter over its victim. The beast’s screams faded into hoarse, ugly sounds, then into nothing at all.

With one last, ragged howl, the storm ripped itself apart. Wind scattered. Fire guttered out in a rain of embers. The cavern went dim again, lit only by the crystals and the faint glow of lingering magic.

Where the beast had stood was now a half melted, half charred heap of flesh and bone. Smoke curled lazily from it. The stink of burned feathers and meat hit us a second later. My stomach rolled. I doubled out a bit, wrapping an arm around my stomach, hoping to control whatever was trying to come up.

For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then Loralie laughed. It started soft, a little breathy. Then it built, rising into something that bordered on hysterical. She hugged her arms around herself, shoulders shaking, head tipped back. It wasn’t her light giggle. This one sounded like it was high on blood lust.

My legs gave out. I dropped to my knees, palms slamming into the cracked stone. My lungs heaved in and out, trying to catch air that felt too hot, too thin. Sweat ran down my temple and dripped off my chin. The world tilted sideways for a second, coming back into focus only to go again. My mana rushed away from me like a tide going out, leaving muscles trembling in its wake. Every inch of me hurts, from fingertips to teeth.

I tried to push myself up anyway. My foot slid, and I went right back down on one knee, “Dammit,” I breathed.

Loralie’s laughter cut off abruptly. I looked up through the curtain of my bangs, trying to blink sweat out of my eyes. She was staring at me. The look on her face made my breath catch. Gone was the manic delight, the feral grin. Her expression was now empty. No anger. No fear. No relief. Just an unsettling sort of calm, like she was looking at something that didn’t register as worthy to her.

“You’ve got more mana than I realized,” she said quietly. Her voice sounded wrong. Like it was coming from the bottom of a well. A shiver ran up my spine. She tilted her head, studying me the way the beast had a few minutes ago, “Unfortunately, not as much as the lightning rod,” she added, tone turning almost bored, “Pity. We could have done so much together.”

She lifted her hand. I didn’t need the wind to tell me that whatever she was about to do next wasn’t going to be friendly. I could feel her magic shifting, turning, searching for something else to sink into. The target had just moved from “giant monster” to “nearest warm body.”

My body tensed. I braced, trying to drag up enough mana for a shield, a counter, something. Even as my vision blurred around the edges.

Then a rush of blue and white jolted to her side.

Luck.

He moved faster than my eyes could track, lightning boots crackling as he threw his arms around her from behind, wrapping her up and pinning her arms to her chest. Sparks danced along his shoulders and down his back, grounding themselves into the stone.

“Lori, don’t,” he said in her ear, voice soft in a way I didn’t hear from him often, “You won.”

I blinked, thrown for a second. We all won. The beast was dead. We were all mostly standing. That was a collective win in my book.

She seemed to catch my confusion. Her gaze slid from Luck’s arms to me. The wicked grin snapped back into place, “I guess I did,” she purred. “Even if he is weaker than you.”

Hurt and pain sank into my heart and I almost wished she had just put me out of my misery. 

Her grimoire, which had been hovering at her side, snapped shut like a mouth slamming closed. The glow around it went out all at once. The book dropped to the ground with a dull thud, the sound weirdly final. The mana around her hiccuped. She swayed as Luck loosened his grip, then slipped right through his arms, falling forward.

I don’t remember moving. One moment I was on my knees, the next my body decided it wasn’t done yet and lunged forward on its own. I caught her.

Her full weight landed against my chest. She was light, lighter than she should’ve been but my exhausted muscles screamed anyway. Her head hit my shoulder, hair spilling over my collarbone. Up close she smelled like smoke and lavender. Oddly reminding me of the base.

She drew in a shaky breath, her fingers bunching in the fabric at my side. The wild, devouring mana from earlier was gone. What was left clung to her like a tired animal, “Magna…” she whispered, voice soft and small again, “We did it.”

For a second, all the rattling in my chest stilled, “Yeah,” I muttered, swallowing against the tightness in my throat. “Yeah, we did.”

I looked up. Luck was standing in front of us, breathing hard, sparks still popping around his ankles. He met my gaze, his usual grin dialed down to something almost reserved. Without breaking eye contact, he crouched and picked up Loralie’s grimoire then brushed the dust off the cover.

Finral came jogging over a moment later, coat flapping, hair a wreck. His eyes took in the charred corpse, the scorched ground, then locked onto the three of us, “That was some tornado!” he said, half laughing, half audibly panicking, “How is everyone?!”

Loralie lifted her head off my shoulder, blinking as if she’d just woken up from a nap. She gave him a small, tired smile, “Better now that it’s gone,” she said.

Her mana had settled. But not all the way. I could still feel the echo of that other thing coiled under her skin, waiting. The way she’d looked at me right before Luck grabbed her stuck in my head like a splinter. It reminded me of something. Of someone. The thought crawled out of the back of my brain like a nasty little bug.

“No way…” I told myself, “There’s no way…”

Then I remembered the first time I’d felt that kind of suffocating, greedy mana. Not from Loralie. From a different “girl” entirely. In a meeting room with the Captains and the Wizard King. An entity with a smile sharp enough to cut through bone and a laugh that made my spine itch. The name slid into place before I could stop it.

“…Lori,” I heard myself say.

She turned her head, still tucked near my shoulder, eyes curious. “Hm?”

“Do you know anyone by the name of Onitsa?”

Finral sucked in a sharp breath.

Luck’s smile vanished like someone had slapped it off his face. His eyes went wide, then narrow, “Magna,” he said sharply, electricity prickling along his arms, “We can’t talk about her.”

I ignored him and just kept my gaze locked on Loralie’s face.

She frowned, thinking, “No,” she said after a moment, shaking her head, “That name doesn’t sound familiar. I don’t know who that is.”

Finral cleared his throat loudly, looking everywhere but at me, “Captain Yami has already made plans, Magna,” he said, “When we get back, I am taking her to meet that…thing.”

My head snapped toward him so fast my neck popped, “You what?” I barked, “You knew something and didn’t say anything?!”

Finral’s hands shot up in surrender, eyes wide, “I didn’t know anything concrete!” he protested, “Yami hadn’t fully made the plans yet. It was refusing to speak with him unless they made a deal. I don’t know anything else. I swear.”

I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt, “I should have known that’s what he meant,” I muttered, more to myself than to them, “He must’ve recognized her mana the moment he met her.”

Loralie shifted against me, pulling back just enough so she could look between the three of us. Confusion lined her brow.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, “Can someone explain what we are talking about? Who is this Onitsa person?”

I exhaled, slow and frustrated. How the hell were we supposed to break this to her? Luck answered before I could.

“She’s a devil,” he said bluntly, “Been hanging around the Magic Knight Captains and the Wizard King for a few months now.”

“And she’s got a mana signature that feels exactly like yours,” I added, looking Loralie right in the eyes, “Specifically, when your so-called curse flairs up.”

“Oh, that’s comforting,” Finral muttered.

Loralie went very still in my arms.

“A devil…” she whispered, more to herself than to us. Her fingers tightened in my shirt, “And Captain Yami…wants me to meet her?”

“Yeah,” I said, softer this time. 

She licked her lips, gaze dropping to the scorched ground, then back up to us. Fear and confusion swirled in her eyes but she put on a brave face, “…Okay,” she said, voice trembling just a little, “But we do this together. The four of us.”

Luck grinned again, some of the old spark back,“Yup!” he chirped, “And if she tries anything weird, we beat her up.”

Finral groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Please don’t say things like that about the devil who could probably erase us with a thought.”

I snorted. Even when it seemed like we kept getting dragged deeper into a mysterious rabbit hole, nothing could change us. These guys were something I knew I could always rely on. Loralie was no different. When she was herself, she was predictable just like Luck and Finral. Even myself. 

Loralie’s body trembled under my arm, and I glanced to look at her. Tears formed on the edges of her eyes. I had to hold back the jab I wanted to throw at her for being so sensitive.

“Hey,” I said, hauling Loralie a little closer so she didn’t slip away from me, “We just fried a dungeon boss with a flaming tornado. We’ll figure out one devil.”

Chapter Text

Searching through the dungeon took a lot longer than it should have and we still ended up with nothing to show for it. Finral managed to get the gash on my shoulder to stop bleeding. It wasn’t too deep to cause any real issues, but something we would be keeping an eye on. Manga on the other hand, went into a rage when the dungeon came up empty. 

After several hours of hunting, we all decided to call it and head back to the base. It was a lot quicker getting back than it had been to get there. I was really starting to understand just how important it is to have someone with spacial magic on a squad. A tinge of guilt came over me for thinking of Finral as a set of wheels, but without him, it would be a very long trek back home. 

Finral opened the portal and took us all back to the base, leaving the smell of charred beast behind us. The floorboards creaked in greeting. The familiar scent of old smoke wafted towards us, and for once I welcomed it.

My mana curled close around my ankles, wary and restless, as if it hadn’t quite decided whether we were safe yet. 

“We’re back,” Finral let out a relieved sigh, letting the portal snap shut behind us. His shoulders drooped, and for once his hair didn’t look perfectly put together. 

Magna rolled his neck, a grimace tugging at his mouth as something cracked in his body, “Yeah, everything hurts,” he grouched, hands going to his lower back, “so I’m gonna go take a bath before more shit hits the fan.”

“Me too!” Luck chirped instantly, almost before Magna could finish. He bounced on the balls of his feet like he already has a running start for the wash room, “A long soak after a good fight? That’s the best!”

Magna’s face turned a light shade of pink, “The hell you are!” he snapped, pointing a finger right at Luck’s chest, “You’re not followin’ me in there! We are not doin’ the whole ‘oops we’re both in here’ thing again!”

“I only shocked you that one time! You’ll be fine!” Luck laughed, lightning flickering lazily around his shoulders.

A small, tired smile crept over my lips. My body was sore in places I didn’t know could be sore. Deep, dragging exhaustion sat behind my eyes, and yet the idea of warm water sounded like heaven on earth.

“A bath does sound nice…” I admitted, lifting one hand to rub at the side of my neck, fingers brushing along dried grit and dust. My cloak smelled like smoke, dirt and the faintest iron tang of blood.

Finral grimaced, “It could be one last enjoyment we get before Yami kills us for not bringing back so much as a pebble from that place.”

Manga snorts and plants both hands on his hips, “Callin’ that a dungeon was a joke. I have no clue what that was other than a complete waste of time and energy.”

I blinked and looked between them, “You mean…that wasn’t an actual dungeon?”

“Hell no,” Magna let out a short bark of laughter, “Whoever discovered that place really jumped the gun. Or we all collectively were dumbasses and missed the treasure completely, but nothin’ was there. No weird chests, no puzzle rooms, no creepy statues. Just that big ugly bastard and a hole that went on for way too long.”

Luck bounced on his toes again, restless energy still crackling off him despite the fight we’d just had, “So about that bath?” he cut in, like that was the true pressing concern.

My lips twisted, the heaviness in my chest easing at how casual this conversation felt. It seemed we all grew a little closer together and I no longer had a sense of not belonging when I spoke with them. We all went through something unexplainable, and it was nice to have other people who went through something similar. 

“I think we all deserve one,” I murmured.

Finral scratched at his cheek, eyes flicking away for a second, “Uh, Loralie. You do realize there’s only a wall between the men’s and women’s sides, right? A very thin wall at that.”

I blinked a few times, letting that sing in. Then a snort came from me before I could stop myself. All three of them turned to look at me, faces concerned as if I had just spoken a foreign language, “What?” I tilted my head, letting a small smile curve my lips, “You three perverts of something?”

Magna went bright red in an instant. It climbed from his collar, up his neck and into his cheeks like wildfire, “N…no!” he sputtered, voice cracking on the word, “What kind of men do you think we are?!”

I take a moment before responding, crossing an arm over my chest and tapping a finger on my chin in feign thought. Magna sputtered and protested angrily. I covered my mouth as I laughed a little harder. Then I gave him a sweet smile, “The good kind,” followed by a quick little wink before my courage could abandon me.

Magna froze in place like I turned him to stone. I had to turn away from pure embarrassment, not waiting to see if he would say anything else. The wind at my heels tugged my forward as I headed for the hallway. Soaking these feelings in hot water would hopefully get my head on straight and stop me from flirting with these men anymore. 

“Loralie,” Finral’s voice was suddenly at my side. He fell into step with me, hovering just close enough that our sleeves brushed now and then. When I looked up at him, his usual easy smile was there but his eyes spoke a different tone. They were guarded, studying me like I might break, or worse, break them.

I studied his profile while I waited for him to continue his thought. He went to say something then stopped himself, darting his gaze away from me. My brows furrowed. I took in the way his shoulders slumped and the faint worry lines on his face. Without really thinking, I reached out and slipped my fingers through his, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. My wind moved with me, brushing lightly around his knuckles. His eyes dropped to our joined hands. He swallows, his Adam's apple bobbed. Then his expression shifted to one of pain and sadness. He pulled his hand away and shook his head.

“You really shouldn’t do that,” he said, voice strained, “You might give a guy the wrong idea.”

He walked ahead before I could respond. My steps slowed, the echo of his words lingering in my chest like smoke. Had I done something wrong? Was I being too forward? Too familiar? He didn’t seem to mind before when we first entered the dungeon. Now he had a completely different reaction to it. My chest twisted in disapproval.

I didn’t get much time to wallow. A sudden weight landed across my shoulders from behind as a pair of arms slung around my neck. I stumbled forward with a small gasp.

“Lori!” Luck’s bright voice chirped right next to my ear, his chin hooking over my shoulder. We were close to the same height, which made it all too easy for him to drape himself over me like I was a convenient piece of furniture, “We can bathe together! I promise I won’t peek!” He held a pinky up near my face like that made it a sacred vow.

My cheeks went hot instantly, “No thanks!” I laughed, half horrified and half amused as I pried his arm off my shoulders, “I am perfectly fine by myself, thank you very much.”

He pouted dramatically for a heartbeat, then shrugged and darted past me, racing down the hall with a “Last one there’s a crispy bird monster!” tossed over his shoulder.

I shook my head, unable to keep from smiling as I stepped into the bath area and slid the door open to the women’s side.

Warm steam hit me first, wrapping around my sore muscles like a gentle embrace. The room smelled of soap and mineral water. Lanterns hung along the walls cast a soft golden glow over the tiled floor and the wide, welcoming pool of water beyond the washing area.

Fresh towels were stacked neatly on a shelf nearby. Plenty of bottles lined the shelves of different soaps, perfumes, and cleansers. Some bottles were sectioned off, like someone made a point to state these were theirs, but mostly they were all placed in an organized mess. 

I reached for the bottles of soap that I mainly used and brought them over to the bath. Back at my parents' manor, I had one scent of soap and shampoo. It smelled of old ladies and distant times. A scent I never wanted to smell like again. I popped the bottle of lavender soap open and inhaled it with a refreshed sigh. 

Slowly, I began to undress. I removed my cloak first, studying the rips and burns on it. My lips turned down into a frown and I set it to the side, making a note to fix it up as soon as I could. Then I removed my dress. I set it over the cloak, meaning to fix the gash in the shoulder. Finally, I removed my undergarments, leaving my marred body completely exposed. 

I looked myself over in the mirror. My nipples were perky as my breasts hung a little on the lower end. The curve of my hips pronounced my thin waist but did nothing for my small ass. My body was plain and average, but the older I got, the more I learned to love it. Scars, blemishes, and all. 

In the washing area, I scrubbed the dust and dried blood from my skin, fingers lingering over the faint new scars along my wrists and the bruised ache in my shoulder where the beast’s claw had bitten into me. Small reminders of how close I’d been to losing myself again. How easy it was, if I wasn’t careful, to let something darker crawl up my spine and take the reins.

The wind stirred at my back, warm and restless. Not the suffocating gray storm from before, but the gentle, watchful breeze that knew me best. It rustled the ends of my hair and tugged playfully at the droplets on my arms.

The water in the main bath was blissfully hot. I eased in slowly, the sting of heat giving way to a slow, melting relief. Muscles I hadn’t even realized were tensed began to unwind. The ache behind my eyes loosened, just a little. I sank in up to my shoulders, tilting my head back against the smooth stone edge and exhaled.

