After their unfortunate run-in with the nameless thug, the following days for the group of young sorcerers passed by without incident. So much so that they managed to spend the rest of their time soaking up the sun, riding a few waves, and exploring the local charms of the seaside town while creating unforgettable memories that would last a lifetime. However, when the sun rose on Friday morning, it signaled the end of their time at the beach.
As they packed up their belongings and prepared to return home, the group couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving behind the vibrant beach town that lingered in their minds. Even so, they were all quite satisfied with how things turned out.
Elizabeth managed to complete all of the preliminary work that she wanted to get done for her client's dress. This meant that the 'earth magic' user only had to make a few minor adjustments to finish the product before she could send it off to Alyssa Blair. In fact, if she played her cards right, the woman would be done with this request an entire week earlier than she originally estimated.
Evan and his colleagues were able to finish all of their work by Thursday evening, which was exactly what they had originally planned. None of the agents knew exactly what the 'wind magic' user had been working on. And despite a few sly questions from both Valerie and Freddy, Evan made sure not to divulge the true nature of his work. Only telling the two that it was "government business" before expertly shifting the conversation away from that topic.
As for the agents, since this entire trip went off without anyone getting hurt or kidnapped, it meant that their first-ever security assignment was a rousing success. Which was exactly the kind of thing that was sure to impress their boss, and maybe even a few more people if they were lucky.
For Maria, the young woman was more than ready to head back to her cozy little apartment and spend the next few days catching up on all the gaming time that she missed while she was away. That wasn't to say that she didn't have fun, though. Quite the opposite actually. But in her mind, nothing beats the pleasures of spending a few hours in front of her computer screen, mindlessly leveling up a few of her characters on one of her favorite MMOs.
Valerie, of course, was sad that she didn't get the chance to have a bit more fun during her time here. As a certified California girl, she was no stranger to spending an extended period of time in such a setting. And this trip was one of the few times she had the chance to do some of the activities that reminded her of back home. The tall blonde made a mental note to come back to this place as soon as she got the chance. But overall, she was happy with how things turned out.
On top of that, the fact that she had made a good impression on both Evan and Elizabeth was certainly a positive outcome, in her opinion. Only good things would come her way as a result of getting in the good graces of the DPA Commissioner's kids. And that was exactly the kind of thing that was going to help her in the long run when it came to achieving her ultimate goal.
Freddy himself would be the first to admit that this trip didn't go as smoothly as he would've wanted it to. And the fact that they almost got mugged twice in the span of a week was not lost on him. However, the young 'dark magic' user was glad that everyone agreed to keep that little hiccup to themselves. Sure, hiding that kind of information from his boss wasn't exactly the right thing to do, but what Chief Chandler didn't know wasn't going to hurt her. Plus, anything that let him avoid any more mind-numbing paperwork was a net positive in his opinion.
As for Cyrus, the 'tree magic' user was grateful for the opportunity to participate in something like this.
Not only did the freckle-faced teen get the chance to learn some of the basics of enchanting from Evan, but he was also able to meet some more sorcerers with his type of magic. Something that he hadn't had the chance to do up until this point. So for him, this trip was an overall success. On top of that, he really did enjoy hanging out with Mikayla and her friends. And to be honest, he was kind of hoping to run into them again sometime in the future.
-(o)-
[A Few Hours Later]
It was well into the afternoon when the group finally checked out of their hotel. And in no time, they were back on the road, leaving the pleasant coziness of the beach behind to return to the hustle and bustle of the city.
-(o)-
Dumbbell: Hey! We're on the way back.
Rifle: Glad to hear it.
Rifle: Everything turned out okay?
Dumbbell: No issues.
Rifle: Good. Don't bother coming back to the station. It'll probably be dark by the time you guys get back anyway.
Rifle: Actually, just go ahead and take off until Monday. We have more than enough people here to handle things.
Dumbbell: Sounds good to me!
Dumbbell: I'll let the others know.
Rifle: So...
Rifle: Evan
Rifle: Pretty good-looking guy, huh?
Dumbbell: ???
Rifle: I don't need to worry about any grand-nieces/nephews anytime soon, do I?
Dumbbell: OF COURSE NOT!!!
Rifle: Just making sure. I know how you young people these days like to "have fun" when no one's around.
