November 17th, 2019

"So, this is going to help me focus my abilities?" June asked as she picked up the cup of mysterious green tea. She was sitting in Stephen's study, enjoying a breakfast of white rice before her day began. The sun hadn't risen yet, and parts of the Sanctum were as dark as shadow. But the study was well lit, the lamps casted everything with an orange glow.

Stephen nodded. "It has magical properties that will help align your chakras and amplify your chi." He stated plainly before taking a bite of his own rice. June put the cup up to her lips and took a quick gulp, and nearly choked on the drink.

"Gah! It's terrible!" She said between coughs. June wiped her mouth, while Stephen laughed.

"I never said that it tasted good." He said while motioning to her with his chopsticks, which he eagerly returned to his bowl, so he could continue eating. "I just thought it'd be funny to see your reaction."

"I hope it was worth it, turd." June said as she frowned at the drink. She pinched her nose and took another quick swig. Being unable to smell it helped a lot, and it made it much easier to stomach. "Do I have to drink all of this?" She asked.

"You don't have to, but it's recommended." Stephen replied. "You're going to want all the help you can get today."

"Don't remind me." June said dryly. She was dreading today – her fight with Araav, their Jadu Nirnaya, was going to be terrible. But she couldn't afford to look at it with a heavy heart, if she was going to have any chance of surviving the encounter, she was going to need to stay positive and confident in her abilities.

The duo sat in silence as they both ate their breakfast. June's mind should have been focused on her fight, and she should have been figuring out ways on how to defeat an opponent that was so beyond her skill level that it wasn't even funny. Instead, she found herself able to focus on only one thing: the hug that she and Stephen had shared last night.

She wanted to talk about it. To tell him how much she loved it, how safe she felt in his powerful arms, how much she adored him in general, but whenever she opened her mouth to speak about it, no words formed. How could she say anything about it? Part of her worried that bringing it up would only make things awkward between them, or potentially ruin the entire experience. With a mental sigh, she resigned to shelf the conversation for another time. She picked up the cup of tea once more, and gave it another reluctant sip. Nasty, she thought as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

…

It was time. The cold light of dawn stretched out over the courtyard of Kamar-Taj, which was packed to the brim with students and masters. The noise of the conversations everyone was having was almost deafening, and the electric energy in the air was contagious – even June felt like she was ready to fight, as she fed off the excited aura of the crowd.

There was an empty circle that everyone was crammed around, where June and Stephen stood at one end, with Araav at the other. At Araav's sides were the other council members, all of whom, besides Deyman, looked grim.

They knew that June was about to get a beating, and that it wasn't going to be pretty. Araav didn't look enthusiastic at all about the situation - if anything, his stiff body position made him look nervous, while his normally stoic eyes held a hint of regret to them. Despite this, he still looked intimidating as all get-out. He didn't want to punish June like this, but there were laws to the Order, ones that had to be upheld.

The cold nipped at June, who was in a tank-top and a pair of traditional sorcerer lower robes – or as she called them, "wizard pants." Stephen rested his hands gently on her nearly-bare shoulders, which made June blush. There was a special energy, almost like electricity, when they touched, as their astral selves interacted and brushed against one another. There was a certain intimacy to when two sorcerers touched, which is why they didn't do it often, outside of combat situations.

"You've got this." Stephen encouraged her. "Give him something to remember you by." He whispered in her ear. June had to suppress a blush and a shiver.

"You know I will." She whispered back confidently, even though her insides were screaming at her to turn tail and run away. Stephen gently squeezed June's shoulders before stepping back into the crowd.

Araav stepped forward and threw off his lose robe, revealing a toned and heavily muscled body. Showoff, June mentally commented at the display. Araav dropped into a fighting crouch, taking the horse stance, and June did the same, entering her traditional tiger stance. The crowd grew deathly quiet as they observed the two fighters, sizing each other up.

Silence filled the air, and pressed down on June. Her blood was hot and pounded hard in her ears, and it felt as if she had lightning in her bones. Her whole body tingled with magical energy as she prepared for combat. The book of the Vishanti dangled from her left wrist, and June was acutely aware of its presence.

Help me, she begged to the Book. There was no immediate response. Please, she asked again, desperate for its assistance. Still nothing.

Araav lunged forward and attempted the first strike, a simple but powerful kick. June rolled out of the way and gave him a quick jab to the side before jumping behind him.

Whipping around, Araav threw a punch towards June, and it made its mark and connected to her face with a crunch. The crowd gasped, and June stumbled backwards, stars in her eyes.

Holy shit, he's not playing. Her jaw felt like it was on fire, and she tasted blood in her mouth. She shook her head for a second, but recovered quickly. Araav threw another punch, but June dropped into a crouch and threw a fist into his stomach. Her fist connected with muscle, and Araav didn't even flinch from the impact. Oh shit.

She quickly rolled to the side before Araav could kick her, and June pulled up two spellshields, one over each forearm. Araav took the opportunity and summoned a spectral bow staff made of crackling orange energy. He took a few swings, cracking the staff against June's shields with terrifying force. With each hit, the sound of magic smashing against magic rung out like a whip crack, filling the air.

