Chapter 15: in which the most difficult lesson is taught

The only way out of this is if you die.

Each word lashed out at him, repeating in a whisper that quickly evolved into a roar inside his head. If Archie was pulled through, it would nuke everything within a hundred miles both here and in the parallel world!

…Did he have any choice?

Before he could make the inevitable decision, Archie acted. Ever since getting trapped in the bubble he'd been hanging suspended and helpless between the two wizards who both wanted him. He could feel Douxie's magic wrapped tightly into the portal, not even a loose scrap of it that the little dragon could pilfer and use to escape. But as he struggled, a new idea sent his thoughts racing.

If he couldn't access Douxie's magic then just maybe…

Not wasting a moment, he shut his eyes and focused on his bond, this time pushing past Douxie's bright one to the fainter one beyond it—the bond that shouldn't be there at all. After mentally nudging close and feeling no resistance, he suddenly seized hold and hacked viciously at the thin, straining thread of magic within it.

The doppelgänger gasped, barely keeping hold of his weapon to keep from being sucked into the brilliant doorway. Archie's stasis bubble exploded and he dove forward, claws and teeth tearing. Of all the attacks the Green Knight had suffered in the last nine hundred years, this one was the most painful.

His fingers began to slip. Loose earth skittered beneath his feet, making him lose purchase. Pressure and suction increased, making Archie flap frantically back to his wizard and gripping tight to keep from being pulled into the other world. Douxie met his doppelgänger's hazel eyes, hardly able to hear the words shouted at him with miserable heartache.

"Take care of him!"

Then the gateway devoured him. Its bright red and gold light collapsed into a tiny core before blinking out of existence, the glowing pattern on the ground evaporating with it.

With the exception of Zoe, every wizard in the area dropped in a dead faint.

Tobias Domzalski heard the doppelgänger's words resound in his head at the same time as everyone else in Speedy Beaver Shopping Center (though he often referred to it as "Seedy Beaver" since it boasted the cheapest merchandise in town—and not the positive kind of cheap).

The entire store came to a standstill, some people looking around as though wondering whether the voice had come from the speakers. Ready to leap into action, Tobias told his grandmother he had to get back home to retrieve his Warhammer (which had been carelessly left behind while he was helping put the babies in their carseats), but Nana clicked her tongue.

"Now, Toby-Pie! It takes all morning to get the littles ready for an outing and I'm not going home until I get what I came for. Be a dear and get five more packages of those diapers, will you? I have a coupon."

"But Nana—!"

She turned him toward the shelves, shaking her head as though unable to understand why he was so upset. "Think about it logically, dear. If we left this second it would take twelve minutes to get the babies and strollers into the car, then ten minutes home, then at least another five to find your little weapon, and then even more to go wherever you're supposed to meet the others. By the time you finally get there the fight will be over. Watch out for Junebug!"

Toby caught the jar of baby food little June had grabbed from a nearby shelf. Off-brand, naturally. "But shouldn't I at least help people get to a safe place or—?"

"Arcadia is used to such things at this point. Let's just finish our shopping, Toby-Pie."

Looking around, Toby noticed she was right. After the initial shock of the telepathic message, everyone brushed it off and went back to business. One middle-aged man muttered "There go those kids again" under his breath as he pushed a squeaky shopping cart along. The overweight teenager finally resigned himself to sitting this particular battle out.

They had just finished collecting baby-related paraphernalia and settled into the checkout line when he realized he recognized the slight figure in front of them, especially after there came a distinct grumble about the 'stagnant state of such repositories'.

"Krel? Is that you?"

"Toby?" The alien turned in surprise, his cart filled to bursting with hundreds of identical items. "Shouldn't you and your metal teeth be fighting off whoever threatened the town?"

"I have other responsibilities." He nodded back at the triple-stroller Nana was pushing back and forth to keep its occupants happy during the wait, then he looked more closely at what Krel was about to purchase. "Hey, aren't those all air fresheners?"

The Akiridion's face twisted into one of intense pain mingled with disgust. "I… I'm afraid human gratitude for saving their entire planet and everyone on it does not extend to providing complimentary shelter. Stewart offered to let me stay with him until I find a place of my own, and I accepted because I had no other recourse, but the disadvantages are…"

He trailed off, trying to find the least offensive word possible.

"Overwhelming?" Toby supplied, remembering the green alien's distinct odor.

The Latino-seeming boy gave a nod, picking up one air freshener shaped like a pine tree and giving a tired headshake. "I have to buy these every week just so I can breathe at night—and I try to spend as little time as possible there."

