Chris charged forward and began relentless strikes with both hands. Hunter blocked as much as he could, but with every strike more blood was drawn. Hunter fired a blast of fire once again; this time Chris rolled under it and began to attack low. The blast of fire had made contact with the wooden parts of the structure, starting a fire that was now spreading along the walls.
Chris dodged left and then right, dancing around Hunter’s attacks. “Hold--” Hunter gritted his teeth and collided swords with Chris’s left sword. “Still!” Chris brought Penny’s sword forward and plunged Penny’s sword into Hunter’s hip. Hunter cried out in pain as Chris ripped the sword out of his body and attempted to stab another location.
Hunter fired as much magic as he could to make Chris back off. Chris blocked every shot with his swords and dashed forward once again. Movement could be heard from downstairs. Voices. Hunter was running out of time, but Chris wasn’t trying to stall. He was going to end this. Chris collided swords with Hunter once again, then he used his left hand to slash Hunter across the face from his right cheek to his nose, barely missing his eye.
The flames were getting worse now, engulfing most of the room except for where they were fighting and where Penny lay motionless. Smoke filled the air as the fight continued, both combatants were struggling to breathe by now. Chris was covered in sweat and blood, but he didn’t care. He quickly used his sleeve to wipe off the liquids that were blocking his vision.
He charged, ignoring Hunter’s blows and allowing them to land. He wrapped his arms around Hunter’s torso and took him to the floor with a loud thud. Hunter slashed Penny’s sword out of Chris’s hand. Chris took his sword in both hands, sat on top of Hunter and began violently striking downward. Hunter blocked as best as he could. Chris collided swords with him one final time, this time he pushed the sword down with as much force as he could muster. Hunter’s own sword was inching toward his neck, he struggled, but Chris was overpowering him. Hunter attempted to lean his head back to protect his neck, but it was inches from his skin. The cold steel was beginning to make a cut on his neck. Hunter was like a cornered animal as he swiped his sword left, cutting the side of his neck slightly to smash the butt of his sword into Chris’s face. Chris drew back just enough for Hunter to bring the sword back to the right and slash him across the stomach. He pushed Chris off hard so he rolled off and laid on his back, defeated and coughing up a little blood. Chris sat up as best he could and fired a shard of ice into Hunter’s leg. Hunter yelped and knelt down, pulling it out.
“Why--” Chris managed. “Why would you do this?”
Hunter limped his way over to one of the clock tower’s faces and turned back toward Chris, holding his hip. He shook his head, “You still think people need a reason.”
“You hurt my sister, betrayed the Alliance, got Tori killed, and Penny--” Chris choked and laid his head back on the floor, feeling the intense heat all around him.
“I’m not Imperial,” Hunter said simply as loud shots fired and the clocktower face exploded. Glass and splinters of wood flew in all directions. “I did what I had to do.”
Behind him was a dark purple fighter plane. He limped over to it as best he could, pulled himself up into the cockpit, closed the glass. Chris gave him one last hateful glare as he flew away at full speed toward the sky.
Chris heard movement not too far from him, he turned his head to see. Penny was now conscious once again. Her spine had healed up and she was now crawling toward him. She placed her hand in his and stared down at him, panting heavily along with him. She squeezed, he squeezed back in return.
“Hey,” he coughed.
“Hey,” she shook her head. “No way out…”
“Yeah,” Chris tried to sit up and so Penny helped him. He looked all around the room, but everywhere was engulfed in flames. “Are you still bleeding?”
“Yeah. He got something important,” Penny answered as she moved her hand to show him that her side was bleeding profusely. “That’s not the only place either...You?”
Chris moved his hand from his stomach to show his wound along with his many other injuries, “I can’t stop it. I don’t think it’s healing right now,” he admitted.
“You got hit too much,” she sat down with him and laid her back against his and he did the same.
“Are you scared?”
“Of what?”
“Dying?”
“No,” Penny removed her glove and reached back, taking his hand in her own and holding it tightly.
