Chapter XXII

All he could think about was what he could have done differently. Could he have convinced Rina not to go into the forest that day? Or perhaps it would have been smarter to run back to the school and get Eric. Maybe he shouldn’t have fought back and allowed them to take him instead? In hindsight, he knew just how stupid he had been to allow her to go into the forest with Brooks, especially considering the state that boy was in and how dangerous they knew the Masters of Ijiria to be. It could have all been avoided. There were so many different things they could have done that might have changed the outcome, but now, there was nothing he could do.

Rina Davens was dead and there was nothing he could do to change that.

Evan Wright sat on the apartment’s couch with his head in his hands as Lilly and Brad finished describing everything that happened after his erasure in the forest. They filled him in on what the erased realm was and how it affected their memories, as well as that they intended to break their way back out into the real world. According to Lilly, everybody in that room had managed to regain their memories and were prepared to fight back against the erased realm’s captivity. He clenched his teeth, then glanced up and looked at each one of them in turn.

In the back corner, beside the door, was an Ijirian named Rista Pine who had been defeated by Nigreos and sent to the realm. Part of Evan hated the thought of working alongside somebody from that other realm, but he also knew how valuable a magic user would be if he was on their side.

On the wall by the window was Jay Brooks, who had arrived sometime during Lilly and Brad’s story, and was now standing silently with his head down. While Evan didn’t know most of his past with Rina, he knew they had once been close friends, and Jay had been there at Evan’s side the day she died. Every part of him wanted to put the blame for her death on that boy—the one who had led them to the house in the woods, yet every time he got angry, he could only think of every way he fucked up, too. He couldn’t blame Jay without first blaming himself, and he could see grief in Jay’s eyes, telling him that he was feeling the same pain that Evan was.

He then turned his attention to the small girl sitting on the opposite side of the couch from him. Lilly had explained her situation as well. Her name was Natalie Hill, and she was yet another victim of Nigreos and Album’s assault on Wilham. Her presence in that room was just another piece of evidence that told him how fucked up the Masters were.

They erased a little girl, huh? They were willing to go that fucking far on their quest to eradicate us. They erased a kid, murdered Rina, and waged war on a bunch of high schoolers who wanted nothing to do with them. I hate them! They’re a bunch of despicable scumfucks! What did Rina ever do to them?! Why did she have to die?! Why did any of us have to come here?! I never asked for this! I never asked to get involved with their magic!

Evan swallowed back his emotions, refusing to cry in front of Brad and the others, as he slowly rose to his feet and stared directly into Lilly’s eyes. “What do you need me to do?”

She gaped back at him, as if surprised that he was willing to cooperate as easily as he was. “So you’re going to help us?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Harper,” he quickly snapped. “I fucking hate you. I hate you and Reiner and every other piece of shit that makes up your retarded Magic Club.”

“Evan, keep the language at a minimum,” Brad interrupted, indicating Natalie with a nod of his head, but he just ignored him and went on.

“When this is all over, I never want to see you again. I want us to go our separate ways,” he stated. “But Nigreos and Album murdered Rina. They killed her without giving a damn how innocent she was. You and I have had our differences, but Rina and I never did a thing to them, yet they killed her anyway. So I want to fuck those bastards up the ass! Just tell me what you need me to do and I’ll fucking do it.”

Beside him, Natalie was holding back her giggles, which caused Lilly to click her tongue in irritation, yet the girl seemed to be fighting back a smile of her own. “Well, for one, I agree with Brad. Don’t curse in front of Natalie, got it?”

“Don’t worry, Lilly, I’ve heard those words before,” the little girl chimed in. “My Mom doesn’t get angry too often, but whenever we’re in the car, she likes to curse under her breath at other drivers when she thinks I can’t hear her. It’s really funny actually!”

Evan couldn’t help but smirk as the kid took his side, but Lilly just shook her head and sighed. “Don’t curse in front of Natalie,” she repeated. “Otherwise, all I need from you is your help with our escape. The more people we have, the easier it should be.”

“And…how exactly do we get out of here?” Jay inquired. “You’ve said a few times that you can use The Angel to escape, but you haven’t said how.”

