chapter 20 child's play

Knives flung at us at high speed. The debris made it hard to move, hard to dodge. Luca summoned strong winds, but the blades cut through the breeze like they were alive—drawn by something unnatural.

What can I do? I wonder, heart pounding. We scramble for cover, grabbing chunks of the collapsed rooftop and holding them up as makeshift shields. The blades slam against the metal with sharp, violent clangs, the force rattling my bones.

"We need a plan—anything will do," Luca says, panic trembling in his voice. His eyes find mine, wide and desperate.

"I wonder... can your friends block my attack?" Jojo hums. His voice is soft, melodic, but there's something chilling beneath it—something wrong. The blades suddenly twist mid-air, dancing like they're alive, and turn toward Madison and Crystal.

My instincts kick in. I drop the debris and throw my arms out. Water rushes from my palms, surrounding them in a swirling sphere before I freeze it solid. Thick, clear ice forms in an instant, catching the knives as they pierce it—stuck like arrows in a frozen casket.

Without thinking, I do the same for Luca and myself. A dome of ice rises around us, hard and cold, giving us a moment of breathing room.

But not for long.

"You can't stay in there forever," Jojo sings sweetly—too sweet. The tone crawls up my spine like a whisper you wish you hadn't heard. The blades outside begin to spin, faster and faster, drilling into the dome. Ice cracks. Panic builds.

My mind races. "Luca—combo spells," I whisper.

He doesn't hesitate. We clasp hands, our magic syncing instantly. His wind rushes into me, wild and untamed. My water rises to meet it, cold and focused. They merge—our magic colliding and twisting together, not just side by side, but fused. A swirl of green and blue energy spirals around us, growing faster and louder until it's howling with power.

We release it as one.

A massive typhoon explodes outward from our hands, ripping through the ice dome. Water churns at violent speeds, pulled by the howling gales. The knives are swept up like twigs in a hurricane, spinning helplessly before vanishing into the chaos.

But the spell doesn't stop there.

The typhoon slams into Jojo with a deafening roar, launching him across the battlefield. The wall behind him cracks—then crumbles entirely. Dust and stone rain down as his body disappears into the wreckage.

He doesn't move.

Madison stares, lips parted in disbelief, hope flickering behind her wide eyes.

"There's no way that did him in... right?" Luca asks, breathless.

The rubble twitches. Then it explodes.

A shockwave of magic blasts outward, flattening the dust in all directions. Jojo rises, hovering above the debris. His arms hang loosely at his sides, his coat torn and bloodied. Strips of crimson trail down his jaw, dripping from his chin.

But it's his eyes that freeze me.

Gone is the gleeful madness. Now, they burn with something colder. His irises are sharp and glassy, glowing faintly under the moonlight. His expression is blank—horrifyingly still—but his gaze pins me like a knife through the soul.

It's the look of a predator who's done playing.

A death glare, locked on me like a sniper's scope. I feel it press into my chest. My skin prickles. My throat tightens. The air around him hums with menace—too quiet, too calm.

It's the silence before the kill.

My hands start to tremble. No more giggling. No more laughter. His entire presence has changed—like a mask being torn off to reveal the monster beneath.

"I see..." His voice is deeper now, like it's dragging up from something ancient and full of hate. "So you've got some bite left in you."

He tilts his head slightly, cracking his neck with a sickening pop.

"I suppose I've been playing with my food for too long."

His hands begin to glow—a deep, unnatural red. Not warm like fire, but corrupted, like blood burning from the inside out.

"It's time I fully break you," he snarls.

A twisted smile curls on his lips.

"Allow me to snuff out your remaining light."

He throws his hands upward, shouting with venom:

"CIRCUS MAGIC: MIRROR MAZE!!"

The ground convulses beneath us, splitting apart with thunderous cracks. From the shattered earth, massive mirrors erupt—tall, warped, and gleaming with shifting reflections. They twist the light around us, creating endless corridors that distort reality.

My reflection stares back at me from a dozen angles. But none of them are me.

And Jojo is gone—lost in the maze he created.

The mirrors built walls and partitions, eventually separating each of us. Alone in the hall of mirrors, I realized the sky—thanks to his magic being activated—had vanished. Darkness was all that remained, aside from my reflection.

"LUCA!! MADISON!!" I shouted in worry. "WHERE ARE YOU?" I yelled into the void.

"What is this place?" I muttered, glancing at my reflection. It stared back at me, something about it felt... eerie. I shuddered and began to walk away—then, from the corner of my eye, I saw it smile at me.

I jumped back in fear and raised my hand, summoning magic circles over my palm, ready to fire off an attack.

"Am I so weak I have to attack myself too?" it said mockingly.

I shook my head. "You're not me. You're a trick—an illusion," I retorted, still on guard.

"But I am you. How else would I know your secret... or rather our secret?" she asked.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the maze, Luca wandered aimlessly.

