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Chapter 4: Petrified

"All in all, not how I expected the first day to go…" CJ considered as she and Archer made their way up to her room.

It was late at night. The first, and very eventful day of the introduction week was coming to an end. CJ and Archer had said goodnight to all their friends, who would also be spending their nights at Auradon Prep. Celia and Chloe would be bunking with Freddie. Dizzy and Dillon would sleep in a spare bedroom, alongside Evie and Doug.

"Which parts?" Archer inquired, letting out a yawn as they entered the room. "The two of us taking on a freshman in the arena, or one of my old nemeses showing up to seemingly start causing mischief?"

"Both, but the latter in particular." CJ gratefully plopped down onto her mattress. "That story he told… Was that the truth?"

"It was."

"And you're not holding out on important parts of your history to make yourself look better, right?" CJ asked, just to be sure. Levi's whole tale about his rivalry with Archer had her somewhat shaken. He had never talked to her in length about his time spent in military training, or any enemies he had made throughout his life. On the one hand, it was nice to know she was still finding out things about him after all this time, on the other, the things she found out were a little unnerving.

She felt a deep fury bubble up inside her every time she thought back on Levi, and the way he had stared at her with such utter contempt. They had never even met, and yet he had been determined to hate her. It all felt so unfair. CJ, as a villain, was constantly expected to be on her best behavior, lest she confirm any unflattering stereotypes about her people. However, when Auradonians like Levi behaved worse than she ever had, no one really seemed to mind. The injustice of it all infuriated her.

Archer sighed, and bit his lip, seemingly contemplating what to say as he sat down next to CJ. "I don't think anything too important was left out… I could however go into more detail if that's what you'd like?"

CJ shrugged. "I don't know. It's just… Everyone I've ever met in Auradon seems to adore you. So, it's sort of weird to find out there's this guy who hates your guts almost as much as the villains remaining on the Isle do… What happened between you two exactly?"

Archer nudged his head. "It's, ehm, complicated… For one, when I was younger, back during my military days, I wasn't as, ehm, mature as I am now…"

"Duh." CJ scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. But, back then, I wasn't that different from most Auradon royalty. You've met a lot of them, and I've heard your complaints. I used to behave very similar to them."

"Really?" CJ doubted this. Sure, she didn't believe Archer had jumped out of the womb as the kind and brave soul he was now, but she also couldn't imagine he once possessed the same sorts of airs and graces as someone like Chad Charming.

"To an extent." Archer pointed out. "In any case, Levi was correct when he said we were friends once. We all were. All the children of every royal family in all the kingdoms. It's a side effect of spending the entirety of your childhoods together. When we enrolled in the military, I was one of the best, alongside him and Ben. Ben and I, we have always been best friends, and I didn't ever dare disrespect him because of who his parents were. Levi had no such luxury. Peter Pan has always been a bit of an outcast, preferring to remain in Neverland. Levi became the butt of many jokes among our ranks, sometimes spearheaded by me. I am not proud of some of the things I said or did to Levi back then, even if most of it were harmless jabs or pranks…"

"So, it's your fault that he hates you?"

Archer shook his head. "No. No. Levi, ehm, always had some issues… He was hot-headed, impatient and stubborn. Our superiors saw that and always kept him away from positions of authority, knowing he would abuse them. It didn't take long for a rift to grow between me and him. I also had Ben on my side, which in turn led to most others shunning Levi as well. He grew more erratic… Violent even… Also, he has always somehow harbored a great hatred for the villains and the Isle of the Lost. He would make jokes about going over there and eradicating all of you. This didn't sit well with army officials, who kept him on a shorter and shorter leash. It all came to a head when he proposed his insane idea to bring kids over from the Isle and turn them into slaves back in Auradon. That was the last straw, and he was demoted…"

CJ kept listening. It was obvious, from Archer's tone and demeanor, that he had not talked about these events in a long time, and that it was painful to reminisce about them.

"Levi was livid." Archer went on, making some grandiose hand gestures. "He blamed everyone but himself for what had happened. Naturally, I was at the top of that list. I think he was always somewhat jealous of me because I had Excalibur, and the accompanying fame. In any case, he burst into my quarters one day and challenged me to a duel right then and there, with Excalibur as the prize."

"Why would you accept?" CJ questioned. It seemed idiotic to put a great treasure like Excalibur on the line just because some unruly brat would challenge you for it.

