The roof of the building collapsed with the impact of the woman’s fist.

It all happened so fast, Fae only witnessed it through the corner of her eye. A woman came through the door onto the roof. Then there was a sound like a hundred trees falling. The next thing she knew, she was plummeting to the ground, swallowed by rubble.

She tried to suck in air, but dust filled her mouth. She panicked. The alarm went off in her brain. She needed to save her master.

Energy shot through her legs as she kicked off a chunk of the falling building. She cut through the air like a bullet, vaporizing the pieces of concrete around her instantly. A moment later, she felt something in her arms. She didn’t have to look to know what it was.

She burst from the dust cloud, clean air filling her lungs. Finally, she felt her feet touch the concrete of the road. She whipped her head around. Other than the cars and rubble, the street was empty. She looked up in the sky. Minerva had vanished.

“Very good,” her master’s voice came through clear over the sound of the fallen building. “Release me.”

Fae wanted nothing more than to crush him then and there. That’s what she wanted, but her body betrayed her every wish. She gently let him go.

The man dusted off his clothing and looked up into the smoke. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Every hair on Fae’s body stood on end. Beautiful? What in the world was he talking about?

“You may not understand it yet,” the man addressed her, but it felt more like he was talking to himself. “But today might be the beginning of a new era. The day that magicians and magic-kind ceased to move at the pace of the rest of the world. The day we evolved.”

Before Fae could even attempt to say anything, a pillar of flames shot out from the destruction in front of them. She leapt in front of it, slapping it out of the way and sending it into the neighboring building.

“It seems our brief respite has already come to an end.”

Vi and Yune emerged from the wreckage. Yune’s skin was translucent, her eyes completely green. Vi was covered in flames with her black horns protruding from her head. Their inhuman appearance seemed to hit Fae for the first time, and her blood ran cold.

No, it wasn’t just that. Fae realized that she would probably be looked at the same way. This was a battle between monsters. A battle that wouldn’t end until she killed them, or died trying to.

“That fucking hurt,” Vi moaned, seemingly to no one. “What a pain in the ass.”

“Fae!” Yune called out. “Familiars can’t disobey their master’s orders… But humans have the power to make their own choices.”

“What’s this now?” her master said under his breath. He put his hands out in front of him, reading to defend against another attack.

“You told me that we’re not that different from humans,” Yune continued, staring at her with fierce determination. “Well… I think you’re right. And if that’s the case, then maybe we’re capable of more than we think we are.”

“Yune…” her voice finally left her throat.

“Interesting. A familiar able to disobey its master,” the man removed his glasses, and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped the lenses as he continued. “I would very much like to see that.”

Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter came from above them. Was it the news? The army? If they had a camera, would her parents see her like this? Would the whole world?

Then, it was like a volcano erupted. A scorching stream of lava bellowed from the rubble, striking the helicopter at full force. It burst into flames, falling out of the sky like a meteor. It fell somewhere nearby, the explosive impact vibrating through her body.

“That’s much better,” the voice was Minerva this time. She floated out from behind part of the ruined building, landing in between Vi and Yune. “We can’t have anyone cutting in on our dance now, can we?”

“It’s easy to see that you are no mere magician,” the man snapped her fingers, and a giant blue dragon materialized next to him. “Is there any way that we can reach an agreement?”

“Agreement?” Minerva held up her hand to her mouth, licked her slender fingers. “You’ve been such a bad boy, and now you want to talk about making friends?”

“Nothing of the sort,” the man spoke like he was engaging in casual dinner conversation. “It would just be a waste. I’d rather not kill someone that could help further our understanding of the gate.”

“So it is the gate,” Minerva smiled. “No wonder you’ve been so excited to get your hands on that boy.”

Fae had no idea what they were talking about anymore. Minerva had mentioned a ‘gate’ before, but what was this about a boy?

“Were you the one interfering with his capture?” the man asked.