"DOMINIQUE!!" Luca called out. He began to shake when no one answered and dropped to his knees. "I just need to catch my breath, that's all," he reassured himself. "Everything will be okay once I find her," he whispered.

"Are you sure that's the case?" a voice asked.

Luca jumped to his feet immediately. "Who's there?" he shouted, but no one responded—until his reflection appeared.

"Can we really trust Dom?" it asked.

Luca, shocked by its speech, began to walk away. "JoJo will have to do better than this to trick me," he muttered.

"A trick, huh? Then you don't feel that if you reveal your secret to her... she'd leave?" it questioned.

He froze, staring at the reflection with wide eyes. He stepped forward slowly.

"How do you know about that?" he asked, voice trembling.

The mirror version of him smiled wickedly. "Because I'm you. She can't be trusted. She'll abandon you, just like your parents did."

Luca backed away, shaking his head. "No, you're wrong. She wouldn't do that to me!" he shouted in a panic laced with fear. "She's not like my parents. She accepted me!"

"Oh? But how can she accept you when she doesn't know the full you to accept?" it teased.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" Luca screamed, holding his head and crying.

Elsewhere, Madison was still healing an unconscious Crystal.

"There, I stopped the major bleeding," she said, wiping sweat from her forehead.

She looked around and suddenly realized she was in a maze.

"Where did this come from?" she asked, fear edging into her voice.

"Would Mother be proud of me as I am now... or disappointed in my lack of abilities?" a voice called out.

Madison slowly stood up and searched the mirrored maze. "Hello? Is someone there?" she asked into the silence.

Suddenly, her reflection surfaced.

"I can never be like my mother," it said with a grin.

Madison clenched her chest as she listened.

"She was too great. I will never be her," it mocked.

Madison remained quiet, lowering her head. The reflection smiled in victory.

"You're right. I can never be her," Madison confessed. Then she looked up, anger burning in her eyes.

"Because I'm not her. I'm me," she snapped. "My mother never taught me to be like her. In fact, she told me to be greater than her."

"How dare you try to manipulate me using my mom. Be gone, you evil being. You have no power over me!" she shouted.

It smiled once more, then vanished.

Madison dropped to her knees, trying to steady her shaking hands.

"Dom, Luca... stay strong."

My hand was still raised, ready to strike.

"I don't have any secrets," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, but the weight of it was enough to make the words hang in the air.

The reflection smiled, but it wasn't kind.

"Oh, so you've shared with the others that your dad used to sexually touch you?" it mocked, the venom in its voice cutting deeper than I expected.
"Or that you still feel like you don't belong here, even though you're risking your life for everyone who does?"

It laughed—a cruel sound, echoing around me, filling the space with mockery.

I grit my teeth. Each word it threw at me felt like a dagger, cold and sharp, exposing every scar I tried so hard to hide. Its voice made me feel naked, exposed, vulnerable in ways I had spent years trying to bury. Shame slithered through me, wrapping around my chest like a suffocating vine. Without even realizing it, I lowered my hand.

"Isn't that why you believe no man will want you?" it taunted, its voice sweetly venomous.
"Because you're dirty?"

"I'm not," I muttered, but the words came out small, unsure.

"Or maybe it's because you're ugly."

"I'm not!" I said, louder this time, the heat of anger rising in my chest. The reflection's laugh sent a chill down my spine, but I couldn't back down now.

"Ooooh, maybe it's because your family taught you you're not worthy of being loved."

"ENOUGH!!" I screamed, my voice breaking as I summoned every ounce of power I had, unleashing water bullets at the mirrors in front of me. The force behind them should have shattered the glass, but they didn't. The mirrors just stood there, mocking me with their cold, unyielding reflection.

I huffed, exhaustion threatening to take over. My lip trembled, and I could feel the sting of tears I wasn't willing to let fall. The memories of my family—those dark, twisted memories—came rushing back. The way they'd hurt me. The things they'd said that made me feel like I was worth nothing.

And then there was school. The bullying. The way they'd treated me like I didn't even belong in this world.

In my mind, death was the only escape. It seemed like the only way to end the pain. The only way to find peace. Because there was never any peace in my life—not from my family, not from the world around me.

I had always been the unwanted child.

I knew lust before I ever understood what love was. So, I gave up on ever finding it. I convinced myself there was no one out there for me.

"You see? Now you know," it hissed, leaning closer in the mirror as its smile grew wider. "You were supposed to kill yourself back there."

"What was even the reason you didn't end your suffering?" it asked mockingly, like it already knew the answer.

I thought about that moment. Why had I stopped? Why hadn't I gone through with it?

"I remember... Jojo showed up and interrupted me," I whispered, my voice barely audible, like admitting it made the weight of that day heavier.

"Yes. You should let him finish the job. You have nothing—just like all those months ago," it said, its voice dripping with contempt.
"Nothing has changed. You haven't changed."

I heard its words echo in my mind, and for a moment, I was back there, alone. Repeating those same lines to myself when no one else was around. When I felt like I didn't matter.

