Isioma volunteered for some exploration to support Ziras research. The two decided to pair up and examine the subject more closely in their free time. Isioma had some more responsibilities than Zira did, as she was still a little ahead of Zira in school and was almost ready to become a master, but the subject held their interest as much as possible. They discovered that their connections to the dimensions could actually be visualized when one was in astral form by placing hands into the physical form of another living person.. The first time Zira had seen it, she had gotten so excited that she accidentally have Isioma quite the bruise on her sternum. She hadn't stopped apologizing for about two days after that, despite Isioma saying that she was fine. The second time they attempted it, Isioma discovered that by sharing consciousness with another, more of the connections could be seen, usually in the form of doors. She had inadvertently learned a few things about Zira that day...like that she was bisexual. Zira was aware that she had learned, was completely embarrassed and didn't talk to her friend for a week. She wasn't mad, but she wasn't ready to talk about it just then.

A week later, Zira was doing more research in the library when Isioma happened to be by. Zira took a deep breath, grabbed her friend by the arm, and gave her a hug, apologizing for being distant. The young Nigerian woman was more than happy to return the gesture, and the two of them cried together. Once they were back in Isiomas room, she promised her silver-haired friend that she didn't judge her at all, and that she would not tell a single soul in any dimension. It took a load off of Zira's mind and the two became closer friends than either had had in their lives.

One night, Stephen came back to Kamar Taj and went to her room to check on her, as he had begun doing regularly. While it wasn't the first time she hadn't been in her room, it was incredibly late when he arrived, so he was concerned. Sure enough, he found her astral projecting in the library while her physical form was slouched over on a table, surrounded by books on both magical pathways and medical sciences. Seeing how committed she was to this line of study convinced him that she was committed to this craft and this life. It was time.

Stephen decided she was ready to head out on assignment with him.

Something had been worrying him for a while. There had been reports of different former students being attacked and their magic being taken away. The first person they had to visit was the person who sent Stephen to Kamar Taj in the first place: Jonathan Pangborn. He pushed magical energy through his limbs as a sort of prosthetic to function after a seemingly-irreversible injury that would have left him crippled. Recently, he was brought to an assisted living facility because he had been found in his workshop. His injury had returned and was actively preventing him from walking or using his hand. Stephen was taking this one hard because Pangborn had been a guide that made him the man he became. He wanted Zira with him on a visit to see the effects of an attack firsthand.

The assisted living center in the Bronx was very cozy and welcoming. They ported in a nearby alley to avoid attracting the attention they were already going to get in their outfits. Zira had decided to braid and pin her hair up to be a little less ostentatious, but that didn't stop the nurse at the front desk to look at them with a strange look on her face.

"Johnathan Pangborn, please," Stephen said when they approached. The nurse hesitantly pointed them in the right direction, and they made their way to his room. They found him sitting by the window in his room, staring outside while sitting in a wheelchair. "Jonathan Pangborn?" he called. There was no response. Pangborn didn't even turn around. Stephen looked at Zira and jerked his head towards the wheelchair-bound man. Zira took a few hesitant steps forward.

"Mr. Pangborn?" she called softly. There was a small shift as she approached. "Mr. Pangborn, we're from…" She paused and looked back at Stephen, who nodded. "We're from Kamar Taj." At the name of the place, Pangborn looked at her. His face was gaunt, but Zira saw a fire in his eyes that she guessed hadn't been there for a long time.

"Kamar Taj?" he rasped. He reached out and grabbed her arm with his crippled hand. Zira flinched instinctively, but he held her fast. Stephen started to step into the room, but she held up her other hand, stopping him. "Can you help me?" Pangborn begged. Zira knelt down to his level.

"I can certainly try," she whispered.

"He took it away from me," he rasped. "He snuck in and took it all away from me."

"Please," she said gently. "Let me take a look." Zira took a deep breath, and pulled her astral form away from her body. A quick examination of Pangborn saw that there was no magical energy in his body. The lines had been cut...but they had not been cauterized. They just weren't connected. She had never attempted to connect anything, but before she could make a move, Stephens astral form floated up next to her.

"What do you need?" he asked. Zira was surprised at first, but was quick to remember that he was still a gifted surgeon. She pointed at the floundering lines of magic.

"We need to reconnect those with his body," she said. "I just need to figure out a way to keep the seal permanent." Stephen thought for a millisecond, then reached out and pulled one close, conjuring a small sphere around it to keep outside influences out, like an isolation tank.

"You'll have to ligate the vein," he said. "I'll hold it close, you patch it up."

"But...I have no idea what I'm doing!" Zira exclaimed.

"I'll talk you through it," Stephen assured her. "Just stay calm, follow my instructions, and this can work." Zira looked at him, fear written all over her face. But, she knew he was right. It could work, and if she could do it, she would be able to help anyone else affected by what was going on.

Conjuring the necessary tools, Zira slowly went to work. She followed each of Stephens instructions down to the letter, patching and sewing where she was told to. She even managed to learn how to do a good stitch, which she logged away for future reference. When the two of them were confident in her work, they looked at each other.

"Ready?" Stephen asked her.

"Ready," Zira replied.

"Dropping the containment," he said. The two of them held their breath as he dropped his spell. The vein of energy flared for a moment, and then was steady. The two sorcerers breathed a sigh of relief and even laughed a bit.

"We did it," Zira said, unable to contain her smile.

"You did it," Stephen corrected. The two of them returned to their physical forms to find Pangborn looking surprised and relieved. Very slowly, and with Ziras help, he rose.

"What?" he whispered. "What did you do?" Zira looked back at her teacher, who was still smiling, and turned to her patient.

"Surgery," she said simply. Pangborn tested his legs for a moment, then pulled the girl into a hug.

"Thank you," he sobbed over and over again. All Zira could do was hug him back.

"Who did this to you?" Stephen finally asked when the moment had passed. Pangborn looked at the two of them.

"Someone who you are going to have to stop quickly," Pangborn said. "Mordo."