A/N: Starting with this chapter, this story is now fully caught up with the version over on Spacebattles. As such, all future updates will take longer to come out. Thank you for your patience.

Tommy awoke to early morning light streaming through the window, and rolled over to go back to sleep. He then realized that the window was on the wrong wall compared to his bedroom and immediately sat up. He pulled back the pure white curtains around his bed and found that he was in what looked like an infirmary, a large hall lined with rows of beds, each with their own curtains around them. He looked down and found his clothes had been removed, the only thing covering him being a white sheet, and his chest had been bandaged. He then recalled what had happened, what he believed to be a broken rib must have been worse than he thought. He gently stretched, only to find no pain whatsoever.

"Ah, you're awake."

Tommy turned to find an older woman, probably in her mid-fifties, walking toward him. She wore long, grey robes that matched her grey hair that was tied in a professional manner, and glasses that framed a very stern expression. She honestly resembled a librarian more than a doctor.

"What happened?" Tommy asked as she approached.

"You fainted in front of the queen, that's what happened," she replied with a huff, "In any other situation, you would have been thrown out. But since you were injured, you were given leniency. Now, I must examine you."

Tommy did not attempt to resist as the woman drew a wand and began to wave it around him, muttering incantations as she went. He couldn't help feeling somewhat awkward, even though he'd had plenty of physical examinations throughout his life. Maybe it was because those didn't involve being poked all over by a wooden stick.

"Well, you seem to have healed rather quickly," she said as she continued to examine him, "Even with the potions we had given you, it still should have taken a few days for you to recover, given the extent of your injuries and especially for a man your age."

"How bad was it?"

"You suffered several broken bones, primarily all of your ribs, and there were even signs that you had been struck by lightning several times. Now, do you feel any pain at all?"

"No, nothing so far," Tommy replied, resisting the urge to shrug off the severity of his injuries as he didn't think the doctor would take it well.

"In that case, I see no reason not to discharge you. I shall have your things returned to you, though we had to lock that sword of yours in a closet for the night. It would not stop making comments about the maids."

"Yeah, sorry about him. I thought I had gotten him to stop doing that."

Tommy sat and thought back to the previous day as he waited, and the guilt came back to him. Despite his best efforts, the king of Albion was killed and the kids got hurt, Louise especially. He should have listened to his initial instincts, he shouldn't have let any of them come along, and he especially should have just thrown Wardes off the cliff. No, there was no point in dwelling on past mistakes, that was how so many of his problems started. The kids were alive, that's what mattered, and hopefully he'd have more time to prepare them before the next disaster struck.

His thoughts then turned to what the doctor said about his injuries. It wasn't the injuries themselves that concerned him, he'd taken similar beatings before and pulled through. How he received them was another matter entirely. He had been careless, operating on the assumption that Wardes was just a normal human, magic aside. He really shouldn't be making assumptions about anything at this point in his life. Then there was that pendant, or whatever it actually was. It had increased Wardes' power immensely, enough to make Tommy struggle. He'd get Alpha to analyze it as soon as possible, if Wardes had one then who knew how many were out there?

"There you are, Partner!"

Tommy looked up and saw Derflinger, being carried along with the rest of his things by a maid. He then spotted the belt of pouches resting on top of his folded clothes. He really hoped no one went poking around in there.

"Thank you," Tommy said to the maid as he accepted his things, before turning to Derflinger, "I thought I told you to stop with the comments toward women."

"Oh, uh... Sorry about that. Old habits, you know?"

"We'll work on it," he said as he closed the curtains around his bed and began to get dressed.

He made sure to check if everything was still there and sure enough, his morpher, communicator, digital map, unused beacons, shovel, and especially Wardes' pendant and the immobilizing disc he removed from Louise were all accounted for. Just then, his communicator beeped.

"Alpha?" Tommy asked as pressed the button.

"It's Jean, actually," Jean replied, sounding despondent, "I see that you've recovered."