I paused.

Alone.

"That's right... I'm not alone," I whispered, the realization stirring deep inside me.

The reflection scoffed. "Yes, you are. You haven't changed. You're still the scared little girl you were back then," it sneered, its voice oozing with arrogance.

"No!" I shouted, my voice firm now, my chest rising with the strength of my defiance. "I have friends now."

"I'm no longer alone." My voice cracked slightly, but there was a fire in it now. "For the first time in my miserable life... I've been smiling since I came here."

Tears threatened to fall, but I held them back.

"I've been fighting for the changes I wanted since I arrived. Before, I wallowed in depression, but now... I'm standing up for myself." The base in my voice grew, steady and sure.

"I may be scared, but I'm not weak!" I shouted, my finger pointing at the reflection with all the strength I had.

"Not anymore. I have things I want to live for!"

The words felt like they were burning through the air with the force of a storm.

"I no longer need to end my suffering... because now, I have hope."

I stood taller, the weight of my past slowly loosening its grip on me.

"I promised my friend that I would never lose myself again," I said, my smile soft but filled with strength.

Then, it happened.

Suddenly, angel wings burst from my back, and the air around me seemed to bend with the force of them. The wings were vast—glistening with an ethereal glow that pulsed like a heartbeat. The feathers were so white they almost shimmered silver in the light, each one radiating a soft, yet blinding brilliance.

The wings unfurled with a quiet sound like a breeze through trees, but their light—intense, almost too much to bear—engulfed everything. The light expanded outward, cutting through the darkness, bathing the space in a kaleidoscope of colors that reflected off every mirror, intensifying the already blinding radiance. The air vibrated, humming with a power that felt ancient and pure.

Jojo screamed—a blood-curdling cry that rang out across the world, echoing in every corner of my mind. The mirrors shattered, the sound of glass breaking sharp and final, and with it, his spell was broken.

In the light, Madison, Luca, and Crystal appeared, their forms slowly coming into focus as if the light had revealed them. I could see them clearly now, their faces shining with awe and fear.

The pillar of light rose into the night sky, slicing through the blackness and turning it into daylight. It felt like the universe itself was holding its breath, as if everything—every star, every moment—was caught in this instant of power.

The magic exploded outward, rippling like a wave, and the pulse echoed through the air, reverberating like sonar, sending shockwaves across the land. Luca's eye healed, along with Crystal, whose arms started to rebuild themselves at a molecular level, the skin knitting together like a puzzle. Any injuries Madison had were gone, as well as mine. The light that had enveloped us soon faded, leaving a shimmer in the air. The wings dispersed in a gentle shower of sparkling light, their massive, ethereal feathers drifting lazily to the ground like soft snowflakes. For a moment, I could feel the power that had once flowed through them, their weightlessness, their energy. It was as if they had been a part of me for far longer than I realized.

Madison and Luca rushed to me and embraced me tightly. Crystal was still unconscious, but she looked alive, her body in the process of full regeneration. I smiled, feeling the warmth of their presence.

"I'm happy you're both safe," I said, tears falling. "I knew you had great power in you."

"But I wasn't sure the day I met you," Jojo said weakly, his voice almost a rasp. The power I just released had drained him, leaving him barely standing. One of his arms was gone, along with a foot. His body was still twitching unnaturally, barely held together by the remnants of his magic. He hopped out of the rubble, his human flesh mask nearly gone. The mask had evaporated, revealing parts of his real face, now grotesque and warped. His skin was stretched, cracked, and peeling in places, as if the magic he used to keep his human form intact had worn thin. He had no nose, his mouth was sliced wider at the corners, and his eyes... his eyes glowed red with an unnatural hunger, as though his very soul was consumed by an unquenchable thirst for destruction.

He began to twitch and jerk his body between his words, his voice coming out in a low, guttural rasp. "You must die," he said, his hand, now trembling and bone-thin, stretching toward me. "You can't be allowed to live."

"You should just give up now!" Madison yelled fearlessly. "Or don't. I still owe you for what you did to my eye!" Luca shouted, his voice filled with rage, ready to finish him off. But the only response we received was a fit of crazed, high-pitched laughter that echoed like the howl of a wind through a dark alley.

Jojo cocked his head to the side with an eerie grin, his smile stretching unnaturally wide across his face. "Allow me to educate you all on something interesting," he said, his voice dripping with malice. The sound of his cracking bones as he twisted his neck was enough to send chills down my spine. Then, with an unsettling snap, he turned his head to the other side. "There's a powerful spell that very few can achieve."

He cracked his bones again, a sickening sound, before twisting his body to the ground, all while never breaking eye contact with us. "It's meant to be something of an ultimate attack for mages," he continued, his voice growing darker. "And you should know, every landlord after me can use it." He chuckled darkly, a hollow, menacing sound that seemed to reverberate through the air.

