Rescue Party

Genie and Kairo left the cave at the break of dawn with a renewed focus. Kairo felt his body strengthen during their flight and fight. They sprinted through the jungles, cutting down familiar monsters or navigating around them.

Their destination was for a section of beach where strong magic gathered. Genie would open a portal for a support party, who'd cover their return home.

Eventually, they arrived at a sandy cove void of monsters. Kairo's eyes widened when he felt a strong and soothing energy in the area. He slipped into his spiritual sea to check his levels.

"Level 30 magic. Level 3 Rezenens Mage!" He felt smug as he told Genie his results.

"When you're Level 40, I'll do something nice for you." Genie suggestively offered, which had Kairo eagerly nodding.

Genie laughed as he slung his arm over Kairo's shoulder. Like he used to do before they were boyfriends. He led him further onto the shore.

"This should do it." He stepped away as he stood in a spiralling geyser of white, star-like, particles. "The energy fissure will boost my magic for a link-portal."

He magically drew a teleportation hexagon array midair; stood back as it transformed into a swirling, vortex. He held the portal open with his magic.

Henka-guard, Adell-guard, Lyt-guard, Lady Bluesteed, Eldor-sekkat, Lady Candice, and Nik-guard stepped through.

"All in your sweet time why don't you." Genie complained as beads of sweat dripped down the sides of his face.

He eventually released the portal, shoving magic and health regeneration pills into his mouth to recover.

"Kairo!" Lady Bluesteed excitedly rushed to him with clear relief to see him.

"Kairo?" Genie grumbled at her intimate use of his name.

"Lady Bluesteed. Am I glad to see you all." Kairo accepted her friend's hug, and pulled away when he saw Genie's scowl.

Lady Candice giggled. She leaned on Genie and poked at his cheek. "If you don't make a move, you're gonna lose him."

Genie smugly brushed her off. "Lose him? We're together."

She clapped her hands and slapped his back with congratulations. "Looking at him, yeah, he's your man through and through. Treat him well, or you'll have Bluesteed stomp on your head."

Genie's expression eased with a smile.

Lady Bluesteed sighed, forlorn, when she noticed Lady Candice and Genie. "Say, Kairo, I need to tell you something."

"Oh? Okay." Kairo agreed, not suspecting anything deep and meaning about to be divulged to him.

"Forgive me for asking, but are you and Genie, mating?"

Mating? Kairo began to fret, uncertain on how to answer.

She smiled with understanding and changed her angle. "When I saw you give it your all in the wizard trials, I was inspired by your grit and courage. It made me realize that I had to face my challenge and take control of my life. Then, when you survived your mage training and fought alongside me, I felt I could rely on you as my comrade."

She stared at Genie, who was talking with the others. "But every time I see you with Genie, I see you grow, become stronger. You surprise us with miracles. He brings the best out of you."

Her heart raced painfully but with clear conviction toward her decision. "At one time, I liked you as a mating partner, then I realized my feelings were more about how much you brought the best out of me." She patted his shoulder to give him her blessings. "If you feel the same way that he does, tell him. The two of you together is the best for all of us."

Tears welled within Kairo's eyes as he genuinely felt touched by her support and courage. His expression and eyes eased into an endearing smile, making her gasp with awe and her heart beat faster.

"Yeah, um, Genie and I are together. I'm sorry if I led you on without realizing." He scratched his head, feeling bad.

"No! It wasn't you, honestly. And once I sorted out my feelings, I realized that what I felt for you was admiration. So, can we still be friends?" Lady Bluesteed asked shyly.

"Of course! You never stopped being one. If anything, I feel very lucky to have an awesome lady for my best friend."

"Oi! We've got to get a portal going now, so stop chit-chatting." Genie called out when he saw them together.

Lady Bluesteed pouted with a retort. "You can monopolize your mating-partner later. This is my time!"

The flustered reactions from Kairo and Genie had everyone laughing, and Nik-guard's eyes rolling with happy moon-cash signs. He couldn't wait to give the fan club his inside scoop.

Suddenly the skies darkened. Fierce, howling winds knocked everyone back and sent them tumbling toward the cliff face.

Another portal appeared with a small army of Shadow Cabal mages and warriors pouring out of it.

Kairo staggered to his feet as he grabbed Zeus for a fight. Soon, everyone was locked into a fierce battle.

Death Mages shuffled out of the portal muttering arcane spells.

Genie cursed and writhed about as he felt his body restricted by lightning, which wrapped around him as binds.

"Genie!" Kairo desperately sprinted for him, casting cross-blade magic attacks with attempts to negate the magic. But warriors appeared with shields to block him.

Lyt-guard performed his Blades of the Immortal spell on the warriors, but he wasn't able to whittle the numbers down. They continuously poured out of the portal. He dropped among the dead when the spell was exhausted.

Adell-guard backed up his failed attempts with her fast maneuvers and attacks to reduce the numbers.

"Terra Blade: whirland!" Eldor-sekkat shouted as his tail moved to form the spell.

A tornado of sand, mixed with lightning, raced for the Shadow Cabal foot soldiers, eliminating hefty numbers, but more entered from the portal.

The ginger malkin ambled over bodies and attacks. His tail moved with another spell before the portal energy. Sand rose with the purpose of dampening the magic and deconstructing the spell that was keeping it open.

The death mages unleashed a multilayered, chain-lightening, attack when they saw the portal rapidly shrinking.

This spell triggered a sky portal opening.

Kairo dodged lightning bolts, slashed and hacked through warrior attacks with his focus on reaching Genie.

Genie's lightning binds absorbed his magic and strength. He was struck unconscious.

"Get off me!" Kairo roared at the warrior mob piling on him. He tapped into his spiritual sea to unleash a cosmic power blast to throw them back.

His eyes glowed silver as he instinctively unlocked and called upon a new spell during his heightened state, which manipulated world elements with a thought in his mind.

"Timebound: drops."

A blackened tsunami of shrieker infested waters rose with high-pitched gushes and noises that scratched the ear drums. It slammed down on the death mages as a horde of bodies within water, turning the section of sand blue and red with the stink of foul blood. The enemy's lives were taken by the merman monsters.

Kairo controlled the tsunami's flow to trawl the remains back to the ocean. The water settled back in its natural state, but the stench of sulfur and fish guts lingered about the fouled sands.

He was short of breath, his limbs burned with aches and migraine made his head heavy. Yet, he scrambled for Genie, who was within arms reach.

Mad laughter bellowed from the sky portal when Genie was sucked into it.

"GENIE!" Kairo unleashed all his magic against the closing portal, as he blindly raced toward the ocean to move near it.

Henka-guard stepped before him and knocked him back with a magic blast. "He's gone. You gotta live to get him back!"

Kairo dropped to his knees: slammed his fists to the sand. His rage burned within him. He had to get Genie back.

"I've managed to reopen our portal, but I can't hold it for long." Eldor-sekkat advised. His tail was holding it in place.

Lady Bluesteed helped Kairo to his feet. "We'll get him back."

Kairo stepped through the portal with fierce determination. The Shadow Cabal was number one on his hit list.