"How did...?" Tommy began before realization struck, "Oh right, there's an active beacon here so you're able to see me."

"Indeed. Tommy, I wish to apologize for striking you. That was entirely uncalled for."

"There's no need to apologize, I completely understand. If anything, I should be apologizing. I failed to keep my promise to keep everyone safe."

"You brought them back alive and in one piece, I am grateful for that. But when I saw Louise in such a state..."

"How is she?"

"She has yet to awaken."

"I see. How's Alpha doing?"

"I placed him outside in the sun as you had said, but he too has yet to awaken."

"Give it an hour or two and he should be back on his feet," Tommy replied, both relieved and still worried, "I'll be back soon, there are a few things that I need to take care of here."

As the communication channel closed, Tommy resumed getting dressed. He was glad that Jean wasn't still mad at him.

"Say, uh... Where's Saba?" Derflinger asked.

Now that he mentioned it, he hadn't seen the other sword since he was forcibly demorphed. Tommy held out his hand and willed Saba to appear, but nothing happened.

"You there, furball?" Derflinger said to open air but got no response, "Uh... fish breath? Flea-bitten rat muncher? Uh oh..."

Tommy pulled out his morpher and thrust it forward, pressing the switch... but nothing happened. He pressed it again and again, he even pulled out the Power Coin and reinserted it, but still nothing. The old Tommy luck strikes again...

Jean observed as Alpha passed a scanner over Tommy's morpher, attempting to discern what might be wrong with it. Of all the things he did not understand about the technology around him, this was the most mysterious of all.

"You're certain that you don't feel any different?" Alpha asked as he turned to Tommy.

"I don't feel any slower or weaker, if that's what you mean," Tommy replied as he observed the scan results on the monitor.

"And you've fully recovered from your injuries, so you're connection to the Morphing Grid is still intact..."

"What is the Morphing Grid?" Jean asked.

"It's more or less the source of the Power Rangers' power," Tommy replied, "It's a transdimensional energy field, it exists across all points of space and time, and it is simultaneously a source of life as well as being generated by life."

"You use such a wonderous thing as a weapon?"

"Giving power to the Rangers is just one facet of it," Alpha explained as he continued his work, "The truth is that no one knows the full extent of what the Grid can do. Even after thousands upon thousands of years' worth of study, we've only scratched its surface. Such is the problem when dealing with something truly infinite."

"And you harness this power through this device, this 'morpher'?"

"That's right," Tommy said as he turned to face him, "In this case, the Power Coin at its center is what's connected to the Grid. But most humans back home lack the magical ability to harness it by itself, so our mentor Zordon created the Power Morphers to remedy that problem."

"Huh, so that's what Saba was trying to say before we got interrupted by those orcs," Derflinger interjected, "Is he going to be okay, Partner?"

"Of course, we'll get him back in no time," Tommy replied.

Jean began to pace back and forth across his workshop as he considered this new information, his mind racing at what it could mean. Magic combined with technology, he had hypothesized such an idea long ago in his youth, but he had long discarded it as a flight of fancy. Yet the proof now sat before him, and he was afraid of it. One of his oldest dreams was within arm's reach, and it was a weapon of war.

"I'm afraid that these tools aren't enough to determine the problem," Alpha lamented, "I need something more powerful."

"I've got something like that in my lab," Tommy replied, "It's calibrated for analyzing the Dino Gems but I'm sure we can get it to work for the coin. What about the things I took off of Louise and Wardes last night?"

"In a word? Perplexing," Alpha said as he moved to look over the aforementioned objects on a second table, "The design is sophisticated but the exact construction is poor, my guess is that they were working with unfamiliar materials. The metal in particular is unlike any I've seen before. The fact that they functioned at all despite these limitations shows that whoever made these knew what they were doing."

