The remaining mages prepared for the others to return. Ian meditated, focusing on all the psychic energy within the sect. Meanwhile, Gala began to comb Wisdom's hair, trying to calm her down after Will's outburst. Nova stepped out of the meeting room, patting down Ian's cloak before taking out a vial and pocketing it. He pulled up his hood and headed out of the library.
Finding himself in the main corridor, he looked at the elevator but decided against it; it would be too easy for someone to corner him, and he didn't know if an enemy could still be lurking around.
"The stairs would take too long, though," he muttered.
He took the time to head up to the girls' dormitory to find Ruby. As he walked down the hallway, Nova averted his eyes from any open doors until he got to Ruby's. Stepping inside, he carefully navigated around dozens of small discs and pouches scattered on the floor. He found Ruby sprawled out on her bed, just like Nikola, snoring loudly. The sight sickened Nova for a second, but he kept his composure. He walked up to her bed and shook the frame. Ruby opened her eyes, yawning right in Nova's face, smacking her lips, then pulled the blankets over her head.
"Ruby, I told you it's an emergency!" Nova said, gut-checking her and knocking the wind out of her.
"Damn," she wheezed.
Nova grabbed Ruby by her hands and dressed her in a red cloak embedded with the Grimsnow emblem: a badge resembling a tombstone with a cloud over it. He guided her out of the room and down the corridor.
"Alright, then I'll be off," Ruby said, about to enter the library.
Nova grabbed her by the hood of her cloak, pulling her backward.
"What did I do now?" she asked in a vexed tone.
Nova didn't speak; instead, he motioned for her to stay silent and come to his side. Ruby obliged, and they both crouched down near the entrance. Looking closely at the beginning of the passageway, they saw a small glint an inch above the floor.
"How did you see that?" Ruby stood up to peer over the frame to look at the other side. What she found made her stomach sink: a rustic bomb was stuck to the wall with crude adhesive.
"I have my methods, but we can't discuss that right now." Nova began to analyze the device. A string was fastened to a mechanism similar to a trigger.
"What do we do now?" Ruby asked.
Nova held out his hand. "Give me your phone."
Ruby slapped a smartphone into his hand. Despite it being a phone, Nova immediately yelled at Ruby, "The Sect phones!" Nova didn't want to scream at Ruby, but due to the tense situation, she wouldn't blame him for his outburst. She gave him another phone, a much simpler one with a camera in the front. Nova slid the smartphone into the center of the corridor, dug his nails into the casing of the simpler phone, and pried it open, removing the battery before pocketing it.
"Why'd you do that!?"
"I don't want the remote signals to set off the bomb."
Ruby nodded, having no clue what a "remote signal" was. As she was trying to envision a remote signal, Nova sat and focused his mind, concentrating on three words to catch Ian's attention: "Bomb, float, Wisdom." Seconds later, the door swung open, and Wisdom floated out.
"Wisdom, I need you to use telekinesis to help Ruby over to the conference room while I get rid of this bomb. Do NOT let your feet touch the ground, no matter what."
Ruby piggybacked on Wisdom, and they instantly began to fall, but not onto the floor, thanks to Nova also using telekinesis. Taking a relieved breath, he noticed that the girls were descending indefinitely but slowly. This gave him an idea: Nova could launch them in an arc, letting them cross the central walkway. With some rough measurements, they glided across the walkway with a rough landing, but the girls made it to safety.
Turning to the bomb, Nova bent down and examined it once more. He was about to do something foolish.
I've got one shot, or it's over.
He prepared his telekinesis, his breathing getting heavier and tenser as he concentrated on not being blown to smithereens. Fastening the string around his finger, he pulled, but nothing happened. Nova had managed to pull the trigger off the bomb's components.
Damn it all. Even though Nova had no idea how to disable a bomb, he could still mess with the circuitry. He used telekinesis to form invisible hands to enter the bomb, shaking them around until the bomb was a mangled mess of glue and scraps.
"Manic solutions will always be superior." He went back to the main corridor, picking up Ruby's phone on the way, where the elevator was. To the right of the rickety shaft were stairs—lots and lots of stairs spiraling up.
Nova groaned and proceeded to walk up 24 flights of stairs. Once he reached the top floor, he crawled out of the stairway, utterly exhausted. He collapsed on the floor.
Someone please kill me. The mage searched his pocket and pulled out a vial with a blue liquid inside. Gulping down the remedy, Nova regained his strength and stamina at the cost of rapid tissue healing. His muscle fibers instantly recovered, while his lungs expanded to max capacity. He grew lethargic from the massive oxygen intake, causing him to pass out for half a minute.
Regaining consciousness, Nova lifted himself up.
Ian, if you can hear me, I'm sorry for wasting your vial.
He made his way out of the main tower, using his ID to get through the door.
Inside, sipping a hot cup of coffee, Lower sat at a dining table. Nova was surprised he had never been in the teachers' lounge before, as he could only enter when there was an emergency. It was a space with a coffee pot in the corner, alongside two vending machines, where Professor Jill was getting a packet of Insta-ups pills.
"Nova?" Lower said, with Jill following afterward.
Lower took another sip of his coffee. "You know you're not supposed to be here unless there's an emergency, right?"
"I know, sir, sorry, sir, but the sect is having a few issues, but nothing we can't handle. Don't get anyone else involved."
