[Author's Note 12/13/15]: Sorry the last chapter was so short! Obviously it ended up being cut right about where the story ended before I did the updates! So this is now new material to continue the story! I hope everyone enjoys it!

Chapter Thirteen: The Gift

When my eyes finally opened the next morning, I was immediately met with a throbbing in my head. I put my hand to my head, my sleeve falling down to reveal the gashes left by the cuffs and electrocution.

Nicole walked over and sat at the edge of my bed, handing me a glass of water. My eyes widened and I grabbed it a little too quickly. I gulped it down, some spilling onto my face in my rush to get it down my throat. I set the glass down clumsily on the floor beside me and wiped the water off my mouth with my arm. I looked back up to Nicole, sitting up further, and she gave me a look with her eyebrows slightly raised but eyes narrow. I looked away from her.

I felt a light touch on my arm but shrugged it off, pulling away. I heard her sigh. "Malorn, I don't know what happened to you, but please-"

"That's right, you don't," I stated bluntly. "Get away from me."

I heard her sigh again and I snuck a glance at her to see her hang her head, looking at her hands. Chester was curled up on her lap, and she stroked him gently as if trying to find the right thing to say. "I won't."

"Then I'll hurt you," I said, turning back to her. She looked up at me, her eyes wide. But it wasn't fear etched into her face… it was worry. "He can control me now. And I don't know how well I can resist it from far away."

"You can," she said, leaning closer to me. She put a hand over mine and I jerked it away from her. She narrowed her eyes at me and reached for my hand again. I sighed, figuring it was ridiculous to not let her hold it and she twisted to face me, holding my hand in both of hers. "You have to have some faith in yourself."

"That's the problem. I don't," I said with a small snort. "I don't trust myself anymore…. Not after… not after that." I couldn't bring myself to tell her what Malistare had done to me and what he had made me do… what he made me want to do just for food. I cringed at the memory and clenched my eyes shut.

But that reaction just made her squeeze my hand. "I do," she said quietly. I looked back to her and she was staring straight into my eyes. As much as I wanted her to be afraid of me… to run from me, far away, I knew she wouldn't go even if I begged her.

"You shouldn't!" I said louder, coughing as I did. She frowned at me, but I took a deep breath before continuing. "I am dangerous. You shouldn't trust me, and I shouldn't be near you. I don't want to hurt you…."

She sighed and squeezed my hand again and looked me in the eyes. "I will always trust you."

I scoffed at her. "That's what I was afraid you'd say." I shook my head, having a crazy thought. I chuckled to myself then looked back at Nicole. "Maybe I should just go with him."

Nicole's eyes went wide for a brief moment before narrowing at me. "I know you're just trying to scare me away. It's not going to work."

I laughed darkly. "I'm not." I said, staring her in the eyes. "If I side with him, he won't have a reason to go after you anymore. And maybe you can beat him… and me."

Slap!

I turned my head back to her, rubbing my cheek. I narrowed my eyes at her and smirked. Her hand was shaking and her breath was raspy. She had tears in her eyes, and when I saw that, my heart sank. The smirk slid clean off my face and I looked down.

"Don't you dare say that!" she choked out. "Don't you dare!"

"You know I could end up falling under her control, Nicole," I said slowly… quietly. "You know what he can do to me. You know what he can make me do."

"I don't care!" she stood up, throwing her hands in the air. Sir Chester was startled by the sudden yelling and he flew off her and into the other room. "Do you honestly think that I could possibly kill you?" She stared at my wide-eyed. I could feel the heat of her fire magic radiating off her in anger. All at once, the smell of lava lilies I had always related her to filled my senses and my body warmed. My cheeks flushed and she glared down at me. "What the hell Malorn!"

Bracing my hand against the wall behind me, I slid my legs over the side of the bed. She watched me, not moving to help me. I slowly stood with my legs shaking to support me but managed. I put my hands and her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "I tortured a magical creature."

She shook her head, putting hands on my wrists where they laid on her shoulders. "I don't care. That's not you."

"I liked it Nicole!"

Silence.

After a moment of her staring into my eyes, she looked down. I waited with baited breath, wondering if she believed me. She whispered, "Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not…." I breathed.

She shook her head again and I visibly tensed. "You are."