We watched in silence as he took a battle pose, every movement unnatural and erratic. "You think you've defeated me? Allow me to show you—" He groaned as he contorted his body back upright. "My true power!" he shouted, his voice a shrill scream of madness. "CIRCUS MAGIC!! FIELD SPELL!!"

"CHILD'S PLAY!!"

The air turned ominous, the once calm atmosphere shifting into something thick with tension. The trees rustled violently, as though they too feared what was about to unfold. The air crackled with Jojo's bloodthirsty energy as his magic began to pulsate, sending a wave of oppressive force out into the battlefield. Then, like the explosion of a hidden force, his magic expanded, spreading out into an enormous dome, covering the size of a football stadium.

From the ground, undead performers began to claw their way out, their bodies rotting and broken but still moving, their faces locked in permanent expressions of madness. Carnival tents of every shape and size unfolded and expanded around us, casting strange, flickering shadows. Clowns, their faces painted with grotesque smiles, rushed out of tiny cars or fell from the sky like twisted raindrops. Some crawled out of the tents, others leapt from the trees, all with eyes that glowed with a sickly green hue. Mutated animals, their bodies twisted and malformed, broke free from cages, howling and growling as they charged toward us. Ribbons, too, descended from the sky, swirling and twisting in the air, conjured up by invisible acrobats who dangled from them.

And lastly, the Ringmaster spun into view and merged with Jojo, who grew his limbs back as he laughed madly.

"The curtain never falls... not until I say so," he hissed, his voice filled with sickening satisfaction.

Ringmaster Jojo waved his hands like he was conducting an orchestra, his every movement precise, deliberate. As he did, all the circus inhabitants—clowns, undead performers, mutated animals—paused, and their eyes glowed a hostile, terrifying black. They all turned in unison, a swarm of deadly chaos, and charged toward us.

Luca acted faster than I could. He lifted Madison into the air with a gale of wind, propelling her through the dome with ease, keeping her moving and out of harm's way.

"It's a precaution," Luca said, his voice grave and somber. "Last thing we need is him taking hostages." I couldn't help but think that Luca had seen something in the maze that had left its mark on him, but now wasn't the time to ask.

I followed suit, placing a frozen dome around Crystal's body to protect her. But as I looked up, something grabbed my leg. I turned to see a contortionist, its limbs bending in unnatural angles, wrapping its body around me, its face twisted into a grotesque smile. I released a large burst of my magic, freezing it and the others nearby. Luca, always quick on his feet, used his wind to amplify my magic, creating an icy storm that shattered the grotesque creatures.

They became nothing more than ice statues. I kicked one frozen to me, shattering it in the process.

"Be on guard," I warned, my voice tense as I scanned the battlefield. Jojo stood at the center, motionless, but his smile never wavered, as if he were watching us with the keen interest of a predator waiting for its prey to make the first move.

Suddenly, the dead began to reassemble themselves, their bodies coming together in a disturbing display. They kept coming, unrelenting.

"As long as my spell is active, nothing dies here," Jojo mocked, his voice like the whisper of the wind through graveyards, chilling and final, as he waved his hand dismissively.

The mutated animals, once contained, broke free from their cages and rushed toward us. Luca and I split, darting in opposite directions. Ice javelins shot from above, hurtling down into the fray of zombies, shattering them on impact as they tried to close in. Throwing fists was still awkward for me, but I was swinging them nonetheless, the weight of my newfound power coursing through my limbs. I could feel the rush of energy with each punch, some sending enemies flying in a spectacular burst of force, while others only made them stumble back, their bones creaking in resistance. There was still so much I didn't know or understand about my power. I just hoped I could tap into enough of it to get through this.

"Agh, I'm getting nowhere real fast," I huffed as they rebuilt themselves for the hundredth time, their twisted bodies mending with grotesque efficiency.

"DOM!!" Luca yelled, his voice cutting through the chaos as he floated on the wind toward me, Madison at his side. His eyes locked onto mine with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"I'm not dead, so that's good," I remarked sarcastically, catching my breath.

"Were you able to make a dent?" he asked, blasting a blast of wind with a flick of his wrist, sending a dozen of the undead spiraling away to the left.

"What do you think?" I responded, the ice at my fingertips forming like razor-sharp shards. I hurled them at the horde on the right, the frozen projectiles ripping through their bodies with deadly precision, sending a spray of ice and blood into the air.

"Guys," Madison muttered from behind us, her voice trembling with worry. "I do have an idea, though," I suggested, my mind racing for a plan.

"I'm all ears," Luca said, eyes never leaving the battlefield.

"If we can make it to Jojo in the center and deal him a serious blow, I think it will stop his spell," I said, weighing my options. "We have to act fast."

"That's a good idea, but how do we get to him?" Luca asked, launching another gale of wind that tore through a cluster of zombies.

"I'm working on it," I responded, feeling the surge of magic around me.

"Let's fly over," Madison suggested. The idea clicked. I could attack from above, have the advantage of height and speed. I just needed a way to keep Jojo from dodging.