Jean too looked upon the objects in question, one a small metal disc, the other what appeared to be a simple silver pendant with a needle extended, dried blood still present. He thought over what Tommy had told him, of how the former had been used to immobilize Louise while the latter had given the former lord of house Wardes a vast increase in magical power. To think that such things could exist.

"The most curious part is that both have been completely burned out," Alpha proclaimed.

"I'm afraid I don't understand, I don't see any burn marks on them," Jean said as he looked at the objects.

"That's because the damage is too small for human eyes to see, but my optical visor is designed to pick up on details that small. However, I can't determine what caused the burning, neither device appears to have a power source."

Jean resumed his pacing. No power source, yet they functioned all the same, affecting both Louise and Wardes to such drastic degrees. Unless...

"I believe I know what powered them," Jean began, "Magic. These devices were being fueled by the magic of Miss Valliere and Lord Wardes.

"That could be it," Alpha said, "But then what caused their magic to burn out the devices?"

"...The explosion," Jean replied, realization dawning on him, "Miss Valliere's explosions cause magical effects to disappear. But because the devices were fueled by their magic rather than being magical themselves..."

"It caused a backlash effect," Tommy interjected, "That could explain why Wardes was covered in burns after we were hit... Wait. I was hit by that explosion too, could that be what's affecting my powers?"

"I'll have to run a deeper scan to be certain, and we'll have to take a reading of Louise's explosions to compare it to," Alpha explained, "Now the remaining question is what could this have done to Louise?"

"Yeah, I don't think eyes turning pitch black is normal in any situation," Tommy said.

Jean continued to observe as his friends looked over the readings they had obtained, but his mind was elsewhere. The ring, he knew that it had something to do with this, he knew that it was trouble the moment he saw it on Louise's finger. After all, he had encountered its kind before. He cast his gaze up to the highest shelf in his workshop, to an inconspicuous box tucked into the corner. Flashes of the worst night of his life entered his mind but he forced them down. If the ring that the princess had given to Louise was indeed a royal treasure, then what had he found that night?

Louise awoke with a start, grasping at anything she could as the memories came back to her. She had been taken, unable to move. They had been in the woods, but... She looked around and found that she was in her room, in her bed. She then realized that she could move again, and a wave of relief washed over her.

"You're awake."

She turned to find Tommy sitting in a chair beside her bed, an open book in his hand. He was once more wearing the clothes from his home, white overcoat and spectacles included.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he set the book down on her table.

She looked down at her hand and closed it then opened it again, partly to be sure that it was real, and partly just to feel the sensation again. She was safe, it was over. Memories then surged once more in her mind, everything on fire, being unable to move, unable to do anything...!

"W-what of the mission?" Louise asked instead, anything to distract herself.

"It was a complete success, we managed to get everyone out safely," he replied, only for his reassuring expression to slip into melancholy, "Well, almost everyone."

"What happened?"

"The king of Albion was murdered."

"I... I see..." she replied, "H-how long have I been asleep?"

"About three days."

"Three days?!"

Louise immediately pulled her blankets off and made to stand up, only for her legs to give out beneath her, the only thing to keep her from falling was Tommy's swift intervention.

"Easy now," he said as he gently set her back onto her bed, "You're going to be a bit weak after being asleep for so long."

"But I must report to the princess!" she insisted as she tried to extricate herself from his grasp.

"She's your friend, she'll understand if you need a bit of time to recover. You can give your report once you're back on your feet."

Louise wished to protest further, but she knew that he was right. It would not do to collapse in front of the princess, or Prince Wales for that matter. Then, much to her utter embarrassment, her stomach began to growl rather audibly.

"I'll go get you something to eat," Tommy said and began to make his way to the door.

"Thomas, wait."

"Yes, Louise?" he replied, turning back to face her.

Louise looked at her hands once more and felt a sense of utter self-loathing. She knew logically that what had transpired had not been her fault, that she could have done nothing to stop it. Yet that was the very reason she loathed herself. She was weak, and helpless, just as she'd always been. Before it was something that troubled her greatly, but was ultimately bearable. Now? Now, a king had been assassinated, and she had nearly been taken. Her mind returned once more to that night, the forest ablaze while she sat limply against a tree.