"Well, my pride and honor were also on the line." Archer argued. "Furthermore, Levi had been running his mouth and spreading his insidious dogma for far too long… It was time someone put him in his place. I accepted his challenge. The fight, well, it was over quickly… I disarmed him and left a cut as a reminder…"

"I can't believe dueling was allowed in the military."

"Oh, it wasn't." Archer started smiling. "I got a dressing down from my commanding officers. Latrine duty for over a month… But Levi, he was done after that… He'd received numerous charges for violent conduct, and this was the excuse our superiors had been looking for to send him away. He finished his training somewhere up north, and spent all his days in the service as far away from Auradon as possible. The last time I saw him was after our duel… And now… He's come back… For some reason…"

"You're not scared, are you?" CJ asked with a hint of amusement. "Like, people know what happened between you two, right? They know you were in the right?"

"Yeah, they know. And, no, I'm not scared, per se… It's more that I'm, ehm, nervous… Levi is unpredictable and violent… I have no idea what he wants or what he's planning… And now he has somehow gotten a group of people to follow him… It's strange…"

CJ turned to him with a bit of an accusatory look in her eyes. "It's freaking weird! You Auradonians always act like everyone is so kind and peaceful here… Now I find out that, not only are there actual violent psychopaths out here, but they've got an entire group… What were they called? New anti-villains?"

"Neo-anti-villains." Archer corrected her. "And, yes, I agree that there are certain points where we really got to work on our arrogance and backwards views. You bring up an interesting point though… Out of all the people I've ever met, I would count Levi as one of the most likely to possibly join up with the anti-villains…"

"You don't think…" CJ began, sounding extremely unsure. She did not want to make any hasty assumptions.

Archer shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know." He glanced at his bag, which still contained all the dark texts he had confiscated.

"Still, it's like Lancelot said, right? How much damage can he do? There's peace in all of Auradon. If he tries to kick up a fuss, then he'll be sent away, right?" CJ tried to reassure him.

Archer nodded. "That would honestly be the best case scenario."

CJ stretched herself out on her mattress. "Isn't it odd that people are fine with having actual dangerous criminals walk around freely here in Auradon while innocents were locked up on the Isle of the Lost…"

"It's one of Auradon's most sacred laws." Archer explained, though he did not seem all that enthusiastic about it. "The Isle is for the villains, and Auradonians, no matter how grave their crimes, shall always be spared from it. We do have prisons and punishments and such, but only for extreme cases. There's a sentiment going around that all Auradonians are good, and that they can always be rehabilitated."

"Tsk." CJ scoffed. "You don't believe that, do you? Some people, once they turn bad, there's no bringing them back… It shouldn't matter if they're heroes or villains…"

"I agree with you on that one." Archer nodded. "But you try convincing any royal that their precious child has turned evil, and that there's no way back for them. I'm afraid the Auradonians will always remain annoyingly lenient towards their own kind."

"That will change, someday." CJ confidently stated as she changed into her pajamas. "Now that the villains are here to stay, that excuse will stop working. I always say that, if you behave like a dick, you deserve to get treated like a dick. Which, in most cases means you get your sorry ass thrown in jail."

"I would love to read your updated version of the Auradon constitution one day." Archer smiled as he crawled under covers. "Complete with a list of all the things that would constitute to one 'behaving like a dick'."

"Oh, it's very subconscious…" CJ grinned. "Whenever someone does something, and you think to yourself 'ugh, what a dick', they go straight to jail."

Archer just laughed before he turned the light off.

Everyone gathered in the courtyard the next morning following an early breakfast. They were all in their athletic get-ups, since today would largely revolve around the physical education-related extracurriculars that Auradon Prep provided.

Even after yesterday's drama in the S.A.S. arena, CJ was eager to continue to show off her expert skills to the other kids. Archer would join her. Partly because he wanted to, and partly because numerous parents and students had pleaded with him to do so yesterday. In a similar fashion, the likes of Chad, Aden and Alex would head out onto the Tourney field, Freddie would be participating in other athletic events and Royce would be spearheading the archery instructions.

Neither Levi or any members of his band had shown their faces as of yet this morning, which gave CJ hope that maybe they had simply ran off with their tails between their legs. She tried to forget about him and focus on the fun they would be having this day, which appeared to be what her friends were doing as well.

The weather had shifted. Whereas yesterday had been a bright, sun-filled day, today was a bit gloomy and overcast. This didn't dampen anyone's spirits though.

