Isiah didn't utter another word. As the blue energy surged through him, his eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot.
Panic seized Adelita, nearly driving her out of her mind, but just seconds later, Jivan abruptly severed the spell.
The old mage collapsed back into his chair, panting heavily with sweat pouring down his dirty brow.
"What happened to him, Jivan?!" Adelita screamed, rushing over to Isiah like a frantic madwoman. "Is he okay?! Answer me!"
Jivan smirked lazily through his exhaustion. "You are terribly rude for a disciple."
"Call me that again and I'll kill you, you creepy old pervert!" Adelita snarled, delivering a hard punch to his shoulder.
Jivan's grin only widened. He relished teasing her with that title, knowing fully well how much she despised being called his disciple.
Settling back, his expression turned surprisingly serious. "Fetch me a cup of tea. And two of those delicious biscuits of yours."
Within seconds, she returned. She was breathing heavily after sprinting to the kitchen and back, thrusting the mug into his hands. Jivan took a slow, deliberate sip and bit into a biscuit.
Seeing him eat so casually, Adelita glared in disbelief.
Jivan caught her look and scoffed with mock indignation. "What?! Am I not even allowed to eat in peace after saving a life?"
"Is this really the time for your hideous games?!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "The boy's body is severely unstable and you're sitting there enjoying tea!"
Turning her back on him, Adelita hurried back to the table to check on the unconscious boy, while Jivan calmly finished his snack as if the world wasn't crumbling around them.
Across Delwias Island, the five districts were strictly separated by colossal perimeter walls built by the high mages of past eras. Movement between districts required official travel permits, allowing the central palace to track every citizen's whereabouts.
For generations, the populace had accepted this surveillance as standard protocol. In reality, it was simply proof that the ruling class viewed the people of Delwias Island with absolute distrust.
Preparations for the Annual Evaluation Test proceeded at a steady pace, while contestants trained relentlessly in private.
Though the Seventh King had tried to keep the impending abandonment a secret, rumors had leaked. Certain elite contestants already knew this would be the final evaluation ever held. Driven by desperation, they pushed their bodies to the absolute brink in secret training sessions.
Meanwhile, torrential rain poured endlessly day and night, flooding lower sectors and disrupting daily operations. Yet, the mages carried on as if nothing were wrong.
Even though the Seventh King believed he had successfully contained the truth, several faction leaders and noble houses knew the world was ending. Some silently planned their personal escape, while others felt utterly betrayed and helpless, abandoned by the very king they had worshipped for decades.
Still, no one dared to openly protest. An oppressive, enforced quiet blanketed the island as everyone waited for the end.
"Water... I need water..."
The faint whisper broke the silence of the cottage. Adelita, who had remained glued to Isiah's side for the past two days, snapped to attention. Snapping her fingers, she condensed atmospheric moisture into a floating sphere of pure water, gently guiding it to his lips.
"See? I told you he would be fine, but you refused to listen," Jivan piped up from across the room. "How can you be so arrogant when you were the one who practically begged for my help, girl? Honestly... but I'm willing to let it slide."
Adelita glared at Jivan, strangling him in her mind.
Jivan's smirk broadened. "He's a tough boy. Still... I made sure to take my payment."
Raising his hand, Jivan proudly displayed a small, preserved patch of skin he had sliced from Isiah's hip while the boy was unconscious, waving it back and forth in front of Adelita.
"You bastard!" Adelita gasped, her stomach turning. "You took a piece of his skin while he was passed out?! You took advantage of him! You are a deeply sick man, Jivan, and you need serious medical help!"
The grin never left his face. "I intend to use it wisely... my lovely disciple."
"Don't call me that!"
"Then what should I call you?"
Two hours later, Isiah finally stirred.
As consciousness returned, his eyes fluttered open as a natural reflex. When his gaze locked onto the wooden ceiling beams clearly defined above him, an automatic, breathtaking smile broke across his face.
"You weren't lying..." Isiah rasped, turning his head toward Jivan. "...you crazy old animal."
"And I took my payment, too," Jivan chimed in.
"Payment? What payment?" Isiah frowned.
"A piece of your skin."
"What?!" Isiah's head snapped toward Adelita, his voice rising in shock. "Did you actually let him do that to me, Adelita?! I thought you were at least going to protect me while I was unconscious in his hands!"
Adelita stood frozen, unable to utter a single word in her defense.
Jivan stepped forward, towering over Isiah with a smug look. "Little boy, if you can see right now, it is entirely thanks to me and my exquisite craft. You should at least grant me a moment of silent gratitude."
Isiah tried to sit up, but a sudden wave of post-spell fatigue paralyzed his limbs.
Seeing that Isiah was awake and stable, Adelita grabbed Jivan firmly by the sleeve and pulled him out onto the garden porch.
"Look, Jivan," Adelita began, her tone heavy. "You are completely ridiculous most of the time, but you are useful when you choose to be. I hate relying on someone like you... but you were my only option."
Jivan raised an eyebrow. "Is this the grand topic you wanted to discuss two days ago? I must say, I'm a bit disappointed... I thought you were finally going to confess your secret feelings for me, but I was wrong. You're not the romantic type, are you?"
"Jivan, if you don't stop acting like an idiot, I will kick you off this porch," Adelita growled. "Believe me, you creepy old bastard, I will."
Jivan chuckled, but his eyes narrowed as he studied her trembling hands. "All jokes aside... why are you so terrified? I've never seen you like this. You're one of the most powerful mages in this district...you can easily survive whatever comes."
"Survive?!" Adelita let out a dry, frantic laugh. "You have no idea what's happening out there! This entire place is going down, Jivan...and we are being abandoned to rot with it!"
"Elaborate," Jivan said, his demeanor instantly shifting.
Adelita quickly recounted everything Director Lautner had revealed, the fabricated reports, the spatial collapse, the secret orders from Elysium, and the Seventh King's silence.
When she finished, Jivan didn't panic. A dark, knowing smile slowly spread across his face.
"I've been expecting this to happen for years..." Jivan murmured softly.
Adelita grabbed his arm, her eyes wide with desperation. "You want me to save him, right?! We have to get Isiah out of here!"