Chapter Text
“After the spell is performed, you should be able to make a porthole into the fae realm yourselves without going to the pixie gate. You would still have to make it outside of the fae city to avoid magical interference of course.” Nitya stated as the group followed it through the halls of its home.
Janus frowned. “That sounds like a big spell.”
“It is. In fact, it’s not normally used by anyone, but you should have enough magic to do it afterwards… Just double-checking, you’re all one-hundred percent sure you want to go through with this?” Nitya asked.
Virgil nodded. “We came to the agreement that this is what we need to do.”
“I asked if you wanted to do it.”
The group exchanged some glances and Logan spoke for them. “We want to help people and this is a way we can. We have to go through with it.”
Nitya smiled softly. “Well, whatever happens, I hope you all find success against your foes.”
It led them to a room that looked very much like a library, with the walls from floor to ceiling holding leather-bound books.
“This is my study. All of my notes from over the years are kept here. Since it won’t be of any use to me anymore, I suppose I’ll leave it to you all to do whatever you want.”
Everleigh’s eyes lit up. “I’m in heaven.”
Nitya chuckled. “You can look at them later. First, I need to explain the spell to you all.”
“About that, will we need to participate? Because Everleigh doesn’t know how to use magic,” Logan explained.
“Ah. Well, I’m going to need to teach you all what to do, so going into a little more depth for newbies won’t be too hard,” Nitya shrugged. “You do at least understand the basic concept of what magic is, right?”
Everleigh nodded. “It’s the essence of the world itself. Of the life that flows through all things in existence.”
“Correct,” Nitya grinned. “Ever present, never seen. Feared and admired by all beings. The life that bursts from the earth, the secrets hidden in stone. It dances in the fire’s flames; it gives the wind its mournful tone. Here it is, this is it. Defined yet unexplained. In the depths of the ocean, and of your own mind. In the veins of all creatures, including humankind. For magic is in everything, yet unknown all the same.”
“Woah, is that an old poem or something?” Willow inquired.
“Hmm, simply something I learnt from another strange being,” Nitya stated ominously. “But never mind that. I need you to stand in a circle for this to work.”
The group stood in a circle formation around Nitya, just as they had been directed. Unfortunately, due to the high-risk level of this spell, I can not explain the intricacies of it to you. But I will do my best to give you a description of what happened next.
Nitya looked around to make sure everyone was ready then held a hand over its head and began to chant in an unknown tongue. The light on its fingertips steadily changed colours, fading from one into the other as Nitya drew a myriad of interconnected glyphs. As the colours began to brighten, Nitya’s voice became… strange. It seemed to echo at different pitches. Almost like its voice was not its own, but rather that many different voices were speaking from its mouth at the same time.
The teens took this as their signal to begin drawing their own runes. And as they all finished, in unison they said, “Solhart.”
The runes and glyphs turned stark white before bursting like tiny fireworks and fading from existence. Logan looked around at his companions and thought that perhaps the spell had been unsuccessful. But then at the centre where Nitya had been standing, he saw that there was nothing left of it. No clothes or feathers or anything. Just an empty space at the centre of the room.
“Did it work?” Patton asked.
Willow shrugged. “Well, I suppose there’s only one way to tell. Everyone ready for status checks?”
“You’re going to need to talk me through that,” Everleigh said.
“Oh, right, uh here I’ll show you.”
Logan checked his own status and did a double-take when he saw it.
Logan Picani
Titles : Divine Friend, Legend Wizard, Wind Tamer, ...
MP : 500 - full
HP : 200 - full
Skills : Bond-Link, Wind Tamer, Magic, ...
“Uh, is anyone else seeing a way higher status than they had before?” Roman asked. “Because I swear I only had twenty mp.”
“It worked! We’re all at like master magic level now,” Remus said excitedly.
“This is definitely going to give us an edge for going back into the fae realm,” Willow commented.
Virgil nodded. “But first, let’s discuss a plan…”
---
On his stolen throne, Ynclementia sat with a deep frown gracing his features. “What do you mean she’s still resisting the poison?”
