Despite his surgery, Gadalik felt nauseous and cramped during the ride home. The cold air coming through the carriage windows wasn't helpful.

"You still look pale," Mira pointed out. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Gadalik nodded ever so slightly, not having the energy to verbally respond. He rested his head against the back of the seat and stared absently at the roof. Even with my magic, I could barely enhance the spell tags. Was the ghost really that strong…? Or was I just too weak?

"The doctor said he'll start feeling better in a week," Gale answered for his son, eyes not leaving the road. "It'll take maybe three weeks to fully heal."

The younger spook prodded Gadalik's shoulder. "Come on," she tried again. "Say something; you're scaring me!"

"I-I'll be alright," the other teen breathed.

"We've all been through a lot," his father reminded her. "Just give him some time to recover, alright?"

Mira hummed uncertainly but didn't press him any further.

Gadalik closed his eyes and drifted off.

"We're back," Gale announced, letting himself inside his girlfriend's house, followed closely by their son.

"Gale! Gadalik! How was the new sword?" Glacia welcomed her family. She froze when she saw a familiar girl in the doorway behind them. "Mira? Why is she still here?"

"She has something to tell you," Gadalik explained, beckoning his friend forward.

The two females locked eyes before Mira took a deep breath, finally speaking. "Glacia, I just want to say that I'm sorry for how I acted when we first met."

"Well, good! You'd better be," the woman huffed indignantly.

Mira bit her lip as if to stifle a retort. "I'm not going to make excuses for my behavior," she said instead. "All I can do is ask for forgiveness."

Glacia searched the girl's violet eyes for any signs of dishonesty. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it!"

She looked between the two teenagers. Gadalik gave a subtle, encouraging nod. "Alright... Apology accepted."

Mira seemed surprised. "...Really?"

"Yeah. If you're not gonna treat us badly anymore, there's no point in holding a grudge."

"Th-thank you…! Then…I'll be heading home now."

"Hang on a minute; it's getting late. Are you sure you'll be okay traveling on your own?"

"I have my kusarigama."

"But you're just a kid–and a girl, at that."

"Kid? I'll be sixteen next month!"

She shook her head. "Gale, why don't you escort her?"

"Hm?" Her boyfriend became attentive at the sound of his name. "Oh, uh, sure. I'll escort her home." He turned to Mira. "Whenever you're ready."

"Um…alright. Bye, Gadalik. I'll see you next week?" Mira asked the other teen.

"Yeah. I won't be much company until I get better from that ghost attack," Gadalik replied, forcing a laugh that ended up more like a cough.

"Ghost attack?" his mother echoed.

"I'll tell you about it in a bit."

"Guess we'll head out then. I'll see you guys later," Gale said, giving Glacia a hug and peck before he and Mira left.

"Ghost attack?" Glacia repeated, more sternly.

"It horned me in the gut. Ruptured my intestine. Dad and Mira had to rescue me. They annihilated the ghost," Gadalik explained. "I just need to take it easy for the next few days, is all."

She frowned disapprovingly, then sighed, dismissing it. "Well, rest easy. Ooh–you're shivering! I could feel how cold it was outside from the door. Sit down; I'll make us some hot chocolate."

Her son obliged her, sitting with one hand over his injury as he closed his eyes, fighting back nausea. He couldn't stop replaying the scene of their battle in his mind.

"What's eating you?" his mother asked, sitting beside the teen and offering him the aforementioned chocolate in a mug.

The spook accepted and took a sip. "Thanks. I was just thinking…I was useless in the fight against the ghost. Spell tags wouldn't work on it, just like the one my parents died against–but if they were enhanced enough, maybe they would be effective. There wasn't much that could be done except use the brute force of our weapons, which Dad and Mira had to do while I was hurt."

"You said they annihilated it, right?"

"Yeah. I know my powers were sealed off for my own safety, but if only I were stronger, maybe the tags might have worked? Then the spirit wouldn't have had to be annihilated."

"Maybe if you strengthen your body, you could use more of the sealed magic?" Glacia suggested.

"I don't know if it works that way. Physically I'm pretty strong already. I can even beat Dad at arm wrestling, and you know how strong he is."

