Chapter 1: Comet Woes
Chapter Text
Primp Town was still in chaos.
Two days had passed since the battle with the Count, but there was no returning to normality. Not when magic continued to malfunction in bizarre ways, not when the lingering effects of the dark magic kept seeping through cracks in the town's fabric. Buildings were still damaged, certain streets were blocked off, and, inexplicably, one building had caught fire—again.
Lemres stood in the middle of what could only be described as controlled pandemonium, staring up at the sky. His usual composed demeanor was rattled as he juggled tasks that should have been beneath him: fixing damaged windows with hasty magic, putting out fires he didn’t start, and attempting (and failing) to settle people down.
"Well, this is just fantastic," Lemres muttered to himself, running a hand through his tousled hair. A comet had been spotted streaking across the sky earlier in the day, and the magical energy it emitted had clearly messed with Primp's magic fields. The town was in disarray because of it—weather spells acted up, items were turning into frogs for no reason, and people’s enchanted items were spontaneously malfunctioning.
Of course, none of this was new for Lemres, who had experience with magical mishaps, but it was frustrating to see it happen again. He was supposed to be aiding the town, yet somehow, his help always seemed to create new problems. Right now, he was trying to keep one of his attempts at using his fire magic from spiraling out of control.
"Focus, Lemres. Focus."
A familiar figure appeared beside him, drawing him from his thoughts.
"A fire again, Lemres?" Accord's voice, though laced with frustration, held a hint of concern. "How do you manage to find these things?"
"Not by choice," Lemres grumbled. He lifted his hands, attempting to weave a spell to put out the flames. "This whole comet situation is wreaking havoc. I think it disrupted the natural order of magic here. Everything feels... off."
"Great. That's the last thing we needed." Accord folded her arms. Her expression was tight, eyes flicking nervously to the blaze that still stubbornly refused to extinguish. But this wasn’t what had her truly rattled.
A part of her was bothered by something far more internal.
Her gaze drifted to the side, following Lemres' every movement. She didn’t want to admit it, not even to herself. But there it was. She had made a mistake. A big one.
Sig had been training harder than usual—partly because of the issues surrounding the dark magic he’d been exposed to—and she had... she had forgotten. Forgotten to put his training wheels back on, metaphorically speaking. She hadn't been careful enough. She had let him push himself too hard, too fast. And now? Now, she was terrified of what might happen if he overexerted himself again.
The thought of Sig losing control, the panic it would cause, hit her like a wave. She had to force herself to keep a calm exterior.
"Don't just stand there," Lemres snapped, pulling her from her spiraling thoughts. "Help me!"
"Right," Accord muttered, snapping back to reality. She had her own concerns, but now was not the time to let them fester. She had work to do.
With a concentrated flick of her wrist, a blue glow encased her hands. The fire that had threatened to spread across a nearby building slowly sputtered and died under the force of her magic. Relief flooded through her, but it was short-lived. The larger problem still loomed.
"What are we going to do about the comet?!" she demanded.
Lemres glanced up, his face hardening in thought. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it's affecting more than just the weather and magic systems. There's something... different about it."
"I hate to say it," Accord muttered, "but it looks like we’re going to have to deal with this comet problem head-on. What’s next?"
Lemres sighed, running his fingers through his hair again. "First things first. We need to clear this mess before anything else happens."
With the fire now under control, Lemres turned toward the group of townspeople that had gathered in the square. There was little more they could do for now. "You all are dismissed for the day. Everyone go home, stay safe. I'll work on getting things back to normal."
"Thanks, Lemres!" someone called out, still visibly shaken but grateful for the help.
The mage simply waved them off, not having the energy to be particularly gracious. His mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with what the comet’s magical anomaly might really mean for Primp Town and its inhabitants.
But there was something more that weighed heavily on him—his own personal worries. The comet was a symptom of something larger. Could it be tied to the disturbances in Sig's magic? Or, even more concerning, was it connected to the dark forces they had faced only days ago? Lemres wasn’t sure, but he was certain this was no coincidence.
For now, though, he had to focus on getting the town back on its feet. But even as he worked, his thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to that one word:
"Corruption."
