I'm going to have to use magic to help her.

I can't let her die.

The Leader's hand glows with technology, but I can't tell what kind.

My own eyes glow as well.

"Sir, you're starting to-" I interrupt Alexis' mental warning with my own,

"I know. But I can't stand here and do nothing!" She falls silent.

I feel bad about yelling at her, I'll have to apologize later.

I wave my hands in front of me and then make a book motion. Instantly, a thick book appears in front of me.

Part of Puppeteering magic requires something to look into, like you're an overlord of subjects. That's the main reason I don't like it.

Too much control.

My legs fold into a meditative stance below me as I hover and skim the pages until I find a friend.

"Violet"

I tap it to momentarily be seeing things through her eyes, just to make sure it's her.

Then I back out of her body with a small wrist movement. Invisible strings attach themselves to my fingertips and her body parts, I then reattach to her magic abilities.

I am an unique Puppeteer. My magic allows me to completely control everything this person will see, hear, and do. But only because it's just one person. If I do more than one person I have to only do the necessities.

However, since this is magic in Puppeting, I have to be a LOT more careful with it. One wrong move and I could accidentally kill her.

I calmly intertwine my fingers to direct her powers to her fingertips, then take a deep breath so she can do the same to calm down. Her magic makes the grass around her grow as I release it into the wildlife.

"Much better." The Leader lowers his weapon and looks around the area.

Violet is breathing hard as she lays on her side, eyes closed.

I will have to explain to her later, with something other than Puppeteering magic.

But when I look to Steven I am very much chilled.

He's looking directly at me.

Like he knows I'm there.

And I know that anyone who has even a basic understanding of magic knows how to sense other magicians, but I have my aura packed away so those sensors won't go off.

And his magic was taken away.

I knew he was powerful, but strong enough to sense my presence without any magic at all? I seriously underestimated his abilities.

He mouths,

"Thank you." To me as I nod. Even if he can't see me, I feel as if its necessary.

"He should be here by now." One of them closest to me whispers to the other.

"I know, but you wanna risk telling that to the Boss?" I wave my book away into the pocket of folded space that I made when I was ten and carefully step closer.

As if on que, the Boss speaks,

"Girl, what aren't you telling us." Violet looks up from her spot,

"I've told you everything I know, me and Kyle don't talk often." He chuckles as he leans down close to Violet,

"Oh? Then how come you two were so friendly to each other in the marketplace?" Steven raises an eyebrow at her as she responds,

"Yes. Friendly. We are friends after all, he was just so awkward I felt bad for him." The Leader puts a hand under her chin and forces her to make eye contact with him,

"So then you're free?" She is obviously disgusted as she jerks her head away,

"Not to you I ain't." He makes a tsk-tsk noise as he stands,

"You are going to want to be a lot kinder to me." She laughs,

"Am I? I'm really enjoying it now." He snarls and brings back his foot to kick her.

Steven tries to move to stop him, but others hold him back.

Time seems to slow down around me.

He's going to hurt my friend. I couldn't save Steven before he got hurt, but I can save Violet.

"Sir, you're levels are rising." My voice is a growl,

"Alexis, protect them." The spell shatters at the sound of my voice as Alexis turns into a sphere and rolls to Steven and Violet.

I teleport to the front of the Leader, right in his face,

"You will not hurt her." I move faster than he can react as my hand closes around his throat tightly.

By the time the rest of them can react, I send him flying across the opening and crashing into a tree.

A few scatter in an effort to get help, I put up a trapping spell as Alexis rolls away with Steven and Violet inside.

"Let's play a game." I growl.

They won't be forgiven.

~•~•~•~•~•~• Alexis and Co. ~•~•~•~•

"How did he get such an expensive robot?" Steven questions, patting the inside of the sphere.

"He says he found it." Violet replies with equal awe. Alexis beeps,

"Welcome. Please refrain from distracting me from my destination." They both jump as Violet snickers,

"It feels like it's in my head. That's so weird!" But Steven gets right to the point. All flattery from before is gone,

"What can you tell us about Kyle?" Alexis takes a moment to scan her memory for all signs that Lincoln said to use for his "Kyle" personification.

"Not much, I am afraid. He's just recently moved my ownership to himself." Violet nods to Steven, but he makes no acknowledgement of it. As if he's digging for something,

"Tell us what you can, please. I'd like to know more about my friend's life offline." There's something in his tone that Alexis recalls Link warning her about. She words her next phrases as carefully as she can.

"I do not understand. What did I do to make you use that tone? It is distrusting, is it not?" Steven raises an eyebrow and Violet leans back.

Both of them getting curious now. Not many will talk to the robots they buy, they are after all only robots.

Incapable of understanding human emotions and problems.

"It is." Steven admits, "But please, what do you know?" Alexis pauses again,

"Kyle is very secretive towards humans. He prefers technology despite being gifted in the arcane arts. His family is more brutal towards him because of his personality than any of their other children. The fact that he has decided to protect you two is astonishing enough, but his parents (especially his father) mustn't know."

Alexis realizes her mistake:

Oops. That's not all from Kyle's file.

Sorry.