Emelri lay on her side on a sleeping mat, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Pepin sat across from her with his legs crossed on his own makeshift bed, his face in his hands. Jacques’s soft snores sounded in the tent next to them.

“Pep, are you going to sleep?”

He shook his head.

“You really should.”

There was a pause, then he muttered quietly, “I didn’t think they’d react this way. I knew it was possible, but...”

She sat up and joined him on the bedroll. “Don’t worry. We’ll get them back.”

“What if they don’t want to come back?”

“We can at least stop them from opening the portal.”

“Maybe for now, but nothing will change their mind. They will open it one way or another.”

She stared ahead. “I don’t get it. I thought they’d moved past what’d happened. Everything was going so well for them at home and with their job before Jacques mentioned Carnadine.”

“Something changed in them the moment our mother died.” He lifted his head. “They’ve never been the same since. They were always going to react poorly to this news whether it was now or five years ago. Maybe if I was stronger, I could have stopped them before they left.”

“No. It’s not your fault, Pep. Not even Jacques could stop them.”

“So, what is to be done? How can we help them?”

“I’m not sure, but we should get some sleep so we can better deal with this in the morning. There’s really nothing we can do right now.”

He swallowed. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“You’re not alone, you know.”

Staring blankly at the ground, he nodded.

“Hey...” She looked him over, then pulled him into a hug.

He hesitated for a moment, then held her waist tightly. “I don’t want to lose them,” his voice wavered barely above a whisper, “not like I lost her. They’re all I have left of my birth family. I can’t stand it: the thought of them being gone.”

“They’re not gone. They’re just angry and upset.”

“And they’re going straight into danger. They always do.”

“They’re also strong, Pep. They can handle themselves, and even though they’re gone, that doesn’t change the fact that they still love you.”

“What? Oh. ...I don’t know—”

“They do. They’ve always cared for you more than anything else. It’ll be alright.” He nodded, and they pulled apart. “We both need rest though. I’m going to turn out the light, okay?”

Another nod.

Snuffing out the little lantern, they were plunged into darkness.

She felt her way back to her bed. “Pep?”

“Mm?”

“Goodnight.”

He hummed again in response.

She stared into the darkness as silence overtook them, and a pit rested at the bottom of her stomach as everything sank in.

Toulou was gone, Pepin was in shambles, and they were all camping in the middle of nowhere with the intent to do… what exactly? They didn’t have a precise plan other than to catch up to Toulou, and she had to agree that their mind was likely not going to be changed.

How did everything go so wrong so quickly?

A shriek nearly left her mouth when a foreign hand softly grasped her own, and she froze at the warm touch.

It was quiet, save for the crickets outside and the drumming of her own heartbeat. The hand squeezed her own then she heard a soft sniffling. Her heart broke at the sound, and she huddled a bit closer, lightly squeezing back.

Neither let go of the other the remainder of the night.

❀❀❀

“Do we have everything?” Jacques asked, gripping the two teenagers’ shoulders while Adrian held Pepin’s arm.

They each nodded, and the horrible, gut-wrenching feeling seized Emelri once again. After several bouts of jumping, she was catching herself from falling face first into the dirt when Jacques was yelling, “One more,” and she only got a half-second glance at the distant city of Elden Town before they were teleporting again.

Bent over now, Emelri held her middle for a moment, trying to keep from hurling on the black glass floor beneath her. Taking a breath, she stared at the ancient tile, then looked up to see an already lit and active passageway that she recognized at once as the Totrium. Beside it was the abandoned speeder and Volume I of the Alchemist journals carelessly cast aside.

“They’ve already been here,” she declared, and Jacques nodded seriously as Adrian picked up his book.

“We need to hurry. Let’s go.”

Without further delay, all four were rushing through the Totrium. After making it through a strange, empty green space to the sea pyramid itself, Emelri look around, remembering so clearly everything about the room.

She immediately caught sight of the eldest sibling, standing with one hand on their hip in front of the much larger, swirling green portal, glaring at them all with a fierce expression.

“Toulou!” Pepin cried, rushing forward.

They flashed him a look that made him halt in his tracks. “Stay back, Pep. You’ll only get in the way.”

“Toulou. Just... just come home.” His voice wavered at the end, and their face softened. “We were finally happy in New Minoka. You were finally happy. Do you really want to just throw that all away?”

They considered him. “I need to do this. You of all people should understand.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier about Carnadine. Maybe if I had...”

They walked forward and placed a gentle hand on their brother’s shoulder. “Don’t apologize. If there’s anyone to blame for keeping this from me, it’s Jacques.” Angry eyes blinked up at their father. “Did you come here to stop me?” they shouted, pushing Pepin not unkindly to the side and away from them. “We both already know who’s the stronger magic user here.”

“I’m not here to fight,” Jacques responded calmly, keeping his distance. “We just want to talk.”

“Talk? Well, you’ve had plenty of time to do just that these past five years. It’s a little late. As you can see, I’ve already made my decision. There’s no use in stopping me.”

“We’re not your enemy,” Adrian said gently. “We just want what’s best for you and this isn’t healthy.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“I know what I need. I’m not a child.”

