The girl had her head on the table, totally passed out.
Tai was sitting next to Nova, reading a book quietly so he wouldn't wake her.
He closed the book and set it aside.
It was about low-level magic, but Tai couldn't pull off any of the spells in it.
He raised his hand slowly and started whispering some gibberish as a spell.
A tiny spark of light flickered at his fingertip and vanished in a split second.
He sighed and smacked the book against his head.
"Man, I'm such a loser. Can't even do the lamest magic."
He glanced at Nova, who was still out cold, and gently ran his hand through her hair.
"You know, I wanna get outta here with you someday, live together, and maybe…"
Nova started stirring, slowly opening her eyes. She lifted her head off the table, stretched her arms up, and let out a small yawn.
"Sleep good?" Tai whispered softly.
"Yeah, not bad…"
She opened her arms for a hug, and Tai slid into it, wrapping his arms around her.
The sound of the door handle turning cut through the room, and they jumped apart.
Tai's dad appeared in the doorway, holding a book, his face all business.
"Tai, come to my study for a sec," he said, voice cold and firm.
Tai's face faltered for a moment but quickly went back to normal.
He got up and headed toward his dad.
"Alright…"
Suddenly, he felt a tug. He turned to see Nova staring at him, worry all over her face.
He gave her a soft smile.
"I'll be right back."
He pulled his hand free and followed his dad, leaving Nova alone in the room.
---
In the fancy red hallway decked out with gold, royal vibes, Tai trailed his dad in silence.
A few seconds later, they reached the golden door to his dad's study and went in.
"I finally figured out how you heal," his dad said.
Tai's head snapped toward him, eyes wide.
"You…"
His dad ran a hand through his gray hair, grinning like a kid with a new toy.
"It's because of your cells. They make you heal."
"Figuring it out was a pain. Took years. I read every book—science, magic, even fairy tales. Spent most of my research budget on it. Finally found it in some dumb prophecy book. Said someone would be born with cells that make them physically immortal, healing forever… unless those cells get burned from the inside."
Tai's face filled with panic. He bolted for the door, screaming, grabbing the handle—but before he could turn it, he collapsed.
He tried to get up, but his legs were dead.
His dad loomed over him, hand glowing with light.
"Don't freak, it's just a little magic. Level-four paralysis spell."
He waved his other hand, and vines shot up from the floor, wrapping around Tai and pinning him to the wall.
"This one doesn't have a name 'cause nobody knows it exists. I discovered it myself. I know tons of magic nobody's even heard of."
Tai's face was still frozen in fear. His dad stepped closer, pulling a red button from his pocket.
"You know what this is, right?"
Tai tried to move, but the vines tightened.
"If I press this, the bombs I planted in your girlfriend's body go off."
He pressed the button.
"Oh, nothing happened? Right, duh. Bombs need to be there to explode. No bombs, no boom. So this button's useless."
Tai's face twisted in disgust as he glared at him.
"You bastard…"
His dad flashed a crazy grin.
"Last words, huh? I put in all this work to make everything perfect for you to enjoy, and you call me a bastard?"
He walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a black book.
He opened it, revealing a tiny marble-sized ball hidden in a torn page.
"This gets planted in the body. When it's activated, it releases gas that burns all your cells before they can heal."
Tai's eyes widened in terror, and he tried to scream, but a vine covered his mouth.
His dad punched him in the stomach, his fist sinking in.
Tai's eyes bulged in pain, his muffled screams trapped by the vines.
His dad dropped the ball into the wound, pulled out his blood-covered hand, and Tai's stomach healed instantly.
A burning pain ripped through Tai's gut.
In a split second, his eyes went dull, and his body went limp.
His dad grinned, thrilled, but then the door handle turned, and the door swung open.
Honey-colored eyes appeared.
"Uh, sorry, is Tai here…?"