CJ was glad to see that the younger kids in particular had seemingly shaken off the somewhat bitter taste of yesterday's drama, and were talking animatedly with one another.

Celia and Chloe wore matching S.A.S. practice uniforms, similar to Chloe's outfit yesterday. Dillon had expressed more of an interest in archery, stating that hand-to-hand combat did not suit him. Dizzy had entirely neglected to dress athletically, instead preferring to spend the day alongside Evie in the arts and crafts-related classrooms, which would also be heavily featured today.

Carlos had been tasked with carrying a camera around Auradon Prep throughout the day and capture footage for the school to post on their social media. He took his task very seriously, walking from person to person and asking their opinions on today's events using a very paparazzi-like voice.

"I am ready to kick some ass!" Celia announced, performing some stretches and making exaggerated huffing and puffing sounds. "I will not be fighting you though, CJ… Or you, Archer… Or you, Chlo… I would prefer to keep my ego intact. But these other kids… Oh, they won't know what's coming for them…"

Everyone laughed.

CJ kept checking her watch. It was her job to open up the arena and give out the primary instructions in only a few minutes. She looked around.

Lancelot stood a little further back, studying the cloudy sky with a frown.

Archer was counting the blunt S.A.S. swords he would bring along to CJ's practice.

Behind her, Celia, Chloe and Dillon stood in a huddle, with Royce and Chad right beside them, waiting for everything to kick off. Carlos was skipping around them, his camera at the ready and his prosthetic leg thumping each time he landed on the ground.

Freddie had already headed off to the fields alongside Aden and Alex. Evie and Dizzy had also taken their leave, alongside Doug, to prepare the arts and crafts room. Jane, Jordan and Audrey were back at the cafeteria, providing general information to any students or parents that required any.

"Is everyone ready?" CJ asked no one in particular.

Her friends all responded with a collective little cheer. Royce did not reply. Even after yesterday's events, where they had formed a united front against Levi and his cronies, he still did not speak to her.

"Archer?" CJ inquired.

"The swords are counted. I say we sweep the arena one more time before opening it up." He suggested, pulling the bag of swords over his shoulder.

CJ nodded and smiled at him. She did not really feel nervous. It was more just general excitement.

"Lance, you coming?" Archer asked after he and CJ had taken a few steps.

Lancelot had remained where he was, still just looking up at the sky. "Do… Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Archer replied, frowning slightly.

"This energy…" Lancelot raised his hand and waved it around. "It feels… Familiar… Dark…"

"Dark?" Archer mumbled as he went to stand closer to him. He began looking up at the sky as well, as if studying the cloud formations. "Is it tangible or metaphysical?"

CJ just looked between the two. She had no idea what they were talking about. Then again, she did not have a magical cell in her entire body, while the two people in front of her were both renowned for the fact that they did.

"I don't know…" Lancelot bit his lip as he kept feeling around, like he was trying to grasp something out of thin air. "But this… This isn't good…"

"Should we sound the alarm?" Archer whispered, his tone very serious.

Lancelot looked unsure. CJ could practically see the gears grinding in his head. On the one hand, something appeared to have really freaked him out, but on the other, he seemed to be considering the severity of the situation.

"Guys, what's going on?" CJ hissed.

Behind her, the others seemed to pick up on Lancelot and Archer's behavior.

"Is something wrong?" Royce spoke up.

CJ looked around some more. A few other people stood on the other side of the courtyard. They were happily babbling, totally unaware of the shift in tone that had just taken place among Archer and Lancelot.

In a flash, Lancelot had suddenly conjured up his staff. Archer dropped the bag of swords and grabbed CJ by the arm.

"What?" CJ snapped, her eyes wide with worry.

"We have to… We have to…" Lancelot stammered, stumbling backwards a few paces.

At that moment, a loud crash like a volcanic eruption echoed through the air. It sounded like it came from far away. Everyone turned their heads towards the sound, with shocked or fearful expressions on their faces. The initial crash was followed by a loud rumbling noise. It sounded like thunder. Only, instead of just one thunderclap, it was a continuous rumble that became louder and louder as it seemed to creep ever closer.

Multiple people started yelling and screaming in fear all over the Auradon Prep grounds. Carlos, Royce and Chad were ushering the younger kids under some cover, standing in front of them as if trying to shield them from whatever was coming.

"Lance!" Archer shouted as distant flashes of lightning started illuminating the cloudy sky, these too moving closer.

