Chapter 309: Trapped by the Storm
About thirty minutes later, Liam, Maeve, and Julian are on their way to Rhaenas HQ, riding in one of the Monfort Sentinel trucks.
Theo lies on a makeshift bed inside the truck, provided by TC Oscar.
Arthur and Alicia remain at the dungeon site, organizing the evacuation and recovery efforts.
The trio had wanted to stay.
Arthur refused.
"It’s better if you go home with Thea. She needs rest, and someone needs to watch over her."
That had been his answer.
One of the doctors had insisted on transferring Theo to Monfort Hospital for further observation, but Liam shut it down immediately after hearing that Theo only needed rest.
No one speaks.
Julian occasionally glances up at the sky.
"It’s still expanding?" Liam asks.
"Yeah," Julian replies, not taking his eyes off the window.
Maeve follows his gaze and looks up as well.
"The intensity hasn’t dropped either. I don’t see any signs of it weakening," she says.
Liam exhales slowly.
He shifts his attention to the sidewalks outside.
Pedestrians scramble for shelter.
Some struggle just to walk, pushed sideways by the wind.
Umbrellas are useless.
"I hope it doesn’t keep spreading," Liam says.
He looks at the street. Water is beginning to flood the road. Traffic slows, and congestion starts to build.
"If it goes on like this, Solarys will go into lockdown," Liam adds.
He pauses, his tone turning heavier.
"It’ll cripple the capital."
Silence settles again.
The truck continues forward, cutting through the storm.
------------------------------
Liam carries Theo into the apartment and places him gently on his bed.
Maeve takes out his pajamas from the wardrobe and moves to prepare warm water to clean the grime and dirt from Theo.
"We’ll go shower first, Maeve. Let us know when she’s decent," Liam says.
Maeve nods and immediately gets to work.
Liam closes the bedroom door and heads to his own room.
He takes a quick shower, then returns to the kitchen to prepare a very late dinner.
A few minutes later, Julian walks into the living room, hair still damp from shower, and he turns on the TV.
"Anything new?" Liam asks from the kitchen.
"The storm is still going strong. And it’s still spreading. It’s now at a thirty kilometer radius. Wind and rainfall are holding at the same intensity. No signs of it slowing down," Julian answers.
He leaves the TV on and sits on the kitchen counter.
"Liam, this is just a thought. I’ve been thinking about it on the way back, in the shower, and even now," Julian says.
"Hm? What is it?" Liam flips the grilled cheese in the pan.
"We all agree the storm isn’t normal. I mean... it’s confined to a specific radius, and that radius is almost a perfect circle. There’s no debate there."
"Agreed," Liam says, glancing at him.
"Tell me what happened in the dungeon. Just the gist. What spells did Thea cast?" Julian asks.
Liam blinks a few times, connecting the dots.
"I see where you’re going with this," he says.
"You think the storm is a result of Thea’s magic."
Julian raises a brow. "Are you telling me it isn’t?"
"No, it is," Liam admits with a sigh.
"Thea summoned a massive tornado, with purple lightning, to kill the King," he explains.
Julian exhales. "I figured."
"But I don’t see what that has to do with the storm outside," Liam adds.
"Well," Julian says, leaning forward slightly, "if this storm is some kind of magical residue, then... can’t we, as magi, do something about it?"
"You mean... try to stop it?" Liam’s eyes widen.
Julian points at the pan. "Don’t burn that."
Liam immediately turns back to the stove.
"Why not?" Julian continues. "You should try it. You’re Water. And last time I checked, rain is water. Shouldn’t you be able to influence it somehow?"
Liam thinks as he works.
He places the grilled cheese on a plate and offers it to Julian, who nods in thanks.
Liam sets the plate down in front of him, then starts making another.
"I’ve never thought about it," he says.
He places the bread down, then turns off the stove.
"Should we try?" Liam asks.
"There’s no harm in trying," Julian shrugs.
The two of them walk over and stand in front of the balcony door.
The storm has not reached them yet, but flashes of lightning light up the distance, and thunder rolls across the sky.
Liam closes his eyes.
