[HEADS UP: DUE TO WATTPAD'S SKEEVY NEW ToS, MAGE WILL BE REPOSTED ON AO3. I am incredibly grateful for all the wonderful people who supported me on this site back when it didn't have an interest in taking advantage of its content creators, and if you are interested in Mage's rewrite, I heavily encourage you to join me on Archive of Our Own (and if you're moving your fic there, let me know! I will do my best to support!)]

______________________________________________________________

Sorry guys. I've been in hiatus hell. This thing took on like... three different forms and I'm still not 1000% satisfied with it, especially because I took a break and have been writing pretty much exclusively in 3rd person since the last chapter of this thing??? Other potential side effects of this nonsense include changing direction of this chapter at least twice, writing conflict between allies for I think... pretty much the first time? Honestly I don't know, college is bullying me and also I'm pretty much just using this to get back into writing.

But hey, hopefully this is a fun/terrible cliffhanger! Everyone's in sort of a bad mood, it's cold, and things have a possibility of getting dumb for a bit before they get horrendous again! I'm hoping I didn't botch characterizations but honestly just... heck.

I hope you all have been doing well, and apologies for my absence. Not sure when the next one's coming out but I hope it won't take a year. Ha.

- AA