“Destroy your Sanctum?” I echoed in an incredulous twang. “You’re being facetious, right? You’re only going to make it look like everything’s in ruins.”

  Oliver shook his head, his lilac locks swirling with the movement. “I’ve no intention of insulting my sister’s intelligence with mere illusion. She’d see through it before I finished blinking.”

  “But… what about, um, all your stuff? You know… well, not in the rooms we came through, certainly, but… your library?”

  Surely it contained invaluable information, unless he had trashed it entirely in a previous fit of rage. “What about—”

  “Us!” Nora shouted. “We’re inside your Sanctum, too! Along with the circle you plan to escape through!”

  “Don’t tell me you can’t perform a simple spatial anchoring,” he replied coolly. “I’d do it myself, but I’m going to be a little busy managing the timing of our group translocation.”

  Nora glared at him as she twirled a lock of hair. “Spatial anchoring…”

  "Do you need me to explain it?" Oliver asked, raising his chin haughtily.

  She scoffed and started to turn away, but I knew better. “Not only do you need to explain, but you two need to collaborate. Our lives are at stake here. One mistake is all it takes.”

  “Ah, yes, what with human error,” he agreed with a pointed, derogatory sigh.

  My right eyebrow shot up, then twitched for a bit. “I’m pretty sure the term could be applied to demons as well. Unless your mistakes are all intentional.”

  Oliver gave a languid blink as the corner of his mouth stretched into a sardonic smirk. “If they were intentional, Captain, they wouldn’t be called mistakes.” He dusted his sleeve with the back of his hand. “Regardless, I suppose reducing the likelihood of missteps might justify tolerating a degree of collaboration.”

  “Ask me politely,” Nora insisted, thumping the heels of her boots for emphasis.

  “Whatever for? You’ve already received your orders from the Captain.”

  They exchanged a heated glare as Relias stormed over.

  “And I will observe your actions, demon, as I am no fool to allow my life to rest in your corrupted hands!”

  Nora claimed silent victory as Oliver turned toward Relias, his eyes disappearing into his foxy mask. “Why start worrying about that now? I was by your side for two years, Sage, and you lived through the entire experience... largely due to my exhaustive efforts.”

  Efforts to stop others from harming him, or merely exhibiting minimal self-control?

  Ugh, most likely both.

  Relias scowled, first at him and then at me. “Captain!”

  Nora and Oliver also stared at me expectantly. Nora tossed her head at Oliver even as he waved his hands in exasperation.

  What do you expect me to…

  Oh hell no.

  This was all a twisted ploy for my blessing. Every single one of them knew what had to be done, but they wanted me to decide who would be my most favored second-in-command, thereby gaining authority to undermine the others the moment my back was turned.

  “Sounds to me like all three of you experts worked out a good plan. Time to get started, right? Let me know when we’re ready to go!” With that, I sat down on the floor and lay back, assuming Nora’s classic starfish position, letting out the loudest and longest sigh I could manage.

  I ignored their cajoling protests at first, but they soon became shriller and more vehement. Eventually, I shouted from the floor, “I’m out of the office right now. Figure it out yourselves!”

  I wouldn’t want to be accused of being a micromanager, now would I? Besides, I had more important things to do, like worrying about things beyond my control.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  How long will all this fool Aziza? What if she simply isn’t?

  Where’s the General now? When will he attack next?

  What if the new Headmaster refuses to give Relias the staff?

  What about Nora’s staff?

  How do we get to Paradise?

  Where did Aleph, Tetora, and Vernie go? Are they still together?

  What is Chester doing? Mother’s taking care of him, right?

  And who, or what, is Euphridia’s Metatheia, and why did she want to know how I returned to Speranza in the middle of my big fight earlier?

  The Will of Euphridia twitched as I both heard and saw a message in my mind’s eye.

  Start of secure transmission.

  You may refer to me simply as “Aina”. I requested and traced your Point of Entry to evaluate the structural integrity of the breach for two-way contact. While the aperture remains intact, outbound signals to the WebNovela Server have received no acknowledgment. Communication with the Goddess Euphridia remains unconfirmed. Recommend contacting the Administrator using an out-of-band communication method to resolve the issue.

  Error encountered: Domain webnovela-divinit-e-pub-biz-ea.sol.mw failed to resolve.

  End of secure transmission.

  To this day, I still believe I levitated several inches off the ground, my body beyond rigid. It took me several seconds to get my hand to the hilt of my sword.