June staggered backwards against the assault, and retaliated with a shield bash, which succeeded in knocking Araav's mighty form back a few feet. She then quickly lashed out with the edge of a spellshield, slashing Araav across his bare chest. Blood was splattered outward, some getting onto people in the crowd.

Araav snarled and changed into mantis form, dispelling his bow staff and jabbing at June with fingers that cracked and sparked with magical lightning. His strikes were quick as cobra bites, and June struggled to block them with her spellshields.

Time for offense, June thought. Clearly this blocking thing is getting me nowhere with his attacks. I have to make my own opportunity. Araav struck again, and June flung her arm outwards, smashing his hand away and making Araav stagger. She dispelled one of her spellshields, and conjured a sword in less than a second. While he was still stunned, she slashed at him, hitting her mark on his shoulder.

Araav yelled and reached forward and June slashed down again, and grabbed June's arm. She froze with fear as Araav brought his other hand to her arm in the blink of an eye, and snapped the bone with little effort.

June screamed at the top of her lungs and staggered backwards, dropping onto her knees and cradling her broken, limp arm.

"June!" Stephen called, stepping forward, but finding himself blocked by master Harmir resting his good hand on Stephen's chest.

"Don't." He whispered, leaving Stephen frozen with fear. He couldn't intervene, there would be dire consequences. But each time June got hurt, he felt it as if he was getting attacked. His heart hurt for her, and hearing her scream like that had made him nauseous from stress.

Araav stepped forward like a predator, even though he was still bleeding profusely from the chest and shoulder, and formed a magical whip in his hands. He slashed down with the magical energy, cutting June across the face. She screamed again, and in response, Araav whipped her again, this time across her folded arms.

Book, please! Help me, June mentally begged. But the book did nothing. It didn't even stir at her presence like it normally did. Book! She mentally screamed at it, still garnering no response. Blood was dripping down her face and getting into her eyes, making it impossible to see.

Another powerful blow came from Araav as he stepped forward and kicked June's crumpled form, sending her backwards onto the stone. The screams of the crowd had reached a fever pitch, they were hungry for blood. June was panting, and tears streamed down her face as she desperately tried to wipe the blood from her eyes with her good hand.

Araav used his whip again, slashing her across the side. There was a gross crunching sound as several of her ribs broke under the attack, the noise making Stephen sick to his stomach. Stephen was sweating, his hands clenched into painful fists. His eyes were wide and his breathing hard, and he couldn't bare to tear his eyes away from June. No, no, no… he mentally chanted.

The whip came down again, and June screamed once more. Araav raised it one more time, preparing for the final blow. He brought it down with terrifying speed, but it didn't connect with June.

Instead, a spellshield had covered her form. Stephen panted as he held out his hands, using all of his strength to protect June.

Arrav turned his head towards Stephen, and a look of sheer rage came across his face. Stephen had never seen Araav be mad before, and the sight terrified him.

"Master Strange!" Araav yelled, his voice echoing across the courtyard. The crowd was silenced. The council member dispelled his whip, and Stephen did the same with the shield, which vanished around June in a plume of orange sparks. She was left shivering and bleeding, with the occasional sniffle from her crying.

"How dare you intervene in the sacred battle of Jadu Nirnaya?" Araav yelled once more, his voice filling the air. It boomed and echoed with enough might to make stone crack under its authority and weight.

Stephen opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't form words. "I-I…" He breathed.

"You know the laws, Strange!" Araav yelled. The other council members stepped forward, each one of them looking either infuriated or, in Haukea's case, disappointed. Araav stepped forward to Stephen, stopping a few inches from his form. "You know not which you have done. Now you must suffer the consequences." He spoke softly, his voice still angry.

"I don't care!" Stephen hissed at Araav. "Do whatever you want, none of it matters." Protecting June was worth everything – his magic, his title, his life. None of it mattered in a world without her. He had to protect her, he had no regrets.

"You…" Araav started. "… are hereby banned from using the Eye of Agamotto." He turned to face June, then looked back at Stephen with his arms crossed, uncaring of the blood on his chest. "And you will no longer be allowed to train Ms. Jones." Arrav stepped back towards the council members, joining their ranks. "She will be inducted in classes here at Kamar-Taj."

"No." Stephen breathed. His heart was breaking – June was getting torn away from him? Not an option, he mentally vowed. "Juniper has displayed skill on the level of an advanced student, meaning that she doesn't have to stay at Kamar-Taj with the beginners." He explained. Silence filled the air for a moment.

"He's right." Haukea spoke up. "She held her own against you for a while, and just look at you, Araav." She motioned to Araav's large cuts. "She stood her ground and displayed mastery of combat magic. She can be left to her own devices. She's ready."

The other council members looked to each other, and Deyman shook his head.

"Absolutely not. She needs to stay here." He said curtly. Deep down, he agreed with Haukea, but the chance to spite Strange was too good to pass up.