Her mind then turned to him. Just the mere thought of her fiance... no, former fiance, infuriated her in a way that even Kirche never could. He used her, manipulated her! He did all of this and she allowed him to do it in her naivete! She was weak, she was stupid, but no more.

"Teach me how to fight," she asked, "Like you."

"Are you sure?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

"For all of my life, I have been ridiculed for being small and useless, and I am tired of it. So yes, I am sure!"

Tommy was silent for a moment, his gaze appraising. What was he waiting for? What was there to think about? It was a simple yes or no answer!

"Alright, I'll teach you," he said, becoming serious, "But you have to promise me something."

"Name it."

"You have to promise me that you'll use what I teach you only to defend yourself or others."

"Are you insinuating that I would go around attacking people?!"

"I've known a lot of people like you, Louise. People who have spent their lives being kicked around by the whole world, and who wasted no time in kicking back the second that they got the chance. I used to be like that."

"Y-you were?" Louise asked, surprised at such an admission.

"Growing up, I didn't have much that I could define myself with," he began, retaking his seat in the chair, "It comes with the territory of being an orphan, but even after I was adopted, my father's work required us to move around the country a lot so we couldn't have much in the way of possessions that could weigh us down. I was always the new kid in school, and I never stayed in a single school long enough to properly make friends. I was only a bit older than you when I finally had a permanent home, and even then it took me a couple of years to realize that.

"When I was about eight or nine years old, some older kids at school were picking on me for being the new kid. Things eventually turned physical and I wound up being the last one standing. In that moment, I felt truly alive for the first time. I finally had something that was solely mine, something that nothing could take away from me. So naturally, I went around picking more fights so that I could keep experiencing what was mine, and of course, I got in trouble.

"My parents had no idea how to punish me, they couldn't take away any of my things because I didn't have any, and they couldn't confine me to my room because that's where I had spent all of my free time anyway."

"Why didn't they simply beat you as punishment?" Louise asked.

"They didn't believe in that kind of punishment, they thought it would only do more harm than good. My father then saw an ad for a local karate school in the newspaper and decided to sign me up for lessons. I took to it like a fish to water and the rest is history."

Louise sat silently and contemplated what she had heard. It was hard to believe that someone so even-tempered and understanding used to be a violent hooligan in his youth, even if briefly. But the assertion that she would be the same was preposterous! She would never do such a thing, it was unbecoming of nobility! But then, she had experienced nobles displaying deplorable behavior of all sorts... No, she was nothing like them!

"You're angry, it's understandable after what happened," Tommy said.

"You know nothing!" she shouted.

"Don't I? You think I've never been betrayed before? Admittedly, it wasn't by someone as close as a fiance, but he was still someone that I had considered a friend and it still hurt. It didn't help that I had to kill him, twice even."

"How did you...? No, never mind, I don't want to know."

For once, Louise was grateful for the odd things that Tommy spoke of, it had taken her mind off of the hole she now felt in her chest, if only for a moment.

"...Why did he do it?" she asked, more to herself than anything.

"I asked him that toward the end, but he refused to say."

"Did you...?"

"No, I didn't kill him. But after what he did to himself, he was too badly damaged to be a threat anymore. Getting you out of there was more important."

"What did he do to himself? I've never heard of such a thing being possible."

"You were awake when everything was happening?"

"For most of it, but everything went black and I don't remember anything afterward."

"Well, Alpha is working on solving that, along with everything else we saw in Albion."

Louise looked down at her hands once more and clenched them into fists. It hurt so much that this was the final straw, but this was what she must do. She had no other choice.

"I promise," she began, turning toward Tommy, "I swear upon my honor as a Valliere that I will use your teachings only in the defense of others."