"Luca, up and over!" I yelled. With a twist of his wrist, Luca conjured a powerful gale of wind, wrapping us in a whirling vortex that lifted us off the ground. We shot through the air, soaring above the heads of the undead. Their twisted forms flailed as they reached for us, but the strong gusts of wind and my ice kept them at bay. The zombie trapezes and aerialists were becoming more desperate, tossing bodies and streamers toward us in an attempt to knock us out of the sky, but we were faster, weaving through their attacks with ease.

Jojo came into view, his eyes narrowing as he locked onto us. A cruel smile spread across his face as he prepared for our descent. He knew we were coming.

A large blue magic circle appeared in the sky, glowing with ethereal power. A torrent of water cascaded down, pushing the undead that guarded him away. The rushing water washed over them, sweeping them off their feet and sending them tumbling into the chaos.

I leaped off the gale, my heart pounding as the wind rushed past my face. I flung my hands forward with fierce determination. The air crackled as large chunks of hail formed in my palms, growing as they hurtled down toward the ground. The hailstones slammed into the remaining undead like an avalanche, breaking bones and splintering skulls in their wake. It was chaos, but I kept my focus, my mind sharpening with every second.

Focusing on Jojo, I wove a sharp, long javelin of ice, its tip glowing with deadly intent. I threw it with all my strength, watching it sail through the air, gleaming in the sunlight. The javelin pierced Jojo's chest with a sickening crack, and blood poured from the wound, staining the ground beneath him.

"She got him!" Madison said, her voice bright with hope.

But instead of groaning in pain, Jojo threw his head back and laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. "Too bad for you, my heart isn't there," he taunted, his eyes glinting with madness.

He turned with predatory speed, his hand reaching out to grab my throat. With a sudden, brutal motion, he slammed me into the ground. The world blurred as I struggled for air, his grip tightening like iron.

"You walked right into my trap," he mused, the satisfaction in his voice sending a chill down my spine.

I rolled over, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I tried to push myself up. But before I could get to my feet, he jumped on top of me, his weight pinning me to the cold earth. "Where do you think you're going, my dear?" he mocked, his voice dripping with cruel amusement.

He pulled out a blade, its edge gleaming in the dim light, and began to stab it into my legs repeatedly. Each stab felt like a surge of fire through my body, the pain blinding. I screamed in agony, my hands pushing weakly as I tried to force him off. But with my body trapped beneath him, and me laying on my stomach I had no leverage, and every movement only seemed to make the pain worse.

"DOM!" Madison yells in terror from above, her voice cracked with desperation. "Bring us down! We need to help her!" she shouted, panic clawing at her throat. He began to lower the gale when one of the trapezes shot out, its cold metal fingers grabbing her, yanking her off. She screamed in pure, raw fear as she plummeted toward the ground.

Time seemed to stretch, becoming syrupy slow as Luca, high above, watched in helpless despair, his breath caught in his chest. His friends—his lifeline—were being ripped away from him. The air felt thick, suffocating, as he hyperventilated, caught in a sickening loop of indecision. Who to save? Who to trust to survive this nightmare?

At last, desperation pushed him into action. He leapt from his perch, grabbing Madison's hand mid-air. The weight of the situation pressed down on him as a stampede of undead rushed toward them, hunger in their eyes. He blasted them away, an unholy wind howling around them. His heart pounded in his ears as he carried Madison to safety, tears streaking down his face, all the while Dominique's screams echoed in his mind, sharpening the blade of guilt.

Jojo stood, unperturbed, after mutilating my legs. His grin was more grotesque than any mask he'd worn, stretching unnaturally across his face, like something carved from darkness itself. The air around him was thick with the putrid stench of decay, a faint oily haze swirling at the edges of my vision. "The pain on your face... it's tingling me all over," he purred, his voice silky and sickening, like velvet wrapped around a blade. He moaned, running his hands over his bulge as though savoring the moment, feeding off the terror in my eyes.

"I've waited so long for this moment," he whimpered, a twisted delight in his eyes as he crawled toward me, each movement deliberate, predatory. His hands—cold and skeletal—flipped me over with ease, and his grip was like iron on my chin, forcing me to face him. "I've worn so many faces before. Old ones, young ones, some stretched too tight, others sagging and loose," he cooed, his voice like a low, venomous whisper. "But yours... yours should fit just right," he grinned, a grotesque hunger in his eyes as he licked his lips.

Tears streamed down my face, but they did nothing to wash away the fear clawing at my insides. I was staring into the abyss, into the face of a monster so twisted that it felt as if reality itself was warping around him. "Shhhh," he hummed softly, the cold blade pressing harder against my forehead. "Don't ruin it with tears," he murmured. "They make the skin puff up—and I hate a sloppy cut."