Lilly nodded, then glanced back at Rista. “You take the floor here. You’ll probably explain it better than I could.”

“Alright then.” Pushing himself off the wall, the Ijirian stalked forward to stand beside Lilly, his expression stern and confident as he glanced around at those gathered in the room. “First off, I need to ask you all one question, although I probably know the answer. Do any of you know what a pocket realm is?”

“Is it a realm that fits in your pocket?” Natalie asked with a tilt of her head.

Evan chuckled, having a feeling that wasn’t the answer but also realizing he wouldn’t have been surprised if it was considering all the crazy shit he’d seen since getting wrapped up with the club.

Rista shook his head. “No. While there are certain enchantments that can enlarge a space in one’s pocket, that’s not what this is. Then am I right to assume that the rest of you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about?” Everybody shook their heads so Rista nodded and went on. “Essentially, it’s a very small realm, no larger than a city, that can be created by the more powerful mages, though each mage can usually only support one.”

“Woah, woah,” Brad interjected. “Excuse me? You guys can create realms?”

“Small realms,” Rista corrected. “And like I said, very few can actually do it. Off the top of my head, the only people I can think of would be the Masters of Ijiria, and other high ranking mages among the Academy and the governments of the country. I can’t make any, nor could any of my fellow Children. Our mother could, though we never knew what hers was like.”

Evan furrowed his brow, feeling a knot forming in his stomach as Rista put into perspective just how powerful their enemies had been. It was in that moment that it dawned on him how little of Nigreos and Album’s power had been on display when they crossed paths.

They can create whole-ass realms, huh? Then Rina and I really were fucked when we went after Mendez.

Another twinge of pain knotted his stomach, but he did his best to shove it from his mind and focus on the conversation. He could mourn Rina later, but he had too much to think about at the moment to let himself get distracted.

“Anyway, pocket realms are always supplied their mana by the ones who cast them,” Rista went on. “Therefore, there are routes to the outside world with which that mana enters the realm. Cut off the mana ports, and the realm can no longer be sustained, thus causing it to completely collapse and release those trapped inside. Mages could theoretically eject themselves through those ports, but seeing as Harper is the only one here with magic aside from me, and neither of us know how to do that anyway, that option isn’t really on the table.”

“So then, if you’re telling us all this, does that mean the erased realm is a pocket realm?” Evan asked.

Rista nodded. “Yes, though it isn’t a normal one. Erasure is even harder to accomplish than making a pocket realm, and as far as I know, Album is one of only two people in Ijiria who can even do it. What it does is bind the user’s pocket realm with the erasure magic, which sends any of her victims into it with their memories wiped, while also altering the entire fabric of reality in the world they’re from. It’s an insanely old magic whose origins aren’t shared with the common masses.”

“But hold on,” Lilly interjected. “You’re saying this realm is Album’s pocket realm, but I’ve left the city before. I thought you said it couldn’t be that big?”

“A normal one can’t,” Rista explained. “But an erased one can. Like I said, erasure is linked to memories, so this realm is no different. Everything you see is based on memory of some sort, whether it be yours or someone else's. It’s all observation based. If an erased victim isn’t observing it then it doesn’t actually exist. So, if none of the victims are at the high school, then the high school won’t exist until one of you goes to observe it. Therefore, you can go as far as you want because the realm is only creating what’s being observed. Album cannot create something from scratch, after all.”

“Fucking hell,” Evan muttered.

Lilly and Brad both glanced back at him with a glare before the latter turned back and spoke. “Okay, but then who saw this apartment? I didn’t think any of us had been here before so who’s memories are creating it?”

Rista shrugged. “That, I’m not sure of. If I had to guess, it’s just creating what a typical Wilham apartment would probably look like based on your past experiences. In fact, if none of you have observed this particular apartment in the real world then it probably doesn’t exist as you’re currently seeing it.”

“That’s so cool,” Natalie said with a childlike smile.

“Okay, so to get back on track, to escape this realm, we just have to destroy the mana ports, right?” Lilly clarified. “It should work like a normal pocket realm?”

“Yes, it should,” Rista confirmed. “And with The Angel on our side, it should be really easy. For better or for worse, Album’s mana is currently inside of you, Harper, which means you can take these ports down easily. All you need to do is use Album’s power to command them to shut down.”

