Adam rubbed his wrists, still feeling the phantom pressure of the ropes, his pulse refusing to settle. The air between the three of them hung thick, charged with expectation.
Aiva stood there, smiling.
Waiting.
Chloe stood off to the side, arms crossed, eyes narrowed like she was already preparing a eulogy.
Fuck... I got no ideas left.
Adam swallowed, forcing a weak smile onto his face as he pushed himself up to his feet.
"Yeah, I mean… I'd love to prove it," he said, voice just a little too thin, a little too forced. "But, uh… I kinda left my staff at home."
The words came out clumsy and unconvincing. Even to him.
That sounded way better in my head.
Aiva blinked once. Then her smile widened.
"Oh, that's not a problem at all."
Adam froze.
…What?
She clasped her hands behind her back, rocking slightly on her heels like she was explaining something fun.
"Mages can use other people's staffs," she said casually. "It's just a bit harder, since staffs get calibrated over time to match a mage's Lattice network. But for something simple?"
She tilted her head.
"You should be just fine."
Adam's stomach dropped.
Fuck you Aiva.
Before he could even react, Aiva turned.
"Chloe, can you lend him yours?"
Chloe's head snapped toward her so fast it almost looked painful. "Absolutely not."
Aiva blinked. "Why not?"
"Because he's going to mess it up," Chloe shot back instantly, clutching the staff protectively against her chest. "Look at him. He doesn't even look like he knows what he's doing."
"Wow," Adam muttered under his breath.
Aiva sighed, stepping closer to Chloe.
"He just needs to cast a simple spell. It's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal," Chloe insisted, tightening her grip. "And if he can't do it?"
She paused. Then her lips curled slightly.
"…then I get to cast the memory wipe spell myself."
Adam's heart skipped. "Wait—"
Aiva raised a brow. "You've never even practiced that spell."
Chloe shrugged. "Guess we'll find out."
Aiva stared at her for a moment.
Then, slowly…
A grin spread across her face.
"…Okay."
Adam blinked. "…Okay?"
He looked between the two of them, incredulous.
"Hey, I'm right here," he said quickly. "And I don't think that's a good idea. At all. I'm actually very against that idea."
Aiva waved him off like he was background noise.
"Quit your whining. You've got nothing to worry about," she said lightly. "You can use magic, right?"
She stepped in front of him, gently pressing the staff into his hands as Chloe reluctantly let go, shooting him a look that promised violence.
"All you have to do is cast a simple spell," Aiva added, patting his shoulder.
Then, with a soft chuckle,"Go get em, tiger."
Adam stared at the staff.
It felt… strange.
Warm.
Like it was alive in a way he couldn't quite explain.
This is a terrible idea.
Still, he turned and walked forward, each step heavier than the last until he reached the open training area.
The dummies still smoked faintly.
Charred and blackened.
A quiet reminder of what Chloe had done just minutes ago.
Adam stopped where she had stood earlier, then awkwardly glanced back over his shoulder.
"Any spell, right?"
Aiva smiled brightly. "Of course."
Chloe didn't.
"If you break my staff," she said flatly, "I'm factory resetting your ass."
Adam gulped.
He turned back around slowly.
The room felt too big.
Too quiet.
Okay… okay…
His grip tightened around the staff.
Maybe getting my memory wiped isn't that bad.
He stared at the ground for a second.
I mean what's the worst that could happen?
"Any day now," Chloe called out, impatience cutting through his thoughts.
Adam exhaled sharply. "I'm working on it."
Focus Adam, focus. You got this. You got this... You don't got this.
His mother's voice surfaced in his mind. A recollection clear and certain.
'You can use magic.'
His jaw clenched.
If she was right… then I can do this.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, inhaling deeply, steadying himself.
Then he opened them.
Alright.
He adjusted his stance, trying to mimic what he had seen earlier.
The way Chloe had stood. Grounded. Centered.
He raised the staff slightly.
The memory came back in fragments.
Latin words.
Sharp. Rhythmic.
I think it was…
"…Fulmen… evocare…"
The words felt foreign on his tongue.
Unnatural.
But the moment he said them—
The staff glowed.
Faint at first.
Then brighter.
Adam's eyes widened slightly.
