The two boys sneaked pointlessly to the ring of candles that were somehow still lit despite the chaos wrought around it. They stood by its edge, just far enough so that Gaius would not be pulled into the centre of the ritualistic circle again. The Sorcerer looked around; the Guardian Council was still keeping Cleric Nerva busy.

Good.

“Once I get in, be prepared to receive the arcani leaking out of the spell!” Gaius shouted over the commotion. “Take in as much as you can, but don’t push yourself too much.”

Felix nodded. “Will do, my friend. Good luck.”

Gaius sucked in a deep breath to steady himself. The orange glow returned to his eyes once again as the magic of True Vision took over his instincts. He could feel the magical force guiding the movement of his lips, lighting up the impossibly complicated paths for his arcani to funnel into. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

And he ran into the circle.

The magical lull from the other tomes enticed the energy within him to merge with theirs, but Gaius pressed his own will onto his magic. This power had been an invaluable gift, and he was not about to return it to its sender now. Light burst from his orifices as his fingers made contact with the two other books.

Magic surged through his entire being as pure instinct took over. He relinquished his hold over his sanity, letting his magical precognition guide him entirely. The Sorcerer’s lips parted and began babbling an unknown incantation. Arcani churned around him violently, almost to the brink of chaos. But he was still in control, even if he did not know what he was doing.

The first wave of arcani flared outwards. Gaius’ eyes flew to the figure barely visible against the glaring light. He watched as the energy flowed into his friend as though he was some sort of whirlpool that left no trace behind. The Sorcerer smiled internally. It was working.

He continued the counterspell, praying that Felix would be able to take all of the arcani.

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“Watch out!”

Kleopatra grunted, pushed aside by her sister just before a huge fist made of energy swept in between them. She stood up aggressively, her staff flaring with power as she blasted another wave of criminals away.

“Guh!” she yelped, clutching her side where a beam of light had struck her without warning. The Necromancer raised his wand again, but a golden chain wrapped around him and froze the man in place. Cybele rushed to Kleopatra’s side, closing her wound with a warm healing touch. The sisters yelled together, casting Eldritch Blast at their enemies simultaneously.

A blinding thunderbolt hurtled her way, and Kleopatra found herself engaged in another war of attrition yet again. But Elpis’ power was far greater than Benedictus, and the spell pushed through her counter hex, striking her cleanly. The girl writhed in pain, rolling on the floor uncontrollably.

“I’m still… not strong enough,” Kleopatra panted as a fraction of control returned to her body. She watched her sister charge at Elpis with an anguished scream, only for her spell to be blocked easily and blasted back with a powerful force. Cybele collapsed to the ground motionless as an arcani nullifier fell out from her robes, sliding on the floor.

“No…” she groaned, willing her body to fight back against the weakness still plaguing her. Her vision was blurred. Her breaths quickened with desperation. She had to move. Elpis was charging magic in her staff for the killing blow. She had to move, now.

“No… no… no… NO!” Kleopatra screamed, mustering as much concentration as she could. Time seemed to slow down as a green beam of light sped towards her sister. Arcani flooded into Kleopatra’s staff.

“BREAK!”

The Warlock let out an uncontrollable groan as she felt most of her energy drain from her body in an instant. The green light dispersed, and Elpis stumbled back from the sheer power of the dispelling charm.

“Impressive, you dispelled one of my most powerful curses.” Elpis smirked, turning her attention to the barely conscious girl. “But I stand by my word. You’re not ready to be a Guardian.”

Kleopatra screamed in pain as the ground warped beneath her, turning into a wave and tossing her against the wall.

“You… don’t get to decide that.” She pushed herself up, using her staff to support her weight. “I won’t quit… trying.”

“You’re as stubborn as your father.” Elpis walked towards the girl as an enchanted dagger slipped into her hand. “And now, you die.”

The woman’s eyes glinted with anticipation, aiming her weapon at Kleopatra-

“Fireball!”

The White Locust raised a barrier at the last minute, blocking an incoming ball of energy instead. Her eyes darted wildly, before narrowing in rage.

“You…” Her body was trembling. “No… What have you done?”

Kleopatra cracked a relieved smile at the two boys emerging from the smoke. The ring of candles were extinguished, and two tomes lay on the floor harmlessly. Gaius was grinning madly at Elpis, while Felix’s body was glowing with power. The Sorcerer stepped forward boldly.

“It’s over, Nerva.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

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“I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty great about this,” Gaius said. “How are you feeling, Felix?”

Felix smirked and began floating in the air. His pink aura intensified as he cast his eyes at a glowering Elpis. “Thanks for the boost of arcani, Cleric Nerva.”

“Impossible…” the woman breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. “The tomes had enough energy to destroy three continents-”

“Which is just enough energy to recover another fifty percent of my power,” The Tier Five meta chuckled victoriously. “So to answer your question, Gaius…”

“I-” Felix’s eyes lit up with a fierce pink glow.

“Feel…” His body flared with power.

“GREAT!”