“Then why haven’t you?” Evan snapped. “If it’s that easy, why wait so long?”

The Ijirian grimaced. “Because I don’t have a damn clue where the ports are.”

“What?” Jay interrupted. “You can’t find them?”

“I can’t,” Rista growled irritably. “They could be anywhere in Wilham, but the erased realm is so mana dense that I can’t track them down. They’re the one exception to the observation rule. They exist in the same space no matter what, but it’s not easy to locate that space when everything around it only exists some of the time. I’ve already found one of the two down at the beach, but the second remains hidden. I’ve been spending most of my time searching for it, but no luck yet. I suspect Harper would have an easier time, but she’s been too busy dealing with all of you.”

The man glanced irritably at Lilly but she simply grinned challengingly, as if telling him that she didn’t give a damn what he thought.

“And unfortunately, I can’t attack the first one until we have the second one,” Rista explained. “If we destroy one then Album will know what we’re up to and if she enters the realm, we’re all screwed. The fact that we’re in here at all means that we wouldn’t stand a chance against her.”

Brad sighed, running his hands through his hair as he seemed to process it all. “So we have to destroy them at the same time? In that case, if we find the second one, we can get out?”

“But what do we do when we’re out?” Jay demanded. “If Album can sense us destroying the ports then won’t she just come after us again?”

“Yes, it’s possible,” Rista conceded. “But that’s where I’m choosing to rely on this ‘Angel’. Harper says it might be able to take Album on and win, so if we can get out of her own personal realm, I want to believe that it’ll be enough to kill her.”

Evan furrowed his brow before glancing sidelong at Lilly. She only gave a vague description of The Angel inside of her, but if it was strong enough to defeat that woman in white, then what exactly was it?

“So that’s the plan then?” Brad murmured. “Find the last port, destroy them together, then deal with Album in the outside world? That’s…not going to be easy.”

“I believe in Lilly, though,” Natalie chirped. “If she says she can beat that evil lady then I think she can do it.”

“Here’s my problem with that, though,” Brad began, but Lilly immediately interrupted him.

“Brad…it’s fine,” she said firmly. “Don’t worry about it. As long as the realm is gone and Album is defeated, it doesn’t matter.”

The big boy scoffed then shook his head. “It does matter! Brooks, don’t tell me you’re okay with this? You remember what she said yesterday! About what The Angel could do to her!”

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Jay immediately hesitated, and Evan could see conflict in his expression as he looked between Lilly and Brad. While this happened, Rista, too, seemed slightly uneasy, which told Evan that they had left a rather significant detail out. Before he could interrogate them, though, Natalie spoke.

“Brad? What do you mean?” she asked. “The Angel…can do something to Lilly?”

Natalie’s question caused the room to go quiet as both Lilly and Brad stared back at the girl, the former seeming to be holding back panic and the latter clearly internally debating his response. Evan wasn’t sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, but before anybody could speak on the matter further, a knock at the door caused all eyes to turn toward it.

“Wait…did they actually…?” Lilly whispered as she exchanged curious glances with Rista.

The Ijirian then stepped forward and opened the door to reveal those on the other side, and when he did, Evan found himself unsurprised to see Liz Tao and Damien Clark standing there. He had expected the magic nuts to show up eventually even if their memory was wiped, so he had just been waiting for them to arrive. But just as he was about to turn away, he stopped, noticing a third figure just behind them—a boy he hadn’t seen in quite some time.

You…

It was him. It was the boy who first dragged him into everything, the one who always looked at him like he was scum and the one who assaulted Rina with Evan’s body. It was him who first used that stone and it was him who got Rina involved. If he’d just taken his anger out on Evan, she would have been safe. Nigreos and Album would have only gone after him, and not her.

Rina would still be alive…if not for that boy.