"True." She blushed slightly.

Her son sighed. "Well, dwelling on it isn't going to help, is it?"

"I don't know. Sometimes it's good to let yourself feel bad when it's warranted. You know…process your feelings."

He remembered how he'd vented into his pillow when she had spent the night with his father. Maybe I should do that again? Just let it all out?

"Or we could talk through it," she invited.

"Huh?"

"If you ask me, you didn't do anything wrong. You weren't even the one who annihilated the ghost this time."

"I know… And I know annihilating ghosts is part of being a spook, too. I've done it before; you were with me for that. But it still feels like…it should stay a last resort. That we should keep trying to help it first."

"First, or forever?"

The spook thought for a moment. "You're right: forever. I'd rather abandon a job than annihilate another ghost…"

"But that just means the next spook will annihilate it instead. At least you try to help them first…!"

Gadalik blinked. "Huh. That's true... Not everyone can be helped, though, and I accept that. But it's worth making an effort…always."

"Well, there ya go."

"Thanks for the talk. I'm feeling better," he said honestly.

"Of course!" Glacia hugged him with one arm around his shoulders.

He returned the embrace. "There's…something else I need to talk to you about."

"Oh? What is it?"

"About Mira… She and I will be hanging out soon, just to see how things go between us."

Glacia froze, pulling away in order to face him, her red irises searching his striped blue eyes to make sure this wasn't a prank. "Does she know you're demi-romantic?"

"Yeah. I was very clear about that, so I'm not leading her on."

"Gadalik… You know I'm happy that you moved on from Gretel. But you don't have to rush into a relationship just to prove that. Especially with Mira, of all people..."

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"It–it isn't like that," he stammered. "She's the one who confessed to liking me. This is not even a date; just two friends spending time together. It's like a test to see if we want to start dating."

"Well, whatever you call it, don't let her bully you. If she knows she can get away with it, she won't stop."

"Mira hasn't been mean to me since we left the lake. Besides, I won't date her if she is."

"Alright. When are you going?"

"Next week. I told her to give me time to recover from my injury. I… I just thought you should know."

She was quiet for a moment. "Thanks for telling me. I wouldn't want to find this out the hard way." They finished their drinks, and Glacia collected their empty cups to bring to the sink.

He was glad she was taking the news so well. Ever since he'd admitted to drowning at the lake from a magical surge, the trust between them had strengthened. The only thing he kept hidden from her were his anxiety attacks, since he hadn't had them in a long time now; bringing them up would be irrelevant.

He did, however, mention them to his father, since Gale had bared witness to the spook having one. The teen counted himself lucky to have his parents as a support system.

"So…why Mira?" she asked as she returned, genuinely curious.

"She helped save my life twice now," he pointed out. "And…I feel like there's more to her underneath her tough-girl act. She cares, she just doesn't know how to show it. That's the impression I got from her, anyway. But I could be wrong; that's why I wanna get to know her better: to find out."

"...Alright," she caved. "Now it's late. You need to rest, especially to heal."

"Yeah… Goodnight, Mom."

"'Night."

Gadalik awoke and sat up, then winced, fighting back the rising bile in his throat. Carefully he got out of bed, turned to make it, and sat on it to rest afterward, hating how sore he felt.

After catching his breath he started his morning routine: getting dressed into his striped dark gray shirt and shorts, brushing his striped green hair which he pulled back into a ponytail, then heading to the bathroom both to brush his teeth and to redress his wound. He paused at the door when he noticed it was partly open. "Mom? What are you doing up so early?"

There was a beat before she answered. "Nothing. I… I must have eaten something bad while you guys were out yesterday."

Did she make something inedible again? There was a time she gave herself food poisoning… Her son waited until he heard her approach the door, then sidestepped out of her way. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… Are you?"

As if in answer, his stomach cramped and he doubled over in pain, resting against the wall with one hand while clutching his injury with the other.

"Gadalik!" She held him steady. "Maybe you should go back to bed?"

"I…" He swallowed hard. "I just need a moment…"

"Gadalik…"

He sighed as it faded. "Let me tend to my wound, then I'll make you breakfast, alright?"