The alchemist gulped fearfully. “S-she’s wearing down, s-sire.”
“She should already be dead.”
“I’m sorry w-we miscalculated a step. But she’ll be gone before sunset.”
“She better be. Or I’ll have your heads.” Ynclementia snapped.
Just then, a guard burst into the room. “Sire! There’s been an attack.”
“Kill them off then. I told you if anyone tries to rebel, show no mercy.”
“It’s not rebels, sire. At least, not normal rebels.”
“What do you mean, ‘not normal rebels’? Are they too much for you idiots?”
“Well, sire-” the guard was cut off by static from his walkie-talkie.
“They’re on the tenth floor! We’ve lost six men! We need backup! The d- holy f-!”
The speaker on the other end was cut off by what sounded like a roar and multiple screams before the transmission cut out.
“What is that?” Ynclementia questioned.
“That’s what I was trying to explain, your majesty. A dragon, a wolf, a human, and two elves have stormed the tower.”
“Prince Virgil’s entourage,” Ynclementia muttered before his eyes widened in realisation. “The Prince, did you see him with them?”
“We’re not sure, sire.”
“Kill them all and bring the prince to me.”
“That won’t be necessary,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.
The alchemist, the guard, and Ynclementia all looked up to see Virgil standing there with a dark look on his face.
“Kill him!”
The guard ran forward first, unsheathing her greatsword to slam down onto Virgil. Vi was quicker than her though and moved out of the way before the blade could even graze his hair. He took advantage of the moment that the guard had her sword down, and threw a potion at her. She gasped and released the sword before falling limp to the ground.
“I’m paralysed!”
The alchemist then snapped out of their frightened state and pulled out a potion to throw at Virgil. He easily dodged it though so that the alchemist instead hit the guard.
“Gah! It burns!”
“I’m sorry!” While the alchemist was apologising, they had left themselves open, giving Vi the perfect opportunity to throw another paralysis potion. “Eep! Going down.”
“You useless wretches,” Ynclementia growled. “You couldn’t even handle a child.”
“How about you face me yourself, coward,” Virgil taunted.
The earl grinned devilishly. “Gladly.”
Ynclementia rose from his seat with his grin seeming to grow wider. Virgil’s eyes widened in horror as he watched the man before him morph into a creature that could barely be considered human, let alone fae. His limbs seemed too long in certain places while too short in others. His eyes had turned completely white -no pupil or anything- and his hair moved as if it was a fire burning him.
“You took a contract with a demon. That’s how you gained so much power.”
“Finally figured me out then, your highness? Well, you weren’t always the fastest to catch onto things. Hopefully, your death will be quicker than your mind.”
Virgil just barely got out of the way as the Earl shot a surge of hellfire at him. He ducked and dodged as Ynclementia sent beam after beam at him like a slew of large fiery arrows. Except the fire was the arrows and his mouth was the bow. Finally, the Earl reached a point where he couldn’t use the hellfire anymore and switched to hurling himself at Virgil.
While he was able to run just out of the fae-demon’s reach, Vi could feel his energy wearing down, and decided instead to turn around mid-run with his dagger raised to slash at him. Unfortunately, Ynclementia had seemed to anticipate this move and caught Virgil’s wrist before he could swipe at him.
Virgil could see the hellfire building in the back of his throat. In an instant, his life flashed before his eyes. His family, his childhood, his schooling, his school, his classmates, his friends, the memories hit him like a truck. He felt like he was about to die in that very second and all he could think was-
“AHHHH!” Ynclementia screamed as water hit his chest.
He released Virgil and fell to his knees in agony. Virgil stared dumbfounded at the fallen enemy then looked to the doorway where the stream of water had come from. Standing there he saw his grandmother and a very concerned Logan who immediately rushed over to him.
“Oh my gods, are you okay? Did he hurt you? Did any of them hurt you?” Logan questioned.
Virgil stayed silent.
“Why won’t you answer me? Did they put you under a spell? Virgil, please, speak up.”
