The king tapped his fingers on the armrest of his throne. “Given your past deeds of saving the kingdom, whether you meant to or not, I will offer you some mercy.”

He paused, making sure the trio was listening. “You will be sent to our poorest village to turn it into a successful community. Succeed, and you will be pardoned. Fail, and...” He let the threat hang in the air.

Zane let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Your Majesty. We’ll, uh, do our best, I guess?” It couldn’t be worse than being executed, right?

Darius stepped forward and bowed. “We accept this challenge with honor.”

Lyra clapped, bouncing on her toes. "Think of what we could do! A bakery! Cheese shop! Ooh, a fire-breathing goat show!"

The king nodded sharply. “Very well. Your task begins tomorrow.”

The guards moved to escort them out.

But the king raised a hand. “One more thing. Make sure those three are fitted with magic limiters before they leave the castle.”

Zane’s eyes went wide. “Limiters? Why the limiters??”

The king’s gaze was hard. “You have been accused of serious crimes. While I am giving you this chance to make things right, I cannot allow you to use your magic freely. The limiters will also let us keep track of where you are.” His eyes moved to the legendary hero Ava, standing quietly at the back of the hall. “If Ava comes too close, we will be notified immediately.”

Darius nodded. “I request the strongest limiter you have, Your Majesty.”

Zane blinked. “Why in the world would you want that?”

Darius turned to him, eyes intense. “To test my limits. To prove that even without my powers, I am a warrior with discipline.”

Zane scoffed. “Right. Very inspiring, Darius. But maybe ease up on the whole ‘no powers’ thing? I like having options. In case things get... tricky. Bandits. Angry sheep. You know, the usual.”

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Ava stepped forward, her gaze soft. “The king forbids me from joining. You must do this alone.”

Zane’s shoulders slumped. “But Ava, what if things go wrong? Like, really wrong?”

Ava smiled, gently placing her hand on his cheek. “You’ll be fine, Zane. I have faith in you. All of you. Succeed, and we’ll be together again.”

Lyra’s eyes sparkled. "It’s a grand adventure! We’ll turn that village around and have a blast! It’ll be legendary!”

The guards moved in. Glowing devices. Limiters. The symbols... they moved. Like they were alive.

The air buzzed. Zane shivered. He had heard stories. Limiters meant trouble. Big trouble.

The device snapped onto his ankle. Cold shot through him. His magic flickered, then died.

Zane stumbled, trying to stay on his feet. “Feels like it’s sucking my soul out through a straw.” He lifted his foot. But it felt heavier. Like dragging a chain.

Darius, already wearing his limiter, barely reacted. He looked even more determined. “I will adapt and become even stronger without magic. Hardship makes the best warriors.”

Lyra was thrilled. “So shiny!” She kicked her foot, watching the symbols shine. “Can we decorate these? Glitter maybe?”

Zane looked at her. “Are you kidding me? We’re being handicapped! How can you think about decorations right now?”

“Exactly!” Lyra stuck her tongue out. “Now we get to see how good we really are without magic! Like baking a cake without sugar, still turning out yummy!"

Zane gave her a blank stare. “That sounds like a terrible cake, Lyra.”

Lyra laughed. “Only if you don’t have the right attitude! Challenges make the best stories! People will be like, ‘Wow, they saved a village without magic!’ And then they’ll throw us a party!”

With the limiters in place, the symbols on each cuff dimmed to a soft glow. Power, now locked away.

Zane shifted, uncomfortable. “Feels like I’ve got a nosy little spy on my leg. They’ll probably know if I sneeze wrong. I can just see it… ‘Zane sneezed, alert the authorities!’”

Ava chuckled. “You’ll be fine, Zane. No matter how heavy the burden, carry it with honor.”

Zane puffed out his chest, trying to look brave. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Just a tiny, overpowered device tracking our every move. No pressure, right?"

Lyra winked. “That’s the spirit! Embrace the chaos! We’re the ultimate dream team of magic-less misfits!”

As the guards began to escort them out, Zane couldn’t help himself. He called back over his shoulder. “Uh, Your Majesty? Just wanted to say… Contrary to popular belief, things did not go fine in court today. Just for the record. In case anyone was wondering.”

The king’s face stayed calm. But a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched the trio leave.

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Chapter 4 Video/Audio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMth7GbfvHs