Jace darted through the alleys. He came dangerously close to a patrol of the city guard since they'd already know about what happened but didn't care. He could move fast enough that he'd lose them before long. He gritted his teeth as images flashed in his mind. He blocked them out by listening to the roar of the wind. If I can leave this world I can find Phoenix. She'll know where I am so finding her shouldn't be hard. I just have to figure out how to get off! He gritted his teeth. He knew from what he had gathered from the head of the school's mind that he was a planeswalker. He just couldn't figure out how to leave.
I'm sorry Jace. If I had known things would've turned out much differently. Lucy's father's final thought echoed in his mind.
I was used. He was a Black Lotus Assassin. Of course he knew what they're motives were. I was used. I was used. The head of the school used me to get rid of an obstacle. He kept getting in the way. I'm such an idiot. Jace cursed silently as he stumbled over a branch. He slowed to a stop and looked around. He was in a forest. He recognized this forest as being the same one Vadanya had been attacked in years ago. He swallowed nervously. He cast all the sensory augmentation spells he knew. Suddenly he could see the veins of every blade of grass beneath his feet and could hear the slightest buzzing of the bugs in the forest.
Footsteps approached him calmly, unthreateningly.
Jace whirled around to see the lightning and law mage instructors. The lightning mage held a folded piece of cloth in her arms and the law mage carried a well made bow and a quiver of arrows. Jace stared at them as the two of them approached him.
"Here," she smiled and held out the cloak to him, "It has a magical property that masks your magical presence from any mage that does not specialize in detection magic."
"You're helping me?" Jace asked in shocked disbelief.
The law mage shrugged, "You always deserved more than the restrictions of this world." His eyes had a deep knowing look.
The two of them suddenly began to fade from his vision. Jace stared at them, "Wait! Why are you fading away?!"
"We aren't alive Jace," the lightning mage explained.
"A guide of souls asked us to look after you," the law mage added, "and now that your spark has ignited there's nothing more we can do."
"WAIT! How do I get away from here?!" Jace reached out to them but they were gone. The bow and the quiver fell to the ground.
Reach inside you. The power was always there. A gentle voice murmured in his ear. Jace turned and saw the Moonglow Moth floating beside him. He picked up the weapons and slid silently through the trees. He turned invisible so that he wouldn't be seen and climbed up a tree. He gently but firmly shoved the bow between two branches of the tree within easy reach of him and put the quiver of arrows on his shoulders. He fastened the cloak around his shoulders and pulled the hood over his head. He curled up against the trunk of the tree. The moth landed on his nose.
"He went rogue?" Jarvis stared at Jordyn in shock.
Jordyn nodded sullenly, "He went rogue. He killed the head of the school and Lucy's father."
"Lighten up," Conner urged, "You know he'd never do something like that on purpose."
"I know," Jordyn nodded, "I'm just worried about him."
Jarvis smirked knowingly, "Don't worry about him. He's got one hell of a guardian angel."
"I wouldn't call her an angel but that's the role the phoenix plays," Orriyon whispered.
Jordyn whirled around, "When'd you guys get here?"
"Just now," Vadanya said. He's gone. He's rogue. And I don't know what to do. Kylle's been gone for three days now searching for him. He won't stop until Jace is dead and he'll take great pleasure in finally shutting Jace up. Lucy's completely broken by the loss of her father. She still comes over but she's distracted. She's constantly telling herself that Jace didn't do it. He's such an idiot. He didn't realize that everyone looked up to him so much and now he's broken every promise he's ever made whether he meant to or not. "This is stupid."
"What's stupid?" Erin asked curiously.
"Everything," Vadanya shrugged, "Jace's gone and everyone's still fretting."
"He didn't do it!" Lucy shrieked.
"I didn't say he did," Vadanya snapped, "I'm just saying that he's gone. He won't be coming back."
"He will come back! He'll come back and he'll explain everything!" Lucy snarled.
"The possibilities are dark and hazy," Orriyon whispered, "There is no happily ever after for this story."
"He WILL come back!"
"If you truly believe that then you don't know him at all!" Vadanya hissed, "Once he's caught he's done! He knows that whether he did or not he'll be blamed. He won't be coming back!"
"Stop it!" Erin stepped between the two of them, "This isn't getting anywhere. Jace may yet come back. The story of him going rogue has not been confirmed. The school will hold an assembly if it is."