"Heeeeeyyyy…" A sudden idea crept into view and Toby took the initiative. "Just suppose there was a place you could stay in exchange for, y'know, fixing it up a bit?"

Krel pounced without hesitation. "I'll take it!"

Zoe gazed at her vine-wrapped ankle, surprised that there wasn't even a twinge of pain now. After another moment they receded back into the little terracotta pot Nari had taken from Mrs. Lake's back yard, reduced to nothing but a flower. The small, ancient witch had seemed confused at first, but once the healing was complete she turned sorrowful amber eyes on her patient.

"You have my sincerest apologies, young one."

Zoe blinked back a sudden onset of tears and looked away, swallowing hard. "It doesn't matter. Not as long as he's alive."

Nari had retrieved all the wizards outside and brought them into the bookstore (whose mortal occupants had trickled away after the fight). Pia and Mark were just beginning to move, but the others were still out cold. She couldn't keep from staring at Douxie where he lay beside the front counter with Archie perched on his chest. Even though he was the first one Nari healed, blood still stained his clothes.

But… it had worked. The Foretelling was foiled even though doing so had…

She stood, speaking around the lump in her throat. "I have to go."

One thin vine from Nari's plant curled around the little woman's wrist as she continued to gaze on in sympathy. "Do you wish me to inform them that your—"

"No!" Zoe's shout made Archie jump and he looked back with inquiring eyes. The pink-haired girl purposely kept turned away from him. "I'll do it myself when… when I'm up for it."

She left thirty seconds before Douxie sat up, holding one hand to his forehead and the other to his healed side. "Ow… Can I assume it worked, Arch?"

"Looks like it," his dragon answered.

Nari approached, for once not having to tilt her head to look at his face since he sat on the floor. "In the place where the gateway closed I could sense him in his world. Your doppelgänger's fate has changed because of what took place here, but for better or worse I cannot say. He was such a sad, empty creature."

"I know, but most of it he brought on himself."

"Loss can do that," she murmured, giving him a meaningful look. "Terrible grief can easily beget terrible actions, Dukes-ee."

She wandered away, climbing the spiral stairs to browse the books there or leave him to his thoughts. Perhaps both.

A groan pulled his attention and he saw Mark kindly helping Claire to her feet. Pia peered about, curious and eager. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of the chandelier and its teardrop-shaped amethysts that hovered artfully in place, then she reached out to touch one of the glowing crystal clusters on a shelf. Leaning close to Mark, she whispered excitedly but he gave the slightest shake of his head and she deflated.

"That sea quartz lost most of its power long ago," Douxie spoke up, "so it's mainly for display. You can have it if you want."

Pia's face had started to turn red as he addressed her, but at the offer she began to fidget. "Oh, no! I couldn't possibly!"

But her fingers had already curled around it possessively and she pulled it to her chest. Behind her Claire's eyes scanned the shop, confused and searching.

"Where's Jim?" she wondered.

"The Trollhunter returned home," Nari called down from above. "Once satisfied that all of you were in no danger, he entered the underground tunnels."

The shadow witch appeared hurt at the news.

Douxie approached her. "By the way, what happened with Zoe? I thought she was supposed to do the configuration."

Everyone turned to Claire, expecting an explanation, but her answer came out in a rushed, distracted manner, craning her neck toward the windows as though expecting to see someone. "She got hurt. It was bad enough that she couldn't make the link, so I stepped in."

"But where is she now?"

Again Nari spoke, this time climbing over the railing and hanging upside-down to look at them. "The air witch left. She did not wish to speak with anyone for now."

Now a flicker of confusion and hurt crossed Douxie's face. He'd hoped he could have at least had a conversation with her.

"I need to leave," Claire said with an edge of misery. She raised one hand to open a shadow portal, only to clutch her head with a sharp, hissing breath. Shaking it off before anyone could check on her, she headed for the door. "I guess I'll take the long way."

Pia had sunk into a seat near the front window, still looking exhausted. She was the youngest and weakest among them, after all, but her hands continued to caress the quartz cluster that flowed and ebbed with liquid only she could feel.

"Is that really what it's like to be ambient?" she asked, a hint of wonderment in her tone. "To feel the entire world humming and thrumming with magic?"

"Well, it was intensified by the link, but it feels a bit like that."

"But… I don't get it," she continued, speaking quickly as though worried her window of opportunity was shrinking. "How exactly did you taking off that doppelgänger's bracelet-thing hurt him?"