“Are you?”
“Kinda, yeah. But I’m alright with this,” Chris coughed up a little more blood and laid his head back against hers.
“Why?”
“Because,” he looked back. “I’m with you and we saved my sister.”
“What do you mean by that?” Penny held her other hand over her wound once again. “You’ve been acting so strange. I want to know why if this is it.”
Chris felt uneasy, but he wanted to tell her. If this was really it, he had to tell her. Penny wanted to know and he wasn’t afraid to say it. He squeezed her hand and opened his mouth, closing it for a moment to think of the best way to say the words. Finally, he decided to just say it: “I love you,” Chris declared confidently.
“You...love me?” Penny repeated.
“Yes...I do,” he nodded. “That’s why.”
“I don’t understand…”
“That’s okay,” Chris chuckled, no longer able to move his body, going limp against her back. “I just needed you to know.”
“I’ve only ever heard that from family,” Penny breathed. “It’s strange--” she glanced back to see Chris unconscious. “Unconscious again...god what am I going to do with you?”
The roof began to collapse around them and the fire continued to spread, embers filled the air. Penny began to cough uncontrollably. She saw someone moving through the smoke just before she closed her eyes.
Chapter 23
Reunion
The flames had now fully enveloped the room. Chris and Penny were only moments away from being burned. Penny lifted her head with much effort, and studied the figure making their way toward her, squinting her eyes. The green outfit and pink hair were a dead giveaway: it was Megan. Penny attempted to speak but it appeared as if she could not. She looked back, as if to make sure her partner was okay and then returned her eyes to Megan.
Megan outstretched her hand, firing a burst of wind that momentarily cleared the way just long enough for her to move toward them. She stood next to Penny and held her hands up, a large green barrier surrounded them, it appeared to be made of wind. The fire had finally surrounded the floor, the only thing that was stopping it from killing them was Megan.
“Get Chris,” Megan was very focused on keeping this barrier going. Chris started to come to, he was very confused about what was going on.
“Just walk slowly,” Penny pulled his arm around her and placed her hand on his chest and began to walk slowly. “Megan, which way? The stairs are on fire!”
“Is there a way out?”
“There’s a hole over there,” Penny said, referencing the exit Hunter had created.
“We’re jumping,” Megan followed closely behind them, fending away the angry flames. “We need out of here. The tower is definitely coming down.”
“But what about Chris?”
“Don’t worry,” Megan was struggling to hold the barrier up, almost as if it was getting heavier and crushing her. “You let me worry about that. Do exactly what I say.”
They made their way over to the window, carefully avoiding the debris left behind by Hunter’s plane. Chris tripped only to be caught by Penny, he could barely make out what was going on, only that they were going toward what was left of the clock tower face. Once they had made it to the edge Megan was shaking, struggling to keep the barrier up. It looked like she was being crushed.
“Jump!” Megan turned her back to them and held her hands toward the flames. “Hurry, I can’t keep this up
!”
Chris looked over the edge, seeing the ground and the entire city below them. It all looked very small from up here and it made him nervous along with everything else, but they didn’t have many options. Even so, they had to be at least three hundred feet in the air. They took a step forward, Chris closed his eyes. The howl of the wind blared in his ear as they fell faster and faster. Penny squeezed Chris’s hand almost as if to tell him it would be alright. Both of their bodies were in an X formation.
Megan took a step back, dropping the magic barrier and falling right behind them. She spun herself around in the air and held out her hand, focusing straightforward. The giant sunflower appeared once again just below them. They landed on top of it sinking into the center, causing yellow pollen to fly up into the air. The petals were spinning rapidly, causing them to hover. Megan landed soon after them, catching herself with her hands.
The clocktower was collapsing behind them in a giant ball of fire. Megan caused them to fly forward as fast as possible, dodging the falling debris and continuing toward the ground. Chris could see the Headmaster, Alleyne, and Autumn preparing to prevent anyone from getting hurt. The three of them were using imagination magic to create a giant net. The net caught every single piece of the clock tower that was falling before they lowered it to the ground. Autumn used both hands to extinguish the fires using water.
