Kai walked farther off campus, following the directions Dean Fogg had given him. Eventually, he arrived at the outer gardens — an overgrown grove on the outskirts of Brakebills, where stone paths wound through thick hedges and vines coiled lazily over old sculptures. There, waiting under the shade of a twisting silverleaf tree, was Fogg. Beside him stood a familiar face — Professor Lyland, the same man who'd helped Quentin when he was entangled in the Scarletti Web and summoned the Matarese from the Underworld.
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Uh… why the foliage? This where we grow magical leeches now?"
Fogg smirked slightly, adjusting his glasses. "Because the spell we're about to cast involves summoning a magically reactive organism. If we did it on campus, we'd have to lower the wards… and frankly, I'm tired of fixing ward fractures every time a student gets ambitious."
Lyland chimed in dryly. "Also, this grove is enchanted, so a controlled space. Any unstable magic gets absorbed by the root system. Call it Brakebills' magical compost bin."
Kai chuckled under his breath. "So, eco-friendly monster summoning. Got it."
The ritual began. Professor Lyland chanted in an ancient tongue while Fogg drew sigils into the sandy patch at their feet. The air thickened slightly, shimmered and then, a mound in the dirt pulsed once, twice, before a sickly, veined slug-like creature wriggled to the surface. Its body glistened, faintly pulsing with residual magical energy like it had just gorged itself at a ley line buffet.
Before it could react, Lyland snapped his fingers and cast a freezing hex. The Aetherphage went rigid mid-crawl. Fogg stepped forward, producing a crystal containment orb and gently guiding the creature inside. A hiss escaped the sphere as the warded seal locked in place.
Turning to Kai, Fogg held it out. "I sincerely hope you know what you're doing, Kai."
Kai took it, peering into the orb. "Oh, don't worry. I do."
Fogg sighed. "Another year, another student attempting the impossible. I swear, if this thing ends up devouring half the hedge maze, I'm blaming you."
"How long does it stay alive in here?" Kai asked, walking beside Fogg as they headed back toward the main building.
"Indefinitely," Fogg replied. "As long as the seal holds and no one taps the glass like an idiot."
They arrived back at the school just as Professor Pearl stood waiting near the administrative hall with Elliot and Quentin. Quentin stood awkwardly beside her, hands in his pockets, his face slightly pink.
"I told you not to bring up the puppy thing in front of him," Pearl hissed to Elliot.
Kai arched a brow. "Cancer puppy? Wow. Q, how'd you end up in the pet-killing business?"
Quentin rubbed the back of his neck. "I had to try something. It wasn't… it wasn't easy."
Just then, Fogg called Quentin inside, leaving Kai outside by the steps. He exhaled slowly, staring at the Aetherphage in his hand, before pulling out his phone.
It buzzed.
Julia.
He picked up. "Hey."
"They erased his memories," Julia said in a panicked tone, no greeting.
Kai blinked. "Wait — James?"
"Yes. James."
Kai closed his eyes for a second, teeth gritting lightly. 'How do I keep missing these things?' He'd been too busy. Between tracking magical anomalies, hunting spells with Julia, navigating whatever the hell was happening at Brakebills, and now dealing with this parasitic energy sponge…
"I'll be there," Kai finally said, a sigh leaking out with the words. "Just... give me a minute."
---
The warehouse was a mess and sound of flesh hitting against flesh filtered through the air as Kai stepped inside. The moment he entered, his eyes narrowed at the scene unfolding before him. Tom and Devin locked in a brutal fistfight, circling each other like wolves while the others Larry, Travis, Julius, and Michael all stood around watching as if it were some underground sport.
A pile of blood bags he had brought back for them sat in the corner like a trophy.
Kai's frown deepened.
The moment the fighters noticed his presence, they froze mid-motion. Silence settled like dust.
Kai glanced from the fighters to the amused onlookers, then back to the blood bags. "Are you betting now?" he asked flatly.
Larry spoke up. "There's not much else to do. Figured we'd die of boredom so might as well enjoy the view before the grave."
Kai's brow arched. "Hmm, Suicidal logic. Can't even argue with that."
He shrugged, pulling out a containment orb its surface faintly glowing. "Well, if you're not dead yet, feel free to celebrate. I've found a way around the whole ash-to-ash, burn-down-your-host issue."
The crystal shimmered as the creature inside moved. A slug-like parasite floated inside, its darkened body lined with pulsing veins, slow and hypnotic.
Michael took a wary step back. "What the fuck is that?"
Kai grinned dryly. "A parasitic solution to a parasitic problem."
Without another word, he tossed the orb toward Larry, who caught it reflexively, the container cool but faintly vibrating.
Kai pointed lazily. "Keep that thing somewhere none of you cavemen can damage it. Please."
He turned to leave, but paused by the door. "Oh and my bet's on Tom."
Devin groaned audibly. Kai's smirk widened as he vanished in a blur of speed.
---
Back to Julia's apartment. When Kai stepped inside, his light footsteps froze the moment he saw her.
Julia was curled on the couch, a tissue crumpled in one hand, her face streaked with tears.
Instantly, all the humor left Kai's face. His expression hardened into something cold, sharp.
"I'll kill them," he said without hesitation.
Julia reached up quickly, grabbing his arm with both hands and shaking her head silently.
"Marina," he said grimly. "It's her, isn't it?"
Julia nodded, her voice barely audible. "James didn't deserve this."
Kai paced once before kneeling in front of her, eye-level now. "This is her getting even for the hex, and for you defying her. And James was the closest one she could reach."
Julia nodded again, tears returning. "She took everything from him, Kai. His memories, Us, Me. He didn't even recognize me."
Kai gently reached for her hand. "I can try reversing it. Maybe I can extract what was suppressed"
"No," Julia interrupted quietly.
Kai blinked. "Excuse me?"
"No," she repeated, firmer this time, voice low but steady. "This… might be for the best."
Kai stared at her like she'd just grown a second head. "You're losing me here."
"I've been keeping things from him," Julia said slowly, the words tasting like ash. "The magic, the late night run away and I told him I was using Kai, I lied to him on several occasions and he didn't deserve that… he doesn't even know who I am anymore. I've dragged him into this world without him ever having a say, and now? Now maybe… maybe this is a chance for him to have a clean slate."
Kai's eyes narrowed, but he didn't speak. He watched her, listened.
"I couldn't live with myself," Julia continued, voice cracking, "if I kept hiding this. If I kept pulling him into something that could get him killed."
There was a long pause.
Finally, Kai sat back down beside her. He didn't argue. He didn't push.
"Can you just stay for a while?" she asked softly, eyes rimmed with red.
Kai gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. "Yeah. Sure."
He pulled her closer, letting her rest her head against his shoulder.
After a while, he murmured, "How's progress with the doorway sealing spell, magic genius?"
Julia chuckled, voice raspier now. "Almost there. Almost."
A comfortable silence fell between them, the kind that didn't need filling.
Then Julia whispered, almost to herself, "Why couldn't it all just go right?"
Kai sighed. "Because having magic doesn't make things easier. If anything, it just makes life more complicated. More dangerous. More…" He trailed off, searching for the word. "More real."
Julia nodded silently, her breath finally slowing.
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