For a blissful moment, there was only the soft lap of water and my own steady breathing. Then, through the thin wall, came muffled voices and the splash of someone entering the bath on the other side.

“Too hot!” Finral yelped from beyond the partition, “Magna! Cool it with the heat!”

Luck’s laughter followed immediately, “It’s perfect! The hotter, the better! That means we really earned it!”

More loud splashing followed and slowly a dense cloud of steam started to make its way over onto my side of the bath. 

“You’re gonna pass out, you freak!” Magna snapped.

“Then you can both drag me out! Teamwork!” Luck shouted.

I covered my mouth to muffle a giggle. The idea of them both on the other side, bickering while probably sitting entirely too close, sent my imagination spiraling in several directions at once. My cheeks warmed for reasons that had nothing to do with the bath.

Finral’s voice drifted through, faint but unmistakable, “Watch where you’re flailing, Magna! You’ll get water in my hair and ruin the leave in conditioner!”

Magna snorted, “That’s the gayest shit I think I’ve ever heard you say!”

“It’s not gay! It’s maintenance. You could use a little yourself, I can see your split ends from a mile away!”

“How dare you?! I’ll have you know I have a perfectly fine hair care routine!”

“Oh yeah? And what would that be?”

“Blood, Sweat, and a little hair gel”

Luck laughed, “You’re both weird! Just brush it like normal and let your hair do its own thing.”

There was a pause of silence then Magna and Finral both burst into laughter as if that was the most outrageous thing they had ever heard Luck say.

I rested my arms along the edge of the bath, letting my fingers trace idle patterns in the water. Listening to them talk like this, with only a thin wall separating us, felt oddly intimate. Every tone of their voices, their cadence, the inflictions. All of it was like pieces of a song I’d already memorized. Everytime Luck laughed, my heart soared. The way Magna talked to me so casually made me feel accepted. How Finral looked at me like I was something he couldn’t look away from made me feel seen.

My body heated in places and I lost myself in thought of how I was crazy but also accepting the fact that I very much had feelings for those three. I let my fingers run up my thigh as I pictured Magna with water dripping down his chest. Luck pinned under him. Finral with his hand…

“Hey, Lori!” Luck’s voice pitched up suddenly like it was right next to my ear. The sound practically vibrated through the wall by my left shoulder. 

I stiffened, “Y…yes?” I called back, trying to sound dignified while caught like a startled cat.

There was a brief shuffle, like someone wading heavily through the water. Then more shifting. I sat a little straighter, listening in. Then a muffled thump that sounded suspiciously like someone being elbowed.

“Don’t you dare try to peek, you walking lightning rod!” Magna barked.

“I’m not peeking!” Luck protested, “I’m just trying to see if the wall is really that thin!”

“Then stop pressing your face against it!”

Finral sighed, “If you two roughhouse any closer to it, you’ll end up knocking the whole thing down.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me. It bounced lightly off the stone like a deadly warning, “Just a warning, if that wall comes down, I am turning this bath into a Category Three disaster.”

“Y…yeah, okay, nope. I’m good over here, thanks!” Magna laughed nervously. 

“But a storm bath sounds fun!” Luck whined.

“Not naked, it doesn’t!”

Finral’s voice drifted over, amusement threading through it now, “Please don’t traumatize them, Miss Loralie. They are but feeble minded boys.”

“Who you callin’ feeble minded, you perv?!” Magna shot back.

I sank a little lower, letting the water creep up to my chin. The heat had turned the room hazy, blurring the lanterns into soft halos of light. I could feel my mana loosening its tight coil around me, expanding with the steam. 

On the other side of the wall, the three of them kept bickering for a bit until the conversation wrapped around back to the dungeon. Their voices hushed a bit, but the conversation flowed to the combination spell Magna and I pulled off. 

“It’s in my grimoire. Like actually there. I never heard of a combination spell doing that before.” Magna sighed.

“Yeah, it happened to me too! I feel her constantly now!” Luck chirped. 

“Yeah…”

“Maybe you and I should combine our mana, Magna! For science!”

Finral instantly shot that idea down, “No way! I am not becoming fried meat!”

“I’m kidding!” Luck laughed, “Probably!”

“You’re not allowed to say ‘probably’ when it comes to exploding things!” Finral insisted.

“You guys,” I said softly, closing my eyes as I inhaled steam deeply. They probably couldn’t even hear me at that volume, but the words slipped out anyway, “Thank you.”

By the time the water had cooled enough to raise goosebumps on my arms, my limbs felt rejuvenated. I eventually forced myself out, wrapping a towel around my body and then my hair. My feet padded on the hard floor as I made my way to the bathroom door, then stopped short of opening it. My heart thumbed madly in my chest. What if they hadn’t fully left yet and they saw me like this?

Heat rushed to my cheeks as I slowly opened the door and came face to face with the door to my bedroom. I stood there frozen, staring at it from across the hall in disbelief. The last I had checked, my room was a few hallways over. I looked down either side of the hallway and noticed they were both completely closed off. My brows furrowed as I slowly stepped out, crossed the clearing, then entered my room. 

The door clicked closed behind me and I wasted no time getting changed into new clothes that weren’t completely torn and covered in dirt and blood. The soft blue dress fell just past my knees and danced in soft waves around me. I grabbed an extra cloak and pulled it over my head. Wet hair clung to my hands and I frowned, grabbing the towel again and wrapping my hair back up. Then I left for the main room.

Magna, Luck, and Finral were already there. Sprawled across chairs and the couch in various states of relaxation. Magna looked like he’d fought the water and last, hair dripping and unkempt. Luck sat cross legged in a chair, towel draped over his head like a strange little cape. Finral had somehow managed to dry and style his hair with infuriating efficiency, but the annoyance left as I saw the way his shoulders sagged.

I sat on the edge of the couch opposite them and began gently towel drying my hair, combing my fingers through the curls. Strands clung to my fingers, damp and warm. The wind at my back helped, lifting and tossing the ends like invisible hands fluffing it dry.

“Your mana’s in a good mood,” Luck observed, eyes following the shifting strands with interest.

“It’s… calmer,” I admitted, “For now.”

Magna tilted his head, watching me from his spot slouched in the chair. There was a faint line between his brows, like he wanted to say something but kept swallowing it back, “You did good today,” he muttered instead, “Just sayin’.”

I blinked, heat blooming in my chest, “You did too.”

Luck grinned, “I did better.”

“Shut up, you maniac,” Magna shot back.

Finral chuckled softly, “Do you two ever quit for even a second?”

I smiled as I passed the towel over my hair again. Comfort started to settle in when the front food swung open. It didn’t slam open, but pushed inward with steady force, letting in a brief rush of outside air before closing again behind the broad figure in the doorway. Yami stepped in, smoke curling around the cigarette at his lips, eyes sweeping the room in a slow, assessing glance.

“Good,” he said, as if he’d expected us to be anywhere else, “You four are back,” he took a long drag, exhaled, then added, “Before I kill ya for fuckin’ up that mission… Finral,” he jerked his chin toward the space beside him.

All four of us stood up at once like it was perfectly choreographed. The towel slipped off my shoulders and dropped to the floor.

Yami held up one hand, “Whoa, hold up. Only Finral and Loralie are goin’.”

Magna stepped forward, a look on his face I couldn’t get a good rea on, “No way!” he barked, “Captain Yami, I am not gonna sit by and let her go in there with that thing!”

Luck shook his head so fast water droplets flew from his hair, “If Lori goes, I go too!” he added, electricity sparking at his heels like his mana agreed.

Yami groaned and dragged a hand down the right side of his face,“Look, as much as I’d like for the four musketeers to stay glued together, this is already gonna be difficult.”

The wind tightened around my ankles. I swallowed, my fingers curling into tight fists, “Please, sir,” I said quietly, stepping forward. I bowed my head instinctively, old habits crawling back, “Can we make an exception? I would feel better if we all went. Given who I will be meeting.”

Yami’s mouth went slack as he stared at us for a good, hard minute. Then his eye twitched. His mana exploded outwards in a heavy wave, pressing against my skin like it suddenly gained its own gravitational force. The cigarette flared at the corner of his mouth,“Who blabbed?” he asked flatly.

Finral and Luck both pointed at Magna.

Magna jabbed his own thumb at the two of them, “Oh come on! They said stuff first!”

“Hey, no way are you blaming us! You’re the one who asked if Loralie even knew it!” Finral squealed. 

Yami’s glare swept across all three of them like a slow-moving guillotine, “Stand up straight, Vangossen,” he said without looking at me, voice rough. I straightened instinctively, lifting my head, “Since I seem to have a few disobedient sheep, fine. You can all go,” he grumbled, “But if shit hits the fan, I’m usin’ you three as personal shields.”

All three of them stiffened like their spines had been yanked straight by a hook.

“Yes, Captain Yami, Sir!” they chorused in unison.

Just like that, the peaceful afternoon we had been experiencing was over and the world was getting too real again. I wanted to rewind and sit in the bath all over again. For ever and ever, just listening to the three of them talk. No cares in the world. 

Right now the reality of our situation sunk in like a knife to the gut. I didn’t want to do this. Didn’t want to meet the thing the others couldn’t even refer to properly as a human. It probably wasn’t even human. Which made it all the more riskier. 

“Right!” Finral clapped his hands together, voice a touch higher than usual. He flicked his hand out, grimoire opening beside him with practiced ease. Spatial magic hummed through the air, and a portal unfurled in front of us like a rip in reality, the edges glowing softly.

“Let’s go,” Yami commanded, striding through without hesitation.

Magna took a breath and followed. Luck bounded after him like they were heading to a festival instead of a meeting from hell. Finral gestured for me to go ahead of him.

Stepping through always felt like slipping into another skin. One heartbeat I was in the dim, cluttered warmth of the hideout.The next, cool, crisp air brushed across my face. The scent shifted to polished stone and distant flowers. The sound of the city was a faint murmur somewhere far below. We now stood just outside the Wizard King’s tower.

The palace area was as grand as I remembered and more suffocating than I’d prepared for. White stone gleamed in the daylight, the tower stretching up towards the sky like it was trying to pierce the clouds. Wide stairs spilled down from the main entrance, flanked by carefully trimmed greenery and banners snapping in the breeze. It was beautiful in a way that always made me feel like I had to mind my Ps and Qs.

My fingers curled into the fabric of my cloak as I took in a shaky breath. Here, I wouldn’t have to worry about running into my mother, sure, but there were plenty of other reasons why people like us would have a problem coming here. Especially with how out of place we looked compared to the other Mages who looked at us warily.

Yami led the way up the stairs, hands shoved into his pockets. His cape shifted behind him, catching on the breeze. Magna walked just behind him, head tilted back to take in the height of the place with a single noted whistle. Luck bounced along like he was walking into the arena rather than a lion's den. Finral’s steps wavered subtly, eyes flicking between the door and me, looking exactly how I was feeling. We both wanted to make a run for it.

The tall doors at the top of the stairs swung open before we reached them. A man with blue hair in a rigid bowl cut stepped out to greet us. His cloak fell neatly around him, and his expression was composed in the way of someone who had long ago decided that showing emotion was too much work.

“Captain Yami,” he said, tone clipped but polite, “You’re late.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yami grunted, “You try draggin’ four idiots here and see how punctual you are.”

The blue haired man exhaled sharply through his nose. Then his gaze slid past Yami and landed on me. For a second, something like concern flashed across his face, quickly, before smoothing out again into practiced neutrality. The shift was so fast I might have thought I imagined it if the wind hadn’t twitched at my ankles in response.

“King Julius is waiting with the others in the meeting hall,” he said, stepping aside, “Please follow me.”

The inside of the tower was almost painfully pristine. High ceilings arched overhead, painted and carved with intricate designs I’d only ever glimpsed in passing as a child while being dragged to some function or another. The walls were lined with tapestries of the royal houses and portraits of faces from the previous wizard kings. Their painted eyes seemed to follow us as we walked.

Servants and Magic Knights passed by in intervals, disappearing down side corridors or through doors. Some glances at us with curiosity. Others didn’t bother to hide their disdain for Yami and the others. I kept my gaze mostly forward, not wanting to recognize anyone. Not wanting anyone to recognize me.

My fingers found the hem of my cloak and rubbed it between my thumb and forefinger. The wind at my feet swirled tightly, curling around my ankles like a nervous animal circling the same path over and over. A small spark fizzed against my shoulder. I glanced to the side.

Luck walked beside me now, his hands tucked casually behind his head, expression loose and unconcerned. His mana kept flicking outward, little arcs of electricity that tapped my body and reached for the wind to soothe it. He didn’t look at me. Didn’t say anything. Just let his mana reach for mine, again and again, steady and bright. My wind curled up to meet it, shy but thankful. The two elements finding comfort in one another. It helped.

We stopped in front of a set of double doors. They loomed over us, polished and decorated with ornate designs. Etched into the center, was the symbol of the Clover Kingdom.

The blue haired man halted and turned to Yami, “He’s waiting inside,” he said, then gave the rest of us a look, “Try not to break anything.”

“Thanks, Mushroom Head,” Yami replied, waving a hand dismissively.

His eye twitched, “My name is Marx,” he huffed, then spun on his heel and walked away. Clearly deciding we weren’t worth further breath.

Yami watched him go then turned to us. His gaze swept over us like he was assessing what sort of trouble we might cause, then frowned, “Remember to be on y’alls best behavior,” he said dryly.

My stomach lurched. I smoothed my hands down the front of my dress, as if that could smooth out my nerves too. Before I could take another breath, Yami pushed the doors open and stepped inside. I followed right behind him.

The meeting hall was larger than I had expected, with high ceilings and a long table in the center. Light filtered in from tall windows along the back wall, casting soft lines across the polished wood and the figures seated at the table.

Sitting on the left side of the table was the Captain of the Golden Dawn, William Vangeance. His mask sat on the table and he held his head slightly lowered as his eyes locked with the gentleman right across from him. 

Nozel Silva, Captain of the Silver Eagles sat on the right side of the table. A thick braid right in his eyes and an aura that screamed he wanted to be anywhere but here.

And between them, at the head of the table, sat King Julius himself.

He looked just as I remembered from glimpses in crowds and framed images in the Capital. Eyes bright and curious. Expression open and delighted, as if the world itself was a puzzle he never got tired of unwrapping. His hands spread in welcome when he saw us, a wide smile breaking across his well defined face.

“Yami! You’re finally here!” he cheered.

Time froze when my eyes landed on what sat in the King’s lap. It had its arms warped around his neck like it owned the very space he existed in. Posture possessive, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Its face was turned just enough that I could see the curve of a smile that didn’t reach its eyes.

The Devil. Onitsa.

It was gorgeous. Pale colored skin on the face that blurred down its neck to the rest of its body that was covered in a void black color. Its breasts bared like the rest of its exposed body. Black hair fell perfectly over its shoulder like spilled ink. The embodiment of beauty if I had to explain it.

Mana coiled around it in an unsettling way. Old and hungry, sucking the power from around it like a leech. My world shrank as I stared at it. The tiny hairs at the back of my neck rose. Every part of me begged to run. Get as far away as I possibly could. That thing was the biggest threat to me in this room. But my boots stayed planted to the floor

“Ah,” Julius said, those bright eyes landing squarely on me. His smile didn’t falter, but something sharpened in it, “You must be Loralie Vangossen.”

The devil in his lap tilted its head slightly, as if finally deigning to notice me. It moved inhumanely, craning its neck to take a look. Soulless black eyes looked back at me. I felt my knees try to buckle. Its smile slowly grew wider. 

“Aw, she’s scared out of her precious little mind.”

Chapter Text

Yami grunted and dipped his head in a lazy sort of nod toward William and Nozel, as if this whole gathering were just another minor annoyance he’d been forced to. William kept his head slightly bowed, posture straight, and his hands folded on the table in front of him like a well trained knight before a king. Nozel huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, silver braid swaying with the motion as he angled his chin away.

“Can we just get this little meeting over with?” he asked coldly, eyes sliding to Yami with calculated impatience, “Some of us have actual work that needs to be done.”

His words sounded bitter. I didn’t miss the pointed look he gave my Captain. 

