The library was dark and quiet and as soon as they passed through the door, Ben took to the air, heading to the higher shelves. "What I don't understand is how Edgar is doing this remotely," he muttered. "We've been guarding the Ortus 24/7. There's no way he could be sneaking in. What Magyck is he utilizing?" He looked down at her and paused, tilting his head. "You look lovely."
He gathered a few books from the top before floating down to her, his face softening. "I wanted to tell you," he began eagerly, setting the books on the table. "I'm so proud of you. All of this has been so scary, and you've just... you've been so brave. Like you always are."
He came over to her, taking her hands gently, his grey eyes soft as he looked down at her. "No, that's not quite right," he replied, kissing her forehead. "You've always had it, my darling. You've always been brave."
He kissed the top of her head gently. "I love you too. After all of this is over... we should really take some sort of break, you know? Settle down somewhere for a while."
He relaxed, resting his forehead against hers for a moment before his eyes widened slightly. "Settle down..." He straightened up, his Magyck coursing through his wings. "Settle down. Settle down. Calliope, go get Puck. Meet me at the Ortus."
She blinked, her eyes widening in confusion. "Okay," she said quickly, nodding before dashing off to find Puck.
Puck was in the toolshop, picking out some wrenches and such. He looked up in surprise as she entered. "Calliope?"
She looked panicked, coming over to him. "I think Ben figured something out," she said quickly, her gaze nervous. "He told me to come get you and meet him at the Ortus, quickly."
They headed towards the Ortus. As they entered the chamber, they would realize something was very wrong. Blue lights were streaming up from the tree, the rest of the chamber dissolved in darkness. By the front entrance, the guard was unconscious. Puck's eyes widened and he took her hand, pulling her as he hurried forward. As they approached, they would see three figures. One was Boris, who was trapped in what appeared to be a cage of Magyckal energy. It pushed him against the ground, keeping him contained. The second figure was Ben, who was standing upright in front of the Ortus, one hand outstretched. The third figure was Edgar. The human had aged since Calliope had last seen him. His shoulders were hunched and his face was pale and startlingly thin. Most importantly, though, his hand was on the Ortus. Blue Magyck streamed through him at a harsh force, tearing him apart as he channeled it.
Calliope's eyes widened as she saw the scene unfold before her. She summoned the hands, her voice shaking. "Ben! What do I do?!"
Edgar was watching Ben, but as Puck and Calliope approached and Calliope spoke, he reached out. Calliope would feel a huge force pushing her down to the ground, blue Magyck flashing in front of her eyes. As her vision cleared, she would see that both she and Puck were now trapped under the same cages that Boris were in. Ben looked back at them, his grey eyes wide with panic and nerves, but he spoke to Edgar, returning his focus to him. "Edgar," he called, stepping forward. "Edgar, this isn't you. This isn't right. You know this isn't right!" Edgar turned back to his protege, his eyes entirely consumed by the Magyck. He didn't reply for a long time. "It... it hurts," he said finally, his voice barely more than dust. "Benedict, it hurts..." "It's killin' you, you fool," Boris barked from his cage. "You can't control it! You're already dead! It needs to go back in!" "I..." Edgar faltered, shaking his head. "I can't... I can't do it..." Ben fell silent and there was a pause as he looked back at Calliope again, his mouth set as he took a long look at her. "Cal," he said, his voice heavy and breathless, his grey eyes glowing in the fog of the Magyck. "Cal, I need to do it."
