Black light spilled out over the sand covering the floor of Blackmist’s arena. The color seeped out of the world in a small ring and Damien stepped out from within it, his runes burning with magic.

“I’ve cloaked your magic,” Herald whispered within Damien’s mind, making him flinch involuntarily. “Bide your time and observe. If you will be fighting against Second, I will aid you. For now.”

Damien didn’t want to push his luck, so he didn’t respond.

Sylph and Delph stood across from Whisp. The shackles still hung from Sylph’s wrists, and Derrod hovered off to the side, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Between all of them stood Nolan, his green armor shimmering with magic.

“Sylph is on our side,” Nolan said, not budging from his spot. “She’s no threat to the school, nor is Damien.”

“Damien is not our current concern,” Whisp said. “Sylph is riddled with Corruption. There’s almost as much of it within her as human.”

“Her body was rebuilt with the parts of Corrupted monsters,” Delph said irritably. “You’re wasting our time, Whisp. We should be training, not interrogating our soldiers.”

“She has the same power as the enemy,” Derrod growled. “The girl is a threat to the kingdom. She could be working for the Corruption.”

“She also fought it to a standstill from what I recall in your report,” Delph pointed out. “Why would she do that? We’ve been over this, you pompous asshole.”

“Exactly,” Derrod said, thrusting a finger in Sylph’s direction. “How could a Year Two possibly stand against such a powerful creature? It was almost certainly an act. They’re trying to work their agents into our midst.”

“I know Sylph. She’s on our side,” Nolan insisted. “She’s never done anything to hurt Blackmist or the kingdom. It doesn’t matter what her magic is or how she got it. You have no right to do anything to her. She’s protected by the laws of the kingdom.”

“I’m the one who decides how those laws are enforced,” Derrod said. “Make no mistake, Gray. You are only present because you claimed right to oversee the interview as a High Noble. You have no sway over this.”

“You’d do well to respect the strength of my house, Stormsword.”

“And you’d do well to remember that you don’t yet control your house, Gray.”

“Enough,” Whisp said. “Derrod, stop bickering with a child. We need to come to a decision. The girl doesn’t seem to hold any ill will against the school, but the fact remains that she’s Corrupted in all but name. I don’t know if we can let her roam around safely.”

“I’m not letting you lock my most promising student up because of fear,” Delph drawled. “The other one killed himself to keep her alive, and I plan to honor that.“

“Are you insinuating you’d fight for her life?” Derrod asked, drawing the sword partially from its sheathe. “You would go against the word of the Queen?”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass ass about the Queen,” Delph said with a laugh. “Try me, Derrod. I’m in a bad mood.”

“You’ve never beat me in a fight,” Derrod said. “You’ll die.”

Delph reached out into the open air. A gray portal opened before his hand and he drew out a large, double bladed axe. The artifact exuded such a killing aura that Damien nearly tripped over his own feet. “I’ll cheat.”

“Delph, how do you still have that?” Whisp asked, looking more annoyed than angry. “That belongs to the school.”

“What can I say? You shouldn’t have assigned security to me.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Whisp muttered.

“Enough of this,” Derrod said. Blue lightning crackled to life in his hand. “You claim that my son and his companion were the ones that rebuilt the girl, but the boy is dead and his companion can’t be trusted. For the safety of the kingdom, we must act.”

Damien had heard enough. He wrapped the rage seething in his chest down and Warp Stepped, appearing between Derrod and Sylph.

Nolan let out a startled yelp and Whisp cursed, a purple shield springing out around her. Derrod’s eyes widened, but he recovered almost instantly. “Who are you?”

“I don’t look that different, Derrod,” Damien growled. “What in the Planes do you think you’re doing? Why is Sylph on trial? You should be hunting the Corruption, not wasting time here.”

“Would you look at that,” Delph drawled. “Didn’t think you were still kicking it. Where have you been? You missed a lot of class, you know.”

“Around,” Damien replied, not taking his eyes off Derrod. “I got a little lost.”

“You fell into a portal with Second,” Derrod said. “I saw it happen myself. There’s no way you could have fought him off.”

“And yet, here I am.”

