Chapter 25: Hunt a Niffin

When Kai returned to the Physical Kids' Cottage, the first thing he noticed was the front door or more precisely, the absence of one.

The entire thing had been blown clear off its hinges and now rested in two jagged halves on the grass outside like fallen pieces of an exorcised demon.

Kai raised a brow. 'Ah yes,' he thought wryly, stepping over the splinters, 'that should be Kady.'

Inside, the air smelled of fireball whiskey, burnt wood, and general poor decisions. On the main couch, lounging like they had just survived a magical apocalypse (which, to be fair, was not far from the truth), sat Kady, Quentin, and Eliot all with glasses in hand.

"Celebration or funeral?" Kai asked dryly, eyeing the drinks.

Eliot was the first to respond, swirling his glass like a seasoned noble. "Neither. Just another Tuesday in magical college where your entire existence is in jeopardy and the only viable cure is copious alcohol."

"Touché," Kai muttered.

Kady gave him a half-lidded look. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Oh, you know," Kai said with a casual shrug. "A little clean-up, a little... testing. Here and there."

He made his way toward them, gesturing toward the bottle in Eliot's hand. "May I?"

Eliot stood up and theatrically poured him a glass. "Only because you look like you've had a night."

Kai took the drink and settled down. The moment felt oddly relaxed. He swirled the amber liquid, watching the reflection of firelight shimmer inside.

"Question," he said after a beat. "Does it make you a bad person if you do something bad… to bad people?"

Quentin blinked. "Wow. That's... unexpected."

Kady, her voice slower with drink, said, "Depends. How bad are we talking?"

"Muggers. Thugs. Rapists."

Kady's tone turned ice cold. "Oh yeah. Definitely those ones. Karma should bring a freight train on them."

Eliot nodded. "If you're the karma train, I say choo-choo, baby."

Quentin raised his glass. "Cheers to not feeling guilty for once," he mumbled and slumped back.

Kai merely smiled into his drink.

'Exactly,' he thought. 'Why feel guilty, huh?'

---

Later, Kai received a message from Quentin to meet him at the library. He arrived to find both Quentin and Alice already deep in conversation. As he approached the end of the corridor leading into the dimly lit library chamber, he heard Alice's voice

"So I found a spell that can transmutate certain meta-quantum energies into matter… in theory."

Kai stepped into view. "Magic. If that magic would burn you alive and turn you into the very thing you're trying to transmute."

Both Alice and Quentin turned sharply, startled.

Kai tilted his head toward Alice, expression unreadable. "A Niffin, Alice."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Kai glanced at Quentin, then back. "Just in here for a little read. Also happened to overhear a very familiar voice on the verge of concluding something bordering on suicide."

Alice crossed her arms. "You don't *know* it'll fail."

Kai mirrored her posture. "And how exactly are you going to achieve this miraculous transmutation?"

"I'm going to combine it with an advanced transformation ritual," Alice said sharply.

Kai gave a slow, sardonic nod. "And how do you plan to keep the Niffin still during this ritual? You know assuming it doesn't feel like giving up all that power willingly."

Quentin chimed in, hesitant but firm. "He's right, Alice. This is… major arcana."

Alice stood, her tone sharp. "Oh, just because you couldn't do it…"

She turned to Kai. "And if this is too advanced for you, maybe sit down and let the grownups talk."

Kai laughed. "Oh, sweetheart, you couldn't even begin to understand what advanced magic really looks like."

Quentin stepped forward, frustrated. "Alice, you're making this up as you go along, and it's dangerous!"

Kai nodded in agreement. "He's right. It's not a matter of talent it's a matter of recklessness."

"You're both so sanctimonious," Alice snapped. "You" she pointed at Quentin, "barely knew what magic was a few months ago. And you" she jabbed at Kai, "learned a fraction of real magic from ordinaries who got lucky with research work, forums and side comments."

Kai's eyes glinted dangerously. "Be that as it may… we can both see this is absurd."

Quentin said softly, "I don't understand why you can't see that. You're one of the most brilliant magicians I know… but this is too much."

Alice grabbed her bag. "Fine, Stay. I'll do it myself."

She began packing furiously. "I came here to find out what happened to Charlie. And now I have a chance. I'm taking it."

Kai sighed. "Fine… wait."

He rubbed his forehead before continuing. "I can help. I can create a boundary spell to contain the Niffin long enough for you to try whatever this is. But I'm not certain it'll hold long enough. Niffins are… unpredictable."

Alice zipped her bag, eyes focused. "It'll hold."

Quentin, meanwhile, picked up the enchanted box where Charlie's Niffin was contained, eyeing it warily. Kai's gaze lingered on it too interested, curious.

Then, with a quiet nod, he followed after them.

'Time to go Niffin hunting I guess,' he thought.

'Hmmm, with a niffin tho I wonder…'

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