Instead of speaking, Virgil simply pulled Logan in for a hug. Logan froze in shock for a moment before he hugged him back. He felt the tension leave Virgil’s body and just barely heard as he whispered.
“It’s finally over.”
“Yeah. It really is.”
“Thank the gods. It’s over.”
“Ehem,” the boys looked up to see Valeria smiling at them. “Do I get a hug too, or do you two want some space.”
“Nana! I’m so glad you’re alive!” Virgil declared, rushing over to hug her.
“I’m glad we’re both alive,” Valeria replied. “But what on earth possessed you to fight a demon?!”
“I didn’t know he was a demon.”
“Wait until your fathers hear about this.”
Virgil frowned. “Nana, they…”
“I can bring them back, dear.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Yes! … Oh, I am going to be in so much trouble…”
---
“Hurry up, kiddoes. The carriage is waiting for us outside,” Emile called.
“We’ll be down in a minute!” Everleigh yelled. “Does my hair look right?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “For the last time, Ev, yes.”
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. This is my first time in high society, you know.”
“Firstly, I’ve got about as much experience with this as you do. And secondly, we both know that you just want to look nice for your girlfriend,” Logan teased.
Everleigh blushed. “Willow and I aren’t official yet.”
“ Yet .”
“Oh, stop. Also, you totally have the upper hand here. You’ve met two queens and a prince!”
“You’re friends with the prince and have met one of those queens. Under better circumstances than I did too.”
“Well, you did that magical license test thing publicly. Gods, I’ll still have to learn all the magic stuff you did. And in a more polished school too.”
Logan nodded. “That’s a good thing. You’ll get to make friends and have more than just Remy to teach you.”
“I don’t need any more friends, I think. Also, it’s totally unfair that you and the others got to learn everything before me.”
“I did offer to teach you.”
“You weren’t even sure you could teach yourself,” Everleigh pointed out. “Huh, you’ve actually come pretty far, haven’t you.”
Logan paused for a moment to think. In just under a year, he had gone from a struggling self-taught mage to an expert wizard with noble-born friends and hero status. Just two weeks ago, he’d snuck away from home with his friends to find a magical miracle and then ended up going to the fae realm and saving the fae queen from the brink of death. Saying he’d come a long way may have actually been understating it.
Just days before that he’d been worried about losing his friends to their high-class lives, and now they were all going to a ball hosted in their honour where they’d be officially receiving their hero titles and full magic licenses.
“Done! You look fabulous, if I do say so myself,” Everleigh declared.
Logan looked at himself in the mirror to double-check the make-up she’s done. It wasn’t too complex, just some eyeliner, blush, and blue lipstick to match his azure suit. Normally make-up gave him dysphoria, but since he’d completed the transition spell, he simply felt like a handsome young man.
“Wow.”
Everleigh grinned. “I know right.”
“Kids, come on- Woah,” Emile said, staring at his son from the doorway.
“Hey, dad. How do we look?”
Emile smiled. “You both look absolutely stunning. Gods, how did you grow up so fast?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “I’m only sixteen.”
“That’s too old already. What happened to my baby boy?”
“I’m still here. I just got taller.”
“Not by much,” Everleigh muttered.
Logan pouted. “Hey!”
Everleigh laughed. “Come on, let’s go! We’ve kept the carriage waiting long enough.”
The ride to the castle was short, smooth, and full of growing anxiety. Especially when Logan noticed how many people were out trying to get a glimpse at them like they were some kind of nobility themselves. The carriage stopped inside of the castle’s inner courtyard, where other carriages of nobility and foreign royalty were already parked. Remy came over to help them out of their carriage.
“There you guys are. Ready for the party?”
“Golly, there are a lot of people here,” Emile stated.
Remy shrugged. “Well, Thomas and Nico did invite everyone. Honestly, though, even I’m surprised at the turnout considering Thomas’s aversion to large crowds.”
“Perhaps it’s because Virgil’s finally making a public appearance,” Logan said, eyeing the people who looked to be around his age.
Many of them would probably be here to make a good impression on the crown prince. Perhaps a few of the bolder ones would even try to befriend him. A few may even attempt to romance him. That idea gave Logan a sick feeling in his stomach. Even worse than the anxiety of being at a high society event.