Lancelot's head whipped around as he looked between the sky and the group of students huddled together in fear. The tip of his wand began emitting a faint, white glow. "Go!" He shouted, his voice barely audible over the thunderclaps that grew ever louder.

Archer grabbed an even tighter hold of CJ's arm and pulled her along, running beside her.

"What is happening!?" CJ shouted as she ran alongside Archer and towards their other friends. The ground was shaking now. The flashes and the rumbling became more pronounced.

Archer didn't answer. They had crossed half the courtyard and were only a few yards away from their friends, who were on the ground covering their heads. Lancelot had not moved from his position. He had raised his staff and was mumbling something incoherent.

The rumbling was deafening. Thunderbolts rained down from the sky and struck the ground, as if a continuous wave of lightning rolled over Auradon. This wasn't ordinary lightning… It was green…

The main building was struck. Loud screams filled the air, and then suddenly halted altogether. The lightning reached the courtyard, striking the exact place where a group of students had been huddling together for cover.

Lancelot turned his head towards CJ and Archer, his eyes wide in complete panic. The tip of his want glowed brightly for a moment, before he too was enveloped by an enormous thunderbolt.

CJ wanted to scream, but no sound escaped her mouth. She stared right into Archer's wide blue eyes. He still had a tight hold on her arm. All of the sudden, he reared back before roughly shoving CJ away. Now she did scream as she hurtled several feet through the air. The rumbling of the thunder and the flashes of lightning disorientated her as she smacked back down on the soft grass of the courtyard.

The ground was still shaking and CJ could hear the screaming and yelling of her friends. She pressed her hands to her ears and closed her eyes, waiting for the chaotic ordeal to blow over. The sound of the cracking thunder was deafening. It felt as though she was caught in an avalanche. She had absolutely no idea what was happening! She just tried to keep breathing, her heart beating what felt like a hundred times a second in her chest.

The rumbling and flashing slowly lessened in severity, and CJ raised her head slightly, blinking and panting. The thunder and lightning appeared to have moved past them, though the storm was still raging, moving further and further away from them.

"CJ! Are you okay!?" Carlos's voice was shaking. She heard the thumping of his prosthetic before feeling a hand on her arm. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"N-No…" CJ stammered as she allowed him to help her up.

Further back, Royce and Chad were still standing protectively over Celia, Chloe and Dillon, who were hugging each other and whimpering softly.

"I-Is anyone hurt?" CJ slowly stumbled in their direction, eyes wide with worry. "C-Celia… Are you alright?"

Celia let out another whimper as she shakily got to her knees and threw herself into CJ's arms. "W-What was that?"

"That's something I'd like to know as well…" Royce muttered as he gazed over the courtyard.

CJ followed his example. The courtyard was almost entirely hidden from view behind clouds of brown-ish smoke that hung over the ground like a thick mist. Far behind them, the rumbling and flashes of light continued to move further and further away.

Both CJ and Royce took a hesitant step forward.

"Ho!" Carlos called out, grabbing both by their shoulders.

"What!?" Both CJ and Royce hissed.

Carlos pointed to the ground. CJ looked down, and saw a strange line of smoldering grass stretching all around their little group. It was as if someone had drawn a circle on the ground around them. Large whisps of smoke continued to flow upwards all around them, seemingly emanating from the places where the lightning had struck the ground, but the small space inside the circle was completely devoid of any smoke.

"It's some sort of border…" Carlos muttered, leaning down to examine the line. "Maybe a barrier… Look, the ground inside is unaffected…"

"Very interesting!" Chad snapped, still standing in front of Chloe like some sort of bodyguard. "But what the hell was that freaking thunderstorm!?"

"It had to be magical in nature. It was definitely what Lance was warning us for…" Royce replied, still gazing across the courtyard, but not taking a step outside of their protective circle. "This circle… It was probably his work… H-He might have conjured it to protect us…"

CJ's heart started beating faster. Neither Archer or Lancelot had made it inside the circle. "Archer!" CJ called out. She tried to peer through the mist, but could still not distinguish anything.

There was no answer.

"Lance!" Royce joined in. "Anyone! Hello!?"

Nothing.

"Where is everyone?" Chloe whispered, trembling from head to toe.

"Shh!" CJ urged everyone, trying to pick up any sounds from around her. There was no screaming. No panicked voices. No hasty footsteps. Only the by now soft rumbling moving further away from them and the wind gently blowing through the trees.

