Benjamin pointed at the sword as the magic beam shot out from his wand and aimed for his rival’s hand. The beam hit nearly Sebastian’s hand and knocked the sword out of his grasp. Sebastian glared at the magician as he looked away with a smug smile.

“What was that for?”

“I did what I had to do, you understand, right?” Benjamin replied while twirling his wand. “Stick around. The show’s just starting, and you said you wanted to take part in my next act.”

Sebastian stepped back as Benjamin twirled his wand around, preparing another spell. He made a stance as a beam shot out from the rod and hit directly at his rival. Opening his eyes, he looked around and found himself trapped in a magical bubble.

“What the—?” Sebastian tried to poke the bubble, but couldn’t push through or exit. His legs planted on the bottom as they seemed to have no effect on him, either.

“Hmm...” Benjamin scratched his chin. “That wasn’t what I had in mind, but that’ll do.”

He turned to Isabelle and encased her inside a bubble as well. However, she didn’t seem to mind it as much. In fact, she liked the idea of playing and being involved in more kinds of magic. Isabelle could breathe just fine despite being inside of a magic-coated bubble.

Sebastian attempted to get out of the bubble as he tried to jump up and down, but in doing so, he caused the bubble to bounce a lot higher than he had intended. Isabelle smiled and joined him in hopping in her bubble as well.

Benjamin made a tambourine and a xylophone appear. He handed them over to Chi-Chi and Harry, as they played their instruments. Isabelle and Sebastian danced around the skies to the beat of the music below them, like they did an underwater routine in the sky. The audience watched the display unfold as they clapped to the rhythm.

Both of their bubbles then end up colliding with one another, forming into one big bubble. Sebastian looked down to see the significant height difference as his stomach churned. On the other hand, Isabelle looked at the sky all around her; her eyes gazed at the white clouds in astonishment. She extended her hand, attempting to reach and touch the clouds without popping the bubble.

Wow, what a view. It’s not often that I get to experience moments like these. Imagine if I could just–

“Are you ok?” Sebastian asked.

“Ah!” Isabelle shrieked as she spun to face him.

“Sorry about that. You’re not scared, are you?”

Isabelle shook her head. “I’m ok.”

“You, um, think we’ll make it out of here fine?”

“I know we’ll get out of this situation safely. Benjamin won’t let us ascend too far off if possible.”

Sebastian gulped. “If you say so?”

Meanwhile, from the ground level, Benjamin looked up, noticing the bubble flying further away from him. His heart dropped as he assumed the worst-case scenario. Everyone else watched with fixed gazes as Benjamin’s grip tightened against the wand as he pointed it towards the sky and shot out a beam. The beam, however, ricocheted against the bubble and ‌hit his hat, turning it into a small bubble. He had to do something, and fast. He got Isabelle and Sebastian in that mess, and planned to get them out of it.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Benjamin told everyone to stand back as he moved the wand toward the ground he stood on. Once he placed a magic spell underneath, the ground shook as everyone tried to keep their footing. A gigantic tree sprouted from the ground as it shot up from the pavement and headed toward the sky. Benjamin ran and jumped to grab the branches and ascend to higher plains. He had to ‌catch up to his future classmates before it was too late.

Eventually, the tree stopped moving. Benjamin looked up but wasn’t even close to reaching the others yet. He harnessed a spell and placed it on his feet, allowing him to run up to the side of the tree while trying not to get hit by the branches along the way. Benjamin jumped to the surface of the giant tree and brushed aside the leaves to get a clear view of the magenta bubble floating in the sky.

Sebastian and Isabelle yelled, trying to get the magician’s attention, but he couldn’t hear them well. Benjamin gripped his wand tight as he stared at their desperate attempts at breaking free. He pointed and fired off another beam, trapping and securing the bubble, preventing it from moving any further. Now that he was in closer range of them, he’d have an easier time catching it.

Benjamin slowly lowered the bubble with the wand, assuring their safety. However, he hadn’t watched the position he was in, leaned too close, and ended up falling off the tree. Luckily, Benjamin landed on top of the bubble, pushing it closer to the ground.

The bubble burst before reaching the fountain, causing Benjamin, Sebastian, and Isabelle to fall. The three of them landed in the waters, making a big splash in the surrounding area. The audience backed up before getting themselves wet.

“Oh my gosh, are you guys ok?” Chi-Chi and Harry asked as they scurried over to the fountain's edge to check up on the trio.

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Benjamin replied. He materialized another hat as he straightened out his brown hair before placing it on his head.

“Well, I was fine before someone almost got us killed...” Sebastian muttered, patting the side of his head, trying to get water out of his ears.

“Hey, I just saved your life, you know!” Benjamin hissed.

“I wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place if it wasn’t for you!”

“But you said you wanted to be part of my show. I wasn’t expecting that trick to go badly...”

“Guys?” Isabelle interrupted, brushing herself off. “You know there are other people still here, right?”

Sebastian and Benjamin glanced at the audience as shivers fell down their spines. Benjamin cleared his throat, leaped out of the fountain, and did another striking pose.

“And that’s all for today’s show,” Benjamin told the crowd. “We hope you guys enjoyed it, and until next time, I bid you all farewell.” He took a bow, as Isabelle, Harry, and Chi-Chi did the same thing.

Everyone applauded and threw money at the group.

After the performance finished, Benjamin checked over the amount of money his team received while they walked back towards their home base.

“Awesome. Despite the shake-up near the end, I’d still consider this a success.” Benjamin proudly proclaimed.

“This is your pastime?” Sebastian asked, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“You already mentioned that.” Benjamin scoffed. He stopped and turned to face him, with his hands on his hips. “And what have you been doing for the past year?”

“I’ve done business myself but can’t get into the specific details.” Sebastian boasted. A ring from his pockets caught his attention. He reached for his phone and went to answer it. “Hello? What? Is that so? Alright, I’m on my way. See you then.” He hung up and brushed his hands. “Sorry, but my break is up. I better get going.”

“That’s a shame,” Isabelle said. “It’ would have been nice to get to know you better.”

“I’m sure we’ll meet again someday. I’m Sebastian, by the way.” He grinned at her, but scowled at Benjamin.

“I’m Isabelle.”

“Then I shall see you real soon, Isabelle.”

As Sebastian took his leave, Isabelle waved goodbye as Benjamin rolled his eyes.

“Oh, brother,” Benjamin muttered.