“I didn’t lift a finger,” Minerva gave an over exaggerated shrug. “I was confident he’d be able to take care of himself.”

“Do you understand how much I could learn from studying a being from beyond the gate?”

“I don’t care.”

“You’re responsible for the time stops too, aren’t you? How did you achieve something like that with magic?”

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“That’s my little secret.”

“We’re on the cusp of a new world order. A social upheaval unlike anything we’ve ever known,” the man clenched his fists. “Do you honestly intend keep all that knowledge to yourself?”

“Is that what you think?” Minerva almost laughed. “You think you’re going to change the world?”

“I do,” the man replied without a moment’s hesitation. “No, my actions today have already set the wheels of fate in motion.”

“So lame,” Minerva sighed.

“Excuse me?”

“Do you think you’re a savior?” Minerva’s smile returned to her face. “Do you think you’re special?” She placed her hand above her breast. “Human or magician, it doesn’t matter. They’ll betray you. They’ll take all of your lofty goals about world peace and they’ll toss them in the dirt. They’ll spit on them.”

“I’m afraid I don’t share your pessimism.”

“Then I believe our talk has come to a painfully boring end.”

“Indeed.”

The order hit Fae’s brain and she rocketed from her place, claws at the ready. Behind her, she could hear the dragon roar. The hot air from its flames seemed to lick at her from behind.

Before she could reach Minerva, Vi appeared in front of her, erecting a wall of fire that stopped her in her place. When she moved to change direction, a blast of water struck her in the temple, knocking her off her balance. Immediately after, a kick from Vi came from her opposite site, hitting her in the stomach and sending her flying down the street away from Minerva and her master.

It hurt. It hurt so much that she felt like she would crumble like the building had. It wasn’t just the physical pain, it was her spirit. If things kept on like they were, she would have to kill Yune. She would have to kill the only person that had really cared about her in her time of need.

Fae screamed, digging her claws into the street to stop herself. The concrete ripped like paper until she came to a grinding halt. This was it. It was just like when she was at the café. She wasn’t going to be able to hold back.

She let the lightning embrace her.

Then, she was digging her claws into Vi’s arm. The sheer heat coming from her skin was enough to scald Fae, but she didn’t stop. She stabbed with her other hand, aiming for Vi’s neck.

“You bitch,” a stream of blood dripped down Vi’s cheek. Fae had missed her target.

Vi slammed her forehead into Fae’s, and it felt like being hit by a bowling ball. She felt herself let go of Vi’s arm.

“You’re dead,” Vi put out her hands, and wicked flames formed around them.

This was the end. She didn’t have time to stop it, and she was too disoriented to get out of the way. She closed her eyes.

At least she wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else.

The familiar sound of a bomb going off filled her ears, and the heat from the attack pressed against her. But the pain never came.

“That’s too much, Vi.”

Fae opened her eyes to see Yune standing in front of her. Her blue hair almost shined in the light, giving off a radiant glow.

Fae was speechless. What happened? Why hadn’t Vi’s attack burned her to a crisp?

“She just tried to kill me!” Vi screamed. “Look at my cheek. Seriously, look at this shit.”

“You tried to kill her once before, remember?” Yune tried to yell back, but her voice just couldn’t sound intimidating no matter how hard she tried. “And unlike her, you could control yourself. You can control yourself, can’t you?”

“Hey, I apologized for that.”

“Then let Fae apologize for this later,” Yune said. “She doesn’t want to do this.”

“Well how the hell am I supposed to fight her without killing her, huh?”

Fae felt her legs go weak, and she slumped down onto her rear-end. This was too much. Here she was, trying to kill them, and they were arguing with each other about whether they should try and do the same to her. The idea seemed so ridiculous, she couldn’t stop herself from cracking up.

Yune looked down at her. “Fae?”

“Hey,” Vi stomped over. “What the hell do you think you’re laughing about?”

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Fae said in-between breaths. “The two of you are just so… funny!”