Douxie held up his arm, pointing specifically to a jagged scar that extended from under the lip of his charm bracer toward his hand. "You can't just put a magic artifact like this on and expect it to work. It has to be literally bonded to its user."

"Wait, are you saying that scar is from…?" She trailed off, face twisting with sudden discomfort.

"It's from what you might call an embedding process." He continued to observe the old injury, flexing his fingers as he remembered. Mark and Pia took a few steps forward to get a better look. "Magic is like that sometimes. Certain objects will work only under specific circumstances. I'm not entirely sure I would have worn it if I'd known what it felt like to put it on."

He shot the briefest glare at Archie who was conveniently in the middle of a grooming session and missed it. Mark stared at the scar, looking as though he wanted to say something, but Douxie had only ever seen him open his mouth to complain, and (true to form) he held himself back.

Pia chewed her lip. "Was it… really bad?"

"Let me just say it's hard to think about it even after centuries. Removing it would be… well, 'torture' is the closest word for it. I've only ever made the mistake of taking it off once." His expression said it all. "To be honest, I'm surprised my doppelgänger was able to stay on his feet afterward, much less fight back. Turns out he was a lot more desperate than I expected."

A figure with strong Korean features came up behind them, placing his hands on Mark and Pia's shoulders. The pair grew sheepish as he turned them toward the door, the young girl holding onto her new sea quartz with a deathgrip. Once they were gone, Asmodeus let his gaze pan around the central room, coming to rest on a portrait on the left wall amid random paintings of fairies, dragons, castles and sketches of medieval weaponry.

"The few times you've let me into this half of your shop I wondered about this," he commented, drawing close and folding his arms. "It always seemed odd to me that you'd have a picture of yourself beside the great Merlin. And not in the most flattering of poses, to be honest, which should have tipped me off that it was legit and not some sort of wish fulfillment."

Douxie's expression twitched in the slightest grimace as he looked at the figure of himself, stiff and awkward behind Merlin as though wondering whether he belonged in the same room with such a powerful, commanding wizard. Asmodeus faced him, more serious than he'd ever been (which was quite a feat).

"Nine hundred years is… quite impressive. But no doubt it comes with a lot of baggage and probably a number of enemies. Anyone with eyes can see you're head over heels for Zoe and it's her choice whether she's willing to return those feelings," the seriousness turned to a glower, "but if any of your past catches up to you and ends up hurting her in the process… Well, I'll just let you use your imagination on how exactly I'll make sure you pay."

This elicited a grudging nod of acknowledgement from the seemingly-young wizard. "If I'd heard that from any other hedge wizard, I'd consider it an empty threat."

Asmodeus walked steadily past him, but paused with his hand on the doorknob.

"I wasn't entirely sure you could link with me when Zoe suggested it. Real shocker." But the words were said with a certain amount of respect rather than the usual derision he got from the Asian.

Douxie cracked the barest smile and jerked his thumb back toward the portrait. "You probably don't know it, but Merlin is quite possibly the biggest jerk on the planet. If I could link with him, I can do it with literally anyone."

The very corner of Asmodeus's lips quirked, then the door swung shut behind him.

When Claire slipped into the Lake residence a short time later she knew immediately that something was wrong. Barabara sat crying on the sofa, Strickler by her side. The changeling saw her enter and quickly beckoned.

"Miss Nuñez, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but… I'm afraid there's something wrong with Jim."

A sudden chill swept over her body as a hundred calamities sped through Claire's mind. "Where is he?!"

"In the basement with Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, but unfortunately—"

She ignored anything else he had to say. Wrenching the door open and almost barreling down the stairs, she came to a halt in front of the trolls who seemed startled by her sudden appearance. The one she was most concerned about turned away immediately, not even looking at her.

"Jim! Are you alright?!"

"I fear, Claire, that at the present time Master Jim is… probably not in the best humor for visiting," Blinky tried to explain without explaining, the nervousness behind his voice betraying the fact that he was trying not to say something.

"What?" Like a blister rubbed raw, the Mexican girl felt her anger leaking into her insides with an incessant burning. "You left me alone after that fight! I woke up expecting to see you, but what happened? You were 'not in the best humor'?! Of all the stupid, inconsiderate boyfriends in the entire world—!"

Aaarrrgghh and Blinky exchanged worried looks during this outburst, but Jim finally turned to face her. The guilt and shame in those blue eyes cut her off.

"I didn't remember."

"…What?"