He was inches away from me now. His breath was foul, a rancid mix of rot and fire, hot against my skin. Desperation bubbled up inside me, and I shoved against him with every ounce of strength I had left, my palm slamming into the cold expanse of his chest. It was like pressing against the void itself—there was no warmth, no life. Just the crushing cold of the undead around him.

Jojo cocked his hand back, ready to carve into me. My heart thundered in my chest as I held my breath, closed my eyes, and braced for the inevitable. But just as the blade drew near, fire erupted around Jojo's body, a searing inferno that sent him screaming into the air, writhing in agony as flames consumed him.

Chris rushed in, a blur of motion, his massive form appearing from the smoke, followed by the strange Santa Claus-like man. Without hesitation, Chris scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder with ease.

"What the hell is this place?" he barked, blasting zombies in his wake, the force of his strikes shaking the ground beneath us. "Where the hell is that portable hospital?" he muttered, voice filled with frustration, as the horde began to close in. "Alec, you don't have any magic, so stay close to me, got it?" he ordered, his voice sharp like a whip crack.

"Fine, but don't be reckless with that girl on your shoulder," Alec called out, his voice tense but resolute.

"HEY! I'VE GOT DOMINIQUE! GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE!" Chris yelled, his words slicing through the chaos like a battle cry. Luca and Madison appeared overhead, the gale of wind swirling around Alec and Chris, lifting them into the air, higher above the carnage.

"ANGELIC TOUCH!" Madison called out, her healing magic wrapping around me like a soft, protective cocoon. The relief was instant, but the memories of Jojo's touch, his words, and the horror of his presence lingered in my mind.

"So what's the deal with this place?" Chris asked, his voice laced with irritation, his eyes darting around, assessing the threat.

"This is what he called a field spell," Luca answered, his tone low and serious.

"What the hell is a field spell?" Chris asked, confusion and suspicion mixing in his voice.

"Short explanation: it's an ultimate attack spell that very few mages can use," Luca explained. "It's a zone under Jojo's control where nothing here dies. It's... like a twisted little pocket of his power."

Chris clenched his fist, the sound of his knuckles cracking like thunder. "Seems like we just need to take down the source—Jojo himself."

"It won't work," I said weakly, my strength returning in fits and starts. "I tried to target him. I managed to stab him through the chest, but he didn't die," I confessed, my voice hollow, the memory of his unnatural coldness still chilling my bones.

Chris's frown deepened. "You sure you aimed high enough to hit his heart?" he asked, his tone serious but not unkind.

I nodded, my gaze distant. "He didn't have a heartbeat, a pulse, or anything," I whispered, the chill of his touch still haunting me. "Okay, I healed all the major damage. Now I'll fix the muscles," Madison said, wiping the sweat from her brow, exhaustion evident in her eyes.

"HEALING MAGIC! REJUVENATION ARMOR!" she chanted, and an exoskeleton of light molded itself onto my body, the glow of the magic like a shield against the darkness around us.

"Tsk, so how the hell do we take on this clown freak?" Chris muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration.

"It's like you said, Chris," I muttered, my voice steady now. All eyes turned to me. "The source has to be either with one of the zombies or hidden in this twisted circus."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Now that there's three of us, we should have a better chance," Luca said, his voice calm but determined.

"How will we decide who does what?" Madison asked, finishing up the last of my healing.

I sat up, feeling significantly better. "Thanks, Madison," I said, flashing her a smile.

"I don't care who does what, but drop me off near the clown," Chris grinned, his voice dripping with menace.

"You sure?" I asked, the memories of Jojo's brutal assault flashing through my mind.

"Absolutely. I want a piece of him," Chris said, cracking his knuckles. His eyes were cold, filled with a hunger of his own now.

"Fine. Luca, I want you to cover me and Chris from the air," I ordered.

"And I'll go around the tents and booths, looking for anything unusual," I instructed.

"I can help too," Alec said, stepping forward.

"Oh, it's you again. What was your name, by the way?" I asked, my tone light, though my mind was heavy with the looming threat.

"My name's Alec," he responded, offering a small but steady smile.

"Thank you, but please, you and Madison stay up here on the gale," I said, my tone firm.

"But I—" Alec started.

"Agh, don't argue with her. You'll just get in our way—dead weight," Chris groaned, preparing to leap into the fray.

He landed behind Jojo with a heavy thud, the ground shaking with his arrival. Jojo glared at him, his twisted smile widening in sick amusement. Chris returned the look, his own grin sharp and confident, his fists glowing with fiery energy.

"So, you're Jojo?" Chris said, his voice dangerous and filled with excitement, the battle finally beginning to unfold. "And you're the nuisance who took away my new face!" JoJo roared angrily, his eyes burning with fury. "I see you also killed my pets," he added, his voice venomous. "Tsk, and now I'm gonna kill you." Chris retorts with growls A red magic circle flared to life on the ground beneath him, its edges glowing with molten energy. The undead charged forward, and as they stepped onto the circle, it erupted in a wave of fire. Flames shot up, roaring and consuming them with brutal intensity.

