Silas ran to dodge the splintering wood and the grumbling beast that followed, when Lennox yanked him behind himself. He instinctively squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught, but Lennox didn’t even flinch.

As the wood dust settled, a man’s face came into view. He was tall—almost as tall as Lennox, but broader. Muscles flexed beneath his tunic as he punched away the remaining shards of the door and stepped through the wreckage with the casual menace of someone used to making entrances.

A strange beast perched on his shoulder, and another boy, slightly taller than Silas, peeked from behind him.

“We could have just knocked, but no—Reid has to make everything dramatic,” the boy jibed, tone light.

Reid shrugged, a gesture far too relaxed for someone with a glare like a drawn blade—one fixed directly on Silas.

Silas instinctively shrank further behind Lennox. At least this one needed him alive.

“You should have listened to your mate,” Lennox hissed, live flames licking up his fist.

Reid finally turned to face him.

“If you don’t want to be chased,” he sneered, black miasma swirling around him, “don’t run.”

The tendrils of dark energy curled toward the ceiling like smoke from a funeral pyre. Silas watched Lennox’s jaw clench. He wasn’t used to being challenged like this.

They stared each other down—tense, immovable, calculating. The air grew thick with heat and pressure, sweat trickled down Silas’s brow, and even the beast on Reid’s shoulder went still.

Then, without warning, Lennox moved. One moment he stood before Silas; the next, Zenos exploded into being—towering over Lennox’s shoulders like a crown forged of fire and fury.

But something was wrong.

Lennox’s eyes widened.

Reid stepped back instinctively, his beast snarling and bristling.

“Is that really necessary?”

Zenos wasn’t responding to a command. He was charging.

The small beast disappeared and a serpentine figure of black rose behind Reid, summoned without hesitation. The two forces collided—blue flames against a black snake. The impact shattered the very air. A stream of darkness, raw and ancient, surged from Reid like a flood from a death god’s tomb. Zenos answered in kind—flames howling in defiance, threatening to incinerate the very world around them.

Wood splintered, mortar cracked, metal twisted. Another thunderous boom rocked the room, cracks crawling up the walls like spiderwebs.

“Lennox!” Silas screamed—and suddenly, everything stopped.

A void yawned open, a vacuum that devoured all light, all flame, all shadow. Crushing darkness swallowed them whole.

Then—slowly—a new scene emerged. Light filtered back. Solid ground returned.

“What the—” the boy behind Reid stammered, spinning to take in their new surroundings.

All heads turned to Silas.

He was no longer standing beside Lennox.

Silas raised both hands in surrender and shook his head violently. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t even know how—”

But Reid didn’t believe it. No one did. The shadows may have receded, the flames gone quiet—but madness now smoldered in Reid’s eyes.

He took a step toward Silas. Lennox intercepted him, grabbing his shoulder.

“Get out of my way!” Reid snarled.

Flames ignited again, encircling them in a searing halo. But this time, Lennox blinked—and the fire around him flickered, then abruptly snuffed out. He stood still, fists clenched, jaw tight, as though struggling to stay grounded.

Silas glanced at him, noticing the slight tremor in his hands, the tight lines around his eyes.

He wasn’t in control.

Not fully.

And suddenly, Leopold’s words echoed in Silas’s memory—about the jewel that Lennox had lost. The one meant to give him a few more years to live. Keep the madness away. What if the loss had been affecting him all along? Why wouldn't he say anything?!

He took a step closer, lips parted as if to voice his thoughts, but was interrupted.

“Try me,” Lennox growled.

“Oh boy,” Reid scoffed. “If you think your flames scare me, line up outside the Arena tomorrow. For now, keep them in check. You don’t want me as your enemy. I just want to know how the boy nullified the contract.”

Silas exhaled in relief. At least one of them was still thinking rationally. Lennox, on the other hand, looked ready to erupt—a volcano on the verge of explosion.

“You can ask from where you stand,” he hissed, “or you’ll learn these aren’t the flames you toy with in your pathetic Arenas.”

Behind Reid, a shadow stirred again—ancient and coiled. For a moment, both their gazes seemed distant, as if they stared into a realm no one else could see.

“How about you let me talk to him, Reid?” the other boy offered, stepping calmly between them.

Silas admired the confidence. He wished he could pull that off.

“Stay out of it, Tarron,” Reid barked.

Tarron ignored him entirely and turned to Silas.

“How did you do that? In the Arena?”

“If I tell you the truth… will you just leave? Is that all this is about?” Silas asked, the words tumbling out before he could think them through. He didn’t care about pride or position—not right now. All he knew was that these two shouldn't be in the same room any longer. And Lennox… Lennox wouldn’t have to waste any more strength holding himself back. Not when he was clearly slipping. The last thing he needed was another fight he couldn’t afford to lose.

“Yes, yes,” Tarron replied quickly, visibly excited now.

Somehow, that grabbed Reid’s attention too. The flames and shadows still lingered—but they were listening.

“I can… see spells,” Silas began. “Didn’t know until recently that I could manipulate them. I was trying to read the Arena’s magic screen—like how I do back in my homeland. I figured if it was spelled, I’d be able to see it.”

He scratched his head, sheepishly. “But maybe magic works differently here. When I tried, something changed. I think I accidentally modified the spell and… ended up somewhere else.”

Their faces stayed unreadable, but the silence encouraged him to continue.

“There was a stream, a forest nearby. A clearing where a man stood with a horse. He said he had the contract for Dales… and that I had prayed to him? Honestly I had no idea I was even praying to someone. Things just have been happenining around me recently. He said I could modify spells, but he wanted me to be careful. I didn’t have time for anything else and neither did he—Lennox was in a fight. So I returned. And when I got back… I could see all the magic running through the Mages.”

He hesitated, guilt creeping in. “I was trying to stop Darrum from using his power but… I didn’t know how. And then... all the lights vanished. All the magic was gone. And before you ask - I don’t know how to bring it back.”

Tarron clicked his tongue, disappointed. “That’s not what we were hoping for.”

He turned to Reid. The two were still locked in a silent war of glares.

“We’re not your enemies,” Tarron said with a sigh. “My partner just... tends to run out of patience.”

“So does mine,” Silas muttered.

Lennox arched his brow and glanced sideways. “Says who?”