“Yes, yes,” King Julius said brightly, either oblivious to the tension or simply used to ignoring it, “Everyone, please, take a seat! We have much to discuss.”

He motioned to the empty seats around the long table. My legs remembered how to move before my mind did. Luck darted forward immediately, plopping down in the chair beside Yami like a child grabbing the seat next to his favorite teacher. He swung one leg idly as he settled, sparks of mana twitching at the edge of his skin.

Finral moved more slowly, eyes flicking between Julius, William, Nozel, and the devil still draped across the Wizard King’s lap. He walked over to a chair beside William and pulled it out, “After you, Miss Loralie,” his hand motioning for me to sit.

The softness in his tone was comforting, reminding me I did have allies in this room, “Thank you,” I said quietly and sat in the chair, smoothing my dress beneath me. The wood felt cool through the thin fabric. Finral took the seat immediately beside me, close enough that if I shifted my hand an inch to the left, my fingers would brush his sleeve. 

Magna stayed standing a moment longer, lips pressed into a thin line as his gaze stayed locked on Onitsa. Then, reluctantly, he dropped into the chair next to Luck, leaning forward on his elbows and never taking his eyes off the devil at the head of the table.

Onitsa kept her gaze fixed on me.

It wasn’t the casual curiosity of someone sizing up a stranger. It was hungry, like a predator eyeing down its next meal. A small smile played on her lips, relaxed and satisfied, like I’d walked into a trap she set and the long game was finally coming to an end. I laced my fingers together in my lap to keep them from trembling.

“Well,” Julius began, setting his arms down. His left hand resting on his knee, the right settling familiarly along the small of Onitsa’s back, fingers splaying slightly. The gesture looked almost affectionate. It made my stomach twist.

“What the hell is up with this?!” Magna burst out, pointing a finger at both Julius and Onitsa as if he’d just caught them sneaking off together. 

Yami shot him a sharp glare, “Oi, watch your mouth. That’s the Wizard King you’re yellin’ at, dumbass.”

Julius laughed nervously, raising his free hand as if to placate both of them, “It’s alright,” he said quickly, “Truely. Onitsa has allowed us all to speak freely here. Isn’t that right?”

The way he spoke rubbed me the wrong way. It felt more like an owner talking about their pet doing something that was planned all along. And Onitsa genuinely seemed to believe she was the one in control, basking in his attention like a queen on her throne.

“Oh, of course,” she purred, finally breaking her stare from me long enough to glance around the table, “I mean, you already have a few blabbermouths, so sure, why not?” Her gaze slid right past Magna, lingered briefly on Finral, then returned to me, “But know this. Whatever is spoken in here today stays between us. If any of it finds its way out of this room…” Her smile sharpened, “There will be consequences.”

William lifted his head like he was suddenly checking into this meeting, “You agreed not to kill anyone,” he reminded her quietly.

“Kill? No,” Onitsa’s eyes glittered, “Horrifically disfigure and dismember?” She tilted her head, lips curling, “Well, we never discussed that.”

Her gaze cut to William like she was toying for his reaction. Similar to a cat batting at a bird trapped in a cage. A beat stole a true feeling behind her mask, a small flicker that I caught. A flash of fondness.

The question slipped out before I could choke it back, “Are you four in a relationship?”

The words dropped into the room like a stone tossed into still water. Ripples of shock, irritation, and embarrassment spread across faces.

Nozel’s reaction was instantaneous. His entire body stiffened, and his eyes snapped to me with cold fury, “Do not speak nonsense about things you know nothing about,” he snapped, each word crisp and cutting.

Yami tipped his head back and laughed, “You might as well be,” he drawled, “given how King Julius over here was overcome with temptation.”

A faint flush crept up Julius’s cheeks. He looked away with a sheepish, almost boyish gesture that made it hard to remember he was arguably the most powerful mage in the kingdom, “It wasn’t like that,” he muttered.

Finral looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him. Magna leaned back in his chair, face wrinkling in disgust.

“Please tell me you didn’t fuck that devil,” he said flatly.

Julius choked, “Oh heavens no!” he sputtered, hands waving in front of him in a frantic display of denial, “It was nothing like that! Yami just makes it sound dirtier than what actually happened!”

No one at the table looked particularly convinced.

Onitsa waved a hand lazily, as if brushing away Julius’s dignity, “He wanted to know more about my magic,” she said, “So I showed him,” her smile thinned, “What he promised me in return was more than worth the information.”

William’s jaw tightened. Nozel’s fingers dug into his own arms as his grip tightened, knuckles going pale.

“So you make deals for information?” I asked, sitting up a bit straighter. My voice didn’t sound as small as I felt, at least, “Is that how this works?”

“I make deals for just about anything,” she said, almost pleasantly, “To get you lowly humans up to speed…” She slipped off Julius’s lap in one smooth motion and stood. She was taller than I’d realized, the lines of her body sharp with confidence, “I’ve been around for some time now. Julius here found me prowling around,” She shrugged, as if centuries of existence were nothing more than a few boring years, “In exchange for learning who I was and what I could do, we struck a deal. I would tell him everything he wanted to know without lying…” She held up a finger, “…so long as I get to ‘hang out’ with my lovely Magic Knight Captains whenever I pleased.” Her voice curled around the words “my lovely” like she was savoring them on her tongue.

Finral grimaced, “You hung around us for six months trying to get people to give you their mana. You almost killed Gordon.”

Onitsa’s head snapped toward him. The sweetness left her face like someone had snuffed a candle, “Has anyone ever told you how grating it is to hear you yap about stupid shit all the goddamn time? Especially with a voice like yours.”

Finral stiffened as if she’d slapped him. His shoulders curled inward slightly.

Something inside me bristled, “Hey,” I said, frowning, “That was uncalled for.”

Her eyes slid back to me, lips curling, “What are you going to do about it?” she crooned, “You want to challenge me, little girl? Because I could have any one of your pathetic little friends…”

“That’s enough, Onitsa,” Nozel barked. The command cracked through the room like a whip. Onitsa recoiled, snapping her head toward him as if he’d just stabbed her. For the briefest moment, an expression eerily close to hurt crossed her features.

She moved in a blur, gliding to Nozel’s side and draping herself around his neck, arms wrapping around him like a constrictor. She pressed herself against him with an exaggerated pout, “Please don’t be mad at me, Nozel,” she whined, “I was just trying to put this worm in her place.”

I blinked. The fear that had been coiling in my stomach since we arrived shifted into something else. Confusion. Disbelief. She looked less like an unstoppable monster and more like a spoiled cat clinging to the one person who dared to scold it.

Magna sighed and shook his head, “She’s treatin’ this like a joke,” he muttered, sounding disgusted.

Onitsa glanced at him, affronted, “This is no joke. I take my loyalty to the Magic Knight Captains very seriously,” her voice dropped to a tone that was a mix of sultry and longing, “So much raw power between all of them…” she practically purred the words, eyes fluttering closed, “It really knows how to get a girl worked up,” she pressed her chest harder against Nozel’s back. Nozel looked as if he would rather be anywhere else in the world. 

“You’re not a girl,” William said quietly as he lifted his gaze, steady and sharp, “You’re a devil. You have no sense of human connections.”

For a heartbeat, rage scorched across Onitsa’s face, bright and unfiltered. Then, just as quickly, her sly smile slid back into place like a mask.

“While that may be true,” she said, “I have been around humans for many, many years. I can still pretend,” she ran a finger across Nozel’s chin and he jerked his head away from her touch, “We could play house if you want. You could come home to a sexy, hot wife all sprawled out in your bed, ready for you to fu…”

The whole scene made me extremely uncomfortable. I got the sense that she was just messing around, but the way she spoke, the way she was touching all on Captain Silva. It felt like she was admiring her toys. She believed she owned them, and the fact neither of the three of them were putting a further stop to her actions had me fully convinced she did too.

Yami coughed loudly and took a long drag from his cigarette, “Listen,” he cut in, smoke curling from his lips, “not to ruin whatever little gangbang you four got goin’ on, but are we gonna figure out Loralie’s little problem, or are we wastin’ our damn time?”

He made it feel small for what he was referring to, but I appreciated him dragging the spotlight away from Onitsa’s theatrics.

Onitsa rolled her eyes dramatically and pulled away from Nozel with a huff, “Fine,” she drawled, “What do you want to know?”

I swallowed and forced myself not to look away when her gaze inevitably found me again, “I want to know about curses.”

Magna leaned forward, eyes hard, “Specifically,” he added, “why does her curse feel like your mana?”

The air shifted. Onitsa’s eyes narrowed, and for the first time since we arrived, pure calculation slid across her face. Julius straightened in his seat while William and Nozel both went unnaturally still.

“That information,” she said slowly, each word deliberate, “is not something I am willing to give.”

“Oh, come on!” Finral burst out, “It’s like the only question we have!”

I lifted a hand slightly in his direction without looking at him, a silent plea for him to hold back. Then, gathering what remained of my courage, I rose to my feet. Each step to the head of the table felt like walking deeper into a storm I couldn’t see. Onitsa didn’t move as I approached. She just watched, eyes bright and intent, like she’d been waiting for this. I stopped an arm’s length away. My heart hammered against my ribs, but my voice came out steady.

“Did you know my great-great-great-grandfather?” I asked.

Onitsa’s grin widened, all teeth. She leaned in, closing the distance until she was far too close for anyone’s comfort.

“I may have possibly known him,” she purred, “What can you give me for that information?”

My throat felt dry, “What do you want?”

“Oh, look at you,” she crooned, “You got to the good part so fast.” One sharp, perfect finger lifted my chin, tipping my face up to hers. Her touch was strangely cold, “I want you to promise your firstborn daughter to me.”

The world seemed to stop. For a moment, all I heard was the rush of blood in my ears. Then, all at once, sound rushed back in as a roar of outrage, overlapping voices, and chairs scraping against the floor.

“Absolutely the hell not!” Magna shouted from the other end of the table.

Julius raised both hands quickly, “Onitsa, surely there is something else you might want,” he said, urgency threading through his usually cheerful tone.

Onitsa glanced at him, her smile softening into something almost sickeningly sweet, “Would you like to make the deal in her place?” she asked, “I would be willing to give any information you ask if you, William, and Nozel agree to be mine until death.”

William and Nozel both went rigid. Julius’s expression darkened, something dangerous flickering behind his eyes. For a heartbeat, the room felt like the center of a storm again, powerful forces swirling in the raging winds.

“No,” I blurted, panic rising quickly and hot, “Don’t…it’s my curse, not…”

“Deal,” William and Nozel said together. The word cut through my protest like a knife.

Nozel continued, voice steel, “We will agree,” he said, “if it means you tell us everything we want to know from now on. No strings attached. You want us so badly?” His lip curled, “Then fine, but no more deals.”

William turned his head slightly toward Julius. The Wizard King caught his look, something like understanding and exasperation mixing in his eyes. Then he laughed, just barely, “If you two are both okay with it,” he said, “then it’s fine by me.”

“I’m not okay with it,” William admitted quietly, shoulders relaxing all the same, “But she will continue to find any way possible to get to us. Even stooping as low as threatening a child.” His gaze flicked to me for a second, almost apologetic, “I simply cannot stand the idea of innocent people getting hurt.”

A high, delighted laugh burst from Onitsa’s chest, “See,” she cooed, “This is exactly why I love you three so much. Not only are you powerful hunks, you’re also smart.”

She made my skin crawl. Throwing around the word she knew nothing about nor could ever feel. I glanced at the three older men helplessly. Julius lifted one hand slightly, a small gesture that somehow was meant to reassure me that everything will be alright. They didn’t look as worried as I felt they should. It twisted something tight and sick in my chest.

Clearing my throat, I forced my voice to work again, “So, did you know him?”

Onitsa sighed theatrically, then slid herself onto the corner of the table between Julius and William. She crossed one long leg over the other and folded her arms over her chest.

“Yes,” she said simply, “I did.”

“What was he like?”

“He was a stupid man who followed his dick rather than his head,” she replied matter-of-factly, “Cheated on his wife for a skank who became obsessed with him.”

The words fell like stones, heavy and ugly. The image of my great-great-great-grandfather—who had always been a vague, distant figure in my mind—shattered into something painful as the stories of what I had been told my whole life became true.

“So the curse was placed because he cheated,” my voice cracked on the last word. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes. The weight of that truth settled over me. It was one thing to suspect the stories. It was another to hear them confirmed by the creature who’d lived through them.

Onitsa’s eyes gleamed. She watched my reaction like it was the most entertaining thing in the world.

“I can help get rid of all that pain you’re feeling,” she murmured, voice shifting, softening. The edges of her tone curled inward, alluring, like a hand extended in comfort. The air around her seemed to thrum, subtle but insistent, “I can make it all go away…”

Her words brushed against my mind like fingers stroking the inside of my skull. The ache in my chest dulled. The anger, the shame, the hurt, it all seemed to soften, bend, blur. For a strange, disorienting moment, all I wanted was to lean forward, to say yes and give her everything that was troubling me.

A hand snapped around Onitsa’s wrist. William’s grip was iron, “You will not use your magic to manipulate this girl,” he said, voice low and dangerous.

The fog in my head cleared like someone had thrown open a window. I blinked, dazed.

Onitsa clicked her tongue, “Testy, aren’t we, my sweet William,” she drawled.

“What was that?” I managed, looking between them. My heart hammered behind my ribs too hard.

Julius’s eyes lit up with academic delight, “Persuasion Magic!” he exclaimed, as if introducing a favorite exhibit, “Onitsa has the magic ability to manipulate people’s thoughts, actions, and feelings to serve her purposes. But it really only works on those weaker than her.”

Onitsa shot him a dark look, “You make it sound trivial,” she muttered, “but yes. Putting it simply, that is what I can do.” She leaned back on her hands, gaze drifting upward as if the ceiling were suddenly fascinating, “It works best against those weaker than me,” she continued, “against men…” Her lips curled in satisfaction, “...and it will always work on those I have sexual relations with.”

I tried not to look at Julius, or imagine anything that happens privately between her and the three men who could easily strip me of all titles I may somehow still possess.

Onitsa went on, “Devils don’t live by the same rules you humans do. The weak will always be the weak and succumb to those who are stronger. The higher your power, the more leashes you hold. Any human who isn’t Arcane Stage is automatically below any devil, no matter the devil’s strength. You wouldn’t be able to pierce my heart no matter how hard you tried. You are weaker than me. With the rate you are going, you always will be.”

My stomach twisted. I glanced at Julius, the Magic Knight Captains, Yami, then finally at the three men I’d been spending most of my time with. They all stared back at Onitsa with varying degrees of disdain, anger, or grim acceptance.

I swallowed, “Is the curse eating away at my mana?” I asked, forcing my voice to carry, “I feel like it… consumes me every time I use too much of it.”

Onitsa’s gaze slid back to me, eyes gleaming, “I wouldn’t say that. You should take it as a blessing. It makes you stronger, does it not?”

“Yeah,” I said quietly, “But I’m not myself…”

She pushed off the table and clapped her hands together, the sharp sound bouncing off the walls, “Enough chit chat!” she announced, “I’m hungry. Can we go now?”

Something inside me snapped. She dismissed me so quickly. After messing around at the beginning and being crude. She was purposefully dancing around this subject, leading us on different tangents, and now when she is cornered, she still is finding a way to weasel her way out of telling me what I deserve to know.

“I’m not finished,” I snapped.

Onitsa threw a look over her shoulder, an arch in her brow, “I am.”

“What are you not telling me?!” The words burst out of me. I took a step forward, fists clenching at my sides as the wind stirred at my feet, “Is there something you’re afraid of saying out loud?”

The air shifted again, this time with a different kind of magic. An ice spike exploded out of the ground in front of me, fast as a striking serpent, aimed directly at my throat. Before I could even flinch, three figures were to my aid in an instant.

Magna and Luck moved, their bodies blurring into motion on either side of me. Fists coated in fire and lightning slammed into the shard, shattering it mid-air into glittering pieces that clattered harmlessly across the floor.

At the same time, a hand grabbed the back of my cloak and yanked me backward. I stumbled, crashing against Finral’s chest. His arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me in tight as if he could shield me with his own body.

