I shrink back, hurriedly dismissing the Attuned void into my inventory. Did she see? Has she seen me? Shit, I can’t deal with Tetara now, not when we’re just getting close to figuring all this out—

The orc’s gaze sweeps the room, landing on us within moments. Eyes wild, she lurches forward—

And falls to her knees before us. “Noli!” she cries, her hands a flurry of motion as she speaks. “Gods above. Is that really you?”

It’s... not Tetara. Baffled, I give her a Check.

[Name: Rezira]

[Species: Orc]

[Class: Battle Healer]

[Level: 22]

[HP: 200/200]

[Mana: 38/250]

“Rezira!” Noli flings her limbs around one of Rezira’s outstretched fingers, barely wrapping around it. “You found me!”

Attiru steps in the door behind Rezira. “I told you, please be careful! They are very fragile.”

Rezira scoops Noli up in her hands, gently pressing her forehead against the tiny brass toy. Noli pats her cheek. Then Rezira quickly sets her down again to resume signing. “I can’t believe this. When I got your letter, I took the first telepad slot. I came as fast as I could, but—” Rezira’s eyes well up with tears. “—I thought you were gone. I’d nearly given up hope.”

“It’s okay,” Noli signs. “You’re here now.”

Rezira rubs her eyes, and when I see her face again, it’s contorted with rage. “I swear on Wintega's blood, when I find out who did this to you, I’m going to kill them.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Noli signs. “And besides…” She hesitates.

“Too late,” I grimly add.

Rezira watches Noli with a concentrated frown. Apparently, I don’t even exist. “It’s hard to understand you like this. Do you have paper or something?”

Attiru squeezes into the room finally, retrieving the chalk and slate for Noli. Rezira picks Noli up off the floor to relocate her to the desk and, after I signal for attention—hello, yes, I’m still here—Attiru does the same for me. For the first time, Rezira finally seems to register my existence.

“You must be Kanin, then,” she says. “Noli mentioned you in the letter.”

Hopefully she didn’t mention that I abandoned her while she was broken and falling apart in an unfamiliar city. If punishment for Trenevalt’s accidental spell was to be death, I’m not eager to know what sort of retribution I’m due for.

I wave uncertainly. “Hello. Happy you here.”

“Wow,” Rezira says, watching my glass move. “His signs are even worse than yours.”

Okay, rude. I’ve only been signing for three weeks.

“He’s only been signing for less than a month,” Noli explains. I think I love that six-legged octopus.

Rezira waves her hand dismissively. “We can talk about everything that’s happened later. We don’t have much time. We need to find you a wizard that specializes in homunculus creation, right?”

“Actually,” Noli signs, then jots down words on the slate when it seems Rezira can’t quite make out her simplified signs. “We’ve got a little more time now, thanks to Kanin.”

“All of today,” I add.

Attiru glances between us, then down at the spell circle. “You mean…”

“It worked!” Noli exclaims. “First we had to devise a pulley system to get off the desk, then we had to make sure Kanin could really activate the circle, since we need null arcanum, then he—wait, I should back up—”

Rezira chuckles, sitting heavily on the bed as she gestures for Noli to stop. The frame creaks nervously under her weight. “Might as well sit down, map-maker,” she says to Attiru. “When she gets like this, she’ll be going a while.”

Attiru sits in the chair by the desk so they can read the slate Noli’s working on. Even so, as Noli begins to recap our adventure, sometimes she forgets to write things down, instead signing rapid-fire to Rezira in her excitement. Watching Noli and Rezira go at it, I’m beginning to suspect Noli’s been slowing things down for me so it was easier to learn. It’s obvious I’ve got a long ways to go before being fluent.

It takes a long time to explain everything we’ve been through, but Noli keeps it to the SparkNotes. I add comments here and there, mostly only when Noli prompts me, because she’s clearly the better communicator between the two of us. She probably just wants me to feel included.

“...Which is when you showed up,” Noli finishes.

Rezira has both hands on her knees, elbows squared, frowning silently at every word Noli says as if she’s gearing up to tackle the existential threat of our time limit. You know, if anyone could do it, I’d put money on her. Finally, she turns her glare on me. I shrink back.

“Thank you.” Rezira bows her head. “I’m glad Noli didn’t have to go through this alone. Knowing someone was there to help when I couldn’t—that means a lot.”