Lower stood up from the table, trembling slightly. "So what do you need from this lounge? A drink, a donut, maybe some enhancements?"
Nova walked to Lower, pushing him down by the shoulders and forcing him to be seated again. "Just sit down, Sir. I just need a copy of your manic signature. Trust me, I'll be out of here in under an hour."
Taking out his phone and popping open the back, Nova replaced his battery with Ruby's. He called Sam.
"Nova?" Sam answered.
"Yeah, it's me. Give me a rough estimate of your location."
"I'm in the Elder's district, Main tower, front entrance."
"Understood. I'll portal you up."
A dark purple mist formed around Nova. He used his phone and searched through images.
South tower, south tower… ah, south tower.
The image enlarged, revealing a gray cobbled tower, easily over 200 feet tall. Focusing on the image, Nova constructed a portal of purple mist the same height as him. Soon after, a young man dressed in an indigo formal sweater vest with black slacks and a button-front shirt, but most notably clad in his white cloak, stepped through. Sam looked around the room with discomfort.
"Is something wrong?" Professor Jill took a seat in front of Lower, consuming his Insta-ups while keeping eye contact with Sam.
"I know it's none of my concern, but is taking edibles on the job really the best choice for a Professor?" Sam glared at Jill, trying to keep his composure. Out of concern, Jill couldn't help but think Sam was a bit of a goody two-shoes. He laughed it off and clarified, "HA! My boy, these are just low-class pills of herbs and energy compressed in a disc. Keeps me going for six more hours, albeit at the cost of fatigue for eight." Sam was satisfied with the explanation and took a seat with the other two men. Meanwhile, Nova went through his contacts and called another mage.
A bold and empowering voice came from the line.
"NOVA! I knew you'd call me first."
"Actually, I called Sam first, Will." Even though Nova couldn't see him, he knew Will's attitude had just soured. "But I didn't call you because I know you can handle yourself if anything serious happened."
"You know me too well, hue."
"On to more important things, I need your location."
"Section 2, East-mid tower-5."
Nova searched through his phone again, this time finding a tower scaling 20 feet high, surrounded by wheat fields, with five towers on a high elevation in the distance. He formed the mist again, focusing on the corresponding image.
The yellow mage stepped through the portal, ducking. Once he was out, the young man towered over the other four men. He wore a yellow cape with a black tuxedo aligned with gold accents.
Lower rose his cup shakily. "Make yourself comfortable." Will took the last seat at the table next to Jill.
Alright, Ourania.
He repeated the process again. Nova phoned Ourania and requested her location.
"Section 4, tower 2, west entrance. By the way, before the summons, we were having tea, so Maram and I are together."
"That's perfect. Making the portal now."
With the final mist portal being formed, Maram was the first to step through, dawning a cloth covering her hair with her purple cloak covering most of her face except her eyes. Then Ourania came in the same uniform Sam wore, except her slacks were replaced with a long skirt and leggings.
"Perfect. I would sit and talk more, professors, but we'll have to leave immediately." Nova looked through his phone for the meeting room to form the portal.
Jill expressed his gratitude. "Not a bother, it's the least we can do for our sect students."
The mist formed on the floor. One by one, the mages jumped into the portal, popping out upright on the other side, with Nova being the last to enter. With a stern and a hint of wavering in his eyes, the black mage was ready to face his mangled friend.
"Let's go."
All available mages huddled around each other as they walked out of the library and down to Nikola's chamber. The air felt heavier as they got closer. Seeing their friend dead weighed on everyone's shoulders, crushing their composure like an ant under a boot.
Sniffles came from the back of the group. Everyone except Nova turned to face them. On the verge of breaking down, Ourania was constantly wiping tears from her face, but in the state she was in, it was pointless.
Nova looked back at the scene. He felt sorry for Ourania but knew they had to press on as a group.
"Will, grab her."
Will, along with everyone else, felt uncomfortable with the command. Regardless of their feelings, the mages had to press on. Will hesitantly followed the order, scooping up the blue mage. He tried not to acknowledge that Ourania was soaking his shirt with a shower of tears, but with the moisture making it stick to his skin, it was impossible.
After some time, they finally made it to the chamber. Will set Ourania down. Nova and Ian wrapped their cloaks around their faces as Nova pried open the door. A pungent odor erupted as Nova pushed the door fully open. Five of the mages pinched their noses. Maram wasn't as affected by the smell due to her cloak, while Ian covered his face as a result of sharing part of Nova's memories.
"I can't go in there, please let me sit out here. I wouldn't be able to handle it," Ourania said while still pinching her nose.
Nova was going to oppose the plea but decided to look to his companions for an answer.
"Maybe some of us should stand watch with Ourania," Gala suggested. "You can pick who stays and who goes in."
Nova leaned on the wall to contemplate.
Ian has to be on the lookout, so he'll stay here. Since Ourania is having a breakdown, I'll leave her with Gala. Then as a muscle, I'll leave Will. The rest of us can enter since we only need Maram with us.
"Will, shout and hold the line if something happens. Ian, keep watch, and Gala, sooth Ourania. Don't let her spiral lower. The rest of us will retrieve the body and other evidence."
Sam, Maram, Ruby, and Nova entered the chamber, leaving the rest of their team to wait for their return.