"When I came home Mom gave me a hug and asked how everything went but… I felt like I'd never seen her before. I pushed her away." He dropped his gaze. "By the time my memories came back to me she couldn't stop crying. Usually I remember as soon as I see someone, but this time…"

Claire's anger deadened, replaced by concern. How could she have overlooked it? He'd even confessed he was losing pieces of himself that first day after emerging from the stone. Had… had he just been so good at hiding it these past weeks that no one noticed?

"Master Jim," Blinky's voice accompanied the two left hands that settled on the half-troll's back in what little comfort he could offer. "You mustn't be hard on yourself. We all understand this memory lapse is not voluntary. None of it is your fault."

Jim's eyes flashed suddenly and he jerked around to glare at the figure encased in emerald stone against the far wall.

"You're right. It isn't my fault." With three long strides he crossed the basement and bared all his fangs at Merlin's frozen face. "It's yours, isn't it, old man? You didn't even know what you were doing to me and you didn't care! It was all about winning the battle—come hell or high water—and you were willing to do anything and sacrifice anyone. Anyone but yourself!"

With the last word he reached out and jabbed the green stone with one thick, trollish finger. To everyone else in the basement, Jim went rigid and then abruptly slumped to the floor.

To Jim, the world turned white, then slowly came into focus… in his kitchen. Empty whiteness lay outside the window and there was a dreamy quality to the place. Merlin stood there, tapping the microwave with interest, but when he heard Jim's sudden intake of breath he looked back.

"Perhaps there is some merit to your accusation."

"Wait, you heard me?" the Trollhunter wondered.

"I suppose you could say I developed something of an immunity to stasis spells, so yes, I have been eavesdropping all day. There was very little else to do, after all." He surveyed the kitchen. "The last time the two of us were here you made a choice. My choice. I know what I did in changing you was not in your best personal interests, but I am honest when I say I truly believe there was no other way you could have survived the fight against Gunmar. I gave you every advantage I could. But it never occurred to me to look beyond that battle at what may happen to you afterward."

"So I was right," Jim practically growled. "You didn't know that potion would take away everything from me. I didn't even recognize my own mother's face!"

"We all lose something precious to us when we accept great responsibilities. When you accepted your role as Trollhunter you gave up the freedom of youth."

"You forget that wasn't a choice either," he pointed out. "The Amulet wouldn't let me walk away."

"And yet at some point you embraced the calling, did you not?"

Jim turned his head away reluctantly, knowing he was right. That sense of belonging, of purpose, of destiny when he'd held the Amulet and used it to protect his friends and mother still lingered.

"But this…" His hands tightened into fists, the knuckles standing out. "If I lose my memories—everything that made me human—how will I even know what I'm fighting for anymore? Why did you have to do that to me?"

Merlin looked at the counter, one finger reaching out to brush the glass of Jim's Food Magic 3000, which held the dregs of greenish liquid that seemed ominously familiar. After a heavy moment he turned around.

"I suspect you are not a student of history, James Lake. There is no war in the world that did not result in carnage." He stared at the kitchen's blank wall, as through a window, at something Jim couldn't see. "I've watched countless thousands of survivors scarred in both soul and body, horrified by what they had done and seen and suffered in battles they wanted no part in to begin with. What makes you so special that you are exempt from that?"

For the first time Jim couldn't think of an answer.

"I did not bring you to this place to say only that," he said more softly, flicking a wooden spoon so that it clattered into the sink. "It is as we discussed in Camelot—keeping Nari safe isn't enough. The true difficulty with the world persists. Magic has been siphoned away and you must find a way to restore it."

"Me?" Surprised, he pulled back. "How?"

"There are twelve days left before the Order's year and a day is up and this must be accomplished before then. With Nari's help, you can keep the world from dissolving into a wasteland of death."

"But why are you asking me? Isn't Douxie your apprentice? Magic is his thing."

Merlin's usual intensity drained away, leaving behind an old man. Jim noted the way his shoulders sagged and he seemed so much more tired.

"I suspect he may be of little use to all of you for some time. Perhaps I am wrong, but…" He straightened once more and pointed to the half-troll's chest. "The key to restoring magic to the world is there."

Looking down at the red-lined circle over his heart, Jim could see the shard of onyx still jutting out. "My Amulet?"

"Indeed. There was not a flicker of magic inside you a year ago, but by a process even I do not fully understand, it embedded its own magic in your very being until you became a magical creature yourself—with or without the Amulet. And it happened long before I awoke."

"Are you kidding? In what way? I've never been able to do anything but use the Amulet," he insisted, one hand cutting the air between them in denial.