Energy exploded from the boy. Elpis covered herself as the psionic energy stretched out like claws, going through all the bodies of the criminals and knocking them out instantly. Felix stretched out a hand, slamming The White Locust against a wall with an enormous telekinetic force.

He let loose a small gleeful laugh. Although he was still not at full power, sixty percent was plenty enough to deal with this situation.

“Arrogant boy.” Elpis broke free of Felix’s hold. “You’ll pay for banishing my deity.”

“Make me.” The psychic grinned, throwing a psionic blast at her. The White Locust stepped to the side, and a harpoon burst from her palm in retaliation.

Felix’s eyes glinted as a psionic hand materialised, catching the arcane weapon easily. He squeezed his fist, and the harpoon shattered without a sound. Elpis looked at her empty palm in disbelief, backing away from the boy slowly. But she was not giving up just yet.

Drawing a silver glyph in the air, the Cleric rushed forward as she pulled out a glowing sword from the diagram. She slashed wildly at the boy. Felix smirked and put up another psychic shield, but the sword cut through it as though it was simply made of glass. He growled and stretched out his hand again.

Dozens of psionic swords materialised in the air and descended upon the woman, determined to slice her into a million pieces. Felix’s look of concentration quickly turned to shock as Elpis spun around, disintegrating his constructs with a single slice of her weapon.

“That sword nullifies arcani!” Gaius called out to Felix as he rushed in front of him, charging towards The White Locust. “Your power can’t touch her. Allow me!”

Elpis hacked the air with a growl as the Sorcerer spun over her gracefully. Fireballs exited his open palms, and the woman was knocked off her feet from behind easily. She got up quickly, desperately defending herself from the incredibly agile Sorcerer.

Gaius dodged and parried her blind swings easily. Nerva may be a powerful magi, but she was no swordswoman. He bent down, ducking under the sword once more and struck her chin with a hard kick. The woman shrieked in pain, blood seeping out from the side of her mouth. She staggered backwards, glaring at the charging boy.

Elpis pulled out a dagger from behind her back as Gaius closed in.

Both of them screamed at the same time. Elpis slammed against the wall, her ribs cracked from another powerful kick. Gaius landed on the floor shakily, almost falling over his feet. His dismembered arm fell to the ground almost comically a brief moment later.

“This… isn’t over.” Elpis struggled to breathe with her punctured lungs. Silver energy coated her palm as she pointed it at the Sorcerer. “You’re… a dead man.”

The White Locust hissed as she tried to use her magic, but the silver essence rapidly faded from her palm. She looked at her hand in confusion.

“And you’re… under arrest,” Kleopatra breathed raggedly before finally losing consciousness, letting go of the arcani nullifier that she had managed to hook onto Elpis’ ankle.

The remaining Guardians finally took the cue to move towards the woman and arrest her. She no longer resisted, going almost limp in her defeat as the men hauled her away. Felix and Gaius rushed to Kleopatra.

“Oh thank god, she’s still alive.” Felix removed his hand from her head and stood back up. He turned to the one-armed boy. “You… you can reattach your arm, right?”

“Nope,” Gaius said, taking a pause to look at Felix’s shocked face before smirking slightly. “I’ll regrow it instead.”

He laughed heartily, glancing at one of the Guardians approaching them while Felix rolled his eyes.

“Well done, Guardians.” The woman gave them a tired but warm smile. “But this is far from over. I’m sorry to tell you this, but you kids are going to be very busy for the next couple of weeks as key witnesses to this whole debacle. We’re going to need you to-”

A loud commotion cut her off. They ran over to the group of people struggling to restrain Elpis.

The Cleric had broken free from their grasp and was limping off to the edge of the sky library. She pulled out her dagger threateningly as the men approached her with caution. Gaius sighed. Why do they always try to run away when there is clearly no escape?

“Stay back!” she yelled, her face glistening with tears as she continued to retreat backwards. She let loose an anguished scream at the sky.

“Why? Why have you abandoned me?” The Cleric fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. “I loved you… Why did we still lose…”

Her legs trembled as she stood back up again, nodding vigorously as though someone else was speaking to her.

“Yes… I see it now…” Elpis muttered to herself. Gaius’ eyes narrowed in suspicion.

What is she playing at-

The woman’s head snapped upwards suddenly with a terrifyingly wide grin plastered on her face.

“So this is the only way I can be with you forever,” she said. “Oh my love, I should never have doubted you. I’m coming to you now, my dear… I’m coming home.”

The White Locust smiled warmly at the dagger in her hands. Alarm bells shrieked in Gaius’ head at the realisation of what she was about to do.

“No!” he called out.

“Coward!” Felix’s voice yelled.

Elpis plunged the dagger into her heart as the Guardians collectively flinched in response. Blood spurted from her chest, accompanied by a wispy purplish smoke. The woman staggered backwards, spreading her arms out as though welcoming death’s sweet embrace.

And she fell off the floating island.

Gaius closed his eyes, muttering a prayer of condolence.