"What do you mean we're in a trap??"
Thames began to pace around the moment Lin decided they were in a trap.
"Well! There's no sun right now! So probably in a magician's field. And I ain't notice those three until they were right there!"
"What do we do then???"
She sticks up her index as she thinks of an idea.
"Find the magician who trapped us."
He nodded then realized his feather had turned into a sword.
"Uh." He stopped pacing. "So how do we find them?"
"Well...! If I made a field here, I'd be hidin' in a buildin."
Looking around the street, there weren't any buildings that really stood out, but then they noticed a nearby clocktower. In unison, they both point at it and look at each other.
"Definitely." Lin quickly said then headed towards a street leading towards it.
Following her, he noticed that many buildings around them had lost their textures. It was a disturbing detail that he couldn't quite wrap his head around, so he just focused on Lin, who was running quickly with her hammer ready to strike.
"Do you think Ode knows???"
He asked in between long gasps for air.
"If he ain't here already he's gotta be fighting people! This large of a field wouldn't go unnoticed by any magicians!"
She quickly confirms Thames suspicion that Ode was in a similar predicament as them.
"What do we do once the fields gone?"
"Reconnect with Ode. Leave the city if we gotta!"
Just as she said this a person emerged from her shadow, grabbing and throwing her away.
"Lin!"
Thames swung his blade wildly at the new person, but they quickly evaded them all.
The person, equipped in light armor, pointed a sword at Thames while opening their mostly covered mouth.
"[Sleep.]"
N-n-no!
His mind and body begged to remain awake, but he felt an icy energy overwhelm him as his mind went blank and he fell into a slumber.
***
Ode stopped moving, the sense of overwhelming darkness clouded over the street as twelve people slowly walked towards him.
"This isn't good...!"
His cocky smile remained plastered to his face as he walked towards the approaching people.
The person at the front, a man dressed in a lavender suit, spoke up first.
"Damn right it isn't good! You're screwed!"
All twelve drew blades as they continued to approach Ode.
"Nope! Ain't enough of y'all!"
They paused momentarily, then ran at him.
"[Sun Reborn.]"
***
Thames found himself dreaming of a starry night, the brilliant balls of light twinkling down on him as sand brushed past him through the wind.
Whe... Where am I?
He thought groggily, overwhelmed with an intense feeling of emptiness and sleepiness.
"LIN!"
He suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet and looking around.
Sand... Stars.... How do I wake up?
"I can't stay asleep."
He said firmly, looking up at the stars.
They continued to twinkle, the sand continuing to swirl around him.
Suddenly, the ground below his feet shook as the sand reeled back, lowering him onto a stone platform. Gradually revealing what appeared to be a massive altar.
Etched onto it were unfamiliar characters and he was certain that they were much older than any language he knew of.
"What do you want of me???"
He asked out, pointing up towards the sky.
O' Painter...
A horrendous collection of different voices, some familiar some unfamiliar, echoed around his dream space, shaking the remaining sand along with the altar.
Surrender to-
The terrifying voice was suddenly cut off, replaced by the caring motherly voice he always assumed to be Goddess Trem.
I am sorry... O' Painter. You have... Looked too deeply.
A sudden pain struck his head as he lost feeling of his body and fell onto the altar.
With a crunch, he gradually saw blood, his own blood, trickle across the altar and down it, falling into the sand.
W-what? Is that... My blood?
As he questioned inwardly, his vision faded.
Feeling movement, he looked up from where he was and noticed that he was being carried by a hobbling Lin, inching towards the clocktower.
"Cmon... Thames. We're almost there."
She spat out weakly, occasionally pausing in her march.
"Lin?!? What happened??"
He quickly asked, getting off of her back and helping her walk.
"There were more... Got me good, but you gotta see what happened to them. Got em worse."
She let out a dry chuckle and then pointed at the tower.
"The magicians gotta be there. You could probably take him."
Walking slowly to a nearby wall, he propped her up against it while turning towards the tower.
"Don't worry, Lin. I'll be right back."
"Yeah, yeah...! Just don't get too hurt."
With those words, he began to walk away from the battered and beaten Lin and towards the ticking tower. It casted a tall shadow over him as he walked in, looking up the spiraling staircase.
It was a long, painful trip up. Not because it was physically demanding, but because Thames' mind was constantly working against him. He wondered if Lin would make it, then wondered if it would even matter. He wasn't sure he'd be able to beat the magician at the top.
And before he knew it, he was standing before a door leading to the final space in the tower. He heard the ticking of the clock from within it, and after a few deep breaths he pressed his hands against it.
I got this. I got this.
Crouching down, he drove his right knee into the door, flinging it open and ran into the room, immediately noticing a surprised man.
He was wearing black dress pants, a black vest, and a white collared long sleeve shirt under it. In his right hand was a magician's wand, and on the floor appeared to be an array.
"Oh! Phew." The man brushed the sweat from his forehead. "It's just you! Haha! Seems like that demon got done in?"
His laughter filled the room as he turned fully towards Thames who had brought his short sword to in front of him.
"You gonna fight me? Sure, sure, let's fight."
Nodding, Thames rushed the man, dragging his feet against the array and stabbing at his chest, but even without magic the man dodged it.
"Really? That's it?"
He asked mockingly while pointing his wand at Thames.
"[Pain.]"
A wild pain spread through Thames' body in an instant, causing him to fall to the ground and drop his blade.
"AHHHHH!!!"
His screams drowned out the ticking tower as the man turned away from him, clearly disregarding Thames completely.
Writhing in pain, he grabbed his sword again, but much weaker. With two hands, he slowly stood up.
Shit, shit, shit! Stand up!
He yelled at his legs, moving his sword to around his stomach, and with as much strength as he could muster, he charged the magician, impaling him between the walls of the tower and his sword.
"Y-you little SHIT!"
He yelled out, then yelled in pain as his blood trickled down his leg. Slowly, Thames' sword was eventually coated in the crimson blood, but he wasn't dead.
Pointing his wand back at Thames who was still weakened from the spell, he began to utter something.
"[Explo-
"[Star.]"
The familiar spell was heard from outside the tower as a bright bolt of light instantly went through the magician's head, killing him finally.
Looking slowly outside through the new hole, Thames noticed Ode unharmed and holding Lin.
A smile stretched across his face as he began to wave towards Thames.
He... Made it.