Onitsa laughed. A high, delighted sound that echoed through the hall like the cry of a predator finding amusement in the near death of its prey.

Julius and the three Magic Knight Captains were suddenly on their feet. Chairs pushed back and expressions dark.

“Onitsa,” Julius said sharply, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her back toward him. They stared at each other face to face. Eyes locked in a standoff battle that wasn’t performed in flashy magic, but a power of will. Mana crackled between them like heat off a forge. The air was suffocating in it. 

Then she smiled, syrupy and false, “Whoops,” she sing-songed, “Guess my magic just slipped.” She threw herself against Julius again, wrapping around him like a clingy vine.

“No, no, what gives?!” Magna shouted, still half in front of me, flames licking at his knuckles, “I thought you said she had persuasion magic or whatever!”

“She does,” Julius’s expression had soured, “The human host she claimed was an Ice Creation Mage.”

I stared at Onitsa a little harder. Up close, Onitsa’s body looked disturbingly human. If not for the color of her skin and the wrongness of her magic, she could have been any other woman walking through the palace halls. The idea that somewhere beneath that devilish presence there had once been a person, a girl, a woman, with her own thoughts and dreams, made my chest ache in a new, hollow way.

Finral slowly released his grip on me. Luck stepped back just enough to look me over, his usual bright grin dimmed.

“Nothing got you, did it?” he asked, trying for lightness, but his eyes searched me up and down with genuine worry.

I shook my head, “No. I’m fine.”

It wasn’t true, but the spike hadn’t touched me. That had to count for something.

Magna growled low in his throat, “I’m tired of this!” he snapped, “You’re not givin’ us anything straight. It’s all tricks, lies, and games!”

Onitsa rolled her eyes, “Wah, wah,” she mocked, “You do realize the world still goes around if you don’t talk, right?”

Flames erupted in Magna’s hand as his temper flared, his mana answering like it had been waiting for an excuse to light a bitch on fire, “I’m gonna burn that smug look off your face,” he snarled.

“Oh, please,” Onitsa scoffed, “If you were any less threatening, you’d be a dandelion.”

He took a step forward, hand raised, fireball coalescing, “Say that again…”

Yami was suddenly there, his hand snapping around Magna’s wrist hard enough that even from where I stood, I could see the strain in his fingers. He took a drag from his cigarette, exhaled smoke into the tense air, and frowned.

“Honestly, this is becomin’ more of a waste of time than I thought,” He glanced at Onitsa, “You made a deal with Sir Peacock and Fancy Breeches over there,” he jerked his chin at William and Nozel, “that you’d answer any questions. So start talkin’. What’s up with Loralie’s mana?”

Onitsa pulled away from Julius and sighed dramatically, as if everyone else were being unreasonable.

“She’s not cursed,” she said at last, “At least, not in the sense you’re thinking.” Her gaze slid to me, “While she did have degenerates in her bloodline, it wasn’t entirely his fault he cheated on his wife with the woman I now possess.”

The pieces clicked together with horrible clarity. She knew my distant relative because she was close to him. He wasn't anybody important. The Vangossen’s didn’t become wealthy until my grandfather became influential. Which meant…

I yanked away from Finral and Luck, staring at her, “It was you,” I said, voice trembling.

Onitsa giggled behind one hand, “Oops, You got me.”

My breath came faster. A buzzing started at the back of my skull, “Who were you manipulating?” I demanded, “Why?”

Onitsa’s smile faded into something more level, more dangerous, “Do you really want to know?” she asked, “You won’t like the answer.”

“I don’t care.” My hands curled into fists, “I want the truth.”

She studied me for a moment, clearly amused by my resolve, then gave a small shrug like she came to her conclusion.

“Her name was Dahlia,” she said. “She was in love with Albert…” she waved a hand, “your great-great-great-grandfather, or whatever number you humans are on now. He was married, of course. So she summoned me to help her get him.”

She spoke like she was reciting a story from a dusty book. My eyes searched her for any sign of deception. Any lies or manipulation. My breathing was quickening as I was coming up empty.

“I watched as she slaughtered him and his whole family,” Onitsa continued, voice almost bored, “Before killing herself.”

The mana at my feet went wild, lashing at my ankles like anxious hands, “Then… then how…” my tongue felt thick, “How am I here?”

Onitsa’s eyes glittered. She placed a perfectly pointed hand flat on her stomach, “Dahlia was pregnant,” she said softly, “when I took over her body. After she so graciously gave it to me.”

The words hit like a physical blow. A rush of nausea surged up from my gut. I bolted for the door, not thinking, barely seeing, wind slamming them open in front of me. The world blurred. Hallways, tapestries, and marble floors turned into streaks of color as I ran.

I burst outside, the sudden sunlight too bright. The neat grass beside the stairs was the only thing that registered before my knees hit the ground and I vomited. 

My body heaved again and again, as if it were trying to expel everything Onitsa had just poured into me. My wind whipped around me in a frantic circle, scattering the stray leaves and dust. Footsteps thundered behind me.

“Loralie!” Finral’s voice, close and panicked.

He dropped to his knees in front of me, one hand hovering near my shoulder like I was an injured animal. Luck darted in behind me, gently but firmly gathering my hair and pulling it back from my face as I retched again.

“Hey, hey,” Finral said, voice low and soothing, “It’s okay. Just breathe. You’re alright. You’re alright.”

“Don’t… don’t fucking listen to her, Lori,” Magna’s voice snarled from somewhere to my right. I heard his boots scrape on stone as he planted himself between us and the entrance to the tower, “She’s a manipulator. The Captains and King Julius didn’t buy it for one second. She played us.”

“Oh, I didn’t play anyone.”

Onitsa’s voice floated down from above. The blood in my veins went cold. She stood at the top of the stairs, as if she’d always been there. There was no sign of the others which meant she got here extremely quickly.

Magna immediately stepped forward, positioning his body between her and the three of us clustered at the bottom of the steps. Fire flickered faintly at his fingertips.

I forced myself to look up, wiping at my mouth with the back of my hand. Tears blurred my vision, “Why?” I choked out, “What was the point?”

Onitsa looked down at me like a queen examining a peasant. “Power,” she said simply, “I tricked Dahlia into thinking she’d get her love, but I got her body instead. Now I have the two most powerful Magic Knight Captains and the Wizard King under my thumb.” She spread her arms as if presenting herself, “Power is everything. Strength is the real currency.”

My stomach roiled again.

“Dahlia’s and Albert’s child was born,” she went on, “but I couldn’t use his body. No, only a female would do,” Her eyes gleamed, “So Albert’s wife’s family cursed his bloodline to never have female children. You slipped through because you are of my blood as well,” She pointed at me, “You are mine. You will always be mine. You’re a slave to my mana and my will. Destined to seek out power and more power.”

The words crawled under my skin like insects. I wanted to tear them out. My throat burned with the taste of bile. My wind pressed tight against me, as if it could shield me from something that was already inside.

A hand appeared on Onitsa’s shoulder. William stepped up beside her, his grip firm. He didn’t yank her back this time. He just stood there, hand steady, eyes cold.

“You’re done now,” he said quietly, “Leave them alone. Go back to King Julius.”

Onitsa glanced sideways at him, lips twitching into a smile that didn’t say she was the one in charge here.

“Sure,” she said, as if it had been her idea. She turned and sauntered back inside.

William lingered at the top of the stairs. He looked down at the four of us. Luck is still crouched at my side, Magna’s shoulders taut with fury, Finral’s hand hovering near my cheek. The Captain bowed his head.

“I apologize for her,” the sincerity in his voice was almost painful, “Julius is working on a way to deal with her for good. Please have patience.” He turned to go, then glanced back over his shoulder, his gaze finding mine, “A word of advice,” he added, “Do not take what she says completely to heart. She’s not dangerous to any of us now, but she will make you believe and think things you normally wouldn't without her influence,” then he left.

The moment he was gone, something in me broke. Sobs clawed their way up my throat, raw and wrenching. I pressed my hands to my face, shoulders shaking hysterically.

“Hey,” Finral said gently. He reached out and turned me toward him, brushing damp strands of hair away from my face with careful fingers, “Hey. It’s okay.”

“No,” I sobbed, “No, it’s not. I have so many more questions.”

Luck squatted down beside me again, his presence warm and solid, “She’s a devil, Lori,” he said quietly, “She isn’t going to be honest with you.”

I dragged in a shuddering breath and pushed myself to my feet. My legs felt shaky, but something else had taken root beneath the nausea and pain. Something hot and unyielding.

Anger.

“No,” I said again, but this time my voice was clearer. I wiped my face dry of tears and sniffled in my weakness, “I need to talk to her again. Alone this time. She’ll talk to me if we’re alone,” I turned toward the stairs.

An arm locked around my waist, yanking me back. Magna’s grip was firm, his expression thunderous.

“Like hell you’re going back,” he snapped, “Look at you. Look how she made you feel. She shook you so bad you threw up!”

“This is my life she’s fucking with, Magna!” I yelled back, spinning in his grasp. My wind snapped around us, stirring his cloak, “I have questions and she’s going to answer them!”

He stared at me, hurt and anger warring in his eyes, “Fine,” he said finally, voice flat, “Run back to her. I’m not saving your ass again.”

“Hold on,” Finral said quickly, standing and lifting both hands as if to physically push the tension apart, “There’s no need…”

“I didn’t ask you to save me the first time,” I snapped, pushing him back. The instant the words left my mouth, regret stabbed at me, but I didn’t pull them back. Then I turned and bolted up the stairs.

“Loralie!” someone shouted. Luck? Finral? I couldn’t tell. The blood roared too loudly in my ears. Yami was just stepping out of the tower doors when I rushed past him. He reached out, as if to catch me by the shoulder, but I twisted away, the wind carrying me forward.

“What the hell…” I heard him start, then Luck’s voice cut in from behind.

“Magna!”

The rest of whatever they said was swallowed by the pounding of my footsteps and the furious beating of my heart. I barreled through the doors and down the familiar hallway, ignoring the portraits and tapestries that blurred at the edge of my vision. The meeting room door loomed ahead, heavy and imposing. I didn’t slow. I threw it open.

Inside, the scene was different. King Julius stood near one of the tall windows, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out at the city below. William and Nozel were back in their seats, more composed but no less tense than before. Onitsa sat in Julius’s chair at the head of the table, legs crossed, looking entirely pleased with herself. She smiled when she saw me.

“Now that we’ve shaken away the undesirables,” she said, “let’s really talk.”

Nozel slowly exhaled through his nose, “Piss them off until someone snaps?” he asked, eyes narrowed, “That was your plan?”

Onitsa bounced slightly in her seat, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

My nails dug into my palms.,“All of that?” I demanded, “Was just to get them out? Why even let them be here in the first place?”

“I didn’t. That was all Yami’s doing. I never agreed to talk about things with them. Only those who are in the room now.”

Julius turned from the window and faced me, his expression unusually serious, “A prior arrangement was already made before this meeting,” he said as if I was supposed to know this.

“So… all of that was a lie?” My voice came out quieter now, dulled by exhaustion.

Onitsa laughed, “Oh, no. Everything I said was true. I just said it in a way to get emotions rising,” She admired her pointed nails, “My magic works better if someone is running off anger. They don’t think rationally.”

That, at least, she wasn’t wrong about.

My legs felt unsteady again. Slowly, I walked around the table and took the seat at the far end. Directly opposite Onitsa. The distance felt both too small and impossibly vast.

I folded my hands on the table in front of me, as if that could keep them from shaking. The wood under my palms was smooth and cool. Nozel sat with his arms crossed, eyes closed, expression carved from stone. William glanced at me, then offered a faint but genuine smile.

“If you are worried we agreed to this for your sake,” he said, “we didn’t. Onitsa has been bound to us long before today. She’s never been able to manipulate us,” He inclined his head slightly, “We are here willingly.”

Some of the crushing guilt eased. Just a little.

“Does that mean you’re my…?” I began, then faltered, the word caught on something I really didn’t want to name. To think she could be my relative deeply disturbed me.

“God, no,” Onitsa snorted, “Well, sort of? Yes?” She tapped her chin, thinking, then she flicked her wrist, “Either way, it doesn’t matter. Dahlia is gone.”

I swallowed, “So Dahlia summoned you so she could use your persuasion magic to convince Albert he loved her,” I said slowly, “Did she… really think that would work?”

Onitsa shrugged, “There’s no telling what she was thinking,” she said, “She was lovesick. I just saw her as an opportunity to get what I wanted.”

I looked at William, “Is she telling the truth?”

He looked at me, then at Onitsa who motioned for him to go on, then back to me, “Everything she has said so far has been the truth.” he confirmed.

My fingers tightened around each other, “So your mana is my mana,” I said, “or it manifests from my mana? I’m still… confused.”

Onitsa spread her hands, “Beats me.”

Nozel cracked one eye open, “That’s a lie,” he said flatly.

Onitsa huffed, “I agreed to talk about the so-called curse. Not whatever issues she has with my mana. She should be grateful she never gets some of my mana.”

“Grateful?” I echoed, “I should be grateful?” a bitter laugh escaped me, “You’ve made my life a living hell.”

Onitsa crossed her arms, looking smug.

Heat rose in my chest, my wind stirring at my feet. I slammed both hands on the table, the sound echoing through the room,“I don’t want your mana!” I shouted, “Take it back!”

Onitsa leaned forward, eyes glinting, “No can do.”

I stood, the chair scraping back behind me, “Then I’ll figure out how to remove it myself,” I glared at her, “You can go to hell.”

The wind surged up around me, answering the storm churning in my chest. It ripped through the room, tugging at tapestries and rattling the lanterns. The doors at my back slammed open with a crash as the force of it blasted them outward.

Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked out, the gust sweeping along with me like a cloak.

For the first time in a long time, the fear I felt wasn't of my mana. It was of what I might do with it now that I knew exactly who it came from.

Chapter Text

Luck moaned loudly as his mouth went further down my shaft. I tossed my head back and closed my eyes as I inhaled deeply. All the anger and stress that had been pent up for the last week released with every flick of his tongue. But the moment he paused, my fury towards Loralie came pouring back in. 

“Stop,” I breathed. Luck pulled my dick from his mouth and looked up at me, “Turn around.” I commanded him. 

He did as he was told, turning on his hands and knees and lowering down so his back arched up for me. I stared at his body, hoping that something would take away this burning feeling. Maybe if I fucked him raw I would get some satisfaction from it. 

My hands grabbed his hips and I yanked him closer to me. I lined my dick up with his ass and shoved all the way in. He gasped, tone laced with shock and pain. I didn’t care. I slammed into him over and over again, my fingers pressing punishingly into his hips. He moaned through every thrust, but slowly those moans turned to whimpers.

“Magna…” he called my name. 

I reached out and grabbed his hair, pulling him up so his head came back to rest on my shoulder, then it went to his throat, holding him up like my own personal sex toy. His body tensed and he grabbed his dick in his hands, stroking it to the same pace as my thrusts. 

Pleasure raked through me. I held Luck tighter to me and whispered in his ear, “God, I love you.”

He shuddered and let out a final moan as he finished all over the bed sheets. My climax didn’t wait too long. I unloaded into him, a groan wretching from my chest. All my senses dulled, thoughts going foggy. Then her face came right back. 

“Fuck,” I snarled and released Luck. 

He dropped to his side on the bed, panting and still trying to catch his bearings. I grabbed my pants from his bedroom floor and yanked them on. Furiously buttoning them up. 

“You like her,” he spoke quietly, lifting himself so he could sit on the edge of the bed. I paused mid reach for my shirt, looking at him like he was ridiculous. 

“What makes ya think that?”

“Because I like her too.”

I stared at him a moment longer before snorting, “Yeah right. You’re the Twink King of the Gays.” 

“I’m serious, Magna. I can tell you have feelings for her. I have feelings towards her too. They might not be completely like yours, but you like her and I love you, so that means we both love her.” He stands up and pads over to his closet. He opens the wooden dresser and picks out a shirt and pants to put on. My eyes lingered on his ass.

He was one person who could read me before I even finished writing the page. It was infuriating and also nice to be seen. I never had to hide who I was or what I was thinking.