Oh. Not what I was expecting. “It’s okay,” I awkwardly sign, partially because I’m pretty sure Noli would have been better off without me on this whole metaphysical rollercoaster we shared. “But… not done yet.”

Rezira nods. “You’re right. And while I’m thrilled to learn you can keep extending her spell, we don’t have much time to waste.” Her gaze shifts back over to her wife. “When you stepped onto that telepad last month, you collapsed the second it activated. Your mind must have gone Between, but your body stayed behind. I took it back to our house. You—it’s still alive. Breathing. Heart beating. That’s why I never gave up. But I’m holding it in a stasis with my magic. It’s the only thing keeping you—it—alive. And my magic’s running out. We need to get you home, Noli. As soon as possible.”

“Of course,” Noli signs. “Home. I’ve missed home.” Then she hesitates. “But even if we got back there, do we know how to get me back in my body?”

That gives the rest of us pause. I hadn’t even been thinking that far ahead. The first priority was just to make sure our spells didn’t expire. It seems obvious now that I should have been thinking a little further ahead than that, but I guess I was just hoping that once a wizard fixed our first spell, they’d know how to fix the next one, too.

“You’re right.” Rezira sags, and for the first time I notice the bags under her eyes. The slump in her shoulders. I’m not used to non-human anatomy, but now that I’m looking for it, fatigue is written in every line of her skin. I wonder how many nights of the last month were spent sleepless, trying to keep her wife alive.

“We still need to find someone who can help, then,” Attiru says. “But I’ve searched the whole city. No one here is willing to talk with all the attacks on magic establishments going on. We’ll need to try a different city. I suppose that’s always an option: The telepad could take us to one.”

“And then start the search all over again.” Rezira frowns. “Just hoping we find someone. That’s going to take time we don’t have. Not to mention, we have to wait until the telepad is aligned with another major city. Do you know what the schedule is?”

Attiru shakes their head.

Everyone stews in their own silence, thinking.

Kanin, you are a wizard, I can hear Noli saying. I mean, sure, I was able to renew our spell. But that doesn’t mean I know how to get Noli back in her body. Even so, I ask Echo for a recap of my spells.

[Known spells,] Echo recites. [Attune, Sculpt, Chain, Core Bond, Mana Stowage, Sever Bond, Bond Trace.]

I pause. Echo, remind me what Mana Stowage does again.

[Mana Stowage: A spell used to collect and store energy from an arcanum source. Requirements: 50 mana, target arcanum, and a spell circle.]

The spell that captured my and Noli’s souls in the first place.

And you said a soul can’t be bound to more than one object at a time, right?

[Affirmative.]

My mind races, the beginnings of an idea forming. No, that would be crazy. I’m not a magician or mad scientist. I can’t experiment with magic—especially when Noli’s life is on the line.

But if it could get her bonded back to her body…

I tap my glass against the desk, thinking.

“What is it?” Noli asks.

I freeze. “What? Nothing.”

If Noli could narrow her eyes, I’m pretty sure she would be doing that right now. “What do you mean nothing? You’re thinking about something again.”

For being an actor I’ve got a terrible tell. “Have an idea. But…”

“But?” Noli prompts.

No. It wouldn’t work. “Not enough magic,” I say. Even if I didn’t have to worry about hitting 100% Void, I only have 50 mana, and this series of spells would use at least 80. “Sorry.”

“But you have an idea,” Noli signs. She knocks the chalk against the board to get the others’ attention. “Kanin has an idea!”

Dammit, Noli.

Everyone turns to look at me. I mentally sigh. “I know spells to help Noli,” I sign. “But not enough magic to use. And too much magic is…” I hesitate, glancing at Noli. Even in Noli’s recap, she didn’t explain my link to the predator. “Dangerous.”

“But you know the spells?” Rezira presses. “And you can do them?”

Hypothetically. “Yes, but—”

“Then you have to try,” Rezira says. “You might be our best shot. You might be our only shot.”

I look to Noli, helpless. She knows we can’t summon the predator. I won’t go through that again. Not to mention, she wouldn’t put her wife at risk, would she?

“I think we should try,” Noli signs.

For a moment I’m too stunned to reply. “What?”

“I know,” Noli interrupts before I can say anything else. “I know! But Rezira is strong. She can fight it.”

Strong, maybe, but not strong enough. I got a peek at her level: 22. And the predator had killed the felis and dracid, levels 9 and 12, and nearly killed Saru and Tetara, 13 and 14. And it took them all down at once. One on one, Rezira wouldn’t stand a chance.

