"I lost my mana. So right now, I can’t do magic at all. And I seem to have lost most of my physical strength as well."

"I can’t go anywhere without help."

Arthur hears this, and something tugs at his heart. His brain is processing, but it is doing it in slow motion. Whatever it is that Theo has detected, it is dulling Arthur from the inside out.

He swallows slowly. He knows something is wrong. He just cannot pinpoint what it is or how to get out of it.

And it is bothering him.

He has never experienced a moment where his body refuses to function the way he expects it to, the way he needs it to.

Liam stands there looking at all four of them in turn, wide eyed.

He is speechless.

Theo’s knees begin to shake. He closes his eyes and faintly tugs Liam’s hand, moving toward the couch.

Liam immediately helps Theo settle comfortably, but stays on his feet. He turns to face the other four.

He can feel his annoyance climbing back up, but he consciously holds it in check. Instinctively, he reaches for his Water and lets it move through him.

Almost immediately, cool rational clarity fills his mind, washing it clean.

He exhales in relief.

He takes a steady breath. "Guys, what’s going on? Thea just told you that she can’t access her mana and that her physical strength is failing. Why aren’t any of you more concerned?" His voice is steady, his tone calm. Nothing that should set anyone off.

Silence.

"She’s alive, Maeve. What did you mean when you said she’s dead? Are you cursing her?" Julian suddenly snaps at Maeve.

Maeve’s eyes come alive. "I said the ’old’ Thea died!" She snaps back.

"What does that even mean?! Thea is Thea, there’s no old or new! It’s just Thea!" Alicia jumps in.

And just like that, the argument picks right back up where it left off.

Liam stares at the sudden outburst, stunned. He turns to Arthur, expecting to find the same reaction.

But Arthur is struggling. He is fighting to hold onto control of himself, refusing to let whatever his dulled brain wants him to say come out of his mouth.

His whole body is tense and trembling, his head bobbing slightly, like he is having a standing seizure. Beads of sweat form on his forehead. His face goes pale.

Liam moves to touch him, knowing his words will not reach Arthur right now. But Theo stops him.

"No. Don’t touch him. Try using your Water instead." Theo says.

He may not be able to use mana himself, but his instincts and knowledge are still very much intact. He suspects this whole situation has something to do with corrupted magic, but he cannot be certain without being able to detect it.

So he does the next best thing. He asks Liam, who is Water, to run a small experiment.

Liam does as he is told. Small droplets of water float toward Arthur.

What happens next, nobody expects.

Arthur’s body moves to avoid the droplets, even though his face shows nothing but confusion. Flashes of irritation and bewilderment pass through his eyes.

Liam gasps. Theo leans forward.

Liam tries twice more. The result is the same each time. Arthur’s body moves away from the water on its own.

It is corruption magic. Theo grits his teeth. But how? Who caused it?

Something stirs in him. A fleeting voice, barely a whisper.

You did.

Theo’s eyes widen in horror. Me? But I have no mana. How could I...?

A sudden realization crashes over him. The strength goes out of him completely and he sinks back into the couch.

Don’t tell me...

He cannot follow that thought. A sudden roar cuts through the room.

Theo looks up and finds Arthur roaring at Liam, face red and contorted with anger and something that looks like pain. His whole body is coiled tight, ready to strike.

Liam throws a water bubble around Theo in an instant.

"Thea! Arthur is calling his Fire!" There is a sharp edge of panic in Liam’s voice, and he has every right to be panicking. They are in no place to fight, and Theo cannot defend himself.

Arthur is the strongest magus among them. Liam is not sure he can defeats him. If a real fight breaks out, Theo is the one most at risk.

One glance at Arthur’s face tells Theo everything he needs to know. Arthur is being controlled. By what exactly, he still does not know.

Most likely by his corrupted self. If Liam fights him, it will be dangerous. Arthur will not hold back. Theo thinks, watching carefully.

His eyes slide to the other three, who are still going at each other. A small flicker of relief passes through him.