I threw on my shirt then sat on the edge of his bed with a sigh. It had been a week since we met with Onitsa. Loralie and I hadn’t spoken one word to each other since. Instead she had been spending most of her time either with one of the other girls or Finral. My eyes twitched and hands curled into fists. 

“Even if I did have feelings for her, it doesn’t matter. She’s hanging around Finral. You know that weasel will say anything to get into a girl's pants. She’s probably already fucked him.” 

“Hey,” Luck snapped, voice sharp and full of warning, “Don’t talk about her like that.” he glared at me. 

I stared at him for a moment, something tightening in my chest. Then I sighed and flopped onto my back, staring at the ceiling, “I’m sorry. I’m still angry.”

Luck finished putting his clothes on and came back to the bed. He pulled himself up on top of me, straddling me as he sat on my stomach. He placed both hands on my chest, electricity sparking off him towards me. His bright eyes searched mine for a long, hard minute. 

“When she first came here, I knew you fell for her instantly. I was jealous, and mad at her too,” he laughed like it was silly now, “Then I felt her and something just came alive in me. I was never mad at her. I was mad at myself, because I was running away from the person who could bring out the best in me. Seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, watching her twirl in those pretty dresses,” he smiles a little, “Magna, she needs us.”

My eye twitched again. If she needed us so much then why did she have to run back into that tower? Why did she have to come back out like she was the devil now? The look on her face when the doors threw themselves open. Even Yami got out of her way. I thought Finral was going to shit himself. The Loralie who came out of that building was not the same one who went in. The next day she went back to acting like everything was fine. Sweeping, cleaning, cooking, laughing with him. 

I draped my arm over my eyes as my cheeks heated and the desire to cry suddenly felt too real, “So let’s say I do like her. What then?”

Luck didn’t say anything and I glanced at him from under my arm. He sat there in deep thought, eyes glanced up towards the ceiling. He probably didn’t have an answer for that. Hell, I didn’t either. This whole situation was complicated.

“Then we do this together. Like we always do. You have to make up with her. Once you do, we can figure out the next step. I’m with you no matter what, and if I know Loralie, she will be okay with this too.”

The smile that spread across my face was the first real relief I got from this anger. Luck always knew what to say and how to say it. I reached my hands up and cupped his cheek, pulling his face down, “I really do love you, you idiot,” my lips pressed against his, and he kissed me back, lightning licking at my cheeks. 

I closed the door to Luck’s room behind me. So many thoughts were swimming around in my head. I wasn’t even shocked by the fact he knew how I felt about Loralie. It was more surprising that he was willing to share me with her. I would be lying if the thought about her mana being that devils having an influence on him didn’t cross my mind. 

That was silly. I shook the thought from my head and turned to head down the hallway. It was about time to end this silent treatment with her. This whole week has been torturous. Finral was one lucky son of a bitch getting so much one on one time with her. He was basking in the idea of having won her affection. But I don’t go down without a fight. 

My thoughts had been consuming that I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going. I rounded the corner and instantly bumped into something slightly shorter than me. 

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” Loralie backed away, then looked up to meet my gaze. Her cheeks instantly turned red, then her face hardened into a glare, “Oh, it’s just you.”

Something about the way she said that rubbed me the wrong way. Like I was a big inconvenience for her. Sure she was mad at me, but to stoop that low to still be throwing cheap shots at me like that?

Loralie moved to get around me. The wind participating in the cold shoulder. Everything Luck had said before, I wanted to crumble it up and toss it out the window. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then caught her wrist. She stopped and turned to me. 

“Wait, Lori…” I began, but she cut me off. 

“Loralie.”

Anger seared hot in my chest. My eyes snapped open and I returned her glare, “What the hell is your problem?!” 

“You, you’re my problem!” Her voice cracked down the hallway, sharp and shaking at the same time. It hit me hard in the chest. Loralie’s eyes were bright with anger, the green of them practically glowing. I still had her wrist in my hand, her skin warm under my fingers. Something ugly surged up my spine and wanted to lash out at her.

My brows pulled together as I tightened my grip without thinking, “How could I possibly be your problem?” I shot back, voice rising, “Last I checked, I wasn’t the one depending on a damn devil to tell me what’s screwed up in my life!”

She winced, just barely, but I felt it. The little twitch of her muscles under my hand. Her wind reacted too, pressure shifting around us like it was trying to find a way to get in between us.

“Let go of me,” her voice was low and dangerous. 

She yanked her arm, and I let go before I left bruises, teeth gritted. The second I released her, she tried to step around me again, dismissing me like I no longer mattered. This only seemed to piss me off more. 

I caught her again, this time by the shoulders. My hands closed over the fabric of her cloak and the warmth of her underneath, spinning her back toward me. Before I could think better of it, I stepped in and pushed her gently but firmly back until her shoulders hit the wall. Her breath caught as she looked up at me with startled surprise. I hadn’t meant to get forceful with her, but at the same time, how could she just walk away from me with so much disdain? Did she really hate me that much?

Her wind shoved at my chest on instinct, like an extra set of hands trying to force distance between us. It pressed against me, resisting, not enough to move me, but enough to make me brace myself. She glared up at me, cheeks flushed, eyes wet and furious. I glared right back, jaw tight.

“This,” she snapped, voice shaking with more than rage, “this is what I mean, Magna! You think with your anger first. You always do. You jump to conclusions about things you know nothing about!”

I scoffed, but the words still lodged somewhere I didn’t like, “Oh yeah?” I shot back, “Like what?”

“It was only supposed to be Finral and me going to meet her,” she hissed, wind pushing harder against my chest, “Do you remember that, or did your ego get in the way? A deal was already set in stone and you just had to come!”

She said “Finral and me” with this bitter emphasis that made my teeth grind.

I rolled my eyes, even as something twisted in my chest, “Oh, you would’ve just loved it if it was only you and Finral, huh?” I spat, “What’s he done for you, huh? Brush your hair? Tell you pretty little things? Play with your tits some? Fucked you?!” The last words echoed down the hall like I’d fired a spell.

For half a second, there was just silence. Thick, awful, suffocating silence.. Then her hand came up so fast I didn’t even see it. The slap cracked across my face like a whip. My head snapped to the side, cheek exploding with heat. The sting bloomed out across my skin, sharp and immediate, like someone had pressed a hot brand into me. I blinked, once, twice, staring at the opposite wall while my brain caught up to the fact that she’d actually hit me.

Slowly, I turned my head back to her. Tears were already sliding down her cheeks, catching on her lashes and dripping off her jaw. She wasn’t angry anymore, all the fight she had just vanished. She just stared, raw hurt carved into every line of her face.

My hands dropped from her shoulders, suddenly terrified of what they might do if I kept touching her. I took a step back and lifted my hands in surrender, “Lori. I…”

“I thought you might actually like me,” she whispered. Her voice was broken and I realized the severity of my words. I was no better than her mother. Objectifying her just like she had back in the market. She shook her head then took off down the hallway. The wind followed her like a mother running after her child.

I stood there, hand slowly lifting to press against my burned cheek. It throbbed with every beat of my stupid heart. 

Guilt poured in right after the anger faded, a sickening wave that made my stomach churn. I stared down the empty hall she’d vanished into, the house creaking quietly around me like it was judging me too.

“Nice job, swing,” I muttered to myself, “So much for workin’ things out.”

I leaned over, resting my forearm on the wall and my forehead on my arm. I closed my eyes for a second, drawing in a long, shaky breath. She had every right to know what Onitsa had to say. Even more so alone. I wasn’t anything to her. Not family or her boyfriend. I was just some guy she was on a squad with. 

And still, the second I saw her talking to Finral, leaning on him, trusting him with the stuff she wouldn’t tell me, something in me snapped. Again. And again. And again.

“You really don’t think about anyone but yourself, do you?” I thought. The words swirling around and mixing with her broken, “I thought you might actually like me.”

I groaned and slid my arm off the wall. I did like her. That was my whole damn problem. Something about her drives me crazy, causes me not to think straight. And now I’d gone and proven I was exactly the kind of idiot who didn’t deserve someone like her.

I needed a plan. Figure out someway to make this right again. Make me trust me and not look at me as the bad guy. We had enough of those. Better yet, I needed to get my stupid brain together and stop acting without thinking. 

By the time dinner rolled around, I had exactly zero plans. Just a lot of regret and a bruise forming under my skin.

Lucky me, the house seemed to have a sense of humor. Every seat around the long table was taken but two. The one in front of Loralie and the one beside Luck. Which was just the one in front of Loralie. Because thats how it goes, right?

She was already there when I walked in, sitting next to Finral. Her shoulders were drawn in, posture small. Her hair fell around her face like a curtain, the ends curling against her cloak. Her plate was full and untouched. She moved her fork around like she was painting lines in the gravy, not actually eating any of it. I lingered in the doorway a second too long.

“Yo, Magna!” Luck called, already halfway through his once fully loaded plate, “You gonna stand there starin’ or you gonna eat? I’m not savin’ you any potatoes, you know.”

“Shut it,” I muttered, dragging my feet toward the empty spot across from her.

As I sank into the chair, the tension between us became the only thing my appetite could handle. Asta and Noelle bickered at the far end of the table while Charmy shoveled food into her mouth. Grey sat across from Gauche, staring at him, who was staring at a picture of his little sister. The faintest smile on her face. My eyes drifted to Gordon, who was weirdly also staring at Gauche the same way Grey was. Vanessa lounged on the couch with her bottle of wine, watching everyone like she was at the theater instead of dinner. I couldn’t blame her. Most of us were sorry horny fuckers or too dense to realize that someone wanted them.

My attention went back to my plate. I half heartedly scooped food onto it. The clink of my spoon against the bowl felt too loud. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole and let me rot in its depths. 

“Lori?” Finral’s voice gently cut through the murmurs.

I glanced up despite myself. Something unpleasant twisted in my chest at the casual way he used my nickname for her. Like he’d been using it for years. I’d been the first idiot to call her that, trying to make her feel like she belonged. I’d been the first idiot to call her that, trying to make her feel like she belonged. He was only getting to use it because I was in the dog house.

He nudged her shoulder lightly with his own. An easy little bump that would’ve made most people smile, “What’s up with you?” he asked. 

Loralie looked up at him, the corners of her mouth pulling into what might have passed for a smile to anyone who didn’t know what her real ones looked like. This one didn’t even come close.

“Oh, I’m fine,” she said, laughing weakly, “Really, it’s nothing.”

The words “it’s nothing” hit me like a spell. My hand tightened around my fork. The metal bent slightly under the pressure of my grip. It’s nothing. The slap. The tears. The way she’d spit that line about me thinking with my anger first. The way I’d accused her of sleeping with Finral like some jealous asshole who couldn’t keep his insecurities to himself. All of that was nothing.

The fork shook in my hand. Before I knew what I was doing, I slammed it down on the table. The sound cracked across the room like a gunshot. Every conversation cut off mid-word. Even Charmy stopped chewing to look at me. Loralie jumped, moving slightly to put some distance between us. Her eyes tore away from Finral and dropped back to her plate, wind snapping nervously at her ankles.

I stared at the fork as my right eye twitched a little. The handle was bent at an awkward angle. There was no fixing it now. I ruined another perfectly good thing. 

Slowly, I lifted my head. Finral was looking at me, eyes narrowed just a bit. Not of anger, but of something that fell between irritation and annoyance. Our gazes locked for a good, long heartbeat. There was a lot we weren’t saying in that stare, but one thing I knew for sure. He had his name in the fight, and the battle was on. 

The second I started to push back my chair, thinking I’d just leave before I did something else stupid, a big hand clamped down on my shoulder from behind and shoved me back into my seat.

“Oi,” Yami’s voice drawled above me, “Where do you think you’re goin’?”

I looked up at him, half annoyed, half relieved to have an excuse to sit my ass back down, “Bathroom?” I offered weakly.

He didn’t buy it. He never buys it. Yami swung his leg over the back of the chair next to me and dropped into it backwards, leaning his arms on the table. His cigarette dangled lazily from his lips, smoke curling up around his hair.

“I got a mission for you,” he said.

I frowned, “Yeah? What’s that?”

He took a long drag and exhaled through his nose, “It’s an undercover mission,” he said, “Actually, it’s for you and Loralie.”

I didn’t have to turn my head to know she’d tensed across from me. I could actually feel it. Her mana hiccuped. Like the idea of going on a mission with me was the worst news ever. 

“Uh,” I laughed, and it came out a little too high, “Hey, Captain? Does it gotta be me and Lori? Can’t someone else go?”

“Nope,” Yami said immediately, not even pretending to consider it, “This is a mission to the underground black market scene. You already look like a ruffian, so you fit right in,” He jerked his chin toward me, “The others…” He let his gaze trail lazily over Luck, Finral, Asta, Noelle, and the rest, “Well, I don’t got much faith in them to pretend to be your delinquent wife. So Vangossen is just gonna have to do.”

I choked on air. Across from me, Loralie coughed like she’d just inhaled her drink.

“Wife?!” we both blurted out at the same time. Our eyes met, wide and startled, then darted away just as quickly.

Yami barked a laugh, finally pulling the cigarette from his mouth, “Yeah,” he said, clearly enjoying himself, “You two are gonna play as a couple sellin’ wares down in the black market. Real cozy-like.” he winked like he was doing me a favor. He just handed me my death wish.

Finral lifted a hand halfway, like he was in class, “Sir?” he said, sounding far too composed for someone who’d just watched his crush get fake-married to someone else, “Don’t you think that might be a little too dangerous? I mean, people do know that Magna is part of the Black Bulls.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Yami mused, scratching at his stubble like he was actually considering it. Hope flickered for exactly half a second. Then he turned, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and aggressively ruffled it, destroying the slicked-back style I’d spent an hour on this morning.

“Hey!” I yelped, swatting at his hand, “What’s the big idea?!”

He ignored me. With his free hand, he snatched the sunglasses off my face and tossed them onto the table, where they skidded to a stop in front of Charmy’s plate.

“There,” he said, letting go of my hair. Strands fell into my eyes, brushing my cheek, “Practically a different person.”

A few snickers bubbled up around the table. I scowled and grabbed at my bangs, trying to push them back. It was useless. The damage was done. I knew what I probably looked like. Some punk with too much attitude and not enough brains.

I muttered something under my breath, then glanced up and caught Loralie staring at me. Her cheeks were pink, eyes slightly wide. For the first time all week, the hint of a real smile tugged at her lips. Then, to my absolute confusion, she laughed. Softly, but actually laughed.

Something in my chest fluttered dangerously. Heat crept up the back of my neck and spread across the tips of my ears. I looked away quickly, trying to hide my confusion and embarrassment.

“Basically,” Yami went on, lazily propping his elbow on the back of his chair, “you just gotta keep tabs on a certain individual we think is sellin’ an illegal drug. Causing people to go crazy and try to kill folks when they take it.” His expression flattened a bit, “Capital’s been havin’ more and more cases of people goin’ bonkers and tryin’ to murder whoever’s closest. Wizard King asked us to look into it.”

Loralie shifted in her seat, folding her hands together on the table, thumbs rubbing nervously. “I might not be the best person for it,” she admitted, voice soft, “I don’t exactly look the part of a ruffian’s, uh… wife.” She said the last word carefully, like it was something fragile she didn’t quite know what to do with yet.

Yami pretended to think again, tapping his chin in mock thought. Then his gaze slid over to the couch, “Vanessa,” he said.

Vanessa lifted her head lazily, one leg draped over the arm of the couch. She’d been watching the entire exchange with barely concealed delight. At hearing her name, she grinned and pushed herself upright.

“I gotcha covered,” she said, raising a thumb. “I love playing dress-up. I can get you something to wear and tell you how to act.” She pointed between me and Loralie, “Both of you.”

I groaned quietly, dropping my forehead into my hand, “Oh, great,” I muttered, “Because this can’t possibly get worse.”

Luck leaned across the table, eyes sparkling. “You’re gonna look awesome, Lori!” he said cheerfully. “You can wear one of those dresses like the shop ladies wear. Oh! Or those tight pants! And you can yell at Magna whenever he does something stupid!”

