Rosalie and the master immediately started their clash. The master’s whip wrapped around the long hilt of Rosalie’s sword, dragging the sword along with the girl closer towards her. Rosalie managed to twist her sword to position the blade at the whip, cutting the whip free. The master jumped backwards before running off deeper into the warehouse, Rosalie following behind. I wondered if it was her way of keeping the destruction away from the rest of us.

  Maverick drew his sword, aiming it at Zuri. My heart sank to my stomach. I wanted to jump in front of them, but I knew that wouldn’t accomplish anything. Zuri had already made her decision. And much like she had failed to convince me to join her side, I knew I could never convince her to join mine.

  “Runa is doing well. She’s something of an instructor now.” Maverick smirked at Zuri. I had no idea what the significance of those words were, but Zuri seemed to scowl.

  “I didn’t ask,” Zuri replied, aiming her lance at Maverick.

  “My apologies. I had no idea you were an Ethereal.”

  “Well, we both know that that leader of yours doesn’t trust you with anything.” Zuri cocked her head to the side and smirked.

  Maverick’s knuckles began to whiten, his grip on his sword tightening. “You’re a rather new Ethereal. Forty years isn’t very long.”

  “Long enough for me to learn a few tricks.”

  “Well then. I hope you make this interesting. I do hate easy wins.” He smirked before lunging at her. His speed and strength whipped up a storm of wind and gravel, some of which settled on my face and in my hair. I had to cautiously rub my eyes to get the dirt out. I instantly backed away, not wanting to be near the two when they fought.

  I glanced over at Dimitri where Finn had already started fighting him. The dread I felt when I first played Magitag set in again, only ten times worse. Magitag was only a harmless game over a stupid orb. This… This was life or death. And I was still in the same spot as last time—magicless. Only unlike last time, my magic wasn’t suddenly going to awaken and save me.

  Ice formed around my hands and arms. I wanted to run. I wanted to try to use whatever magic I had in me to teleport back home. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to watch my friends die. Whatever war these two groups were a part of had centuries of history behind it. A history with enough weight that losses would result in death.

  And I was still useless.

  Why was I here? Why did I want to be here? What was I thinking? I was scared. I was just a scared, normal girl without magic. I didn’t belong here.

  Ice traveled up to my shoulders. Hah. I was so weak, nobody even wasted their time trying to fight me. I glanced to my right, where Finn and Dimitri were fighting. Dimitri had taken the form of a wolf rather than a Shiba Inu. He launched at Finn, who had to use all of his strength to push the beast back with his lance.

  To the left of that, Zephyr was crouched forward, not looking much better than I was feeling. I glanced right again and… Was Aidan attacking Lumi? She dodged fireball after fireball—before I noticed Aidan clutching his head and falling to the ground. She walked towards him, slowly yet determined.

  “Stop!” I shouted, positioning myself between the two of them. I tried to move my arms out to my sides, but they wouldn’t listen. They were completely numb and iced over.

  “I’d use my magic on you, but it’s not even worth wasting my time!” Lumi shouted. “At least he has magic to attack me with! What can you do besides manipulate others?”

  “Y-you’re no better!” I shouted. “Isn’t that what you’re doing to him right now?!”

  “Shut up!” She rapidly shook her head. “At least manipulation doesn’t come as easily to me as it does you!”

  “I didn’t manipulate you! How was I supposed to know you were part of some evil organization?!”

  “It’s not evil!” Her voice grew louder. “It’s my family! My home! We’re there for each other! It’s why the four of us are here fighting you!”

  “And yet your end goal is to kill a member of our family!”

  “W-well, if Master says Sylvis has to die, then she has to die! Master doesn’t kill people without a reason!”

  “How can you say that?!” The ice on my arms completely melted as my hands turned to flame. “She killed your own family!”

  “I know!” She shut her eyes, tears falling.

  It was silent, save for the clashing of metal in the distance and Aidan’s quiet sobs.

  “Leave him alone,” I demanded. “Your fight is with me.”

  “With you? You can’t even fight!” Lumi shot back.

  “Let me at least try.” I clenched my fists, the warmth of the fire only adding to my passion.

  Aidan immediately rose to his feet and outstretched his arm. I gently elbowed it back down, not wanting to touch him with my burning hands. “I’ve got this.”