They landed right next to the action. Penny immediately helped Chris off and gently laid him on the ground. Megan knelt down across from her and went to work on his wounds; she also healed Penny’s wounds, but according to Megan, she had healed for the most part on her own. Chris was the one who really needed attention due to his duel with Hunter. Autumn walked over to check on them.
“Is he okay?” Autumn questioned, pausing for a moment as she noticed the blood on Penny’s side. “You too, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Penny said quickly, turning back to focus on Chris. “Help Megan.” Autumn seemed slightly astounded, but she helped anyway, understanding her position. Chris blacked out at some time during this process, but this time he felt relaxed-- safe.
After sometime, Chris was awake again. Embers and ash were still floating in the air and things appeared to have calmed down. He no longer felt as if he was in pain, but he couldn’t help but remember the sensation. Emily and Ian were now over him as well. He started to sit up and so they all sat back to give him space. Chris stared at Emily for a moment before lunging at her and hugging her. Emily’s eyes went wide, stared at the others, fully baffled before embracing her brother once again.
“Are you okay?” Emily pulled away from him and held his shoulders. “That was dangerous. How did you know where I was?”
“It’s a long story…” Chris admitted, looking over at Megan and Ian.
“Victoria--” Ian spoke out suddenly. Chris made a face, he did not know if Penny or Emily would be okay with hearing the news. However, Ian continued on. “We heard someone knocking on the door of our house and when we answered Victoria was there-- told us where Chris and Penny would be and that Hunter would be there.”
“Shadow Victoria,” Chris corrected. “I-- had to make a deal with her to find Hunter. She promised to tell you guys.”
“Before we came to you, we told Autumn and one of the guards,” Megan recalled. “Ian got Emily. I got you.”
“Chris,” Emily started. “What kind of deal…”
“I don’t know. She said she’ll tell me later. I doubt it’s anything good.”
“...I see…”
“I’ll be careful,” he assured. “It was the only way to find you.”
“You need to be careful when dealing with her.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Well,” Ian clapped his hands together, raising his voice. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired of the somber atmosphere! It’s time to relax! Yeah?” he looked around to see who agreed. “Yeah guys?”
“Yeah,” Chris smiled and shook his head.
“Yeah,” Emily nodded and ruffled Chris’s hair.
“Yeah,” Penny smiled and sat beside Chris on the ground, nodding at Ian.
“I agree,” Megan removed her hat and held it in both hands.
“Stiff,” Ian commented.
Megan hit him with her hat immediately, “Idiot.”
Chapter 24
Aftermath
The cool winter breeze blew trees left and right, forward and back. The remainder of the fall leaves tumbled in the breeze, surrendering themselves to fly to somewhere new. Civilians moved to and fro, hurrying to prepare for the holidays. Christmas trees were being moved, lights being collected, and hot cocoa was on sale in the market district. Even the guards had joined in on the festivities, hanging up decorations in the streets and on the buildings. The soldiers that remained on the planet helped in any way they could, enjoying this moment of peace. The Headmaster’s building was decorated with brilliant colors of red and green.
The Empire had reportedly been driven away from Terminus for the moment. There was nothing to worry about, at least for now. Despite the recent events, it was a time to regain themselves, to relax, and to heal. The war continued on, and once Christmas had passed the Wizards would be deployed with their respective leaders into the fight. It would not be joyous or wonderous, but there was much merriment to be had now.
“Package for Christopher Spellcrafter,” Anthony Italiano stood in front of the dorm waiting for an answer. Chris opened the door, he was wearing a red jacket, blue jeans, and red shoes. He took the package into his hands and during the exchange Anthony said, “It wasn’t easy, but I pulled some strings. I got your letter to the right people and after a few months, I got a package back addressed to you.”