If not for Vinny Mickelson…

***

Vinny hadn’t been sure what to expect when he finally decided to give in and go to the apartment, and seeing Brad Fischer involved in the whole mess the previous afternoon only made him that much more skeptical. Yet even so, he hadn’t been prepared for Evan Wright to also be among those gathered at the apartment, and it seemed Damien and Liz were in a similar state of surprise. Both of them were gaping at the boy with Damien’s features already twisting in utter hatred. As for Evan, he was already glaring at Vinny with a look that told him everything he needed to know. The scene was only made more confusing by the presence of the other two individuals he didn’t know—a little girl sitting on the couch and the man who answered the door, his eyes narrowed in what seemed surprise as he regarded the three of them. Yet, Vinny found he didn’t care much about them as his sights remained fixed on Evan.

“And here I thought I might actually give you a chance, Harper,” Vinny snapped. “Fischer is one thing, but if you’re working with Wright then you all can go fuck yourselves!”

Evan snorted and grinned challengingly. “It’s been a long time, Mickelson, and I see you’re just as unpleasant as ever.”

“A long time?” the blonde boy parroted. “You hit your head or something? You and Fischer were just threatening me not four fucking days ago! What in the hell am I supposed to make of this, huh? Don’t tell me he’s from your alternate reality, too?!”

Vinny eyed Lilly with a furious glare, finding himself more and more fed up with her the more he interacted with her. After seeing her magic the day before, he hadn’t known what to think, especially when she claimed that his memories were faked. There was so much he had to process, but even with that in mind, after some thought, he truly believed that her words were genuine. Both times she claimed to care for him, he found himself unable to just brush it aside as a lie or a trick no matter how much he wanted to. So after taking the day off school to just wander around, he finally decided to go to the address Lilly had sent him and see what else she had to say.

But Evan Wright wasn’t a part of this deal! If he’s working with her then there’s no way this isn’t some lie! He wasn’t there yesterday so maybe that magic stunt was just a trick he was pulling off behind the scenes to fuck with me! If any of what Harper said was true then Wright shouldn’t have been involved!

Vinny could tell that Brad wanted to interject, yet to his surprise, the boy was remaining quiet, as if waiting to see how Lilly would respond. The man by the door also seemed to be deferring to her while Jay and the little girl were just uncomfortable. But Evan was the same as always with his sneer and his cocky expression.

“Um, Harper,” Liz began hesitantly when the room stayed quiet. “What’s this about? Why is Wright here?”

At that moment, Vinny saw the little girl sit up, a sudden expression of recognition in her features, but Lilly replied before she could say anything.

“Yeah, Wright’s one of the erased victims, too,” she admitted. “Nigreos and Album sent him here the same as us, but Rista and I were able to return his memories.” She indicated the man beside them, who was apparently named Rista, before going on. “He can do magic, too, and we decided that we needed to return the memories of everybody who was sent here. Our magic isn’t working on you guys, which is why—”

“I don’t care,” Damien suddenly grunted, his lips tightened as if he was struggling to fight back his fury. “I didn’t want to bother with you at all, but Liz convinced me to come, so I did…and now this is what I see? It’s fucking pathetic, Harper. I was right. I shouldn’t be here.”

“Wait, Damien,” Liz quickly protested, but the boy was already turning around to leave.

“Damien!” Lilly called out as well, but Vinny could tell by the irritated look on his face that he wasn’t going to hear her out any more than he already had. Vinny was ready to follow in his footsteps and would have had it not been for the sudden call of the little girl.

“Wait, Damien, Liz!” she cried out, stumbling to her feet before using the couch’s armrest to steady herself. “Please don’t go! That is you, right?”

Liz’s eyes went wide as she regarded the girl and even Damien stopped before glancing back at her with a cocked eyebrow. Vinny noticed that her eyes didn’t seem to be directed at them, rather she was looking only in their general direction, as if she had a decent idea of where they were without knowing exactly where to look.

“Please!” she repeated. “I-I know Lilly said you guys don’t have your memories, and I don’t know why you don’t like Mr. Evan, but still… I don’t want you to go! It’s me, Natalie! Liz, you and I went to the pier with Eric for my birthday and then I saw you guys at the festival when Mom and I came to visit! And…” Natalie stopped, as if unsure of how to continue. “And you were there when we got erased! You tried to save me from the wizards, er, mages! So please don’t go! Please just give us another chance!”

