THE OLD ONE SNEERED AT Fort’s assembled friends below. YOU WILL SERVE AS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS TO REBELLIOUS HUMANS, it shouted as an enormous fireball formed between its tentacles.
“Run!” Fort yelled, but there was nowhere for his friends to go, and even fewer places to hide. Most of the school buildings were now rubble, and those that weren’t wouldn’t offer any protection against something so destructive.
“We’ve got this, New Kid!” Rachel shouted, lightning sizzling off her fingers toward the Old One. The creature deflected the lightning into the remains of the mess hall, but the fireball it’d been creating imploded on itself, the magic absorbing back into the Old One.
“Keep it distracted!” Fort shouted. “It can’t maintain all of the magic at once!”
“Stop shouting our plans!” Sebastian said, holding a bandage out in front of Rachel, who shot another magic missile into it, aimed at the Old One.
This time the tentacled creature sent the missile flying off into the now-burning forest beyond the school before it got anywhere near.
THE PORTAL, said a strange voice in Fort’s head, one that was similar to the Old One’s, only a different tone, less painful somehow. WE WILL DESTROY THESE HUMANS FOR YOU IF YOU SOLIDIFY THE PORTAL!
WE REQUIRE NO AID! the Old One within Damian hissed, but it turned one set of tentacles back to the portal anyway, and the shimmering doorway took shape once more.
Fort groaned deeply, feeling like they’d just missed a huge opportunity. Distracting the Old One definitely seemed to work, but just throwing spells at it wasn’t the answer, not when the creature could deflect incredibly dangerous magic right back at Rachel and his other friends.
No, they needed something more, something that the Old One couldn’t just flick away like an irritating bug.
Sierra? Fort shouted in his mind at her. I know you can’t free Damian, but can you reach his consciousness in there?
No response. Rachel, meanwhile, went to fire another magic missile, but before she could, the Old One thrust its tentacles down toward her, growing them impossibly long and hideously sharp as it did. One sliced into Rachel’s leg, dropping her to the ground, while the other hit Jia, who collapsed next to Rachel.
Sierra! Fort screamed. We don’t have any more time! You need to—
I’ve got him! she sent back, and abruptly, Fort could feel a third presence with them, though this one felt even weaker than Sierra was. Damian, can you hear me? It’s Sierra!
I . . . I can’t fight him, Damian’s voice echoed in Fort’s head. Sierra, I’m so sorry, I should never have let it into our world in the first place. This is all my fault!
So Damian was ashamed for all that he’d done? Good. But now wasn’t the time for that. Fort needed Damian fighting back, pushing against the Old One just like Fort had done against Sierra back in D.C. And for that, he needed Damian angry, not feeling sorry for himself.
Damian, it . . . it wasn’t your fault, Fort said, clenching his fists just to get through it. He hated lying like this, but if that was what it took to save his friends, then fine. You’re not to blame. But right now, we need you to fight against the Old One’s control. Push back with everything you’ve got. If we can divide his attention, we might actually land a hit and free you of him!
From where she lay on the ground, Rachel sent dual sizzling lightning bolts at the portal, one from each hand. The fiery Old One inside the portal deflected the first, sending it into the Training Hall, which quickly caught on fire. The Old One within Damian stopped the other bolt in midair, then slowly turned it around and shot it back toward Rachel.
She screamed, but the bolt stopped just inches from her face.
REVEAL HOW YOU RESIST OUR MENTAL CONTROL, HUMAN, the Old One said.
Her leg still injured, Rachel tried to push herself out of range of the bolt, but the lightning followed her, never moving from its spot right over her eyes. “I’ll never tell you,” she whispered, and the bolt sizzled dangerously.
Damian, we need you now! Fort shouted.
There’s nothing I can do! Damian said back. My magic is useless against it.
It’s not about magic! Fort screamed, his heart racing as the bolt slowly pushed toward Rachel. It’s about you, your willpower, your own strength. Use that! Take all the anger, the injustice, everything that this creature has done to you, and use those feelings to fight! You can do this!
THEN YOU SHALL PERISH, the Old One declared, and raised a tentacle to release the lighting bolt. Rachel covered her face with her arms as the bolt sizzled again. . . .
But then the Old One hissed in pain. WHAT ARE YOU . . . YOU CANNOT RESIST OUR CONTROL! WE WILL WIPE THE REMNANTS OF YOU FROM YOUR MIND IF NEED BE!
With the Old One distracted, Rachel rolled out of the way a moment before the Old One turned its concentration inside, unconsciously releasing the lightning bolt. The electricity exploded into the ground just beyond her, and Rachel cried out as her back was burned from the hit, but that didn’t stop her from readying another spell.
“Rachel, now’s your chance!” Fort shouted, watching as the portal shuddered again, forcing the other Old Ones back within. Sierra, push back against the Old One too! The more we can distract it, the better chance Rachel has of hitting it with a Healing spell!
Back on the ground, Cyrus grabbed bandages from the duffel bags and held one in front of both of Rachel’s hands. Two magic missiles launched from her fingers, sweeping the bandages along with them, straight at the Old One, as the creature hissed again, louder this time.
It’s fighting back! Sierra shouted in Fort’s head. I can’t . . . it hurts so much!
It’s . . . killing me! Damian shouted, then yelled in pain. His scream in Fort’s head matched the one from the Old One as Rachel’s twin missiles struck home. One of the bandages hit its chest and burned up on contact, but the other passed right through the opening in the skull helmet and into the mass of tentacles where the Old One’s face was.
A shriek like nothing Fort had ever heard exploded in his head, and he almost blacked out. Through the agony, he could barely see the portal violently waver in place, then finally wink out of existence completely.
And then Fort was falling, whatever magic holding him in the air now gone as well. He crashed hard against the ground, pain shooting through the arm and leg he landed on and into the rest of his body.
Sierra landed at the same time, groaning loudly as she hit. A moment later, the creature itself slowly touched down, its descent wildly at odds with the screams of agony in their heads. It now had its tentacles frantically reaching into its helmet, trying to retrieve the bandage within, only to get burned by it.
“Now!” Cyrus shouted, and two bodies sprinted past Fort and tackled the creature, slamming it to the ground. Jia first, then Sebastian slapped their hands onto the Old One’s tentacle hands, each one furiously casting Healing spell after Healing spell.
NO, STOP! the monster shouted in all of their heads, and though Fort could see the pain its voice caused both of the other healers, neither paused in their spellcasting.
The tentacles began to burn away beneath their Healing hands, slowly revealing human fingers, human hands, human arms. The opaque crystal armor crumbled at their touch, and human legs appeared below it.
THE MAGIC RETURNED FOR US! the Old One shouted. IT SERVES US, NOT HUMANITY! THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO. WE WILL RULE HUMANITY ONCE MORE, OR WE WILL WIPE YOU FROM THIS EARTH FOR ALL OF—
And then the voice in their heads went completely silent as the last tentacles disappeared, leaving behind a very uncomfortable-looking boy in a hospital gown.
“YES!” Sebastian shouted, leaping to his feet. He turned and smirked at the others. “I just saved the whole world. You’re welcome.”