“Really?” Chris blinked, staring down at the brown package in his hands, taking note of its weight.
“I don’t think I can do that again, but I’m glad I could help you speak to them again. Just try not to end up in the hospital again,” Anthony made a gesture with his hands as if to say ‘open it.’
Chris tore off the tape and opened the big box, setting it down on the ground for his convenience. There was a wrapped gift inside, but what was in it? Chris drew closer, tearing back the wrappings and the obvious red bow. Inside, there was a picture with a golden frame. The picture was of himself making a silly face, Ty who was wearing a purple shirt and smiling directly at the camera, and Jackie who was hugging them both in either arm, pulling them close for the picture. This picture was taken just a few months before Chris had left Earth, and before he had even spoken a word to Victoria. Chris started to put it down, but then he noticed a white letter wedged in between the glass and the golden frame.
Chris pulled out the letter, opened it, and read:
Dear Chris, we hope you’re okay! Jackie has been flipping out since she heard the news, I hope you got the guy who did that to you. I can’t help but wonder what it’s like using magic, but I guess you can’t tell me for a while, because of our government...ugh. We left you a little present and both of us chipped in. Jackie should have a letter in there too! Merry Christmas, good luck! Also, I can’t believe you’re already crushing on someone there. You’ve been there like...one year.
-Sincerely Ty.
Chris then reached in and pulled out a white envelope. This was Jackie’s, it read:
CHRIS? ARE YOU OKAY?! Sorry but I heard what happened! Did you beat them up? Are they drinking through a straw? Ty made me rewrite my last few letters, because he said writing in all capital letters was a bit much. BUT YOU ALMOST DIED!! Anyway, Merry CHRISTMAS!!
- Jackie
Chris shook his head and started laughing. He thanked Doctor Anthony and shook his hand before he left. Chris collected his gift and the box and hung the picture above his bed. A wonderful reminder about his friends on Earth. He hoped he would see them again, but he was fairly sure he would one day. Perhaps in the future there would not be such harsh restrictions on travel, trade, and communication.
&n
bsp; Later, Chris had to report to the Headmaster’s office and explain what had occurred, Penny met him there. He told the Headmaster about Shadow Victoria and Hunter working together, how he had found Emily, and how he and Penny fought Hunter. Chris did not like recalling the feeling of the blood all over him, but he felt it was important to show just how dangerous Hunter was.
“Whoa,” Autumn stared at Chris in awe. “You almost took Hunter by yourself?”
“...I thought he had killed Penny,” Chris felt a little of the anger come back from the moment. “He hurt her so bad and she wasn’t moving. I just went after him.”
“You got reckless, but you almost beat him. If you let your anger blind you, you’ll make mistakes.”
“She’s right,” the Headmaster nodded his head. “Chris, be careful with your emotions. I am glad you are both alright. However, Hunter did escape. He ran the blockade...barely. His plane was on fire.” Good, Chris smiled to himself. “We’ll track him down in time. For now, our attention must be on the war.”
“Yes sir,” Chris nodded.
“I assume Shadow Victoria used a marker to teleport herself somewhere safe. Unfortunate, but she doesn’t seem like she will do much hiding. I’m just glad that you are both alive.”
“Chris?” Autumn turned her attention to Penny now. “How did you survive an injury like that? Even for a Wizard, that should have been death.”
“Thank Megan,” Penny answered for him. “She saved us both. I only healed enough to be able to walk. I couldn’t have saved us both. Chris was bleeding really badly…” Penny balled her hand up.
“Emily would not want to hear you were sitting in a pool of blood,” Headmaster Brood chimed in. “Tell her if you wish, but I’d let her enjoy the holidays. You should too.”
“I will just after I--” Chris began.
“Christopher.”
“Sir?”
The headmaster fished in his coat pocket for a moment before pulling out three orbs of energy, all three were gold. Penny’s eyes widened as he did. He handed it over to Chris and stood up from his chair. His lips curved until they formed a great smile.
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