Page 7

"A re the affected students contained?" Diana asked as she hurried into the girls' dormitory, Alarick close behind. Golden threads spun between them like magical spiderwebs, brightening whenever they moved in sync.

Ceries stood outside a room cordoned off with shimmering barriers. "More or less. Five students showing signs of void contamination. Nothing life-threatening, but they're exhibiting some... unusual effects."

"Define unusual," Alarick said, eyeing the barrier.

As if on cue, a burst of maniacal giggling erupted from the room, followed by what sounded distinctly like someone mooing.

"That would be Irideane Kallus," Ceries explained with remarkable calm. "She's convinced she's a dairy cow. The others are either hysterical from the contamination or from watching Irideane try to graze on her bedsheets."

Diana bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Void contamination affecting the perception centers. Classic symptom."

"I'll strengthen the containment while you work," Alarick said, his magic immediately weaving into Ceries's barrier. The golden threads between him and Diana pulsed brighter, creating a bridge between their powers.

Inside, they found exactly the scene Ceries had described. Irideane Kallus, normally the most serious student in her year, was on all fours, chewing a corner of her bedspread while making impressive bovine sounds. Her roommates were in varying states of magical distress—one floating above her bed, another speaking backwards, and two collapsed in giggles with hair cycling through rainbow hues.

"Oh thank gods you're here," said the floating student, slowly rotating like a human mobile. "We were practicing those shield variants when things got... weird."

"Residual void energy," Diana confirmed, meeting Alarick's eyes. "Delayed reaction from this morning's disaster."

"Magical indigestion," Alarick nodded sagely. "Always hits hours after consuming questionable spellwork."

For the next hour, they worked in perfect tandem to treat each student. Diana extracted the foreign magic while Alarick contained it, their connection creating a golden-hued bubble around each patient. The girls gradually returned to normal—though Irideane would definitely be hearing cow jokes until graduation.

"Remarkable teamwork," Ceries said when they emerged, the students safely resting. "Almost as if you two share some kind of... intimate connection."

Diana felt heat rise to her face. "Professional synchronicity," she said firmly.

"Very professional," Ceries replied with a knowing smirk. "Which explains why the garden gnomes have formed a 'Diana and Alarick Appreciation Society' that meets nightly under your window."

"The gnomes need hobbies," Diana said, refusing to meet Alarick's eyes despite feeling his amused gaze. "I need to check on the infirmary patients before turning in."

She walked away with dignity, knowing Alarick would follow. His footsteps caught up moments later.

"Garden gnome appreciation society?" he asked, eyes twinkling. "I'm flattered. Though slightly concerned about what exactly they're appreciating."

"We should be concerned about maintaining a professional distance," Diana replied without conviction. "Especially with this new committee assignment from Raven."

"Speaking of which," Alarick said, his tone shifting, "every curriculum change being marketed to magical academies promotes high-risk techniques with inadequate safety."

"All fitting perfectly with Adelweiss's profit scheme," Diana nodded grimly.

They reached the infirmary, where Diana spent the next half hour checking on patients. All were recovering well, with only minor lingering effects like occasionally speaking in rhyme or temporarily transparent earlobes.

As she finished her final examination, magical exhaustion hit her like a troll with a grudge. Despite the restorative potion and rest earlier, the intensive healing had depleted her reserves.

"You're dead on your feet," Alarick observed. "Let me walk you back."

The journey to the faculty wing passed in companionable quiet, both too magically drained for unnecessary words. At her door, Diana hesitated only briefly before inviting him in.

"Just to be clear," she said as the door closed, "I'm too exhausted for anything but actual sleep tonight."

"I assumed as much," he replied with a gentle smile. "I'm not exactly brimming with magical energy myself. But I'd rather be tired with you than anywhere else."

The simple honesty of his words touched something deep inside her. Diana reached for him, not with passion but with a tenderness that felt almost more intimate.

"Stay, then," she said softly. "Just to sleep."

Later, lying in the darkness with Alarick's arm around her waist, golden threads illuminating their skin where they touched, Diana reflected on how quickly this had become natural—his presence in her bed, her space, her life. It should have been terrifying, this rapid evolution from colleagues to whatever they were now. Instead, it felt strangely inevitable, as if they'd been moving toward this connection from the moment he'd returned.

"I can hear you thinking," Alarick murmured, his voice rough with approaching sleep.

"Just processing," she replied quietly. "It's been an eventful few days."

His arm tightened slightly around her. "Any regrets?"

"Not about this," she said, surprising herself with her certainty. "Just concern about what comes next."

"Sleep comes next," he said, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Everything else can wait until morning."

