Kevin, Jacob, and Cassandra found themselves in a large blue room.
Cassandra stared at the ceiling in awe. It was filled with endless stars that glowed with magical energy.
Astraeus suddenly appeared. “Welcome my friends. I have not seen a living being in centuries.”
Astraeus disappeared and reappeared near Cassandra. “You all look so frail, I can't see how the Celestian Relics chose you three.”
“We'll see about that!” Jacob yelled.
“Young wizard, the skies of the Spiral shine with many stars... but my light is the brightest you will face.”
“It's three against one.” Kevin said. “According to my calculations, we can't possibly lose.”
Astraeus closed his eyes. Almost instantly, Kevin and Jacob vanished.
Cassandra was left alone.
Cassandra gasped. “Oh my gosh. Why did you do that?!”
“Young lady, spare me the details.” Astraeus said. “Your trial begins now!”
Astraeus suddenly sped forward and swung his nun-chucks at Cassandra.
She fell on her back on the cold hard floor.
Cassandra's eyes glowed with green light. Her back pain was eliminated immediately.
Cassandra glared at Astraeus. “Didn't your mom tell you not to hit girls?”
“In Celestian society, everyone is treated equally.” Astraeus said. “Now let's resume the Trial.”
How the heck am I supposed to beat him!? Cassandra frantically waved her wand and fired a beam of life energy.
Astraeus teleported and avoided the spell. “You're too slow young lady.”
“Stop moving so fast if you want to get beaten!” Cassandra yelled. “Or do you want Morganthe to take over the Spiral?!”
“Morganthe does not concern us right now.” Astraeus said.
“Maybe this will convince you!” Cassandra fired another blast of magic.
Astraeus dropped his nun-chucks to the ground. “You'll regret doing that young lady!”
Cassandra laughed and blasted Astraeus with yet another beam of magic.
Astraeus' arm was wounded.
“You may be able to stop one star, but can you defeat a constellation?”
Astraeus threatened.
Astraeus' body quickly multiplied into four copies.
“The constellations have formed.” All of them said in unison.
I've got no choice but to call upon the Forest Lord. Cassandra reached into
her pocket for her spell deck for the Forest Lord card.
An Astraeus clone swooped down and knocked the card from out of her hand.
“No!” Cassandra yelled.
The card flew near one of the Astraeus clones.
“That's mine. That's mine!” Cassandra shouted.
Cassandra grabbed the card from the ground. She held it tightly and encanted the words of power. “Tserof Drol Yortsed Astraeus!1”
The spell card glowed in Cassandra's hand and it flew into the air. A gigantic brown beast appeared near the Astraeus clones.
“Woogoo!*” Cassandra yelled.
The Forest Lord destroyed the Astraeus clones one by one. The original Astraeus survived the hit and fell to the floor.
“How can this be?” Astraeus said.
The Forest Lord disappeared and transformed back into a card. The formerly green card turned gray and flew into Cassandra's hand.
Cassandra drew out another card; She had a victorious smile on her face as she found her Seraph card.
“Hpares Yortsed Astraeus!” Cassandra uttered.
The spell card flew out of Cassandra's hand and transformed into a
1 Tes-Er-Rof Drol Yort-Said Astraeus
* This was intended
beautiful blonde seraph. She held a sharp sword in her hand.
“You shall not pass!” Astraeus yelled.
Astraeus fired a purple beam from his eyes. Cassandra's conjured seraph was directly hit. She vanished and transformed back into a card.
Cassandra was suddenly filled with fear. Is it really over? It can't end this way.
“The Star has chosen poorly.” Astraeus said as he got up. “You aren't worthy of defeating me.”
Astraeus fired another purple beam from his eyes. Cassandra's arm was hit and her wand flew out of her hand.
“It ends here.” Astraeus said, charging his energy for another beam.
Not if I have anything to say about it...
Cassandra's forehead suddenly glowed. A pink star formed from the light.
“It does end here... for you.” Cassandra smiled.
Cassandra drew the life symbol in the air with her fingers and a storm of sharp leaves were hurled toward Astraeus. Astraeus' armor was torn apart and he was vaporized into dust.
The star symbol on Cassandra's forehead disappeared.
“I can't believe it.” Cassandra let out a deep breath.
A shower of stars covered Cassandra and she was instantly transported back to the base camp.
Rainee ran over and gave Cassandra a hug. “Sis, you're ok! Where's my boyfriend!?”
“I'm not sure.” Cassandra said. She stared back at the glowing portal. “But I'm positive that Jacob will make it.”
Astraeus' hologram appeared near the portal. “You have passed the Test of Stars, young lady. I sense that you wish for all the Astral School knowledge to be destroyed forever.”
“Yes.” Cassandra replied.
“So be it...” Astraeus said. “But your friends must pass their trial before I am able to perform your request.”
Cassandra nodded. “Then we just have to wait a bit more.”
Kevin stood in a room full of various holograms of moon phases. Ptolemos stood in front of him.
“I sense your powerful ice magic.” Ptolemos said as he glared at Kevin.
“However, it will not be enough.”
Kevin gripped his wand and sword tightly. “Big talk for such a weak looking thing.”
“How dare you.” Ptolemos said. “Few have survived against me. Now, your trial begins.”
Ptolemos wave his moon staff and a blue force field surrounded him.
“You're not as charming as you imagine yourself.”
“I don't know what you're saying but you're going down!” Kevin yelled.
Kevin jumped into the air and tried to slash Ptolemos with his sword. His hits were ricocheted and had no effect on Ptolemos.
Ptolemos laughed and repeated. “You are not as charming as you imagine yourself.”
What is it with this force field? My sword was forged by the sharpest materials!