“Then why are you acting like this?” Jacques demanded. “Just come back and we can figure out a better way for you to work through all this.”

Bitterness crossed their face. “If you’re not with me, then you’re against me. I’m done letting my fate be determined for me. It’s time I actually have control of something. Carnadine is dying by my hand, and none of you will take that away from me.” Their eyes flashed green and with a wave of their hand, a thin, emerald wall formed between them and their brother. “If you’re smart, you’ll stay away.” Their voice was muffled behind the barrier.

Jacques rushed forward as the eldest disappeared into the portal that was now completely covered in the crystalizing magic barrier.

“No, no, no,” Jacques cried, slamming his fists down on the solid wall. His eyes were glowing, and he launched all manner of lightning and explosive magic, but it appeared pointless. “Shit, shit!”

“What’s wrong?” Emelri shouted. “Why can’t you get through?”

“Something I never should have taught them,” he mumbled through gritted teeth, closing his eyes and resting his head on the hardened crystals.

“An impenetrable force field that dissolves after an hour or so,” Pepin explained weakly. “We’ll have to wait until then to follow after them.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“There’s nothing more we can do?” Adrian asked, walking up to his partner, resting a hand on his back.

“No, there’s not,” Jacques said flatly, the glow leaving his eyes.

“What if you and Pepin work together—”

“There’s nothing we can do,” he shouted, turning on him.

Adrian searched the distressed filled eyes, then Jacques broke, exhaling a small whimper. Closing his eyes, he wept, and Adrian had his arms around him in an instant.

“Oh, Sweetheart,” Jacques whispered into his shoulder. “This is why I never wanted kids. I told you I’d ruin them. This is all my fault.” Emelri and Pepin both looked at each other in surprise as the normally grumpy, aloof man spoke in such woeful, weak tones. “I failed them. All of them. I was never meant to be a father.”

“That’s not true, Jacques,” Adrian cooed, his own tears appearing. “That’s not true.”

“Look at what I’ve done.”

“You didn’t ruin us,” Emelri said firmly.

Pepin appeared next to her. “Yeah, don’t say that, Jacques.”

He pulled back to look at them, exhaling weakly. “But it’s true. I’ve never done anything but hurt you three and push you away. I wasn’t meant for this role.”

Emelri’s chest heaved, and her tone came across angrier than she expected it to. “Jacques, my birth father left when I was just a little girl. I don’t have anyone else that fits that role besides Adrian and you, and just you caring and being around for me is leagues more than anything I got in Yayma.”

“And my father left when I was born,” Pepin chimed in. “You’ve shown me what it’s like to have a father figure who actually cares about me. You don’t know how much our lives improved since you took us in.”

“Jacques, we love you dearly,” she added. “Please, just... just don’t talk about yourself that way.” Feeling the wetness paint her own face, she stepped forward and hugged him tightly around the middle. She felt Pepin come up and do the same but with his arms around Jacques’s neck instead.

Making a tragic sound, Jacques hugged them back. “I love you guys too. So, so much.”

They all held onto each other, Adrian joining them while they all quietly shed tears. After a moment, they pulled away, all wiping their faces.

“I should have seen how upset they were,” Jacques said, sniffing loudly, “and I certainly shouldn’t have lied to them.”

“We all kept the truth from them,” Adrian reassured. “Considering how they were back then and how they reacted now, it was probably for the best.”

He frowned. “Obviously not, considering what’s happening now. Whatever happens, we can’t stop trying to reach them. We’ll follow them the second the barrier is down.”

“And then what?” Emelri asked. “They aren’t going to listen.”

“We keep trying,” Adrian answered, “and we make sure they are protected.”

Jacques took a step back and looked between them all. “You three will need to go ahead while I stay behind.”

“What?” they all exclaimed.

“We can’t just leave the portal open like this, and it can only be activated from the Elderian side, so... I’ll stay behind until you three come back.”

“How will you know when we need to return?” Emelri asked.

“We’ll meet here again in two weeks from today. On that day, I’ll open it again.”

“That’s too risky, Jacques,” Adrian said. “What if we aren’t there when you open it? Besides, I don’t want to leave you behind.”

“What other choice do we have? If we leave it open, anyone could come in and out, and the only other magic user who knows how to open it on this side is Pepin, and I’m not going to leave him here alone. No, it has to be me.”

“But,” the blond lowered his voice as he placed a gentle hand on Jacques’s face, “I don’t want to be separated from you. I’ve lost a lot of people in my life and the thought of losing you as well is too much.”

“I’ll be alright.” He placed a hand over Adrian’s. “I need you to protect Emi and Pep while you’re in there. Can you do that?”

“Of course, but...” He pressed a slow kiss to his lips. “Just stay safe, okay?”

“That goes for you too. Bring Toulou back safely.”

“Jacques, I can stay with you,” Pepin insisted, and the shorter man glanced over at him.

“No, Pep. You’re the only one who can talk sense into your sibling. You’re also the only one who’s any match for them.”