"It's certainly a thing I've never encountered before, so I have no experience to draw on since the Amulet has always been possessed by magical creatures to begin with until now." The old wizard spread his hands wide in an ancient gesture that conveyed resignation, the hand of Fate, yet also an element of what's-done-is-done. "Still, that is what's needed: a way to spread those very same effects over the entire earth. It will be your responsibility to find a way."

"But… how? I don't even know where to begin!"

Merlin smiled for the first time, armor looking suddenly brighter than usual. No, the entire world was growing brighter. Colors were leeching out of it.

"You're the Trollhunter, James. The Trollhunter always finds a way. But I did leave behind a few clues to get you started. Just to make things easier, you understand." He paused, considering the youngster before him. "I believe there is one other thing I can do for you. Seeing as I've no more use for it, I might as well use my lifeforce to break this devilry."

Things were becoming indefinite now as Merlin approached him. One long-fingered hand reached out to touch the cursed fragment of stone, causing a searing flash of fiery agony—followed by almost liquid coolness. Jim stared. The onyx had dissolved.

"Let me simply say that though I set you on this path and made you what you are, that does not mean I have no regrets in doing so. I do. And even when I laud you for succeeding because of me, I am sorry for the pain of the aftermath."

Then all turned white and Merlin shrank away into the brightness.

Nari perched on the railing of the spiral staircase, copper-colored eyes fastened on the wizard across the room whose hands were braced against the fireplace mantel as though trying to keep himself upright. Beside him Archie stood on his hind legs, both forepaws resting on Douxie's jeans as he stared up in anxiety.

"I told you early this morn there was nothing I could do," she murmured, the delicate softness of her voice soaked with apology.

"There's got to be," he insisted, one fist banging the stone mantelpiece. "You only read the emerald once. What if you overlooked something? Couldn't you at least try to heal him in stasis?"

"He stands on the very cusp of death and I cannot do anything unless he is removed from the emeralding spell. Yet if you did so, Merlin would pass beyond my reach before I could even begin healing him," the antlered woman explained.

"No. You're wrong." Douxie shook his head in denial then strode across to grab Nari by the shoulders, nearly making her fall off the railing. "You're wrong! There's got to be a way to heal him!"

"Dukes-ee… sometimes magic isn't the answer."

Every single periwinkle in her hair had furled up tightly, intimidated by him, but she didn't try to pull away. After a few seconds his hold loosened and he went limp.

Suddenly he jerked up straight and went to a shelf, yanking down a battered old book and flipping it open. Numerous conversations were written out, half in Merlin's firm, perfectly even handwriting and the other half in Douxie's looping, wandering script. Taking a seat at a miniature desk by the back wall, he snatched up a pen as he turned to a blank page.

"I'm not giving up!"

He scribbled his message with furious strokes, slamming the pen down after and shoving to his feet. Before he could decide on a course of action (presumably a rash one) he realized he was staring at his body sprawled forward on the desk… while he stood a few steps back. Archie had leaped up onto the book and reached out a paw to tap his friend's arm. Even Nari had come closer, head cocked to one side.

Raising one hand, the wizard noticed he could easily see through it.

The startled confusion was overwhelmed by panic as milky whiteness bled through the shop. In seconds there was nothing but a pale void. Then with gradual softness a new scene took shape. An extremely familiar one.

Merlin's workshop.

And there the old man sat at the table beside three arched windows, writing once again in a large book. A warm glow filled the room, casting a wave of calm over the area.

"Master!" Douxie shouted, both delighted and upset. "Y-You're…! You shouldn't be doing this. Pulling me into an astral illusion could weaken the emeralding spell."

"Do you really believe after I've spent centuries in stasis that your spell could hold me?" Merlin wondered, eyes still trained on the book as he continued to draw. His penstrokes were ponderous and deliberate as he finished a new sketch.

"If you don't stop this you'll die!"

"I am going to die anyway, so I am using what power I have left to speak with you, Hisirdoux." He finally looked up, crystal blue eyes seeking out the face of his apprentice. Laying down the quill pen, the old wizard rose to his feet and approached. "Don't make me waste what little time remains by trying to stop me."

Douxie tried to find his voice. It took a few moments, coming out hoarse and husky. "Is… is there really nothing I can do?"

"The most difficult lesson everyone must learn at some point in their lives is when to let go. The ending must come eventually, no matter how long we may struggle against it."

Merlin walked around the table, running one finger along its surface and checking for dust out of pure habit, the younger wizard lagging a few steps behind as he tried to find his tongue.

