I carefully scoop up Jamie and start half-dragging, half-carrying him down the street. After a few steps I glance back to see that Araya hasn't moved.

"Come on," I call.

"Y-you... how, I... you can-'"

"Araya, I... I'll explain later. Come on." She hesitates for a moment longer, before finally following. As we walk I try to convince myself that I'm just trying to make sure that Jamie's ok, and that all three of us are safe, but I actually just need to move. I don't care what I do. If it wasn't walking down the street like a normal civillion - though how exactly normal I am is questionable after today - it would be pacing like a crazy person. Moving made sure I didn't think.

"Should I help with Jamie?" Araya asks quietly.

"No. I'm fine." I'm not. But Jamie's weight forces me back to the street. I can't slip into a horrible vision of Vincent pointing that hand at the dog, the dog who had made me feel less alone. I can't fall into watching Vincent kill dozens of innocent people, or beating up an innocent guy if I have to make sure not to crash into a building. After a while I become dimnly aware of the fact that my teeth are chattering. It's probably because of the shock I'm feeling. Finally, we sit down to rest and I finally pull myself fiercely together. I bring myself back to this street. I look up at the buildings which are still intact, not disintegrated. Still standing. Still ok. Still with living people inside their walls. I shake my head hard. Why am I sitting here, feeling sorry for myself? I should be thinking up some sort of clever plan by which to stop my suddenly, shockingly psychopathic brother from eniolating the whole human population in one night. I immediately slow my fast breathing and force my teeth to stop chattering. Weakness. All of this is stupid, darn waeakness. Unnecessary and useless.

"Madge, are you sure you're ok?" I turn and try a shaky smile for the first time in a while.

"Yeah, I am fine. Are you okay?" She nods.

I frown down at Jamie. He twitches and mutters something. He's probably waking up, at last.

"We need to get Jamie to a Doctor." Araya blinks.

"Huh?"

"Like, a healer? A medicine person? I don't know what you Alyncians call it."

"Healing mage."

"Right. Well then we need to get him to a healing mage." She blinks again.

"Why?" I frown, and then realise she's probably feeling just as dazed as I was a minute ago. After all, both of us have been awake for a whole day and a night.

"Do you have any idea how to fix a dislocated shoulder? Or a broken nose? Cause I don't, and if you don't, then that's a sign we should probably get a professional to do it." She nods. "Araya. Araya?" I suddenly jump to my feet. She starts and blinks, and I can see she's back down to Earth.

"What?" I smile.

"Just needed to snap you out of it." My grin fades as I sit back down again. "Araya, about earlier..en I, sort of..." I close my eyes, and just let loose the river of words that have been swimming around inside my head for the passed hour. "The, my powers, I only figured out they existed around ive minutes before we ... found Vincent. You know that pile of dust I was standing on in that alleyway?" Araya's slightly baffled expression clears.

"It was a wall, of course!"

"Yes. I went to that alleyway and kicked that wall because I just felt so angry at everything. Literally everything. I called the ground stupid." Araya and I chuckle momentarily.

"Anyway, then I suddenly, kind of, I don't know. The world kind of just melted away into this peaceful place where nothing bad could ever happen... and then this random darn word that I'd never heard in my life just suddenly came to me. And then the wall just collapsed." Araya frowns.

"The thing you just described, the everything melting away bit, that sounds a lot like the connection Alnncian mages go into when they learn a spell." I open my eyes and see confusion clouding hers. "But... we're in the human world. I, I don't know how it is possible." I frown.

"What do you mean?" She gestures vaguely.

"All of this. Madge, mages aren't supposed to be able to cast magic in the human world. My powers? Even if I wanted to use them, I can't. I just can't feel them. I could chant all I want and nothing would happen." I blink. "That's..."

"Just what we need." Araya and I both jump to our feet as a Valdorian guard immerges from the gloom. I groan. It's the same freakin' guy who was following us around earlier. Why, oh why do Araya and I keep getting betrayed? Gosh darn it. Darn it all! Why did everything always have to go wrong at the worst moments? "Shoot," I mutter as the guard steps forward, a maniacle smirk on his face.

"Thanks for revealing your abilities. Now we can use you like we used your brother. What was his stupid little human world name? Vincent?" I gritted my teeth.

"Yes. What did you do to him?" He laughs.

"Prisoners don't need to know that." Prisoners? What the ... And then I feel someone grab me from behind. I glance over my shoulder to see another guard gripping my wrists. I glance around. A guard had hauled Araya to her feet and was holding her at arms length. Then the leader of them gestures.

"Grab the boy too." One of the three dozen guards who have almost literally materialised out of thin air step forward and drag a disorintated Jamie to his feet. Our eyes meet.

"W-what's happening?" he calls.

I open my mouth to answer, but the guards' leader replies first.

"You are officially under arrest."