Day paces across the lounge, his shoes probably wearing the carpet thing. His black bow tie hangs undone around his neck, and the sleeves of button up shirt are rolled up to his elbows. Blood stains his clothing and his body shakes with rage and frustration.

"I felt something," Amisha chokes out. "Like a rip in the medium."

"What does that mean?" Lucas asks, his eyes jumping from witch to another.

"I..." Amisha pauses, reconsidering her words. "I honestly don't know. But I can tell you that whatever it is, is really bad."

"What are we going to do?" Lucas asks, his head in the palm of his hands.

"They have to send out a search party for him. They have to do something." Sierra claims, looking at the burning flames in the fireplace.

"They don't have to," Noah corrects, entering the room. "And they won't."

"What do you mean they won't?" Day's voice is as cold as steel, his glare strong enough to rival Amisha's.

"Don't look at me like that," Noah defends. "I just spoke to the Principal. And that's what she told me."

"How can they just let this be?" Orion asks appalled.

Noah bites the inside of his cheeks before answering, "Because according to the government, there's bigger fish to try."

"What's a bigger fish than an heir being kidnapped?" Sierra exclaims, her hands moving wildly.

Realisation dawns on Amisha and she interjects, "Like the Dark King escaping. Right?"

Noah nods.

"That's what the ripple was," Orion adds, sinking into the chair beside him.

"It's happening," Lucas murmurs. "It is really fucking happening."

"I don't understand," Zoe starts. "How do they keep getting in? The wards can't just be messed with it like that."

"The statue," Day answers.

With an unbelieving tone, Amisha asks, "How?"

"Maria Costav's statue must have held power, they've been using that to mess with the wards. It's what they've been doing at the courtyard."

"But who?" Orion asks. "Whoever it is, could still be doing it. They could do it again."

Day rubs the space between his brows, the gears in his head turning. His vision travel around the room, until it finds its way back to Sierra.

"What are you thinking?"

Sierra looks up at him with confusion. "What?"

"You have that look on your face. You have a theory," Day replies, his arms crossed as he leans against the wall.

Sierra looks around hesitantly.

"What is it?" Noah coaxes, getting worried.

"When I went through Amisha's mind, I noticed something. The memory had been pushed back, but not through controller magic. It was a Bender witch's work." Sierra pauses, contemplating her next works. "It felt like my head on a bigger scale when Professor Bane had intruded into my brain."

Lucas's eyes widen with disbelief. "You can't possibly be accusing Professor Bane!"

"Lucas," Sierra starts. "I am not accusing him of anything. I'm telling you what I felt."

Noah walks toward the riled up Seer witch. "You've spent a lot of time with Professor Bane, have you noticed anything weird?"

"Besides fucking with Sierra's brain?" Amisha deadpans, wondering why they weren't at the Professor's office already.

"He has been a bit weird lately. More tired, more injuries," Lucas says with a sigh. "He's weird, but he's still a good guy."

"If he's been dark magic, then there will be consequences," Day mutters, thinking out loud.

"What does that mean?" Lucas asks, bewildered.

"Dark magic comes with a price. Sometimes the price is your life, sometimes it's blood or an injury. So if Professor Bane has been involved, then it would explain why he's been tired."

"It doesn't make sense!" Lucas defends. "Why would the professor want the Dark King to come back?"

"I don't know, but looks like there's only one way to find out," Amisha answers, straightening up.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Sierra's heart thrums with anxiety as they near the doors of the Professor's office.

"We need to be prepared for anything," Noah states, rolling his shoulders back.

Throwing her manners out the window, Sierra doesn't bother with a knock. She pushes the door open. Before she can even react to the scene before her, Day's hand is already out.

"Motum glacias!"

The professor halts in his spot, the hazel wood still clenched in his hand.

"Terro obfirm!" Noah shouts, and Minerva Cortex finds herself rooted to her spot.

"Minerva?" Lucas asks, his eyes disbelieving. "Please tell me, this isn't what it looks like."

Minerva cackles, a bitter sound that chills Sierra to the core. For a moment, Sierra reasons with what she sees. There is no way that her friend could possibly be involved with anything involving the Dark King. They slept in the same room, Sierra would know if Minerva had been hatching evil plans.

But as Sierra stares at the girl before her, she takes in the black bags under Minerva's eyes. Her brain analyses everything she knows about the girl she called a friend. The disappearances, the tiredness, the lies. It all makes sense in Sierra's head now.

"Ugh," she spits. "Naïve luxines."

"Why?" Sierra gasps.

"The Dark King is here to save us."

Thinking the words were a lot different to hearing them. Sierra's eyes drift to Noah and Lucas who look just as shocked as herself. Noah's eyebrows are slammed down, and his fists are clenched by his side. Lucas's eyes are narrowed into slits, only a strip of light blue showing.

Amisha steps forward. "Where have they taken Alec?"

"I don't know," Minerva answers, grinning.

Amisha turns to look at Sierra. Sierra pushes her magic through, searching through Minerva's mind. Retreating, Sierra shakes her head.

Amisha steps toward Sierra and then she halts mid step. In a movement so fast that has Sierra dizzy, Amisha turns around and punches Minerva.

"Bitch," Amisha spits out. "I let you pick out my ball dress."

With a satisfied grin, Amisha walks back. They turn, making their way to the door.

"Lucas," Minerva calls out. "Here's a lesson for you, specially demonstrated by your lovely mentor. You trusted someone, and in a world like ours, that was your biggest mistake."

With a loud bang, Lucas slams the door shut.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"How do we do this?" Amisha asks, peering over Sierra's plans.

"We follow the Malefactor attacks. They'll be taking Alec with them. A group like that, they have to a have a hideout or something. Especially with the Dark King back," Day replies, flipping through the pages where Sierra had plotted the attacks so far.

"Guys," Sierra clears her throat, calling for everyone's attention. "A few years ago, my brother he went missing. At the attack, a Malefactor said something that makes me think they have my brother."

"What did he say?" Noah asks, surprised to only be hearing about this for the first time.

"Your brother says hi," Amisha answers, quoting the man cloaked in dark green.

"I want to find him," Sierra says, the words close to sounding like a sob.

Day answers with unfaltering confidence, "We will."

Noah nods in agreement. "This is everything we have been preparing for."

"Is everyone packed? Extension enchantments done?" Sierra asks, running through her mental checklist.

Everyone nods in unison, and Day grabs the book charming it smaller to fit in his pocket.

"Principal Cashore received the message about Bane and Minerva. She's acting on it already," Orion reports, his hand gripping Noah's tightly.

"Then let's go," Lucas states, his skin itching to get out of the academy, to leave behind the betrayal of two people he had come to respect.

The group walks out, giving Noah a moment alone with Orion.

Noah looks up to face his boyfriend, who stood nearly a head taller. Orion leans down and captures Noah's lips in a desperate kiss. The kiss steals Noah's breath away and gives it back just as passionately. Orion kisses him like Noah is his salvation, the answer to his prayers and the answer to all of the universe's questions.

"Please don't die," Orion breathes, his eyes shut in grief.

"I promise that this isn't goodbye." Noah pauses. "I promise to come back to you. Orion Winders, even when I am forgotten whisper of dust on a creaking floorboard, I will still find my back to you."

With one last kiss on his lips, Noah steps away.

Noah slips out of sight, taking the light and anything good left in Orion with him.

In a barely audible whisper, Bruce murmurs, "Until the very end, Noah."