  He rapidly shook his head. “You can’t—”

  “Maybe I can’t. But I want to try. I hope you’ll be there to avenge me if things don’t go as planned.” I smiled, trying to lighten the mood, but I think I only made him feel worse. Nevertheless, he nodded and took several steps back, giving me and Lumi space.

  We looked each other in the eyes, and immediately, my world crumbled around me.

  Despair. Utter despair and sadness. How long would she be able to keep this up for?!

  “You said you were going to fight me.” Her words were a statement. Or at least I thought they were. Everything around me was a blur. Why did I foolishly agree to fight her? I’m weak! I just had a whole inner monologue about that!

  “Don’t give up.” The words rang through my ears in Sylvis’ voice. Right… I just needed to recall the training that we did. Direct my sadness towards something else—

  But what was the point?! I burst into tears. “I can’t beat you! I’m too sad! I’m stupid and weak and have bad hair!” I cried louder, taking her aback. “I’m so sorry! I don’t mean to cry at you! But also you’re kind of the one making me sad!” I wiped the tears that just kept coming and coming. Right… She was making me sad.

  I summoned a wave of water from my already wet hands and splashed her with it, completely soaking her.

  I laughed humorlessly. “Now your hair is as stupid as mine!—”

  “Why are you suddenly obsessed with hair?!” she shouted.

  “My hair is dirty from stupid Maverick’s stupid wind he created because he’s just so stupidly fast and strong! It’s not fair! I want to be fast and strong! But nooooo! He had to steal all of my speed and strength! He’s probably the reason I can’t use magic! He stole all of my Etherealness for himself!”

  “That… doesn’t make any sense.” She looked so silly with her wet hair globbed against her skin and clothes. I decided to splash her with water again, making her look even sillier.

  Suddenly, the overwhelming sadness stopped, and I felt normal. “You… stopped it?” I asked.

  “I forgot that your power is triggered by emotions. By giving you emotions, I’m only giving you more power. I’ve relied on playing with my opponents’ emotions for so long, it became a force of habit. It’s a good thing I didn’t give you anger again. Though I learned from the theater not to do that.”

  “So uh, what now…?” I asked.

  “You said you were going to fight me.”

  “Right…” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I opened them and threw a punch at her that she easily dodged. I followed it up with a kick, something that was much easier to do whenever I had magic for some reason.

  “I see. You meant you were going to fight me with physical strength.” Her gaze remained on my hands, except for when it occasionally changed to my feet.

  “I honestly didn’t have a plan, but sure, we’ll go with that.”

  I swung and I swung—but my hits never made contact.

  Suddenly, a sharp pain slashed at my arm, the sting feeling similar to a paper cut. I glanced down to see a small red line on my arm. She didn’t have a weapon. How was that possible?

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Blood trickled down my arm, barely noticeable. “I’m bleeding.”

  “My weapon is different from most people’s. Instead of a physical weapon, mine is a concept,” she replied.

  “A concept?” I blinked.

  “I think about hitting my target and whether it will be a sharp or blunt pain.”

  Something collided with my knee, forcing me to take a step back before my knee gave out.

  “Such a weapon is difficult to master. I aimed for your stomach just now. Based on your reaction, I seem to have hit your knee.”

  “I suppose anything else would be overpowered.” I chuckled hoarsely.

  “I can’t hit major arteries either. My hits are only ever surface-level. Aiming for something like the eyes would take decades of practice. Most people who wield my weapon don’t accomplish it in their lifetime.”

  “Do you like your weapon?” I asked. The more she described it, the more cumbersome it sounded.

  “Yes. I wouldn’t have received this weapon otherwise.”

  Finn had mentioned something about a special connection with your weapon—like a friend. I guessed it made sense that she would have that connection with hers. She must be something truly special to not only be able to control, but also love, such a complicated weapon.

  “Let me guess, you never got your weapon to manifest.” She glanced down at my hands that were beginning to ice over.

  “No.” I clenched my fists, the fear turning into frustration and anger, melting the ice.

  “For your sake, I hope that happens soon.”

  Another slash. This one across my cheek. I imagine she aimed for my eye. I really wished she had gone for blunt attacks. I had always been a baby about paper cuts…

  Another slash. This one hit my shoulder. She looked as if she was getting weaker and weaker.

  “You’re pushing yourself too far!” I shouted. “You must have used a lot of magic between your empathy and weapon… If you keep going, you’ll hurt yourself!”

