He’s being diplomatic, Rui thought. Why didn’t Ten provide her with information that would help her search?
“Are you saying I should be looking for Four’s power too?” she asked.
Nikai nodded. “If you find his power, it might lead you to him. We believe he has hidden it somewhere in your realm and masked its presence, most likely in a vessel of some sort, something that can hold immense power and protect it.”
“He put his power in acontainer?” An image of a plastic bento boxwith the worddeathwritten in red on it flashed in Rui’s mind. She gave herself a shake.
“Amagiccontainer,” Nikai said, as if that made things any better.
“Which means I should be looking for an object as well,” Rui said thoughtfully. “What does the vessel look like?”
“Unfortunately, we do not know. It will be a magical artifact, a relic of some kind, and it can take a form of many things—a chest, an urn, or perhaps a ring or a locket or—”
“Yeah, I get the idea,” Rui cut him off, trying not to feel dispirited. Her task seemed impossible, like fishing a needle from the sea. If only Zizi would answer her calls.Hemight know of some magical artifacts in the human world.
“Both our worlds will suffer even more if Four is not found,” Nikai said. “It is vital that you locate him.”
“What’s happening in your world?” she asked, curious.
The box of fried chicken shook in Nikai’s hand. “We call it the Nothing, and it devours everything. That is all I can say. But if Four returns to us, the destruction will stop.” He brushed his shoulder, an odd gesture, like he was brushing off cobwebs. “I’m afraid I’ve run out of time in your realm. I must return.”
“But you haven’t told me how to use the mirror.”
“All you need to do is say my name. If anything out of the ordinary happens or if you spot something, contact me.” Nikai gave her another bow. “Thank you for helping us.”
She bit her lip, squeezing the mirror tightly in her hand. “Thank me when I actually get it done.”
“Good luck, Rui.”
Nikai gave her a small smile and vanished into thin air.
25
Yiran
“Here, try it on,” Tesha said. She was practically vibrating with excitement.
Yiran took the slinky piece of metal she was waving at him. He slipped his right hand in and flexed his fingers. The glove she’d given him was woven from steel, but it was so light and malleable he wondered what witchcraft the Maks possessed. But their trade secrets were that—secrets.
“What do you think?” Tesha looked like she was about to bounce off the walls.
“Fits like a glove,” Yiran deadpanned.
Tesha shrieked with laughter.
“She’s easily amused,” Teshin said, shaking their head.
Yiran made a fist. “How do I use it? Do I... punch things?”
“It isn’t aweaponweapon, but it’ll help you manage your qi for now,” Tesha explained. “If I did it right, you should be able to cast spells without leaking too much spiritual energy and spiraling out of control.”
“Leaking?”
“Mm-hmm. Didn’t you know?” At Yiran’s look of confusion, she went on, “Teshin told me about the incident in the simulation on your first day at the Academy, and after seeing you channel the other day, we both think that’s what’s happening. Normally, when you channel with proper technique, magic flows out in a natural and steady state. Your technique is adequate, but your magic is highly unstable—probably because of the tampering. It comes out in bursts and spurts, like there’s too much of it.” She shrugged. “It leaks.”
“With that amount of spiritual energy circulating inside you, it’s strange how it took so long for things to manifest,” Teshin added.
The Mak twins seemed to know more about spiritual energy andmagic and weapons than what Yiran’s lectures were teaching him. And they seemed to think that it was his grandfather’s tampering that was the issue here. It could well be that, but Yiran knew it was also because the magic he’d been trying to use belonged to Rui and not himself.