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied with a smile, "We'll begin when the next Day of Void comes around. Until then, you rest and recover, and I'll go get you something to eat."

Louise watched as he closed the door behind him, and a tear began to roll down her cheek. She could not hold it in any longer and began to sob into her blankets.

Guiche's room was quiet, as if it were empty. Yet that was not the case at all as Montmorency sat upon his bed and he alongside her, his hand entwined with hers, his head resting upon her shoulder. For the last three days since they had returned from Albion, a sensation that she would rather not repeat, Guiche had asked her to his room. Though he was his usual self in front of others, only she knew the truth. The events in Albion weighed on him, and he did not wish to be alone.

When he had first asked her to his room, she had assumed something altogether different would happen, as what other conclusion would someone reach upon such a request? She was relieved when it turned out to simply be to sit with him in silence, as she was not yet ready for the alternative, even if it was with Guiche. Moreso, she felt a sort of happiness. Not at the circumstances that led to this point, but that Guiche had asked her to be here with him, that he trusted her enough with such vulnerability.

The odd sword that Guiche had carried throughout their journey now sat in the far corner of the room, untouched since their return. Time passed as nothing was said, every so often he would squeeze her hand and she would return the gesture. It was then that there was a knock at the door.

"Y-yes?" Guiche asked as he sat up and straightened his hair.

"Can I come in, Guiche?" a male voice answered.

"Sir Thomas? B-but of course!"

The door opened and Valliere's familiar stepped inside, an expression of concern on his face.

"You're both here, good," he said as he closed the door behind him, "This will save me a trip. May I take a seat?"

"Y-you may," Guiche replied.

"How are you feeling?" the familiar asked as he sat in one of Guiche's chairs.

"I am...well," Guiche answered, his tone suggesting otherwise.

"You can be honest with me, Guiche," the familiar, Tommy, said, "I was there, remember?"

"I... do not know how I feel," Guiche said with a sigh, his momentary mask gone, "Everything that transpired is exactly what I wanted, and yet I am haunted. Even with your forewarning, I was not ready."

"I meant what I said in Albion, you did well. Taking a life isn't easy, but you did so to protect your allies and the villagers."

"...Does it become easier?"

"It shouldn't. Even after all the years I've spent doing this, every life I take weighs on me."

"How do you keep it from tearing you apart inside?"

"I focus on all the good that comes from it, all the lives that get to see another sunrise. But I never let it become a justification. It's good that you feel remorse, even if it's for someone who did terrible things."

"I... I see."

"What about you, Montmorency?" Tommy asked, turning to face her, "Did you find what you were looking for in Albion?"

"I... do not know," she replied, averting her eyes, "I barely did anything."

"I think Brom would beg to differ, that potion of yours helped him get back on his feet."

"H-his wounds were shallow enough that he would have recovered on his own, my assistance was negligible."

"It isn't about how effective your help was, but that you helped to begin with. You gave them aid during a time of great hardship and he and his mother are going to remember that for the rest of their lives. I'm starting to think that helping people might be what you're good at."

Montmorency did not know what to say to that. How could this man possibly know such a thing from just one event? How could he know her when even she didn't know herself?

"Well, I've got other things that I need to see to," he said as he stood from the chair, "But if either of you need to talk about anything, I'm always happy to listen."

He then left the room, and the silence returned. Montmorency's mood soured as she processed the familiar's words, what good would more talk do when it had hardly done anything so far? She was no closer to understanding herself than she was at the beginning of all of this!

"Montmorency?" Guiche asked.

"Yes, Guiche?" she replied, turning to face him.

"I believe Sir Thomas is correct about you," he said, trying to smile through his sadness.

"He doesn't know me," she replied, turning away from him, "How can he possibly make such a judgment about me?"

"I know you," he countered, placing his hand on hers, "I was there when you tried to save Katie and when you healed that child, you did not hesitate either time."