Diana smiled in the darkness, relaxing into his embrace. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but for now, this was enough.

***

M ORNING ARRIVED WITH impatient rapping at her door. Diana bolted upright, momentarily disoriented before remembering Alarick's presence. He was already awake, watching her with an expression that made her heart flutter.

"Someone's persistent," he murmured, glancing toward the door.

The knocking continued as Diana scrambled for her robe, tying it hastily before answering. Headmistress Raven stood in the hallway, Edgar fixing her with his unnervingly intelligent stare.

"Nurse Maelstrom," Raven nodded. "My apologies for the early hour, but there's been a development regarding our investigation."

"Of course, Headmistress," Diana said, suddenly aware of her disheveled appearance and the fact that Alarick was still in her bed. "If you'll give me a moment to dress—"

"No need for formality," Raven interrupted, stepping inside without waiting. "This won't take long, and Mr. Blackthorn should hear it as well."

Diana's face warmed as Alarick emerged from the bedroom, hastily dressed in yesterday's clothes. To his credit, he maintained perfect composure, greeting Raven with a respectful nod.

"Headmistress. You mentioned a development?"

"Indeed." Raven settled into an armchair, Edgar hopping down to perch on the back. "The demonstration tournament has been moved up to this weekend. Adelweiss Magical Arms is introducing their new line of 'enhanced' dueling equipment at academies across the continent next week."

Diana and Alarick exchanged concerned glances. "That's accelerated from the original timeline," Alarick noted. "What changed?"

"Yesterday's incident may have alerted them that we're investigating," Raven replied. "Professor Guillet was their test subject, presumably reporting on the 'extraordinary effectiveness' of their amplified wands and defensive accessories."

"And when she was injured..." Diana began.

"Their star demonstrator was sidelined," Raven nodded. "They're rushing to showcase before we can prove the dangers."

"Moving forward while we're still dealing with the fallout," Diana concluded. "Classic."

"Precisely. I need you both at the pre-tournament inspection at ten in the east practice hall. We must ensure no dangerous equipment reaches our students' hands."

After Raven departed, Diana leaned against the closed door, mortification finally catching up. "Well, that eliminates any remaining pretense of professional discretion."

"At least she's practical about it," Alarick said, unable to suppress a smile. "No awkward conversations about propriety."

"Just the Headmistress finding us in bed together," Diana groaned. "Nothing concerning at all."

"If it helps," he offered, moving closer, golden threads appearing between them, "she clearly wasn't surprised and doesn't seem bothered. She's been remarkably supportive of our... situation."

"Our 'situation' appears to be common knowledge," Diana sighed. "Between the gnomes' gossip network, Ceries and Malachai's matchmaking, and now Raven's matter-of-fact acknowledgment..."

"Does it bother you that much?" Alarick asked, his expression growing serious. "That people know about us?"

Diana considered honestly. A week ago, she would have been mortified. Now, though...

"Not as much as I expected," she admitted. "I'm more concerned about stopping potentially deadly dueling equipment from reaching our students."

***

T HE EQUIPMENT INSPECTION in the east practice hall was already underway when they arrived. Principal Malachai Starcatcher was there, along with a bunch of teachers and two representatives from the Magical Sports Federation.

Dozens of gleaming wands, shields, and protective gear lined the tables, all bearing the Adelweiss logo—a silver "A" surrounded by what looked suspiciously like modified void runes.

"These aren't standard dueling wands," Alarick murmured, his fingers hovering over one without touching it. "They've been magically augmented to draw power from the user's core at a dangerous rate."

"And these shields," Diana added, performing a diagnostic spell on a particularly ornate one, "they're designed to absorb and redirect spells, but there's no safety threshold. They'd keep absorbing until they catastrophically overloaded."

For the next two hours, they analyzed equipment and compiled evidence against Adelweiss Magical Arms.

"The tournament equipment from Adelweiss failed three basic safety inspections," Alarick said. "And look at these diagnostic readings. The magical signature matches the disruption pattern from Guillet's demonstration."

"It's not just faulty equipment," Diana said grimly. "These are deliberately designed to create magical dependencies. Each use makes the wielder's magic more attuned to Adelweiss products and less compatible with standard equipment."

"That's dangerously close to magical manipulation.”

“Which is forbidden under International Magical Law."

Their case was building strongly when a wisp of a raven appeared. "Something's wrong with the dueling arena. The practice dummies have activated on their own and are attacking students. And they're getting stronger with each spell cast against them. Mr. Blackthorn, Nurse Maelstrom—your expertise may be needed. The rest of you, secure this equipment."

As Diana and Alarick hurried through corridors, she felt a growing magical disturbance—a discordant vibration that made her teeth ache.