Chapter 2: The Ripple Effect
Chapter Text
The comet’s trail still lingered above the sky, an ethereal streak of pale green light that refused to fade. Primp Town had quieted after the chaos, but the silence was uneasy. Magic—though stable for now—felt brittle, like a pane of glass too long under stress. It shimmered just beneath the surface of things, wrong in ways even the most seasoned mages couldn’t quantify.
Inside the infirmary wing of the Magic School, Sig sat on the edge of a cot, staring blankly at his hands. They were wrapped in gauze—not from wounds, but to mask the faint glow that had started to pulse from his fingertips again. The magic in his body had flared during the last battle, and Accord had insisted he rest while she “assessed the resonance interference.” Sig didn’t understand half of it. But he didn’t like the way his hands tingled, how his reflection in the mirror had briefly shown his blue eye turning red.
“You okay?” Amitie’s voice was gentle as she sat down beside him. She’d changed out of her usual outfit, now wearing a slightly cropped red T-shirt with a Chu Puyo graphic. She wore her usual hat and purple socks, but her bracelet was now more yellow than green, and the pink and magenta shorts were paired with yellow leggings. She wore a belt featuring a green clover buckle, and her feet were covered by red boots with white clovers instead of laces. “You’ve been quiet for a while.”
“I’m always quiet,” Sig replied with a half-hearted shrug.
“Okay, but, like, extra quiet,” she clarified, then paused. “And you haven’t blinked since I walked in. That’s... a little creepy.”
Sig blinked once—slow, deliberate. “Better?”
Amitie made a face. “Marginally.”
He didn’t smile, but he shifted his gaze to her at last. “There’s something in me. I feel it. Like a worm crawling around under my skin.”
She frowned. “Is it the dark magic again?”
“I think it’s deeper. Like… it’s part of me now. Not just clinging to me.” Sig looked down again, flexing his fingers. The gauze tightened. “Accord said she’s working on a containment charm. But I don’t think charms will fix it.”
Amitie was quiet for a long beat. “Then we’ll just have to find a real cure. Together.”
Sig glanced sideways. “You always say that.”
“Because I mean it.”
She bumped her shoulder against his. He didn’t flinch. That was something, at least.
Before more could be said, the door burst open with its usual lack of warning—Ringo stomped in, clutching a chaotic stack of papers that fluttered with residual static magic. Her hair, usually neat, crackled with static, some strands sticking comically outward.
“I need everyone to hear this,” she declared, setting the papers down on the nearest table with a loud thud. “And yes, I know some of us are resting or recovering or moping—” she nodded toward Sig “—but this can’t wait.”
“Please tell me that’s not more comet stuff,” Amitie said, standing.
“Oh, it’s comet stuff,” Ringo said grimly. “But it’s also worse.”
She slapped a page onto the table for emphasis. Scribbled across the parchment in enchanted ink was a diagram of Primp’s magical ley lines, overlaid with erratic pulse markers. The center of the disruption was... the Magic School.
“Wait, the comet’s affecting us directly?” Amitie asked, peering closer.
“No. Not just affecting us. It’s using us,” Ringo said. “Every time someone casts a spell, especially around this part of the city, the comet's magic surges. Like it’s siphoning from us. I think it’s been storing energy from all the recent battles and instability.” She ran a frustrated hand through her still-crackling hair. “The terrifying part is whether this is mindless siphoning or if the comet is an intelligent entity actively feeding. Either way, it’s adapting. Learning.”
Sig’s brow furrowed. “Like feeding on our magic?”
“Exactly,” Ringo said. “It’s no wonder things are going haywire. The more we fight it, the stronger it becomes. We are fueling it.”
Amitie’s expression darkened. “So we’re fueling it just by trying to protect the town?”
“That’s my theory. Which means we need a new approach.”
They were interrupted again—this time by a knock, polite but firm.
Raffina stepped in without waiting. “Am I late to the doomsday briefing?”
“Fashionably,” Ringo replied. “Welcome.”
Lidelle followed close behind, nervously clutching a soft leather-bound tome. “I… I found something that might help.”
She set the book down with trembling hands, flipping through to a bookmarked section. The page depicted a comet—not unlike the one currently streaking the skies—alongside ancient glyphs and a rough sketch of an open gate flanked by monstrous shadows.
“It’s from an old record of celestial phenomena,” Lidelle explained. “This comet—it’s appeared before. Once, centuries ago. During the Twilight Spiral.”