"What's it going to take for me to get rid of you?" I yelled finally. We were still close together but I didn't care. I needed her to listen to me.

She clenched her eyes shut at the sound and took a shaky breath. Then she turned back to me, staring at me again. "You'll have to kill me before I stop challenging your fate."

At that, I let my arms slide off of her shoulders. I slumped back down onto the bed and put my face in my hands. I mumbled, "I'd rather die."

I felt her hands on mine, pulling them off my face. I looked back at her as I tried to force back the tears in my eyes. She was kneeling on the floor in front of me and she looked at me, smiling. "I knew you were lying because I know you. And I knew that this isn't who you are."

Without warning, she leaned into me and kissed me hard. I tensed at first before cupping her face in my hands. She pushed herself up onto my chest and laid me down on the bed below her and she was on top of me, forcing me to just let go.

"I love you," she breathed. "I won't let you go."

*One week later…*

For the week that followed coming back, I was in a fog. Mostly, I followed Nicole silently around the house and the town outside of the palace as she did various chores, mixed potions and followed some kind of routine she seemed to pick up when I had been gone. I didn't know what to say to her about everything that had happened, so I mostly just replied when spoken to.

That morning, I left earlier than Nicole and sat by the palace pond. I had taken to pick grass out of the ground and tossing it in the water as I watched the fish dart around in all different directions, making the water ripple.

But my thoughts weren't on the fish. As I stared at them, I imagined Wizard City and what it must have been like during the attack. I thought about how after that attack, I was somewhere else, attacking someone else as I struggled to survive.

I didn't even notice the fluttering of wings as Nicole settled down next to me. They disappeared in a burst of flames as she sat but didn't say anything. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder and I slowly turned my head to look at her.

In the few months since we'd left Wizard City behind, Nicole had seemed to have aged quite a lot. Her eyes were still the same brilliant blue, but they were sunken with shadows under them. Her hair that she had once kept perfectly brushed daily was now slightly tangled and unkempt. Her body physically had gained a lot of muscle mass and she certainly wasn't the kid I met behind the Fire School anymore.

But still she smiled at me, and as always, it was genuine. It pained me to look at that smile because I couldn't help but wonder if it faded when I was away from her for that time or if she wouldn't look at me that way anymore if she had witnessed what I had done.

She kissed me then, but I pulled away after only a moment and looked down. I wanted to tell her how scared I was of becoming my father and how much I worried about her and what he could do to her if I was out of the picture.

"Malorn…" she said my name quietly. I didn't look up, staring back at the fish. She let her hand drop from my shoulder. Neither of us knew what to say anymore.

Just then, a voice was echoing in my ear, and I looked to Nicole as she went wide-eyed. "Malorn! Nicole!"

"Ambrose?" I asked, standing up. Nicole and I stared at each other, gaping and I knew she had heard it too, if only for a moment.

There was a static-y silence that followed before we could hear his voice again. "Wizard City… we need your help…." His voice was weak as if he wasn't going to be able to talk for much longer.

Before I could say anything, Nicole's wings appeared in a burst of flames on her back and she picked me up under my arms and flew us back to the house. We grabbed our bags as quickly as we could and I snapped my fingers, making Kalohae disappear into my bag, and Nicole did the same for Chester.

She picked me up again and flew us to the world portal in the town and we quickly jumped through. When we reappeared inside of Bartleby though, both of us stood frozen.

We looked around us and above us, and all we saw were dying branches. It looked as if Bartleby had been set aflame, and Nicole and I looked to each other, our mouths hanging open.

I called out Kalohae and I quickly pulled Nicole onto his back as we flew to the exit. Once outside though, we had entered a warzone.

Wizards were casting spells as Lost Souls and Banshees. Monsters ran through Ravenwood like they owned the place. Half of the classrooms were in rubble and the cobblestone streets had been torn apart. There were kids in a corner behind the dorms crying out for help and we flew over before a Vampire could attack them.

"Fire Dragon!" Nicole yelled out. This wasn't a fight with dueling circles though. No one was following the rules that dictated how a standard duel had always gone. In a flash of fire, an enormous Fire Dragon appeared in front of us and flew flames onto the Vampire, killing it instantly. It flew up and burst into flames as Nicole and I ran over to the two kids, helping them up.

