Kage’s POV

  The press conference was hastily assembled, but the urgency of the situation had drawn a crowd larger than I expected. The university courtyard was packed with reporters, students, and concerned citizens, all murmuring amongst themselves, their expressions ranging from curiosity to fear. The glow of lanterns and camera flashes illuminated the hastily constructed podium, where Councilor Marek stood, her expression unreadable as she stepped forward.

  She raised a hand, silencing the restless crowd before her voice rang out across the courtyard. As she spoke, the girl with sound magic placed her hand on Marek’s arm, her magic rippling outward. The sound of Marek’s voice amplified, ringing out clear and strong over the gathering. “Tonight, something has happened that will change the course of this city’s future.”

  The murmurs grew louder, but she continued, her voice sharp and deliberate. “For months, magicals in this city have been going missing. Some assumed they left on their own. Others believed the worst. But tonight, the truth has come to light.”

  She turned toward me, gesturing for me to step forward. I exhaled slowly, then walked up beside her, my gaze scanning the sea of expectant faces.

  “Alric Dain has been kidnapping magicals,” I said, my voice steady despite the weight of what I was about to reveal. “He and his people have been imprisoning them in a facility outside the city, keeping them drugged and restrained so they couldn’t use their abilities.”

  Gasps rippled through the crowd, and the flashes of cameras intensified.

  “My team and I infiltrated the facility,” I continued. “We found dozens of magicals locked away, treated like criminals when their only crime was existing. They were weakened, stripped of their magic, and left to rot. Tonight, we freed them. And together, we fought for our lives.”

  The murmurs grew louder, shifting from shock to outrage. Marek let them murmur for a moment before lifting a hand again. “Kage isn’t just telling you a story. We have proof. Documents signed by Alric Dain himself, orders to capture and detain magicals against their will. This was not an isolated incident. This was systematic.”

  I stepped back as the lightning mage—the man who had rallied the other prisoners—stepped forward. His presence alone commanded attention. His gaze swept across the crowd before he spoke, his voice steady, but filled with barely concealed anger.

  “I was one of them,” he said. “I was walking home one night when they took me. No warning. No trial. Just darkness. When I woke up, I was in a cell, drugged, weak, surrounded by others who had no idea why they were there. Days turned into weeks. Some of us stopped fighting and stopped hoping. And worse, some never woke up.”

  A hush fell over the courtyard, the weight of his words settling deep into the crowd’s bones.

  He exhaled sharply, then raised his hands. Lightning crackled at his fingertips. “But I woke up. And tonight, I fought my way out of that hell. Thanks to these people—” he gestured toward me, “we are standing here, free.”

  The crowd erupted in noise—questions, shouts of outrage, cries for justice. And standing there, under the harsh lights, I knew this was only the beginning.

  Zara walks up to the stand. The girl places a hand on her shoulder and the voices quiet.

  Zara took a deep breath, letting her gaze sweep over the crowd. “I know that magic can be frightening,” she began, her voice carrying across the courtyard with the girl’s amplification. “It is powerful, unpredictable at times. But fear should not justify cruelty. Fear should not justify the imprisonment of innocent people.”

  She let her words settle before continuing. “Alric Dain and his supporters believe that magicals must be controlled, contained, even erased from this city. But that is not the way forward. The way forward is education. The way forward is understanding. Magical people deserve to learn how to control their abilities, to use them to help society, not be locked away in chains for something they cannot change.”

  She turned, motioning for Malrick to step forward. “Let me tell you about someone who has learned to control his magic. Malrick.”

  Malrick hesitated for a moment before stepping up beside her. He stood stiffly at first, but when Zara gave him a reassuring nod, he exhaled and faced the crowd. “I was alone for a long time. When my magic manifested, people feared me. I feared myself. I thought…” He paused, his glowing veins pulsing under his skin. “I thought that magic only made me a monster. But Zara, Kage, Naja, and Doran showed me that wasn’t true. They didn’t just tell me to control it. They taught me. They showed me that magic isn’t something to be afraid of—it’s something to understand.”