"But… I waited so long! I thought when you finally came back that we'd go back to the way things were when—"

"So that's why you didn't give up your piece of the Heart even after you finally met the young lady." Merlin gave the smallest of smirks at Douxie's sudden embarrassment. The fact that he'd found out Zoe was the reason for his prolonged youth stung a bit. "Did you really believe it was best to be nothing but master and apprentice once more?"

"I… I don't know." Douxie shrugged uncomfortably, slowing to a halt by the stained glass windows. The large tome Merlin had been writing in sat there on the circular table, its cover bearing the same jewel and geometric pattern as Merlin's chestplate. "Maybe not exactly that, but you were barely there during my apprenticeship. I thought you'd at least try to finish what you started."

"And if there was no need? What then, master wizard?"

Silence met these words. Douxie continued to stare down at the book, not sure how to answer. Lord knows he'd always wanted to earn a staff, but never once had it fully struck home that achieving his goal meant his apprenticeship was over.

Thin fingers slid onto his shoulder and warmth seeped through his hoodie. The young wizard raised his eyes from the tome and stared into Merlin's face, unable to keep the pain hidden.

"Hisirdoux, do you remember what I told you after I said there was only one way to entrap Morgana all those centuries ago?"

"That even though…" He had to swallow first to get the words out. "Even though you wouldn't be there, you'd… you'd still keep an eye on me."

"And I will continue to do so."

Douxie gave a vigorous headshake. "It's not the same and you know it. This time… you're not coming back."

"You know… I've had more apprentices than I can count, but it's been eons since any of them felt like family," the old man said, smiling down with a genuineness Douxie found so utterly unlike his master that it was difficult to look straight at him. "I knew that first day I took you in that I had finally found my successor. Look at all you've managed on your own without my guidance. Do you really believe you still need me?"

"I'll always need you!" he burst out, wrapping both arms around Merlin and feeling arms slide around him too—solid and comforting.

For a time they stood that way, the weight of remaining time oppressive and frightening as it trickled away. But Douxie couldn't bear to break the silence.

"You won't lose me. I'll always be there watching over you, Son."

Douxie felt tears slide down his cheeks and held onto Merlin as tightly as he could, not willing to let him go. But brilliant light overtook the world and he could feel his master's body grow insubstantial.

"No! I'm not ready! Please don't go!"

In a basement across town, the giant emerald shattered as the figure inside dissolved into fine gray ash.

A/N: Just a quick update on my end. Up to chapter 11 I had practically everything laid out in detail, but the last few chapters have been written on the fly without even an outline. I know where I'm going, but the path there is blank which explains why when I first started posting, it was once a week but now it's taking more than two weeks for new chapters. The reason this one took over a month is because I went through about five or six drafts for Merlin's talks with Jim and Douxie, and honestly I'm still not happy with the results. There aren't too many similarities to Merlin's death or his posthumous appearance because I wanted to come at their relationship from a different angle.

Also I wanted to feature the background of the Hex Tech gang in this chapter, but it just didn't fit with Merlin's last words and I seemed to be spending too much time on them when they're not the main characters. Basically Asmodeus (real name Jeong Hyeok, if you were curious) was shunned by the wizards in his community including family members because he had such limited fire magic. Even though he could absorb amazing amounts of magical knowledge and theory, he couldn't do much with it on a practical level, which left him in an uncomfortable position. He met Zoe during a small hedge wizard celebration where several families got together and she told him about Arcadia (which she'd heard about from her parents when they had taken the job in their youth).

Asmodeus and Zoe met Mark (featured in "Wizard Underground" putting together a microwave) a couple months before they moved to Arcadia Oaks, though he refused to share anything about himself except that he had nowhere to go and no one who cared about him. They decided to invite him along when they found out how good he was with electronics (being an electromancer) and he was willing to teach others. He and Asmodeus began talking, deciding to combine magic theories and technology to try creating something new.

As for Pia (also in "Wizard Underground" on the phone with a customer), Asmodeus happened across her when he felt erratic water magic flapping about in some small Californian town. Her mother was a witch who left both daughter and husband years ago, so when Pia started experiencing magical awakening, she had no idea what it was or how to control it. When Asmodeus showed up offering to give lessons, her father practically shoved her out the door even though she was just thirteen at the time. This created a deep-seated pain when it came to her family, having been abandoned by both parents. But Asmodeus and the others welcomed her to Hex Tech with open arms and she's been with them two years.