"What happened?" I yelled over the sound of a building falling apart.

The two kids screamed, a boy and a girl that looked alike other than the clothes. The girl dressed in light blue and white said through her shaking shoulders, "We've been fighting for weeks! Another battle started today out of nowhere and the school got overwhelmed!"

The boy piped up, "You have to save Professor Falmea!" he called to me, and only then I noticed he was dressed more similarly to Nicole. "She's defending some of the students at the Fire School!"

Nicole and I looked to each other and hopped back onto Kalohae, pulling the twins with us. "Ya!" I yelled, throwing the reins hard. Kalohae flew quickly, dodging attacks left and right. As we flew past the Ice School, we heard the Ice Tower collapse, and Kalohae had to fly low to keep us from getting hit by the rubble.

When we got to the Fire School, there were two wizards at the door attacking the monsters that passed by. I dropped down Kalohae, shouting "Wraith!" The Grim-Reaper styled monster appeared with tombstones surrounding it for power and the two Banshees screamed and turned to dust. The two wizards looked to me with wide eyes and smiled.

"Malorn!" they yelped, rushing over to me.

"Where is she?" I asked, disregarding their excitement.

Their faces fell. "She's inside. Hurry!" the one said, prying open the door. Nicole and I ran in, Kalohae being recalled to my backpack. At the back of the classroom, Dalia was on the ground in the arms of Greyrose and Moolinda was healing her.

"Mom!" I yelled, running to her side. I knelt down beside her and she turned to look at me, her eyes going wide.

"Malorn… You shouldn't be here…." she said, her voice faint. She had bruises and blood scattered on her face and arms – now-visible – from her torn clothes.

I took her hands in mine and squeezed gently. "Ambrose called for us," I said, nodding to Nicole. She glanced over to her and nodded her head.

"I haven't seen him," Moolinda said, putting a towel on Dalia's head. "Your mother will be fine but I think it's best if you find him quickly," she said, not looking away from her.

I narrowed my eyes at Dalia's defeated form and Greyrose put a small hand on my shoulder. "We'll take of her. But go! You need to get to Ambrose!"

I clenched my teeth and finally stood, setting down my mom's hands. I looked to Nicole and she nodded to me. We ran back to the doors and braced ourselves.

"Kalohae!" I yelled and he appeared in front of us again. I pulled Nicole back on and threw the reins to make him go, dodging more falling debris and spells being fired through the air. We made our way through the tunnel to the Commons and gaped at what we saw.

I hadn't thought it was possible, but the Commons were in a worse state than Ravenwood. Most of the buildings were in rubble and the wizards waded through the lake to fight off the incoming monsters. We headed to Ambrose's Office, taking the tower entrance, and the Spiral that appeared in front of us was more unstable than I had ever seen it before. The tendrils of the stars whipped around violently and glowed with a purple light. Worlds I didn't recognize were thrown through the air and slammed against a bookcase or a wall. We ducked our heads below it as we burst through the doors into the office where the entire room looked like a hurricane has rushed through with flower pots broken and books everywhere. Ambrose was on the ground with Gamma at his side, and was in an even worse position than my mom.

We ran over to him, Nicole rolling up her sleeves and starting to work on him. He wasn't conscious, and Gamma quickly tried to sum up what happened.

"The Headmaster has saved countless students' lives today, but the magic he used is completely depleted!" he yelped. "The message he sent to you two was the last thing he could do before he passed out!"

"Nicole…" he groaned as she tried to help him sit up. I put my hand on his back to help, and she put a green potion to his lips, forcing him to drink it. He coughed once before he clenched his eyes shut and back open again. "Thank you, young wizard. I'm so glad I got through to you." He turned to me then and sat upright. "You're alive…." he said, his eyes wide. He grunted and then said, "I knew Malistare had gotten his hands on you, but I'm afraid I had problems here that I had to take care of."

I scoffed at him. "Headmaster, I'm just glad you're alright. Don't apologize."

He looked at me hard then looked down. The way he looked told me he knew what Malistare had likely put me through. But he seemed to shake the thought before speaking again. "We need your help to win this battle, Malorn."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Me? But most of the professors are out of commission. The students are only handling it based on their sheer numbers."