Chris's hand waved through the air, and another magic circle appeared—this one beneath the feet of the approaching undead. The ground cracked open like the maw of a furnace, and another fiery blast shot upward, turning the creatures to ash in seconds. He stood unfazed, his eyes locked on his target. "Is that all you've got?" he taunted.

Jojo, however, was not waiting. With a sharp gesture, he sent another horde of undead rushing toward Chris. The two forces clashed, but Chris barely acknowledged them. Instead, he summoned a new magic circle in front of him, and a torrent of flames erupted from his hands, engulfing everything in its path. The fire spread like a wave, a tornado of searing heat that twisted through the battlefield. Jojo cursed, his body snapping back from the heat's relentless power.

Suddenly, Chris's magic intensified. His fire swirled around him, becoming sharper, more concentrated. He clenched his fists, and the flames coiled like serpents, launching forward with pinpoint accuracy. He was no longer just controlling fire—he was shaping it, molding it into weapons of destruction. A fireball as large as a building rocketed through the air, and with a roar, he hurled it straight at Jojo.

"Rahhh! Damn you!!" Jojo screamed as he barely dodged, He recoiled in pain, the heat too much even for him. The undead leapt on Jojo, using their bodies to shield him, but Chris only smirked. A pillar of fire shot up from the ground, incinerating the undead in a blistering explosion.

Chris's glare pierced through the smoke. "Stop hiding behind your meat shields and fight me, Jojo." he snarled veins popping as he clenched his jaw

I raced around the circus dome, Luca blasting mutated animals and zombies from above. My eyes darted from side to side, looking for an opening, a weakness—something I could exploit. My magic lashed out with precision, tearing through the undead like a blade through paper. But there, hidden behind the larger tents, I saw it: a rundown structure. It looked forgotten, out of place.

I darted toward it, dodging zombies as they swarmed at me. The closer I got, the more violent they became. It was like they knew something I didn't. They charged faster, their hands outstretched, their teeth gnashing. I fought back, but they tackled me to the ground. "NO! DAMN IT!" I growled, kicking and struggling, pushing off as many as I could.

"We need to help!" Madison shouted from above me.

"I got this. Go check on Curmudgeon," Alec said, his voice determined as he gripped his axe and leapt off the Gale.

"Curmudgeon?!" Luca asked, his voice confused.

Madison flashed an awkward smile. "I think he means Chris."

Alec landed with a heavy thud, swinging his axe into the mass of undead that piled on top of me. His strikes were precise, cutting through the creatures with expert ease. Once my hand was free, I gathered my magic and blasted the remaining zombies away.

"This way!" I ushered Alec, my heart pounding. The closer we got, the more distinct a pulse could be heard, like... a heartbeat. I pulled back the curtain, revealing the source: a massive heart encased in a large glass container.

"This is it," I whispered, awe and dread mixing in my chest.

The firestorm in the center of the battlefield intensified, the flames growing hotter as they spread across the area. The undead regenerated slower now, their bodies knitting back together at a much slower pace due to the continuous burn. The flames were relentless, consuming everything in their path.

"IF YOU WON'T COME TO ME, I'LL COME TO YOU!!" Chris yelled, his voice booming with fury as he propelled himself upward, using the fire beneath him to launch into the air. His form was now a streak of flame, an unstoppable force.

"DON'T GET COCKY!!" Jojo roared, his voice laced with fury and madness. The zombies around him stacked on top of each other, creating a living barrier to block the firestorm Chris had unleashed. But even they couldn't stand up to Chris's fury for long.

"You can't stay airborne forever—" Jojo began, but his words trailed off when he saw what was happening. "My heart! THEY FOUND THE HEART!!" he screamed, his voice cracking with desperation.

Jojo waved his hands furiously, and the aerial sphere he was controlling snatched him up, swinging him backward with unimaginable speed. "GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!!" Chris shouted, furious. He dropped a massive ball of fire, a brutal explosion that ripped through the air and tore apart everything in its wake. The shockwave it created sent debris flying in all directions, the force of it shifting the pressure in the area and causing chaos.

The heat from Chris's magic was overwhelming, even the other Guardians felt the force of it. Jojo was forced back, and the wave hit the glass encasing the heart, causing cracks to spread across its surface.

"What the hell was that?!" I yelled, struggling to regain my balance. "Curmudgeon!" Alec said, wobbling to his feet as well.

"YOU WRETCHED CHILDREN!!" Jojo screamed, his voice full of rage, as he sped toward me with terrifying speed.

"No! I need time to break this!" I said, panic creeping into my voice. Alec stepped in between me and Jojo, his axe raised high.

"I don't know how much time a magicless man like me can give you, but I'll try," he said, his voice steady but with a glint of determination.

"You'll die a useless death, don't!" I uttered, my heart pounding.

"We don't have time. Here he comes!" Alec shouted, his grip tightening on his axe. Jojo stretched out his hands, magic swirling around them. His body tensed, and then he screamed in a wild, animalistic fury as a wall of flesh surged forward, a tidal wave of bodies crashing toward us.

