Chapter 12
TWELVE
EMMA
As I sat there, staring at the fading remnants of James’s portal, a deep sense of emptiness washed over me.
The space around me was too quiet, too still, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to do.
The enormity of everything that had happened—the fight, the anger, his leaving without a full explanation—settled over me like an unbearable force.
But one thing became clear: there was nowhere I belonged more right now than by James’s side. Not only because I was desperate for answers, but because I couldn’t shake the feeling this was bigger than me, bigger than us.
Whatever he was about to face, whoever he wanted to talk to, I had to be there.
I needed to understand what was really going on in his world, and I needed him to see I wasn’t the enemy.
He could trust me. I had to prove to James I wasn’t here to betray him, had to prove I could handle the truth, no matter how messy or painful it was.
Then came the self-accusation. A sudden pang, deep in my chest, as I thought about the one thing I still hadn’t told him.
My healing powers. The secret I was keeping from him.
I had told myself I wasn’t ready to share it, but now I realized I was as guilty of hiding things from him as he was from me.
I hated it. The creeping sensation of dishonesty, the weight of the secret I was carrying. But I’d pushed it aside, telling myself I wasn’t ready yet. That I ought to understand my own powers first. But was it really the reason? Or had my belief in James taken too much of a hit?
My hand drifted mindlessly to the small box tucked securely in my pocket—the one I never left without anymore.
Inside was his ring. The one I hadn’t returned.
The one he hadn’t asked back for. I knew with it, I could bypass any Layer of Protection, no clearance required, its power so grand.
And yet, it remained in my possession, untouched and unmentioned.
Why am I even thinking of this ring right now?
As I rose to my feet, a sudden rush of determination surged through me, steadying my limbs and clearing my thoughts. My brows drew together as my heart began to pound, caught in the strange rhythm of fear tangled with resolve.
I took a slow, cautious step toward the door—and that’s when it happened.
Without meaning to, without even realizing what I was doing, a portal flared to life in the center of the room.
I froze, blinking in disbelief, every muscle tensing.
Was someone coming through?
But the room remained silent. Empty.
And then, it hit me—I had opened it.
Somehow, without focus or intent, I had drawn a pathway into existence. The realization sent a jolt of shock through me, and I reached for my Nexus, fingers trembling around its familiar shape.
I had no idea where James had gone to. The uncertainty twisted in my gut, growing worse with every passing second.
How was I supposed to follow him if I didn’t even know where he’d gone?
I stared into the portal’s swirling current, its surface shifting like liquid light, wild and unknowable. Power hummed at my fingertips, but it did nothing to soothe the helplessness twisting inside me.
All translation comes from knowledge. How was this happening without me knowing where to go?
The energy in my veins surged again, stronger this time, like my body was trying to tell me something.
What the hell was happening to me? I’d gone from struggling to translate to summoning portals out of thin air.
The shift was dizzying, terrifying even, but it also stirred a flicker deep within me—a steady voice that had been buried beneath the fear.
Stop being afraid, Emma. You’ve got this power. Now fucking use it.
I closed my eyes, drew in a long breath, and tried to control my emotions as I’d done many times before. No weakness.
Fuck it, it didn’t matter I didn’t know where he’d gone. I didn’t need to know. I only had to trust myself—trust the charge thrumming beneath my skin.
Everyone always said magic came from knowledge, from precision, from knowing precisely what you were reaching for.
But knowledge isn’t solely about facts.
It’s intuition. It’s the quiet certainty in your gut when everything else is chaos.
It’s trusting yourself enough to leap, even when you can’t see where you’ll land.
I yanked James’s ring from my pocket and shoved it over my thumb, silently hoping it wouldn’t slip off mid-transport.
Then, I homed in, focusing on the familiar hum of magic around me.
“Replicate James’s last translation, and bring me to his location,” I whispered, still a little unsure this would work.
But the moment I spoke the words, the room shifted.
The gateway crackled to life, its energy sharper, more focused. Like it was pulling me toward him. My heart raced as I stepped through, the sensation of its energy wrapping around me like a tight grip.
When I stumbled out the other side, the cold mountain air hit me like a slap to the face, stealing the breath from my lungs.
