Fredozy
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Chapter 72: Planing
🕑 Added 2025-08-28 13:26:09 +0000 UTCKai awoke with a slow exhale, the faint hum of residual magic slowly fading away from the totems he’d used in his representation magic. The Chambre had released him at last, though for some reason his mind felt heavier than before but least he was able to give them something to prepare. Alice was already there, she adjusted the frames of her glasses while studying him closely.
“Did it work this time?” she asked.
Kai pushed himself up, rolling his shoulders with a tired chuckle. “Yeah. I was able to get to them.”
Alice allowed herself the smallest smile. “Good. Then… now what?”
He dragged a hand through his hair as his tone shifted to something steadier. “Now they prepare. The beast could strike at them anytime, and if he does, they can’t afford to be caught off guard.”
For a long moment Alice was silent, then she spoke again, softer this time. “They’re going to need you. You need to find a way back before anything bad happens to them.”
Kai smirked at that, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Cute sentiment, Alice. But that’s not what I’m worried about.” His expression darkened. “My real concern lies with a particular group of idiots, really trying to summon a divine being. They don’t even realize the risk of what they are doing.”
Alice tilted her head slightly, adjusting her glasses as her brows knitted. “Wait. Why would anyone even attempt that? With the dangers you’ve told me, surely any competent magician knows summoning the wrong god could end catastrophically.”
“They were tricked,” Kai muttered, eyes narrowing. “And worse, they rang the bell for the wrong god. And once you ring a bell…” He let out a humorless laugh. “…you can never un-ring it.”
---
Back in the original universe, Quentin stirred awake with the others. His head throbbed as if every nerve inside his skull had been rattled by Kai’s spell. Elliot, seated in a velvet chair across from them, poured drinks with his usual careless elegance.
“To dull the magical hangover,” Elliot explained smoothly, handing out glasses.
Margo was the first to break the heavy silence. “Well… that was a trip.”
“Tell me about it,” Penny groaned, rubbing the side of his temple.
Alice leaned forward. “We need Julia. She’s the only one who can take what he gave her and teach us properly.”
Quentin, slouched in the chair beside her, nodded wearily. “Yeah. I’ll see if I can get in touch with her.”
Elliot raised his glass, eyeing Quentin with an arched brow. “You always say that like it’s going to be simple.”
“For once, he’s right,” Margo added. “So let’s skip the whining, because the vamp’s got his broody thing to do, and we’ve got battle magic to learn. Chop chop.”
“Which means,” Penny sighed, standing up, “I’ve got a meeting with the Dean.”
Quentin frowned, looking between them. “Now that the Beast problem is halfway solved, how do we actually get Kai back? He said he’d find a way, but we can’t just leave it all on him. We need to accelerate his return.”
Alice nodded grimly. “He’s right. The Beast could strike again at any moment, and we’re nowhere near ready.”
Penny waved a hand dismissively. “You know what? Screw all this doom and gloom. Let’s focus on what we can do right now like learning the damn spells he gave Julia.” He jabbed a finger at Quentin. “So get to work.”
And with that, he stalked out, heading toward the Dean’s office.
Elliot swirled the liquid in his glass before glancing at Quentin.
Quentin blinked. “What?”
Margo smirked. “We’re coming with you, genius.”
Quentin groaned, sinking further into his chair as Elliot clinked his glass against his lips. “Of course you are.”
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Julia sat with Marina and Pete, her expression unreadable.
“An alternate universe?” Marina repeated slowly.
Julia nodded. “That’s where Kai is now.”
Marina leaned back, processing. “And I’m dead in that universe?”
“You were killed by the Beast,” Julia admitted quietly.
Pete frowned. “Wait, this beast or whatever was the dean, who was Dean at Brakebills there? As in dean Fogg?”
“Yup,” Julia said simply.
“Well, that sucks.” Marina gave a half-smile. “At least that didn’t happen here.” She drummed her fingers against the table before fixing Julia with a curious look. “So where exactly did you say you were dragged?”
“He called it the Chambre de Chasse spell. It creates a kind of astral plane where he can use representative magic to pull people inside. With the use of totems to represent each individual.”
Marina tilted her head. “I’ve never even heard of magic like that.”
Pete whistled. “Sounds ridiculously hard to craft. You’d need the right representative object for each person or the spell collapses. He must know you all very well for it to have worked.”
Marina chuckled lightly, turning her gaze back to Julia with something that felt almost sweet. “Your boyfriend really is an unending bag of tricks, isn’t he?”
Julia blinked at her, unsettled by the tone. “What are you planning, Marina?”
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” Marina replied, smiling a little too innocently.
“Whatever. I need to go.”
“Go where?” Marina asked.
“Brakebills,” Julia answered flatly.
Marina smirked. “Ah yes, the damsel to rescue her charming prince in distress.”
Julia rolled her eyes, already heading for the door.
“You still owe me, you know,” Marina called after her.
Julia paused only long enough to glare before continuing out.
Pete shifted uneasily. “So… now what?”
Marina’s smile deepened. “Now? Now I renegotiate my terms with Kai.”
Pete looked at her oddly, but eventually shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss.” He followed Julia out, leaving Marina alone.