“Everleigh! Logan!” Willow called out as they ran over to them. “Hi!”
Everleigh giggled. “Hi to you too. Is it normal to run to your friends at these kinds of functions?”
Willow shrugged. “Who cares. This is kind of our party anyway. You look breathtaking by the way.”
“Th-thank you. You look lovely as well,” Everleigh stammered.
“Thanks. Your make-up looks really cool, Lo.”
“Thank you,” Everleigh did it. “Did you run away from Janus or are you here with your family?”
“Oh, my family is here, but I was just with Jan and Roman. I can take you to them then we can all hang out together.”
Willow led Logan and Everleigh away into the castle, to the huge ballroom where the majority of the party-goers were socialising. They found Janus and Roman at a table, looking as if they had just been dancing and were now resting their feet.
“Hey guys, great timing. Would you please tell Janus that I was indeed the first to confess my feelings?”
“Liar. I was the first to confess, and they’ll tell you so.”
“This is why I left them,” Willow whispered to Everleigh and Logan. “I swear, they’re an old married couple reincarnated or something.”
“It’s rude to keep secrets,” Janus commented.
“I said you’re both insufferable.”
“But I was the first to confess though. Right, Willow?” Roman prompted.
“You were not, you forgetful elf.”
“Forgetful, I have never forgotten a thing in my life, oh darling dragon.”
“Double D’s, an interesting nickname, bro,” Remus said as he popped up.
“Gah! Remus! Don’t do that.”
“Aw, but you look so funny when you’re spooked.”
“Weren’t you supposed to be with Patton?”
“I’m right here,” Patton said as he approached with a darker haired boy who looked quite similar to him, beside him. “Everyone, this is my brother Morgan. Morgan, these are my friends Janus, Logan, Everleigh, Willow, Roman and well you already met Remus.”
“Hi! Did you guys really defeat a demon?”
“Technically, Queen Valeria killed the demon. Everleigh, Janus, Willow, Roman, and Remus all fought its subordinates and I only snuck by to get to Queen Valeria,” Logan stated.
“Still, we’re all awesome,” Remus declared.
Roman grinned. “Agreed. We are indeed true heroes.”
“Speaking of, when is this ceremony supposed to start?” Janus asked.
As if to answer their question, there was a sudden sound of trumpets silencing the crowd before an announcer spoke. “Presenting, King Thomas the Just and his dearly beloved husband Prince Consort Nico.”
Everyone looked over as the King and his husband entered the room in their dazzling royal attire. They walked arm in arm to the dias at the end of the room, where three magnificent thrones were standing. As they turned around to look at everyone, the people bowed and curtsied respectfully for them.
“Thank you, all. You may now rise,” Thomas declared. “And another thank you to everyone for attending tonight’s ball. While we had originally planned for this only to be our son’s debut, as you know, things happened and now we have a lot more to celebrate tonight. But first, we’d like to proudly introduce to you our son; Prince Virgil of Srednas.”
The crowd looked back to the top of the stairs from which Thomas and Nico had descended. Now standing there they saw Virgil. Dressed elegantly in a deep purple suit with light purple makeup underneath his eyes and a gentle smile on his face. He walked with confidence and purpose down the stairs and to the dias where he joined his parents.
The people bowed and curtsied for him as well, and he said. “Thank you. You may rise.”
Everyone did, and then stared at the royals, waiting eagerly for what they would say next.
“As I was saying before. We have many things to celebrate. One being, my son, and the other being the valiant rescue that he and his friends did only a fortnight ago-”
Thomas wasn’t interrupted, but I figured you don’t want to sit through a retelling of events that you’ve already heard. Basically, Thomas retold everything that had happened from when he, Nico, and the council disappeared, up until when the teens stormed the tower, healed the queen, and defeated Ynclementia. The crowd was of course, quite captivated, and Logan found himself feeling quite flattered at how heroic the king described them all to be.