  “And if I don’t, you’ll hurt me.” Another slash across my arm.

  “I don’t want to fight you, Lumi! The others can fight each other! Let’s just call a truce!” I pleaded, my shoulders dropping as I tried to reason with her. Maybe I couldn't stop Maverick from going after Zuri, or Finn going after Dimitri, but I would protect Lumi. I promised Zuri that I would.

  “I don’t believe you!” She frantically shook her head. A blunt blow to my chest this time, making me momentarily worry I’d randomly had a heart attack.

  “I…” It wasn’t any use. I couldn’t get through to her. And even if I wanted to fight her, I had no means...

  I tried my best. I’d always figured it wouldn’t be enough. Despite that, it still hurt.

  A blunt bang rang out in front of me as Lumi dropped to the floor, unconscious. Behind her was Aidan, holding a scrap piece of wood, likely from the warehouse.

  “I-I’m sorry,” he said. “You looked like you gave up a-and I couldn’t watch her hurt you anymore…”

  Without thinking, I ran forward with tears in my eyes and hugged him. He tensed under my embrace, but quickly hugged back. When he released me, I noticed he still had that scar on his arm from the theater. Had Sylvis not healed it?

  He noticed my gaze and pulled his sleeve further down.

  Finn walked over to us, stabbing his lance in the ground and leaning on it for support. His chest heaved up and down, and I could hear his labored breaths.

  “Where’s Dimitri?” I asked.

  The tips of his lips curled up into a mischievous smile. “He ran away with his tail between his legs.”

  “So, we’ve basically won.” I sighed in relief. We were lucky we managed to outnumber them. Though I’m guessing Finn didn’t exactly have an easy time.

  Finn shook his head. “We still have Zuri left.”

  “But she’s just one person—”

  “She’s an Ethereal. One who is just as skilled as Maverick, might I add. Zephyr and I are out, you can’t fight, and Aidan may as well not even try. This is all on Maverick.”

  “But Maverick is older. Wouldn’t he have more experience?”

  “Most of his experience comes from two hundred years ago.”

  I clenched my fists at my sides and ran closer to where Maverick and Zuri were battling. Wait, why was she fighting with an axe? Wasn’t she using a lance before? Well, axes did beat swords in the weapon triangle.

  Maverick’s slashes were erratic and unpredictable, while Zuri’s swipes were slow and precise. Despite this, Maverick was struggling to keep up with her, as each hit he blocked pushed him back.

  The two continued their dance until Maverick’s blade sliced through the throat of the axe, snapping it in half. Zuri clenched her teeth, but she was quick to summon a sword.

  “Just how many weapons are you proficient in?” Maverick snapped.

  “Eight.” Zuri smiled confidently. “Would you like me to list or demonstrate each one?”

  “How about you let me take you down?” Maverick smirked, using his weight to push her back. Once her back was against the warehouse wall, she used her strength to push him off of her.

  Finn wolf whistled at the two before joining my side. “Lean into each other like that again, and you may just give people the wrong impression.” He crossed his arms and smirked.

  “Not now!” Maverick shouted through gritted teeth. Honestly, I was with him. This was a fight that could decide my world’s future, and Finn still somehow managed to find time to joke around!

  “I was just trying to lighten the mood, m’lady.” Finn rested his arm over my shoulder.

  “Dimitri must have really done a number on you.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

  Sword against sword, Maverick tried to outspeed her once again, but this time, she managed to match his speed. Despite how heavy her previous weapon was, it didn't seem to have much effect on her stamina.

  My hands clenched at my sides, ice encasing them as I watched the two duel. Maverick held the upper hand, but Zuri found new ways to catch him off guard—like switching her weapon mid-attack. He clearly wasn’t used to fighting an opponent like her.

  Maverick's breaths became heavier and louder, and I could see Zuri starting to wear out as well. She switched out to a whip, similar to their master's, but not nearly as elegant looking. She aimed for Maverick's sword and wrapped her whip around it, struggling to pull his sword from him. When the sword wouldn't budge, she looked around. Upon noticing none of her companions were left standing, her will to fight seemed to leave.

  Maverick's sword slashed through her whip, and she immediately changed to a pair of knives, before backing into a wall. Her knives dropped to the ground and disappeared as she fell to her knees. Maverick took several steps towards her, his sword still drawn.