“Can you explain what happened with Sylph?” Whisp asked, eyeing Damien warily. “And how did you survive that fight? Derrod is correct, you should not have been able to beat that Corrupted monster.”

“We got separated as soon as we fell through the portal,” Damien replied. “And it sounds like you already heard the story. Sylph got badly injured on the quest that you sent us on, so my companion saved her life. End of story.”

“Or you died when you fell through that portal and are now a puppet of the Corruption,” Derrod said. “We have no way to know if you’re truly who you say you are. Even if you are. What are those tattoos on you?”

“I’ll have to object to that,” Nolan said, finally finding his voice again. “This meeting was called in regard to Sylph, not Damien. His identity is not currently under question.”

“He appeared out of nowhere after going missing for weeks,” Derrod snapped. “Stop playing, Gray. This is the real world. Politics don’t matter when the kingdom is in danger.”

“From my view, the person in this circle putting it at most risk is you,” Nolan replied, confidence building in his tone. “Damien and Sylph have never done anything to indicate they are acting against the kingdom’s interests, and Delph said they were actively hunting the Corruption last summer. Your accusations are unfounded.”

“If Damien can vouch that she isn’t Corrupted as well, I’m inclined to believe him,” Whisp said. “I can feel his magical energy. This is Damien, not a replacement. We’ve humored your request to keep her shackled this long, but she’s made no attempt to escape. I think Delph is right. For once.”

Derrod bared his teeth and let the magic flicker out from his fingertips. “You’re all fools. I’ll be reporting to the Queen about this.”

“Try reporting to your wife instead,” Delph said, leaning against the axe. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to know you were an inch from trying to kill your son and his girlfriend.”

Derrod vanished in a shower of blue sparks. Whisp sighed and shook her head. “I’m losing my mind, Delph. Where is Dean Happenstance? I can’t deal with this any more.”

“He probably got lost. He’ll turn up eventually,” Delph replied. “Don’t feel too bad. You’re not the worst Dean I’ve seen. Maybe the second or third.”

“You try keeping everyone safe,” Whisp snapped. “It’s not very easy when my students are affiliated with the Void and the Corruption. It’s even harder when my professor knows about that and chooses not to tell me!”

“I prefer Damien alive,” Delph said. “And he’s not with the Void.”

“Please, just don’t start,” Whisp said, raising a hand. “A month ago, I would have ensured the boy executed to protect the Mortal Plane. Now… I’m not sure we can spare the manpower. This is your responsibility, Delph. I’ll try to keep the pressure off them, but there’s only so much I can do. If any of the other Deans or the Queen push too hard, I’m going to have to give.”

“We’ll deal with that when we get there,” Delph said.

“I’m sure. Now put the damn axe back.” Whisp rubbed her brow. “I need a drink. Deal with the kids. I expect a full report in three days.”

“It’ll be on your desk,” Delph said. “As soon as I can find the last quill you gave me. I threw it away, so it might take a while.”

Whisp shook her head and snapped her fingers. The cuffs fell off Sylph, and Whisp launched into the sky. Nolan stared after her, then slowly turned to Damien.

“I - later, I think,” the noble boy decided, turning around. “Fill me in if it’s something you can share. I’m glad you’re not dead, though.”

He walked out of the arena, leaving the three alone.

Delph’s expression softened once Nolan left. “I wasn’t so convinced you’d be coming back, Damien. What happened? Henry said you were still alive, but we were starting to lose hope.”

“Second and I were separated, and I landed in the Void,” Damien replied. “I can fill you in later. Why isn’t Sylph talking, though? What did they do to her?”

Delph glanced at Sylph and laughed. He waved his hand and her body morphed, the color fading from it as she turned gray. With a small puff, Havel unraveled himself and shot over to Delph, throwing the other cloak off the man in the process.

“She isn’t here. When I heard that Derrod was going to try to look into her, I had Havel take her place for a little. Sylph doesn’t have time to waste with these fools right now. None of us do.”

Damien blinked. “But… I saw her wearing the cuffs and sparring you some time ago. What was that about, then?”

“You saw us? How?” Delph asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Magic portal,” Damien replied, as if that explained everything.

