The moment Ezra turned the final page of The Book of Forbidden Magic, a shimmering rune circle sprang to life beneath him, casting gold and purple rays upward. Ansel fell to his knees, bracing himself with his Grimoire against the growing chaos. Callista tightened her grip upon her rune-covered staff, its magic growing faintly luminescent in response. Vulcan pressed his blade into the stone floor, anchoring his magic against the growing chaos threatening to consume them.
The Book opened a doorway not just into magic's past — but into its future. An icy rush filled the chamber, a rush that seemed to carry a chorus of voices from across time, a chorus that grew in volume until it filled their minds, their hearts, their very souls.
"Ezra Vale… Ansel Nighthawk… Callista Felton… Vulcan Ashwood… The fate of magic hangs upon your choices." The chorus whispered. "See what might come to pass… and prepare yourselves for the greatest trial yet."
Ezra pressed his hands flat upon the tome's surface, reluctantly letting its magic seep into him. His mind opened, and a riotous cascade of images fell upon him — future wars, catastrophic magic surges, the eventual weakening of the barrier, the chaos that would follow its collapse.
He saw a world overrun by creatures forged from magic gone mad — creatures that rendered all resistance futile. Cities fell, forests turned to barren wastes, rivers dried up, and the magic that supported life itself began to fade. The future seemed destined for oblivion — a fate made all the more painful by its avoidability.
Then a shimmering thread of gold appeared in his mind's eye — a path forward. A path forged by unity, by understanding, by reconciliation. The Harbinger could be appeased. The barrier could be restored. Magic could be reborn, not destroyed — if Ezra made the right choices and drew upon the magic within him in a way that preserved balance instead of tearing it asunder.
He opened his eyes, letting a solitary gold rune illuminate upon his forehead. Ansel fell forward, bracing himself with both hands upon his Grimoire. Callista fell to her knees, reluctantly placing her rune-covered staff upon the circle. And Vulcan pressed his blade into the floor until a shimmering barrier fell into place — a barrier forged by their collective magic, a barrier strong enough to hold back chaos, but flexible enough to enable renewal.
"That path… I saw it." Ezra whispered quietly, reluctantly closing the tome. "There is a way forward… a way to redeem magic instead of destroy it. We must trust ourselves… and each other… more than we ever have before."
Ansel nodded quietly, reluctantly adding, "Whatever it costs… we will pay it… together."
Vulcan tightened his grip upon his blade, letting its magic seep upward, strengthening their barrier. Callista pressed her rune-covered staff into its base, adding her magic to theirs. And in that moment — in that eternal moment — the fate of magic fell upon their shoulders.
The shimmering rune circle began to pulse. The magic flowed upward, growing in power until it filled the entire chamber with a riotous array of gold, purple, and silver colors. The Book itself opened farther — its pages turning of their own accord — until a colossal rune appeared. This rune, forged by the first mage-council, held within it the magic to redeem or destroy. The rune glimmered faintly, a beacon in the growing chaos, a beacon that could lead them toward renewal or oblivion.
"The first mage-council made a catastrophic choice." Ansel said quietly. "Instead of redeeming magic, they tried to destroy what made it eternal. We must redeem their decision… we must redeem magic itself."
He pressed his Grimoire forward, adding his magic to the rune's growing power. Callista pressed her staff forward, adding her magic in kind. Vulcan pressed his blade further into the rune, adding his magic — his loyalty — to the growing barrier.
"The barrier will hold… for now." Vulcan said quietly. "But we do not know how much time we have… or whether we will succeed in redeeming magic before chaos overtakes us."
The rune glowed a piercing gold, then slowly began to fade, its magic anchored safely within their collective intent.
"The path forward is clear." Ezra whispered quietly. "We must redeem magic… or we will destroy everything we care about."
He turned toward his friends — Ansel, Callista, and Vulcan — and nodded. "Together… we will redeem magic. We will redeem ourselves. We will redeem the future. Whatever it costs."