"T-those were extraordinary circumstances! How can I help others here and now?"

"Wouldn't you say that you already help people? The fragrances you make seem to always brighten the days of others."

"I... suppose..."

"And you taught yourself to make effective healing draughts quite quickly."

"Yes... Yes, I did."

The more she thought, the more a plan began to form in Montmorency's mind. Guiche's words made sense, and she supposed the familiar might have made some sense as well. She smiled, once more entwined her hand with Guiche's, and placed a kiss on his cheek. For the first time in what felt like ages, Montmorency began to feel like herself again.

As it happened, the next Day of Void had been the very next day, and yet Louise still had not been able to get up. It had taken another day before Louise felt well enough to leave her bed and return to class. As she dressed, she paused to consider her cape and broach. She had done it, she had fulfilled her promise to herself. A smile spread across her face as she felt its familiar weight upon her shoulders after a long absence.

As she walked the halls toward the first class of the day, many of her fellow students began to whisper to each other as she passed. Louise paid them no mind because she did not care what they said, today was going to be a good day and she would not let anyone or anything spoil it for her.

She crossed the threshold of Professor Colbert's classroom and ascended the stairs of the elevated seating, taking her usual place in the back corner. She looked around the room at her classmates and all were present, as if the last couple of weeks had not happened. Guiche and Montmorency sat closer to the front, the former making one of his usual bombastic boasts to those who would listen. Farther along the back row, Louise saw Kirche talking to Tabitha about something or other while the other girl just sat facing forward.

"Settle down and take your seats, everyone," Professor Colbert commanded as he entered the room and took his place behind the lectern at the front, "We are still behind on the curriculum so we will all need to focus."

He began his lecture and Louise sat with rapt attention. He was right that they were far behind and she was determined to not miss anything. As the lesson progressed, questions were asked of them and without hesitation, Louise was quick to raise her hand and provide the answer, her mood improving each time.

"Well, well, look who decided to grace us with her presence."

Louise turned to find that Kirche had walked over and sat beside her. The Germainian just had to come and ruin her day!

"What do you want, Zerbst?" Louise whispered, "Can't you see that I'm trying to focus? Unlike you, I'm here to learn something."

"I just wanted to see how you were, but it seems that you're back to yourself. Still the same uptight snob."

"Better than a classless whore."

Kirche simply sneered in response and returned to her seat beside Tabitha. Louise shrugged it off, what did she care, anyway? Probably just another attempt to torment her. As the lesson progressed, Professor Colbert asked for a demonstration of the principle he had been teaching, and Louise immediately volunteered.

"Miss Valliere?" he asked, concern clear on his face, "Are you certain?"

"Of course, Professor," she replied and confidently walked down to the front of the room.

"Watch out, the Zero is going to attempt something," Kirche called out, eliciting a chorus of laughter from the class.

"That is enough from all of you, especially you, Miss Zerbts," the professor admonished before turning to Louise, "You may proceed, Miss Valliere."

"Thank you, sir," she replied.

She drew her wand and began to cast, following the instructions written on the chalkboard. With the final word, she raised her wand...! But nothing happened. Louise waited, as did the rest of the class, but there was no explosion. She looked at her wand, trying to determine if it had been damaged in some way. She hoped that it wasn't, it was a family heirloom.

"Well that's a relief," one of her classmates said.

"She can't even do explosions anymore? Now she really is the Zero!" another exclaimed, causing another round of laughter.

"Cease this at once!" Professor Colbert commanded, but the laughter continued.

Louise felt her face burn red as she made her way back to her seat, her head hung low. She buried her face in her arms the second that she sat down, trying to hide her shame and drown out the rest of the world. And all the while, her mind could only focus on why. Why was there no explosion? Why did this even bother her? She hated the explosions, she had wanted them to stop for most of her life! But this somehow felt... wrong?

The laughter of her classmates eventually died down and the lesson continued until its conclusion. Louise waited until she was the last in the room to get up, in the vain hope that perhaps that would make them all forget about her and what happened.