The mist slowly dissipated.

A figure emerged only a few feet away as the air in the courtyard cleared up. CJ squinted. "Archer?" She whispered. No answer. She hesitated, but the mist was disappearing rapidly and the coast appeared to be clear. Despite the fearful whimpers and hissed warning from her companions, CJ stepped outside of their little protective circle.

Nothing happened.

"I-I think it's safe…" CJ said, looking over her shoulder to all the pale and panicked faces staring back at her. She took another step forward. Archer doomed up right in front of her. He looked unharmed. "Archer?" She whispered, her voice trembling slightly. He did not reply or even move a muscle. The mist had now almost completely disappeared, and she was finally able to get a good look at him. She gasped.

Archer's eyes were completely grey, like they had been turned to stone. He stood there, unmoving, with his arm outstretched like he was reaching for something. CJ hastily ran up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. She immediately recoiled. Archer felt cold and strangely solid, like his entire body had been covered in a layer of hardened varnish.

CJ suddenly felt dizzy, as if the universe was crumbling around her. This wasn't happening. This could not be happening! Not now! Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she kept reaching for Archer, only to retract them at the last second. "Archer?" She whispered, but there was no reply. He just kept staring emptily ahead of himself.

"Archer? Buddy?" Royce joined CJ at her side. He stared wide-eyed at his friend. He too reached out and immediately pulled back his hand after touching him. "W-What happened to him?"

CJ looked further back. She saw Lancelot, standing there with his staff raised. He too stood still like a statue. Behind him, more vague figures became visible, each one standing in place, not moving so much as a single muscle.

"Oh my god…" Celia and Chloe both whimpered from further back.

"Chad! Carlos! Keep them there! Don't let them come any closer!" CJ warned. Chad, who had gone wide-eyed and pale, nodded nonetheless and placed a hand on both girls' shoulders.

"We should investigate…" Royce suggested. It was the first time he had directly spoken to her in months.

CJ nodded, stepping closer to Archer once again. She softly trailed a finger down his arm, then up his side and finally along his jaw. "Archer… Please… I-If you're in there… Y-You gotta move…"

But Archer did not move. He continued to simply stand there, cold and emotionless with empty, staring eyes. CJ grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him around a little, but he just wobbled back and forth like an unsteady statue.

"He… He's frozen… It's some kind of spell… It has to be…" Royce's voice trembled. "B-But how? Why? W-Who could have done this?"

Carlos's prosthetic thumped as he joined the two. "It's like during Ben's coronation, when Maleficent froze everyone in the cathedral… Except…" He poked Archer's arm. "Except, Archer is all stiff… It's like he's covered in dried glue… That's different…"

"So, a different spell? B-But could this be Maleficent's work?" Royce asked in a panicked tone.

Carlos shook his head, still looking very scared. "She's still a lizard, and Mal keeps her under lock and key…"

Royce turned to CJ. "Well… What are you waiting for?"

"What?" CJ's eyes widened in surprise.

"Kiss him! Do your 'true love's kiss' thing… It worked when he was dead, so it should work now that he's just frozen, right?" Royce seemed agitated.

CJ unwillingly felt a blush creep up on her cheeks. Under normal circumstances, she would have bluntly refused such an outrageous order, especially since it was Royce who was giving it, but the situation was dire.

After shooting both Royce and Carlos a glare, as if warning them never to speak of this to anyone, CJ stood on her tippy toes and brought her face closer to Archer's. His lips felt as strangely stiff and unmoving as the rest of him. CJ gave him a quick peck, which, according to her, should be more than enough, and stepped back.

Nothing.

No sparks. No warm feeling in her stomach.

CJ leaned back in and planted a deeper, longer kiss on Archer's lips, but quickly retracted once more. It felt like kissing a wax figure, which was terribly uncomfortable. A deep panic spread throughout CJ's body. What was happening?

"What the hell!?" Royce muttered. "What's the matter? Why doesn't it work? Do you not love each other anymore, or what?"

"Stop!" Carlos interjected before CJ could retort. "It, ehm… It is what it is… So, how about we check on Lance first?"

