After the long night Allan made his decision a heartbreaking one but a decision nonetheless. He went to the study with the dish.
The petri dish sat between them like a loaded gun. Its faint glow pulsed in the dim light of Allan's study, casting eerie shadows across Esmeralda's face. She stared at it, unmoving.
"You know what this is," Allan said. "It'll cure you. All of it. The disease, the countdown—you'll live."
Esmeralda's lips parted, but no sound came. Allan leaned forward.
"There's one condition," he said. "Undying loyalty. To me. To Cassodie. To whatever this system is."
Her eyes flickered. "You want me to swear myself to you?"
"I want to know you won't turn on us. That you won't use this gift for something twisted."
"Twisted I saw you kill 21 people."
"You said they were monsters murderers rapists and pedophiles maybe I was doing the world a favor." Allan said trying to clear a name he felt no need to defend what would she tell the cops that a guy straight out of a 2 decade comma solod an entire biker gang with no scratch. Worst of all their magical disappearance it would be ludicrous.
In the event that he would be arrested he was fairly confident he could convince Marrie to talk to the governor and convince her to pardon him.
Esmeralda looked down at the dish. "I can't take it."
Allan blinked. "What?"
"I want to give it to my sister."
He stared at her, stunned. "You're dying. You said you have two years left."
"She has months," Esmeralda whispered. "She's thirty-one. The disease hit her early. She's bedridden. I can still walk. I can still fight."
Allan's jaw tightened. "So you're just going to hand it over? After everything?"
"She's my sister."
He stood, pacing. "You're either the most selfless person I've ever met... or the dumbest."
Esmeralda didn't flinch. "Maybe both."
Allan looked at her again, really looked. She was a stranger. A woman he'd known for barely a day. And yet, he'd given her the one thing that could change everything.
"Maybe I'm the idiot," he muttered.
Cassodie woke up that afternoon with a grin stretched across her face
Cassodie stretched, her golden aura flickering faintly. "I feel amazing."
Allan entered with a tray of food, followed by Marrie—his mother she was worried after a maid told her she was in bandages the previous night. She looked at Cassodie with a mix of awe and concern almost like a parent Allan thought.
"You're glowing," Marrie said.
Cassodie giggled. "I was close. So close."
Allan raised an eyebrow. "Close to what?"
"My primal form," she said, eyes gleaming. "It's like... everything stripped away. No thoughts. No fear. Just power. I loved it."
Marrie took a step back. "You sound insane."
Cassodie turned to Allan. "Do I?"
He hesitated. "A little."
She laughed. "Good."
He smiled maybe because he thought he was going insane too. In that room filled with two psychos Marrie just had to leave work was the excuse and it worked mostly because the two didn't care.
"No healing factor." He asked staring at her bandaged body
"No they are healed just don't want to arouse suspicion from anyone you see how tightknit information is here imagine at 4 in the morning someone saw you two and your mom already knows.
Esmeralda headed off to somewhere Allan didn't know exactly where but she was going.
That night, the pull returned. Allan felt it like a thread tugging at his chest. Cassodie was moving again, slipping through the manor's halls like a shadow. He followed her into the city, where a group of hoodlums loitered near a broken fountain.
They had no idea a predator was on their tail they chattered humorously and loudly about how they did vile and wholesome things Allan didn't know what to feel about them
Cassodie didn't hesitate. She stepped into the circle and cracked her knuckles.
They stared at her too drunk to not notice her slightly exposed cleavage lust filled eyes made them attentive.
"You boys want a show?"
They laughed. She moved.
Allan watched in awe as her body shimmered with golden light. She ducked, weaved, struck—each movement precise and devastating. The thugs didn't stand a chance.
After the last one hit the ground, Allan approached. "You're not just strong. You're... refined."
Cassodie wiped blood from her knuckles. "My talent is strength. That's all."
"I think mine's precision," Allan said. "Can you teach me?"
"Teach you what?"
"How to fight using talents."
She smirked. "I don't know but let's find out."
They found the gang in a warehouse on the edge of town. Roaring engines. Leather jackets. And one man who stood apart—tall, lean, eyes like burning coal.
They did the same Cassodie exploded in power Allan experimentally bashed the goons the tall man stared at them no fear instead a predatory grin.
'I haven't seen mages in a while maybe I should kill them for fun right.'
They fought with some skill Allan remembered a martial arts which he used while Cassodie was graceful as if she was fencing. They were good but the tall man quietly waited.
When all was done and dusted he slowly clapped earning him some attention.
"I'm Jarvis," he said. "Second ring mage."
Cassodie stiffened. Allan felt his stomach drop.
"We're outclassed," she whispered.
Jarvis raised a hand. The air shimmered.
The fight was brutal. Cassodie dodged, struck, was thrown. Allan barely kept up, his body aching, his mind screaming.
Jarvis played them like a game simultaneously overwhelming them with spikes reminiscent of a rim's spokes, they had to dodge they had to fight and most importantly Allan had to experiment.
"The fuck are you doing you wanna get killed or something?" Cassodie shouted grabbing onto a spoke heading for Allan's face.
"Cassodie I need a distraction I feel somethin coming."
"I'll try put I won't promise anything."
Then it started to rain.
"Fuck it just had to rain and I just had to wear a booty short I'ma catch a cold." She complained to nobody launching herself at Jarvis.
"Well you are going to be long dead before that happens pretty lady." He said intercepting her mid air kick and whirling her into a dumpster.
Jarvis turned his attention to the doodling Allan doodling fast into the air.
"Did you run mad kid?" He said spokes extending out of his fist like wolverine claws and rushing fast at Allan.
Allan opened his blue glowing eyes reached out vibrations emanating from him made Jarvis shiver mid air, feeling the droplets. He focused, pouring energy into them, forcing density into every molecule.
"Hey Idiot I'm not dead yet." Cassodie said grabbing Jarvis' attention he turned to her with an annoyed expression completely ignoring Allan assuming his attack was a pulse wave.
.Cassodie, bloodied, smeared mud across Jarvis' face.
"You b****h!" He roared, blinded
"E equals MC squared," Allan muttered. "Mass from energy."
The droplets hardened—steel-like spheres falling from the sky.
Allan released the rain.
Jarvis could only hear dodged to a place he thought was beyond the attack zone missing it by inches, the mud was what cost him his life.
Hundreds of droplets slammed into Jarvis, piercing him like bullets. He screamed—a sound that curdled the air—then fell, impaled and broken.
Cassodie collapsed beside Allan, laughing breathlessly. "We did it."
Melody appeared clapping, her face grim. "You're royally screwed."
They turned. They were used to her ghostly like appearances by now.
"Jarvis' brother," she said. "Sixth circle mage. Even I'm jealous."
Cassodie cursed. Allan groaned.
"You should've run," Melody snapped.
They argued—blaming each other, shouting over the roar of adrenaline.
Melody sighed. "I'm peeved."
She raised a hand. Light flared.
Darkness swallowed them.
They woke in Cassodie's room, drenched in sweat, hearts pounding.
Allan sat up, gasping. "What the hell was that?"
Cassodie looked at him, eyes wide. "I think we just made enemies we can't afford."