Even Lilly seemed thrown off by Natalie’s sudden outburst, but when she finished talking, a soft smile appeared on her lips, as if proud of her.

“So I…knew you?” Liz whispered. “In that other reality?”

Natalie nodded hurriedly. “Yeah, you did! You were always really nice to me…and you tried to save me. Please…” She slowly raised her hands to reach out to them despite being on the opposite side of the room from them. “I can’t see you…because my eyes don’t work like they should, but I know you’re there and that it’s still you. Please…don’t go. Mr. Evan will be nice, I promise! Right?”

She tilted her head in the boy’s direction, and for a moment, his sneer faltered, as if even he didn’t have the heart to completely disregard her request.

“Er,” he stuttered. “Well, I…”

“Mr. Evan!” Natalie repeated, though her tone was less sweet. “Be nice to Damien and Liz! They’re good people, I promise!”

“W-whatever,” he grumbled, looking away with a scowl. “Sure, I’ll be nice.”

Natalie’s smile instantly brightened as Vinny just gaped at him. “Thanks! See, guys! He’ll be nice! So please stay! Lilly’s telling the truth! You guys are friends!”

What the hell even is this? Did Harper and Wright pay this girl to ramble all this off?

That was what made the most sense to Vinny, yet just like with Lilly, Natalie’s words didn’t feel fake or scripted. It actually sounded like she was making a sincere request and that she actually believed Evan would be nice to them. It was so innocent that Vinny couldn’t completely write it off as manipulation.

Every time I interact with Harper, I’m just more confused!

Finally, breaking the odd tension that hung over the room, Liz silently moved forward and crouched down beside the girl. She must have heard her approach because her hands were instantly up again and when Liz reached out and took one in her own, Natalie smiled happily.

“What’s your name again?” Liz asked.

“Natalie Hill!”

“And…we were friends, you said? You knew this other me that supposedly exists?”

Natalie nodded. “Yup! And I love her! Oh, but I love you, too! I’m sure you’re still awesome no matter what memories you have! So please stay so that we can help you go back to normal! I want to help you like you helped me! You, too, Damien!”

“Me, too, huh?” the boy grunted, finally turning back and moving into the room.

“Yeah! I didn’t really know what was happening, but you did everything you could to keep me from getting killed by the Ijirians,” Natalie said. “I was really scared, and I know you were, too, but you still tried to keep me safe. Even if we still got stuck here, I won’t forget that! You’re my friend, too!”

The hand Liz wasn’t holding reached out for Damien and despite his clear skepticism, he nevertheless crossed the room and knelt beside Liz to hold Natalie’s hand. At his touch, she laughed and leaned her head forward to rest against his chest.

“So please stay,” she repeated once more. “I’ll make sure Evan isn’t mean to you! And Lilly will, also! Right, Lilly?”

The girl chuckled softly to herself and grinned then turned a smug look toward Evan. “Yup, we’ll make sure he doesn’t cause any problems. After all, no matter how angry he is, it doesn’t change the fact that he needs us if he wants to get out of here. So, if you meant what you said earlier…” Lilly then began addressing Evan directly. “...about doing anything necessary to beat Nigreos and Album, then you’ll play nice with Damien and Vinny? Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Evan snapped irritably. “I already told the kid I won’t do anything. Just…” The boy turned his glare on Vinny, his eyes narrowed in poorly restrained hatred. “...don’t expect me to forget what he did to us.”

“What I did to you, huh?” Vinny growled. “Well, I don’t really remember what you’re talking about, but I’m sure you deserved it.”

Evan’s jaw clenched but, to Vinny’ surprise, he didn’t shoot back. “This…is to avenge Rina. I hate it…but I’ll do whatever I have to in order to avenge her. One day, Mickelson, you and I won’t ever have to see each other again. But mark my words…” He smiled bitterly. “Give me any reason to kick your ass, and I will…”

“No, don’t kick his ass!” Natalie protested immediately.

“Hey, don’t say that word!” Lilly quickly interjected. “Wright, what did we say about profanity! Don’t do that in front of Natalie!”

The little girl frowned. “Aw, Lilly, but it’s funny!”

“It is not! There will be no cursing!”