"Fine," Vadanya shrugged. She turned her back on both Erin and Lucy and crossed her arms over her chest.
Orriyon studied her shoes. The assembly and everything in the near future is set in stone. In his anger Jace listened and in that moment he didn't hold back. In that moment he didn't care for the consequences and he didn't care for the lives he was taking. Whether or not he regrets this choice or seals it all away determines his path on this version of the story. There's so much darkness on his path. I'm not sure he'll be able to do it this time. Maybe they won't win. Maybe he'll win.
Vadanya studied her carefully, "Are you alright?"
"Hey!"
The entire group turned as Kylle and a patrol of the city guard walked up to them.
"You haven't seen Jace have you?" Kylle sneered, "He's been missing for a few days."
"He will come back," Lucy said, "I know he'll come back. He'll come back and explain everything and everything will go back to the way it was."
"Oh, I hope he does come back," Kylle nodded.
Lucy's eyes flew wide open, "You'll kill him!"
Vadanya instantly felt pressure building up around the brunette. She grabbed Orriyon's hand and dragged her a safe distance away.
"LUCY!" Erin cried. Lucy screamed and the entire patrol was torn into bits of dust and ash. The brunette fell to her knees, "He'll explain everything." Vadanya's eyes widened in shock.
Erin looked at them, "Go home!"
Vadanya grabbed Orriyon's hand and darted away. She felt fear the likes of which she hadn't for a very long time. Orriyon started panicking and breaking down the moment they stopped. Vadanya did her best to comfort her, "It's okay. I promise it'll be okay." She glared at they way they had come and her face steeled. We'll leave this world. It's not safe to be here anymore for us.
The school had the assembly the next day. Jace slid into Erin's room as he left for the assembly. He wrote a note on a piece of paper and crumpled it up before stuffing it into his empty backpack. He had spent the past week learning to create extra dimensional pockets so the weight of what he carried didn't slow him down. It was in the spell book that he had neglected to give back to Jarvis but he was pretty sure his brother's friend didn't mind. He kept the bow and arrows on his person in case he didn't have time to summon them. He paused. Let's make what I'm requesting a little easier. He began to gently and subtly pick apart Lucy's memory. Everyone he could clear without damaging her mind, he did. That included Jarvis, most importantly as well as Phoenix, Erin, and most of the students at the school. He cleared his connections to any of them from her mind and cleared Phoenix and Jarvis completely. He climbed onto the window sill and jumped off. He darted off school grounds and back into the wilderness outside the city. Now I just have to leave. He gritted his teeth.
Vadanya packed a backpack full of everything she thought she and her sister would need and then silently and quickly led her sister downstairs. She gently pushed open Jordyn's bedroom door, "Jordyn."
"What?" He asked quietly.
"We're leaving."
"Jarvis figured you would," Jordyn sat up and studied his younger sister's carefully, "You aren't allowed to leave unless you promise me that you'll look after each other and you'll stay as safe as you can."
"We promise," Orriyon nodded.
"Send me letters," Jordyn shrugged, "See you guys."
Vadanya nodded and hurried out the front door. She doubted she'd be able to send him letters but she knew he knew that.
"Where's Jace?"
"Lucy," Vadanya stepped in front of Orriyon and glared at the brunette, "What do you want?"
"Where's Jace?" Lucy's voice was completely void of any emotion.
"I don't know," Vadanya shrugged.
"You do know!" Lucy's eyes glowed with a black anti-light as she lifted her head and glared at the two of them.
"I'm right here," Jace walked up behind her. The only reason Vadanya recognized him was his scent. His voice was dull and defeated.
Lucy whirled around, "Jace." Her voice became dark with uncharacteristic hatred, "You came back."
"I did," Jace still didn't look at them.
If you're going to leave then go. His voice echoed in Vadanya's head. She's not a planeswalker. Once you leave here she won't be able to reach you. Vadanya grabbed Orriyon's hand and reached out towards the mist. She had never done this before but she pictured exactly what she had seen years ago when she had almost slipped into it unintentionally. She felt it tugging at her, willing her onward. She saw tranquil forests and windblown plains. The world called to her, welcoming her. She felt the ground disappear beneath her feet. She floated on nothing, almost like she was flying.
She landed a moment later. Pain shot through her body as she hit the ground on her back. She looked around desperately for Orriyon. Her sister was a few feet from her, lying unconscious on the ground. Vadanya crawled over to her and collapsed next to her. Her vision faded to black.