CJ nodded. She tried not to appear too panicked. True love's kiss didn't work? Why the hell didn't it work? Royce was right to an extent. She had once literally been able to bring Archer back from the dead, but it somehow did not work now? Did she and Archer really not love each other anymore? No. No, she knew that they did. So, what other explanation could there be? This had to be some sort of dark magic they had never been confronted with before…

Carlos and Royce approached Lancelot, and CJ followed them. She could not stand to look at Archer any longer. Her thoughts were swirling uncontrollably. Archer was not moving, and she could not even check for a pulse due to his strange, petrified condition. She had no idea what had happened. This had to have been some sort of spell, right? But… But, surely everything would turn out okay, right? This was Auradon… Everything always turned out okay, eventually… Archer had been spelled, which was why he couldn't move… He wasn't dead… He could not be dead!

Partly to try and distance herself from these disturbing thoughts, CJ joined Carlos and Royce in examining Lancelot. He too stood petrified, with the same grey eyes and varnish-like layer covering his hair, skin and clothing.

"The exact same…" Carlos sighed in a sad tone.

"I… I…" Royce muttered. He looked terrified. "I have no idea what to do… I don't know magic… I don't know how to fix this…"

"C-Calm down… Think about the kids… W-We can't freak them out…" CJ's own voice was trembling as well, and it took a lot of willpower not to simply break down in tears. She also had absolutely zero knowledge of magic. So, if it was genuinely up to them to fix this, then they were utterly screwed.

Royce poked Lancelot a few times, but nothing happened, predictably. He then put a hand on his staff and pulled on it slightly, but Lancelot's petrified hand clutched tightly around it and would not let go. "Shit…" He sighed.

CJ kept looking around. Everyone she could see in the courtyard and in the adjacent hallways stood still, just like Archer and Lancelot. The building itself was completely unharmed.

"W-We should look around… M-Maybe some people inside were not hit by the lightning…" CJ offered. She also had to convince herself.

"Sounds good." Royce nodded. They were both still speaking very softly, as if they were scared someone or something was listening in on their conversation.

"We're coming with!" Celia immediately hissed from further back, running up to join CJ, Carlos and Royce. "There's no freaking way you are leaving us alone!"

Chad, Chloe and Dillon all came closer. They carried identical freaked out expressions. Chloe kept looking at the ground, unwilling or unable to even so much as look at any of the petrified people.

"Okay. We're gonna comb the school and the grounds to see if there's anyone still, ehm, moving around… Stay close together, and stay quiet! We don't know who or what did this, and they could still be around…" Royce whispered in an urgent tone, and the rest nodded.

Room by room, hallway by hallway, the group snuck through the main building. Around every corner and behind every door waited the same gruesome display. Everyone stood frozen in place in various positions. Most had their arms raised above their heads, as if trying to shield themselves. Some had seemingly been caught completely unaware, simply looking up with wide and empty grey eyes. A few had ducked for cover underneath tables or desks. It was as if Auradon Prep had been changed into one big museum filled with wax figures.

In the cafeteria, they found the largest collection of petrified people. A lot had been running for the exit, only to get caught by the lightning mid-flight. Audrey, Jordan and Jane had seemingly been trying to usher people to safety but had been unable to escape.

Carlos broke down in tears when he saw his girlfriend, shaking her around in a hopeless attempt to awaken her. Chad too paled when he saw Audrey, but he apparently could not think of anything to do. Celia and Royce eventually managed to gently pull Carlos away from Jane, though he kept sobbing.

In the arts and crafts room, they found Evie, Doug and Dizzy huddled together in a corner, all unmoving. Carlos let out another miserable wail when he saw Evie and fell helplessly to his knees. Chloe and Dillon could simply not bear to stay in the room at all after having laid eyes on Dizzy.

"What is happening?" Celia's voice was hoarse, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she softly grazed her fingers over Dizzy's cold and stiff hand.

"We need to keep looking." Royce said in a cold tone. "If there is even a single person not affected by this spell, then we need to find them. M-Maybe there's someone else with magic who managed to shield themselves or others, like Lancelot did… Who do we know with magic?"

"Freddie!" Celia immediately shrieked as she jumped up and ran for the door.

"Celia, no!" CJ called after her. She exchanged one quick look with Royce before hurrying after Celia. "Grab the others and follow us!" She yelled at Chad, who was busy consoling Carlos, Chloe and Dillon.

Celia had quite a head start as CJ ran after her, out of the main building and towards the fields. They passed numerous other students, teachers and guests, none of whom were moving.

"NOOOO! NOOOO!" A terrible scream from further back.

CJ's heart dropped as she kept running, knowing what awaited her.