"You don't have to. I'll make it."

"After you just threw up from the last thing you made?" he halfway teased her.

She huffed and lightly pushed his shoulder. "Fine. But if you get any worse, you're going straight to bed. Got it?"

"Fair enough."

She went to the living room and he finished his morning routine, following her down afterward. He made a plate of bacon and eggs for his mother, but not for himself, since his appetite was practically nonexistent.

"You're not going to eat?" Glacia called after him worriedly as he left her at the table.

"I've got some water… That's about all I can stomach at the moment," he explained. He went to the living room without giving her a chance to argue. That's when the phone rang. He picked it up. "Peakisan's residence; Gadalik speaking."

"Hey, bud. How are you feeling?" Gale replied on the other end.

"Dad! I could be better, if I'm honest… How's Mira?"

"I got her home safe. Is Glacia there?"

"She's eating breakfast. Should I take a message for her?"

"Hm… Well, I woke up with a hunch that she needs me. I'm thinking about coming back over for a few days. Think that'll be alright with her?"

"Are you kidding? If it were up to her, you'd live here," the spook laughed. "I'll let her know. Safe travels."

"Thanks. I'll be there soon. See you."

They hung up. Gadalik went to tell his mother but froze in the doorway when the cramping started up again. He coughed dryly and sank to a crouch, cringing.

"Gadalik!" Glacia rushed to his side. "That's it, mister. Back to bed."

When the pain subsided he slowly stood, leaning on the doorframe for support. She helped him up the stairs to his room.

"Dad's coming over," he managed to say when she sat him on his bed. "He wants to stay a few days."

"Really?" she gasped. "That's great! Usually I'd have to beg him to stay."

"I knew you'd be okay with it. Now I think… I think I might need a bucket."

"Hang tight; I'll bring you one." She left to do just that.

The teen rolled onto his side and curled up slightly. He was lucky to be alive, even if he felt like he was dying. Unable to do anything else, he drifted to sleep once more.

"...lik…! Gadalik," Gale's urgent voice woke him up.

"Dad…?" the teen answered weakly, opening his striped blue eyes.

The bounty hunter sighed with relief. "You weren't responsive. I thought you were in a coma or something…"

"I'm just really tired," he sighed. "What time is it?"

"Afternoon. Are you okay?"

"I feel sick," he admitted.

"I'll bring your lunch to you," Gale offered.

"N-no thanks; I'm not hungry…"

The man placed a hand on his son's forehead. "You have a low fever… At least let me get you some water?"

When the spook nodded, he watched his father leave for the kitchen. It feels like I'm always sick, or hurt… I truly am weak. I need to get stronger, somehow… He placed a hand on his chest where the seal locked away his power, eyes narrowed in thought.

Gale returned with the promised water, helping him sit up to drink it. The spook took careful sips. That's when he couldn't help but notice his father's expression: a mixture between sympathy and… Guilt…?

"Dad, is something the matter…?"

"I… Err… It's nothing," Gale said quietly.

"You're hurt too, aren't you?" He remembered the spirit charging his father in the back.

"A bit. Luckily I came out of it with just some bruising. That's nothing compared to what you're going through… You almost died. The doctor said if it weren't for your enchanted robe, you wouldn't have made it…"

Now it was Gadalik's turn to feel guilty. "I know. I hate this–being so weak… I should've been more prepared after it broke through my shield the first time."

"No, you're not weak…" he murmured. "It's my duty to keep you safe, and…I failed you."

"What…? No, Dad… You and Mira saved me. That's the opposite of failure…!"

Gale wasn't convinced, but didn't argue.

"I'll be fine in a few weeks. It's not that big of a deal."

The man nodded ever so slightly. "I'll be here."

"So what was that you mentioned on the phone earlier? A hunch about Mom?"

"Oh… Yeah. It was just a feeling that she needs me, even if she seems fine. And of course I want to make sure you're okay, too. Two birds, one stone."

"Well...I'm glad you're here."

Gale smiled softly. "Me too. Now, I'm off to clean Glacia's room. Yell if you need anything."

