"In a way, yes. It is about Laura." Agidi nods. "But you're not going to die. As much as we want that to happen, we can't take that risk."

"Because my demise would miraculously unleash a bigger monster? Come on! There's no bigger monster than me. And I say let's get this over with." I step forward and descend dramatically to my knees before Agidi. "Let's get this over with, great Elder of the Ezori."

"You'd willingly confront your fear of fire just to be free?" he asks, reaching down and raising me back to my feet. I'm prompted to disagree with him, but it's not so far from the truth.

"Listen, I'm not kidding anyone," I sigh, stepping back from him. "I might chicken out at the last minute, but I'm really tired, old friend. The flames would burn me mercilessly for a few minutes and then it will be over. Forever."

Agidi exchanges a knowing look with Ovivi and they both chuckle. He glances back at me and rests a hand on my shoulder like we're suddenly old friends. "That won't be necessary, because we're willing to fight fire with fire."

My eyes flick toward the mage, who despite being a stranger to me, seems like an unfair opponent. "He'd be dead with a single whisper from me. He can't kill me."

"Again, no one is going to kill you." The Elder sighs and drops his hand from my shoulder. "Ovivi has been an ally to our cause for decades now. He's responsible for keeping the other mages in check."

I glance at the crimson mage in disbelief. "What, he's like your inside man?"

"I'm no one's inside man!" Ovivi snaps, fixing his intense eyes on me.

"Ovivi is going to take over from where we left off, as our temple crumbles under the overwhelming scrutiny of the American government," says Agidi. "It turns out these foreign countries and their elites have been looking for an excuse to take out the great anomaly they can't seem to wrap their heads around." He pokes my burnt chest with a finger, causing me to wince. "You, Adahwahyi. You're what they want. All these threats to execute you are merely to get us to hand you over. They know what you mean to our people. They've studied our history. They know we won't let you die."

It appears my fate is sealed if even foreign countries are vying to acquire me as some kind of commodity.

"Is this the price for power? Incapacitation?" The words escape my lips as I cast my eyes down in despair. "So I'm just a trophy to be displayed to tourists, curious minds, and dreamers. Nothing more."

Agidi smirks and leans closer to me, whispering, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're having an existential crisis, Adahwahyi."

My eyes narrow and I roll them at him. "I'm literally a living, walking embodiment of that concept, what do you think?"

Agidi turns around and walks over to Ovivi, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as he reaches him. "What I'm saying is if a mage as self-centered as Ovivi can be persuaded to work with us, why can't you?"

"Because I'm currently being hunted by Americans?" I mutter.

"I'll take care of that," Ovivi says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "A simple illusion spell on one of my captives will pass them off as you. They take them away, and you stay with me, working alongside me to keep the magical community in check."

"I don't think you're that powerful, red," I dismiss, averting my eyes to the Elder. "You know those technological gadgets override magic, right? The White man's magic: their pacemakers, cellphones, wireless devices counteract natural sorcery. I felt it yesterday around Laura—"

"It seems you've forgotten that I practice dark magic." Ovivi smirks. "I anchor my spells to the spirits of the dead—sacrificial and blood magic. There's nothing natural about my powers."

Agidi looks skeptical, his eyes flicking between Ovivi and me. "Adahwahyi is darkness personified. Have you seen what he does? There's nothing natural about his powers."

Ovivi laughs and sits down on the sofa that Agidi rose from, his response calm and collected. "Trust me, I've been around for a very long time. I'd know if the spell he used on you was tied to something dark or unnatural."

Even I am skeptical about what he just said. I have zero empathy and could watch everyone here torture themselves to death without a care in the world. Yet this strange clown in red thinks his darkness rivals mine?

"Adahwahyi," he says softly. "Do you have any idea how your powers came to be?"

I smirk, glare at him, and say, "Who does? We're just born with them. They haunt us until we own them and use them to haunt others."

"No, that's what a psychic would say," he disagrees, "someone with natural abilities. I, myself, was once a normal man with no magical abilities to call my own. I discovered dark magic and it's safe to say I haven't been the same ever since."

"Hmm..." The Elder nods contemplatively. "Well, compared to slaughtering chickens and lambs for dark spells, fear does seem to occur more naturally."

"So you're not hindered by the white man's magic?" I say, feeling a tad envious. "Do you even have any weakness at all?"

"You think if I did, I'd share them with a godly entity who heralds fear?"

"Fair point." I shrug, smiling at him. "Well, I just hope your illusion spell sticks and I don't get dragged into a circus show far away from home."

"Adahwahyi," calls Agidi. "The Ezori has decided that keeping you in chains and trying to tame your abilities has done more harm than good, destabilizing you over the years beyond what even we can manage."

"But I can fix that," says the crimson clown, "by anchoring you."

I back away cautiously. "You want to steal my powers?"

"More like put them to better use," he responds. "And in return, you get to live with me up north, away from the primitive calm—"

"Watch it!" mutters Agidi, causing Ovivi to chuckle mid-sentence.

"—of this temple, and we'll find a way around your obsession with the dark, get you to live a little." He winks at me.

I let out a deep sigh of relief, raising my hands in surrender. "All right. When do we leave, great dark mage?"

Ovivi exchanges a triumphant look with the Elder and smirks. "Ready when you are, Adahwahyi."

I smile, knowing deep in my heart that this little slice of happiness doesn't come for free. Perhaps the cost lies in the way the mage chooses to channel my abilities for his use, or how he treats me when I eventually move in with him.

I'm mostly just careful with my wishes moving forward, as the price for comfort has been, and will always be, pain and regret.

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