"The practice dummies have been tampered with," Alarick said, expression tense. "Someone's introduced void absorption enchantments."

"Can you counter it?" Diana asked, already preparing protective spells.

"Yes, but I need to find the control node," he replied, following the magical signature. "It's coming from the arena master stone."

In the dueling arena, a dozen enchanted practice dummies—normally programmed to provide moderate resistance for students—were now glowing with sickly green light and unleashing devastatingly powerful spells. Students cowered behind hastily erected shields as faculty tried to contain the chaos.

At the center of the arena, a figure stood before the master control stone, hands pressed against its surface, feeding corrupt magic into the school's training system.

"Professor Ellwood," Raven's voice cracked like a whip. "Step away from the control stone immediately."

Ellwood turned, his eyes glowing with the same unhealthy green light. "Too late, Headmistress. The enhancement is already integrated. Adelweiss will be pleased."

"What exactly is he doing?" Diana demanded, her diagnostic magic already assessing the damage.

"Ensuring Grimm Mawr will be forced to purchase Adelweiss's 'safety equipment' after this unfortunate incident," Ellwood smiled coldly. "The practice dummies will keep absorbing spell energy and growing stronger. By the time you realize the full extent, every school will be clamoring for our protective gear."

Alarick was already moving, his hands tracing complex patterns. "He's introduced an absorption enhancement," he reported. "The dummies are designed to feed on offensive magic—the more spells cast against them, the stronger they become."

Diana looked to Raven. "Can it be reversed?"

"That depends," Raven replied, her gaze shifting to Alarick. "Mr. Blackthorn?"

"Yes, but it won't be easy," he said, beginning a counter-spell. "I need to sever the connection between the dummies and the control stone without triggering their defense mechanisms. Like disarming multiple explosive devices simultaneously."

"I can help with that," Diana stepped forward.

Their eyes met, understanding passing between them. This would require their connection at its strongest—a complete merging of their complementary abilities.

As Raven secured Ellwood with binding spells, Diana and Alarick approached the control stone together. Their hands joined, golden light immediately flaring between their palms, growing brighter as they focused.

"I'll target the individual connections," Diana murmured. "You neutralize the master control."

Alarick nodded, and together they reached toward the corrupted stone. The moment they touched it, Diana felt the malevolent magic trying to latch onto them, to draw their power just as it was drawing from the students' spells.

But their fusion created a barrier it couldn't penetrate. The golden light of their combined power surrounded the corruption, containing it, systematically severing the connections between the master stone and each practice dummy.

For what seemed like hours but might have been minutes, they worked in perfect harmony, Diana's precise magical surgery cutting the energy tendrils while Alarick's protective spells prevented the backlash that would have triggered catastrophic detonation. The golden threads of their fusion grew so bright that Raven shielded her eyes, watching in amazement as the sickly green light gradually faded from each practice dummy.

With a final surge of combined power, they neutralized the master control stone. The last dummy shuddered and fell inert, the green glow dissipating like smoke in wind.

"It's done," Alarick said, voice ragged with exhaustion. "The system is clean, though the dummies are fried. They'll need complete replacement."

Diana swayed slightly, magical exertion catching up with her. Alarick caught her arm, his own face pale with fatigue but his eyes shining with something that made her heart race despite her exhaustion.

"That was..." she began, unable to find words for what they'd just experienced.

"I know," he said softly. "For me too."

Raven cleared her throat, reminding them of her presence. "Excellent work, both of you. I believe this concludes any debate about the value of your... magical collaboration."

Diana felt herself blush, but couldn't find it in herself to be truly embarrassed. What they'd just accomplished went beyond professional achievement or personal relationship—it was a perfect fusion of both.

"Nurse Maelstrom, Mr. Blackthorn," Raven continued, "you're both relieved of duties for the remainder of the day to recover your magical strength. I suggest you make good use of that time." The slight arch of her eyebrow made it clear she wasn't just talking about rest.

As they made their way back to Diana's quarters, leaning on each other for support, Alarick's arm around her waist, Diana thought this was what she wanted. Not the magical disasters and being overworked to the point of exhaustion, but being next to Alarick.

"Alarick," she said as her door closed behind them. "I have to tell you something.”

"Me first.”

“Okay, go ahead.” She laughed.

“I’m falling in love with you.

“The golden threads of their fusion, though dimmed by fatigue, still connected them, responding to the truth of his words. Diana felt the last of her reservations dissolving in its warm light.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

His smile was like sunrise after the longest night, and when he kissed her, Diana knew with absolute certainty that some things—like magical fusions and unexpected love—were rare enough to be worth every risk they entailed.