He stepped closer and, with a gentle touch, barely grazing my hair with his fingertips, tucked a stray strand behind my ear. Such a simple gesture, yet saturated with all the unspoken feelings he carried for me.
"Shall we go?" Stas asked, gazing into my eyes, and I saw there a familiar, almost home-like darkness shining within them.
I cast a final glance at my friends, my chest tightening with fear that Viola might reveal the truth to Dasha. I didn't want to leave. If I backed down now, Dasha's human life would be lost forever, and there would be no turning back. I knew all too well what that felt like—and I wasn't willing to watch someone close to me have their life destroyed.
"I can't," I whispered, standing on my toes to press a soft kiss to Stas's cheek.
He frowned. "Don't you think it might be nice to give them a little privacy?"
I circled around him, calling out to Viola. "If you tell her everything, there's no going back for Dasha. If she really means anything to you, you won't destroy her life. Look at me. Look at what I had to endure, knowing everything."
Viola swallowed hard, and with her lips barely moving, she murmured something like, "You're right."
"Are you sure?" Stas asked, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Just say the word, and I'll call Arthur."
Viola kept biting her lips, unable to decide. For some reason I couldn't comprehend, Stas was waiting for her to make the choice, despite my opinion.
"She mustn't know!" I tried to make him understand, but all he gave me was an apologetic look.
"It's not for us to decide, it's…"
"It's for me," Dasha interrupted, her face flushed almost to the point of anger. I realized she was on the verge of losing her composure—but at least, even if she did, she wouldn't lunge at any of us with sharp teeth, or worse, bolt through the forest in her wolf form while innocent classmates swarmed around.
"You're not thinking about the consequences," I tried to appeal to her rational side.
"And how could I?" she snapped. "You explain nothing!"
"Please, stop shouting. Your voice carries through the forest."
"Let it! I want to know! I'm ready to know! I just need confirmation. I need to trust you."
Viola's face went pale.
"Do you think I don't trust you?" she asked, turning Dasha to face her before placing both hands on her shoulders. "Do you think that's why I don't tell you?"
"Then why not?"
Viola gave her a small shake, emphasizing her words. "I'm protecting you."
"From whom?"
Viola let out a bitter little laugh and tapped her chest. "From myself, Dasha. You're safe as long as you don't know. We're just friends, classmates, with nothing but upcoming exams to worry about. But that's all just a beautiful facade. An illusion of a simple, easy life. If you find out, you'll be trapped in our world forever. I don't want that for you."
"And what about what I want?"
Viola dropped her hands and shook her head, looking away. "You don't know what you're asking."
"What kind of friends are we if you can't trust me completely?"
"You'll be afraid of me."
"And if I'm not?"
"Not?" Viola smirked, extending her hand, palm up, still staring at the damp earth. "Even after this?"
She started to clench her fingers into a fist, millimeter by millimeter, her hand trembling with tension, as though she were summoning every ounce of her strength.
Then came a sharp crack—then another, and another, faster, louder. I turned toward the source, my breath caught in my throat.
A tree in the distance was splitting down the middle. Large splinters and chunks of wood flew in all directions, ripped apart by an invisible force. Viola stood at least fifteen meters away, yet she shattered the trunk with her own power. Sweat gleamed on her forehead, and her eyes glowed golden.
I would have recoiled if Stas hadn't taken my hand. His thumb traced gentle, circular patterns over my skin, soothing me, returning the sense of safety I hadn't realized I'd lost. I knew Viola had barely begun developing her powers, unlike Max, yet seeing her potential in action made me think perhaps it was for the best: if Viola was already this strong, what might she achieve if she decided to push her magic even further? Humanity should be grateful that some people refuse to cultivate their true abilities. Power is not merely a gift—it is a curse. One capable of saving hundreds could, without effort, destroy tens of thousands.
Dasha was less fortunate. No one was there to catch her. Shocked, she collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward from the horrific scene, her legs flailing awkwardly, sending clumps of dirt flying in every direction.
Kaandor observed everything without a hint of emotion. Viola's hand froze mid-motion, attempting to split the tree completely, but the witch refused to give up, even as a bead of sweat slid down her temple.
"You need to be taught everything," Kaandor remarked in a bored tone, his amber eyes glowing faintly. The dark companion moved toward the tree, spreading his clawed hand wide. He placed it against the trunk, right where Viola's power had concentrated, and with a sudden tug, tore the core of the tree out effortlessly, flinging its upper portion in the opposite direction. When it hit the ground, the impact resonated through the forest like a clarion echo.
Viola's hand clenched into a fist as she cried out, bending toward the earth. Pain distorted her beautiful face. She could no longer bear it and fell first to her knees, then onto her back, curling into a ball and rolling side to side across the damp soil. Stas and I rushed to her immediately, desperate to understand what had happened.
"Viola! Viola!" I called, but it seemed she had plunged headlong into a whirlpool of agony, oblivious to the world around her.
Stas tried to reach for her hand gently, to assess the damage, but Viola could not stop even for a second. I feared touching her directly, so I tried to speak to her instead, calling her name to give her something familiar to hold onto in the chaos.
"Kaandor was by the tree before this happened. We need Max," I told Stas, stroking Viola's hair. She squeezed her eyes shut, but even then, tears slipped through.
"No, we need a doctor."
"But your father's away!"
Stas swore under his breath and pulled his phone from his pocket.
"I completely forgot! We'll have to get Max, there's simply no one else."
He dialed his brother quickly, but before he could explain anything, Max barked loudly into the phone, demanding the geolocation. Stas hurriedly disconnected and sent the coordinates. There was nothing more we could do for Viola right now.
I looked around as I continued stroking her hair, but Kaandor was nowhere in sight. I had only one question for him, but as often happened, my dark companion wasn't in the mood to provide answers. Instead of the familiar black, smoky silhouette with a wolf's head, I caught only a blur moving through the forest—too fast to focus on or recognize. A rainbow-hued mist whipped between the nearest pines, and from it, Max literally leapt to Viola's side, followed immediately by Arthur. Unlike the mage, the burly young man leaned against the nearest tree, breathing heavily, clutching his stomach.
"I hate these transports. Fast, but afterwards… ugh," he muttered, exhaling sharply. He looked worriedly at his girlfriend, grimacing as though he could feel echoes of her pain. Noticing my gaze, he nodded toward Viola.
"What happened?"
I opened my mouth to explain everything, but Max uttered a strange, monosyllabic spell right beside my ear. I shivered, and then he swept his hand over Viola's face. Instantly, she sank into a serene, deep sleep, finally freed from her torment.