Besides, I don’t have enough mana, anyway. “No magic,” I emphasize. “Even if I want, I can’t.” And I definitely don’t want.

“What was that sign?” Rezira points at me, watching intently. “You’re saying you can do it? If you have enough magic?”

“Yes, but—”

“I might be able to help with that,” Rezira says.

Man, they really don’t want to let me get a word in edgewise, do they? It doesn’t help that I’m fumbling over my words already.

“I’m a healer,” she says.

I wait a moment, but she doesn’t elaborate. Right. I’m sure if you spent your life growing up on this planet, that would have explained everything. Echo, what’s a healer?

[As opposed to the offensive Wizard class, the Healer class is focused on defensive magic,] Echo says. [A Healer can bestow their magic onto other living creatures, in the form of enhancing attributes, or, as the name implies, casting regenerative effects.]

Which is how she’s keeping Noli’s body alive, no doubt. But Noli’s body is alive. Does the same count for me?

I check my mana: 23/50. In another few hours it will be fully recovered. I guess if we want to see if Rezira’s magic can restore my mana, now’s the time to try.

“Okay,” I tell Rezira. “Try to give magic.”

Rezira nods, standing up to cross the room and hold out her hands. I try not to squirm as she towers over me. I’m not exactly wild about the idea of people doing magic to me. But of all the shitty stuff I’ve gone through this last month, and of all the dangerous things I’ve done—and might still do—for Noli, this is the smallest pill I’ve had to swallow.

“This is a regenerative spell,” Rezira says. “It should only be a small amount—I need to reserve my mana to keep the spell going on Noli’s body.”

“Ok.” I brace, waiting to feel the effect of her magic. A blue glow blooms in Rezira’s hands, bathing me in azure light. It shines for a few seconds, then flickers out. Huh. I didn’t feel anything, but…

Mana Check.

[Mana: 23/50]

I stare at the numbers for a moment. It didn’t work. None of the magic transferred. I guess I should be disappointed because it means I won’t be able to perform all the spells I need to get Noli’s soul back in her body. That should be my priority. And maybe it’s selfish of me that that isn’t my first thought, because if Rezira’s magic didn’t work, then what does that say about me?

Am I even alive?

“Well?” Noli asks.

With a twinge of disquiet, I turn back to her. “No. Sorry.”

Noli deflates. “I thought that would work.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rezira says, shaking her head. “It would have been nice to have an easy fix like that—” I wouldn’t call it easy. “—but our priorities haven’t changed. We still need to get you back home as quickly as possible, Noli. My magic is only going to last another day or two, and if you also only have another day in your spell…”

“Kanin can renew the spell again,” Noli signs, and I cringe. She knows that will summon the predator. And maybe she’s willing to risk it, but I don’t know if I could. Even if I wanted to, now that I know what might happen, what it can do…

I shiver, trying to block out all the memories that idea stirs.

“We’ll use that as a stop-gap then,” Rezira says. She must be as blindly optimistic as her wife to say that with such conviction. “Let’s get home first—then we’ll figure everything else out.”

Rezira picks up Noli, clutching her protectively to her chest.

“I could check nearby cities,” Attiru offers as they pack up all my things into their satchel. “Maybe there’s still a chance we can find help there. Perhaps if renewing the spell is an option, I could put out a letter to the Academy to see if they might have a homunculi specialist.”

“Good idea,” Rezira says, heading for the door. “See? We’ll get you home while others are out searching for an expert. It will all come together.”

I wish I could share their faith, but sooner or later—and given our time limits, it’s definitely going to be sooner—Noli’s going to have to tell them about the predator I’m going to summon the next time I do a spell. Every new plan they blithely discuss just feels like another nail in my coffin. Shouldn’t I get a say in all this?

I’m happy for Noli. I’m glad she’s been reunited with her wife. But I can’t help but be jealous that she’s got someone to take care of her. To take at least a little bit of all this pressure off. Meanwhile, it feels like the weight on my shoulders just keeps getting heavier. I don’t want to be the one everyone’s relying on. When will someone show up to take care of me?

When do I get to be saved by a hero?

After everything’s packed up, Rezira opens the door to our room—just as the person outside is raising their hand to knock.

“Oh. Well. I see this little venture has somewhat expanded in scope in my absence.” Zyneth’s gaze lands on me with a smile. “I’m not too late to rejoin the party, am I?”