Damn it, I should’ve brought a coat.
I now stood in white, deep snow, my feet sinking slightly into the frost-covered ground. The towering peaks of the mountains loomed around me, their shadows long and imposing.
And a few meters ahead, there was James. He was adjusting his jacket against the chill, completely unaware I had followed him. I quickly ducked into the shadows of a nearby tree, my heart hammering in my chest.
Why hadn’t I thought this through? What was I even doing? Was it wrong to follow him like this, to insert myself into whatever this was? More doubts than ever clawed at me, but I couldn’t turn back now. I was here. And I needed to understand.
I watched as James made his way down the narrow mountain path; his steps careful but determined. He was headed toward a beautiful, isolated house, nestled between the trees and snow-covered slopes. The place looked serene, almost peaceful, and yet, my stomach churned with anxiety.
He reached for the door and disappeared inside, the soft thud of it closing echoing in the stillness of the night.
I stood there, frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do next.
Translate a godsdamn coat!
I quickly summoned a jacket I’d left in my dorm, and pulled up the zipper, never taking my sight off the house. Back to the matter at hand.
My heart ached with the uncertainty of it all. What if this was a mistake? What if I was crossing a line I couldn’t uncross? Again? But deep down, I knew I couldn’t walk away. Not now.
Closing my lids, I reached out through my haze, searching for James’s presence inside the house. His energy was familiar, strong, and steady. I could sense him, like a beacon guiding me in the dark.
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady the nervous tremble in my hands. I can do this.
With my Nexus in hand, I drew another portal, feeling the magic flow through me, and prepared myself to enter inside—blind, but determined.
JAMES
Shit. Shit, shit—double shit.
Between Maria demanding I’d take over as Leader right the fuck now, which I had flat out refused, and Emma bombarding me with more questions than a whole class of kindergartners on a fucking field trip, the urge to get the hell out of Cyclos was almost unbearable.
The crisp mountain breeze greeted me as I stepped through the portal, but it did little to cool the turmoil swirling inside me. The peacefulness of Switzerland was almost mocking. I hadn’t come for peace; I’d come for space, distance—anything to escape the suffocating tension back at Cyclos.
The Human World. Stephen’s home, where I knew he’d be. One of the few magi, and the only Specialist ever, who preferred living outside the Metasphere for reasons unknown.
I had to talk to him, to explain why I could no longer keep his secrets.
Our secrets. He’d understand—I was sure of it.
He always did. He had been more than a mentor to me over the years.
He was the closest thing I’d ever had to a father, the one person who had shaped me when no one else bothered to.
He'd been my guide through chaos and hell, a constant when everything else seemed to fall apart.
And I needed him. Especially now, when I couldn’t face Emma anymore. Not after everything. The thought of Emma, her eyes burning with questions, accusations—ones I couldn’t refute—made my core tighten. I was so damn sick of it.
No more lying.
As I made my way through the snow-dusted streets of Zermatt, the cold bit at my skin, but it did nothing to numb the heaviness inside me.
The town was quiet, the kind of quiet that soothed the soul, the kind promising safety.
But even standing there, taking it all in, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched.
Turning around a few times to make sure my Offensive-instincts weren’t evolving into paranoia; I was surprised to find no one actually following me. I could’ve sworn I sensed…something.
Arriving at my destination, I pushed open the front door to Stephen’s home and was instantly greeted by the welcome warmth of a roaring fire. I shrugged off my coat and headed upstairs, knowing where he’d be—his study. Always his study.
Opening the door, I found the room exactly as I remembered—walls lined with dark oak bookshelves, every inch crammed with ancient tomes and relics from his endless travels.
A large fireplace crackled softly, casting a flickering light which danced across the Persian rugs and polished wooden floors.
The familiar scent of leather-bound books and aged wood welcomed me back as if I’d never left.
Stephen sat in his usual chair, at his desk, the soft glow of his silver haze surrounding his features. As I stepped inside, he turned, his face lighting up with surprise and delight.
“James! What a wonderful surprise,” he greeted me warmly, though I could see a hint of confusion in the way his brows furrowed slightly. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”