'That's right, magic. Don't you believe me?'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGePDh8Ry8X
'I'm sorry miss, but...'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrKblCadc4
In frustration, Christine flung the officer out of his chair. 'That's called magic. They're either going to try to track me down, or launch an attack on the WestGo building. You know the one?'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4C6d3dRpB
Stunned, the officer could barely manage a nod.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpc1pT49Si9
What was I thinking? The police can't help with this. I have to do this on my own.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tHGJNfJdD
She left the station without another word. I can't just hide. If I stay in the shadows without confronting them, they'll just continue on with their business. I have to take them down.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9QLkCx3Yf
Where would she find them? No doubt they would have vacated their hideout, so... WestGo.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgSDqdoCay
If she ran, it'd take her almost 20 minutes to get there.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjYMeKwrpv
Christine looked at the parked cars in the street. She had a better idea.
Dammit!644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaw3pfIg00V
Hughes and the others were already at the WestGo office building. As the screaming began, Christine realized that the fire had started.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqbs4LGSws
'Hughes! Stop it now! Thousands of people work in there!'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjp3z3ZdePu
He had locked the doors of the building. A construction crane in the neighboring street began turning ominously towards the offices, and with a groan, Christine held out a hand to stop it in it's tracks.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpBIt0BtD7
Hughes smiled. The High Priestess was powerful, no doubt, but all of Floor Twelve Minus could tire her out.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzuwr96vej
One by one, cars began rising into the air, and when the first one was launched into the 26th floor of the building, she realized what they were doing.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8RHp5EwE9
'STOP IT!' She yelled, straining to keep all the cars down.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYyoR8pSRF
Hughes flung one to Christine - and with a shock, she quickly diverted it away into a small cluster of magicians. But it had served its purpose - her attention had been taken away from the crane, and it began tipping into the building.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Kpl6N0fZl
'Don't you dare - ' She shrieked from exertion as she tried to stop the crane from falling, but Floor Twelve Minus added with the force of gravity was too much for her, and she collapsed onto the ground.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjDK2KL49z
'NO - ' She could do it, she could save them all, she knew she could, and with a scream that drowned out all the ones coming from the building, she rose onto her feet and the crane followed suit with a metallic groan.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaEVOWwQCG
'Hughes! You can't go any further!' But she didn't need to say it - he and the others had been exhausted trying to move such a large object at that altitude.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRoTXxkGb8
With ragged breaths, Christine sent all the magicians to collapse on the side of the street in a pile, leaving Hughes standing by the base of WestGo.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6vvCimHPM
'Give it up, Hughes. I'm not going to let you kill them.'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbjyu8w6xS
As Hughes fell onto his knees, he let out a scathing laugh. 'You think you've saved them all?' Ignorant bitch. He gave a smug roar. 'You don't know anything about magic, Christine.'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDarpoS2mhy
'There's no need to play anymore games.'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuq0F80FZl
'Magic is not a game. The Bind is not a game.'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vmYURGa4s
'The Bind?'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZZEXadicZ
As realization began settling into Christine's face, Hughes laughed again. 'The ancient Bind of magic, Christine. No power comes for free. For every time you draw magic from the Void, you have to give back to it.'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDYceH66Zw
'Oh my god, no...' The crackle-crackle-crackle of the flames, all the screaming...644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WwUJ5PIBU
'For every spell you cast, a person needs to die by the hands of your bloodline. And it looks like I'm doing it on behalf of us both.'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYymNAUYUF
'My god, stop it, stop it -' She had forgotten about the fire. The crackle-crackle-crackle as the fire erupted to engulf glass, concrete, and flesh...644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIA8FeRlBFi
'No, no, no no no...' She watched in despair as the flames rose, a pillar of fire in the center of the city. She couldn't put it out, there was no magic she could do to stop the crackle-crackle-crackle of the screaming shimmering red of the house fire where her parents burned...644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3JRTGJL5E
The internal structure of the building had been destroyed - and with a monstrous sound all forty flours of the building began to collapse like a series of vertical dominoes.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTXrl8ZHpr
'No...' A thousand three hundred and seventy two lives. More than what was needed. The Bind was held, the Void was satisfied.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lktYKCJQ1
Hughes' barking laughter could still be heard even as the collapse finished, a mountainous pile of burning rubble, dust, and bodies.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMk2dbpq5N
The firefighters, the ambulances, all started arriving, but it was too late, just like it was too late when she was just a little girl - because it was impossible to save them. Her parents had been the price of that little bit of wonder.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67U7VfWSf3
Christine closed her eyes, and she, too, collapsed onto her knees, tears carving tracks into the dust and grit on her face.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAVCgikQde
'Sir, ma'am, are you two alright...'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFfLw656Yx
'Come with us please, sir, ma'am...'644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPCpUqv5TP
Tears and laughter.644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGbSZSOQqT
644Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbQenEtPMy
