One Last Chance

Sweat rolled down the back of Theo's neck as he gazed at his distorted reflection in the Star's facets. This might be the craziest thing he'd ever attempted, and that was saying a lot.

Above him, swords clashed and voices shouted. Zenith was still on the Himmelsfestung, still fighting. And now without any help from his wizard. A cold knot of guilt twisted in Theo's chest.

But Zenith would understand, wouldn't he? Theo was doing this for his sake. For everyone's.

Blood thundering in his ears, Theo crouched down and cupped the Star of Miriel in his hands. First things first, infuse his Levia into the crystal.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the battle raging behind him, and reached for his Levia. For a terrifying moment all he felt was his madly thudding heartbeat, but then the familiar pink light sparked in his veins.

Theo eagerly seized it, dragging out as much as he could. As his Levia flooded his body, he aimed it at the Star in his hands.

Just like that, he found himself plunging through the deep night sky again. As his dawn light spread in waves across the darkness, the stars sparkled brighter. It was crazy, but Theo almost wanted to laugh in joy.

The Star was welcoming him back, embracing him like an old friend. It truly had chosen him.

Now he needed to reward its faith in him.

Time to test just how good his memory actually was. Gritting his teeth, Theo reached back across the jumbled events from the night to hone in on a single specific image. A spell...a diagram...harsh gray lines engulfing the Blue Sky….

Right. And what shapes had those lines formed? Jagged blades, smaller circles filled with intricate runes, six-pointed stars. Yes, there'd been a ring of stars around the outer edge of the diagram. And they...in their centers, they had a symbol, right?

The same symbol in each one? Or was it different? And – hold on, what went in the center of the whole diagram? Had Theo even managed to see it?

Though he was still pumping his Levia into the Star, ice-cold dismay began to trickle through his mind. Now that he thought about it, he'd never gotten a good look at the complete spell.

His heart pounded harder and harder, slamming against his ribcage like it wanted to break free. 'No, keep it together!' Think, think, try to remember every detail he could. But it was slipping away, blurring into a mess of lines and shapes. Even if he could hold onto it, what good would it do? The fact remained he didn't know what the entire diagram looked like.

Maybe he could try to extrapolate using the evidence he did have...but even as the thought came to him, he rejected it. He knew from experience the dangers of casting a spell by guesswork, let alone one as complicated as this one.

As his heart throbbed harder, the dawn light flooding the cosmos flickered and wavered. Finally it shattered, raining sparks everywhere, and Theo slammed back into his own body. Sitting on the Blue Sky's deck, drenched in icy sweat.

He...he couldn't do it. It was impossible after all.

A bitter tide of guilt flooded his chest. So it was all for nothing? After everyone had fought so hard, after all the faith they'd put in him, he had to return it like this?

Against his will, his gaze drifted to the Himmelsfestung. Just in time to see a soldier slam Cay against the railing. At the same time, a jolt shuddered through his Levia. Though Theo couldn't see Zenith, he knew his familiar must be in trouble.

His heart squeezed tighter and tighter. Tears stung the corners of his eyes. What could he do?

Well, maybe he didn't have to copy that exact spell. An elemental spell might be enough, right? But even if he cast the strongest one he knew, Zenith was in such a bad state he couldn't imagine the knight getting off more than one attack.

On – on Darian then? Or Cay?

Before he could think any further, panicked screams filled the air. Snapping his head up, he saw Rain standing atop a steel-gray diagram and swinging her sword. With each ferocious slash, dozens of glinting needles burst from the blade and raced across the deck.

People scattered, trying to escape, but the needles easily chased them down. The instant they struck, they vanished into thin air, yet their victims' pained cries made it clear they were having an effect.

Theo's gut twisted when Ryllis pushed Sam to the deck, shielding her from a deluge of needles. They struck her armor with a sickening series of thuds, only for a wild bellow to drown them out.

Cay, charging Rain head-on.

What was he thinking? Theo opened his mouth, but of course Cay wouldn't be able to hear him. And before he could even think of anything to say, Rain flung a burst of needles straight into Cay's chest. The impact knocked him off his feet and sent him flying across the deck, until he tumbled over the railing and disappeared from view.

All of Theo's blood turned to ice. Blindly, unthinking, he stumbled back, only for his foot to slide out from beneath him and send him crashing onto his back.

For a breathless moment, he stared up at Blue's bell. Even in the night, its azure shone so bright Theo almost could've believed day had finally arrived.

Wait a minute. In the center, wrapped in Blue's tentacles….

A woman, her long white hair cascading around her face. Theo had gotten used to seeing Eulyn there, like she was just another part of the craft.

Now Cay's bitter voice flooded his memories. 'I only wanted to know! I wanted to hear it from her, to get her answer! Is that really so wrong?'

'All this time, all these years, I've tried to ask her...but she never replied. No matter how hard I reached for her Levia, all I ever felt was the medusid's.'

Then later, no longer bitter, but hard with determination. 'I...promised Amaro. He told me...to protect the craft.'

Cay had started all of this out of his desperate desire to speak to Eulyn. But he'd fought just as hard to save the craft and crew.

Surely Eulyn would understand.

It was insane – the longest of long shots. If Cay couldn't reach Eulyn even with the Star's help, what chance did Theo stand?

But Theo had something Cay didn't. Wizardry.

Maybe he didn't need to enhance everyone. All he needed was the right person.

Taking a deep breath, Theo closed his eyes and reached for the Star of Miriel again. The starry night sky rushed to greet him, almost embracing him in its eagerness.

Now for the hard part. Diagrams whirled through his mind, dozens upon dozens. Every single one he'd learned since becoming a wizard – and the ones he'd drawn his entire life.

There. Though he still didn't fully understand his dream-spells, he now recognized the characteristics of an elemental spell in one of them. The same one that had allowed Zenith to defeat Victor in the dance studio.

What effect it would have on Eulyn, Theo didn't know. He would have to put his trust in the spell, in his own Levia, and in the Star of Miriel.

And above all, in Eulyn.

The Levia swelled within him, both his dawn light and the Star's night sky. As they swirled together, he used them to trace the lines of an intricate yet heartbreakingly familiar diagram.

The last line flared in place. Now or never. With a surge of Levia, Theo released the spell.

A familiar warmth seared beneath his feet. And it was extending outward too, soaring toward the great blue dome of the medusid above, the symbiont held within its embrace. The power crackled through his veins, frizzing his hair and setting his teeth on edge.

Soon it met another Levia, one as vast and calm as a clear blue sky. For a moment Theo drifted through the sky, aimless and directionless, only to feel a faint tug at his Levia. And another.

Taking a chance, he swerved toward it. As the tugging grew stronger, he knew he'd made the right choice. Closer and closer….

And finally he saw it. A point of silvery light, tiny as a star.

Gathering his remaining power, Theo raced toward the star. Its light enveloped him, soft as mist and pulsing with a warmth that made him want to cry.

A smile spread across his face. Seemed he'd reached her after all.