“What?” Surprise crossed his face. “You know that’s not true. I’m not ready. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to face them full on. I’m too weak.”

Jacques took him by the shoulders. “I need you to believe in your ability. You’re more capable than you think. Lean on what I’ve taught you and don’t be so hard on yourself. Adrian. Emi. I’m going to need you both to remind him of this.”

Emelri met his gaze and nodded. “We will.”

“We’ll miss you, Jacques,” Pepin said softly, giving him a peck on the cheek and another hug.

Jacques squeezed him back. “I’ll miss you too.”

Emelri claimed the next cheek-kiss and hug, saying, “Don’t forget to open the portal for us in two weeks or we’ll be stuck on the other side and then I’ll have to hold a grudge against you for the rest of your life.”

He exhaled quickly. “I won’t.”

The group waited in silence as the barrier slowly began melting away. Adrian and Jacques held each other, whispering in soft, gentle tones that Emelri could not quite make out. She sat on the floor cross legged, gazing at the portal behind the translucent magic wall while sharpening Broyeur with a stone.

She sensed more than saw Pepin sit beside her. “Emi. Are you doing alright?”

“As well as I could be.” There was a pause. “I wasn’t expecting to come back here.”

“It’s been five years, hasn’t it?”

She nodded. “It’s a bit overwhelming. Last time I saw my town, it was in flames and that was after I was in the process of running away from it. All my memories there are... not the most pleasant.”

He hummed in understanding. “This time you’ll have Adrian and I, and besides, we are there strictly for Toulou and nothing else.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” She swallowed. “Do you think my mother survived the attack?”

He searched her face for a moment, then shrugged.

The thought of seeing her again made a note of panic sing in her chest. “I honestly don’t know if anyone survived except me. I’m not sure if I—” Her words were cut off when a loud crack rang out, and a visible tear in the wall appeared.

They stood, and Emelri quickly secured the axe on her back again.

“This is it,” Jacques projected, walking over to them. “Once it shatters, that’s your cue to rush in. It’ll be any second now.” He hugged Emelri and Pepin, then turned to Adrian who kissed him.

“See you in two weeks.”

Before Jacques could respond, a sound like glass being smashed rang out, and the barrier burst into a million pieces. Oddly, the shrapnel dissolved into nothing as they rushed forward, and Jacques stood with his arms folded, watching them go.

Adrian took the two teenagers’ hands and the three leapt into the swirling, green magic.

❀❀❀

The small, humid village of Yundet was not quite what Toulou was expecting. It was a seaside town with half the houses in blackened ruins while many of those that still stood, obviously had been built recently with the different colored wood and lack of moss.

Brown eyes narrowed, first at the flying crimson flags posted at several newly built battlements, then at the Spillers making their way across the long docks to the portal and Toulou themself.

Despite not sleeping the night before, they had never felt so alive. They drew the dual swords at their hips while pulling from the magic within their core as well as from the energy crystals in their pockets. Licking their lips, they gave a small exhale then plunged one of the weapons straight into the wooden docks. Splintering it, a wave of wild green electricity that sprouted flickering and lapping offshoots, discharged across the floating planks in a matter of seconds, sending every Spiller in contact flailing and spasming.

Strutting across the docks, they kicked a few lifeless bodies aside into the water, swords held out in preparation for those waiting on shore. Only one thing crossed their mind as they were soon tearing through flesh and bone.

Eyes remaining alight, they sheathed one sword and stretched their hand towards one of the battlements, then closed their palm as an explosion rang out. Spillers leapt from the walls as the entire structure burst into splinters with accompanying pulsating magic. Those left on the ground were met with the sword along with impressive bouts of green light, and all the while, Toulou created a deadly blast radius that only a magic user would be able to resist.

A shower of arrows rained down from a neighboring battlement, and Toulou caught them all in a pool of magic, sending them back with barely any effort; the tips piercing the sender’s bodies. Lifting their sword into the air, Toulou closed their eyes, inhaling deeply as emerald storm clouds gathered in the sky.

The air filled with claps of deafening thunder and destruction, lighting up the realm with electricity. When all the ear-splitting clamor and light subsided, roaring fires and the cries of the dying sounded instead.

Toulou glanced at the nearest battlement, spotting a survivor pressed up against an intact wall, clutching his chest in terror. He was not wounded, it appeared, but he trembled, frozen in fear as the magic user approached.

Stepping over smoking and bloodied corpses and scattered wreckage, the glowing green-eyed killer stooped down and seized the man by the throat, pressing him hard into the wall. The man gagged, clutching at his neck desperately, wheezing.

“Where is Carnadine?”

They loosened their grip slightly, allowing the man to sputter out, “Fevlin...n-north of here... Spiller stronghold in Fevlin.”

There was no hesitation as they sent electrical currents down their arm directly into the man’s head, unblinking as they watched the surprise and agony cross his face. They let the convulsing corpse collapse to the ground, and turned, facing the ruined town with green clouds bleeding across the sky behind them. A distant thunder sounded as they sheathed the sword.

“Fevlin,” they whispered, the emerald glow fading to reveal cold, dark eyes beneath.