“So, that’s your answer, is it, you betrayer!? You killed Martin and Ed, as sure as putting a gun to their head yourself!” The man, Gavin, shouts. “They were my friends. But you pull out the deal! I thought you were just a coward, but you were a turncoat all along!”

A lot of the strange little things of the past few days link into a chain in my head. So, this man must be the previously unknown ‘friend’ in my chat group.

Then, the Magical assaults that I dealt with in the hospital shift; they were full of malice, dangerous wounds with the intent to kill.

The strange text from Paul praising me for telling them to pull out of something. I wonder about the others?

Me being banned from chat groups. Maybe not spam after all. At some point, old me must have actually been in those groups. And new me must have made a slip up.

It’s a lot of conjecture, but it all fits.

Past me… must have been part of some kind of conspiracy.

“AND YOU WANT ME TO APOLOGISE TO YOUR NOBLE WENCH?!” He is almost spitting.

And given Gavin’s hate of Lapis; it was probably a group that despised or worked against the noble mage class.

Now this man in front of me is furious. He is nary a step from wanting to kill me. Every so often, you could get them in the hospital, dangerous people with dangerous injuries, so I vaguely recognise it. I don’t feel as though I have done anything to deserve it, but the least I can do is attempt to be a man and protect my young wife from this pointless wrath.

Or so I thought; but my little sparkplug is raring for combat all by herself, even though she is clearly afraid. Proving once again that she is an incredible, dangerous girl. It warms me to my core that I could be so lucky as to have stumbled across such a rare jewel as this Lapis Lazuli, which shines brighter than all others.

So, I should treasure it.

But I will honour my father’s ever-solid advice of ‘Never start a fight. But always finish it.’ I wonder when alternate me forgot that lesson? I tense.

“Unbelievable. Then you can both DIE.” He proclaims.

Why is suddenly night-time? What is?

YOUWILDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIE

A ball, like pitch. Like Black Blood. Like Death.

YOUWILDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIE

My instinct screams. Whatever it is; it is filled with hate. Whatever it touches will die.

YOUWILDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIE

I freeze up merely looking at it. I haven’t ever had to fight for my life. I see all the mauled and dying patients I’ve ever seen in my life. They all scream at me to save them. They all have my face!

YOUWILDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIE

I…! I’ll die!

YOUWILDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIE

Bile rises in my throat. My eyes go wide.

YOUWILDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIEYOUWILLDIE

“Jim!”

Suddenly, there is a crackle of ozone, and Lapis tackles me, throwing me off my feet. The evil ball sails over me and splatters with a disgusting sound of hissing, cracking and warping.

Ha… Lapis already kept her promise. She saved my life.

“It’s the ward. You have to fight it!” She says to me, tears in her eyes, and crackling electricity coming from her eyes, like a little goddess.

Right. Everyone could die. I should know that best. It’s my job. But does it really matter? That won’t be me!

I shake my head. What I am even doing? I can live.

I recall my old student days. I once was alright at Track and Field, but that lapsed when I no longer had the time. But still. I’m not helpless.

I’m a healer; but I’m also a massive nerd, so I know for sure that Clerics can be just as dangerous as Wizards. I just have to figure out how to do it. Think. Think about what you want. Think of the healing. Make it yours. Make it into yourself!

Protect. Save. Defend. Love. Hope. Joy. Treasure.

And then I am agile. Every cell within me is regenerating at supreme speed, and I am swelling with power and confidence. I glow white and yellow.

I snatch Lapis up in another bridal carry and leap to my feet. Another strike of decay annihilates where we just sprawled out, turning it into a smoking crater.

I set Lapis down and take a breath.

I finally feel the adrenaline take over in me, and things slow down. I see Gavin’s face twist even harder as he starts throwing something else black and insidious at us both. His third strike; a ball even bigger than the last two. My own hand rises.

I have no shortage of emotions and senses from the last couple of days. I just have to find the right one, based on what I did before with my healing. Like I just did.

Survive. Dispel. Clear. Prevent. Repel. Deny. Love.

Whatever one was right; it ~was~ right. A burst of glowing light erupts in a corona of radiance from my palm as I bring it up.

There is an audible scream that rates worse than nails on a chalkboard crossed with a mandrake from the ball of death. And it is suddenly gone.

Gavin himself staggers backwards from the light and retches, clawing at his ears; but bizarrely, Lapis doesn’t move an inch. Her eyes are closed.

But she does glow. Suddenly, she stomps, and with a warbling electrical sound of growing intensity, an arc of electricity rips from a nearby electric pylon, dancing across various bins and garage doors and even discarded drink cans before forcefully grounding itself out through our assailant.

Gavin screams as he sears and shakes from the shocking blast. It wasn’t a powerful lightning strike by any means, by it must be painful. He shakes his head and his flesh grossly begins to mend even as it burns away.

If he can heal like that... what can we even do?

Lapis looks at me meaningfully, takes my unraised hand, and starts projecting her voice.

“Under the Britannian Law. I declare to the Land of the Empire, that me and my lawfully wedded husband were subject to magical assault.”

The entire air shakes, vibrating. What?

“Shit!” Gavin curses, visibly panicking at Lapis’ speech. I get the idea that whatever she is doing is important.

He tries to cast something again, this time a lance of dark power, at Lapis. As he does, shades of screaming creatures appear from the shadows around him. Angry sprits? Ghosts?

So, I repeat my action, protecting her, and a corona one more erupts from me, protecting us. The Lance this time feels desperate, serious. Like a laser of darkness, it continues to grind against my shield, but I keep it there, chanting my feelings in my head. The spirits join the death laser; their dark claws slashing angrily at my shield. It cracks. My head feels light. But I’ll hold it. I must.

“And I, Lapis Serena Fitzgerald Corwin, evoke my arcane right as a noble Mage to bring forth our hammer to strike! May the skies darken in her name!”

I realise; how silly of me, what really keeps the shield flaring brightest is the most obvious thing. I don’t just treasure her. Of course, I have fallen in love with Lapis. Why would I not? Her courage, her cuteness, her quirkiness. I still don’t know her truly, but what I know makes me blush like the first time a high-school boy discovers this thing called a girl exists. I have faith in her. Want to save her, protect her, and be with her. More than anything, my words previously said in logic are now more than just words.

Thunder roars in the sky. Gavin stops his spell, cussing, and now with a look of fear, starts to run.

“Let all walls break! Let all trickery unfold! Let all cowards perish! THE SKY SEES ALL! Let it be spoken to my family Sigil of Myneris and to the Arch-Magisters! AUSTER VOCARE!!”

He doesn’t get far; a massive rippling dome of blue power erupts, and blows him back towards us, splattering his blood as he rolls on the tarmac. I almost feel that entire uneasiness that pervaded me before literally shatter from within me. Lapis did this!? I thought…

Oh I see. Some kind of sacred spell has been declared. Something dark and deep and terrifying. Is this a very law ingrained in the land? What kind of magic allows this?

Suddenly, I clap my hands over my ears as another peal of thunder erupts all around, pressure in my skull multiplies to an unbearable level, and a lightning bolt slams directly in front of us.

What now!?