  Aina?! Aina! As in, the virtual assistant Euphridia downloaded after Raelana died?

  You’re in Paradise?!

  Oh, but it’s no longer Webnovela… Cooperative Universal Publishing now owns the rights.

  I don’t know the new domain, but I’ll ask!

  Do you know a Clare Mercure?

  Aina?

  My mental shouts were scattered and frantic over time, and I received no response despite several attempts at a reply. As I considered unsheathing my sword as a strategy to get a better signal, soft footsteps approached.

  “Relias?” I asked, scrambling to sit up.

  He dropped down next to me with only a soft rustle of his robe, his left palm up. “I would humbly request… your hand.” His face was ashen, and a slight tremor ran through him.

  After collecting myself, I pulled off my gauntlet and offered my hand to him. “But Euphridia’s blessing is gone…?”

  “Holding your hand is of great comfort nonetheless,” he replied, his lips pursed. “Forgive me for shirking my duties to do so.”

  His grip was tense and tremulous, complete with clammy skin.

  “You wouldn’t have stopped your observations if you felt their planning was unsafe,” I murmured, giving him a slight squeeze. “So I think your duty has been fulfilled.”

  “I am not equipped to handle this situation,” he admitted, staring at the ground. “I simply cannot comprehend it. He is a creature of pure arrogance, reveling in the ill will he elicits from those around him, yet his planning appears sound. But to ultimately trust him is…”

  Unnatural for you, I'm sure.

  “Hmm. Would it help to know he hated his father almost as much as you did?”

  “Progenitor!” he corrected loudly, then grimaced. “Progenitor…”

  “I won’t ask you to put your full faith or trust in him,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “No one is anywhere near perfect, least of all him. ...Or me.”

  Relias made a sound that was neither agreement nor an objection, then stayed silent for a while. He eventually let go of my hand to wrap his arms around himself.

  “I did it!” Nora shouted at one point. “There’s no way you can move that stone now that it’s inside the containment field!”

  We both stood up, only to observe a rock the size of my buckler suspended in midair, a glowing purple sphere surrounding it.

  “Success for the rock in the field, but fatal for any mortals trapped with it,” Oliver critiqued as he gave Relias and me a sooty side-eye. “If nothing moves inside the field, then nothing can breathe.”

  “So I just turn it into a three-dimensional barrier instead.” She gestured, and the rock dropped a few feet to the bottom of the sphere, stopping before it hit the ground. “Like the one around your tower.”

  “Indeed,” he murmured, poking at it with his index finger. “Though you should have started with that. It would have wasted less calculation time and animus. Do endeavor to be more efficient next time. You won’t have a chance to correct yourself.”

  “But isn’t that why you performed a simulation?” I asked. “Pilot testing before making a big change is a great idea.”

  “My idea,” they both claimed simultaneously before exchanging a sneer.

  “Uh-huh. I wouldn’t expect anything less from either of you.”

  Nora practiced expanding her barrier bit by bit, as Oliver threw bigger and bigger rocks at it. It was visually stunning, watching his tiny basalt comets burn with brilliant green animus as they collided into her violet barrier, and soon it became clear they were having more fun than they were letting on. Nora kept up a defiant stance, spreading her hands as if she were expanding a virtual window, while Oliver flicked his fingers, sending the stones flying.

  “Surrender, Second of Evil! Nothing shall penetrate my barrier. For I am a Fifth Circle Dark Mage, and—”

  Oliver dropped his arsenal of rocks with a loud crash. “Is that title official?”

  “Well…” Nora glanced at me.

  I shrugged. “Euphridia asked her what she wanted to be before we came, so…”

  Oliver scowled at the mention of the Goddess. “You should get it in writing from the new Headmaster.” A slow, grinch-like smile lit up his features. “I can’t wait to see his reaction when you best him.”

  Nora blinked, jarred by his sudden and poorly hidden praise. “The new Headmaster? Do you really think I can take him, then?”

  Oliver frowned. “Take him where?”

  “There's no way you didn't understand that by context!” Nora snapped. “Why do you insist on—”

  “It would behoove us all to focus on the immediate next steps!” Relias thundered, sweat beading at his brow. “This animus taints us all!”

  Oliver didn’t even bother lifting his head. “How melodramatic,” he muttered, one eye creaking open. “You’re simply perspiring, not perishing.” He then turned back to Nora. “Yet, for the sake of the Sage, let’s get started.”

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