“Twilight Spiral?” Raffina repeated. “Sounds like an emo band name.”
“It’s not,” Klug said, entering with a rare grimace. “It was a cataclysm. Magic twisted out of control, entire regions were cut off from reality. Some say it opened doorways to other realms. Others say it nearly tore ours apart.”
Klug stepped forward, eyes locked on the comet’s symbol in the book. “If the comet’s presence matches the one from that event… we may be in more trouble than we thought.”
Feli appeared in the doorway like a ghost. “I warned you. The stars were wrong. Now the sky sings in broken chords. The harmony of the world is cracked.”
“Thanks, Feli, that’s very comforting,” Amitie muttered.
But the tension in the room deepened.
“Alright,” Ringo said, taking a deep breath. “We need a plan. We’ve dealt with magical weirdness before. Let’s figure out how to stop this before things get worse.”
“We could track the comet’s energy,” Klug offered. “Map the flux patterns, see where the concentration is highest.”
“I can help with containment,” Lidelle added. “The purification rituals might stabilize someone… if we can anchor them.”
“Like Sig?” Amitie asked. Sig didn’t respond, but he didn’t object either.
Raffina nodded. “Then we need two teams. One to investigate the comet’s core, wherever that is. The other to help neutralize its influence locally.”
Ringo tapped the map. “The highest magical distortion is happening near the cliffs east of Primp. There’s an abandoned shrine there, hidden in the forest. Nobody goes there anymore. That’s where we start.”
Amitie stood, determined now. “Alright. Team Shrine: Me, Sig, Ringo, and Lidelle. Team Containment: Klug, Raffina, Feli. Sound good?”
Feli tilted her head. “The flames shall consume the sky unless the waters rise.”
Raffina sighed. “I’m taking that as a yes.”
A beat passed. Then, without ceremony, Lemres phased into the room—no knock, just a swirl of cold air and sparkles. His cloak was soaked with dew, his hat slightly tilted, and his usual grin was nowhere to be seen.
“I checked the shrine already,” he said, voice unusually terse. “It’s not empty.”
The room fell silent.
“Something is guarding it. Or trapped inside it. Maybe both. I couldn’t get close before the magic warped around me. It felt like the Count’s energy… but raw. Unfiltered.”
“Is it… him?” Lidelle whispered.
Lemres shook his head. “No. But it’s related. This thing, whatever it is, is feeding on chaos. And right now, Primp Town is an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
“So what do we do?” Ringo asked.
Lemres looked around the room, gaze lingering on Sig, then Amitie. “You go anyway. Carefully. But take this—”
He produced a small orb of solid cometlight, flickering with ice-blue motes.
“Something I pulled from the comet’s residue. It reacts to dark magic—glows stronger the closer you are. Might help you locate the source.”
Amitie took it carefully. The orb was ice cold. Sig’s fingers brushed it by accident—and it glowed violet for an instant before fading.
Everyone noticed.
Lemres didn’t comment. He just turned toward the door. “I’ll meet you at the shrine. Try not to get consumed by eldritch horrors.”
Later That Night – The Eastern Cliffs
The forest surrounding the shrine was silent—unnaturally so. No insects. No wind. No moonlight beyond the canopy. The path was narrow and twisted, vines curling like claws across ancient stone.
Amitie led the way, orb in hand, flanked by Sig and Ringo, with Lidelle keeping the rear. The orb pulsed steadily now, a heartbeat of color.
They stepped into the clearing where the shrine stood. It was crumbling, overgrown, and yet unmistakably active. Lines of faint energy ran through the stone, like veins. The comet’s glow was stronger here, rising from the cracks like steam.
Then—something moved.
A ripple in the air. A figure, cloaked in tattered robes, emerged from the shrine’s inner sanctum. Its face was masked, but the aura was unmistakable: void-magic, older than memory.
The orb in Amitie’s hand flared.
Sig staggered. His eyes (both red and blue) glowed for an instant.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the figure said, voice like falling gravel. “This gate must open. The comet is the key to you.”
“And you’re the lock?” Amitie asked, heart pounding.
The figure’s eyes gleamed.
“No,” it said. “I am the herald.”
The shrine exploded into light.
Eway on Chapter 2 Sat 15 Nov 2025 04:56AM UTC
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