Before he could reach Alec, Luca and Madison landed between them. Without hesitation, Luca raised his hand, and a giant, green magic circle appeared Infront of him. A colossal twister spiraled into existence, its winds howling as it tore against Jojo's wave of flesh, sending him flying into the wall of skin and bodies behind him with a force that shook the ground beneath our feet.

Luca's magic came in sharp bursts as he kept the monstrous wall of flesh at bay, his wind magic slashing through the air to keep it from closing in. Madison turned around and shouted, "DOM! WE'LL HOLD HIM OFF, HURRY, SMASH IT!" Her voice was strained, but urgent, as she hurled blasts of healing magic into the fray, supporting Luca as the wall loomed ever closer.

I spun on my heel, my heart hammering in my chest, and fired a series of ice spears at the glass. The sharp, frozen projectiles thudded against it, but the glass wouldn't even crack. Alex swung his axe with all his might, the heavy blade biting into the surface with each hit, but all we were doing was chipping away, not making any real progress.

"THIS IS MY SHOW, THIS IS MY WORLD, AND IT WILL END WITH ME TAKING YOUR FACE!!" He screamed as he unleashed more magic his voice laced with fury. Magic flared, and the skin wall seemed to pulse, growing even larger, pressing forward like a living thing.

"DO US ALL A FAVOR AND SHUT THE HELL UP!!" Chris shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos as flames exploded from his palms. The fire met the skin wall, searing it and turning some parts to ash in places. The fire and wind magic mixed together, the vortex roaring as it formed, sweeping everything in its path into the burning inferno.

"Alec, do me a favor and toss me up high!" I shouted, my voice rising above the noise. Without hesitation, Alec grabbed my waist, and with a grunt of effort, flung me into the air. I soared upward, feeling the rush of wind beneath me. The battlefield below became a blur, and my heart raced. I closed my eyes for a moment, hearing the voice again, that strange, familiar voice telling me to call upon my stone.

I focused on it—on the cold, heavy weight of the power within—and as if responding to the call, a surge of energy exploded through me. The air around me crackled, and I came crashing down, my body enveloped in a brilliant blue light.

"DOMINIQUE!!" Madison screamed, her voice breaking through the roar of the battle. "GO!!!" The others echoed her, their cries mixed with desperation. The blue light flickered around me as I fell, and I punched down with everything I had. The glass shattered beneath my fist, cracking into a thousand pieces, each one reflecting the light like tiny shards of ice.

I quickly gripped the heart at the center of the structure, the unnatural warmth of it seeping through my fingers. I froze it with a wave of my hand, and the temperature dropped so suddenly that my breath froze in the air. My fingers tightened around it, squeezing until I heard a sickening crack, the heart shattering into pieces under my grip.

"DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!!" Jojo's roar split the air, his body trembling with the force of his magic. His skin melted off his frame as if it were made of wax, leaving only his skeleton behind. The wall of flesh fell to ash, disintegrating into nothing as Luca's and Chris's magic surged, consuming it entirely. Finally, the wall stopped growing, its threat gone for good.

The dome surrounding us cracked and shattered, the circus decor crumbling away like paper in the wind, revealing the dark outskirts of the town beyond. The chaos of the battlefield stilled for a moment, and everyone dropped to the ground, gasping for breath, their bodies battered from the intense battle.

"Did we just...?" I asked, my voice weak, stopping myself before I finished the sentence. I was afraid to even say it aloud, not wanting to tempt fate.

"I think we did," Luca muttered, barely audible, as if still processing the weight of the fight.

"I just took on a damn landlord!!" Chris shouted, grinning like a madman, his voice full of wild excitement.

"Guys, by the way, where's Crystal?" Madison asked, her voice suddenly tinged with worry. Her eyes scanned the area frantically.

I pointed toward the wreckage of the building, where my ice still encased Crystal. The frozen shape of her body stood in stark contrast to the destruction around us.

"I see someone slept well," Chris scoffed, frowning at the unconscious girl.

"You won't ever get a woman with how mean you are," Alec retorted, his tone half-joking, half-serious.

Chris looked at me with an intense, sensual glance before turning away in frustration. "Tsk, shut the hell up."

"She lost a lot of blood. I'm not surprised," Madison remarked, her voice softer now, the concern returning to her face.

Suddenly, we heard the unmistakable sound of horns in the distance. We all looked up, exhaustion creeping into our bones, only to see officers and magic knights marching toward us, their armor gleaming in the dim light. Behind them were Mr. Stone and Mrs. Dean, both looking worried but relieved to see us standing, if barely.

I lay back on the ground, too tired to move. "I'm not sure if we're in trouble, but right now... I don't care," I muttered, closing my eyes and letting the cool night air drift over me. In seconds, sleep claimed me, my body finally succumbing to the exhaustion of the battle.