“Why am I gettin’ yelled at in this scenario?!” I demanded.

Finral sighed dramatically, placing a hand over his heart, “To think,” he said, “my sweet Loralie being paraded around the black market as some hooligan’s wife. Truly, this world is cruel.”

Loralie somehow managed to blush harder, “I haven’t even agreed yet,” she mumbled.

Yami waved a hand, “Too late. Mission’s already been decided,” he said, “You got ‘till tomorrow night. That gives Vanessa time to doll you up and you two time to learn how not to act like strangers.”

That last part hit like a little punch to the gut. Strangers. Is that what we were to each other? Sure she has only been in the Black Bulls for a couple of weeks, but that had to count for something.

Across from me, Loralie’s fingers tightened around her fork. Her eyes flicked up to mine for just a heartbeat. There was still hurt in them. Still anger. I had to look away first.

Chapter Text

Finral’s door had to have the loudest hinges in the whole base. They squeaked in the long, insufferable way every time he opened it. Like the house had given up on the possibility he would use it regularly. I suppose with spatial magic, one doesn’t have a real need for doors. Still, I never noticed just how loud it really was until I was standing right outside, leaning against the opposite wall, waiting to see what kind of face he’d make when he found me here.

The door swung inward with a sad creak, and Finral stuck his head out. His hair was freshly done, but his cloak hung half open like he’d just thrown it on. His eyes landed on me and instantly went from curious to horrified. He gave the most theatrical groan I’d heard all week.

“Not you,” he groaned, “Isn’t there someone else for you to bother? I really don’t want to fight or anything like that.”

I grinned and straightened, stuffing my hands into my pockets, “I’m not here to fight.”

He blinked a few times before eyeing me suspiciously, “You’re not?”

I shook my head and gave him my biggest smile. Would I love to fight him? Most definitely. It would be an easy win. But I had to put that to the side and keep my head focused on what I really wanted to accomplish with him. Even if he was looking at me funny. 

“Magna and Lori left last night,” I informed him, pushing off the wall, “So I was seeing what you were up to.” 

Finral stepped fully out of his room and shut the door behind him. He began walking down the hallway and I fell in step beside him. At the mention of their names, something flickered across his face. Just for a second it looked a little like someone had punched him in the stomach. He recovered quickly and shook his shoulders back, standing a little straighter as he walked. 

“I had plans to go visit home,” he said, tone clipped around the edges.

I slapped him on the back hard enough to make him stumble, “Great!” I laughed, “You’re not doing anything important!”

Finral gave a small yelp and bristled away from me. He shot me a look that could fry eggs, “That is very important, thank you!” he snapped, then picked up his pace like he could outrun me. I easily matched it. 

“We should spend some time together,” I suggested cheerfully, “Hang out like buddies.”

He didn’t even try to hide his disdain, “Why would we do that?”

“Because you like Loralie.”

Finral stopped dead. He froze mid-step, one foot in front of the other, shoulders locked, head slightly tilted like he’d just heard someone announce the end of the world. I took a few more steps before realizing he wasn’t beside me anymore and turned back. His face was wonderful.

Eyes wide, mouth slightly open, color draining and then flooding back in a rush. Overwhelmed, panicked shock with a hint of comedic freak out. Anyone else might have pretended they didn’t know what I was talking about. Finral just short circuited.

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered, trying his best to recover but only managing to cover half his face with his hands. 

I tilted my head, letting my grin fall into something smaller, more accepting. My mana buzzed lightly over my skin in calm bursts. I studied him in silence. He squirmed under my gaze, his hands going up to adjust his collar, came down, back up to button his cloak up, and back down again. His gaze darted anywhere but at me.

Then I shrugged, like it really didn’t matter, and jerked my head toward the end of the hall, “Come on,” I said, “I wanna show you something.”

He hesitated, mouth pressing into a line, but his feet moved anyway. We walked in silence for a while, our boots echoing softly on the worn wood, the house shifting around us with its usual groans and creaks. Light filtered in through the high windows, dust motes turning lazy circles in the air. Voices drifted from down stairs. I could almost make out everything that Asta was saying. As we got closer to the main area, we heard Charmy’s voice cut through, harping on him to eat more before going back out to train. The usual buzz of the hideout. 

I led the way, taking us out of the base and outside. The cool air wrapped around us, but it didn’t feel alive. Not like Loralie’s. Her wind embraced me in a blanket of security and it made me wish that I had been able to go with them. 

We walked around the side of the base, down a slope, and through a line of trees. The distance between us and home grows further and further apart. To Finral’s credit, he didn’t complain once as we trekked through the brush. Just the occasional grumble and sigh as he pushed aside flora to follow after me. 

Soon, we made it to one of my favorite spots. A clearing. The last time I had been out there, it was part of the forest. With trees and bushes that covered the area. Now, it looked like a storm had dropped down on this singular spot and carved a hole in the woods. 

Trees were snapped in half. Trunks twisted with some uprooted entirely. The ground was torn up, gouged and churned like something huge had clawed its way through it. The air still had that sharp, metallic tang of mana that had gone a little too wild. Finral took one look and stopped walking.

“You’ve been helping her?” he asked, surprise coating his voice as his eyes took in the damage.

I shrugged, shoving my hands back into my pockets and rocking on my heels, “I know her mana better than anyone else,” I said simply.

It was true. I could feel it now, even though she wasn’t here. Ghost traces of it. The feeling of how hers tangled with mine was intoxicating and draining all at the same time. She wanted to consume all of me, and I had so much to give. 

Finral looked away from the wreckage and back at me. His expression had shifted. Less shocked and more assessing. Like he was seeing me as something other than Yami’s fighting obsessed headache for once.

He gave a slow nod, “So you came to the same conclusion I did.”

My smile thinned, “Onitsa is a problem.”

Just saying her name made my mana prickle. I could still see her face in my mind if I let myself. The wicked curve of her mouth. The way she’d watched Loralie like she was something to break and rearrange. Anger swirled in my chest like a sharp, electric knot.

Finral laughed lightly, though it sounded like he was still in disbelief, “You’re a lot smarter than you let on.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment!” my smile brightened immediately. 

His lips twitched, but the tension didn’t leave his shoulders. He crossed his arms over his chest, turning his gaze back to the wreckage. The wind shifted around us, picking up, then dying down, like it remembered the storm that had passed through.

“Captain Vangeance already said the Wizard King is working on getting rid of Onitsa for good,” Finral said after a moment, “There isn’t anything we should be getting ourselves involved in.”

I clasped my hands behind my back and swayed a little where I stood, looking up at the sky, “No,” I corrected lightly, “he said there’s a plan to deal with her. Not get rid of her.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Getting rid of someone means they stopped being useful. He was willing to sell all the Magic Knight Captains for whatever information she had.”

My eyes shifted over to take a peek at him. Finral winced. His hands curled into fists. It seemed he had the same feelings about this situation as I did.

“That means she’s valuable enough to keep around,” I finished, rocking up onto my toes and back down on my heels again.

Finral looked over at me and our eyes met. I had thought long and hard about that meeting. A whole week passed and none of us spoke about the things said in there. We learned a lot yet nothing at all. Questions got answered only to have more pop up in different ways. None of it seems to be for our benefit. 

 “Since when were you into conspiracies?” he asked.

“Since that combination spell was written in my grimoire,” I replied.

Any trace of lightness dropped from my face with those words. It was like a switch flicked. The hum of my mana went from playful to sharp.

Finral noticed, his eyes flicked over my features, reading the change, and his brows pulled together, “I don’t like this,” he said, voice a little quieter, “We don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into. It’s better if we just let the Wizard King take care of this…”

“You’re doing it again,” I cut in.

“Doing what again?”

“Being a coward. Don’t you have any feelings for Loralie? At all?”

The question dropped between us like a stone. Finral’s mouth opened, then closed. His gaze darted away, out over the ruined clearing. Confusion and something like pain flickered across his face. He groaned softly and dragged both hands up his face, fingers pushing through his hair.

“Okay,” he exhaled finally, dropping his hands back down to cross his arms again,”Loralie has a bit of Onitsa’s mana. That explains the weird power trip back in the dungeon when she verbally slapped Magna,” he walked over to a stump that managed to survive and sat down, his brow furrowing in thought.

I twisted my head left to right and popped my neck in a few places. The noises crack audibly. The tension started to relieve itself now that he was finally thinking about this with me. 

“Several months ago, when Onitsa showed up, we were told that King Julius made a deal with a devil in order to gain information on devils. In return, all she wanted was to hang around the Magic Knight Captains. If I had to guess, this was a front to scope out the strongest of them.” The brainstorming spoke out loud as I went back over everything I already knew. 

Finral made a noise of agreement, “Yeah, but then she narrowed down her visits to just Captain Yami, The Golden Dawn, The Silver Eagles, and The Crimson Lions.” 

My mind stayed on that for a moment. She did hang around those four the most. At first it seemed because they were the ones closest to the devil ordeal. They knew more and it would be easier to talk about things with them.

“Then she didn’t visit The Crimson Lions anymore. Shortly after that, she stopped hanging around here too,” I muttered. 

Finral rubbed his arms as his body shivered. His face grimaced like he was remembering all the horrible nights we had to endure. It had only been a couple of weeks, but Onitsa had spent the whole time rummaging around. She was constantly hanging around us, asking if we wanted to part with our mana. Though she had kept her distance away from Asta. 

Onitsa had stopped coming around a few days before Loralie arrived. It didn’t feel like anything at the time. If anything, we all saw it as a blessing that the new recruit wouldn’t be subjected to such vulgar behavior. Now, it didn’t seem like a coincidence. 

“Did Lori tell you anything about what happened when she went back to talk to Onitsa?” I asked. She had spent a lot of her free time with Finral, and the two of them seemed to have gotten closer. I could tell that bothered Magna, even if he didn’t say anything. 

Finral shook his head, “ I asked her about it, but she wouldn’t say. Just kept trying to change the subject.” 

My smile wavered a bit but I corrected it, allowing it to grow wider, “While Magna and Lori are away, we need to see what information we can gather about Onitsa. I think the more we have, the better chance we have at figuring out what her motive is. Obviously she wants power, but if we can figure out why, then maybe we can help Lori in some way.”

Finral smiled and stood up from the stump. He flicked his hair back and patted the dust from his rear, “It’s worth a shot. You seem to be the one who is actually keeping track of information, so if you think this will help her, then I am willing to try.” 

I clapped my hands together and spun on one foot, “Let’s take down a devil!”

Chapter Text

Nozel’s office smelled like ink, metal, and depression. Polished wood and old pride sealed behind four walls that were too clean to be honest. Only one lamp burned on his desk. Everything else sat in darkness. The kind of darkness that made the corners feel deeper and more like a void. 

I liked corners. Corners were where people forgot to look when they felt safe and only remembered when it was too late. 

Only, Nozel Silva didn’t forget. He wrote with steady, precise strokes. The nob scratching like a tiny blade carving at wood. His posture was immaculate even when he was seemingly alone. Back straight, shoulders square, chin lifted as if the rest of the world might be devoured in flames and ruined if he even thought about slouching. He was a statue that moved with simple and elegant motions. 

I watched him from where I’d draped myself against the wall, hidden in shadows that concealed my figure but not my boredom. Eventually the pen stopped moving. Not because he was finished, no. Nozel never “finished” anything. He simply decided to pause and act like he had some control over time itself. I watched as his jaw tightened and he closed his eyes.

“You’re the last person I wanted to see tonight,” his voice was calm and calloused.

I pushed off the wall with a lazy little shrug, letting my footsteps be loud on purpose. If he wanted quiet, he should’ve been born in a kinder world.

“And yet here we are,” I said brightly, like we’d run into each other at some charming café and not in the personal crypt he called a study. I leaned forward just enough for my smile to catch the lamplight.

Nozel opened his eyes and finally looked at me. They were cold, guardered, and beautifully disciplined. Like he’d trained his face to give nothing away and kept his expressions a uniform too. I held the grin for a heartbeat, then let it melt away. 

“Do you always have to be such a prick? Is it a Silva family tradition? Do you all get together and practice glaring in a mirror?”

His gaze flicked down to his papers like he couldn’t stand the sight of me, “Do you always have to be scheming something? Or is being a nuisance your specialty?”

“Scheming?” I repeated, placing a hand over my chest in mock offense, “Nozel, sweetheart. If I were scheming, you’d already be bleeding.”

Nozel didn’t bat an eye at that, leaving me to drop my hand with a frown. He simply shifted his stack of papers to the right away from me, like my existence had introduced clutter into his area. I walked right up to his desk and plopped my big booty right on the edge of the desk. Close enough to invade the neat radius of his space. I flicked my right leg up and snapped it down over my left, looking over at him with a sharp grin.

He didn’t take the bait. Just moved his papers further away from me in a careful motion. A deliberate insult purposefully orchestrated to ignore my presence. I watched him arrange everything on his desk away from me with maddening perfection. Tapping the corners of each sheet so they would align perfectly and smooth out in some weird organized pile. 

It was boring. He was boring. At least Julius would tease me a little. He was a fun one. Interesting. And my darling sweet William just knew how to talk so smoothly. I loved how he could make people switch up their whole ideas to meet his needs. Especially when it was those two boys; Langris and Yuno. They would destroy the world for him if William ordered it. 

“Can I ask you something?” I tilted my head, walking my fingers out towards the paper he was setting down. He was quick to yank it out of my reach. His eyes cut to me before leaning back in his chair. He mirrored my posture, crossing one leg over the other like he was settling in for a debate he’d already won, “I get the feeling you’re not really asking, so I suppose.”

“Mm.” I turned my body fully toward him, and made my voice lighter than it should’ve been, “If you could go back to any day… what day would it be?”

His mouth twitched. Not quite a sneer, not quite a smile, “I would prefer to leave the past in the past.”

“Humor me, human.”

Nozel pushed up from his chair and stood, tall, rigid and beautifully structured. He stepped around the desk with quiet authority, close enough that I could see the faint shadow beneath his eyes from exhaustion. He was the kind of man who didn’t sleep unless he’d earned it.

“I think you know what day I would pick.”

A wicked laugh slipped out of me. It wasn’t kind. It wasn’t even particularly amused. It was the laugh of someone who recognized a wound and couldn’t resist poking it just to see if it still hurt.

“Oh right,” I said, lifting both hands like I was apologizing, “My bad. You probably shouldn’t talk about that. I’m not strong enough to protect you from other devils.”

His jaw tightened, but like a good little boy he picked not to resort in violence. His magic wasn’t the only thing his mother gave him. He had the patience of a saint. 

Nozel walked away from me and towards his bookshelf, speaking with his back turned to me, “I don’t need your protection,” he said evenly, “I can handle my own just fine.”

I watched him skim spines with practiced precision, selecting a book like he was choosing a weapon. He pulled one free and flipped it open, the pages catching the light in pale flashes. I studied the line of his shoulders. The tension in his neck. The way his fingers gripped the book a fraction too hard. He was close to breaking. I just needed to push a little harder.

“You never play with me, Nozel,” I whined, letting my voice turn petulant on purpose.

He didn’t even look over his shoulder, “Probably because I can’t fucking stand you.”

There it was. Direct, clear, and honest. The truth of his feelings snapped out like a sharp blade against my throat. I smiled anyway, because it was still attention.

I slid off the desk, gliding closer until I was at his side, staring up at him with glee, “Then why haven’t you killed me yet?”

He turned a page.

“Don’t pretend you couldn’t. Easily,” I circled him slowly, like his personal space belonged to me, “So why keep me around?”

Nozel snapped the book shut with a quiet thump that felt louder than it should’ve. He faced me, expression sculpted back into that perfect, icy mask, but there was a tiny hitch at the corner of his mouth. The faintest satisfaction at being able to prove just how much better he was than me.

“Fortunately for you,” he said, “King Julius has taken a liking to you. You provided useful information regarding those of your kind. Funnily enough, you betray your own kind to a race of people who also don’t want you around.”

“Aw.” I batted my lashes, “So you’re saying I’m useful.”

He stared at me like he’d like to drop me off a cliff and watch gravity do the paperwork. Then he stepped closer, the air between us tightening with his restraint.