With Damien and Liz next to Natalie, Vinny was left standing alone in the doorway, still with the option to turn around and ignore everything he was seeing. The conversation before him was so disjointed with what he remembered, and he couldn’t convince himself that Natalie and Lilly were lying. He just couldn’t.

But then…what does that mean? Are there memories I don’t have? Is there really another life that I lived…one different from this one, where I was in a damn Magic Club? What is this all? What am I supposed to make of it?!

I really don’t know…

***

As the sun began to set, Evan and Brad departed Rista’s apartment and started making their way home. So much had happened in such little time and Evan was still trying to make sense of both his fake memories and his real ones. Lilly and Rista had laid everything out for him, and seeing Damien, Liz, and Vinny in their erased realm state only further convinced him just how real it all was. They weren’t the same people he knew, and they had a different image of him—one that matched his erased counterpart. It was all so surreal, only adding to the stress and confusion that had been created by the initial reveal of magic nearly a year prior. So much happened in such a short time and he felt as if he’d accidentally stumbled into it, as if he didn’t belong in such a world.

And I honestly don’t. If not for Mickelson, I never would have known about magic and I never would have been here. The same can be said for Rina. He used that stone on her and condemned her to her death! But…

When he first saw Vinny, he had been overwhelmed by hatred for the boy, a feeling that always came to him whenever they saw each other. Yet, in the time since Evan last saw him, he’d come to see a lot of the events of that Christmas in a different light. When they talked about it, Rina never held their actions against them. She always knew that the blame for what happened lay with the two of them—that the Magic Club never would have touched them if they hadn’t forced their hand.

So in that sense, it really does all come back to me. It was me who tried to rope Rina into my stupid war against Mickelson. I’m the one who took advantage of her history with Mendez to convince her to work with me. I was so blinded by my hatred for Mickelson that I never stopped to think about how our actions would hurt her. I just wanted to get under his skin and…I wanted to be close to the girl I fell for. Evan snorted. A girl who was already taken. A girl I never had a shot with. And it was that selfishness that…got her killed.

He clenched his teeth as the reality truly settled in. Rina was dead. No matter what he did, he would never see her again. Nigreos and Album had taken her life from her and now, it was over. Not only did he lose Rina, but everybody who cared about her lost her, too.

I wonder what that did to Charlotte or to Steven? I wasn’t even there to see the consequences of my stupid actions. I wasn’t able to be there for my friends…not like Steven would have wanted me there, though. He and I…stopped getting along after my suspension. He only put up with me cause we were teammates.

Evan no longer knew what he would do when all was said and done. He was determined to do everything he could to get his revenge on Nigreos and Album. He wanted to escape the erased realm and he wanted to fight back, but he didn’t know what came after that. He lacked a goal in life. Most of his so-called friends seemed to only be irritated by him, and now Rina was dead.

Where would he go when it was over?

“Hey, Brad,” Evan grunted, wanting to break the silence and get out of his own head. “Do you think we can do this?”

His old friend glanced sidelong at him before chuckling softly. “I do. I have faith in Lilly. I always have.”

“Of course you would,” Evan grumbled. “I don’t even know why I asked that.”

“And you? Do you think we can get out of here?”

The boy shrugged. “Dunno, honestly. I don’t even know what to think anymore. I mean, this entire damn world is fake, Harper’s supposedly some sort of angel, and even if we get out of here, we have to fight that white bitch and not get ourselves fucking murdered! And with all that, Reiner’s not even here and he was the only guy who stood a chance against them in the first place. Not to mention…”

He paused, realizing he was about to turn the conversation toward Rina. He bit back the rest of his sentence and glanced down at the sidewalk, his features tensed up as he once again felt a wave of sadness wash over him.

“Just so you know,” Brad began softly. “While she’s not the same, there is a Rina in this world…if you need a way to get some closure.”

Evan stopped and stared back at his friend in surprise at how easily his mind had been read before scowling. “And who said I needed closure? I’m perfectly fine!”

“Just thought I’d remind you,” Brad said casually before continuing on his way.

Evan stared after him for a moment, then rolled his eyes and followed him, all the while annoyed that Brad’s words remained in the back of his mind.