Celia had fallen to her knees, sobbing loudly. In front of her stood Freddie. She had her arms raised and a determined expression on her face. Around her lay numerous playing cards in a chaotic heap. Aden and Alex stood right beside her, both with Tourney sticks in their hands which they had raised like spears. All three were frozen in place, with grey eyes staring blankly into nothingness.

As CJ looked on, Celia raised her hands and conjured up a series of red and purple sparks. She blasted these at Freddie, making them revolve around her like a swarm of colorful butterflies. Freddie lit up brightly for a second, but then the sparks dissipated and Freddie was still just standing there, unmoving.

"Ceel…" CJ weakly muttered, unable to look at Freddie for too long. Her hands trembled as she placed them on Celia's shoulders and hugged her tightly to herself. Celia kept on crying, burying her face in the crook of CJ's neck. CJ gently tried to shush her, patting on her on the head and back. She had no idea what to say or do in this situation, or how to make things better.

"I-I wanted to… M-My magic… I w-wanted to make it better…" Celia cried in a pleading tone, her voice muffled and uneven.

Royce caught up with them, a look of pure anguish on his face. "T-They… They tried to defend themselves…" Royce's voice quivered as he examined his troop mates. His legs wobbled slightly and CJ could tell it took him a lot of effort not to burst into tears. "They tried…"

He sounded lost. Then again, they were lost. Everyone around them had seemingly been turned to stone or something. It seemed as though they had only been spared because Lancelot had been able to conjure up some sort of barrier last-minute.

"What do we do?" CJ asked, both to Royce and herself. "W-What if they all stay like this? W-We need to find a way t-to break this curse, or whatever… W-We need… We need…"

"We need Mal…" Carlos spoke up as he and the other stragglers walked up.

Chloe hastily walked over to Celia and took her from CJ, hugging her best friend tightly. "It's okay… It's okay… We're still here…" She whispered. CJ's heart melted at the tender display.

"We need Mal." Carlos repeated. "This…" He gestured at all the petrified people around them. "None of us know how to deal with this… We… We also found Fairy Godmother by the entrance… We are the only ones still walking around freely here at school… We need someone w-who knows how to deal with this… That's Mal… And Ben…"

"Who knows how far this shit goes?" Chad questioned, his tone urgent and panicked. "W-What if everyone in the entire region has turned to stone? The entire kingdom!? The entire world!?"

"Chad! Stop it!" CJ hissed, before he completely spiraled out of control. "You are right, though… Guys, we need a plan…"

Everyone looked at her, and CJ realized with a start that they might look up to her as some sort of leader. She blushed slightly. Less than an hour ago, she had been happily planning a fun, Swords and Shields-filled day with the kids. Now, she felt as though she and those she cared about were in mortal danger.

"Okay…" CJ carefully breathed in and out, trying to get her thoughts under control. "Guys… As bad as it seems, there has to be a way to fix this… But since, well, none of us are experts where magic is concerned, I agree with Carlos… We should try to find Mal, and we'll work from there… Agreed?"

There was some soft mumbling in agreement.

"Okay then…" CJ exhaled. "Well… Mal is probably back in Beast Castle… With Ben… So… I guess we'll head over there, right?"

"We can use my car!" Chad raised his hand.

"I'm not sure if that'd be wise." Royce pondered. He still tried his best to not look in Aden and Alex's direction. "Say we actually are the only ones still walking around freely here, and there is a villain somewhere out there that might be hunting us and try to turn us to stone as well… I say we keep ourselves on the down-low… No cars… We'd stand out too much… We move on foot, as quickly and quietly as possible…"

CJ could not help but be impressed by Royce's quick thinking, which had to be the result of his years spent fighting alongside Archer.

"I agree." Carlos nodded. "But we can't just move out like this…" He gestured at his clothes.

"True. Okay, everyone listen up!" CJ spoke up. "Go to your rooms and grab whatever you need… Weapons… Clothes… Boots… Food… Anything you'd rather have with you if push does come to shove… We need to move fast here, so hurry up, and we'll meet up near the entrance of the driveway! Ready? Go!"

Everyone instantly obeyed, and they hurried back towards the main building together. It felt weird to CJ, barking orders like this, but she also realized that she needed to step up. Thoughts of Archer, frozen and unmoving, kept swirling through her mind like a swarm of angry bees. She felt a persistent anger and determination bubble up inside her. No matter the costs, no matter who stood in her way, she was going to free Archer. She was going to free everyone!