"So feisty," Castra remarked with a half-smile, her eyes twinkling with a hint of approval. "If you're as determined to master magic as you are at this moment, you'll undoubtedly become a fine Mage."
"There are so many things about you, Michael," Liam said, his gaze lingering on Michael. "Things you haven't shared with me…"
"Liam… I—"
"There's no need to explain yourself, Michael. I know there are things that are difficult to talk about. Your secrets are yours alone to keep, and I won't press you for answers you're not ready to give. I just wanted you to know that."
Michael felt a surge of affection for his friend. "Thank you," he said.
Liam opened his mouth to say something, but—
"I have no patience for idle talk," Castra said abruptly. She rose gracefully from her chair, the fabric of her robe swishing as she approached Michael, who was resting on his bed. "I have wasted too much of my valuable time on you as it is."
She placed a steady hand on his forehead, her touch smooth and cool. "I can promise to perform this spell for you, Michael. However, I cannot promise I will find your family. This spell's effectiveness is limited by distance. If your family is too far away, I won't be able to pinpoint their location. Yet, I will sense a resonance with their souls, should they be alive. If they're dead… I will feel no resonance, nothing. Do you understand?"
"As long as I know about them," Michael said, stifling his tears that threatened to flow. His family could not be dead, could they? "It will be enough for now."
Castra nodded. "As long as you understand. Now, remain silent while I work. The spell is… difficult to maintain."
Castra asked, and Michael gave her the names of his brother and sister.
The [Great Mage] closed her eyes, her hands still on his forehead. Michael felt a small flow of Mana from Castra, synergizing it in ways he could not fathom.
The minutes ticked by, stretching into what felt like an eternity. Michael's anxiety grew as the flow of Mana remained constant, unchanging. Each passing second amplified his worry, and he found himself glancing at Liam who returned a worried smile that was supposed to be a reassuring one, then back at Castra, who remained impassive.
Five minutes passed. Was this supposed to take this long? Had something gone wrong? Michael silvered. "How much longer will this take?" He asked. Castra had told him not to speak, but he could not help it.
Castra's eyes remained closed, but she sighed. "A few more minutes. And remember, do not speak again."
A few more minutes passed in oppressive silence. Castra remained still as she focused intently on the spell. Michael's thoughts raced, dark and restless. A gnawing premonition tightened around his chest, making it difficult to breathe. What if his brother and sister were truly dead? No matter how much he wanted to dismiss the thought, it hounded him like a loyal dog.
Something pressed on his stomach, and his heart hammered like crazy. He fought to keep his voice steady, though the tremor in his words betrayed his fear. "Is this spell not working?"
"Don't talk. If you continue disturbing me, I will never find them."
Michael opened his mouth to argue, but hesitated. The thought of angering a [Great Mage] who was willing to help him seemed unwise. He swallowed his words, closed his mouth, and stared at his bandages.
Madison, Mason, please don't be dead. Please don't let them be. Think of happy thoughts, Michael, happy thoughts. Ice-cream, yes, think of ice-cream.
"There you are," she said, a faint smile touching her lips. "For a moment I thought… Never mind. Your brother is alive, but he is too far away for me to determine his exact location. Let me see if I can find your sister."
Michael let out a breath. Mason was alive. His brother was alive! That was something… something to cling to. A hope.
Another half hour of silence followed as Castra worked her spell to find his sister. This time, Michael kept quiet, allowing her to work without distraction.
"It is done," Castra said, removing her hand from Michael's forehead. "I could not locate your sister's whereabouts either. She is alive, but too far for me to find her."
Tears blurred Michael's vision. He could not stop himself from shaking. "They are alive. Both of them are."
Michael did not know where they were, but they were alive. It had to be enough for now. It had to be. He simply had to figure out a way to find them. Would Nairobi help him if he asked? He could not do this alone.
Of course she will help, Michael told himself. Nairobi and his sister would die for each other.
Mason, Madison, you just wait. I will come and find you. I will!
Michael asked Castra to try and find his mother, as well. Just in case—leave no stones unturned.
Castra looked at him as if she were deciding whether to thump him in the head. In the end, she sighed and proceeded to find his mother, taking his forehead in her hands once more.
When the woman was done, she shook her head. "I'm sorry."
Michael wasn't disheartened. Castra's spell would not reach another world, would it? His mother was probably back at Mars, desperately searching for her children. Oh, how much pain she must be in. Michael's shivering intensified.
Nobody spoke for a long while. It was Michael who broke the silence, , trying to keep his thoughts from drifting to the unbearable pain he imagined his mother was experiencing.
"When you say they are too far, how far do you mean?" Michael said.
"How far?" she echoed. "They are not on this continent, that's for sure. If they were, I could at least have worked out which direction they were in, if not their exact location."
Michael groaned. Why did everything have to be so damn difficult? So complicated? "So they could be anywhere in the world."
How will I ever find them?
"Anywhere but this continent," Castra agreed.
Michael closed his eyes, pushing out the last dregs of his tears. "It's impossible to find them, isn't it?"
"I wouldn't say it's impossible," Castra said. "There are more powerful Mages than I, ones who might possess the ability to locate them across such distances. If you are accepted into the Black Coral Academy, perhaps you could convince someone there to find your family for you."
Michael steeled his resolve, forcing himself to stop shivering, and wiped his tears before speaking. "Then I will be accepted into the Academy."
Michael said it as if it was inevitable.
"See that you do, boy. See that you do."