  “Stop!” I shouted as I ran to crouch beside Zuri. “Don’t kill her, please! She’s my friend!”

  Maverick gritted his teeth. “She’s not your friend, she’s manipulating you. You heard from her master yourself—their goal is to kill Sylvis. She might not want to kill us, but if her master orders it, she has to obey.”

  “I don’t believe that!” I frantically shook my head as I wrapped my arms around Zuri. She flinched, just as she had when I hugged her as Finn. It probably didn’t help that my hands were soaking wet. “I wouldn’t kill her, and I have to believe she feels the same! There are times when you defy orders, and this is one of them!”

  Something in Zuri stirred as she wrapped her arms around me as well, pulling her close to me. I could feel her shaking, her warm breath; I could hear her near-silent sobs.

  “Please, Maverick… Spare her,” I begged.

  “You know I can’t do that.” His grip on his sword tightened, but the look on his face told me he was conflicted.

  Finn walked up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head solemnly. Aidan approached him from the opposite side, placing his hand on Maverick’s other shoulder.

  Maverick’s eyes fell closed, his sword hand shaking as he seemingly fought an impossible battle in his mind—maybe harder than the physical one he just fought.

  His sword disappeared as he pried himself from the other boys’ grips and began walking away, before stopping to turn towards us.

  “If you try anything, I’ll kill you.”

  I slowly got up from where I was crouched beside Zuri and gave her a reassuring nod. Part of me was surprised Maverick spared her, and another part of me was surprised the other two had even intervened… Had I reached them after all?

  I screamed as the ceiling above us began to rumble. Finn knocked me out of the way as Maverick teleported Aidan to Zephyr’s side. My chest heaved up and down as I struggled to catch my breath, watching a piece of stone land a couple of inches in front of me. Finn winced as he let go of my hand.

  “I should know by now not to touch your hands when something like this happens.” He chuckled.

  Once my heartbeat resembled something more like a marching band than an earthquake, I noticed Rosalie and the master had fallen through the roof and were still battling. Blood and soot stained Rosalie’s face, but the master looked almost pristine. Just how strong was she…?

  Maverick teleported beside me and placed a protective hand on my shoulder. “Listen,” he whispered to me. “If things go to shit… I’m teleporting you out of here.”

  My eyes widened. “What about the others?”

  His expression was unreadable. Why was he saving me…?

  Rosalie’s sword was caught on the master’s whip as she pulled and tugged every which way. Eventually, she decided to dismiss her sword and resummon it. I wondered how many times she had done this before, as the master easily predicted this move and used her whip to knock the sword out of Rosalie’s hand.

  Rosalie grunted as she teleported to pick her sword back up.

  “I grow tired of your games and predictable movements,” the master said. “For someone who can see the future, you disappoint me. What do you say we end this now?”

  “Fine by me.” Rosalie tightened her grip on her sword. She aimed it upwards, and a giant, bright light appeared in the now-visible sky. I shielded my eyes with my hand to block it out, but still kept my eyes on her. The master’s whip began to glow an orange color, and I could feel incredible ether surrounding it. I held my hand up, picturing a flame inside, and to my surprise, it actually appeared. Could I draw on her ether…?

  All of a sudden, Rosalie’s expression changed as the light in the sky disappeared and her sword dropped to the ground.

  The master looked equally shocked. “Giving up?”

  “The vision…” Rosalie spoke, unblinking. “I’m the one you fought in my vision.”

  Silence.

  We had traveled all this way… just to learn that we were the very things that would destroy Earth? Was this whole trip a waste?!

  The sound of slow clapping broke the palpable silence. All of us quickly turned to look behind us. A man with a white lab coat and graying brown hair stood before us, his eyes shielded by sunglasses despite it being cloudy outside.

  “Don’t stop on my account. I was enjoying the demonstration you… aliens were putting up. I’d like to see you in action before I take you back to the lab.”

  Rosalie and the master quickly turned to face him, as did the rest of us. “Who are you?” the master demanded.

  “Me? I’m just a humble scientist named Greg. You don’t care about me, though. Not when you harness a power long thought to be a fairytale! I knew there had to be something more to my pathetic life than this! And now… I finally understand.”

  “Elaina—” Maverick quickly dropped to the ground as a high-pitched frequency caused me and the others to do the same. Electricity surrounded us, vibrations tingling every nerve in my body.

  The last thing I felt was excruciating pain in my hands.