“-so, as thanks for their service, the young heroes shall of course be given the appropriate titles. Roman and Remus Leafstone, Patton Lilyhart, Janus Embryn, Willow Redrunner, and Logan Picani. Please come here,” Thomas requested.
The friends exchanged nervous/excited glances then went and stood in front of the royal family.
Thomas turned to Virgil, “You can stand with them if you want.”
Virgil nodded and joined his friends in front of his parents. He stood close to Logan and whispered. “You look enchanting.”
Logan blushed but didn’t have time to even say thanks in reply as Thomas continued talking. “As King of Srednas, I acknowledge your great deeds and grant you all the titles of Knights of the Miracle Order. May you carry your titles with the same honour and valour that you have earned them by, and let all your future escapades be just and victorious. Cheers to the Miracle Knights!”
“Cheers to the Miracle Knights!” The crowd echoed as they applauded the eight young heroes.
Logan and his friends turned around to face the crowd with bright smiles. The cheering and clapping went on for a few minutes still as they stood there. Once the cheers died down, Thomas spoke again prompting the party to continue. The musicians began to play again and everyone returned to socialising.
Before Logan could decide what to do though, Virgil had taken his hand and was motioning for him to follow him somewhere. Curious and still slightly dazed from the earlier compliment, Logan went willingly with him, away from the large crowd, outside the ballroom, to what seemed to be an empty veranda that looked out over the royal gardens.
Virgil released Logan’s hand and turned to face him. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Logan replied in the same soft shy tone. “Thank you. For the, um, compliment. Earlier.”
“Well, it’s the truth. You look absolutely mesmerizing,” Virgil declared.
“I suppose I have Everleigh’s makeup skills to thank for that.”
“No. Your enchanting beauty is your own, Logan. It’s something that you’ve seemed to have ever since I first saw you. Something that could outshine even the stars.”
“Well, you’re much more handsome than me. The first time I saw you, I nearly lost myself in those stormy grey eyes.”
As silence fell over the pair, Logan found himself getting lost in those eyes once again. Tonight, they didn’t reflect any firelight. Instead, they shone purely with Virgil’s emotions. That same bright ‘fondness’ that had been in his eyes the night they had talked about their futures. It seemed to be even stronger now somehow.
“Logan, I… I wanted to ask you something.”
“Yes?”
“Okay, so, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. A very long time honestly. And I’ve made up my mind on it, so I can only hope you’d at the very least stay friends with me if you don’t like this. Of course, I would totally understand if you never wanted to see me again. I wouldn’t dream of forcing you to stay my friend. I also don’t want you to just say yes because I’m the prince or anything like that. Nothing will happen if you don’t want this. Or, if you really don’t want me to ever come near you again, then I-”
“Virgil, please breathe.”
Virgil shut his eyes. “I’m sorry. I am just really nervous. So nervous I forgot even my anxiety about being introduced to the public earlier.”
“Well, you made a very elegant entrance. You looked quite fearless to me.”
“Glad I learnt to hide my fear early on then,” Virgil laughed as he opened his eyes. “I still need to ask this question though.”
Logan nodded.
“Here it goes then. Logan. Would you please consider, maybe going out with me and, um, being my boyfriend?”
…
“Logan? Oh, geez, you ha-”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“Yes, I’ll go out with you. And be your boyfriend.” Logan stated. “May I kiss you?”
Virgil’s eyes widened. “Please.”
Without a moment of hesitation, Logan closed the distance between himself and Virgil and kissed the prince squarely on the lips. It was a sweet kiss. One that signified the beginning of a beautiful romance and the ending of our tale.
The tale of how Logan Picani went from being a simple baker’s son to a master mage, Miracle Knight, and the boyfriend of Prince Virgil. From being the underdog he rose, learning magic alongside those who outranked him, befriending his classmates and rising with them to become great magic users. From choosing to trust a friend and keep the secret of his heritage to later helping that friend save his grandmother and two entire realms from the greed and tyranny of a fae-demon. From making pseudo stars in the throne room to this moment where he was kissing the crown prince on a veranda. It had been one heck of a journey.
And Logan wouldn’t change anything.