CHAPTER 54: MAGIC?

Theo feels chills running down his spine.

Oh, shit! Did the watch record some data on me?

Julian looks at Arthur and Theo in turns. Then –

"I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!" His eyes are wet, but the tears don’t fall.

Arthur speaks slowly, careful not to spook him further. "What is it you’re sorry for, Julian? We can’t help if you don’t tell us. What’s wrong with the watch?"

Julian exhales, sounding completely defeated. "The watch. The one Thea wore into the dungeon! The latest version I made! It didn’t record anything!"

"What does that mean?" Theo asks.

Julian looks straight at him. "It means it malfunctioned. It was supposed to record everything. Most importantly, your vitals and your location. If you were hurt or unable to contact us, the watch would send a distress signal. It was designed to save your life, Thea!"

He continues, voice cracking, "If it’s in the dungeon, I understand we can’t track you from outside. That’s just the way it is. But if the three of us were all in the same dungeon, we could track each other if we ever got separated."

"And Thea’s watch didn’t do that?" Arthur asks.

"Arthur! Didn’t you hear what I said? It recorded nothing! Nada! Zip! Zilch! Zero! It’s as if someone turned it off—which is impossible! The watch can’t be turned off! I designed it that way!"

Arthur frowns. He knows how advanced Julian’s designs are. They don’t malfunction for no reason.

"Nothing?" He asks again, trying to confirm.

"Nothing. Like the watch was put in some kind of limbo space."

Theo thinks hard. What should I do? Should I just say it?Julian doesn’t know he’s right. And he looks miserable. Theo can’t help but feel guilty. When he put the watch away, he didn’t think what that would do to Julian.

"Jules, relax. The important thing is Thea’s okay." Arthur tries to calm him.

"Yes, but what about next time? What if she really needs it? What if the watch malfunctions again?" Julian’s voice cracks. "I—I—I can’t imagine it!"

Guilt gnaws at Theo. He’s relieved it’s not what he feared, but he doesn’t want Julian to feel this guilty for something that isn’t his fault.

"Jules." Theo speaks softly. He’s made up his mind.

Julian looks at him so pitifully that Theo almost falters.

"I—there’s something you should know." Theo sighs.

Both Julian and Arthur wait for his next words.

Theo’s voice softens. "The watch didn’t malfunction. You didn’t fail. It wasn’t your fault."

"What do you mean? Are you just trying to comfort me? You don’t have to. I’m not so arrogant that I can’t accept failure. I just feel really bad right now. Let me—"

"Aldriana put the watch away," Theo blurts, cutting him off.

"What?" Julian’s eyes widen.

"When she started using her magic, the watch kept beeping. It distracted her, so she put it away. And I forgot to put it back." Theo explains, once again weaving lies and truth together.

Julian blinks several times. "How... I mean, where... no, I mean... how?" He stammers.

"She wrapped the watch in some kind of bubble, and it stopped beeping."

"Bubble?" Julian frowns, then falls silent for a few moments.

Suddenly—"Oh my god! Liam was right!" he exclaims, before his expression shifts again. "Well, kind of. Not really." He starts mumbling to himself.

Theo turns to Arthur. "Is... he okay?"

Arthur chuckles lightly. "Yeah. He is. This is him when he’s thinking about something no one else understands. Except maybe Father."

Arthur clears his throat. "Jules? Care to share with the rest of the class?"

Julian looks at Arthur and Theo as if wondering why they’re there. Then he remembers where he is and why. Slowly, he grins.

"Sorry, got caught up."

He clears his throat dramatically, looking a little like Miranda when she has something juicy to share.

"What Thea said got me thinking. When I checked the watch records, before it went ’dead,’ it detected 100% purity. At first, I thought it picked up the haelions or Heartstones, but none of them registered at 100%."

He leans forward slightly, excitement building. "But Thea just gave me the answer. It detected Aldriana! She used 100% pure energy! That’s beyond anything I understand! Where did she get energy that pure?"

Julian keeps going, words tumbling out faster. "And I said Liam was kind of right. He believes Aldriana has found a way to manipulate Heartstone energy. I believe she can. However –" he pauses to breathe, eyes gleaming, "I don’t think she uses any gadget or device. There’s nothing in existence today that can purify energy to 100% and help the wearer manipulate it. It has to be her!"

Arthur frowns. "What on earth are you talking about, Jules?"

Julian points at Theo, practically vibrating. "What she just said! Thea said, ’she used her magic!’ That’s it! That’s the only possible explanation. Aldriana can use magic!"

Silence.

Theo’s heart is beating loudly. He doesn’t know what to feel. For him, magic is not the secret he’s trying to hide. But he also knows that this world has forgotten about magic. For them, magic is just tricks that magicians pull to entertain others. They have become party tricks.

A part of him wants this to blow up in the open, making his life easier. Another part of him wants it to stay quiet. Magic is not as hyped as people would think. His old magic teacher always said that responsibilities and power are always a pair. One cannot exist without the other.

Humans are already busy dealing with power from money, connections, positions, and so many other things. They do not need another thing that can corrupt them.

And that euphoria of feeling extremely powerful when wielding magic is an addiction far more dangerous than any other Theo knows.

Humans are humans. They are not gods. And when they feel like they are, their humanity ceases to exist, and they live by a different set of rules.

Rules that can literally destroy the world.

His old world, Caelthorn, was destroyed because its humans were so arrogant that they thought they could bend Mother Nature to her knees.

"Jules, magic doesn’t exist anymore. And we don’t even know if it ever did or if it was just a myth." Arthur sighs. He sounds exhausted.

"Then how do you explain what Aldriana can do?" Julian refuses to back down.

"How would I know? I didn’t see it. If Thea hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t take it seriously."

"But she just called it ’magic’!"

"Jules, please. We have magicians who claim they can do magic. Can they clear the azure dungeon?"

"Art, but—"

"Enough." Arthur raises a hand. "Enough, Jules. You’re a scientist. Surely you don’t just believe something because someone said it, do you?"

Julian looks like he still wants to argue, but Arthur isn’t having it. He gets up and heads to the door.

"We have a lot to do. If things go well, by next week at the latest, we can start mining those Heartstones. You need to prepare our mining tools."

He doesn’t wait for Julian to reply. He opens the door, says goodnight to both his younger siblings, and leaves.

Click.

The door closes.