For Friendship

Tears stung Theo's eyes. If he couldn't save Sam – if she was gone forever – he didn't want to imagine it.

He didn't have to. He already knew what it'd be like. Always shy, he'd never had many friends growing up. And he'd been fine with it, as long as he had Victor.

But after Victor had left, he'd realized just how lonely he was. Walking by himself to school, never speaking unless called on in class, going home and playing phone games or listening to music in his room, trying not to remember his brother, day in and day out.

Until Sam had come crashing into his life. She'd transferred to his seventh grade class in the middle of the year, a scholarship student all the way from New Mexico. The other kids had mocked her secondhand uniform, her awkward height, the bird's nest of curls atop her head, but Sam shook it all off with a smile and a spring in her step.

One day while Theo had been doodling a flying city, she'd bounded up to his bench in the courtyard and plopped down by his side. She'd turned to him with a grin bright enough to chase away the winter chill and said, "Wow, you're so good at drawing! These are amazing!"

"Um...thank you?" Theo had said, shrinking back.

"Oh!" Sam's eyes had widened, then her grin grew even bigger. "So you can talk after all."

Unsure of how to respond, Theo had hunched behind his sketchbook as if hoping it'd shield him. But Sam kept on babbling.

"Anyway! Your drawings, they're so cool! It's like something out of an anime or video game, you know?"

She had proceeded to chat his ear off about her favorite shows and games, and by the end of lunch hour Theo realized it had been the longest conversation he'd had with anyone since Victor had left. Not that he'd said much, just a few one-word responses, but...he'd enjoyed himself. And he'd realized that he wanted to keep talking with this girl.

Just like that, Sam had drawn him out of his shell. She'd even given him the courage to change his look. Not long after their first meeting she'd started dyeing her hair and dressing in pastels, and seeing how happy it made her inspired Theo to try out the emo style he'd always secretly admired.

And now...now...

A loud crash made him jump. Looking up, he saw Zenith had fallen to the floor. As he struggled to rise, a beam of darkness shot toward Lodovico beside him.

Meg cast a shield, but rather than stop the beam the shield only slowed it. It struck the werecat in the chest, flinging him off his feet and slamming him into Meg. Wizard and familiar tumbled in a tangled pile to the ground.

Another beam followed almost instantly, tearing out a chunk of Zenith's helmet. Then another, aimed at Darian. Roaring, Zenith flung himself before her and took the shot directly in his back. Nausea gripped Theo's throat when he saw smoke sizzling from the hole burned through his armor.

Theo couldn't just sit here. His familiar needed him.

He hauled himself to his feet and staggered forward. The barrage of attacks continued, the others barely managing to dodge or fend them off with Meg's shields. Even skilled as she was, Theo could tell Meg's Levia reserves were running low and she was stuck on the defensive.

Melphi's beams seemed much more powerful than before. How? But Theo already knew. Up on the wall above, Sam's gangly silhouette loomed with a dark circle beneath her feet.

Maybe if he interrupted her – but he also had to help Zenith. 'What do I do?'

No time to think. Not before a beam zipped straight toward him.

Theo flung himself to the floor. The beam's cold power burned the air inches above his head, ruffling his hair. And it didn't let up. Another came, lower. Grazing his shoulder.

Pain stabbed through his entire arm, at once searing hot and freezing cold. An awful howl ripped through the air, and only when his throat started burning did Theo realize he was making that sound.

He rolled over; red sparks flashed in his vision. Dimly he heard armor clank, but Zenith was too far away. His Levia surged, giving another warning –

Then, the pressure in the air relaxed. Just a fraction, but enough for him to notice.

Rather than hit him, the beam veered off course. It slimmed into the wall to his right, exploding into a shower of black sparks. When they faded, all that remained was a tiny, coin-sized hole.

Theo's heart lodged into his throat. The beam...hadn't been augmented.

Slowly, wondering, he lifted his head. He met Sam's eyes.

They were no longer dull and blank. But he'd never seen them like this before either. Brimming with tears, not joy.

"No," she breathed. "I...I don't...I don't want to hurt Theo."

"Sam." Theo's shoulder still ached, but not half as much as his heart.

"What? What the hell's going on?" Melphi's cry echoed down the corridor. He was too far away for Theo to see his face, but his voice made his astonishment more than clear.

Sam shook harder. Afraid she might fall, Theo tried crawling toward her.

But he didn't get very far before she froze, her head snapping up. Then a black diagram blazed beneath her once more.

"Ah, that's more like it." Melphi sighed. "How annoying, the enthrallment didn't completely take. It's making me lose my motivation...."

But contrary to his words, his Levia surged and he blasted another black beam down the corridor.

Lodo jumped in front of it, protecting by a shield spell. But again, the beam sputtered midair before changing direction, this time slicing a gouge across the floor.

Up on the wall, Sam had fallen to her knees and clutched her head. "No...no, I won't...I won't!"

"For crying out loud….oh well, not like I need you anyway." With that, Melphi summoned a new black orb between his hands.

But he didn't fire any beams from it yet. Without the strengthening spell, he must need time to charge.

An opening. "Zenith!" Theo shouted.

Zenith charged. Before Melphi could try to escape, he had already closed the distance between them. And Theo had already cast the strengthening spell.

Their Levia hummed in sync as Zenith swung his sword. It slashed the dark orb in half, scattering sparks everywhere, before slicing across Melphi's chest. Black blood sprayed from the diagonal cut.

Zenith thrust forward, prepared to stab, but sudden doubt twisted inside Theo. Clearly Zenith meant to kill Melphi, but –

"Stop, Sir Zenith!" Upon Darian's shout, Zenith stilled his blade. It quivered inches from Melphi's heaving chest.

"My liege?" Zenith threw Darian an incredulous glance.

"Don't kill him yet. We need to question him." Darian strode forward. Though she was breathing hard, she held her head high and gazed at Melphi with cold, pitiless eyes. "Tell us everything you know about the Infernal Legion on Earth."

"Ugh, this is too much," Melphi grumbled. "I've lost my motivation for good."

He plunged his hand beneath his cloak. Zenith tensed and Darian barked, "What are you doing?"

She got her answer when he yanked out a small hand mirror. "Stop!" Zenith jabbed his sword.

But Melphi had already flicked the mirror into the air. He reached up toward it, and just like what had happened with Imago, some powerful force seemed to drag him hand-first into its reflective surface.

Zenith stabbed, snaring the edge of Melphi's cloak, but the mirror had already swallowed most of him up. A few scraps of fabric fluttered through the air, then the mirror fell to the floor with a clatter.

Darian picked it up, holding it gingerly between her thumb and forefinger as if it were diseased. Even from this distance, Theo could tell its surface had become plain glass once more.