As long as they stay focused on each other, Liam only has Arthur to deal with.

But things rarely go the way one hopes. Just as Theo dreads the worst, the other three go quiet. Slowly, one by one, they turn to look at Liam.

No longer against each other.

With each other.

A common enemy found.

Liam notices it too. "Aw, shit!" He curses.

His eyes flicker to Theo, inside a water bubble.

I hope it holds. Shit, shit, shit! Liam can’t help but curses. This is the worst possible scenario for him.

And Theo.

All four of them gear up at once. Each calls their magic forward. Each body radiates with power.

Arthur dashes forward, his fist wrapped entirely in Fire. He drives it straight toward Liam’s solar plexus. Liam sidesteps nimbly, but Arthur follows with a rapid series of punches and kicks. Liam doesn’t counter. He deflects each strike and keeps moving.

Then his back hits something solid, stopping him cold. Liam glances back and finds a wall of earth directly behind him.

Julian’s Earth. Helping Arthur box him in.

With his back against the wall, he feels an attack coming before he sees it. A sharp swish cuts through the air. He tilts his head to the left just in time, a wind blade from Alicia grazing past him.

That was close.

They were tearing each other apart like mortal enemies two minutes ago, and now they’re working together like a unit. Ha! Very indecisive. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Liam steps forward, cocks his hands, and drops into a boxer’s stance.

"Show me what you got." He challenges Arthur.

Both of them step forward and exchange punches. Mid-exchange, Alicia suddenly jumps in, and just like that it is two against one.

Inside the bubble, Theo watches intently. He has no time to feel helpless. He is worried about all of them, but especially Liam. He can see clearly that Liam is holding back while Arthur and Alicia are not.

His eyes flicker to Julian and Maeve.

Both of them are watching the fight, but where Julian is locked in, ready to intervene and back Arthur and Alicia at any moment, Maeve is different. She is watching, but not really present. More observer than participant.

Maeve may be my only way in. Theo thinks, after turning it over for a moment.

There is one thing Theo is forgetting, something he does not immediately realize because of the fight demanding his attention.

The mana inside the apartment is growing more and more volatile.

Theo never taught Rhaenas to purify world mana before drawing on it. It never even occurred to him, because for him it is as natural as breathing. And most of their lessons took place inside dungeons, under urgent conditions, with no time for anything beyond what was immediately necessary.

They never once had a proper lesson.

So it slipped his mind entirely.

Liam is currently drawing on his personal mana, but facing three mages, two of them Sentinels, is burning through it fast. He will reach for world mana soon. Corrupted world mana.

Theo shifts slowly and carefully on the couch, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

When he gets an unobstructed view of Maeve, he hesitates, trying to work out how to catch her attention without alerting the others.

Maeve’s eyes are fixed on the fight. But she shows no sign of wanting to join in.

Theo makes his decision. He will go to her.

He eases himself up, steadies his footing, and begins making his way slowly toward Maeve.

Liam, meanwhile, has his hands full with Arthur and Alicia. Both are Sentinels, and Arthur is a formidable one. The one thing Liam is grateful for is that both of them have chosen to keep it a fist fight rather than going full magic.

As Theo makes his way toward Maeve inch by inch, and Liam is fully occupied with Arthur and Alicia, the apartment windows suddenly burst open.

Shattered glass, splintered wood, concrete, and twisted steel frames explode inward. Wind and rain pour in behind them.

Theo drops flat to the floor and manages to avoid the worst of it.

Maeve and Julian both whip their heads toward the gaping hole in the wall. Liam, Arthur, and Alicia stop fighting and stare at the same spot.

The interior of the apartment is in chaos, the storm howling through it, loud and relentless.

Then a figure drops down and lands on the balcony.

"What’s going on here?" The stranger in a green hooded robe calls out over the noise.

Strands of almost white platinum blonde hair spill out from the hood. A pair of bright blue eyes scan the room.

Her gaze settles on one person.

"Found you."

It is immediately obvious that the newcomer is also a magus.