He reaches out with his senses, trying to feel the rain.
Trying to detect the mana within it.
Julian knows better than to disturb him.
This is something completely new. They have not even asked Thea or Theo about it. This is their own conclusion.
He closes his eyes and tries to sense the storm, searching for traces of mana.
After a few minutes of standing in silence, both of them open their eyes and exchange glances.
"Well?" Julian asks.
Liam takes a deep breath.
"I can feel faint mana, but I can’t tell if it’s from the storm or just the ambient mana around us."
"What are you doing?"
They both turn.
Maeve stands there, still not showered, holding a bucket in her hands.
"We’re trying to stop the storm," Julian says, then realizes how absurd that sounds.
Liam stays silent.
Maeve stares at them.
"Because you think Thea caused it?" she asks after a moment.
"What do you think, Maeve?" Liam asks. He wants her opinion. Among them, Maeve has the clearest judgment because of her Light.
Maeve blinks a few times, thinking.
"I think it makes sense. Did Thea cast a storm inside the dungeon as well?"
Both men nod.
"And purple lightning too," Julian adds.
Maeve’s eyes widen.
"She cast purple lightning?"
She sets the bucket down.
"Why? What is the significance of purple lightning?" Liam asks.
Then realization hits him.
"Don’t tell me you saw purple lightning in this storm too?"
Julian and Maeve nod.
"Only briefly," Julian adds. "I haven’t seen it since."
The three of them look outside.
"Yeah... I don’t see any purple lightning either," Liam says.
"I think you’re onto something," Maeve says.
"You do?" Liam asks.
Maeve nods. "Yes. This storm isn’t natural. I can feel it."
Julian and Liam exchange a glance, relieved that she shares their conclusion.
"I tried sensing the mana in the storm, but I can’t separate it from the ambient mana," Liam says again.
"Same here," Julian adds. "I tried too."
All three of them glance toward Theo’s bedroom.
Liam exhales.
"I feel useless," he says quietly.
"Don’t," Maeve replies immediately.
"One thing I’ve learned as an Apprentice is that magic isn’t simple. It may look like it is, but it never is. And it hasn’t been that long since we started learning. If we could control a storm like this already, that would be terrifying."
"There’s nothing wrong with knowing our limits. Thea is stronger than us. That’s a fact. And she trained directly under Teacher Theo. Of course she’s ahead of us."
Maeve smiles softly.
She turns, picks up the bucket, and heads toward the laundry room.
Julian and Liam remain where they are, standing by the balcony.
They stare out at the storm.
The grilled cheese sits forgotten.
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Carter paces inside the tent.
The wind howls outside, the tent shaking violently. It has been reinforced, but it still trembles under the pressure.
"Stop pacing, Carter. We need to wait our turn. We’re not critical like the others. Be patient," Ethan snaps. He has had enough. The pacing is getting on his nerves.
"I know that," Carter replies, but he keeps moving.
"But I can’t sit down, Ethan. I don’t know why. I feel... I feel... uncomfortable."
He exhales sharply.
"It’s not exactly that, but I can’t explain it." Carter sounds frustrated as he continues pacing.
"Like an itch all over your body that you can’t scratch," J.C. says. One of his legs bounces restlessly.
Ethan looks at both of them.
He cannot blame them.
He feels it too.
He has been feeling it since the storm started.
He is just hiding it.
There is something in the air.
Something wrong.
He feels anxious. Uneasy. Like something ominous is building.
But he says nothing.
He does not want to sound crazy.
Still, the discomfort grows.
It crawls under his skin.
He cannot do anything about it.
It makes him irritable.
That is why he snapped at Carter.
What is going on? Why do I feel like this?
And... I’m scared.
But of what?
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The storm continues to spread until it covers the entire city of Solarys. Its shape is no longer a perfect circle, instead following the city’s boundaries.
It rages on for another two days.
Then Theo wakes up.
By then, the streets are flooded. Lower areas are completely submerged. Some residents have been relocated due to the rising water.
There is no traffic.
Daily life in Solarys has come to a complete halt.
Just as Liam predicted, the city has been placed under lockdown.
And it is crippled.