"Miss Valliere, a moment, if you would?" Professor Colbert asked.

"Y-yes, Professor?" she replied as neutrally as she could muster.

"Do you feel alright?" he asked, his concern evident.

"I am f-f-fine."

"If you wish, you can come by my workshop and we can all discuss what happened here."

"Thank you, sir, but I am fine," Louise ground out.

She then turned and left for her next class. As the day went on, Louise kept to herself, what confidence she had started the day with had been shattered. What made her think that returning to classes would somehow be something good? She had taken for granted her time away. She was sorely tempted to run back to Albion, at least there she had been somewhat useful.

As the final class of the day let out, she found herself at a crossroads. Part of her wished to go to dinner, but another just wanted to go to her room and avoid everyone for the rest of the night. But then she remembered Professor Colbert's offer and another desire overcame her, a desire to be around people that actually gave a damn about her. Her course set, she made her way out to the courtyards.

The orange glow of sunset washed over her as she stepped outside and crossed the grassy expanse until she came to the now-familiar wooden shack, whereupon she knocked on the door.

"Enter," came Professor Colbert's muffled voice.

She opened the door and stepped inside to find Tommy, Professor Colbert, and Alpha poring over something or other on one of the screens. She found one of the empty chairs and promptly slumped into it.

"Hey, Louise," Tommy said, looking up from their work, "How was your day?"

"Terrible," she replied simply.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked, fully turning to face her.

"I don't know what I was thinking," she began sullenly, "For some stupid reason I thought today would go well, but I was reminded that nothing has changed. I made a fool of myself in front of everyone, like usual."

"I had asked for a demonstration of a spell and Miss Valliere volunteered," Professor Colbert explained, "Unfortunately, it did not go well."

"The worst part is that there wasn't even an explosion, absolutely nothing happened!" Louise complained.

"I thought you didn't like your explosions," Tommy said, "Isn't this a good thing?"

"It should be, but..."

"Did you try more than once to see if it constantly happened that way?"

"No, I was too mortified to even think of that."

"Then how about we step outside for a minute and give it a try?"

Louise did not wish to humiliate herself further, yet her desire for answers won over. They left the workshop and walked a safe distance away before Louise began to cast. She attempted every spell that she could think of, yet they produced no results, not even the tiniest pop. She did her best to retain her composure, but her trembling hands and heavy breathing gave away her inner turmoil.

"I guess we're in the same boat, then," Tommy said, "My powers aren't working right either."

"What?" Louise asked, shaken from her downward spiral, "When did this happen?"

"We think it happened while I was fighting... him in Albion," he began, "You had somehow pushed through the device that was stopping you from moving and you caused a huge explosion that knocked us both over, completely without a wand at that. Whatever he had done to himself was undone and it left him badly injured, and it seems to have affected both of us as well."

"I don't remember doing any of that," Louise said, "And I've never been able to cast spells without a wand."

Her mind raced as she tried to understand what she had been told, this did not match with anything that she had studied. But she supposed that she was no ordinary mage. Was this part of being... a Void Mage?

"I believe that I have a hypothesis," Professor Colbert said as he retrieved the ring the princess had given her from his pocket.

"You took the ring?" she asked.

"It is a royal treasure, yes? I believed that it would be safer with me than in the presence of prying eyes."

"I... suppose that is logical."

"Try casting again while wearing it," Professor Colbert said as he held out the ring.

She took the ring and placed it on her finger, then began to cast. She attempted the same spell that the professor had asked her to demonstrate earlier. With one final brandish of her wand, a moderately sized explosion erupted in the direction she had been pointing. She looked down at her wand, then at the ring, then up at the two older men.

"W-what does this mean?" she asked

"It means that we've got some questions to ask the princess the next time we see her," Tommy replied.

Louise simply nodded, she was very much in need of answers right now.