“Ah. Of course,” Delph said dryly. “I’m sure you’ll tell me more, but I suspect I’m not the main thing on your mind right now. I swapped Havel for Sylph after Whisp put the cuffs on her. She’s in your normal room with Henry. We added an extra safe room for her to use. I trust you can find it.”

“I’ll make do,” Damien said.

“Then find me once you’re settled back in. We have a lot to discuss.” Delph inclined his head and Havel warped around him, swallowing the professor in a gray sphere. When it faded, Delph was gone.

Damien Warp Stepped out of the arena and set a brisk pace back toward the mountain and his room.

He reached it a short while later, practically throwing the door open when he arrived. The room looked completely empty and untouched, as if it hadn’t changed since the last time he’d seen it.

Damien scanned the stone walls as he walked into the training rooms, searching for any sign of Sylph.

Everything looked the same. There were no clear trapdoors or missing pieces in the wall to give any indication that an extra room had been added.

“I suppose it’s better this way, or it wouldn’t have held up against anyone else for very long,” Damien muttered to himself.

He extended a tendril of mental energy, running it along the walls. He paused as strands of Ether lit all around him. It hadn’t been that long since he’d last seen it, but the breath caught in his throat.

Damien drew as much of the energy into his core as he could, basking in the feeling of the magic running through his body.

The feeling passed and Damien shook his head, dismissing the excess Ether and rechecking the room for any hidden paths.

Around a corner in the back left of the room, the strands of Ether seemed to warp slightly. Damien’s brow furrowed and he walked over to it. He gently plucked one of the strands with his mental energy and it immediately gave.

A portion of the wall shimmered and faded in a puff of gray energy, revealing a roughly hewn pathway down. Delph’s magic, no doubt.

Damien slipped into it, keeping his balance on the wall with his hand as he descended. Faint light from runes covering the walls guided his way.

The path ended at a circular room. Sylph sat in meditation on ragged bed in the room’s center, green and black magic swirling around her.

As soon as Damien set foot inside the room, Sylph’s eyes snapped open.

Henry materialized beside her with a gleeful cackle.

“See? He’s alive! I told you!”

“If I recall correctly, I had to remind you of that a few times,” Sylph said, getting to her feet. “I was getting really worried, Damien. Henry couldn’t figure out where you were and Delph wasn’t having any luck either. What happened? And what about Herald? Did you manage to seal it again?”

“It’s a long story,” Damien said. “What about you? What happened after I fell into the portal with Second?”

“It’s a long story,” Sylph replied, the corner of her mouth quirking up in a grin. She nodded to her makeshift bed.

The two sat down and Henry slipped back into Damien’s shadow, filling the hole that had been present ever since he’d fallen through his portal.

After Henry set up a sound barrier around them, Damien told Sylph everything that had happened after he’d fallen into the Void.

She listened with wide eyes, and the only interruptions were Henry’s occasional baffled mutterings.

“So Herald is on our side now?” Sylph asked once he’d finished.

“I’m not sure if I’d go that far,” Damien replied. “I think it is just doing anything it can to destroy the Corruption, and right now, it benefits from working with me.”

“That’s better than nothing,” Sylph said. “But one thing still doesn’t make sense. How did you travel from the Void to the Mortal Plane so quickly? It took Henry thousands of years.”

“I think it’s something to do with these runes,” Damien replied, raising a hand. The lines running across it darkened and shifted, forming a new set of inscriptions on his skin. “They aren’t normal runes. I’m not even convinced they are runes. I understand parts of what they do, and I think I’ve somehow been connected with the Void itself.”

“Damien is right, and it’s very concerning,” Henry said quietly. “I was worried about the effects of casting Void magic on your mind, so I did a little snooping around. There isn’t a single trace of Void magic warping you. Instead, it’s like you yourself are the Void. You’re wrapped in it like a blanket. I can’t determine exactly what effect it’s going to have on you, Damien.”

“Any effect would be worth the trade,” Damien said, clenching his fist. “I needed to get back here.”

“I’m not arguing,” Henry said. “I like Sylph, but things just aren’t right if I can’t head back to your mind at the end of the day. I got things all organized in there just the way I like them. Sylph’s soul keeps trying to reject me.’

“I think it’s more that the Corruption inside me is drawn to consume power,” Sylph said with a grim smile. “But I’m glad to have Damien back as well.”