“Funny?” Vi bent down, pointing her finger in Fae’s face. “Let me remind you that the last time this happened, it was your laughing that made me try to kill you in the first place.”

“That’s why I’m laughing!”

Yune started giggling, and her giggle soon turned into an unbridled laugh.

“Oh come on,” Vi moaned. “Don’t you start too!”

Hearing Yune laugh only made her laugh harder, and soon, she was in tears. She was in the middle of a warzone, just down the street from a fire breathing dragon, and there she was giggling like a girl at a slumber party. With things as crazy as they were, why wouldn’t she be?

Something exploded down the street, and Fae and Yune finally stopped. “That… felt great,” Fae sighed. “Maybe laughter really is the best medicine.”

Yune’s skin was back to normal, and she was wiping a tear from her eye. “I think it might be.”

“So…” Vi crossed her arms. “Are you going to try and kill us or what?

“Kill you?” Fae repeated the words back. That’s right. She was supposed to be killing them right now, but the voice in her head was quiet. It didn’t make any sense. She looked down the street. Was her master dead? No. He was still fighting with Minerva. “Why… am I not trying to attack you?”

“We can worry about that later,” Yune held out her hand. “The important thing is, you’re back.”

Fae looked down at her hands. Her nails were still sharp, but they weren’t nearly as long. She was in control.

“Blah, blah, glad you’re okay, whatever,” Vi sighed. “But this is our chance.”

Fae grabbed onto Yune’s hand and stood back up. “What do you mean?”

“I’m saying he only has the dragon left,” Vi rolled her eyes. “This is our chance to kill your master, dumbass.”

Vi was right. If she really could control herself again, then this the perfect opportunity for them to act.

“I have a plan,” Yune said. “But Fae, are you sure you want to do this? We’re really going to kill him.”

“You think I care about him?” Fae asked.

“I’m not asking that,” Yune shook her head. “I’m asking if it comes to it, will you be able to take his life?”

Fae wanted to answer, but the words got caught somewhere between her brain and her mouth. Of course she could kill him, could she? It was his fault everything ended up like this, so didn’t she have every right to? No. That wasn’t the issue. Was she really capable of killing someone of her own volition?

“If I have to, I’ll do it,” Fae looked directly into Yune’s eyes. “Besides, if I don’t, he might kill one of you. I could never forgive myself if that happened.” Fae felt her cheeks blush and she averted her gaze. “Plus, I still need to show you The Bookshop of Mysteries. So… yeah.”

There was an awkward silence that felt much longer than it really was.

“Barf,” Vi frowned. “Getting cheesy out here.”

“Oh hush,” Yune scolded her. “Fae’s putting her life on the line for us. You better do the same for her.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vi said, glancing back at the battle down the street. “I can’t believe it’s taking Minerva this long just to kill that guy.”

Vi had a point. Minerva was strong, terrifyingly so. Did that man really have enough power to stand up to her?

“He’s been on the defensive for a while now,” Yune said. “See? Most of his attacks are focused on blocking hers.”

“Yeah, I don’t even think he’s hit her once.”

“Exactly,” Yune said. “If we support Miss Minerva, it won’t be much longer.”

A sinking feeling came from Fae’s chest. “Will it really be that easy?”

“As dumb as she is, this is Minerva we’re talking about,” Vi said, annoyance lacing her voice. “Yune’s right, we just have to overwhelm him with numbers.”

Fae looked back to the battle. Even with her limited experience, she could see how one sided it seemed. Minerva would shoot something, and the man or the dragon would create something to clash with it. Maybe they were right.

“So what’s the plan?” Vi asked.

“It’s simple,” Yune clapped her hands together. “We get close, and then Fae attacks.”

“That’s a really dumb plan.”

“I’m not done!” Yune pouted. “We’re going to catch him by surprise.”

Fae tilted her head. “By surprise?”

Yune smiled brightly back at her. “He doesn’t know that you’ve broken free yet, remember?”