Kevin backed away from Ptolemos. “You're cheating!”
“I certainly am not.” Ptolemos said. “You are not as charming as you imagine yourself.”
Why does that idiot keep repeating that! It's getting on my nerves...
unless...
Kevin's eyes flashed with blue light. He used an Iceblade charm on himself to power up his next spell.
“You have charmed your way into my heart.” Ptolemos said. His force field disappeared and was open for an attack.
“Seriously?” Kevin said. “Charm on this!”
Kevin drew a Snow Angel card from his spell deck. He focused his magic and threw the card into the air.
“Wons Legna Yortsed Ptolemos!1” Kevin yelled.
The air became frigid and cool. A hooded figure on a winged horse
1 Wons Leg-nah Yort-said Ptolemos
materialized from a pile of conjured snow.
Ptolemos was blasted with a concentrated beam of ice. He disappeared from the room.
“That was easy.” Kevin said.
Kevin was transported back into the base camp.
“Kevin. You made it.” Ms. Deathslinger said. “Thank Bartleby.”
“Yeah... It was kind of a ridiculous fight.” Kevin replied. “But it's all good.”
Ptolemos' hologram appeared next to the portal. “You have passed, but your other friend must survive against Mithraya if you wish for your requests to be granted.”
Kevin looked into the portal. “Jacob will make it.”
Jacob shielded his eyes from the intense light. The air had a strange combination of heat and cold.
“Your friends have passed their trials.” Mithraya said as her eyes burned with flames. “Now you must enter your fiery doom.”
“You can't stop me.” Jacob said.
“The clouds will not part for you, young wizard.” Mithraya threatened.
“You shall not pass!”
Mithraya opened her mouth and thick red smoke filled the room instantly.
Jacob could not see anything.
“Show yourself!” Jacob yelled.
“The clouds will not part easily.” Mithraya said through the thick smoke.
Maybe this will part your stupid clouds.
Jacob focused his power and the symbol of the moon appeared on his forehead. Jacob's body glowed in metallic light as he transformed into a vortex that sucked up all the smoke.
Jacob quickly transformed back into his human form and spotted Mithraya. “There you are.”
Mithraya gasped and fired a blast of Solar magic from her hands. “How dare you clear my smoke!”
Jacob's eyes flashed with white light as he encanted a spell.
My heart and soul this risk I take Tremendous damage
I will make The power of death my foe's health will taint
Curse my target and me with a spell of feint.
An aura of dark magic surrounded Jacob and Mithraya.
“What are you doing!?” Mithraya shouted. “You trapped both of us!”
“Yes, but only I will survive.” Jacob laughed. “I just love meddling with
dark magic.”
Jacob pulled out a Hydra card from his deck. “Sorry, but I don't like failing tests.”
“Ardyh Yortsed Mithraya!1” Jacob yelled as he threw the card in the air.
“Finish her!”
A three headed Hydra formed from light. Each head represented a magical element.
Mithraya tried to fly away, but one of the Hydra's heads bit her hand and wouldn't let go. The other two heads blasted her with ice and electricity until she was ripped to shreds.
The Hydra transformed back into a card and flew back into Jacob's deck.
“I did it.” Jacob said.
Jacob was transported back into the base camp with the rest of the wizards.
Rainee was bursting with tears of joy and gave Jacob a hug. “Thank Bartleby you're alright!”
“I told you I can't die.” Jacob laughed.
Mithraya's hologram joined in with the Ptolemos' and Astraeus' holograms.
“You have passed the Trial of the Spheres.” They said in unison. “We are now able to grant a request.”
1 Are-dee Yort-said Mithraya
“It's time.” Jacob said.
Kevin nodded.
Kevin faced the holograms. “Destroy all the Celestian spell trainers so that no one can harness their power ever again.”
The three holograms shook their heads and replied. “So be it.”
Mithraya raised her sword, Ptolemos raised his staff, and Astraeus spun his nun-chucks. A powerful shockwave of magic was sent throughout Celestia.
All of the spell trainers were destroyed and turned into dust.
“Your wish has been granted.” Mithraya said. “We will now have our long awaited rest.”
The holograms disappeared, along with the portal.
“You've done it!” Ms. Deathslinger said. “I am so proud of you all.”
Kevin nodded. “I think that Morganthe won't be able to do us any harm for now.”
“So we can finally get back to Earth now?” Rainee asked. “I'm starving for some ice cream.”
“That's sounds good.” Jacob said. “But I'm going to Grizzleheim cause they have the best ice cream around.”
“Alright.” Rainee smiled.
Ms. Deathslinger smiled. “I have to get back to Earth and get things sorted out. I'll make sure Morganthe won't be able to get to my office again.”
“There's just one thing...” Kevin said. “I feel like we forgot something.”
“You're just imagining it.” Jacob said. “What could it be?”
“Eh, just forget it.” Kevin said.
Edith waved goodbye as the wizards entered the Spiral Door. “Thank you guys for everything!”
“No problem! Good luck in your excavations!” Jacob yelled back.
After a few days, Jacob, Rainee, Kevin, and Stephen found themselves at Lincoln High School again, fitting in with mortals.
“It's good to be back.” Kevin said while he summoned ice cubes into his soda.
“You got that right.” Jacob said. “I'm heading to Krokotopia for a bit.”
“But you just got here.” Kevin said.
“Prof. Alhazred told me to come see him.”
“Oh. Have fun then.”
“Wait. Kevin, have you seen Alexander?”
“No I haven't. Why?”
“He hasn't been to school in three days. He never misses class.”
“Weird. I'll try to contact him on Central.”
“Alright. See ya.”
Jacob snapped his fingers and teleported away.