  Zara nodded, turning back to the crowd. “Malrick is proof of what education and guidance can do. There are many like him, magicals who need help, who need a chance to learn—not a prison sentence. That is why we must move forward together. Not as magicals and non-magicals, but as people of this city. That is the only way we survive.”

  Marek takes control of the rest of the press conference, stepping back up to the podium with a firm expression. “This city cannot stand for this kind of injustice any longer. The council will convene immediately, and I will personally ensure that this evidence is brought forward to demand accountability.”

  Detective Hall cleared his throat, stepping up beside her. “Effective immediately, an official investigation will begin into Alric Dain and the Sovereign Order. The documents retrieved from the prison are damning, and given the testimonies of the rescued magicals, we have more than enough reason to act.”

  The crowd murmured in anticipation, some breaking into applause. Hall’s face was unreadable as he continued. “I am leaving here tonight to oversee Dain’s arrest. He will answer for what he has done.”

  The noise from the crowd grew louder—some cheers, some skeptical whispers. Zara, standing beside me, exhaled slowly. We had forced their hand. There was no turning back now.

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  Zara’s POV

  As Kage, Malrick, Naja, Doran, and I walked back into the makeshift hospital, a wave of applause erupted from the magicals inside. Their faces, still worn from captivity, were filled with gratitude. Some clapped weakly, exhaustion still clinging to their limbs, but the emotion in the room was unmistakable.

  “Thank you,” one voice called out, followed by another. Soon, the entire room was murmuring words of thanks, of relief, of freedom.

  Then, the doors burst open, and family members of the missing magicals poured in. Cries of joy, sobs of disbelief, and hurried footsteps filled the space as they rushed to their loved ones. People collapsed into embraces, clutching each other as if afraid they’d disappear again.

  I felt my chest tighten as I watched. This was what we had fought for. This was why we risked everything.

  As the room settled, I stepped outside, needing a moment to breathe. The first hints of dawn painted the sky in soft hues of orange and pink, casting a warm glow over the city beyond the university walls. The night was finally giving way to morning, and with it, the weight of everything we had done settled deeper into my bones.

  Footsteps followed behind me, and I didn’t have to turn to know it was Kage.

  He leaned against the railing beside me, silent for a moment before speaking. “You did good tonight.”

  I let out a slow breath, my fingers gripping the cool metal. “We all did. But it’s not over.”

  “No. But it’s a start.”

  I turned to face him, his dark eyes reflecting the lantern light. “Do you ever stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?”

  A smirk tugged at his lips. “Not if I can help it.”

  I shook my head, amused despite the exhaustion weighing on me. Without thinking, I reached for his hand, intertwining my fingers with his. “You don’t have to carry it alone, you know.”

  He glanced down at our joined hands, his grip tightening just slightly. “I know.”

  He leaned in, brushing his lips softly against my forehead. The warmth of the gesture sent a quiet reassurance through me—we had made it this far, and we’d face whatever came next together.

  Doran’s POV

  Naja and I moved through the rows of beds, the soft glow of lanterns flickering against the tired faces of the rescued magicals. Even now, despite the exhaustion weighing on her, Naja’s silver-lit hands hovered over a wounded man’s shoulder, ready to heal again.

  I caught her wrist gently before she could push herself any further. “Naja, stop. The doctors can handle it from here.”

  She hesitated, her brows furrowing as she glanced around the room. “But there’s still—”

  “No,” I said firmly, stepping in front of her. “You’ve done more than enough. You’re exhausted, Naja. You need to rest.”

  I pulled her gently into my side, feeling the tension in her body slowly give way. “All of these people are here because of you. The four of us may have been able to fight the guards, but we wouldn’t have made it out without you. You healed them. You gave us the numbers we needed to escape—all of us.”

  She swallowed hard, her gaze searching mine, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she let out a shaky breath, and for the first time that night, she allowed herself to lean into me. I wrapped an arm around her, steadying her.

  “You don’t have to do everything alone,” I murmured.

  She sighed against his chest, the warmth of my embrace melting some of the tension from her exhausted frame. “I know,” she whispered. “I just forget sometimes.”