"Don't listen to Deyman." Bao spoke up next. "Let her stay in New York. The Sanctum needs two sorcerers to guard it – let that be her punishment. Have her be assigned there formally, and kept away from Kamar-Taj for a while." He said as he adjusted the position of his wheel chair.

"Bao's right. Juniper is more than capable." Master Shane added in. "That makes the vote 3-2 for Juniper staying in New York."

Araav nodded. "Very well." He faced Strange, his face resuming its standard calmness and strength. "Take her and go." He said to Stephen, motioning his head to Juniper. The crowd that had gathered for the fight had begun to dissipate, everyone's thirst for blood and desire for drama quenched.

Stephen let out an internal sigh of relief, and nodded at Araav. He gave a quick bow to the council, and walked over to the still crumpled-up June. He bent down next to her, and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Hey." He whispered to her.

"Hey." She croaked back. "Can we… go home?" Her voice was weak, and it broke Stephen's heart.

"Yeah." He replied, bending forward and snaking his arms under her. He hefted her up with a grunt. "Let's go home."

…

"Stephen, I'm…. I'm so sorry…" June whispered between labored breaths. Stephen ran his hands over June's arm, healing the break in the bone, causing her to hiss in pain and squirm under his touch.

"Don't worry about it." He said, focusing his attention on her arm. "I'm sorry that I got our gig ruined."

"You didn't ruin anything." She said. "Just don't get yourself in trouble on my account, okay?" She felt terrible that Stephen had his rights to the Eye revoked, simply because of her inability to defend herself. Part of her was glad he did it, though, because that shield saved her ass, and because the notion of him saving her was romantic. She looked away from him and gritted her teeth in pain, the bone had snapped back into place and was merging back into itself, healing the break.

"Alright, all finished with this part." Stephen said as he released her arm after a few more moments of healing. June rolled her wrist around and tested out her arm, grabbing it with her free hand and rubbing where the break was.

"Like new." She said with a soft smile. Stephen nodded and smiled back at her. "Thanks, Stephen." She whispered.

"No problem. Don't mention it." He said as she hopped down from his desk and rubbed her newly-healed ribs.

"This magic stuff… is there anything it can't do?" June asked. "Heal bones, bring back the dead… is there anything it can't do?" She asked.

"Well, it can't make people feel genuine emotions that they don't feel for real. Like, for example, you can't make somebody fall in love with someone else." Stephen explained. "Unless they were already in love with that person."

"You sound like you've tried." June said with a chuckle. Stephen rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"You know me so well." He replied sarcastically. "God, you make me sound like a creep."

"Hey, you're not a creep. Just a weirdo." June replied. Stephen chuckled.

"Maybe so." He paused for a moment, glancing at the clock in the room. "So, what… do you want to do today? I'm not your master anymore, so I can't tell you what to do."

"Freedom, at long last." June said with a grin. "I was thinking of maybe robbing a bank, or taking over Mars. What do you think?"

"Mars, for sure." He replied with a laugh. "Think of all that power."

"Mars it is." June said. She rolled her shoulder, still feeling a bit of muscle pain from where she had been healed. It would dissipate over the course of about an hour, and then she'd feel like new.

I'm not her master anymore… The thought made Stephen freeze. Their dynamic had shifted entirely in a matter of minutes. June was now a full sorcerer, ready to roam the world as she pleased. She wasn't bound by his rules anymore, and he wasn't bound by a certain rule of the council anymore… I have to tell her, he decided. After almost losing her today, I have to tell her.

"June." Stephen started. "Can we talk?" He asked, feeling more than nervous. He vowed that he'd tell her how he felt back when he was in the hospital, and now was a good of a time as ever to come clean and confess.

"Sure. What about?" She asked, her eyes and voice bright as ever.

"…Us." Stephen managed to choke out. His face was already turning a bit red, and he turned away from her in hopes to hide it.

"Us?" June asked. Her heart jumped in her chest. He couldn't mean… romantically, could he…?

"June, I…" He tried to speak, but he couldn't find the words. "I…" He breathed out again. Just say it, you coward! I! Love! You! The chant in his head did nothing to help the words come out of his mouth. Without thinking he turned back to face June and quickly kissed her.

It only lasted for a second, but it felt like forever. June's lips were soft and conformed to his. They were sweet and warm, and Stephen felt light-headed and breathless from the contact. June felt fire crawl up her spine as they kissed, the magic from their astral form brushing against each other and creating a truly wonderous experience. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, deepening it for a second before pulling away.

Stephen stared down at her, breathing heavily, his face as red as a beet.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" He yelled before turning around and burying his face in his hands. "I can't believe…. I'm so, so sorry!" He yelled into his hands. June was similarly red and breathless. She reached out to him and pulled him around back to her. He lifted his hands out of his face to look at her, and when he did, June leaned up and kissed him back.

The second kiss was just as good, if not better than the first one. They both closed their eyes and lost themselves momentarily in the sensation. June pulled away and looked up at him, her violet eyes bright.

"Don't worry about it." She said with a sly smile on her lips. "I feel the same way."