"Cleaning her room? I thought you valued your life," Gadalik laughed.

"I do, but if she and I are sharing a room for a while, I'd rather it be hers than the guest room. Besides, it's due for a cleaning anyway. Hasn't been done since we came back from vacation all those months ago."

"True. I thought about what you said back then, too…how I tend to clean it as a distraction from the bad things that happened. You were right. Thank you for telling me. It's still hard for me to process my feelings, but that helped me realize I really need to."

"Oh… Are you alright? I mean, emotionally?"

"Well…I know I should accept things as they are, but I still wish they were different."

"I understand. But as I've said before, all we can really do is work to change the future."

"Yeah… Thank you."

Gale gave him a gentle pat on the head, then left for his girlfriend's wrecked bedroom.

What can I do to prevent a situation like this, going forward? Do I just give up if I'm too weak to fight? Maybe I should look into ways to access my sealed magic, similar to how I surged at the lake? If I can just replicate what happened, but slow the output of magic, maybe it'll work without surging. I came close to that on my birthday.

Perhaps, instead of completely shutting down my emotions like I did during my last mission…I should control it instead. Let myself feel, just not to the extent that it's harmful.

Gadalik reached his hand out and cast a shield. He exhaled, then poured more magic into it, expanding it into an encapsulating bubble. Enhancing it further made the barrier larger.

Changing the shape and size doesn't change its durability, though… The only thing my enhancement is good for is repairing the shield if it cracks. That doesn't stop it from cracking.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the shield, remembering how he'd felt at the times he had experienced a surge. At the lake, I was scared and desperate… On my birthday, I was desperate and angry. Despair seems to be the common factor. But how can I recreate that feeling?

His mind drew a blank.

The spook stared absently at his shield.

After a minute he shook his head. This is hopeless. I'll never get stronger… Everyone tells me how powerful I am, but just look at me: I failed to save the spirit and now I'm bedridden from its attack… Why? Why am I so weak?

The bubble began to shrink and return to its original shape, flickering out of existence.

No…!

Gadalik output more magic to restore it.

I can't keep beating myself up!

He closed his eyes, breathing hard with emotion. He strained to have it encapsulate him once more.

I'm sick of feeling bad all the time… I'm sick of getting hurt all the time…! Just stop!

The shield expanded and he felt a cold chill down his spine.

Then he realized what he was doing. Control it… Control it…!

He took a deep breath and focused entirely on the physicality of it all. The more he concentrated, the colder he felt, but the shield was becoming thicker and more saturated than ever before.

The cold was now transitioning into numbness. This is fine… It's working. I think I understand now–

A cramp struck him out of nowhere, and he cried out in pain, the shield dispelling. He reached for the bucket and retched dryly until specks of blood came out. The teen was shivering from the numbing cold and curled up with his arms wrapped around his wounded stomach, blood dripping from his mouth, head pounding from fever.

"Gadalik?" Gale's voice was getting closer. That was the last thing the spook heard before the world went black.

"Gadalik…can you hear me…?" a familiar woman's voice sounded.

"Guinevere…?" The teen was awake but didn't have the strength to so much as open his eyes.

"Yes. The day you visited me, I cast a spell that would allow me to speak with patients on their deathbed."

"Deathbed…? You mean I'm…dying…?"

"You were. Believe it or not, your injury saved you. Overusing your magic in that capacity would kill you if you don't experience a surge."

What…?

"You must know by now that your seal exists for a purpose. Breaching that seal is dangerous. You either surge, or you die. There's no in-between."

"But… I… I have to get stronger…!"

"Only time can help you with your magic. Choose your battles wisely, young man, instead of fighting with yourself."

With that, her voice faded out.

"Gadalik!" Gale called him.

The spook opened his eyes. He'd stopped shivering at this point, and managed to sit up, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Dad…?"

His father breathed with relief and hugged him securely, not letting go for several seconds. "Your fever spiked and you were bleeding... I-I thought you were dying… Your fever's gone back down, at least."

"I…I'm better now," the teen murmured, returning the embrace and simply taking in the feeling. Maybe being strong isn't what's most important… What really matters is having people you can depend on when you're weak.