“You stick around like a parasite,” Nozel said, voice steady and low, “leeching off whatever scraps of mana you can get your grubby little hands on. You’re weak. Pathetic. You even make commoners look good.”

I laughed and tossed my hair over my shoulder, because if you didn’t wear an insult like jewelry, people started thinking it hurt you.

“If I could go back,” I purred, “I’d go back to when that girl summoned me. I aimed too low. I should have gone for your bloodline from the very beginning.”

His expression barely shifted. Just barely. The smallest, ugliest smile tugged at his lips. Not friendly. Not amused. Every ounce of it is deadly.

“Without us,” Nozel said, “you wouldn’t survive. Being a freeloader is just how you live.”

I leaned in, “And being insufferable is just how you live.”

He closed the distance, pressing his chest against mine as he towered over me. His breath was warm against my skin as his eyes traced mine. Following every glance I made. We were close. Too close. If he made a move, I would have no time to prepare for it.

He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. It wasn’t friendly or kind. It was a warning to someone he thought was beneath him that he could do whatever he wanted. Touch me however he wanted. And I was powerless to stop him. 

“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. King Julius might like to keep a pet around, and Vangeance is too much of a pacifist to do anything about you, but the first moment you screw up, you’re gone,” His hand shot down and clasped around my arm, hard. Not enough to bruise the body I wore, but enough to make the point, “Remember who really owns who here.”

Ownership. A human word for human games. I let my body go loose in his grip, all compliance and no surrender, letting him think he’d moved me. Letting him feel in control for just a second, because he was so desperate for it. He dragged me to the door like he was taking out trash.

“Go bother one of them,” Nozel hissed, yanking the door open, “I don’t have time for your idiocy.”

He shoved me out of his study. I hit the hall floor hard enough that the impact rattled up the borrowed bones in my body. Pain flashed, real and immediate. The door slammed shut with a boom of my failure. Silence swallowed the hallway afterwards. The polished stone of the floor and white of the walls too bright to stomach. I stayed where I was for a moment. Palms flat on the floor and breathing slowing as I attempted to calm down. I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath until it came out in a sharp gasp.

Then I laughed. It started in a breathy little sound, then grew into something sharper and brighter until it bounced off the walls. Nozel thought he’d won because he’d managed to throw me out. But he’d touched me first. This wasn’t a failure. No. I could make this a win. There was anger there. 

Slowly, I rose to my feet, brushing the dust from my legs with exaggerated care, “Prick,” I spoke to the door. Not that he would hear it. Unless he was listening. In that case, “Go fuck yourself.”

I strolled down the hallway with a lazy swing in my step, the palace too quiet and too holy for my mood. My fingers flexed, the ice magic in the host’s veins answering like an eager dog. Every portrait passed curled something twisted in my chest. Despair. That was all I needed. I could get that. It didn’t matter where Nozel kept his pride. I could sniff it out and turn it to dust.

I reached the main foyer like I belonged there. Like I’d been born beneath that roof and raised on entitlement. The Silva home was a monument to darkness and regret. With every white shiny thing there is always a dark, cold shadow right behind it.

A portrait hung in the main hall of Nozel’s mother. Acier Silva. She looked down at me with noble grace frozen into paint. Beautiful, untouchable, and idolized. The kind of woman they loved mostly because she couldn’t speak anymore. 

I stared up at her for a long moment. Taking in every bit of her features and comparing them to my prey. He had her eyes and complexion. The hair was almost identical if he wouldn’t wear it in that ridiculous braid. If she could see him now, I wondered if she would make him change it. Mother him. But if she were here, would he even be my perfect Nozel?

My hand lifted and ice answered instantly. It speared up from the floor in a clean, violent spike and drove straight through the portraits center. Right through her chest. Splintering the frame with a satisfying crack. A piece of the gold trim breaking off and clattering across the marble like cheap jewelry. I let my hand fall.

For a second, the hall was silent except for the settling fragments. I stared at the ruined portrait and felt… nothing. Nothing but the irritation that was slowly creeping back in. Not at her, or Nozel, but at this stupid game. The way they kept trying to tighten leashes that didn’t fit. 

I turned on my heel and walked out, leaving the spike where it was as a symbol of my displeasure. Outside, night air met me with a cool kiss. Wind stirred my hair, tugging at the edges of my patience. In the distance, the Wizard King’s tower rose over the capital. A promise and a threat all at once. Bright, grand, and full of humans pretending they were safe because they’d built tall walls.

I stared up at it, jaw tightening, nails biting into my palms, “You three aren’t making this easy,” I muttered to myself, voice low and sharp, “Just play the fucking game already,” then I began to walk toward the tower, the darkness parting for me as if it were water.

Even if Nozel kicked me out, or Julius shackled me to his mortal life. They’d already invited me in. 

And the funny thing about invitations?

You don’t get to revoke them once a devil decides to stay.

Chapter Text

Leather pants were a cruel joke invented by someone who hated women. Every step I took made the seams bite into my hips, the stiff material rubbing all sorts of wrong on my inner thighs. Dresses didn’t have this problem. They were flowy, easy to move around in, and lady-like. Tight pants left nothing to the imagination and felt like they were cutting off my circulation. These pants were warfare. 

I shifted again behind our little booth masquerading as a humble smuggler’s stand, trying to look casual while fighting for my dignity. The leather made an ominous groaning noise. Every part of me wanted to set them on fire, and possibly Vanessa too. I can still see her smug grin as she helped squeeze me into these things. 

“Ugh,” I breathed, low and furious, “These are so constriction. Pants like this should be illegal.”

Beside me, Magna stood with his arms crossed, leaning his shoulder against the wall like he’d been born in a place like this. Lantern light allowed the shadows to sharpen his jawline into something that might have looked dangerous if you didn’t know him. Vanessa had dressed him in dark clothing too, but the leather jacket on him looked like a choice rather than a punishment. He’d complained about it earlier, sure, but now he wore it with some sort of careless confidence that sort of was having an effect on me. 

The market was noisy around us. Not too loud, but enough sound to fill the area. Vendors called out sales and customers drifted like fish in a dark current. Their eyes glinted with suspicion or fascination. A few stalls down, someone laughed too loudly and got shoved for it. Somewhere to the left, a glass bottle shattered and was followed by a hissed curse. 

This place wasn’t like the outside markets, where sunlight softened peoples faces and made the atmosphere welcoming and joyful. Down here, everyone was hiding something or trying to make a quick buck through a shady deal. 

I tugged at the waistband again not feeling it give even just a little. I shifted on my feet again with a huff. Every last ounce of patience I had for these pants was slipping around when the worst case scenario happened. A humiliating shift of fabric that told me it found some way to work itself up somewhere it shouldn’t belong.

Heat bloomed up my neck as my jaw clenched. I glanced around to make sure no one was looking directly at me, and reached back, carefully pulling the wedgie out with what little fabric I could grab. I got the relief I needed, but at the full price of my dignity.

Magna made a snort, failing to contain the laugh that wanted to explode from his chest. It wasn’t even quiet. A full body snort that caught the attention of several people who passed by at that moment. 

“Oh, shut it,” I hissed, “You try having tight leather up your ass for hours.”

The exact moment the words left my mouth, a man walking past our booth slowed. His brows lifted as he looked me up and down. His face twisted into one of disgust. I wished the floor would swallow me like back in that dungeon. The man hurried along, taking my dignity with him.

Magna’s grin widened and he looked unbearably pleased with the situation I found myself in. I sucked on my teeth.

“I hope,” my voice sweetened, “that your hair gets caught in something and you have to cut it off with a dull knife.”

He laughed again, but at least this time he had the decency to bite it back a little, “I’d take that any day over hair constantly in my eyes. Vanessa could’ve at least let me style it a bit.”

He lifted a hand, tugging one of the loose strands that Vanessa had purposefully messed up so he looked like some kind of street delinquent. It fell right back into his face and he made an aggravated sound, failing to shove it back again. 

I rolled my eyes, “Then you’d ruin the whole effect we are trying to give with that weird hairstyle of yours.”

His head snapped toward me, “Hey! It’s not weird. It’s cool,” his expression pinched and he tugged at his leather jacket, “Manly.”

I shook my head, biting back a smile I refused to show him, “Whatever.”

The air in the market seemed to thicken with smells of smoke and spices. Down one of the halls, someone must have started a food spot for the growing ground as it grew closer to dinner time. This place had tons of vendors selling things they probably shouldn’t have, and the fact it was still operational was something short of luck. Magic Knight Captains obviously knew of this place, and it continues to draw people in. 

Another customer approached our table. A man with narrow eyes and a thick coat despite the heat here. He ran his fingers over the artifacts laid out like he was testing their worth through touch. His gaze lingered on a few of the potions then slid to a necklace with a pale crystal pendant. He didn’t speak, just silently assessed products offered. 

Straightening my shoulders, I forced my face into polite neutrality and picked up the necklace the man seemed interested in. I held it closer to the lantern light, the crystal catching on it and sparkling in a way that yearned for sunlight.

“Enchanted Charm,” I spoke smoothly.” Lightweight, useful for amplifying one's mana. Very good for traveling in dangerous areas.”

The man stared at it for a moment, then waved a hand in disinterest. He walked away without a word and I set the necklace back down in its case, exhaling through my nose. 

Magna’s arms were crossed again. He hadn’t bothered looking at the customer, just kept his focus on the crowd, scanning over each person to pass by as if they would just come out and say, ‘Hi, it's me. The drug smuggler’. 

“How long are you gonna keep bein’ mad at me?” he grumbled without looking at me.

The question struck something in me that was already bruised. Part of me wanted to stay mad at him and keep this whole thing going. Another, softer and more compassionate part, wanted to throw my arms around him and cry about how sorry I was for being stupid and reckless. I didn’t like that part so much anymore. The girl I was before Yami found me wouldn’t have even stayed mad at all. It’s funny how much a person can change in a few short weeks. Now, if I caved, it would be like reversing everything I worked to build up. If I folded to Magna, I stood no chance against my mother or Onitsa.

“However long it takes,” I said, keeping my voice even, “for you to get over yourself. You don’t get to dictate my emotions or my actions.”

My gaze lifted to his. His jaw tightened and the muscle jumped near his cheekbone. The lantern light carving shadows under his brow, “I wasn’t tryin’ to dictate you. I was tryin’ to keep you from getting yourself killed.”

I blinked and shook my head back a little. My face twisting into one of stun by his sheer audacity, “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” he snapped, eyes flaring, “You act like you’ve got some sort of death wish. Runnin’ back to that devil alone. She attempted to kill you.”

Heat flooded into my chest as he so boldly reminded me why I was holding onto this anger for so long. My tongue flicked over my lips as I turned my full body towards him. He kept treating me like I was fragile. Sweet, innocent, little Loralie. Pretending like he doesn’t remember that I had a very real and deadly side to myself. 

“One,” I held up a finger, “I never asked you to do anything. And two,” another finger went up, “I can protect myself, thank you.”

Magna laughed again. Short and sharp this time. I felt my eye twitch a little. 

“What’s so funny?” I spoke through my teeth.

“Nothin’. Just wonderin’ how you plan to protect yourself when your magic isn’t exactly…” he looked me up and down, “the offensive type.”

My tongue clicked against my teeth. My first instinct was to say something clever. Something that would cut him down a size. But the truth was, his words stung because they weren’t entirely wrong. I never trained in offensive magic. My only goal had been to protect myself. Even when I went bat shit and whatever power I had took over. It was always to keep distance. Keep people away. The only spells I had that could actually do real harm to people were the ones I had because my crazy ass combined my mana with two other lunatics. 

“You know what, Magna? You can go fuck yourself.”

His eyebrows shot up in a moment of stunned silence. Then he smirked and shrugged one shoulder with ease, “Too bad I’m trapped behind this booth with a stuck up noble, or I might.”

My face twisted into irritated disgust. I stared at him as another customer walked past. They stopped briefly at our booth but I cut them a glare that was anything but friendly. They scurried away quickly and I turned my attention back on my main annoyance.

“You have a response to everything, don’t you?” I spat. 

“Kinda have to when you don’t stop talking for more than five minutes. You take after that devil more than you realize.”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. My hands went up in mock surrender as I turned away from him, “Okay, rude. Don’t compare me to that thing.” A shiver went up my spine just thinking about having anything in common with Onitsa. It was bad enough I have some of her mana, but to think her personality could be rubbing off on me was not something I wanted to think about.

For a while, neither of us spoke. The market noise filled the gap. People brushed past, their murmurs rising and falling like waves. Sounds of bartering and the smell of roasting meat took over all my senses. That and it was really hard to ignore the fact that Magna was standing right next to me. I’m still mad at him, but Vanessa did an amazing job getting him dressed up for this role. 

My fingers tapped against my arm restlessly. I could feel the wind at my ankles stir, not liking the quiet tension between us. I shifted my jaw to the left and decided to extend an olive branch. This mission could take weeks. We could at least attempt some friendly conversation. 

I glanced sideways at Magna, “Do you really think King Julius slept with her?”

Magna barked out a laugh like that was the funniest thing I’d said all day, “Hell yeah. Dude would do anything to see new magic and get information.”

My body dramatically shuddered and a small smile tugged at my lips, “What about Captain Vangeance? Captain Silva?”

Magna’s expression twisted as he considered it then he shook his head, “I can’t see that. Especially not Fancy Braid. That guys got a deep hatred for anything that isn’t that huge braid.”

“What is up with that?” 

“No clue, but it isn’t doin’ him any favors.” 

A woman approached our table, picking up one of the potion bottles. The liquid inside was a light gray, shimmering faintly. She stared at it a little too long, eyes glazed over. Her stance swayed a little as held the potion up to the light of the lantern. Her clothing was a little ragged. It would be safe to place her in commoner status, possibly a maid for one of the noble families that lived nearby. Her hair was matted in a few places, and a body odor emitted from her. 

“What kind of potion is this?” She asked. 

I offered a polite smile, trying my best to keep my composure and not be offensive. It was clear to me that she might have poor hygiene, but it wouldn’t be my place to say anything. I was literally found out in the middle of the forest just a month ago.

“Smoke screen potion. Came from a high level dungeon north of here, near the border. It’s very effective if you need to get out of a tough spot.”

The woman scratched at her neck, her nails digging in a little too rough for comfort. I looked closer and that’s when I noticed the scars. Her neck tore up in a way that appeared as if she had been clawing at herself. Her skin was pasty and gleamed with sweat. She looked sickly the longer I looked her over. Concern immediately came over me and I went to move around the table. 

“Ma’am…are you okay?”

Her eyes widened, panic flashing across her face, “Y…yeah,” she stammered, setting the potion down too fast, “I’m fine.”

My body moved with her, attempting to block her path before she could make her escape. But a hand grabbed my wrist firmly. I glanced over my shoulder to see Magna giving me that look again. The look that meant he wanted to play the hero and prevent me from doing something he deemed stupid. My gaze tore away from him and back to the woman, but she was already gone, disappearing into the crowd. I sighed and let him pull me back over towards him.

“There is a drug down here,” I whispered to him. 

Magna cursed under his breath, “Yeah, but we don’t know who’s sellin’ it. Could be anyone, there’s like fifty damn merchants here.”

“I know. It’s kinda our job to figure that out.”

He shook his head, “No. Your job is to stay here and man the table. I’ll go pokin’ around.”

My face scrunched up, “Um, no? Who died and made you captain?”

“As your senior,” he pointed a thumb at himself, “I call the shots.”

“We’re the same age. And just because you’ve been a Magic knight longer doesn't mean you get to control me.”

“You really wanna do this right now?” his voice lifted a little. 

I squared up to him, matching his tone and glaring up at him, “Yeah. I do.”

We were drawing too much attention. I could feel eyes turning towards us. There was a subtle shift in the crowd as people sensed the tension. The black market loved entertainment, and what was better to watch than a lovers quarrel? We would be really selling the ruffian married smuggler act if we got a few good punches and name calling in. 

As if things couldn’t get any better, a little old lady shuffled up to our table, smiling like she’d wandered into a bakery instead of a den of criminals. 

“You two remind me of me and my late husband, “she chuckled, “always bickering the two of us. How long have you been married?”