It's working.
"…caelum… respondere…"
Energy crackled at the tip of the staff.
Thin strands of electricity began to snake outward, dancing in the air like living threads.
Behind him, Aiva's smile faded into something more focused. "…Oh?"
"…ignis… fulgoris…"
The electricity grew stronger.
Louder.
It wrapped around the staff, then around Adam's arm, crawling up his shoulder like it was searching for something.
A low hum filled the room.
Then—
A pulse.
A shockwave burst outward from him, rippling across the floor.
Dust lifted.
Air trembled.
The dummies rattled slightly in place.
Adam's breath hitched.
Oh shit—
Power surged through him, raw and unfiltered
Too much.
"…uh—"
His mind blanked.
The next word…
What was the next word?
He froze.
"…Wait—"
The energy faltered.
Flickered.
Then twisted.
Violently.
The electricity snapped erratically, lashing out in unpredictable arcs. The controlled flow shattered into chaos, tendrils whipping wildly through the air.
Adam's grip tightened.
No no no—
"I forgot—"
The magic responded instantly.
Like it felt his doubt.
The glow intensified into something unstable and dangerous.
The hum turned into a high-pitched whine.
"Aiva—"
The bolt snapped back toward him.
It hit.
Hard.
His body jerked as electricity surged through him, muscles locking up, vision flashing white.
"AH—!"
Another arc followed. Then another.
The staff trembled violently in his hands, energy building faster than he could process.
Then—
It burst.
A violent explosion of light and force.
The blast threw Adam backward, his body lifting off the ground before slamming hard against the floor several feet away. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, a sharp, painful gasp tearing from his throat as he landed flat on his back.
The world spun.
Sound dulled.
His ears rang.
Sparks flickered and died around him, the smell of burnt air and ozone thick in his nose.
For a moment, he just lay there.
Dazed.
…I'm alive? I smell steak. Fuck I think i'm smoking
Footsteps rushed toward him.
"Adam!"
Aiva dropped to her knees beside him, one hand lightly gripping his shoulder as she leaned in, trying to get a look at his face.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice caught somewhere between concern and barely-contained laughter.
Adam groaned, blinking up at the ceiling.
"I… think so…"
Across the room—
"My staff!"
Chloe's voice cracked with fury as she scrambled to the scattered pieces, dropping to the floor and gathering the broken fragments like they were priceless artifacts.
"It's broken," she hissed, glaring over her shoulder. "He broke it. I knew he was going to break it."
Aiva let out a small laugh, helping Adam sit up.
"I'm actually impressed," she said, smiling down at him. "You weren't lying."
Adam winced, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah… lucky me i guess…"
Chloe stood, clutching the remains of her staff like evidence in a trial.
"He can't use magic," she snapped. "That was a fluke. We should wipe his memory."
There was a sharp edge to her tone now.
Petty and definitely personal.
Aiva shook her head.
"No," she said simply.
Chloe blinked.
"What?"
Aiva's gaze shifted back to Adam, thoughtful now.
"He cast the spell," she said. "Not properly, but he cast it. That means his Lattice network is developed enough to channel Lumen."
She paused.
"And the fact that he made the staff explode…"
Her eyes narrowed slightly, intrigued.
"…means his Lumen reserve and output are huge."
Chloe frowned. "…So?"
"So," Aiva said, smiling again, "he can use magic."
Adam exhaled slowly, relief washing over him.
No memory wipe?
"Which means," Aiva continued, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "we're not erasing anything."
Chloe groaned. "This is so unfair."
Aiva ignored her.
Instead, she tilted her head, studying Adam with open curiosity now.
"I'm more interested in how this works," she admitted. "I've never seen a werewolf use magic before."
Adam nodded absentmindedly, still catching his breath.
"Yeah, I'm not really sure eith—"
He stopped.
Mid-sentence.
The words caught in his throat.
…What?
Silence fell.
Slow and heavy.
Adam's expression shifted. into confusion.
Then realization.
Then—
Shock.
His head turned slowly toward Aiva.
Deliberately.
"…Wait," he said, voice quieter now, tighter.
His eyes locked onto hers.
"What did you just say?"
The room seemed to hold its breath.
And just like that—
Everything changed.