Dumbbell: Which one of us got pregnant from a drunken one-night stand again?
Rifle: Touche.
Rifle: Anyways, I'll see you later tonight. And good job out there.
Rifle: I'm sure that Eugene will be happy to hear about this.
Dumbbell: See you later.
-(o)-
"I just got a text from Valerie." Freddy said while scrolling through his phone. "According to her, the boss said don't come back to the station until Monday."
"Awesome!" Cyrus couldn't hide his satisfaction. This was exactly the kind of thing that he wanted to hear. This extra bit of free time that he now had meant that he could get some more practice in with the mana disruptor technique.
Almost as if she had been reading his mind, Elizabeth looked at the 'tree magic' user through the rearview mirror.
"That reminds me!" The dark-skinned woman said before reaching for the glove box of her car and pulling out a black composition notebook. One that looked to be a few years old. "Since you seemed interested in enchanting, you might want to read through this."
"What is it?" Cyrus asked as he took the book from the woman's hand.
"One of my sister's old notebooks." Elizabeth explained. "She gave it to me when she was first showing us how to enchant. It mostly just covers the basics, but you might get better use out of it than I did."
"Are you sure it's okay for me to have this?"
"Yeah, sure! Better you have it than to let it keep taking up space in here. I actually forgot that I even had it until just now."
Without a second thought, Cyrus opened the old notebook and took a moment to skim over some of its contents. His eyes danced across the pages as he tried to absorb every little detail that he could. Even from a cursory glance, the 'tree magic' could tell that the information in this book was a veritable treasure trove of knowledge that he could put to use when it came to his job.
'Corruption, paralyzation, multiple different types of enhancements, and even a few more low-grade hexes. Oh man, this is exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping to learn more about!' Cyrus thought to himself as he became engrossed in the words and crude drawings on the page.
"Enchanting notes straight from Skye herself, huh?" Freddy said with a knowing smile as he watched his friend lose himself in the crusty old notebook. "I bet people would be willing to pay top dollar for that."
Elizabeth chuckled. "You should see the stuff in my grandfather's private collection."
"Thank you!" Cyrus said to the woman with the utmost sincerity. "I'll make sure to put it to good use."
"I hope so. Since you have good mana control, I'm sure you'll be able to master everything in there in no time. Besides, I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind having one more skilled enchanter under his thumb."
"Speaking of which..." Freddy then interjected. "Why hasn't your family put out more stuff about enchanting? If I remember correctly, your grandfather only published around eight books about it. And that was a long time ago."
Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows and lowered her voice, adopting a more raspy tone as she assumedly impersonated her grandfather's manner of speaking. "Enchanting is just as much of an art as it is a science. There's only so much that you can learn by reading from books. The rest you have to figure it out for yourself. Besides, I'm not interested in becoming a writer. There's money to be made!"
"Just the kind of thing I'd expect from one of the richest men in the country."
"Honestly, I think he's just gatekeeping."
The two agents couldn't help but laugh at that. They couldn't really blame the guy, though. Why wouldn't you want to keep a tight lid on one of the most valuable skills that a sorcerer could obtain? Cyrus and Freddy doubted that they wouldn't have come to the same conclusion if they were in that kind of position.
As they got closer to the city, the teenagers fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts about how they were going to enjoy their extended weekend. Needless to say, they were happy that they got to enjoy such a nice trip. And they were definitely looking forward to the next time they got to do something like this.
-(o)-
Immediately upon arriving at the twins' home, the four agents unloaded their belongings and bid farewell to their charges. Evan and Elizabeth promised to call upon them the next time they needed some extra muscle, and the agents assured them that they would be ready whenever such a time came. Well, most of them did. Maria just subtly nodded her head to the idea before jumping into the back of the agency vehicle.
After some final handshakes, the agents departed, leaving the twins the grab their bags and head towards the door.
"Well...that was a nice little trip, don't you think?" Evan smiled as he stretched his arms above his head. He then took a moment to remove his blue headband before letting his perfectly twisted dreadlocks fall in front of his face.
"Be honest with me." Elizabeth side-eyed her brother. The veil of her previously primmed and proper exterior lifted the moment she knew no one else was around. "Are you trying to start your own group? Like Elaine and her posse?"
"Am I really that transparent?"