Magna and I froze, staring at her like two idiot deers caught in the line of a hunter. My brain scrambled to remember our cover story. The one that had been prewritten for us in case this very thing were to happen and we needed to ensure our stories were the same. 

“Three years,” Magna blurted.

“A year,” I said at the same exact time as him. Our answers jumbling into a word vomit mess.

The old lady blinked with amusement rather than suspicion. A small, nervous laugh escaped me as I recovered first, forcing my body into motion before this all fell apart. I slipped my arm around Magna’s and pressed close, squishing my chest against his arm. A move I mentally fought myself against the motive behind it. Simply strategic. Nothing more. Even as heat started to bloom in my cheeks. 

“We’ve been together three years,” my smile was bright and sweet, “Married last year, but who’s really counting? It feels like forever when you are with your soul mate, doesn’t it love?”

I tilt my face up at him, eyes pleading and silently begging him to just go along with this and not ruin it. Magna’s glare flickered, then softened. Just enough to make someone believe he was in love with me. A half smile tugged at his mouth. The kind of smile that made him look like he was more trouble than what he’s worth.

“Yup,” he said easily, “Saw her dancin’ in a bar late one night and knew I had to lock that down.”

My eye twitched again, but I had to keep smiling. Even as it twisted into a promise of his death, “I just loved seeing him come in,” I forced out, trying to make my voice sound sultry, “So…bold.” 

The old lady chuckled, patting her own hand on her cane, “Such a nice young couple,” she muttered to herself before slowly slinking away back to the crowd. All the eyes were finally off us and I took a moment to take back all the dignity I lost. 

I punched Magna in the chest. 

He choked, stumbling back half a step, “What the hell was that for?!”

“A dancer?” I hissed, barely keeping my anger contained, “Really? You couldn’t think of anything else besides making me sound like some cheap hooker you picked up?”

Magna’s mouth curled into a smirk, “You wouldn’t be cheap at all. You’re a high dollar hooker.”

I growled, throwing my hands up in exasperation, “You’re impossible!”

“Oh, come on,” he tried to, poorly, sound reasonable, “We gotta make it believable. We are supposed to be a married couple who are smugglers. No one would bat an eye at that story. It makes sense.” 

I narrow my eyes, “Fine. Then I’m telling people you just got out of prison for stealing panties from old ladies.”

His expression snapped from amused to outraged, “Like hell you will! That’s not the same thing!”

“It’s dirty and perverted,” I say sweetly, “So I think it is.”

Magna groaned, dragging a hand down his face like he wanted to peel the skin off, “Ugh, fine! I’m sorry, okay? I won’t tell anyone else you’re a dancer. I promise.”

I smile, satisfied. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

He straightened the tablecloth and muttered, “Besides…that lady wasn’t anyone important. I’m pretty sure Yami lost gambling matches to her. She’s old and senile.”

“Yami loses at gambling? To an old lady?

“Hey! She’s a slippery one! Anyone would lose to her!”

I snorted, genuinely surprised that someone like Captain Yami would have such pathetic defeats to an old crone on a poker table. The imagination of that was enough to make me want to burst into laughter.

Magna tossed me a scowl that slowly broke into a grin as he began laughing at how ridiculous it sounded. The tension slowly left as I went over how silly all of this really was. We were playing house in a hidden black market. A little pretending might do us some good.

Chapter Text

Those fucking pants were going to be the end of my miserable life if she didn’t change out of them soon. Every sway of her hips as we walked through the twisting corridors of the market was driving me insane. The cruelest test for a man who already was having to restrain himself from pinning her to a wall on a normal basis. Now there wasn't anyone here to keep me in check or interrupt us. 

Still, I had to do something to ease the tension. I had been an ass all day, and the only thing I could think to do to help break it was to grab her hand. She froze under my touch and looked up at me with those big bright green eyes of hers. The heat on my neck was instant. I looked away, shoving my free hand into my pocket, trying to act like I didn't care. 

“We are married. Married couples hold hands.” 

Smooth, Magna. She's going to see right through that. 

“Yeah, you're right. That's smart,”she replied.

You gotta be kidding me. She actually bought that? Either she's actually dumb or you're one lucky bastard, Swing.

Her hand tightened, the contact a punch in the gut. Her hand was warm and smaller than mine. Soft in a way that made my chest tighten at the realization that Finral had to be creaming himself when she held his hand. This was the most magical thing in my life. No. Second most magical thing in my life. The number one spot was definitely her pants.

We started moving through the crowd together, weaving between bodies and stalls. The underground market felt tighter the deeper we went. Low ceilings, flickering lanterns, with the smell of smoke and alcohol clinging to everything. Honestly, it wasn’t much different than the Black Bulls base. It had me wondering if Yami took decoration inspiration from this place or the other way around. 

People brushed past us, shoulders bumping together, eyes flicking over us with quick assessments. Some lingered too long. I shifted slightly, angling myself so I was always half a step behind her, my body a shield from perverts. Every time someone got too close, my grip tightened protectively. 

She didn’t comment on it. Just stayed with me, steps matching mine. Her blonde hair swayed with each movement of her legs. Every so often, she threw a glance over her shoulder at me. It made my heart dance in a way I never thought it could. A soft chuckle resonated through my chest when she did it again, and I tossed her a playful grin, licking my bottom lip. For a moment, I thought I caught her cheeks turning pink. 

We found our way to a door to a bar tucked between two stalls. One selling questionable powders and glass vials, the other selling what I was pretty sure were animal feet. Loralie reached for the handle, but I beat her to it. I pushed the door open, my arm hanging over her, allowing her to move under my frame to get through the door. She paused, looking up at me with confusion written across her face.

I raised an eyebrow, smirking at her, “What? You think Finral’s the only one with manners?”

Her lips twitched upwards and she shook her head, muttering something under her breath. She stepped through the door frame and I followed after her, shutting the door behind me. The bar was cramped and lit mostly by a few handing lamps that cast uneven shadows across scarred wooden tables. The air was thick with smoke, thicker than it had been outside. I thought I might choke on it. 

A poker game occupied the far left corner. The participants kept their voices low, and shuffled their chips around. It looked more like a respectful game amongst good friends rather than the tournaments Yami usually found himself in. A booth to the right sat an old man, alone, nursing his drink and watching everything with tired, sharp eyes.

The bartender looked us over the moment we approached the bar. He’s a large guy with broad shoulders and a scar running from his jaw down his neck. Picturing what might have happened to him to get something like that permanently etched into his face made the scar on my forehead throb a little. 

“Haven’t seen you two ‘round here before,” his voice was deep with no sign of threat in it. He tipped his chin up at me, “New vendors?”

I slid onto the barstool and pulled the one out next to me for Loralie, moving it so it was sitting closer to me than what was necessary, “Somethin’ like that.”

The man hummed and grabbed two mugs from a top shelf. He rinsed them off in the sink. I watched his moves carefully. Loralie shifted uncomfortably in her chair, keeping her hands busy in the mess she called hair. She seriously needed to brush it. Vanessa teases the hell out of it and it was hard to tell it apart from a rats nest. 

Loralie glanced over her shoulder at me and pinched her eyebrows together. A silent way of asking me why I was staring at her. I had let my mind wander a bit. We were supposed to be getting information, and what better way to do that than from someone who sells liquid courage? 

Her lip turned up like she was really confused by me and shook her head, “Yeah, a beer sounds great. He’ll have one too.”

Now I saw why she had looked at me like that. God, kill me now. 

The small bar’s volume had toned down a lot. The poker game having become more tired murmurs versus the loud chatting we heard when we first walked in. It felt like everyone in the room was listening in on our conversations with the barkeep. While I waited for the drinks to be made, I kept my eyes moving. A glance at the bartender, then the poker table, the guy alone at his table, the side down, then the door we came in through. Scanning body language and potential threats. The place was small, but every corner felt watched. 

“You two got names?” He finished our drinks and set a mug in front of me then in front of Loralie. She stared down at it like she had never actually had a drink before. How she ordered made me think she was ballsy, but looking at her now had a snort come from me and a glare from her.

I took a long swig from my mug, letting the burn of the alcohol run down my throat and ease the tension a bit. I had no plans of getting shit faced, but we still had to look normal, “Yeah. The names Warren. And this here,” I placed a hand on Loralie’s thigh, “is my lovely wife Avena.”

Her body tensed under my touch. The feel of the leather pants was tight and rough. Everything she had been complaining about now seemed reasonable. Maybe I could drag this conversation on for a while. Give her an excuse to keep wearing them. 

The bartender snorted, “Lovely? She’d smokin’”

I was on my feet before my brain even processed what was happening. I reached over and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him towards me and glaring right in his face, “The hell did you just say?!” I snapped. 

He immediately raised his hands in surrender, “Chill, man. Didn’t mean nothin’ by it.”

I didn’t let go. My jaw tightened and untightened as I debated with myself on whether or not I should blow our cover now and go ham on this guy. Shooting a few fire balls up this guy's ass would be sending a message, that’s for sure. 

“Just sayin’, you gotta be careful down here, haulin’ her around like that. She sticks out,” he finished. My head snapped towards Loralie. I looked her up and down. She sat rigid. Her back was perfectly straight like a pole was shoved way up there. She was even crossing her ankles. It was like everything Vanessa kept us up all night teaching her was thrown right out the window. He wasn’t wrong. 

She noticed immediately that I caught on and she slouched a bit, letting her shoulders hang. She uncrossed her ankles and spread her knees a bit more. I had to look away so my mind wouldn’t wander. 

“She’s uh…former nobility,” I said quickly, releasing my grip on his shirt and sitting back down in my seat. He straightened his shirt and pulled at his collar, fixing his clothes so they sat right again. 

“Uh-huh,” he replied, unconvinced, “I’m Koa. Word of advice, people down here don’t like nobles much. I would stay quiet about that and keep an eye on that pretty little wife of yours.” 

Something unsettling twisted in my gut. I grabbed my glass and downed the rest of it to get the awful feeling to go away. This was a dangerous mission. These people were out braving dungeons all day every day or stealing their stash from those who had done it before. Criminals and hagglers. I can handle this type of demographic, but to bring Loralie down in a dirty place like this? I didn’t know what the hell Yami was thinking. I wanted to abort this mission all over again. 

Before I could respond, Loralie let out a laugh. Not her usual soft one. It was the wicked one. The one that came out when her mana had gone haywire and whatever was a part of her decided to leech out, or whatever Onitsa had said it does. I still don’t even know what all of that means. 

“I’m not scared of any assholes down here,” her words were sharp, “They wanna fight? I’ll gladly dig them a grave.”

I studied her closely. Her grimoire sat on her hip, unmoving and not reacting to anything. The wind shifted lazily around her feet like it normally did. Nothing about her screamed that she wasn’t in control right now, but something about her smile made my skin prickle. It was anything but sweet. She copied Onitsa’s dangerous smirk down to its very core. The raw feeling of superiority belonged to her, and it had my soldier perking to attention. 

Then she slid right into my lap. Like got up out of her seat and found a new one on my thighs, sat right in my lap. Her arms snaked around my neck as she leaned closer to me. My brain short circuited as my dick went rock hard.

“I’m here to protect my husband. Not the other way around,” her voice was silk.

Koa laughed, “I see. Big girl like you deserves another drink.” 

Loralie reached over to her untouched drink and downed it in one go. Her throat bobbing with every quick swallow. She set the mug down gracefully and a cute little giggle came from her mouth as if she didn’t just threaten everyone down here.

“Looks like I do,” she smiled.

I was fucked. Truely and utterly fucked. This woman had me tied in a leash by my dick and balls and I was begging for more. Luck had been the only other person to make me feel this way. Make me feel like I was going to explode every time his little ass pranced around the hideout. Forcing dirty thoughts into my head. 

My tongue flicked over my lips as I grabbed my drink and took the last gulp to finish it. She shifted her weight, scooting further back until she froze when her rear pressed up against my hardon. I stiffened too, my heart racing. I was suddenly aware of every small touch and slight shift. I swallowed and did the only thing I knew to keep this charade up before I lost it. 

I reached up, brushing her loose hair back over her shoulder, trying to give myself anything to focus on that wasn’t how badly I wanted to pull her closer. She looked over at me, her eyes searching my face until they found my eyes and we locked gazes. Her cheeks pinkened in synchronization with the heat that climbed up the back of my neck. I couldn’t stop the lazy smile from spreading across my face. 

“Please don’t fuck in my bar,” Koa groaned, “Already kicked one couple out tonight.”

I leaned in, my eyes staying on hers, and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Her face turned a shade darker, “I would never,” I murmured into her body, “No one gets to see my wife’s body but me.”

Her whole body shivered. That did nothing to help. Well it did, it helped convince Koa that we were in fact married. It didn’t help hide just how turned on I was right now. Loralie was doing nothing to stop the touching. To put an end to how close we were. Put me out of my misery. 

Instead, she shifted the subject and leaned forward onto the bar as another drink was set in front of her. Her back stretched out as she rested her chin on the back of one of her hands, “So, Koa. You kick a lotta people out? Or just the ones in love?”

“Anyone who causes a scene gets the boot,” he said, “Had a guy in here last week. Drugged out of his mind. Screaming about the Wizard King being undercover as an old lady and stealing his money.”

That old lady was a menace to anyone who crossed paths with her. To actually get someone believing she was the Wizard King was an all new low, even for that old wench. I made a mental note to warn Captain Yami about it for the next time he plays her. I wont let my brave Captain be made a fool. 

“Drugs? I didn’t think this market had that problem,” Loralie shifted again and I mentally cursed her, “Being so close to the Capital and all the Magic Knight Captains, I assumed this place would be keeping its hands clean.” 

“Didn’t used to,” Koa grabbed a rag and began wiping the counters down, in large circular motions. Loralie took another drink from the new beer she had been handed, “It’s been goin’ on for a few months now. One day everything was peaceful, the next, someone’s tryin’ to burn the place down ‘cause they think the Captains are aliens.”

Loralie tossed a glance over at me to make sure I was paying attention to what Koa was saying. I slowly lowered my head to her, my face relaxing. This was a real mood killer. Though it was probably a good thing. I needed a cold shower and to get my head back on the task at hand. 

She slowly turned her attention back to Koa, “You know who’s sellin’ it?”

Koa’s face went hard and he slammed his hand on the counter. Loralie and I both jumped at the reaction. This whole time he was calm, cool, and collected. The whole bar's attention was brought right to us.

“No, and I suggest you don’t go poking around in dangerous business. Keep clean and to yourselves, ya hear? You two seem nice. I’d hate to see anything bad happen to you.”

I narrowed my eyes, “Is that a threat?”

Koa shook his head, “It’s reality. Ask too many questions and you catch the attention of those you don’t want lookin’ at you. Next thing ya know, you find yourself face down in a pool of your own piss, bleeding out.”

Loralie recoiled, disgusted, “Noted. It was just a general question.”

Koa smiled again and took her now empty glass. He washed it out and went to clean it. His whole reaction to that little question was a direct answer all by itself. Whoever was dealing drugs down here was a big enough fish that no one even speaks about it. They were bad news. It sucked that we were in charge of sniffing out this bad news and bringing them to the Wizard King. It had me wondering why he didn’t just send in the she-devil to do the dirty work. 

Loralie hopped off my lap, “Well, Koa. Thank you for the drinks. How much do we owe you?” She reached for her hip pouch. 

Koa waved her off, “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Those drinks are on the house. Of course, if that means your continued patronage?” He raised an eyebrow.

She gave him a slight bow of respect, “You will be seeing more of us.”

He toasted the empty glass to us as Loralie grabbed my hand and pulled me to follow after her. She pulled me off the chair and I sluggishly followed after her. Her pace was quick, like she was desperate to get out of the small bar as quickly as possible. 

The members of the poker game were clearing off their table, packing things away and wrapping up their conversations. It had gotten rather late, to the point I realized we had accidentally skipped dinner all together. 

We passed the booth that had the man sitting all alone at it. He lifted his eyes to meet mine and stared at me for a long, cold minute. My head stayed on him as we fully passed. He raised his glass to me as Loralie opened the door for us. The man’s grin wide with the pleasure of someone who had just overheard our entire conversation.