"Their numbers… are dropping… I'm afraid…." He looked grim when he spoke and Nicole closed her eyes at the words.

"Well what can I do?" I asked. "I'm just a Death School Teacher, and not even the high-leveled one, at that."

"Dworgyn is gone." We were silent for a moment before he continued after a loud explosion could be heard relatively close to the office. "We need someone with control over these monsters. And if my theories prove true, you have your father's… gift." He said the word with a twinge to it that didn't quite sound like a curse but more of a distaste in his mouth.

I shook my head. "No. I won't do it."

Nicole quickly put her free hand on my arm. "Malorn… I think it's our only option."

"You know why I can't!" I yelled.

Ambrose shook his head. "Malorn, my boy… the good in you is enough to shine through. We just need you to control them long enough to distract them from attacking. Then we can let the other wizards finish them."

I looked from Ambrose back to Nicole and sunk my teeth into my bottom lip. It was one thing for Malistare to control me and force my powers to come out… but it was another thing entirely to use them willingly.

"You can do it," Nicole said quietly. "Challenge your fate with me." She took her arm off my shoulder and held out her hand to me.

I looked into her eyes and sighed. I took her hand and together we helped ease Ambrose back into his office chair. I gave her hand a small squeeze before we looked back to Ambrose. "I'll do it." I looked back to Nicole. "Let's go."

We ran toward the door and I vaguely heard Ambrose say to us, "Best of luck, young wizards…."

When we got outside, we were met with the sounds of war echoing through the commons. Screams of pain and twisted laughter of the monsters around us mingling together almost in a muffled sound of misery.

I looked back to Nicole. "How do I get every monster's attention?" dismay etched in my tone.

Nicole narrowed her eyes and looked around. In the distance, Bartleby's leaves were falling as spells hit his branches left and right. "Bartleby!" she shouted.

"Nicole… we can't save him…" I said trailing off.

"I don't know if we can save him," she said, "but we can use him to help us." She leaned forward and in the usual burst of flames, bright wings erupted from her back and she stretched them out and fluttered them. She put her arms out to me and said "We're doing this together."

I nodded to her and backup into her arms. She hooked hers under mine and carried me upward, into the sky. We didn't even bother to use to the tunnel to Ravenwood and instead flew over the fallen stone buildings up to the top of Bartleby where we could see most of the small world of Wizard City. At the top, she set me down on some branches that were still in-tact and floated close above me.

I turned to face her. "You know I don't want to do this."

She nodded. "I know. I trust you. Just trust yourself, now."

I nodded back to her and turned away, looking down over the sides of the tree to see the battle raging on below us. I took a deep breath before closing my eyes and holding my staff over my head, my other hand reaching out.

I focused all of the energy inside of me up and outward to the world below. At first, nothing abnormal was happening; I just felt really strained as intense pain rippled through my chest. But when I opened my eyes, the world was bathed in bright red light from my glowing eyes, and black energy was radiating off my body. I felt the cold chill of it seep outward and away from me. I didn't dare look back at Nicole because I could feel her small warmth radiate above and behind me growing dimmer. I knew I had to do this quickly.

In an instant, I clenched my fist and waved my staff across my body, and the battle fell silent. I looked around me to see that all of the monsters had stopped fighting and the students stopped and stared in awe… at me and at the enemies.

"Now!" Nicole yelled as loud as she could.

And then the world seemed to explode around us in blinding colors of the rainbow as wizards of every school shot their magic at the beasts before them. Monsters collapsed and screamed, erupting into dust and energy of black skulls one by one.

I unclenched my hand and dropped my staff, falling onto my hands and knees. I was panting and heaving for air and Nicole was at my side in a second.

"You did it…" she breathed. She hugged me from the side awkwardly and I sat up to put a hand on her back.

When we pulled apart, I looked around and finally at her. She smiled at me as always, even though she was weak from the dark energy that had ravaged the entire world of Wizard City, and she had hovered directly over the source of it all. Her light and warmth that radiated from her was faint now, though I knew it would replenish again with time.

Guilt consumed me in seconds and I felt the tears start to trickle down my face. I hung my head in shame at what I had done to her and probably the entire world with just a wave of my staff.

Nicole held me there as I let the sobs shake my body.