"No. But I'm one of the few people that knows how you actually operate?"
"Well, let's just say that my little experiment is still in the developmental phase."
"Let me guess...once they've proven that they can be useful for whatever it is that you're planning, you'll give all of them the flying enchantment to cement their loyalty."
Evan rolled his eyes. "Y'know, stuff like this is what makes me think that you have the ability to read my mind."
"Oh please, the last thing I'd ever want is to know what goes on in that crazy-ass head of yours."
Evan responded by playfully shoving Elizabeth off to the side. An action that was immediately met by a random clump of dirt smacking the 'wind magic' user in the back of the head.
Before things could get even further out of hand, the young duo decided to end their playful violence before they tore up the lawn...again. And without so much as a word, they entered their house, reveling in the fact that they were now in familiar territory and could finally relax.
"I'm going to order some food." Evan said to his sister as he made a beeline for the kitchen. "Do you want anything?"
"Yes, actually! I'm in the mood for some Italian. You mind getting me some shrimp carbonara?"
Evan was about to give the 'earth magic' some snarky reply about how she shouldn't be loading up on carbs, but stopped when he realized that the voice didn't come from Elizabeth.
The man's head then whipped around to the living room, and his eyes then immediately locked onto the origin of the voice. There, sitting in the armchair directly in front of the window, was a sight that he certainly wasn't expecting to see.
Looking back at the young 'wind magic' user was a woman. One with pristine caramel skin, pale green eyes, and long, perfectly twisted black dreadlocks that had an almost impossibly bright sheen to them, styled in a single braid that draped over her right shoulder. The woman was sporting a black turtle-neck sweater paired with a neatly pressed white pleated skirt and a pair of expensive-looking black heels.
Upon first glance, the woman looked almost like a gender-bent version of Evan, except her facial features were closer to those of Elizabeth's. Soft, but elegant. Almost like that of a classic beauty that you'd find gracing the center of an old Renaissance painting.
At her side, on either end of the chair, were two other individuals. The first being a young Black man with a handsome face and clean fade wearing a navy blue tracksuit. The other was a youthful-looking Asian woman. One with bright purple hair styled in dual pigtails, wearing an embroidered red blouse, loose-fitting denim jeans, and some laceless white sneakers.
"Long time no see, you two." The woman's silky smooth voice said as a pompous smile grew on her face. "It's been a couple of months since I've last seen you guys."
Elizabeth couldn't help but roll her eyes, obviously not impressed with the sudden intrusion. As for Evan, the young man's face was one of utter annoyance. Of course, this wasn't the first time that the woman decided to just drop in on them like this. But the act had gone stale quite a long time ago.
Despite his irritation, the young 'wind magic' user quickly gathered himself. Only allowing a single word to come out of his mouth.
"Elaine..."
-(o)-
Info Card: Mana
Mana is a mysterious and powerful energy that exists both in nature and within living beings. It serves as the source of all magic, enabling sorcerers and cryptids to perform spellcasting. Research shows that mana is a naturally occurring particle found in Earth's atmosphere, where it exists in greater abundance than oxygen, by roughly 15%.
Sorcerers and cryptids absorb mana through normal breathing and store it in specialized internal reservoirs called mana cores. These cores can be fully replenished within four hours under normal conditions. However, skilled 'wind magic' users can accelerate this process by forcibly increasing their air intake. Overuse of mana can lead to extreme fatigue or even unconsciousness, revealing the physical toll of magical exertion on the body.
While both humans and cryptids draw from the same atmospheric mana, their bodies alter it in unique ways during processing. This results in two distinct types of mana, which sorcerers can differentiate through a technique called mana sensing. Although the exact origin of mana remains uncertain, some researchers believe it existed on Earth prior to 1952 due to the presence of trace amounts of mana found in artifacts from various ancient civilizations across the globe.
Despite decades of study, many aspects of mana remain unresolved, including how sorcerers and cryptids can manipulate it so freely.
Mana does not exist outside of Earth's atmosphere, as confirmed by a joint NASA and JAXA study conducted in the 1970s, which found that sorcerers are unable to use their magical attributes in space. However, sorcerers still retain their enhanced physical abilities in low Earth orbit. Modern instruments have been developed to track and analyze mana, yet much about this force continues to challenge scientific understanding.