  I smirked, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Before I could pull away, she lifted her head, her silver-lit eyes locking onto mine. Then, without hesitation, she pulled me into a deep kiss.

  For a moment, the exhaustion, the chaos, everything else disappeared. It was just the two of us, the warmth of her lips, the quiet reassurance that we were both still here. When she finally pulled back, her breath was unsteady, but her smirk matched mine.

  Malrick’s POV

  I take a seat near the exit, watching as family members pour in, reuniting with the magicals we freed. Laughter, sobs, whispered words of comfort—it all fills the room with an energy I can’t quite place. Happiness, relief, belonging.

  I should feel that too, shouldn’t I?

  It makes me think about my own parents. About how they never would have reacted like this if I had been the one missing. If anything, they would’ve been relieved, spared the shame of having a son with blood magic. They rejected me the moment they saw what I could do.

  Yet here I am, surrounded by people who never feared me. Zara, Kage, Naja, and Doran— they aren’t my blood, but they’re more of a family than my real one ever was. It’s ironic, really. The people who share my blood cast me aside, but the ones who embraced me did so because of blood.

  A voice pulls me from my thoughts. “You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

  I glance up, and the girl with sound magic stands in front of me, arms crossed, a knowing smirk on her lips.

  “Not much else to do,” I mutter.

  She tilts her head slightly. “How long were you in there?”

  I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head. “I wasn’t a prisoner. I was part of the group that broke you all out.”

  Her eyes widened slightly, then softened. “So, you fought for people you didn’t even know?”

  I shrugged. “I fought for people who deserved a chance.”

  A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Well, I owe you one. The name’s Liora.”

  I nodded, feeling something shift in my chest at the easy way she spoke to me. “Malrick.”

  She extended a hand, and after a brief pause, I shook it. Her grip was firm, steady. “Nice to meet you, Malrick. Maybe next time, we don’t have to meet under life-or-death circumstances?”

  I huffed a quiet laugh. “I’d like that.”

  Liora sits down next to me, stretching her arms out before resting them on her knees. “So, how did you find us?”

  I hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain everything. “It wasn’t just me. It was Zara, Kage, Naja, and Doran too.” I paused, unsure what to call them. “They—” I swallowed. “They’re my family.”

  Liora tilted her head, studying me. “Not by blood?”

  I shook my head. “No. My actual family wanted nothing to do with me once my magic showed up. But these people… they didn’t turn away. They taught me how to control my power. How to use it for something good.”

  She gave a slow nod, her expression softening. “Sounds like you got lucky.”

  I let out a small, breathy laugh. “Maybe I did.”

  She nudged my shoulder. “And now you get to be the hero that freed us all. Guess that makes you our blood-soaked savior, huh?”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s a terrible name.”

  She grinned. “I’ll come up with a better one. But seriously, Malrick… thanks. For what you did. For all of us.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I just nodded. “You fought well, too.”

  Liora leaned back slightly, stretching her arms behind her. “Yeah, but I didn’t have much of a choice, did I?” she said, her tone light, though there was something heavier beneath it. “I’ve been fighting since the moment they took me. First to stay conscious, then to stay sane. And finally, to get the hell out of there.”

  I studied her for a moment. “How long were you in there?”

  She exhaled through her nose, eyes flickering with something unreadable. “Months. At first, I kept track of the days, scratched little marks into the wall. Then I lost count. Everything blurred together.”

  I hesitated, then asked, “Were you alone?”

  Her jaw tensed slightly before she shook her head. “No. I was taken with my twin brother. He had magic too, but…” She swallowed hard. “He didn’t make it.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that. I understood loss—I understood being alone. But this was different. She hadn’t just been abandoned. She had watched someone she loved disappear.

  She must’ve seen something in my expression because she let out a breath and forced a small smile. “Don’t look at me like that. I got out, didn’t I? And I’m not planning on stopping now.”

  I smirked despite myself. “Good. We need more people like you.”

  She nudged my shoulder again, her smirk returning. “And you need people who can give you a proper nickname. ‘Blood-soaked savior’ is still on the table, by the way.”

  I groaned, shaking my head. “Not a chance.”

  She laughed, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like a monster. Just Malrick.